Hey peeps! So for our new series of Kdrama inspired books, my writing partner and I have taken pen names, and made a totally different platform since they really are totally different books.
So I'm still writing and blogging. Just under a different name!
Go to our blog and follow Devon and Cornwall!
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Where the Heck Am I? An Update Post
If we were to personify my psyche as a soul who wears different glasses at certain points in her life, then we can assume that I've had my mom glasses on for a solid 6 months now. Recap.
Baby was more than a week overdue (HAHAHAHA I'm just laughing at that post where I was worried about her coming early), baby was super clingy, HOLY SHEEP I HAVE FOUR KIDS NOW, baby was cute and kind of distracting, three-year-old pooped on everything, HOLY SHEEP I HAVE FREAKING FOUR KIDS NOW HOW DID THIS HAPPEN, baby is perfect. I haven't slept in six months. I decided to homeschool all four of my children, because I'm insane.
So after all those months with my mom glasses firmly in place (and more or less rocking it. Come on, it is me after all), it became necessary to put the writing glasses back on.
And I can just imagine Alyssa Soul putting those writing glasses on, looking around, and going:
The freak?? When did we get a new laptop? Why are we covered in white vomit? How long have these library books been overdue? We still haven't finished that bleepin Kdrama book?
Yeah. We still hadn't entirely finished that Kdrama book. And although we didn't go to the Anglokian Conference in 2015, my comrade author and talented mother did go two weeks ago! So the sleepy writer had to wake from her child-induced coma, and back to work I went.
It was a stressful couple of weeks--lots of editing, writing, reading, more editing, and questioning of my entire existence for no discernible reason--but we did it. We had a book, and we had a pitch, and we were ready for whatever the conference threw at us.
And...well I'll leave you in suspense to hear exactly how that went down. :) I figured Eileen Sharp should give you the 411 on the specifics.
Suffice it to say that we have some leads, but nothing definite just yet. What I can share with you is the pitch that we emerged from the conference with. I think it's really good, and I'd love it if you shared with your circles of writers and editors to see if anyone else finds it interesting.
Remember my "little" obsession with Kdramas? Behold. The manifestation of the obsession: Kdrama.
 |
| I've used this before, haven't I? Don't care. I love it. |
Baby was more than a week overdue (HAHAHAHA I'm just laughing at that post where I was worried about her coming early), baby was super clingy, HOLY SHEEP I HAVE FOUR KIDS NOW, baby was cute and kind of distracting, three-year-old pooped on everything, HOLY SHEEP I HAVE FREAKING FOUR KIDS NOW HOW DID THIS HAPPEN, baby is perfect. I haven't slept in six months. I decided to homeschool all four of my children, because I'm insane.
So after all those months with my mom glasses firmly in place (and more or less rocking it. Come on, it is me after all), it became necessary to put the writing glasses back on.
And I can just imagine Alyssa Soul putting those writing glasses on, looking around, and going:
The freak?? When did we get a new laptop? Why are we covered in white vomit? How long have these library books been overdue? We still haven't finished that bleepin Kdrama book?
Yeah. We still hadn't entirely finished that Kdrama book. And although we didn't go to the Anglokian Conference in 2015, my comrade author and talented mother did go two weeks ago! So the sleepy writer had to wake from her child-induced coma, and back to work I went.
It was a stressful couple of weeks--lots of editing, writing, reading, more editing, and questioning of my entire existence for no discernible reason--but we did it. We had a book, and we had a pitch, and we were ready for whatever the conference threw at us.
And...well I'll leave you in suspense to hear exactly how that went down. :) I figured Eileen Sharp should give you the 411 on the specifics.
Suffice it to say that we have some leads, but nothing definite just yet. What I can share with you is the pitch that we emerged from the conference with. I think it's really good, and I'd love it if you shared with your circles of writers and editors to see if anyone else finds it interesting.
Remember my "little" obsession with Kdramas? Behold. The manifestation of the obsession: Kdrama.
Chase is a college student coming home from a semester abroad to find two surprises waiting for her: Her mom and her sister have an unhealthy obsession with Korean dramas, and they’ve arranged a blind date for her. She has no interest in dating, but he’s incredibly good looking, so it might be worth a chance. Ironically, the blind date goes well, and she has to admit her mom’s judgment isn’t that bad.
