Hey everyone--I posted this last year but thought it might be nice to repost it for the new people since tomorrow is Turkey Day here in the states (aka Mashed Potato day for those vegetarians out there.) Enjoy some Taco love.
James: Where is it?
Sam: Specifics and context, please.
Ramon: What he said.
James: The turkey. WHERE IS THE TURKEY?
Sam: You’re asking the ...
2017-11-22 19:33:26 +0000 UTC View PostSorry about the lack of posts--I've essentially been trying to keep my head down and get my rewrites done. To reward your patience, here is a snippet from the book I'm working on. Hope you like it!
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“You’re a cheat.” The man spit on the ground, the saliva and tobacco spattering out in an interesting pattern. If Tevin twisted his head just right, it looked like a bunny. He kept this to himself as the man’s cronies laughed like he’d said something clever.
Val sighed, ...
2017-11-20 23:58:38 +0000 UTC View Post
This doesn't count as your story--which I'm currently working on, but I like doing these fun, short, text exchanges, so I thought I'd put up one for Sam and the gang for Halloween. I'm putting it up for Patrons only for the first few days, then I'll make it public.
The pumpkin on the left is mine! Well, mine and Smalls as he helped. Bigs did the middle pumpkin and his friend Mark did the awesome Oogie Boogie on the right!
2017-10-26 17:59:15 +0000 UTC View Post
For those that don't follow me on Instagram (which, let's face it, it mostly a feed about my dog, Athena, and weird stuff that makes me laugh.) this a picture of two different cards that I got for my birthday, which was earlier this month. The first if from my friend, Krystal, the second if from my mother. They did not coordinate cards. And yes, my mom sends me funny poop cards. The McBride humor is very sophisticated and edgy. She also sent me a nice card that said something about being a great...
2017-09-19 23:39:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello to all of you out there in Internet-land. Did you know it’s raining in Seattle RIGHT NOW? For those of you that are not based in the North West edge of the US, this seems like a silly thing for me to be excited about. Seemingly the only things people know about my little corner of the world is that it rains pretty much all the time (somewhat true), we have an obsession with coffee that borders on the unhealthy (absolutely true), it’s fairly expensive to live here (sadly,...
2017-09-19 23:25:09 +0000 UTC View Post
I'm not sure why this one fought me so much. Even now as I was reading through it, I kept wanting to fiddle with it and...no. I just need to post it and move on.
I tried to get a photo of a fox and a hare but as you might have guessed, most of those photos weren't...friendly between the two. They were more "eat-y" which isn't really a word.
I'm super worn out from Rose City Comic Con--thanks to any and all that stopped by to say hi. If any of you happen to be out in Kennewick, WA I...
2017-09-12 05:48:20 +0000 UTC View PostRemember how I said that the short story was fighting me? Well, I had to cut a scene from Ezra's POV. It wasn't working. I know many of you are Ezra fans, though, so I thought I'd share it anyway while I work on the rest of the story. Enjoy!
Ezra
Ezra Sagishi was trying his best to listen as Jacob talked. It shouldn’t have been a trial. Jacob was handsome, he was smart, and he was interesting. And yet, Ezra couldn’t for the life of him figure out what he’d been...
2017-08-28 18:10:03 +0000 UTC View Post
So this last month or so has been bug-nuts, which is a technical term. Between Comic Con, a few book events, work, traveling to Mississippi and New Orleans, and Seattle spending several days under the smokey haze of Canada, I got way behind and a little tired. On top of that, the short story I've been working on is fighting me and my agent rejected the current draft of Curses. The term "radical rewrite" might have been used. So I was kind of bummed out about that. Upside? I think I know how to f...
2017-08-24 17:44:51 +0000 UTC View Post
I fly out for SDCC tomorrow, and I'm running around trying to do last minute stuff before I go to work. SDCC snuck up on me somehow...probably because I've had my head down getting Curses back off to my agent. I feel like I've been working on this book FOR-EV-VOR. Hopefully he'll give the thumbs up and we'll send it to my editor. I've also been teaching an online novel writing class and of course bookstore and kids and...no wonder it snuck up on me.
But hey, if you're planning o...
2017-07-18 19:12:42 +0000 UTC View Post
So it turns out that I can't get pretty much any work done when my husband is out of town. I kept setting my alarm to get up earlier and earlier to work, but my two year old, Smalls, has a sixth sense for this thing, and so he just kept getting up earlier and earlier as well. And at night I was struggling to get notes back to my students and all the other work...ugh.
