text:
Jessica Dall
Author and Editor
Order and Chaos Books
Raining Embers
Graven Idols
Shattered Tempests
The Broken Line Series
The Copper Witch
The Porcelain Child
The Paper Masque
The Copper Rebellion
The Porcelain Queen
The Paper Affair
Off Book
Write, Edit, Publish
Genres (and why we write them) #2: Victor Catano
July 10, 2016 July 10, 2016 1 Comment
Kicking off the "Genres (and why we write them)" series of guest blogs is Victor Catano, author of Tail & Trouble, who is stopping by on his blog tour. Connect with Victor on Twitter or Facebook or on his own website: http://victorcatanoauthor.weebly.com
Victor Catano: Writing Urban Fantasy
Recently, I had my first novel published. Tail & Trouble came out on May 10th, and I was very excited. It's a story about a guy named Gabriel trying to find his missing girlfriend Sheila, who is a witch. Her coven won't help him, so he sets out on his own. His only help is Orson, her familiar who is a bulldog and magically linked to both of them. Orson can communicate with both of them. I think it's a lot of fun, and the reviewers think so too.
Ah, reviewers. Since I am with an independent publisher and they don't have the ad budget for a big promotional blitz, I have been submitting to various book blogs to get reviews. One of the first ones I got was very positive and mentioned that I "brave a predominantly female genre to give us a fresh perspective on witch fantasy!"
Which gave me pause. (Paws? Ok, enough dog puns.) I really didn't think of myself as particularly "brave" for writing a story about a magic dog. Usually I felt over-caffeinated. (I write a lot at coffee shops.)
The genre I am writing in is urban fantasy. Like a lot of genres, it is full of sub-genres, sub-sections, and so on. I take it to mean that the story is in a modern (ish) setting, but there is a magic element to it. That is incredibly broad, I know. (Technically, that means that Harry Potter is an urban fantasy. So is Sookie Stackhouse. So is Harry Dresden.) But what I enjoy about that is that a lot of the work of world building has been done. If a story is in a modern setting, I don't have to explain how the world works. I don't have to explain a car, for example, the way a high fantasy author would have to explain why people get around on giant flying hamsters. This lets me focus on the specific magical elements of my story. (Like a telepathic bulldog who hangs out with witches.) That's fun for me, because I'm more interested in the characters and how they interact than in describing all the surroundings.
The thing about fantasy writing is that I didn't think there would be any expectations, except to write a compelling story, of course. It certainly didn't occur to me that I was entering a female driven field. (My book cover has kind of a cozy feel to it, which might be a part of it.) I've certainly found that more women are reviewing it on blogs and on Amazon than men, but I think there are more female book bloggers and reviewers in general.
Since I started writing this mainly for myself and just for fun, I really didn't put any expectations on the book – especially with publishing. Then when I showed some chapters to my wife, and then my mom, and then she gave it to her friends, and then they started to demand more and more chapters, that's when I started to work harder to finish the book. And then when all of those people enjoyed it, that's when I started to submit to publishers.
Since I read almost nothing but genre fiction (mystery, crime, fantasy, and SF) I didn't think my genre would hold me back. I was more worried about finding a publisher to submit it to. Most publishers don't want to deal with you unless you have an agent, most agents don't want to deal with you unless you have a published work. (There really ought to be a phrase that describes that…Conundrum 23? I'll work on it.) Thankfully, I found Red Adept. They accept unagented submissions and they accepted my book.
It's a lot of fun to write in the urban fantasy genre. I'm writing the second book in the series now and I hope to continue for a long time.
Thanks for hosting me, Jessica!
Tail and Trouble by Victor Catano
When Gabriel's witch girlfriend doesn't return from her latest trip, he gets on the road and heads out to find her. Sheila's coven is secretive and distrustful of Gabriel, so the only help he has is Sheila's familiar, a bulldog named Orson, who is psychically linked to both of them.
In Florida, they walk right into an elaborate plan to steal Orson. A mysterious wizard named Yareth is behind the plot, and he may also know where Sheila is. Gabriel and Orson will have to fight for their lives as they navigate around all the magical roadblocks to force Yareth's hand. They won't give up until Sheila is safe.
Victor Catano lives in New York City with his wonderful wife, Kim. When not writing, he works in live theater as a stage manager, light designer, and technical director, working mainly with dance companies. His hobbies include coffee, Broadway musicals, and complaining about the NY Mets and Philadelphia Eagles.
"People don't see" A plea for empathy
I normally make it a point to not talk too much about politics online. Simply put, I don't have the energy (or maybe emotional fortitude) to get into arguments with strangers. With everything that has happened over the past week, however, I thought I would somewhat break that rule for today–at least long enough to hope my own experiences may help anyone else struggling out there.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I grew up with a very (here comes that p-word people hate) privileged childhood. My father had a very good job that paid well, and while he worked very hard to get to where he was, I never had to witness that struggle. By the time I was old enough to understand things like money, we had reached a point where it wasn't a struggle. My mother was able to stay home with us. We owned a house (eventually a house and a vacation condo). We lived in a great school district, got to go on great trips, didn't have to worry much about crime ("turn the alarm on in case someone tries to break in while we're gone" was about the extent of my worry about criminals as a child/teen). From having my horizons broadened now, I know that I was very, very lucky (and continue to be so. Not everyone has the safety net I still do—even as a self-sufficient adult).
At the time, however, that was all normal. Everyone I knew had the same things we did to some extent. Sure, maybe that family owned Hondas instead of a Lexuses (Lexi?), but they still had a well-running car. Likely two. Maybe even three if they had a teen driver. Maybe so and so was going to Palm Springs this year rather than Hawaii over Winter Break, but they were still going away for the week to have a good time. White, Black, Hispanic, Asian… everyone living in my little sphere seemed more or less the same.
While that in some ways is great (I never saw any blatant racists in my neighborhood, I was never told to not play with X or Y children) it is also part of the problem. I never saw any racism, and thus to younger me, it didn't exist.
I recently finished the book Polarity in Motion by Brenda Vicars—which turned out to be rather timely, as far as subject matter, this week—and one line truly stuck out to me: "I guess people don't see their own way of seeing." There are people, I'm sure, who are far more qualified than I am to speak about issues of poverty and race and justice and whatever else than I am, but from all I have learned, that quote perhaps sums up what I have learned the best. It is difficult to see issues when you haven't experienced them.
Was anyone a racist in my neighborhood? Maybe. As a little blond girl, when would I have really seen it? Though I had friends of multiple races, the demographics in my neighborhood were almost a fifty/fifty split between White and Asian, so when going through all of my friends from back then (White, White, Asian, Asian, White…) I can't even say I spent much time speaking to anyone who was a true minority in our neighborhood. Thinking back on high school, I honestly could only talk about three Black students by name (two of them mixed race) and that is because I knew them from classes we shared. I didn't make a conscious decision to stay away from Black students, there just wasn't a large number of Black students to start with, and I never would have thought to try to become friends with someone specifically because they were Black. That would have felt racist.
What I most remember about the end of high school, though, when it comes to these issues—and the thought that so often pops up when I see Facebook arguments about Black Lives Matter vs. All Lives Matter, etc.—is my gut reaction to affirmative action as a high schooler. With absolutely no knowledge into what it was other than "it takes race into consideration with admissions" I hated it. Sure, racism was something we learned about in school, but that was in the past. There were plenty of races at my high school! Sure there were only a handful of Black or Hispanic students as far as I knew, but they were there, and they were doing just as well as I was. They all lived in the same neighborhoods as the rest of us. They all went on the same vacations and had the same cars. Making it easier for them to get into college over me felt like racism against me. It took several, several years of expanding my horizons and meeting people who didn't grow up like I did to understand what programs meant to overcome the problems built up over centuries of institutional racism were truly meant to do.
And that's why I can never think too harshly of people who claim saying "Black Lives Matter" is racist. Because that used to be me. Before I left my own little bubble, it would have been perfectly simple to continue thinking that racism wasn't a thing. That poverty wasn't that much of an issue. To think that most people lived the way I did. Everyone I talked to certainly did, after all! It is a nearly impossible thing to see how you see. There is a reason things don't seem like problems when you aren't the one experiencing them. As much as I try to read about other people's experiences now (as an author, I think it's part of the job description, trying to learn how other people experience life outside of me) I know that I will never fully understand their problems the way they do. Similarly, they will never understand mine the way I do (because all of us do have problems). I can't claim I have all the answers. I can't claim I have even a single answer. I can just say I wish people would step back from their gut reactions and talking points long enough to understand that just because they don't see X doesn't mean that X isn't a legitimate issue.
I am lucky that, overall, my problems aren't too difficult to handle. I consider myself equally lucky now that I can see that that isn't the case for everyone. Change won't happen while people are busy digging in their heels, all trying to yell about their problems being the real problems. Being out of work because the factory you worked in for forty years in rural Arkansas is a problem that needs to be addressed. Not being able to feed your children in the inner city is a problem that needs to be addressed. Black men ending up dead as they have this week is a problem that needs to be addressed. Cops ending up dead as they have this week is a problem that needs to be addressed. Pointing to the other side as being the problem and not being willing to help them because no one is helping you is certainly a problem that needs to be addressed.
As I said, it is not an easy thing to see outside of your own experiences. It has taken me over a decade of listening to accounts on all sides to understand as much as I do, and even then I'm sure someone suffering in any situation could school me on what their life is really like. I can only hope that people try to get past their gut reactions and try for empathy on all sides. Until we stop viewing the other side as idiots who don't understand, nothing will happen outside of the shouting.
What Genre is My Novel?
July 6, 2016 June 29, 2016 2 Comments
On Sunday I announced our new Sunday blog series, "Genres (and why we write them)" where this blog will be hosting authors who write a range of genres and talk about what drew them to the genres they write, what challenges they find because of their categorization, and other general thoughts about genres and marketing.
Before we fully get into the blog series, however, it seemed like a good time to talk about what genres are out there (and what genre your own writing might fall into for all the other authors out there).
Most plainly (as defined by Merriam Webster) a genre is "a particular type or category of literature or art." Going a little deeper, when it comes to publishing, genre is a way of labeling a certain group of novels along shared subject matter. This makes it easier for authors to explain their books, publishers to market them, and readers to find things they are interested in reading.
Though there are dozens of genres and subgenres that are used when discussing novels, some of the most common you'll likely come across (whether you're looking for a novel to read or need a category for your novel) are:
Contemporary Fiction: One of the broader categories to place your novel in, Contemporary Fiction tends to cover novels that take place in a contemporary/modern-day setting and doesn't fall into another genre (e.g. Urban Fantasy or Women's Fiction).
