Where Has All the Memeage Gone?

I am extremely distressed by the lack of memeage going on here. It has been absolute months and I can already feel the the pride that memes tap into soaking through my spinny computer desk chair. Memes anyone?

Also. Challenges. Here's the challenge. Find me a challenge! Ah yes! The gauntlet has been thrown! How many challenges can you find? Hmmmm?

Ver Ver Hopeful,
Aella

Christmas Cleaning

As you can see, my sidebar is somewhat less frightening than usual (aka: all of 2008). In honor of the soon to be ushered in new year, I have cleared up some space for challenges, contests, new links, new widgets, and all sorts of other fexcellent sidebar fillers. You may have even noticed the new quote widget from goodreads, which is my new best friend, next to Meds.

So if, whilst trolling the blogs, you see any challenges for the new year, an A-Z or 100+ or anything at all, just comment! I would lovelovelove if you would do so.

Preparing a Resolutions List,
Aella

So I Missed the Maelstrom...

Charybdis was a good time. Really. Like going to amusement parks is a good time. Or nano-festing is a good time. Or herding unicorns is a good time. But, like amusement parks, nano-festing, and herding unicorns, it is best for some things to come to an end before you suffer boredom, confusion, or severe injuries.

I missed the Maelstrom immensely, the posting format, the user-friendly sidebar skillz, the blogger community. Medeia explains the more complex issues surrounding our switch (other than my few months of emo-wordpressage) on her own blog. Good thing she is immensely more eloquent than I or we would be stuck in quite the cyber-lurch.

So in the words of a wise man. "And we're good. And we're dancing. And we're back!"

Until soon,
Aella Siofra

Ze End

This blog will self-destruct in 3 days.

3...



2....




1........

OH. NO.

I have looked at the A-Z challenge once more and have hit a serious road block. The authors list. *cue scary music*. So I have decided to bring it to all of you incredible people who go out of your way to read this blog. Help.

If anyone has any suggestions for the following letters, could they please let me know in comments? Grazi.

K: *edit* Now Complete! Thank you to commenter "grey" for suggesting Annette Curtis Klause. I shot over to the library and picked up her new book, entitled Freaks, as soon as I could. Be expecting a review on that one. Thanks to Mrs. Magoo for her suggestion as well!

U:

X:

Y:

Especially X.

Thanks everyone!

Contest!

Maw Books Blog is having an amazing contest. You can win pretty much anything Twilight themed, plus pins, a shirt, and a copy of the Host. Does it get any more fawesome than that (oops. Just read a Westerfeld book)? Sadly, the contest ends on the 30th, so you'll have to hurry on over. Everyone check it out:

Here.

Best of luck to you all!

Ze Memez! Zey Are ATTACKING!

I have been tagged by the ever-wonderful chicas of Plenty of Paper! and Reader Rabbit 2 of Reader Rabbit! and Ink Mage of Magic of Ink! Wow. I feel really loved! Anyway. I have copied the rules and questions from Reader Rabbit and here goes:


Rules: Link to the person that tagged you, post the rules somewhere in your meme, answer the questions, tag six people in your post, let the tagees know they’ve been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog, let the tagger know your entry is posted.

1. Who’s your all-time favorite author, and why?

My all time favorite (modern) author is probably Cornelia Funke (so many to choose from). I first picked up one of her books in fourth grade (Random Aella Fact: I used to hate reading. Beyond that. DESPISE.) and have been a freaky fan ever since.

But. My all time favorite author of all time is Lewis Carroll. Need I say more?

2. Who was your first favorite author, and why? Do you still consider him or her among your favorites?

My first favorite author was Louis Sachar. Oh, Holes, I owe so much to thee. And although he is not among my favorites today, his books hold a special shelf in my heart *sniff*

3. Who’s the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why?

The most recent addition to my list of favorite authors is Maureen Johnson. A blogger named Reese (The Magnificent) was the first to tell/force me to read her work. I tore through everything she'd written (novel-wise) in two weeks.

4. If someone asked you who your favorite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth? Are there any you’d add on a moment of further reflection?

Lewis Carroll, Cornelia Funke, Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld, JRR Tolkien, Jaclyn Moriarty, John Green, Kenneth Oppel, Philip Reeve, Tamora Pierce, Conor Kostick (...whew...). After contemplation, I would probably add Frances Hardinger, Frank Beddor, Cory Doctorow, and Robert Ende.

The end.

I'm fairly certain that most people have been tagged. So. I shall break the rules and throw this meme to anyone who wants to do it. Tell them Aella sent you :)

In Pursuit of Odyssey,
Me!

Cover News

I was so thrilled about these three covers that I couldn't wait to show them! Is anyone else extremely excited for these books (ridiculous question)?

Cover A:
August 2nd! Can you hear my fan-girlish screams?


