Because I miss my SHUsters so very much....

On the Ghost Tour of Campus

The creepy weird cemetery at Seton Hill University. If you look in the trees just right you'll see a rather large Jesus statue hidden there.

He is also known on campus as Sniper Jesus.

Just hanging out in the halls of Admin shooting the breeze... 

The Admin Building at Seton Hill University

Jason Jack Miller holding the poster he brought for me of one of his books, Hellbender. This poster was printed by Hatch Show Print, one of my favorite print shops.

Jennifer Barnes and John Edward Lawson of Raw Dog Screaming Press ham it up too

Heidi Ruby Miller and Michael A Arnzen

The shrine to de-cannonized St Philomena. We like to take the new students of the Writing Popular Fiction MFA program up here and scare the bejesus out of them.

Jason Jack Miller presenting on personal brand.

Dogs!

A post devoted to my adorable fur-babies, Brigs and Holly...I was cleaning my house one fine afternoon when I came across some startling evidence.

It appears that several toys had been mutilated beyond repair.

Evidence: This was once a lion that has since been decapitated. The head was never found...

Evidence: This is all that remains of what was once a duck.

It quacks no more....

Evidence: It appears this beaver was thrown down the stairs. It may never squeak again...

Brigs appears conflicted by this turn of events but seems to show no remorse and has no regrets.

Holly shows no remorse. Ever.

Why does hipster music make me so happy?

My morning is MADE when I have a mug of coffee, with a light sprinkling of cinnamon, and The Shins playing through my ear buds. Specifically, Simple Song makes my day.

And now I am listening to Gotye and that is making me equally happy. Am I just easy to please in the morning (when it comes to music)? I think I AM more easy going in the AM...more high strung toward the evening.

Hipster music.

What is it that makes it so good? The beards? The skinny jeans? What?!

Pretty Things

Top of the hill looking out on Greensburg, PA - Seton Hill University

Lake Superior - Bayfield, WI

Lake Superior - Bayfield, WI

Looking out the window on New York City for a brief layover after World Fantasy  Convention 2012

The Stanley Hotel -  Estes Park, CO

The Stack

I like movies. A LOT. This is one eighth of my collection but more importantly, it's my go to stack.

AS in:
It's a Thursday night. I need to have a night of chill instead of a night of stress. I go to this stack.

It's Sunday and I'm planning on sewing all day. I go to this stack.

I have to make a grip of adorable penguins. Stack.

I know many of them aren't GREAT movies or even all that good. But I like them.. And say what you will about my taste in movies (or just the topic of personal preference in general) we all have our dark horse we turn to when we need a moment of comfort or laughter or mindless fun/joy/tears whatever. These are mine.

The List (Top to Bottom):

The Lake House

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Labyrinth

The Wedding Singer

V for Vendetta

The Fantastic Mr Fox

So I Married an Axe Murderer

Seven Samurai

Pride and Prejudice

Center Stage

The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

The Day After Tomorrow/ The Happening (Double Feature disc)

The Avengers

Burlesque

New Year's Eve

Love Actually

Snow White & the Huntsman ( I'm a little embarrassed by this one, but Charlize is amazing and I have a terrible crush on Chris Hemsworth)

The Princess Bride

Two Weeks Notice

Rock of Ages

The Holiday

Cast Away

Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

Hangover II (Not sure how this one got into the stack, actually. Never seen it.)

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Brave

Hugo

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Not Pictured: 

Iron Man

Captain America 

Thor (hello, Chris Hemsworth!)

Bottle Shock (watched at least twice a month)

Alice (SyFy movie)

Tin Man (SyFy again)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Cover Reveal: Matt Betts Odd Men Out

Yet another compelling cover for Dog Star Books! Artist Bradley Sharp has really outdone himself with Matt Betts' Steampunk/Alternate History novel, Odd Men Out releasing in July of this year. Check out the details below. 

BOOK: Odd Men Out

AUTHOR:  Matt Betts

ARTIST: Bradley Sharp

PUBLISHER: Dog Star Books

GENRE: Steampunk/Alternate History
RELEASE: July 2013

SUMMARY: Fighting for survival in a post-Civil War America overrun by zombies, Cyrus and Lucinda join a military group called the Odd Men Out, and together they face a terrorist army from the North in a showdown over a weapon of enormous power.

