Sunday Sales: National Comic Book Day (Maybe?)

I had a great idea for today's Sunday Sale but then I realized I had the information waaaay wrong so I am not going to use it. I will file it away for future reference though. Instead, I will share some Geekdom with you. On the first Saturday of May each year, Geeks across the US, Canada, and in many other countries celebrate Free Comic Book Day. Participating retailers give out at least 1 free comic book to every single customer that comes into their stores. Seriously, all you have to do is show up and they will give you a free specially selected comic title. Check the site for more information.

Now, you might be wondering why I'm talking up a May event in September. Well, today has interesting significance for comics as well... maybe. Not that it is officially recognized by the government or the comic-Gods, but I've heard about it from more than one person and even found a website listing. Remember that "weird September holidays" link from earlier in the month? If you look at September 25^th, it lists today as National Comic Book Day.

The event is marked by sharing a comic book with someone else. Buy a copy of a title for yourself and one for a friend. Read an old favorite and loan it to your friend to do the same. Trade titles amongst your friends and acquaintances. This website even mentions that "some stores are rumored to offer free comic books on this day." That is definitely not verified by any major source to my knowledge.

Even if it isn't a "real" comic holiday, celebrate it anyway. Comics are an awesome tool to bond with your kids, relive your childhood, and spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Sunday Sales: NaNoWriMo

Today's Sunday Sale is getting a jump on one of my favorite things: National Novel Writing Month. It is time to commit to participating in the insanity, think about what you will be writing, and begin planning out a daily schedule for November (really, it will save you so much time). Go to www.nanowrimo.org and sign up. October and November will be devoted to the NaNo here so if you hate the idea, you might want to avoid this blog for all of October and November.

During those two months, all dailies will be put on hold. October will feature tons of information on how to plan ahead for the NaNo, including articles to read, general NaNo information for the newbies, and a semi-strict suggested timeline of events that will make your life so much easier in November. I know that the NaNo will be a month away at that point, but I will be very busy finishing my 2^nd NaNo project (so that I can start the 3^rd) for 2011. November is the month. I will be writing every day and will be fairly inactive on all social media during the month. I will probably Tweet word counts at the end of the night. I have a writing prompt for every day of the month that some folks might find interesting or helpful in getting writing going for the day. Other than that, unless something huge happens in the world, I will be in my own fictional world waging war and playing with faeries.

I hope you will be participating! I strongly urge you to sign up and check out your local forum now. Many/most regions host a kick-off party in mid-October and they announce the time/date/location as soon as the details can be nailed down. My region usually has a group discussion of the kick-off in mid-September with the kick-off party scheduled in mid-October. The kick-off party is a great place (especially for new NaNoers) to meet other participants, get questions answered by the Municipal Liaisons, and get inspired.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Sunday Sales: Paramore

I've been listening to Paramore for a while now. They are one of my favorite bands, and I could listen to lead singer Haley Williams for hours. After some group revisions, Paramore is currently made of Williams, Jeremy Davis on bass, and Taylor York on guitar. Brothers Josh and Zac Farro split ways with the band in 2010 amid some controversy. But I digress.

Sunday Sales: Clark Duke

The last Sunday Sales for this month is about another actor. The July post about Chloe Moretz is my highest viewed post of all the posts on this blog. The 2^nd most viewed page,  my "Writing Voice" post, only has a 1/5 of the views. So today, I'm going to tell you about an actor that is going to be HUGE one day: Clark Duke. This guy was in Kick-Ass with Chloe by the way.

Edit: 8/15/2012 Image removed. I don't want to be sued.

This is Clark in a shot from Starpulse.com in September 2008 while Clark and his co-stars were on the publicity circuit for Sex Drive. Click the link for a larger image and photo credits and then click the jump.

Sunday Sales: Vegas, Baby!

Do you feel like you just NEED a vacation? I feel like that about 90% of the time. My brother and my dad went to Las Vegas and would not shut up about it forever so I decided to check it out... virtually at least.

