Cezanne "Bathers at Rest" at Barnes

Each time I go to the Barnes Foundation, as I did yesterday, I am almost overwhelmed by the Cezanne paintings (also by the Renoirs, the Matisses, the Picassos, the Rousseaus, the Van Goghs, the El Grecos, even the Glackens', etc.). There are so many Cezannes, and they span his career so there are different styles, that I come away awestruck again. Deja vu as they say.

Cezanne painted many subjects, landscapes, still life, portraits, and nudes (often bathers). Each type of subject has its own charms and contribution to his style. Today I am featuring a fairly well-known painting from 1875-1876 called Bathers at Rest. The male bathers lounging around a pond with Mont Sainte-Victoire, a frequent subject of Cezanne's landscapes, in the background, was groundbreaking in composition, color, and paint-handling when it was shown at the Third Impressionist Exhibition in 1877. It's one to be seen in person.

You can see some of my 3-D mixed media paintings on my website at www.jayrolfe.com/.

Got anything good to eat?

You're home from school and you are one hungry person, aren't you? What to eat? Chips? Candy bar? No. If you're going to eat something, make it at least a little healthy. How about a fast, fried burrito? Here's the easy recipe:

Take a flour tortilla and a can of refried beans. Smear a few tablespoons of beans on the tortilla. Then sprinkle some shredded cheese over the top - doesn't matter what kind.

Now add any of these that sound good to you:

chopped onions
black olives
chopped green chilis
picante sauce
sour cream
corn

Or if you want to get wild, try any of one these:

chopped pickles
tuna fish
leftover stir-fry rice
french fries
spaghetti sauce

scrambled eggs

Hey, be bold, you never know what kind of a great dish you'll be inventing!

Now fold the sides over about an inch, and roll them up length-wise.

Repeat once or twice more until you think you'll have enough burritos to get rid of that growling belly.

The best part is next. Get a frying pan and melt a little butter or oil or both - about one tablespoon coating the bottom of the pan - and add the rolled up, stuffed tortillas to the pan. Fry over medium-low heat until the bottom is lightly browned, then flip and brown that side. Frying them makes all the difference in yummy factor.

You can slice these up as snacks to dip in picante sauce or sour cream. Or you can just wrap them up in a paper towel and munch on them whole while you're reading that great new ebook you just got. Nom nom. Have a glass of milk with that, and maybe an apple to munch on after and you're good for a few hours.

Don't worry if you make too many burritos to eat in one sitting. They're pretty filling. Just save the leftovers and take one to school tomorrow.

What's your favorite tasty, easy-to-make, and healthy after-school favorite? Leave us a comment. We just might just put together a little Teen Foods recipe book if we get lots of great ideas to share.

Barnes Foundation - Picasso, Renoir, Matisse, and Cezanne

Today I'm at the Barnes Foundation in Merion PA. It's a great way to celebrate my birthday! I love being at the Barnes. I feel so good, and inspired too. In case you don't know, the collection included the largest number of Matisse paintings in any collection in the world, 59. I believe it also has the largest number of Cezanne paintings in any collection in the world at 69. The Barnes also has by far the largest number of Renoir paintings in any collection in the world at an astounding 181.

Almost missed in the excitement over Renoir, Cezanne, and Matisse is the large number of significant Picasso paintings, 46. That's a huge number by any standard. There are also paintings by El Greco, Titian, Rubens, Degas, Van Gogh, Rousseau, Seurat, Soutine, Modigliani, Manet, Monet, and American Horace Pippin of West Chester PA. Here is the Barnes Foundation website: http://www.barnesfoundation.org/

I've featured one of my favorites, Matisse's Le Bonheur de Vivre (The Joy of Life) several times in the past, so today I'll show Modigliani's Reclining Nude From The Back, painted in 1917.

You can view some of my 3-D paintings on my website at www.jayrolfe.com/.

