I also share posts here from my blog: (follow me there and never miss a post). Book Tag: Rapid Fire Book Tag (Updated) How is everyone holding up? It’s funny how as soon as you know you shouldn’t do something, you suddenly want to do it. As an introvert, self isolation isn’t too far from how I live anyway, but now that I know I shouldn’t leave the house– well, the world outside my door suddenly seems so much more enticing (not to worry– I’m staying home). I’m keeping busy with reading (The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett), writing/editing, playing games, packing (even though the move is on hold until…?)
, crocheting, and spending way too much time on Netflix and YouTube. It’s been a while since I’ve done a book tag, so I grabbed this one from A Geek Girl’s Guide. 1. Physical books for collecting, but an e-reader for reading. [Update: Paper pages also dry out my already dry hands! 2. Paperback for reading, hardback for collecting. 3. Online. [Update: I’m back to physical stores, as much as possible. 4.
Don’t care as long as the story is still good. 5. A complicated hero. 6. Mine, of course. 7. 8. 9. 10. Writing Collab: Moving (Aspasia S. Bissas & Peter Wyn Mosey) Finding time for writing has been difficult these days, as I’m packing and preparing to move (and still looking for a new place too– yikes). But I did manage this quick collaboration with Peter Wyn Mosey. What do you think? Moving Moving, always moving, from place to place. Accumulating more but never keeping it, never keeping anything of value. She kept looking for something, something true, something worth staying for. Something she would never find. Moving to escape the lonely places, but they always followed. Read Peter’s response piece here. Cheers, Aspasía S. My Books Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart Blood Magic Tooth & Claw (Links take you to all available stores. Just a quick post to wish you all a happy long weekend! Sorry my post is a bit late– in my defence, I’ve been mostly caught up in reading (a Marian Keyes novel that I expected to read slowly, but can’t put down).
Speaking of reading, I’m happy to say I completed the library reading challenge with a week to spare! It was a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to joining any future challenges they organize. I chose today’s photo in honour of the little frog we saw yesterday. When we tried to move them off the path (for their safety), they hopped away into the underbrush. I hope we didn’t ruin their basking time (but they were easy to miss and we didn’t want anyone stepping on them).
Oh, and I also want to mention that I’ve just started on season 7 of my Supernatural Reviews over on The View from the Junkyard. Frontierland (season 6) Meet the New Boss (season 7 premiere) Spotlight on Rachel Miner (not a review, but still Supernatural related) What are you reading lately? Aspasía S. IWD: Taking Credit. Some writers work for money. Some work for the sake of the art. But if there’s one thing just about all writers expect in return for their work, it’s credit.
Unfortunately, this basic acknowledgement of a person’s contribution to the world isn’t always accorded to women. The French writer Colette’s first husband, after encouraging her to pursue writing, went ahead and took credit for her work. “Anonymous,” a published author, recounts how at a meeting in Hollywood with actors and a showrunner (all male), her story was casually taken, altered just enough, and used for their own benefit without consideration or credit to her. Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of F. Sadly, these are only three examples of women not getting the credit they’re due.
Cheers, Aspasía S. Further Reading The Life of French Writer Colette Colette Only Shows a Sliver of Colette’s Eventual Love Life– Here’s the Rest This Side of Plagiarism The First Flapper: Zelda Fitzgerald #ThanksforTyping: the women behind famous male writers. Writing Collab: Passing By (short fiction) I took part in another writing collaboration with Peter Wyn Mosey: She saw him. She hadn’t been expecting it. He was walking along the street, hands in his coat pockets, face turned up to the bright autumn sun. He looked happy. Happier than anyone should look.
Happier than anyone had a right to in this world. Read the rest: Writing Collab #16: Passing By Cheers, Aspasía S. Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart Blood Magic Tooth & Claw (Links take you to all available stores. How to Move a Book Collection. As someone who’s moved enough times that I’ve lost count, I have plenty of experience in the unenviable task of moving a large book collection. It’s easy enough to move books when you have only a few– you can tuck them in with other belongings, or pack a box or two. But what if you have hundreds or thousands? Get ready for a lot of work… Start Early Start packing your books as soon as you know you’ll be moving, because it’s a slower process than it seems. Sort As You Go Normally I would never advise getting rid of books, but when you have to move them, sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.
