Spring Fever!

As of late I have been on a cooking, baking and creating frenzy. I have created dishes I've always wanted to try, most of them successful. I even have brewed up a small bottle of mead....bigger batch still needs to be brewed this weekend. I've also been drawing and writing....I know it's been a looooong time between books, but don't fret, another is coming. I'm in revamp mode and it can't be fought.

Another change is my store. I was...and still am sort of, with Etsy. My main store is going to be here for now. I have a slight problem with the way Etsy has been running things lately....resellers and copyright infringers are running rampant yet when a seller calls them out, THEY get punished not the wrong doers...WTH? I just don't feel comfortable with clique's, and that's what Etsy has become :( I have moved over to Storenvy, I also feel that I will have a lot more leeway with what I can offer for sale.

So that's what's been going on....how have you all been?

Two things...

If you're looking to switch your internet, for the love of Eddie Izzard's sacred shiny patten stilettos...DON'T go with Clear!! Why? Let me count the ways....
Even though we were well within the dark green coverage area....slow service.
Little to no Netflix or you get throttled to .25 mgb or less.
Mediocre to infuriating customer service....seriously, NOT easy to make my husband raise his voice, but alas, Clear were champions at it.
Unless you want to pay around $40 to check your e-mail and surf the internet...don't even think about being able to quickly load videos...go elsewhere. I wouldn't recommend this service to my ex-husband O_O

Anyway, rant over and Clear gone! I've been gathering together some VERY talented authors and we will have a surprise for you in the near future! I'm waiting on a few more replies and we will get going on the decision making....genre, time frame and rough idea of the direction we want to go with the project, but we will all be adding to an ongoing story! The what, when and time frame remains to be seen, but we are all pretty excited. This will be multi author and multi blog, so stay tuned for details!

Later taters!
DW

Big Year.

Been busy with writing....I know, I know....when is the next one coming out? Soon. Now that the writers block, (a dangerous thing for a writer), has broken, things are rolling along nicely. Been working mostly on one but adding to other books as ideas, characters and scenes come to me.

I've also been adding more and more products to my Etsy shop.....would love ya forever if ya buy something! So far I've sold a tarot reading and a commissioned set of Pucas. Today my lockets should be arriving so I can make scrying pendants, (black mirrors). I have a ton of stained glass I still need to do something with as well....but that's neither here nor there at the moment.

Hope everyone is chugging along nicely into the new year!

So long 2010!

Or should I say good riddance? It has definitely been a rough one. This will be my last entry for this year because I am cleaning house....next year will be no drama....putting my boot in it's ass! You all will see a lot of changes and a lot more of the old me.

Hang on ladies and gents, it's going to be a spectacular 2011!!

Happy New Year :)

Open for business!

I am proud to announce that my Etsy shop is now open! Right now I have tarot readings available.....still waiting on getting my labels finished so I can start selling my wares :)
I already have quite a few bottles of Four Thieves Vinegar, money drawing powder, and love drawing powder ready to go. All of my products will come in cobalt blue bottles, jars and bags! I love cobalt blue and hope you do too.
Ya know, a tarot reading would be an awesome last minute gift or for that hard to buy for person on your list.

So stop on by; Cobaltraven Magickal Notions

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year has been a strange one with all the ups and downs, friendships growing distant, writers block. I have a lot to be thankful for though. Between catching up with old friends and family, having our health, getting my spark back and a few other things I won't mention here.....I am grateful and feel blessed. Tomorrow will be spent with people I love. I wish you all could come too!

What are you thankful for?

Two things.

I am wearing purple in support of bullying victims on 10/20... everyday really. I am a straight, happily married female, but have witnessed, sometimes firsthand, the abuse that goes on with homosexuals. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am VERY supportive of the gay community and will do anything within my power to be available for anyone who needs to talk....seriously, you need an ear, PLEASE e-mail me. I was bullied as a kid, sometimes called gay because I played with "boys toys". I don't care how people see me but when the word is used as a weapon, it's hurtful as a child even if the word is bowl...it's the power behind the words hurled at you... I encourage you to use your words wisely, it may cost someone their life. I was lucky because I was brought up in a household where my parents would have accepted if I was gay...I almost felt like I cheated someone along the way. Someone could have used that acceptance! I did need it when I came out of the broom closet to them, but still, Paganism is much easier to live with hiding rather than who you are and who you love.