Historical Fiction: Unsurprisingly, Historical Fiction covers books that take place in historical settings. Famous historical figures may become characters (even the main character such as Mary Bolyen being the protagonist of Philippa Gregory's The Other Bolyen Girl) but the story can also center around a "normal" character living in a historical period (for example A Picture of Freedom following the life of a fictional slave girl in 1859 without her meeting Jefferson Davis or Harriet Beecher Stowe). Note: Historical Fiction tends to be applied to modern authors writing in historical settings versus Period Pieces with an author from an earlier time period writing what was then contemporary fiction, such as Jane Austen's works.
Fantasy: Fantasy is a wide-ranging genre with a number of subgenres, namely because it is the label that is given to any book that has some sort of fantastical/magical element to it–be that magic powers, mythical creature, or just about anything else that can't exist (or be explained) in the real world. Some subgenres you may come across include:
High Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery: What many people think of when they first hear the term "fantasy novel," High Fantasy is The Lord of the Rings style fantasy, that takes place in an entirely fantastical world with fantasy races (Elves, Orcs…) and often includes big battles with good vs. evil (or at least people you mostly like vs. people you don't really like, if you are going the George R. R. Martin/A Game of Thrones way of High Fantasy). It is also sometimes referred to as Sword and Sorcery since often the settings are vaguely medieval with swords as the primary form of weaponry outside of magic.
Historical Fantasy: Historical Fantasy tends to be a mix of Historical Fiction and Fantasy where fantastical things happen in a historical setting (think vampires in Victorian London or there truly being witches in the middle of the Salem Witch Trials, such as Heather Eager's Devil's Playground.
Urban Fantasy: Urban Fantasy, as the name suggests, is technically fantasy that
takes place in a city. Lately, though, the term has been expanded to generally mean "fantasy that takes place in a contemporary setting" even if that setting is primarily a school in the Scottish Highlands (a la J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter) or a small Alaskan town (like Karissa Laurel's Norse Chronicles).
Magical Realism: Swinging the fantasy genre as close to Contemporary Fiction as possible, Magical Realism is a subgenre that uses magical elements in a way that seems perfectly normal in a realistic setting. For example, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. The visions, ghosts, and prophecies are technically fantastical elements, but the book is otherwise closer to Contemporary Fiction than something like High Fantasy.
Science Fiction: Like the Fantasy genre, Science Fiction deals with things that don't exist in the real world (time travel, aliens) but unlike fantasy, the things that are happening could (at least logically) be explained by science rather than magic. For example, rather than having a magical amulet or witch's curse that allows for time travel, a scientist has developed an equation that folds time enough to be able to step through it. Science Fiction is sometimes divided into Hard Science Fiction, which is focused on making the science behind their robots, cloning, etc. highly developed, truly seem realistic and Soft Science Fiction, which is a little less interested the actual scientific explanations for what is happening (sometimes even straying into Science Fantasy where there starts to be vaguely scientific Hand Wave'em to explain technology in the story such as, arguably, BBC's Doctor Who).
Steampunk: A popular subgenre of Science Fiction, Steampunk takes place in a world where steam is the dominant power source driving inventions. Because of that, the worlds tend to be vaguely Victorian in nature rather than futuristic.
Romance: As the name would suggest, the Romance genre covers stories where falling in love tends to be the driving force of the plot. Overall, plots tend to follow the same basic formula: Hero meets heroine (or hero meets hero, heroine meets heroine, etc.), they have some sort of attraction to each other, something keeps them apart (one finding the other annoying, conflicting opinions, evil outside parties), but in the end they end up together. Since the story tends to be character-driven, unique, engaging heroes/heroines are the force behind romance novels .
Horror: Another self-describing name, Horror novels are meant to scare (or at least
cause dread) in the reader. They can join with fantasy to have the horror based around supernatural forces or monsters (such as Stephen King's It) or stay more grounded in reality with the horror coming from potentially real threats like serial killers (such as in Thomas Harris's Silence of the Lambs). Either way, Horror is supposed to leave the reader scared.
Mystery: Mystery novels are based around solving a crime or unraveling secrets throughout the story. Often times the protagonist is a detective (professional or amateur) who is picking up clues and trying to solve the crime along with the reader (such as in the entirety of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple books). Mystery novels can also be classified as Cozy Mysteries, or just "cozies," if the tone of the book is lighter/more humorous. Cozy Mysteries tend to have female, amateur sleuths who have some sort of fun job outside their detective work (perhaps owning a novelty store or being a florist) rather than being connected to law enforcement. Cozies are meant to be "fun" mysteries rather than strongly suspenseful.
Women's Fiction/Chick Lit: Women's fiction (and it's lighter, sometimes sillier cousin "Chick Lit") covers novels that are specifically marketed to a female audience, dealing with women's life experiences or problems that are highly relatable across a female audience. As women statistically tend to read more novels than men as a whole, it is a flourishing genre.
Thriller/Suspense: Thriller and Suspense novels in short deal with harm that is about to befall a person or group and characters who are trying to stop that from happening. For example, Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels or Scott Bell's Abel Yeager novels would classify in this genre with ex-military men trying to stop terrorists or bring down drug cartels.
Noticeably missing from the list above, perhaps, is "Young Adult" fiction. While sometimes listed as a genre in its own right, Young Adult fits into the category of age groups over genre, and thus can be added to any of the genres listed above (or any of the other genres not mentioned) such as YA Fantasy or YA contemporary fiction. When trying to decide which age group your writing falls into :
Children's: Books aimed at an elementary school audience, approximately ages 7 to 10. They can be short chapter books, but still tend to be easier reads meant for those who are slowly becoming more proficient in their reading skills. Topic subjects tend to stay equivalent to a G rating in movies.
Midgrade: Books aimed at a middle school audience, ages 11-13. The protagonist of
the story tends to be around the same age as the audience, such as Harry Potter being 11 at the beginning of Book 1 of his series. Topic subjects reach PG.
Young Adult: An age grouping that has been expanding in recent years, with many adults also reading Young Adult (YA) these days, the target market of a YA book is high schoolers, age 14-17, often with a protagonist at the upper end of that spectrum dealing with problems high schoolers could reasonably have, such as first loves, finding a place in the world, school (in contemporary YA fiction), and anything that could be classified as "coming of age." Topics can be more adult, but generally don't breach PG-13 in how they're presented.
New Adult: A relatively new classification, New Adult (NA) is generally aimed at ages 18-25 (with a protagonist about the same age) and covers topics relevant to college students or "young professionals." Including novels such as 50 Shades of Gray it is also sometimes called "YA with sex" though sex is obviously not requirement.
Adult: Books aimed at the above 25 market.
As I'm sure we'll see through the entirety of our upcoming "Genres (and why we write them)" series, many books span genres and age groups, so it sometimes isn't possible to say you write only YA Romance or Adult Contemporary. Genres are a grouping tool. I'll let the rest of my guest bloggers say if they find that a good or a bad thing over the next few Sundays.
Genres (and why we write them)
July 3, 2016 June 26, 2016 1 Comment
Recently, I had the pleasure of taking part in a panel on genres and the expectations that are placed on novels based on how they're categorized. The recording of the panel will be available during Virtual FantasyCon 2016, but it certainly got me thinking about writing, and writing's evil twin–marketing. Part of the reason books are categorized into genres, after all, is to help readers find books they'd like to read.
Since there are so many authors writing so many genres, I thought I would open up this blog to other writers over the summer to talk about what drew them to their genres, and what challenges they have found came about because of the genres they chose. So for every Sunday through the rest of the summer, there will be guest blogs from everyone from high fantasy to cozy mystery writers talking about their experiences in the "Genres (and why we write them)" blog series. To start off, though, you all get to hear mine.
When I started out writing, I never much thought about how my stories would be marketed. There is an old piece of writing advice that says, "Write the stories you'd like to read." Even before someone had shared that with me, writing things I wanted to read was entirely my approach. These days, I still write what I want to read, but that can definitely make marketing a little more difficult–especially because readers of different genres have very different expectations.
As a whole, I've always been a very character-driven author. How characters play off of each other has always been what I find most interesting. I imagine that is why I started off as a romance author. Since romances are entirely focused on the couple falling in/being in love, the plot is character-driven by necessity. Of course, romances also tend to follow a very specific formula. Namely 1) Love interests are introduced; 2) there is some problem that keeps them apart; 3) Love interests end up together. There are hundreds of good ways to use that formula (as a romance reader as well, I've seen many unique plot twists and turns that still end up following the same general formula) but since I've always been the type to let my characters lead where they wish, fitting into that formula to be a "true" Romance writer was never my strong suit. Some people have loved that, some people hate it, and it definitely can make marketing a little hairy at time–since straying away from what readers expect from their Romance novels can be dangerous–but they were always the books I wanted to read, and that meant straying to the edges of the genre.
Now that I've moved into the historical fantasy genre, I've found that being at edges of genres is apparently my modus operandi. While I certainly have the fantasy part down in my novels–people finding out they're reincarnated gods really can't be anything but fantasy–writing what I want to read still means character-driven plots, and that isn't quite as expected in fantasy novels as it is in romance. One of the oddest things I've found of straying into character-driven fantasy so far is actually that a ton of people who state they "don't generally like fantasy" love the book. Much like the romance readers who don't like my straying away from the romance formula, however, many pure fantasy readers end up on the other side of things, unsure if they feel like they got what they thought they were going to.
Treading along the edges of genres can definitely make life difficult. More than once while reading meaner reviews, I've debated if it would be worth it to write something that would fit inside genre expectations. I entirely understand why people like the genres they do and don't begrudge anyone who feels let down when a book they're excited about doesn't hit the things they love about the genres they read–I certainly know I don't love every book I pick up. Being able to hit expectations more solidly would definitely make the marketing side of things less of a headache. But then I'd no longer be writing what I'd want to read, and being able to do that is part of what makes writing so much fun. So for now I'm left skirting along the edges of my genres, finding readers who want to read the same things I do, because they're obviously out there, even if genre-bending makes targeted marketing a little more difficult than it otherwise could be.
Outlining (as a Panster)
Happy June 28th, or as we're calling it around my house, release day! I'm very pleased to announce my new style guide, Building the Bones: Outlining Your Novel, (part of the Red Adept guide series: Beyond the Style Manual) is now available!
