Something to Talk About

Book signing in Wylie, TX July 4, Sat, 12 -6 pm...Holy Firecrackers Batman!

2009-07-04T16:04:44Z

Don't forget to come see me in Wylie, Texas at Eerie Books & Collectibles this Saturday, July 4th from noon to 6 pm! Texas's only ALL HORROR bookstore! I'll be signing copies of my horror collection, Symphony for the Forgotten, 2008 Bram Stoker nominated anthology, Beneath the Surface ["The Relic: Father Santiago's Bone"], and the 2007 Origins Award nominated anthology, Frontier Cthulhu ["In Waters Black the Lost Ones Sleep"].

[If you want to repost this on your facebook, blogs, etc to help spread the news, that would be awesome! :)]

Bleuette ensembles closing on ebay soon...

2009-07-01T21:16:51Z

Bleuette ensemble ebay auctions closing today...all have been marked down to $20 or less with free shipping.

Pre-order goodness for Ancient Shadows: Dark Tales of Eldritch Fantasy

2009-07-01T00:18:36Z

Available for pre-order now, from Elder Signs Press, scheduled for release March 2010!

My story, "Upon this Forgotten Altar: A Tale of the Barbarian Kabar of El Hazzar", will make its long awaited appearance. This anthology was originally slated as Eldritch Steel. Stories by moi [Angeline Hawkes], Steven Shrewsbury, Christopher Fulbright, Lon Prater, Tim Curran and others. I'm waiting on the final Table of Contents.

Presenting an eldritch dimension that is familiar and unsettling, this anthology of alternate-history tales touches upon a dark mythos unseen beneath the surface of the real world. Conducting a journey into a timeless universe of what might have been, this collection of stories contains narratives composed by today’s most popular Cthulhu Mythos authors. Ideal for sword and sorcery aficionados and written in the authentic style of traditional dark fantasy, this compilation is a must-have for fans of Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, and H. P. Lovecraft.

2011 will see the collected adventures of Kabar of El Hazzar published in a novel-length collection by Bad Moon Books. Out of the Garden and Other Tales of the Barbarian Kabar of El Hazzar will feature 2 new novellas, many new stories, and a handful of favorite reprints. Tune in for new details as they come. Until 2011...snatch a copy of Ancient Shadows at the awesome pre-order price!!

In other news: Robert Weinberg has written an AWESOME introduction for my themed horror collection [60k words] Inferno: Tales of Hell and Horror due out 2010 from Dark Regions Press. The collection is with the publisher now.

Shades of Blood and Shadow, my horror collection, also from Dark Regions Press, is scheduled to begin shipping in August.

Non-writing news: I've been busy sewing the nursery items. Finished: crib dust ruffle, window valance, and wall hanging so far. My writing hiatus lasts through the month of July, then I'll be back in the saddle come August. I have a whirlwind of writing scheduled. Never a dull moment! Idle hands make devil's tools afterall!

Don't forget to come see me in Wylie, Texas at Eerie Books & Collectibles this Saturday, July 4th from noon to 6 pm! Texas's only ALL HORROR bookstore! I'll be signing copies of my horror collection, Symphony for the Forgotten, 2008 Bram Stoker nominated anthology, Beneath the Surface ["The Relic: Father Santiago's Bone"], and the 2007 Origins Award nominated anthology, Frontier Cthulhu ["In Waters Black the Lost Ones Sleep"].

That's my scoop. Go buy some books!

Dallas Examiner article promoting book signing July 4th

2009-06-28T23:37:08Z

Journalist Ethan Nahte wrote an awesome article for the Dallas Examiner about my upcoming signing this weekend, July 4, Saturday, 12 pm to 6 pm at Eerie Books & Collectibles in downtown Wylie, Texas.

Thank you Ethan!

I hope to see my faithful minions and potential new minions this weekend...there is always room on the Ghoul Squad for new recruits!

Signing books in Wylie, TX July 4, Sat, 12 pm - 6 pm.

