Character Blog: Bobby's Hobby by Bobby from The Sounds of Sirens

This past summer and fall I had the pleasure of hosting authors and their hobbies. Today I'm excited to host Bobby who is featured in The Sound of Sirens by former hobby guests, the brother-sister writing team of Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser. 

Bobby, thanks so much for taking time to tell us about your hobby.

Second book in the Jose Picada, P.I. series

Bobby’s Hobby by Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser

As part of our blog tour for The Sound of Sirens, we thought it would be fun to let one of our characters write a guest post. Without further ado, meet Bobby Newman.

* * * *
Cosplay by Bobby Newman

This is the place where people talk about their hobbies, right? That’s what Heather and Dave told me. Well, I have a hobby I'd like to talk about. Let me tell you how it all began.

So much of what I am today began in a movie theater. I wish I knew the date, as it was a day that changed me forever. February of 1997 is as close as I can narrow it down. My brother Maks took me to see the Special Edition release of Star Wars: A New Hope. I'd seen the movie countless times on VHS. Seeing it on the big screen with all the new effects just blew me away. Ever since then, I've been a proud and devoted resident of a town called Nerdville. As a kid, my citizenship was limited to reading books, watching movies, and playing games. When it was time to go to college, I looked for someplace with a top art program. I wanted to be the one creating the books, movies, and games. My dad, however, would only pay for my school if I went to his alma mater. Luckily, they had a pretty good program.

Now here we are, a few years later. I have yet to create the great fantasy game, or make the great science fiction movie, or, thankfully, write the great teen paranormal romance novel. I'm okay with all that. You see, I'm part of a small community here in Rochester that engages in what's called Cosplay. To the uninitiated, this is a portmanteau of "costume" and "play." It's exactly what it sounds like. Playing in costume. The general concept is that you make (or buy if you have to, but making your own is way cooler) costumes of your favorite characters from movies, television, video games, or comic books. Common sense says that you should only wear this costume in the privacy of your own home with the shades drawn. I mean, who wants to be seen in public dressed as Mr. Spock or Zombie George Washington? It turns out that there are a lot of people who want exactly that. The typical gathering place is at sci-fi/fantasy conventions, such as Rochester's annual RocCon. Not everyone dresses in costume, but many do. Nowhere else on Earth (or any other planet, for that matter) can you find The Doctor walking around with Pinkie Pie Pony. You can usually get a picture with them if you want. Most people are pretty cool about that. There's almost always a contest, where you can win prizes and awards in a number of different categories.

So where do I fit in? Well, I use my art school education to custom make my costumes. It's part sculpture and part engineering. I've even picked up manly skills like how to use a sewing machine. Sometimes, if you need a hat that looks half watermelon and half cat, you're going to have to make it yourself. There's no way you'll find that in a store.

I normally just wear a costume once. There are just too many cool characters to wear the same things over and over. My very first Cosplay was of an original character. I play Swordz N Spellz. This is an online computer fantasy game. To those who haven't heard of it, it's a MMORG. That's a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game. SNS takes place in the fictional realm of Flowerpox, whose citizens include elves, dwarves, humans, and sentient fungi. My character, a level 55 druid named Grimdavore Habberman the Exceedingly Superlative, is member of the guild Raymetheus's Rockers. Sorry, I seem to be getting sidetracked. I could talk about SNS all day. What I'm trying to say is that my first Cosplay was Grimdavore, complete with his journeyman druid's robe, which was made by modifying a store-bought bathrobe by adding the hood from an old sweatshirt, weathering it to look all beat up, dying it just the right shade of brown, and finally attaching his enchanting runes, which were cut from aluminum foil. It looked okay, but not perfect. I've learned to sew since then. Maybe someday I'll make another one from scratch.

Over the years, I've done Dr. Harkner from Red Sun Setting, Big Bertie from John Patrick, Cintius Pullus from Rome in a Day, John-John from The Toe Jammers, Gravy Boat from Puff Puff Pony, Judicious B.B. from What Would Frosty Do?, Connor from When Kai Was Sick, the Grim Sleeper from Alpacalypse, and Carl Remington from 20,000 Feet and Climbing. Each costume presents its own unique set of challenges and I make sure to try some new technique each time so that I'm constantly growing, constantly learning.

