Friday, January 25, 2013

Moving "Whoas"

http://valetconfidential.blogspot.com/2013/10/were-moving.html
Whoa, we have a lot of JUNK!

We finally sold our two-bedroom condo after 2 years of being on the market. We’d been in it since we were a newly-married couple with no kids, but we were bursting at the seams with three small energetic children 10 years later. It sold just a week ago, papers signed, mortgage paid off, but in the middle of a COLD winter. Ugh. Well, beggars can’t be choosers. A winter move it was. Not having another home picked out yet, we moved into my husband’s parent’s basement, but the move presented a good list of what I called my moving “whoas.” Here are a few of them:

Whoa wait, the buyer wants to close in TWO DAYS, and we need to be out in FOUR? Uh . . . all right . . . let’s start packing - Actually, by the time we were told the closing date, we’d already moved our non-essentials and only had the items we needed to live by. It was still a non-stop packing, moving and organizing venture that took some serious effort, though.

Whoa, hold up, this California king-size mattress isn’t going to fit in the stairwell. How the HECK did we get it up into our room when we first bought it? Here, just squish it a little . . . there you go . . . now throw your body against it . . . yeah, now it fits.

http://arewethereyet-davisfarmmom.blogspot.com/2012/01/note-to-my-big-kids-who-are-not-here-to.html
Whoa, be careful bringing the heavy furniture down the snowy pathway to our temporary basement home. One slip and I’ll be a pancake under the couch. . . . Whew, made it without any mishaps other than sore muscles for the next week.

Whoa, you mean we have to DISSASSEMBLE the entertainment center in order to get it through the door? Just take SOME of it apart, and then we can lift the remaining piece into the truck . . . yea, that’s right, lift, shuffle, back up, forward . . . now tip it onto the tailgate . . . CRACK! Uh, looks like our 6-foot wide entertainment center is now a much lighter 2 ½-foot wide piece. Oh well, now it fits in the basement.

Whoa! Look at all the DUST and GRIME under the washer, dryer, fridge, oven and behind the headboard! The Dust Buster won’t even begin to clean all that up. Better use the shop vac!

Whoa, whoa, did you already pack up all the towels and take them to the other place? And we just moved the washer, too! Looks like we’ll be sharing a dirty towel for a few days. Aaa!

Whoa, NO! Do not pack the TOILET PAPER until we leave the house for good!

Whoa, one of the two basement bedrooms is already filled with the boxes we’re leaving packed. Uh, that only leaves the other 11 by 11-foot room to put the California King, bunk beds, crib and four chests of drawers. Naw, we don’t need walking room between beds. We can just step on mattresses and cabinets. No problem. Brings us closer together as a family . . . OUCH, get off my foot! Okay, maybe a little too close. Let’s go hang out in the family room.

Whoa, I lost 4 pounds in 4 days! Who knew moving a house would be the most effective exercise routine I’ve ever done? Nice! Who else needs to move? I’m game!

We just paid off our first and second mortgage and the outstanding credit card bill with the sale of our house. Yahoo! . . . Whoa, wait, you’re telling me we only have a few hundred dollars to our name after all that? And I still have to fill the cabinets with food, buy the girls winter pants, pay the bills owed for electricity and gas for the first part of the month and put gas in the car. Sheesh. I guess this means no vacation for a while. Sigh.

Whoa, where the heck did we pack the miniature thumb drive? I remember putting it in a place that would be safe during the move, but now I can’t remember where that place WAS! The kids’ computer games were on it. Oh well, bring out the board games and coloring books. . . . Uh, you don’t know which box those were in either? AAARGH!

Little Caesar's Hot and Ready Pep!
Whoa, are you kidding? I am NOT cooking dinner after an entire day of moving boxes in the freezing cold, organizing, rearranging, taking care of three children and then changing our address over the phone with about 10 different companies. . . . Yes, Little Caesar’s Hot and Ready pepperoni pizza and crazy bread sound DIVINE!

Whoa, glad we were all moved before the freezing rain came through our state and turned driveways, roads and parking lots into giant ice rinks. Could have been interesting: Figure skating with appliances. Possibly the next Olympic sport. Particularly entertaining for spectators. 