There is so much to do in Vegas. Gambling, of course. The Vegas shows. Incredible restaurants. Spas and salons. The list goes on and on. I am not a fan of giving away money unless it is to charity so gambling holds no interest for me. Now the shows and food... yes, please. Between today and the end of the month, look who is going to be performing in Vegas: Charo, David Copperfield, Australia's Thunder from Down Under (OMFG this), Blue Man Group, Brad Garrett, Chippendales, Crazy Girls, The Lion King, Jersey Boys, Men of X, Cirque Du Solei, Peep Show, Penn and Teller, and Stripper 101. That is a selection from just the first 3 pages of events (out of 37!). There really is a show for everyone. Of course, my friends and I am partial to the ones where the guys take off their clothes, but that doesn't fit the bill for everyone. Magic shows, comedies, musicals, bands, circus acts, vaudeville-type acts, etc. I'm sure my brother and my dad spent the whole time in a random assortment of casinos and golf courses, so I think they missed out on the real Vegas. Maybe my opinion is biased considering I'm staring at a picture of the Australians.

Also the food just looks wonderful.  It looks like the places with celebrity chefs require reservations (naturally), but the site linked above makes it all so simple to plan ahead. Check out Top of the World in the Stratosphere Casino and Hotel. The restaurant actually spins 360 degrees while you eat 800 feet in the air! While I am not so sure I could eat knowing all that, it looks stunning! Mcfadden's Restaurant and Saloon features half-dressed women dancing on a bar in the picture so that definitely looks like a place where I'd have fun. It is a given that I'd enjoy the copious amounts of available alcohol, but seriously, what is there not to love about an Irish pub... in the desert?

If you are thinking of taking a trip in the near future, consider Vegas (and take me with you!).


Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Sunday Sales: Pottermore

Did you get into Pottermore? Ugh, I didn't. Pottermore is the website by J. K. Rowling that features e-book and audiobook versions of the Harry Potter series. First announced in 2011, fans were encouraged to register with the website quickly, as only the first 1 million fans gained access to Pottermore between July 31 and August 6th, 2011. Those first million were the clever/lucky ones that found the Quill and then solved the riddle to gain entrance to the site. Everyone else will have to wait until October 1, 2011. The big draw aside from (finally) authorized e-books, was the interactive reading experience. Information about the site says that once users create a user name, they will be able to follow Harry through the chapters, visit Diagon Alley, sort into Houses, and learn spells.

I am a huge Potter-fanatic... at least the book versions. I keep saying how I am not a fan of books made into movies because they usually screw them up. Granted, the Harry Potter movies have been pretty good. I have not seen any of them in the theater though. I'll rent them after they come out on Netflix. I am seriously stoked about real e-book versions coming out. I am partial to e-books, mostly for portability, so the news of Potter e-books totally made my month when I heard about it.

So did you get into Pottermore? I wanna hear about it! Do you like it? Did it meet your expectations? Have any gripes yet?

Sunday Sales: Take A Walk

Today's Sunday Sales is a bit different than usual. This Sale requires you to spend no money. None what so ever. Today's Sunday Sales: Take a walk. Heads up, this blog post is kinda long so go get a cup of coffee before you click the jump.

Sunday Sales: World Fantasy Convention

Just a short Sunday Sales today. The World Fantasy Convention is coming up. It is October 27^th-30^th in San Diego, California. This year's theme is Sailing the Seas of Imagination. The big guests are Jo Fletcher, Neil Gaiman, Parke Godwin, Shawna McCarthy, Ruth Sanderson, and Connie Willis.

I always love reading about the WFC, finding the pictures and the audio links from the event. I never get to go though. This year is no exception. They have already reached their registration cap of something around 900 people and were wait-listing people the last time I checked their page. I really hope they open it up to a large venue soon.

If you live out west (I'm super jealous of you already) and like fantasy, you should consider getting on the wait-list. A full weekend pass is somewhere in the neighborhood of $175 but I think that is money well spent. I would pay that just to get to hear Neil Gaiman speaking. Probably the accent, but damn, he can talk to me all day long. If you are already registered, you lucky damn dog, send me pictures/video of Neil. Please and thank you!

Sunday Sales: Chloe Moretz

I am a self-described potty mouth, overfilled with weird humor, random bits of knowledge, and sexual innuendo. That being said, I am also a big proponent of allowing children to be children and keeping salacious things away from those curious minds until they are old enough to understand it. Keeping this in mind, my Sunday Sales is about Chloe Moretz.

Edit: 8/15/2012 Image removed. I don't want to be sued.

