Our New Pet: Steve The Spider

Against my better judgement, I had agreed to let my husband bring this guy home. If you have any idea what kind of spider, Steve may be, please let me know. I have searched all over the internet with no luck. The video is slightly blurry, but he is brownish tan, kind of yellowish, with a few black spots on his abdomen and a large Y on his abdomen in the center. He is wearing black socks and he is very hairy, like an elderly man hairy. He eats moths like crazy, they are his favorite, but he also likes other spiders. He has shiny black fangs or the appendages that the fangs are attached to and his venom glands behind his fangs are shiny red. I will not hold this thing. He stays in his container, but let me know if you know what type of spider he may be. Thank you.

My Writing on Goodreads.com

Well, I have decided to take down most of my writing from the Goodreads website. It was a choice that I made with regrets. I loved reading the comments that people had posted about my writing. It's the kind of thing that makes you feel like you actually have some talent. But in my ventures to try to get some of my stuff published, I just had to take most of it down. Maybe if I get some things published, I will post links or the actual story on my blog. Whatever is ok legally. I sure do hope that I can get some things published to start building my writer's resume.

Wish me luck!

NaNoWriMo 2009

Oh my goodness!! I am so excited. NaNoWriMo starts in just a few days. This will be my first year participating and I sure hope that I can beat the challenge.

As you can see, I have already made a book cover for my tentative title of my new NaNo novel. We will see how it progresses and what I end up with.

I am so happy that I already have my character bios and my outline ready to go. I just need November 1st to roll around so that I can start writing.

Good luck to everyone that is participating.

My NaNo screen name is: PaigeRay23. Add me if you haven't already.

Goodreads/Writers Review and Short Stories/September 2009 Short Story Contest Winner: Marley with 'Late Nights'

Goodreads Website

Writers Review and Short Stories Group

September 2009 Short Story Contest Winner

Marley with 'Late Nights'

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Romance

Word Count: 923

(September's Genre was *author's choice*, the topic was Night Activities. The word count minimum was 300 words and the maximum was 3000 words.)

Here is a link: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/204775-september-2009

You can view the other participants here as well.

Here is the story:

The door slams shut at 1 in the morning. Every night, he never fails to be on time, he never needs to make up an excuse, and I think he genuinely wants to be here. The city is quiet and he has abandoned it, after all the entire town is his office. He is my man in uniform, even though, I'd rather see him without it. He sneaks out of it and sits down onto the bed next to me and whispers.

"Honey, I'm home." In a joking tone.

"I noticed. Why the whispering, we are the only ones here." I whisper back. The TV illuminates the room. It flashes by on mute.

"It fit the mood. So how was your evening?" He says smiling and taking his shoes off.

"Lonely, it always seems that way. But only a week left of these late night shifts, correct?" I say, grinning at the thought of spending actual time together, instead of just night time chats. We had only gotten married two months ago, and it was already harder than expected.

He winces at this, his face contorted in an irritated way. "Well..." The word trails off as he walks clumsily into the kitchen and brings back a plate of leftover lasagna. He sits on the bed again, and picks at it nervously.

"There's a problem." He says, disappointed. I should have seen this coming.

"Really?" I say, in a slightly pained tone. "And that problem, does it lead to more of these late nights?"

"Yes." The word stumbles out of his mouth.

"And is this another impossible to turn down offer? I mean, is the pay that spectacular?" I say, biting at him. I'm trying not to be angry.

"Relax. I'll turn it down. If it means that much to you. I just thought we could use it. We needed to get back on our feet. I mean, we did want to buy a house. I know that might be looking far ahead, but one day, it will be time to move." He says. I agree in my mind, but no way am I going to show him that.

"You make the decision. Don't go by what I say. You're your own person. I just..." I struggle to find words that sound hopeful, "don't want this to fall apart."

