Bring on the... CON!!

Ticket for Star Trek Into Darkness

Geekdom has always been a part of my life. I love fulfilling the full measure of the nerdy things I'm passionate about. Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Hunger Games, Sherlock or Cumberbatch, take your pick - the list goes on and on.

If I tell you that I love Midnight shows mostly because of the freakshow I think you might understand.  The crowd is there as crazy as you, fueled by the energy and a few Mountain Dews.I live for it!!!

Just to list on my resume:

1st in line!

 ...I stood at the very front of a line of hundreds, dressed as Luna Lovegood, waiting for the 7th Harry Potter at the Salt Lake Barnes and Noble.

"Imprinting is for Babies" Shirt

 ..I've made snarky shirts of 6 out of the 8 HP movies, Hunger Games, Twilight, Hobbit, and the newest Star Trek Into Darkness... awesome!!


 ...and I'm slowly collecting more Sherlock crap than I could ever find useful.

The deerstalker makes me write better.

Sherlocked!

So, to tell you, I couldn't be more tickled to get a chance to be a part of this years SLC Comic Con is a complete understatement.

  

I AM

 FREAKING 

OUT!!

Yes... Yes... I'm sure you all want to stand in line to get a photo op with Shatner, or Adam West. I mean, who wouldn't??

And yes, you can take that picture of Kevin Sorbo that you've had since high school, that you ripped from a TV Guide and hung in you locker autographed by the Herc himself.

And why not visit Tia Carrere while your at it, I know that's where my husband will be, along with any other male Wayne's World fans!

But if you really want the full CON experience, for it to meet its full Nerd potential, come swing by my booth. I'll be there all 3 days.

My goal this year is to take my picture with as many Slave Leia's as possible and to get a picture with Kevin Sorbo. It will go perfect next to my picture with Bruce Campbell.

Hope to see you there.

http://saltlakecomiccon.com/

Featured Friday Blog

Here is my first Featured Friday posted on Xchyler's Blog.  Just a simple blog post about how I get through a first draft and beyond.

http://www.xchylerpublishing.com/base.cfm?page_id=1505&post_id=1040&action=view

Big Thanks!!

...and the countdown begins.

My book comes out tomorrow and here are some "Thank Yous" and some random thoughts as I prepare for the release of my baby into the world.

I love being Indie, I always have been. It appeals to my core being, if that makes sense. The fact that my book was picked up by a publisher doesn't change my simplistic outlook on life or my joy of writing. I looked for a publisher that had the same independent spirit.

Xchyler Publishing, my publisher, is an Indie publisher, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to whip a book into shape. My appreciation grows for them daily. I like them more because they are Indie, knowing they are working as hard as I am to make it succeed is complimenting to the process.

Editing is never easy. I was scared to see what they might change from the original... and I was surprised and blessed that they didn't want to change anything. My editing team gave me more focus on what the story lacked and how to tell it. Thanks to Lissa, Heidi, Penny, and everyone who helped with the old and the new.

I love my job and in order to do this they had to let me be a writer for a few weeks. Thanks Kelly, and the Blood Bank staff for fully supporting me.

Last, my terrific family. Mostly Kevin, who I dedicated this book to. He thinks my hobby is silly, I know, but it makes me happy and that's what makes him happy. He stayed away from reading it, because he felt he might hurt my feelings. Wise man. But he told me he would read it when it got published. He gets my first copy.

My children, Mia and Julia, will tell you I'm a great mom, since I let them eat an entire tub of cookie dough while I was editing. But I think I'm a terrible mom, not giving them baths at night and letting them go to school in shorts and long, unmatched socks - not brushing their hair or feeding them nothing but microwavable dino nuggets. So, here I ask for forgiveness. I hope you love me despite my deficiencies.

...and THANK YOU to everyone that has been so supportive during the years of writing and I hope you all continue with me as I explore more of my crazy mind and my love for creating worlds.

I'm YOUR biggest fan!

www.xchylerpublishing.com

Adventures in Publishing

Available April 19th, 2013.

Vivatera release April 19th, 2013

Available on eBook and Book Sellers Everywhere.

Back in September I thought I would try and find a publisher for my book Vivatera.  Though I had it edited several times, it was still missing direction and I wanted to see what professionals could do with it. I had heard of a new publishing company through my League of Utah Writers chapter and thought I would give it a try.

I felt my nerves increase at the thought of rejection, but I didn't want to live with regret if I didn't at least try.

So, I sent my manuscript off to one company, Xchlyer Publishing, http://www.xchylerpublishing.com, who seek fantasy, adventure, mystery, and steam punk. I thought my little book might fit well with their company... I was right.

They LOVED it and in November I signed a contract. They snatched it up so fast and didn't want it to go to anyone else.

Over the past months I had the opportunity to work with fantastic people, whose ideas stretched my brain in different directions and ignited my love of creating. Their vision cleared any of my previous doubts, and helped my confidence build. I'm so pleased with how it turned out and I'm so excited to be a part of this adventure.

XP has put up my bio on their website: http://www.xchylerpublishing.com/site.cfm/our-authors.cfm

Balloon Lament: A Cautionary Tale

I received a green balloon when I got off my braces.  This magic balloon was filled with the most amazing helium.  It didn't lose air for the longest time.  My girls really liked it.  Jules asked if she could have it and I said sure.  What do I care about balloons?  Mia then put a cute face on it.  They named him "Greeny" because he was green.  Makes sense.  The whole thing remembered me of the Meep episode of Phineas and Ferb.

I didn't know how important Greeny would become to the family.  The girls played with him as if he was the long lost brother they never had.  Yesterday Mia came to me very concerned.  Greeny was getting smaller and losing some air.  He was only floating half as high. It was a hard reality for her to face.  Sometimes balloons lose their float.

She asked me how to get him high again.  I mentioned maybe if he was in a warm place.  She got a few ideas of what to do.  I found Greeny near the vent...

I found him close to the Christmas tree...

But my favorite was wrapped in my new electric throw...

After a few different attempts she then asked if she could go to Zurcher's and get a new balloon for New Year's.

Sure!  Why not?  It's only a balloon right?  It's not like I'm replacing a pet or something.

I took both my girls over there today and had them each pick out 2 balloons:

• Julia naturally picked a pink one and purple one now named Pinky and Pearl.
• Mia picked an orange one and blue one now named Tangy and Smiley.

What a cheap date!  It was better than Disneyland!  4 bucks down.  Easy Peesy!

The first thing both of them did when they got their balloons home was taking my awesome Magnum Sharpie and drawing cute faces on them.

I helped Julia with hers, because Mia refused to put eyelashes on the smiley-faces.

Mia finished with Tangy and placed a cute smirk on his face.  Then she worked on Smiley.  She drew a very big grin on his face, hence the name "Smiley."  I was in my bedroom when I heard the "POP!"

Instant crying!  Mia was hysterical.  Poor Smiley hit a rough edge on the ceiling and popped without me even getting the chance to see his smile.

Life lesson learned:

Mia and Tangy after their tragic lose.

1. Prepare your children now for Balloon accidents.  Balloons don't last forever.
2. Buying Balloons is like adopting a child.
3. Be careful when putting smiley-faces on balloons.  You make them cute and then they have a personality.  Soon they are sitting at the dinner table with you and begging you for money.
4. A balloon can be a kids' best friend, just ask Doofenshmirtz and his best friend "Balloony." 
5. Have smooth ceilings.