New Book! (That rates a new post.)

Hey, guess what! KD Sarge has a new book out! Captain's Boy came out April 1. (Yes, I'm late. Shhh.) As you all know, I'm really quite lazy, so here's my review from a couple of other sites. 

I was so excited to see another installment in the Dream'verse, and Captain's Boy does not disappoint!

This is the fourth book in the series, and it's fun to see all of the characters from the Pendragon's Dream towards the end of the book, but the story centers around Donte and Selene. During the course of the story, they experience so many things that are horrible reminders of the past and daunting new situations, but they learn each other's strengths and how to work together. I love having the backstory that explains glimpses of their relationship that I got from the other books in the series.

I wish it was my gift to write insightful reviews that drop hints to tantalize, but I'm afraid I would end up spoiling the story somehow. So I will simply say that I HIGHLY recommend this book.

If you've read the earlier books, you may remember that Donte and Selene show up a bit in Knight Errant and are mentioned in His Faithful Squire as well. This is one of those universes where I really want to know more about every single character, so I loved this book. And really, let's be serious: any book with Eve and one of her rescues in it is a must-read. 

*looks pointedly at the reader* 

A MUST read. Have you bought it? Have you read it? If not, you know what to do.

Check out this link to the Chronology of the Dream'verse and be sure that you haven't missed any of the free stories that have been posted over at Turtleduck Press.

His Faithful Squire

His Faithful Squire is out! This is the second book in the Dream'verse by KD Sarge. I've been ridiculously tired, sleepy, and unmotivated this month, so I'm recommending this book late (It was released on August 1), but at least I'm finally getting it done.



Here's the review I posted on Amazon and a few other places:

Rafe spent the first twenty years of his life learning how helpless he was. He's been with Taro for two years, living under the protection of Taro and Taro's formidable sister. He's learned some new skills, but he's pretty sure he's still helpless. However, when he and Taro strike out on their own, problems keep cropping up, and suddenly Taro is the one who needs to be rescued, more than once. It's only after Rafe's found solutions--however unorthodox--that he begins to realize that perhaps he was never as helpless as he'd been taught.

His Faithful Squire is a wonderful book, written from the point of view of the very chatty and personable Rafe. If you're ever been dissatisfied by a "happily ever after" ending, you'll appreciate this look at a relationship that's not exactly new, but is undergoing new stresses. And both parties need to learn how to adapt individually and to work together as a couple. If you've read Knight Errant, the first book in this series, you'll enjoy seeing memories from Rafe's perspective, but if you're new to this universe and this author, His Faithful Squire is an excellent and very welcoming starting point.

If you head over to KD's website, be sure to check out her Crestomanthy, which has links to all of her free short stories and excerpts. (While you're there, check out "The Staff" column on the right and realize that I've knitted 2/3 of them.) Do read "Romeo and Julien: a near-tragedy near Verona", which is a lovely little contemporary romance with a nod to Shakespeare (worth clicking just for the picture, but stick around to read when you're done drooling). Then head to the Turtleduck Press website to read the first three chapters of His Faithful Squire and Knight Errant for free. And then go buy them! There are links to all available purchase points at Turtleduck. (Amazon is the only one that sells the paperback. All of the links sell the ebook.)

And once you read and love the book, be sure to review it and recommend it to your friends. Maybe more promptly than I did. ;)

Color Meme

Iiiiinteresting. I'm terribly late to the party (over 2 years late), but I just did this color meme and this is my result:

You are the sort of person that needs a peaceful environment. You seek release from stress and freedom from conflicts and disagreements, of which you seem to have had more than your fair share. But you are taking pains to control the situation by proceeding cautiously and you are right in doing so as you are a very sensitive person.

You are feeling very disillusioned at this time and you feel that you are being left out of things. You know - or you think you know - what you want, but you seem unable to exert the effort to achieve your objectives. As a consequence, you are feeling left out and neglected. You would like to be afforded greater security and fewer problems.

You have a high opinion of yourself. It is perhaps because of this self-centredness that you become exasperated when you feel that your needs are misinterpreted by those around you. When this happens - and it does quite often - you feel that there is no-one that can understand the way you feel and it is because of this egocentric self that you are quick to take offence.

