NIGHTWISH & SONATA ARCTICA!!!

DH and I just purchased tickets to go see a concert I am SO TOTALLY EXCITED about!!!

Nightwish is coming back to Portland, and they're bringing Sonata Arctica with them!

If you're not familiar with either one of these bands, I'm sorry.

:( They're gothic rock, singing "epic" ballads complete with double-bass drums and full-on strings and horns in some songs.

Back when I was doing my book videos to promote my books, I used Nightwish's songs for all three Legends of Mynos videos, so you might remember them from awhile back. I saw them in concert last year, as a matter of fact, and I told DH they are a must-see band. I will see them every time they come to town.

Why?

Well, because when they sing, even though it's gothic rock, there isn't any demonic references, there's no religious references at all, actually, the make-up isn't overdone in black eye-shadow, they don't act all pissed off, and in fact, they seemed genuinely happy to be there and SMILED as they rocked. Totally awesome.

And, I'd just like to add, one of Sonata Arctica's bandmembers plays the keytar, which is so full of WIN, my head is going to asplode. :P

So, if you're in Portland, OR on Sept. 10th at the Roseland watching the Nightwish/Sonata Arctica concert, come say hi. I'll be on the mezzanine drooling over Tuomas. ;)

~~Becka

It's Promo Time!

Okay, folks, for an author, I rarely do promo for my books on this blog. That's due in part because I believe that sometimes the best form of promo is to have your readers get to know who you are, to get used to the way you write or to understand where you're coming from.

But today, I'm just going to brag a bit. :)

I have SO MUCH going on in September, it isn't even funny. First of all, my big announcement is that I finally finished my book, ONCE A DREAMER, one of the 6 books in the new Orphan Train series from Champagne Books. I've been working on that one for over a year now, and the ending has been eluding me. I knew what I wanted to happen, but for whatever reason, I couldn't pick it from my brain, even though the historical Western is my favorite genre of romance.

Due to the magnanimity ($10 word) of my publisher, she allowed me to push back my dead line again and again... and again. But now, I'm DONE and I'm CROWING about it! :D Here's the book's blurb:

~*~*~

What began as a sham of a marriage soon becomes ‘til death do we part.’

When her adoptive mother dies in a bank shootout, orphan Karina Vadislav is sent to live with Patrick Baker, her uncle in Dodge City, Kansas. After years of abuse, she flees, meeting Benjamin Sawyer, a gambler with a sordid past. He agrees to help her claim her inheritance in Topeka, posing as her husband to keep her safe.

But there are men who are out for Ben’s blood and will stop at nothing to see him dead. Coupled with Karina’s bloodthirsty uncle, neither of them is safe on the trail.

When bullets fly and truths are revealed, will Ben and Karina’s fragile love survive the ultimate betrayal?

~*~*~

So there's that bit of good news. And the book is going to be released probably mid-September-ish. Woohoo!

Also releasing this month on Sept. 5th is my installment of Cobblestone Press' Vampire Oracle, entitled TOMB, which you might remember from my blog post here. (My book cover is at :42 seconds into that vid). I'm so excited for this one! Here's it's blurb:

~*~*~

Douglas McCarthy is a vampire haunted by the screams of his victims. After
killing a woman accidentally, he vows he will never kill again, and entombs himself within the walls of his own cellar.

Diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, Holly Cartwright knows she only has months to live. Buying the Whispering Pines Plantation with her life savings was, perhaps, the best thing she ever did. Holly doesn't care that the manor appears to be haunted, as she'll soon be joining the "ghosts" herself.

But what she discovers behind the walls is more than she ever dreamed possible...

~*~*~

Along with these two new books, two (actually three, but you'll understand why I say two) of my older eBooks are going to print next month as well! On Sept 3oth from Samhain Publishing, my novella HIGH NOON, from the LEATHER & LACE anthology will be coming to print (which just garnered a 4 star review from Romantic Times -WHEEE!!!), as well as two of my other novellas about twin brothers, HEARTS ETERNAL and HEARTS UNBOUND, which are going into their very own anthology together entitled CURSED HEARTS.