I'm currently in the early stages of assembling the pieces for Sergeant Horace "The Horse" Van Winkle from the comic book My Kingdom. Much of the clothing is off-the-rack, which I usually try to avoid. But if you can hit the thrift shops and find just the right stuff you need, it can save a lot of time and effort, and I'm going to need all the time I can spare for this one. I plan on making all of Horace's cybernetic augmentations, complete with flickering electronic lights. And if I can figure out a way to make his potato-throwing bazooka really throw potatoes, I might have a shot at winning a prize.

So, yeah. That’s me. Dungeon-raiding, cosplaying King of Nerdville. Or at least the mayor.

* * * *

Find out more about Bobby in The Sound of Sirens.

Thanksgiving dinner with the family can be murder.
Especially when someone is actually trying to kill you.

Available at:

MuseItUp Publishing

Amazon

Connect with Heather and David:

Blog

Facebook

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HFBrainerd and https://twitter.com/NotDaveFraser

Hobby Hoedown: Author Margaret Mendel's Photography

Welcome author Margaret Mendel to the Hobby Hoedown!  Margaret shares her hobby of photography and stories about the photos she captured with her camera.  Please enjoy taking a break in your day with this delightful guest post. 

Photography As A Hobby by Margaret Mendel

Writing is my first love though photography comes in a close second.

I discovered photography after graduating high school when a friend told me I could order a Pentax camera directly from the factory in Japan.

I saved my hard earned dollars working as a power sewing machine operator, sent a money order to Japan and waited. When the camera arrived I thought it was the most exotic thing I had ever seen. It was a heavy, black 35mm film camera. There was no digital back then.

This is a photo I took of my mother many years ago with my Pentax. And here is an excerpt from a memoir I wrote some time later:

  

            “From this hiding place, my sister and I spied on Mom as she hung the wash or picked the dead leaves from her dahlias. A thin woman, Mom always looked as though she carried a load equal to her own weight in her arms, either the laundry, one of our two younger sisters, or the bushels of vegetables she dragged in from the garden for canning. She worked like an ant, always dragging, lifting or pushing something. 
            The dahlias were a different matter. To tend them she would actually tiptoe into her garden. My sister thought she did this to be quiet, but Mom said she did it to keep from packing down the soil. I saw Mom lift a blossom slowly once, cupping the giant flower in both hands, as though she was looking into a face.  She smiled, and I thought she intended to kiss the bloom. A couple of times I saw her talking to her flowers. My sister didn’t see this, and said that Mom wouldn’t talk to flowers. My sister may have been right Mom did not have time to spend talking to flowers. She hardly had time to talk to us girls.”

Some years later my Pentax was stolen. I was heart broken. There were not enough funds to replace it. Life took some interesting turns around that time with a marriage that fell apart, raising my son on my own, going back to college, and photography became a low priority.

Eventually I scrapped together enough money and got a new camera, a Minolta. Once again, I was off and running, clicking the shutter every chance I got.

Over the years I’ve upgraded my camera. Now I use a Nikon 7000, and like my laptop, it goes with me just about everywhere. Photography has taught me a great deal, but unlike writing, where a story builds scene by scene, a camera captures with one click of the shutter an image that capsulizes an emotion, a moment in time, or a dramatic scene that tells volumes without the use of words.

   

Here is a photograph of Devon, my grandson. He and I take walks exploring NYC. This is an excerpt from a blog post on my website about one of our adventures:

“It was a windy day and several blocks before reaching the bookstore we encountered a huge dragonfly. The poor thing was having a terrible time in the wind and was being banged into the window of a drugstore. Then when it tried again to fly, the wind thrust it down to the ground where its wings and tail shimmied in what must have felt like a gale-force-wind to this fragile creature. Devon reached down, offered the bedraggled insect a finger. The dragonfly climbed on board and held on for dear life. “Do they bite?” Devon asked after the dragonfly was fully attached to his finger.”

I live in NYC and there is no end to photographic opportunities in this city. I don’t have to go far, because even sitting on my terrace; either looking down at the activity on the street or gazing out onto the water towers across the way, the view presents an unlimited chance to click the shutter and grab a photograph.   

