Of Course I Hear Voices: I Own Parrots

Recently, I posted a link of print on demand and online publishing. This led to many questions from my friends. I am a huge fan of print on demand publishing. I use it for my novel and my novella. While my personal reasons for using it are pretty basic. My hopes for its use in the future mirror the author of the article from CNN. I think that POD is a fabulous option for new authors, authors who write stories that may not be deemed “mainstream” and other authors that have hit a brick wall with traditional publishing. Most (if not all) POD providers fall under some level of self publishing. Some are a total self publishing (you do it all yourself) package, and other have pay services you can opt into for some help. Basically, Print on Demand means exactly what it says. Your book is only published when a copy is ordered. Many POD sites allow customers to order from their own storefront. Others may allow you (if you have an ISBN number) to sell your book via Amazon or another online sto...

RIP Newspapers Be sure to check out my weekly blog on Culturefeast. It is a little about my past and it takes a look at the future of the newspaper. I am sad to see newspapers become obsolete. It is just hard to see this piece of print media and my childhood dream become nothing more than an obscure historical reference. Blogged with the Flock Browser

I went to Chicago to see Guster for my 25th birthday. I was beyond excited. I took the train and stayed in the HI Hostel. I went to the concert on my birthday, and I didn't think the weekend could get any better. Then the next night, I met a wonderful guy. We really hit it off, and the next thing I know we are talking all the time. In a world before text messaging was common practice and there was no Twitter or Facebook I'm surprised we kept it going as long as we did. It was never serious, but I think we had the potential to be something. We talked everyday at work through a message board we both belonged to. It was a great way to keep in contact through out the day. Usually he would call me every night. This was hard because my cellphone coverage sucked in the townhouse. I could get reception in my bedroom, but one of my roommates went to bed early and she would get angry if I was talking upstairs. That meant I had to go outside. I spend hours sitting on our steps and in...

Songs in my head At any given time, I have at least one song stuck in my head. It really does make sense. Music is one of my passions. I’ve come to terms that there will pretty much always be a soundtrack to life playing in my head. I use songs and lyrics to express my feelings, to help me cope, to make me understand, pass the time and share my thoughts. It is a key part of my life, so to always have a song on the brain isn’t abnormal. Something that always fascinates me is why is it there? Sometimes it is just an annoying song that gets under my skin. The more I dislike the song, the harder it is to get rid of it. “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” isn’t an awful song. It is just one of those songs I’m not overly fond of. If it gets stuck in my head after a show, it will go away quickly. Now “Umbrella” is another story. That one will stick around for as long as it can. Other times it is just a really good song. Now to be fair to Rhianna I hate “Umbrella,” but I love “Disturbia.” It isn’t...

Jane Austen + zombies+ genius This is the article I found at Time.com. The book was released on 4/6, and I ordered my copy today. With today's find I could not resist the Zombie invasion Plinky prompt!!  See Speaking of Zombies for more Zombie fun Blogged with the Flock Browser

This folks is purely for entertainment purposes!! If you can't have fun with your own blog what good is it?? Well to be quite honest, I am pretty unprepared for a zombie attack. I have not procured my zombie survival kit. I live on the first floor of my building, and I do not own a bicycle. I have no way to take off their heads. If they rush my building, and I make it to the second floor, I have no way to destroy both stair cases. You know because zombies can't get to a second floor without a staircase. Yes I have my car, but remember that zombies are zombies because of an infection. If it is an isolated outbreak, all I have to do is escape the contamination area in theory. However, we all know my car won't start at a crucial time and I will make better time on a bike than I will on foot. If it is a wide spread zombie epidemic, I will need to find a fortification of survivors. In that case, the same is true. My car will refuse to start at a crucial time and I can make be...