The Civil War went on far longer than anyone expected, prompting the North and South to call a truce to fight their common enemy: The Chewers – dead men come to life to attack the living. As a result, a peacekeeping force called the Office of Military Operations is created to watch over the tenuous peace.

Cyrus Joseph Spencer didn’t fight in the war and couldn’t care less about the United Nations of America that resulted from it. His main concern is making money and protecting his crew from all manner of danger. To escape a horrible tragedy, Cyrus and one of his wards, Lucinda, board a U.N. dirigible for safety. They quickly discover their situation has not improved as the U.N. team is chasing a group of rogue soldiers in hopes of stopping them from obtaining a terrible weapon.

They also have to contend with a larger threat - Drago del Vapore – a giant lizard attacking the West Coast and wreaking havoc on everything it encounters. As the two sides face off against each other and the huge beast, Cyrus feels more and more like an Odd Man Out and finds it harder and harder to stay out of the fight.

LINKS: 

Dog Star Books - http://dogstarbooks.blogspot.com

Matt Betts – http://zombiewrangler.blogspot.com
Bradley Sharp - http://www.bradsharp.co.uk/

And then I watch disaster flicks.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the tasks I've set for myself. When this happens, I usually revert to a former version of myself. One that would with the click of a button, would give up any pretense of getting work done and become glued to moving pictures and sound. I cash it in and turn on the television.

And then I watch disaster flicks.

See, about two and half years ago I started turning on Pandora or Slacker or some other music service instead of turning on TV. I recognized that my free time was less about getting things done and more about zoning out and relaxing.

There's nothing wrong with that.

But that I wasn't getting anything done. My manuscript word count remained unchanged. The pile of projects I intended to create sat untouched. Something had to change. So, with almost no regret, we decided to discontinue our cable. Yes, I miss the History Channel and SyFy, but I get by without them.

Instead, I have sewn, read, written, edited, penguined (yes, it's a verb for me) and  more. I have taken productivity to a new level. Check out my projects page to some details!

Sometimes, I just need a break. This usually falls on Sunday (#moviesunday on twitter), my most and least productive day depending. Enter disaster films. My favorite is The Day After Tomorrow followed closely by Twister, then Independence Day (Yes I consider this a disaster flick. Aliens are probably real.)

I don't always feel renewed at the end of one which means I usually watch Harry Potter or the Avengers to complete my journey. (Thor and Tony Stark usually do the trick!)

When Monday afternoon rolls around, after I punch the clock at the day job and finish up at whatever cafe I've decided to write in for a couple of hours, I come home and get to work. Sometimes I sew, sometimes I blog, sometimes I dance around the basement and sing along with my hair bush as my mic.

I can usually go about a month before needing a straight up veg out day. And that is completely acceptable to me.

Little snippets

Sometimes I get scenes that flash into my head. They don't belong with a character or in a book that I'm working on. I might use them in the future--MIGHT. I know, even if they never make it into a story, I have to write them down.

Rather than have them get lost in the piles of half used notebooks languishing in my office never to be looked at again, I thought I may as well type them up here. At least they will be easy to copy and paste should I decide to use them!

She could feel him staring at her from across the room, his gaze burning through her. She refused to look up and acknowledge him. She understood why he'd said the things he'd said and asked for space. Being the understanding, overly polite individual she was, she decided to give him what he wanted. She'd told him he'd have to help her resist, to not be so readily available everywhere she went.

He wasn't holding up his end of their bargain.

She sipped her tea and turned the page even though she hadn't read a damn word since he'd walked in. Like the shock wave after a bomb, she'd known as soon as he'd entered the room. After another ten minutes of staring at words she wasn't comprehending and clenching her jaw, she tossed the book aside and tipped her head back, aligning her gaze with his without much effort. She knew the very tilt of her head signaled the depth of her displeasure.

For good measure, she raised her brows.

He chuckled but made no move toward her. So this was how he was going to play it.

