Monday, October 28, 2013

A Study In Emerald

Are you interested in a
Sherlock Holmes/H.P. Lovecraft
style short story?
How about one written by Neil Gaiman?

If so, head on over to check out 
A Study in Emerald


Which you can read for free HERE

and just in case the link doesn't work:

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Book Signing with James Dashner

Last night, James Dashner
was kind enough to stop by our local bookstore.

(The lady you see in the pic is our very awesome bookstore rep... who gets all these cool folk to stop by and chat with us)

I have to say,
his books may be bleak,
but he's a pretty funny guy.

Oh, and he *REALLY* wants you to know he's on Twitter.
(LOL... he kept referencing his Twitter account...
evidently it's the place to be for breaking Dashner news)
(his avatar is his new puppy, lol)

He is the author of 
The Maze Runner

which is being made into a movie that will come out
in November 2014.

He also recently released a new book
The Eye of Minds

He went on to describe it as an homage to his love of The Matrix and Inception,
(evidently Mr. Dashner is quite the movie lover)
and when I read the inside cover I immediately thought of

Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
(which is a friggin awesome read, if you haven't read it)

I'll be interested to see how the two compare.
(FYI, James Dashner has *not* read Ready Player One (although he owns a copy)...
so his book was not influenced by the other...
I'm just curious to see how these two books focusing on
virtual reality compare and contrast)

Mostly though, he talked about The Maze Runner series...
saying Minho was his favorite character,
explaining his reasoning behind things like 
naming WICKED, the slang the kids use and the Grievers.

He also discussed how his goal was to create a sort of
anti-Lord of the Flies...
where instead of degrading into violence and wickedness,
these boys worked together to survive.

He answered quite a few questions and talked for a good hour
about a multitude of topics (he might be a rambler, hehe).
If he ever happens to be swinging through your neck of the woods,
I highly recommend stopping in to see what he's got to say.

 Not related to Mr. Dashner, but I just had to share...
While I waited for the signing to begin, I went over to check out the 
YA Used Books section and found this:

All of the Used YA books were gone... and this note was left behind:

HAHAHA!
It's a joke, of course,
they're just rearranging...
but it cracked me up.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Feature and Follow Friday

  Follow along here:

Q: What are some of your favorite magazines?

Oh man... here we go!
I am both a Graphic Designer and a photographer...
so I have a lot of interest in Magazines... 
and really, this just happens to be the favorite of what I have on my desk at the moment.

 Are you interested in things geeky? This magazine is for you!
It covers just about everything from gadgets to girl-geek culture.
I've had a lot of fun reading it so far. :)
Plus, this month's issue features Daryl (Norman Reedus)... how can you not love them?


 Filled with delicious recipes, bon appetit is a lovely magazine,
but unlike other food magazines,
this one is not always good for you in terms of healthiness or time consumption.


I love that you can choose pretty much anything in here and it's not going to be *terrible* for you.
Lovely photography, tasty recipes... it's a nice cooking magazine. 


Again, another enjoyable, healthier food mag. Like bon appetit, they often have very eye catching photography.



This magazine is so well organized... it's very user friendly, starting right out with a picture index to guide you to each recipe. Someone was using their noggin when they put this magazine together.
Plus, you know, tasty recipes XD


I like to pretend I know things.
Hahaha, no no, this magazine often has interesting infographics in it...
plus, I really do like the content. :)


 A magazine all about plushies... yes... yes, sign me up.
Put out by the Somerset folks, this is a cleanly designed magazine with large, lovely photos.


 Sorry to all the Martha poo-poo'ers... but this woman is still a domestic GOD.
Her magazine is beautiful too, with amazing photography and lovely layout.
Plus it's only $10 for a year subscription.


Wired
Fun design, and super informative. I love me some Wired.

National Geographic
Tried and true, if you want amazing photography, this is the place to go.


A different beast than Martha Stewart Living...
Martha Stewart Halloween is a magazine I look forward to all year long...
her ideas are great, and it comes out right when Fall is settling in.


Advanced Photoshop
I love this magazine for Photoshop tips and tricks.


Imagine FX
If you're at all interested in the digital art medium...
this magazine is something you should seriously look into.
Tips and tricks from experts, as well as a really great companion website.







Thursday, October 10, 2013

Hollow City The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children

Cover Revealed!


Here's an excerpt on

Hollow City

The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children

from Quirk Books:

 Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was the surprise best seller of 2011—an unprecedented mix of YA fantasy and vintage photography that enthralled readers and critics alike. Publishers Weekly called it “an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters.”

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

RANSOM RIGGS is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California film school and is a writer for mentalfloss.com. He lives in Los Angeles.

Here's a link to my review of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children:
http://littlesqueed.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-miss-peregrines-home-for.html