tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31088537466553817242024-03-18T22:43:12.925-07:00Angela Penrose...I Write StuffAngela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-42768022340055084042020-12-22T16:25:00.001-08:002020-12-29T22:55:12.106-08:00Story -- The Way the Cookie CrumblesToday's <a href="https://www.wmgpublishinginc.com/project/spectacular/">WMG Holiday Spectacular</a> story is one of mine, and it's called "The Way the Cookie Crumbles." It's a contemporary fantasy set during prep for a Christmas party.
<p>
Click through the link above for info on the Holiday Spectacular -- it's a great collection of holiday stories sent to your in-box from Thanksgiving through New Year. It's been going on for a few weeks, but you can subscribe any time, and they'll send you all the stories that've gone out so far, so you don't miss anything.
<p>
"The Way the Cookie Crumbles" was available for free here on my blog until the 29th. Below is a recipe for one of the cookies mentioned in the story. It's currently my favorite cookie to make -- give it a shot!
<p>
If you've made regular chocolate chip cookies before, these are an easy variation. If you're new to cookie making, these are a good place to get your feet wet.
<p>
<b>Chocolate Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies</b>
<p>
Makes about 42 cookies, give or take a couple.
<p>
3/4 cup white sugar
and
3/4 cup brown sugar
OR
1 1/2 cups white sugar
and
1/4 cup molasses
<p>
1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 lg. egg
2 cups AP flour
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 bag (2 cups) dried cranberries
2 bags (24 oz.) chocolate chips (whatever type of chocolate you like)
<p>
<b>Heat oven to 375F.</b>
<p>
<b>Prep your cookie sheets.</b> I like using three, so I can rotate them and have one cooling before I put more cookies onto it. If you have (new, unscratched) non-stick cookie sheets, you can just put the cookies straight onto them. If not, you can butter the sheets (works okay) or line the sheets with baking parchment paper (works beautifully).
<p>
<b>Cream together the two sugars, or the white sugar and the molasses, into a large mixing bowl with the butter.</b> I use the back of a large wooden spoon, mashing everything against the side of the bowl until it's pretty smooth and uniform.
<p>
<b>Add the vanilla and the egg, and stir until they vanish into the sugar/butter mixture.</b> You can't overmix at this stage, so go for it.
<p>
<b>Add the flour, baking cocoa, and salt.</b>
<p>
<b>Sift the baking soda into the bowl with a small hand strainer.</b> The baking soda probably has little rocks in it, and if you just dump it straight into the bowl and mix, a few cookies will end up with little rocks of baking soda in them. Unless you think baking soda flavored toothpaste is a wonderfully yummy ice cream topping or something, you won't like this. Mash the little rocks through the strainer, or just toss them out.
<p>
<b>Mix everything until it forms a sticky dough that appears uniform.</b> Make sure you dig your wooden spoon all the way down to the bottom of the bowl, every part, to incorporate all the sugar mixture with the flour. If you're not used to making cookies, you might need to take a break or two; that's okay.
<p>
<b>Add the chocolate chips and the dried cranberries. Mix again until they're just evenly distributed through the dough.</b>
<p>
<b>Portion the dough out onto the cookie sheets.</b> I use a 1 1/4" disher to get things fairly uniform, but I don't obsess about it; this isn't rocket science. Put the dough blobs at least an inch apart on the cookie sheet.
<p>
<b><i>Lightly</i> mash the dough balls with your palm.</b> They should look like little fat (not thin) hamburger patties. There's a lot of stuff in these cookies, and they can use a bit of help shaping themselves. Just a bit, though -- don't try to make them the exact size and shape of the cookie you want. You're just giving them a head start.
<p>
<b>Put the first cookie sheet into the oven, and set a timer for 13 minutes.</b>
<p>
<b>Portion dough out onto your other cookie sheets if you have them.</b> How many bakes it takes depends on how big your cookie sheets are. If you can't get all the dough onto your cookie sheets, that's fine. Wait and re-use one or more sheets later.
<p>
<b>Cycle cookie sheets through the oven, 13 minutes at a time.</b>
<p>
<b>As cookies come out of the oven, let them cool for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.</b> A large dish or platter works too, if you don't have a cooling rack. Using parchment paper, I can just pick up the cookies with my fingers and put them on the rack. If you use bare or buttered cookie sheets, you might have to use a spatula to get them off.
<p>
NOTES FOR BEGINNING BAKE GEEKS:
<p>
Again, this isn't rocket science. A certain amount of fudging here or there won't ruin your cookies.
<p>
Three cookie sheets is optimal. During the bake, at any one time you'll have one sheet in the oven, one sheet with dough balls ready to go into the oven, and one sheet cooling. You can manage with two, or even just one, so long as you allow enough cooling time in between batches. If you don't let used sheets cool before putting more raw cookie dough onto them, the cookies will start to bake and spread before they go into the oven, and that'll throw the baking time off. If you want to bake cookies regularly, I highly recommend getting three cookie sheets.
<p>
If you don't have a 1 1/4" disher, or if you want to make bigger or smaller cookies, use a tablespoon to scoop up dough, and eyeball about a 1" ball (or whatever size you want) as you roll it in your hands. Add or pinch off dough until the ball is the size you want. If you're making smaller cookies, take a minute or two off the baking time. If you're making larger cookies, add a minute or two. If you've changed the size of the cookies, let the first cookie sheet cool before putting in the second one, and try a cookie. (Let them cool down to lightly warm before you try one; a warm, fresh-from-the-oven cookie will feel underbaked because it won't set until it cools.) These cookies are meant to be chewy and a bit soft, but not at all goopy. If they seem underbaked when cooled, add a minute or two of baking time. Subtract a minute or so if they seem overbaked. Once you figure it out, write down the size of the dough ball and how many minutes you baked them on a sticky note, and stick it to the recipe so you'll remember next time.
<p>
Another variable is oven temperature. Different ovens heat to different actual temperatures, even if they're both set to 375F. If you use a 1 1/4" disher but your cookies seem over- or under-baked, your oven might be a bit sideways from mine. Adjusting the temperature up or down a bit is an alternative to baking for a longer or shorter time.
<p>
If you prefer other mix-ins, try them. If you want to use dried cherries and white chocolate chips, for example, go ahead and try them. If you want to add nuts, substitute them for some of the other mix-ins. So if you want to add 1 cup of chopped walnuts, for example, subtract 1 cup of the chocolate chips. These cookies are pretty full, and a greater volume of mix-ins might make the dough balls fall apart.
<p>
Substitute regular (unwhipped) cream cheese for half the butter to give the cookies a bit of a tang.
<p>
If you prefer your cookies cookie-flavored rather than chocolate-flavored for some odd reason, don't use the unsweetened baking cocoa. Add an extra 1/4 cup of flour instead.
<p>
Angie
Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-46041824437686622652019-11-12T12:45:00.000-08:002019-11-12T12:45:27.834-08:00I'm on a Children's Fiction Rec List<a href="https://readmeastoryink.com/index.php">Read Me A Story, Ink</a> has included my story "Dragon's Hoard" as a five-star read on its list of stories to read aloud to kids, in the grade 5-8 category. Thanks to Dave Henderson, whose story "Dragon Jet Propulsion" is also on the list, for posting about it on Facebook so I could find out about it.<br />
<br />
Our stories were originally published in <a href="https://amzn.to/2X7eCRm">Wings of Change</a>, edited by Lyn Worthen. "Green Camouflage" by Jamie Aldis, "The Soul By Which We Measure Ours" by C.H. Hung, "Of Dragons and Centaurs" by Deb Logan, and "Old Enough to Volunteer" by Laura Ware were also in <i>Wings of Change,</i> and included on the recommendation list. Lyn obviously put together an awesome anthology. :D<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44006111-wings-of-change" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550100345l/44006111._SY475_.jpg" width="207" height="320" /></a></div>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-90689494805095433292019-04-08T17:15:00.000-07:002019-04-09T03:48:42.193-07:00New Release -- Uncanny ValleyA new book called <i>The Uncanny Valley</i> is now available!<br />
<br />
This is a novelette, a contemporary fantasy about 10K words long, set in Silicon Valley.<br />
<br />
"Uncanny Valley" is part of a group project called The Uncollected Anthology. It started in 2015, with a group of writers who loved urban and contemporary fantasy and wanted to write for more theme anthologies in those areas. But putting an anthology together is a lot of work, and that work doesn't stop when the book comes out. Nobody wanted to do that on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
Then writer Dayle Dermatis got the idea of doing an <i>uncollected</i> anthology, where they'd write to a theme, but each writer would publish their own story as a separate e-book. They could coordinate release dates, use a cover template so the stories all looked like they went together, and have everyone chip in on promoting the project.<br />
<br />
Later on, when bundling became viable as a do-it-yourself process, they started collecting the Uncollected Anthology, so now if you want all the stories, you can buy an actual anthology of each of the thrice-yearly issues. Or you can buy one or more of the individual stories, whichever you prefer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Individual story: "The Uncanny Valley:"<br />
<br />
Darcy James, a Detective Sergeant with the recently-formed Uncanny Crime Division, always has more on her plate than there are hours in the day. Hysterical civilians are screaming "Magic!" every time they catch a cold or get a flat tire. Overdosing on a new uncanny drug called Turbo results in gruesome death. And what's up with the dogs commuting into downtown every day on the train?<br />
<br />
Somehow Darcy has to figure out what's real and what's not in a world turned inside-out, hopefully before anyone else dies.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2G9nRJO">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-uncanny-valley-2">E-book on Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1457803210">E-book on iTunes</a><br />
