#FolkloreThursday - Shinigami #Japanese

My teens and I have been re-watching Death Note, an anime based on the manga series. If you like complicated plots that question morality and blur the line between good and evil, give Death Note a try. One of the main characters (and my favorite) is Ryuk, a shinigami. That said, today's post is on shinigami.

Shinigami (死神, The Japanese Grim Reaper) 

from the Ehon Hyaku monogatari (絵本百物語)

Creative Commons

Shinigami are the Japanese personification of death and depicted as gods or supernatural spirits. However, the word shinigami didn't appear in classical literature until the Edo period, when it appeared in writings with themes of double suicides. Interpretations of the word differ; some state shinigami were gods, ghosts or evil spirits, while others assert the word expressed the fleetingness of life.

Folk religion also spoke of shinigami. According to custom, those who attended the sick at night, must drink tea or eat a bowl of rice before sleeping, or risk being visited by a shinigami.
In the Shizuoka Prefecture, a shinigami could possess someone and lead them to mountains, seas, and railroads where others had died. The dead would then be allowed to ascend, with the possessed invited to take their place. In the Okayama Prefecture, while it was expected to visit a grave during Higan (a Buddhist holiday), one would be at risk of possession by a shinigami. If you visited the grave during sunset, it would be necessary to also visit the grave during sunrise.

When the western notion of death entered Japan, shinigami were thought to exist within human nature. They became the subject of many works of fiction, and now show up in manga, anime, and novels such as Pokemon, Death Note, Bleach, Black Butler and Soul Eater, just to name a few.

#MeatlessMonday - Potatoes au Gratin #recipe #vegetarian

I'm sharing a fall recipe today. If it's still hot where you live, maybe by making something fall'ish, we'll hasten it along!

This is a great comfort food to serve with a protein and vegetable of choice. If you want to sneak add some veggies like spinach or broccoli, I won't tell your kiddos. Enjoy!


Potatoes au Gratin

Photo courtesy of Peppergrasss via Flickr

Ingredients 

4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
 
Directions

Preheat oven to 400F

Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.

Layer potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted.

Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Bake 1-1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

Tangled Tuesday - Shadow Eyes by Dusty Crabtree #YA #paranormal #giveaway #blogtour

Cast for Hypothetical Shadow Eyes movie

Shadow Eyes Re-Release Blog Tour and $50 Amazon Card Giveaway

Thank you for hosting me! I’m thrilled to finally be re-releasing my young adult, urban fantasy, Shadow Eyes! It was first released in 2012 by Musa Publishing. Musa closed in 2015, so I decided to self-publish Shadow Eyes this time around. I had this cast in mind since 2012, so when I started putting this post together, I thought I may want to change someone since it’s been 4 years. But no. They’re all still perfect. J

(Everyone, don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a print copy of Shadow Eyes and a $50 gift card to Amazon!)

Let’s check out the synopsis for Shadow Eyes first…

Iris thought she could ignore the shadows…until they came after everyone she loved.

Seventeen-year- old Iris Kohl has been able to see both dark and light figures ever since a tragic incident three years ago. The problem is, no one else seems to see them, and even worse…the dark figures terrorize humans, but Iris is powerless to stop them.

Although she’s learned to deal with watching shadows harass everyone around her, Iris is soon forced to question everything she thinks she knows about her world and herself. Her sanity, strength, and will power are tested to the limits by not only the shadows, but also a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows, a new friend with an awe-inspiriting aura, and a mysterious, alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend. As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, Iris must ultimately accept the guidance of an angel to revisit the most horrific event of her life and become the hero she was meant to be.

Cast List:

Iris – Emma Roberts (Valentine’s Day, We’re the Millers, Hotel for Dogs, Nancy Drew)
 

I love this look for Iris.  Emma Roberts has that endearing yet somewhat conflicted look.  She’s gorgeous enough for a main character but still relatable like the girl next door.  Her hair is an awesome fit too, and I can see her with violet contacts!