But romance isn’t something you can script, and although Chase likes the heart stopping Daniel Bak, she finds herself crossing paths with enigmatic Hyun Tae. A reserved bioengineering student, he is the only one who can help her when she discovers that a professor is stealing research. Hyun Tae becomes her ally and her protector as she is targeted in an invisible war with dangerous players.
Not only that, but her perfect blind date has been hiding the fact that he is a famous pop star from Korea, with a rabid fan base that could shove her into a spotlight she can’t afford to be in.
Despite all her efforts to stay away from drama, it has found her, and it looks a lot like the Korean dramas her mom and her sister can’t stop watching.
What say you, friends? Sound interesting? Let me know in the comments, on my Facebook page, or via Twitter! Have you heard of Korean Dramas, and if so what do you think of making them into a literary genre? Discuss!
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
So Flippin Pregnant
I was going to apologize for my lapse in posts, but then my unborn child tried to claw her way out of my uterus, and I thought better about it.
I'm a MILLION months pregnant, and we just moved into a new house. Yay us! But not yay timing because things are in boxes, the coming child has nowhere to sleep, and I have 3 weeks until my due date.
Did I mention that I've never given birth past 39 weeks?
So 3 weeks if I'm using my optimism scale. Which I am. Because the realism scale will give me more heart palpitations than the number on a real scale measuring my pregnant craving escapades.
Point is, I haven't forgotten to update on writing, and my life as a mom, and all that good stuff! It's just that right now my life is unboxing things I forgot we had, and contemplating the value of squatting down to pick up dropped objects. Not the most entertaining blog posts. However, I leave you with a few pictures from my maternity shoot, which made me instantly happier to receive. I look so serene in these artfully manipulated images (holla at ya Allison Choc, the amazing photographer!), that you probably can't imagine I'm sitting in my bed with popcorn kernels littered over my bosom and belly, and an empty can of diet Dr. Bob on my nightstand--both of which are giving me a heart attack from Hades.
Behold, my pregnant glow!
I'm a MILLION months pregnant, and we just moved into a new house. Yay us! But not yay timing because things are in boxes, the coming child has nowhere to sleep, and I have 3 weeks until my due date.
Did I mention that I've never given birth past 39 weeks?
So 3 weeks if I'm using my optimism scale. Which I am. Because the realism scale will give me more heart palpitations than the number on a real scale measuring my pregnant craving escapades.
Point is, I haven't forgotten to update on writing, and my life as a mom, and all that good stuff! It's just that right now my life is unboxing things I forgot we had, and contemplating the value of squatting down to pick up dropped objects. Not the most entertaining blog posts. However, I leave you with a few pictures from my maternity shoot, which made me instantly happier to receive. I look so serene in these artfully manipulated images (holla at ya Allison Choc, the amazing photographer!), that you probably can't imagine I'm sitting in my bed with popcorn kernels littered over my bosom and belly, and an empty can of diet Dr. Bob on my nightstand--both of which are giving me a heart attack from Hades.
Behold, my pregnant glow!
So there you have it! I might make a few more posts between now and B day, but I won't make any promises. Because I'm pregnant and I can do whatever I want.
Have a fantastic rest of the week, folks!
#PregLife
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
So...where'd that book go?
If you get onto Amazon right now and try to find my book Lunula, you'll likely find over-priced physical copies for sale from my publisher's inventory, and that's about it.
Why?
Two very interesting words: Contract expiration.
I have mixed emotions about this. On the one hand, my publisher wasn't exactly doing a lot for Lunula with it in their hands--I never saw promotions or marketing from them, and all of that was on me anyway. On the other hand, I'm not "with" a publisher anymore. Which is kind of weird for me. Does that mean I'm sort of a demoted author or something?
I mean, I was the one who let the contract expire without pursuing it, and based on my lack of marketing prowess, I'm not shocked they didn't say anything either. So what does that make me?
The same thing!!
It's the same book. It still has amazing reviews on Amazon. I still have to work hard to promote it if I want people to read it. And I still know that if Lunula didn't make it big, then that just means I need to write a better book. It's not like it's getting pulled from shelves or something--the publisher never got it that far anyway.