Pixie Preview

It's Friday and I'm happy to jump back into Teen-Seen! Fridays were important to me during high school. As the marching band drum major, it meant a pep rally and a football game in the fall - preferably a home game where we could march the halftime show - and then getting goofy after the game while not getting caught doing anything too troublesome. In the winter, we took a pep band to the basketball games - lots of fun! - followed by more goofiness. This Friday is great because I'm leaving for the beach to relax and brainstorm with a writing buddy. I don't plan on swimming at this time of year, but we'll have fun walking and watching the waves for dolphins.

What's your favorite way to spend a Friday?

Since Pixie Chicks is a short story (and a heck of a value at only $2!) I chose an excerpt from page 5 rather than page 59:

While Austin confirmed the evening's details once more, Brie opened the instrument locker they shared, reaching past the flutes, piccolo, and text books to find her brush. Checking the small mirror, she tucked away the platinum blonde wisps already working free of her barrette. When the first bell sounded, the four girls walked as a unit from the band room, toward their respective homerooms. Brie sighed, relieved she'd dodged an inquisition when Claire asked, "Where's your necklace?"

"Oh!" She patted herself where the pendant should've been. "Must've forgotten it." The second bell sounded, momentarily saving her from the slew of questions dancing in Claire's vivid green eyes. "Later," she mouthed.

The pendant she'd won for outstanding service to the band program in junior high had been around her neck every day since. Until that chilling moment today, when she'd found a cut and paste 'ransom' note stuck to her dresser where she always placed her necklace at bedtime.

There are four girls in the group, Brianna (Brie), Claire, Lana, and Austin. They've been friends practically forever and know each other inside and out. Platinum-headed Brie is the plotter of the team – a responsible kid but she's got a gift for organizing and a way of turning everything into an adventure. Trust me, all the girls noticed the absence of the ever-important necklace and you'll enjoy the journey she makes to recover it.

Just for fun, here are some answers to FAQ about the Pixie Chicks:

Ms. Black, did you have a pack of friends like the Pixie Chicks in high school?

Well, you have to realize dinosaurs roamed the earth during my teen years. The pterodactyl patrol made it especially difficult for us band geeks to sneak into our Hobbitville.

Do any of the Pixie Chicks have a greyhound?

Not yet, but stay tuned for an unforgettable appearance of a 'greyt' dog. You can read about the many real dogs in my life at my website.

Who is your favorite Pixie?

Oh, not fair! I'd happily count any of them as a friend – or even a daughter. Although, when you factor in Lana's insomnia...

Happy Friday!

Regan

Pixies are shaking things up at Quake!

Springs in science.

In Friday's showing assembly we talked about springs and showed examples of the different kinds of springs there are to be found in everyday objects.We learnt that there are two main types of springs. Compression springs as used in biros and staplers, and extension springs as used in trampolines and Newton meters.

Who's Who in Renoir's The Luncheon of the Boating Party

First, here's a link to Renoir's The Luncheon of the Boating Party on the website of the Phillips Collection which I featured in my post on Tuesday. http://www.phillipscollection.org/collection/boating/index.aspx

Second, on Tuesday I mentioned that art history people know the identity of all the people pictured in Renoir's The Luncheon of the Boating Party. Here's a link to the info. http://www.phillipscollection.org/collection/boating/whoswho.aspx Also, I'm including the diagram here, and the text below.

"The Luncheon of the Boating Party includes youthful, idealized portraits of Renoir's friends and colleagues as they relax at the Maison Fournaise restaurant. Wearing a top hat, the amateur art historian, collector, and editor Charles Ephrussi (8) speaks with a younger man in a more casual brown coat and cap. He may be Ephrussi's personal secretary, Jules Laforgue (5), a poet and critic.

At center, the actress Ellen Andrée (6) drinks from a glass. Across from her in a brown bowler hat is Baron Raoul Barbier (4), a bon vivant and former mayor of colonial Saigon. He is turned toward the smiling woman at the railing, thought to be Alphonsine Fournaise (3), the proprietor's daughter. She and her brother, Alphonse Fournaise, Jr. (2), who handled the boat rentals, wear straw boaters'. They are placed within, but at the edge of, the party. At the upper right, the artist Paul Lhote (12) and the bureaucrat Eugène Pierre Lestringuez (11) seem to be flirting with actress Jeanne Samary (13).