And here are their awesome and most excellent covers. :D


If you're a "Becka Aficionado", you'll notice the cover they chose to represent the L&L anthology was *MY* cover for HIGH NOON's eBook. I was so thrilled they chose my cover over the other two novellas' covers in this series. :)




And then there's the Brothers Moreland. My cursed twins, one a ghost, the other a vampire, who each received their own novella. Because the two stories are related, my publisher decided to just give me a print anthology all of my own. YAY! And it makes sense, as these books must be read in order or you'll be lost. It's actually like a POV switch to the other brother, but the story is still ongoing in the second novella. I'm so happy these ones are going to print, as the first novella, HEARTS ETERNAL, had a long, rocky road to publication before the dust settled and it found a home at Samhain. I'm so happy to finally be able to share these stories with a broader audience. :)

So there you have it, everything that's going on in the month of September for Becka, as far as my novels go. The print books can now be PRE-ordered from Amazon, or any online bookstore, really, if you want to reserve your copy. My TOMB book is scheduled to be going to print as well in anthologies along with the rest of the series, but I have no idea when that will come to fruition. Probably after all the eBooks are released.

Just in case you were wondering, "Hey, how's your writing going, Becka?" Well, here ya go. :)

~~Becka

Holy Fat Pregnant Woman, Batman!

Okay, so I get out of the shower this morning and put on my black jeans - they're not Maternity jeans, they're just my "medium" fat pants. (Yes, I have small, medium, and large fat pants LOL). Since my belly has grown round and outward, I have been wearing my medium and large fat pants, despite the fact I can pull them down my hips without unzipping them. (Well, my large fat pants, anyway.)

As I was putting on my black jeans, I noticed how much the front flaps overlap and I thought to myself, "Hmm. I wonder, just for the heck of it, if I can still fasten my small fat pants?

Mind you, I haven't worn these pants for about 2 1/2 months due to the assumption there's no way I'd be able to zip them over the massive, expanding waistline. I was wrong! Pulled them out of the back of my closet, blew off the dust, stepped into them and ZZIIPP!! No problem at all.

Now, they're not as comfortable in the belly as they once were BP (Before Pregnancy), but it's not uncomfortably tight, either. However, I must say, they fit sooo much better in the leg/butt area, that I no longer feel like MC Hammer! :P

Anyhow, I thought I would brag that yes, I am still losing weight even though I'm pregnant and most women gain. I've been doing a good job at maintaining my weight, but this weekend, I saw a couple of significant dips on the scale.

So, I'm 20 weeks pregnant, 5 months along, and I can still fit into my small fat pants! Woohoo! Yes, they're still "fat pants" (lol), but it makes me wonder if I'd be even a size or two smaller than these pants without growing bebe. I guess only birth will tell. :)

~~Becka

Halfway There!

Today marks day #140 in my pregnancy. I have exactly 140 days to go. I'm officially "halfway" through my pregnancy! YAY!

It's actually a milestone for me, as I've been worrying this baby might not make it, like the one I miscarried in January. However, that baby was only a few weeks along. I am now starting my 20th week, officially into month 5!

Already, I alternate between days of feeling like a stuffed turkey or a beached whale. I move slower than I did in the past, mainly because I get ligament pain easier with each consecutive child. For those of you not "in the know", ligament pain is felt when the ligaments that hold up the uterus stretch tight, giving the pregnant woman sharp, knife-like pains in the abdomen. It's not like a contraction pain, but kind of like a charley horse, or a bunched muscle.

I get these when I move funny, either bending over, rolling over in bed, or sometimes climbing out of the car. So far, this pregnancy hasn't been too bad, although I'm dreading the days of being ROUND with child - around Christmas time. I don't mind having a baby born during the holidays, I just don't want to be IN the hospital on Christmas day. Sophie isn't due until January 10th, but sometimes babies have a mind of their own and come when they want to.

I have a feeling I'm going to be miserable in the coming months, but it will all be worth it. When your kids start to grow up, you don't realize how much you miss the infant/toddler stage of their childhood. Despite all the "bad" things people associate with newborns and toddlers, it really is one of the most precious times in your kids' childhoods. I'm so looking forward to it again. :)

~~Becka

Hood to Coast

Well, my hubby and my oldest daughter have gone for the weekend to volunteer for Hood to Coast, the largest relay race on the planet. No, they're not running. DH's company, Jive Software here in Portland, has a team this year and DH decided to volunteer our giant 15 passenger party van to the cause, to trail the runners and transport the ones who have already ran, or who have yet to run.

My daughter has the task of running along side the runners every now and then to hand them much-needed water.

