Oh, I was on the right side of the balcony if you were facing the balcony. I couldn't help it. Word vomit.

Nice Bob the skull!

I was in line waiting to meet Jim and some dude had a Bob the Skull that actually SAID quotes from the book and lit up. It was totally awesome.

So somewhere above and behind us.

And I saw a picture someone had taken of that! Alas, we are not that technologically advanced. The boyfriend wants to eventually finagle some lights into the eyesockets but we'll see how that works out.

I went to the first signing he had on Friday (mostly to make sure I got in because I know D*C lines escalate as the weekend rolls on) and got the three books I wanted signed - SubPress Backup, First Lord's Fury, and the hardcover Storm Front that my boyfriend managed to finagle from the internet for a cheap sum. Also, my boyfriend ended up ahead of me (if you were in line that day, we were - I think - the only Harry/Murphy pair in line) and he got our Bob the Skull that I put together years ago from an aquarium skull and some orange sticky notes signed.



Gotta find me a new skull now. XD This Bob's getting pride of place on the tall bookshelves away from kitties.

Also, do we have a photo sharing post? I've been looking for pics of us and I snapped a Maeve that was in line with us as well as a Michael and a Molly who teamed up together from different points in the line to take a picture.

I was the chick during the Q&A that yelled, "The Building was on fire and it wasn't my fault!" From the balcony Jeditigger if I see you I shall say hi!

I was wondering why that sounded so far away! We ended up towards the front but allllll the way to the left edge.

I just read this and almost had a moment of exploding until I got to the bit about changing Murphy to being Latina. Then my brain went "Heeeeey now -" and I remembered that yesterday was April Fool's.    Brilliant joke, Pris and everyone else involved.

If we moderators have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but googled here
While these banners did appear.
And this weak and idle link,
No more yielding but stiff drink,
Members, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Payne,
If we have unearned fame
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Payne a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give us your hands, if we be friends,
And Priscillie shall restore amends.

I second Shecky's BRAVO.

Behold, the beginning lines and/or paragraphs from a handful of my stories and drabbles...

Medi Varnl, Book 1: Feloinain

Horac swung his fist at Tristol, knuckles connecting solidly with the younger boy’s cheek. The slightly taller fifteen-year-old was slung to the ground by the fierce blow and landed face down in the trampled grass and dirt beneath their feet. As he fell the cap he’d been wearing flew off, letting loose a curtain of shoulder length dark hair and a pair of furry ears that were far from human.

Black Chaos

I had no childhood; at least, not any that I remember. Any memories before my thirteenth year just don’t exist anywhere in my head. Not lost.  Gone.

Cleave

Handcuffs are number one on the list of things uncomfortable to wear.

Bones, a Love Story of Sorts

Birds chirped, a cool breeze rustled the leaves, and all seemed to be well around Sothan to Kalya. The young woman that had just passed into her twentieth year a few days ago turned where she stood and frowned at the jungles that seemed every year to get closer and closer.

Vampire Dust, Book 1: In the Darkness All Alone

Waking up with the scent of blood in your nose, I’ve discovered, is no fun way to wake up. Especially if you’re not exactly sure why you can smell it at all.

Medi Varnl, Book 2: Whekai

I am Julienka Moldrenke-Whebon. Though I would more gladly claim the name Bailn to be mine as that is the name of the man I gave my heart and body to. But it cannot be so.

Medi Varnl, Book 5: Pirate

Jumping off a ship in the middle of the ocean wearing nothing but a pair of ragged cloth pants that have seen many better days and some hastily put on bandages made from the remains of an equally ragged shirt is not the brightest idea. But when you’ve been captured by pirates that you know for certain kill anyone they take captive from a ship they’ve raided after they ply them for information…jumping into the ocean doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.

A Magical Burden

Paper rustled and dark leather gloves carefully held the wanted poster as frightened hazel eyes stared at it.  There was a rustle of claws then and a rough voice growled, “Looks like they’ve upped the bounty.”

Unnamed

The world isn’t as nice as some might think.

Drabble: Eyesight to the Blind

“Mistletoe,” murmured the woman as she crouched next to the corpse, using a pencil to lift his hand.  The green springs and red berries stared back at her and she cursed, dropping her head into her non-gloved hand.  “Shit, he was a practitioner.”

Drabble: Hit the Ground

“Just make sure you hit the ground on your feet,” my Dad used to say.  “So long as you land upright, you’ll do fine.  Land on your back and there’ll be trouble coming to you.”

Drabble: Meant to Live

So, thought Terrence as he glanced around, this is it.  Death.

Drabble: People Are Strange

“You are strange,” commented Varin as he gave Ziggy a sideways glance.  He was still trying to figure out just why she was called that as nothing about her zigged.  Or zagged.  Or anything else with a ‘z’.

I usually write fantasy and that's mostly what I read (or has some element of it) so no problem.  Haven't tried writing scifi for...seven years or so...so no idea how I'd handle that.  Probably alright since I can remember most of the plot from Pern and what MechWarrior/BattleTech books I've read.

Usually what I read and write is pretty separate I think.  What I'm reading at the time doesn't color what I write unless it really inspires me.  Last book of Codex got me up and writing the last few chapters of one of my stories.  That's the only time I can recall a link 'tween the two.

I write to write.  I love to write.  Can't help but do so since I was five or six.

If I didn't write my brain might explode from all the ideas I get swirling about in there all the time.

What if I never get published?  Well then I don't get published.  But I don't stop writing.  NEVER.  Writing is what I've wanted to do since people started asking that age-old "what do you want to do when you grow up?" question.

Writing is one thing I will never, ever give up on.  I know that for certain.

*thinking back*

Well...in my current story I've either ended chapters with sentences that pose foreshadowing to bad events, the main character getting knocked unconscious, the end of a battle, and some others I can't recall right now and can't look up as I have class.

Basically with me it depends on where the chapter is going, how much inspiration I have at the time, and if the story suddenly decides it wants to stop at that point in time..

just a quick note on point #2.

Would you want to bring about the apocalypse with a butter knife...?

...

Thought not.

Sharon.

...I am so tempted to write a story where a character is armed with a butter knife whilst trying to stop an apocalypse now.

And here's a small snippet I just jotted out in Word:

My life blows.

No, really, it does.

Here I am, bleeding and covered in grime that’s made of stuff I don’t even want to think about, and standing in front of one of the scariest things mankind has ever seen – a god walking on earth.  Don’t ask what god; nobody knows or really cares to find out anymore.

But, yeah, here I stand with a crazy, gun-toting Amazon woman to my right and a half-reformed Black Mage to my left while everyone else runs in terror.  And what do I have?  A frickin’ butter knife.

See?  My life really does blow.