Whenever I'm teaching a writing class, I try to make the point that there is no "right" way to write. If you need a binder full of notes before you start writing, that's fine. If you want to jump right in and see how far you get, that's fine as well. In perhaps the least sinister use of quoting Machiavelli, the end really does justify the means when it comes to writing. If you end up with a good completed manuscript, it really doesn't matter how you got there.
When I first started writing, I was a die hard "pantser" (i.e. someone who "flies by the seat of their pants" and just starts writing with no outline). If someone had told me back then that I would one day be the one writing a "how to" guide on outlining, I would have told them they were crazy. After over a decade of learning to better my writing/developing my style, however, I've found myself stretching across the full range of outlining styles (from the basic character-goal-obstacle outline to a full scene-by-scene) depending on what each story has demanded. Though I still tend to fall on the less outline than more side of things when working out my novels, having done just about everything in the name of working out a story has allowed me to pick up a number of outlining techniques that can help nearly any writing style–so perhaps having pantser instincts actually has made it easier to write a how to guide than someone who has always used the same kind of full outline.
So, no matter your writing style, if you want to write a novel and aren't sure how to get started or are generally a pantser but keep finding your novel fizzling out before you can get it finished, consider picking up Building the Bones. Hopefully all my years of floundering around will save you a little trouble.
Building the Bones: Outlining Your Novel
Now available HERE on Amazon Kindle through Red Adept Publishing
Do you have a story you've always wanted to write, but weren't sure how to begin? Have you tried pantsing and floundered, unsure how to finish your novel? Learning the simple basics of outlining can help you plot with confidence.
This instructional guide booklet covers the easy, straightforward techniques you need to plan your story before you write. These guidelines will aid you in organizing your ideas no matter what genre you write or what age group you write for. Whether you use paper or a computer to plan with, these outlining concepts will help you navigate the unknowns of your imagination so you can bring your story to life.
Actions Speak Louder
One of the first pieces of writing advice almost all new writers hear is the old adage "Show don't tell." Back when I first started writing, I fully loathed hearing people say that–mostly because I don't think anyone ever explained it very well beyond "don't use to be verbs." While trying to stay away from weak verbs is generally good advice, even brand new writers tend to realize going on a "to be" witch hunt get you awkward prose (at least I did when I had an English teacher tell us to write a story without a single was or were).
More than being about to be verbs, though, showing and not telling has to do with "showing" the reader actions and emotions rather than "telling" them what your character is like or is feeling. For example, you could tell a reader, "She was a quiet girl and wanted to be left alone" or you could show a little girl sitting at the back of a classroom, her shoulders pulled up to her ears as she prays in her head that no one comes to talk to her. While both make the same general point, the second paints a much more vivid picture and pulls the reader into the scene rather than just giving them statements to remember.
While it's good to stay away from weak/telling phrases in general (I was; I felt; I wanted; I liked…) showing becomes immeasurably important when it comes to fleshing out characters. It doesn't matter how many times you tell your readers that your character is quiet and shy, if all you show is your character being the center of attention at party after party, your character is going to read as someone loud and outgoing. When it comes to characterization, actions truly do speak louder than words.
So, instead of telling your reader character traits:
1. Look for scenes that show important traits. For example, rather than telling the reader that your character is a good fighter (or having people talk about how good a fighter that character is–as seems common in TV shows) look for a scene where your character will be able to show off those skills.
2. Shape dialogue to show personality. No two people speak entirely alike. Some people share certain verbal tics, but personality shapes word choice, slang usage, wordiness, and all those other things that make a character sound like a person rather than the author. If your character is shy and quiet, their dialogue will likely be shorter and meeker than a character who loves attention and so pontificates whenever given the chance.
3. Make a point when your character is acting out of character. Sometimes, you'll need your "stickler for the rules" character to go against type and break into work to steal a file. That's fine, as long as you show that that's not who your character normally is. Make a point that your character is nervous/uncomfortable with what's happening or take the time for them to struggle with making the decision to act against who they are (ideally after you've already shown who the character normally is earlier on). By showing what is happening is the exception to the rule will help keep the reader from seeing a strange disconnect between what they've heard about the character and what they've seen.
Just remember, when it comes to learning about characters, seeing how they act is much more powerful than hearing once or twice or ten times that the character is X. Use showing to your advantage, even if you still need some was and weres in there.
Historical Fiction and Etymology
Today's blog post is hosted by the wonderful blog Pure Jonel about one of the downfalls of writing historical fiction/historical fantasy… period word use. Read more at: http://purejonel.blogspot.ca/2015/12/JD.html
Source: voxy.com
I've always been interested in etymology. Learning where (and when) words originated has appealed to both the writer and the history buff in me. That doesn't mean I didn't have more than one instance while writing my newest novel, Raining Embers, where I wished I was writing something contemporary rather than set in a fantasy world based loosely on the High Renaissance—it would have saved quite a bit of time trying to find period-appropriate words to use.
While I probably spent more time than was healthy going through etymological dictionaries to check words while working on Raining Embers, a few words/phrases I would have liked to have been able to use still come to mind:
1. "Cavalier." Circa 1580, cavalier wasn't too far outside the time period, but as it didn't come to mean something more pejorative—as I meant to use it—until the seventeenth century, it seemed like a little too much of a cheat to work properly in the narrative. Read More…
[Infographic] Top Five Writing (Grammar) Mistakes
November 27, 2015 July 24, 2017 Leave a comment
As NaNoWriMo winds down, we have a guest post from Grammarly. The top five things to look for when you start looking for typos (though, of course, typos can wait until you've done your own deep edits!)
Punctuating Dialogue
If there had been one grammar rule I wish I would have learned earlier on in my writing career, it would have been to learn how to punctuate dialogue. Where it's possible to pick up many grammar rules without thinking about it, dialogue punctuation tends to be one of those unnoticed things that can then become very annoying to fix after the fact (especially if you're a naturally dialogue-heavy writer as I've always been).
So, when writing dialogue, keep in mind:
1. Each speaker gets a new line.
This rule is simply to make it easier for the reader to see who is saying what. Every time you change a speaker, you will want to move to a new paragraph, e.g.
"Hi," Sally said.
"What's up?" Jane asked.
Sally shrugged. "Not much."
"Hi," Sally said. "What's up?" Jane asked. Sally shrugged. "Not much."
Source: writersdock.com
2. Both tags and beats can be used to mark who is speaking, but they are punctuated differently.
Simply put, a tag is something connected to dialogue that is specifically how the line is said (e.g. said, asked, yelled, whispered…) and a beat (sometimes called an "action tag") is an action that is taking place while/closely to when the line is spoken).
If you are using a tag, the tag will be treated as part of the same sentence as the dialogue and thus connected with a comma and followed by a lowercase letter (if the first word of the tag does not include a proper noun such as a name). e.g.:
"Hi," she said.
"Howdy," he shouted.
"Hi." She said.
"Howdy." He shouted.
If you are using a beat, however, the beat will be treated as a separate sentence and thus be separated from the dialogue with a period. The first word of the beat will be capitalized, no matter what word, much like any other sentence. e.g.:
"Hi." She waved.
"Howdy." He walked into the entryway.
"Hi," she waved.
"Howdy," he walked into the entryway.
Note 1: Special punctuation, such as a question mark or an exclamation point, follows the same general rule with tags/beats, acting like a comma with a tag or a period with a beat when it comes to capitalization. e.g.
"Who is she?" he asked. (tag)
"She who?" She looked around. (beat)
Note 2: The first word inside quotation marks is always capitalized, whether it is preceded by a tag or a beat. See second example in point three.
3. A tag or beat can be used at any point in a line of dialogue.
It is possible to put a tag or beat ahead of dialogue, at the end, or even in the middle. e.g.
"Hi, Jane. When did you get here?" she said.
She said, "Hi, Jane. When did you get here?"
"Hi, Jane," she said. "When did you get here?"
As long as it's the same speaker, the dialogue remains on the same line no matter where the tag/beat falls. This, once again, comes down to readability. If dialogue begins to be separated from tags/beats, it can become confusing. For example, if you have:
"Hi, Jane," she said.
"When did you get here?"
It will likely look like a new speaker (perhaps Jane replying) is saying "When did you get here?" rather than "she" continuing her line.
Note: If a line of dialogue goes on for several sentences, it is generally best to move a tag to either the start of the line or after the first or second sentence so the reader doesn't have to get to the end of the line and then go back to attribute the line to the proper speaker.
4. If you only have two speakers going back and forth, you can drop some tags altogether.
Sometimes, if you only have two speakers in a scene, it is possible to have lines of dialogue with no tags or beats at all. For example:
"Hey," Sally said.
"Hey." Jane waved as she walked into the room.
"Are you staying for dinner?"
"I don't know yet."
"Oh." Sally frowned. "Let me know when you do?"
As there are only Sally and Jane in the scene, even though there is no tag/beat on lines three and four, the reader can assume that Sally asks another question and then Jane answers once again. Again, though, readability trumps all. You want to be careful that you don't go for too long a stretch with no tags–as a reader might get lost as to who was speaking what line and have to backtrack to the beginning of the conversation to figure it out–and you likely don't want to drop may tags if you have more than two people in a conversation–as you don't want the reader to have to struggle to figure out if it is Sally, Jane, Tom, or Steve who answered the previous line.
When dropping tags, you also want to be careful that you don't end up with talking heads–that is, so many lines with no tags (or only quick "said" tags) that the characters are no longer grounded to the scene. Dialogue should be able to carry a lot of emotion, but don't forget to put in tone of voice or body language when needed–or show how a character is moving around in general–or it can quickly become like reading a script without actors to deliver the lines.
All in all, when writing dialogue, making it simple for the reader to keep track of who is saying what is the most important thing. There is nothing quite like having to jump away from a line of dialogue to find out who speaking (or having to go back to re-attribute a line to a different speaker) to take a reader out of a flow of conversation. After all, in writing prose, the author needs to provide both the lines and actors–if you prefer just dialogue, consider if your story might be better off as a play.
Chapter Length
This blog post comes by request: "I currently have a chapter that is only about seven sentences. Is that too short? How many words do there need to be to make a chapter a chapter?"
The simple answer to those question would be: "No, that's not too short" and "One, if that" but let's dig into that a little further.
When it comes to chapter breaks, there aren't any true rules. They can be as long or short as you want. In fact, you don't even have to have chapters if you don't wish to. It all comes down to what is right for your manuscript.
