Merry Christmas Eve

freechristmaswallpapers.net/wallpaper/Merry-Christmas-Candles/

I can't believe it's Christmas Eve. I'm off to do my shopping, well most of the remaining. Yes, I really don't do any Christmas shopping til the 23rd  and Christmas Eve. It's fun and I think it keeps in the true spirit of Santa. Plus, what else would you do on Christmas Eve, relax?LOL

Anyway, after I shop, I like to order a pizza (there's a place here on the South Side that is open til 10pm on the 24th... Oh yeah!) then wrap until Midnight Mass. I come home after the big festivus in church, indulge in some drinks and wrap some more, watching my LOTR DVDs or some of my werewolf and zombie movies, basically staying up all night. Then when the sun peeks over the horizon, I crash out for a few hours, get up and make myself Christmas breakfast. Nothing exciting, just toast with peanut butter and banana. I'll watch Christmas Vacation, sleep some more, make a few phone calls, finally joining my family for Christmas dinner about 6pm. Finally, we open presents. All in all a very fun, laid back kind of Christmas. No stress, no dog and pony show for relatives and in-laws, no trip to someone's abode in the land of Far Far Away, either. A wonderful, peaceful holiday. I also leave my little tree on all night. There's something about sleeping with the tree lights on that I love.

Merry Christmas, my Imaginarians. I hope you all have a joy-filled,peaceful holiday. Thank you for all for your friendship.

It's the End of The World...NOT

Well it's December 21 and I want to know where the zombies are. I mean really, I was looking forward to starting my own crew ala Walking Dead and kicking some flesheater ass. There's nothing. Damn you, Mayans, what the heck? This means I have to pay my bills...Son of a bitch.  I'm sure the electric company won't accept "thought the world would end and I spent my money hoarding crossbows, katana swords, beef jerky and Diet Pepsi." Ah well...

Thanks for bearing with me while I've been gone. I'm in the midst of so many things right now I could scream. But thank God I am busy. I'll be back with a Christmas post after I finish some of the projects I've got going. And I am also working my way through all the fantastic comments you guys left on previous posts. In the mean time, a huge thanks for sticking and have a wonderful weekend.

A Blogger Day of Silence

Happy Birthday To ME!!!!! And Gift For Someone.

Happy Birthday to Mel....Happy Birthday to Mel...LMAO! Okay I'll stop. Yes, it's my birthday and Peter Jackson and Wing Nut Studios have thoughtfully released The Hobbit for me. Aren't they sweet? I'm going to be celebrating in Middle Earth with hobbits and dwarves, yeah, baby!

While I am off, venturing through the Shire, sipping tea (well more like margaritas, hey tea don't cut it) at Bag End, I thought I would leave you with a giveaway. Yes, that's right, it's my B-Day, but you could win a prize,  a free download of one of my stories. The winner gets to pick from among those on my side bar. As they are downloads, they're convenient and make excellent Christmas gifts, if I do say so, myself. I mean, who doesn't want to spice up their holiday season. ;)

The rules are simple:

Leave a comment and riddle me this: How do you think I should rock out on my B-Day? Give me your most outrageous, over-the-top answer. I have bail money so sky's the limit. I'll announce the winner on Monday, December 17th.

Also, leave your email in the comments, along with your story choice, so I can notify the winner. My gay steampunk tale, The Physician's Lieutenant is also on the table if you'd care to wait a bit for the release.

To give you an idea, one of my most outrageous birthday celebrations involved a pub crawl, strippers,  falling in a duck pond, table dancing and a trip to White Castle ala Harold and Kumar so while I may be old, I do have a wild side. And yes, there is photographic evidence, but this was right before digital cameras so they shall remain buried until all participants have been relocated or have expired. If I remember right, the table dance was me shaking my caboose to...Party Train by that quintessential soul group The Gap Band. Dig that 80's look in this vid. Choo... Choo.. Get on board...




So, what are you all up to this weekend? Going to Middle Earth? Here's hoping you have lots of fun whatever you are doing.

Rock N Roll Heaven And A Wind Up

12 12 12 concert logo via http://www.121212concert.org/

Last night was incredible the music fan in me. I am hard rock, rock n roll girl to the marrow of my bones so the12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief was pure paradise, though there were definitely some sour notes. First the very high notes. I am really happy that so many people donated their time for the cause and that there were a lot of first responders in the audience. I loved the video segments featuring individual stories like the kids talking about the Jersey Shore and Team Rubicon about vets helping disaster survivors, camping out in an abandoned house to be on hand at all times. You can donate to the Robin Hood relief fund here.

Very high notes were also Sir Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, the Nirvana mini reunion (Kisses Dave and Chris, you still rock my soul) Roger Waters with Eddie Vedder, Alicia Keys (whose New York song sounded way better minus the rap stylings of Jay-Z) The Who, Bon Jovi and of course, the Boss, Bruce Springsteen.