Now, if you've never heard of this relay, never fear, for some Hollywood bigwigs are actually filming a documentary of this race THIS YEAR. It will be released to theaters next year. Hey, maybe you'll see the red Goings party van if you go see it!

In short, this race is exactly what it sounds like - you start at Mt. Hood... and race until you hit the ocean in Seaside, about 2oo miles away. Obviously, it's a relay, so there are many runners per team, hence why my hubby volunteered our Dodge behemoth. Most teams merely have a minivan to port them 'round.

The race goes through the night, and the drivers and other volunteers pretty much can't sleep, for about 30 some hours. Gah, I hope my daughter will be all right! She's only 9. However, DH did manage to figure out they can get about 3 hours of sleep once they hit Portland on their way to the coast. Thank goodness for that!

So, I'm alone for the weekend, at least until Sunday, more than likely. The kids are excited, because that means we get to eat things we don't usually eat when the hubby is here, like frozen pizza and ravioli. YUMMY! I also went to Blockbuster and rented some movies for them to watch, and for me to watch after kids go to bed. :) Movies I know DH wouldn't touch with a 10' pole. :P Movies like - Fool's Gold, with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, P.S. I Love You, with Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank, and The Reign of the King, with Jason Statham.

You see, I've heard The Reign of the King was HORRIBLE and that it was directed by Uwe Boll, apparently, a gawd-awful director. But the movie has some decent people in it, it's a Medieval fantasy-esque type movie, and it's got Jason Statham. I really want to see this one, regardless of the level of sucky cheese. You see, I've long had a love affair with Mr. Statham that neither my hubby nor Mr. Statham know about. LOL

Well, I'm pretty sure my hubby suspects.... Heheh

Anyhow, we should have fun this weekend, even if we're "alone" for a few days. :)

~~Becka

Baby's First Pictures - Sophie Grace

Here are the lovely ultrasound photos I promised to show you. DH upstaged me by posting them first (grumble), however I have now posted them as well. I can already tell she's going to be just as gorgeous as her sisters. :P

Jim, we're in a LOT of trouble. LOL

Little thing was a squirm worm on the U/S! It was amazing to me that I couldn't feel most of the moves she was doing, as she was rolling around, stretching her legs, raising her arms above her head. So totally cutsie! But dang, U/S's are a lot better now than they were in years past - I could literally count all her fingers and toes. She has the normal amount, of course, I couldn't tell if they were webbed or not. *snort*

~~Becka

IT'S A GIRL!!

Had my big ultrasound yesterday to measure the size and overall health of the baby, and we were able to find out the gender. It is a girl! Very obvious, as the tech checked three times, and the last time, the baby opened her legs and gave the tech a nice spread-eagle, showing the goods (or lack thereof). :P

Levi, my son, was disappointed to say the least, and squawked a bit after the tech left the room to develop the pictures, but after a few hugs, he stopped his blubbering. He felt better when the tech gave him and my daughters each their own picture of the best baby profile pic.

The cool thing about these pics is they are on 8 1/2 X 11 sheets of photo-quality paper, not the crappy ultrasound ticker-tape we've all seen. DH took them to work today to scan them, so hopefully I'll be able to show them off soon enough.

Baby is 10 ounces and about 10 inches long at the moment from crown to feet. I can feel her rolling around in there all the time now. She's very active, and even on the ultrasound, she was rolling everywhere, as if she wanted OUT! LOL I wonder if the babies can actually hear those ultrasound waves...

Anyhow, I'm about 19 1/2 weeks along right now, this weekend marks the midway point of my pregnancy! Woohoo! Baby is due on January 10th, 2009, and her name is: Sophie Grace Goings.

Just Sophie, not Sophia. I think we like Sophie better because the accent for the name is on the "o", whereas in Sophia, the accent is on the "i", making the pronunciation a little different. Besides, "Sophia" makes me think of an older woman, but Sophie makes me think of a cutsie little baby! :D

I just registered today at Target. Only thing I didn't put on there is the carseat/stroller combo I want to buy. Figured I should buy that myself and make sure I get the model I want.

Anyway, just a quick baby update! Yay for ultrasounds!

~~Becka

A Note to Those Who Insist on Hovering Over Public Toilet Seats...

...clean up after yourselves!! Please! Don't you know that YOU are part of the reason you don't want to sit on those toilet seats?

If yer gonna sprinkle when you tinkle, then wipe that damn seat! This goes for the moms who have to make little Sally hover as well, or who allow Johnny to whiz wherever the wind seems to take him.