In the foreground, Renoir included a youthful portrait of his fellow artist, close friend, and wealthy patron, Gustave Caillebotte (9), who sits backwards in his chair and is grouped with the actress Angèle (7) and the Italian journalist Maggiolo (10). Caillebotte, an avid boatman and sailor, wears a white boater's shirt and flat-topped boater's. He gazes at a young woman cooing at her dog. She is Aline Charigot (1), a seamstress Renoir had recently met and would later marry. "

You can view some of my shaped 3-D paintings on my website at www.jayrolfe.com/.

O quarto da Chris e o quarto do Rafa

Meninas, estou em Belo Horizonte. E qual não foi a minha surpresa quando vi o quarto dos meus primos.
A Chris tem 14 anos e adora tudo o que vem do Japão, principalmente a música. Participa de festivais, tem cosplay e é totalmente fascinada com o Kyo. O quarto não podia ser diferente, todo estilo japa:

Já o Rafinha tem 11 anos, e é o tipo adolescente precoce:

Achei superlegal duas coisas:

1- Eles mesmos decoraram seus quartos, com criatividade, e muita personalidade.

2 - Eles tiveram permissão pra isso!

Parabéns meninos, adorei!

Searching For A Starry Night on Grill Today at Book Roast blog

Hear that sizzle?

I'm being roasted, grilled and put to the test today. Come see what's cooking today at the Book Roast blog.

Stop by and read a new excerpt from Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery.

** Visitors can take a chance! Answer a question at the Book Roast blog and you may win a copy of Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery or get a copy from Quake.

See you at the grill and bring your chef's hat. It seems to be up late so stop by mid-morning.

El Greco and Goya at the Phillips

The Phillips Collection, which I visited on Saturday in Washington DC, calls itself "a museum of both modern art and its sources." Some of its sources are old masters including El Greco and Goya who painted the same dramatic subject, "The Repentant St. Peter," about 200 years apart.

The top painting is by Doménikos Theotokópoulos, known as El Greco, painted in 1600-1605. The lower painting is by Francisco Jose de Goya painted in 1820-1824. They are displayed in the same huge gallery with a number of other older paintings by famous artists, but at different ends of the gallery. Both are very powerful paintings when seen in person. I hope you take the opportunity to see them at the Phillips Collection.

You can view some of my 3-D mixed media paintings on my website at www.jayrolfe.com/.

Phillips Collection, Renoir

On Saturday I visited the Phillips Collection in Washington DC. I was struck again by what is perhaps their most famous painting, Luncheon of the Boating Party by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It is large, animated, brilliantly colored, and depicts a fun scene with recognizable people (if you've studied impressionist art history) painted in 1880-1881. Every time I visit the Phillips Collection I am wowed by this painting. It's beautiful!

Of course, there are many other great paintings in the collection, ones you will recognize from art books you may have seen.

You can see some of my 3-D paintings on my website at www.jayrolfe.com/.

Introducing Sam Morton

Yo, yo! What Up? Slammin’ Sammy is in the hiz’ouse with a little sumpn, sumpn.

Okay, that’s the extent of my effort to be “hip.”

By way of introduction, I am Sam Morton, a member of the Quake team of teen fiction/young adult authors. I am a former professional wrestler, trained by the Fabulous Moolah who, for 25 years was the WWE women’s champion. For ten years I wrestled people like Wahoo McDaniel and Ivan Koloff. Out of the current crop of superstars, I wrestled two who are still around—Rob Van Dam and Viscera.

So how did I come into writing as a profession? Two words—Pat Conroy, author of such books as Beach Music and The Lords of Discipline (both Hollywood feature films). Conroy went to The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, and so did I. If you don’t consider yourself a reader, go to the library and pick up one of Conroy’s books. You will, as I did, immediately fall in love with words and language. He is a masterful writer. He’s a transformative writer. Read him, and your life will change. Mine did.

