kimlajevardi

Yawn. What?

It’s Wednesday again?

Oh, sorry. I’m dragging this week. Sleepy is an understatement, but I am excited about one thing: Halloween. It’s been years since I’ve dressed up with much more than some token makeup and sparkles, but this year is different. I’m finishing outlining my second book, and I’m trying to get into my protag’s head more fully. So I’m dressing up as Kira, my new kick-ass protagonist, for Halloween.

That’s making me all kinds of excited about All Hallow’s Eve, and so here is the news through that particular lens. 😉

First up, don’t look at her. Apparently, my friends and neighbors are looking up Medusa in high numbers. A throw back for sure, but there are worse things.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/27/halloween-costumes-googled-most-popular_n_6050592.html?utm_hp_ref=halloween

Here’s a flashback to my childhood. What’s Halloween without a little Monster Mash?

http://youtu.be/l2PoSljk8cE

And in Halloween-related science news, a beneficial use for scientists to dress in costume. It’s not just dress up – it’s serious science folks.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141028-halloween-costumes-science-conservation-nation-animals/

That’ll do it for me tonight. Time for this writer to turn into a pumpkin. Goodnight.

It’s almost Halloween. Are you as shocked as I am to be ending October? The leaves from my trees are mostly on the ground now, and I’ve broken out the dress boots twice already. There’s no doubt summer is long gone, but not the news habit that I’ve begun. Yeah! I saw that cartwheel. 😉

First up, a heart-warming story that made me go aww…

http://news.sky.com/story/1350434/sheepdog-plays-mum-for-abandoned-lion-cub

Um, okay. Who thinks these things up?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/21/zombie-apocalypse-trulia_n_6018026.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news

Last up, another eclipse. This time, a little forewarning. Enjoy if you’re in a local where it’s visible.

http://www.universetoday.com/115319/how-to-take-great-photographs-of-the-october-23rd-partial-solar-eclipse-and-more/

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With Halloween knocking at the door, I wanted to share a great book sale that’s currently ongoing. My wonderful critique partner, Lexa Cain, has put her horror novel Soul Cutter on sale for just 99 cents through October 31st. Pick up a copy now. 😉

Amazon     Bookstrand       Smashwords       MuseitUp      Kobo     Barnes & Noble  Omnilit

Hello all! Time for another taste of the weird and interesting news that I’ve unearthed via my endless hours of online time wasting  research.

Um, this first one brought out the middle-schooler living inside me. *Giggle* I can’t help it. Toilets. Accident. 😉

http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/truck-portable-toilets-crashes-california-26211903

That’s scary. Why would they do that? Make them stop. I’m not normally freaked out by clowns, but seriously?

http://metro.co.uk/2014/10/12/creepy-clowns-are-roaming-the-streets-at-night-4902998/

Now here’s a selfie I’m actually interested in. You can have your celeb nonsense. I’ll take science snaps anytime.

http://www.livescience.com/1-image-day.html 

That’ll do it for me tonight. Go forth and make some news of your own, but please nothing that involves a mugshot. 🙂

After a very busy week, I feel that I can benefit from some art and music. So… sit back and enjoy this break from the news.

This first link shows incredible street art. If I had my way, every building would have murals or art covering its exterior. Art just makes everything better.

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/2014/09/28/bsa-images-week-09-28-14/#.VDYE4GddVid

This song is part of my current playlist for outlining book two. Gotta love Loreena McKennitt. 🙂

And in science news – an eclipse. How can you go wrong with a blood moon?

http://www.space.com/27380-blood-moon-eclipse-photos-october-2014.html

Goodnight all. Now I sleep. 😉

It’s the beginning of October and time for another round of Insecure Writer’s Support Group. This bloghop allows writers to connect virtually to share their insecurities and find other voices hiding behind keyboards around the world. If you haven’t already checked out the talent that lurks behind the badge above, click the image and go hopping.

Now on to my comments for this lovely fall month. Once again I’m not really insecure per se, although I must always admit to a certain level of underlying anxiety, but I’m actually more curious than anything else. I was discussing writing with someone recently that I didn’t know had an interest in writing, and it reminded me of other such conversations that I’ve had as a result of people finding out that I’m a novelist.

My initial question of the writer I was talking to was if she had begun with short stories. It’s an assumption I make because of where I began, but I was wrong. And if I were to be honest, I’d say again. Turns out there are as many types of writers as there are anything else. People who are drawn to the emotional jogs of a well-written poem, folks who want the satisfaction of learning that comes from writing nonfiction, personal journeys experienced through memoir, the satisfaction of a complete character/story arc found in shorts, and on and on.

All of this made me wonder. Where did the writers of IWSG begin?

Weekly News

This week my computer news files spit out some especially fun tidbits that begged sharing. I hope you enjoy. 🙂

Inventive, yes. Am I willing in the slightest? Um… no.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/30/wearable-futons_n_5909238.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news

Face palm. Some people really need… um, something more than a roll of the eyes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/29/diamond-for-weed-trade_n_5899840.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

And to satisfy the science part of my heart, Happy Anniversary to CERN.

http://www.livescience.com/48052-cern-anniversary-big-discoveries.html

That wraps it up for another week. Same time again next week? 😉

This week has been quite eventful in my little corner of the world. As is the case with craziness in your own personal world, it reminds you of why you value certain things. In this case, I was reminded of why I place such a high value on news and staying informed of a variety of ideas – knowledge. I frequently focus on the fun side of news, and that will not change today, 🙂 but I do want to encourage my many readers to read widely and frequently. Knowledge really does open you up to so much of the world and, ultimately, to yourself. Avail yourselves.