2009-06-27T22:11:05Z

Mark your calendars for the Fourth of July! I will be downtown in Wylie, Texas signing books at Eerie Books & Collectibles from noon to 6 pm. In stock are copies of my horror collection, Symphony for the Forgotten, 2007 Origins Award nominated anthology, Frontier Cthulhu; and 2008 Bram Stoker nominated anthology, Beneath the Surface.

Come on out and say hello!

Nursery progress and book release updates

2009-06-17T23:04:38Z

I'm using the Wilmington Tidings & Tales Fairy tale fabric for the focal point. Here's the fabric quilt panel and coordinating fabric:

We have to build a wall and closet yet, but here are the 2 walls I've finished. Beanstalks surround the window. The Rapunzel I modified to make her an Asian Rapunzel gazing into a moonlit night.

And a poorly lit shot at the 2 walls:

The sewing frenzy will commence as soon as the wall is built and all walls are painted. To be sewn are: window valance, diaper stacker, 2 quilts, sheets, wall hanging, dust ruffle, doll crib bedding, [possibly bumper pads], chair pads, closet door curtain, other quilts that don't match the fabric...

In good news, we found out that we've actually BEEN on the referral call list since April. Apparently, when we went to committee and weren't matched with the baby we requested, we were automatically added to the call list. We're still waiting for our paperwork to come in the mail and we'll file our 1600-A form with immigration as soon as we get it.

In the meantime, I'm staying busy with the nursery and the kiddos. My writing hiatus lasts until August...then it'll be back to the novels. Here's the scoop on upcoming book releases:

August 2009: Shades of Blood and Shadow [hor collection] from Dark Regions Press

TBA 2009: Terrible Beauty, Fearful Symmetry [ hor anthology, my story: "Skin Deep"] from Dark Hart Press
Winter Pre-order 2009/10: Inferno: Tales of Hell and Horror [themed 60k word collection] from Dark Regions Press
TBA 2010 Reprinting of The Commandments from Dark Regions Press
June 2010: As of yet Unnamed Robert E Howard/Project Pride Benefit anthology [Howardian genres -- my story -- "Two Dragons Blazing: A Tale of the Barbarian Kabar of El Hazzar"]
2011: [100+k word heroic/barbarian fantasy collection] Out of the Garden and Other Tales of the Barbarian Kabar of El Hazzar from Bad Moon Books

That's my scoop for now!

Pre-Order Goodness for Shades of Blood and Shadow

2009-06-10T19:41:04Z

The following product is on preorder or backorder. Our expected ship date / ETA: Aug 30, 2009 (all dates are tentative and subject to change).

The palette of history and horror mingle in the hues of crimson blood and blackest death. The ghosts of the past mourn for lives unfinished, vengeance unfulfilled, and loves lost. The heart beats in a cacophony of anticipation and fear, echoing with the memory of those that once were, once danced, once believed.

Hues of fear, of woe and dying. Shades of death, of blood and shadow. Fallen women, queens, and angels. Angry men, ghosts, and devils. Life is woven in a tapestry of joy and sorrow; painted in the colors of pain, and triumph, and love. What artistry is found within the soul of every man -- some perfection, some wretched -- painted words and pictures of things glorious and of things unspeakable.

Angeline Hawkes writes with the fatalistic poetry of unstoppable history gone disturbingly wrong. -- John Everson, Bram Stoker Award winning author

Shades of Blood and Shadow represents only a taste of the hundreds of short stories penned by Bram Stoker Award nominated writer Angeline Hawkes. From ancient Mayans to the horrors at Chernobyl, she pulls you into the hearts and minds of fiendish creatures and tortured man. History offers up the wayward and the monstrous in this collection of ghoulish hues.

