katiedoylewriter

[katiedoylewriter]

This week read a banned book for Banned Books Week.

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[katiedoylewriter]

Humans Are Weird

So there has been a bit of “what if humans were the weird ones?” going around tumblr at the moment and Earth Day got me thinking. Earth is a wonky place, the axis tilts, the orbit wobbles, and the ground spews molten rock for goodness sakes. What if what makes humans weird is just our capacity to survive? What if all the other life bearing planets are these mild, Mediterranean climates with no seasons, no tectonic plates, and no intense weather? 

What if several species (including humans) land on a world and the humans are all “SCORE! Earth like world! Let’s get exploring before we get out competed!” And the planet starts offing the other aliens right and left, electric storms, hypothermia, tornadoes and the humans are just … there… counting seconds between flashes, having snowball fights, and just surviving. 

[katiedoylewriter]

LOVE IT!!

On the topic of humans being everyone’s favorite Intergalactic versions  of Gonzo the Great: Come on you guys, I’ve seen all the hilarious additions to my “humans are the friendly ones” post. We’re basically Steve Irwin meets Gonzo from the Muppets at this point. I love it. 

But what if certain species of aliens have Rules for dealing with humans?

Don’t eat their food. If human food passes your lips/beak/membrane/other way of ingesting nutrients, you will never be satisfied with your ration bars again.

Don’t tell them your name. Humans can find you again once they know your name and this can be either life-saving or the absolute worst thing that could happen to you, depending on whether or not they favor you. Better to be on the safe side.

Winning a human’s favor will ensure that a great deal of luck is on your side, but if you anger them, they are wholly capable of wiping out everything you ever cared about. Do not anger them.

If you must anger them, carry a cage of X’arvizian bloodflies with you, for they resemble Earth mo-skee-toes and the human will avoid them.

This does not always work. Have a last will and testament ready.

Do not let them take you anywhere on your planet that you cannot fly a ship from. Beings who are spirited away to the human kingdom of Aria Fiv-Ti Won rarely return, and those that do are never quite the same.

Basically, humans are like the Fair Folk to some aliens and half of them are scared to death and the others are like alien teenagers who are like “I dare you to ask a human to take you to Earth”.

[katiedoylewriter]

#WordsForChange

“Alton Sterling was a 37-year-old black man that was fatally shot by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana early Tuesday. Alton Sterling, a father of five, lived out of a shelter, selling CDs in front of a food mart to get by. He sold CDs for years, earning the nickname “CD-Man.” There has been a minute long video recorded by a witness of Mr. Sterling’s death that has caused outrage in the community and on social media. Selling CDs to get by in such a divided world should not be punishable by death.” Jay Coles

The murder of Alton Sterling was a horrific tragedy - perhaps more horrific, these murders happen all the time and don’t get caught on camera, or get caught on camera and somehow the officers don’t land in jail.

A lot of us want to help but feel like we can’t. What power do we have? What can we do beyond showing support on social media and rallying for change in the streets - rallies that often get dismissed as “riots” and targeted by the media as the real violence.

Well, we do have power. Our power is in supporting those who have the platform to enact change. Our power is in supporting those who have been affected by these tragedies. Our power is in using the abstraction of words to create concrete change.

So - how do you help?

Search the hashtag #WordsforChange on Twitter.

Authors, writers, and readers are going to begin posting giveaways under this hashtag. The giveaway might be a book of your choosing, a query critique, that ARC you’ve be pining after, or something else. The rules will differ a bit for each competition, but for the majority of them, if you win the giveaway, you must donate any amount to one of the approved funds below to collect your prize. If a giveaway is particularly desirable, the user might ask that you donate first as an entry, and then they will choose a winner from those who donate.

ANYONE can and is encouraged to give away something. Again, it can be as simple as the winner receives a book of their choosing.

Here are the currently approved places to donate. PLEASE message me here or at my email (LauraSilvermanLovesBooks@Gmail.com) if you have more recommend places. I will continue to update the list as I receive recommendations:

Family:

Alton Sterling Family Scholarship Fund: *ALL* funds raised will go to Alton Sterling’s family.

Organizations:

Release the Breaks: Making strides to uplift, encourage and inspire young Black Men to, “BE Different, BE Great, Never Stop.”

Black Lives Matter: Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.

Politicians:

Rep John Lewis: “We’ve lost too many of our friends, too many of our children and our babies to gun violence. We must act, and act now. #goodtrouble.”

Rep Cedric Richmond: “The shooting of #AltonSterling is a tragedy. His family and the ppl of BR deserve answers & that is what we’ll seek.”

Rep Karen Bass: “Prior to serving in Congress, Congressmember Bass made history when the California Assembly elected her to be its 67th Speaker, catapulting her to become the first African American woman in U.S. history to serve in this powerful state legislative role.”

