Notice to my followers

So I am thinking about changing directions. What I mean is I want to focus on Hot Chocolate & Books on well … books and the such, and not on erratically posted anecdotes.

While at the same time, however, I still plan on having another blog where the said anecdotes will reign supreme. Now, I’m considering hosting this one on another account, completely separating the two main blogs.

The reason being that I want equal exposure for both because as most of us will know by now that we have a primary blog people will visit when our names are clicked in comments and so any other side blogs will likely languish given if we haven’t made a space on the main blog to highlight them.

Another path would be investing time on my Gravatar profile, which I have, in fact, done already. You can add all your blogs like a little personal directory. Mine includes my photoblog, my writing blog (which none of you probably knew about) and a shared comatose blog with Peter Howorth, et al. I need to make a spot for those on HC&B in the future.

I digress. I am leaning towards divorcing Personal Blog from Book Blog completely. For one, it would be a sort of fresh start I sorely feel I need.

The makings of the Personal Blog is already in motion. If any of you folks are interested in following that contact me via the Contact tab up top.

This has not been a recent concept for me, actually. I’ve tried testing it out in the past but I’d hit a roadblock called “Identity Issues”. Two separate personas (essentially) has its drawbacks, yeah?

Also, I plan to redesign HC&B. A bit more minimalistic perhaps. Should I keep anything in particular? Or off with it all?

Thoughts? Questions? Advice? I’m all ears!

Thank you guys for being here, means a lot to me.

Devina

Creative Prompt: Three kinds of holes

Physical. Mental. Metaphysical.
The things in the road made from friction and sub-par materials.
The mines in our heads where lie some gold and plenty ghosts.
The assholes that riddle the fabric of reality, a shame you can’t launder character.

Prompt by Little Fears

The Little Fears get published!

The following is a reblog from Little Fears, a fellow WordPress site that’s guaranteed to make you snort hot beverages or simply laugh out loud. Without fail, there’s an amazingly creative illustrated pun every day brought to you by actual little fears like Spectre, Hydra, Yuffie, Serpent and the gang. Peter Edwards, the Illustrator, has a book in the works that’s full of January’s entries and I am so excited! Go on over there and see what the fuss is about.

You noticed the decrease in grammar and spelling mistakes right? We had an editor attack our tales. I have been asked on social media if I am going to release the Little Fears as an art book. Well, yes, I will. In a couple of months time I hope to release the Little Fears in full paperback form. But for that, good grief did I need an editor.

Slightly exciting in the mean time though, Little Fears – January. The collected Little Fears tales of the first 3 months. Currently on pre-order, available from the 22nd of March.

£2.99 for the UK on Amazon.co.uk

$3.65 for the USA on Amazon.com

I get about 70p per sale due to image size and bandwidth used on Amazons end. So if you fancy having us on your tablet or kindle, you can help fuel the illustrator on cups of tea.

If you want to wait for the paper edition, I can tell you it will be closer to £10 due to the colour images, and will be available in May.

If you just want to support the Little Fears, you can also head over to our Patreon page, where for as little as $1 a month you can contribute to Hydras food bill.

Thank you for being a wonderful audience and allowing me to indulge in my scribbles and stories on the internet.

About this blog: Direction

Dearest Reader,

This is a letter to you. I’ve done something to this effect before, and in those missives I thanked you for your following – though I suspect many had even forgotten that they had in the first place (and I don’t blame you). So I’ll do that again. Thank you. So much. Really, I’m continuously baffled that new  people still manage to stumble over here amidst the inactivity.

In the fever of my first blogging adventures I practically lived at HC&B. Churning out two to three posts a day, some of which I cringe to think about now, and lots in which I surprised myself with. I’d been about eighteen at the time I made this website, my first one. Today, I sit here at twenty-two. These days make me yearn for high school, where I’d rather do homework than be an adult. And ladies and gentlemen, that is saying something!