In my own writing, I don't bother with chapter breaks in my first draft. Since I tend to write out of order, it doesn't make much sense to try to put them in on the first go around. Even if I am writing in order, I know enough will likely change come edits that entire chapters might go after the fact (In my latest novel, Raining Embers, what would have originally been the first three chapters were condensed to one, for example). Because of those overhauls, I personally just put in scene breaks when originally writing. Once I have a somewhat solid draft, I then go in and find scene breaks that work well as chapter breaks each about ten pages from the last.
Personally, I stick to relatively even chapters. Chapters, after all, are there to give readers periodic breaks. How you chose to do place your breaks, however, can affect your manuscripts quite a bit.
Steady, even chapters. My personal choice, mostly because even chapters of medium length (generally around 2,000 – 4,000 words or so) tend to draw the least amount of attention to themselves. Readers expect to find chapters, and quickly fall into a rhythm, so tend to read the story without too much thought given to the chapters. If you don't want much attention drawn to chapter breaks, try this method.
Quick chapters. Quick chapters (generally under 2,000 words or so. Sometimes much shorter) are great for keeping pacing up. Thrillers and horror novels often keep their chapters on the shorter side of things to keep readers feeling like they're flying through the action. Sometimes chapters will drop down to only a couple of pages (or even less) to achieve that goal. When mixed with medium-length or long chapters, they can also be used draw attention to something strange or especially shocking. If you want a sudden impact, a very short chapter in the middle of long and/or steady ones can be very effective. Note: Because it is shocking, however, use with caution. You will be drawing the reader's attention to the chapter break along with the narrative which can backfire if not done well.
Long chapters. Long chapters (over 4,000 words or so. Sometimes much longer) tend to have the opposite effect of short ones. The reader gets a grand, sweeping sensation that often suits grandiose scenes or narratives. When mixed with shorter chapters, long chapters can also give a feel of a "continuous take" camera shot in a movie, where there's not meant to be any sort of break in the action/visual for thematic reasons. Less shocking than a quick chapter in the middle of longer chapters, it is easier to slip in without drawing large amounts of reader attention, but changing to a long chapter tends to work best when there is tension building or some other sort of scene that should really draw the reader in.
As with all choices when it comes to writing, it really is a matter of what you are attempting to accomplish in your manuscript. It is also possible to try a few ways out and then change them if they don't seem to be working after the fact. Just always consider what you mean to do when making these sorts of choices for your manuscript to have the best effect.
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Still The Battle Is Not Over——Carmelite Earls Awaits The Illinois Supreme Court Ruling (2049 hits)
Giving up aren't words that fit into the vocabulary of Carmelita Earls, who is a community leader in the 28th Ward of Chicago's West side. With determination and diligence, Earls has decided to take her case to the Illinois Supreme Court, and doesn't plan on backing down from a case in which she feels has defamed her reputation. Earls was a candidate running for the 28th Wards Alderman seat and was pulled from the ballot by Circuit Court Judge Aurelia Pucinski, on February the 18th, 2011 just 4 days before the early vote. This surprise arrived after several court dates of fighting to stay in the race based on accusations of Earls having more then one home under tax exemption status and owing the city money due to this claim. But the accusations don't end there, because according to Earls she has been charged unjustly for much more than just owing the city money. Earls feels that she didn't break any laws which could have excluded her candidacy in the Aldermanic race and this is what the fight is all about. It has been an uphill battle between current Alderman Jason Ervin and Camelita Earls during the Aldermanic race and the battle still holds precedence according to Earls because she feels that this battle is not about her, but it is about cleaning up "Dirty Politics." Earls says "I and everyone else in my Ward are tired of the same old business as usual and I am here to put and end to political games."
Earls claims that she has been to court on a number of occasions due to the political games that Ervin's team have put together and has spent well over $89,000 to prove her innocence. She says "I was charge with 22 criminal offenses, and accused of not being an American citizen, I've been given tickets in front of my own door with claims of not having a city sticker, and while in the supermarket an elderly women accused me of being the women who has stolen money from the city, this is defamation."
Earls promises that she will prove to be innocent and it all begins with a visit to the Department of Revenue on the 17th of November 2010. On this very day, Earls went to the department of Revenue in order for them to do a report on her to make sure that she did not owe the city of Chicago any money because, in order become apart of the Aldermanic race, one is not able to have any owed debt to the city of Chicago. After having that report ran, it was to Earls understanding that she did not owe the city of Chicago anything, her name was clear based on a letter that she received from the Department of Revenue. However, on December 13, 2010 she received a letter from the Tax Assessors office dated December 6, 2010 saying that she owed the city $4,500. On December 14, 2010 Earls husband went to the Tax Assessors office with the letter in order to pay the amount which was indicated in the letter. However Earls wants to make clear that she never received an actual bill from the Tax Assessors office/the Department of Revenue, only the letter that was written to her dated December 6, 2010. Earls is disappointed at the fact that the itemization that were sent to her by way of the Tax Assessors office were calculated by her opponent/defendant in a legal battle Jason Ervin, who Earls says, claims to be a CPA. Earls says "I have transcripts with Ervin lying under oath saying that he is a CPA, and that the numbers calculated are those in which he calculated ." Earls adds, "As of November 17, 2010 I owed the city nothing, this is why I have won all of my court cases thus far, this is just something that Ed Smith has put together in order to save the Aldermanic seat." Ed Smith is prior Alderman and current Committeeman in the 28th Ward who has mentored Ervin's political career. Earls reveals, "This is the reason why I await the Supreme Courts ruling, I want them to know that this is something that Ed Smith has put together in order to save the Alderman seat for Jason Ervin."
Earls is $89,000 in this battle and has taken out loans in order to take this case to the Supreme Court and is looking for the support of her fellow constituents in order to clean up what she believes is "Dirty Politics." Earls says that she will not turn her back on this one, "I will go toe to toe with Ed Smith, and Jason Ervin, in order to clean up my Ward."
If you are looking to help Carmelita Earls in her fight to to clean up the 28th Ward log on to www.change28.org Camerlita Earls is asking that 10,000 people in her Ward donate to her cause. Her request is that working constituents donate $28 and non-working constituents donate $2. Contact Carmelita Earls to find out more information about her events at Wallace's Catfish Corner and her Unity prayer meetings throughout the 28th Ward to help heal the community.
Posted By: Talibah Bakhit
Saturday, June 25th 2011 at 4:13PM
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Newsletter Editorial
Open to all, time for the data centre sector to end the skills issue
Marc Garner, VP, Secure Power Division, UK&I at Schneider Electric, discusses how the data centre sector could end the skills shortage it's been facing, once and for all.
As the electric and digital worlds converge, talent acquisition and team management are among the biggest challenges faced by data centre and technology businesses today. According to the Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey, 'The single highest cause of stress is being short of staff', and this has become a major issue. The survey found that the UK's tech industry is experiencing the highest skills shortage for more than a decade, with almost two thirds of CIOs (64%) reporting a shortfall of talent. As technologies such as edge computing, AI and 5G continue to evolve, identifying and attracting new skills into the industry should be simple, but often, it can mean dispelling myths that have built up over time.
Efforts to expand the talent pool through diversity agendas are making inroads and traditional biases are fast being overcome, but in the era of digital transformation, more needs to be done to address the endemic skills shortage. This, however, is beginning to raise new questions, asking what are the best tactics for team recruiting, retaining and nurturing talent?
Furthermore, are diversity and inclusion efforts proving effective at bridging the skills gap, and when it comes to attracting new recruits, does the data centre industry have an image problem?
As a culturally diverse and global industry, our sector is open to engineers, marketers and salespeople from all walks of life. So why are we experiencing such a skills shortage, and what can be done to attract the next generation of talent?
In 2020, people entering the world of employment are often seeking more than a 30 year career in return for a steady salary and pension. Increasingly young people (though not exclusively younger people) state that they want to become part of something bigger than themselves and will examine prospective employers with questions such as, "does this organisation relate to me and do they share my values?"
One such individual is Thomas Morgan, a mechanical engineer who joined Schneider Electric's Secure Power Division as part of the graduate programme intake in 2016. Recently named within Data Economy's '30 under 30' list for leading talents in the data centre sector, Thomas was first attracted to the company because of its core message around sustainability, energy efficiency and reducing impact on the environment.
As a business, today Schneider Electric is committed to improving energy consumption and reducing CO2 emissions across all areas of our business. This includes reaching carbon neutrality across all of our company sites by 2025; goals to achieve net-zero operational emissions by 2030; and most importantly, to have net-zero emissions throughout our entire supply chain by 2050.
Thomas knew that after graduating from Sheffield University he wanted to start a career in tech and what he found at Schneider Electric was a role that would help him advance his business knowledge while utilising all of his technical expertise.
In his first job as a Tender Engineer, Thomas was provided with exposure to customer facing teams. Here he began to build his business skills.
The role is technically detailed and contractually complex, involving learning and sharing of engineering and business knowledge– something he relishes as a challenge. As an engineer it presented the opportunity to learn about customer needs and the complex financial aspects of large-scale capital investments.
From there, Thomas moved into a new customer team servicing a major client, eventually leading them to successfully secure a major tender win with a value of more than €13m. It was this success that helped Thomas to be named as one of Data Economy's '30 under 30' people to watch in the data centre industry and he is someone I'm proud to have worked with directly.
As well as enjoying business success Thomas is a passionate advocate of promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as a career to young people and expanding the opportunities to as broad a catchment as possible. He regularly hosts events and presents on the importance of inclusion, diversity and balance, making STEM available to everyone.
Both within the business and through his extracurricular activities Thomas reflects Schneider Electric's core values, which are our company's platform for success. These span a customer-first experience, daring to disrupt, embracing cultural differences, taking ownership, embracing an open mind and committing to learn every day.
As a business, we know there is much work to be done to make technology available to all, we believe access to energy is a basic human right and that life should be on for everyone, everywhere.
But to address the skills shortage within the technology industry itself, our goal is to build a culture where skills, ambition and application are rewarded equally. One where the industry stands for advancement for all no matter their culture, religion, race or gender.
If you are studying as an undergraduate or a recently qualified post-graduate and are looking to build a fulfilling and empowering career in technology, energy management and sustainability, click here to find out more about the Schneider Electric graduate programme.
Tagged: Data Centre, IT Skills Gap, IT skills shortage, Schneider Electric, Skills gap
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text:
package org.apache.beam.runners.twister2;

