Tuesday Treats: Down the Rabbit Hole

“Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?’

Alice in Wonderland

 

What better book is there, that should be made into a movie? Especially with Johnny Depp? I was at Macy’s the other day and there was Alice stuff everywhere. They’re certainly planning to see this movie go far, and I’m sure it will. This chilling classic, has a lot to give…

 

Awesome ‘Stuff’

 

So, after peroosing the Macy’s stuff, I decided to peroose whatelse was out there, and what better place than Etsy? I found a lot of neat things, but these were the neatest, in my opinion. The piece features a real image from the original book. You can’t get more authentic than that!

if you love this as much as I did, visit her Etsy shop:

Wonderland Dreams

 

$28.50

 

 

Alice on Film
 

So, this Friday, just where will you be?

From Writing Books, to Making Books…

 

 

            

 

 

 

 Writing Books to Making Books…

 

In college I used to hand sew my own books. I miss the assembly, but I think since then I’ve found something with the same satisfaction, and joy. Recently, I’ve been designing book covers for other writers and I love it. I’ve done a business book for an entrepreneur/CEO in California called Iron Ambition, an Art book for a very intriguing project where artists interview artists, based off the blog Thinking About Art by J.T… My own books, both Moonlight Manor and Feather Book Series, and then some sample covers for wall-street guru’s and real-estate tycoons…

By literally quitting my job, I have found a whole new avenue. After writing my first book, I knew that making and designing signs for the University in a tiny office with no windows, was not for me. Deciding to cut down on my hours at the University was a heavy decision, especially when I was on the cusp of getting a mortgage for our the house I had been remodeling for over two years. I lost the dream health coverage, and the security that the job brought, but what I’ve found is that in the two months since, I have built a career outside of that place, with little effort and all the talent I could give. 

I was wasting my talent at the University, literally flushing each great idea down the toilet, with no hope of advancement. When I first started there, I worked my tale off, but like most state jobs, you realize there is no point in being an over achiever beyond earning a lame slip of paper that says you are employee of the quarter (I was nominated twice and won once) After I won, I was a little bummed. Where did that get me? NOWHERE…

I feel that the freelance I am doing now is gratifying, self-fulfilling, and certainly more entertaining. I have my small office in the basement, it’s warm, cozy, my cat’s visit on a regular basis, and I can exercise, do laundry, bake bread, clean, and run errands while I send artwork to be approved and changed by my clients.

Freelance isn’t for everyone, I believe you really have to have the mind for it, and the talent. I work weekends, because I love to work, and the schedule is all mine. Being busy makes me feel alive, gets my blood pumping, and my mind out of the negative…

Needless to say, I love it, and I’m glad I made the leap, and took the chance.

And my mortgage got approved 😉

Abra

 

If you need or like any of the designs in this blog post, or are looking for layout of your own book, or design for business reasons, or other, feel free to contact me…

abra@featherbookseries.com

or find me on elance: HERE and review my portfolio

My battle with bad dreams…My haunted bedroom…

So I mean, I’m a rational person, very rational. Lately, I’ve been having bad dreams, and I think it’s because I recently had to move to another room in my house because my master is being remodeled. This other room was where the previous owners had stayed while they built the house over a number of years in the 70’s. Needless to say, that relationship ended in divorce, so I think the old wife, left some serious bad mumbo jumbo in there, or SOMETHING.

SO, I talked to this gal who is really into energy work, very interesting to say the least, I actually really liked it. She says, that if you plant 12 curnels of corn, it will draw all the negative energy out of the house.

I went to the store, bought a whole ear of corn, and shuved it in the dirt…

Lol-and-behold, I’ve slept like a baby the last few nights…

Now…I write fantasy novels, so I should believe in such things, but in the real world, typically these things don’t happen. This fact is half my intrigue with writing fantasy, but now, at least mentally, it’s a half-truth. It’s sort of like taking a placebo and being told it will cure cancer and then miraculously the cancer goes away. The mind is a powerful thing, and it’s sort of scary…

anyways…

at least I can sleep.

MORE snow…

I actually braved going to work today, through at least a foot and a half of fresh snow, but at that height, your car acts like a pin ball between drifts, so it’s no that bad. Someone from Australia bought an e-book from me and I was jealous. I mean, IT’S THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER THERE! I remember how that was, nice sandy beaches and warm water…

Ahhh… Maybe I’ll have to go back one day

I feel like there are a lot of people out there, that could benefit from writing a book…

I was surfing various pages recently, and fell upon many topics like boredom and depression, etc etc. And a lot of the people I’ve met seem they could really benefit from writing, whether in a journal, or a novel. I know that when there’s someone in this world that really pisses me off, I like to write a book with them in it. It makes everything better, and gets it all out.

Hate your teacher? Write about it. Hate life? Write about it.