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1131033918">E-book on Barnes & Noble</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVmDBMHBU6wozr8uwQuu3c2GqhAnBMpBIFs5_y916jLqoaLbZ0z-CHFSb2zVsqeOhPI9rGmEOkK-deLT0MdotbPvDQinJHeqF4V3dpgOR67h34uiVwOwPhdQGJz5hsnAEWxKBUfGR_7s/s1600/Beasties+cover+Angie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVmDBMHBU6wozr8uwQuu3c2GqhAnBMpBIFs5_y916jLqoaLbZ0z-CHFSb2zVsqeOhPI9rGmEOkK-deLT0MdotbPvDQinJHeqF4V3dpgOR67h34uiVwOwPhdQGJz5hsnAEWxKBUfGR_7s/s320/Beasties+cover+Angie.jpg" width="213" height="320" data-original-width="1067" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The whole anthology:<br />
<br />
All sorts of things make their way into a city.<br />
<br />
They come, they breed, they adapt. One day, you’re looking at a raccoon breaking into a garbage can.<br />
<br />
The next day, you’re not sure what you’re looking at, but it has intelligent eyes, lizard scales, and tentacles.<br />
<br />
Should you get rid of it, or try to tame it? Spray some repellant, set out cheese for a midnight snack, or set the whole city on fire?<br />
<br />
Can you make friends? And if you can, will it be more trouble than it’s worth?<br />
<br />
Or will it lead to something glorious?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2VwDctb">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/beasties-a-collected-uncollected-anthology">E-book on Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/beasties-a-collected-uncollected-anthology/id1458063021">E-book on iTunes</a><br />
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1131055451">E-book on Barnes & Noble</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ceh16RKG0b6dbf0V_Kt29DC4Pt9RpXKCwgIjk1dpCHo86ocHfdCrhi1bO9eWR46bmkOVnSVe0sUsocG6iE4weyJAzcSpPdNaCgc7lHnwT_qVDLxmo0SHi8cEATjt1iWZBw-3a8IFjb8/s1600/BeastiesAnthoCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ceh16RKG0b6dbf0V_Kt29DC4Pt9RpXKCwgIjk1dpCHo86ocHfdCrhi1bO9eWR46bmkOVnSVe0sUsocG6iE4weyJAzcSpPdNaCgc7lHnwT_qVDLxmo0SHi8cEATjt1iWZBw-3a8IFjb8/s320/BeastiesAnthoCover.jpg" width="213" height="320" data-original-width="600" data-original-height="900" /></a></div>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-4005769862498569222019-02-28T06:09:00.001-08:002020-12-22T16:27:55.646-08:00New Release -- Wings of ChangeA new anthology called <i>Wings of Change</i> released today!<br />
<br />
Tales of wise, ancient dragons dispensing wisdom, hoarding treasure, terrorizing villages, and doing battle with noble heroes have long fascinated us. But dragons were not born old and wise, nor were heroes born brave and noble.<br />
<br />
<i>Wings of Change</i> gathers tales of young dragons growing into their scales, and human youths making choices that shape their destinies -- destinies that will be forever changed by their interaction with the dragons.<br />
<br />
My story in this book, "A Dragon's Hoard," is about a young dragon engaging on a rite of adulthood -- searching beyond the lands she knows for the first item that will form the basis of her adult hoard. Then things get weird....<br />
<br />
This anthology contains:<br />
<br />
"Scales of Lapis and Jasper" by Anj Dockrey<br />
"The Greatest in Iceland" by Grayson Towler<br />
"Trial by Fire" by Erin Fitzgerald<br />
"Two Against the Skitters" by Jana S. Brown<br />
"The Prize" by Melissa McShane<br />
"The Shadow Dragon" by L.D.B. Taylor<br />
"Care and Feeding" by Edward Ahern<br />
"Old Enough to Volunteer" by Laura Ware<br />
"Touch of the Silver Dragon" by Claire Davon<br />
"Blossoms in the Desert" by Joni B. Haws<br />
"Dragon's Hoard" by Angela Penrose<br />
"A Most Unserious Dragon" by Annie Reed<br />
"Dragon Jet Propulsion" by David H. Hendrickson<br />
"Imuji" by Liz Pierce<br />
"Green Camouflage" by Jamie Aldis<br />
"Invincible" by Stephanie Barr<br />
"Star Dragon" by C.M. Brennan<br />
"The Soul By Which We Measure Ours" by C.H. Hung<br />
"Of Dragons and Centaurs" by Deb Logan<br />
"Claws of Change" by Deanna Baran<br />
"The Last of a Thing" by Douglas Smith<br />
"Saffron Dragon" by Jodi L. Milner<br />
"A Dragon Bigger Than My Stories" by Jonathon Mast<br />
<br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2IKtNwi">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2StORXD">Paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wings-of-change-3">E-book on Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/wings-of-change/id1452025909?mt=11">E-book on iTunes</a><br />
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130546279?ean=2940161201572">E-book on Barnes & Noble</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44006111-wings-of-change" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550100345l/44006111._SY475_.jpg" width="207" height="320" /></a></div>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-36410769245504783432019-02-28T06:07:00.000-08:002019-02-28T06:07:31.654-08:00New Release -- Feel the LoveA new anthology called <i>Feel the Love</i> just released recently.<br />
<br />
Love. An essential and important part of the human experience. And in <i>Feel the Love,</i> editor Mark Leslie takes readers on a journey through the various forms of that powerful emotion. From the heartwarming to the heartbreaking, these eighteen talented writers brilliantly capture the concept of love. Comforting and thoughtful, uplifting and warm, these stories might just restore your faith in humanity.<br />
<br />
My story in this book, "Loving Abby," is an SF story about a colony whose children begin to vanish.<br />
<br />
This anthology contains:<br />
<br />
“Thief” by Michael Kowal<br />
“Death’s Other Cousin” by Lisa Silverthorne<br />
“Making Amends” by David Stier<br />
“Frostwitch vs. the Ravages of Time” by Dayle A. Dermatis<br />
“The Goddess Killer” by Lauryn Christopher<br />
“Love Locks” by Dale Hartley Emery<br />
“Love Bots” by Dæmon Crowe<br />
“Loving Abby” by Angela Penrose<br />
“Foiled” by Brigid Collins<br />
“A Love to Remember” by Tonya D. Price<br />
“The Refurbished Companion” by Kelly Washington<br />
“The Secret of Catnip” by Stefon Mears<br />
“Lifeblood” by Alexandra Brandt<br />
“Who Loves the Unloved?” by Laura Ware<br />
“Henry and Beth at the Funeral Home” by Joe Cron<br />
“Truth and Lies” by David H. Hendrickson<br />
“With Love in Their Hearts” by Robert Jeschonek<br />
“Every Day New, Bright and Beautiful” by Annie Reed<br />
<br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2XimAGO">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2MPOPb3">Paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fiction-river-feel-the-love">E-book on Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/cy/book/fiction-river-feel-the-love/id1447299063?mt=11">E-book on iTunes</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBqCm3eLs72-WriFh_cxnhAv90i1RalGpA0YlbDs7cKHmmzny9owLsmbaN6IM8NC7vxlZyrSCjb7RBAribwIGx9iWtMhRigeLdG8XuNoYGGJnGT09JUCJn1DVVKbz088CH-1DZDLSdvs/s1600/FR31+Feel+the+Love+ebook+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBqCm3eLs72-WriFh_cxnhAv90i1RalGpA0YlbDs7cKHmmzny9owLsmbaN6IM8NC7vxlZyrSCjb7RBAribwIGx9iWtMhRigeLdG8XuNoYGGJnGT09JUCJn1DVVKbz088CH-1DZDLSdvs/s320/FR31+Feel+the+Love+ebook+cover.jpg" width="207" height="320" data-original-width="1036" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-47705822230760722182018-12-12T18:12:00.000-08:002018-12-12T18:12:17.693-08:00New Release -- Choices, a Valdemar AnthologyA new anthology called <i>Choices</i> just dropped recently. It's another collection of short stories set in the world of Valdemar, created by Mercedes Lackey. This is the fourth Valdemar anthology I've had a story in, and they're always fun to write for.<br />
<br />
For this book, I have a story about a new character. Herald Josswyn and his Companion Dashell are riding circuit and stop in the Tolm Valley, where lives an insular community governed by Baron Tolm. They find that the old Baron has died recently, and the new Baron is determined to enforce the very letter of the law, even if it leaves some of his folk in dire poverty. Herald Joss is sworn to uphold the law, but sometimes the strongest law has a postern gate through it, if you know where to look.<br />
<br />
This anthology contains:<br />
<br />
"With Sorrow and Joy" by Phaedra Weldon<br />
"Of Crows and Karsites" by Kristin Schwengel<br />
"Feathers in Deed" by Jennifer Brozek<br />
"The Letter of the Law" by Angela Penrose<br />
"Who We'll Become" by Dayle A. Dermatis<br />
"Unceasing Consequences" by Elizabeth A. Vaughan<br />
"Beyond Common Sense, She Persisted" by Janny Wurts<br />
"Moving On" by Diana L. Paxson<br />
"The Right Place" by Louisa Swann<br />
"A Siege of Cranes" by Elisabeth Waters<br />
"Cloud Born" Michele Lang<br />
"Letters from Home" by Brigid Collins<br />
"Friendship's Gift" by Anthea Sharp<br />
"Enduring, Confusing, Perfect, and Strong" by Ron Collins<br />
"The Once and Future Box" by Fiona Patton<br />
"Acceptable Losses" by Stephanie Shaver<br />
"Weight of a Hundred Eyes" by Dylan Birtolo<br />
"Woman's Need Calls Me" by Mercedes Lackey<br />
<br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2PAAgrE">Paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2Lc70qJ">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/choices-184">E-book on Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/choices-mercedes-lackey/1128169680#/">Paperback on B&N</a><br />
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/choices-mercedes-lackey/1128169680?ean=9780756414696#/">E-book on B&N</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/do/book/choices/id1358101933?l=en&mt=11">E-book on iTunes</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39226033-choices" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1539618443l/39226033.jpg" width="207" height="320" /></a></div>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-55631029412704744492017-05-01T05:56:00.002-07:002017-05-03T07:15:34.296-07:00New Release -- No Humans AllowedAn anthology called <i>No Humans Allowed,</i> edited by John Helfers, has just released. I have a story in it called "The Scent of Murder." It's an SF mystery where an alien troubleshooter has a problem. The Terran captain of a trading ship has suffered a catastrophic fluid rupture and died while docked at an Yzantris station. Thinker of Useful Ideas Yazvoras is on a deadline to figure out who murdered the human before the Terran ambassador claims the crime scene and has it removed. The time limit is completely unreasonable, but aliens are often incomprehensible. And as the Yzantris say, the world is. <i>No Humans Allowed</i> is part of the <a href="http://www.fictionriver.com/"><i>Fiction River</i> anthology series</a> by WMG Publishing.<br />
<br />