So really nothing has changed. And I'm cool with that.
That said, I'm currently working on editing Lunula so I can publish it again. The only "finished" copy I have of Lunula is the one given to me by my publisher. I'm not 100% on this (and if you know, do speak up!) but I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to just throw up the epub version of the book they edited and put together and call it completely mine.
Unfortunately, I think I have to re-edit, re-format, and re-launch this sucker.
But there are opportunities in that! I have control over the pricing (i.e. $1 or free for lots of promotions!), and I'm pretty happy just letting people read it. It's a fun book; I'd love to see more people have access to it and just enjoy it. I'm not in it for the money!
But for real, editing is the pits. It's going to take me some time (because, you know, I have SO much excess of that right now), but the payoff will be great in the end. I have control over my book again, and guess what friends? FREE BOOKS FOR ALL Y'ALL. That's all I'm saying. Make it rain.
With that, I will get back to editing my manuscript, and let you all know when Lunula will be available again!! Have an awesome week!
Why?
Two very interesting words: Contract expiration.
I have mixed emotions about this. On the one hand, my publisher wasn't exactly doing a lot for Lunula with it in their hands--I never saw promotions or marketing from them, and all of that was on me anyway. On the other hand, I'm not "with" a publisher anymore. Which is kind of weird for me. Does that mean I'm sort of a demoted author or something?
I mean, I was the one who let the contract expire without pursuing it, and based on my lack of marketing prowess, I'm not shocked they didn't say anything either. So what does that make me?
The same thing!!
It's the same book. It still has amazing reviews on Amazon. I still have to work hard to promote it if I want people to read it. And I still know that if Lunula didn't make it big, then that just means I need to write a better book. It's not like it's getting pulled from shelves or something--the publisher never got it that far anyway.
So really nothing has changed. And I'm cool with that.
That said, I'm currently working on editing Lunula so I can publish it again. The only "finished" copy I have of Lunula is the one given to me by my publisher. I'm not 100% on this (and if you know, do speak up!) but I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to just throw up the epub version of the book they edited and put together and call it completely mine.
Unfortunately, I think I have to re-edit, re-format, and re-launch this sucker.
But there are opportunities in that! I have control over the pricing (i.e. $1 or free for lots of promotions!), and I'm pretty happy just letting people read it. It's a fun book; I'd love to see more people have access to it and just enjoy it. I'm not in it for the money!
But for real, editing is the pits. It's going to take me some time (because, you know, I have SO much excess of that right now), but the payoff will be great in the end. I have control over my book again, and guess what friends? FREE BOOKS FOR ALL Y'ALL. That's all I'm saying. Make it rain.
With that, I will get back to editing my manuscript, and let you all know when Lunula will be available again!! Have an awesome week!
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
A Day With the Pregnant Hipster
My friend took me shopping last week. Despite the fact that it was like strolling through the mall with a gassy rhinoceros with size awareness issues, my dearest buddy Allison insisted that we have a girls night. Sure, we looked at baby clothes first. And sure, we really only got through one store before my ankles had somehow formed muffin tops over my orthopedic sneakers, but it was totally worth it.
I got sexy underwear I know is just going to torture my husband for now. And flats I won't be able to wear until the baby has been expelled from my body next month.
BUT I ALSO GOT THESE
Check out those pants. Look at those hipster glasses. LOOK AT MY OUTFIT. I knew as soon as I put it on, I had to spend at least one day as a pregnant hipster. And let's be real here--those pants are not at all flattering, and my glasses are very clearly fake. That should have been embarrassing, but I think there's some variety missing in my life or something. I had to do it.
I also realized that if I was going to go a full day as a pregnant hipster, I needed to call myself The Pregster.
It has a delightfully obnoxious ring to it.
The first thing Pregster did was wake up and put her hair into a messy bun. And don her colorful but totally useless glasses.
Pregster also had a green smoothie for breakfast (with chia seeds of course), and fed her children fruit and organic yogurt for breakfast. Pregster had a full day planned, so she took the children on some errands. Now where would Pregster go? A flea market or thrift store of some kind, presumably, but Pregster DOES have children, and therefore must obtain supplies from somewhere. Where better than Target?
