Faturday Contained [12]

Okay, it’s not a cardboard box, but Fatty likes other types of containers, too.

Happy Faturday!

Friday Fix over at I Swim For Oceans!

Hey quirksters!  

Melissa from I Swim For Oceans has graciously let me participate in her feature, 

Friday Fix!

The interview of five of the most random questions ever (seriously, ya'll, they're random-random) is posted at her blog here.

Go check it out!  

Melissa has an awesome blog, 

so let her know you stopped by!

And thank you to any of her readers who have 

stopped by Writer Quirk to say hi!

Giveaway Highlight - Abby Annis 200 Followers Giveaway

Hey quirksters!  Abby Annis is having a 200 follower giveaway 

on her blog (HERE), and she's offering some great prizes!

The lucky winner will receive a journal, some awesome glowy pens, 

and these books:

 

So go enter HERE for your chance to win!

Teaser Tuesdays [10]

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the TITLE & AUTHOR, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

Ethan stood there, his face blue and wrinkled, his lips pulled into a rictus grin.  In one hand, he clutched a butcher knife.

The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa, page 136

Happy Tuesday!  ^_^

Boxy Faturday [11]

Fatty loves boxes.  Being in them, being on them, he just loves cardboard.  Makes me think if Fatty were human he would break-dance on cardboard.  He’d just be that cool. 

(See the song NUMB by Family Force 5 in the player at the very bottom of the blog).

Happy Faturday!

Top Ten of the Moment [6]

Top Ten of the Moment is a meme from Swimmer over at Breaking the Bookshelf to be hosted every Thursday.

How this meme works is that Swimmer will choose a topic (food, books, etc.) and will pick her current top ten.  If you want to participate, all you have to do is create your own top ten for Swimmer's selected topic and put your TTotM link in the Mr. Linky on her post.  Easy enough, right?

This week's topic is:  Best Covers Ever!
(to see Swimmer's top ten, click HERE)

This is essentially a list of my favorite covers and is not a reflection on how much I liked the book (if I've read it).

My Top Ten:

1.     Fallen & Torment by Lauren Kate - These covers are Gothic and gorgeous!

2.     The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint by Bree Despain - I love the floaty, colorful fabric and the font, even though I don't understand what the legs have to do with the books (anyone know?).

3.     The Luxe Series by Anna Godbersen - Opulent gowns in rich fabrics - need I say more?

4.     The Last Survivors series by Susan Beth Pfeffer - I find the cosmos extremely captivating, and though I've never read these books, I could stare at the covers all day.

5.     Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - Dark and mysterious with an awesome font!

6.    The Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter - These covers are so recognizable and I love that they are in different colors each time...I can't wait too see what the next one is going to look like!

7.     Nightshade by Andrea Cremer - I think this is a stunning cover, and from what I hear of the book, the feral female is fitting for the story.  I also like that the main character's name is Calla and they put (bloody) calla lilies on the the front.

8.     Paranormalcy by Kiersten White - I was instantly interested in this book the first time I saw it.  I'm glad that, according to many reviews, the book is just as awesome as its cover.

9.     The Mark by Jen Nadol - I don't know much about this book, but every time I see it I always think it's glowing.  I love that lighting effect.

10.     Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs - This is such a beautiful and whimsical cover that perfectly fits the fun story inside.

Teaser Tuesdays [9]

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the TITLE & AUTHOR, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"Don't do that," he says, as if sensing my train of thought, his voice softer.  "Don't twist my words."

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs, page 25

Happy Tuesday!  ^_^

Faturday Giveaway [10]

So you may or may not have heard about my 

Favorites & Followers Giveaway,

but either way, I need to show you something.

If you don't enter and claim these awesome prizes, Fatty will steal them and they will 

never see the light of day again!  

See! 

He's already got his paws all over that CD!

Quick Quirk Update

Hello!  It's been a busy week, and I have been reading my butt off so I could finish the ARC I won of Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel.  

I finished it yesterday!  Yay!  I liked it and will be vlogging about it soon.  

And you never know, it could wind up in a little *contest* I'm having...

Happy Friday!

Teaser Tuesdays [8]

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the TITLE & AUTHOR, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

Soon we were standing face-to-face in the middle of the living room.  Around me were the talismans of my life:  the sword, the photos, the vial of Rhode's dust around my neck.

