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Come on over and update your bookmarks!

Hugs

~J

Wednesday Randomness: When I Knew I Wanted to be a Writer

Happy Wednesday!

This is coming late because Blogger has decided to hate me - seriously, what did I ever do to you!? But, I shall persevere and this post will be put up!

So this week's topic is about how and when I knew I wanted to be a writer. Easy because I don't really remember a time when I didn't want to write and tell stories.

I remember when I was younger and didn't like the way a book, TV show or movie ended or developed, I'd make up my own ending or rewrite it how *I* thought it should go (OMG, I've been doing fanfic long before I even knew what it was *gasp*)

I'd lay in bed and tell my younger sister these revamped stories. Or make up stories involving us and our celebrity crushes at the time...absolutely mortifying when I think back on it.

In high school, I wrote and wrote and wrote. When I probably should have been paying attention in class. Whoops. I had notebooks filled with stories (truly horrendous stories, I might add, but all part of the journey, yeah?)

Writing was always a part of my life but for a long time it was shoved to the back burner as I went about my life--because writing as a career? I didn't think that was a possibility. I had my kids and was mom, but still wrote as often as I could. It was more recently, when deciding what I was going to do since my kid were in school ful time, that I (with the incredible support and encouragement from my pretty amazing husband) decided, why not? Why couldn't I make writing my career? It was all I ever wanted to do. Now, I'm blessed enough to be able to do what I love every day and call it my job. Lucky, lucky me. :) 

And that's that from me. Be sure to go and check out Bronwyn Green's blog and find out her story! 

Until next week.

Hugs

Jess

MERLIN CLUB: Gwaine

MERLIN CLUB: GWAINE

Or the One With All the Hair Swishing (Thanks, Gwaine!)

MERLIN CLUB IS BACK!!! After two weeks away for the Author After Dark convention and recovering from an epic road trip with Bron and Jen, I was so happy to jump back into Merlin Club. I missed my boys! :) So here we go...

RECAP – The episode opens with Arthur and Merlin arriving at a small village after a day of hunting and Arthur decides he needs some mead. So they go into the tavern, and no one knows that the prince is in their midst. 

The barmaid makes flirty eyes and when Arthur takes her aren’t-you-a-handsome-one comment as being directed at him, she quickly informs him that she is checking out Merlin (and who can blame her? ROWR). The look on Arthur’s face is priceless. Seriously.

Anyhoo, as they enjoy their tankards of mead, Arthur notices a burly guy taking money from the barmaid and demanding more—which she doesn’t have. Arthur orders the dude to give the money back , and a fight breaks out. An all out brawl between the thug and his friends and Merlin and Arthur. During the fight a stranger jumps in and helps prince and servant 

When they are victorious, Arthur has the men put in the stocks and reveals himself as the prince. They then bring the stranger, Gwaine, back to Camelot to recover from his injury.

While in Camelot, Gwaine causes some troubles with him womanizing ways (even flirting with Gwen *gasp* which ticks Arthur off), racking up big bills at the tavern by treating pretty much everyone to drinks—and Merlin saves his hide and has the tavern send the bill to the Arthur. Arthur is unhappy, of course, but Merlin points out the prince said Gwaine was to be given anything he wanted and offers to pay for the bill himself. And he and Gwaine end up polishing the boots of all the knights.  

Gwaine confesses that if he’d known Arthur was the prince, he wouldn’t have helped. He can’t stand the nobility.

Meanwhile, to of the jerks from the tavern brawl, are anxious for some revenge against Arthur. They plan to enter the melee and kill the prince—with the help of some magic crystals (which allow them to take on the appearance of two knights they’ve killed) and swords that look blunt but are actually quite sharp. They arrive in Camelot, and Arthur offers up Merlin’s services, as he seems friendly with the knights the guys are impersonating. They’re real jerks to Merlin, basically, ordering him around and being asses in general.

Later, Merlin asks Gwaine why he hates the nobility so much and the other man reveals he’s actual of noble birth. His father was a knight and was killed in battle. His king refused to help Gwaine’s mother afterwards. Gwaine sees nobles as only titles and thinks knights are arrogant jerks. Merlin says Arthur is different.

