Five Tigerific Kittens

A quick cute kitten post. Here are the tigerific kittens when little. they are, of course all big now. But that means mostly, the romp more loudly!
This top one is Mystical Misti

 This is Starflower.

 Here is Intrepid and Misti in a basket (which they no longer fit in. Who shrunk my basket?!

 This is Misti on a rug that makes her look like one of those find the hidden kitten pictures.

 Here is Starflower being cute. This photo is in the Kitten Calendar.

This is Bear. I called him that because he was born with his ears folded down.

 Here is NinjaJinja and Intrepid, since I can't find one of just Jinja. He is the kitten in the back.
There, my five fur babies.

First Lines

It's been 'forever'. Yup. (Hmm, I see this is how I usually start this blog...oops)

I have recently been rereading a bunch of books on writing. Every one went on and on about the first line in a story needing to be a magic hook.

I looked at the  website with the 100 best first lines. One line made me mildly curious enough to think about wanting to read more. But not enough to go looking for the book. Hmmm. Is it me?

Then I pulled a handful of my favorite books off of my bookshelf. And checked the first line. Nothing all that special there, except for the first sentence in DeLindt's Moonheart; I consider that a sentence with a real hook. But the book I kept reading, that lured me to reread it, didn't have all that exciting of a first sentence.

After thinking about it, I figured I usually give an author a paragraph of my time before I decide whether a book is for me or not.

This reminds me of a recent book I picked up, the first paragraphs were about bird poop. Nope, I didn't want to read a book about bird poop. Put that back on the shelf. This wasn't by an unknown author. Why is bird poop something that would hook a reader??

When looking for a book online doesn't do it for me. I like to inspect the front cover, read the back blurb, read the first page, a middle page, and the end.

Why do I read the end? Because I want to make sure the author uses the same characters to start the book as to end the story. Why? Because I've been tricked before by suddenly whole new characters at the end and I was not amused.

So, now I think I will take the first sentence must be magical with a grain of cliched salt. Although, I have to admit that I have put a book back upon seeing the first word before, but that is because of my personal dislike of first person books.

Are you generous and give an author a whole paragraph's chance? Or are you like the people who write books for writers and think authors only have a one-sentence chance?

merrie day, Sara

Something To Pretend

Hello. I know it's been ages. Here is some thinking...

Something to pretend.

Someone offers you a soap box. There are 2 steps you have to agree to to get on it.
The crowd is waiting and listening.
Step 1)  You must present your soap box talk in a positive manner (meaning no blaming, scolding, or harassing).
2) You must remember that you and the listening crowd and the whole universe are all one. (There is no other anywhere.)

Now what do you want to tell the listening crowd? What are you passionate about? What do you wish they would do or be to make the whole universe a better place to live in?
Go!

Merrie Halloween

quote: "Don't work too hard. Fool around a bit. Be lazy. Life is forever." (Henry Miller)

I know it's been a while......

Imagining

I am imagining you into the future as authentic, gloriously happy, and thrilled to be you.

Luckily, the world is all your imagination, so you, too, can imagine wonderful things into your life. You don’t even have to go for the big things, little happy imaginings perk up your life just fine, snippet by snippet, till you’re having a delicious time…no matter what is happening in the world around you.

Luckily, you can ignore the world at large and concentrate on the part you have the most say over—your own personal zone. You, for instance. You can jump into magic today or twirl around in a storm of creativity, or you can nap yourself into a fantastic dream.

I am imagining you into the future, happy, whole and deliciously content, wildly alive, the most you can be.

Merry day and make it so.

Other than lots of Tiger work of painting Christmas cards and calendars, I have a new print book out, Miss Kitty Mystery # 7 "Art & Apparitions". The youngest Sinister Fate refers a client to Sazzy and she feels she must take the case, even though it is wrapped in legends and 525 years old.

 Happy Halloween

Merrie Samhain

New Ebook

A quick note to say Miss Kitty Mystery # 4, Havoc & Hussies is available at Smashwords, anyway. They seem to have a problem with the cover, which happens to be the size they said to make it, so I don't know what else to do about it...Make it the wrong size???