Use the Right Boxes Size: I’ve had movers tell me that bigger, heavier (but fewer) boxes are preferable; others have complained about the weight after the first dozen or so. New or Recycled: Either is fine as long as they’re strong, clean, and dry. Other options: Some people recommend using rolling suitcases instead of boxes. Packing Label Leave a Few Out In the Truck Store Them Tip Your Movers. A Vampire's Face Reconstructed. Meet John Barber, an alleged vampire from 19th century Connecticut (USA). When Barber’s grave was discovered and investigated about 30 years ago in Griswold, Connecticut, some strange things were found. At some point the man had been dug up and reburied. When his body was put back, his head and femurs were placed on his ribcage, skull-and-crossbones-style. In other words, a vampire burial. In life, Barber was probably an innocent farmer who lived a hard life and died relatively young (55). As part of what may be the only scientific study in the US of a vampire’s remains, DNA testing helped identify Barber.
While Barber may not have been an actual vampire, seeing his image both humanizes him and leads to some intriguing (if not entirely appropriate) speculation. Have you heard of Barber or The Connecticut vampire? Further Reading Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart *Blood Magic *Tooth & Claw (Links take you to all available stores. The mystery of a Connecticut ‘vampire’ has been solved Cheers, 10-Word Story Challenge. 10-Word Story Challenge I was inspired to take part in a 10-Word Story Challenge after Alexander Writes posted about it (make sure you check out his blog and give him a like and follow).
Of course, as with all good intentions, things kept getting in the way. But better late than never, so here is my 10-word story: They were warned. They did it anyway. How did I do? News I have a new blog! Hope to see you there 🙂 Check out my longer fiction: download my books! Bleeding Heart Love Lies Bleeding *Blood Magic *Tooth & Claw (Links take you to all available stores.
Cheers, Aspasia S. Vampire's Garden: Bloodweed (AKA Giant Ragweed) Love Lies Bleeding‘s readers know that main character Mara is both a vampire and a botanist. Trained when she was still human, she continues to study plants and have a garden. This post is nineteenth in a series exploring Mara’s plants. Are you interested in botany, gardening, or plant lore? So are some vampires… Please note: Medicinal uses are given for informational purposes only.
Botanical Name Ambrosia trifida Common Names Giant ragweed, great ragweed, tall ragweed, blood ragweed, perennial ragweed, horseweed, buffalo weed, bitterweed, horse cane, kinghead, Texan great ragweed, herbe du sang History Giant ragweed is native to (and widespread in) North America, although it has also made it to Europe and Asia as an introduced species. Language of Flowers Meaning Your love is reciprocated Cultivation As a common weed that many people are allergic to, it’s best not to cultivate bloodweed, or any other type of ragweed. Uses Animals: Horses, deer, and rabbits all eat the foliage. Mara’s Uses. How much can you trust what a vampire says?
How to Get Books Cheap or Free. You might remember a few months back when a certain minimalism peddler debuted her show on Netflix and then went ahead and called books clutter, telling people they should get rid of all but a laughably small number in their homes. Yeah, I wasn’t impressed, either. And neither was writer Anakana Schofield, who tweeted that “every human needs a v extensive library.” You’d think people would rally around that kind of noble sentiment, but before Ms Schofield had finished hitting send on the tweet, people were calling her out as “elitist” for suggesting people needed their own home library. Allow me to gently point out that “needs” an extensive library does not mean “must have” or even “should get.” But whatever your stance on the issue, if you agree that books clutter up your empty space, please feel free to forward them to me (seriously, though, please give them to someone–don’t feed landfills for the sake of a minimalist aesthetic).
Now, how can you get books cheap (or free)? Estate Sales. Night of the Vampires: 30 November. 30 November is the Feast Day of Saint Andrew, which is generally associated with winter festivals, school holidays, divination, and religious ceremonies. In Romania, the day is also associated with vampires and other malevolent forces. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Romania (and elsewhere), and his day there is both honoured and feared. It marks the beginning of winter, and because of the saint’s association with wolves, there’s a belief that wolves are particularly strong and bloodthirsty on this night. Another belief is that the veil between life and death is thin on 30 November, and the spirits of the dead can slip into this world. But along with spirits, other beings can also come through, including vampires and the undead. The vampires spend their newfound freedom tormenting people and animals, doing everything from ruining harvests, to bringing disease, to actually attacking and killing people and animals.
