Geek Pick of the Week: L’air Bleu

I know, I am falling down on the job big time this week. I will do better next week, I promise. Anyway, this week’s Geek Pick of the week is a little unusual. I am calling L’air Bleu bath and body products my pick, and there’s a story behind it. I met Shari, the owner and formulator of the products, while I was on vacation. She told me her story. From the time she was 15 years old, she’s been involved in Chemistry. Like, really involved. She was in a special program in H.S. where she did Chemistry for four hours a day. Her Senior year she interned at Smith-Kline Beecham, and when she graduated, they HIRED her. At 17. She did a bunch of other things, including running a lab for another big corporation, before deciding she wanted to make her own products and sell them.

And they are awesome! I got a sample pack and tried them out.  They feel and smell great, and use natural ingredients. I tried the clay mask, bath salts, mint foot cream, body silk, sugar scrub, and some products she doesn’t even have on the site yet. All wonderful. For such high-end products they are insanely reasonably priced. Shari tests each and every product to retail standard — even stability testing like the big companies do.  The scents she uses are amazing, and she even does everything in Unscented. Custom orders are welcome, and they make great gifts.

So why is this my Geek Pick? Because Shari makes her products in a lab she has in her house! She is a mad scientist, and what is more Geek than that? So go and try out her stuff, which can be bought at her Etsy shop: L’air Bleu. 

Media Monday: TV Rewind — Revolution

I admit that I’m a little behind in posting this morning’s blog. I should have set this one up before I left for vacation and I was lazy and didn’t.  Anyway, I have wanted to talk about this show for awhile, because I think it gets a little overlooked. REVOLUTION is, in my opinion, one of the best written new shows on American network television.  But, of course it is, it’s J.J. Abrams! 

I admit that when I first saw the previews for this show, I immediately thought of The Hunger Games. A post-apocalyptic America, with a teenage girl main character who shoots a bow.  But Charlie is not so much like Katniss, though they share a similar drive for survival and sibling protection. There is a whole backstory that’s come into play in the second half of the first season, where we find out that the blackout wasn’t an accident, and that Charlie is closer to those who caused it than she realizes. I like this show for the great characters, multi-leveled and intriguing plot, and the ability to surprise me. 

I think you can stream Season 1 now, Season 2 starts in late September. Enjoy!

Vacation Post

Hey all! I’m on vacation, and I don’t have another interview in the queue for Ten Questions With… for this week. I have a few lined up and now I’m waiting for the authors to sent them back to me.

If you’re an author (I prefer YA, but I’ll do MG and even New Adult) with a book out or coming soon, and want to do an interview, please drop me a line at christinenorris02@gmail.com

See you all next week!

Geek Pick of the Week: Steampunk Emporium

*Christine is on vacation. Any comments left will be replied to upon her triumphant return!*

This week’s Geek Pick of the Week is for the Steampunk Enthusiast who just doesn’t have time, skill, or inclination to sew their own outfit. Five years ago, I would have made my own, but I am now one without time or inclination, though I have skill.

So I direct you this week to the Steampunk Emporium. Wonderful Steampunk clothing at reasonable prices, with most everything coming in a range of sizes from small to 2-3X. I bough a blouse, vest, and skirt here about a year and a half ago, and the quality of the stuff is very high. Everything from base pieces to weaponry to jewelry and “Brassy Bits”, this is one of the go-to places for the beginner Steampunker, and even the more involved one who wants a new accessory, like The Annihiliator Mark II.

Pretty quick shipping and good customer service make this an all-around great shop.

God of the Week: Goibhniu

This week I decided to give the guys equal play. We have Goibhniu (pronounced: Guv-nu), and he was a Celtic god. This is what Encyclopaedia Britannica online has to say about him:

Goibhniu, ( Celtic: “Divine Smith”: ) Welsh Gofannon,  ancient Celtic smith god. Goibhniu figured in Irish tradition as one of a trio of divine craftsmen; the other two were Luchta the wright and Creidhne the metalworker. Goibhniu was also the provider of the sacred otherworld feast, the Fled Goibhnenn; he allegedly brewed the special ale thought to confer immortality on those who drank it. In Christian times he became known as Gobbán Saer (Gobbán the Joiner), legendary builder of churches and other structures; as such he is still remembered in modern Celtic folk tradition. His Welsh equivalent, Gofannon, figured in the Mabinogion (a collection of medieval Welsh tales). It was believed that his help was vital in cleansing the plow at the end of the furrows.