import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonIgnore;
import edu.iu.dsc.tws.tset.env.TSetEnvironment;
import org.apache.beam.sdk.options.Default;
import org.apache.beam.sdk.options.Description;
import org.apache.beam.sdk.options.FileStagingOptions;
import org.apache.beam.sdk.options.PipelineOptions;
import org.apache.beam.sdk.options.StreamingOptions;

/** Twister2PipelineOptions. */
public interface Twister2PipelineOptions
    extends PipelineOptions, StreamingOptions, FileStagingOptions {

  @Description("set parallelism for Twister2 processor")
  @Default.Integer(1)
  int getParallelism();

  void setParallelism(int parallelism);

  @Description("Twister2 TSetEnvironment")
  @JsonIgnore
  TSetEnvironment getTSetEnvironment();

  void setTSetEnvironment(TSetEnvironment environment);

  @Description("Twister2 cluster type, supported types: standalone, nomad, kubernetes, mesos")
  @Default.String("standalone")
  String getClusterType();

  void setClusterType(String name);

  @Description("Job file zip")
  String getJobFileZip();

  void setJobFileZip(String pathToZip);

  @Description("Job type, jar or java_zip")
  @Default.String("java_zip")
  String getJobType();

  void setJobType(String jobType);

  @Description("Twister2 home directory")
  String getTwister2Home();

  void setTwister2Home(String twister2Home);

  @Description("CPU's per worker")
  @Default.Integer(2)
  int getWorkerCPUs();

  void setWorkerCPUs(int workerCPUs);

  @Description("RAM allocated per worker")
  @Default.Integer(2048)
  int getRamMegaBytes();

  void setRamMegaBytes(int ramMegaBytes);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Assistant Professor Laura Saunders '01LS co-authored "Librarian Copyright Literacy: Self-reported Copyright Knowledge Among Librarians in the United states." Public Services Quarterly, 12(3), 214-227. . She also wrote "Teaching the reference interview through practice-based assignments." Reference Services Review, 44(3), 390-410.
Abigail Baines '10LS had a book review published in the Journal of Access Services: "Wordpress for Libraries" published by Taylor and Francis and available online via Simmons.
Cynthia Correia '96LS presented "Smashing Silos: Boost Your Impact by Breaking Barriers > Driving Collaboration > Expanding Your Reach" at the SLA New England Fall Conference, September 30, 2016 in Southbridge, Massachusetts.
Lisa Fagin Davis was featured in the SLIS InfoLink for co-curating Beyond Words, Illuminated Manuscripts in Boston Collections.
Anna Staniszewski '06GS had her novel for young readers, Once Upon a Cruise, was published by Scholastic on September 27, 2016.
Computer Science students spent an entire night programming at SharkHack, a Simmons Hackathon. SharkHack was featured in the SLIS InfoLink.
Dr. Lisa Nathan '03LS, of the University of British Columbia iSchool, was awarded the Thomson-Reuters Information Science Teacher of the Year Award.
Megan Potterbusch '16LS was chosen as one of five members to the 2016-2017 class of the National Digital Stewardship Residency (NDSR) program, which offers valuable opportunities in digital preservation. "Potterbusch will serve as a resident at the Association of Research Libraries working in partnership with the George Washington University Libraries and the Center for Open Science to prototype the process of linking the output from a university research unit to a library digital repository through the Open Science Framework, an open source tool that integrates and supports research workflow." The residency was established by the Library of Congress in conjunction with the Institute of Museum and Library Services.


As you attempt to manifest your desires, you will first need to identify the feeling you would be experiencing were your desires to manifest. Such a process is rather simple since this feeling is produced by your thoughts of the desire being a reality. In the initial phase of this process though, you will likely be somewhat disharmonized with the desire's manifestation. The natural result of this disharmony is only a partial understanding of exactly what it would be like were your desire to actually manifest. This incomplete understanding of what it would be like inevitably leads to an inaccurate conclusion as to how you would really feel were your desire to become a reality.
Therefore, your goal while manifesting should be that of clearly identifying the actual feeling you will be experiencing once your desire becomes a reality. While such a process may seem to be difficult to master at first, there are a few useful techniques you can use to enhance your ability to identify this particular feeling.
One of the most effective methods you can use is that of visualizing since you can experience reality from the perspective of your dream manifesting in your present reality while visualizing. While this method alone typically provides sufficient results, some dreams are so big that it may be difficult to even imagine what it would be like were it to actually manifest. For this reason, another technique that may be used to further enhance your ability to imagine such a scenario is the process of attempting to think about the manifestation of your desire in the same way you are thinking about the nature of your present reality.
In other words, as you think about your desire, you can attempt to think about it in the same manner you are thinking about the state of your present reality. By doing so, you will begin to become familiar with the surreal feeling that would be produced by such an event since these thoughts will allow for you to view the manifestation of your desire from the perspective you would maintain were your desire to actually manifest. The more clearly you are able to view the manifestation of your desire as if it is manifesting in your immediate physical reality, the more accurate will become your understanding of what it would be like to experience its actual manifestation.


15 Awesome Halloween Costumes - Family Friendly, and Not Scary!
If it makes you feel any better, my costumes are almost all store-bought this year. Except for the minion hat I made my son…lol. But these are all so amazing, I just had to share! Getting into the trick or treat Spirit.