I can't tell you how often I've got to go in public now that I'm preggers, and how often I'm left with cleaning someone else's mess. It's disgusting! And most of the time, it's not like I can just get another stall, as you know women, we go to the bathroom in droves 9 times out of 10.

It's just nasty, people. And common courtesy. You yell at your men for doing the same at home, why, then, not have the decency to wipe up YOUR mess for the next lady who comes along?

I don't care if you want to sit or hover on a public toilet seat. But when either me or one of my kids has to go in after you, I don't want to be left with your nasty leftovers. **shudders**

~~Becka

Evidence of Bigfoot....Finally??

Okay, I'm a little skeptical, but how can you fake a DEAD BODY?!?

Found this article on CNN today with picture goodness:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/14/bigfoot.body/index.html

Well, I'm open to the idea there may be Sasquatches roaming our woods. Seems unlikely, but heck, if these guys have proof, then dang. This would be like finding the Holy Grail! I mean seriously, if they're truly giving the body to science, they're either the ultimate hoax artists (which I doubt, I mean, there's a pic of them too... They just seem like backwoods Georgia type. Doubt they could pull off something so elaborate as a dead body of a Bigfoot. But I could be wrong.) Or they really do have the "Find of the Century".

Guess we'll find out soon enough. I hope we will, at least.

~~Becka

Olympic-Sized Ego

So, I've been watching the Olympics off and on, seen as how they've taken over the network and I'm forced to watch the games rather than my normal shows. Nothing really exciting. Some diving. Some soccer. I always seem to miss the events I like, such as gymnastics and such. But I want to talk a bit about the Olympians themselves.

Are they so "coached" for gold that all else is crap? "If it's not gold it's crap!" is that how the saying now goes?

Check out this article I found today:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26200165/

Headline reads: Wrestler discards medal in Olympic tantrum

Couple this with the American women disappointed they didn't win gold for gymnastics and shedding tears for silver. And who can forget the Olympic Russian gymnast a few games ago who tore off her silver in disgust after the medal ceremony and stomped away.

So, the article quoted above obviously doesn't have key details, like if the refs really did make a bad call that cost this guy his silver (or gold) medal and I didn't see this event myself. It's all together possible. But why do Olympians often think you're a "loser" if you don't get gold? What happened to "I won the silver!" or "I won the bronze!"

I seriously think it's because there's so much pressure to be the best of the best. But here's how I look at it. I would be seriously jazzed just to participate in the games. Just to have the opportunity to go would rule. Would I dream of medaling? Sure, who wouldn't? But being able to compete would be an honor in and of itself, to represent your country.

If I happened to medal in something, regardless of the medal's color, I'd be all, "Holy crap, I'm on the freakin' podium!" And you'd have something to take home, to prove you have an Olympic medal, even if it is "only" the bronze.

Be thankful you got one at all! Why so darned ungrateful? It's such bad sportsmanship, and proves these people are sore losers. "Dang, Bob, better let Jack win that hand of Poker. You remember what he did when he didn't win gold at the Olympics!"

I've got to wonder about these people. Not every Olympian is going to be the best of the best. Many factors determine who gets the gold, sometimes by fractions of a second. On any other day, YOU might have won instead of someone else. But winning silver or bronze shouldn't be a shameful thing. They give out THREE medals at every event, not just one, folks. It's time the Olympians learned that lesson.

Like I tell my kids... You get what you get and be thankful.

Seriously, you're at the Olympics. You won a medal. Get over your Olympic-sized ego and accept the darn thing.

~~Becka

Politics! Politics! Politics! Politics! Politics!

"Yes! The Roman Senate. The Roman Senate is the best legislature that money can buy! Corruption starts in the streets with the little peddlers, they bribe the assembly man, the assembly man bribes the counsel man, the counsel man bribes the Senator, and the Senator bribes the... it goes all the way up to the Emperor!"

Why am I quoting Mel Brooks in one of my favorite movies of all time? Because I'm seriously rethinking things about politics and the way I've been voting over the years. On top of all the things the Bush Administration has done over these past 8 years (which I won't go into detail over, since we all know what's been going on), I heard today that Bush wants to modify the Endangered Species Act. You can see the full article here:

Bush's Endangered Species Act Policy

Now, I've been keeping a close eye on these new candidates for presidency. Why? Because the Bush Admin. has really (and I mean REALLY) made me question what it means to be a Republican. My parents were Republicans, and so when I registered to vote, that's what I've been registering as. Being Christian as I am, they do have the policies I favor, such as pro-life. However, as Bush is painted in a more and more negative light (FISA Bill, anyone??), it's made me wonder if I even want to be a Republican anymore. Do I even know what "being Republican" means?

