Surviving rejection letter after rejection letter... why do I go on?

The title does seem a bit melodramatic, doesn't it? At the moment, I feel that way. It might be twenty years I've done this, but every rejection cuts like a small knife. Now don't get me wrong, I know this comes with the territory. Even Stephen King got rejection letters. I tell that to all the authors I meet that relate their tales of woe.




It still doesn't make it any easier. I take a few hours to wallow in pity, while I wonder if I should just quit. But then I realize I write because I want to, not because I plan on getting rich. I write in hopes that a small number of people enjoy my adventures. I also write to keep my brain strong. With a chronic disease, I must keep my brain striving for more. I need more words, more phrases, and some days, it is just hard to think of simple words.

But that is why I continue. I write not just for potential fans. I write for my health. So, with every rejection letter, I grow stronger. I might not remember characters from my early books, but I strive to create more that will entertain my brain in the future.

This rejection letter was actually helpful and gave more information than the usual "Thanks, but no thanks" formality. I will go back to my manuscript and tweak. I can only do what I can do, but I will enjoy doing it.

And I will keep looking for something positive each day. I won't back down and maybe someday my work will end up in the hands of someone who loves it as much as me.

Write on!
Penny

A Girl's Guide to Time Travel made the LONG LIST for Chanticleer's Ozma award!

I survived the slush pile!! Quite a few months ago, I entered my traditionally published book, A Girl's Guide to Time Travel, into a contest. I did some research and came across the Chanticleer Awards and thought it worth taking a chance. I've never entered Time Travel into a contest before. I chose to enter the Ozma Contest that is geared toward the fantasy genre. Today, I just checked to see if any results were posted and I just saw my book has made it from the slush pile to the Long List.

I never expected to make even this first list, so I am tickled pink! I'm really not expecting to move forward, so thought I'd take this chance to toot my own horn for the day.

You can read the full article here: https://www.chantireviews.com/2018/11/29/ozma-book-awards-cibas-for-fantasy-fiction-the-2018-long-list/


These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from SLUSH pile to the 2018 Long List (aka the Slush Pile Survivors). We incorporate the Long List when the judges request an additional round of judging to accommodate the number and/or quality of entries received.  These entries are now in competition for the 2018 OZMA SHORT LIST. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions.
The coveted First  Place Category Winners of the 2018 OZMA Book Awards will be selected from the Semi-Finalists in the final rounds of judging.  The First Place Category Winners will be announced at the Chanticleer Awards Banquet and Ceremony. 
The First Place Category winners will automatically be entered into the OZMA GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition.  The 16 CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book and its $1,000 purse. First Place Category and Grand Prize Awards will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Awards Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 27th, 2019, Bellingham, Washington.
These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2018 OZMA Book Awards novel competition for Fantasy Fiction.

The following works have made it to the 2018  OZMA Book Awards Long List:

• Pamela LePage – Virtuous Souls
• J.V. Rutz – The Illusion Killer
• Megan Wong – Island Whispers
• Allan Batchelder – Steel, Blood & Fire
• Ea Bishop – RAGNAROK: Demon Seed
• Daryl Ellerbe – The Amazons
• Kristin Secorsky – Dragon Chosen: The Dragon Riders of Eryieth
• Paul E. Vaughn – Luminess Legends: Dragon Ascendants
• Kathleen Neeley – Master None
• David M. Jarboe – Realm Portals “The Celtic Otherworld”
• M.K Williams – The Phoenix Chronicles: Alone in the Light
• Jennifer Allis Provost – Gallowglass
• T.K. Riggins – Money Jane
• Susan Faw – Heart Of Shadra
• Glen Shipherd – Infinity – Rulers
• Franklin Posner – Suburban Vampire Ragnarok
• Nancy Guild Bendall – Nethermost Regained
• Anthony Nordvik-Nash – Hedda Stein-Sun’s UnRemembered Islands
• Nancy Guild Bendall – Nethermost Regained
• Elana A. Mugdan – Dragon Speaker
• Elizabeth Crowens – Silent Meridian
• Lindsay Schopfer – Into the North: A Keltin Moore Adventure
• M. K. Wiseman – The Kithseeker
• Miriam Cumming – Namesakes
• Penny Pearson – A Girl’s Guide to Time Travel
• Chris Dews – Antler Jinny and the Raven
• Philip Carlisle – Surviving Eros: Heart of Phire
• D.M. Cain – A Chronicle of Chaos