Over the past few months I seem to have had every cold going, from a runny nose to full-on laryngitis (hubby was most amused at my enforced silence). Just when I think I'm over the latest lurgy another one comes along, all courtesy of my son Ethan bringing home germs from nursery school. I can't be mad with him for sharing, as he is extremely cute when he snuggles up for a cuddle and plants a big kiss on your face. I just hope when Spring arrives we'll finally be rid of the winter blues.
I wanted to highlight the work of the late Sarah Boland (who was a colleague at the BBC Weather Centre). Please take a look at her blog (you'll need tissues), find out more about Her Healing Through Laughter campaign and buy a copy of her children's book Cancer is Rubbish, which Sarah wrote to help reassure children who find themselves going through radiotherapy. All profits from the book will go towards Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research which helps to find treatments for all the terrible blood cancers out there.
Hmm, what to write for my first ever blog? I guess I'll start by saying hello and thank you for reading it!
So what have I been up to since leaving Daybreak? Well I am doing my best to sleep more now that I don't have to get up at 3.30am, but I don't get that long a lie-in as my little boy Ethan (who was one on Christmas Day) has been struggling with his teeth and a cold.
I've also been busy working on my website and looking into a few new telly projects. More on those when I can reveal all.


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Hey y'all! March was a significantly better month than February even though I had a million and one more things that I needed to get done. There were a lot of things that I wanted to do that didn't get done but I'm honestly not too upset about it. And some pretty awesome things happened in March that I'm hoping to carry into April. So let's hop right on into it.
I did it! And I've already set up for April too!
I definitely noticed a serious uptick in my level of productivity once I was actually using my BuJo properly. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy ticking off things I've done for the day. I'm really glad to be back into the planning mode.
This sort-of happened. I did yoga 3 times a week twice this month. It definitely made me feel a little bit more – for lack of a better word – centered. I felt significantly more calm than I'd been feeling in literal months. I'm definitely keeping up with this goal.
Unfortunately I didn't get it done, again. I'm not too upset about this though because March was a seriously busy month. And more importantly, I think I wanted to get belay certified because I hadn't gotten a good workout in weeks, but I've finally found a good workout rhythm that keeps me entertained and sore.
Done with this one. Unfortunately, the post you're reading now is one of these. So I've got to get another one done in the next couple of hours. And I've definitely have to finish all the posts for April tomorrow because it's finals time.
P.S. There are some really awesome posts for the finals season.
Not done, unfortunately. I've just been putting it off, not for lack of time but because I really don't like writing about myself. I don't want to do this but I need to get this off my hands.
Almost all of my best friends came down to my campus for the first time (whoo!) and we hung out together. It was so much fun just chillin' with the girls and the crazy shenanigans that happened were also pretty fun.
Then I got a pseudo-job as a tutor. Really I'm only tutoring this one girl but I'm getting paid and that's honestly all that matters. Surprisingly, I've found the whole thing really fun. I typically don't like having to teach people stuff, mostly because I don't think that I do a good job with it, but we've found a system that works and she's been doing great so far. I'm excited to see where this goes.
All in all, March was a pretty fantastic month. Onwards to making April just as great.
Whoo April! I love spring more than anything and I love April most of all cause it's my birthday month. So that means I have quite a few plans for this month.
I have a lot of posts planned for this month but if I don't write them out, I'm definitely not going to have enough time. So the plan is to right at least 4 posts this weekend and then one (maybe two) during the next week.
Yoga is a definite necessity in my life. I don't function well without it. And it'll be even more important because the next month is going to be hell with finals and presentations and the mad scramble for professors to get all of their stuff taught in the right amount of time.
So yes, yoga needs to be a major part of my life.
I don't like doing cardio. I'd prefer to be doing strength training or toning. This goal is mostly to keep me accountable because I've been slacking off on the cardio front.
Clearly this month is all about me making my health a priority. Lately I haven't been drinking enough water and it's really messing with me. I've been really sluggish, constantly hungry, and more irritable (than normal).
Drinking water should definitely fix some of these issues. Especially the constant and unwarranted hunger.
My birthday's this month and I've been desperately wanting to get a few new piercings. I know for certain that I'm getting my second lobe piercings done. I've probably wanted to get them since I got my first ones. And then my dad offered to pay for a second piercing and I think that I'll probably get my nostril pierced but we will see.
I think this will be the easiest of all of my goals because it's been in the works for literal months.
March was a pretty awesome month and I know that April, despite all of its craziness, is going to be even better. I'm really excited to see what April has in store for me and I'm pretty excited for the semester to be over.
What plans and goals do you have for April? Do you have any piercings that you seriously love or, maybe, secretly loathe?


text:
Q: How to find if checkboxes in table cells are checked In Jquery, I have a table where each column can have multiple checkboxes. I want to know if at least one checkbox is checked in a particular column. For example

        <INPUT type="checkbox" id="chkId1" class="chk"/>
        <INPUT type="checkbox" id="chkId12" class="chk"/>
        <INPUT type="text" value="data1"/>
        <INPUT type="text" value="data2"/>

        <INPUT type="checkbox" id="chkId2" class="chk"/>
        <INPUT type="checkbox" id="chkId22" class="chk"/>
        <INPUT type="text" value="data3"/>
        <INPUT type="text" value="data4"/>

I have two rows here and four columns. I need to see if column1 or column2 have any checked checkboxes.

A: A simple example:

$('input[type=checkbox]').on('click', function(){
  console.log('ID:[' + this.id + '] is checked? ' + $(this).prop("checked"));
})

        <INPUT type="checkbox" id="chkId1" class="chk"/>
        <INPUT type="checkbox" id="chkId12" class="chk"/>
        <INPUT type="text" value="data1"/>
        <INPUT type="text" value="data2"/>

        <INPUT type="checkbox" id="chkId2" class="chk"/>
        <INPUT type="checkbox" id="chkId22" class="chk"/>
        <INPUT type="text" value="data3"/>
        <INPUT type="text" value="data4"/>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We offer High Class Matric lessons both on Part time (Saturdays 8:00-4:00pm) and Full time (Monday-Friday 8:00am-3:30 pm).
If you have failed your Matric or have not done Matric before (do not worry about your age), then Taal-Net is the best Institute for you.
We have highly Qualified and Experienced Lecturers that have passion and patience for your Success.
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Finally, my favorite live tunes in a recorded album!
KTR are not your ordinary rockers. These guys come dressed to the 9s, no matter where they play. And they rock. They REALLY rock. Their live performances are incredible and a must see! I first stumbled upon them playing near my university campus and thought they sounded incredible, so I stayed for the whole show. I've seen 'em twice since, and they always bring the house down. All 3 of them give their all to the music and their stage prescence, and they all sing! This new album captures just as much raw energy as the first, and now finally many of the tunes I've been hearing live are laid down in an album. Excellent!
Found these guys through some of my recommendations and I cannot imagine music without them! They have a superb unique sound that blends the riffs and chords of older rock and adds newer elements of today's alternative music creating one of, if not my favorite, album that I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. I sincerely want the absolute best for these guys for they never stop to amaze me!
I saw this band 3-4 years ago in Lauderdale when they opened for Collective Soul. They killed it then and again now with this second album. I hope they swing through south Florida again soon. I'll be there for sure.


"You can taste the love" sounds like a cliché until you actually taste it and realize you are poor cynical human being who has never been to Alicia's tamale stand! Especially on foggy days, these lovingly wrapped warm packages of deliciousness are indispensable.
One of the best bookstore i've been. Good selection of design / art book as well. The staff is super nice and knowledgeable. A must.


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College: Penn State
Entry: 2020 Draft, Round 4, #141 overall (Texans)
Contract Ranking: 117/271 at CB
2020 24 $610,000 $123,600 $733,600 0.3%
2022 26 $895,000 $123,600 $1,018,600 0.4%
2023 27 $1,010,000 $123,600 $1,133,600 0.5%
John Reid signed his 4 year rookie contract with the Houston Texans on July 21, 2020. Contract value is worth $3,789,400 with $494,400 fully guaranteed
Career Earnings: $1,104,400
Texans Drafted Active 2020 4 $3,789,400 $947,350 $494,400 $1,104,400 29.1% $1,104,400
Texans 1 $1,104,400 $1,104,400 $733,600 0.0% $0 0.0%
2020 Texans $610,000 $123,600 $733,600 0.3% $1,104,400
2021 Texans $780,000 $123,600 $903,600 0.5% $780,000
2022 Texans $895,000 $123,600 $1,018,600 0.4% $895,000
2023 Texans $1,010,000 $123,600 $1,133,600 0.5% $1,010,000
2020 23 2 1 15.6% 41.9% 8 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Regular $781,000 $947,350
Injury Adjusted $953,788 $828,931


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Dewaluacja (łac. de 'z (czego), od, wy-' i valor 'wartość') – ustawowe bądź administracyjne osłabienie sztywnego kursu waluty narodowej wobec innych walut przez rząd lub bank centralny, np. w celu poprawienia bilansu płatniczego czy zwiększenia cenowej konkurencyjności zewnętrznej gospodarki danego kraju.

Dewaluacji nie należy jej mylić z denominacją. W przypadku denominacji zmienia się jedynie nominał waluty, a wszystkie relacje cen względem zagranicy pozostają bez zmian – taka operacja ma charakter wyłącznie usprawnienia technicznego. W przypadku stosowania płynnego kursu walutowego odpowiednikiem dewaluacji jest deprecjacja.

