Custom Comix offers comic book accessories and gifts for every geeky wedding need

It’s been a bit of an off week for me, so I am spending this sunny and beautiful Saturday doing a few things that make me happy. I have already been on my morning walk, which was great. It’s a warm autumn day and the walk got my ‘writing brain’ going, so I came home with a new idea or two.

 

Now I am checking in on my fave wedding website, and they had a post that made this geeky chick very happy. I have now discovered a new geeky Etsy shop (I LOVE Etsy…I have found so many cute and awesome things for myself and for friends). So now I will explore it a bit more, and spend a bit of time hoarding some new ideas and maybe order an item or two.

I thought I would share the link for my fellow geeks. I hope that this Saturday finds you well and happy 😀

 

Custom Comix offers comic book accessories and gifts for every geeky wedding need.

What It’s Like To Get Published

Bare Knuckle Writer

There was a sizing error with the author copies…

Getting one of your pieces published has two sides.

On one hand, there’s the awesomeness: holy shit, someone else thinks that a thing you did is good. And it’s probably not your mom! You are the creator of worlds, motherfucker, and that world is now open for visitors! Stamp your passport and get your shots, because we’re taking a trip into your brain.*

But on the other, far more creepy, hand, there’s the terror: holy shit, something you wrote is now out in the world where other people can read it. And judge it. And write scathing one-star reviews on Amazon. What’s worse: that people hate it…or that they don’t notice it at all?

It’s at this point that most writers retreat into a corner and begin to gibber. It’s okay. It happens to everyone. Try that corner over there…

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Rainstorms And Reading

Monday is my most hated day of the week, like it is for most people. It’s the day that routine starts up again. Good bye to sleeping in and being lazy. Hello to going to work, paying bills, and getting back to real life.

Last night the future hubby tells me a wind and rain storm is coming. I love the rain. At least when I don’t have to go out in it. I love listening to it as snuggle up in bed. And there’s nothing better then curling up on the sofa with a good book when it is raining. So of coarse, I was dreading work more so, because the “I’m-lazy-on-a-Sunday” part of me was thinking of how nice that would be.

Just after I showered and dressed for work this morning, I get a text. There isn’t any power in our building. You see I’m self employed, and run a salon with a friend of mine. I love being my own boss, but the downside is no clients equals no money. After talking to my friend/co-worker, we decided it was best to close the shop for the day.

My first order of business was to get the pj’s back on. That’s right, it is a lazy day for this chick. I have no children, so I have nobody to entertain but myself.

So I think I will do what I was craving to do last night: I’m going pick a book from my MASSIVE ‘To Read’ pile, curl up and dive into it. I’m debating between two novels, ‘Outlander’ by Diana Gabaldon, (I know, I know. I should have read this years ago. Blame it on the massive pile of books I am trying to get through) and ‘The Laughing Corpse’ (Book 2 in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series) by Laurell K. Hamilton. Not sure which will win out. I love big, feisty vamps just  as much as those sexy Scottish warriors.

When is your favorite time to read? What’s next on your reading list? 🙂

Every Stephen King Novel Summarized in 140 Characters or Less | LitReactor

I am a HUGE fan of Stephen King. Like the author of this article, S.K introduced me to horror, and helped fuel my reading addiction. He opened the door for me, to new worlds and possibilities. I was about ten years old when I started reading his creations. One day I had to go into my sister’s room to get something. There was a copy of one of his anthologies, (‘Night Shift’) sitting on her dresser. I knew that for me it was forbidden, that I wasn’t allowed to read such a grown up book. But I didn’t let that stop me! As soon as my sister would leave for work, I would sneak into her room, and greedily read as many pages as I could.

I got a kick out of this article, so I thought I would share it 🙂

Every Stephen King Novel Summarized in 140 Characters or Less | LitReactor.

Planning My Big Geek Chic Wedding

Not only am I excited about my future nuptials, but our friends seem to be as well. Why? Because they know it won’t be a traditional wedding, that this event will reflect us in many ways. One told me “I am totally expecting you to ‘out geek’ my friend so and so’s wedding”. A groomsman has been bragging, apparently, and said it will be “The wedding of the century.” But no pressure, right?