But it's time to get back on track, and here's a story that I hope was worth the wait. It features Ava, Bianca, Sid, Olive and a...
2017-06-21 18:03:36 +0000 UTC View Post
So I've been working on the next story (featuring characters from the Firebug universe) and it's still not done. This is mostly because I've been focusing on getting the Curses manuscript edited (again) for my agent in the hopes that I can get his stamp of approval and send it off to my publisher. I appreciate your patience, for sure, and figure you guys would rather get a new book from me sooner rather than later.
To reward your kindness, I'm offering up a snippet from a book that I wrote wit...
2017-06-01 18:43:19 +0000 UTC View Post
So the lovely dragon picture above is a bit of a place holder until I get home and change it to the proper image. But I wanted to get this part of the story up. There's a little more after Part 3 here, just a head's up.
Thanks again to Mel for the quick copy edit!
2017-05-11 21:03:22 +0000 UTC View Post
So, I'm not a selfie person. Although I like myself just fine, I don't think you guys need to see my face on a constant basis. (Maybe if my face was doing something cool? But my face is pretty boring, usually. It just wants to read and watch Gravity Falls again.) But this particular snapchat filter cracked me up because I feel like this is how everyone should see me. (Minus the Starbucks and swap the hearts for skulls.) I also thought it went spectacularly well with my bedhead. You're welcome. (...
2017-05-01 20:09:10 +0000 UTC View Post
Thanks everyone for their patience on this, and double thanks to Mel Barnes for the quick edit. As usual, any mistakes left are my own. The upside of this being lat is that you won't have to wait as long for the next bit!
2017-04-12 18:58:10 +0000 UTC View Post
The above image is from a post on The Mary Sue about a fox that stole a cell phone and actually sent a text. (Article here: https://www.themarysue.com/fox-steals-cell-phone/) It's a funny story and reminds me of Ezra. And also this text exchange. Enjoy your free bonus content! The next Jonah story is being copy edited and will post SOOOOOON.
2017-04-12 01:11:49 +0000 UTC View PostYou are probably wondering where March's story is--it's coming. Last month was hot mess of events and book-coming-out-prep and I got behind. Hopefully I will return to being on time with things. Thank you all so much for your patience.
Hopefully the March story will be up in a few days. I'm going to take a little time to get this one copy edited as my copy editor friends have asked me (nicely, but firmly) to do so.)
Other news--I'll be doing a Reddit AMA on the 10th! I've never don...
2017-04-03 21:32:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Next round in the Jonah story! Sorry it's a few days late--I was travelling and such. I'm at a writing retreat attempting to finish a draft of Curses! Yay!
Also, I tried to post the image, but Patreon was acting up, but you might want to go take a look at the last segment of Make My Heart an Arrow--it has a shiny new image, courtesy of my friend Vlad! (And if you haven't read any of MMHaA, you might want to read those three posts before you jump into this one.
Hope you like the story, fr...
2017-03-02 23:15:40 +0000 UTC View Post
So the contest is over and the winners have been contacted. If you entered and didn't get an email from me, you (sadly) were not chosen by Rafflecopters random bot. (To keep it fair, I hit a button that grabs winners at random.)
Thank you all so much for entering and for your enthusiasm!
2017-02-02 16:51:58 +0000 UTC View Post
If you're anywhere near my age demographic, the above image is instantly recognizable as Olivia Newton John and her hit song Let's Get Physical (and I am so sorry that it's now stuck in your head...but not sorry enough to not use it). If you have no idea what I'm talking about, Google it. Watch the video. Be glad the 80's had their time in the sun, but are no longer.
We'll get back to ONJ, but let's backtrack a little. I, like many authors and editors that I've spoken to, am a little behind. T...
2017-02-01 05:29:28 +0000 UTC View Post
This was the story that you were supposed to get last month that I had to swap out last minute. Besides the sickness that took out my whole family, it's just been really hard for me to create right now. Even though I know it will help me feel better, it's still difficult. I hope you are all well out there, friends. Take care of yourself and others and find a little joy when you can.
