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 |  Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 28 MAY 2024: Just a little about me. I've been married for 32 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, travels, random thoughts, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there. BLOG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2024: I participated in the
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Congrats on your Honorable Mention in Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Nonfiction.gif) Big thanks to WakeUpAndLive~doingNaNo'24   for hosting the contest! OCTOBER 2024: I participated in the
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Congratulations on completing the 13 Poetic Days of Halloween.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Halloween-2026567.gif) Big Thanks to Lyn's a Witchy Woman  for hosting the contest!Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." 
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| Once you have the story and the editing has been done, you want a cover. The cover should reflect the story in some way. I am not a graphic arts designer, but I have had the fortune to work with my small press cover artists to design a cover for my stories. One of the things they have me do is fill out a “Cover Art Form.” A Cover Art Form is one that you can design yourself, to give you an idea what you might want on a cover. A Basic Cover Art Form might include the following: A bio on your hero and heroine with a physical description and an excerpt of an important scene in the novel. The Cover Art Form might also include other elements such as the setting and objects that have an important meaning to the story. While I have purchased most of my covers from before, I did want a new cover for “Christmas in Bayeux” so I reached out to my formatter who also does covers and she put me in touch with the previous cover’s creator to work on a new cover. Now, you can also do an internet search for graphic artists and people who create covers, but I’m very comfortable working with those formatters and cover artists who are now freelance from my old publishers.  The cost for the new cover was $50.00. Costs for a cover will vary from $50.00 to up to $150.00 or even more. There are a lot of factors in play. Do you need an ebook cover? Audio book cover? Print book cover? What is the dpi needed for the cover? Does the cover artist need to buy the photos for the cover? How much “photoshoping” or layering do you need in the cover? For my new cover with “Christmas in Bayeux” I went to Dreamstime, a place where you can buy photos, images, stock photos, and royalty free photos. If you need to buy a photo, you can pay royalties for it and then you can use the photo. The royalties are typically not that expense and I believe I paid about $20.00. I bought 3 different possible photos for the cover and sent them to the cover artist to design a cover. In that regard, I’m getting exactly what I want for the cover. I filled out my version of a cover art form, went to dreamstime, and picked the photos I wanted the cover artist to work with. They came back with 3 designs, and I picked the best one I thought would fit the story. “Christmas in Bayeux” would be an ebook and a print book, so the cover had to be a certain dpi. I’ll share some of the other cover versions that were done for the story.   Here’s a helpful checklist when working on your cover: Cover Art Form? Select photos from Dreamstime or another Photo seller? Select a cover artist and agree to a price for the cover? Tell the cover artist the intent of the cover – do you need just an ebook cover? An Audio book cover? A print cover? One for all 3? Creating a cover that fits your story might take between 1-3 weeks to get the one you want, but it’s worth it because a cover is a big reason why a buyer will buy a book so making sure you have one that is reflective of the story you wrote is very important. Part 4 – ISBNs – Why do I need one? |
I learned in March that the outdoor scenes of Little House on the Prairie were taped in Simi Valley, and since the 50th reunion festival was such a big hit, the chamber of commerce decided to host tours to the sets. This past June they had a tour booked for every weekend, but now I believe they offer tours one Saturday out of a month.  