Pregster also had to take an Instagram shot of her lunch. YES we had hot dogs and popcorn, but you know what, haters? Those dogs were all beef. So suck it.
Pregster wonders if its too early to wear scarves.
Target shopping completed, Pregster couldn't go a full day without Starbucks. But since Pregster is Mormon, she got iced hot chocolate and gave her kids ice water. Pregster likes to defy convention.
Unfortunately, Pregster could not find everything she needed at Target. She proceeded to weep as she realized she would need to set foot in WALMART. The horror.
Pregster survived the trip into Walmart, though, and picked up her eldest child from school while convincing herself that she was enjoying the alternative station on Pandora.
All in all, it was a successful day for Pregster and her offspring. Will she be wearing those pants and those glasses in public again any time soon?
It's hard to say. You can't just pin down the Pregster like that. She does what she wants. #PregLife
I got sexy underwear I know is just going to torture my husband for now. And flats I won't be able to wear until the baby has been expelled from my body next month.
BUT I ALSO GOT THESE
Check out those pants. Look at those hipster glasses. LOOK AT MY OUTFIT. I knew as soon as I put it on, I had to spend at least one day as a pregnant hipster. And let's be real here--those pants are not at all flattering, and my glasses are very clearly fake. That should have been embarrassing, but I think there's some variety missing in my life or something. I had to do it.
I also realized that if I was going to go a full day as a pregnant hipster, I needed to call myself The Pregster.
It has a delightfully obnoxious ring to it.
The first thing Pregster did was wake up and put her hair into a messy bun. And don her colorful but totally useless glasses.
 |
| #2020Vision #GlassesAreAnnoying |
Pregster also had a green smoothie for breakfast (with chia seeds of course), and fed her children fruit and organic yogurt for breakfast. Pregster had a full day planned, so she took the children on some errands. Now where would Pregster go? A flea market or thrift store of some kind, presumably, but Pregster DOES have children, and therefore must obtain supplies from somewhere. Where better than Target?
 |
| #UnimpressedToddler |
 |
| #MormonCoffee #NeedCaffeine |
 |
| #90DegreesOut #StillFab |
 |
| #TallIcedWater #Starbucks #StillExpensive |
Pregster survived the trip into Walmart, though, and picked up her eldest child from school while convincing herself that she was enjoying the alternative station on Pandora.
All in all, it was a successful day for Pregster and her offspring. Will she be wearing those pants and those glasses in public again any time soon?
It's hard to say. You can't just pin down the Pregster like that. She does what she wants. #PregLife
Friday, August 28, 2015
G is for Ghost--Free Preschool Literary and Math Packet
How's it going netizens?
I've been a busy mom-glasses wearing chick over here. With a new baby on the way, I didn't want my preschoolers to fall by the wayside education-wise, so I've actually been planning out their curriculum and putting together several months' worth of material in advance. I figure when I'm (more) sleep deprived and caring for my newborn, it won't be too hard to open my "October" bin, glance at my detailed lesson plan for the day, and do what I've got to do from the couch.
So that said, I was planning our "G is for Ghost" week, and found a shocking lack of preschool activities related to that theme. Seems like kind of an obvious one to make, but I guess not! So naturally, I fired up GIMP and spent all of yesterday putting together a small bunch of activities.
Again, disclaimer, I am SO not a graphic designer, and my program/skills are limited. But I'm pretty happy with how it turned out nevertheless. I only made the activities I was specifically searching for but couldn't find, so this could be a supplementary packet to some of the other (way more amazing) ghost-themed preschool packets out there. Also, I made two versions of some of them--pretty versions with color and backgrounds, and a simple version that is more printer-friendly.
It's free, and I'm happy to share! Just please don't try and sell it, or I'll have to get all fussy at you. :)
I've been a busy mom-glasses wearing chick over here. With a new baby on the way, I didn't want my preschoolers to fall by the wayside education-wise, so I've actually been planning out their curriculum and putting together several months' worth of material in advance. I figure when I'm (more) sleep deprived and caring for my newborn, it won't be too hard to open my "October" bin, glance at my detailed lesson plan for the day, and do what I've got to do from the couch.