Cover B:
According to Cassandra Clare's MySpace post, this might not be a final cover. But I like it nonetheless. I hope the final choice isn't much different!

Plus: Check out the first chapter of City of Glass here

Okay. Just a quick note on the Inkdeath cover before I lose my ability to type (due to my jumping up and down in the computer chair). I have lost yet another bet. I had a deal going with a good friend of mine that the third Inkworld book would be green themed. Unfortunately, I have lost. On the same exact color that lost me my Inheritance Trilogy bet. Purple for Inkdeath and Gold for Brisingr. Who woulda thunk it? All the same, I really love it and have started my countdown until OCTOBER 7th! And as the snaps of information fly around the internet, I'm dying to get my hands on it. 656 pages? 656 pages! That's 122 pages longer than the first book!

Oops. Sorry. I'll stop raving now. I hope you enjoyed the covers.

Scavenging for Inkdeath News,

A New Challenge...

Can you hear my defeated sigh? I try and try to stay away from signing up for more challenges, but I just...can't...help myself. And this new one looks really great. Check it out everyone. My progress will be up on the sidebar soon (aaaahh... the eternal sidebar...).

"It's the End of the World" Challenge

Object: Read at least three books about the end of the world
Where: Becky's Book Reviews
The Rules: Check 'em out here

BONUS! A very cool banner

Happy Challenging,

Same Meme as Below: Take 2

I have already accomplished this meme, but have been tagged once again by a different person (The brilliant, organic, brilliantly organic African Bookworm). You can see the rules on the previous post, so I'm just going to go ahead and meme away. Who knows. Maybe this time I'll even tag someone...

I am currently reading Abhorsen by Garth Nix and Page 123: Lines 5,6,7,8 says....

"A black and tan dog not much bigger than a terrier, with huge feathery wings growing out of its shoulders.
At least it's a different dream, part of him thought. He had to be almost awake, and this was one of those dream fragments that precede total wakefulness, where reality and fantasy mix. It was his tent, he knew, but an owl and a winged dog!"

Waitwaitwait. I know that describes the Disreputable Dog, but since when did she/he wings? And who is Nick (I just read around those few lines to get some context)? Sorry to cut a post short everyone, but I must now read on and figure out how and when this happened.

I be taggzing...

1. Ink Mage (The Magic of Ink)
2. Tyto Alba (The Magic of Ink)
3. Jory (Jane & Jory Book Reviews)
4. Jane (Jane & Jory Book Reviews)
5. Courtney (Once Upon a Bookshelf)

Go to. Go to.

Best of luck in all your meme-ing delights.

Memified!

So here goes. Yet another meme. This time I have been tagged by the delightful and made-of-awesome Heather of Plenty of Paper Reviews! On to the rules, which have been copy and pasted directly from the POP blog.

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag 5 people and comment the person who tagged you once you've posted your 3 sentences.

Excellent. Well I have but one book near me (a opposed to Medeia ). Okay, on to the meme.. If I Should Die Before I Wake by Han Nolan says...

" I saw each day pass much the same as the last: hunger, death, new rules, new jokes, less food, and hot summer nights spent outside in the yard, gathered around the well, talking until dawn. Nothing surprised me anymore, nothing scared me , except deportation orders. Where were they sending those people they rounded up by the hundreds, even thousands, and shipped off to trains? Everyone had their guess, their story to tell, but no one knew for sure..."

That is incredibly sad. Holocaust books are so difficult to read sometimes. Agreed?

I tag... no one. But if you see this meme and would like to do it than do so and comment in the place set aside.

Subdued,

A New Contest!

The Fabulous Nicole B. of WORD for Teens is having a contest and giving away a signed copy of Keri Mikulski's book Screwball! The rules are below (copy and pasted directly from the blog linked above- so when it says "me" that's the contest hostess herself speaking):

Rules

• You must be a United States or Canadian citizen to enter.
• Post a comment on my blog to win with your name, your email address and what you would name a softball team if you had the chance. I'm currently going for the Wicked Witches, but that's just me. The most creative name will win.
  
• If you blog about the contest and tell me, you'll get an extra two entries!

Doesn't it sound fawesome? Haha. That's a great word. So GO! Enter the contest! And best of luck to all.

In Pursuit of Odyssey,

I Takz Quiz...

I took a quiz recently on Blog Things (in a state of profound boredom) and this was my result!

Your Personality is Very Rare (ENFJ)

Your personality type is dramatic, expressive, proud, and demanding. Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 5% of all women and 2% of all men You are Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Isn't that exciting? I certainly thought so. But then again, everyone likes to be told they're unique in a good way, right? Perhaps I shall embark on more of these quizzes. I don't think they ever end. They just sort of... are. All the same, they are a great deal of fun.