To view the 2017 OZMA Book Awards winners, please click here.
The OZMA Grand Prize Winner and the First Place Category Position award winners will be announced at the April 27th, 2019 Chanticleer Book Awards Annual Awards Gala, which takes place at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash. 

Gearing up for holiday bazaar season! Ho ho ho!

Well, Christmas is right around the corner (I know, right?? Who can believe it's almost December??) I have been trying to find book events to attend to sell my novel and coloring books, but the last several book only events have kind of been a bust for me. The foot traffic just wasn't there.

So, I've been thinking out of the box (still) for my next couple of shows and have come up with Christmas bazaars and craft shows. The need for different Christmas ideas got me thinking that maybe my coloring books might be good to promote. At such a great price point of $5, it's not a pricey Christmas
investment.

Now I'm just trying to figure out what kind of Christmas décor I need for my table. I only have a 6 foot table (and possibly a 4 ft. card table), so 3 coloring books will take the bulk of the space. Also, I don't think my Greek demigod romance novel will be a top seller around Christmas. I mean, I would love to stumble across such a find at a bazaar, but I'm not sure if the "normal" people of southern Indiana want to see such a thing.

I have 2 holiday craft shows lined up; one this weekend and one in December (see my Events page if you're curious where they are located). After that, I'm still searching. My family will probably be happy to have me stay home for a weekend, anyway.

I'll keep you posted on how the events go!
Keep writing on!
Penny

Doctor Who - Season 11 Episode 3 "Rosa"

(Spoilers, sweetie! Don't read on if you haven't seen this yet!)

This episode of Doctor Who had me riveted the entire time. The sense of doom and sadness seemed to be one step out of scene. The Doctor and her companions are brought to America on the eve of Rosa Park's famous bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama 1955. Her bravery is echoed in the performance.

Rosa meets Krasko (Time traveling racist)
Courtesy of BBC

It was brutal to watch Ryan's reaction to his simple act of helping someone. The despair and wonder that come across when all realize they are about to witness such profound history doesn't fall short. Yaz has her own demons to fight as a Pakistani woman. Being called a Mexican and told to go back home, caught her off guard.

The idea that someone had come back to this timeline to disrupt all Rosa Parks had done for civil rights movement made me feel ill at ease. How many times have we thought about something bad that happened and wonder if we had just turned right instead of left or said "no" when we should have said "yes."



Ryan meets Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Courtesy of BBC

This episode shows that making the future better doesn't always mean changing the past.

I'm looking forward to the next adventure the Doctor takes us on!
Write on everyone!
Penny

Getting ready for holiday season shows!

I will be attempting to try my hand at selling my coloring books and novels at an area bazaar in November. I'm hoping my coloring books do well, but don't hold out much hope for the demand of my novels.  We'll see. I have a 8 foot space to use, so I'll have to condense and not use many of my marketing items. Probably just need a big sign that reads $5 for the coloring books - should be a big attention grabber.

I've been trying to work out my winter show schedule, but sadly I don't see much offered. No local book festivals or shopping events. I might go back to the coffee shops since I have new material to present. Also, I have 2 pending publications - a children's book Princess Polliwog & the Swing Thief and A Girl's Guide to Purgatory.

I just finished a 2nd in my Wizards of the Vatican series and have the third started. Also, working on the 3rd installment of my Girl's Guide series. So busy, busy, busy!

What happens when your festival tent meets 40 mph wind?

So… I had a festival this past weekend in Clarksville, IN and the day looked like it was going to turn out awesome. I'd been checking the weather forecast all week and rain chances had diminished down to nothing. I thought I was home free. Saturday we wake up and head out to be at ClarkFest by 8am (after getting donuts, of course). It was sunny and warming up nicely.

