Category Archives: Gwendolyn Cease

Oct15

Wednesday Randomness…Crushing on Fictional Characters

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Kayleigh

This week’s Wednesday post is all about crushing on fictional characters. Mine mostly come from books, but I found a few non-book swoon-worthy characters to throw in there. In no particular order…

Dmitri Belikov from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. I didn’t see the movie so I don’t know how he was portrayed there, but in the books, he was flat out amazing. He was a bad-ass for one, when it came to fighting. Good-looking, as well. But he was also loyal and supportive, and just a good guy. Except for that time in the middle of the series where he was a serious bad…oops. Wait, spoilers.

Jonah Seafort from the forthcoming Eventide by Chris Allen-Riley (otherwise known as our very own Bronwyn Green). This books comes out October 20 and you should read it because it’s awesome, but also because it has this swoon worthy character. He’s Native American, which for me is a big plus (so sue me, I’m shallow). And he doesn’t have any of those negative attributes you see in so many teen male characters these days. He’s not a stalker, he’s not controlling, he’s not creepy. He’s there for Devon (the main character), even when most others think she’s toxic (damn, I’m getting close to spoilers again). I’m not sure I can even put into words what I really like about it, but I got at least two, maybe three distinct stomach flips from him when reading this book.

Maybe I’ll start a new grading scale for crush-worthiness, the number of stomach flips you get. I can even use little pictures of stomachs, instead of stars. Would that be gross?

The Winchester Brothers from Supernatural. I have a hard time picking just one, so I’m going with both. And just for a little bit of eye candy, here’s a picture. 🙂

I think both brothers are crush-worthy in their own way, but it’s their relationship that really makes them unique (and the show). They never give up and they are loyal to a fault.

Tod Hudson from the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent. I read a lot of YA, so a lot of my crush-worthy fictional characters from there, which makes me feel like a dirty old woman. I can live with that. Tod starts out the series as sarcastic and acerbic and I love him for it. He doesn’t lose that, but he becomes much more than just the witty guide that he starts out as. He becomes an integral part to the story and has the most heartbreaking scene in all of the seven books, hands down. Who doesn’t love a man who can cry?

Daniel Kalbi from the Dark Divine series by Bree Despain. Another YA series but to me, this one is not your typical paranormal YA. It has some of the same aspects that you come to expect, but it’s written in such a way that it feels fresh. And Daniel is no exception. He starts out as the bad boy with the dark past who shouldn’t be hanging around the preacher’s daughter (although not for the reason you think), but that idea gets turned on it’s head. He’s fiercely loyal, and he believes in his woman. I love that in a man. Or boy, I suppose.

My last crush for the day is from another TV show, Dr. Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds. I just love that weird, genius. He’s totally out there and I have a feeling that if I knew him in real life, trying to carry on a conversation with him would make me nuts, but I’d sure give it my very best try.

Check out who the other Wednesday bloggers are crushing on:
Jess Jarman
Gwendolyn Cease
Kellie St. James
Bronwyn Green
Jenny Trout
Kris Norris

Oct1

Wednesday Randomness…These are a Few of My Favorite Things – Songs Edition

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Kayleigh

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So, I might have moved my blog. And maybe given it a new name, and a new look. And a new theme. I’m not saying all these things happened, I’m just saying they might have happened. And I was, potentially, supposed to show them off a few weeks ago. At the same time, I was supposed to be keeping up on the Wednesday blogs.

But, that’s a lot of supposed to’s and should have been’s. And I’ve learned that way of thinking is not good for me. So I’m just going to skip over all of that and say, Welcome to my new blog! I can’t say it will look this way permanently, I’ve gone through at least four themes since I moved over here and I’m not sure I’m sold on this. But we’ll see.

You also might have noticed a bit of an alteration to my name. Move along. Nothing to see here. These are not the droids you’re looking for.

On to the actual Wednesday Randomness topic for the week…Favorite Songs!

This was a tough one to scale down. But here is a list, in particular order, of a few of my most very favorite songs:

Queen – Killer Queen (of all of Queen’s songs, I have no idea why I like this one so much, but I love to sing it). And yes, I’m aware it’s about a high priced call girl.

Toad the Wet Sprocket – All I Want (forever and always). I still get chills, from the song and the video. I saw them in concert recently (with Bronwyn Green) and they played this. I was a happy girl.

U2 – Angel of Harlem

Billy Joel – Leningrad (and also Downeaster Alexa). The man can tell a story. I get chills from both of these songs.

Sarah McLachlan – Building a Mystery (high school…)

U2 – Mysterious Ways. It’s funky and I love it. The video is kind of trippy.

