How Many Words Do You Know?

Curious?

Yeah, I was too. So, I did a multiple choice 10 question ‘test’ over on Word Dynamo by Dictionary.com to see. Apparently it figures I know 42,059 words. Not 42,060 or 42,048. 42,059. Intriguing.

I went to take the test again (I got two wrong the first time) just to see if I’d get the same again, but I found I didn’t have the patience to do the whole test again. (What does that say about me? Nothing good, I’m sure.) But mostly I didn’t have the patience because the first word that came up was one I didn’t know. Oh well. I’ll take my 42,059 and move on.

Want to try it? Here’s the linky-poo.

Christmas is Storymatic!

Still wondering what to get that writer you know for Christmas? Or maybe just starting to think about it? Well, fear not! Here is another idea from the folks at Mental Floss. It comes in a box, is fun to play, and it’s storymatic! No, really. That’s what it is called: Storymatic: Six Trillion Stories in One Little Box–Which One Will You Tell?

Here’s more:

The Storymatic is a writing prompt, a teaching tool, a parlor game, and a toy…all in one little box. Just combine a few of the 500 cards and watch a story take shape before your eyes!

Here are the basics:

Draw two gold cards.
Combine them to create your main character
Now draw two copper cards that lead you into a story.

This is the perfect gift for writers, teachers, artists, road trips, improv and game nights.

Also comes with a booklet filled with prompts, suggestions and games!

Doesn’t that sound like fun? Only $29.99 (20% off at the moment on top of that) from our good buddies over at Mental Floss. And yeah, I call them good buddies, but they don’t know my name. They have however met my credit card…

A Writer’s Christmas

You know the stereotype about writers being drinkers. And in some cases, it is true. I know a few aspiring writers who like to imbibe and then there a few of the famous ones that probably started the stereotype. If you happen to know a writer who likes to drink, I’ve got the gift for you ($14.95 courtesy Mental Floss).

Here’s what they say:

Is there a connection between literary greatness and alcohol?

The Great Drinkers Shot Glass Set celebrates six immortal literary figures who are as famous for their drinking as they are for their work.

Raise your glass and down a shot in the company of Oscar Wilde, Dorothy Parker, Winston Churchill, Yeats, and Baudelaire.

Each 2 oz. shot glass features an illustration of the author along with a memorable quote about drinking. Please remember to drink and write responsibly.

A Hometown Honours and Remembers

A little over a week ago yellow ribbons started popping up all over town. Driving past the elementary school the day after Halloween I figured someone had decided to prank the town with a prettier version of toilet paper. Every fence post on the block plus of chain link fence had a lovely yellow ribbon tied to the top of it and was fluttering in the afternoon breeze. For a prank it was a pretty nice one.

I continued through town, wondering. Ribbons on streetlights. Ribbons on trees. Ribbons on sign posts. Ribbons, ribbons, ribbons. Random ribbons. Rows of ribbons. But yellow ribbons everywhere.

Then my daughter came home from school with a ribbon. A Canadian soldier who had grown up here and gone to her school had passed away in Afghanistan. (That’s a nice way of saying he was killed in the war.) At that point, only days after his death, the city had been covered with 1000 ribbons. Since then many more have popped up to join the first 1000, several of them with small Canadian flags tucked under the ribbon. The amazing part is that I have never seen anyone place one of these ribbons other than my daughter who with great thought and care tied one on the tree in our front yard.

This man has been honoured over a thousand times over in our city and stepping outside or even looking outside one’s window brings his sacrifice to mind. Today, we remember all soldiers and particularly those who were unable to attain the status “veteran.”

How will you remember and honour those lives?

Writer Wednesday: Calista Taylor

Calista Taylor is an amazing, multi-talented dame from the Eastern US. She just finished up her steampunk craft book for her publisher (Fox Chapel Publishing–tentative release date: May 2012) where she not only designed and created a wardrobe of steampunk clothes and accessories, she also wrote the step-by-step instructions, and took all of the book’s 175 photographs. Oh yes, and while doing that she was also designing her own award-winning cover for her self-published steampunk novel, Viridis, which has had over 20,000 downloads, and spent weeks on the top 100 free ebooks list on Amazon. She also designed the beautiful cover for book two in the series as well as helped other writer’s with their cover designs. And she’s been making websites. And she’s been raising her young family. And keeping her crazy South American dog in line (and warm with a special handmade coat she made for her). And renovating her bathroom!

Yeesh! I’m tired just thinking about it!

