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December 29, 2014 1 comment

Ends Dec 31. Lt3 sale. 25% off books

There’s been a sale happening at Less Than Three Press. 25% off books.

If you’re looking to pick up a copy of “Heroes & Villains,” “Allies & Enemies,” or “Rocking Hard: Volume 1” to add to your Harper Kingsley collection, now’s a good time to hit that.

Heroes & Villains
Genre: mm, superhero, urban fantasy
Word count: 135,000

Blurb: All Vereint ever wanted was to be a superhero, to fight alongside the other great heroes of the city and beat down the villains that plague them. There’s just one problem: he sucks at it, at least according to the other heroes and the majority of the city. Instead of the greatness and glory of which he dreamed, Vereint spends his days alone, exhausted, and depressed.

When the mockery and derision finally go too far, Vereint decides he’s reached his limit. If he’s never going to be good enough to succeed as the hero Starburst, maybe it’s time to try the role of villain instead…

Allies & Enemies
Genre: mm, superhero, urban fantasy
Word count: 130,000

Blurb: In the wake of the death of the Fabulous Kims, Vereint cannot forget Melissa, the little girl they left behind, a girl that now has no family. Certain he and Warrick can be the family she needs, he pushes to adopt her. That she proves to have superpowers only confirms he’s right. Melissa is their darling daughter by day, and by night she trains to become Blue Devil, sidekick to Blue Ice.

Then the unthinkable happens, destroying the happiness Vereint and Warrick worked so hard to build — a tragedy so great that the long-vanished Darkstar returns with murderous intent…

Rocking Hard: Volume 1
Genre: anthology
Word count: 104,000

Blurb: Less Than Three Press presents the first of three volumes of amazing stories along the theme of rock ‘n roll. Authors familiar and new combine for a collection of stories all about music and love.

Centrifical | Sol Crafter
Marty Sheer, one of the stars of a B-rated sci-fi show “Centrifical,” receives a phone call letting him know that his old friend Jim Sheppard, who left years ago and has since become an acclaimed rock star, has bought a new home close by. Renewing their friendships is easy—becoming something more is a challenge that makes fame look easy.

Fringe Benefits | Diana Sheridan
Depressed after the death of his lover, and having lost his job at the same time, Dale distracts himself by going to see one of his favorite rockers. But a simple concert and trip backstage lands him an unexpected job as her new assistant, and brings him into the path of her intriguing, appealing make-up artist and hair dresser, Luis. But if there’s one thing that Dale has learned, it’s that life is never easy and love doesn’t always last.

Courage Wolf Never Sings the Gorram Blues | Talya Andor
Bailey Kravitz, lead singer of Courage Wolf, is a high-strung, perfectionist diva of a front man. Gunner Lansing, bassist of Courage Wolf, is a laid-back, hang loose ladies’ man who is only serious about guitars and sex. They say opposites attract, but Bailey’s terminal crush on oblivious Gunner is tearing the band apart. Meanwhile, his longtime friend, quiet but intense guitarist Tor Macleod, helps him pick up the pieces yet again. Between annihilating everything they’ve built and reeling from total rejection, there may be a third option Bailey has been overlooking all this time. Problem is, Bailey’s always been more than a little difficult when he’s out to get his way, and that may ruin his prospects after all.

Put You In a Song | Lacie J. Archer
Ten months ago, on a whirlwind New Year’s Eve, Garrett and Rich enjoyed a wild night together. Back in town for the final performance of his band’s tour, Rich can’t wait to see Garrett again, unable to forget him. But a wild night and a lifetime are two different things, and the first real challenge they face may be more than their fragile new relationship can take.

A Haunted Melody | Angel Propps
A decades old tragedy, an old guitar, and a bright new star… A struggling musician on the verge of losing her band, Kara spies a guitar in a pawn shop that she can’t resist. One year later she’s on the verge of fame, and meets a woman who not only can help her get there, but introduces Kara to an intriguing, beautiful woman… But bad history is coming back to haunt, and Kara stands to lose not just fame and love, but her life.

Now’s a great time to stock up on your favorite Less Than Three books.

October 26, 2014 0 comments

Patreon; Locks of Love; Regrowing green onions

I use my Patreon page => http://www.patreon.com/HarperKingsley?ty=c <= like it’s some weird scrapbook. Except I’m that crafter that posts random pictures with text that completely doesn’t match. Like those greeting cards with the picture of a sunset accompanied by beautifully scripted nonsense.

Take my “Nancy, Drew, and Charlie” thing for instance.

For some reason I thought that I would share my picture of where the bugs were munching at my plants. (Those bites are what I blame for my crop failure :P) That picture has nothing to do with the dialogue. But I chose to use it anyway.