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You (I love them in general, really)

Toad the Wet Sprocket – Crowing. Not one of their better known songs, but it’s always been one of my favorites.

Domestic Problems – Untitled. So I worked in a music store in high school and this CD came out when I was there. We played it all the time because DP is a local band. I can still every word to every song, but this one was always my favorite on the album.

David Bowie/Queen – Under Pressure. Ummm…Freddie Mecury and David Bowie? Yes, please.

Dave Matthews Bank – The Space Between

Counting Crows – Goodnight Elizabeth, this song has the feels, man.

Okay, so that’s just a few. I didn’t include any Broadway or Movie soundtrack songs though, that would easily double this list.

If you want to see what music the rest of the Wednesday bloggers are listening to, check out the links below:

Bronwyn Green
Jess Jarman
Gwendolyn Cease
Jenny Trout
Kris Norris
Kellie St. James

Sep3

Wednesday Randomness – A Few of My Favorite Things…Book Covers Edition

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Kayleigh

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This week’s Wednesday blog is all about our favorite book covers. Anyone who knows me will probably not be surprised by the ones I chose to include. I love color and lots of it. I think you’ll find that my favorite book covers stick to that pattern.

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Divine-Bree-Despain-ebook/dp/B0034N7JGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409670116&sr=8-1&keywords=dark+divine

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain. I love all of the covers, but this one is my favorite. It’s very ethereal and haunting. And purple, which is my favorite color.

http://www.amazon.com/Before-Wake-Soul-Screamers-Book-ebook/dp/B007UNEUGA/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1409670258&sr=8-8&keywords=soul+screamers

The two above are from the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent. The first book is the last in the series, the second is the third omnibus. Again, I love the color. And apparently I have a thing for flowing dresses. I tend to also like covers that don’t show faces directly.

Or in the case of the series above, show the face partially obscured. I’m still working my way through this series, but I included all of them here because they are gorgeous. And mysterious.

Again with the partial face and bright colors. I’m starting to feel reptitive. 🙂

Okay, one more YA series. The covers to the Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier are just stunning.

In trying to find the cover for Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews, I discovered that they reissued it with a different cover. One that is more similar to her newest releases. Disappointing, I say! I love the original cover because the picture, combined with the title, speaks to my Southern roots. I can feel the heat and humidity in the summer with a fan blowing that does nothing more than push the hot air around. All that from a fairly bare-bones kind of picture.

These are just a few of my favorite book covers. Click a name below to see what covers appeal to the other Wednesday bloggers:

Jul30

Wednesday Randomness – What Motivates Me?

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Kayleigh

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This week’s Wednesday Randomness blog is on a topic I seriously need help with.

What Motivates Me?

There are any number of topics I need motivation about; exercise, cleaning, projects around the house, writing. I could go on, but I’ll focus on writing because, you know, I don’t want to think about the other ones.

First, here’s a motivational picture. Just a little something to put myself in a good frame of mind. Of somewhere else I would MUCH rather be.

Ok, what motivates me to write? So far, not much. It’s not my full-time job. It’s not even my part-time job, so I have a tendency to push it aside. Even though I would very much like it to be my full time job at some point in my life. Part of my problem is that after spending nine hours a day in front of a computer at work, I don’t want to spend any time in front of a computer when I get home. But that’s just an excuse.

The biggest problem though; I’m a huge procrastinator. And, I’m lazy. I’ve actually been told that…by one of my parents. I remember it well. We had to ask a parent to choose three words to describe us for health class. One of the words chosen was lethargic. Isn’t that nice? Made me feel great having to say that to the whole class.

Apparently this post is turning into free therapy, sorry about that.

Back on topic.

Physics. Physics. PhysicsPhysicsPhysics. PHYSSSSSSSSICS. I hope you’re all getting this down.

Can you tell I’m having a hard time writing this post? It must be a lack of motivation.

See what I did there?

Deadlines motivate me. But I don’t currently have any that are writing related, so that’s not overly helpful. Sure, I could set my own. But my own deadlines usually don’t work, I just ignore them. I need someone, somewhere waiting on me turn things in. Someone that I can get in trouble with. That’s a motivator.

Even setting myself rewards doesn’t really work because if I really want to do something, I’ll just do it anyway.

Guilt is also a big motivator, but I’ve yet to figure out how to guilt myself into writing. It’s usually other way I around. I feel guilty spening time writing and ignoring my family and the other things I need to be doing around the house.

The post has not gone at all like I intended, but there you have it. If anyone has any good ideas about self-motivation, lay ’em on me!