In the imposters’ chambers, Merlin cuts himself on one of the supposed blunted blades and goes back that night to investigate, but accidently wakes one of the guys up. He’s in quite a bind but Gwaine shows up and helps him. The thugs spin a different story to Uther though, saying Gwaine tried to kill them and call for his execution. Uther is all affronted and in arms because Gwaine dares to speak, against noble knights, no less. Yeah, I'm rolling my eyes right about now. Gwaine doesn't cower though. 

Arthur argues as Gwaine saved his life and Uther (still a douchcanoe….I know SHOCKER), banishes him from Camelot instead.

During the melee, Merlin does the best he can to protect Arthur without revealing his magic and soon only Arthur and the two jerks. But a knight who had been wounded earlier rejoins the fight and comes to Arthur’s aid. When the bad guys are defeated and dead, the knight is revealed to be Gwaine. Uther, of course, isn’t grateful Gwaine helped Arthur…oh no. He is furious and demands Gwaine’s execution for killing two knights. But Gaius shows him that they were not knights, exposing the crystals, and convinces Uther to reconsider Gwaine’s sentence.

Later, Arthur talks to Gwaine and apologizes as uther refuses to lift the banishment though Gwaine will no longer be killed, so yay for that. When he leaves, Gwaine tells Merlin that he believes Arthur to be different and there are strong hints that when Arthur is king, Gwaine just may return. Merlin and Arthur watch Gwaine leave, and Arthur gets upset when he sees the man flirting with Gwen. Merlin teases him, saying that Gwen couldn’t possibly set her sights higher as she’s just a servant. Arthur tells him to shut up and they push and chase each other around as they go back inside the castle.

If I wrote this episode, I would have changed… I guess the whole Gwaine flirting with Gwen thing… It’s not a huge thing but the whole every guy that comes long finds Gwen so freaking irresistible gets a bit old. And other than making Arthur jealous, which did we really need that?—it didn’t serve any purpose in the story at all. That was Gwen’s only role in the whole episode—being on the receiving end of Gwaine’s flirting. So I’d have just cut that out.

Thing(s) I loved about this episode—The Merlin/Arthur banter throughout. The look on Arthur’s face when he realizes the barmaid isn’t into him, the golden prince, but his servant. I like the budding friendship between Gwaine and Merlin. And just Gwaine, general. Hair swishing and all. :)

Thing(s) I hated about this episode—Hate that Gwaine is still banished at the end. Purely selfish on my part because I find him pretty and wish to gaze at him more. Hated the flirtation with Gwen as I mention above.

Something I never noticed about this episode before—Nothing here this week.

Proof of some head canon I’ve created—The connection between Arthur and Merlin. That they feel/sense when the other is in danger. During the bar fight, Arthur is getting pummeled but still yells out a warning to Merlin when he’s about to get hit from behind (yeah, yeah, he could just be that observant, but don’t burst my bubble. I chose to believe he sensed it because he had his own shit to be worrying about but still…saved Merlin’s hide.)

Also, I’m not wholly unconvinced something didn’t happen between Gwaine and Merlin. I’ll get into this more later in the series, but they got pretty close, pretty fast if you know what I mean.

Favorite costume—Merlin’s blanket. Yep, that is my favorite costume this week.

What would Bron steal from Camelot in this episode? The crystals. I think they’d catch the sun quite beautifully hanging in her windows, don’t you?

What made Jen lose her shit (in a good or bad way) in this episode? This was a hard one this week… The lack of Gwen and Morgana in this episode. They hardly feature at all and seem utterly superfluous.

Bron’s Merlin Club: Gwaine Post

Jen’s Merlin Club: Gwaine Post

Next week, 8/25 at 8pm EST, we’ll be watching S03E05:The Crystal Cave. We’ll be on Twitter with the hashtag #MerlinClub

Wednesday Randomness: What's My Sign?

Happy Wednesday! Today the ladies and I are talking our astrological signs and whether or not they "fit" us. So, here we go... 

My birthday is July 3, and that makes me a...

Here are two graphics that descrive Cancers that the fabulous Kris Norris found for me - because I've been losing my mind lately (crazy busy stuff, nothing bad!) and she is just that awesome.

Let's just go down the list then, shall we? 