Infinite Days (Vampire Queen #1) by Rebecca Maizel, page 208

Happy Tuesday!  ^_^

Holy Blogger, Fatman! [Part Four]

Okay, so I've been hinting about a giveaway for quite a while, and finally here it is!

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. 

Win some of my favorite things!

The Rules:

• Must be 13 years or older to enter.
• At this time, all contests are U.S. only.
• All winners will be announced on this blog.
• Only entries made using the stated method will qualify.
• I can not be held responsible for items lost or damaged in the mail.
• All winners will be notified by email and will have seven days to respond with valid shipping information.
• In the event a prize is not claimed, I reserve the right to select a new winner with the method of my choice.
• I reserve the right to change contest rules, contest dates, or disqualify entrants at my discretion without prior notice.

The Prizes:

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer (Novella)

Memento Mori by Flyleaf (CD)

Both of these items are BRAND NEW and FAVORITES of mine!

To see why, check out my reviews HERE and HERE.

(check out some tracks from the CD in the player at the very bottom of the blog)

Since this is also a follower contest, my goal is to reach 50.  Shouldn't be too hard; only a handful away. 

BUT...

for every 25 followers I get over 50, I will add another winner (i.e. @ 75, 100, and so on).

The potential winner(s) will be able to choose one prize out of the following options:

The Heat by NeedToBreathe (CD - review here)

Love Reality by Charmaine (CD - review here)

Memento Mori by Flyleaf (CD)

$10 Amazon.com gift card (I lurve gift cards)
***NEW*** ARC of Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

I've set up the standard form, complete with extra entry opportunities, but some of them are just questions to answer 
because I wanted a chance to learn about you!

The last day for this giveaway is August 14th, 2010.  The winner(s) will be chosen using the random number generator at Random.org.

To enter, fill out this form.

Museic - NeedToBreathe

Museic: Bands, songs, and albums that inspire my writing 

This edition features:

NEEDTOBREATHE - The Heat

NeedToBreathe's Website  ~  NeedToBreathe on Myspace 

Bear Rinehart - Vocals, Guitar, Piano

Bo Rinehart - Guitar, Background Vocals 

Seth Bolt - Bass, Background Vocals 

Joe Stillwell - Drums, Background Vocals

I'm sure some of you have heard of this amazing band, but
if not, now you can learn about one of my favorites!

Bits about the band from the band's site 
(full article here):

"We're from a small town in South Carolina called Possum Kingdom," NEEDTOBREATHE frontman Bear Rinehart explains when asked about the place he and his younger brother/co-writer Bo were raised. "Trust me - there was absolutely no music scene there."

The sons of an Assembly of God pastor, Bear and Bo Rinehart had inherited their father's gift with words, and put it to good use in their songwriting; their mother taught piano, making music a constant part of their young lives. Formed in 1999, NEEDTOBREATHE (with childhood friends Joe Stillwell and Seth Bolt) built an impressive regional following, playing throughout the Southeast. Along the way, they sold more than 15,000 copies of their self-released EP's, recorded by Seth, who had earned a degree in record engineering. 2006 saw the release of the band's major label debut, Daylight, and a relentless, national touring schedule. Despite being on the road nearly non-stop, NEEDTOBREATHE returned the following year with The Heat, which went to #2 on the Heatseekers chart and spawned the hit single "More Time," a top 10 success at Triple-A radio (sitting alongside established artists like Coldplay and Jack Johnson). The group's penchant for capturing a poignant moment or eliciting an emotion with their music is evidenced by the numerous songs from each of their albums that have appeared in film and television, including the Hilary Swank-starring, motion picture P.S. I Love You and MTV's "The Hills," among many others.

Why THE HEAT is Museical:  When I think of warm nights,  fireflies, and bonfires, I think of NeedToBreathe.  I know these are Southern boys, but their music makes me think of California beaches.  When I rediscovered this album (I've had it for a while) it fit the carefree spirit of my MC perfectly.  She's originally from California, loves the sun and surf, and has a laid back personality.  This changes for her later, but this album perfectly fits where she's at as a character at the beginning of the story.  There are also parts of this album that fit one of my MC's love interests, which when I stumbled across it, inspired actual scenes in my head.  So, yeah, I'm lovin' this album big time.