I’m really interested in some of the deepest thoughts people have. Especially when placed into a fictional setting. Making yourself into a fictional character allows you to fight through your own demons, whether literally, or metaphorically. You never know, maybe something will come of it…

The Best Flash Website Ever! This is so cool! and it’s a game!

I was searching flash sites for my dads adventure company, showing him the possibility’s that are out there and I came across this site.

It’s like watching the latest Pixar flick, and I can’t get enough of it! It’s a game, where the outcome is your choice… who knew milk was so fun!

its the “Got Milk” advertising campaign. amazing!

I’m tired of reading books where the author just likes to hear themselves talk?…

I’m tired of the pages after pages of ongoing and unnecessary graphic explanation. What that tells me is that the author simply can’t sum it up in a few powerful and elequently placed words…

I like a story that flows, from one fact to the next. My last great example is probably “The DaVinci Code”

this book, for as controversial as it was, was so entertaining, so many plot twists and expertly mapped out mysteries. I found myself compelled to analyze the paintings in question to find the answers myself.

I enjoy a read that is pure entertainment, controversy aside, and beliefs aside.

But back to my point, I’m tired of the novels with a forced 100,000 words, instead of the beautiful and powerful short story version.

I think its different when the 100,000 words end up being what it took to tell the compelling story, but what i think we are getting away from is the books natural order.

A book is done when its done, and thats it.

so happy writing…

The final “Twilight” book was so twisted. I thought I was in “Twister” the movie…and other good points…

Okay… Story ruined. As much as I liked the twist to gore, it was like watching Nip Tuck season three.

The story suddenly seemed forced, you lost the beauty of it and I feel people are still left grasping onto the sweet innocence of book one. I would have loved to see her cut out some of the gibberish from book three and end it there, end it with a mystery. Allow the viewers to actually use a little imagination.

Truthfully I have a hard time thinking that Vampire men have the means to make babies…

And also, Did anyone notice in book one AND the movies that OH Edward glitters in the sun, but then did you miss the part where he shows up to school on a rare sunny day and there was no Sparkle Sparkle??

and did everyone miss the day he carried her to the nurse when she fainted from the blood, her blood, that was on her…. and later we were led to believe he couldn’t even stand being in a five mile radius of her when shes bleeding….

and thats another good point, and perhaps this is going too far, but for five days out of everymonth did she just dissapear away from the family?? think about it. Menstral cycles aren’t forgiving, especially for vampire lovers. “Hey Edward, can you run to the store and buy me some tampons? or would you like to just…”

loopholes….loopholes…

I’m just trying to understand the fascination.

AE

I need help choosing my inside cover artwork! :)

so here are the choices, I need votes people! THANKS 🙂

A:

B:

 

Thanks…

I drew them last night right before I went to bed, and I need to know if their even worth it ha ha

The inspiration behind “Feather,” and no it’s not “Twilight!”

I’ve been getting a lot of flack recently, and its sort of heart breaking… I’ve noticed in the list of top searches that a lot of viewers are searching the two together…  but they are SO different…

I just want to clarify where the inspiration for my gook came from, and it wasn’t Twilight, I just read those books two weeks ago, it is impossible to write an entire novel that fast…

Fringe: on NBC. there are some seriously eerie things going on with that show right now, and its a huge HUGE inspiration for me right now, especially with Book Two, which I haven’t yet named, and I’m hoping to hols a contest for that.

Highlander: the immortal warrior movie with the wonderful Sean Connery. There is a lot of good stuff in that film, love it! its a classic. The main character loses his love and is forced not just to live one life, but an eternity without her. That’s horrible. That and when he kills the other highlanders he gains power, I was inspired by that too. Besides, both my characters are inhumanly talented, not just one, and they do a lot more than suck blood, act strong, and run fast, I assure you.

and then Ghost: the great love story that spans across even death. when EVER have you seen a movie where the main character dies in the beginning and you’re still compelled to watch it! Amazing use of an idea, and I love it.

I don’t want to spoil my book for anyone out there, but assure you, it has nothing in common other than the horrible happenstance that the two names seem the same, but here are my inspirations/reasons for the names:

Edgar: Was my grandfathers Name, he died last year after a battle with blood clots and pneumonia. I loved him, and he was a strong man, saved his family from the Nazi German’s with nothing more than a leather wallet. I owe my life to him.

Estella or Elle: Okay so anyone who’s seen Legally Blonde could relate, I love that name, and my main character is naturally platinum like me, and no I don’t like blonde jokes…

So this is my nasty “I really didn’t want to have to” explanation…

It’s just that I don’t like being overshadowed, though it happens. I appeal to another audience anyways. I don’t really recommend people under 17 read my book. It can get rather gory, and the story is complicated and heavily woven. Theres a lot more to my book than a human loving a vampire, and better yet, theres no mention of a vampire anywhere in it!

but it is based on a real location. A college called the North Cascades Institute, beautiful place. My parents have a Sea Plane travel company, so they went there. Anyone can finds inspiration from that alone…

Thanks!

AE