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A chocolate bar partially inserted into a smooth, glossy layer of chocolate spread against a black background.

Speedy Chocolate!

Endangered Species - Coexist All-Natural Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnut Toffee 72% Cocoa
Endangered Species – Coexist All-Natural Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnut Toffee 72% Cocoa

This post will have to go live a few days later, since I ordered some gifts I don’t want to telegraph, but here’s the deal: I ordered from Endangered Species Chocolate and found my order at my driveway about 24 hours later.

Let us count the ways this went right:

the John Crane Ware house

From (Deep in the Heart of) Texas Hill Country

English: Texas Hill Country, on Route 187 head...
Texas Hill Country, on Route 187 heading North, just north of Garner State Park. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve spent the last few days in Texas Hill Country, visiting my aunt and working on a project. But before I tell you about that, let me walk you through her ranch.

My aunt Margie lives on a small ranch immediately outside of Utopia, Texas. When she first moved there a couple of decades ago, the smart-aleck kid I was thought the name was doubly appropriate; the idyllic climate and beautiful countryside were indeed paradisaical, and the location was, just like the original meaning of utopia, nowhere.

A person with long dark hair and dramatic white face makeup peers through sheer white fabric, wearing traditional Japanese attire and looking directly at the camera in blue-tinted lighting.

Yuki Onna photos

Yuki-onna (雪女, the snow woman) from the Hyakka...
Yuki-onna (雪女, the snow woman) from the Hyakka…

The yuki onna is a femme fatale of Japanese folklore. When travelers are lost or exhausted in the winter snows, the yuki onna (“snow woman”) appears to greet them — and they are never seen again.

/cue shivery music/

Black and white profile portrait of a person with light-colored, wavy hair, wearing a dark garment, looking to the right against a plain, dark background.

Choose Your Own Hamlet Adventure?!

I’m not making this up. Check this out. Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a choose-your-own-path book. With lots and lots of illustrations.

I really love Hamlet, and I also really love parodies of Hamlet. This sounds kinda awesome.

Five people wearing elaborate, historical-style costumes and dramatic makeup pose indoors; four are standing in the background, and one is seated in front. The window and muted lighting contribute to a theatrical atmosphere.

The Ninth Day of Kitsune — A Period Playlist

This entry is part 9 of 12 in the series Twelve Days of Kitsune
gagaku dancer
Gagaku dancer

As we come to the Ninth Day of Kitsune, let’s treat one of the senses which has been left so far untouched despite our forays into images, taste, and touch; let’s listen to music, both period and related, from Heian era to today.

A hand giving a thumbs up gesture. The image is mostly in grayscale, except for the sleeve, which is blue. The background is light and plain.

How To Help Your Favorite Authors – Guest Post

A question I’ve received several times on Facebook or elsewhere is, How can we help promote? I love that people want to help me (and other authors) promote their books. Here’s a great little article by Lindsay Buroker on promoting an author’s work. Not just for me — do this for any book you enjoy!

As authors, we spend a lot of time trying to promote our books. Our biggest obstacle is obscurity because there are a lot of books out there. No, really. A lot.