Setback after setback has resulted in considerable stress and now you have got to the stage where you are continuously on your guard, not only to protect yourself from others but to protect yourself from yourself. It would seem that many of your unfulfilled hopes and dreams have led to uncertainty and suspicion. You no longer wish to answer to others and you are insisting on freedom of thought. You feel that you are fully self-sufficient and can control your own destiny. You are seeking ways to protect yourself from further loss of prestige and against further setbacks. You have become very dependent and you doubt that matters could possibly get any better in the immediate future and this negative attitude is leading you to exaggerate your claims and to refuse reasonable compromise.

You wish to be left in peace... no more conflict and no more differences of opinion. In fact you just don't want to be involved in arguments of any shape or form. All you want is for 'them' to get on with it - and to leave you alone.

It fits. Really, really well. How did they manage to eavesdrop on my inner dialogue? >_>

Morton Arboretum & Some Links

*ignores the many-month-long lack of posts*

*whistles innocently*

So, I went to Morton Arboretum yesterday. My mom bought herself a membership last fall and added me to it for my birthday. I've been there 3 times in the past 3 weeks, and it's a lot of fun to see all the new blooms as they show up.

This week the crocuses are gone and the daffodils and snowdrops are blooming instead. There's another change on the East Side as well. I strongly suspect that someone at the Arboretum is an Adam Lambert fan.

Evidence:

(relevant lyric, from "Aftermath": "Tell a stranger that they're beautiful." But everyone knew that already, right? RIGHT?)

Sorry about the bushes that are in the way. It was raining, and I'd have had quite a bit of trouble walking far enough to see it from the path that has a clear view anyway. But you get the idea. I wonder if they're leaving it up all summer, or if it's just for the race today.

I ended up taking over 100 photos. If you're interested in seeing the rest of them, here's the link to my photobucket folder. (or view as a slideshow)

... ETA: I'm sorry about the blurriness of some of the pics. It was rainy and windy, so if I had to use my zoom (most of the time), the focus wasn't great. The Arboretum's a beautiful place though, and I hope you get that idea.

Other Links:
Hidden Worlds by Kit Campbell is listed as a Goodreads Giveaway at the moment. Enter until May 15 to win a copy of this young-adult novel about a writer who gets trapped in her own book! At the moment it's on the top of that page, but you know the giveaway page. Enter soon while you can still find it! >_>

Speaking of Goodreads, Knight Errant by KD Sarge has 4.57/5 stars there, and 5/5 on Amazon. Go here to read the first 3 chapters for free. Bet you'll want the rest of the book after that. The ebook is still just $0.99 on Amazon. You can read it by downloading the free reader there. The price will be going back up at some point, so buy now for maximum savings. ;)

Turtleduck Press also has a new book out this month. Erin Zarro's second poetry chapbook, Without Wings, was released on the first. Perfect timing since April is Poetry Month.

If you haven't seen these two videos featuring Stephen Colbert ... wow. You live under a bigger rock than I do. But go watch them now! Walgreens (really funny bit starts at 1:35) and Friday

Okay, I think that's it for the links. Other life stuff? Still no job. The temp one ended on April 2. That schedule got me so stressed and wound up that I wasn't even knitting, and I haven't really started again yet. I need to get back to that. Other than that, nothing new really. Oh, wait. My mom's retiring on April 21. Just 4 more shifts. o.o

Maybe I'll post more often from now on. Just don't hold your breath.

Color Meme

"If you want to do the meme, leave a comment requesting a colour and I'll give you a colour that I think represents you / makes me think of you, and then you list ten things you like in that colour!"

Stolen from Kate & Scribbles & Taya & a bunch of other people. Scribbles gave me "green". I haven't done Kate's and Taya's yet.

So, GREEN:

No, I kid. The Grinch is much too Christmas-y for me. Even in that pic.



Yes, yes, there are eleven pics there. Two of them are really the same thing. I was having trouble deciding between the two windmills, and then I needed something to balance the lower corner, so they're both in there.