Second but not diminished, I ran across a posting on Reddit and it hit my heart. I have two boys so I would like to encourage you to buy a piece of artwork or make a donation to Aidan.....he is a little boy struggling with Leukemia. Like many of us, his family is dealing with the US health care crisis so PLEASE help any way you can. I will proudly display one of Aidens pictures in my home.

I may not know you, but please know that you are loved. Don't be afraid to reach out to someone if you need it!

Moved me to tears....

This is my friend's daughter, Coco. She has Autism and is probably one of the most insightful little people on the planet!

Here is her blog Cocoisims

*warning* You will fall in love with her :)

Square

This was posted to my Node blog but I was informed you have to be a member to read it.

Most of you are aware of what Square is or are highly pissed off that you've been waiting months to receive your dongle/card reader. For those of you who don't know what Square is, here's the run down. If you have an Android or an Iphone (I have the former) you can go to the app store/market and download the Square app....sign up here https://squareup.com/ for free and Square will verify your bank account, send you a card reader and viola.... you are an instant, on the go merchant able to take cards from your phone!
I am an author and I also do tarot readings so this service is highly valuable to me. Now when I go to book signings I don't have to turn people away when they don't have cash. Best thing is, I don't have to pay a monthly fee for using Square.... which is cool for those times when I'm not selling anything!
Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBieYjxUj5Q
"Okay Chelbie, that's great. Now what was that about people being pissed off for having to wait for months thingy about?"
Glad you asked! Well, while Square is a fantastic service, they did jump the gun a tad with their launch (they will fully admit this as well). They had people clamoring for the reader (which is free BTW) when they launched initially in March....they couldn't produce them on that big of a scale, so peeps had to wait. They fixed the reader problem by late May when I signed up, but peeps (myself included) still had to wait. Mobs were starting to gather in the forums wanting Jack on a pike. Now there was an underwriting issues and they were scrambling to get it all worked out. We were placated with "Soon" and "We're almost done." The mob was furious and now using kittens as torch fuel! *kidding* Now we were all pretty frustrated at no clear set date and vague answers, but in Square's defense, you can't give answers you don't have. The mob would have been satisfied with being able to use the app by entering in the card number, but it couldn't be fully launched without the reader *catch 22* .
I received my reader a few weeks ago and it works beautifully! Absolutely thrilled with Square...it was worth the wait. Now some are still waiting on their readers but the line is getting shorter as they're shipping them out. So as far as launching early, yeah, probably not the best idea....but they were excited and we all make mistakes right? So everyone take a deep breath and put your big boy/girl panties on, you reader is on it's way. If you haven't signed up and could use something like Square, (even for just yard sales) get to it!
Later taters!

Childhood Nerd Syndrome ;)

Reposted from my Node account:

I started pretty young....it was all innocent at first with Wonderwoman, Sid & Marty Kroft hour, Bionic woman and Starsky & Hutch (met them one in LAX when I was 5. Paul Michael Glassier tweaked my nose & gave me a piece of gum. David Soul was kind of a dick, but I digress).
My favorite show in the whole world though, even above cartoons or the Bugaloos was In Search Of hosted by Leonard Nemoy. In fact I still get chills when I hear the theme song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK4PGCQQ4Oc

My other favorite thing as a kid was Omni magazine (http://omnimagazineonline.com/). I would steal them from my father ALL the time. I was heartbroken when they got thrown out :( All those articles and Geiger artwork gone *sigh*

Needless to say, this did nothing for my popularity points in the neighborhood or in school ;) But whatev, I would rather have grown up the outcast only child who has thousands of stories lined up in her head for books than anything in the world. I wear my nerdiness proudly and there are many facets to said state of being.

So what are your nerd badges of honor???

Boycott

Okay normally I don't post stuff like this but.....
On top of boycotting BP and it's affiliates, for obvious reasons, I am now boycotting Mattel.
Here's why, http://www.speakupforsay.com/ feel free to join me.

Happy 4th!

Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday! Enjoy the libations but have a designated driver please... I'm out on the road with you!

Also wanted to pass along a message from Kate Douglas.... this is for unpublished authors.

"Wanted to get this out for those of you who are writing with the hope of one day getting published--Kensington Brava has a neat contest going. Check it out at bravaauthors.com Unpublished only!"

So if you're an aspiring author take a chance and enter. Good luck!

Have a great weekend everyone!