Humans prove great fodder for fiction. But what about the universe of possibilities offered by the nonhuman protagonist? The eighteen daring humans of <i>Fiction River’s</i> latest volume explore just that. From a goblin who must choose whether to risk everything for love to a heroic rat adventuring at sea to sentient underpants (yes, underpants), these nonhuman tales demonstrate why <i>Adventures Fantastic</i> says: “If you haven’t checked out Fiction River yet, you should. There’s something for everyone.”<br />
<br />
This volume contains….<br />
<br />
“In the Beginnings” by Annie Reed<br />
“At His Heels a Stone” by Lee Allred<br />
“In the Empire of Underpants” by Robert T. Jeschonek<br />
“The Sound of Salvation” by Leslie Claire Walker<br />
“Goblin in Love” by Anthea Sharp<br />
“Slime and Crime” by Michèle Laframboise<br />
“Always Listening” by Louisa Swann<br />
“Here I Will Dance” by Stefon Mears<br />
“Rats at Sea” by Brenda Carre<br />
“Sense and Sentientability” by Lisa Silverthorne<br />
“When a Good Fox Goes to War” by Kim May<br />
“The Game of Time” by Felicia Fredlund<br />
“The Scent of Murder” by Angela Penrose<br />
“Still-Waking Sleep” by Dayle A. Dermatis<br />
“Inhabiting Sweetie” by Dale Hartley Emery<br />
“The Legend of Anlahn” by Eric Kent Edstrom<br />
“Sheath Hopes” by Thea Hutcheson<br />
“We, The Ocean” by Alexandra Brandt<br />
<br />
PS -- "Empire of Underpants" is great! :D<br />
<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2pmZhNj">Paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2pOzTBx">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fiction-river-no-humans-allowed">E-book on Kobo</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-fiction-river/1126312524?ean=9781561467815">Paperback on B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-lee-allred/1126310769?ean=2940154275856">E-book on B&N</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/AngiePen/No%20Humans%20Allowed_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/AngiePen/No%20Humans%20Allowed_1.jpg" width="207" height="320" /></a></div>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-27581541398875638062017-02-14T23:29:00.004-08:002017-02-14T23:29:43.396-08:00Hope Everyone Had a Great Valentine's DayI had a pretty good V-Day, although my husband and I didn't go out or anything. We had dinner and watched TV while cuddling on the couch, and that pretty much did it for us. :)<br />
<br />
I made a chocolate cake, which I don't do very often. The cake recipe, from a Betty Crocker cookbook, is very yummy, nice and moist. The chocolate fudge frosting, which I've done once before, tastes great, but the texture is less than optimal. :/ The recipe tells you to be very careful not to add too much milk (the last thing you do, while beating the mass of powdered sugar/butter/vanilla/chocolate), that too much milk will make your frosting soupy, that you should add just a few drops at a time so you don't overshoot and end up with frosting too loose to spread.<br />
<br />
Just F everyone's I, that's not really a problem with the Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Frosting recipe. [wry smile] I ended up adding at <i>least</i> twice as much milk as the recipe called for, possibly three times as much (I wish now I'd kept track) and I <i>still</i> ended up with frosting thick enough that it was tearing up my cake. :/ By the time I stopped mixing and started spreading, it looked pretty darned soft, but I guess that was just in comparison to how it'd looked six or ten tablespoons of milk earlier. [laugh]<br />
<br />
Frosting the cake was frustrating, but it did end up tasting pretty yummy, so it wasn't a total failure. And the husband liked it too, so I'll take that as a win for this year's Valentine's Day. :)<br />
<br />
In writing news, I did proofs recently on a new story, "The Scent of Murder," which will be coming out at the end of March in the anthology <i>No Humans Allowed.</i> The theme of the anthology is inhuman protagonists, and the editor, John Helfers, meant <i>really</i> not human. Characters who had been human but transformed, like vampires or werewolves or zombies, frex., weren't allowed. I wrote a murder mystery, where an alien works with a ship's AI to solve the murder of a human. More deets when the book is available.<br />
<br />
Keep warm!<br />
<br />
AngieAngela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-40028677346046466472016-12-23T22:35:00.001-08:002016-12-23T22:56:05.503-08:00New Release -- TempestThere's a new Valdemar anthology out, and I've got a story in it. Valdemar is the main kingdom in Mercedes Lackey's popular series of books and stories set on the world of Velgarth. If you're new to Valdemar, it began with <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Arrows-Trilogy-Mercedes-Lackey-ebook/dp/B00USMCETK">the Arrows Trilogy</a>, followed by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Last-Herald-Mage-Trilogy-Mercedes-Lackey-ebook/dp/B00X593F4G">the Last Herald-Mage Trilogy</a>, which is my favorite.<br />
<br />
My story is called "A Tangle of Truths," and finds Herald Arvil representing his Queen at a noble baby's birthday party. Multiple schemes and resentments collide and snarl, and nearly cost the birthday baby his life.<br />
<br />
<i>Tempest</i> -- The Heralds of Valdemar are the kingdom’s ancient order of protectors. They are drawn from all across the land, from all walks of life, and at all ages—and all are Gifted with abilities beyond those of normal men and women. They are Mindspeakers, FarSeers, Empaths, ForeSeers, Firestarters, FarSpeakers, and more. These inborn talents—combined with training as emissaries, spies, judges, diplomats, scouts, counselors, warriors, and more—make them indispensable to their monarch and realm. Sought and Chosen by mysterious horse-like Companions, they are bonded for life to these telepathic, enigmatic creatures. The Heralds of Valdemar and their Companions ride circuit throughout the kingdom, protecting the peace and, when necessary, defending their land and monarch.<br />
<br />
Now, twenty-three authors ride with Mercedes Lackey to her magical land of Valdemar, adding their own unique voices to the Heralds, Bards, Healers, and other heroes of this beloved fantasy realm. <br />
<br />
Join Elizabeth Vaughan, Fiona Patton, Jennifer Brozek, Brenda Cooper, Rosemary Edghill, and others in twenty-two original stories, including a brand-new novella by Mercedes Lackey, to Valdemar, where:<br />
<br />
A Herald must crack an ancient code in a historic tapestry in order to arbitrate a dispute over land and lineage…<br />
<br />
A Healer’s daughter flees the noble family that has trapped and enslaved her mother, and must seek help to free her mother…<br />
<br />
A young woman who hides her clairvoyant powers from her town’s Karsite priests ForeSees a threat, and must risk revealing her Gift to save her community…<br />
<br />
A Herald finds his assistant has been abducted by a man upon whom he had levied a heavy fine, and must foil the kidnapper’s plans to save his charge…<br />
<br />
This anthology contains:<br />
<br />
A Small Quarrel by Stephanie D. Shaver<br />
Girl Without the Gifts by Janny Wurts<br />
Unimagined Consequences by Elizabeth A. Vaughan<br />
Feathers in Flight by Jennifer Brozek<br />
Blind Leaps by Ron Collins<br />
Haver Hearthstone by Fiona Patton<br />
Unraveling the Truth by Dayle A. Dermatis<br />
Sparrow's Gift by Michele Lang<br />
Harmless as Serpents by Rosemary Edghill & Rebecca Fox<br />
The Apprentice and the Stable Master by Brenda Cooper<br />
Unexpected Meeting by Nancy Asire<br />
A Trip of Goats by Elisabeth Waters<br />
The Ones She Couldn't Save by Louisa Swann<br />
One Last Night Manning the Home Station by Brigid Collins<br />
Only Family Matters by D. Shull<br />
Medley by Jessica Schlenker & Michael Z. Williamson<br />
A Tangle of Truths by Angela Penrose<br />
The Unwanted Gift by Anthea Sharp<br />
Dawn of a New Age by Dylan Birtolo<br />
BloodLines by Phaedra Weldon<br />
In Name Only by Kristin Schwengel<br />
Ripples and Cracks by Larry Dixon and Mercedes Lackey<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tempest-Valdemar-Mercedes-Lackey/dp/0756409039">Paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tempest-Valdemar-Mercedes-Lackey-ebook/dp/B01CZCW4LS">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tempest-mercedes-lackey/1124811416?ean=9780756409036">Paperback on B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tempest-mercedes-lackey/1124811416?ean=9780698188464">E-book on B&N</a><br />
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/tempest-35">E-book on Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/tempest/id1093342894?mt=11">E-book on iTunes</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbYmCP-NeRrlhrJQRDkXNhyLBt2eFAw6w2d-izHvAcNxeh_uPWnJX3KpguvMcS3g_w93JyPucthrUzuvmz05iCrCnZXmH12ZQH8STtFbS_h8zs4k-LFIxn1T5NrY5louL4kMDCv_qZfc/s1600/Tempest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbYmCP-NeRrlhrJQRDkXNhyLBt2eFAw6w2d-izHvAcNxeh_uPWnJX3KpguvMcS3g_w93JyPucthrUzuvmz05iCrCnZXmH12ZQH8STtFbS_h8zs4k-LFIxn1T5NrY5louL4kMDCv_qZfc/s320/Tempest.jpg" width="199" height="320" /></a></div>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-74768026608742567852016-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:002016-12-08T07:08:37.918-08:00New Release -- Last StandAn anthology called <i>Last Stand,</i> edited by Dean Wesley Smith and Felicia Fredlund, just came out recently. I have a story in it, called "Bury My Son at Home," an SF story about the women determined to take their dead home in the wake of a horrendous battle, after two warring powers decided to use their world as a battleground. <i>Last Stand</i> is part of the <a href="http://www.fictionriver.com/">Fiction River anthology series</a> by WMG Publishing.<br />
<br />
History offers many heroic tales of final battles. And in Last Stand, sixteen courageous authors offer their take on the topic. From a heartwarming tale of not-so-friendly business competition to a battle of the gods—sort of—for the fate of the world to a tale of looking for love in all the wrong places. These inventive stories make Last Stand one of the most creative—and memorable—Fiction River volumes yet.<br />
<br />
This volume contains….<br />
<br />
"The Great Ice Cream War of Grover’s Hollow" by Annie Reed<br />
"Slow Motion" by Eric Kent Edstrom<br />
"Do Not Resuscitate" by Dory Crowe<br />
"Sunset, Fall, Home" by Dan C. Duval<br />
"'Til Death Do Us Part" by Kerrie L. Hughes & John Helfers<br />
"Circle 'Round" by M. L. Buchman<br />
"Unto the Ether" by M. E. Owen<br />
"Bury My Son at Home" by Angela Penrose<br />
"The Flare" by Laura Ware<br />
"What’s Left of Me" by Bonnie Elizabeth<br />
"The Counter" by Rob Vagle<br />
"The Toymaker of Kelsium Rye" by Chuck Heintzelman<br />
