Wednesday, October 14, 2009

I'm Ba-a-ack!

Hi there,

Well, I've been away a few days. Having some physical challenges, but barrelling along none the less. I've been working on some new designs and taking pictures of my Yum Yum Collection. It's a group of colorful pieces in opaque pastels and transparent jewel tones that look good enough to eat! The colors remind me of Jolly Rancher candies and flavored bubble gum and they're called (naturally) Lollipop and Bubble Gum.

I started making pieces long before I got the idea to put up a website. So I've got a lot of pieces to take shots of as I'm making more every day. There are a few examples of the collection already on the site and I'm working on taking some more interesting photos. Take a look at http://www.designsbymayanna.etsy.com/.

And yes, I finished that book! Ms Elliott did not disappoint, lots of intrigue, death and destruction, love and betrayal. One of my favorite characters died, while another broke my heart and things weren't quite what they seemed. A real page turner!

Friday, October 9, 2009

Books I'm Reading

Hey There,

Tonight I'm going to start a new book by one of my favorite authors, Kate Elliott. The name of the book is "Traitor's Gate" and it's number three in the Crossroads series. She is such a good writer, her characters are vivid and the plots are rich with intrigue, mystery and magic. Oh, and let's not forget the action!

I got hooked on sci-fi and fantasy at an early age, around ten I think. I'd read all the Grimm's fairy tales and run through all the Roman/Greco and Nordic myths by then, but had not yet graduated to Shakespeare. I worked in the school library and just happened to pick up a book named "Moon of Three Rings" and the title and cover art caught my attention. I opened it and was hooked from the first line. The story was a magical fantasy that took place on another planet and it was really cool to a young bookworm like myself. I felt like I had discovered the New World! Much better than the stuff we read in class.

I started hanging out in the public library a lot after that. The librarian got to the point that she allowed me to read in the adult section, a big deal to me. Probably because most of the stuff I liked to read was in the adult section and I was quiet. Some of my favorite memories were of the library. Yeah I know, why go to the library when you have the Internet, iPods and books on tape. It was another time, but not that long ago.

If you happen to find time go find one of these and read them and let me know what you think. Incidentally, Moon is designed for teen readers. Kate Elliot is for the more mature reader. If you like Crossroads, try her Jaran series, same great writing. I'll be done with Traitor's by tomorrow and tell you about it then.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by! Come back soon!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

My First Time...please be gentle!

Hi There!

Well this is my very first time blogging. I don't mind telling you I'm nervous!

I'm a writer by trade but you wouldn't know it by how ignorant I am of the blogging world. Old fashioned I guess. I've been in hard copy publishing for about 20 years and really love it. I've worked for newspapers, magazines and a couple of websites. I've written about travel, art, history, and business (lots of that). But it seems the old publishing world is getting KO'd by the electronic arena. But I'm a survivor, and survivors adapt!

Over the last few years, I've taken up jewelry making as a hobby. The more I did it, the more I wanted to do it. And yes, it's addicting. So much so that I decided to sell my work. I think it's gorgeous and others do, too. But it's not all the large chunky styles that are more popular today. It's mostly beaded necklaces and earrings that remind me of the stuff my mom used to wear to church and dress up occasions when I was a little girl. Sometimes, when I'm working, I get a whiff of the perfume she used to wear. She's 91 years old now and doesn't wear much jewelry anymore, but she encourages me to keep trying.

If you want to take a look, go to http://www.designsbymayanna.etsy.com/. If you like it let me know, if not that's okay too. Just be nice about it. I learned to make my jewelry with professional finishing first. Now, I'm beginning to branch out into other techniques and styles. Stick around and watch me grow!

I'll probably use this blog to talk about a lot of different things including places I've been, things I like and dislike. Maybe even some social or political issues, if I happen to be on my soapbox that day.

Anyway, thanks for dropping by! Come back soon!