“Angeline Hawkes's … imagination seems to tend toward a Lovecraftian-meets-George Romero-in-a-dark-alley sensibility.” -- Robert Butterfield, Necropsy: The Review of Horror Fiction

“…Angeline Hawkes conducts an orchestra of creatures that are both bloody and sexy. You won’t forget this tour through historical horror; it’s a sumptuous smorgasbord for beasts craving variety.” --Gregory Lamberson, author of Johnny Gruesome and Personal Demons

“…every story is unique, and every story works. Angeline Hawke's writing is sharp, elegant and satisfying in the most deliciously dark way.” -- Jonathan Maberry, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Zombie CSU and Patient Zero

“Angeline Hawkes…conjures dark and dangerous experiences, satisfyingly horrorific stories seasoned with sly humor, historical epics slipstreaming into alternate realities… hellishly inspiring, fantastically inventive, a collection of dark fiction impossible to forget!” -- C. Dean Andersson, Bram Stoker Award nominated author of I Am Dracula, Raw Pain Max, and the Bloodsong Saga

Details

SKU     SKU19277
Store:     Bloodletting Books
Author:     Angeline Hawkes
Publisher:     Dark Regions Press
Edition:     Limited Edition Hardcover
Release Date:     August 2009
Page Count:     154
Print Run:     100
Cover Artist:     Tom Moran
Price:     $40.00

Awesome online store for Asian baby dolls etc

2009-06-09T21:07:13Z

Found an awesome online store for purchasing Asian dolls and baby announcements, etc.

No one gets in to see the Wizard. Not no way. Not no how.

2009-06-06T21:18:29Z

Today, Christopher and I spent the morning garage sale-ing. I was actually looking for baby stuff, gear, clothes, etc. You know normally when you pass a garage sale the place is loaded with baby stuff. Everything under the sun. BUT when you WANT to buy baby stuff, the whole baby stuff buying spree is a bust. It's just the general rule of the baby universe.

We did manage some good scores. One guy had closed a smoothie shop and I got a whole box of like 1000 condiment cups and lids [those little 1-2 oz ones] that I use for Chris's salad dressing in his lunch for $5. Awesome. I got a computer printer paper box full of nice doll & build a bear clothes to wash and use as chore prizes/payments for Kiddo#2. I got 2 dresses and a pair of jeans. One of the dress was new with tags for $2. Never pay retail!! I got a handful of clothes for the girl child and a couple of dresses for future Kiddo #3.
Found a cute wood doll bed to be repainted for Kiddo #3's room. I found an entire baby nursery set in red/white check for $5. That really rocked because all of the nursery items I'm sewing are red and white. Awesome! And, got a few baby Fisher Price toys. Oh, and we got one of those thingys you roll your hose around inside, a rubbermaid box thing that goes outside...hose storage? lol. Chris found some awesome computer thingys, cords and drivers and man stuff.

Then we stopped off at Paperbacks Plus in Mesquite and used some of our store credit. I got 2 adoption books and Chris got some books off his Master List that lives in his wallet.

Overall, it was a good garage sale day.

No scrapbooking today because I'm waiting on the last of the photos to arrive in the mail. Totally done with up to the last week of May. I'm waiting on 6th grade graduation photos and then I'll be finished scrapbooking until NEXT summer. Yay! It's an arduous process that takes a good 3 weeks, and a big explosion of paper and gluesticks and scissors and scrap pile in the formal dining room...but it's good to get a full year's worth of photos scrapbooked until the next year.

As soon as that is all cleaned up, the next project on the list is painting the nursery. Sky blue with white clouds, and select re-created scenes from the Fairy Tale fabric I'm using for the quilts, etc etc. Then the nursery gets put together. I have to sew the curtains, etc.

So, for today, I'm piddling about doing housework while Chris edits his new book. I'm still on the writing hiatus. Once the nursery is completed, the writing will be back on track.

So, that's my big scoop. It was sunny and blue, but now is looking a bit like rain. Weird weather.

Writing and other stuff

2009-06-03T22:05:05Z

Updates of a sort...I'm on a writing hiatus...that's not to say the inner workings of the publishing industry aren't still turning in my brief absence, lol...turned in the manuscript for Inferno, so edits will be back on that sometime this summer. Decision is still out on whether or not there will be new stories in the reprinting of The Commandments. I will, of course, write whatever Dark Regions wants. I'm easy like that. You ask, I write. It's an easy job description, lol. Shades of Blood and Shadow is posted on the Dark Regions site, but not order-able yet from the looks of the page.