Basically, the G-man was an important dude. Many Pantheons have a smith of some kind; I mean, they need someone to make all their lightning bolts and armor and drinking horns and whatnot, right? But whereas Hephaestus was kind of a bit player, Goibhniu ranks right up there on top of the heap.  He provides the “Otherworld Feast” meaning that once you get to Tir Na nOg, the Celtic afterlife, he would be there to throw you a party.

I used Goibhniu in my book, The Sword of Danu. Traditionally, I guess he’s supposed to look like the guy up there in the picture — big arms (of course), sweaty, covered in burn marks. Not really a hottie. I used that model as a glamour in my book, and when he revealed his true self f to my main characters, he looked like this:

 

What? It’s my book, I can make my smith god look however I want. He’s a bit cheeky too, but, yanno, that’s kind of expected when you look like John Barrowman.

Disney-Inspired Handbags and Accessories by Vera Bradley to Bloom This Fall at Disney Parks « Disney Parks Blog

I am a Handbag Ho. I admit it. I LOVE pretty handbags. I have several, as well as innumerable totes. The lady at work who sells Thirty-One loves me, because I can always find a bag I want  NEED.

I have recently become enamored of Vera Bradley bags. I found a wallet and cosmetic bag at the thrift store last week, and I bought two bags from FB resale sites (shhh, don’t tell my husband!)

So when I saw this, my inner Handbag Ho squeed with delight. Of course I want the PINK one.

Disney-Inspired Handbags and Accessories by Vera Bradley to Bloom This Fall at Disney Parks « Disney Parks Blog.

Now I just need to find a way to get them without having to go to Florida.

Media Monday: TV Rewind– Sherlock

I’m in a bit of a lull right now, getting ready for vacation, nothing new on TV, so I thought I’d go back and talk a little bit about SHERLOCK. This bit of BBC TV, like pretty much everything they put out, is brilliant. An updated, 21st century version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary Consulting Detective.

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Sherlock Holmes, with Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins from THE HOBBIT) playing Dr. John Watson. The chemistry between the two is outstanding, Cumberbatch’s off-the-cuff, impulsive, almost Asperger-like way of dealing with the world playing off of Freeman’s down-to-earth, real Everyman. The books translate exceptionally well, with Watson’s chronicling Holmes’ adventures in ink and paper turning into Watson’s blog. Everyone’s come along for the ride: LeStrade, Moriaty, even Irene Adler. Written by the brilliant Steven Moffat of Doctor Who fame, it’s a grip-the-edge-of-your-seat, not just WHO, but HOW did they do it.

Best of all, it has what I think every TV show and movie needs– MOAR Cumberbatch. Just brilliance on a stick, I could watch him read the ingredients of a box of Cheerios. I mean, how awesome is the name Benedict Cumberbatch?

The one downside of this show is that a season is just three episodes long. Yes, they are an hour-and-a-half each, but ONLY THREE EPISODES. There are two episodes available to watch now on all the usual streaming sites, and Season 3 will premier this fall.

Meanwhile,  watch this video he and Martin Freeman did for Comic-Con, where Benedict gives us some spoilers for Season 3. DO NOT watch if you haven’t watched the previous two seasons and/or hate spoilers.

16 Fancy Literary Techniques Explained By Disney

Because, yanno, who needs an English degree when we have this?

16 Fancy Literary Techniques Explained By Disney.

Ten Questions With…Christine Marciniak

This week’s Ten Questions With interviewee is Christine Marciniak, author of REALITY ALI and the upcoming sequel, LIGHTS, CAMERA, ALI.

1. Welcome to the blog, Christine! Tell us a little about yourself, and about LIGHTS, CAMERA, ALI.

Thank you so much for having me. I’m delighted to be here. LIGHTS, CAMERA, ALI is the second book in my REALITY ALI series. In the first book Ali wants to be famous like her movie star mother, but her plans back fire when her new status attracts a stalker. In LIGHTS, CAMERA, ALI we leave the Pennsylvania boarding school and Ali is in Hollywood with her mother for the Thanksgiving break. She’s ready for a nice relaxing week, but her half-brother is snatched from a playground while she’s in charge of watching him, and suddenly all the world’s attention is on Ali as the horrible big sister who let her brother disappear. She needs to find Brennan, and she needs to use the fame she hates so much as a way to do it.