1. Yes. Don't like beign the center of attention at all. Especially in a large group. 

2. Hmm Don't know if how I think is unconventional, really. If pressed, I'd say no. *shrug*

3. Yes. I have a hard time letting things go. Always thinking of what could have been said or done, etc. 

4. Yeah, I think I'm loyal and dependable. I try to always come through, especially when it matters. 

5. Um, I guess so? 

6. LMAO Been hearing this one my WHOLE life, so yes. 

7. Yes. I think think this is one of my strengths. 

8. No, I don't think so. I do often think of worst case scenarios in my head, I'll admit that, but I don't see that as pessimism. And I don't think I'm a suspicious person at all. 

9. Yes. Absolutely yes. 

10. Another firm yes on this one. 

No shock that water is my element…always been drawn to it, love the water. 

Life pursuit of constant reassurance and intimacy…yeah, I can see that. 

Moody? Mentioned in the last list too, and no surprise to me. LMAO Ding, ding, ding. I own it—I’m a moody bitch. Seriously. 

Feeling safe is my secret desire? Yeah, got me there too. 

It says Cancers are enigmas and bundles of contradictions. LOL I suppose that could be used to describe me.I’m not on board with the jealousy thing and making remarks based on that. I think even when I feel jealousy—and come on, I’m human as the next girl and definitely feel jealousy sometimes—I try very hard not to be bitchy about it or hurtful. I really try to keep those things to myself because I don’t want to be hurtful. And I’m not going to begrudge someone else what they have—whether it’s success or something else. 

Endearingly eccentric? Don’t know about that one. But I am insecure at times(*ahem* most of the time… Again, I’ll own it.) Definitely about how I’m viewed by others. *shrug* Working on that. 

I had to laugh when I read the “makes it impossible to operate on an even keel from day to day.” That is me. 100% me. Finding and sticking to a routine is next to impossible for me. I don’t know why and I would love to change that, to be perfectly honest. 

And it’s right on that love and romance matter a lot. Look at what I do? I write romance; I LIVE for the happily ever after. 

So I guess the answer to the does-my-sign-fit-me question, I can safely say yes. LOL 

Go and see what the other ladies have to say about their signs and how they measure up. 

Bronwyn Green

Gwendolyn Cease

Kellie St. James

Kris Norris

Until next week!

Hugs

~J

Wednesday Randomness: Self Interview

Happy Wednesday, all. This week, we're doing an easy post - and that makes me so happy because I JUST got back from traveling and am exhausted. :) Will post more about my adventures later. 

For now, though, on with the self-interview...

What’s your favorite word? Love (Yeah, it's corny, but come on! Someone saying "I love you", "Love" as an endearment... I LOVE love. :-)

What’s your least favorite word? Pus (*shudder*) Probably because of what it brings to mind. 

What turns you on? Oh boy...so many things. Some simple - a look, a teasing touch, that kind of thing. Others more complex, like someone making you feel like you're the only person they see, that the world disappears when they're with you. I couldn't possibly list everything, but those are the ones that come to mind immediately. 

What turns you off? Selfishness

What sound do you love? Waves

What sound do you hate? Someone puking (sorry, but it's the first thing I thought of. LOL)

What’s your favorite curse word? Fuck

What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? Damn, this is a hard one because I honestly believe I have the greatest job and it's all I ever really wanted to do. If I had to choose something else to do I'd say literature professor because of my love of the written word and wanting to pass that on. *shrug*

What profession would you not like to do? I couldn't work in health care. I was a nursing assistant for a while. I couldn't handle it *hangs head shamefully* Where I worked...I burned out quickly when I couldn't help in some cases even though I desperately wanted to. So never again for health care. 

If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? You did well; come on in. 

Dog or cat person? Love both but have to say dog because I'm more allergic to cats than dogs. LOL

Coffee or tea? Coffee

Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Trek

Buffy, Angel or Firefly? I shall NOT choose! I will rank them though... Buffy, Firefly, then Angel. 

Pirate or ninja? Arg. 

Morning or night person? Night person, for sure. 

Procrastinator or get things done early? *cue hysterical laughing* Procrastination is my game, folks, as much as I wish it wasn't. 

Introvert or extrovert? Introvert. I definitely recharge with time on my own, away from others. 

What do you like best about writing? Living vicariously through my characters. 

What do you like least? When life gets in the way. Writing has to be pushed back to the back burner sometimes. Family always comes first and no regrets on that front, but I hate when I can't write, regardless of the reason. 

Check out how the other ladies answered these questions. :) 

Bronwyn Green
Kellie St. James
Kris Norris
Leigh Jones

Until next week!

