I is For Interview with Dmitry Sholokhov!!

Hi, Everyone!!!

It's the third week and I'm doing a twisted version of the A to Z Challenge--vowel style!!--and I have an AMAZING chance to share something soooo cool with you.

A great friend and favorite author of mine, Kendra Saunders, got a chance to meet her muse a while ago and when she asked if she could interview him on a podcast, he said yes!!

The most amazing, wonderfully talented Dmitry Sholokhov!! Aka a Project Runway winner and super awesome designer (obviously. i mean he won, right??)

Here are all the details:

Novelist and interviewer Kendra L. Saunders hijacks Matt Connarton's show once again, this time for an interview with extra special guest Dmitry Sholokhov. Dmitry, winner of Season 10 of Project Runway, talks about his gorgeous Lord & Taylor collection, styling tips for his fans, the best advice he’s received, koala bears, Indiana Jones and whether or not he really does wear that sparkly sequin gown around his house.

The arts are an exciting but crazy business and supporting your favorite artist can be as simple as sharing information about him/her on your blog or through social media, posting their information or sending them an encouraging tweet. Make sure to listen in to this insightful interview with a genuinely talented, gentlemanly and funny artist!

Kendra L. Saunders is the author of urban fantasy Inanimate Objects, short story collection Overlapping Visions and the upcoming dark comedy Death and Mr. Right (Spence City, 10/13), and writes regularly for NerdCaliber. She's one cat allergy away from a stereotypical writer. Find her at www.kendralsaunders.com or on twitter @kendrybird where she loves to answer writing questions, talk about music and fashion and share insider tips about the publishing industry.

Now listen to the interview!!

I am So Sorry

I am so sorry, everyone.

This is the first year where I just COULDN'T get a post written everyday.

Things are going on right now that are kind of stressing me out and I couldn't keep up with responding to all your wonderful comments (which were all very much appreciated!).

I'm afraid I'm going to have to go back to my original schedule and post only once a week. But because I signed up for the A to Z Challenge, I want to still be a part of it in a way. So instead of one letter everyday, I'll be finishing up the month vowel style (one vowel for each week remaining week).

Because this is the third week, I'll be doing the third vowel on Friday.

I

I is for Indie Life

A few weeks ago, I signed up for Indie Life and today is my first post! Yay!

I get to now inspire you or just talk about my experiences.

So my experiences so far have been pretty amazing and pretty daunting. After publishing my debut novel through Spencer Hill Press last year, I grown more confident in my career and in myself.

Last December, I published my first self-published work, "To Love or Die in a Steamy-Reamy World" and this summer, I'll be self-publishing another work, ALMOST NIGHT.

I can't say I knew exactly what I was doing (or even now know exactly), but I'm learning and I'm loving it. I used to see self-publishing as a step down and now I see as the beautiful opportunity that it is.

If you're self-publishing soon, I say good for you! You will absolutely love it! 

If you are MUCH farther along in the journey than I am, you are amazing! I am so grateful for all the people who've paved the way these past few years and giving self-publishing the wonderful reputation it deserves.

I is for Instant Queue

Welcome back!!

Sorry about yesterday's late post. Yesterday was a bad day. Let's just leave it at that.

So here is another one of my great loves!!

Okay, so it's not letting me get any images (sigh), but my other great love is...

Netflix Instant Queue

It has made me so happy over the last year or so. It has given me access to BBC movies and tv shows like Sense and Sensibility and Doctor Who (because I don't pay for tv--rabbit ears, baby!). It has saved me money by not having to go out and buy a million movies.

And it has provided hours of quiet when I just needed a little "me" moment away from the kids. 

Yup, that's right. Sometimes situations demand you make the tv the babysitter while you take a bubble bath and cool down from a bad day.

Am I ashamed? Not one bit.

So, thank you, Netflix Instant Queue. I love you. I love you so much.

By the way, come back later (noonish eastern standard time) for an Indie Life post! And yes, I realize I could have used I for Indie Life right now, but I really needed to spread my love for Netflix. I'll be using "I" again later. :)

H is for "How You Doin'?"

Back today with another love...

Yup. I watched Friends growing up. I loved it and Joey was my favorite. I'm not ashamed to admit I also had a Central Perk t-shirt.

Did you watch this show? Which character was your favorite?

G is for Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales

Welcome back! I'm talking about another one of my great loves today; another one of those things that helped make the Emily you see today. :)

I actually grew up with an Omnibus of Fairy Tales, which are the abridged, child friendly tales taken from the work above.

I still have the book, though it's missing its spine (and now held together with packing tape) and I read the stories to my own children (whenever I can get them to sit still long enough), but I purchased a copy of Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales a few years ago. 