My husband helped with setting up the new 10x10 tent we bought and I must say it was very easy! The book set up went smoothly, once I worked out where I wanted each book, table sign, floor sign, candy container, book mark, business card, Greek helmet (yes, you read that right), and model horse. I had my first sale not ten minutes after the festival opened.

Everything was going great... until the wind started picking up. When I mentioned it, the person in the tent next to mine informed me we had a wind advisory with 40 mile an hour gusts coming. Boy howdy, did the weather people call that!

The wind broke something glass and expensive sounding from another vendor, knocked over shelving units, moved tents. Soon people were holding on to their tents for dear life. But that didn't work. My tent had a back wall and it acted like a sail, sending my tent marching forward. One by one, tents were taken down.

The event was to run until 6pm. At 4pm, I decided to cut my losses. I was the second to last vendor still there, no festival goers were arriving, and I knew no more sales were in my future. I had been reduced to one 6 foot table, stripped completely bare. I had a copy of each book on the table and nothing else, other than the gallon water jugs used to hold down my coloring books.

This wind event definitely made things exciting! I was glad I had a great start to the day and look forward to ClarkFest next year. My next event will be indoors, but it's in November, so who knows what the weather will bring!

Okay, until next time!
Write on!
Penny

The “Proper Awesome” Doctor Who - 2nd episode review

SPOILERS, Sweetie! So if you haven’t seen this yet, please don’t read on and spoil the fun!

 “The Ghost Monument” opens with the Doctor and her new companions floating in space… without a ship (or spacesuits, for that matter). The Tardis is nowhere to be seen. Ryan and Graham get scooped up by one ship and the Doctor and Yaz are scooped up by another. Both ship captains are competing in a race that will earn them money and safety for their families.

 

This episode was action packed and the storyline tight and fast-paced. I appreciated the Doctor's sentiment of "No guns." She was adamant guns never solved anything, and when Ryan decided to disagree and play the hero, it didn't turn out as he expected.

 

I also appreciated that none of the main "supporting" characters were killed. I grew used to the various people around the Doctor not making it, so this was a pleasant surprise.

 

Courtesy of BBC

 

 

We were introduced to the new Tardis, and I'm really liking it. Similar to the theme song, it seems a bit industrial... and right up my alley.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2nd installment of Doctor Who and look forward to where the writers are going to take us.

 

Okay, write on, friends!

Penny

Jodie Whittaker makes one awesome Doctor!

(SPOILERS!! So if you don't want to know, don't read any further!!)

I cannot tell you (well, actually I am) how excited I am over our new Doctor. Jodie Whittaker is off to a wonderful start in "The Woman Who Fell to Earth." Just in time, the Doctor takes aim and saves people from an alien in Sheffield. We are introduced to several individuals that will stay by her side to battle a scary, murderous, tooth-pulling Tzim-Sha. At first, it seemed like there were a lot of extra people, and I knew at least one wouldn't make it (based on early sneak peeks). But as each "companion" went about their business, I started liking them more and more.

 

The first episode barely touched on the fact the  new Doctor is female. No big deal. I love the fact she just rolled with it. All things considered, I loved the first episode and can't wait to watch the second one. Leaving them floating in space was quite an ending. We need the Tardis stat!!

Okay, until next time!
Penny

Coloring book crazy and dealing with Create Space/ KDP merger

So I am working on my 3rd coloring book - two horses and now a puppy & kitten one (per my daughter's request). I find it very fun to do and I try to make my own spin on a coloring book to make it slightly different than what is offered by others. I find my second book, Horses in Art, is geared more toward older kids or adults due to some of its intricate lines. All images were taken from The Met's public domain website and it's incredibly awesome they opened up all these works of art to the masses.

One thing I've encountered is during my second book published on Create Space, the merger with KDP went final. I was able to move over my coloring books relatively easy. EXCEPT for the cover. The problem I ran into was the cover selection for designing your own is far inferior in KDP than it was in Create Space. It's unfortunate that we're losing a platform that had more selections. I tried to be so positive when everyone else around me seemed to be panicking because of the merger.