The entire event (wedding, wine and cheese, and dance) will take place in a hall. Since Mr. C and I have many interests and hobbies, I want to include as much as I can instead of picking just one geeky thing. I am a HUGE bookworm. We both love Star Wars, video games, comic cons, comic books, and more. As far as TV goes, we are MASSIVE fans of Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Sons of Anarchy. (And yes, if I can get something SOA related into the day, I will do it! He got me hooked after we started dating, and we always watch the episodes with each other.) So since I have been brainstorming some ideas, I thought I would share, in case other geeks in love are looking for some ideas.

The Cake: I think going with a white cake with some flare is traditional yet fun. Our cake will be an inspiration from ‘The Corpse Bride.’ Our colors are black, pale blue and medium blue so the designs will be black and the cake itself a medium blue. I might see about having figures around the cake, if I can find small ones in the toy section of Walmart.

The Cake Topper: Not 100% sure, but right now either a ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ topper, or a couple playing video games. There are so many fun toppers out there. From Etsy, to Amazon and Ebay, there’s many styles of toppers the soon-to-be newlyweds will love. My problem: too many to pick from!

Geeky Decor: My sister gave me a fab idea, and I plan to make it work. She suggested a large, 3D item, standing close to the cake. It would look cool in photos and give something for guests to talk about. If we were Doctor Who fans, a Tardis would be perfect. We will have to sit down, think of some of our fandoms, and come up with an idea or two. If only there was a Batmobile in town…

The invites: This is where I wish I could have several different styles, just because I can’t pick! We have it narrowed down to two choices. 1-A comic book cover. There are some different sites that will customize these. 2-(my personal fave!) a couple fighting zombies. I especially love the “To death do us part”, written on the top. I can only imagine what our mother’s will say and think when they see these. Props to illustrator,  Manuel Morgado.

The Tables: While each table will be elegant, thanks to my decorator, I will be adding my own twist!! Each table will have a theme. If we do a seating plan, each table will have a name of a famous book couple or duo, instead of a number. So if you happen to be seated at the Batman And Robin table, there will be black and gold glitter, and the famous Bat signal. Originally we were going to have a friend make wine, and have our own geeky labels put onto them. Each table would have  wine bottles to match the theme they were sitting at. Unfortunately, I found out today that the hall doesn’t allow homemade wine. Boo-urns 😦

The Candy bar: This will double as a fun extra as well as our favors. My friends and I plan to make up some fun, geeky names to go with certain candies. The goodie bags will be placed at the tables, and the guests can treat themselves to whichever candies they want! Since we are having a September wedding, Halloween candy will already be out, so I might luck out and find something extra special, instead of renaming the classics for a night 😉

The Photo Booth: Our fab photographers will do a photo booth at the reception. If you have ever been a part of one, you know how fun this can be. If you haven’t, the concept is simple: A sheet is used for a back drop, and props are provided. From feather boas to hats; from fake martini glasses and plastic guns. You throw some gear on, and smile for the birdie 😉 My bridesmaids and MoH (aka my minions) are going to help make/buy some geeky extras. Once Halloween props and costumes go on sale, I want to grab some capes and masks.

The best part of planning my wedding, is all the fun I’m having! For now at least. I still have two years to go, so stress level isn’t high at the moment. I want this day to reflect us, and be what we want. This is after all, our big day.

Are you having a geek theme wedding? What are your ideas and plans? I would love to hear your thoughts! 😀

My Author Interview With TPP!

As I mentioned in a previous post, my next short story will be published this December in the ‘Flashpoint’ anthology.

Many non-writers think that once a story is written, the job of the writer is finished. At least, this is what I find out from the people I talk to. But that isn’t true. Our job continues. We spread the word as much as we can when a book is coming out, and do what is asked by our publishers. Sometimes we are asked to do a reading, we attend book launches, we are interviewed, etc… I was interviewed via email early this week in conjunction with Third Person Press’s Indigogo campaign. And it looks like mine is the first up on the news blog! 🙂

So, if you want to get to know a bit more about me and my writing, I thought I would share the link here. Oh, and if you are wondering who I am standing next to in the photo I submitted, that happens to be Ajay Fry from InnerSpace, who I met a couple weeks ago at Fan Expo. I thought it was the perfect pic to submit for this 😉

http://thirdpersonpress.blogspot.ca/2014/09/flashpoint-interview-kerry-anne-fudge.html

Books And Perks!