DW

Follow up

Yesterday had me stressed quite a bit..... it was mostly the comments in the forums that had me all riled up and confused. Me being me, should have known better than to listen to the hysteric masses, I usually don't fall into that trap. Not to say I'm not fallible, I'm not so brazen as to claim that, but I can usually spot that from a mile away. Thankfully the Square staff saw this and answered questions, finally.... another reason panic can get out of hand is if "mommy & daddy" don't calm the "kids".

So, that being said, it looks like the ship will sail after all once they get all the paper work in place. I am going to wait my turn in line, but Square looks like a very viable and excellent option for me at this point. If you have and Android, Iphone, Ipad or Iwhatever.... you can use this app. They are working on this option for Blackberry, so take heart.

Here's the run down that I got out of yesterday.... you sign up, activate your bank account, they will run a credit check, (to affirm that you are a meat-popcicle & not Hal 2000), they put you in queue for a reader, once you get it, activate it with the little code and you're good to go. You do have the option of opting out of the credit check, but you don't get a reader.... you can then only use the app to keep track of cash transactions.

I plan on using this for book signings and conventions... no more turning fans away because of cards. I also plan to use it to do Tarot readings on the fly *for entertainment purposes only* (legally have to add that in there). click on the word Square <~~~that one right there, to check out their website!

Rant

Sorry, but I have to get this off my chest....

I signed up for a service called Square which will allow me to take credit and debit card payments anywhere I go with my phone. As an author this is an ideal service as I had to refuse a few book sales recently because I didn't have the capability to take cards.....I had already signed up for Square at this point....let me explain. You are required to activate a card reader that attaches to your phone via headjack....hadn't received the reader yet and you can't use the service until you activate said reader. After you activate, you can THEN take payments with out the dongle (at a higher rate) but NOT until then.
Some people signed up with Square months (we're talking March & April) ago and are STILL waiting on readers...I've only been waiting since just before the Con Carolina's event. I don't mind waiting a bit because, hey, the dongle is free. My problem is I can't use the service AT ALL until they send me this damn piece of plastic....and NOW when they finally do give us an update on the slow progress of things have told us we need a credit check or we can cancel our service.... doesn't seem to be a choice. I'm pretty sure there is some sort of legal issue with changing the rules midstream but will cross that bridge when they answer the question of whether this is the case or not. A lot of people are canceling their accounts and going with other services such as GoPayment. I may have to go with them as well, but am not sure if my needs warrant a monthly $12.95 bill, (which is WAY reasonable BTW), just yet.

*sigh* I will update you all again as things progress. This is a fledgling company and the services seem awesome IF we ever get the chance to use it...but be warned....their communication is almost NON existent, save for poor Beth who has been thrown to the wolves of the CEO's making and the fact that you can't use it until you get the reader. If you're considering signing up, I would highly recommend waiting to see if this ship sinks or not, because it's REALLY iffy at this point. They launched WAY too early and are pissing off a lot of people right now.

*edit*
All right I have gotten at least a satisfactory answer on the credit check issue...they always do one and have not done one on anyone yet....but at least there is not a second.

Con weekend.

I had a ball this weekend. Got to catch up with old friends and make some very cool new ones! This year I was lucky to have some physical copies of my books and sold out of them...mind you, I only had two on hand....but one of my publishers brought copies of Mating Season and I was able to sign them.
I finally got to hang out with Yvette, it was an honor meeting her. She was the first publisher (Amira press) to take a chance on me and say yes to Cold Kiss. We were seated in between Faith Hunter and Sabrina Luna. I want to send a big thank you to Faith's husband as well for his patients with my son's constant raspberries aimed toward him. Got to meet Mark Baranowski, his lovely wife Ryli and their son. Got some hang time with David Pendragon (a.k.a. Mr. Big Mamma D), James, Marcia Collette, Eliza Gayle and Rachel & Tally Johnson. Pig Bird made an appearance with his parents who are long time friends of mine....Evil Twin & her hubby Myrddin Wolfe.
The media guests were amazingly nice! I made a fool of myself with Claudia Christian...I wasn't expecting her to be standing there and I stumbled for what to say. Bill Blair is such a sweetheart and put up with me being a bit of a flirt. Richard Hatch, what can I say, really nice gentleman who let me interrupt him enjoying chocolate ice cream for a picture and a nice big squeeze. I almost made a fool out of myself here as well by not watching where I was going and tripping over Bill Blair's foot :(
I also met a really cool gentleman named Doc Geressy who, get this, drives the Ecto-3A. I'm going to go ghost hunting with him and Carolina Ghostbusters soon.
A few other cool happenings, got some hang time and panel time with Robert Aldrich....he also drew a picture for me that now hangs in my office.
I'm going to be doing a post on my author friends in the next few days because I know I'm skipping a few :(

Had a blast, miss you guys already!