I imagine that will be posted sooner than later. I have a Fourth of July book signing at Eerie Books and Collectibles in Wylie, Texas set for noon to close [ 6 pm]. Randy [the owner] has stocked copies of Symphony for the Forgotten, and anthologies - Beneath the Surface and Frontier Cthulhu. Should be a busy signing as all sorts of activities will be going on down on the Wylie square. Come in and see me!

So, new projects. As soon as the scrapbooks are finished [photo albums] and the nursery is painted, and sewn for, I'll be back to the grindstone. I really needed a hiatus. I've been writing non-stop since August of 2008. Almost every night. My brain needs a break. When the nursery is finished, I'll rest easier. I'm an avid nester. The nursery MUST be completed. For Kiddo #1 his nursery was finished 4 yrs before he was born...the cat was confused, she thought it was her room. lol.

So....Bad Moon Books has my entire Kabar series coming out in an awesome collection: Out of the Garden and Other Tales of the Barbarian Kabar of El Hazzar in 2011... Inferno: Tales of Hell and Horror will more than likely come out in 2010...so I'm covered. I have handful of anthology stories coming out as well in the meantime, and as soon as the hiatus is over, I'm sure I'll have a plethora of other story announcements. It's all silently churning....

In sewing: except for a few Bambino/Bleuette ensembles that I'm sewing while I wait in the soccer mom line at the school, the only other thing I've worked on is the first baby quilt for the nursery. Photos when finished of course.

Photo albums: .I'm up to mid-May in the photo albums now...I predict another week until finished. Then it's on to the nursery painting/mural...then the sewing...

AND I already have 3 tomatoes in the garden and 1 almost ripe jalopeno! Go garden go! The pear trees are doing fabulous as well! We had a minor front tree incident involving Teh Hotness and weed killer, but I think it will hang in there. He's been very diligent about rescuing it. He's rather the green thumb...this was a freak accident!

Adoption news: We're waiting on copies of our home study from our social worker so we can send in our immigration form and start processing the petition to adopt a foreign orphan. Lots of waiting. I get sad from time to time. I check the baby webpage every morning when I log onto the net...always hoping to find "our baby girl"...we're on the direct call list now...so really, any time we could get a call. This is a lot more difficult than waiting while pregnant. At least then you have a focal point...this is nerve-racking. The not knowing. Once we get a referral it will be easier. We'll have something to focus on and then will just have to wait to bring her home. For now, we just have to wait and hope and pray. We know there's a baby girl out there waiting or perhaps waiting to be born...but she's ours and we pray every night for her birth parents and for her.

That's the scoop for now...school's out tomorrow!! School's out for the summer...air guitar! Woot! Mom Taxi is on vacation!!!

Outraged over a new movie: Orphan

2009-05-29T17:23:30Z

Adoption is hard enough without jackholes making movies like this that play on the fears of parents. Older children are hard enough to place and movies like this perpetuate stereotypes of orphans as miscreants and damaged goods. Watching the trailer, my heart began to race because the movie plays on maternal feelings that every adoptive mother [and paternal/father] has to reconcile about their love, attachment capabilities, etc when dealing with adoptive children and their relationship to biological children if one has them.

This movie will do nothing but hurt the unfortunate plight of hundreds of thousands of children waiting for adoptive families in the US and internationally.

You can see a trailer for the movies here http://orphan-movie.warnerbros.com

Please take a moment to cut and paste the letter below into an email and send it to:
information@timeinc.com

To whom it may concern:
I want to express my outrage about the release of the movie Orphan. The film plays into the stereotype of adopted children as damaged and dangerous. It discourages families from pursuing adoption, particularly adoption of older children, who are especially in need of loving homes. As an adoptive parent, I am horrified by the line in the trailer that "it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own." Adoption has often been misrepresented in the media, but the previews for this film are unbelievably offensive. I urge you to change the promotional materials, and to consider holding the release of the film altogether.

Time Warner Inc.
One Time Warner Center
New York, NY 10019-8016
212-484-8000

information@timeinc.com

Warner Bros.
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522
818-954-6000

http://www2.warnerbros.com/main/help/customer_service_thanks.html

Silver Pictures
4000 Warner Blvd. 90
Burbank, CA 91522-0001
818-954-4490

angelinehawkes @ 2009-05-28T14:06:00

2009-05-28T19:15:56Z

Auctions closing. Dolls, doll clothes [Bleuette/Bambino], girls shoes, action figures, sewing.

