Browsing Tag

things that are awesome

Quebecois Music

Le Vent du Nord concert sneak peek

The full extended play by play concert blog post is on the way, O Internets, but until I get back to my computer and can write it up properly (with pics because OH MY YES userinfosolarbird got some), let me share with you some prominent highlights!

  1. Dara being stunned to be able to use the phrase “bitchin’ metal hurdy-gurdy solo”
  2. Serious La Danse Verticale once the second set started and the show’s host and the band themselves started encouraging people to come up and dance
  3. Dancing with my girl, and singing along, while Simon Beaudry sang “Écris-moi”!
  4. I had a Cunning Plan come to fruition when the band came back out for the encore, and sang “Vive l’amour” for me and Dara and userinfomaellenkleth and userinfosiestabear! And Dara was all “what did you do?!” and I chirped “Surprise!” and then OMG champagne showed up, because fellow Le Vent fan Susan is made ENTIRELY OF AWESOME.
  5. And because M. Olivier Demers is also made entirely of awesome from his mighty fiddling hands down to his stompy, stompy feet, I made a point of going over to thank him to his face for the band’s participation in the aforementioned Cunning Plan! And he gave me and Dara and maellenkleth all hugs and the very French air kiss to each cheek!

Stand by for the full report in technicolor glory on Sunday!

March 2, 2012 by
Faerie Blood

Internets, I give you: Kendis! Marie! Thompson!

Active negotation continues with my cover artist, ladies and gentlemen, and she just offered for my pleasure and delight these rough sketches of my girl Kendis, fiddle in hand!

Kendis Sketch #1

Kendis Sketch #1

Kendis Sketch #2

Kendis Sketch #2

We’re going to be going with something more like sketch #2 as Kiri, userinfosolarbird, and I proceed with the cover design, since it seems a bit more dynamic and better suited to Kendis as a character. And. Oh. My. God. I cannot wait to see a full color treatment of this!

I invite you all, O Internets, to imagine a more detailed version of this, in color, with Kendis’ golden eyes alight. And imagine what this same artist is also going to do with Elessir and Christopher. Now be thinking about that, because this, oh my yes, is going to be part of what that Kickstarter on the way is ALL ABOUT. You all can help me make this happen. And it is going to ROCK.

Internet, I am EXCITE!

ETA: And, having just posted the cover art, I have been immediately asked: does Kendis play her fiddle right handed or left handed? Faerie Blood never said whether Kendis is right handed or left handed, so it’s fair to assume she’s right handed. Therefore, fiddlers out there who haven’t already seen me post this to Facebook or G+, my question for you: she should be holding the bow in her right hand when she plays, yes? Because the fiddle will be resting on her left shoulder? This will of course impact the final art since Kendis needs to be holding the instrument correctly!

ETA #2: Just for everybody’s reference, while I tend to use the words ‘fiddle’ and ‘violin’ interchangeably in casual speech, I have been advised that there IS a difference between ‘bluegrass fiddle’ and ‘classically trained violin’. So Kendis, who learned to play in her school orchestra, should clearly be considering herself a ‘violin player’. Doublechecking Faerie Blood, I see that I used the word ‘fiddle’ twice; once was in a bit of dialogue of Christopher’s, so that can stand, but the other was Kendis in the narrative. So I’ll need to fix that in the second edition release.

I’m also being told that EVERYBODY pretty much learns with the instrument on the left shoulder. I’ll make sure this is appropriately reflected in the final art.

And I’m also being advised that the difference between ‘fiddle’ and ‘violin’ matters for how the bow is held as well, so I’ll make sure Kendis is holding the bow correctly as well.

Thanks to all who’ve advised me on this! 🙂

February 25, 2012 by
Writing

A small but awesome milestone

Tonight I found a message waiting for me on Facebook from someone who said she’d just finished reading Faerie Blood and really liked it–and that she was volunteering to jump in on beta reading Lament of the Dove for me. To which I had the following reactions:

One, holy crap, a complete stranger actually read my book and wrote in to say she liked it EEE!. This does not happen to me very often at all, people. Faerie Blood hasn’t sold more than a few hundred copies to the best of my knowledge, and believe me, I’m still totally double-taking at the thought that people I don’t actually know have actually read it!

But with that in mind, O Internets, I urge you: if you loved a book, take the time to write in and let the author know. It doesn’t have to be effusive or detailed. It can just be ‘I really enjoyed your book, thank you so much!’ Even hearing that much is music to an author’s ears. We’re putting our darlings out there in the hope that somebody will in fact read ’em, so any proof that they’re getting read? Gold.

And two, holy crap this complete stranger wants to read more of my work! Sure, it’s work that hasn’t actually been published yet, but in some ways that’s even more awesome. That’s taking an active interest.

So I’ve flung back a Facebook note to the person in question, and we will see where this goes. In the meantime, public mad props to Ghislaine for taking the time to write in!

All the rest of you? If you loved an author’s work, thank them. And if you’re an author, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that your readers are made entirely of awesome. Or that your beta readers kick up the awesome another order of magnitude entirely. Hug your beta readers today!

February 3, 2012 by