"I understand, and it won't. I personally like the night. Don't you feel like you're the only person around? Like the world is all yours. I mean, we could do anything right now. There are still places to be. In fact, get your coat." He says, putting his clothes back on.

"Are you insane, it's past one!" I mumble as he drags me out of bed, and shuts off the TV. The remote misses the bed, and clatters to the ground. I am skeptical about what he is doing, but laugh at his bad aim, and put on a dress and sandals.

"Yes, quite insane, but you asked for it." He says, leading me out the door.

I slip my coat on as we walk down the stairs; he begins to walk towards the center of town.

"So, what do you want to do first, my dear?" He says, stopping by a bench in the town square. I look at the assortment of bars and closed cafes. I look for a way to torture him. Then I see the perfect outlet for my frustration.

"Karaoke." I say, pointing a bar across the road. "Consider it your punishment for taking more late shifts."

"Does that mean I am taking the job?" He says with a look of slight enthusiasm for winning the fight.

"Depends how good your singing is." I say running before a car. We enter the bar to drunken off-key duets being shoved off the stage.

We flip through a book of songs, bickering over which would be best to perform. Finally deciding on an old Seether song featuring a femal artist. Which, though quite depressing, worked out perfectly, or we thought it did, as the drunks seemed to clap graciously. He bowed in mock grandeur, making a fool of himself, and I followed him off the stage, and to the bar, where we were promptly served a drink.

"Ha, I feel sort of absurd. That was nerve-wracking." He says before downing a drink.

"It's just a house full of crazy people, the one place you don't have to worry about making a fool of yourself. Never be embarassed of things like this, they'll have forgoten how flat your notes were by tomorrow." I say.

"And here I was thinking I was a prodigy, how blunt you are." He responds.

"You are far too old to be a prodigy!" I say, finishing up my drink. "But, I'll take you even though you lack musical talent."

"Speaking of taking, can I take you home now? I think I have proven there are thrills at night. I mean, my stomach is still twisted, and my heart is still pounding, so to me that was thrilling." He says, I nod, and take his hand, pulling him out the door of the shabby bar.

"You better sleep, you have a long day of work tomorrow." I say. "And another late night. What a shame."

"Well, it can't be helped." The walk home is peaceful, it seems as though the world is empty, and we are all alone.

In a way, I like this feeling. I mean, I could do anything at night, couldn't I?

END STORY

Thank you Marley for your wonderful contribution to the monthly short story contest.

Lake Exploration

Hiking at the River

Monthly Short Story Contest

In the Writer's Review group on Goodreads.com, we have a monthly short story contest. The contest for September is going on right now and as of today, we only have one entry. Thank you Lorna for you entry. We would like to have more so that we can vote for a winner. Remember the winner will be placed on my blog here and on the main moderator Kyle's blog for display. Please enter the contest if you are interested.

Here is the link:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/204775-september-2009

The Giraffe Experience: A New Obsession

A New Friend at the Zoo

The Zoo Trip

A Note About Book Reviews

As I read through my book review last night, it ocurred to me that by my description, it may not seem as though I have actually read the book. Please do not be alarmed. I read like a mad man. I just don't like my reviews to give too much information about the book away. I don't want someone to go pick up the book right after they have read my review and already know everything that happens in the book.

So, my reviews might be a little vague, but I just prefer not to give too much valuable information away.

Thank you.

Book Review: Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut

Book Title: Galapagos

Author: Kurt Vonnegut (http://www.vonnegut.com/)

Pages: 295

Publisher: Doubleday
Genre: Fiction

(Scale Explanation: 1) Meaning awful, 5) Meaning not good, but not bad, equal, 10) Meaning wonderful)

PLOT - 9

CHARACTERS - 9

BEGINNING - 7

ENDING - 8

FLOW - 7

OVERALL - 8

What I liked about this book: This book was the starter of my Vonnegut reading crusade. Although the ending wasn't the best ending to a book that I have ever read, it drew me into Vonnegut's writing. The whole way that this book is written creates a different kind of flow than what 'normal' readers would want. It's slightly choppy, yet completely characteristic to Vonnegut's work. He ends up telling you all about his characters at different points of the book, there is no information dump. I liked how you get a few details throughout the book here and there about what has happened to the human race and how he gives you little foreshadowing details about each characters coming actions. I was very intrigued with Vonnegut's writing from reading this book.