Anyway, you can download 20% free to check out the story.

Sazzy goes to the ball with the Prince, but it isn't all that much fun, after all: Lady Witshard dies on her toes. Of course Sazzy has to investigate.

Sara The Writer: I stalled out on Miss Kitty Mystery # 11. I came to the part I don't want to write. So I zipped over to Beacon and began writing on 'Beacon Winter Wild' instead--which continues Joy Merry's, Cie's, and Chandry's story.

Otherwise I am madly painting calendar pictures and Christmas and Yule cards...

I haven't started the writing blog yet because I stalled out on a name. All the ones I think of are dorky, or used so far...sometimes both, ha-ha!

Merry September! Have a fun Labor Day weekend,
Sara Tiger Ryan

Dream Words

 Quote: The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names. (Chinese proverb)

Superstition: Green is an unlucky color, especially for brides. It is the color of fairies and the little people. Other countries see green as lucky because it is associated with trees and they hand green branches over their doors to keep misfortune away.

Everyday Omen: A rake in the road. Yipe! This I guess is a really Big fork in the road...especially since the tines were pointed up. Luckily I saw it in time to get it between my tires!  So I guess I make the Big fork in the road change without getting so tired I feel flat.

We have the sign of Leo right now (soon to be Virgo). Leo's colors are yellow, orange, scarlet, and gold. Their gems are cat's eyes, rubies, and diamonds. Their metal is gold. Leo trees are any citrus trees, bay, walnut, and palm. Their flower is a sunflower, of course! Their spice is cinnamon.

Dream Words: Going along with the starting quote.... My dreams have been featuring words. The latest one is conclictions (the 'c' is hard). It means conflict and conclusions combined. So. with this word, you can draw conflicting conclusions, both--or all--of which are true.

Another dream had the same word over and over and over. The word stayed mostly the same, the meaning morphed. Or the word morphed and the meaning took on subtle shades of other intentions. Or the word morphed and the meaning morphed, but it was always the same word.

Your cards for the week: Choose a number between one and three.
I choose three Tarot cards to go with those numbers. They are:

1) Eight of Wands

2)

Temperance

3) King of Cups

If you chose 1, the Eight of Wands, you are going to have a busy, rushed week, with lots of things happening. It might be stressful, but things will happen and you can get a lot done.

If you chose 2, Temperance, your week is about weighing things and people that are in your life. Two priorities are leaving you trying to go in two different directions at once. Temper your comings and doings with goings and restings.

If you chose 3, the King of Cups, your week will feel emotionally satisfying. You have creative things to do, charming people to encounter, and you are on top of your emotional state.

Sara, The Writer: The next Miss Kitty Mystery is nearing the end of the middle...getting to the part of each story where I usually stall...so I won't have to end the story I am having fun writing. (I also don't feel like tying up loose ends right now, since I've done so much editing lately.)
According to the 350 page mystery checkpoints, the end of the story starts about page 250 (I am on 240). Grim, my inner Critique (I try to keep his Editor's Badge on him, but he sneaks in sometimes and makes snide remarks while I'm writing. Such as lately, he has decided I write too much dialogue...So I am getting the yank on my creative energy as I try to write. Even if I ignore Grim, his fussing gets in my way. So I had to stop and say, "If you don't shut up, I'll write dialogue and absolutely nothing else forever and ever!"
He goes sulking off, knowing he's right and that I am going to stab myself in the back no matter how helpful he tries to be...
Phew, now I can write again.

Sara, The Artist: Paint, paint, paint! Yup, it paint the calendars pictures and Christmas and Yule card time. I also have three pictures to detail for Byran's 5th book...which my guess right now is that it will be released late, since I've been pushing myself, meaning the Inner Kid is getting ornery and is ready to refuse to do anything but eat cookies! (Especially since I didn't buy her the extra bag of cookies last week. (She had a whole unopened bag, but she wanted another one just in case...)