"Magic and Sacrifice" by Felicia Fredlund<br />
"Lady Elizabeth’s Betrothal Ball" by Anthea Sharp<br />
"Suppose They Gave a Ragnarok and Nobody Came?" by Lee Allred<br />
"Death Bunnies of Toxic Island" by Travis Heermann<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Original-Anthology-Magazine/dp/1561467642">Paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Stand-Original-Anthology-ebook/dp/B01MZZRNZY">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-fiction-river/1125263116?ean=9781561467648">Paperback on B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-fiction-river/1125263116?ean=2940153532455">E-book on B&N</a><br />
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fiction-river-last-stand">E-book on Kobo</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/AngiePen/FR20%20Last%20Stand%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/AngiePen/FR20%20Last%20Stand%20Cover.jpg" width="207" height="320" /></a></div>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-89867374662863090722016-10-02T17:08:00.000-07:002016-12-08T06:04:40.642-08:00New Release -- HauntedI have a story called "The Ghost of Station Four" in the new <i>Haunted</i> anthology, edited by Kerrie Hughes. <i>Haunted</i> is part of the <a href="http://www.fictionriver.com/">Fiction River anthology series</a> by WMG Publishing.<br />
<br />
Nothing compares to a good ghost story. And in <i>Haunted,</i> some of the best short fiction writers in the business explore the many different ways to haunt someone: literally, figuratively, happily, angrily… From a man haunted by his wife’s favorite appliance to a possessed building protective of its new family to a chilling twist on the modern practice of ghosting, the thirteen authors of Fiction River’s latest volume provide unforgettable stories that will haunt the reader for years to come.<br />
<br />
This volume contains….<br />
<br />
“She’s No Shimmer” by David H. Hendrickson<br />
“Land of the Living” by Dayle A. Dermatis<br />
“Clean” by Michael Kowal<br />
“The Ghost of Station Four” by Angela Penrose<br />
“The Clockwork Harp” by Anthea Sharp<br />
“Christmas Ghosts in Silver Chains” by Dave Raines<br />
“Hoarding” by Thea Hutcheson<br />
“Machowski’s Watch” by Eric Kent Edstrom<br />
“The Crow War of Willows Beach” by Brenda Carre<br />
“Mother Daughter” by Brigid Collins<br />
“The Ribbon Tree” by Leah Cutter<br />
“Holly Hock” by Kerrie L. Hughes<br />
“Ghosting” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch<br />
<br />
<a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Original-Anthology-Magazine/dp/1561467723">Paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Original-Anthology-Magazine-ebook/dp/B01LYOM8M8">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-fiction-river/1124719531?ean=9781561467723">Paperback on B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-fiction-river/1124719531?ean=2940153481128">E-book on B&N</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/fiction-river-haunted">E-book on Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/fiction-river-haunted/id1160634637">E-book on iTunes</a><br />
<br />
<center><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/AngiePen/FR-19-Haunted-ebook-cover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/AngiePen/FR-19-Haunted-ebook-cover.jpg" border="0" alt="Haunted book cover"/></a></center>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-29057474007413895622016-09-28T01:05:00.001-07:002016-09-28T01:05:57.808-07:00New Release -- Alien ArtifactsI have an SF story called "Me and Alice" in the new <i>Alien Artifacts</i> anthology, edited by Josh Palmatier and Patricia Bray. "Me and Alice" is about a young boy who's worried about his pet toad. Alice is very elderly (for a toad) and hasn't been feeling too well, but old age isn't something you can fix with care or medicine. An archaeological dig on his family's land provides a distraction, and a puzzle.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alien-Artifacts-Seanan-McGuire/dp/1940709083">Paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alien-Artifacts-Seanan-McGuire-ebook/dp/B01JK5WB34">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alien-artifacts-seanan-mcguire/1124634118">Paperback on B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alien-artifacts-joshua-palmatier/1124600406">E-book on B&N</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/alien-artifacts-1">E-book on Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/alien-artifacts/id1145027888?mt=11">E-book on iTunes</a><br />
<br />
<center><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/AngiePen/media/51Zahul98iL._SY346_.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/AngiePen/51Zahul98iL._SY346_.jpg" border="0" alt="Alien Artifacts book cover"/></a></center><br />
<br />
Josh and Patricia are also doing <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/543968884/robots-water-and-death-anthologies">a Kickstarter campaign</a> for their next batch of anthologies. This year they're doing three -- <i>All Hail Our Robot Conquerors, Submerged,</i> and <i>The Death of All Things.</i> They sound like fun; I'm especially looking forward to writing for <i>Robot Conquerors,</i> and maybe <i>Submerged.</i> And maybe <i>Death of All Things</i> too, but who knows? :) They've already made their goal, and have just a few days left, so you can pledge knowing that you'll definitely get whatever goodies you sign up for.Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-2702316981233814962016-08-18T20:10:00.000-07:002016-10-02T17:09:32.535-07:00New Release -- Year's Best Crime and Mystery Stories 2016My story "The Rites of Zosimos," originally published in <i>Alchemy and Steam,</i> has been reprinted in <i>The Year's Best Crime and Mystery Stories 2016.</i> "Rites" is a murder mystery set at a 19th century alchemical university. It's one of my own favorite stories, and it's awesome that the editors thought it was one of the best mysteries of last year, along with stories by Joyce Carol Oates, Mary Higgins Clark, Tananarive Due, Carrie Vaughn, Annie Reed, and a bunch of other great writers. Check it out!<br />
<br />
Available:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Years-Best-Crime-Mystery-Stories-ebook/dp/B01JQ4S77S">as an Amazon e-book</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/kobo-presents-the-year-s-best-crime-and-mystery-stories-2016">as a Kobo e-book</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-years-best-crime-and-mystery-stories-2016-joyce-carol-oates/1124250242?ean=2940153380292">as a Nook e-book</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/mx/book/years-best-crime-mystery-stories/id1140332447?l=en&mt=11">as an iTunes e-book</a><br />
<br />
The paperback edition will be out soon, if you prefer paper.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ow2kBfGlL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ow2kBfGlL.jpg" width="226" height="320" /></a></div>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-83492088677562689652016-04-17T04:27:00.000-07:002016-04-17T04:27:20.219-07:00Flowers in the YardI'm not up to a <i>lot</i> of gardening, but last fall I managed to plant some bulbs. They've been blooming over the last few weeks and brightening the place up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iDi6hPusedNLJPgISaC3kWnxrPyYnrRouBjJlyIyFSszAyjrXXiSKdSvDfRRMdKEBlwCFdTVzjQokJ10b92C58kFprJ8qz7KkJt_GCEdCeCrdV0Q1e7GFUSNMzaR1pi7UU3ewJ-F6MI/s1600/Daffodils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iDi6hPusedNLJPgISaC3kWnxrPyYnrRouBjJlyIyFSszAyjrXXiSKdSvDfRRMdKEBlwCFdTVzjQokJ10b92C58kFprJ8qz7KkJt_GCEdCeCrdV0Q1e7GFUSNMzaR1pi7UU3ewJ-F6MI/s320/Daffodils.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The daffodils are sunny and make the yard look bright, even when it's overcast, which it often is in Seattle. We don't have a lot of deep soil in back -- our place was built on what was originally a pretty good slope, and the builder filled with a lot of huge rocks before putting soil on top. It's deep enough for trees in a couple of places, and a few inches deep in others, and barely an inch in some. Most of the bulbs I got, like the daffodils, are fairly large, and I didn't have room for all of them. I put a few in a pot that lived out next to the front door for a while. That was cheery too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXqlcC9ifthNM0ATGSjlWkk1IuFMSKBmhKoh6xJ4CVfVi_S79xzwF7pJ5N6QsuSFsMd9DCYjdCkWn1duAn-ptIX4dECi4b96HnLqp6bvOS7ykyE9kpzxQU3XyPIJy2GfnTJuZPmQ6agQ/s1600/HyacinthCrocus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXqlcC9ifthNM0ATGSjlWkk1IuFMSKBmhKoh6xJ4CVfVi_S79xzwF7pJ5N6QsuSFsMd9DCYjdCkWn1duAn-ptIX4dECi4b96HnLqp6bvOS7ykyE9kpzxQU3XyPIJy2GfnTJuZPmQ6agQ/s320/HyacinthCrocus.jpg" /></a></div><br />
A hyacinth next to one of the last crocuses. A lot of the hyacinths grew at an angle, and some were just lying on the dirt. :P I think those were in places where I wasn't able to plant the bulbs deep enough because of the aforementioned shallow soil. There were some tipsy daffodils too. The crocuses were fine, but their bulbs are pretty small. I'll have to see if any other bulbs are about that size, and maybe get more to plant this fall, fill in some more of the shallow-soil areas.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OX-XId6506iUaOF40sRKuRpaQV6BpYuIz8Hq5BeYhyphenhyphenRCwhhndhZNvKwjf16qi4lVUEm4l6nGx6daU_Ay4v8zEGoCQbsWHQvLeIAFLQ6NEaFukzXejM7qWLICEpxXhDVhWtiEswOerp4/s1600/Tulips2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OX-XId6506iUaOF40sRKuRpaQV6BpYuIz8Hq5BeYhyphenhyphenRCwhhndhZNvKwjf16qi4lVUEm4l6nGx6daU_Ay4v8zEGoCQbsWHQvLeIAFLQ6NEaFukzXejM7qWLICEpxXhDVhWtiEswOerp4/s320/Tulips2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The tulips just started blooming a few days ago. They're pretty, but I didn't have too many of them. Good thing, too, since they had the largest bulbs.<br />
<br />
Maybe I'll just throw in the towel and get some more containers and fill them with bulbs for next year. I can get whatever I want that way, and plant everything as deep as it needs to be. [ponder]<br />
<br />
AngieAngela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-40162455194612040022016-03-29T08:40:00.001-07:002016-03-29T08:40:45.130-07:00Post-NorwesconSo my husband and I got in a cab to go to Norwescon on Thursday afternoon. It was pretty cool to be able to take a <i>cab</i> to a con; I haven't done that in a lot of years.<br />
<br />
