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sweet loot: chocolate bars, a little notebook, a bookmark, and a temporary tattoo

Chocolate & Classic Literature

This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series Chocolate.

Last year I helped to fund a Kickstarter for a chocolate company. That makes sense, of course, but it makes even more sense when you realize that it was book chocolate.

Open Book Chocolates makes high-quality, ethically-sourced chocolate (that’s important) themed around classic literature.

sweet loot: chocolate bars, a little notebook, a bookmark, and a temporary tattoo
sweet loot: chocolate bars, a little notebook, a bookmark, and a temporary tattoo

To be honest, they had me right from the beginning, when their first example of food in literature was Mercédès offering Muscat grapes to the Count in The Count of Monte Cristo. I mean, that’s a good scene, dripping with text and subtext, and you’re going to add chocolate? I’m in.

Chocolate & Classic Literature
The Umbrella Academy Dark Horse comics and Netflix series

The Umbrella Academy: A Viewing

The Umbrella Academy Dark Horse comics and Netflix series

Last night I told my husband I was interested in seeing the new Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, about which I’d heard good things. I didn’t know much of the plot, but the teaser trailers had the right mood. The problem was, I said, that it was ten episodes and I was way too busy, behind on lots of things because of my Antarctica trip and in general, to start a series. (I don’t watch a lot of television at all anyway.) I was still working up until ten p.m., when I decided to forcibly reschedule my remaining to-do task and take a break.

So at ten last night Jon and I decided to try The Umbrella Academy. But just one episode. “Two is my absolute limit,” said Jon, who also had some extra commitments to take care of today.

And that is how we went to bed after seven this morning, while the light rose palely through the bare winter trees and the birds sang and the sleepy dogs wondered why we would change locations after spending the night on the couch.

The Umbrella Academy: A Viewing
Hunter's Gambit by Brandy Ackerley

Hunter’s Gambit reveal with Brandy Ackerley

Today I’m pleased to welcome Brandy Ackerley to the blog! I first met Brandy a few years ago at a writers conference in Calgary, Alberta and knew immediately she had good taste because she told me how much she’d enjoyed Kitsune-Tsuki. /wink/ We got to talking about everything from fox youkai to writing to art (she’s way better than I am), and now I’m pleased to host the reveal of her debut novel’s cover!

Hello and welcome! My name is Brandy Ackerley and I’m taking over this blog with some very important news! My first novel will be coming out a month from now on March 15th and I am super stoked about it. As a fan of Laura’s novels, I am honoured that she’s letting me reveal its cover on here!

Hunter’s Gambit is the story of Kuzunoha’s quest to find freedom from the future her family has decided for her. Unfortunately, she’s running out of options, especially after her elder half-sister, Himiko, takes her place as family matriarch. That changes when she saves the life of a stranger…

Hunter’s Gambit reveal with Brandy Ackerley
man in buttoned coat flees before storm, title Faithless by Janeen Ippolito

Faithless, with Janeen Ippolito

Today we’ll hear from Janeen Ippolito, editor, publisher, teach, author coach, and author of a number of books including the upcoming Faithless. What’s Faithless? It’s the latest installment in the Ironfire Legacy series, and, well, here’s the back cover copy: One wild night, Shance Windkeeper discovers he’s married… Faithless, with Janeen Ippolito

Cover Reveal: Severed Veil

I’ve got a pretty for you today.

Bethany A. Jennings is a marvel. She writes, she edits, she homeschools, she created and organizes the #WIPjoy hashtag game quarterly, and she runs not only her personal and author social media, but also runs the @sandwichmaven Instagram. (Go ahead, but don’t be long, we’ve got a cover over here.) She’s the kind of person you’d hate for making you feel inadequate if she weren’t so darned nice.

And she has a new collection of short stories coming soon. Ready for the cover?

Cover Reveal: Severed Veil
Reconstruction of the nyonindo or women's hall on Koya

Trial on Mount Koya

Trial on Mount Koya by Susan SpannToday is the release date for Trial on Mount Koya by Susan Spann, which is what happens when you put Agatha Christie in a blender with shogunate Japan and add a seasoning of ninja.

I had a chance to see this one in advance and I read it in a single sitting. It’s your iconic scenario of a group trapped together without escape (here, in an ancient Buddhist temple atop a sacred mountain) while one of them kills off the others one by one (and in this case, poses the corpses like the Buddhist judges of hell). The race is on to find the killer before he murders the entire cast.Trial on Mount Koya

kneeling figure, inked

A Bit More About #Inktober (Part 2)

So about two weeks ago I blogged about attempting #Inktober despite having pretty much no art skill. If you didn’t catch that post, you probably should, because it’s about a lot more than just drawing badly, but here’s what you need to know for today’s post: I have pretty much no art skill, I’m doing Inktober (drawing in ink and sharing online) anyway, and I can only improve with practice.

Laura as Mara Jade with R2-D2
my Mara Jade made a friend at the con.

This past weekend I was teaching cosplay and mythology/folklore (Japanese and Norse) sessions at Quest Con, and between sessions I joined a one-hour art lesson, taught by artist Steven Moore. I figured I would learn something useful, and at worst I’d make someone else at my table feel better about their own work.A Bit More About #Inktober (Part 2)