In case not everyone is interested in my bookmaking, I'm going to start a separate blog with my wiring ideas in it, thinking at least writers will be amused by bookmaking. This is scheduled to start maybe next week.

Merry day!
August 22 is Angel Day.
August 23 Honor Nemesis, the Roman goddess of destiny

Farewell June & Random Kitty

quote:  When I was the stream, when I was the forest, when I was still the field, when I was every hook, foot, fin, and wing. There was nothing I could not love. (Meister Eckhar)

superstition: rings through the earlobe are supposed to keep the Evil Eye away. Except in the case of sailors, who believed they would give them better eyesight. (Linda Spenser/ Knock On Wood...)

everyday omen: I go out to get into the car and this is when I miss Random Magic kitty cat who used to escort me to the car. I say aloud how unhappy I am and how I miss him. A second later, I look down and there is a perfect blue jay feather on the ground where Random usually would stand. This happened twice. (I had never found a blue jay feather in the yard before, and not since.) Thanks for the message, Random Magic, I love you, too.)

tidbits:
There are over 300,000 books written about Napoleon. (Science magazine)

Several studies have been done regarding reading on screen. They say that it is 25% slower to read on screen and makes a person more tired. High resolution helps some.

I am reading "Show Your Work!" by Austin Kleon. Cool! The book puts a new light on "getting out there".  Getting out there is an onerous task. Sharing my work, not so much.  Hey, I learned sharing in 'Show and Tell' in grammar school...
But I have a not so great track record of choosing what people might like. For instance, the design I liked best of my 2015 Christmas and Yule card designs this year (and last) came in last place. Sigh! The one I didn't think anyone would like came in the top five. By the way, the top design by customer vote is "A Purrrfect Holiday". (Oops, this doesn't take the file format I have the image in...)

Back to the book. You might check it out if you want to cultivate a new attitude towards getting your work out for people to admire--or make faces at, whatever...

Sara, The Writer
Phew, I'm done the last edit on Byran 5, now it is going to Word (R) for it's tweak edit where I make sure I've followed through on all the story threads and so forth. But not just yet. Right now I'm burnt out on that story.
I am writing on the next Miss Kitty Mystery. Dance! Dance! I am a much easier person to live with when I am writing. I am at about 50 pages as of June 20th.
I started bookmaking (my version of outlining) and suddenly I wondered why I hadn't thought to make a Series Bookmaking document before. Who knows why, I rarely write something that is a stand alone.
Anyway, in case you are curious, here is the start of the series and the series bookmaking document:

Bookmaking A Series
Is this going to be a series? Yup.
If yes, what is the Series Title?  Jump Hunters
Series Idea: Relays... Darn! What was that idea I had? Oh, the Relays turn into being like the Jinn Cousins, always Family,, as long as they have the talent.
I don't want it to be another private spy series. What are they going to do? Chase down missing people maybe. Getting missing people or rescuing people from hard to get to or in places? I guess they can rescue cats and dogs and some creatures, too... or maybe only one of them will do that.
Series Type: open-ended, standalone sequential stories
What is the Series Tie? The characters, there is a group, but Kappin, a young male unofficial Jump Hunter is the focus character; Relaying (This is a magic talent in the world I write in, where a person can 'jump' from one place to another by magic.)
Theme of the Series: I decided on Rescues, but they don't start the series knowing that.
Series quest object: success, acclaim would be nice, a solid business.

Sara, The Artist
Yippee! I got all the pictures for the Tiger's large planner sketched, inked, scanned, and tweaked and, just now printed, even though the printer took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to print them tonight. Where do all the dots and smears come from? They aren't in my inks!
I am painting Christmas and Yule cards. (Nope, it's not too early for me to start, I have lots of them to paint this year.) I am avoiding painting calendar pictures. There are lots of those to paint, too, but not so many.

Happy Summer as of Sunday June 21.
June 25, 1951 was the 1st color TV broadcast (by CBS).
On June 23, the first typewriter in America. In 1868 by Luther Sholes.