I received an e-mail just now from my editors over at Third Person Press. With the upcoming anthology coming out in December, they began an Indigogo campaign. They have done this once before and had great success!

Third Person Press is a small, Cape Breton based, press. I have known the three wonderful women who run it for at least ten years now. They have put a lot of hard work and time into putting these anthologies out. They have worked with me on every story I have put out. They are very involved with the authors, and are patient, supportive and positive.

If you are interested in the anthology, wondering why they are running a campaign, or what kind of perks you get, pop on over to https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flashpoint-anthology. I just made my contribution. Even though one of my perks as one of the authors in this book is to get a free copy, I chose the perk that gets me another copy. Not only do I get to support my publishers (who have been my friends for a long time now), I also get some early Christmas shopping done 😉 (My friend in Australia is waiting patiently for her copy.)

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. I’m still sick, and trying not to be depressed on missing the wonderful sunny day. Maybe I will go and get lost in a book! 🙂

Glorious Snail Mail

The art of letter writing isn’t as dead as you think it is. And on a day like today, I am very happy I am a part of it.

I woke up this morning feeling miserable. The cold/flu combo Mr.C picked up on the way home from our trip to Toronto has finally settled into me, making me feel just as miserable as he was for several days. Needless to say, I called off sick from work, and have been curled up on our sofa all day.

Around noon time he popped out to the post office to mail off a few things, and checked the mailbox. When he came home, my ears perked up at the words he called out. “You’ve got mail!” I quickly got up from my nook, and took the two letters that arrived for me. One from England, the other from Australia. I curled up again, and read the latest from my friends. When I sit to read a letter, and then reply to it, it feels like a chat I have with a friend who is sitting in my kitchen. The best part is that I can start it and put it aside and finish it when I want. And writing out your feelings, the good and the bad, is like a form of therapy. And today I needed a bit of a distraction from my swollen throat and achy back.

While the internet allows us a quick communication with people all over the globe, there is a satisfaction in opening a letter. It is also a great feeling to have mail, and not one of those items be bills! I have learned many things about different cultures and countries around the world over the years. Yes, I can Google my questions. But I LOVE getting these answers from a first hand source. And surprisingly, you can make a strong connection in letters. I have had my longest pal for about thirteen years or so. She lives in Australia, and hopes to make it to my wedding in two years.

I started pen palling when I was in fifth grade. I got my first pen pal through a school program. By the time I hit my teens, I found my pen pals in magazines and ads in the back of ‘Teen Beat.’ (God, I miss those days lol) There were also little booklets called ‘friendship books’. You would write your address in it, with any info (age, what kind of pals you were looking for) and you would send it in a letter to another pal. They would fill it in and pass it on. When the book was full, the last person to sign it would return it to the person who made it. I think I had about thirty or so of these returned to me. And at my highest, I had 80 pals on the go at once.

When my father passed away five years ago, the passion I felt for almost everything died with him. My hobbies went to the wayside, and that included most of my pen pals. Eventually the passion for my hobbies came back. But it took longer for my love of letters to come back.

Early last year I started to miss it. I was sick of an empty mailbox. I was sick of finding bills and junk mail in there when it wasn’t empty. So thanks to the internet and a great pen pal Facebook group, I reconnected with a favorite hobby, and made some new and wonderful friendships. I have twenty nine pen pals, and that is more then enough for me. I would love to have more. It isn’t time that I lack. It’s the money. Postage rises every feckin’ year, and the prices are getting crazy.

If you are genuinely interested in finding your own pen pal and enjoying this geeky and wonderful hobby, there are lots of places to look. Like real life, it is full with people who want to use you (You would be surprised at what people would ask for!) and there are the real deal friends, those who just want a chat and a letter. Facebook has a few good groups. I have left all mine, but that’s because I have enough pals and there are far too many cool and geeky and sweet people out there that I wish to write. One of my fave websites is called Penpaloftheweek.com. The owner also has a link to her etsy shop where she sells stationary. (I treat myself every so often to her wonderful designs!) Julie and her partner post pen pal ads, interviews, pics of snail mail art, and much more. and for the rest of this month they are having a give away every day. (pen pal related items, of coarse.) Give letter writing a chance, and help keep this wonderful art alive 🙂

Writing News!