Tracks (*faves*):

1. Spare The Time
2. *Restless*
3. *Again*
4. *Return*
5. *We Could Run Away*
6. Streets of Gold
7. *More Time*
8. Signature of Divine (Yahweh)
9. ***Looks Like Love***
10. ***The Heat***
11. ***Nothing Left To Lose***
12. *Movin' On*
13. Washed By The Water
14. *Second Chances*

Quirk: Lately I've been taking dusk/night drives through the beautiful open spaces that exist near where I live, and I refuse to listen to anything but this album, specifically tracks nine, ten, and eleven.  Windows down, wind whipping through my hair,  NeedToBreathe blaring...perfect summer night.

(Listen to song previews here.)

Rating:  Royalty

Faturday Flashback [9]

This is Fatty when he was just a little kitty, which means this is Fatty when I thought he was a girl and had named him Baiby Fuzzyface Grey.

Happy Faturday!

I'm having a slight out-of-body experience...

Okay, one rule I generally keep up pretty well is "Don't read blogs you wrote years ago when you were stupid and selfish and emo."

I broke that rule and learned some things.

1.  That was ME?  I am so different now, it seems like a completely separate life, let alone person.  And just FYI, the time between now and then is approximately four years.  Seems like eons.

2.  Maybe I wasn't as weird a person as I thought.  Okay, I was out there in some ways, but from my blog I sound pretty normal, almost.  I'm starting to see how paranoid/self-focused I was, which is slightly disturbing but at the same time completely expected.

3.  My sense of humor hasn't changed.  I mean, I know it has because there are things I would have found funny then that I wouldn't now.  But as I'm reading, I'm laughing, and not at myself in a "I was so stupid" way but in that way when you know someone is joking and it's funny because you get it and that is their personality.  Even if no one else ever thought I was funny, at least in my eyes my humor is still top notch, even if it is a few years old.

4.  If you use nicknames for people, keep a list somewhere. I'm reading through and coming across names for people (Berlin, Thames, Kansas, etc.) and I have no idea who I was talking about!  Some of them I figured out eventually, tying events to people and then to nicknames, but seriously!  Who that crap is Kansas?!

5.  Reading comments from people you used to know can make it feel like you still know them.  Even if you haven't seen them in years.  Or spoken.  Or anything.  Or they've had a stroke and are no longer themselves.  But it does no good to pine for the past. *sigh*

Some of my favorite quotes from my former self:

9/21/06

when i die, i want my ashes scattered on the internet, because that is where i spent most of my life.

*STILL TRUE* (the last part anyway) 

8/30/06

Sexuality: duh, i dont have a bf for my health

From one of those super quizzes that were so popular

3/15/06
the appropriate definition of an indie film: don't expect an ending...
from when I began working at a movie store 

2/12/06 

jeez, im such an unspeakably ridiculous person...
I still can be this sometimes...

6/11/05 

at the moment i dont feel very attractive...my tongue is hanging out of my mouth, my eyes are half open, and my nostrils keep flaring...sounds spectacular, doesnt it? 
what happens when I don't sleep...

4/28/05

and right now i seem to be putting off thinking about the fact that the future of my college career will be decided soon, and until then my life is hanging in the balance...frankly, no 3.25 or better=no scholarship=no college=no good job=no life... 

That stuff in bold?  I was SO WRONG!!!!  I have a great job and an awesome life, and I never finished school.

Okay, that's it for the flashback!  Thanks for reading!  ^_^ 

Top Ten of the Moment [5]

Top Ten of the Moment is a new meme from Swimmer over at Books, Writing, and More, Oh My!! to be hosted every Thursday.

How this meme works is that Swimmer will choose a topic (food, books, etc.) and will pick her current top ten.  If you want to participate, all you have to do is create your own top ten for Swimmer's selected topic and put your TTotM link in the Mr. Linky on her post.  Easy enough, right?

This week's topic is:  Best Movies Taken from Books!
(to see Swimmer's top ten, click HERE)

This is essentially a list of my favorite movies and is not a reflection on how good the book was or how precise the film adaptation.