DogStar Books: Cover Reveal for Mike Resnick

I'm a little late for the cover reveal but my intentions are good! Check out Mike Resnick's new book coming out this summer from Dog Star Books. I can't wait for the release!

BOOK: A Miracle of Rare Design

AUTHOR:  Mike Resnick

ARTIST: Bradley Sharp

PUBLISHER: Dog Star Books

GENRE: Anthropological Science Fiction

SUMMARY: The best way to learn about an alien species is not only to live among them, but to become them in both physical form and function, but could a human really learn to think like an alien, and at what cost to his humanity?

Journalist and adventurer Xavier William Lennox becomes obsessed with the rituals of the Fireflies, an alien culture of gold-skinned inhabitants living on the planet Medina. When he gets too close to their mysterious society, he's captured, tortured, and banished for his curiosity, but vows to learn what it is that the aliens are so desperate to hide, even if it means becoming one of them.

But his curiosity doesn't end with the Fireflies. As opportunities arise to study more alien races, Lennox undergoes a series of cosmetic surgeries so that he can blend in with their cultures. But each time his humanity is stretched until he faces his biggest challenge—trying to return to the ordinary life of a man who has experienced the universe in ways he was never meant to.

RELEASE: Summer 2013

LINKS: Dog Star Books - http://dogstarbooks.blogspot.com

Mike Resnick – http://mikeresnick.com

Bradley Sharp - http://www.bradsharp.co.uk/

Cog Cover Reveal

In a futuristic world where personalities can be
downloaded at will, who's a girl to trust? 

Today marks the cover reveal of K. Ceres Wright's new novel, Cog to be released in Summer of 2013.

Cog is an amazing first release for Dog Star and I expect even better and brighter future to come. Stay tuned....

To find out more about Cog, check out K. Ceres Wright's website or check out the publisher, Dog Star Books.

Artwork for this cover was created by Bradley Sharp - you can find more information about his art here.

I can't wait until I can get my hands on a copy!

Admitting

Admitting you can't do something can leave a bitter taste in your mouth. I have never believed that I couldn't do something. I still don't believe it. But there comes a point when you have to admit that maybe, with the limits of time and energy, you can't do something.

This is the place I find myself lodged this week.

I have several projects in my queue:

• Finish my novel before World Fantasy (Nov 1) 
• Make my Halloween Costume (Oct 27) 
• Make my fall jacket--Cream Corduroy, 3/4 sleeve with over sized collar by Colette Patterns (which I hoped to wear on Oct 31st) 
• Finish sewing buttons on my Asymmetrical Purple Pinstripe 40s dress. (Oct 31) 
• Piece and sew my Mustard 40s dress (Oct 26) 

Of those projects, only one needs to get done and that is to finish my novel. Yet I find myself completely distracted by all my sewing projects.

Last night, as I sat surrounded by little pieces of fabric, the brown tissue of the patterns and what was left of my willpower, I made the call. I will not be finishing the Halloween costume. I will not be working on the jacket. I MAY finish the Mustard dress but it's okay if I don't.

It's not okay if I don't finish the book. Just like that, priorities have been set.

Still, the unfinished projects haunt and taunt me. So know, if I can (meaning if I can do without a couple more hours of sleep here and there) I will finish the Jacket at least.....

PS: Did I mention I overslept last night? Methinks I push myself too hard....

Will I be the next big thing?

Blog Hops The Next Big Thing - Week 16

Thank you to Heidi Ruby Miller ( @HeidiRubyMiller) for tagging me in this blog hop. Heidi is an amazing inspiration to me--she challenges me to write more and write harder everyday through simple words of encouragement and through her #WordWars on twitter. Check out her post, then hop on over and visit these authors.

John Edward Lawson (@bizzaroguy) - http://www.johnlawson.org
Mike Mehalek (@MikeMehalek) - http://mikemehalek.blogspot.com
Jason Jack Miller (@JasonJackMiller) - http://jasonjackmiller.blogspot.com


What is the working title of your book?
Unfathomable

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I was driving north for work to deliver computer training to clinic lab workers. As I drove past all these Minnesota lakes, my mind filled with thoughts about the class I'd be teaching, I suddenly had a 'what if' moment. What if there was a species of lake people? And what if they were being tested and used for experimentation because of their abilities? What if.... my mind started racing.

