CyberMinions.net

Quick Hello - I'm in the middle of some massive workshop research...

We're working very hard on a fun bookie presentation but we have to do a really good job on the research because there's going to be a massive amount of links in the next book club post. Turns out the editor we are fascinated with has influenced a lot of our authors/reading purchases so we've been hunting down her interviews on-line trying to figure her out. She's pretty complicated and the advice is fascinating but we have to make sure we have the right person/editor if we're going to link back and attribute the writing advice quotes back to her.

A lot of websites did not post her picture (sigh)... A good number did not bother to link back to her social media accounts either (duh?) so we're hesitant to use any of it but very curious because we have a lot of questions we'd like to find the answers to.

We know where Diana Gill is now but we're not sure where she was previously. That's why we are taking our time and working backwards by researching the author acknowledgments we know are related to the correct person. Think of it as a reverse public relations search anal retentive researchers periodically engage in. That is another blog post in itself so don't ask - not telling today (LOL).

Then there's the side notes regarding our silly, personal preference squabbles of which books to showcase for the post/Youtube review. We might not be able to do them all... We want images with the Kindle tag attached because it's a Kindle centric post. We need the images to clearly be associated with Amazon.com because we're all Amazon affiliates and use their flash widgets for our websites. 

We're making new music and want to float all the author/title/website information on the image time-line panels so I have to ensure that everyone sticks with Amazon for the project (because the website allows Amazon affiliates use their product images for sales and reviews). If you do this it has to be done well and within the confines of the acceptable use agreements...  

This project is about doing a massive book review of what's in our book club's Kindle collection. We're about to have a literary love fest so I am going to be very busy with my artistic crew for the next few days. This is me apologizing for ignoring some of you in advance (LOL).

My book club bookies are going to be using the eventual YouTube embed created for their bookie posts on their websites so they want animated titles and images, not just simple fades and dissolves. I have to peel, flip and spin images, scroll quotes, make letters change colors and work 12 hour days for crazy people who want pretty Amazon book cover eye candy for their blogs (LOL).

At least they feed me as partial compensation for the creative grief... Yeah, I really do work for food... You can get a lot out of me for Hagen Daz. Zagat dining works too but I will settle for pizza (I like pizza - seriously - LOL). ;-)

Creative differences aside, at least the music is going great... That's always mad fun. Looking forward to updating my iTunes catalog with this latest bit of mischief and flipping the new tunes in Jango soon.

Everyone agreed on rocking out the trip-hop jazz, which is a wink and a nod to author Vicki Pettersson (LOL). We're mastering "Amy in D," "Celestial Vicki" and "Jaye and Tequila." If you don't read them then you have no idea of which blogs/tweets inspired the track names (too bad - they were fun conversations - LOL).

I have to do the R&B string tracks tonight (before the gang kills me - LOL). The sax work was fun. I had sex on the brain for a couple of arrangements (Dude, there is actually sex in urban fantasy sci fi books - duh? - music has to match the virtual personality - LOL). Most of the bass and drums are done so I gotta go because I'm about to twist the synth on those puppies (LOL). I am the programmable keyboard junkie - it's what I do (among other things - LOL). 

Vicki's new book/series is entitled "Celestial Blues" so we have to live up to that moniker and go blow some minds in the studio. Insert evil grin here (LMAO). ;-)

Notice not a single link? It's because I am MAD BUSY trying to get this project done. I did say quick hello, didn't I? I have to finish "Jocelynn in D" and "DeZellar Blues" (plus I'm being instant chatted in FB about creating a "Kimi Shimi" - which is soooooo happening for this weekend - LOL). Hey... at least we have fun at work. ;-)

We're on a Dr. Seuss B-n-N Diana Gill Mission (LOL)

We're looking for a Barnes and Nobles to take over and read books to the kids this afternoon. Translation: we need to read and do more research without buying the books (but at least we'll have mad fun doing it - LOL) ;-)

This is us still on our Diana Gill mission (evil grin). That editor is all over my Kindle app for Android... Geez... How did I miss this? Between the Dr. Seuss sessions with the shorties I will be in the Urban Fantasy isles hunting down the physical books people have e-mailed me to check out so I can discover whatever it is that I have not read that Diana Gill has edited... This looks like it's going to be fun. She's prolific... Our book club list may be expanding shortly in a very big way. It never occured to us to fan an editor but now that we're on a D.G. treasure hunt we might as well make the most of it (happy giggles).

Then I have to go to Brooklyn and paint (Oh joy! Going to my happy place - LOL). I'll be hanging out with Stacey for lunch at her place. We may do a girlie-girlie day sleepover if I'm there for late night. I'll let you guys know if we have another kung-fu movie marathon. It's what we do (among other really fun things - LOL).

Gotta go. I need to invade a store with other people's wee people (LOL). I'm babysitting pixie models for breakfast and the stores open at 10 (silly grin).

Stay tuned for some mischief tonight... We're working on a monster book club post with lots of embeds (LOL). ;-)

UPDATE: VOTING CLOSED MONDAY AUGUST 8TH 2011. Thanks guys!

WE NEED YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HELP TO ROCK THE KIM VOTE...

