I dare you…

Do you challenge yourself?  Is it a good challenge?  Or something silly?  Harmful?  There are many ways you can challenge yourself.  A dare to finish a monster ice cream sundae.  Outlasting your friends in a drinking game.  How many books can you read during a week’s vacation.  Go a whole week without speeding on the drive to work.

Some challenges are easier than others.  But which ones do you really gain from?  Let’s face it.  There’s not much to gain from being able to out-drink your college buddies or from eating 2 gallons of ice cream with toppings.  Reading a dozen books in a week will at the very least give your brain a workout even if they are romance novels.  Even doing the crossword puzzle (do it in ink, smarty pants) will help you work your mind, maybe even gain a bit of knowledge.

Sometimes we do things because it’s something we haven’t done before.  Or it may be something we said we would never try.  Perhaps it’s something we said we did not want to do ever again.  Conquering a fear can be a good challenge, whether it’s to get over a physical obstacle or an emotional one.  What do I mean by that, you ask?

A physical obstacle would be getting over a fear of heights.  What happens with vertigo?  Each step higher makes you dizzy, break out in a sweat, anxiety climbing faster than you are.  But the euphoria of reaching the top of whatever molehill scares you is worth every step.  I’m not afraid of heights, just the sudden stop after I fall.  That’s the part that hurts.  Which brings me to the other type of challenge.

An emotional challenge may be letting go of an old hurt, conquering a body image issue, silencing negative self-talk.  You could wear something more form-fitting than sweats and a baggy t-shirt.  Tell yourself you are beautiful/intelligent/sexy every time you walk past a mirror every day for a month.  Maybe the challenge would be to date someone with the same body type as the ex that ripped your heart out.  Or putting yourself where you’ll be in close proximity to someone who resembles somebody who hurt you.  You’ll experience some of the same symptoms: anxiety, cold sweats.  But the euphoria afterward, when you realize you survived the encounter, may be just as sweet as climbing to the top of the mountain.

Let me ask you again.  Do you challenge yourself?  Do you push yourself outside of your comfort zone?  Don’t you think it’s about time you did?  Even if you don’t reach the goal, you will have had the experience.  You will have faced that fear.  You can do it if you try.  Go ahead.  I dare you…

Interview: Vern, Dragon Detective

I am pleased to introduce today the only practicing dragon private investigator in the United States.  Vern, Dragon P.I. is here to discuss forensics in both our mundane world and the Faerie world.  Vern works with his partner, Sister Grace in Karina Fabian’s magical universe.  Vern’s investigative skills are currently being tested in Greater Treasures, now available for Kindle and on Amazon.

Welcome, Vern.

 

Faerie vs. Mundane Investigation methods

By Vern the Dragon PI

 

I’m Vern, I’m a dragon, and I work as a private investigator in your world.  Yes, a for-real dragon, no animatronics involved, and please don’t ask if I eat virgins or blame me for your missing cat.  Becca asked that I discus the difference between investigations in the Faerie Realm and here in the Mundane.  (Don’t complain to me about the names for the two dimensions.  I didn’t make them up.)

The fact of the matter is, since we don’t really have the kind of psychics that can go to the scene of a crime and “sense” the name, address, and relative flight risk of the criminal, much of the Faerie tactics are similar to the Mundane.  We still look for clues, question people, gather evidence, and hope for a confession.  I must admit, though: in Faerie, a confession can morph into a Monologue, especially if the criminal in question thinks he has you by the claws.  Why any time is a good time to confess your evil wrongdoings to an officer of the law is a mystery to me, but Faerie do love a cliché.

The difference, of course, is you have technology and we have magic.  You want to know someone’s background, you do a check of credit records and Facebook posts.   We use a discernment spell—and ask the neighbors.  A Holy Mage can also tell the state of someone’s soul, which comes in handy.  We have a spell that works better than your lie detector, and while we have the same interrogation techniques, we also have pukas, which are notorious for eliciting secrets from people they talk to.  (Sometimes, finding someone who is easy to talk to isn’t always a blessing.)

The fun thing about the connection between our two worlds is that I can avail myself of both Mundane and Faerie methods.  I love computer technology.  It’s a great complement to magic, actually.  When Grace can’t find the subject and casing their neighborhood doesn’t work, I can use my Google Fu and get a pretty good profile as long as they aren’t off the grid.

My partner, Sister Grace, is a high-powered Holy Mage with a great imagination.  She adapted a spell to make me invisible after watching a documentary on stealth technology in your military.  Even better, as a dragon, I can fly far more silently than any of your bombers…unless I’m in the mood to make airplane noises.  I did try it once; it was kind of funny until the Air Force Academy caught me at it.  I’ve been banned from their airspace.  Worth it though!  You should have seen the faces of the cadets in their gliders!  Where’s that plane?  Where’s that plane?

But that’s a different story.  The moral of this story is, I’m good, I have the benefits of two dimensions’ worth of investigative techniques, and I am a dragon.  Don’t mess with me. Don’t mess with my territory.  Don’t put yourself in a situation where someone will hire me to come get you.