I am still in the process of figuring out how to recreate my covers so they match what was created in Create Space. I had such good hopes. So for now, I will reserve judgement until later.

Sellersburg Celebrates... a success!

We survived our three-day outdoor festival and all had great sales last weekend! This was more than expected because we'd never done an event that wasn't marketed for books. This was a community festival. The clear winners: coloring books. My fellow writer, Jen, did awesome with all her books, but the coloring books took the top prize.

My Amazing Horses coloring book did really well. Especially since it was so last minute due to the fact that I knew my Greek time travel wouldn't do that well. It's such a niche genre, it is hard to market in the toughest book selling events. Then you add in an outdoor festival with thousands of people... well, I didn't know how it would turn out.

I ended up selling more novels at this event over any other event. I was so pleased with the outcome, I've decided to try my hand at the ClarkFest in Clarksville, Indiana on Saturday, October 20th.

Page 69 Contest winner!

I entered a writing challenge I found on Twitter hosted by Stevie McCoy (heavensfiction.blogspot.com). It was the Page 69 Challenge. I was charged with finding the best paragraph or two from page 69 of a manuscript and submit it to compete with others and their page 69s.








Here was my post:

Penny PearsonJuly 3, 2018 at 9:29 AM

Heat licked at Dale Hicks’s skin, excruciating and throbbing. Pain obscured his thoughts down a never-ending tunnel that twisted and turned, getting narrower and narrower. It burned in the most painful way he’d ever experienced. Opening his eyes, he stared around in terror. What happened? His surroundings sparked no sense of the familiar. He thought back to his last memory, yet it seemed so unattainable. He could almost reach out and touch it, but every time he mentally grabbed at it, the memories floated away, leaving a vast emptiness. The rough ground tore into his back, and he propped himself up against a stone wall behind him.

Red, flickering light illuminated the room. Fear shot down Dale’s spine. Something bad had happened.

A large figure came forward. Shadows rippled across the massive frame. Red eyes, sparking fire, focused on Dale. Large scales and protrusions dripped with liquid ooze. “You have arrived sooner than expected,” the creature rasped.

From page 69 of WIP -untitled (I don't come up with title until first draft is complete - but I am SO close!)
Twitter:
@Author_AngieMcP

I like these paragraphs because they show something spooky that's coming my characters' way.

 

****

I was announced as the winner earlier this week, and I was tickled pink! I've never won any sort of writing contest, big or small. Stevie was nice enough to include a pic of my latest novel in her announcement of the contest winner.

 

You can check out the final page for the Page 69 Contest here!

A Coloring Book of Horses?

Cover design - A. McPherson

Well, apparently, I just don't have enough to do. So I decided last week to try my hand at a coloring book. I began to think about what I have to offer at my book events and realized one paranormal adventure needed a friend! So because of my love of horses, it was an easy decision to do a coloring book of different horses. I actually lucked out because when I was younger I drew horses... a lot. So thanks to my drive to draw nearly every Arabian I saw, I had a lot to work with.

I scanned my drawings and then outlined them to create the basic horse. My daughter didn't like it when I added a few details within the horse, so a few of them were left alone, other than their shapes. Another feature my daughter added was a tiny speck at the top of the barn in one of the backgrounds. This little speck is a chicken looking down over the land (my daughter's exact words).

 My husband handled the computer editing after I scanned more than thirty designs. The book was narrowed down to twenty-five drawings. Downloading to CreateSpace was easy, and it only took us a night to get everything entered. I chose to have the page behind the drawing blank to prevent any bleed throughs while coloring. Also, when I gave my daughter extra sheets to take to daycare to color, she came home with the horse colored, cut out, and glued to a popsicle stick. They all had a mini horse show with their stick horses.

The book is titled Amazing Horses and I decided to submit it under the name Angie McPherson. This book is different than the other coloring books, so I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. My book concentrates more on the horses themselves, leaving the background very basic.

