Love, Chocolate, and Bear Dogs?! 0.o

Weather: Nice…FINALLY!

Working on: Updating my website, trying not to fall asleep

Currently Listening to: My Sailor Moon clock ticking

Currently Watching: The Muppets Movie. SO EXCITED for the next one next month!

Currently Playing: I’m 22 hours on Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity. I haven’t touched it in two weeks though; been busy, but it’s getting really intense!

Currently Reading: A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn (it’s a retelling of Sleeping Beauty)

Thoughts and feelings: My mind is jumbled with all the work I have to do, I am super sleepy, and I am starting to sneeze and get feverish…here I thought I avoided this clue monster! -_-;; *knocks on wooden desk*

Holiday(s): International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day (Yum)

Wallpaper: Our latest free Paper Crane Books’ wallpaper.  This month it’s a quote from Stary from my book, Spirit Vision! EEEE! xD I love it! Click here to download it yourself.

Favorite Quote of the moment: “Obviously, you shouldn’t live in a palace if you’re the head of a religion founded by a homeless hippie.”- The Pope

Icon: Been reading a lot of Fairy Tale retellings lately.  I love these stories.

Hello world and all who inhabit it!   Its been a while.  I apologize.  Ironically, the shortest month of the year tends to be the busiest for me.  I have work, all sorts of meetings, Valentine’s day prep and day, have to start on summer school work, filling out job applications to turn in by March, and now, writing, which I sadly have not gotten to do much of.  But, never fear!  In two weeks, things should settle down.  I just have to study for a teaching test in May and plan two book signings on top of all of this.  No big…*cries*

On the book and publishing front, a few things.  If you have not seen the new layout for Paper Crane Books, head on over and check it out! I really like how organized it is.  Also, thank you to all who entered our two giveaways (one for Valentine’s Day and one for our 2nd birthday).  Congrats to the winner! Enjoy the goodies.

If you are a book blogger or reviewer with a webpage or social media of some sort, sign up for my blog tour.  It takes place March 17th to March 28th.  I believe we have three spots opened… Click here to sign up for it and make sure to follow my tour in a few weeks! ^_^ I’m so excited! My first tour!!!

OH! My book has appeared on two lists on Goodreads! ^_^ One is for Books with artwork for covers and another is Best YA Indie books! Spirit Vision is #8 out of #43 in the cover one, which makes me really happy for Suzy-chan worked so hard on the beautiful cover!

Like stated earlier, I have not hardly had the time to write.  I have not even touched my 3DS in 2 weeks!   I have been working on one project for the press, but I cannot reveal anything as of yet.  Rest assured, in about two weeks, I will begin writing once more on Spirit Vision 2 and have it ready for our Fall release date! ^^

I am doing two book signings locally.  One Saturday at our local card store.  It’s a book signing/charity event for Samurai Dan (their charity is still going on for 2 more weeks, so please check it out), and a Pokémon teaching/fun event where myself and my friends will be teaching or battling people in casual Pokémon card battles or handheld game battles.  It should be a great time! I will share the details of it in my next post.

OH! My friend Julie made me an AMAZING poster for the event! She is so talented in art! ^^ She is the one who drew my Disney poster for my Disney summer school class last July as well.  ^.^

Also doing a book signing/character education lesson at my middle school in two weeks.  I am really looking forward to it! Will post details on that next time also.

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine’s Day!  For about 4 evenings, I made over 300 pieces of chocolate for my family, loved ones, and co-workers (while watching two animes I have already seen, but still love: “Yamada’s First Time” and “Princess Jellyfish”, both 16+!!!).  I did this last year as well and they seemed to enjoy it.  I also tell them a legend or tradition in Japan.  Last year, I told them about Valentine’s Day and White day.  This year, I told the staff about the teddy bear legend in Japan that I learned from Cardcaptor Sakura.  =D  It’s one of my all time favorites and I even made Derrick a bear for our 3rd dating anniversary years ago…although he was not very kawaii (cute) *blushes*  Ah…good times…Now I sound like The Roman Empire! 0.0  My bad!

I was told the peanut butter ones were super good and everyone seemed to like them.  I added some pictures below.  Sorry they do not look pretty; I am by no means a professional chocolatier.