What I disliked about this book: The only thing that I would say that disliked about this book was the choppiness, but some people like that, as I have grown to like that by reading other Vonnegut books. He gives choppy writing a sense of organization that I have never seen done by any other author ever to have existed. It's wonderfully organized chaos.

Who I would recommend this book to: Anyone who is a fan of Vonnegut's writing or wants to get a feel for different styles of writing.

What I felt the book was about: Basically, I understood that this book was being written by a man who was a ghost a million years into the future from 1986. The narrator briefly explains his life from time to time so that you get a feel for him, but he also explains each characters lives and what their lives will become as the book proceeds. The narrator has seen what caused the human apocalypse and explains what happened to humanity in the course of that million years that he has been waiting for Heaven to open up and allow him to enter for the last time. Apparently, humanity has taken a turn for the life of a water dweller seeing as how the narrator explains certain aspects of human nature in the end of his term of living as a ghost on earth. The big part of the Galapagos in this book is to say that the group of humans that were set to go on the 'Nature Cruise of the Century,' a tour of the Galapagos islands on a boat, these humans had to escape the chaos that was beginning on the main continent of South America. Unfortunately, they ended up being stranded on one of the Galapagos Islands where they became the founders of the new humans that came to live on the Galapagos Islands. It was a very strange work of fiction, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Favorite/Hated excerpts or quotes from the book: I was unable to choose my favorite before I had to check the book back into the library, but I will update as soon as I get it back.



Thank you!

Book Reviewing Format

I decided to just post a little example of what my book reviews will look like. (A note: I will post the scale with every book review so that you don't have to look back at this post in the future.)

EXAMPLE BOOK REVIEW:

(There will be a photo of the cover of the book with each review.)

Book Title: Blah Blah Blah

Author: Noname Nobody

Pages: 368

Publisher: The Publishing Company
Genre: Fiction

SCALE EXPLANATION: Scale is 1-10: 1) Meaning awful, 5) Meaning not good, but not bad, equal, 10) Meaning wonderful

Rated on:

PLOT - 1-10

CHARACTERS - 1-10

BEGINNING - 1-10

ENDING - 1-10

FLOW - 1-10

OVERALL - 1-10

(A note: Characters rating is based on the actual character personalities and actions throughout the book, how well the author established their characters.)
(A note: Beginning is based on how well the first chapter of the book grabbed attention.)
(A note: Ending is based on how well the last chapter or the actual last page of the book went with the plot, and if it would coerce me to read another book by that author.)


What I liked about the book: blah blah blah blah...

What I disliked about the book: blah blah blah blah...


Who I would recommend it to: blah blah blah blah...

What I felt the book was about: blah blah blah blah...


Favorite/Hated excerpts or quotes from the book: blah blah blah blah...




And that is it. There will be a few new book reviews up this weekend. Hope you enjoy. Thank you!

Writing Progress Updates: September 5, 2009

So, I have been thinking of some things to add to my blog to make it more interesting. The following idea may not be that interesting, but I thought it would be a fun thing to add.

I have decided to start adding my writing progress updates as often as possible to keep me writing. It should be a great way for me to push myself to write more.
I'll go ahead and start with the total that I have written since the beginning of September since it's always great to start something at the beginning of a month. :)


Sept. 1 - Sept. 5, 2009
Word Count: 2,400
From: Worked on development for my NaNoWriMo story, Character bios for a screenplay, editting on Portland, and a short story entitled 'The End of Summer' for Weekly Story Contest group on Goodreads.