# # # # 

Coming in March 2014 from MuseItUp Publishing, Fish Kicker by Margaret Mendel

Back of the book:

Against the unforgiving landscape of Alaska, Sharon Wolf struggles to reclaim her life from alcohol abuse and regain the custody of her daughter. Winter is fast approaching and Sharon has nowhere to live, and no money. To make matters worse, she’s the only witness to a murder, and the murderer knows she saw him.

Luck finally seems to be on Sharon’s side when she secures a job as a fry cook in a back country bar, aptly named The Nowhere. Sharon’s life seems to be coming together, including weekend visits with her daughter.

But Herb, the murderer, finds her. If Sharon can’t resist the bottle and turn to others for help, something she never has done, both she and her daughter are in danger. Herb has no qualms killing again.

# # # #

About Margaret:

Margaret Mendel lives in New York City and is a past board member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, NYC. She has an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence. Many of her short stories have appeared in literary journals and anthologies. For more than twenty years, she worked in the mental health field, though now she devotes herself to writing full time. She is an avid photographer and not only drags a laptop, but a Nikon D7000 camera wherever she goes. 

Read more about Margaret on her blog at Pushing Time

Take some time to peruse Margaret's photos on her Flickr site

Celebrate the Fall Season, This Week, and Giveaway

Gorgeous fall, that's what it is in West Michigan. Trees are turning, apple crops are abundant, pumpkins are ready for Halloween, and the days are finally going to be cool and crisp. Soon the byways and highways will be busy with leaf peepers and shoppers headed to the farm markets for the fall crops, the petting zoo, tours through the orchards, and delicious, fresh hot donuts pulled from the hot oil right in front of you! You can check my Squidoo site at Inside West Michigan for more information on activities to enjoy in West Michigan.

Our small town does it up right when it comes to celebrating fall by inviting everyone to the Harvest Festival. One of the best attractions for visitors is the Hay Art designs. Works of art are made out of hay bales. Folks vote for the best display by donating food. The winning design is determined by which display receives the most pounds of food donated. 

One of the hay art designs from 2011.

The weather always seems to be perfect for the Harvest Festival parade...uh oh, I probably jinxed it for next year. Enjoy a taste of the excitement by watching the video of the Harvest Festival 2013.

THIS WEEK:

c

Thursday, October 10--On Hobby Hoedown paranormal author Kelly Whitley shares her passion for painting with watercolors and offers a free digital copy of her vampire novel, Into the Red, for the winning commenter.

All Month:

Breast Cancer Awareness month

Lavender Dreams

Ten short stories in this anthology to entertain you. More importantly, the authors and cover artist have generously donated these stories and their royalties to help raise funds for cancer research each year.

Authors:

MuseItUp Publishing Authors: Barbara Ehrentreu, Gloria Oren, Lisa J. Lickel, Nan D Arnold, Nathaniel Tower, Rosemary Gemmell, Suzannah Safi, Tanja Cilia, Vicki Batman

Buy Link at MuseItUp Publishing

Christmas in October continues at Penny Estelle's blog. Win 50 prizes!

Christmas in October

Every Monday and Thursday during October,

six different authors will be spotlighting their books. 

Some lucky commenter is going to win over 50 different prizes. 

It could be you!  All you need to do is comment.

 The more you comment, the more chances you have of winning

all of these fabulous prizes!

So mark your calendars for Thursday, October 3,

and be sure to visit

Penny's blog. 

Ho!  Ho!  Ho!

Author Heather Fraser Brainerd Shares Disney Parks on Hobby Hoedown

Dear Readers, when you finish reading this post and commenting, please hop on over to the Girls Succeed Blog where another MuseItUp Author, Katie Carroll, tells us how she became a writer and  introduces us to her new YA Paranormal Fantasy, Elixir Bound. Be sure to enter to win prizes during her book tour!!

Katie and I are swapping blogs, so take another hop over to Katie's website to discover what sparked the penning of my non-fiction e-book for girls, Girls Succeed.

# # # # 

Today marks a first at Hobby Hoedown, hosting a brother and sister writing team. Author Heather Fraser Brainerd is here today with her passion, Disney Parks. Her brother and co-author, David Fraser, was a guest on August 15 displaying his skills in building model planes. They may be siblings, but they don't seem to have the same interests when it comes to hobbies. Heather confesses she doesn't remember David building planes when they were kids. Probably because she was off playing with her Barbie Dolls...

Welcome Heather to the Fall Hobby Hoedown!