Is my president off his rocker giving my party a bad name? Or is it my party's beliefs that's giving me the heebie jeebies?

You see, I rarely talk about politics. But the more I hear about policies Bush puts in place that I do not agree with (modifying the Endangered Species Act, for example), the more I've got to wonder if the Republican Party is not for me. I find myself more into protecting the environment, and have recently been making the effort to recycle as much of our trash as we can. I'm not a big supporter of the death penalty, and I do wonder if we should have more gun control laws in place (which would make Chuck Heston turn in his grave). However, I'm still not a proponent for abortion and I do believe marriage should be man/woman, BUT, I don't necessarily care what the gay community does. If they get married, it doesn't affect me or my children, really. I might not agree with it, but I won't stop them.

Okay. So I'm not sure if I want to be a Republican, however, I don't think I'm a Democrat either. Is there something in the middle? I know there's the Independents and the Libertarians... Perhaps I should read up on those.

But the actions of our President has made me seriously rethink how I think about political things. Never again do I want to vote blindly, trusting that the "Republican guy" knows best how to lead, whether it be my country, my state, or my city. In fact, I'm not that jazzed about McCain, in all honesty. I might not agree with everything Obama says, but this might just be the first presidential vote where I vote for the other party. You can bet I'm going to be glued to the upcoming debates.

But surely I can't be the only one who's confused about their party, or at least wants to do some research into other options. I haven't been answering those political calls, because no, my candidate can't count on me for the vote.

I've noticed many of my Christian friends, both online and in real life also feel this way, and also voting Obama in November.

If these past 8 years have taught this country anything, it's that voters no longer want their vote to be defined by their party any longer, especially when an unpopular Republican president keeps making unpopular laws/decisions/vetoes. Not that the presidency should be a popularity contest, but heck, when the planet is going down the crapper with global warming and consumers are bitching about high gas prices, you don't modify laws that could potentially put endangered animals at risk and you don't try to scramble the ol' offshore drilling. Perhaps it's finally time to research alternate fuels.

We need a change something fierce. I have a feeling most people don't care who wins the election, they'll just be damn happy it won't be Bush.

~~Becka

Becka's Moment of Zen

This video I found is awesome. Some fan put it together, and it's just of still pictures set to music, but the pictures are very poignant, and the song is wonderful.

The song is "Yours" by Steven Curtis Chapman, one of my favorite singers. If you'll remember, I blogged about him in May after the tragic accident that took the life of his young daughter. Recently after the accident, Mr. Chapman re-recorded a NEW verse for this song as a reminder that even though bad things happen, it's all part of God's plan. The song with the new verse is available on iTunes, and yes, I've already downloaded it and have it on my iPod. :P I absolutely love it.

THIS video, unfortunately, does not have the new verse, as it's an older vid, but I thought I'd post it anyway, as I love the song and it really pulls you out of the day to day of your life to realize, "Yup, it really does all belong to God."

If you're not into religiosity, might want to skip this vid. If you have an extra 6 1/2 minutes, enjoy!



~~Becka

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, I say!

Okay, so recently, the city decided to replace some turn signals close to my house due to traffic backing up during rush hour. They changed this signal into one that flashes yellow while the main light to go straight is green.

Now, can anyone tell me what the flashing yellow light means, even if it's a turn signal?

Don't worry. I'll give you time.
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If you answered, "Well that's easy, Becka, it means sit there like a dumbass and do absolutely nothing" you'd fit right in here in Hillsbutto!!

In all actuality, you'd be WRONG!

What a flashing yellow light actually means is (pulls out whiteboard, draws diagram, and points with a laser-pointer) you can GO AHEAD AND TURN when there is no traffic coming your way. How hard is that, honestly?? It's like a yield sign. And a flashing red light might be a little harder for y'all to grasp... You treat it like a stop sign. Yes! I'm not lying! You stop, look both ways, if you're good, you GO!

Why is this so HARD, people?!? Gah, I know what question these people got wrong on their dang DMV written test....

Is it rude to lay on my horn when I'm stuck behind these morons?

~~Becka