Well, I know my friend from New Hampshire would have loved it if I went and I didn’t want to let her down, so I signed up for another trip – this time to see the outdoor sets. Personally speaking, I thought the $75.00 price tag was a bit hefty, but I really can’t complain. This was a bus tour and you had to pay for the bus somehow. The name of the outdoor film location was called “Big Sky Ranch,” and it was the home to the Ingalls home and the town of Walnut Creek. It was about an hour from where the indoor scenes were filmed in Hollywood. The episode where Nellie gets pushed into the water was filmed on the Big Sky Ranch, and the Sweetheart tree is still growing on the ranch. Unfortunately, there was a fire in 2003 which destroyed most of the actual structures that were left on the ranch, but for the 50th festival, they created some mock-ups and placed them on the ranch so you would get a flavor of where they stood on the set. My tour was set for 1215. I really should have picked an earlier time, because it was kinda’ hot – in the 90’s when it was time to take off. Dean Butler was on the tour before me, but he wasn’t on my tour. I did manage to get a picture of him, which was nice. They had a kiosk that sold coffee, water, and snacks. I stopped by a local place to eat a bite for lunch. Our tour was late leaving because the previous tour was late getting back. I think it took about 15 minutes to make it out to the Ranch. When we got there, it was dusty. As I was sitting in the back of the bus, it was hard to hear the tour guide. The Ranch had several rolling hills. I think the easiest visual for me, was the opening scene, when the girls are running down the hill. The bus stopped in that area, and we were allowed to get off and take pics, but we couldn’t go past the roped off area because of critters and snakes. I got some nice pictures of the area, and it was nice to connect with like-minded people and fans of the show. It’s absolutely amazing how many people just loved the show and enjoyed the books. They were selling some souvenirs, but I didn’t pick up any at this time. Overall, if you’re a fan of the show, you’ll enjoy the getaway. I took some cool pics and got to see something I wouldn’t normally have. Extra links: https://collider.com/little-house-on-the-prairie-filming-locations / |
Ketchikan & Hockey? Well, I wish I could have gotten to this entry earlier, but it’s been busy out my way, my apologies. Next on the itinerary was Ketchikan. We arrived early, around 7 am, but didn’t have much time in the town. The ship was going to leave at 1 pm. We had excursions to visit Totem Bight State Historical Park and see a Lumberjack show. Ketchikan is probably first “big” town in Alaska you’ll come to on the inside passage. The inside passage is that arm of Alaska that reaches down into Canada on the coast. There’s a lot of islands and inlets. It’s considered the southernmost entrance of the inside passage. It’s also considered Alaska’s first city, as it’s the first one you’ll encounter as you come up from Puget Sound. Ketchikan’s airport is on a separate island close to the coast, but once you land, you need to take a ferry to reach the city proper. On the day we visited, there was a light rain and mist. We rushed off the ship and found our line to visit Totem Bight State Park. It’s 33 acres and features vivid totem poles by the Tlingit and Haida Native American Indians. Not only that, there’s a Tlingit Clanhouse among the poles. Each totem pole told an amazing story (sadly, I don’t remember many) but what a rich culture. In the early 20th Century, the area was abandoned by the native peoples, and in the 1930’s the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) was hired to restore the poles. They’ve done an amazing job. I would love to spend more time in this area.  Here's a link for more info: https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/totembgh.htm At the park this was this plant called a skunk plant. I remember it was a big plant with bit yellow blooms. I guess the native wildlife will eat it, but it’s a bit of laxative and it really loosens the bowels. We were cautioned not to eat it. We must have been there around an hour and 15 mins. I would have enjoyed more time visiting the park, but we had to make the Lumberjack show.  Who knew Lumberjacking was a thing? We went into Ketchikan proper and found the show. I learned there are colleges which offer courses in lumberjacking. Lumberjacks climb poles, spilt logs, throw axes, etc. It was a very excited show. The small seating area was spilt into 2 and our section was rooting for the Canadians who won. After that we rushed to boat and stopped at a tourist shop with just enough time to buy souvenir stickers! I fell in love with Ketchikan. It was so lush and green. Heck, it’s considered part of a National Forest! I wanted to bring an NHL Hockey team to Ketchikan. But I don’t know if that would be do-able. Heck, I was looking on Zillow for summer homes in Ketchikan. I definitely wanted to spend more time in Ketchikan and learn more about the town and its history. I heard Ketchikan is called the salmon capital of the world, but I was so rushed, I didn’t have time to discover why. Maybe next time I’ll try the salmon. When Sarah Palin was running for governor, she supported a bridge be built between Ketchikan