So if you want to say you visit my Patreon page just to look at the pictures… I will completely understand.

* * *

I had the Kid cut my hair to donate to Locks of Love. It’s 11-inches of dark brown medium grain straight hair. Hopefully it will make someone a great wig.

For my head, the Kid did a good job. It’s a little lopsided, but I can fix it myself. It makes me feel lighter and more carefree to have shorter hair. It feels more like a giant life change than just a haircut.

I like shorter hair because it feels better, not just physically but spiritually. It’s like my hair gathers up all of the miseries of the year, and when I cut it off a weight is lifted from my shoulders.

I have a round face. I look best with my hair down past my chin, giving the illusion of a longer face, or pulled back to show off my neck and bone structure. Anything else and my face looks like a basketball. I tell people I have a Charlie Brown head because it’s true.

The longer my hair gets, the prettier I become. It’s some kind of weird curse. The best look for me is the one I hate the most. If I ever want to be “beautiful,” I’d have to carry my miseries around like a flowing cape of seal brown locks.

Ugh. I hate how long hair sheds. I’m not someone that takes care of my hair–I let it ride around in a ponytail and my hat is my friend. I grow my hair out just to chop it off.

I hope this feeling of renewal lasts a while.

* * *

I’ve been regrowing green onions. I buy them from the store, chop the green off to use, and stick the white ends with the dangly roots in my grow tray. The aquaponics really make them shoot up fast. I can get two uses out of one bunch of green onions.

Speaking of aquaponics: we’ve planted some lettuce, green onion, and white onion. The zucchini is pretty much a bust–our media is being kept way too moist. I don’t have any say in that though.

The Kid showed me a YouTube video where someone got roots to grow out of a brussels sprout. I’m going to try that and see what happens. I’ll try to get some regular pictures. It just seems so interesting to me–I didn’t know you could regrow brussels sprouts, and I’m really curious whether a new sprouts tree will grow. That would be super cool.

* * *

Mad Max 2014:

I feel that there might be fanfiction in my future. The Mad Max fandom will either stand up on its own, or it will be absorbed by the Nolan-Batman (Blake/Bane/Barsad) or Inception (Arthur/Eames) fandoms. I’m not worried. (And if I’m real lucky, the wonderful brain that spawned the Nolan-Batman/The Collector longfic will fusion me up some Nolan-Batman/The Collector/Mad Max action with Blake and Barsad escaped from the Collector into a Mad Max world.)

May 15, 2014 0 comments

MERS: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome

First of all, DON’T PANIC!

I realize CNN and other media outlets are trying to blow the situation out of proportion and freak out as many people as they can, but really, it’s not that bad.

Two confirmed cases in the US and possible exposure of other people that have not shown signs of the virus. As in, blood cultures and what have yous don’t show the mass outbreak the media is trying to scare the public with.

Unless you were exposed in the waiting room where one victim waited for FOUR HOURS before he was seen by a physician, or on one of the planes or the bus he rode in on, you should be fine.

The CDC advises that you:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, and help young children do the same. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze then throw the tissue in the trash.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact, such as kissing, sharing cups, or sharing eating utensils, with sick people.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs.

Basically, don’t let people cough in your face, and please don’t cough in the faces of anyone else. Wash your hands after using the bathroom, coughing, or before handling or eating food. And if you have cough or cold symptoms, please do not rush to the hospital or hang out in places full of people.

Otherwise, unless you’ve been to the Middle East or hung out with someone that’s just come from the Middle East, you’re probably okay. The virus incubates between 2-14 days after exposure.

My first thought:

Dear United States Congress,

Stop cutting the budget for the CDC. Underfunding the people that keep us from being overrun by diseases is ridiculous. As is cutting Medicaid so poor people have to hang out in emergency rooms for care versus being able to make an appointment and see a doctor like should be the norm in a civilized country. (And don’t even get me started on the subject of medical care costs in this country, which are ludicrously expensive. You wait four hours to see a doctor, then you get charged $800 for someone to feel up your lymph nodes and give you a prescription for super Benadryl that costs you another $40.)

Thanks a lot Congress. You totally rock your job (if your job involves either not doing anything or ruining the things that work). I love how you constantly give yourself raises while cutting Federal aid programs and raising the taxes of the middle class.

I mean, kids don’t need food or educations. If they’re tough, they’ll figure things out on their own and everything will be okay. That or they’ll be so outraged and ignorant when they reach adulthood that violence and robbery is their answer to everything and “steal from the rich” will become the widely accepted way of solving all problems. But that’s no big deal, ‘cos when you’ve got money you can afford bodyguards and powerful security.