My story, "The Ananias Syndrome", has been published in Sam's Dot Publishing's Cover of Darkness, May 09. It's a sci-fi/medical/end of the world kind of yarn.

I've been busy doing my annual scrapbook/photo album marathon of photos from May 08 to May 09. I'm on January now. Woot! After the albums are finished, it'll be on to painting the nursery and sewing all the nursery items. Busy! We're waiting to hear back from Korea now to verify approval of our home study. Keep praying that the right baby girl comes our way!

School is winding down and the kids have been busy with programs, etc. 5 more days!

That's the scoop for right now. The manuscript for Inferno: Tales of Hell and Horror has been turned in, and I expect to receive signature sheets for Shades of Blood and Shadow shortly.

Bleuette and Bambino ensembles

2009-05-19T20:55:05Z

New Bleuette and Bambino ensembles and fabric auctions listed now on ebay.

Interview and auctions and other jazzy jazz

2009-05-17T19:20:39Z

New Ebay auctions listed here.

New interview of me by Gabrielle Faust for the Austin Literary Examiner here.

Thank you to Gabrielle for the interview opportunity. :)

In writing news: Inferno: Tales of Hell and Horror is finished and sent to Joe at Dark Regions Press. Robert Weinberg will be writing the foreword for the collection. I'm happy with the manuscript...here's hoping Joe is too!

In adoption news: We received word that our homestudy is finished and being sent on to our agency. We hope to be declared "Official" by the end of next week. We're now gearing up for the next big payment [hence the ebay auctions and more to come...Chris will be listing books, dvds and vhs soon] to the Immigrations services for our petition to adopt a foreign orphan.

In sewing news: finished several Bleuette or Bambino ensembles. Will get them up on ebay soonish.

In other news: Teh Hotness is finished with school for the semester. Yay! I get him for the whole summer! The kids are itching to be out of school too...they still have a few weeks however.

We purchased the boxed set of Full Moon Picture's SUBSPECIES series at Texas Frightmare Weekend a couple weekends past...and we had a full week of Subspecies! I LOVE this series. However, we're at odds with the director for his offing of Radu. The poor guy got the short end of the stick in every way imaginable. I mean...he was simply a product of his parents and environment...all he wanted was LOVE! I really think the director should bring him back in Subspecies V and get Michelle to fall in love with him. Maybe his puddle of goo around his flaming body can grow him a new head...maybe a little younger looking...who knows what the shallow broad might need to make her see that Radu truly loves and adores her! Anyway....Radu would have had me at the awesome castle and the poufy black dresses and the jewels...but women these days! There's no pleasing them! Anyway, Ted! Contact me...I've got some great ideas for a spin-off Radu novel series!

I'm gearing up for my beginning of the summer, annual, scrapbooking/photo album marathon. I save all our photos from June to June and spend a couple of weeks doing the photo albums. I found it easier to do a marathon scrapbooking feat every year then hauling all the supplies out every so often throughout the year. And, it's fun to spend time with the year's photos!

This summer the plans are: photo albums, paint baby's room, sew baby's bedding/curtains, etc, sew a few dresses for the girl child, sew fundraising sachets and misc, sew quilts, and horror dresses projects...much sewing!

That's about it. Our anniversary is on Tuesday, May 19th, so we're going out to eat tonight to celebrate. Easier than doing it on Tuesday when we'd need a baby sitter. I feel like I've been in love with Teh Hotness all of my life...I fall in love with him all over again every day. God has blessed me so much with Christopher and his love. I can't imagine my life without him. I love you, bebe!

This just in....Shades of Blood and Shadow now available!

2009-05-08T17:21:58Z

Happy Dance now....Tom Moran did the SPECTACULAR cover and interior art!!!