Links to Great Stories: Paige(Tink)

Ok, here is another author that I greatly wanted to showcase.

She has the same name as I do so that makes her cool already, but the great thing about Paige(Tink) is that she was the first person that I ever had interactions with on Goodreads. I was reading through some of the writing that was on the website and I saw Paige(Tink), and was interested to see what another Paige would write. So, I read her story, Soulfire, and I messaged her telling her how great I thought the story was and how I enjoyed it greatly. She then invited me to join a group called Write in 2009. Which is a great group, by the way. There are a lot of encouragements in the group. Anyway, Tink also has a Weekly Short Story Contest Group that I am a part of and I actually won a contest recently. YAY! There is great fun in that group as well. Unfortunately, she has taken Soulfire down as she submits it to Publishers, which is great. But she is writing on the second book in the series entitled Heartfire, which I would recommend to anyone. There are also other stories by Paige(Tink) on her profile.

Please visit her writing and let her know what you think.

http://www.goodreads.com/story/list/868779

INTERVIEW

P: Why do you write?

T: I write because it's the one thing that's mine and mine alone, the world I control. With a few words, I can change anything. I can believe in happy endings and I can be cynical. I can be whoever I want to be, and no one's there to judge me or to tell me that I'm not fooling anyone. Writing is also my release, my escape from the real world. I write, therefore, I live.

P: Who is(are) your favorite author(s)?

T: My gosh, so many, J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Rick Riordan, Alyson Noel, Cassandra Clare, P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast, Lisi Harrison, Michael Buckley, on and on and on. I could never pick just one.

P: What do you plan on doing with your life?

T: Well, right now Plan A goes something like, get Soulfire published, finish my trilogy, hopefully be successful, move to Seattle, write as a career, live happily ever after. Will I write more books after this trilogy? I don't know. I just let my fingers fly across the keyboard and go where it takes me.

P: What is your favorite type of writing to write?

T: I like urban fantasy, which is kind of like a blend of realistic fiction and fantasy. It's usually set in modern time, but has something in it that doesn't exist in real life, like say, people with paranormal powers. Or tough chicks who set things on fire. :)

P: What gave you the idea to write Soulfire?

T: I was actually sick when I started Soulfire and when an idea popped into my head, I just started typing. I finished nine chapters in one day, and then all of a sudden, I went Hey! This isn't bad! And then went on from there. My characters are very real to me, and it's hard to believe that they only exist in my mind. The always seem so alive.

Thank you.

NaNoWriMo Coming Up!

Ok, I just wanted to share that NaNoWriMo is coming up and I am extremely excited for it this year. This will be my first year of participation in this event.

Here is the link to the website:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

My screen name on the NaNoWriMo website is: PaigeRay23

Be my friend, the more the merrier.

I sure hope that many people decide to do this endeavor. It seems to be great fun.

Links to Great Stories: Lorna

Ok, here is another excellent writer to showcase.

Her name is Lorna and I just met her in Goodreads about a month or two ago. I know I don't really keep track of time. Anyway, I read some of her work and I was amazed. She is a great writer and I am so thankful that she decided to share her writing with Goodreads so that I was able to read it. Please visit her writing below.

http://www.goodreads.com/story/list/1935279

INTERVIEW:

P: Why do you write?
L: I write simply because it's fun. Hmm...I've just read what I wrote and it's all true, but I think there is something else. I need an escape ALL the time, when I can't read, when I'm doing the shopping, at work, etc. When I'm writing a story, it gives me something to emerse myself in when I need it the most. It's a distraction I can use no matter where I am or what I'm doing. Maybe that's why people think I'm ditzy! It's not because I'm clumbsy or forgetful, it's that I'm inventing, picturing, changing, planning my story!

P: Who is(are) your favorite author(s)?
L: Anne Rice is my absolute favorite. I also admire J.K. Rowling, Joanne Harris, Jane Austen, Gary Kilworth, John Marsden, Jean M. Auel, Douglas Adams, Anne Holme...among others.

