[Spotlight Post] The Rogues – Hellbound Sleigh
This was originally posted on Celtic Music Magazine.
When The Rogues’ Hellbound Sleigh came up for review I jumped at it – even though I’m generally a stickler for not listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. This, I thought would be a fun addition my Christmas music collection. I figured it would be weirdly irreverent with the title. I was surprised.
Apart from the title track, Hellbound Sleigh is mostly a lovely and lively collection of familiar Christmas and Holiday songs – some stand alone, others as part of medleys. Most are instrumental with pipes and bagpipes, violins and drums – along with other instruments that do give these time-honored classics unique elements. For the traditional Celts, and because there aren’t that many New Year’s songs, The Rogues appeal to all with “Ros’ Hogmanayâ€.
I have friends who are bellydancers. I can totally see this album as the base of a holiday-themed dance routine for them. There’s a tribal sense to the instrumentals that make you want to move to the rhythm. That’s not so hard to imagine since there are tracks like “March, Pat-a-Pan and Reel” and “Christmas Eve Reel/The Maple Leaf/Joy to the World” medley.
There are amazing – and different – combinations of songs on this album, too. I wouldn’t ever have considered melding “Jingle Bells” with “Good King Wenceslas”, but this works. It really works. To the point that I’m really looking forward to having this in my Christmas playlist just for the fact that it’s different and very intricate and cool. My church has a symphonic violin player – I’m very tempted to make him listen to “O Holy Night/Ave Maria” because it’s beautifully performed and haunting at the same time. The skill and musicianship is intricate and skilled.
If you’re like me and buy a new Christmas album each year, this is the one to get this year.
Artist: Band Website
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[Writing Post] Oops.
I’m so sorry. I missed the Wednesday Writer Post.
I WISH I could say that I was working on the story I need to turn in this weekend. But alas, we were Christmas Shopping. This is the big/busy week prepping for holidays (and there’s still day job stuff going on).
I am about to input some notes on the story and hope some further feedback comes in before I turn it in. Then we wait and see if the editor likes the end result of the pitch.
For the new writers out there – Just because a PITCH is accepted, doesn’t mean the final STORY will be. I have high hopes, but no guarantees. We’ll just have to see. Then I move on to the next project. What that’s going to be, I’m not sure yet.
This is why I have a bunch of unfinished things… plot bunnies that didn’t play out completely at the time but suddenly decide it’s time to be written.
I also have a couple of novels that need finishing at some point.
So… I should go get some work done.
[Pen/Pencil Review] Noodler’s Piston-Fill Liquid Ink Rollerball
I still have a couple of Dallas Pen Show pens to review. This week’s a liquid ink rollerball from Noodler’s that I picked up at the Dallas Pen Show. I want to say they were giving them away, but I may have bought it because I love the one from J. Herbin so much.
This one is different from the J. Herbin. It’s a piston-fill chamber instead of a cartridge. The piston is covered with a clear plastic twist on cap on the base end of the pen. The grip is black rubber sealed into the clear plastic barrel. It’s easy to see the ink levels. The cap is also clear with a threaded seal. The name of the company is etched into the metal clip.
The pen fills by dipping the metal roller ball tip into the ink about halfway up the black grip and twisting the piston on the base end. And that may be where I had a bit of “user error”. I filled the pen with Kraken Black – a Cryptid ink from Scribal Workshop. I either overfilled it or…something… because quite a bit of it leaked into the cap. Again, it might be my fault. Or not… there is a bit on the Noodler’s website that says if there are drops of ink in the cap to remove them with a cotton swab. It seems to come from the rubber grip between it and the point.
I rinsed the whole thing off to get it clean… and now I can’t seem to get ink to come out of the roller ball tip. The point is nice. It’s a relatively fine point, and would make a nice line if I could get some consistency out of it. But maybe I just need to dump the ink and try something else, because this isn’t working. I’m getting ink on my hands, not on a page. I’ve been trying to work with it, but I’m getting frustrated. It shouldn’t have this much of a learning curve.
I got it to work ONCE – for the writing sample. Then it started leaking.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 0.0 – I’m trying to get it work. It probably did the first time I used it, but now… I’m frustrated and have ink on my hands. It looks like it should be awesome. IF this was supposed to be used with ONLY Noodler’s Ink – they should’ve said so.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s a good length and diameter. The rubber grip gives it some cushion and comfort.
