Convention Etiquette for Zombies

I was on the zombies panel at Life, the Universe, & Everything last week. It inspired a few interesting thoughts, until my brains were devoured. I thought I'd share.

Etiquette rules for zombies attending conventions:

1. Do not eat the committee's brains. The committee members' brains have been so stressed by planning and executing the convention that they will taste over cooked and fried. Not tasty. Wait a week, THEN eat their brains.

2. Make sure your lips are glued on tightly before participating in a panel. Having your lips stick to the microphone when you pass it to your fellow panelists is a definite no-no in the manners book. Miss Manners would be so disappointed in you. Having them land in your water cup is also not appropriate.

3. Ditto for eyeballs.

4. Try not to shamble in the hallways. Most conventions have very crowded hallways. You may lose more than a few digits and appendages trying to shamble through the crowd. Of course, this may be intentional if you have many fans who want a piece of you.

5. Request plenty of rosemary for your brains at banquets. Most venues are happy to oblige. Rosemary also helps with "brain breath".

6. Prominently carry a copy of a literary classic such as Wuthering Heights or Little Women. People will assume you are cultured and civilized, making it much easier to eat their brains.

7. Always wear a bucket on your head. This will protect you from evil mind rays. Wait, you don't have a brain so they won't affect you. Wear it as a fashion statement instead.

8. Watch out for fruit and vegetable trays. Everyone knows that zombies and vegetable matter are like mixing jello with explosives. Both lose, and the mess is horrendous.

9. Finally, children under the age of 12 are NOT appropriate food sources. Go for the teenagers instead. No one will notice if their brains go missing.

Enjoy your next convention!

The Sunshine Award

I've been awarded the Sunshine Award by If You Give a Girl a Pen... If you haven't read their blog, give it a try. I find all sorts of thought-provoking questions and useful advice about writing there. Thanks for the award! I'll pass on the sunshine.

Here are blogs I'd like to award the Sunshine Award:

Rules to Accept the Award:

◦Put the logo on your blog in your post.
◦Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
◦Link the nominees within your post.
◦Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blogs.
◦Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Victor Williamson - Cloverdale
Space Center - The Troubadour
Parker Peevyhouse - The Spectacle
(And the other five authors that blog for The Spectacle - thanks for great articles!)
Bobbie - Metallic Visions
April Hennis - April Kitty

I don't follow a lot of blogs, so thanks, people, for sharing your words and ideas.

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

This recipe is sure to get your creative juices flowing. Digestive juices for certain. How about picking up a copy of my book to read while you wait for it to cook? Several times over, since my novel will take more than 30 minutes to read? http://www.nexuspoint.info

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

1 c. flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 t. vanilla
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
2 1/2 c. really hot tap water

Heat oven to 350. Mix flours, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in mixing bowl. Add milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Spread in 9x13 cake pan. Sprinkle brown sugar and cocoa over the top. Pour water over everything. DO NOT MIX IN. It looks weird, but it will turn out. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Serve hot. Cake will be on top with hot fudge sauce underneath.

Really yummy with peppermint or strawberry ice cream.

The Origin of Nexus Point

Nexus point - in math, the zero point of an equation, a beginning or point of origin.

So why name my novel that? It's the beginning of the series. The events that happen on Dadilan are the origin of the rest of the series. Some of them come back to haunt Dace with a vengeance. I don't want to say more lest I spoil future stories. Many of the characters in book one become important later in the series.

As far as the actual origin of the book, it wasn't the first. I started writing a novel, then realized it wasn't the beginning of Dace's story. So I went back and wrote the first novel, the beginning of her story. That was fifteen years ago. It's been a long journey to publication involving at least two major rewrites and countless editing sessions BEFORE I ever landed a publisher.

Teaser time - I'm almost through the initial edit of book two. How much should I say? More action, more villains, more friends, more Dace. And yes, Tayvis is involved. He's supposed to recruit Dace into the Patrol, but she has serious trouble of her own. I forgot how much fun I had writing this book.

Tentatively titled "Priestess of the Eggstone", book two won't be out for about a year. So buy a copy of book one and let Dace introduce herself and her story. For those of you hesitant to buy a series book one, each book is a complete story. Not entirely stand alone, but I promise not to drop you off a cliff then make you wait for a year to find out who survived.

My Day Job

I have the coolest day job ever. I work at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in Pleasant Grove Utah. (The blog title should link to their website, if I figured it out right.) We're talking high tech starship simulators and an inflatable planetarium.

I have many titles, 'cause they're free. My boss even gave me the official title "Ultimate Queen of the Universe". I'm debating how to center that on a business card.

It's hard to quantify what we do at the center. The best description I ever heard was "Star Trek Larping" but we can't use that because A) Star Trek is copyrighted, and B) we work for a school district and can't possibly be teaching children science fiction. That would not be acceptable to the powers-that-be. Not in conservative Utah.

Truth is, we are teaching them leadership skills, teamwork, decision making under pressure, moral values, and a host of other psychological lessons, all in a short two-hour mission simulation. What we do captures their imaginations to the point that we have had crews in tears over fictional situations and characters. Simulations are powerful tools.

We also have a classroom and planetarium where we tackle the real science of physics, stars, black holes, gravity, and space flight. Well, sort of. We have only forty-five minutes to impress as many 5th and 6th grade students as we can. We do our best to boggle their minds and imaginations with reality.

If the pictures post correctly, here's a brief glimpse into my working environment. Notice the lack of cubicles.

I'll have to post pictures of some of my costumes, except that would spoil a bit of the magic we strive to build. If you're ever in Utah Valley, stop by Central Elementary for a glimpse into futuristic education.

Butter Rum Popcorn

Here's another recipe to brighten your day. I'd write about writing or marketing or something else, but life is so crazy right now, recipes are about my speed.

1 c. real butter
1/2 c. corn syrup
2 c. sugar
1 t. rum flavoring
8 qts air-popped popcorn

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add corn syrup and sugar. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and reaches firm ball stage. (Drop a tiny bit in very cold water. It should form a firm ball that is just a bit crunchy around the edges. This takes about 7 minutes.) Remove from heat. Stir in flavoring. Pour over popcorn. (Yes, it's 2 gallons of popcorn, use a really BIG bowl.) Stir carefully until popcorn is coated. Dump onto large piece of waxed paper. Spread and let cool for 30 minutes. Break into chunks. Store in loosely covered container.

Dinner? Navy Bean Soup

I was inspired by a friend to start posting recipes on my blog. So tonight's dinner is Navy Bean Soup, an old-fashioned recipe that is so satisfying, especially in winter. Easy and inexpensive, too.

1 lb dried navy beans
1 small onion, chopped
5 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 t. garlic powder
2 bay leaves
1/2 t. paprika
2 t. celery salt
2 c. cubed cooked ham
ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Soak beans in cold water overnight. Drain. Place in 4 qt crockpot. Add about 6 c. hot water. Cook on high for 2 - 3 hours. Add onion, carrots, and spices. Cook on low 4 hours, until vegetables are done and beans are soft. Add ham. Cook another hour. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with sourdough bread or crackers.