For pricing, I chose to be cheaper than most of the books due to affordability for parents of children (and also because I'm really unsure if it's a decent coloring book). I ordered 50 books to be delivered and they will go to Sellersburg Celebrates and the Kentuckiana Book Blitz toward the end of August, as well as two model horse shows. Hopefully model horse people love to color more than their model horses!

I also have an idea for a 2nd coloring book, but we'll see how this one goes! Stay tuned!

Stay paranormally weird and write on!
Penny

Off to Nationals... for model horses!!

I am headed to the North American Nationals with my model horses in Lexington, Kentucky. It is a 3-day show, but I am only showing 2 days. I am bringing 10 CM (custom models), one OF (original finish) Copperfox and one china horse. All but one of the CM horses were customized by others, and the one I did was my NaMoPaiMo horse from February. I have no expectations of doing well since I’m such a beginner show horse collector. With my small budget, I really can’t compete with the horses that cost $1,000 and a lot more.

 

But these horses earned their spot, so gosh darn it! We’re going to a show! At least I don’t have to feed and clean stalls at this show. My biggest worry is the heat. The original plan was to not bring the entire string in each day to Rupp Arena, but the heat is in the mid-90’s and the heat index takes it even higher. The poor things would probably cook down to a blob with a head, or at the least get some crooked legs. I don’t want to take my chance, so I’ll be carting them in for both days.

 

For the classes, I have some horses showing in 2 divisions: breed and workmanship. Breed is pretty simple. You study your horse and find a breed that fits confirmation-wise. Some are easy, while others you can get really creative with, as long as you’ve done your research and your documentation you bring to the show backs up your choice.  As for workmanship, this division solely rests on how the horse is customized. How is the shading, white spaces, hooves, eyes? Do the dapples look real? Everything is subject to the judge’s opinion – just like at an actual horse show. When I was judging, it came down to what horse would I like in my own barn?

My herd going to NAN 2018!

 

The same goes here at model horse shows. The devil is in the details, and some of these horses are incredible looking. Who am I kidding? All of these horses are incredible looking. 

 

Another division that I haven’t even ventured into is Performance. It’s not that I couldn’t do it. My real world experience with various breeds and disciplines would be ideal, but frankly I can’t afford to buy a custom saddle, saddle pad, girth, and bridle. I don’t imagine this division is ever something I will take part in. My husband has put up with my horse buying up to this point, but I’m pretty sure there will be a time where he starts to question my sanity. That would be when I start investing (and I do mean INVESTING) in tack.

 

So, my small show string will travel tonight to Lexington, get a good night’s rest, and begin our trek into model horse history!

Uncertainty on book stock needed = stress!

I have a book event coming up toward the end of August called Sellersburg Celebrates. This is an annual festival held in Sellersburg, Indiana Aug 23 - 25th, 2018. They have bands, a parade, tons of booths, rides and games, and food. I have talked with the writers group I am in, and several of us thought this would be a cool event to go to.

I have never been to the festival at all, and this will be the first time I go to an event that we are solely responsible for set up - of everything! We need a tent, extension cords, fire extinguisher, tables, table covering, fans (because it is usually hotter than Hades in August!), sign advertising our writers group (which we don't have and haven't really talked about), and probably more that I haven't thought about.

I think I have the logistics of what's needed under control. At our next 2 writers group meetings we will work out the schedule of who's going to be on hand due to the fact that our booth must be manned at all times when the festival is open. Luckily the times Thursday and Friday are early afternoon. We will take an inventory of who is going to be working the festival and what books they will be bringing. We have a wide range of genres covered and should offer an excellent selection for anyone in the market for a new book.

My dilemma comes in with the number of books I should have on hand. The most books I've ever sold at an event was 4. But I've NEVER gone to an event where they expect 5,000 - 10,000 people visit! I don't want to buy too many books in which I'm stuck with a bunch of inventory for years. Is twenty to buy too much, not enough? I do have 2 more selling events lined up within a month after Sellersburg Celebrates, so I would have more opportunity to sell more.

