Monday Men: A Boy and his Goat

Eek! I almost forgot Monday Men. To make up for it, here is something quirky:

Nowadays this would probably be called child endangerment. I'm loving the goat though.

Seven Sentence Sunday

"I killed him," Bran said from the doorway, making them both jump a little. They turned to see him there, hands on hip. "And whatever faults Peter had, he didn't deserve that."

Layla recovered faster. "Honey, you're exaggerating. You didn't kill him."

"I turned him into a frog."

(Dead Man and the Restless Spirits.)

Wednesday Word: Crapehanger

crapehanger  or crepehanger
(KRAYP-hang-guhr)

noun: A gloomy person; a pessimist.

ETYMOLOGY:
A crapehanger was one who hung up black bands of crape as a symbol of mourning. The word is from English crepe/crape, from French crepe, from Latin crispus (curled or wrinkled). Earliest documented use: 1921.

Am I the only one envisioning thin, French pancakes?

Monday Men: Hot Stuff

We had a patch of cold and season-appropriate weather here in L.A. but summer is back with highs in the eighties and nineties. So another beach picture fits my mood.

He's a hottie, isn't he? The girls seem to think so.

Sunday Things

I had a weird dream about third-rate hotel rooms and finding a pigeon with a broken leg in the woods. Pigeons don't live in the woods. I have no idea what my subconscious is trying to tell me.

On a less confusing note, I've designed another cover for Harper Fox.

Rather purrdy, even if I say so myself. Harper likes it too, and that's what matters. I used the gorgeousness of that frosty glass surface as the starting point of the design.

I probably shouldn't admit it, but half the time at the beginning of a project—design and writing alike—I have a wild moment of panic, when I'm convinced I can't do it. But then it all works out. Usually.

Good News Thursday

It's a rare gloomy day here in L.A. but I woke up to a couple of good news. My novel, Spirit Sanguine, now has a release date: 4/14/2013. Sanguine features Harvey, the decidedly non-brooding vampire, and Gabe, a conflicted slayer.

In another excellent news, Last Stop got a very nice review on Smitten with Reading. I love late reviews. They liven up the dead space that starts a few months after a release and lasts till the next one. It's the time of self-doubt and anxiety, so it's wonderful to hear that someone likes your book.

Wednesday Word: Feracious

Feracious

Fe*ra"cious\, a. [L. ferax, -acis, fr. ferre to bear.] Fruitful; producing abundantly. 

Nope, not ferocious.

I bought a 1916 edition of Webster's New International Dictionary from the neighborhood used book store. I don't know how many headings it contains, but it weighs five pounds and it's printed in small text, on "India" paper—meaning a thin onionskin paper. That's a lot of words.