And if you do, just turn yourself in.  It’ll be easier for both of us.

 

 

 

Thank you, Vern.  That was awesome!

 

You can find Vern, Sister Grace, and Karina Fabian on tour all this month.  Next stop is Wednesday, May 8, at Harlie William’s blog page.

 

Hear Ye, Hear Ye…

I think the Dancing Bunnies of Distraction are finally gone.  I have something really special coming up.  On Tuesday May 7, I will have a guest blog from the irascible and entertaining Vern, Dragon P.I.  from Karina Fabian’s DragonEye P.I. series.

Yes, he’s a real fire-breathing dragon and a private investigator.  He will be here to discuss forensic techniques of both the mundane and faerie worlds.  Remember that will be on Tuesday May 7.  Armor optional.

I need a distraction

It’s not often that I can’t get my ADD under control.  Sometimes I have to fall back on the puzzle books I used when I was younger to refocus my mind.  Lately though I have had more trouble staying on task.  I’m taking online classes and it has been really difficult for me to concentrate.  I’ve tried all kinds of tricks, schedule variations, reward systems.  Nothing seems to help.  Even my beloved music is not doing it this time.  While I’m writing this I’m chatting with a friend, listening to music and keeping the dogs entertained all while procrastinating doing my homework.

I can be easily distracted but this is starting to get ridiculous.  I need a distraction from my distractions.  I need to concentrate on a bloody ton of reading.  But I want to work on my writing.  And my crochet projects.  And the new origami flowers I found….  Oh, look, a bunny!

A Wednesday Review: 50 Shades of Decay

A writing pal of mine posted on his Facebook page about an anthology he was doing and I have to say my first reaction was “EW!”  Zombie Erotica?!  Really?!  I have no hesitation in admitting that I don’t read horror, and I generally do not like zombies.  That being said, my curiosity and love of erotica got the better of me.  I asked contributor Tim Marquitz if I could do a review.  Here are a few highlights…

Stacey Turner has done an excellent job editing a diverse group of stories.  Fifty Shades of Decay opens with the brief and titillating Rabbits by Guy Anthony De Marco and does not let up.  Hey, Girl by Erik Williams was quite funny while LOUP by Pepper Scoville brought to mind the gritty self-recorded footage of reality TV shows while offering an enticing way to calm the shambling horde.

Alex Chase’s Subject Zero-Zero shows the cold beauty of death. Ménage a Trauma by Dan Larnerd warns against slumming at two-star hotels.  Wednesday Silverwood’s Angel of Mercy offers a kinky kind of karma.  We get an interesting take on human cattle in Blaze McRob’s Perpetuation of the Species.  The grind of Hollywood is portrayed in John Palisano’s Some Like It Rot; SPOILER: there is a cure!  

Two of my favorites include Meat by Tim Marquitz, where we see the joys and dangers of eternally horny undead; and Benjamin Kane Etheridge’s sadly erotic The Z-spot.  Last but not least I have to mention Jolie Chaton’s Pretty Kitty’s Post-Apocalyptic Porn Palace where even in the face of apocalyptic change human nature will find an opportunity to turn fortune in its favor.

I would definitely rate Fifty Shades of Decay 5 out of 5 stars.  It is well worth the read.  You can find this lovely tome at Angelic Knight Press and on Amazon.

A Quickie

Just an update today.  I mentioned a couple posts back that I was returning to college, online.  That’s going well.  I’m getting back into the swing of things and enjoying class immensely.

Coming soon I will have a review for you.  Zombies, romance, erotica… A little something from Angelic Knight Press to warm your heart, tingle your naughty bits, or maybe just activate your Ew response.  Fifty Shades of Decay is now available on Amazon.  Look for the review soon.  

I hope you have a great day.  It’s cold and rainy where I am.  But the day is what I make of it.  So far, so good.  :)

Come Out and Play

I have a three-year old cousin.  there are times she will sit and play with her toys and keep herself entertained, chattering away about all sorts of nonsense.  She comes up with some good ideas.  When you get the chance, sit and listen to children play.  Just listen.  They will surprise you with the plots they come up with.

In the picture, the children are imagining the colored tiles to be stones and the

Artist Don Dimanlig

white tiles to be a river of molten lava.  When was the last time you did that in the grocery store?  What are you waiting for?

As we get older our heads fill with so much grown-up stuff that our inner child sometimes gets lost.  It’s important to keep that child close because she/he knows how to use imagination to make life interesting.

That’s what writers are supposed to do.  Right?  What If is supposed to be the favorite game of a writer.  Your answers will be more colorful and exciting with a strong imagination.  Without imagination and creativity life gets really boring.  The old saying is true:  all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Creativity cannot get lost simply because we grow older.  It is a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly.  So find your inner child again.  Schedule time to play and flex your imagination.  If you’re lucky,  I might share my legos.