Billy Joel was meh, I'm kind of over his songs, still he was enjoyable. Kanye West was a bit of a yikes for his 20 minute set. What was that skirt? Okay, Chris Martin, I'm sure you're a very nice guy, but I just do not get the appeal of you. Your voice is like someone trying to sing with a mouthful of marbles and water. And what was with the Losing My Religion piece with Michael Stipe? Could you two have been any more depressing?

On to other things. I'm orbiting Mars happy you all enjoyed my Alex fest post the other day. It was great fun trying to imagine our Captain Ninja and creating my very first piece of flash fiction. Hat tip, Alex my friend, you are incredible.

My birthday is Saturday so I'll be doing a fun post with some of my favorite things. I am getting to be one old ass bitch. LOL

Laters!

Cheers, Cavanaugh Blogfest

According to the dictionary a ninja is a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan who specialized in unorthodox warfare. His aresenal included assassination, espionage, infiltration and sabotage. My definition of a ninja is a man who fought for his dream and now selflessly encourages others to do the same. Who always has time for the legions he has gathered to him, a writing warrior with boundless energy and spirit, a man whose heart knows no limits. Today we are celebrating that ninja, the Captain Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Organized by the super cool Morgan Shamy, the awesome David Powers King, the incredible Stephen Tremp and the magnificent Mark Koopmans, this is a way for our blogging community to celebrate the friend who has been there for us all. To check out all the festivities and the amazing participants, click here. Alex himself is going to read these posts and there will be two exceedlingly stupendous prizes.

So, what does Alex look like? To me Alex is unassuming, a jeans and tee shirt man who blends well with his surroundings and you'll only know he's there when he's ready to reveal himself. Like a true ninja.

Who would play Alex in a documentary? Johnny Depp. As handsome as he is, Johnny is a master at blending into a part. Again like a true ninja.

Who does Alex remind you of? I know I said he's unassuming, but with his personality and wit, Alex reminds me of Captain Mal Reynolds. He always figures out a way, even if it means trouble first. Always keeps his humor about him and never fails to help those in need.

Flash Fiction 100 words or less, using Cavanaugh, Cosbolt, Guitar, IWSG and Ninja

"Get to the Cosbolt NOW," Cavanaugh roared as laser fire erupted inside the old IWSG club. Damn those Ninja Terrans and their blood feud. He waited a heartbeat, then ran, dodging crossfire as he rushed to the stage. There was no way he was leaving without his prized guitar. He'd die first and take a few of those bastards with him.

And now a word for my superhero, Wonder Woman aka Alex's wife.

Thank you, thank you. You are a wondrous, generous woman and I can't begin to express my gratitude to you as you share the Captain Ninja with his Army each week. Peace, joy and many blessings to you both.

Thanks for dropping by to celebrate Alex today. This was a great way to start my week as my Bears got humiliated and there is no Walking Dead until February. Ugh!

Writers 4 Writers, Good Things And Something To Remember

Today kicks off the big Writers 4 Writers campaign. Started by M Pax, Christine Rains, Stephen Tremp, and C.M. Brown, four of the most incredible authors out there, this project aims to help we writers get the word out about our stories via Facebook and Twitter, increase traffic to our blogs/sites, help an author make the Amazon Top 100 in at least one category and create a buzz that will hopefully increase sales beyond the initial promo period.

The first author for this tremendously brilliant undertaking is Nancy S. Thompson and her debut novel, The Mistaken. Please visit her site and see what you can do to help Nancy and Writers 4 Writers get the word out. You can also visit the Writers 4 Writers Facebook page and Like it to support the cause.

Here's a bit about The Mistaken...

Tyler Karras is an honest man, a transplanted Brit living the American dream, but his charmed life takes an unexpected turn when his brother, Nick, is coerced into joining ranks with San Francisco’s Russian mafia. Ty intervenes to secure Nick’s freedom, yet only succeeds in incurring their wrath. With no choice but to accept Nick’s new life, Ty returns to his own, but his dreams are dashed when his wife—pregnant with their first child—is killed, the victim of a reckless crime.

Despondent and bitter, Ty macerates his grief in alcohol. From the depths of the bottle screams a voice, howling for vengeance. His target is a stranger, the woman who drew his wife toward her death. He doesn’t know her, but he’ll find her, and when he does, he will make her pay, for a deal has been struck with Nick’s Russian associates, enslaving her into a life of bondage. But as Ty moves forward in a cloud of alcohol, he mistakes the wrong woman for his intended victim and now all his plans have gone straight to hell.

More Good Things...

If you're looking for books and ebooks for those awesome people in your life, my publisher, Amber Quill Press and its affiliate sites, the ones I write for, Amber Heat and Amber Allure, are having some great deals. You can even pick up some of my stories to spice up your holidays. ;)

Thanks to everyone for stopping by my IWSG post yesterday and supporting me with wonderful comments about my title tribulations. I got some great advice that I will be trying next time around. 

Sarah Allen at From Sarah, With Joy is celebrating 600 posts. Stop by and give her some props. It's hard creating posts and to reach 600 is awesome.