Of course, I was driving at the time and the great state of Minnesota frowns on typing while operating a moving vehicle. Thank goodness for Siri!

What genre does your book fall under?
Young Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy. It's a genre bender.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

  Gabby: Sarah Bolger

  Dylan: Nicolas Hoult

  Ainsley: Emilie de Ravin
  The Captain: Nathan Fillion
  Marta: Jennifer Garner

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
After being ripped from her home in the middle of the night, Gabby must discover her hidden powers in order to rescue her mom and save her friends.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
We'll see how the dice fall....

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It's still in production, though the rough draft should be completed shortly. I have a November 1 deadline for myself...we'll see if I can make it!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I'm not sure I know what to compare it to but it's probably a little Nicole Peeler (minus all the sex), James Dashner and maybe some C.J. Cherryh. A splash of water people mixed in with some run for your life adventure all while figuring out the conspiracy driving them. 

Yes, that pun was intended.
 
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I knew I would write this story eventually--see, I was working on something else when the idea popped into my head. John Edward Lawson slapped the gauntlet down and challenged me to finish this by November 1st. I don't like to say no to a challenge like that.

So I blame him!

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
If you've never been afraid to swim in the water before, you might wonder after reading this, what is really down there?

Presence



Seton Hill University - Administration Building

 I just attended the spectacular In Your Write Mind Workshop at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA this past weekend. Spectacular because I was able to reconnect with friends and fellow writers and also because I was able to build my network and schmooze with an amazing group of authors, editors and agents.


I only had one cringe worthy moment.



View of Greensburg from the Hill



It was the moment when I realized I was not being authentic to my message. That message was about creating an online presence. I am quite active on twitter and Facebook and when I have to, I'll post to Google+ (which is the most worthless of all social media, IMO). I was not making a point to keep my blog updated.

The blog should be my home base but instead, it was like my cabin. I only go there every once in a while when I have a free weekend and when the weather is nice. What I need to do is make my cabin my permanent residence. So I'll start here and hope I can keep up. In the meantime, I can be found on twitter @dlepsch and the In Your Write Mind shenanigans can be tracked there through #IYWMSHU.

Little known fact #4

When I write sex scenes, I'm constantly doing hand checks.

Close your eyes, and picture it.

Is it here? yes and his? And the left, right? Whoa, whoa, whoa, she's not that kind of girl. Or maybe she is but he's definitely not that kind of boy. And the other hand? No, not there, THERE.

You get the picture. It's quite mentally exhausting.

WHEW!

This year has been a busy one so far. Most of this "busy" stuff I'm talking about is self-imposed--I'm not happy if I'm not scrambling. I've decided I might have to cut back on sleep time again to get everything done.

Not that I sleep well. I don't.

If you recall, these are my 2012 goals.

1. Make 12 vintage reproduction dresses. I will post them here.
2. Finish the rough draft of my novel by the end of February and 2nd draft by April. Polished draft by June.
3. Learn to play guitar. I want to learn one Dave Matthews Song and one Civil Wars song. The rest is as we go.
4. Create a Places I go 2012 Quilt (which will really be more of a 2013 project, though I have to collect the memories this year).
5. Make my musical pillows (more on that later)
6. Focus on Quality of friendship not Quantity. Grow the good friends and weed out the bad.

So, up to speed....Here are my stats for 2012 so far:

1. Sewing: I am ahead in the Repro department and sewing is becoming like an addiction for me. DANGER!

• 4 dresses
• 2 skirts
• 2 baby blankets

2. Writing word count: 47,668 (and nowhere NEAR completion.) #2 is a fat fail so far, but I'm still plugging along, so that's okay, I guess.

3. Guitar. Eh.....stalled a bit on that one. I am not likely to learn a Dave Matthews song this year or maybe even next year. Damn that man and his damn spider finger chords!