Hugs,

~J

Wednesday Randomness: A Few of My Favorite Things: TV SHOWS

I am so so sorry but this week's post has not gotten done. I was camping then went straight into Authors After Dark. We are finally in NC For the con--after 18 hours, the hellish ride through never ending Ohio, a rather frightening, unplanned detour on West Virginia. Now, I'm can barely brain, let alone wrote a coherent blogpost. So I'm going to turn in, my darlings, and I'll see you next week!!
Hugs
~J

MERLIN CLUB: Goblin's Gold

MERLIN CLUB: GOBLIN’S GOLD

Or the One With Gaius Licking Stuff and Making Bron Throw Up in Her Mouth a Little

RECAP—So Merlin’s down in the library – which is in dire need of a clean. Geoffrey needs to get on that – to get Gaius a book. While there, he finds a secret chamber where he finds a box. Noises are coming from the box, and despite my yelling at the screen for him NOT to do it, Merlin opens the box.  Out pops a goblin.

It causes mischief and, when Melin tries to get it back in the box, it transforms into a little light and escapes from the chamber. Merlin races after it, and finds that it’s made a HUGE mess of Arthur’s rooms. Arthur comes along and demands an explanation and Merlin – brilliant liar he is :-/  – says he’s spring cleaning. He  sees the goblin leave and chases after it. It goes after Morgana’s jewelry but makes a quick escape out the window when Merlin comes in. As he’s trying to put the jewelry away, Gwen walks in, who doesn’t even question what Merlin is doing on the floor with Morgana’s trinkets. WTF, Gwen?

Back in Gaius’ chambers, Merlin identifies the creature as a goblin and Gauis warns him that goblins are mischievous and dangerous and desire nothing more than gold. Arthur comes in and says they need to come to the king’s chambers for an urgent and delicate matter. They come in and we see poor Uther has lost all his hair. 

Bald as bald can be. And ASH pulls it off, the bastard.

Alone again, Gaius tells Merlin it has to be an enchantment from the goblin for Uther to lose his hair like that, and when Merlin giggles over bald Uther, the physician takes him to task, reminding him what Uther would do to whoever was responsible for releasing the goblin. They work out a plan to trap the creature, using gold as a lure.

That night, Merlin swipes a chest of gold coins from Arthur’s chambers. He breaks a dish on the way out and wakes the prince. Melrin uses magic to make the bed curtains fall on Arthur, giving him a chance to escape unseen. Using a trail of gold coins to lead the Goblin into their chambers, Merlin and Gaius try to capture the creature, but it again turns into the bit of light and enters Gaius. Merlin doesn’t notice, but the older man is clearly possessed by the goblin and sends the young man on a wild goose chase after the “escaped” goblin.

The goblin, as Gaius, tears the chambers apart, looking for gold. When Merlin returns, it orders Merlin to clean up and heads out to the tavern. Which confuses Merlin. At the tavern, Goblin!Gaius arm-wrestles and wins lots of gold. And there is lip licking and it’s kinda gross. The next morning, a hungover Goblin!Gaius sends Merlin out for his breakfast. Morgana comes in asking for a sleeping draught as her bracelet has been stolen. The goblin mocks and makes fun of Morgana then tells her he sees into her cold heart and knows how she really feels about Uther. He gives her an enchanted sleeping draught and she leaves.

Goblin!Gaius goes around town, lies about the severity of peoples conditions and making up sickness to get gold out of them – Gwen included. He also manages to slap Uther around on the head as he “treats” what has caused Uther’s hair loss. 

Back in Gaius’s chambers, Merlin catches him licking coins and finally realizes it’s the goblin. 

The goblin warns him that if he tries to hurt him, he’ll only hurt Gaius.

While Arthur gives Uther a report about vandalism around the castle, suddenly the king, Morgana and Gwen all start farting – a result of the goblin’s enchanted remedies.  There is much horror and Uther dismisses everyone. When Merlin later confronts the goblin, the creature realizes that Merlin has magic. The young warlock promises to free Gaius and goes to look for Arthur.

When he finds the princes, Arthur orders the guards to arrest him. Turns out the goblin has blamed Merlin for all the things going on and shows Uther a book of magic he claims to have found in Merlin’s room. Merlin tries to tell them Gaius is possessed but without proof, no one believes him. Uther orders his execution. But, wait! Arthur isn’t quite as convinced as the others and seems to suspect something.