On a side note, it would be lovely if some people would comment for Medeia's sake. She went through a dreadful ordeal of demonic dentistry recently and is recovering admirably. All the same, I'm sure some lines from you marvelous folk (in the comments or the c-box) will make her feel even better. The best I could do was bring her an orange creamsicle from my own personal stash (did you know that there is such a thing as Orange Creamsicle perfume oil? Scroll down a bit on the linked page and you'll see it). That particular dessert has curative powers.




In Pursuit of Odyssey (and ice cream),

The Myspace

The Maelstrom is working on connecting with all you awesome readers. So we have started a myspace where you can friend (if you have an account this is), comment, and cyber dance with us! At this little hidey-hole of internet networking-dom you'll be able to check our release calendar (May is a busy month in the publishing world this year) and follow some Maelstrom events as they occur. Who knows? Contests and challenges may perhaps loom in the future. And go see others' profiles too. There are already some fantastic authors who have become even more awesome in our word-struck eyes by friending us (us? really? W00T!) So head over and tell us what you think! The "Charybdis Calling" awaits (if you know what that alludes to then comment in the C-Box)!

Always in Pursuit of Odyssey,

National Poetry Month

According to the giant banners going up around the library, April is national poetry month. I am intrigued by what this may mean for the book-blog-o-spere, for many bloggers seem to be quite the writing-types in their own respect. So I challenge you. Write a poem and post it on your blog. When you have, leave a comment or post something in the C-Box. That way people can link to your awesome and spread the word on their own blogs. This isn't a meme. Just a suggestion. I'd love to see what everyone does with it.

My own poetry (hahaha... if you can call it that) can be found on my Deviant-art. There are some short stories too, but I'll try to post a poem a week in honor of this month.

If you'd like to see how your state is doing in the way of rhyme and reason (bad pun intended), you can check it out on this spiffy map over at Poets.org.

Cheerz!

I Don't Know What to Post About...

Science class is a plague in some parts of the world. And science homework is the way it transmits its deadly poison. Ugh... So I have decided to make a list of things I do to procrastinate.

• Read- alot. everything. anything. all I see. all I can get my hands on. EXCEPT the text book.
• Write- same as above, but this time excepting homework.
• Journal- when I'm really desperate. The longest I've ever kept one is 5 days. Isn't that just a little sad?
  
• Dance- Horridly, around and around the homework in a complex display of risky footwork. One of these days/dance routines, I just know the papers will burst into flames.
• Drench My System in Music- The miracle worker of nature...
• Play Solitaire- Once I was addicted to that game, but as I realized that I would never be any better at shuffling I quit my obsessive gear of play.
• Make Lists- *sob*
• Youtube- I am a self professed viral video supporter.
  
• Bloggify the Cyberverse- as you can see, my new biggest hobby has become one of my new biggest procrastination vices. But I'm sure many of you understand. Right? Riiiight?

So, seeing as the papers have not yet burst into flames I should probably tackle them. However loathsome the task may be. But before I die, I mean, go.... I have just observed I didn't really mention books at all in this post. And that is why you're here, right? For book stuff? So...um....errr..... READ THE SABRIEL SERIES BY GARTH NIX!!! Medeia recommended them and now I'm somewhere between hooked and feverish. And, have you heard? There are two more Old Kingdom books to be scheduled in 2011 and 2012! Follow the link and hunt the site to found out anything more.

Discoverer of Tangent-Blog Remedies,

Another One?

Another meme? I am feeling quite the celebrity and I certainly hope that I haven't bored you all with my responses. So here's one more. Just one. For today. Observe the rigorous rules below.

1. Copy and paste the questions, then fill in your answers. Post this on your blog, livejournal, etc. There’s a catch, though. You have to change/add a question from the meme you were tagged with.
2. Post the rules.
3. Link to the person who tagged you.
4. Tag 3 people, by commenting on their blog.
5. Link back to the original (http://www.maelstrommedeia.blogspot.com) to see how much it has mutated.

1.) If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

Artemis... something. Artemis Something (working last name)

2.) What insane thing have you done to procrastinate (anything)?

RP-ed. When I had no idea what I was doing. Apparently, when RP-ing, you do not interrupt people who are sharing an intense cyber moment with exclamations of "Aella enters the clearing, carrying a pina colada and a violin, which seemingly plays on its own as it dangles from her hand." I was putting off science work and the things I had completed so far were drastically tainting my discernment.

3.) Are there any songs that get stuck in your head really easily? How do you get them out?

White Houses by Vanessa Carlton. My only escape is very loud ska or very loud Irish punk. Without them I am lost in a cacophony of "'Cuz when she dances, she goes and goes."

4.) If you could be (or are) a mythical creature, what would it be (or what are you)?

A Werewolf. But then again. I'm not so sure those can be considered mythical.

5.) What do colors taste like?