So that said, I was planning our "G is for Ghost" week, and found a shocking lack of preschool activities related to that theme. Seems like kind of an obvious one to make, but I guess not! So naturally, I fired up GIMP and spent all of yesterday putting together a small bunch of activities.
Again, disclaimer, I am SO not a graphic designer, and my program/skills are limited. But I'm pretty happy with how it turned out nevertheless. I only made the activities I was specifically searching for but couldn't find, so this could be a supplementary packet to some of the other (way more amazing) ghost-themed preschool packets out there. Also, I made two versions of some of them--pretty versions with color and backgrounds, and a simple version that is more printer-friendly.
It's free, and I'm happy to share! Just please don't try and sell it, or I'll have to get all fussy at you. :)
Included in the Packet:
--G sounds poem for distinguishing between soft G and hard G
--G sounds matching
--Letter G tracing sheet
--Counting ghosts cards (not in order so child can do it without cutting them out if you wish)
--Haunted house letter G find game
--Ordinal ghosts coloring activity
If you have any preschool packets you'd like to see done, shoot me an email and I'll see if it might be beneficial to both of us if I put one together! I'll likely be making more since I have some random letter themes planned that I simply know won't be out there!
Have a great weekend!
Monday, August 24, 2015
Free School Day Schedule Printable
Hey there peeps!
So my oldest child started Kindergarten last week. Yes, I cried. Yes, it kind of sucked, and definitely a lot more than I thought it would. But just as much as I miss her during the day, I am equally excited for the experiences she will have and the things she will learn in her new environment!
I knew this would be a big adjustment for us. I'm used to sleeping as long as the kids do, and sometimes even clicking on the TV, throwing granola bars at them, and continuing to sleep for another hour while we all roll around on my bed in our PJ's.
Not so much anymore.
So knowing that I would need a solid schedule in place (especially if I want to manage my time correctly as I talked about in my earlier post), I went looking for something simple and cute I could edit myself.
APPARENTLY that doesn't exist though. Like seriously, why would I pay someone for an empty schedule to fill in just because its cute? I'm no graphic designer, but I can get around GIMP and picmonkey.com pretty well, so I just up and made my own.
Why not, right? And since I went through all the trouble to make it, I'm happy to share if you think you could use it! I'm uploading the empty schedule for you to fill in. Just go to picmonkey.com, select your fonts, and add them as you wish. That way it's customized for you and whatever your family needs. I also uploaded my completed schedule so you could see what it might look like.
It's really a very simple background for you to add text to (again...not a graphic designer over here!), but it has owls. I love owls.
If you think it might be useful, then feel free to grab it! And have an awesome start to your week, whether you were on the ball with you schedule this morning, or you were like me and stood in the shower for fifteen minutes too long.
So my oldest child started Kindergarten last week. Yes, I cried. Yes, it kind of sucked, and definitely a lot more than I thought it would. But just as much as I miss her during the day, I am equally excited for the experiences she will have and the things she will learn in her new environment!
I knew this would be a big adjustment for us. I'm used to sleeping as long as the kids do, and sometimes even clicking on the TV, throwing granola bars at them, and continuing to sleep for another hour while we all roll around on my bed in our PJ's.
Not so much anymore.
So knowing that I would need a solid schedule in place (especially if I want to manage my time correctly as I talked about in my earlier post), I went looking for something simple and cute I could edit myself.
APPARENTLY that doesn't exist though. Like seriously, why would I pay someone for an empty schedule to fill in just because its cute? I'm no graphic designer, but I can get around GIMP and picmonkey.com pretty well, so I just up and made my own.
Why not, right? And since I went through all the trouble to make it, I'm happy to share if you think you could use it! I'm uploading the empty schedule for you to fill in. Just go to picmonkey.com, select your fonts, and add them as you wish. That way it's customized for you and whatever your family needs. I also uploaded my completed schedule so you could see what it might look like.
It's really a very simple background for you to add text to (again...not a graphic designer over here!), but it has owls. I love owls.
If you think it might be useful, then feel free to grab it! And have an awesome start to your week, whether you were on the ball with you schedule this morning, or you were like me and stood in the shower for fifteen minutes too long.
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