My first novel, Disavowed, came out in 2006. Besides being a pro wrestler, I was also a homicide cop for ten years. Disavowed is an adult crime novel, a police thriller based on my experience.

What made me want to try young adult fiction? Simple. I had a story to tell, and it has to do with a remarkable, inspirational 15-year-old young man named Austin Pierce Whetsell.

In my newest novel, Betrayed, (due out in August of 2009, BTW), it’s an election year and Senator Ben “Pitchfork” Stevens from Texas made a campaign promise to stop illegal immigration. He virtually has. Problem is, people trying to cross the border seem to disappear. That’s a dilemma for 15-year-old Austin Pierce whose father is a political consultant and whose best friend, Rico Alvarez, happens to be in the United States illegally. When Austin discovers Rico’s beautiful cousin Veronica helps people cross over illegally, he faces a decision: should he help his friends or help the FBI to stop the senator? Either path could lead to danger, even death.

The real Austin went on a mission trip to help renovate a church in Mexico. Just before the work week began, he and the guys from his youth group decided to go swimming in the ocean. Before heading to the beach, Austin called his grandfather to tell him about the trip so far. At the end of that call, he said, “Grandpa, what if God intends me to do this the rest of my life?” Two hours later, Austin was gone forever, caught in a rip current and swept out to sea.

His last words haunt me and I knew his story needed to be told, his spirit of helping others carried forward. And so, Austin Pierce, the teen spy, was born. Betrayed is only book one from The Austin Files. Look for another adventure to soon follow, thus Austin Whetsell and the example he set lives on.

You may find it surprising that adults could find true inspiration in the example of young adults. But if you’re a teen reading his, give yourself more credit. There are people around you with incredible courage, resolve, and determination. And if you look inside, you just may find it in yourself.

Berthe Morisot

This week has been one of those weeks that we all occasionally have. I seem to have spent all my days running around, firstly with the exhibition we have on at the moment, secondly with trying to get my visa and passport in order so that I can leave next week and thirdly with all the shopping I've had to do - that was nice though, I love buying presents to take over. The shop assistants think you're nuts when you test the weight of each thing you buy! And on top of that, the weather has been energy draining hot!

I've started a few paintings in between all the chaos, but nothing is finished. I was looking at Jo Ann Elig's blog at a recent post when she did a copy of a well known American artist, William Merritt Chase's work. In class about two months ago, we were given a project to also do a Master, so I thought, in lieu of not having a really new painting to post, I would put this up.

It's a copy of a Berthe Morisot painting, Lady at her Toilette and I found it one of the most difficult things to do - copy another's work. In the end, you tend to put a bit of yourself into it and it shows if you go to the original.

An Interview with Marlis Day

You can buy The Secret of Bailey's Chase by clicking here.

National Portrait Gallery

I spent the weekend in Washington DC visiting art museums, one of my favorite pastimes. My photo of the day is one I had another visitor take of me at the National Portrait Gallery. You probably read in the newspaper that this iconic portrait of Barack Obama was recently donated to the National Portrait Gallery. It's a mixed media stenciled collage by Los Angeles artist Shepard Fairey.

You can view some of my 3-D paintings at www.jayrolfe.com/.

What do you think of 'zines?

We're trying one out for Team Quake news and you can take a peek at our first Aftershock by clicking here.

If you want to sign up for the 'zine mailing list, you can go here. As a bonus for signing up, you'll get a free pdf of Death Match by Quake author, Sam Morton. It's an especially good read for guys who like wrestling, and it's got a scary real-life challenge in it, too. Happy ending though.

If you liked that read, you can take a look at some more of our downloads at the Quake Publishing site.

How do you read your downloads? Leave us a comment here.

Procura-se um decalque desesperadamente!

Meninas, fiz todo um planejamento pra umas cadeiras, comecei a pintar e eis que me deparo com um problema: não consigo achar decalque! Sabe aqueles decalques de fruta, que eram tão comuns? Alguém sabe onde acho?