Few more days!

This weekend is the Con! If you are in the Charlotte NC area please come by. I will have a few copies of the 100% American Beef Anthology on hand or if you already have your copy come by the Sugar & Spice Press table and Dahlia Rose and I would be happy to sign it for you! Sabrina Luna will also be at the Con, so you can have three of us sign them. Dahlia and Sabrina will also have their other books for sale so you should def grab some.
I'm also bringing my computer so there may be a video cast or two throughout the weekend ;) A good time will be had by all...looking forward to seeing some of our friends like Faith, Tally, David, Davey, A.J., Misty, Robert, J.F., Edmund and Allen. Check out the guest list to see who all will be there. Again, I am so STUPIDLY excited to meet Richard Hatch, the original Apollo!! I'm going to try from going all fan girl on him.
We would love to see you there!

Getting...

geared up for Con Carolinas in a few weeks. So excited to see everyone again and maybe make some new friends. Also done with my respite after Dedicated To You and back to work on other projects. I have so many books to write it almost freezes me up when I sit down to hammer them out.
Later on this year I will be launching my young adult books under another pen name... Penelope Percival Dragonwick. It's been a busy few weeks...finally getting my office in order and trying to spend more and more time working in there rather than the kitchen where there are too many distractions. Also trying to get back in shape....I really need to get back down and into my old clothes. I've cut out the port wine...I do so love it but it does my waistline no favors!
In a few days I should have a copy of my second print book!! DTY was part of the 100% American Beef anthology with Dahlia Rose, Jordyn Tracy, Sabrina Luna and Anastasia Rabiyah and should be available on Amazon.com soon...I will post the link when it's up.

All right my lovelies....back to work!

Entertainer Friday!

Today I would like to introduce you to some more of my amazingly talented friends. Some are close friends, acquaintances or people I admire and have talked once or twice.

Mark McColl my dear friend & Pisan is the drummer for an awesome band called Doubting Thomas.

Thomas Wood The Pyro Juggler I've known since I was 16 and we worked together at the Ren Faire in Glen Helen.

Big Mamma D is the Queen of burlesque, especially here in the Queen City. She actually has a show going on this evening go check her out!

Spicky Hilton, my lovely cousin whose Birthday is today!!

My wonderful kooky friends from NCPCOW who do a pagan broadcast called Circle Round. Very informative, I love these guys!

Tasmine Archer...not only a beautiful singer an amazingly nice woman!

Kelly Marlow from Rotor....another cool band!

A few more mentions of peeps I like...

Gregory Behrendt... comedian, author, actor and front man for the kick ass band Reigning Monarchs!

Chris Hardwick....Nerd of all trades! He host's Web Soup & AOTS on G4, works for Wired AND has a band himself.

Last but not least....Mariqueen Maandig Reznor. I've been a fan of her husband since forever but she is an amazing talent. Check out here new band How To Destroy Angels!

Once again, click on the links, enjoy and maybe make a purchase or two ;) Happy Friday!

Ride my see saw.

It has definitely been an up & down kind of week (& a half). Started out with me going to the Dr., (I'm okay). Some crazy woman is trying to extort money out of me...she was paid in full for goods YEARS ago and I'm not the only one she's doing this to. I received a copy of my first print book! Had another release on Sat, (thank you everyone who bought a copy, you rock!). Went with my bestie to pick up her new puppy and got a chance to meet with some dear friends we haven't seen in a while. You need a good ghost story, Tally Johnson is your man! FINALLY found the perfect red hair dye...so far I love it! Hubby was sick most of the weekend so I didn't get to cruise over to Kings mountain for the Beltain Brouhaha to see my friends from NCPCOW. :(
OH, and last night I bought a sample of this to hang on my wall. Growing up in So Cal we visited Disneyland quite often and the Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride, only seconded by Pirates (one of these days I will eat at The Blue Bayou!), in fact New Orleans square has always been my favorite part of the park. Some of you may recognize it as the wallpaper in part of the mansion...mind you, I'm not papering my entire office because it's $75 a roll...but I am going to frame the sample. I found the link on Doombuggies.com
So, how was your week? I didn't get a chance to do a list of my entertainer friends last week, so please come back Friday and check them out!

Available Now!

Dedicated To You was released at midnight! This is the last in the 100% American Beef anthology, so grab a copy!