The con was at a Doubletree, which pretty clearly used to be a Red Lion. I have a lot of fond memories of conventions at various Lions, mostly the one in San Jose (which is also a Doubletree now) but also a few others. There are a few architectural details that stood out and triggered memories. The long, low, arm-like blocks of rooms extending from the main building reminded me of the Lion where the Sacramento Westercon was held in... '85, I think. It made the hotel feel like a space station, which was pretty cool, and although the SeaTac Doubletree wasn't quite as symmetrically space-stationish as the Sacramento property, the architectural building blocks were clearly the same. And the woodwork around the room doors felt Liony to me, heavily blocky and in dark-grained wood which fits my Lion memories back through the eighties, although noticing a detail that minor makes me feel like a major hotel geek. :P But hotels refresh the cosmetics -- paint and carpet and light fixtures and such -- every so many years, so if it's been decades, you really have to look at the building's bones. Anyway, the hotel felt homey to me from the moment I walked inside, and that was cool.<br />
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Check-in at the front desk went quickly, and it was cool to see most of the desk staff wearing Norwescon T-shirts. It's great when the hotel staff can get involved, even if it's only in a small way. When BayCon was at the Santa Clara Hyatt, fans started giving staffers who'd helped them out badge ribbons, either in addition to tips for wait- and bellstaff, or just to say "Thanks" for staffers who don't usually get tips. The hotel management embraced this practice and set up a competition for its staffers -- whoever collected the most ribbons over the course of the convention got a prize. IIRC it was a bonus day of paid vacation, something like that. Very cool, and the staffers got into the spirit of the thing. BayCon has moved on this year, unfortunately, but that Hyatt seems like it'd be a good place to work, if you're in that business.<br />
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Back at Norwescon, we ran into someone weird on our way up to our room. I know, weird people at an SF con -- who'd have imagined? We found the elevator and a young man in a bright orange T-shirt was hanging out nearby. He came in with us, and I saw that his shirt said:<br />
<br />
<center>SHOW ME<br />
YOUR TITS<br />
(PLEASE)</CENTER><br />
Umm, seriously, dude? I just eyerolled and ignored him. He didn't say anything that I recall while the elevator did its thing, and when the door opened on our floor, he got out and held it for us while the husband and I wheeled our luggage out. I think he said, "Have a nice day," or something similar, then got back on the elevator. I just thought he was weird and clueless -- his behavior was very polite, and I'd have thought, "What a nice young man," if it wasn't for that horribly obnoxious T-shirt. Then my husband pointed out that the elevator call button hadn't been pushed until I pushed it, on the first floor, and the guy hadn't pushed a floor button when he got on after us, nor did he get off on our floor. So apparently he was just hanging out by the elevator, in his obnoxious T-shirt, riding the elevator with random people...? Okay, yeah, after Jim pointed all that out, I had to admit it was a bit creepy. I do remember he wasn't wearing a convention badge. Maybe he hadn't gotten one yet, maybe he didn't want to be identifiable, or maybe he was just a mundane who hangs around hotels being creepy. No clue. I will say, though, that if it weren't for the stupid shirt, I'd have opined that he seemed like a nice, polite young man who probably wouldn't have had a horribly hard time getting into a situation where he <i>could</i> interact with someone's tits [cough] just through being nice and polite, and hooking up the way people often do. As it was, even if I were single and thirty years younger, I wouldn't have considered getting into a naked situation with someone who thought that shirt was cool, or even funny. Obnoxious Shirt Guy, if you're reading this, take a clue please.<br />
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Our room, in the main tower, was nice -- larger than an average chain hotel room, which the Lion properties were known for. A friend had a room in one of the space-station arms, and it was smaller, although still comfortable. Our king single had a comfy chair and a desk and didn't feel crowded. The bed was rather brick-like, and the pillows were way too soft (even after calling Housekeeping to exchange the feather pillows for foam, the foam was pretty clearly broken down), which is unfortunately common in a lot of hotels. Apparently most people like having their heads sink down through the fluff of their pillow until it feels like they're basically lying on the mattress. [wry smile]<br />
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Anyway, con.<br />
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Jim and I both had our signed print-out saying we agreed to abide by con policies (which I've never had to literally <i>sign</i> up to before, so... weird?) and our ID. Theoretically this was to speed up badge pick-up for pre-regged members, but if this was the fast track, the slow-track people must still be waiting. There were four (a few minutes later cut down to three) lines leading up to the pre-reg windows, each line about ten feet long. They cut off there for traffic-and-Fire-Marshal reasons, which, okay, perfectly reasonable. There was a much longer single line leading away to the left, which was feeding into the four lines. I eventually noticed a staffer hovering around the ends of the four lines, occasionally motioning people from the one line to join this or that of the four lines, although his primary focus seemed to be on keeping the four lines from getting too long. Okay, I get that keeping the Fire Marshal from potentially shutting down the whole show has to be a priority. But I definitely saw at least a few people just wander up and get into one of the (much shorter) four lines. In that kind of a set-up, where there are two line sections with a break in between, it's helpful to have gofers who can point line-jumpers (often inadvertent, I'm sure, since it wasn't immediately obvious what was where and how the lines worked) to where the end of the actual line was. If the guy keeping the lines from blocking a major fire lane couldn't do that, having someone else there to direct traffic would've been nice.<br />
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Seriously, though, the line was horribly slow. Considering this was just a "Hand over your signed form, show your ID, tell the guy if you want a clip or a lanyard and take your clipped or lanyarded badge," sort of process, I don't know what the hold-up was. I have mobility issues and can't stand for more than a few minutes before my feet start griping at me, and then the pain starts spreading upward, so standing there for however long (I think it was about twenty minutes or so, all together, mid-afternoon Thursday) wasn't fun. When we made it up to the window guy, he was friendly and fast and efficient, and we both had our badges within a minute. Clearly the reg folks weren't slacking off.<br />
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Someone mentioned that there were people in line who didn't have their forms, or weren't pre-reg. That's another area where a gofer or two to direct traffic could help, pointing people to the right line so pre-reg can go as quickly as it should. The fact that of the four stations the four lines led up to, only two were marked "PRE-REG" -- the other two were just "REGISTRATION" but they were using all four for pre-reg on Thursday. This makes sense from an efficiency POV, but probably added to the confusion.<br />
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Oh, the badges. Okay, this I have to complain about. One reason people wear badges at a convention is so you know who you're talking to, standing next to, buying a book from, etc. The badges were medium-dark grey, and the names were printed in black, in a very thin font. Come on, folks, seriously? The only way to actually read someone else's name badge was to lean down so your face was ridiculously close. And I <i>was</i> wearing my glasses. I get that, from the con's POV, badges are to tell them who's paid and who hasn't when they're controlling access, but from an attendee's POV, I also use them to identify the people around me, see if maybe that woman there is a favorite author, or if that guy next to me in line is someone I've been chatting with online for five years. Next year, please make the badges readable.<br />
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After picking up badges, we got reg packets from the info desk, right across the way. The guy there -- also friendly and efficient -- asked if we were first-timers at the convention. We were, so we got orange badge ribbons saying first-time attendee. That was pretty cool, and it was interesting seeing how many of those orange ribbons I saw walking around. This was Norwescon 39, and the fact that they're getting a lot of new people says good things about the con.<br />
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Once we were badged, we met up with my friend Karen, who's a costumer, and went to get food. The restaurant sort of attached to the bar, the name of which I forget, had a limited menu, but what we ordered was very good. I got a bacon cheeseburger -- first bacon I've eaten since 2015, yum! -- and was very happy. The service was a bit slow, but not overly so IMO.<br />
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We chatted over food, and found that Karen still had some things to do on her costume yet. Hey, the Masquerade's not till Saturday night, right? Pleny of time! :) We sat talking for however long, then I went back to her room with her to help.<br />
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Karen's costume was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's "The Telltale Heart." It was all red and beige and black, sort of a blend of Victorian and Heart and Crazy. She had a length of all-over lace with sparkly embroidery and beads and sequins on it in a scrolly floral pattern -- a really gorgeous piece -- that she'd dyed, first red IIRC, then re-dyed black. The center panel of the bodice was red and the rest was beige, all covered with the lace. She made a skirt of multiple layers of gradient-dyed tulle, from black at the top to red at the bottom. I sat for a while cutting out little bits (hopefully esthetically shaped) out of the lace while Karen glued them on to the top two layers of tulle, to give the skirt some interest and a bit of sparkle.<br />