Cynthia's Attic: Curse of the Bayou

Curse of the Bayou is book three in the award-winning young reader time-travel series, Cynthia's Attic.

Hope you enjoy reading page 59!
------------------------
Twelve-year-old best friends travel through the magic trunk in Cynthia's attic to a 1914 Louisiana bayou searching for Cynthia's great-grandfather, Beau Connor. Discovering a connection between Beau and Buzzard Jack LaBuse, the meanest, orneriest pirate this side of the Mississippi, leads to a heart-stopping confrontation to recover a long-lost treasure and lift a family curse.
------------------------------------------

Curse of the Bayou: Page 59

How do you reckon they got here, son?"

"Like I told you, Ma, I found them here in the hayloft, all nestled down like they were fixin' to take a nap."

"Well, what do you suppose we should do? Wake them, or let them sleep? I hate to disturb those angelic faces…oh, my heavens! Jay! You don't think they're dead, do you?"

I heard the word, dead, and sat straight up. "No! We're not dead, and who are you?"

"Now, listen here. I'll do the talking if you don't mind."

A tall, thin young man in overalls, resting one arm on a pitchfork, looked down at us. With that deadly weapon in his grasp, I decided to shut my mouth…for the moment.

"What? Where are we?" Cynthia regained consciousness and did a double-take.

A plump, older woman in a huge white apron answered, "You're on the Conner farm, dearie. I'm Samantha Conner and this is my son, Jay.

No wonder Cynthia was speechless. I wasn't too familiar with her mother's family, but their name was Conner, and I'd heard mention of Samantha, Cynthia's great-grandmother. Her grandfather was nicknamed Jay by his dad who thought that 'John Joseph' was too showy for a farmer's son. This might also explain why the man we were looking for, her great-grandfather, Aloysius Beauregard Conner, went by Beau.

-----------------------------------
And that's a sampling of Mary Cunningham Books

To purchase Cynthia's Attic: Curse of the Bayou, click here

Well, duh, moment on the grey pics. Here's 0ur current king of the couch. He's been with us for six years and is as relaxed and lovable and goofy as they come. He thinks it's his job to teach all the fosters how to bark (greys aren't usually big on the barking).
It's kinda hard to believe from this view, but the new foster girl (just two years old) likes to climb up and annoy him into moving. With characters like this in my world, it's no wonder they find their way into my stories.

Woof to all the pets who like to cuddle with us while we read!
Regan
Power up your inner Pixie!
The Pixie Chicks is now available at Quake!

A Casa de Madeira

Meninas, no blog Vi por aí me deparei com a questão: optar ou não numa casa de madeira?

A casa de madeira realmente é linda de se ver e parece muito aconchegante. MAS... Bom, eu já falei que moro numa casa de uns 200 anos, então tem muita madeira, assoalho, forro, estrutura... O fato é que estou traumatizada com madeira! Tive uma invasão de cupins! Já imaginaram o que é cupim numa casa assim? Os criados do meu quarto foram embora (as gavetas eram forradas com contact e quando eu vi, já era), virou lixo mesmo! Meu sofá também foi pro lixo. Esse tudo bem, eu já queria trocar mesmo. E agora estou revezando os móveis que vão pra área de serviço receber cupinicida. Nesse momento, tudo o que eu queria era uma casa sem nenhuma madeira, nenhuma madeira mesmo, até os móveis tubulares estão me encantando mais! Não entendam isso como revolta com a minha casa! A revolta é só com os cupins. Talvez, quando eu vencer essa guerra eu até olhe com mais boa vontade pra uma casa de madeira...

Prepare for Pixies

Four very different girls are best friends and so inseparable the drum major for the marching band dubbed them The Pixie Chicks when they were freshmen. Together they face the typical challenges of high school (homework and guys) and the atypical mysteries of the secret band hangout known as Hobbitville (how DO those statues become portals?)