Josh – Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Fury)

This was a no-brainer for me (although I toyed with Josh Hutcherson), because ever since I started writing Shadow Eyes I thought of Logan Lerman.  He was so cute and adorable in Percy Jackson.  I can see him being somewhat shy but then coming out of his comfort zone for a girl. 

Patrick – Alex Pettyfer (I am Number Four, Beastly)

Almost as fast as I thought of Logan Lerman for Josh, I thought of Alex Pettyfer for Patrick.  Who else could take the role of the hot, mysterious new guy with messy, surfer blonde hair, green eyes (I think his are blue, but there are contacts), lean yet sculpted?  I can definitely see Iris falling for him, but who wouldn’t?  He’s the perfect Patrick!!!

Mr. Delaney –Josh Lucas (The Lincoln Lawyer, Glory Road, Life as We Know It)

I toyed with Ryan Gosling and Chris Pine for Mr. Delaney, but they looked too young to be the teacher/mentor figure.  Josh Lucas is actually in his 40s while Mr. Delaney is supposed to be early to mid-30s, but Josh Lucas just looks the part – handsome, sweet and caring, charismatic, yet calm and mysterious…love it!

Kyra – Emma Watson (Harry Potter, The Perks of Being a Wallflower)  

I like her in this picture with the short, cropped hair, although I might have it just a little longer.  Simple, yet fashionable - very Kyra!  I think Emma could definitely be the confident, friendly, and attractive, yet humble and selfless Kyra.  Then imagine Emma Watson with Kyra’s aura?  Awesome!

Iris’s mom – Catherine Keener (40 Year-old Virgin, Percy Jackson)

In both of these movies she plays a strong, independent, yet somewhat eccentric and spunky mother of teens.  I think she’d make an awesome mother for Iris!

Lexie – Georgie Henley (Chronicles of Narnia – Lucy)

I love Georgia’s curly red hair for Lexi, and I can see her being a super sweet, easygoing, girly, and bubbly friend to Iris.

Nicole – Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror, The Blind Side, Abduction)

Besides the fact that Lily’s hair is too long, I think she’d make a great Nicole - Iris’s other friend who cares a little bit too much about her looks and fitting in.  She’s fashionable, fun, and sometimes dramatic.

Hanna – Emma Stone (The Help, Spiderman, Easy A)

Why don’t we just have a whole cast of Emma’s, shall we?  Hanna is that awesome, goofy, fun, optimistic and caring sister everyone wishes they had.  Who wouldn’t want to hang around and get advice from Emma Stone?

Tyler – Michael Cera (Juno, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World)

Tyler is the outgoing goofball and class clown that can never be serious. I’m pretty sure that face just says goofball.

Sam – Sterling Knight (17 Again)

The kind of awkward one of the bunch, Sam is a gamer with short blond hair (that aspect would have to change); Sterling’s character in 17 Again fits perfectly!

____________

Author Bio 

Dusty Crabtree loves a good story, but she also loves young people. These two loves are evident in all parts of her life. She has been a high school English teacher since 2006 and a creative writing teacher since 2014. She's also been a youth sponsor at her local church for as long as she’s been teaching. She feels very blessed with the amazing opportunities she has to develop meaningful relationships with teens on a daily basis. With her love of reading in the mix, becoming an author of young adult books was just a natural development of those two passions in her life. She lives with her husband, Clayton, in Yukon, Oklahoma, where they often serve their community as foster parents.