I wasn’t going to make a new post for a few more days, but I have some exciting news in my life and I wanted to share it! I submitted a story to Third Person Press, and several months ago I found out I was accepted! I have had three stories published by them now in their ‘Elements’ series. (‘Awake and Alive’ was published in ‘Undercurrents’, ‘Airborne’ was in the anthology of the same name, and ‘Harvest’ was in the third anthology, titled ‘Unearthed.’) My newest story, ‘Fever’, will be in ‘Flashpoint’, due out in December of this year! I am very excited! I have had a love of the written word ever since I was a child. Actually, I have been in love with story telling since I was a child. It was when I learned how to read and write that I started putting my creations on paper.

My editors have recently revealed the cover with us, and have given us permission to share it as much as we please! So here it is! I hope you like it 🙂 

 

Recovering from Fan Expo

Earlier this week I flew back home to Cape Breton after a fantastic five nights in Toronto. My new fiance and I went there for the 20th anniversary of Fan Expo, a massive convention which brought in over 100k of us geeks! The convention ran from August 28th-31st.

It was a crazy yet awesome four days. I love going to conventions. There is so much to see and do and take in. The Toronto Fan Expo is held in the two buildings (which are huge) at the convention center. In one building (North), there were celebs, a bit of shopping, artists, and more. The main thing here for us was the celebs, as well as the smaller shopping area. We met a lot of actors, and not once did I walk away thinking I wasted my money. The only issue I had with people were a few of the volunteers who were “abusing their power” (I had more then one be a dick to me for no reason). I spent a shit ton of money, and now I am broke. Do I care? Nope, not really. I spent months saving up for this, and it’s going to be a few years before I can get to another big con. With any luck, I can go back to a smaller one held here in Nova Scotia called Hal-con. 

I got to meet three actors from ‘The Walking Dead’, (one of my top three fave shows); they were David Morrisey (aka ‘the governor’), Lauren Cohen (‘Maggie Greene’) and Danai Gurira (‘Michonne’).  I also got to met Ray Park, Ray Wise, PATRICK STEWART (can you tell that made my life!?), Elijah Wood, Edward James Olmos, Steven Amell, STAN LEE, Jon Heder, Dave Batista and Robert Englund (who did the best photo op EVER! He had the glove and totally got into character). 

Over in South building there was a massive shopping area, along with displays and such. There was SO much geekery, that my brain shorted out. Seriously. I live in a SMALL town and we have very little here. My future hubby had to remind me which way to go after coming out of a shopping aisle. I was like the dog from ‘Up’. I’d look at one thing and freak out and in the middle I’d catch something else in the corner of my eye and freak out again. But it was fun, I had a blast, and eventually my brain could function normally again. Well, as normal as it gets…They had panels going on (which sadly, I didn’t get to a single one. I hear the Steven Amell panel was a big hit), displays like Groot and Rocket made from legos, the car from the tv show ‘Defiance’, and Arkham Knight. I loved seeing everyone in cosplay, and admired many costumes. There were a lot from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ ‘Star Wars,’ anime, and ‘Doctor Who’. I lost count as to how many photos I took. Last year it was about seven hundred. 

Another highlight was meeting up with two girls I met last year. We were ‘line buddies’ while waiting to meet Dean Cain. (who happens to give the BEST.HUGS.EVER) Anyway, we kept in touch over the year thanks to Facebook. We hung out over the weekend, and got to be line buddies yet again for our Elijah Wood photo op. The great thing about cons, is that no matter what you are into, you will meet people who share the same interest. And at the very least, understand your crazy and wonderful passion. I shopped and bought countless art pieces, two graphic novels, four paperbacks, a necklace inspired from ‘LoTR’, buttons and a few other bits and bobs. 

So after those crazy days we spent an extra day to relax and hit the zoo. I also got engaged while in the big city of Toronto. Since I have gotten home I have been reliving the trip, and planning our ‘Geek Chic’ wedding. And being the geek that I am, I am hoping to hit a convention for our honeymoon. 😉