I am thinking I need to have between 20 to 30 books on hand. It is a lot of up-front cost, but I don't like the idea of running out of inventory during such a well-attended event. On the other hand, there are not a lot of book sellers at this type of event. It's a gamble if anyone is going to want to buy books, and even more of a gamble if those book readers happen to be into the genre I write.

So, I'm going to put a hurt on the pocketbook for some more books, but it won't be earth-shattering if I don't sell a lot. I was hoping to have the 2nd book in the series out before the festival, but it seems it's slow going with my publisher. We'll aim for later for the newest book.

Okay, I'll keep you posted on how this event goes!

Happy writing and stay Paranormally Weird!
Penny

"Fireworks" review - No fireworks here.

I had such high hopes for "Fireworks." I ADORED "Your Name." It was such a fantastical, stressful, almost-there, but not quite-ism. And I was engaged the entire time with the 2016 anime. I cannot say the same with today's movie. If it weren't for Moviepass, I would be severely depressed at the money I paid.



Nazuna

Courtesy of marcusgohmarcusgoh.com


 

Fireworks is a very pretty movie, and it had moments that made me hopeful. But after the first "If this would happen," I wasn't impressed. I get that it's a coming of age movie and boys will be boys, but all the female characters were one sided, whereas they filled out the male characters more fully. The characters Nazuna (quiet girl), Norimichi (quiet boy) and Yusuke (not-so quiet boy) don't make sense to me at times. Nazuna was quiet until she would burst out in quick one liners that made her seem totally off her rocker or super ditzy. Then she would go back to quiet girl that wouldn't look at anyone. I won't even get into the part where she dreams/ hallucinates being a singing princess flying around. All the while, Norimichi just stands by with wide-eyed... I don't even know what. I'm not sure if he was really seeing this or not!

Honestly, at the end I'd given up caring if Norimichi could fix things. And I've never been so glad when the credits rolled.

My rating: D (and I usually am the one that loves even the most mundane of movies)

Anyways, here's to hoping Ant-Man and the Wasp is better!






Page 69 Challenge from Heaven's Fiction Reviews

I joined the Page 69 Challenge set forth by Heaven's Fiction Reveiws.  You can visit Stevie McCoy's blog to join in on the fun: http://heavensfiction.blogspot.com/

Here's my contribution:

Penny PearsonJuly 3, 2018 at 9:29 AM

Heat licked at Dale Hicks’s skin, excruciating and throbbing. Pain obscured his thoughts down a never-ending tunnel that twisted and turned, getting narrower and narrower. It burned in the most painful way he’d ever experienced. Opening his eyes, he stared around in terror. What happened? His surroundings sparked no sense of the familiar. He thought back to his last memory, yet it seemed so unattainable. He could almost reach out and touch it, but every time he mentally grabbed at it, the memories floated away, leaving a vast emptiness. The rough ground tore into his back, and he propped himself up against a stone wall behind him.

Red, flickering light illuminated the room. Fear shot down Dale’s spine. Something bad had happened.

A large figure came forward. Shadows rippled across the massive frame. Red eyes, sparking fire, focused on Dale. Large scales and protrusions dripped with liquid ooze. “You have arrived sooner than expected,” the creature rasped.

From page 69 of WIP -untitled (I don't come up with title until first draft is complete - but I am SO close!)
Twitter:
@Author_AngieMcP

I like these paragraphs because they show something spooky that's coming my characters' way.

ReplyDelete

Replies

Stevie McCoyJuly 3, 2018 at 9:54 AM
OMG! What happens next?! Who arrived? Great page 69!

Entering the final stretch!

So, it seems as if I have been working on this manuscript for forever! I don't remember, but it's possible I feel this way with every story I write. This will be my 6th finished, even though I only have one book available for purchase at the moment.

I am just shy of 60,000 words and entering the final big scene on my newest . Once I'm done, I'll go back and flesh out any scenes I didn't go into enough detail. This is a sequel to another story I did, but know I am thinking I should make this book the first in the series and move the first book back to the sequel release. That would set any future books to fall right in line for their releases.