New Summer Fundraising Sewing Project: Horror & Fantasy themed dresses

2009-05-08T17:10:33Z

So, I was at Texas Frightmare Weekend this past weekend and saw 2 girls walking around in very simple sundresses made from this awesome out of print Robert Kaufman fabric called Horror Movie Monsters....and Gabrielle and I got talking about a few other places that sell such dresses. So, when I got home, I did some research and about choked when I saw the prices these places are charging for just simple sundresses that you can wear under a corset or by themselves.

Soooo I promptly bought 2 patterns off ebay. The one dress is going to be the one in the lower right hand corner of the fancier dress pattern, only shorter, above the knee. I'm adapting it so it can be worn with a layer of tulle under it. The sundresses will be less expensive as they use less fabric. I think the one style with the capped sleeves would look the best under a fancy corset.

I checked on ebay and one seller is selling a similar dress to the fancy short tulle style aforementioned for $145...holy crap! Anyway...depending on the fabric I think I can keep all of them under $50.

I have some fabric coming and this summer the dresses will be my summer fundraising project. Will see how it goes. I loved doing the monster babies last summer, but they were very time consuming since they had so many steps, and the audience/market was narrower. And they had to be priced higher to recoop expenses.

I'm thinking of doing most of the ready to sell dresses in 10-12, with a few 8s and a couple 14s. The others will be special order. Looking around, I think that maybe the size 12 would be more the "average" size? What do you all think?

Texas Frightmare Weekend PHOTOS!

2009-05-05T22:02:26Z

Short on time...will give in depth details of Texas Frightmare Weekend when get opportunity...until then, here's links to my Public Viewable Facebook albums

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107372&id=635769041&l=f0f4da641f

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107379&id=635769041&l=c2b0154970

Texas Frightmare Weekend May 1-3 Grapevine TX

2009-04-27T17:54:39Z

Read all about the convention here: http://www.texasfrightmareweekend.com

Christopher Fulbright and I will be there on Friday night from 5-10 pm. Saturday we'll be there from 10 am to 5 pm. Sunday - 10 am to 5 pm. There will be a horror writer panel Sunday at 3:30 pm that we'll be on along with whoever is still there from our group. Last year the panel had a heavy attendance and went very well even though it was just me, Chris, and Steven E. Wedel. Audience participation was great!

I will have ARCs of Symphony for the Forgotten, copies of Frontier Cthulhu, Spicy Slipstream Stories, and Return of the Sword. Christopher will have copies of Blood Coven and Bound for Evil. We'll be a the HWA table along with the other HWA writers...

Horror writers in attendance will be:

[me] Angeline Hawkes http://www.angelinehawkes.com
Christopher Fulbright http://www.christopherfulbright.com
Charlee Jacob http://www.charleejacob.com Saturday only
C. Dean Andersson http://www.cdeanandersson.com
Steven E. Wedel http://www.stevenewedel.com Saturday only
Gabrielle Faust http://www.gabriellefaust.com
Joe Mckinney http://www.joemckinney.net
Kim Paffenroth http://gotld.blogspot.com/
Brian Moreland http://www.brianmoreland.com

Saturday is my birthday. I'll be 29. We'll be ducking out early as my bff is having a crawfish boil and it's yummy and an annual event.

On the writing front:

Got the cover art and interior illustrations for my Dark Regions Press collection, Shades of Blood and Shadow. Tom Moran did an awesome job! I'll post as soon as I get permission to do so.

I'm 1/4 of the way through editing/rewrites on my next Dark Regions Press collection, Inferno: Tales of Hell and Horror. It's been keeping me busy!

And there's plenty of sewing going on. Have cut out several baby quilts that will be getting sewn mostly this summer after I'm finished with all my deadlines. That's the scoop. Y'all come out and see us at TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND!!

Sad news

2009-04-23T18:29:44Z

We received our phone call...we were not matched with the baby girl. So it's back to square 1.

The agency can't give us any details as to how or why the decision was made as there are 3 other families involved, and revealing details about the decision would reveal details about the other families.

Leaves you with a hundred questions and self-doubts, but also hopeful that god has the right baby waiting for us and that there is a reason for everything that happens even if we don't understand at the time.

