Upcoming Author Interview

I will be conducting an interview with my readers (whichever ones are interested in participating). I will collect different questions from all of you lovely people (whether you've read the book or not, and whether it contains spoilers or not) and I will answer them. Then I will post them next week. If you have any questions you'd like answered (regardless of topic), send me an email (kanno.callie@gmail.com) or leave a comment!

Heart List: Private Selection Ice Cream

I appreciate good ice cream (for a reasonable price), and lately I've really appreciated Private Selection's Black Raspberry Dark Chocolate Chunk. I don't like my ice cream to be melty, and I like that this brand stays creamy when fully frozen. It's soft enough to enjoy fresh from the freezer, so I can dig right in. There are other brands that I have to get an ice pick if I want to get a scoop right away. Also, the flavors are really delicious. This particular one is a good balance between the raspberry and the chocolate, and it's not overwhelmingly sweet. I look forward to trying the other flavors of ice cream (they have a carrot cake flavor that I want to try). Hurray for yummy treats!

Contest

I've decided to hold a contest in an effort to spread the word of my book. So, here are the details:

Write a blog post or a facebook status post (or anything like that) about "The Threshold Child" and then leave a comment here with the link, showing that you've done it. You will be entered into a drawing, and the winner will get a prize! (The last time I did something like this, the winner got to name a character in the upcoming sequel, so it will be something fun!)

The contest will come to a close on March 22nd, so be sure to do it before then!

Heart List: Cruises

I desperately need a vacation. I love my life, but everybody needs a break every now and again. When I get this feeling, my first thought is to look into going on a cruise. Taking a cruise is my favorite way to travel! You get off the boat and do whatever you want for the day, then you get back on board and go to sleep, and you wake up someplace new! It's the laziest kind of vacation because everything is taken care of for you...and I love it! I've been on one in the Mediterranean and one in the Caribbean, and I loved them both. I think I'd like to go on an Alaskan cruise next, and I'd also like to do an Asian one. And one to Mexico. And back to Europe. Basically, I want to cruise all over the world. Too bad I'm not rich, otherwise I'd totally do it! Oh well. For now, I'll plan a more frugal vacation, and save up for a cruise in the future.

Evil Overlord: Part 5

Things I will Remember if I Ever Become Evil Overlord

* After I kidnap the beautiful princess, we will be married immediately in a quiet civil ceremony, not a lavish spectacle in three weeks' time during which the final phase of my plan will be carried out.

* I will never utter the sentence, "But before I kill you, there's just one thing I want to know..."

* Despite its proven stress-relieving effect, I will not indulge in maniacal laughter. When so occupied, it's too easy to miss unexpected developments that a more attentive individual could adjust to accordingly.

* If an advisor says to me, "My liege, he is but one man. What can one man possibly do?" I will reply, "This," and kill the advisor.

* If one of my dungeon guards begins expressing concern over the conditions in the beautiful princess' cell, I will immediately transfer him to a less people-oriented position.

* When my guards split up to search for intruders, they will always travel in groups of at least two. They will be trained so that if one of them disappears mysteriously while on patrol, the other will immediately initiate an alert and call for backup, instead of quizzically peering around a corner.

* I will instruct my Legions of Terror to attack the hero en masse, instead of standing around waiting while members break off and attack one or two at a time.

* I will not rely entirely upon "totally reliable" spells that can be neutralized by relatively inconspicuous talismans.

* I will not order my trusted lieutenant to kill the infant who is destined to overthrow me--I'll do it myself.

* Before employing any captured artifacts or machinery, I will carefully read the owner's manual.

* I will never build a sentient computer smarter than I am.

* If I must have computer systems with publicly available terminals, the maps they display of my complex will have a room clearly marked as the Main Control Room. That room will be the Execution Chamber. The actual main control room will be marked as Sewage Overflow Containment.

* My dungeon cells will not be furnished with objects that contain reflective surfaces or anything that can be unraveled.

* Even though I don't really care because I plan on living forever, I will hire engineers who are able to build me a fortress sturdy enough that, if I am slain, it won't tumble to the ground for no good structural reason.

* I will not agree to let the heroes go free if they win a rigged contest, even though my advisors assure me it is impossible for them to win.

* I will never accept a challenge from the hero.

* I will decree that all hay be shipped in tightly-packed bales. Any wagonload of loose hay attempting to pass through a checkpoint will be set on fire.

* I will not hold lavish banquets in the middle of a famine. The good PR among the guests doesn't make up for the bad PR among the masses.

* My vats of hazardous chemicals will be covered when not in use. Also, I will not construct walkways above them.

* If I decide to hold a double execution of the hero and an underling who failed or betrayed me, I will see to it that the hero is scheduled to go first.

Author Spotlight

I have been featured on a book review blog! There is a brief Q&A, an excerpt from the book (one not found anywhere else on the internet), and a little bio about me. Check it out!

http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-threshold-child-by-callie-kanno.html

Tempus Fugit

"Tempus fugit" is a latin phrase meaning "time flees." And, indeed, it does. As I have mentioned before, I have a little boy. For the sake of privacy, we shall call him Lewis. Within the next month, he will be turning one year old.

How did this happen?!

Every time we celebrate a new year, I marvel at how quickly time passes. Normally, I would move on with my life and not consider it again until the next new year. That changed when I became a mother. All of the sudden, I am very aware of every passing day, week, and month. Lewis is like a tangible example of how fast our lives pass by. It seems like only yesterday I was holding him in my arms and wondering if I was ready to be a parent. Well, I STILL wonder if I'm ready to be a parent, but he rarely lets me hold him anymore. He wants to crawl and learn to walk, he wants to explore the world around him and tell me about it (in his own little language, of course). I look at Lewis and I realize that he has somehow become a little person, rather than a baby.

Sometimes I find myself wishing that I was in a different stage of life, or that I could re-live a past experience. Raising Lewis has taught me the importance of truly living in the moment. When he was younger I wanted him to be older, and now that he's older I wish I had enjoyed his younger months more. Every day is a gift (whether you have children or not), and it should not simply pass by without notice. That doesn't mean that we have to go out and fill our hours with mind-blowing experiences. In fact, I find that the opposite is true. 

I could take Lewis out to the zoo and to the library and to the park and to the aquarium, and I'm sure he'd be entertained (and exhausted). However, the real moments that I treasure are the ones that appear to be ordinary. There is nothing I love more than seeing his happy face when I go to get him out of his crib in the morning. I love seeing his excitement when he takes a few steps on his own, and how good it makes him feel when I cheer him on. I love it when he sits on my lap and I read books to him (one of the few exceptions to his "always wiggle" rule). I even treasure the times when he is sad or hurt and he turns to me for comfort.

Someday, he won't have time to sit and read with me. He won't need me to "kiss his owie better." And if this last year is any indicator of how the future will be, that day is fast approaching. I am determined not to squander anymore time. I want to value each day (each hour) for the gift that it is. I would much rather change a diaper than lose the opportunity to tickle the feet of my squirmy little boy. Time flees, my friends. Let us all make the most of it.

WebbWeaver Books Blogtalk Radio Interview (Again)

Ok, we have new date for the radio interview! It will be this Saturday (Mar. 2) at 2 pm CST. Here is the link again, just in case you don't feel like going back a couple of entries. :)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/webbweaverbooks