Later in the tavern, Goblin!Gaius has a confrontation with Sir Leon (SIR LEON! How very DARE he??) but he apologizes. Then he serves the knights drinks he put some potion into…it causes ugly boil-y things to break out all over the knights’ faces.

In his cell, Merlin magically takes the keys off a sleeping guard. He flees, and when the warning bells sound, he hides at Gwen’s. The next morning, he asks her to talk to Arthur about Gaius being possessed. She’s embarrassed and hesitant…you know because of the farting…but agrees to do it. Arthur invites Gaius to his rooms and when the old man seems happy about Merlin’s upcoming death, Arthur’s suspicions are confirmed—because Gaius would never be happy about that no matter what Merlin had done. Arthur draws his sword but the goblin knocks him out.  When Gwen comes to him, she finds that Goblin!Gaius has given Arthur donkey ears and the prince can only bray like the animal.

Merlin finds out that if the host is dying, the goblin will be forced out of its body. He goes to get the box that once contained the goblin so they can trap it again. Then he puts poison on the gold coins the goblin has hidden. The pair hides in Merlin’s room and watch as Goblin!Gaius comes in. When it licks the coins, Gwen is once again the voice of we the people, saying it’s disgusting. Yes, Gwen, yes, it is! They come out as the goblin leaves Gaius’ body. It knocks into Gwen, who was holding the antidote to the poison—which was to be administered quickly. To bottle flies into a bunch of other bottles and now she doesn’t know which bottle is the antidote. Let this be a lesson to us all – label shit clearly.

The goblin tries to possess Merlin but he managed to spit it in the box and seal it closed. Merlin and Gwen search for the antidote and eventually try the one they think is it. After a couple long moments of thinking maybe they gave him the wrong one , Gaius wakes and is back to normal.

The physician tells Uther Merlin is innocent and that he was indeed possessed and the goblin was the one who did all those things. Merlin is pardoned and Uther orders the box be sealed in the vaults (because that always works, right?). When Uther asks who let the goblin out to begin with, Gauis says he has no idea.

Later Gwen and Arthur run into each other and there is an awkward moment. They agree to never speak of what happened the last few days. As Merlin and Gaius watch Arthur train, Arthur laughs but it sounds like a donkey’s bray. Merlin says it’s just too good and he’ll leave the spell, just a little, for one more day.

If I’d written this episode, I would have changed…While this isn't my favorite episode, there isn't really anything I'd change. Well, maybe less licking on Goblin!Gaius' part. (though Richard Wilson did a bang up job as Goblin!Gaius, IMO)

Thing(s) I loved about this episode—Donkey!Arthur. Hands down. Especially when Gwen scratches his ears...fave part of the episode. 

Thing(s) I hated about this episode—No shocker here, excessive licking. 

And also, how no one realizes Gaius is not himself. Especially Gwen who is normally so intuitive about these things. 

Something I never noticed about this episode before—It wasn't until Jen pointed it out and I was rewatching again...it really does look like ASH was trying not to laugh as Gaius/Richard Wilson was smacking his head. I think the whole episode must have been a hoot for the cast to film. 

Here is proof of some head canon I’ve created—None in this episode. :( 

Favorite costume—Because it delights me. FFS, Uther, you're the KING; you couln't have found a better hat? But I never tire of seeing it. 

What would Bron steal from Camelot in this episode? Hmmm I can't think of anything...WAIT! She'd steal all the gold from Camelot so Goblin!Gaius has nothing to slobber over!

What made Jen lose her shit (in a good or bad way) in this episode? That Morgana went to Gaius for a sleeping draught. And I agree. It did seem as though she at least suspected Gaius was on to her and Merlin clearly was. So why would she go to Merlin's mentor for a potion that could easily be poisoned? It doesn't make sense. 

Bron’s Merlin Club: Goblin’s Gold Post

Jen’s Merlin Club: Goblin’s Gold Post

NOTE: We won’t be Merlin Clubbing it next week (8/4). Jen, Bron and I will be attending the Authors After Dark convention so we are taking the week off of Merlin Club. But we’ll be back the next week….AND I’ll still be at Bron’s so we get to watch together…IN PERSON! YAY!!!!

So, until the next episode – Gwaine – which we’ll be watching in TWO WEEKS on 8/11 at 8pm EST. We’ll be on Twitter with the hashtag #MerlinClub