After I complete my story, I will try to figure out a title. I don't name any of my stories until they are done. They don't have to be in final draft form, but mentally I feel better when the rough draft is finished. My conundrum is that I'm not quite happy with my first book's title, A Bequest of Blood. It never really sat right with me (even though my husband helped me come up with it). The title does fit, it just doesn't roll off my tongue easily.

So when I complete this book, I will try to find a new title for my completed (book 2) and a name for my work in progress (book 1). It is a series on the Wizards of the Vatican, so I have a lot of possibilities.

Stay tuned! Probably more coming up on future title ideas!
Happy 4th of July!
Penny

Renaissance Fair Fun!

I love going to ren faires! Every summer I look forward to seeing all the outfits parading around. Some dress as medieval ladies, belly dancers, super heroes or just as themselves. This year I came out with a completely new outfit including a new stomacher and hoop skirt. My husband just smiled and said, "Sure, dear," when I asked if he thought I should buy the new outfit. I couldn't pass up a cream and gold striped circle skirt.

My 6 year old was super excited to cheer on France (red team) during the jousting, and even though our knight lost, everyone had loads of fun.


We also got to see the "Untrained Dog Show" and Fool Hearty, Ima Nut and Marquis - a married couple and their "un" trained dogs.

Fool Hearty
Courtesy of Facebook

Turkey legs and funnel cakes were our food of choice. A new Viking show was added that mixed comedy and staged fighting. This is a new addition, but hopefully one that will continue!  

For anyone in the Kentucky area, a visit to the local ren faire is worth it!
http://www.kyrenfaire.com/

Happy summer and write on!
Penny
 

Book signing / Meet the Author event!

Tomorrow I will have my first self-instigated book signing and selling event. I've done all the advertising that I can without seeming creepy or desperate. The game and coffee shop, Pearl Street G & C House, has never had an author event.

So it's a first for everyone!

I have pulled together all my materials and even some extras. A great idea was presented to me with selling my older, self-published books, as "pre-releases."

This might be a great opportunity to:
1. Sell my old stock that I thought to be unsellable
2. Offer to new readers a chance at reading a book BEFORE final touches are made (editing, cover design, story lines, etc.)
3. Offer new readers a big discount due to the status of the book
4. Build my email list in order to let people know when my next book is available

All that is left is hope that the rain system on the forecast treats us well and we'll be on our way!

I'll keep you updated!
Penny

Deadpool 2 review - My new favorite movie of the year!!



(THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!! SO DON'T READ IF YOU ARE UNFORTUNATE ENOUGHT TO NOT SEE YET!!!)


Courtesy of hdwallpapers.in

I couldn't stop laughing as I watched Deadpool 2 yesterday. I am not a snorting sort of laugher, but I couldn't count the number of times my body did this weird, not normal, sound. I laugh-cried, too. It was too much and not enough!

Foreshadowing at the beginning set my fears in motion that something was going to happen to Vanessa, and, darn!!!, something bad did happen. My love for her from Firefly carried over to Deadpool and I didn't want her to die, but I see why they did it. I still didn't like it.

Courtesy of cinemablends.com

Luckily, the action moved quickly and you were able to think about something other the sadness of love - cut short. Honestly, in the world of super heroes, everyone should know NOT to reproduce!!! Show me a happy super hero couple. Maybe Penny and Tony Stark. Debatable, though.

The number of times people died unfortunate deaths were numerous. Don't even get me started on the scene when X-Force landed with their parachutes! The entire theater was rolling in the aisles. I really liked Domino and her luck, and the rapport between Deadpool and her was great.

The fights with Cable and DP entertained greatly, and managed to make the most squeamish of us squeal in horror when he landed on/off the table in the prison. Excruciating!

The ending was perfect, and the extra footage during the credits set things to right. Yea, Nessa! This was such a great movie, I'm planning on seeing it again. Sad I can't use my MoviePass for round two, but c'est la vie!

Movie rating: A+