and Gavina Island, the home to the Ketchikan airport. As governor, she vetoed the legislation that would have provided it, citing fiscal responsibly. Sadly, this decision made the residents of Ketchikan a bit miffed, and boy do they hold a grudge. In 2022, the Republican party of Ketchikan voted to censor her to that decision she made back in 2007. ***** Here are a couple of my favorite quotes by Sarah Palin: “Buck up or stay in the truck.” “America is looking for answers. She’s looking for a new direction; the world is looking for a light. That light can come from America’s great North Star; it can come from Alaska.” “I love those Hockey moms. You know what they say is the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull is? Lipstick.” |
| It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I’ve been working long hours at work and picking up some overtime shifts. I haven’t had a chance to work on some of my topics such as Alaska and self publishing, but I hope to work on them soon. With the weather getting hot, I’d thought I’d tackle a health topic today – Keeping cool. I personally stay cool by using my AC. Mind you, my electric bill is no joke so hench, I must work overtime to help pay for that bill.  Sigh…. We all have our techniques – swamp coolers, fans, spending the day at the beach or the lake. Ah, but what are the benefits? Why stay cool? I think when we get too hot, the heat illnesses are prone to occur. They range from heat cramps to heat exhaustion. Heat cramps occur when your muscles spasms after working out in the heat. Some say it is caused by an electrolyte imbalance caused by the heat, others say the heat causes the muscles to lose their ability to contract. Heat exhaustion’s symptoms include exhaustion, excessive sweating, cramps, headaches and nausea. One of the big things you can do to help avoid heat cramps and exhaustion – drink water. You don’t want to get dehydrated. When you get dehydrated, you feel lighthearted, may faint, your urine turns bright yellow and get headaches. I’ve been there a couple of times. It’s not fun. Ways to keep cool in the heat? #1 Drink water. Help your body out – you can spray yourself with water using a mist bottle or what I would do when hiking, I would get out a bandana, get it wet, and keep it wrapped around my neck. Drinking water is one of the biggest things you can do to help maintain your body temperature. #2 Wear cooler clothing like cottons and light colors. #3 take cooler showers with lukewarm water. #4 eat snacks instead of meals – salads, watermelons, and fruits. #5 stay in the shade as much as you can. Does anyone else have any good tips? Please share! |
| Sorry I've been a busy bee. I have an "older" book review I wrote for "Takedown Twenty" in the Stephanie Plum series. I really enjoy reading that series, but I haven't had a chance to tackle anything more recent. Give a shout out if you're a Stephanie Plum fan! Enjoy the review! Book Review for: Takedown Twenty Written by: Janet Evanovich Published by: Bantam Books ISBN: 978-0-345-54288-5 I read: the Hardback 4 Stars Exciting, but could do without the giraffe. Evanovich pens another interesting cozy mystery with “Takedown Twenty.” Morelli’s uncle, Sal Sunucch, jumps bond and Stephanie’s been tasked to rebond him. Uncle Sunny has a lot of friends, and no one want to turn him in. Stephanie is also helping Ranger to find out who’s been killing the old ladies who like to play bingo and get discounts at the local store. The cherry on the top is that there is a giraffe running wild on Stark Street that only Lula and Stephanie see. Stephanie comes close to taking down Uncle Sunny a couple of times, but breaks her finger, her nose, and gets thrown into the river. As the danger amps up, Stephanie gets cold feet, throws in the towel, and goes to work for a butcher. Can Stephanie catch Uncle Sunny and figure out who is targeting the old ladies at Bingo before her grandmother is next? Evanovich’s writing style easily draws the reader in and keeps them interested. The Uncle Sunny plot has readers engaged and curious. The giraffe subplot feels forced and only served as an unneeded distraction. The characters were entertaining as usual, and readers will find themselves among old friends. The ending sneaks up on the reader. Overall, Takedown Twenty is a fun read with old friends and new challenges. If you’re looking for a cozy read to pass the time or to catch up with friends, this one for you.
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| I think the process starts with the story. When I was writing for Victory Tales Press, they wanted shorter stories, about 10-20,000 words to put in a holiday themed anthology, be it paranormal, Christmas, or spring/summer. One of my first stories for them was “Christmas in Bayeux.” The story was to be stimulating, or sexually charged.
