Competition? Oh, yes.

Hey Everyone!

Been a while, huh? :)

So, I'm in this awesome competition and I need your help! With just two tiny clicks you could get me closer to my dream of singing for video games. Yes, I am that specific. ;)

This of course is in addition to my dream of being a bestselling author, a high-paid executive, a Siberian Husky breeder... and an astronaut. Well, we'll see how it goes.

Thanks for voting for me and spread the word!! The contest ends Monday. Ahhh!

http://www.ujam.com/songs/w65Mh7j8WzST

Quick & Dirty Update from Crabcat

Looking forward to seeing you in Boston at PAX East! Jessica, Holly and I are collaborating on writing some pretty funny stuff. And there's prizes!

Saturday, March 12th @ 7:30pm EST - CAT Theatre!!

Announcement!!

Sunday, December 19th - Yes! THIS Sunday!
www.tinychat.com/crabcat
Watch me get my face covered in plaster! You know you want to. The fun starts in the afternoon, probably at 1pm PST / 4pm EST!

And So Our Story Begins...

This is an exciting time for me and Crabcat Industries. You know, that amazing art / costume troupe I joined?

Yesterday I bought the first part of my costume. Yay! Alginate! I'll be getting a head cast created for me soon which means claustrophobia, I mean, encasement in plaster, uh, fun times. Yeah, I was as excited about that last part as I was to find out I needed my very first root canal last month. Oh well. No pain no gain, right?

Did I even mention who I was going to be? No? WELL...

I plan to transform into the awesome character Aria T'Loak from the video game franchise "Mass Effect." She's a pirate, a dictator and an all-around badass. Gotta love strong female characters.

I'll be chronicling everything here so you can come along on this fantastic journey with me. Some of it will be on the Crabcat blog, Sorcery and Glue, as well.

One more thing, be on the lookout for an announcement of something cool we're doing on the 18th. I'll keep you posted!

Fan Fiction: Real Writing or Not?

I’ve been a secret lurker of FanFiction.Net for about a year now, consuming stories from both the "Mass Effect" and "Dragon Age" universes, but just recently started to create my own.

Some writers feel fan fiction is a cop out with its already-established characters and for some, plot lines. I take a different stance. What about it being a great way to exercise the writing muscles? When you’re on a treadmill you’re not actually running a marathon, but you could be training for one. Isn’t the same true for fan fiction?

What do you think?

Blog Fail, But Big Wins

I've been a bad blogger. No need to make nice. You can tell me how much I suck.

But before you do, I have a couple things to announce:

1 - Chicken Soup for the Soul: Family Matters has been selling well and I've been accepted into a new edition to be released early next year. Yay. The new book is about grandmas because they're the best. Thanks again for your support!

2 - After a long search, I got a job as Director of Marketing for an international software company. My new role is all about long hours and stress. Double yay. Other than that, I'll be bringing the company's global message to the North American audience hopefully utilizing my creative mind. *insert maniacal laugh here*

3 - I've joined the illustrious and supremely-awesome production company Crabcat Industries. Aw, yeah. This group of talented artists, led by the reknowned Holly Conrad, brings characters from popular video games to life with movie-quality costumes and animatronics. If you haven't heard of them yet, believe me, you will. We've been slaving away on the website and will have lots of amazing news soon.

Anyway, that's all I've got. Do you forgive me now?

Day of Yays

Today was a good day. Of course some bleakness crept into my silver lining, but overall, it was a very good day indeed. You know it’s true when I throw down the word, “indeed.”

Yay #1 – Got a free pedicure.

Yes, my friend and I inadvertently forgot to pay, but that’s beside the point. No one told us to fork over the dough, no one chased us down like dogs to rip away the marrow of our wallets, and certainly no one reminded anyone involved including myself, my friend, the nail, um, technician(?), the receptionist, other patrons, and security cameras that we hadn’t paid. Not to worry, you moral compass enforcers, we’ll make it up to them. It was still cool though. Moving on…

Yay #2 – Worked out at the gym for the first time in years.

The best part, each cardio machine had its own TV. Rachel Zoe, thank you for entertaining me during my calorie inferno. I’m not about to mention that my face took on the hue of an eggplant by the end… *cough* I’m a little out of shape.

Yay #3 – I’m finally over caffeine.

Diet Coke and coffee, you have no power over me!

Yay #4 – Started my new sci-fi book.

Only 300 words, but hey, better than nothing.

Yay #5 – Went to a great tapas restaurant for dinner.

Another friend and I swapped stories of married life betwixt bites of paella. Super yummy. The remainder of the night consisted of me trying to sell our server on the idea of trying the Mass Effect video games.

All in all, a great day. Just thought I’d share.