Serious moment over. Phew… Time for some fun.

Is it just me or is this criminal a little mistaken about the purpose of a hiding spot? If it gets too hot, you have to come out. Don’t we all learn that when we’re little?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/23/desma-kashay-brown-hides-oven_n_5867604.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

This is either totally brilliant or beyond nuts. Wow!

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weird-news/kansas-governor-sign-zombie-preparedness-month-proclamation-n209686

Yay bacteria! Um… well, kind of. There is that whole death thing. Hmm…

http://www.popsci.com/article/science/gut-microbes-take-over-your-body-when-you-die?dom=PSC&loc=topstories&con=gut-microbes-take-over-your-body-when-you-die

That’ll do it for another week. Go forth and read. When you’re finished, read some more. 😉

It’s Wednesday once again, and I’m back with a virtual pocket full of news. Many things have happened, but these choice pieces made an impression on me. I hope they’ll do something for you.

I can’t think of a better argument against cleaning. Maybe that’s just me. 🙂

http://metro.co.uk/2014/09/17/alien-lookalike-found-lurking-under-kitchen-cupboard-4873099/

This app sounds worse than turning a blind eye. I don’t want to know and please don’t inform me about what’s lurking in my dusty corners. Spiders – yet another reason to write and read instead of cleaning.

http://metro.co.uk/2014/09/17/this-new-spider-id-app-will-scare-you-more-than-the-real-thing-4872700/

And in science news, proof that bacteria is a good thing. For those of you anti-bacteria wielding peeps out there, drop the bottles and step away. Bacteria are our friends.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140917073231.htm

That’s all folks. Go forth and soak in yet another week in your life.

Hello Virtual People! I’m having a fantastic week so far. How about you? After a great weekend taking classes and networking with local writing peeps, I’m tired but happy. And an agent requested my first fifty. Yeah!

A fabulous week deserves some equally fun and fabulous news. Are you ready? What? I didn’t hear that. ARE YOU READY?

Better. 🙂

First up – a very slow speed chase. I mean reeaaalllyy slow.

http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/police-woman-wheelchair-cart-getaway-25414534

This next link is not a news piece, but a song. I’m currently obsessed with several Rihanna songs – this one being at the top of the list. Enjoy this short music break. 

To wrap things up – a taste of science. This is scary, but super cool. Ideas of how to use this in fiction are up to each of you, but I foresee a Dystopian storyline. No copying. 😉

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20140804060001.shtml

That’s all folks. I hope you have a great rest of the week.

Time for another installment of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Duh, duh, duh… It would be so much better if I knew how to link dramatic music to those words, but I digress. 🙂 If you haven’t already checked out the pool of talent that hops blogs monthly, do it. Click on the image and get whisked away. 

On to my insecurity for the month. And once again, it’s not really an insecurity. I’m all a twitter (no, not that kind of twitter) for the writer’s conference I’m going to this weekend. I’m looking forward to the sessions, the Master Class (I’m taking one on writing a series 😮 ), the keynotes and my pitch session. I love it all. Some people have asked if the money spent is worth it, and without a doubt, my answer is YES. If you haven’t tried a writing conference, consider this a recommendation. 🙂

By the way, wish me luck in my pitch session. My manuscript is as twittery as I am. 

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Now on to the Weekly News…

In my first unearthed nugget, I found myself asking a couple of key questions. First, is that really what her parents paid an arm and a leg for her to go to college for? And second, isn’t feeding animals ALWAYS how you get them to do stuff? Is that really whispering?

Penn State Student Gains Rep as Squirrel Whisperer

And in this piece, turns out we were training for survival amongst hippos when we played games as kids. Who knew?

Hungry Hippos Battle for Food…

In science news this week, volcanoes. I LOVE them! My little science-dork heart goes pitter patter whenever I see footage of eruptions, and Iceland’s volcanoes have been the source of that heart rhythm this past week. For anyone else out there that loves a good display of volcanic activity, enjoy. 🙂

Footage of Iceland’s Volcanic Eruption

Have a fantastic week and weekend. I know I will. 🙂

Another week has come and gone, the Earth insisting on rotating on its axis faster and faster. Wait, does complaining about time flying make me sound old? Scratch that.

It has been forever since I logged on to post the news. I missed all of you. 🙂 

Up first is a holy crap story. I can’t imagine how this is possible. Don’t you think that many wasps would make a bit of noise? How did they get inside? More questions than answers for sure. Just see for yourself.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/woman-finds-5000-wasps-taken-4116429

This next link shows how many interesting sites there are to find when you have a lot of time to kill and access to Google Earth.

http://twistedsifter.com/2014/02/50-amazing-finds-on-google-earth/

And in science news, it turns out that Stephanie Meyer was right to make sparkly vampires. Look closely at the plant – it sparkles. 🙂

http://www.livescience.com/47375-vampire-plants-suck-victims-genes.html

I hope the links gave you a smile to last for the rest of the week. I sure entertained myself. 😉