I was happy to hear that JQ’s hobby hoedown had been extended into autumn. After enjoying her other hobby posts, and wishing I could participate over the summer (but I just didn’t have time!), this seemed like a fun way to kick off the fall.

But what to write about? Quilting? Yoga? Cookie-baking? Dollhouse-building? I have lots of hobbies, but the one that I’m most passionate about is…

Walt Disney World!

I write a Disney-related blog (disneyforfive.wordpress.com), collect Disneyana, comb the Internet for Disney-related news, am a member of D23 (the official Disney fan club), and recently became a Disney stockholder. Okay, so maybe it's not so much a hobby as it is an obsession!

My home away from home.

The seeds of my obsession were sown long ago. I was fortunate enough to live in Florida for several years as a child. Whenever family or friends would come from New York to visit, we’d go to Disney World! After we moved back to New York, our Disney trips became less frequent. When I was a teen, my parents took all four of us kids (I’m the oldest) on a Disney vacation. A couple years later, my senior trip was to Disney World. After that, a twenty-year dry spell ensued, from 1989 to 2009.

In that time, I went to college, got married, had a son, got divorced, and went through the daily grind of handling workers’ compensation insurance claims. After my son turned five, I started to dream of taking him to my favorite place. I did the online research, talked to friends who had taken their kids to Disney World, even contacted a travel agent to make preliminary plans. Instead of going to through with those plans, I met a man.

He’s a very, very good man.  A year and a half later, we were married, and I left my insurance career behind to stay home with my son and my two new stepsons. A year and a half after that, we took our brood to Disney World!

With that first family trip, all five of us were hooked! There’s just something about being there, right in the middle of the magic, that makes you feel like a kid again. Everywhere you go in each of Disney World’s four parks, something magical is happening. Everything is spotless. The staff members (called “cast members” in Disney lingo) are incredibly helpful and unbelievably nice. As Walt Disney said, “Give the public everything you can give them, keep the place as clean as you can keep it, and keep it friendly.” All these years later, his words of wisdom live on.

Thus began my obsession. I started researching Disney World history, news, and rumors, wanting to know every detail about this magical place. Quickly realizing that there are not many resources for larger families, I started my blog, Disney For Five+, to help other big families with their planning.

My first Disney collectible

My one Disney collectible (a 1980s Snow White music box that plays “Someday My Prince Will Come” – how true that turned out to be!) has been joined by an increasing number of Disneyana pieces. I’ve yet to go to a D23 Expo, but hope to someday soon.

My latest Disney Collectible.

We recently took our three boys to Disney World for the fifth time, and I’m already in the preliminary planning stages for the next trip. For us, it really is the happiest place on earth.

First in the Jose Picada P.I. series

Back Cover

Having left the dull life of workers’ comp insurance behind to strike it out as a private detective, things aren’t going well for Josie P. Cates. Her new career isn't as exciting — or lucrative — as she thought it would be. As her bank account dwindles, her first major client finally walks in the door. Chef Marco, a successful local restaurateur, hires Josie to find out who's skimming money from his business. It doesn't take long for Josie to discover that things at Bistro Italiano aren’t what they seem. Secrets seem to cling to Chef Marco like splattered marinara sauce. With the help of friends both old and new, Josie unravels a case that takes her from the bistro to the world of deadly dark magic. At least it keeps things from being too boring.

BUY LINKS

MuseItUp Publishing

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

ABOUT HEATHER

Heather Fraser Brainerd is a renaissance woman. After earning a degree in Anthropology, she embarked on an incongruous career as a workers’ compensation insurance adjuster. She

rapidly climbed the claims-handling ladder before surprising her colleagues by leaving the high-powered world of lumbar strains and carpal tunnel syndrome to run a child care center. Thousands of dirty diapers and gallons of strained peas later, she decided that maybe the insurance industry wasn’t quite as bad as she remembered. It was. Fortunately, a few brief years into that second stint, she was swept off her feet by the most wonderful man in the world. Now a stay-home mom to three amazing boys, she is able, at long last, to focus on her writing. In addition to her fictional explorations, she writes a foodie column for the Rochester magazine Citizen. Heather lives in New York with her family and their crazy pug/terrier.