My Top Ten:

1.  Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King from the book by J.R.R. Tolkien
2.  Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers from the book by J.R.R. Tolkien
   
3.  Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring from the book by J.R.R. Tolkien
4.  The Phantom of the Opera from the book by Gaston Leroux
5.  Little Women from the book by Louisa May Alcott
6.  The Secret Garden from the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett
7.  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire from the book by J.K. Rowling
8.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from the book by J.K. Rowling
9.  The Twilight Saga:  Eclipse from the book by Stephenie Meyer
10.  The Count of Monte Cristo from the book by Alexandre Dumas

Total ECLIPSE of Sanity

At midnight on Tuesday, June 29, 2010, I was one of many attending the opening of Twilight Saga:  Eclipse.  My thoughts on the movie are in a separate post (HERE), so this post is a short account of my adventure and a few videos courtesy of me, my friends, our local IHOP, and the delirium that accompanies the wee hours of the morning.

First, Eric and I arrived at about 10:30pm to our local movie temple (we don't live in a big city so we weren't expecting anything crazy).  We thought we'd be all smart and get there early and were slightly surprised to find out that were were late.  Quite late.  There was no parking so we had to park in the lot next to the theater and walk up from the street.  No big, really, as it was a nice, warm night and we were not alone.  :oP

Anyway, we got our tickets and proceeded to stand in line for a while.  We finally made it in and learned that they were seating people regardless of the showtime they had paid for, which was slightly disgruntling, but we ended up in a theater that had plenty of seating left (because evidently some people have an aversion to the lower level).  The theater staff had obviously not expected the chaos that caused all twelve theaters to be filled, but they were still courteous and pleasant, answering the same questions over and over and ushering people in as best they could.  These nice theater employees talked with us while we were waiting:

We eventually sat ourselves in theater number nine and waited for our friends Caitlyn, Sina, and Sarah.  I was on edge slightly as I was saving seats for them and was hoping they would arrive before the seating filled up, but our theater never reached capacity so it worked out just fine.  We were able to sit together and didn't have to crane our necks like we did the year before (front row=not my favorite).

The lights dimmed shortly after midnight, and we were treated to the awesome Deathly Hallows trailer, among others.  Then it started, finally, after months upon months of waiting for this moment, ECLIPSE began and the squeeing commenced! 

It was great!  The theater goers laughed together (often when it wasn't really warranted, but that's half the fun).  There were many hoots and howls (Edward, Jacob, Jasper, oh my!) and applause after the show was over.

It was a claustrophobe's nightmare trying to get out of the theater, but once out, those in our group stopped for pictures in front of the movie poster.

Me, Caitlyn, Sina, and Sarah

Eventually (at the prodding of a hungry Eric) we made our way to our cars.  Instead of going by sidewalk (like normal, sane people) we traversed the landscaping of stones and shrubs as a shortcut.

We made it to our cars without injury and then drove to an immeasurably understaffed IHOP.  Evidently, the restaurant was already short-handed when the after-Eclipse-food-boom happened.

Eric, Sina, Sarah, and Caitlyn being themselves.

The videos pretty much pick up from here, and we discuss the movie and various other things.  The round-table (or square-table) recording, which was not planned but a spontaneous decision, is the epitome of random.  So if you think you can handle the random, please watch and feel free to laugh at us.   

It's okay, we do it all the time.

Teaser Tuesdays [7]

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the TITLE & AUTHOR, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

Yet, I yearned for the faces of the coven.  The men I had known for centuries.

Infinite Days (Vampire Queen #1) by Rebecca Maizel, page 89

Happy Tuesday!  ^_^

Holy Blogger, Fatman! [Part Three]

Okay, so almost three weeks ago I started this multi-post (see Part One & Two), and I finally can tell you the rest of the awesomeness that went down around that time.

1.  I won my 1st giveaway! 

From Caitlin over at Written Word Review I received three 

Tera Lynn Childs books, four bookmarks, and a temp tattoo!

Also, all three books are signed by the author!

2.  I won my 2nd and 3rd giveaways the same day!

I received the copy of Evernight by Claudia Gray courtesy of the weekly Second Hand Saturday Contest over at Reading Teen.

The advance readers' edition of Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel (due out 08/03/10) I received from Goodreads.

I will be reading these as quickly as I can, and you may see them in the contest that will accompany Blogfest 2010 coming in September.
(Click the button in the sidebar to sign up!)

Also, you may have noticed my new background.  
I hope you like it, and if you ever feel the need, I now have a button you can grab at the top of the right sidebar!