So thank you, Congress, for making the world a worse place. And oh yeah, I’m kinda blaming global warming on you too, since you guys refused to believe it was real until this =>West Antarctic Glacier Loss: “We have passed the point of no return”<= happened.

Someone that works with livestock says that when you buy animals from other countries (including Mexico) you are required to quarantine them for 14 days. Why don’t we have this practice when people fly in from other countries? I know some people will decry human rights violations and not being able to get where they want to go, but come on. Nothing stops international airports from having nice facilities on hand for people to stay in before they get released back into the public. Things don’t have to work like a Third World country, and if everyone is stuck in the same facilities … I’m sure all those uber rich travelers that like to hop a plane and go all around the world will come up with the money to make the facilities awesome, or at the very least not like something out of the movie Hostel.

Besides, telecommunication was developed for a reason. In most cases, people don’t really have to go to another country.

And if you’re there to take care of the sick — you know, people infected with MERS or SARS or ebola and need medical professionals to tend to them — I would hope you would voluntarily quarantine yourself. At least wait the 14 day incubation period before hanging out in high traffic areas.

Links of note:

CDC – Coronavirus: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome: http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/index.html. On May 11, 2014, a second U.S. imported case of MERS was confirmed in a traveler who also came to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia. This patient is currently hospitalized and doing well. People who had close contact with this patient are being contacted. The two U.S. cases are not linked.

CDC MERS – Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/MERS/faq.html. Q: Is MERS-CoV the same as the SARS virus? — A: No. MERS-CoV is not the same coronavirus that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. However, like the SARS virus, MERS-CoV is most similar to coronaviruses found in bats. CDC is still learning about MERS.

Wikipedia – Middle East respiratory syndrome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Eastern_Respiratory_Syndrome. Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a newly identified syndrome resulting from infections with an apparently new pathogen, the MERS-coronavirus.

NPR Health News – MERS 101: What We Do (And Don’t) Know About the Virus: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/05/14/310407444/mers-101-what-we-do-and-dont-know-about-the-virus. Symptoms: Affects the lower and upper respiratory tracts, leading to coughing, shortness of breath, fever and pneumonia. The virus aims for cells in the lungs and possibly the , which may explain instances of kidney failure. But some people who have been infected report no symptoms.

Reuters – Florida MERS patient sat in busy ER for hours: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-usa-health-mers-hospital-idUSKBN0DU06520140514. The second U.S. patient to be diagnosed with the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) spent at least four hours in the public waiting room of a busy Florida emergency department before he was seen by a doctor, a hospital official said.

May 4, 2014 0 comments

My first thoughts on Buzzfeed’s “Paul Ryan’s Inner City Education”

So, I read this =>http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/paul-ryans-inner-city-education<= on Buzzfeed. It’s a good article, a tad sycophantic, and I want to believe that Paul Ryan has taken this opportunity in his life to become a better person. I want to believe that he’s turned a corner, and at some point in his future he will realize that stepping on the poor to get ahead does not lead to the Kingdom of Heaven, but more likely to the Fall of Mankind.

I want to believe in the goodness of humanity and that someone like Paul Ryan could become a better person, and through him, the GOP might actually wake up and realize their rhetoric is just that. 10% to charity is not an excuse to make a tax right-off, and that’s supposed to be 10% of everything. So if a business is now being counted as an individual, shouldn’t that individual give 10% too, as well as taking care of their workers? (Remember, a happy healthy worker is a worker that doesn’t come after you when the revolution rises.)

But whatever.

My problem with Paul Ryan is that every time I see him I hear the soundtrack from The Omen playing in the background. I mean, didn’t Damien turn out to be a politician? I’m not calling Paul Ryan the Antichrist (don’t put words in my mouth!) but I am highly suspicious of his motivations and I find him an untrustworthy individual.

So kudos, Paul, on becoming a better person. But if it turns out you’re becoming a “better person” in the hopes of running for President, does that really mean you’re a better person? Or are you just a wolf putting on a sheep’s coat and expecting the baffled sheeple to accept your guidance (as you pick off a stray or two here and there)?

And in other news, Seattle is raising the minimum wage to $15. That’s a difference from Wisconsin’s (and Texas’) $7.25, and no one’s talking about Georgia and Wyoming’s $5.15.

Still, the amount people are paid should be calculated by the relative poverty of an area and the cost of living. Though it’s kind of an outrage that a matinee movie ticket costs more than a person makes in an hour. Add in popcorn and a couple of kids’ tickets and a trip to the cinema could be a person’s whole day’s wage. Wow.