For the Criminally Inane

Actually, failing and anything worth doing should have been the title. But since I'm a writer, I'll use my personal example. When I first started writing, I was worried I wouldn't be talented enough to write. Thankfully I read in a book somewhere that you don't have to be wildly talented to succeed (although it helps). You just have to work hard to learn your craft. And be prepared to fail. Be prepared to fail A LOT. Anything worth learning how to do is worth failing for. Sometimes we get this weird idea that we shouldn't fail or that failure is bad. It's not. You're learning. You will make mistakes. I try not to let ego or pride get in the way of that. I know I'm going to fail. And trust me, I have made a TON of mistakes while I've been writing--business mistakes, marketing mistakes, writing mistakes. It never ends. I'll continue to make mistakes. But I learn and grow. I read somewhere that it's actually not easier for children to learn lang...

 Every few years I put out a gift guide because at this point in the season or maybe it's in my life, I am an adult with adult money. Also nearly all my kids are out of the house. (But I'm not willing to give up my minivan yet. Mine's almost 20 years old!)  So it's harder to buy for them because I don't see them every day. But here's what I'm thinking of getting them for Christmas. (Mostly 20 bucks or less.) Husband: I bought him a towel warmer . Our bathroom faces northward it never seems to get warm. I like that this one is collapsable for storage in the summer. I would love to put socks in here too or pants before wearing them so that you can get the out-of-the-dryer feel every day. I usually get him tickets to a local performance as he loves music. Japanese-insipried things like chopsticks or t-shirts since he lived there for two years and still speaks Japanese.  Anime-inspired stuff since it's becoming more mainstream is easier to find. Here's a...

  We funded my second book, Chains Of Deceit!  Yay! Thank you so much for all your support and for helping me bring these beautiful books into the world. I am finishing the final revisions before sending it to the editor. My Alpha reader (aka my husband) says it needs more kissing and a more epic ending! So I MUST deliver. Usually my fight scenes while I'm writing the first draft goes something like this: They stare down the corridor with menacing grins and glinting eyes. ***come back and describe fight scene here*** Result is that MCG is wounded. Which is funny to my husband. But I have to write the overall plot before I describe the details. It's jut how it works for me. *shrug* I don't mess with the formula. Details for me come last. I think it's because I write the first draft so quickly and roughly, I imagine it's like a sketch before the ink and pen. A rough in, if you will. Details comes later. So more kissing and a more epic ending is coming your way. I had ...

I realized when someone asked me recently about my reading order for my books that I probably haven't published this online yet. So without further ado, ahem.  Short answer: It doesn't really matter. My books are mostly standalones. Now, having said that, there are a few series where it matters which book you read first if you want the full effect. But honestly, all my books make sense on their own with the exception of my YA fantasy. I'll list my books by genre and by most popular. Oh, and by the way...All my paperbacks and ebooks bundles can be found at a steep discount (up to 50%-off) at  books.ameyzeigler.com  I also sell book-related merchandise and will try to get more up this year or next. Gromance ( or romantic women's fiction where characters learn and grow . Get it? Grow-mance? haha!) Helping of Hope series The Casserole Dish* The Christmas Mug* The Cookie Platter is slated for later this year or early next year.  *ebooks not available on my site,...

 Okay, okay. I watched it. I did. And I enjoyed it! In case you've been living under a rock these past few months and don't know, K-Pop Demon Hunters is a Netflix animated movie about...K-pop stars (Korean pop singers) who also save us from demons who are breaking through from the other side. It was actually a lot of fun. My daughter told me about it at the beginning of summer, but since I don't have a Netflix account, I had to wait until she came to visit and we watched it on her account. What I liked about it It was actually refreshing to watch something so fun without a "message" attached. The girls were relatable. sure they dressed up in their pop clothes but we have lots of scenes with them wearing comfy clothes when in their down time. The characters are relatable. They're actually like real people, not artificial people.  The demons were HOT. Popcorn is coming out of my eyes right now. Can you have a crush on a cartoon? I love it that the characters we...

 I would travel to Japan just to eat the food. What we call Japanese food here or even supermarket sushi just can't compare to the majesty of authentic Japanese food. Here are a couple of things I noticed while eating in Japan. I've heard rumors you can't leave your plate empty. I don't know if this is true. If so, I'd guess it's left over from WW2 when wasting food was ungrateful. They might give you long looks if you don't finish, but you won't get berated. Don't put bags on the floors. Japanese restaurants even small ones will have a place for your bag. Most of the time, we found bins by our tables to put our shopping treasures in. But this one, teeny tiny yakiniku place had a hook to hang a bag or a few bags from.  Use the wet towels to clean your hands before eating. Even in the cheapest ekiben shop, they'll give you a wet towel to wipe your hands with. You've been on public transportation every day. Use the wet towel to wash your hands....