And now for that Something to Remember. I want to encourage all of you out there to donate to your local food banks. I found myself in the position of needing to get my groceries from mine this last week and it brought back memories of childhood when the steel mill closed. There are so many of us struggling to keep our heads above the rising tide and those food banks are a life line. Whether it's just a few cans of soup to last the week til that meager pay day or whole box of food because you got sick or hurt and had to go the Emergency Room which wiped out your food money, those food banks are an amazing resource. So please when you read this, donate some food or even your time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart in advance, you guys are the best.

Insecurities Oh My! IWSG December Edition

It's time once again for the Insecure Writer's Support Group and holy cow it's the last edition for 2012. Where has this year gone? Hopefully there will be no zombies coming on the 21st and if there are, well, I'm ready. I took the Walking Dead's What Character Are You Quiz and I was Daryl. So if you all want to be on Team Mel come apocalypse time, head on up to Chitown, I'll hold a place for you. Just bring some supplies. ;)

Anyway, the IWSG is the creation of Captain Ninja Alex so we writers can have a safe place to air our insecurities, triumphs etc. More info and the other awesome participants are here.

Today I am talking about giving that story a title. I have the hardest time trying to name my stories. I suck out loud and sideways at it, going through pages and pages of notebook paper or staring for hours at a blinking cursor to try and figure out my titles. Even after all that, I STILL dither and tinker, only settling on a name at the midnight hour/last second before hitting SEND.

I just don't know what my problem is. Why is it so hard for me to give my stories names? Man, even my working titles don't help. Dream On was Contemporary Story, Maxie Briscoe: Werewolf  was Werewolf Story and my steampunk story was, you guessed it, Steampunk Story. And I do officially have a title for it now. The Physician's Lieutenant should be out in February. I guess this is something that I will struggle with until I die. Do you all have problems with generating titles for your stories?

Cool News

My sister friend Robyn at Life By Chocolate has her first book out, yay! Go check out Just The Right Time and give her a big congrats. :)

The brilliant Jamie at Mithril Wisdom is celebrating 3 years in the blogosphere. Yay! High fives Jamie!

Fellow writer, friend and kick ass babe extraordinaire, Morgan H has a great new writing blog called Write Drunk, Edit Soberer. Head on over and give her some props.

Writers 4 Writers starts tomorrow so head on over to Christine Rains' blog or Stephen Tremp's get all the pertinent details. Nancy S. Thompson is the first writer spotlighted.

Checking In And I Finally Saw Brave

Thank you all for sticking with me while I am on deadline. I'm nearly finished so...Yay! Thanks, too, for all the wonderful comments you left last week on the awesome Girls Kick Ass Says So On the T-Shirt post from my super cool friend Mind of Mine. I appreciate your thoughts very much.

Funny enough, in keeping with that theme, I was taking a chill from my frantic writing/editing pace and had the opportunity to at long last see Brave. Now that all 5 billion of the rest you have, LOL.

Wow, was I ever disappointed. I was so disappointed that I could not concentrate on anything til I got this out. Not disappointed in the animation, that was spectacular. In fact, it blew me away, but just like with Avatar, it was glitter to try and distract me from the utter dreckitude that was the story.

On a side rant, what was with the butt cheeks and the extra bouncy breasts on the housekeeper? Not to mention Bear Cub Brother's swan dive into Cleavage Town... Yikes!

Back to my point. We finally, finally get a girl hero from Pixar and they make it into a stereotypical chick "adventure" and I use that term very loosely. There really was no adventure here. It all comes down to a witch's spell and Merida's bitchy 'tude with her mommy. All because of what essentially amounts to a boy problem. So she didn't want to get married, boo hoo... BFD. She still wore a dress, the central villain is still a witch and her problem is hardly the ultimate destruction of her way of life. Pixar really suckered me in with that "Change your fate" line. Thank God I only paid $1.30 at the Red Box but even so I want my money back.

Mulan had it all over Merida in the bravery department as far as I'm concerned. I wanted, nay expected a girl kicking ass just like the boys, saving her kingdom,  facing dragons, monsters and warlords hellbent on destruction. Not witches and curses. Or God help me, bears. Why is it we women always get to face evil forest creatures? Are you effing kidding me? Next thing you know there'll be a Brave Part Deux with Merida running up against an evil Bambi. Honestly, fellas, we women are your absolute equals in every way so quit giving us such weak stories when it's our turn to grab some glory. They're BORING. As to the women who had a part in this, shame on you for not representing.

I know some of you out there are like "Geez Mel, it's a cartoon, what's with the attitude? Can't you ever just turn off your feminist and enjoy something?" No, I can't. Pixar had an opportunity with Brave to break new ground and they didn't. They trod right over the same tired territory and spent more time making Merida's hair look great than they did on actual plot. I'm not encouraging my friends to buy their daughters a Brave anything from Disney. Merida is really a glass ceiling hero. We'll let you do some badass things like be an expert archer, but you still have to wear the dress and save yourself from a witch. No warlords for you, you're a girl. And of course we must always make sure that the theme of mother daughter relationships is front and center because we all know girls never have relationships with their fathers.

Okay rant over, I'm going to finish my story and enjoy some Bears football. LOL