When it comes to writing the majority of my stories, setting is very important to me. I shoot for international settings (inspired by my time spent in Europe when I was in the Army) or New England where I grew up. Sometimes I write about places that have left a marked impression on me, such as California wine county. Once I have my story, I flesh out my characters, my conflict, the romance, and then target the heat level to what I want for the story, be it sweet, sensual, steamy, or spicy. With Christmas in Bayeux, I was shooting for steamy. A big part of my writing is researching as well. I flesh out a plot and start to writing. The whole creative process is invigorating! When I first wrote “Christmas in Bayeux,” was about 10-12,000 words and was published in 2010. When I got the revision of rights in 2018, I decided to do a content edit, flesh it out, and develop the characters more. It took me about 2 years to do that content edit. The story was now about 40,000 words long, novella size. I pretty much self-edit along the way, so my editing was done shortly after the content edit. After I was satisfied with the edit, my beta reader read the story and offered suggestions. My beta reader typically reads for spelling, punctuation, and grammar, but also looks at other story elements as well. Beta reading takes time, and I don’t rush her. She’s done when she’s done. That’s where patience comes in. However, this is a good time to go about securing your Copyright. A copyright is a legal way to protect your intellectual property. Legally, a book you created is your intellectual property and you want to protect it. From Copyright.gov: Copyright is a type of intellectual property that protects original works of authorship as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression. Again, from Copyright.gov: Copyright exists automatically in an original work of authorship once it is fixed, but a copyright owner can take steps to enhance the protections. The most important step is registering the work. Registering a work is not mandatory, but for U.S. works, registration (or refusal) is necessary to enforce the exclusive rights of copyright through litigation. If you ever need to take someone to court for a violation of copyright, having registered your copyright is the best way to prove you have the copyright. How to go about doing that? You can start here to register for your copyright: https://www.copyright.gov/registration/ Last year, when I registered some of my stories the cost was about $65.00. You can register for the copyright yourself. You don’t need a lawyer to do it. While a copyright registration isn’t a MUST, it’s a good to do it to protect yourself in case someone else infringes on your copyright. |
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| Book Review for: The Viscount Who Loved Me Note: Just catching up on some reviews I've meaning to post for a while...
B00UG8RP22 Author: Julia Quinn Published by: Avon Books, 2006, 2015, Overall rating: 4.5 Stars PLOT: (4.5 Stars) Anthony Bridgerton is a young, attractive viscount who is feeling the urge to settle down and find a wife. He’s not worried about his reputation – in fact, he’s rather proud of being a rake and a rogue. He has absolutely no intention of beginning in love with the woman he picks for his wife, so he sets his eye on the lovely Edwina Sheffield, the belle of the ton. Kate Sheffield is Edwina’s older sister and is also making her debut season in the ton. She finds Anthony’s reputation despicable and is mortified to discover he’s set his eye on Edwina. She has no intention of allowing Edwina to marry a rake and a man who doesn’t love her. When Anthony and Kate meet, the sparks fly. Both are so much alike – stubborn, full of pride, and quick-witted. As Kate runs interference for her sister, she finds herself more and more attracted to the handsome viscount. Dare Anthony fall in love with perfect woman for him? CATAYLIST: (4 Stars) I was shopping at Costco when I found the book. I hadn’t read book #1 (The Duke and I) yet, but I was ready for a historical, regency romance. This cover, for me, was more in line with what I had envisioned for the story. THOUGHTS: (4.5 Stars) For me, both characters were easy to like. Kate made a determined heroine, but her fear of thunderstorms is deep seated. When Anthony finds her in a vulnerable position due to her fear, he strives to help, proving he’s more gentleman than a rogue and allows Kate’s feelings for him to grow. Anthony, too, has a deep-seated belief – he’s convinced he’s not going to live to an old age, dying young as his father did. This fear drives his decisions, and yet when he meets Kate and discovers the power of love, he learns he is the master of his own destiny – but what choice should he make? The safe one or the risky one? WHAT WORKS: (4.5 Stars) The witty banter. The plot moves a nice clip and I found myself rooting for Kate and Anthony. WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME (WHAT WAS ‘OFF’): The ending seems a little forced and rushed. Anthony has his epiphany and rushes to find Kate. Good. BUT the scenario where Kate was in danger felt a little, well, forced. WHY 4.5 STARS: I enjoyed the setting and the escapism of the novel. Both main characters were well fleshed out with their flaws and vulnerabilities which made them very relatable. WILL I WATCH THE NETFLIX SERIES: Not at this time. I love a good regency romance and the Bridgerton book series could very well be that, but I appreciate more the realism of the escapism, than the reimagining of it. The TV Series itself would stand much stronger on its own if it was its own world and not the reimagined world of the ton. EXTRA COVER SIDE NOTE: As I usually do with a review, I download the cover and share it with the review. Well, I discovered the book had more than one cover. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, as it had a different color when it was published in 2006 and 2015. |
