Th Reading Lair

Posts Tagged ‘steampunk’

  • Pretty Pinterest and Writerly Interests

    Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

    Ahem.  ***CLEARS THROAT LOUDLY***

    *taps website* Uh, is this thing on?

    It is? Okay. Well, here goes.

    For those of you who didn’t see my announcement last week……… Yes, I have officially joined the rabid fan girl ranks on Pinterest.

    *blushes* I know, I know, I’m so behind on the rage, but I’ve only held off due to the issue of time. You know how it goes—spending time on one thing means having less to spend on another; it’s that whole wheel of time or circle of a busy life thing or whatever you want to call it.

    But now that I’ve joined?

    I’m wondering why in heck I waited so long. I was worried about time? Really? It took me like ten minutes to start a page. And as to the time it takes for browsing, well, now rather than looking up inspiring bookish stuff or foodish stuff or vintage stuff or steampunkish stuff or tattooish stuff every time I’m working a blog post or trying to hunt down my silly little internal muse to nudge her back to writing, I’ve already got the files right there on one simple little page. With a single mouse click. It’s writerly inspiration in loads. And for a bookish, writing, busy person, this is equivalent to a pot of gold. Or at least a really, really great latte.

     

    As my friend Sara said, ”To me Pinterest is an online women’s magazine. Pretty pictures, recipes, and nifty ideas. And free. And doesn’t collect dust under my couch when I am done with it.”

    Yes. That’s what it is. Exactly. (But with some steampunk tossed in. ;0))

    So, here’s my Pinterest page if you’re interested.

    And what about you? Are you on it? If you’ve got a page, feel free to leave us a comment below with a link so we can visit. And if you’ve been thinking of joining but aren’t sure how, you might check out this how to Set Up Your Pinterest Profile in 10 Easy Steps post by the fabulous AuthorMedia people (the post is aimed at authors, but the simple step-by-step info works for anyone.) And if you’re not on Pinterest and don’t plan to be, what do you think? Is Pinterest just a passing fad? Are we all insane? *gives you the quizzical eye*

    :0)

    What’s the mood noise of the moment? My lovely friend, Flo Paris

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    Posted in Book Nooks, Genre Savvy, Uncategorized | 12 Comments »

  • My 2nd Blogoversary Gift Card Giveaway!

    Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

    Dear Preciouses,

    Officially, I have written eloquently TYPED LOUDLY from this little blogosphere space for exactly two years. I love it more today than when I first started. I love the books more. I love writing more (which is hard to imagine). And much of this is due to you, my Preciouses. Your comments, insight, and opinions have encouraged me to grow as a book reader, writer, and all-around weirder-than-your-grandmother’s-toupee-wearing-cat-type-person.

    Basically, what I’m saying is that if I’d never started this blog, and you’d never visited this blog and encouraged me to keep frolicking around on it, I never would’ve made such lovely new friends, nor talked about books so frequently with old ones.

    I also never would have:

    Helped save billions (rough estimate) of marriages by posting a Rabid Fan Girl Status test and providing a list of Twilight Support Groups. That’s not to mention all the lonely guys I coached on how to get girls with my Twilight Dating Savvy advice.

    Nor would I have been allowed to talk about how sexy a seventy-eight-year-old man (Lord Peter Wimsey) is without coming across as totally creepy. Okay, maybe it was creepy, but that doesn’t diminish the impressiveness of having managed to wheedle the indomitable Lord Peter Wimsey into a blog post and three separate interviews. Yeah. That’s right. *discreet fist pump*

    I also never would have:

    Recovered the suppressed, childhood memory of consistently being elected for the part of Han Solo’s wookie, Chewbacca, (rather than Princess Leia) by my “childhood friends” (ahem, MMA fighter Tim Kennedy) during our Star Wars games. Although, on a side note, I’d like to think Tim may never have stumbled upon his true calling of Cooking with Tim had we not bullied prompted him into it on this blog, right Preciouses?

    I also never would’ve discovered that Joanna Volpe and I share a mutual affection for all things Steampunk, which, consequently, led to my pursuing—and her giving—a helpful piece of writing feedback. Thanks to her for that.

    And, of course, I never would’ve met Jay Asher (along with the wonderful JM and Isaiah) and discovered what an incredible writer he is, and even more so, what a sincerely kind friend. Thank you, Jay.