Check out the other Wednesay bloggers to see what motivates them:
Bronwyn Green
Jess Jarman
Kellie St. James
Kris Norris
Jenny Trout
Gwendolyn Cease

Jul9

If I Could Have a Superpower, I’d…

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Kayleigh

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After missing a few weeks of the Wednesday blogging, I’m back. And I’m kind of excited about today’s topic, because I am a major nerd.

If I Could Have a Superpower, I’d… Well, I’d be awesome, obviously.

This is actually a question I’ve pondered quite often over the years, there are a lot of possibilities. But, ultimately, I think I would want to be telekinetic. Partially because I’m lazy. But also because it would just make so many things a million times easier!

Think about it.

No more having to practically break my wrist trying to carry in all the groceries in one trip so I don’t have to go back out to my car. Instead, I could hover them into the house. And put away lots of things at once, not just one or two at a time. I’m not sure if this goes back to the lazy thing or is just really efficient.

Also, I could finally get back at people who used ot hold things over my head out of my reach. *cough cough, my brother, cough cough* I could put things like his work tools just out of reach and make them look like they are going to get closer, and then shoot them back up into the sky. Although, I hope I can levitate my self out his reach, too.

But, I think it would come in most handy when I want to keep my annoying neighbor off my property. I would pelt her with mulch and small rocks and things while I stayed safely inside the house. She would never even know it was me. That would be awesome because that woman is a pain in my ass.

I’m sure I could come up with a million more uses, but those are the top three that come that come to mind. I have to add, if I couldn’t be telekinetic, I would totally want to be able to fly. Or somehow transport between to places instanteously. I’m tired of commuting to work.

Check out what super powers my fellow Wednesday Bloggers would like to have:
Bronwyn Green
Jess Jarman
Kellie St. James
Kris Norris
Jenny Trout
Gwendolyn Cease

Jun18

If I Had a Million Dollars (If I Had a Million Dollars)…

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Kayleigh

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Please tell me someone else thought of the Barenaked Ladies, too.

Anywho, today’s Wednesday Randomness blog topic is…The First Five Things I’d Buy if I Had a Million Dollars.

I could go all noble on this and help others, and I would do some of that for sure, but I’m going to focus on the material aspect here, people. Just assume I also do good for others. 🙂

First, a new house. I don’t need a huge, multi-million dollar house. Who would want to clean that? I would like more than one bathroom (preferable with a huge, free-standing, amazing tub), a fireplace, and a nice size kitchen with an island and an oven in the wall. I’ve always wanted an oven in the wall. I think I can get a house that has these things for a relatively reasonable price. Oh, and a two-stall attached garage. Especially if the house is still in Michigan.

A weeks long trip to Europe for two. I’d hit all the big places and make my waty from the U.K. to Eastern Europe.

Maybe a new car. My car isn’t old and I like it fine, but I gave up something with 4-wheel drive and I’d kind of like to have that back. And heated seats. I REALLY missed my heated seats this past winter.

A top of the line Mac. A nice desktop to go along with my laptop so I’m not always typing on a 13″ screen.

Okay, that’s four, but that’s all I can really come up with. I’m sure there are other, smaller things, but nothing significant, so I’m sticking with four.

So, that’s what I would do if I won a million dollars. Click below to see what the other Wednesday Ladies would buy.
Bronwyn
Jess
Kris
Jenny
Gwendolyn

May28

Wednesday Randomness…Stress, ugh.

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Kayleigh

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The topic for this week’s Wednesday blog is what I do to relax when I’m stressed. I kind of laughed when I saw this topic because people who know me know that I am pretty much a huge ball of stress most of the time. I do manage to keep it bottled up quite a bit, but that doesn’t help. I have tried different things over the years to relieve my stress and so far, none of them have stuck. But, let’s see what I’ve at least attempted.

Yoga. Yup, I tried it. I liked yoga, but I didn’t find it particularly de-stressing. I was always worried about not being able to do the poses or people judging me for being too overweight to wear yoga pants in public, so it wasn’t a relaxing experience for the most part. It did help with my flexibility though.

Meditation/relaxation techniques. This did not work at all. I seem to have a very hard time quieting my mind; I spent most of the meditation time worrying that I couldn’t quiet my mind, so that made the whole process even harder.

Massages. I’ve tried getting massages a few times over the years. And I do like them, but the relaxation I experience at the time ends as soon as I walk out the door.

Gardening. A couple of years ago, I planted my first vegetable garden. It has gone all right, for someone who has always had a black thumb. I get a ton of tomatoes every year, but haven’t found my stride with other veggies yet. And, while I like trying to grow my own food, I don’t find it relaxing. I’m always worrying about why some plants aren’t growing and not weeding enough and are they getting enough sun/water.