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Rock The Vault: Celebrating The Urban And Rural Setting Thesaurus Duo

Rock The Vault: Celebrating The Urban And Rural Setting Thesaurus Duo

As we storytellers sit before the keyboard to craft our magic, we’re usually laser-focused on the two titans of fiction: plot and character. Yet, there’s a third element that impacts almost every aspect of the tale, one we really need to home in on as well: the setting.

The setting is so much more than a painted backdrop, more than a stage for our characters to tromp across during the scene. Used…

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The constant refrain of and and and... (#IWSG)

The constant refrain of and and and… (#IWSG)

The other day, I was going about my business, doing the usual picking up of the house and I became suddenly overwhelmed. In every single room, there was noise. Loud noise. Sometimes a few different types of noise. Music or videos or a TV show or all of it all at once and I. couldn’t. handle it. I demanded–quite forcefully–that everyone turn it down or off, I’d prefer off. Everyone did, either…

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#IWSG: Working Through It

#IWSG: Working Through It

Every year I have to watch out for a downward spiral around this time. There are several factors at play to do with failed friendships and lost loved ones that make this time of year hard for me. Every year is different in how much I’m affected depending on how much is on my plate. Right now, we’re getting a conversion done to our garage that will turn it into a bedroom/bathroom suite. This…

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The Case of the Disappearing Katie

The Case of the Disappearing Katie

As soon as I typed that title, I immediately thought of The Cat Who… books. My grandma used to read them constantly. As far back as I can remember, she had shelves and shelves of books. It makes me wonder if the love of reading is hereditary=) But, that’s all beside the point of this post.

It’s fitting that my last post discussed depression and then I up and disappeared for two months. To be…

[katiedoylewriter]

Did you know there were riots last night in Denver? A dozen people were arrested. Local news called it “disappointing.” Because hey, sports fans will be sports fans. Right?!

America’s ugliest double standard rears its head yet again.

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It’s hard not to feel humorless as a woman and a feminist, to recognize misogyny in so many forms, some great and some small, and know you’re not imagining things. It’s hard to be told to lighten up because if you lighten up any more, you’re going to float the fuck away. The problem is not that one of these things is happening, it’s that they are all happening, concurrently and constantly. These are just songs. They are just jokes. They are just movies. It’s just a hug. They’re just breasts. Smile, you’re beautiful. Can’t a man pay you a compliment? In truth, this is all a symptom of a much more virulent cultural sickness — one where women exist to satisfy the whims of men, one where a woman’s worth is consistently diminished or entirely ignored.

Roxane Gay, 

What Men Want, America Delivers

(via jointhegirlgang)

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#IWSG: Creativity and Depression

#IWSG: Creativity and Depression

About a year ago, I talked about depression. It was a difficult and necessary post. As such, I thought it important to discuss again. No one has the exact same experience as anyone else, but the act of expressing your own problems can help others with similar problems in some way shape and form.

A year ago, I was in bad shape. My depression was spiraling and I was at a point where I could either…

[katiedoylewriter]

A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life

This is a normal weekday during the school year.*

6:30 am – Wake up and count my spoons. This usually takes about 20-30 minutes. I get out of bed, sit at my desk, and get on my phone to check my social media and email while my body slowly lets me know what I can and can’t do that day.

7:00 am– Wake up the kids. This is a process of bribing, begging, commanding, and Mommy Voice-ing my way into…

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A Look at One Stop for Writers

A Look at One Stop for Writers

There are times in every writing career where the act of writing is as easy as pulling the teeth of a hibernating grizzly just before spring. It’s at this point that writers usually start questioning their career choice. Wouldn’t it be the bee’s knees if there were something out there that could help during all of this? Wouldn’t it be the cat’s pajamas if there was something that made writing…

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Fast Meals for Deadlines: Bean and Cheese Quesadilla

Fast Meals for Deadlines: Bean and Cheese Quesadilla

One of the many things writers face when on deadline is hunger. It’s a terrible, terrible thing. You have words to write or fix! You don’t have time for hunger! But your brain needs fuel to function. So, a compromise is in order… How about something quick, easy, and delicious to make your tummy and your brain happy?

Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

Ingredients 1 can beans 1 can corn 1 jar salsa 1 cup…

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Most Anticipated (by me) Books of 2016

Most Anticipated (by me) Books of 2016

A whole slew of new and awesome books are coming out this year and I thought I’d share some of the books I’m most looking forward to.

In no particular order…

 Beyond the Red by Ava Jae

About:

Alien queen Kora has a problem as vast as the endless crimson deserts. She’s the first female ruler of her territory in generations, but her people are rioting and call for her violent younger twin brother…

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Recent Reads

It’s been far too long since I’ve done one a Recent Reads! I’m going to try to make it a monthly feature, so there won’t always be this many books… Though I can hope, right? ;-)

For those new to WRL, Recent Reads is when I go over the books I’ve read recently and leave a mini review. (And this is where you think, “Duh, Katie. Duh.” And I’m all like, “I know.” *nods*)

Anyway, ONWARD!

INKED by Eric…