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When we were done with the skirt, she put on her tights, got out the bottle of red paint, and "dyed" the bottoms of her tights with her hands, from about mid-calf down, with blotchy red. It ended up looking like she'd gone splashing through a pool of blood, which, yuck! but it matched the feel of the costume. :) She also worked on decorating her mask, with markers and some glue-on bits from the lace. This is what the whole thing ended up looking like:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BcEG50cDX5lEk_Tsj3usaX06-jdn2fBvXYnWpUubeBH3kqRaxkbgve5PnEVdLfQZ0zBajQL9hE8buZFpuc8DA_bBNiA65tNTACcTJwNmrBTzN7jnhEDLFKAaElC-KridePPdUaUsBo4/s1600/KarenTTH1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BcEG50cDX5lEk_Tsj3usaX06-jdn2fBvXYnWpUubeBH3kqRaxkbgve5PnEVdLfQZ0zBajQL9hE8buZFpuc8DA_bBNiA65tNTACcTJwNmrBTzN7jnhEDLFKAaElC-KridePPdUaUsBo4/s320/KarenTTH1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiELlb88DHlcbhLs8Z6ncygdvZ4FIG6yiFCiordXIVNdHjRDzRhh6Msism8UJR7CLaHRLNMW1O2f70a3hdj8ZLaZeP7CKN6EJK1UXjz0yfFVWqmasqyWL9lgahTfCkvvIISE_sSWBtnFHs/s1600/KarenTTH2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiELlb88DHlcbhLs8Z6ncygdvZ4FIG6yiFCiordXIVNdHjRDzRhh6Msism8UJR7CLaHRLNMW1O2f70a3hdj8ZLaZeP7CKN6EJK1UXjz0yfFVWqmasqyWL9lgahTfCkvvIISE_sSWBtnFHs/s320/KarenTTH2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
We spent most of the evening hanging out, talking, and working on her costume. Karen and I have been friends for over forty years -- we met in seventh grade homeroom -- and for the most part I only see her at conventions now. Half the reason I go to cons is to hang out with friends, so it didn't bug me too much not to see any actual convention stuff that evening.<br />
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Next day we had breakfast at the Coffee Garden. I had the buffet, which was a bit expensive for breakfast but had a lot of stuff, from cereal and yogurt and fresh fruit -- both cut up and whole -- to eggs and bacon and sausage, and you could order an omelet with whatever you wanted in it. I've seen a lot of worse breakfast buffets.<br />
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After breakfast, I hung out until things started up, then went through the Art Show and the Dealer's Room. There were artists whose work I'd never seen before, which was very cool. I hardly ever buy art anymore, but I like looking, and having new pieces to look at is always fun. It was the same in the Dealer's Room -- there were dealers I hadn't seen before, which was cool. It can get monotonous seeing the same thing every year, so browsing around was fun. There were gaming dealers with dice and such, which I'm not used to seeing, and some costume/accessory dealers who were new to me. All I bought was books, which is pretty usual for me. I was Dave Clark's first sale of the day, yay. :) And I stopped to chat for a minute with an indie publishing writer who was selling some steampunk fiction. I've sold some steampunk too -- "Rites of Zosimos" in <i>Alchemy and Steam,</i> -- so it was like, "Yay steampunk!"<br />
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We had lunch, me and Jim and Karen, at a coffee shop across the street, just to try something outside the hotel. I think it was a Denny's. It was okay, not great but not awful. I've been in some awful Denny's; I remember we used to warn people about the Denny's nearby, back when BayCon was at the San Jose Lion. I had a big salad that wasn't bad.<br />
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Afterward, my husband wanted to go to a panel on comics on TV, and then one on feminism in SF, which were both handily in the same room, one right after the other. That sounded good to me, so we both went.<br />
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The Comics on TV panel turned out to be more Comics in Media, and the panelists had seen a lot of cartoon adaptations Jim and I haven't seen, but other than that most of the discussion was about either TV shows and movies we'd seen, or ones (like Green Lantern, ick) that we very deliberately didn't see. I mean, seriously, just from the trailers it looked like they took the character of Hal Jordan, who was chosen by the ring because he had the strongest will on the planet, and tossed it into a wood chipper. What came out was this complete idiot frat-boy type. Who decided that Green Lantern movie, about the Hal Jordan Green Lantern, needed to be a comedy?? Umm, no, I don't think so.<br />
<br />
DC's been doing a great job with TV series lately, but not so much with movies. I haven't seen Batman vs. Superman yet, and I'll probably only see it to keep up with the continuity when the JLA movie comes out. [sigh] Marvel's been doing a lot better on the movie side, but even their TV shows are good, the ones I've seen so far. I like Agents of SHIELD -- apparently unlike most of the panelists, oh well. I'm sorry, but Phil Coulson rocks, and Melinda May is the 21st century's Chuck Norris. :) I'm not a huge fan of all the characters, and I agree that they've tossed so many new characters into the show that it's hard to remember who they all are at times, but in general I like the show and the way it's built its continuity, rather than being a villain-of-the-week episodic type show.<br />
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Someone asked about constant reboots, like with the Spiderman franchise. I said that was about contracts rather than art, but I don't think anyone except the panelists heard me. [shrug] But seriously, from what I've heard, Sony has to produce a Spiderman movie every so often or the film rights will revert back to Marvel. Sony pretty clearly has no idea what to do with the property, but they know they don't want to lose it, so every couple of years they spit out a new Spiderman movie, and half the time it's a complete reboot. I didn't bother seeing the last... two? Three? I don't even know anymore. Although the bit at the end of the Civil War trailer gives me some hope that Marvel Studios will get at least some control over the character back. [crossed fingers]<br />
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The feminism in SF panel was interesting, and it was a positive experience in the way that echo chambers tend to be. I didn't hear anything I hadn't already known, but my husband -- who was the one who wanted to see it in the first place -- learned a few things, and that's always good. I recognized one of the panelists, Amber Clark, from a panel at... I think it was Reno WorldCon, about representation in SF or something similar. She's a good speaker, very confident and out there without being offensive to people who haven't had the whole curriculum yet.<br />
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That evening, Karen had a Masquerade meeting to go to (seriously, between Friday and Saturday she had like three or four meetings to go to, to hear presentations, to turn in a form, something else I didn't get, then a tech run-through; if costumers hardly ever get to see any of the convention until after the Masquerade is over, I guess I understand why), and Jim had something he wanted to go to, so I hung out in the room for a bit. I had a story due to an editor that needed a bit of sandpaper, so I did that and sent it off, then decided to go check out the parties.<br />
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I've never been to Norwescon before, and hardly knew anyone there. I'm not a big party person, and haven't regularly hit the party floor at a convention since probably my late twenties, but it seemed like a good way to meet people. It was after nine when I set out. The party floor(s) were way out at the far end of one of the space-station arms. I headed out, listening for people, maybe music, and looking for open doors. The first party I found, open (resting on its latch so it was mostly closed but not completely, and couldn't lock) had a sign on it saying "Invitation Only." Ummm, well, okay. My memory tells me that any party room with a door on the latch is an open party, for anyone to wander into, but maybe that's changed? At least they put up a sign. Onward.<br />
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That was the only party in that hallway, apparently. Or maybe I was just early? I found the Cthulu party, which had someone at the door checking IDs. I hadn't brought mine, oops. I don't drink alcohol, so it didn't occur to me to bring my ID. Another party was open and full, yay. I wandered in and looked around. They had a lot of hot food down one side, and a row of various drinks across the back, with one or two guys behind the drinks tables serving. The rest of the room was packed. I mean, seriously. There were a few chairs, all full, at one end, and the rest of the floor was packed with people, standing right up against one another like a bamboo thicket. The adjoining room was set up for dancing, with a DJ, but there was nobody there, so I took off.<br />
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Note that this was probably a great party. I have arthritis, though. I can walk for a while, usually, but I can't stand in one place for more than a few minutes before things start hurting. A party so packed that there's nowhere to sit down and probably won't be any free chairs for quite a while is not a place where I can hang out. It was too bad, but not the hosts' problem, so I left.<br />
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And... that was about it. I don't know if Norwescon just isn't a party kind of convention, or whether this is what the party floor looks like at a medium size regional convention these days, or whether the parties don't start up till eleven or so.<br />
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I wandered back toward the main area of the con, and saw a sign pointing down a hallway toward the Con Suite. Okay, that was a possibility. The place was brightly lit and there were plenty of tables and chairs. There was some food and some drinks. I got a glass of water and circled the room slowly. A couple of staffers were doing something behind the food table, but didn't say hi or make eye contact. The fans in the room were in a couple of groups. They seemed to know each other and were kicking back talking, which is what a con suite is for. I didn't feel comfortable just sitting down with an established group, so I finished my water, tossed the cup, and left.<br />
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Okay, it's been a while since I did the party thing, and I usually had friends I was walking around with back then. People who know me would probably deny it, but I'm pretty shy when I'm around strangers. I'm not comfortable just walking up to a strange person and saying hi in most environments, much less a group of people who seem to be getting along perfectly well without me. It's my issue and nobody else's. It's been a while, though, since I got hit in the face with it quite as strongly as I did that night.<br />