Want a safe way to spend the night with vampires? Love Lies Bleeding St. Mosquitoes: Vampires that Really Suck. It’s that time of year again– when the sun is shining, birds are singing, and mosquitoes are biting. When you can’t seek out a patch of shade without being attacked by the voracious pests, let alone venture out after the sun goes down. If you’re unlucky, you’re the type they find irresistible, or have an unusually bad reaction to their bites. If you’re really unlucky, you’re one of the 700,000 to 1 million people a year they kill, thanks to all the diseases they spread (including malaria, West Nile Virus, dengue fever…) Mosquitoes suck. Even an avid fan of bloodsuckers like I am can’t stand the little bastards.
They give vampires a bad name. Is There Anything Good about Mosquitoes? Surprisingly, yes. You likely already know that only female mosquitoes bite, and that’s only when they need the extra protein for their eggs. Mosquitoes are also an important food source for animals ranging from bats and dragonflies to hummingbirds (did you know hummingbirds ate insects? What You Can Do Cheers, Vampire's Garden: Bleeding Fairy Helmet.
Love Lies Bleeding‘s readers know that main character Mara is both a vampire and a botanist. Trained when she was still human, she continues to study plants and have a garden. This post is eighteenth in a series exploring Mara’s plants. Are you interested in botany, gardening, or plant lore? So are some vampires… Please note: Medicinal uses are given for informational purposes only. Botanical Name Mycena haematopus (is also known as Agaricus haematopus, Galactopus haematopus, and Mycena haematopus var. marginata) Common Names Bleeding Mycena, burgundydrop bonnet, blood-foot mushroom, bleeding bellcap History Common in Europe, North America, and parts of Asia, Bleeding Fairy Helmet was first officially described in 1799. Language of Flowers Meaning None. Cultivation Uses Medicinal: The mushrooms contain alkaloid compounds that are being studied for potential antimicrobial, anti-fungal, and anti-tumor uses.
Inspiration: Use it for artistic inspiration, like this user on Reddit did: Mara’s Uses. Vampire Dinner Party. Halloween is only a few days away (already?!) And for those of us not trick-or-treating, parties are usually the alternative. But if you’re going to have a party, why not make it a dinner party? And if you’re going to have a dinner party, why not make it a vampire dinner party? Okay, a real vampire dinner party would probably consist of a bunch of defenceless humans on the menu and not much else. Luckily, authenticity is not the goal here. For your vampire dinner party, all you need is some themed food, imagination, and maybe a red or black tablecloth.
Tips: Your food choices can be as easy as regular recipes given creepy names (“worms with blood sauce” for spaghetti, for example). Here are some recipes you can try: Appetizers Pureed Borscht Puff Pastry Baked Brie with Jam Eyeball Devilled Eggs Roasted Garlic Crostini with Assorted Toppings Sides Persian Salad with Pomegranate Tomato Kabobs Easy Coconut Rice (“Maggots”) Plain Chow Mein (“Worms”) Mains Rigatoni Pasta and Tomato Sauce Desserts Drinks. The Things You Miss. Buffy’s been on my mind lately. Not only because it’s been in the news with the recent cancellation, and then Nicholas Brendon’s death, but also because I just finished re-watching it for the umpteenth time. Along with Angel— and now Firefly. And in all the many times of watching the shows, I never noticed that these characters… Are all the same actor, Jonathan M.
Woodward. A lot of the Buffy and Angel actors also make appearances on Supernatural (which I note in my reviews). Like spotting connections between stories? Have I missed anything else obvious? Cheers, Aspasía S. Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart *Blood Magic *Tooth & Claw (Links take you to all available stores. Mara & Lee, Love Lies Bleeding. 52 Must-See Vampire Movies. Vampire's Garden: Chamomile.
Quote of the Day 2. The A to Z Bookish Survey. Vampire's Garden: Dock. My Other Writing. Vampire's Garden: St. John's Wort. Last Meal for a Vampire. Vampire's Garden: Lavender. Vampire's Garden: Comfrey. Vampire's Garden: Love Lies Bleeding. §. Review: Blood Magic. Literary Perfumes. Review of Love Lies Bleeding by Vamped.org. Review by Taliesin Meets the Vampires. My website. Love Lies Bleeding by Aspasia S. Bissas.