Większość badań wskazuje, że korzyści z dewaluacji dla krajowej gospodarki są krótkotrwałe.

Zobacz też

 rewaluacja
 polityka monetarna

Przypisy

Bibliografia

Makroekonomia
Polityka kursu walutowego
Handel międzynarodowy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


When someone doesn't understand one of your hilarious jokes, do you just shrug and go about your day, or do you keep explaining it until the person sees the humorous potential of your statements?
This week's prompt is to over-explain a joke until it either ceases to be funny, or else comes around the corner to funny again.
Chickens, roads, horses, long faces, fruit that knocks on doors, men who walk into bars; nothing is off-limits.


Cyber security threats are continually evolving, and they always seem to follow the same pattern. If a new type of risk turns out to be particularly effective or lucrative, numerous cyber criminals will replicate the malware, creating a global trend.
Security software needs to adapt to the emerging threats to provide users with robust protection. This is the main reason innovative security technologies have seen a rise in popularity in recent years. The increased spending on security software across the globe is a reflection of this increase in popularity, with experts predicting as much as 8.7% compound annual growth rate by 2020.
Organisations across all industries are investing in IT security as a way to defend their business against threats. Manufacturing, banking and government units are on the top of the list of cyber security investors.
In this article, we offer our expert opinion on some of 2018's best cybersecurity software innovations. We review how different revolutionary cybersecurity software tackles trending cyber threats, focusing on how each of the cybersecurity tools works and where it fits into your IT security architecture.
BluVector is an AI-driven security software which gives your machines the power to protect themselves against cyber threats by enabling machine learning that gets progressively smarter.
The cyber security software starts protecting your network almost immediately, performing a mixture of advanced threat detection, response and hunting at high speeds. Meanwhile, the deep machine learning capabilities of the software help BluVector study the complexities of your networks, so it can adapt its detection engines and algorithms to your IT ecosystem.
Instead of fighting cyber threats behind closed doors, the system allows you to follow each step of the process so you can see for yourself the reasoning behind each action or recommendation.
Cofense Triage protects your network through next-generation phishing analysis. Once you deploy the virtual tool on your network, it integrates with your in-house email service and helps detect malicious content.
With a push of a button your employees can report any suspicious emails that they identify as phishing, both from their desktops and from mobile clients. Triage will then analyse the threat report and determine whether it is indeed a phishing campaign.
Triage is already one of the most advanced types of anti-phishing software and it's continually being developed.
InSpec is an open source platform designed to help businesses audit and test their IT infrastructure. It's tailored to tackle compliance by focusing on the rules and legal guidelines specific to your organisation.
The security software compares your systems against regulatory guidelines and flags any threats or violations it detects. InSpec then helps you remedy gaps in your cybersecurity, thus making sure that your IT network is protected as outlined by the relevant compliance rules.
Threat Stack protects any business data and applications you store on the Cloud by detecting cyber threats and malicious activity. What makes Threat Stack unique is the software's ability to scan for malware without disrupting any business functions transpiring on the Cloud.
Designed to exclusively detect suspicious activity, the monitoring tool will alert system admins of any threats it detects instead of taking action to block the malware. Although this may seem counterintuitive at first glance, the Threat Stack cybersecurity method is preferred by businesses whose Cloud operations (e.g. ecommerce transactions) turn around millions in a short period of time and therefore require constant uptime.
RiskIQ Digital Footprint is a security program which operates in the same way as a cyber-criminal would, scanning your network for vulnerabilities from outside your digital defences.
With no set-up required, this cybersecurity tool can scan any size network and report back on any potential weaknesses that hackers might exploit. This includes a wealth of recommendations on keeping your OS up to date, patching devices on your business network and the state of your servers.
Contact our team today for more expert advice on finding the best cyber security software for your business needs.


Welcome to Koh Phangan, you're friend, lover and partner for life. Even if you visit the island just once, it is a place that will never leave you and a piece of you will never leave it.
Like many parts of Thailand there is a certain freedom you will feel here, the freedom to be yourself, cast off the social cloaks that shroud you usually and you may feel like on your return back home you will continue with your more genuine path.
Koh Phangan is not judgemental, you can be your most utter freakish self, if you are shy or worried about something of yourself then Phangan will teach you that you shouldn't be. In fact the island will more than likely ask you to embrace it!
No one is ever the same after visiting Koh Phangan, the people you meet here, the sights you see and experiences you will have will never leave your thoughts and have the capability to change you forever.
You may have an idea whilst you are here, watching the sunset, in awe of its magical colours and the sounds from nature's orchestra, this inspires you to go ahead with this idea which changes your whole life, hopefully for the better.
Phangan will inspire you to take risks, but safe ones of course! Pursue your dream, if you want it badly and work hard for it then it can come true wherever you are.
The energy from Koh Phangan will make you feel loved, but make sure you love it back whilst you're here.
The peace here (if you're not at a party) will help you have time to reflect on your life, and life itself and all of those bigger questions that you don't usually have time to reflect on.
This can help you make decisions in your life, and for others much better, no background noise or pressure, just peace and mother nature to advise you on your journey.
You may find that you really like diving, you feel at home under the waves and want to continue this new found passion.
Or you find yourself on a new spiritual path of tantra or yoga or concerned with the environment because of the wildness you have seen here, you want to save it elsewhere too!
Whatever it is you fall in love with, a place, person or lifestyle choice, Koh Phangan will be the groundings of this, making it easy for you to continue on your quest.
You won't forget the island or the things you experience here, you also will never be the same again.
Once you step foot on this magical soil, some of the magic dust gets blown and sprinkled on your skin and sticks then sinks into your heart making you a little bit Phangan magical forever!


With a great enthusiasm in both listening and telling stories, Akudo Iheakanwa, co-founder of Shekudo, has always been pursuing a fusion of tradition and modernity. As a socially responsible label, Shekudo sheds light on local craftsmanship in Lagos, Nigeria. Just like herself, the brand represents the spirit of a modern woman across the globe who pushes boundaries and stands out.
What was the inspiration behind Shekudo?
Shekudo originally started in Sydney Australia where we created pieces that we loved for ourselves and friends trying to merge an "African" aesthetic with contemporary silhouettes. It was fun, carefree and a chance to express our creativity through a medium we both love: fashion. Now it has evolved quite a bit, (still with similar principles in mind) but more direction and focus. Shekudo prides itself on local artistry and social responsibility with a purpose to generate employment and expose the craftsmanship that is alive and well in Nigeria.
Why is it important to you that Shekudo sources ethically?
There's just so many products out there which can't be traced to anyone, or don't really have a story to tell. I love being able to wear items that I know represent something or share a story. It's important to me to be honest and transparent about our products, - to be honest, it was the only option that made sense to me.
What is your favorite Shekudo design from your most recent collection?
Ooo, always a tough one, choosing your favourite design is like choosing a favourite child. But there's always one isn't there! Definitely the Kakawa mule and the new Isoken choker - both quite minimalistic pieces.
As an Australian originally, what drew you to Nigeria and its culture?
Well I've always had ties to Nigeria as my dad is Nigerian and he and my mum have always made effort to take my siblings and I there since we were younger, so it felt very natural to come back. I like the energy of Nigeria- sometimes it can get overwhelming, but most times it's just keeps you inspired. Its raw and constantly buzzing and made up of so much personality. We have a lot to offer so I wanted to be a part of sharing that with the world, however I could.
If Shekudo was a person, how would you describe her?
She's a colourful spirited soul, aware of herself and her surroundings. Completely unapologetic in how she puts herself out to the world, a woman who doesn't sweat the small stuff and loves to tell a good story. Quite like many of the women I've been blessed to know.
If you were to have a friend come visit Lagos with you, where are the three places you would make sure to take them?
I would definitely want to mix it up a little and show a few sides to Lagos as it's so multifaceted. I'd take them for a local beer and boogie at the Fela Kuti Shrine to watch Fela Kuti's son (Femi) perform live - it's like stepping back in time. I'd take them to Lagos Island to meet some of our artisans so they can make a pair of shoes or silver rings to go home with coupled with some local street food (my favs: moi moi, plantain, fish and rice) and then we would dress up fancy and head over to 16by16 an apartment turned gallery/bar followed by funky NOK @ Alara for dinner.
Depends on the day and what mood I'm in, but definitely both.
What is a common misconception people have about Nigerian culture?
That it's always rough, people are getting killed and kidnapped left right and centre. Look I'm not going to lie - those things are true to a certain extent (I mean, everywhere has its own risks to varying degrees), but it shouldn't be the first thing people think of when they hear "Nigeria". It's all changing and people are recognising Nigeria more for the ever expanding events + music scene, the art, the glorious fashion, the entrepreneurs, the food. Most - when they come here say that it's made them feel even more alive. To me, that's Nigeria.
What are you excited about in the future for Shekudo?
Growth, change and being able to work with more women. We want to take Shekudo up a notch to be able to sustainably employ more people and create more of an impact in the local economy. We want to contribute towards the manufacturing sector here so that we can show the importance of diversification away from our much relied on Oil sector. So much to come, can't wait!


