kimlajevardi

Wednesday is here once again, ladies and gents. The weather is changing, bringing with it the first snow of the year in my neck of the woods. It has already melted, but it’s the first harbinger of the cold of winter. Time for warm drinks, fuzzy slippers, and stacks of books. Oh, also time for some news. 🙂

This bear missed the stories about Pooh getting his head stuck in a honeypot. Luckily, Maryland had some nice rangers to help him out.

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5bc55af4e4b0d38b58709573

I’d go with her for Doritos as well.

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5bc4eeb9e4b0fed45beb866f

Illusion is the key to time travel. The caveat? It’s really just a trick of the brain, but still. The research could unlock something huge, or merely provide the jumping off point for some great fiction. Either way is good. I heart science!

https://amp.livescience.com/63794-time-traveling-illusion.html

That’s it, folks. See you back here in seven.

I’m back after my little unexpected break last week. A bizarro cold swept in and knocked me off my feet for multiple days. Instead of blog writing last Wednesday or Thursday, or even Friday, I was sleeping, running out of energy every time I tried to get something done, and watching Netflix. I’m better this week, though. So … news. 🙂

This first story is another big example of NOPE. If I were a firefighter, I wouldn’t even drive past this place.

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5ba41f9ce4b0375f8f9b78fd

The Lego wheelchair is fantastic! I love the compassion and innovation of people.

https://news.sky.com/story/lego-wheelchair-helps-injured-turtle-to-move-11510679

In science, our eyes are quick at picking up information but slow to get rid of it. This means we can not only watch movies but actually detect ghost images as well. The applications of this seem pretty significant in an ever-changing technological world. It also seems to have incredible applications for sci-fi stories. So cool!

https://www.livescience.com/63590-human-eye-ghost-images.html

That’s all for this no-longer-sick writer. See you back here in seven!

I cannot believe it’s Wednesday already. I seriously had to pause and question the day. I nearly missed my post, which means I would have done one of my “oops” posts on Thursday. Ah well … time is weird, guess we should wade into some routine news. 😉

This first video/story is awesome! I saw it on Twitter first, and I was dying laughing. Nature may be unhinged, but it is also fantastic.

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5babf0e0e4b0353bd2d08564

You can’t bribe me with cash, bathroom breaks, or free food and drinks–not gonna lie in a coffin for thirty hours. Nope. Not even Netflix can make me set up shop in a “slightly used” coffin. By the way–slightly used how?

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5ba8f307e4b0375f8f9f0ee0

Robot lizards, I’m down. Tails for land traveling for the win. I heart science!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180926082703.htm

That’s all for tonight, folks. See you back here in seven.

Hello! It is Wednesday. The middle of a good week for me. I guess you could say today is squeezed between a long weekend of productive writing and an upcoming multi-day writing binge. My happy place. Which means, I’m in a good mood. Enjoy its effect on my news choices.

This first video is entrancing. Gross, but entrancing. After watching the slow-motion puke-up of the other snake, I began wondering how beneficial it is evolutionarily-speaking if it takes that long.

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5b9f2cb8e4b046313fbc551d

Random children’s voices repeating a nursery rhythm in the dark of night would have sent me running. I would have packed my bags, thrown the car into gear, and thought later to sell my house. That is one hell of a burglary deterrent. Even worse that it’s being triggered by spiders.

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5ba086bce4b013b0977e4fb4

And since I was already thinking about spiders, science and spiders. Have I given you pre-Halloween nightmares tonight? I bet I did. You can’t hear it, but I’m cackling and tapping my fingers together maniacally.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45572331

That’s all for tonight, folks. See you here in seven.

Welcome back one and all. Like my use of the word all? I have a massive audience–I do. Stop laughing. Hmph … massive may be the wrong word. That’s not important. News, time for some news.

This fish store in this first story is funny–misguided, but funny. Eye see what they were trying to do. (I could not help myself.) 🙂

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5b8b3239e4b0162f47241e6b

What are they going to do with all those right shoes? Seriously.

https://m.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Left-behind-Thieves-raid-Virginia-store-of-right-13196138.php

Last but not least, science that rocks our thinking. This story trumps the age old question of whether a tree falling in the woods would make any sound. Turns out that it depends on which perspective you’re referencing. It may not hear itself just like the mice. I enjoyed the mental candy of the possibilities implied and imaginable. I heart science!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180912133507.htm

That’s all tonight, folks! See you here in seven.

Guidelines and rules: 

Word count: 3500-6000

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Theme: 
Masquerade
A Masquerade can be a false show or pretense, someone pretending to be someone they aren’t. It can be a ball, a fancy dress party, it can be a mask. Open to interpretation.

Submissions accepted: September 5 – November 4, 2018

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (Double spaced, no page numbers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges. This year, we are honored to have seven incredible judges:

Elizabeth S. Craig, author
Elizabeth is the bestselling cozy mystery author of the Southern Quilting mysteries, Memphis Barbeque mysteries, and Myrtle Clover Cozy Mysteries for Penguin Random House, Midnight Ink, and independently.

Elana Johnson, author
USA Today bestseller Elana Johnson writes young adult and adult contemporary romance. She is an inspirational adult romance author under the pen name of Liz Isaacson, and her work includes the young adult dystopian romance series Possession, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster). Learn more at Elana Johnson.

S.A. Larsen, author
S.A. Larsen is the international award-winning author of the middle grade fantasy-adventure MOTLEY EDUCATION and the young adult contemporary-fantasy romance MARKED BEAUTY. When she’s not chasing her characters around a graveyard or antagonizing them with young love, she can be found in Maine with her husband and four children. Visit her cyber home at S.A. Larsen Books.

DL Hammons, Write Club founder
When DL isn’t running the online writing contest WRiTE CLUB on his blog, he splits his time crafting YA and adult Mysteries, with a little bit of Paranormal/Sci-Fi on the side.

Gwen Gardner, author and previous IWSG anthology winner
Gwen Gardner writes lighthearted, cozy mysteries with a few ghosties thrown in to “liven” things up. Since ghosts feature prominently in her stories, she has a secret desire to meet one face to face—but will run screaming for the hills if she ever does.

Kelly Van Sant 
Kelly Van Sant has nearly a decade of experience in the publishing industry and is a literary agent with the Red Sofa Literary Agency. She is a teaching artist at the Loft Literary Center and blogs about writing and the publishing industry at Pub(lishing) Crawl and co-hosts the their weekly podcast.

Kristin Smith, author
Kristin Smith is the best-selling young adult author of the Deception Game series and a former Pitch Wars mentor. When she’s not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). She currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and sons.

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.

It’s Wednesday, I’m feeling better, and I found some awesome news stories. You’ll love them. You’re welcome! 🙂

That’s A LOT of Big Macs, like a disgusting, stomach-churning lot of Big Macs. The only thing left to ask is: why?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/weird/ct-wisconsin-big-mac-world-record-20180507-story.html

Who knew cows were the latest crime-fighting tool. Can you imagine her reaction as the crowd of cows grew from one to two to at least twelve?

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5b6c8585e4b0bdd062078826

This last story is so cool. Morphing materials that can shift back and forth via exposure to light, and it’s from a college in my neck of the woods. I attended a branch of this school. I always love science, but today, I also get to bask in the referred glow of greatness. Extra love!

https://www.colorado.edu/today/2018/08/24/shape-shifting-material-can-morph-reverse-itself-using-heat-light

That’s all tonight, folks. See you back here in seven.