Anyway, left to right, top to bottom. If you get confused, look at the pictures for heaven's sake. ;)

Windmill: I like green energy. I like lower electric bills. I like the look of wind farms.

Mountain Dew: Do I really need to explain this one? It's the elixir of life! Or at least of NaNo.

Yarn: Again, this should be self explanatory. Yarn is soft and squishy and has such amazing potential to become cool knitted things. Or crocheted, I suppose. This is the color Evergreen from The Unique Sheep.

Cat's Eyes: This is Tiptoe, my mother's cat. (The cat formerly known as Spare. My mother finally caved to the peer pressure and renamed her.) She has beautiful green eyes.

Money: I like having money. I like having enough money that I don't need to budget every penny. I really like having enough money to spoil my friends. >_>

Desktop: Kate made this for Kay, but it's so pretty that I stole a copy (with permission). It hasn't been off my desktop since.

Moss: I love the look of moss. I used to love the feel of it, too, but there was an incident with a moss-covered rock and a wolf spider. *shudders*

Forest: I love trees, especially in forests. I may be part dryad or something.

Knitting Kit: This was a "freebie" from one of the shipments of a Sock of the Month club. At first I thought it was kind of silly, but it's incredibly useful and handy to have all my little tools in one place, and to not have to worry about losing them because they're so small.

Tupperware Bowl: I'm a dork, but I really love this particular Tupperware bowl. This isn't a picture of ours, which is a slightly darker green (mom/camera problems), but it's really a wonderful bowl. Microwave-, freezer-, and dishwasher-safe, even on the lower rack. It's a great size--big, but not too huge. The perfect size for hat modeling. >_> And jambalaya storage.

The other windmill: (see above)

Links & a Contest

Just 1 week until Knight Errant (by KD Sarge, available from Turtleduck Press or from Amazon for the Kindle. Or a few other ebook places, I believe) can be bought. Want to win a copy? Go here! KD is giving away TEN copies on Library Thing. (LT account required, but free.) You'll need to scroll down to find the right give away. KD and Knight Errant are also on Good Reads, and I've even got a (very brief) review up there. I'm working on a better one. >_>

I can't wait to get my hands on an actual PHYSICAL copy of the book! That will make it so much easier to reread all my favorite scenes at night. As it is, I go to bed, want to reread something, and have to decide if I really want to reboot the computer to get to the proofreading file.

Bookmarks! And Squid!

My bookmarks are here! YAYAYAYAY! They arrived yesterday, and I'm still gleeing about it. :D Sorry about the weird background color. The colored paper I had handy was melon-colored, but it scanned pink. Hope the boys will forgive me. (Click to embiggen so you can read it! Even my mother thinks it sounds like a good book!)

Do you want a bookmark of your own? (And if you don't, WHY ON EARTH NOT? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU???) Go here! KD's still giving them away.

Now then, I believe I promised people a post about a squid hat. >_>

It's big.


Really big.

Almost as tall as I am.

It took me about 5 months to knit it, using this pattern. Except I think KD's squid is cooler, because I made him in rainbow colors. (His name is Skidoo.)

It started with this.

Well, actually it started with this. I cut the yarn into lengths and spliced it to form the rainbow ball(s).

Then there was the inner hat. I don't actually have any pictures of that, so here it is inside out. The circle is where the eye was attached, but I'll get to that in a bit.

Next, 8 arms. Although I think of them as tentacles. (Yes, there are only 7 in the picture. Hush. I obviously wasn't thinking about photographing every stage as I did it.)

Then the 2 tentacles proper. (You are ignoring the backgrounds of the messy house, right? >_> )

Skidoo is so friendly. Even before he was completed, he'd hold hands with me.

Now come the eyes.
And the other one.

Attached:

Next up, the body! It took FOREVER, but at the same time went much faster than the tentacles. I don't have any pictures of this stage completed either. But here are the fins.


And the finished hat! Yay! (No cats were eaten in the taking of this photo. Afterwards? >_> Well, I think Lilac's still around here somewhere.)

And here's a post from KD in which she talks about Skidoo a little.