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Scoop Addition
This method of secretly adding cards under a card or cards as they are gathered from the table was published in a one-page collection of ideas, L. W. Random Conceptions with Cards by William Larsen and T. Page Wright; see fifth paragraph. The sheet isn't dated, but ads for it, proclaiming it a new item, began to appear in June 1930 (e.g., The Sphinx, Vol. 29 No. 4, p. 190). In Page Wright's Notebook, published posthumously in 1933, there are several ideas credited to William Larsen that use expert thumb riffling. This tempts speculation that the Scoop Addition was his, but that is all it can be without sounder evidence.
Ross Bertram reinvented the sleight in the late 1950s or early 1960s. He used it in a Canadian television show produced by Don Hudson; see Genii, Vol. 66 No. 3, Mar. 2003, p. 34. René Lavand also conceived this idea independently, publishing it in The Mysteries of My Life, 1998, p. 28.
Stanley Collins devised a handling of this type of addition that took place entirely in the hands and off the table. He recorded this sometime from 1958 to 1963 in Gems of Personal Prestidigitation. This book remained unpublished until 2002, when it was included in Stanley Collins: Conjurer, Collector, and Iconoclast by Edwin A. Dawes. The addition is described in a short paragraph within "The Kappa Four Ace Trick", p. 22 in the "Gems of Personal Prestidigitation" section of the Dawes book. (The addition was first noticed by Jerry Sadowitz.) The Collins add-on can be considered a transitional sleight between the Scoop Addition and secret additions in which the top cards of the deck are carried under a fan or spread of cards held in the opposite hand.
See Secret Addition under a Fan.


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5 Scientifically Proven Ways to Help Your Child Become a Successful Adult
By Robyn Reisch On May 15, 2017 Last updated Oct 4, 2018
"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future," stated Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In these uncertain times, his words ring more powerful and true than ever before.
Here are five things ANY parent can do to set their child up for a successful future in our ever-changing world:
1. Prioritize the learning process over achieving perfection.
It's important for children to feel that success is a result of effort – not inherent advantages, talents, or abilities. In her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck dove into this concept with depth and insight and identified two mindsets: the "fixed mindset" and the "growth mindset." A fixed mindset assumes that people are who they are and cannot change. A child with this mindset will assume that if they struggle with fractions, they must be bad at math – or even stupid. They will respond by avoiding these pursuits because they don't want to fail. By contrast, a growth mindset equates success with effort and identifies failure as an opportunity for growth. By promoting this mindset with your own child, you encourage them to seek challenges, not to fear failure, and to work tirelessly to accomplish their goals.
2. Give your children household responsibilities.
Children as young as two can – and absolutely should – do simple chores. Our toddler helps clean up spills, puts away his toys, and helps with the laundry by assisting in loading, unloading, and folding. He also helps to feed the dogs and let them in and out of the backyard. Sometimes chores do take longer with little hands helping. However, this practice has been proven the by Harvard Grant Study to give children a more collaborative mindset and a sense of environmental responsibility that will follow them into the workplace. It also fosters a child's ability to take initiative, identify and solve problems, and see themselves as a powerful part of their community.
3. Teach your child "grit."
In 2013, University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth won a MacArthur Genius Grant for her work exploring the concept of "grit." She defined this trait as "perseverance and passion for long-term goals." In her research, grit was found to be a significant factor in such diverse efforts as educational success, retention in military academies, and even spelling bee rankings. In her book, Grit, Duckworth explores how to develop this trait in yourself and how to teach it to your children. It's a great read for anyone – parent or not!
4. Be authoritative in your parenting – not permissive or authoritarian.
This is a difficult line for any parent to balance, but it's such an important one. Over fifty years ago, UC-Berkeley developmental psychologist Diana Baumride identified these three kinds of parenting styles – and her work is still relevant today. A permissive parent focuses on accepting their child as they are, and does not employ consequences for poor behavior. An authoritarian parent attempts to shape the child to conform with their own expectations, and does not place importance on the child's unique personality and values. In the middle ground is the authoritative parent, who directs the child with reasonable rules and expectations while promoting a sense of identity and independence.
5. Teach your children how to connect with others.
A collaborative research project by Penn State University and Duke University followed over 700 children from kindergarten to age 25 and found a significant correlation between their social skills as kindergartners and their success as adults two decades later. Children who were helpful, kind, and attuned to their own feelings as well as those of others were more likely to earn college degrees and find gainful employment. Children with limited social skills were more likely to become adults who struggled with addiction, poverty, and criminal activity. Truly, the best way to teach our children these important skills is to be mindful of the relationship we build with them ourselves. In a separate study, children who received sensitive caregiving before the age of three were found to achieve greater academic success and enjoy healthier relationships up to three decades later.
"I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren't trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom," wrote Umberto Eco.
What are your children learning from you when you're actively parenting them – and when you're not?
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Premium Home Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Tech
Here's what early Robinhood investor Jan Hammer is looking to back with a new $300 million fund for pre-seed and seed stage startups
Riddhi Kanetkar
The Index Ventures team.
Index Ventures
This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.
San Francisco and London-based VC firm Index Ventures has launched a $300 million seed fund.
The fund will focus on core sectors such as fintech, gaming, marketplaces, and SaaS, among others.
Jan Hammer, a partner at the firm, outlined what they look for in early-stage startups and founders.
San Francisco and London-based VC firm Index Ventures has launched a new $300 million fund that will invest in pre-seed and seed-stage startups globally.
Index, which has backed the likes of fintech giant Revolut, productivity firm Notion, and design tool Figma, will pursue collaborative investing avenues with angel investors, seed funds, and solo general partners as part of the new fund. The company will also co-invest directly alongside seed investors.
Index Origin II follows on from a similar $200 million early-stage vehicle that was launched in April 2021. The fund does not have one core anchor LP, but a capital base that spans medical and educational institutions, as well as mission-driven organizations, with the aim that its proceeds "have a positive downstream impact," Index Ventures partner Jan Hammer told Insider.
While much of the firm's principal investments have been focused on Europe and North America, the seed fund will not be geographically constrained.
"We are organized thematically," Hammer added. "It's at the core of our strategy to focus on industry-specific investments."
Index Origin II will focus on key sectors — or "themes" — ranging across fintech, marketplaces, gaming, SaaS, DevOps, AI, and security. Within this, the fund is eyeing specific sub-themes such as B2B payments, asset management, neobanks, and consumer wallets.
"We refresh these themes on an ongoing basis because they're constantly evolving," Hammer said.
Index as a company is stage agnostic, which will give seed-stage startups backed by the fund an opportunity to tap into the resources of a multi-stage firm, Hammer said.
"What we look for is ambitious, mission-focused founders looking at big, unresolved problems," he said. "Typically, these entrepreneurs find a burning problem and are driven to solve that problem."
He added that the fund is searching for "all-rounders that are agile" and "can operate amid uncertainty and limited resources."
Amid the global downturn that's shaken the tech industry, it's been "business as usual" for Index Ventures, Hammer said.
He credits the firm's endurance to the fact that it has not "over-expended" — unlike other players in the ecosystem, which opened crypto or crossover funds in the past year.
The hope is that the seed fund will systematize the firm's efforts toward early-stage startups and entrepreneurs.
"Index was started in 1996 and we've really doubled down on backing early-stage companies," Hammer noted. "It was so tempting two years ago to back these growth rounds — but we launched Origin I, because we operated intuitively."
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Q: mongo --eval command not evaluated when used through a Python script When I run this command from a bash terminal, I got the expected result:
$ mongo --eval "db.getMongo().getDBNames()"
> MongoDB shell version v3.4.2
> connecting to: mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017
> MongoDB server version: 3.4.2
> [ "admin", "local" ]

I need to run this command from a Python script. This is what I wrote:
import subprocess

cmd = ['mongo', '--eval', '\"db.getMongo().getDBNames()\"']
result = subprocess.check_output(cmd)
print(result)

This is the result when running this script:
$ python3 log.py
> b'MongoDB shell version v3.4.2\nconnecting to: mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017\nMongoDB server version: 3.4.2\ndb.getMongo().getDBNames()\n'

As you can see, it's almost the same thing except the original command db.getMongo().getDBNames() is displayed instead of the expected result [ "admin", "local" ].
Is there an error in my script or is this expected behavior?

A: Try this. Let me explain - by default check_output has a default value shell=False, hence the reason it escapes the command on it's own.
import subprocess

cmd = ['mongo', '--eval', 'db.getMongo().getDBNames()']
result = subprocess.check_output(cmd)
print(result)


An effort is underway to create a mechanism that makes it as easy as possible for senior citizens to access fresh, local produce through the PA Department of Agriculture's Farmers Market Voucher program, which provide eligible seniors with $20 in vouchers to use at any registered farmers market. Wayne County Humans Services Agency and the Agriculture Work Group have begun discussing innovative ways of bring these nutritious, fresh, local foods to them without adding to the busy market schedules of many farmers. Follow them on Facebook.


You will absolutely love this 3 bed/ 1 bath house with 1bed/1bath guest house. Low maintenance landscaping, carport space, and remodeled separate guest house. Fabulous interior is complete with 3 bedrooms, 1 bathrooms, bay windows, living/dining area, and laundry room. Kitchen has everything you need; sparkling stainless steel appliances, white shaker cabinets and quartz counter-tops. Main house and guest house have separate private backyards. This is your chance to own a wonderful home with rental opportunity in the back or great investment to rent front and back separately.


but it was closed the day we were in the little town of Ballyvaughn in the Burren.
This was our stop for lunch on Monday, June 18.
The Coffee and Baileys Roll, below, was a very popular dessert with our group!
Oh I would like this one too. Glad you were able to have tea there. I am always amazed to see the pastries just out in the open.