Whoa, we’re certainly blessed to have relatives who’ve allowed us to live in their basement until we find another habitation of our own. Thanks mom and dad! We love you! Hope you still love us months down the road when we’re still in your house.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

"The Next Big Thing!"

“THE NEXT BIG THING” is designed to raise awareness of new works, or works in progress, by answering ten questions about them. I graciously thank the person who nominated me, The Brother’s Washburn (http://thebrotherswashburn.blogspot.com), and have tagged four other authors whose work could very well be THE NEXT BIG THING.

What is the working title of my book?
Shadows of Valor

Where did the idea come from for the book?
            I'd never written, or even attempted to write, a  full length novel before, but I had a bunch of action packed medieval scenes (and a few romantic ones *smile*) running around in my head 6 years ago that I thought, if put together, would make a great movie or story. So I sat down and started to work a plot around them.

What genre does my book fall under?
            Medieval Fiction - Takes place in 1300 A.D. England

Which actors would I choose to play my characters in a movie rendition?
            Hero – Stephen AmellChris Hemsworth, Channing Tatum or Richard Armitage
            Heroine – Kate Beckinsale or Madeleine Stowe
            Male Antagonist 1 – Paul Walker, Alexander Skarsgard, Orlando Bloom or Mike Vogel
            Male Antagonist 2 – Sean Bean, Gerard Butler or Rufus Sewel
            Female Antagonist – Alice Krige

What is a one-sentence synopsis of my book?
            Mixing adventure, and a touch of romance, a knight-spy for England's king hunts down smugglers while resisting his vengeance-driven desire to execute lethal justice before turning them in.

Will my book be self-published or represented by an agency?
My book is represented by Jolly Fish Press.

How long did it take me to write the first draft of my manuscript?
            As disorganized as the first draft was, it probably took me about 6 months . . . but then the reader feedback and countless revisions began *laugh*.

What other books would I compare this story to within my genre?
My husband says my story is like a “medieval batman.” I don’t know if another story like that exists - well, besides the obvious Robin Hood-type character, but my hero isn't an outlaw and doesn't live in the woods *smile*.

Who or what inspired me to write this book?
            I was inspired by visiting medieval castles in Italy and through reading stories such as Robin Hood, King Arthur and Ivanhoe. I started jotting things down on a whim one day. I had a bunch of cool ideas run through my head that I thought would make cool movie or story scenes. The idea to incorporate poems/ballads into the story were inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien including poems in “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” I only wrote three in mine, though. One at in the beginning, middle and last part of the novel. Hearing the poems and songs come to life through beautiful tunes in the Lord of the Rings movies directed by Peter Jackson inspired me to put my own to music as well. It was quite an enjoyable experience as I play the piano and also have a music writing program on my computer.

What else about my book might pique the reader’s interest?
            As mentioned above, I wrote three ballads into the story and went so far as writing the sheet music as well, all of which will be included in the publication. There is also a medieval recipe in there, courtesy of my sweet mother who was also my most awesome editor for all my revisions before I finally submitted to Jolly Fish Press.

Release date for Shadows of Valor: September 7, 2013

My links:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/authorelsiepark
Twitter - https://twitter.com/elsiepark1
Blog - www.elsiepark.blogspot.com/
Barnes and Noble -  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-valor-elsie-park/1114940696
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Here are the fabulous authors I’ve tagged to tell you about their Next Big Thing on the 23rd of January!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Liesel K. Hill's "Persistence of Vision"

What better way to start off the new year than by posting about an upcoming novel in 2013: Liesel K. Hill's dystopian fantasy "Persistence of Vision," book one of Interchron.


Persistence of Vision synopsis:

In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories.

After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can't explain. When she's attacked by a creep with a spider's web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she's never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives.

In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way.

If Maggie can't fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away...
Nationwide Release date: January 29, 2013 

Book available now through Tate Publishing: http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781620247969

Liesel K. Hill writes across three genres: scif/fantasy, historical fiction, and crime drama. She's a graduate of Weber State University and a lover of all things fantastical! 
Liesel's virtual blog tour list with links and dates starting January 13th through March 9th at: http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/p/persistence-of-vision-blog-tour.html