2. How did you come up with the idea for this book? What kinds of things inspired you?

In a previous incarnations of one of the Ali stories, Ali is the one who gets kidnapped, but I decided it would be a more action filled story if Ali were the one trying to find the kidnapped child, as well as being partially responsible for the disappearance in the first place.

I think it is simply the world around me that inspires me. Everywhere you look there are stories. And some of them might even make a good book.

3. Tell us something no one else knows about the book—a ‘behind the scenes’ moment.

When imagining a beach house for Ali’s movie star mother to live in, I found one for sale. I patterned the house after it, and even came up with times for traveling from place to place based on that house. It seemed fit for a movie star since it was (according to the real estate ad) a former Disney Compound.

• 4. If you could go anywhere with your main character, where would it be? What would you do?

If I could travel anywhere with Ali, I think I’d go to Europe with her. She spends part of every year there with her grandmother, so she knows her way around. Plus, her father is rich, so we could travel in style. I think I’d let her show me Paris. I’ve never been there, and that could be fun.

5. What are five things most readers don’t know about you?

1)      I married my college sweetheart.

2)      I spent a college semester in London, and never even got to half of the touristy things, but did see 15 shows on the West End.

3)      When I was sixteen I went to an immersion language camp over the summer. It would have been even more fun if I’d packed my German dictionary instead of my thesaurus.

4)      I’m a wimp when it comes to horror movies, and won’t even consider watching them.

5)      I like to do crafty things like quilt and crochet. I crochet a lot of lap blankets for donation, and I’m currently working on a new quilt for my bed.

6. Pantser or plotter?

A little bit of both. I don’t get very far in a story if I don’t have a vague idea of where it is going. Usually with that in mind, I’ll write a quick first draft, and then use that as a way to figure out where my story is really going. So I kind of pants my way through a first draft, which I use to plot out the outline of the final version.

7. Favorite junk food?

Chex Mix. Especially the kind my mom makes and always seems to have on hand during the holidays.

8. Camping or hotel with room service?

Room service is not necessary, but more than a tent definitely is. I like real bathrooms and real beds. Air conditioning is nice too. When I was a kid we used to camp a lot, but it’s not something  I’ve done as an adult. My kids complain that they missed out on the camping experience. I think they’d miss the bathrooms and beds if we were to actually give it a go.

9. What’s next for you?

There are still two books in the Ali series, so I’m working on those. Beyond Ali, I have a time travel story that I’m hoping will find a home soon. And after that…who knows.

10. Anything else you want readers to know about LIGHTS, CAMERA, ALI?

I had the hardest time finding a title for this book. Usually I have a working title as I’m writing, and this time it never got past Ali2 until the book was done and I was getting ready to send it to my publisher. Friends helped me brainstorm names, and that’s how the title came about. I think it fits the story nicely, as Ali has to learn to make the fame and the media work for her instead of against her. LIGHTS, CAMERA, ALI will be available in August, REALITY ALI is available now, if you want to find out about Ali before jumping into her second book.

 

You can buy  REALITY ALI here: http://www.zumayapublications.com/title.php?id=295  And look for LIGHTS, CAMERA, ALI coming next month!

Christine’s website: www.christinemarciniak.com

Geek Peek of the Week: Tea and Tentacles

As some of you know, I have my own Etsy shop. I make beaded jewelry, occasionally with Steampunk themes, sometimes sculpted polymer clay charms. I want to do more of those, just need to find the time. But I was poking around on Etsy the other day and found this shop: Tea and Tentacles. Now, that name is just awesome, first of all. But she has all these handmade necklaces that reflect all the Geek fandoms you could imagine. (I really want that TARDIS starry night one.) There’s an Audrey Hepburn one (Kim Bacellia! Audrey Hepburn!), there is a Game of Thrones necklace, and some Steampunk pendants. Alice. In. Wonderland.  FIREFLY!!

I could get myself in big trouble shopping there too long…

So Tea and Tentacles is my Geek Pick of the Week. Go and patronize them, buy stuff and support small business!