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Next door to the Con Suite was a room with another bunch of people sitting around. There were bins with costuming-type materials in them, and I wondered if it was the room where the Masquerade meetings took place. I looked around for Karen, but she wasn't there. Some of the people sitting were knitting, and I think one person had a piece of embroidery. On the way out I saw a sign saying it was a Stitch-and-Bitch event. Okay, that's very cool. Next year I'll bring my knitting, or whatever I'm working on a year from now, and go hang out there. With activities in common, even I can probably manage to talk to one or two people. :P Right then, though, it wasn't much help, so I went back to my room. Meeting people: epic fail. [sigh]<br />
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And it turns out that was pretty much all the convention I saw. :/ The next morning, we had breakfast in the Coffee Garden again -- yay buffet! -- and then I started feeling sick. I went back to the room, took some meds, then took some more meds and tried to sleep. Sleeping didn't work, and by mid-afternoon I texted my husband; I needed to get to the hospital. While I was down in the lobby near the seating area, waiting for Jim to get us a cab, I was hunched over and gasping and trying hard not to vomit. A nice lady sitting nearby asked if I was okay. I shook my head, and she told me she was a nurse's aide, asked some questions, including whether she could help me. She couldn't -- once I've gotten to that point, the only thing that'll help is at the hospital -- but it was great of her to ask. A lot of strangers wouldn't, but if you're in trouble at an SF event and are clearly in distress, there'll usually be at least a few people around who'll offer to help. It's one of the reasons I love this crowd.<br />
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After I was done at the hospital, Jim took me right home, then went back to the hotel to pack our things and check us out. When he explained why he was checking us out early, the hotel cancelled our third room night with no problem, and didn't even charge us their (normally horrendous) late check-out fee, so that was very cool of them. Props to the Doubletree for that.<br />
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I talked to Karen the next day -- she won the Judge's Choice Award at the Masquerade, yay! I just wish I could've been there to see her presentation, and all the other costumes.<br />
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On the whole, despite how it ended, I enjoyed Norwescon, and I'm looking forward to going back next year. It seemed well run (yes, I had some nits to pick, but I've worked a lot of conventions and little crap <i>always</i> happens) and the people I met were friendly. The staff I interacted with were friendly and helpful, and seemed to know what they were doing. Good stuff, see you again in 2017. :)<br />
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AngieAngela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-38094894651520183672016-03-20T23:28:00.002-07:002016-03-20T23:28:52.111-07:00NorWesConI'm going to <a href="http://www.norwescon.org/">NorWesCon</a> for the first time ever this coming weekend, and am looking forward to checking it out and meeting new people. Anyone else going?<br />
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I've been going to SF conventions since I was a teenager. I grew up in the SF Bay Area, and mostly went to local cons, although I heard good things about NorWesCon. Now I live in Seattle, and since NorWesCon is only a cab ride away, my husband and I are going to check it out. If you see me wandering around the con, come say hi. :)<br />
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AngieAngela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-35748729314982662652016-01-16T05:35:00.000-08:002016-01-16T05:36:13.234-08:00New Release -- Crucible: All-New Tales of ValdemarWrapping up one year and starting a new one sometimes gets hectic, and life sucked me into its depths for a while. I'm surfacing, though, and doing pretty well. But in the mean time, I had a new story release in December.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkRQm3u6Dh4rv6jgEXAkyCuhnPouPEk7BU9K8JIeaDu_Xyew0YFQM7w2ttz5f74sbfAOZ1Y1iC8qTqqaqIFqkIbgSXqUfZmfBFHkgjX5_B9uJT0JosG_5mZ_tC1WztYclgIyZgD1v6ls/s1600/CrucibleCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkRQm3u6Dh4rv6jgEXAkyCuhnPouPEk7BU9K8JIeaDu_Xyew0YFQM7w2ttz5f74sbfAOZ1Y1iC8qTqqaqIFqkIbgSXqUfZmfBFHkgjX5_B9uJT0JosG_5mZ_tC1WztYclgIyZgD1v6ls/s320/CrucibleCover.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I've never written a tie-in story before, but "Ghosts of the Past," published in <i>Crucible: All-New Tales of Valdemar,</i> ed. Mercedes Lackey, was a lot of fun to write. I've been a Valdemar fan for a very long time; I was a regular in the Modems of the Queen board on GEnie, and have always loved the world of Velgarth and its characters and history. Getting to play in Misty's sandbox was a great opportunity, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.<br />
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Four people have vanished into the woods near the village of Rabbit Hole -- gone with no sign, no body, nothing at all left. Herald Arvil heads into the woods to figure out what's happened to them and stop it. He fights through his own fear to get to whatever's been taking people, only to find himself trapped in his own past.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crucible-All-New-Valdemar-Mercedes-Lackey/dp/0756409020">Paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crucible-All-New-Valdemar-Mercedes-Lackey-ebook/dp/B00UGG90PE">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crucible-mercedes-lackey/1121378162">Paperback on B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crucible-mercedes-lackey/1121378162">E-book on B&N</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/crucible-11">E-book on Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/crucible/id975336597">E-book on iTunes</a>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-57670281183599891222015-12-01T03:23:00.000-08:002015-12-01T03:23:12.611-08:00New Release -- Hidden in Crime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGqDnt01Mm0TkTAdH6OBiBOX7cyY4M5j1Zw8lkJvKqhqfJPZL6TxpNiwv7ELQ4WCQL42cfv28yQKfizAmxkBzSsrZOt_feAm9zgBgTwbkR2YtVSWa5HpmETcijksrGWwXaT3aZR-fnCo/s1600/FR16+Hidden+in+Crime+ebook+cover+lighter+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGqDnt01Mm0TkTAdH6OBiBOX7cyY4M5j1Zw8lkJvKqhqfJPZL6TxpNiwv7ELQ4WCQL42cfv28yQKfizAmxkBzSsrZOt_feAm9zgBgTwbkR2YtVSWa5HpmETcijksrGWwXaT3aZR-fnCo/s320/FR16+Hidden+in+Crime+ebook+cover+lighter+web.jpg" /></a></div><br />
My first historical crime story, "O Best Beloved," is out in <i>Hidden in Crime,</i> edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. I've been reading crime stories since someone gave me a couple of Nancy Drew mysteries when I was a little girl. I'd never tried to write one before Fiction River came along, though. I was a history major at uni, and this story, with its medieval French setting, was a lot of fun to write. I hope you enjoy reading it.<br />
<br />
Marceau the Potter sinned for many years before God chose to reveal him. His wife is upstairs in the middle of a long and hard labor, and when the babe is born, Marceau's secret will be revealed to everyone.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Original-Anthology-Magazine/dp/1561466395">Paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Original-Anthology-Magazine-ebook/dp/B018PNHMQ8">E-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-kristine-kathryn-rusch/1123037494">E-book on B&N</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/fiction-river-hidden-in-crime">E-book on Kobo</a>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-5009542134469373292015-10-01T15:23:00.000-07:002015-10-01T15:23:56.177-07:00New Release -- Recycled Pulp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeErR8gmL7DOVrB-rLGXHUeVo6AHE70p1oqsULJvhmt3kO-7loMe1TBF7nybe3XuymVSFrE-1Tv0oRaXX-5i5YVoyPtCQfUxS8gtK1G3J-V2-c7pC64hboSuxOioY4d002r5rNBkyAXx0/s1600/FR15+Recycled+Pulp+ebook+cover+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeErR8gmL7DOVrB-rLGXHUeVo6AHE70p1oqsULJvhmt3kO-7loMe1TBF7nybe3XuymVSFrE-1Tv0oRaXX-5i5YVoyPtCQfUxS8gtK1G3J-V2-c7pC64hboSuxOioY4d002r5rNBkyAXx0/s320/FR15+Recycled+Pulp+ebook+cover+web.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<i>Recycled Pulp</i> is out, with one of my stories, plus a lot of other great reads.<br />
<br />
This book was fun to write for. John Helfers, the editor, came up with a list of 250 ultra-pulpy titles. Everyone who wanted to submit sent in three numbers at random between 1 and 250, and got three of the titles. We chose one to write about, but we had to write a modern, non-pulpy story that still fit the title. My story is called "Crypt of the Metal Ghouls." :D<br />
<br />
There was no other subject restriction on the story except that it had to fit the title chosen, so the book has a wide variety of genres and subgenres; this is a great book for someone who loves short fiction in general.<br />
<br />
In his intro to my story, John said,<br />
<br />
<blockquote>This next story was one I was hoping to get. I already knew that with the random titles I was throwing at the submitting authors, I'd be getting an even bigger grab bag of stories and genres that would somehow have to be woven together into a cohesive anthology. But even so, the reader in me was hoping that some authors could take the title they’d chosen and turn it into something that would both reinvent it and hit my story buttons. Angela Penrose did both, spectacularly. This is the second story of hers that I've purchased (her first, as well as her first pro sale, was "Staying Afloat" published in <i>Fiction River: How to Save the World),</i> and I hope to be buying many more in the future—especially if she keeps giving me great post-apocalyptic action stories like this one.</blockquote><br />
I've read all the stories in this book, and there's a lot of excellent reading here.<br />
<br />