Recently, Calista has released both Viridis (free!!) and Devil on a Sparrow’s Wing ($2.99) as ebooks on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.com. (You can read ebooks on a dedicated ebook reader, your computer, a tablet, or even a smart phone.) These two novels are unique stories featuring a hot-headed, strong-willed, and very feisty character named Phoebe who plays an important role in Victorian, steampunk London during a revolution. She an inventor, mother, wife, friend, business owner, and quiet revolutionary. Talk about how does she do it all!? I think Calista and Phoebe have something in common!

For those of you who have not heard of steampunk, it is a wonderful dream world created by writers where they have imagined what our world would have been like if the industrial revolution had taken longer to evolve and steampower had been able to develop more fully as a possible power source. A steampunk world is as rich and unique as its inventions. It’s a world well worth checking out.

Without further ado, I would like to introduce Calista Taylor!

What lead you to or got you interested in steampunk?

Oddly enough I was looking at corsets when I noticed the steampunk tag, and remembered seeing it as a genre an agent rep’d.  Once I looked into it further, I realized it was the perfect fit!

What do you love most about creating a steampunk world in your novels? What is the trickiest part?

I love that I’m only inhibited by my own imagination.  The trickiest part is translating what I see in my imagination, in a way that’s clear to the reader without getting too bogged down in details.

Both books, Viridis and Devil on a Sparrow’s Wing, are set in Victorian England, did you have to do any/much research for your books?

To be honest, I’ve been an avid reader of books set in the Victorian time period (Elizabeth Peters and Anne Perry are some of my favorites).  That certainly helped.  Also, there are some fantastic websites out there.  Oddly enough, the one thing I had the hardest time finding out about was what would be historically accurate for men’s undergarments during that period (when still in London).  Still not 100% sure on that one.

Lady Phoebe Hughes (the main character in both novels) is a tough yet sweet, rule-breaking woman. What was the most difficult part of creating a such a feisty character? What was the easiest?

I tend to let my characters dictate who they are and what they do, so in a way, it comes natural to write them.  I think the hardest part is actually remaining true to them, since it would often be easier to make them behave in ways that are more acceptable to a majority of readers.

There are some wonderfully steamy passages in Viridis and Devil on a Sparrow’s Wing, do you worry what people like your parents, siblings, coworkers, or friends and other family members might think if they read it? (Yeah, I’m a big chicken, what can I say?)

Yeah, I’m a big chicken too, which is why I tend not to advertise to my friends and family.  However… if they do ask, I give them the warning that there are some graphically intimate details, and ask them if they really want to read it, knowing that I wrote the book. Some skip it, but others don’t mind.

The male characters speak with a definite accent, where did you pick up their expressions and accents?

I think it’s a mish mash of my husband’s Irish accent and the way he phrases things, combined with Gabaldon’s Outlander series, and the celtic music I listen to.  I can literally hear the characters speaking in my head in their accent, so I just do my best to translate it.

Phoebe finds herself in all sorts of interesting situations. Are there ways that Phoebe resembles you?

Perhaps. lol.  Like Phoebe, I think I tend to be strong willed, and tend to act with my heart rather than with my head when it comes to the people and causes I care about.  I guess that’s why Phoebe gets herself in difficult situations which may have been handled differently if she acted logically rather than emotionally.

If you had only three adjectives (Ack! Adjectives!!!) to describe your novels, Viridis and Devil on a Sparrow’s Wing, which three would you use?

Steamy, different, unconventional.

What do you enjoy most about writing?

I love the adventures my characters take me on. The scenes are constantly playing in my head, and being a pantser, I never know where they’ll take me.  I’m completely addicted.

(Note from Jean: “Pantser” or “pantster” is writer speak for writing by the seat of your pants. In other words, sit down, start writing and see what happens rather than a “plotster” who plots the whole story out before they begin writing.)

You’ve self-published this book which is an immense amount of work. One of the issues with self-published books are the lame-o covers. How did you create such a striking and beautiful cover? Can people hire you to create a cover for them?

Thank you, Jean!  To be honest, I’d be the person that clicks on the red button and sets off a nuclear reaction. lol.  I constantly click on things to see what the buttons do, and it’s sort of the way I went about learning Photoshop and figuring out what seemed to work with designing book covers and what didn’t.  I have just recently started making covers for other writers, and I’ll admit, it’s been great fun!

Is there a third book in the works?

There is!  As long as Phoebe, Seth and Gavin are willing to take me on their adventures, I’m happy to write their story.  I also have other series in the works, and will soon be finishing my paranormal romance on Jack the Ripper.

Thank you for visiting, Calista. Best of luck with your books!

How to get your hands on Calista Taylor’s books:

Viridis (book 1):
Smashwords
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Devil on a Sparrow’s Wing (book 2):
Smashwords
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

These books are part of a series but can be read as stand alone novels as well.