Granola

6.) Name three (or more if you like) fawesome words.

Frore, Magnificent, Indubitably, Terrorize

So concludes this odyssey into the inner workings of Aella Siofra. But if you want to see some serious follow up, I now tag: Nicole B. of WORD For Teens, Reeve Xanda of Ink Waz Silver, and the Story Siren. Good luck to you all.

In Pursuit of Odyssey,

A Meme for Me

Apparently I was memed and I didn't even know until today. My invitation into this was from that most excellent of bloggers Nicole b. of WORD for Teens. So. Here are the rules of my meme-age (shamelessly borrowed from WORD's rule list):

1. you link back to the person who tagged you. (Done.)
   
2. post these rules on your blog. (Check.)
   
3. share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. tag six random people at the end of your entry.
5. let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Next step. Six unimportant things.

1. I am slightly obsessed with abandoned places. Houses, amusement parks (if you follow the link-scroll down a bit), cities, anything. Its an odd thing to be interested in, because when I was little I used to have a recurring dream of being trapped in a theme park at night and there was no one around at all... except of course for the giant rats.
2. One of my favorite past-times is laughing at books for parents on their children (ex: What Your Teen is Really Thinking). I simply find them very humorous at times.
3. I have broken all of my toes. All 10 of them. And in various different ways (none on purpose).
4. I despise the noise that vacuums make. I'm not necessarily afraid of it. I simply can't listen to it. Usually I'll go for a walk or hide in my MP3 player until its over.
5. I am a connoisseur de Alice. Alice in Wonderland that is, as well as Through The Looking Glass. I have all sorts of books on Lewis Carroll, I've seen the play, and the fan-fics and Aella-born spoofs abound.
   
6. Lastly, I can Muppet Treasure Island all the way from the beginning without missing a line. So there.

Now that I have revealed my inner-most soul, I shall list the victims of my meme tagging. I tag Aislinn Ai Nyx of the cousins, Heather and Caroline of Plenty of Paper, Bee of booknerd, The Book Whisperer, and, of course, Medeia Senka of our very own Maelstrom *wild cheers from a far off crowd*. This is all very exciting. I will be on the lookout to see if the Tagged will respond.

Running from Vacuum Noises,

Library Conversations

I spend a good deal of time at the local library, lounging in uncomfortable chairs that are just big enough to be awkward and just small enough to forbid any range of movement for someone over the height over 5' 1". But the biggest problem with these chairs is that they act as obstructions should you ever be trying to discreetly sprint away from the "Fine Police". But that's a little off topic.

Have you ever been sitting in a library (or on a bench, or a train, etc.) when you realize that the person next to you has acquired a strange spinal position to observe the title of whatever you're reading? Of course, you politely lift the cover a bit so they can see without risking paralysis. There is nodding. And mutterings of good author that...ooh...ah... And then... silence. A long and drawn out space completely devoid of sound. And then one person breaks it.

Person 1: I read a book by that author once, can't remember the title though. Hmm... Well, either way, it was really good.
You: Oh. Well. That's interesting. Was it... (pull title out of air)?
Person 1: No.
You: Oh.

Painful gap of empty air ensues

But sometimes there are great conversations to be had in libraries. I've discovered all sorts of titles and authors through aimless book chat. Once or twice I have joined in a heated quality control debate about some novel or other.

*same scenario*

Person 1: Ugh. How can you stand that? I never like that author.
You: Have you even read this?
Person 1: No.
You: Well, there you have it.

Aggravated huff

Has anyone experienced either of those situations? Was it awkward or enlightening or mildly amusing?

Intrigued and Engaging in Heated Debate,

Never Again to Sing Before Breakfast...

In response to the fabulous Medeia I have decided to make all of ye a list. Not just any list, but a list of things that bring bad luck. Bad fortune of the worst order, a year or more of luck-based doom. To bring you this information I set out on a great quest (2 cups of highly caffeinated tea, one site, and enough downward scrolling to make the tip of my right-index finger shiny). And here they are: 8 somewhat intriguing things that bring destiny to its knees.

• 5-leafed clover
• Putting a hat on a bed
• Crossed knives
• To pass someone on the stairs
• Cutting your nails on a Friday (HA! Take that universe! I bite my nails!)
• Getting out of bed left foot first
• Sitting on a table unless one foot is touching the ground
• And, of course, reading a Gossip/It Girl novel at any time in between Saturday and Saturday…

Unfortunately, I have fulfilled nearly half of the above listed myself. Or perhaps even more. And after some hasty calculations I realize that I have approximately...275 years of bad luck purgatory. I suppose I should be looking for the new moon over my right shoulder or something.

In honor of erm…yesterday… what kind of bad luck symbols/occurrences have you heard of? Or even an odd experience with Lady Fate herself? Fascinate us, I pray you.

Walking Backwards,