We're happy the sweet angel has a family and hope she gets to come home soon.

Sewing Room Clean Out and Adoption/Baby Stuff

2009-04-22T17:34:11Z

Well, Ebay had a 15 cent list day yesterday so all the stuff [w/exception of 10 lots of 10x10 quilt blocks] got listed. This was the clean out of the sewing shelves which had to be moved from the baby room area. So, Quilt Blocks, Fat Quarters, pre-wound bobbins and the usual Bleuette ensembles listed on ebay now.

Yesterday we had our conference call which is part of the committee review that is happening on Thursday. Not sure how it went as we're not sure what they were looking for. Our home study social worker called a little while after the conference call to make sure we wanted this baby so she could give her okay on the baby to the adoption agency. She said she was calling them back when she finished with me. There are 4 families total trying for the baby. Which is better than the 11 we started out with, but still just as nail-biting as we don't know what kind of "competition" we're up against. In the end, we just want the best family for the baby. Of course, we hope it's OURS, but we know that if this little one isn't ours, there IS a baby waiting for us out there. We just have to have patience and in the meantime get everything ready for her coming.

I sold 2 Bleuette ensembles last week and with the money I bought a battery-operated, music and jungle sound playing baby swing off ebay. So far we have a crib [sans mattress], stroller, pack and play, toddler car seat [we have to wait to see how much she weighs upon arrival to determine if we need a smaller seat], and the swing on the way. My mother-in-law hit a great consignment sale and I've won 3 big lots of clothes off ebay, so I think we have clothes covered too. Waiting on shoes.

I laid out 2 crib quilts and plan to start quilting those this weekend. So, everything is coming together slowly, but surely!

In the meantime, I'm writing my little fingers off. Actually editing and rewriting still on Inferno: Tales of Hell and Horror.

Which, actually, is what I should be doing right now, so I better get back to work!

Of Hell and Heart Throb

2009-04-19T21:48:56Z

We spent the day putting in the garden, planting wildflowers and zinnias, and planting two 7-8 feet Barlett Pear trees. In the garden I put in strawberries, Jalopenos, Roma tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and am going to start cucumbers inside before transferring them. Both Chris and I are afraid our bodies are going to freeze up at any moment! lol...

Been busy editing/rewriting on Inferno:Tales of Hell and Horror. Coming along nicely. I should make my June deadline with no troubles. Knock on wood. Then it's on to new stories to add to the deluxe edition of my 2006 Bram Stoker nominated collection, The Commandments. So glad, TC is getting another run.

Been busy washing and folding baby clothes to put away upstairs. On the adoption front we got WONDERFUL news. We have a committee date set for Thursday, April 23. That means the committee that decides on the baby/family matches will be meeting and deciding if the baby girl we've fallen in love with becomes "ours" or one of the other 2 families [that we know about, there might be more in the hat]. If we're matched, our baby girl would most likely be home in December or January. If we aren't matched, then she goes to another family and we return to square one waiting for the right baby girl. It's going to be a very very long week. Please send prayers and good thoughts our way that this is our baby girl. We've tried very hard to stay distant and not get attached, but we've fallen in love with her little face and it will be so hard to hear we didn't get the match.

Okay...so I'm off to eat some chocolate cake and watch a movie. Here's a great old recipe orginally given to my grandmother by a very elderly Seventh Day Adventist woman in Loma Linda, Ca. This has been a family favorite for 4 generations and is simple and hearty.

Heart Throb

1 pkg frozen or 1 can [14-16 oz] corn
1-2 lbs hamburger [or whatever you have, I've used as little as 1/2 lb before]
1 14-16 oz can tomato sauce
1 large chopped onion
1- 1 lb [16 oz] pkg egg noodes [can be used with elbow macaroni, but I prefer the egg noodles]
1 3/4 cup ketchup [Heinz is our preferred]

Boil water for noodles. In a large skillet, brown onion and hamburger. While hamburger/onion browns, boil noodles.Drain excess grease. Add corn, tomato sauce and ketchup. Stir well. Allow to simmer while finishing up noodles. Drain noodles and return to large pot. Add hamburger mixture to finished noodles and mix well.