3. Material – 1 – It’s a clear plastic demonstrator. It’s got a milled piston with a cover and a descent cap.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – It should be awesome. I love the idea. But this one is failing between the leaking and the need to probably clean out the ink (that’s designed for fountain pens) and find something else to use in it. The fact that you’re locked into the piston fill – so you can’t even attempt a cartridge makes it less flexible than it could be.
5. Price Point – 0.0 – It’s a bit on the pricey side – the website says $14. Which I know I didn’t pay that at the Dallas Pen Show (and I’m glad I didn’t because right now… I’d be a lot more frustrated than I am). IF what I’m dealing with is user error…okay, but still, it’s a lot to pay for the HOPE that it’s going to work like I know it should.
That’s 2.5 of 5 bronze pencils.
[Writer Post] Professionalism Not Just for Breakfast Anymore
Once more into the breach of Professionalism, really, folks, it’s not just for breakfast anymore. This was a new thing to me and was just… RUDE. I did a very, very small show this past weekend in East Texas. The upshot was I did meet some new folks and was able to spend a little time with Joe and Kasey Lansdale.
![IMG_3062[1]](http://www.rhondaeudaly.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_30621-300x225.jpg)
This was a SMALL show. About 15-20 authors set at tables in a rectangle along the perimeter of an open room – used to be one of those classic one-room schoolhouses. When I got there, some of the authors were setting up. I brought everything, but after one look at the room, I decided to not put up the tall banner – no one else had anything tall, and there wasn’t a lot of room behind the table (even though I had a corner). There’s a fine line between “Hey, check out the books” and “LOOK AT ME!!!!”
Apparently a small group of authors there were part of a cooperative or publishing group or something. They were situated in the three or four tables up from me. The woman next to me never introduced herself. The woman in charge of group didn’t like the way my neighbor set up her table – so the Head Woman rebuilt the neighbor’s table with a 2 foot tall wire rack with a 2 foot cardboard something on the top level and a cardboard display on the floor.
![IMG_3061[1]](http://www.rhondaeudaly.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_30611-300x225.jpg)
The wire rack was covered in cloth and angled toward the door to completely block any line of sight anyone might’ve had to my table from the other end of the room (or door). The floor display blocked access to half my books – so I had to redesign my table. And yes, I then put up the big floor banner (in the corner).
I made a passive-aggressive comment about standing up for most of the day. The woman didn’t even blink when she replied, “Well, you do that at these kinds of things anyway.” SERIOUSLY? Oh, and the neighbor? Had her grandson with her and he apparently spilled part of a beverage on the corner of my table (fortunately not on my iPad or books), but did stain my table cover – and PROBABLY swiped some of my promotional stuff (which if he’d asked I would’ve given).
![IMG_3065[1]](http://www.rhondaeudaly.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_30651-300x225.jpg)
Now, the overall vibe was welcoming – except for this particular group of women. And I’m not saying there’s anything WRONG with building up a table (Yard Dog does it all the time – comic book shows do it all the time), but you DON’T block line of sight to your neighbors. You don’t make it so the other authors can’t sell books, and you don’t make it so another author wants to find out who you are SO THEY NEVER WORK WITH YOU AGAIN.
It’s Wheaton’s Law. It’s the Church of Don’t Be an A-Hole. We’re all in this together.
[Pen/Pencil Review] Speech & Thought Bubble Sticky Notes
I have awesome friends. They find me fun and unusual pens and other lovely things. These sets of sticky notes came from my friend, Meredith, and I wish I had more opportunities to use them – though when I get my novel edits, I think I’ll have ample opportunities.
These sticky notes came in two packages – one was a “thought cloud” pattern, the other a “talking bubble”. They’re really cute. Each package came with three notes pad. The thought clouds have blue line borders – each pad runs between 2.5″ and 3″ long and about 2″ long. The speech bubbles are plain white and run 1.75″ to over 3″ long and about as wide. Each pad contains 50 sheets for long-lasting sticky note fun.
The adhesive is kinda iffy and the paper is a little thin, so there’s some curling of the note, but not enough to deter from using them. But they really could use more adhesive on the back for more solid sticking, but they are novelties.