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| Just some musings on the 4th on July. They're fairly positive, upbeat musings... What does the 4th of July mean to me? A lot.  One of my earliest memories was my parents and family going down to the bi-centennial parade in Manchester, NH. I was just a kid, but it was impressed on me that it was a big day and I wouldn’t experience another milestone like this. I have a few pics from that day, but they’re a bit faded now. I often think back of my family walking up from my house to Deerfield Park in Manchester to watch the fireworks. Fireworks bring out the little kid in me. They capture an “awe factor” It’s a reminder of Freedom to me and having an appreciation of that freedom. Growing up when I did in NH, civics was important. I learned a lot about NH government as well as the nation’s. I think the one of the lasting impressions I have from that period is that “Fair” means a lot. And it’s important to me that I’m a fair minded person. In 1986, I entered military service on 8 July. Not quite the 4th, but I remember the spirit of patriotism was soaring high in the nation. It was the time of Reagan, and I was very proud to serve under Reagan as a president. Between 1986-to about 2005ish, the 4th meant a time to relax, enjoy the lazy summer day, BBQ, fly your flag and tip your hat to American’s birthday with a fireworks display. Then in 2005, our family went to Avalon, CA on Catalina Island for the 4th. It was amazing. Nothing said “home” California style than the golf cart parade and the USC marching band. After a BBQ on the beach, we went and saw the fireworks on the beach in Avalon. We went to Avalon from about 2005 to 2012. It was a memorable time for us and the boys. They still have warm memories of the 4th. Even 2012 which was overrun by the in-laws. This year we're off to Ventura for a picnic, relaxing times, patriotic music and fireworks. So to all the founding fathers – thank you. Happy 4th to the USA!! Home of the Brave and Land of the Free. We have a Republic. Let’s keep it. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Fun Facts: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, 2 of our founding fathers, died on the same day - 4th July 1826. 50 years after the Declaration of Independence. 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence were drafted, but only 27 are accounted for. Congress declared the 4th of July an official holiday - in 1870! The Star Spangled Banner was inspired by the War of 1812. A poem put to music, it became the USA's official national anthem in 1931. What did you do for the 4th? |
 I just want to welcome the Blog followers to July! The 4th of July is just around the corner, and I bought tickets to see the fireworks show at Ventura college. We’ve gone before. It’s nothing special, but it feels more special than just staying in Santa Clarita and watching the fireworks at the mall. I love Santa Clarita, but fireworks at mall is a tad crowded and there’s too much asphalt. We’ve gone to Ventura a couple of times, now. It’s at the college and we get to sit down on the grass and bring items for a picnic. We can bring in coolers, lawn chairs, blankies, but there’s no alcohol, no pets, no smoking/vaping. There will be food trucks, which are kinda’ neat. I think I got an ice cream from them last year. When the boys were little, they went and played on the bounce houses. This year we just have Joey who is 17. Andy is on Catalina Island at Camp Emerald Bay during the 4th doing his Boy Scout thing. The only thing with Ventura is that it can get a little cramped feeling. Joey has never been big on fireworks. With his ADHD, he’s also sensitive to loud sound. The vacuum cleaner drove him crazy when he was younger. For a long time, we used to go to Avalon on Catalina Island for the 4th of July. What started out as a 2-3 overnighter turned into a week-long event. And trust me, you can pack a whole week of 4th of July fun on Catalina. We usually rented a condo on Hamilton cove and drove the golf cart everywhere. There’s BBQ’ing, fishing, relaxing, and the fireworks in the harbor were very memorable. There’s the golf cart parade and the USC marching band. 4th of July on Avalon was something special, and I think we did it from 2005 to 2012 when the boys were little. We stopped because the in-laws started coming and honestly, 2012 was not as pleasant as it could have been.  We might go back next year. Joey suggested we go while on vacation and Brent and I are seriously considering it – no in laws. We’re putting our foot down. I think Joey, heck - we all do - have great 4th of July memories on Catalina and we’d like to go back. The 4th of July isn’t the same when we’re not in Avalon. This year I bought some fun decorations at Walmart and Dollar tree to spruce up the lawn. I’ve got beads and headbands. I want to bring Popeye’s chicken to eat on the lawn in Ventura. Last year Brent made sandwiches and they were okay, but it was too much. What do you have planned for the 4th? |
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