Inspiration for the series came from my teenage nights spent sneaking about my hometown on several covert missions through a very unique neighbor's garden. I don't think there's a statute of limitations on trespassing, but still - Shhh, don't tell! No, sadly in our case the garden statuary didn't transport us to other cool gardens, or launch us into curious mysteries, but the risky fun we had made for great adventures – at least in our minds. LOL.

Naturally, each of the characters has their own issues and agendas, but one of my favorite quirks is Austin's ability to know every detail about every hot guy in the vicinity. The other Pixies find this informative and amusing, and more than a little scary. After all, Austin doesn't look like a stalker!

As for me, Regan, I'll be posting to the Teen Seen on Fridays. You can wait for blurbs here, or find out more about me and my books at my website. For example: we foster retired racing greyhounds (you can expect a few to pop up in future Pixie tales), have two keeper greyhounds at the moment, two cats, a parakeet (who is sure he's a small, feathered person) and two finches. It's a little like Noah's ark meets a petting zoo, without the admission fee (or the reptiles). Hmmm...maybe I should change that - the fee, not the reptiles!

Happy reading,

Regan

_________________

To buy this $2 e-book click here!

Kids (& Characters) Just Wanna Have Fun

I'm working on a long-belated project - digging out photos of the miniatures that are mentioned in my book, Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery. Okay, call it a "forgotten" project, coming soon to a blog near you.

This got me thinking about the kinds of things we do in our spare time for fun. Characters, too. After all, who wants to read about someone that does absolutely nothing? BO-RING!

Being curious, my character, Sam and her bff Lita, find themselves enjoying their search for the missing miniature replica of Van Gogh's famous painting, "Starry Night." (That's it pictured. Yes, it's a real oil painting done by an artist. See some other Van Gogh related things in miniature at my blog).

When they finally get into the cranky housekeeper's home by a ruse Sam thought was pretty clever (at first), they discover a whole new world, okay, a small world.

You see, the housekeeper Mrs. Drake is a dollhouse miniatures collector. Why? Because I the author am, too.

The fun of writing is being able to share your own interests, and let the characters - and you, the reader - explore new places, things, and ideas. Even the characters get to have fun and "play" a little.

Life - fictional and real - shouldn't be all work, and no play. So, don't forget to have some fun today, okay?

* Your Turn: What's your hobby? What do you like to do in your spare time?

-- Christine Verstraete is author of Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery

You can buy the book by clicking here.

Meus primeiros selinhos

Recebi estes selinhos da Rosana, do Filhas da Pucka, o que me deixou muito feliz, já que sou tão novinha por aqui.

E como tenho que repassá-lo para 8 amigas blogueiras, nada mais justo que repassá-los a quem me inspirou a começar a blogar:

Mari Mari - Brincando de Casinha

Viviany - Dona House

Elisa - Ela fala e sai andando

Vi por aí

Ana - Prendadas
Lú - Stúdio da Lú

Isabella Kastrup - Arrumadíssimo

Mel - Casa da Mel

Obrigada pela inspiração!

Introductions

I’ve posted on this blog before, but it’s been a while, and since you’re going to be seeing a lot more of me here, I figured I’d do some introductions. These sorts of things are always easier to do in an interview format, but, unfortunately, my husband is busy watching Gettysburg and my pets are, rather fortunately, still without human speech. So, I’ve decided to interview myself.

Me: Thanks so much for being here today, Jackie.
Me: And thank you for having me, Jackie. It’s my pleasure.

Me: So, tell me a little about myself.
Me: Well, I like to tell people I’m first and foremost an author. I have a great book in print, published by Quake, called Surviving Serendipity. It’s a YA fantasy about a young woman who finds out she isn’t who—or even what—she thought she was on her 21st birthday, and then, while she’s still recovering from that little shock, has to save the world.

I’m also working on getting my werewolf thriller trilogy and YA supernatural romance published. Until Oprah starts returning my calls, though, I’m still holding down a day job as a professional vampire; or, to say it in Latin, a phlebotomist.