These are note pads I really want to use more of. This brand – kwik – doesn’t seem to be available any more, but you can get them through Amazon and other retailers from Kikkerland (a decent novelty office supply company). The kwik brand ran $3 a set – the Kikkerland seem more expensive. The ones I have were probably picked up at Half-Price Books (which sells a lot of this kind of thing). If you like novelty pieces, these are fun. If you find them for the kwik brand pricing, they’re even better. The Amazon price for the Kikkerland is more than I would pay, but that’s them, not these.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 0.5 – You can’t (and probably won’t) do EXTENSIVE note-takin on these, and the adhesive is small and not super sticky. But dang they’re cute.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – There’s no grip, that’s for the pens. The feel is kinda thin, but then it doesn’t bulk up what you’re adding notes on. They’re meant for charm and cute, that’s what they deliver.
3. Material – 0.5 – They are thin and could use some extra adhesive. Probably some sort of recyclable paper perhaps (without mentioning it).
4. Overall Design – 1 – They are awesome novelty sticky notes, especially for those who love comic book designs.
5. Price Point – 1 – These come at an awesome price – if you get this brand. The retail on them is $3, could’ve probably gotten them cheaper. Kikkerland is more expensive (but also probably can be found on sale).
That’s 4 of 5 bronze pencils.
[Spotlight Post] Judy Crider – In Memoriam
I’m going to round out this Thanksgiving Week with a sad note. As lovely as Thanksgiving was – we celebrated with family at our house (as has been the case since Jimmy and I were married) – it did end with some bad news – the passing of a friend. I’d like to tell you about her.
I started writing professionally about 2002, and started going to the regional conventions to promote those stories and meet more people. Some of the first people I met and who made me feel really and truly welcome in the Texas/Oklahoma Science Fiction community were the Lansdales (Joe and Karen) and the Criders (Bill and Judy).
Judy passed away on Thursday, November 27th about 11 am, according Bill Crider’s website. I didn’t find out until much later in the evening. It hit me quite hard. Judy came along with Bill to many conventions and was always pleasant, gracious, and kind to me and everyone I saw her come in contact with. She was also strong and funny. I knew she’d been battling cancer. She had her ups and down, but would still try to make some of the conventions – at least the local ones to them. I tried to ask about her if we didn’t see her. I was always glad to see her when she felt well enough to join us.
Joe Lansdale said lovely things about this beautiful woman on his Facebook page and it made me cry. Though, I’m glad she’s no long in pain. No longer has to battle her disease, even if it means the disease won – it was non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Cancer sucks. My heart goes out to Bill. I can’t imagine what he’s going through today, but I know our community will rise up to support him along with his friends and family, because that’s what we do.
But for now, we say farewell to Judy Crider. You will be sorely missed.
[Pen/Pencil Review] Blue Journal Pen – 1.0mm Ballpoint
I really need to learn to do these the night before. Monday’s are getting away from me. This is a pen I picked up on my last binge at Office Depot. I kinda forgot about it – until today when I was about to put it away, when I remembered… hey, Monday. This is simply called a “journal pen”.
This is a decent ballpoint pen in a compact size, theoretically to attach to a journal or to be portable. It’s about 4.75″ long both retracted and with the point extended. It’s a brilliant (almost TARDIS) blue with silver tone accents. The pen has a twist retraction method. For a short pen, it’s solid. It has a medium diameter with a decent balance. It’s your basic “cigar-style” pen in a smaller frame. The clip is a sturdy chromed metal for security. If you can handle the shortness of the barrel, it’s a nice little pen. “Little” being the key word.
The ink is a Parker-style 1.0mm black ink. The line is bold without being too gloppy and is easily refillable with either ball point or gel ink with the Parker-style refills, so it’s infinitely customizable. The website says the item is no longer available, I found this on a journal spinner rack in the store. I wish I could remember how much it was – it was either $2.99 or $4.99 – either one is an acceptable price point.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – It works like it’s supposed to. It’s a metal-based ball point pen with a classic refill in a 1.0mm black ink.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s short. It has a decent feel, but the shortness is an issue with it. It’s also a smooth barrel, it can be hard and possibly tiring.
3. Material – 1 – It’s blue metal with silver tone accents and a clip. It’s a sturdy little pen.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – It’s supposed to be used with a journal. I’m not sure why that means it has to be short. But it’s still a nifty little thing.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s an okay price point – $3-$5. But it’s refillable. Unfortunately, it no longer seems to be available. If you can find it, it’s not that bad a price.
That’s 3.5 of 5 bronze pencils.