Available:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Recycled-Original-Anthology/dp/1561466387">in paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Recycled-Original-Anthology-ebook/dp/B015YPS2XC">in e-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-john-helfers/1122721112?ean=2940150838161">in e-book on B&N</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/fiction-river-recycled-pulp">in e-book on Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/581315">in e-book on Smashwords</a>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-46407245176586260342015-09-15T07:15:00.000-07:002015-09-15T07:15:11.780-07:00New Release -- Loosed Upon the World<i>Loosed Upon the World,</i> the cli-fi (climate fiction) SF anthology edited by John Joseph Adams, released today. I have a story in it, along with a bunch of other great writers.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTTsFp5b4k51NN7n4wwAKwNBNHUSgtzWSW9jaAakec54mnKmDhnoP0DfKscHLcuNoMdydJ5n8KTjtBEVc1B57o8GeLomKOyEpSR7HBj-aQfr_J_NoqMT-AyyClslT_T_ZedFvjuY55jU/s1600/Loosed-Upon-the-World-300x453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTTsFp5b4k51NN7n4wwAKwNBNHUSgtzWSW9jaAakec54mnKmDhnoP0DfKscHLcuNoMdydJ5n8KTjtBEVc1B57o8GeLomKOyEpSR7HBj-aQfr_J_NoqMT-AyyClslT_T_ZedFvjuY55jU/s320/Loosed-Upon-the-World-300x453.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The table of contents has a lot of great names in it, including Paolo Bacigalupi, Robert Silverberg, Tobias Buckell, Margaret Atwood, Nancy Kress, and more. This is a beefy collection of stories, and everyone should find a lot of good stuff in it.<br />
<br />
Available to Order:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Loosed-Upon-World-Anthology-Climate/dp/1481453076">in hardcover from Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Loosed-upon-World-Anthology-Climate/dp/1481450301">in paperback from Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Loosed-upon-World-Anthology-Climate-ebook/dp/B00URY5CFW">in e-book from Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loosed-upon-the-world-john-joseph-adams/1121864371?ean=9781481453073">in hardcover from B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loosed-upon-the-world-john-joseph-adams/1121864371?ean=9781481450300">in paperback from B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loosed-upon-the-world-john-joseph-adams/1121864371?ean=9781481450317">in e-book from B&N</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/loosed-upon-the-world-1">in e-book from Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://www.omnilit.com/storeSearch.html">in e-book from OmniLit</a><br />
<br />
So far as I can tell, it's not up in the Apple store yet, but it probably will be soon. [crossed fingers]Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-53953128808502244362015-06-03T01:08:00.000-07:002015-06-03T01:08:32.823-07:00Great Review of Alchemy and SteamKeith West at <i>Amazing Stories</i> posted a <a href="http://amazingstoriesmag.com/2015/06/small-press-review-alchemy-steam/">great review of Alchemy and Steam</a>.<br />
<br />
He says:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>It’s one of the shorter volumes, but I think I’ve enjoyed this one more than any other, including the time travel issue. Usually there’s one at least one story that isn’t really my cup of tea. That’s not the case here.</blockquote><br />
That's pretty amazing, if you'll pardon the expression. :) I'm with Mr. West; usually there are at least a couple of stories in an anthology that don't do it for me. I'm so glad he liked them all.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Every story was top notch in terms of craft. The voice, the pacing, the setting and characters. Totally professional level work in each case.</blockquote><br />
That's also pretty awesome to hear. We have a great group of writers subbing to these books, and the editors pick the best of a great bunch. I read all the stories subbed for this book, and it would've been tough to put together a bad anthology.<br />
<br />
Thanks to Mr. West. I'm glad you liked our book. :D<br />
<br />
<i>Alchemy and Steam</i> is available:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Original-Anthology-Magazine/dp/1561466271/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432445158&sr=1-1&keywords=alchemy+and+steam">in paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Original-Anthology-Magazine-ebook/dp/B00Y218FVY/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432442875&sr=1-2&keywords=alchemy+and+steam">in e-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-fiction-river/1121918792?ean=9781561466276">in paperback on B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-kerrie-l-hughes/1121979324?ean=2940151532303">in e-book on B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.example.com/">in e-book on Smashwords</a><br />
<br />
AngieAngela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-15915264640333646702015-05-23T22:37:00.001-07:002017-02-14T23:48:39.081-08:00New Release -- Alchemy and Steam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuERN9m-3kw5idaj0nXRY1tUAHHPI-uKODthdK-ni9p9mdvKXSmXly0TrOdclOSFA1cbH7JjMg9UZjtMOtm6gaXpvcClAVwLQDHLNDsGdKyf0vjCaJP3AfZp9Gav9CunL7r9nbdloy1E/s1600/AlchemyAndSteam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuERN9m-3kw5idaj0nXRY1tUAHHPI-uKODthdK-ni9p9mdvKXSmXly0TrOdclOSFA1cbH7JjMg9UZjtMOtm6gaXpvcClAVwLQDHLNDsGdKyf0vjCaJP3AfZp9Gav9CunL7r9nbdloy1E/s320/AlchemyAndSteam.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<i>Alchemy and Steam</i> is out, with my story "The Rites of Zosimos" in it, along with a bunch of other great stories. This one was a lot of fun to write; I did some research, which led me into the historical lore of alchemy. An alchemist named Zosimos of Panopolis actually existed, and I took some of his writings to use as a seed for my story. I hope you enjoy it.<br />
<br />
Available:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Original-Anthology-Magazine/dp/1561466271/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432445158&sr=1-1&keywords=alchemy+and+steam">in paperback on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-River-Original-Anthology-Magazine-ebook/dp/B00Y218FVY/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432442875&sr=1-2&keywords=alchemy+and+steam">in e-book on Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-fiction-river/1121918792?ean=9781561466276">in paperback on B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-river-kerrie-l-hughes/1121979324?ean=2940151532303">in e-book on B&N</a><br />
<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/544677">in e-book on Smashwords</a><br />
<br />
AngieAngela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-88842621327985603222015-05-20T18:01:00.000-07:002015-05-20T18:01:00.175-07:00BayCon This Weekend<a href="http://baycon.org/bcwp/">BayCon</a>, the Bay Area's annual regional SF convention, is this weekend, and I'm going to be there. I've been to every one, actually, and worked the con every year until I got married and moved a few hundred miles away. It's smaller than it used to be, but it's still a fun con and I look forward to going every year and seeing friends.<br />
<br />
If you're going to be there and happen to spot my name badge, come say hi. The best part of any SF con is the people, and meeting folks is always cool. :)<br />
<br />
AngieAngela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-51604968861773057852015-04-09T15:41:00.000-07:002015-04-09T15:41:30.792-07:00Anthology -- Loosed Upon the World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14-jfcWHECv5Pl0vob5CyatwcWzYpBfsJOrFpYK2rkU_p6fjy3uRChHZydI27rPyYNlMCQljNRn3npYwUOtkXDpTX7fERmJTqsqpAYyD2Oyczv84_fbq6IFGeY_3_nUKh0anvH1aEsKY/s1600/Loosed-Upon-the-World-300x453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14-jfcWHECv5Pl0vob5CyatwcWzYpBfsJOrFpYK2rkU_p6fjy3uRChHZydI27rPyYNlMCQljNRn3npYwUOtkXDpTX7fERmJTqsqpAYyD2Oyczv84_fbq6IFGeY_3_nUKh0anvH1aEsKY/s1600/Loosed-Upon-the-World-300x453.jpg" /></a></div><br />
This is the definitive collection of climate fiction from John Joseph Adams, the acclaimed editor of The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy and Wastelands. These provocative stories explore our present and speculate about all of our tomorrows through terrifying struggle, and hope.<br />
<br />
Join the bestselling authors Margaret Atwood, Paolo Bacigalupi, Nancy Kress, Kim Stanley Robinson, Jim Shepard, and over twenty others as they presciently explore the greatest threat to our future.<br />
<br />
This is a collection that will challenge readers to look at the world they live in as if for the first time.<br />
<br />
TABLE OF CONTENTS:<br />
<br />
o Shooting the Apocalypse—Paolo Bacigalupi<br />
o The Myth of Rain—Seanan McGuire<br />
o Outer Rims—Toiya Kristen Finley<br />
o Kheldyu—Karl Schroeder<br />
o The Snows of Yesteryear—Jean-Louis Trudel<br />
o A Hundred Hundred Daisies—Nancy Kress<br />
o The Rainy Season—Tobias S. Buckell<br />
o The Netherlands Lives With Water—Jim Shepard<br />
o The Precedent—Sean McMullen<br />
o Hot Sky—Robert Silverberg<br />
o That Creeping Sensation—Alan Dean Foster<br />
o Truth or Consequences—Kim Stanley Robinson<br />
o Entanglement—Vandana Singh<br />
o Staying Afloat—Angela Penrose<br />
o Eighth Wonder—Chris Bachelder<br />
o Eagle—Gregory Benford<br />
o Outliers—Nicole Feldringer<br />
o Quiet Town—Jason Gurley<br />
o The Day It All Ended—Charlie Jane Anders<br />
o The Smog Society—Chen Qiufan (translated by Ken Liu & Carmen Yiling Yan)<br />
o Racing the Tide—Craig DeLancey<br />
o Mutant Stag at Horn Creek—Sarah Castle<br />
o Hot Rods—Cat Sparks<br />
o The Tamarisk Hunter—Paolo Bacigalupi<br />
o Mitigation—Tobias Buckell & Karl Schroeder<br />
o Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet—Margaret Atwood<br />
AFTERWORD: Science Scarier Than Fiction—Ramez Naam<br />
<br />
PRE-ORDER THE BOOK:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Loosed-Upon-World-Climate-Fiction/dp/1481450301/">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00URY5CFW?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00URY5CFW&linkCode=xm2&tag=simonsayscom">Kindle</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loosed-upon-the-world-john-joseph-adams/1121442761?ean=9781481450300">B&N</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loosed-upon-the-world-john-joseph-adams/1121442761?ean=9781481450317&itm=1&usri=9781481450317&r=1">Nook</a><br />
<a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/Loosed-Upon-the-World/John-Joseph-Adams/9781481450300/retailers">Other Retailers</a>Angela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3108853746655381724.post-39923352536736503022015-02-17T14:40:00.003-08:002015-02-17T14:40:53.358-08:00InterviewVanessa MacLellan, one of the contributors to the <i>2015 Young Explorer's Adventure Guide,</i> has been posting interviews of other writers who have stories in that book, and <a href="http://vanmaclellan.com/2015/02/17/yeag-author-interview-angela-penrose/">my interview</a> went up today.<br />
<br />
As with the anthology itself, the emphasis in the interview is diversity in fiction. I write diverse characters because I want to accurately reflect the world around me in my work, but it goes farther than that. Click through to see why.<br />
<br />
Thanks to Van for doing these interviews!<br />
<br />
AngieAngela Penrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422373840110953954noreply@blogger.com0