4. Haven't gone anywhere yet so, I have nothing to report on number 4.

5. HA! Haven't even started this project....maybe this summer?

6. I feel like I'm heading the right direction with Quality of Friendship goal. It's been a painful process in some respects, but in the end I think I've done the right thing. More on that later.

This year has also turned into the Year of Music. The month of March kicks off a promising year of Concerts beginning with Gomez tomorrow night followed by Matt Nathanson on Sunday. I close out the month with 2 shows, The New Monarchs and Needtobreathe. This heavily music-ed month is followed by Social Distortion in April, James Morrison in May and Dave Matthews Band in July (YAY!).

My ear drums are going to be in heaven and agony all at once.

Little known fact #3

It is both crippling and liberating telling someone something you have never spoken of to anyone and never will speak of.

It is also crippling and liberating ending your sentences with prepositions.

Word.

Also....

I just wasted probably 40 minutes creating the playlist below and then blogging about it when I should have been writing. That's how I do things...

Another also....there are more songs on the playlist than that but I decided I didn't need to type out the forty Dave Matthews Band songs and the twenty O.A.R. songs I added. You're welcome.

Coffeshop Play List

I can't write without music. It inspires me, motivates me and keeps me distracted enough (and by that, I mean my attention stays on the page instead of wandering to other things nearby...)

Here's what I'm listening to right now:

#27 - Dave Matthews Band

Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

Colors - Amos Lee

Every Subway Car - Bare Naked Ladies

Stuttering - Ben's Brother

Piano Man - Billy Joel

Calling You - Blue October

Glycerine - Bush

20 Years - The Civil Wars

Swallowed by the Sea - Coldplay

Lonelily - Damien Rice

Dodo - Dave Matthews

Kill the King - Dave Matthew Band

Different Names for the Same Thing - Death Cab for Cutie

Bennie and the Jets - Elton John

She Is - The Fray

Something Else - Gary Jules

Airstream Driver - Gomez

Don't Explain - Herbie Hancock (with Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan)

Chicago - Ingram Hill

City Beneath the Sea - Harry Connick Jr.

Wonderful World - James Morrison

Fire and Rain - James Taylor

Perfectly Lonely - John Mayer

Industry - Jon McLaughlin

Sunshine - Keane

Modern Love - Matt Nathanson

Back 2 Good - Matchbox Twenty

Boys with Girlfriends - Meiko

Dream a little Dream - Michael Buble

Starlight - Muse

More Time - Needtobreathe

Come Away with Me - Norah Jones

King of the Thing - O.A.R.

The never ending search through my starred tutorials on Google Reader....

...Or, why Pinterest is better.

I used to be a die hard Reader junkie. I got all my next and best ideas for the feeds I had pouring into my reader. Then, Google stopped allowing me to share articles. It's no secret that I am strongly opposed to the strong arm tactics Google is using to try and force me into their Google+ social platform. To that, I say no. I don't have to, down want to, and Google can't make me.

Yes, I know I sound like a six year old.

Rather than let this become a rant as to why I hate what Google has done to its users (and I mainly mean me), The Point: Google Reader is inefficient. Pinterest is efficient.

Reader has no organization to it whatsoever. I can star something I like but there is no way to further organize it in order make it easier to find (and make) later. Pinterest, on the other hand, allows you to organize it and gives you a nice visual to go with it.

So as I've been fruitlessly searching my reader for this top, if I see something that I truly want to access again, I've been pinning it.

Slowly, I am bringing myself one step closer to Google independence...

PS: this was the tutorial: Joyful Ruffle Neck Top. I decided to try and do a search instead of sifting through my hundreds of articles. On the second search, four links down, there it was.

Happy Friend-mas!

Tonight, I celebrate Christmas with some of my friends...hence forth, it shall be called Friend-mas. I have about 20 pounds of meat crock-potting upstairs and I'm wearing my new handmade blue dress (future post coming). It should be a good night!

Plus we have enough liquor to fight an army of zombies with Molotov cocktails (or drink ourselves into a stupor and not care that zombies are coming for us.) not that I'm expecting zombies....but isn't that the point? You never EXPECT zombies (or the Spanish Inquisition....)