After the all the daily drama,there are a few things that make me take a minute, laugh and take a bit of a mental break.Sometimes that is all you need: A little moment that reminds you to not take life so seriously. The past few weeks have been pretty classic, but here are the highlights. Last week I was at the laundromat. I try to go to on Wednesday nights because it is much less crowded then. Don't get me wrong, people watching there teaches me volumes. However, many nights I just want in and out of there. I don't want to wait on machines, deal with crowds, or get my feet ran over by a kid pushing one of those baskets. Last Wednesday seemed perfect. I arrived to an empty laundomat, loaded the $6 industrial washer and ran up the road to pick up some things for my Bashful Bunny. I returned just as my washer cycle was winding down. As I pulled into my parking spot I saw a woman dragging one of those large garbage cans on wheels through the door. She went over to the triple loade...

More Authors find success online and POD Here is a link to something I found on CNN.com. I found it to be very interesting. As an author that uses POD services, this was very encouraging. If you have any questions about  online publishing or POD, let me know. It is a very viable option, and I agree that if the big publishing houses adopt a version of it as well. It can save resources and the bottom line. Blogged with the Flock Browser

What will my grown up business card say? I always joke that I will never grow up. I always hope to keep a bit of childlike wonder. Still, I know the responsibility and bills are a reality. My "grown up" goal is pretty simple, and on its way to attainment. Right now I have two sets of business cards. One set is for my full time job. The other set is for my writing business. My "grown up" goal is to make my writing job my full time job. I like my full time job. It is a great way to make a living. I like being able to help people, and I like being able to use the data behind the scenes. I *like* those things, and they do make me happy. However, like I said before, my passion is in my writing. I want it to be my life. The two things in this world that bring me to life are music and writing. I'm not horrible at music, but my writing is MUCH better. I look forward to the day where my life is all about my writing and my office is my house. I want the time to enjoy my...

Tonight I was flipping channels looking for something to have in the background while I worked. Nothing was working for me, and then suddenly I saw it. My brain went to auto pilot and I hit enter. Here is the thing. I love the first installment of the Crow series. I think it is a great movie...actually the line "I get so lonely here by myself," makes me cry every single time. However, I think that every sequel and prequel they have put out after that has been awful. The only reason I own the second two is because it was cheaper to buy the box set then to just by the special edition DVD. I know that there is nothing remotely redeeming about this movie, yet if it is on I am compelled to watch it. This isn't the only movie that I have this problem with. I have the same issue with most bad sci fi movies...movies like "Deadly Swarm" seem to be more of a problem. "Queen of the Damned" is an awful movie. I that they took too long between making their first mo...

If you are looking to impress potential clients and create a strong presence for your self online a strong and well put together portfolio is a must. You need to have something that looks good online and in print. It needs to emphasize your strong points , be direct and be easy to follow.It also should always be open to change. This may seem like common sense, but I know that sometime the portfolio is the last thing to be given attention. it makes sense to have a timely, clean and professional CV and Portfolio on you at all times. You never know when a new business venture is going to present itself. However, I know I fall short on this, and many others do too. We get so caught up in our current projects we fail to do the little things to help your business grow. This is one of my weaknesses, but it is one I am working to overcome. My old portfolio was beautiful. It looked great online and even better in print. The problem was that it was too long, and the information I included beca...

The Dark Crystal has been my favorite movie since before I was five. I used to make my parents watch it every time it was on HBO. I loved the story and well it involves Muppets, so really what isn't to like. I have been impressed with and loved many movies since then, but The Dark Crystal has always remained my favorite. Jen: Wings? I don't have wings! Kira: Of course not. You're a boy. I love this line because as a child it was hilarious. Boys were gross and this was just another strike against them...the girl gelfings got the wings. I still love this line for sentimental reasons, and because it still makes me smile every time. The idea of Kira and her wings is one of those happy memories I will never forget.