I grew fascinated with just how much the stories had changed from one work to another. I started to come up with conspiracy theories as to why we'd make them more lighthearted and who would benefit the most from doing so. And I realized that, obviously, the villains in the stories would have the most to gain. If we forgot them and how truly horrible they were, they'd have a chance to grow more powerful.

It was actually that thought that inspired me to write my YA Contemporary Fantasy, ALMOST NIGHT (you can see more about it in the My Books page above). 

So what about you? Have you read the original tales? Or did you grow up on one of the other versions?

F is for Falcor

Welcome back! Today I'll be talking about another one of my great loves.

Back in the day when people used to record movies on video tapes, I had this one. It was a bad copy with all the commercials (because we got it off the tv--obviously--when they played it during some kind of fundraising special) and half of it had the audio of the movie we'd recorded over. It was at just about Falcor's entrance that the audio switched over to The Neverending Story (the other movie was some Rodney Dangerfield flick).

Oh man, that was my favorite part. And I played that movie every day and memorized every word (even the ones I couldn't hear).

Falcor was like a great big, fuzzy best friend.

And boy did I wish I could write a book that would come to life. I started thinking that maybe if I could find a secret school attic and had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and apple with a really cool-looking journal, it might just happen. Because as much as I loved reading, I loved writing even more. I wanted to write the next great book.

And I wanted my characters to pop out of the fantasy world and take me with them on some crazy adventures.

How about you guys? Did you love Falcor and the whole Neverending Story gang?

E is for Environment

Welcome back! Today I'll be talking about another one of my great loves.

There are few things I love more than standing alone in the middle of the woods, far away from any road or neighborhood. Just me and the birdies. And the wind rustling through the leaves.

Besides the shower,* this is where most of my creativity happens.

I grew up spending hours in the back woods of my parents' property, most often the whole day. I'd imagine I was a great warrior, or fairy princess, or orphan runaway. All on my own, living in the woods.

Just me and the birdies. And the wind rustling through the leaves.

Have a great day, everyone!

*Yes, I have been known to be so distracted by writerly thoughts that I've put body wash in my hair instead of shampoo.

D is for Doctor Who!

The A to Z Challenge continues and we're back with another one of my loves. And OHHHHHH!!!!

The Doctor!!!!

I'm a new fan. Yes, one those. 

But I swear I'm at least knowledgeable enough to know that show does not begin and end with #11 up there.

Though I do love bowties now. 

I also have a plan for surviving the weeping angel invasion.

And I can pronounce dalek correctly. Oh yeah. That's a real fan. :P

Which reminds me of another "d" word...

LOL! Have a great A to Z day, everyone!

C is For C.S. Lewis

Welcome back! We're still going through the A to Z Challenge and today I'll be talking about another great love of mine.

Isn't that a great author picture? 

Sitting all scholarly on a high-backed chair with a book on his lap. 

Makes me wish I had something that debonair. 

Okay, so C.S. Lewis is kind of my hero. He wrote what moved him in order to teach something important to his readers. He's a legend. And his words continue to affect the world YEARS after his death. 

That's amazing. And a blessing. And I pray on a day-to-day basis that I'll have a fraction of his success.

What person today doesn't know about Aslan? Or Narnia? Or The White Witch?

What child hasn't cherished his words? 

And what hero has molded who you are today?

B is For Bazinga!

For those stopping by for the first time, I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge and sharing all my loves.

Today is:

Yes, readers. That guy. 

I can't say he makes the show because the whole cast is brilliant, but he definitely adds his own bazinga flavor to it all.

Sheldon Cooper with pretty much the best catch phrase in the world.

A is For Atlantis, The Stargate Variety

Is it April already??

I've been doing the A-Z Challenge since its inception and I'm super excited to be doing it yet another year! Welcome to those new to the Challenge as well as veterans!

If you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about, I suggest you get with it. This is like the biggest thing in the blogging world. :P

The linky list for all participants is HUGE, so I won't be including it here. But I will give you the link to get back to it with ease.

This year, I'll be giving you readers a look into what makes me tick. You should be scared. No one should be subjected to this. ;)

I love movies. I love speculative fiction (heck, I write it). And I REALLY love the fantastical, awkward, and slightly weird.

This show right here got my creative juices flowing like few have. I obsessively rewatched the entire series the moment it came out on Netflix. Fantasy with sci-fi?? Yes please!!

A floating city that literally rises out of the ocean!

Pretty much the best cast of characters ever.

So what's your favorite tv show or movie? What gets your creative juices flowing?