Me: So, why YA?
Me: Honestly, it’s kind of subconscious. I originally wrote Surviving Serendipity as an adult novel, but my publisher put forth the idea of marketing it as a YA novel. And when I sat down and thought about it, I realized, you know what? This works! I’m still very much a teenager at heart; you can usually find me on the weekends in jeans and a tee from Threadless with some smart alecky saying on the front.
To go a little deeper, I had an absolutely miserable time in high school, so much so that I didn’t even attend my own graduation ceremony—I couldn’t wait another minute to get out of that place. Books were my escape. I could follow along with characters who were ordinary on the outside, but had a special secret or talent that led them on amazing adventures. Imagining I was like that, too, was one of the only things that got me through. Those are the kind of stories I still love, and so I write them, too…and a part of me hopes that it gives a teen who’s currently going through the same stuff I did something to draw on to get them through the next day.

Me: So, what’s it like, being an author?
Me: Well, for me, it’s equal parts rock star and reality check. When I do book festivals and in-person events, I never get tired of hearing, “Wow. You’re the author?” But there’s a lot of work involved, nasty dirty work like marketing and promotion. Writing the book is the easy part.

Me: So, where can people buy your book?
Me: Lots of places! You can go here, which is the direct site of Quake. You can also get it on Amazon, and if your local bookstore doesn’t have it, they can order it for you. And if you’re lucky enough to live in South Carolina, I’ll be at the South Carolina Book Festival in Columbia, SC, February 28-March 1.

Me: So, when will we see you again?
Me: I’ll be here the first and third Monday of every month. I also have my own blog, Serendipitous Times. Plus, you can:
Visit my website, SylvaniaMania.
Be my friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Follow me on Twitter.

And don’t forget—there’ll be lots of other Quake authors showing up here, so make sure you subscribe and click on Follow Me in the left column!

My First Blog

Hi,

I'm writing from cold, icy Indiana, wondering why I'm here when I could be in Florida or Arizona. Oh yes, I just remembered. It's because my family lives near me and I would miss them too much if I left this area. Oh well, winter affords a great time to write.

I'm in the process of promoting my new middle-age novel, The Secret of Bailey's Chase. I've been calling schools and inviting myself to come for a visit. So far, I have plans to visit a few places this spring when the weather breaks. In the meanwhile, I'll keep working on the sequel.

Cheers,
Marlis Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To buy this book click here.

Glimpse into Missing

Okay, here's a treat for you.

In just a couple short weeks, Echelon Press will introduce the anthology Missing at the Love is Murder Conference in Chicagoland. I'm all excited because it will include a story of mine with the characters from my Adventures of Guy series.

All of the stories are about missing people, and all profits will benefit a missing persons organization.

If you're like that kid before Christmas and you just can't wait, I'm gonna let you take a peek under the wrapping at my story.

And check back here soon - I'm going to post the beginning of Fang Face, humor and vampire and teens and all that.

Here goes:

The MisAdventures of Guy
By Norm Cowie

Thurman sipped his beer and tried to watch the blur of Umberto’s fingers on the frets. After a moment, he gave up and turned his attention back to the television. Umberto had exactly three talents. He was a physics whiz, he could wiggle his ears and he could play Guitar Hero like no one else.

Umberto’s fingers flew with the speed of gas stations raising prices through the twin power guitar solos of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames. Though his fingers were going at warp speed, his face was serene and blissful.

“Know what, man?”

Okay, Umberto had a fourth talent. He could have a regular conversation even while shredding his way through some of the most insane guitar riffs in music history.

“No, what?” Thurman asked, taking another sip of his brewski. His eyes widened as Umberto frazzled his way through a particularly insane twist of chords. The extremely well endowed female demon on the screen pumped her fist in animatronic exultation.

“I was playing around with some stuff in the lab the last few weeks.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And I think I made a breakthrough.”

“Uh, huh.” Thurman wasn’t really interested. Boring science stuff. He was way more interested in the female demon.

“Really, it was like we overlooked the absolute easiest way. I’m surprised no one thought of it before.”

“What’s that?” Thurman asked disinterestedly.

“Alternate fuel.”

“Alternate fuel?”