Connect online with Heather

Heather's blog

Heather's Disney blog:

Buy link for Jose Picada Book 1: 

Facebook 

twitter.com/HFBrainerd

A Lot of Thank Yous--Today is Release Day for Coda to Murder

Pastor Christine Hobbs never imagined she would be caring for a flock 

that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Today is the day I've been waiting for for nine months..No not the birth of my baby, but kind of. This is release day for my new mystery/sweet romance, Coda to Murder, from MuseItUp Publishing.

So many folks have contributed to the writing of this book--fellow authors in my Koffee Kuppe Writers Critique Group, friends in the Fremont Area District Library Writers Group, Pastor Ed, and Officer Doug, and encouragement from friends and family. I listened and interpreted what they told me so if there are any errors or misinformation, it is entirely my doing!

I want to take time to say heartfelt thank yous to Lea Schizas, MuseItUp Publisher, and editors Kim Cresswell and Penny Ehrenkranz for their help in shepherding the raw manuscript into a finished e-book. I am proud to be a part of MIU knowing how important it is to the staff to offer the best book possible to their readers.

Also a huge thank you goes to my cover designer, C.K. Volnek for a spectacular, eye-catching cover that will attract readers' attention. She took a spark of an idea from me and turned it into a lovely, emotional piece of art.

I can't forget to thank all the authors at MuseItUp for their support and encouragement. Many authors who will be hosting me on the Coda to Murder virtual book tour are Muse authors. I am overwhelmed at how close people can become over cyberspace, never meeting face to face. I cherish these friendships. 

I look forward to the book tour and interacting with readers. We're kicking off the book tour at Janie Franz blog on Monday, February 25!! There will be prizes awarded at the end of the tour. Be sure to comment in order to enter the random drawing.

MuseItUp Publishing Bookstore Buy Link 

Save 25% this week on Coda to Murder.

I'm a Guest Author at Muse It Up Publishing

February is the month of romance. What better romantic couple to symbolize this month than Romeo and Juliet? But what if their names were Ralph and Alice? Somehow those names just don't convey romance..LOL..

Visit the Muse It Up Publishing Blog today to discuss naming characters in my essay on What's in a Name?

Muse It Up Publishing is also holding a contest every month. Check it out at the Muse It Up Bookstore. Hurry and enter today to win the January free e-book.

Be sure to return to this blog every Tuesday and Thursday in February to see what Cupid Reads. Check the sidebar for the schedule.

Happy Valentine's Day to You!

Thank You to Authors and Readers

What a variety of amazing recipes we had during the Good Eats, Great Reads event in November and first week of December. These multi-talented authors shared recipes, showcased many genres of books, and were generous in awarding prizes. 


Thank you to each and every one of the authors for participating in the event. It was a pleasure to meet you and to get to know you better through discussions on food and your stories. You guys rock!


Thank you to the readers for visiting the J.Q. Rose blog and for your support of this wonderful event.

November
2	J. Q. Rose	Carrot Casserole
4	Jim Hartley	Eggs Not Quite Benedict
7	Roseanne Dowell	Amish Dressing
9	Marva Dasef	Basque Chicken and Chorizo Saute
11	Kathleen S. Allen	Irish Brown Bread
14	Gail Brannan	Southern Cornbread Dressing
16	Heather Haven	Tio's Flan de Naranja
18	Jane Richardson	Edinburgh Fog
21	C. Malandrinos	Kourabiedes (Greek Sugar Cookies)
23	Larion Wills	Sour Dough Bread
25	Barbara Ehrentrau	Barbara's Homemade Chicken Soup
28	Dale Thompson	Date Pudding
30	Dianne Hartsock	Pumpkin Curry
December
2	Tanja Cilia	Sticky Rainbow Salad
5	Pat McDermott	Guinness Beef Stew

Don't forget to email me or any of the authors to request a FREE copy of the Good Eats, Great Reads Recipe Collection which contains ALL the delicious recipes on the blog. 

Email me at jqrose02 (at) gmail (dot)com

Our authors are published by Muse It Up Publishing. 

Check out the MIU bookstore for LOTS of great reading, free stories, and contests!

Tribute to Mothers and Fathers in May at Muse It Up Publishing Blog

During the month of May, authors from Muse It Up Publishing pay tribute to Mothers and Fathers. Visit the Muse It Up Publishing Blog for interesting posts filled with joy, tears, heartache, sweetness. You will also be "in" on the contests and give-aways.