A royal 'thank-you'

Last year on this date, my friend Duane hosted a viewing party for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton -- now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.  You can see the original post here.  We also thought it would be fun to send a card congratulating the newlyweds.  My friends Barbara and Vicki brought a card to the party and we all signed it and sent it off and, well, really forgot about it.

Late last summer we received a very nice thank you card from the staff of either the couple (or somebody with connections to 'the palace').  I had been meaning to post pictures of the thank you for some time but other things came up so what better time than on the first anniversary of the wedding?

I have to admit that it was a thrill and a lot of fun to receive this card.  We certainly had a good time celebrating a wedding we didn't attend but when our congratulatory card was mailed we never expected any type of response.  I say, good manners all 'round!

Front of card

Back of card

 Happy First Anniversary to the lovely couple!

Two more sci/fi from Iambik with more on the way...

Iambik Audiobooks just released two more science fiction/fantasy books and there are more about to make their debut very shortly.  First up is Last Dragon by J.M. McDermott and narrated by the talented Cori Samuel.  This from Jackie Cassada of Library Journal:  “A journey focused on revenge becomes an odyssey of self-discovery and of the founding of an empire in blood and sacrifice. As Zhan searches for her grandfather, a creature no longer human that has killed his entire village, she travels in the company of Seth, a fire-breathing shaman; Korinyes, a gypsy who is more than she seems; and Adel, a paladin present at the slaying of the last dragon. McDermott’s debut novel requires careful reading to piece together a story told in nonlinear form, as mercurial as memories and as visceral as death. This fantasy adventure belongs in libraries where literary fantasy in the tradition of Gene Wolf, A.A. Attanasio, and Gabriel García Márquez is popular.”

Second up is Playing Solitaire and Other Stories by Mark Shainblum.  This book is a double narration by the versatile John Greenman and the lovely voice of Elizabeth Klett.  Three outstanding pieces of short fiction from award-winning science fiction and fantasy author Mark Shainblum, collected for the first time.  This collection includes "Playing Solitaire," "The Art of Solitude," and "The Break Inspector." "The Break Inspector" is an unofficial sequel to Mark Twain's "A Murder, a Mystery and a Marriage," and a top-ten finalist in the International Mark Twain Writing Competition, 2001.  


Head to Iambik and give the full first chapters of these books a listen and you'll find yourself wanting to hear more.  These two are $6.99 each and are available in mp3 and m4b format.  Keep checking back because there are several more in the queue.

Recording and prepping for my trip to Virginia

I've had to make a scheduling adjustment to my recording priorities.  Instead of the book I had planned to begin next, I'll be starting a young adult book, The Distant Shore, by Debora M. Coty with the possibility of recording the sequel, too.  Since I have a deadline of May 31st for this one, I've moved it ahead of Dust.  Received the manuscript today and prep work begins. 

On the family front, I'm going to be heading to Virginia for a few days in May to visit my sister Heidi and her family.  Can't wait to see two of my three nieces.  I've whipped up the first of two headbands for them that I'll be taking with me.  This was a cute and easy pattern called the 'Checkered Headband' and can be found here.  I decided to add a strawberry button to each of them since I had some left over after using them as decoration on the Amigurumi cupcakes I made for the girls for Valentine's Day.

I also found a darling pattern for a little purse that I hope I can manage to make for all three of my nieces.  I have to finish the two I'm taking to Virginia first since my oldest niece lives here so I have a little more time to work on her things.  I'll post the pattern with pics when I get a chance to start on the purses.

Now it's time to start reading (and marking up) The Distant Shore.

Iambik releases books 2 and 3 of the Alford Saga

Iambik Audiobooks has released books 2 and 3 of author Paul Almond's Alford Saga.  Book 1 - The Deserter was released last December.  The Survivor is the second book of the series which continues the story of two hundred years of Canadian history through the eyes of a settler's family.  The third book in the series is entitled The Pioneer.  Paul Almond narrates all three of the books and based them on his own family's pioneering adventures in Canada.  To find out more about Paul, who is also a noted television and film director, check out his website here. 



Right now, Iambik is offering all three of the books in the Alford Saga for a special price of $16.99.  The regular price is usually $6.99 for each book so this is a nice savings for the series.  If you like historical fiction, adventure and romance, be sure to check out Paul's books.  As always, the complete first chapter for each book is available for listening at Iambik before purchase.  Downloads are offered in mp3 and m4b formats.

 

Catching up

I'm currently doing the prep work to record a book for Iambik and still plugging along on my current LibriVox solo.  The Iambik book is an older classic -- I'll post more about it later.  I'm also waiting to hear second call-backs on three titles I auditioned for on ACX.  Publishers and authors can take a reallllly long time to make up their minds.  I can't really blame them.  Once the recording is out there -- it's out there.  

On the yarn front, I finished a black cabled knit hat that could be for either a man or a woman.  Still working on the ladies royal blue drop-stitch scarf.  This is a fresh batch since I sent a box a week ago to The Humble Stitch.  My friend Kate confirmed that it arrived safely.  In addition to the articles of clothing, Kate told me there were 20 knit/crochet squares (for Knit-A-Square) in the box.  I didn't realize how many of those Linda and I had made in a relatively short time -- I didn't think to count them.      

I also discovered, via Facebook, a new auction site.  It's called Tophatter and features a lot of nice handmade items from people who have shops on Etsy or have their own website.  It's free to join but you can 'watch' the auctions in real time if you like without joining.  You just can't bid (or sell anything) unless you sign up.  I've bought a few little items and also sold a few things I no longer needed.  They have a number of categories and they seem to constantly add more.  Check them out.

Now, back to editing audiofiles.  Not my favorite thing to do but it must be done...

New Lit Fiction and Crime Books from Iambik

Iambik Audiobooks continues their new releases with two literary fiction books and one new crime offering.  Homing by Stephanie Domet is narrated by Linette Geisel.  From the website: "A funny, urban love story, Homing is the story of Leah, a woman who’s grown afraid of the outdoors; a ghost that’s lost its way; a musician who’s trying to find his; and Sandy and Harold, a pair of homing pigeons who help get them all back home."  A lot going on in one book.  Check it out now.

Our next new lit fiction release is Sentimental Exorcisms by David Derry.  Narrated by Anthony St. Pierre, this collection of short stories is filled with plenty of humor and satire.  Joseph Braun of Vue Weekly states: "In Derry's taut, arrestingly witty opening tale "one of the University of Toronto's top English undergrads," employing perfectly sound solipsistic logic, arrives at the conclusion that the only way to fully realize his inherent and sturdy normalcy is to extinguish his compulsion to peep through peeping. "Attainment is annihilation," he explains."

The third of our latest releases is in the crime genre.   The Jook by Gary Phillips is narrated by the talented Darla Middlebrook and Darla's smoothly deep voice carries this Los Angeles-based tale of professional football, crime, sex and drugs.  From The Denver Times:  "At a time when the majority of crime fiction authors seem to be former television writers, Phillips has learned the city from the ground up, working with gangs and pounding the streets as a community activist and union organizer. It’s a career path that has served him well as a crime writer. Even set in the glossy world of high-priced athletes, the Los Angeles that comes through is as destroyed and degenerate as Raines’ football career, making
The Jook a down-and-dirty crime fiction marvel."

These titles are now available at Iambik in mp3 and m4b formats for $6.99 each.