Z is for Zzzzzz

30 April 2013 Renee
A to Z

Z is for Zzzz… as in what will happen to my blog after this challenge. Up until April I was struggling to find content beyond my book news. After this challenge, the same will happen again. Hopefully I’ll think of something.

It’s been great doing the A to Z Challenge. I’ll definitely have a theme the next time I decide to do it. Random is fun but it was hard coming up with some of the letters. I hope everyone had a fun A to Z Challenge.

Thanks for reading,

~ Renee

A to Z Challenge

Y is for Yippee… or Yikes

29 April 2013 Renee
A to Z

Y is for Yippee… or Yikes. It’s almost time for me to head out to the mainland. Wednesday is getting closer and closer by the second. The closer I get, the more stuff I remember I should do before I leave the comfort of my stable internet connection.

Most other things are fine, but the internet connection is my biggest concern. My livelihood and the majority of my obligations require internet access. I plan to get on-the-go access, but I haven’t yet. As well, I have no clue what’s going to happen in May. I can’t make concrete plans because I’m at the mercy of family. I just have to hope I have time to check my email.

I also hope I can get some writing done while I’m out and about. Maybe some reading too. May will be a month of maybe’s and hope so’s until stuff does or does not happen.

A to Z Challenge

X is for Xenophile

27 April 2013 Renee
A to Z

X is for Xenophile… in case you haven’t noticed from a few of my posts already, I qualify as a xenophile of Japan. And xenophile was the only X word I could think of.

Okay maybe attracted is the wrong word… sort of. Do anime/manga characters count? They are Japanese after all… sort of… partially. Some of them are… kind of. Just ignore the random hair colors and impossible cleavage on some of the female characters (kitty ears and tails too) and they could totally count as Japanese.

If I had to trace my fascination to a particular source in my past, it would have to be the years I spent on Kadena AB in Okinawa, Japan as a kid. I got introduced to Japanese culture during elementary school. It was really different from the elementary school I attended later in Texas. Really, REALLY different. I preferred the Japanese school.

Add to that all the anime and Japanese cartoons that got translated and imported to the US — some of it without me even realizing it had originated from Japan — in the 80′s and I was pretty much sold. I’m not talking Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z — besides that was 90′s. Before that. Grimm’s Fairy Tale Classics, Noozles, Voltron (no, I didn’t realize when I was watching it that it was from Japan. I figured that out later in life.), Maple Town, the butchered Warriors of the Wind (re-released in the 2000′s in its entirety under it’s real title Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind) and a few others I can’t think of right now.

A to Z Challenge

V is for Visual

25 April 2013 Renee
A to Z

V is for Visual… I’m a very visual person. Considering how visual I am, I’m surprised I’m not an artist. I didn’t have the patience… or something like that. At a young age I started drawing. I had Garfield down to perfection. One accusation of tracing later, I gave up drawing. Every time I tried to go back, it seemed like too much work to start from scratch and train myself. It would take me forever to get to a level that would satisfy me.

My visual tendency is one of the main reasons I love anime and manga as much as I do. The art style of both catches my attention every time. The old adage “you can’t judge a book by its cover” isn’t totally true with manga. Nine times out of ten, if I like the cover art (usually done by the interior artist unlike American comics), I like the story in the manga. There have been a handful of instances where I found the art style less than enticing but still enjoyed the story but that hasn’t happened often. Or the opposite where the art is nice but the story left much to be desired.

I find a lot of times, in my writing, I have to see something acted out for me to be able to describe it accurately. Getting up and acting something out, finding clips online, people watching — all of it helps. I rely a lot on porn for most of my sex scenes to add variety and so I can get the movements and reactions correct. Not just Tab A in Slot B but hand positioning, body positioning, breathing, sounds, speaking, interaction with their surroundings — all of that helps me craft the scene so my readers can experience it to the utmost.

A to Z Challenge

U is for Unlimited

24 April 2013 Renee
A to Z

U is for Unlimited… as in the reason I write. Unlimited possibilities. Unlimited character traits. Unlimited worlds to be created. Unlimited relationships to be explored. There are billions of books in the world and I love the fact that I am among those who add to that number.

I love to write and create and see my imagination take shape in my books. True the books don’t always come out the exact way I imagined them but it’s still fun to see where my characters will take me. The sky isn’t the limit. It’s the starting point for a journey into beyond. All I have to do is find the right words to describe it all.

A to Z Challenge

S is for Set My Mind To It

22 April 2013 Renee
A to Z

S is for Set My Mind to It… I am a champion procrastinator. Even when I say I’ll get a jump on something, I still leave it until the last minute and then rush. I’m one of those people who works well under pressure. In fact, I think I do better work under pressure. More than likely it’s because I’m not stressing small details or over-complicating the situation and just getting it done.

That said, when I set my mind to something it gets done — completely and without fail… usually on time. I’m pretty sure I procrastinate the way I do because I’m always looking for the best time to do a certain task. I know. I know. The best time to do anything is now because later isn’t promised. I get that. However, I’m the type who focuses on something completely when I start on it. As such, I want to make sure I have a chunk of time to do it without conflicting with anything else.

I read novels in one sitting (we’re talking 4-8hrs of reading — depending on the length of the book — with only potty breaks) and will watch and entire TV series from start to finish in one loooooong run. Most of my peers get distracted easily. I tend to have mental blinders and will keep going until the task is finished. Any interruption leads to extreme grumpiness partly due to being interrupted but mostly because of low blood sugar.

Usually what ever task has my attention at the time probably keeps me from eating. It’s not that I forget to eat. I just lose track of time and don’t realize I’m hungry until the headache sets in.

I could change this habit if I set my mind to it, but I figure why bother? It works for me. So long as everything gets done — and it usually does — it’s all good. A little rushing keeps me on my mental toes… is what I say now, but I’m sure I’ll complain about leaving things to the last minute next time I have to rush on something.

A to Z Challenge