    Nor would I have met Jonathan Maberry (Wolverine, zombies, and King of Plagues), or connected with Mary Pearson (The Adoration of Jenna Fox), Catherine Ryan Hyde (need we say more?), and Laurie McLean (agent savant), or become blog friends with Anne R. Allen (her books just released!), or had the pleasure of interviewing super-silly authors such as Chuck Sambuchino (who can best me at pop culture references on any given Twitter day), Carolyn Mackler (who can best Jay Asher at spork fencing), and Lauren DeStefano (who makes me wish I possessed half of her wit as well as her preying mantis, Sarsaparilla).

     

    Oh, and…

    Last but not least, I never would’ve had the opportunity to dote on you with this:

    a $25 Amazon gift card

    Which I will send to one of you in celebration of your wonderfulness.

    So this is how the gift card giveaway is going to work, okay, Preciouses?

    (1) You must be a follower of this blog either through email or RSS (the cute icons at the top of the page—one orange, the other a white envelope), or Google Friend Connect or Facebook (those two icons on the right of this post that show all the pictures of happy faces and people’s cats). So if you’re not a follower yet, it’s about dang time you became one.

    (2) Link to THIS PAGE one time via Twitter  OR  Facebook  OR  Google+  OR  from your own blog, and then come back and leave a comment (on this page) saying which one you did. (For your convenience, you can use the stylish icons below or–if the FB one is being finicky–go ahead and copy this page’s URL and paste it to FB manually.) Your link and comment must be posted by 11:59 pm (PST) on Monday, January 2, 2012.

    (3) I will take all the names from the comments (no matter how many times you comment or link, you only get counted once) and place them in a hat; then I’ll use my magical six-year-old child to randomly pull one as the winner.

    (4) The winner will be announced next Wednesday, January 4th, 2012. After which, I’ll contact that individual and mail them their gift card.

    (5) There you have it.  Thank you for following me and my blog, and for loving books as much as I do, Preciouses. ;0) May the odds be ever in your favor.

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    Posted in Games | 31 Comments »

  • What’s Your Steampunk Name? (and a yumtastic cinnamon roll recipe)

    Monday, May 2nd, 2011

    Okay, so remember my ultimate awesome plans to be a steampunked old lady in my later-life years? You know, with my gigantic bustle, and rocket-launching wristwatch, and tiny old lady corset pushing out all my old lady plumpness? (If you’ve no idea what I’m referring to or you just want to laugh at me, check the When I am Old I Shall Wear Steampunk–hot styles for pruney old ladies post. ;-) )

    Well, I’m pleased to say that I’ve officially found my steampunk old lady NAME!

    Ready for it?

    Lady Selina Hempel Hanneffy

     

     This is the name I shall go by when I’m caught jaywalking or beating up young punks with my parasol. Awesome, I know. And now YOU have to try it! Click on the Steampunk Name Generator and find your name. Then come back and tell us what it is!

    Oh, and while you’re at it, you might as well drool with me over these yumtastic cinnamon rolls that are my favorite ever. In the whole world. EVEEEEEEERRRRRR. For reals.

    A Recipe for Yumtastic Cinnamon Rolls

    • 3 ½ – 4 cups flour
    • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
    • 1tsp salt
    • 2 packages yeast
    • 1 cup warm milk
    • 1/3 cup butter
    • 1 egg
    •  Tons of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon ;o)

    Frosting:

    • 8oz. cream cheese
    • ½ cup butter
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 2 (more or less) cups powdered sugar

    In a mixer, blend 2 cups of flour, the granulated sugar, salt, and yeast with the warm milk, butter, and egg. Beat on low speed, gradually adding the rest of the flour. Knead by hand or mixer until smooth and elastic (about 5 min.). Cover and place in a warm spot to rise for an hour-and-a-half. Pull the dough out onto a floured cutting board and roll into a 15X10-inch rectangle. Top with thin slices of butter, a good amount of brown sugar, and cinnamon sprinkles (I go kinda crazy on this part–the more the merrier). Roll it up firm and cut into 12 rounds. Place them in a buttered 13X9-inch pan, cover, and let rise in a toasty spot for 30 min (should double in size). Bake in a 350 oven for ½ hour. Let them cool for 20 min. while mixing all the frosting ingredients together. Frost and eat!

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    Posted in Genre Savvy, Reading Recipes | 16 Comments »

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