P: What do you plan on doing with your life?
L: I am studying to be a copyeditor, and after that I hope to be an editor, maybe with my own business. Then when I'm rich enough (lol), I'd like to open a new and used book shop.

P: What is your favorite type of writing to write?
L: Period, some fantasy. Adventure, mostly.

P: What is Australia like to you?
L: Hot, and unwelcoming. It is a beautiful country, but I don't feel I belong here. Sounds silly, but I miss the country I was born in even though I don't remember it. I want to move back there (Scotland) in the hopes that I will acquire some sense of belonging.

Thank you.

Poetry

Links to Great Stories: Kyle

Ok, yet another showcased author.

Kyle is a writer on Goodreads, like all of the other authors I have met. He is an excellent fantasy writer and he was recently published in an arts magazine out of Davis, California. He is a very nice, easy-going person and I feel as though his writing somewhat refelects that characteristic. Please, check out his writing.

http://www.goodreads.com/story/list/2183713

INTERVIEW:

P: Why do you write?

K: I write because it gives me a creative release. Ideas flow in my head constantly and leaving them there would drive me crazy so they have to go onto the paper.

P: Who is(are) your favorite author(s)?

K: My favorite authors are Maria V. Snyder, James Joyce, Richelle Mead, and Fitzgerald to name a few.

P: What do you plan on doing with your life?

K: I hope to be a writer, but if I can't do that, I want to be a teacher or a pediatric physical therapist, jobs to have before I hopefully become a writer.

P: What type of writing do you like to write"

K: I love Urban Fantasy, but Young Adult is also fun because I think it's good to write a story that other young adults would find interesting. Also, Realistic Fiction is a passion on mine.

P: What is your favorite season?

K: Fall because of the changing of the leaves, and the cool weather is very inspirational, not to mention, that's also when football starts. :)

Thank you.

Links to Great Stories: Davis

Ok, here is another great writer to showcase.

He is on Goodreads, and his writing is fabulous. He is very opinionated and sometimes to the certain type of person a bit over-bearing and overly outspoken, but he is an amazing writer. It is so hard to believe how young he is when you read his writing. It's very inspirational for authors that want to write in another genre or are thinking about trying a new style of writing. Anyway, here is a link to his writing and I hope you enjoy.

http://www.goodreads.com/story/list/2160575

INTERVIEW:

P: Why do you write?

D: I just feels natural. I love language, and playing with it, which writing clearly allows me to do. I've always had an active imagination, so writing fiction allows me to explore that. I'm very outspoken, so through essays, I am able to eloquently express my views. I could prattle on about this question for days.

P: Who is(are) your favorite author(s)?

D: John Steinbeck, David Foster Wallace, and James Joyce are my top three, usually. I'm recently into John Blarth, Pynchon, and some of the other post-modernists. John Updike is a recent love of mine, an idol really. He was so prolific! Mark Twain, of course, the American Bard, as they say. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is one of the greatest pieces of fiction of all time. Hemingway, grace under pressure, great stuff. Charles Bukowski, the poet from the gutter. Great, raw stuff. He really is very, very, very under-appreciated. Kerouac, On The Road really inspired me to start writing. Of course, the Russians, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. Kafka, because he was post-modern when Modernism was just getting started. My guilty pleasure would have to be Pat Conroy. Prince of Tides is an amazing book, everyone should read it.

P: What do you plan on doing with your life?

D: Hopefully, complete an English Ph.D program at a prestigious East coast college. and then write for a living.

P: What is your favorite type of writing to write?

D: It's a tie between the short story, critical essay, and free verse poem. I love all of them.

P: Who is your idol?

D: David Foster Wallace, without a doubt. Steinbeck, Joyce, and Updike(for the sheer volume of work he produced) as well.

Thank you.