In case you haven’t caught on yet, I can pretty much take anything that should be enjoyable and/or relaxing and turn it into a stressful situation. It’s my personality; I’ve always been this way. There are a couple things I can do that sort of help, but I still walk away feeling some level of stress.

Reading. I love to read, it’s really my favorite pastime. But it’s not as relaxing as it should be. I get too caught up in things emotionally, or spend too much time worrying about the tasks I *should* be doing while I’m reading.

Exercise. The ultimate de-stressor. All those endorphins are supposed to make you happy. All I do is worry that I’m not doing right, that I’m being judged for being too overweight (if I’m out in public), or that I basically just suck if I miss a day in my schedule. It’s good for the half hour/45 minutes that I’m exercising, but then things start up again in my mind.

What it comes down to is I’m basically always stressed and worry most of the time. I’m too tightly wound for my own good. Even writing this post made me anxious because I can’t really answer the question posed. So, if anyone has any other good stress relieving suggestions, let me know!

Check the blogs of the other Wednesday ladies to see how they de-stress:

May7

These are a Few of My Favorite Things…Books Edition!

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Kayleigh

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Time for Wednesday Randomness again and the topic this week is one dear to me. Books! It’s going to be tough to keep this from becoming a ten page blog, but I’m going to try to keep it to just my absolute faves.

Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) – This is probably my all time favorite book. I can’t count the number of times I’ve read it and I’m sure I will read it again and again in the years to come.

Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) – My AP English teacher in high school turned me on to this author. She was such a super fan, I remember she had an apron she would wear during class with Jane Austen’s picture on it. She wore it everyday during this unit.

The Mummy (Anne Rice) – This was a standalone book and is not like most of her other works (that I’ve read). That’s all I’m going to say, except READ IT.

The Eyes of the Dragon (Stephen King) – This was originally a fairytale type story he wrote for his kid(s). It has two princes, an evil magician, and a daring escape.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) – Awesome in every way possible. Enough said.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) – A large part of my family comes from the deep south so I always like to read books with that kind of setting, they feel familiar.

The Amelia Peabody Series (Elizabeth Peters) – This is a series that takes place from the late 1800’s up through the early 1920’s about an English family of Egyptologists. They are mysteries and are wonderfully written. The author actually studied Egyptology and the books include real people as minor characters (i.e. Howard Carter who discovered King Tut’s tomb), so they are loaded with tons of information about Egypt.

These are all a bit older, but I do read current stuff, too! Here are a couple of my new favorites.

Blackbirds (it’s a series, actually) (Chuck Wendig) – These books are edgy and intriguing. If you’re not familiar with Chuck Wendig, his language is colorful and inventive. It always makes me think of that quote from A Christmas Story. It’s something like, the Old Man worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium, a master. I mean this as a compliment to the author; his writing is original and turbulent.

The Vampire Academy Series (Richelle Mead) – Vampires, sure. Been there, done that. (Don’t get me wrong, I love vampires.) But this is a bit of a new twist with natural born vampires and made vampires and the world they inhabit. Richelle Mead’s writing is fantastic and the six book series is well paced all the way through. She has an additional series focusing on one of the somewhat minor characters introduced halfway through the first series. I haven’t read those yet but I’ve heard they are even better than the originals.

Okay, I’m going to stop there or this list would really get out of control.

Check out some of the favorite books of my fellow bloggers!
Bronwyn
Jess
Kellie
Tess
Kris
Jenny
Gwendolyn

Apr23

Wednesday Randomness…Behind the Scenes

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Kayleigh

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After missing Wednesday Randomness Blogging for a week, I’m glad to be back and to welcome a new lady to the group. Say hi to Gwendolyn Cease!

Had I written this blog last week, it would have been completely different. At that point I considered a different WIP my current project but then I had lunch with the fantastical Bronwyn on Saturday and now I’m going in a whole new direction. Or maybe it’s going back in an old direction, but with a new twist?

See, I wrote the first draft of this book that I thought would be the first in a series of four. Something felt off though. What I realized is…its not supposed to be a series. Its supposed to be one book.

How can I go from four books to one you ask? Well, let me tell you. It is going to be one page-turning, action-packed, conflict-filled piece of YA. If I do say so myself.

Here’s the gist of the story. Girl is a witch, and a bad one, as in no talent. Her family has an affinity for the element of water, dating back to a spell cast centuries ago. Things are going awry because that spell is causing the natural order to be thrown out of balance. Girl meets boy who has an affinity for the element of fire and a quest begins. Originally that quest was going to be completed over the four books. Instead, its going to be one intense ride.

I have to say, this decision to re-work the story feels right and I’m excited about it again. I haven’t been excited about writing in quite awhile.

Here are a few pictures to show you some of my inspiration for this story.