2017-02-01 04:30:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey team--I've checked out the print and didn't see anything wrong with the copies, so I'm prepping these to go out. If you at any point pledged at the 25$ level for a month, let me know--right now I'm only able to look up current pledges. (I'm sure there's a way to look at previous months, I just have to figure it out.) But it might be faster if you messaged me and let me know. So even if you're not currently pledging or have reduced your pledge, as long as you did the 25$ pledge for one month,...
2017-01-31 18:26:41 +0000 UTC View Post
So I still haven't posted December's story yet. Mostly because I lost the last week to a nasty norovirus. Smalls got it first and then proceeded to attach himself to my side like some sort of vomiting toddler-shaped limpet. Then wednesday after work I was trying to put Smalls back to bed after he'd been sick and Big's shouted from his room. I opened his door to find him vomiting all over the floor. I sent him to the bathroom so I could clean up, all the while trying to get Smalls back into bed b...
2017-01-16 21:13:26 +0000 UTC View Post
So some of you might have noticed I haven't posted December's story yet. I'm working on it. December just happened to be a crazy month. Besides the usual holiday hubbub, working retail, etc., I was working hard on getting the short story bundle, Freaks & Other Family ready. For those that have pledged the 25$ tier at any point, I'll be sending out copies of this to you sometime this month. (I want to order a print copy myself to double check the quality first.)
And of course we can't just ...
2017-01-03 22:29:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Right now, Star Wars fervor is pretty high, and for good reason. Star Trek fandom is also huge, again for good reason. While I deeply enjoy both of those things, I haven't seen every episode, movie, or read the books. I can't answer all the trivia questions or tell you the name of every member of the band in the Cantina. I'm okay with that, really. For whatever reason--and I have some guesses--neither fandom has ever connected for me on a soul-deep level as they same to do with others.
But my ...
2017-01-03 20:54:55 +0000 UTC View Post
For those of you who don't remember/weren't alive/didn't own a TV during the early 90's, the image above is Al Franken as Stuart Smalley on SNL. Stuart had his own local access talk show that was known for the line, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darn it-- people like me!"
And I want you to say that to yourself right now. Say it in a silly voice. Be goofy or totally sincere. What I'm saying is, we all need to keep a teeny Stuart inside of us at all times. We need someone who's lo...
2016-12-08 08:18:28 +0000 UTC View Post
So this is coming to you guys unedited. It's already late and I didn't want to delay it any more. Hopefully I didn't miss anything egregious.
I think the next story will be something short and festive for the holidays featuring chracters from one of my books. Haven't quite decided yet. And then I might jump back on this one because I feel like there's more here. Unless this is boring you guys. It's hard to tell. Thanks for being patient, team.
2016-12-06 23:14:36 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey Team!
I'm trying to finishe up November's story. Sorry it's late. November for lots of reasons was a dumpster fire and I got behind. Besides the elections, we found out my Gran's broked arm masked the signs of a heart attack and she went into congestive heart failure. Then my MIL had a heart attack. 2016 can suck it.
So I owe you a story, blog post and story time, which will go up in the next few days hopefully. My apologies.
Also, if you have at any point done the 25$ pledge, ...
2016-12-01 18:48:15 +0000 UTC View PostSo I know this might suprise you, but I'm actually a very fast writer. I just don't have much time to actually write. With the exception of Tuesdays where I have several hours to myself to get work done, I have to find time when Smalls naps, on break at work, or after everyone is in bed.
For example, this tiny post took me two days. I started it yesterday after Smalls went to bed, and then he woke up screaming. Several times. And then there was vomiting...once my husband took over,...
2016-11-29 22:04:32 +0000 UTC View PostA few years back, a regular at the bookstore asked me what Taco was up to for the holidays. It took me a minute to respond, because out of context, my first thought was actual tacos, which we all know are one of the most delicious foods ever.
But once I figured out what she was talking about, I had a very clear image as to what Taco would be up to during the holidays. You should read this and *maybe* picture Taco in a festive sweater.
This is a story in text form--I tried to put it into ...
2016-11-24 19:13:02 +0000 UTC View Post
https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/12/spicy-caramel-popcorn/https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/12/spicy-caramel-popcorn/
A few nights ago I tried to make spicy caramel corn (I'll attach the link for the recipe). "Tried" was the operative word in that sentence. While I do bake a lot, I don't do a lot of cand...
2016-11-02 04:39:16 +0000 UTC View Post