To get to the point, I feel guilty on two fronts: 1) to the blog itself that gave me a chance to explore the internet with even more curiosity, to doors revealing insights and opportunities to learn from this community. I shouldn’t give up on this education.

2) to you my followers, to those who have stuck it out with me and my pretty much random content. And to the new folks who decided to give this a chance.

Look. I know I might be over dramatizing this a bit. I mean, it only takes a second to click and follow and about five minutes to forget? Still, I think it’s important.

Concerning direction, I’ve never decided on specific content matter but what I wrote about included books, poetry, creative writing, some vaguely personal insights and a smattering of miscellany. I’m seriously considering writing about shows I’m watching and the languages I’m trying to learn.

Time has always stayed the same after everything else has changed, so I can’t mint any minutes or hours, but I’ll try to get gears turning again. For me, and for those who’d taken that second to click, and those of you who come to just window shop.

Sincerely,

Devina

 

Booyaa

Random stuff time.

Let me tell you a thing, I suck at interaction sometimes and this would mostly apply to blogging and visiting blogs. So when I say I am so grateful for all the visits this here humble virtual abode of mine got in my absence, I mean this with all my heart. I have one or two other excuses, of course. Thank you, gracias, merci, grazie! I can’t imagine why you guys stick around.

I’ve hit some sort of wall that I’m finally scaling at a creeping pace (if that makes sense) and my computer is still acting up even after the check up I got done and I’ve got to start saving up for a new one soon, and apparently I think better, or should say more, when I type as opposed to writing (except for poetry, though).

I’ve been drowning myself in music, more than the usual anyways. I’ve gotten into Radiohead quite a bit, “Body Snatchers” hooked me. Um then I discovered Redbone, The Archies and got an eyeful (haha) earful of “Hang on Sloopy” by The McCoys. Sort of a longish list, really. Also electro swing, ugh, such curvaceous sound waves.

I feel my attention slipping away already and I hate that. I hate that I want to write things but I end up feeling that I don’t follow through. I feel disappointed in my self yet I understand why … but still. I drive myself insane with contradicting tendencies, it almost makes sense.

I want to leave you jazz cats with this

Daily Prompt: Quirk of Habit

Today’s Daily prompt is  “Which quirky habit annoys you the most, and what quirky habit do you love — In yourself or others“

 Hmmm, I used to do these regularly once upon a time. Well my peeves aren’t that extensive:

• I am highly annoyed when I’m disturbed whilst reading, even if it’s a blinking receipt.
• I find it irritating when I have to begin from season one of a show when I find myself in the middle of the fifth one. If it really knocks me out then and there I’ll do what I must.
• When people put down books and shows/movies before they even give them a chance, especially when they feel it their responsibility to rant off to me.
• People picking their nose indiscreetly.
• Unbearably loud, stupid music.
• I lied, there’s probably lots more.

My habits are simple enough:

• I pace while I talking to myself to work out the effects of a high caffeine intake.
• I love socks, matching ones and odd pairs. I often have a pair in my purse next to an ever present book.
• I assign people into Hogwarts houses in my mind, depending on their personality.

Happy 2nd birthday HC&B!

I’ve never memorized the date before so you can imagine my surprise after seeing that trophy icon. What now? Have I surpassed my previous record of insanity, of awesomeness, of laziness? In any case WP couldn’t have known their full extent but with much pleasure I’d like to say that today the 20th of November 2013, I’ve been blogging here for exactly two freaking years!

In these couple of years, my life has changed irrevocably. Mine eyes were pried open the the versatility, the ambiguity and the variety of words, of people and content. I’ve been encouraged to write more, to read more, to think more. More so than I couldn’t have otherwise in my old limited line of sight. Knowing how to navigate the internet and knowing where to look are two very separate things in my mind. The WordPress community has been that place for me, that where I can always come to search and learn and become inspired and it – therefore all of you my fellow WP bloggers – has made a great difference in my life.

So I’d like to say thanks to WP for making this platform possible and to the diverse dissidents that live on it 🙂