So, for Valentine’s Day, I dressed up in a cute pink dress and gave the candy out on my off times.  Lots of the ladies and some of the guys at our school got flowers.  I always wanted flowers sent to me at work and to place on my desk, now that I have one, but, alas, Derrick can never do it due to his schedule or he chooses not too.  I knew I was not getting flowers, but deep down, I was hoping.  So, I got home and we decided to give half our gifts then and the other half after our lunch on Sunday (we both worked long hours Friday and Saturday, plus, lunch is cheaper).  He told me to close my eyes, which made me nervous.  I asked it is was alive and if something bit or licked me, I would not be a happy camper! He ran out of the room and I closed my eyes, nervous.  A few breathes later, I felt something fuzzy on my lap.  Now, I love dogs, but we are not allowed to have them in the apartment.  I was wiggling and about to freak out, but he told me to open my eyes and staring me in the face was…*dramatic pause*

Was a LARGE plush puppy dog!  This thing is at least 2 and a half feet tall! He took up my full lap.  Derrick was laughing and I kept flapping my mouth up and down like a fish out of water, not sure if I was happy, shocked, or both.  Derrick kept calling him a bear, although it is clearly a dog, so, I named him “Kuma” which means Bear in Japanese, just so we could both be right!  It was very sweet of him, although I have not yet found a proper place to put Kuma-kun in our apartment…*frets* He said this is why he could not bring me flowers to work, but I told him I would love of him to bring Kuma-kun to me at work, although my students might have wanted him…

I got him the 5th book of the “Fire and Ice” series (Game of Thrones), a tiny, tiny plush Tiger (I get him a stuffed animal each year), his favorite candy, Recess, in a heart shaped box, a container of mini Oreos, a Star Wars car window shade, and my chocolates I made him, asking him, as my “sempai,” if he would accept them.  That Sunday, we went out to eat at our local Japanese restaurant.  It was super busy and loud.  It is okay, but I still like the one in Cape better. We finished our gift exchange there at our table: I got Derrick a nice card and wrote a poem inside it, “The Paladin Prophesy” book, and a black Kirito from Sword Art On-line shirt (he loves this show and this is the guy he cosplays, with the black leather coat and the sword).  He got me a fun card with tons of hubby coupons that I WILL be using!   I also got a steady and lovely silver keyblade from Kingdom Hearts necklace and…the blue ring Sophie wears in Howl’s Moving Castle!!!!! =D  <3 Okay, I have wanted this ring for about eight years now, NO LIE! So, this was such a grand surprise.  It’s made super well and fits me nicely.   After this, we spent a quiet afternoon at home.  It was a different Valentine’s Day, but still nice…OH! My chocolates?! Well, Derrick gave me $20 and told me to get what I wanted.  I went to our local sweet shop and got a pound of whatever I wanted, some chocolate covered pecans, and a few popcorn and toasted marshmallow Jellybellies (the only two I like).  A little unromantic, but I got what I wanted, right?

Here are some pictures:

Like I started early, I have been super busy will Valentine’s Day, meetings, making up snow day times (still have 10.5 hours to make up), starting Rag Time choir practice until May 2nd for our Rag Time Church Charity Event, getting my applications and resumes updates done in time for the first part of March, and so forth.  I did get to see my friend, Nathan, in a play, Shakespeare “Much to do about nothing.”  It was excellent.  My grandma is doing well!   She is out of her sling and can touch her hand to her head. She was smiling so brightly, showing me this.  She gets to leave the rehab center soon if she keeps this progress up!

OH! I did get my School Rumble cosplay from my friend’s grandma! It looks lovely.  ^^ Just a few little nips and tucks, and it will be flawless! I cannot wear it and act like Tenma…I’m a FREAKIN’ MERMAID! >o>

Fellow author and friend, Holly, noticed I was stressed and busy, so she sent me some lovely blue finger-less gloves, and, of coarse, they have stars on them for Stary!   I love them so much! My friend and co-worker also made me a Spirit Vision bracelet.  It is amazing and for my blog tour giveaway, but if anyone likes them and thinks I should sell them, let me know.  I am going to be doing local book signings and anime cons, so more products might be good…?

Website front, a few things to update! A new Top Ten, all for Valentine’s Day (I know it’s late; sorry again! >.<) and slightly updated my “To be a Nerdy Otaku” page.  Two new things: my student who drew the inner cover of the Questions and Answers section in Spirit Vision drew a fan art picture of it for me as a Valentine’s Day gift to me.  It is on the “Fan Base” page and I adore it and her style! ^^ Please check it out and send fan items to be on the page if interested.  Also, I added a new page in a drop-box under the Books section, called “Fun Stories.” These are free stories I have written that you can read. They are not published and the one I added is a fan fiction.  It is a retelling from an episode of an anime I enjoy.  It’s called “Rays of the Blazing Sun.”  Please check it out and enjoy it.

Come back Friday, February 28th, for our second aspiring author, my dear friend Danny!  You will love his interview and synopsis of his work!

Take a bow, smell the roses, and clap like a seal as the lights blind your eyes! Ado!