Check out Dusty’s blog

Find her on Facebook

Follow her on Twitter

Follow her on Instagram – dustycrabtree12

Check out Shadow Eyes on Goodreads

View the Book Trailer
 

Buy Shadow Eyes on Amazon or other major online bookstores like Barnes&Noble and Apple (print will also be available on Amazon by the release date – 9/2/16)

Amazon 

Apple

Barnes&Noble

Smashwords

To see other posts on this tour and to increase your chances of winning, visit Dusty’s blog for the schedule with links as they are posted.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

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Frightening Friday - Dear Reader

For authors, there's nothing more soul shattering than a bad review. I'm not talking about a review where the reader genuinely didn't like the book. That's to be expected. I'm talking about a "review" wherein the "reader" was quite obviously having a bad day and venting into cyberspace. But they aren't venting into cyberspace. They're venting at real people, doing their jobs, who have lives and bad days of their own. I'm going to speak my mind in this post, so if you don't like it, please move along. Authors don't speak their minds, you know. We fear career suicide or retaliation, so we bite our tongues so as not to piss someone off and garner a bad review. Reviews are our life blood. Without them, our books sink into obscurity. Good reviews propel our books forward, while bad reviews are the kiss of death.

I'm is a sassy mood because I just finished practicing on my trapeze. Be forewarned.


Dear Reader,

Most ebooks can be bought for 0.99¢ or for the hefty price of $2.99. That's an awful lot of money, but you have to admit, it's less than the price of a latte. A latte that takes minutes to prepare, and fifteen minutes to consume. Books (presumably) will take more than that - if you take the time to read all the words.

If an author disappoints, you are welcome to enter the world of writing and give it a try. Be prepared, there are days where I spend hours working on just one sentence. In fact, I would suggest setting aside 10 hours a day/365 days a year in order to craft an entire novel. Unpaid, of course (more on that later). Don't forget to have your book professionally edited, which isn't unpaid. Once your novel is complete, I welcome you to the months or years of trying to find a publisher.  If you manage to do so, and regardless if your book has been edited, expect to spend another 1-3+ months in editing. In that case, a complete stranger will take your beloved sentences and rip them apart. You will follow this carnage by rewriting those sentences in order to create a better book. All of this time is again, unpaid. The publisher will then format your book and assign you a cover designer. A word of warning: you may not like the final cover design, but you'll have to live with it because you're under contract. If you self-publish, you'll need to create a cover design of your own that grabs the reader's attention at a glance. If you're artistic, go for it. If not, expect to pay dearly for a decent book cover. After that (if you self-publish) you'll format your novel to the exact specifications of each sales venue, upload it to each site, and agree to the terms. All unpaid. Sound like a lot of work? It is. But it doesn't stop there. Once your novel is published, whether you work with a publisher or self-publish, you'll need to spend a number of hours per week in order to market it. That's unpaid too, by the way.

So what is the payoff of writing? Financially, about 18-30% per book of the list price, maybe less if you have a publisher. Not enough to pay the bills, trust me. Most authors work another job, maybe even two. Writing is a labor of love. The "payoff" is a review from someone who enjoyed the novel. A "bonus" would be a reader who buys your next book. Most authors don't mind the occasional bad review, again, it's to be expected. What authors don't deserve a mean-spirited diatribe (if you don't know what diatribe means, look it up). Depending on what's going on in that author's life, the mean-spirited diatribe may roll off their back like water, or bring them to tears and make them want to quit. I've picked up the pieces of many a fellow author who've wanted to quit. For the readers and "incognito" rival authors responsible for that: Stop Being Mean. If you don't like the book, fine. Leave a 1-star review, don't give the author lip-service, send a kid to literacy camp to write a better book, do whatever constructive thing you can manage. Review ranting because you're frustrated with your own life is a waste of precious time you could be spending on Something Else.

Authors appreciate the time you take to read their books. We appreciate the fact you spend your hard-earned money on them. We appreciate the time you take to review them. If our books don't meet your expectations, most authors are truly sorry. We work really hard and try our best. Some of you like our efforts, while others don't. Now, for those who feel the need to leave a mean-spirited review that "really" has nothing to do with the book, you are more than welcome to write your own book. Good luck on your future reviews, by the way. May your book become a best-seller.