But don’t worry; I’m still writing, and yes I’m still working on the sequel to NINJA

See you around!

Now that’s kick ass!

So it was nice to find out about Workrave.org from another writerly friend. It’s a free program for Windows that you can download that will remind you to take micropauses and little stretch breaks to avoid repetitive stress injuries and eyestrain.

However, being as I own a Macbook (a brand new one just 2 weeks old that makes me squeeee!), Workrave doesn’t really work for me.  I did some googling and found a similar version called AntiRSI (also free). I downloaded it and  it’s worked out quite well. After you type for about 8-10 minutes continuously, you get a 10-13 second “micropause” in which you’re just suppose to stop, maybe stretch, and look away from your screen.  You can also change when you want the breaks and how long you want them.

If you type alot like I do, you might want to give these free programs a try!

The Loose ID authors are holding a bash!
And we’re giving away prizes!

WHERE:
The Loose ID Community on Yahoo Groups. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LooseId_community/.
You must be a member of the group to participate. Click on the above link to join now!

Authors will be posting excerpts and chatting all weekend, not just in and around the contest.
WHEN:
Starting with June 8th, the June Bash will take place Friday through Sunday for four successive weekends. The participating Loose ID authors will be posting excerpts on the following themes:

- June 8-10 - All “real life” books
- June 15-17 - All “non real life” books
- June 22-24 - All “real life” books
- June 29-30 & July 1 - all “non real life” books

“Real life” means no fantastic or “out of this world” elements to the story, which could include (but does not need to be limited to) straight contemporary, historical or adventure stories. “Non real life” means that there is speculative elements or paranormal elements to the story, which could include fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction.

NOTE: interpretation of the themes is completely up to the author and is not enforced.

PRIZES:
One $25, two $10 and two $5 Loose ID gift certificates will be given away each of the four weeks. At the end of the four weeks, one grand prize of a Loose ID VIP membership will also be given away.

HOW TO ENTER:
During the contest days, the authors will be posting official excerpts. Those containing contest eligible information will be marked in two ways:

1) The subject of each official excerpt post will include the phrase “JUNE BASH EXCERPT”. Example, “JUNE BASH EXCERPT: NINJA by Racy Li”.
2) The author will include a link to an official rules post toward the beginning of the email with the excerpt.

Between 12AM EST on each Friday and 11:59PM EST on each Sunday, send an email to liauthors at yahoo dot com (no spaces) and include the following from ONE official excerpt:
1) Author’s name
2) Title of the book for the excerpt
3) The name–first or last or both–of any one of the main characters mentioned in the excerpt

Again, the excerpt containing your information must be for the current weekend, not the previous weekend. And entry emails will only be accepted between Friday and Sunday.

Be sure to send this email from the same email address with which you are signed up for the Loose ID Community group.

Each email address may enter the contest once per weekend. Winners from previous weekends are not eligible for prizes in following weekends with the one excerpt of the grand prize.

The grand prize of the VIP membership will be awarded to one entrant among all the official entrants from each of the four weekends. Previous winners are eligible.

HOW PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED:

On the Wednesday following each weekend, the winners of the prizes will be posted by email to the group. Each winner will also be sent an email directly. Winners have until Friday to respond. Those winners who do not respond by Friday will lose the prize and another entrant from the appropriate weekend will be selected to win the prize.

Above rules are subject to update at any time. Updates will be posted to the Loose ID Community group.

This made alot of sense to me, so I’ve incorporated quite a few things from her books into my normal routine. Some simple things that I’ve found work really well are adding honey to my shampoo (squirt some shampoo in your hand, add a little bit of honey, mix with a fingertip and wash as usual; your hair will be so soft and shiny! This works best with cheaper shampoos, and with the honey mixture, my hair looks better than when I “borrowed” a former roommate’s $25 bottle shampoos).

I’ve been using different foods for different things, and I realized that if you know what the ingredients you should use for the purposes you’re looking for, you can create your own beauty recipes, just like cooking recipes!

So today I experimented by trying to make my own sugar scrub. I googled a few recipes, and was inspired by some other scrubs I saw in stores and came up with my own recipe that worked so well that I just had to post it.
Almond Milk Honey Sugar Scrub

~1 cup of sugar
enough milk to wet the sugar; maybe a 1/4 cup? 1/2 a cup?
3-4 tablespoons of almond meal (I don’t know why I have almond meal lying around, but it was one of those Trader Joes buys that had me envisioning me learning to be a master baker. Riiiight.)
1 tablespoon of honey
1 drop of bath oil or essential oil (for fragrance and skin softening)

1) Mix ingredients until you get the proper consistency (if too watery, add more sugar or almond meal; if too grainy, add more milk or honey).
2) Apply in shower directly to skin (a wet washcloth helps, but it is not necessary).
In this recipe, sugar acts as an exfoliant. The almond meal also works as an exfoliant but has additional vitamins that are good for the skin. Milk has lactic acids which also helps to clean, but also has fatty lipids that help your skin retain moisture. Honey also acts as a moisturizer.

You could probably make this without the almond meal, but I don’t know if the sugar, by itself would be enough of a scrubber. You could add some sea salt or baking soda to replace the almond meal.

Next thing I’m going to try: Mayonnaise in hair!

This wedding dress was made from a nylon parachute that saved the groom’s life during World War II. 

I scanned it in so you can all see it!

Jamie Bamber really signed it! To me! Captain Apollo has written “Racy Li!”
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

I think I’ve become a bit philosophical about this blog. To blog or not to blog, that is the question that many authors ask.  On the one hand, it’s great to be able to interact with other readers and writers, but on the other hand it takes up alot of time that could be better spent writing and improving the craft.

Well, before, I was at a point (and a career) that allowed me to blog pretty easily.  But now that I’m not chained to a cubicle anymore, finding the time to blog has been more difficult. Plus, I’d rather run around to other peoples’ blogs who are invariably saying much more interesting things.

I don’t think I’ll come back to blogging every day; but I’m going to try and come back to blogging a few times a week. Though in a few weeks, I’ll be heading out for a 6 week traveling bit where my internet access will be a bit spotty.

And where the heck did all these spammers come from?

1. I’m a big chicken. I can’t watch horror movies. Even commercials for horror movies scare me.
2. I love nature documentaries about the random lives of animals. Meerkats of Africa? I’m so there.
3. I don’t like cake. But I like cupcakes. (There is a difference).
4. I think Nicholas Cage is the most hideous looking man ever.
5. I love airports. I love sitting and people watching there, wondering where people are going or coming back from, hearing all sorts of different languages, and seeing all sorts of different people.
6. I don’t really like diamonds. My engagement ring is a sapphire.
7. I love old Cary Grant movies. Arsenic and Old Lace in particular.
8. I would like to be fluent in Russian and French one day.
9. I generally crave salty foods over sweets. I’d rather have sour cream and onion potato chips over brownies.
10. I don’t like roses. I think they’re boring and unoriginal.

Via Signal vs. Noise