I don't think I have had my fifteen minutes of fame. I think my time is still coming. I don't want to assume the best of my life has past. My writing career is just beginning. I think that I have done some good things with it so far, but I really think the best is yet to come. I am still building my skills, getting needed feedback and gaining the experience I need I have a steadily growing blogging and article writing career. I write these daily, and I am happy to gain more knowledge each day. I have published two books. I am very proud of both. I also know as my writing progresses, I can write something better. My first novel is just that: my first attempt at fiction. I love the storyline and my characters. I really do think it is a good read, but I also see my first timer mistakes. I see the things I need to improve on and where I need to grow. I love my novella Running Away. It is a reflection of a dark time in my life. I started writing it while I was in my abusive relat...

I did not start using the internet until 1997 when I went to college. Yes, I did not have an e-mail address until I was 18. My parents aren't exactly technically inclined. We didn't have a computer until my senior year of high school. My school did not get "modern" (and I use that term VERY loosely) computers until my junior year...I think. We didn't have internet access at school. Even with our new computer at home, my parents did not think internet access was needed. We bought a rebuilt PC for me to take to school. Almost as soon as it was connected to the network I was hooked. Our campus e-mail was on telnet. Yes, my first internet experience was with pine. Soon I was using telnet to get on IRC. Of course I took to the old chat rooms, and other primitive social sites pretty quickly. I even built a very sad looking web site using Angelfire (yes I know don't judge), and I managed to maintain it through college. The web site went unmaintained after I moved t...

There are many songs I wish I could expunge from my memory. There are even more I wish I could delete from every P3 Productions Hard Drive. They are songs I just dislike, I used to like but are overdone and songs that were okay until I heard them karaoked to death. What ever the reason is, I cannot stand these songs. Here are my top three. Love Shack by The B-52's Really this song was only a minor annoyance before I started working for a DJ/Karaoke business. I admit to singing along to it at dances and weddings...but those days are long gone. Now I associate Love Shack with drunk girls screaming into the microphone. Even girls who sing well tend to morph into tone deaf singers. Then there is the task of finding a guy who actually knows the song, AND is willing to get up there and sing with them. The inability to d this has even led to *me* singing the guy's part. I seriously think we should make an adjustment to our son...

 Read this months Rain Tiger Feature Today's theme seems to be my personal space issues. This month's Rain Tiger looks at being to guarded vs being careful. Blogged with the Flock Browser

Do I Want to Buy a House? More on my big question: Am I ready to be a homeowner. It is a pretty good explanation of what is going on in my head. Blogged with the Flock Browser

My I-POD I am not a fan of lots of people in really small places. If I have to handle it I will. Like if I am at work and there are tons of people in my shoebox sized office, I just deal with them one person at a time. I prefer to to go by the bubble concept. I like my personal space, and I am not a fan of people (especially people I don't know) invading my space. There is a long running joke with my friends: Rule #1: Don't touch Jenni. In a way it is true. I'm not a fan of people I do not know and trust in my space. Even if I know and trust you, I'm not all about being in close quarters. There have been nights in the DJ booth where I have had lots of anxiety. There were just too many people in the compact area. I liked all the people in the booth, but there just wasn't enough room. If I feel stuck or trapped, my anxiety goes up. Being stuck in elevator would already not be ideal. Yes it is annoying, and it is something that I know stresses me out. Having anothe...

Another Angle A decent photo from my Blackberry! Blogged with the Flock Browser

Honestly I have not had time to see any pranks online. I checked out the Guster site, but between the tour and the kids they didn't deliver their usual April Fools Day prank. The one prank I should have seen, I totally missed. Redgage (one of the social media sites I belong to) has a link at the top of their page that says it was bought by Microsoft for an undisclosed amount of money. They have a link for you to follow for more information. The link takes you to the bottom of the page where it tells you it was a joke. I was in a hurry when I uploaded pictures off my Blackberry and totally missed the link. Later I was looking at new content. Again, I missed the link. It wasn't until I reached the bottom of the page that I saw the April Fools message. Of course then I was confused. Eventually I found the link at the top of the page and it made sense. I heard Google had a nice one for Gmail users about having an application that responded to e-mails for you. I'm Gmail us...