Today's book club project: Vote for Kim Harrison - The Hollows Series - on NPR

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/02/138894873/vote-for-top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-titles

I love blogging beach side by Emmy's condo. It's soooooo relaxing (sigh). I have two more blog posts and a book chapter to write before I go so time to get down to business. Today's book club project is NPR centric. Wanna join us in a bit of blogging mischief? Cool. Read on... We have a social media task for each of you to do while we run amok in cyberspace attempting to unite our writers and readers in an effort to get out the social media vote for author Kim Harrison (http://www.kimharrison.net). We not only want your vote, we want the votes of your friends and family too (LOL). I would accept the support of your toddler, cat, dog and goldfish if it means keeping Kimi on this list. Think spreading the word through your sphere of influence instead of your cat clicking on the mouse (yeah, some of you DO need to be told - I have three specific friends in mind but I digress - LOL) ;-)

When it comes to my urban fantasy reading fetish, everything I do is a spin off from my fave three writing divas:

      Kim Harrison on Amazon          Vicki Pettersson on Amazon            Jocelynn Drake on Amazon

 @BurningBunnies                            @VickiPettersson                                 @JocelynnDrake

These three creative, lovely ladies are directly responsible for 168 (and counting) Kindle downloads on my laptop (LOL). I'm kinda responsible for those same downloads being in my book club members electronic devices of choice. We chatter incessantly about the writers we like (and their social media peeps) while happily following Kim, Vicki and Jocelynn around cyberspace. We simply love to keep up with our favorite authors and their projects, frequently sending each other bookie-alerts as soon as something interesting pops up. Cool authors are easy to chat about and I will never forget the first time I met Kim and Vicki (what fun - very silly, happy crooked grin).

Turns out the NPR Sci Fi vote has our book club's attention. The fact that NPR has 58,930 responses as of this writing means this is going to be a very tough, highly competitive social media battle. The on-line voters are narrowing down a stellar list of science fiction work to the top 100 selections. If you click the voting link at the top of this post you'll discover that: "Last month we asked you, our audience, to nominate titles for a top-100 list of the best science fiction and fantasy ever written. The response was overwhelming — almost 5,000 of you posted to the NPR site alone, and many thousands more offered suggestions on Facebook."

We were very fortunate us book club bookies got one out of our three fave urban fantasy sci fi divas on the NPR list. Now we're hell bent for leather to keep her there (obsessively so actually - LOL). That means we need your social media help... Seriously. Five minutes of your time would mean the world to us dedicated fans.

Yeah... we Kim-Stream peeps are shamelessly pimping the Sci Fi vote with a vengeance and will ask granny to go on-line if we have to. If I'm willing to bother Granny Tann how can I not be willing to bother you too?

Today's mantra: Click this link and vote for The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison. That's it. The favor that makes us grin and love you for being such good sports and social media buddies. I know a lot of on-line friends have already voted BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE DID YOU DRAG ALONG WITH YOU? I'm the chick planting the seed to go forth and spread today's mantra. The NPR tally is August 11th so we need you guys to rally and do this today. Got a blog? Start writing or do an embed. On Twitter? Tweet that puppy. Pssst... don't forget to use the share buttons when you write your own posts or read the posts of other Kimi addicts down with the vote for Kim Harrison program (LOL).

Why bother? Because we love being their fans. It's what fans do (LOL). It's fun. They are witty, kind, sassy, snarky, talented authors who WRITE FABULOUS BOOKS and are not adverse to giving us stellar WTF moments in our digital lives (LOL). Sometimes, it's also fun to return the pleasure of creating surprises by supporting them in various ways to let them know we fans really appreciate their creative work and want them to continue writing.

Vicki, Kim and Jocelynn are all cooking up new book series. We're very excited about that. Our authors have been chatting about their new projects with us fans and we're intrigued with the new adventures they have in store for us. We like talking to them. They're very interesting tweet-peeps.

P.S. We know we're not talking to anonymous interns monitoring a bunch of business social media accounts when we contact them. We're actually having direct conversations with our favorite authors. How cool is that? Very.

Wanna help feed our reading addiction and show the people we respect some virtual love? Go vote for one of our fave authors: Kim Harrison (and buy some excellent books from the authors of your choice). Let me know who your fave authors are because I speed read more than I watch TV and I need to keep the cartoons in my head amused... not to mention have something fun to blog about later on in book club (LOL).

Tann Starr Sketchbook Chronicles: The Kim Harrison cartoons living in my head... ;-)

Ever read a really cool series of books and find yourself visualizing what the characters possibly look like? I'm supposed to be working on my next album but my black uni-ball pen was sitting on this box of 100% cotton stationary near my Korg and I suddenly found myself craving creating a pen and ink doodle...

An hour later I found myself staring at the Kim Harrison cartoons living in my head.

Oh the things I could say here but wont... (LOL).

I love reading her books. Besides the tongue in cheek humor they also have mad fun dark and twisty moments tangled up between very interesting plots. I also like the cool graphics. ;-)

Free E-books by Project Gutenberg

Wanna read the classics? Here's a good spot to poke around and re-discover titles you may not have touched since grade school (LOL):  http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

While I wander off to get comfy to create a new YouTube to share some wonderful ocean views, go peek at their top downloads and see if there's something worth your while to bring you some recreational reading pleasure.

I lost my copy of The Art of War during college and am looking forward to getting reacquainted with the text.

How To Analyze People On Sight is ripe for a Wordy C spoof. My five senses are a wee bit quirky but I am game for the social experiment to discover if the advice is sound (LOL). I bet there's a real estate book in there somewhere... Let me know if you find a title. ;-)