Chloe Moretz is a child actress most recently famous for starring as the potty mouthed heroine of Kick-Ass. The movie is ultra-controversial. Chloe was just 12 years old when she filmed that movie. A lot of people had a hard time accepting all those lines coming from the mouth of a child. However, I have read countless times that her mom read the script before she allowed her daughter to read it and gave the okay. That is enough for me. If Mom is okay with it, then who are we to decide otherwise?

Anyways, controversy aside. This kid has been busy. Check her IMDB page if you don't believe me. She has been working in the business at least since 2004. She worked with Ryan Reynolds on The Amityville Horror and Jason Lee on My Name Is Earl in 2005, did the voice of Young Penny in Bolt in 2008, and was in (500) Days of Summer from 2009. Since Kick-Ass, she has 2 other movies that have come out (Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Let Me In) along with 8 other projects in the works. For 13 years old, she is incredibly busy and very talented!

Sunday Sales: Dirty Girl

My Sunday Sale for all things random.

There is a movie coming out that I really, really want to go see. Dirty Girl will be released in August of this year, so I am trying to be patient. The blurb from IMDB is:

It's 1987 and Danielle, the high school 'Dirty Girl', is running away. With her is chubby, gay Clarke, a bag of flour called Joan and a Walkman full of glorious 80's tunes.

Okay, so that just sounds like a riot to me. To go a little more in detail... The movie is a comedy that follows Danielle, the dirty girl of Normal High School. She is sent to special education class due to misbehavior (ahh, the 80's) where she meets Clarke, described as an "innocent closet case." They head off on a road trip to discover themselves. It is supposed to be really funny. I hope I am not disappointed.

Milla Jovovich, William H. Macy, Mary Steenburgen, Tim McGraw, and Dwight Yoakam are just a few of the cast. Please, please don't disappoint me!

Sunday Sales: The Bitch is Back

So I am very excited about this Sunday Sale. Elton John is on tour!!! I love him. I grew up listening to his music (Yeah, I was born a few decades late. Whatever!).

Edit: 8/15/2012 Image removed. I don't want to be sued.

He has some oversea dates through July, but will be coming back to the states in September. He will be hitting a couple places in New York, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan before setting in Las Vegas from September 28^th until October 23^rd. November and December take him overseas again, mostly to Australia, with one stop in Ukraine, Russia, and New Zealand each.

I got to see Elton on his Peachtree Road tour back in 2005. I still have the concert booklet and ticket stubs somewhere. The pictures were lost in the Great Hard Drive Crash of '07 though. 8^th row baby! Guess who rocked one of his really awesome hats? Yeah, not me. The crazy old lady in front of me took it away (literally snatched it out of my hands). *sniff* It was the best concert I have ever attended!

Sunday Sales: Imogene's Last Stand

In time for the Fourth of July, this Sunday Sale is for Imogene's Last Stand, written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. ILS was published by Random House in 2009.

Edit: 8/15/2012 Image removed. I don't want to be sued.

This children's story follows history buff Imogene. Her first words were "Four score and seven years ago." She finger painted a map of the Oregon Trail in preschool. Imogene champions to preserve the historical society building while dressed like Paul Revere, shouting "The bulldozers are coming! The bulldozers are coming!"

The story is full of famous quotes, a ton of humor, and mini-biographies of the biggest names of history. I found it to be incredibly entertaining. Your kids might as well!

Sunday Sales HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads on the interwebs! In honor of Father's Day, my first Sunday Sales pitch is for You Can Do Anything, Daddy by Michael Rex. Find it on Amazon here.

Edit: 8/15/2012 Image removed. I don't want to be sued. Click the link above to see the image.

You Can Do Anything, Daddy was published in March, 2007 by Putnam Juvenile. It is seriously cute! A young boy tests his father's love and devotion by asking him if he would rescue him if he were kidnapped by pirates. His dad would not only face pirates, but would swim through shark infested waters, travel through tiger infested jungles, and defeat the pirates who of course become robot gorilla pirates from Mars. It is also fully illustrated by Mr. Rex!

If you like You Can Do Anything, Daddy, you can also check out more of Mr. Rex's works, which include Good Night Goon: A Petrifying Parody; Furious George Goes Bananas: A Primate Parody; Runaway Mummy: A Petrifying Parody; and many, many others.