I usually serve with 2 cans of french style green beans [mixed with dried minced onions and 1 tsp bacon grease, salt & pepper] and bread [home made is best!] and butter.

This is great because there's usually enough leftovers for another meal or lunches to go...it never lasts long though...everyone loves it!

Together we stand

2009-04-15T16:49:05Z

Writing and other stuff

2009-04-14T19:02:36Z

Edits/Rewrites have begun on Inferno: Tales of Hell and Horror. I wrote the table of contents, rewrote the beginning, majorly chopped the intro, and tonight will start editing the short stories. Progress is movin' along.

No baby updates right now. We're waiting to hear the final tally on how many other families will pursue the same baby girl we're interested in. Hopefully, we get that information this week.

Had a rough weekend/couple of days due to the rainy/cold...but we're in for a high 70s spell for looks like the next 4 or so days...so lookin' up!

Teh Hotness is nearly finished with his classes for the semester. He and the kids are looking forward to their summer break. Me too. Summer break = no driving. Woot!

That's my news for now...just working on the collection and various sewing/ebay projects. Busy worker bee.

Ode to the Keyboard and other ponderings

2009-04-08T16:52:20Z

Awesome! My little article about our adoption is up at http://neighborsgo.com/stories/33707

Today...day o'cutting of vintage quilt hearts, lambs, and bunnies...and asian kimono sachets....reward for finishing my first draft of Inferno. Editing and rewrites begin tomorrow.

Ode to The Keyboard
I've rescued this from the trash a few times. Fought to keep it. Demanded to keep it. I love my keyboard and have sworn to use it until it dies. So far, it's kept on groovin'. There are holes in the S and N key. I guess I must use them the most. lol. There are almost holes on the M and comma key. There are grooves from my fingernails/rings hitting the key surface on several keys. The plastic has faded to some strange greenish color. There are a few paperclips beneath the keys that I dare not attempt to extract. Most of the letters are gone or in process of being gone. I don't care. I learned to type by NOT looking at the keys...the teacher would get most unpleasant if she saw you looking down at your typewriter keys. lol. Just something I thought I'd share....some people have that worn out comfortable t-shirt they won't part with, or houseslippers or jeans....I have my keyboard.

OneCause program helping fund our adoption

2009-04-07T22:05:55Z

We're starting to see contributions in our ONECAUSE account. It's so easy to do and everyone can help.

Go to: http://www.onecause.com and register. On your home page there will be a box to the left and one of the options is Supporter Crediting.
Choose: National Adoption Foundation and very important enter angelinehawkes@yahoo.com as the beneficiary email. When you're finished it should read like this:

Supporter Crediting allows you to apply a predetermined percentage of your contributions, as chosen by your school or cause, toward your tuition, membership dues, scholarships or other fees. Your friends and family can designate you as the beneficiary for their contributions, too! Learn more about Supporter Crediting.

National Adoption Foundation applies 50% of your contributions toward Supporter Crediting.

<input ... > Enroll in the National Adoption Foundation Supporter Crediting Program.

Supporter Crediting benefits:
Angie & Chris Fulbright
angelinehawkes@yahoo.com

National Adoption Foundation should show up on your home page under causes

There are 2 ways this works. THE EASIEST

Click Shop. There will be an option to install the ONECAUSE toolbar...as long as you are logged in to your onecause account, this will automatically show you when you're getting contributions, there will be a green light on your bar if you are at a retailer who will contribute to your selected cause. Some retailers aren't even listed on the onecause site, but they are contributors!

The other way involves a couple of steps everytime you want to shop. Log in to onecause account. click shop. find store. click on it and shop as usual.

OneCause does NOT have access to your credit info or your passwords or any of that at other retailers, etc.

1/2 of your contribution amount [all retailers have a certain % of your purchase they contribute] goes to National Adoption Foundation and 1/2 of your contribution comes to our account. Fulbright_Family is our account. You can find our little map of South Korea on page 16 or 17...it fluctuates depending on the $ others have at the time...we move up a few notches with every contribution!

Thank you for everyone who has helped and is helping! Your support means so much to us!