“Yeah. I discovered a solution that would totally enable us to replace fossil fuel. And the supply would be cheap, clean, environmentally friendly and work with an internal combustion engine.”
“What are you talking about?” Thurman said, finally interested. Even someone as marginally aware of events as Thurman knew how much a gallon of gas cost.

“Oil, man. We can get rid of oil.”

“Get rid of oil? But, but … how would the people at Exxon get by without their thirty nine billion dollars of annual profit?”

“Oh, poor Exxon,” Umberto snickered.

“Are you serious about all this?” Thurman asked.

“Yeah. It’s all in the transfer agent. All we had to do was find a plentiful energy supply and a way to transfer the energy.”

“So what’s the energy supply?”

“Cortisol.”

“Cortisol?”

“Yeah. Stress hormones.”

“What the heck are you talking about?!” Thurman asked, exasperated.

Umberto took his hand off his guitar and pointed triumphantly at Thurman.

“That!”

(All kinds of great authors in this anthology. Don't miss out! Order at www.echelonpress.com!)


Norm

www.normcowie.com
www.fangface.homestead.com

The Adventures of Guy
The Next Adventures of Guy
The Heat of the Moment
Missing (coming Feb 09)
Fang Face (humor vampire stuff, coming Aug 09!)

Saldo do Fim de Semana

Meninas, este fim de semana resolvi encarar minha velha máquina de bordar ( e olha que já ganhei dinheiro com ela). Nos últimos meses eu olhava pra ela, ela olhava pra mim, e eu corria! Mas no sábado venci o desânimo!Resultado: dois panos de prato prontos e um pela metade. Só não reparem as fotos, porque não tinha nem lavado pra tirar a marca do risco, que dirá passar...(ansiosa...)!

Espero que tenham gostado. Beijo a todas!

Kruger Park Lion

The Kruger National Park is one of the most wonderful, peaceful, tranquil places to visit. All you can do is drive around at 30 km (18 miles) per hour, looking for animals (usually the Big 5), go back to the camp at sunset and eat and sleep, to get up again at dawn and do the whole thing all over again.

It is many years since I was there, enjoying those incredible, warm, night time sounds of lions roaring softly, hyenas snuffling in the veld outside the camp and of course, the chirrup, chirrup of the crickets. Music to go to sleep by.

The beauty of the African bush is amazing as you can see from these pics taken by a friend of mine who goes there at least twice a year.

A river in the Kruger Park and a Leopard lazing in a tree

A baobab or upside down tree and Sunset over Sabie

While she was there she also took magnificent photos of a lion ambling across a bridge. He had all the time in the world as he knew that the traffic would stop for him - and he took full advantage. He is, after all, the King of the Jungle.

This is the painting I did of him as he got to the other side - the challenge in his eyes was unmistakable. Luckily there is a whole lot of motor car between the photographer and those teeth.

I must add here, that the likelihood of a lion attacking a human is very remote. But one never takes chances!

De dar água na boca!

uAdoro cozinha! E cozinhar também. Mas nada de arroz-com-feijão. O que eu gosto mesmo é de reunir os amigos e fazer várias comidinhas gostosas. Por isso mesmo, considero a cozinha um dos lugares mais alegres da casa.
Que tal começar o dia com essas carinhas?
E se resolver ter uma porcelana diferente, que tal uma estampada pelo tatuador da Angelina Jolie?

Conhece algum porta-faca mais divertido?

Viajar pelo mundo enquanto bebe? Agora já é possível...

Não se engane, legítima Porcelana Schimidit...

Louças para todos os gostos e ocasiões:

Porta copos:

Que mimo...e tem asas!!!!!

Sharing assembly 16-1-09

Y3G are finding out all about magnets and magnetism in science during the first half of this term. Kymani, Bernice, Charlie,Gracjan,Geevitha and Nathan talked about what our class had learnt during assembly. We had found out that most metals are non magnetic and only four are attracted to a magnet, two familiar metals iron and steel, and two not so familiar, nickel and cobalt.