#blogchallenge: Fortune Cookie #19

by Lillian Csernica on May 19, 2018

 

Today’s fortune says:

Your shoes will make you happy today.

 

 

skiptomylou.com

#blogchallenge: Fortune Cookie #17

by Lillian Csernica on May 17th, 2018

 

Today’s fortune says:

You don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note.

dis·cord

ˈdiskôrd/

noun

noun: discord

1. 1.

   disagreement between people.

   “a prosperous family who showed no signs of discord

   • lack of agreement or harmony between things.

     “the discord between indigenous and Western cultures”
2. 2.

   Music

   lack of harmony between notes sounding together.

   “the music faded in discord”

   synonyms:

   dissonance, discordance, disharmony, cacophony “the music faded in discord”

BusinessInsider.com

Here we have a bunch of people singing the same note in terms of the political ideology they espouse.  Is this harmonious? No. It is not.

robynbaldwin.com

marchingroundtable.com

thesizeitdownandtravelitupexperment.com

We need all the notes, all the chords, all the melodies to come together in the great orchestral voice of life. May a joyful noise until the Lord! Sing out with all your heart! Go tell it on the mountain! Punk rock, bagpipes, ocarinas and kazoos. Let’s do it!

culvercityobserver.com

The Writer’s Spellbook

by Lillian Csernica on August 1, 2017

AVAILABLE NOW ON SMASHWORDS!

One of the most important elements of a fantasy novel or a game world is the magic system. A logical and consistent magic system will do a lot to help improve the quality of the story… A better magic system means a better story, and a better story means more readers!

PLENTY OF FORMATS TO CHOOSE FROM!

EPUB MOBI PDF IRL PDB TXT HTML

Whether you’re a writer or a gamer, a graphic novelist or an historical reenactor, The Writer’s Spellbook will give you step by step guidance in making the crucial decisions that will bring your fantasy world to life.

 

Reblog: 20 Inspiring Pinterest Boards for Writers

by Lillian Csernica on May 13, 2017

Looking for inspiration? Technique? Some solidarity and comfort? Somewhere on this list you’ll find what you need, along with so much more. Enjoy!

 

Source: 20 Inspiring Pinterest Boards for Writers

I is for Insect (Art Nouveau – #AtoZChallenge)

by Lillian Csernica on April 11, 2017

lisak.net.pl

A butterfly with a cushion-cut aquamarine and cabochon opal body, extending blue and green plique-a-jour enamel wings, enhanced by cabochon rubies and calibre-cut emeralds, accented by a collet-set diamond and gold wirework detail, mounted in gold. Boucheron, 1900.

Bentley & Skinner

A Victorian moonstone and diamond beetle brooch, the body of the beetle brooch set with cabochon-cut moonstones, the head and central streak of the body set with old brilliant-cut diamonds, estimated to weigh a total of 0.6 carats, with cabochon-cut ruby eyes, all set to a yellow gold back and sword with pearl set to the handle. Circa 1890.

jewelry-sale

An Art Nouuveau gold, enamel, and opal scarf clip. Georges Fouquet, 1900s. Centering on an opal cicada set between open work enamel ivy leaves.

sothebys.com

Sprigs of mistletoe set with circular and rose-cut diamonds, highlighted with pearls, to a central knife edge work web with a spider, its head a circular-cut diamond and its abdomen a similarly cut diamond of brown tint.

If you like spider jewelry (shudder!), you might enjoy this.

1stdibs.com

Brooch with stylized bees. Natural pearls, green enamel, and 18k gold.

V and A Collections

Gold and enamel brooch in the shape of a flower and a hornet, made by Georges Fouquet and designed by Charles Desrosiers. Paris, France, 1901.

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Where To Find Holiday Gifts for Your Special Needs Teenager

by Lillian Csernica on December 12, 2015

The holiday season is here and we’re all out there in the stores or at home shopping online.  The grandparents, aunts, and uncles all want to know what they should get for that special needs child.

The key word there is child.

 

I’ve been browsing through various holiday shopping guides for special needs children.  Most of them address the needs of children in preschool through elementary.  I spent considerable time rephrasing my search keywords until I started to find guides that are useful for teenagers and the kids who are on the edge of becoming adults.

As the mother of two teenage boys with very different sets of special needs, one of the toughest questions I have to answer is, “What should we get for him?”  Our extended family looks to me to know what subjects the boys are interested in, which specific items the boys want, and of those which ones the boys will really get some use out of.

 

Michael’s physical limitations are a key factor.  Fortunately, he’s become fond of fashionable clothing and keeping his hair in a good cut.  He also likes classic rock and roll along with some country and western music.  Audiobooks are now a good option for him.  He’s always up for new art supplies.

Some people think it’s strange when I say it’s so much harder to shop for John.  He’s verbal, he has the same physical skills other teenage boys have, and he loves electronics.  No problem, right?  John has a closet full of toys he never plays with.  He’ll get fixated on a particular subject for a month or two, then abandon it and move on to something else.  Then, a year or two later, he’ll come back to that first subject and get fixated on it again, but at a different level of cognition and application.

I know how hard this can be.  I know the frustration of seeing what your child can’t have because of what he or she can’t do.

Here’s a list of links that will take you to the holiday guides where I’ve been looking for gifts for my boys.  I hope this information helps you make your kids’ holiday wishes come true!

Special Needs Toys

8 Great Gift Ideas

Special Needs Gift Giving Guide

National Autism Resources Gift Guide

Therapy Shoppe gift ideas

T shirts, jewelry, tote bags, etc. with special needs-related themes

5 Ways to Get a Free iPad for Your Special Needs Child

 

EDIT:  I’m very happy to say I just found two excellent gifts for Michael at Fat Brain Toys.  The site is well-organized, the prices are reasonable, and the shipping is a bargain!

 

 

 

 

My Writing Music

by Lillian Csernica on October 17, 2014

 

Many writers play music while they’re working.  I’ve found some great instrumental music that gets my imagination going and keeps me in tune with the cultural flavor of my Japanese historical romance, Sword Master, Flower Maiden.  Here are three of my favorites from Kiyoshi Yoshida:

This is great action music, such as a chase on horseback down a beach:

I like this one for the quiet moments when my hero or heroine is reflecting on some Big Moment:

Here’s one for after my hero and heroine have fallen in love:

 

I hope you enjoy these songs as much as I do.  What music do you play while you’re writing?  I want to hear from all the NaNoWriMo folks out there!  What gets your creative juices flowing?

 

J is for Jazz Band

by Lillian Csernica on April 11, 2014

 

We’ve got the clothes, we’ve got the shoes, we’ve got the furniture and flowers.  Let’s add some music to this chocolate extravaganza.

http://www.barcelona4you.com/chocolate-museum-in-barcelona/

 

Just in case you feel like joining in for a jam session, you can get the chocolate instrument of your choice at most fine chocolatiers:

 

 

What kind of party would you throw where you had a chocolate jazz band playing?  Mardi Gras?  A wedding?  A holiday bash?