16 Sunday Apr 2017
Posted in Fun
Tags
#SundayBlog, adorable, animal, animals, author, bunnies, bunny, chocolate, Easter, Easter Bunny, entertainment, fun, jokes, puns, Stephanie Beavers, writer
It doesn’t matter your religion. Who doesn’t love Easter? Adorable bunnies (and, frequently, other baby animals) and lots and LOTS of chocolate! Here, have some Easter-themed amusement:
03 Monday Apr 2017
Posted in News
Tags
#MondayBlog, animal, animals, author, castle, courtship, fish, fun, nature, pufferfish, romance, romantic, Stephanie Beavers, writer
Sir Romantic Fish
Ah, love in the animal kingdom. It’s not always happy or pretty, but every so often it is just. So. Cute!
Take the romantic little pufferfish (a particular variety of it, anyways), who creates beautiful, temporary designs on the ocean floor to woo the lovely lady fish.
For my lady, a castle.
For over a decade, no one actually knew what made these underwater beauties were or why, but finally a team of researchers tracked the little lovebirds down. LiveScience notes that “[a]lthough the fish are only about 12 centimeters (5 inches) long, the formations they make measure about 2 meters (7 feet) in diameter.” That’s a big sandcastle for a little fish to build!
And it has to be a good sandcastle! The lady fish will come and inspect the male’s handiwork before deciding if she’ll mate with him. If the castle is a winner, they’ll lay their eggs in the center of the pattern, where the pattern itself creates an ideal environment – the ridges on the outside protect the silt in the middle where the eggs are cradled.
For more details, check out the LiveScience article and the video below!
31 Friday Mar 2017
Tags
author, Boondocks, country, country music, entertainment, Fishin' In The dark, fun, Home Free, Honey I'm Good, inspiration, life, love, moods, music, Stephanie Beavers, Try Everything, writer, Zootopia
Music plays a different role for everyone. I’ve always found it to be a huge mood-influencer. If I’m happy, it’ll pump me up. If I’m melancholy, it’ll carry me away. If I feel one way and want to feel another, I turn to music.
However, as I’m coming out of a stressed-out, depressed and burnt out episode of my life, that it’s been a while since I’ve really, actively, enjoyed music. For the last while, it’s mostly been filler, background noise, and a distraction. But it’s been ages since I’ve sat at my computer and cruised YouTube for new tunes.
And I’ve rediscovered Home Free. They’re an a capella country band, and the sound that makes them them is delightfully unique. They do occasionally cover other genres, and while I enjoy the novelty of it, I enjoy their country stuff best.
I’ll probably have to source their CDs now…
How about you readers? What have you been rocking out to lately? I have a fairly eclectic taste in music – I might like it!
23 Thursday Mar 2017
Posted in Writing
Tags
adventure, amwriting, author, books, Calling On Fire, fandom, fandoms, fantasy, fantasy adventure, Fire Within, fun, grimdark, Harry Potter, heroic fantasy, lol, Lord of the Rings, lovebooks, magic, magical, meme, noblebright, noblebright fantasy, read, reader, reading, Stephanie Beavers, writer, writing
One of the first thing people ask me when I tell them I’m a writer is, “What do you write?”
I, of course, tell them that I write fantasy, but unfortunately, that doesn’t really narrow it down much. You see, there are many different kinds of fantasy. So after I say, “fantasy,” I get responses like these:
“Oh, like Lord of the Rings/Game of Thrones?”
Well, kind of, because there are races of magical creatures and it’s a medieval setting and whatnot, but I don’t write epic fantasy, with the massive cast of characters (many of whom die) and all that. Also, in my fantasy, I like to have more magic than those.
Or, “Oh, like Harry Potter?”
Well, kind of, because I like to think I have a similar spirit of adventure and create a fun sense of awe for magic, but mine aren’t really intended to be children’s books, and the setting is not in modern times.
Or, “Oh, like [insert some author I’ve never heard of]”
Er…maybe?
And the thing is, I couldn’t think of a term to describe my kind of fantasy. “Heroic fantasy” is close, as is “fantasy-adventure,” but neither quite nailed it.
Then I heard about noblebright fantasy. It’s something of a new concept, and not a widely-known term (yet?), but I like it. A lot.
Noblebright fantasy centers around good characters who try to do good things for good reasons. Not everything is peachy and happy, but in the end, they’re able to make some kind of difference. There’s hope. There’s magic. It doesn’t have to be a children’s book; in fact, sometimes even a noblebright novel can be quite dark.
I feel like we need this label. If I know a story is noblebright, I know I don’t have to worry about reading yet another story where a good character can’t get ahead and just makes things worse until everything is awful and the characters are all so corrupt you can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys.
I like it better when fiction inspires us and brings hope. Life needs a little more noblebright.
If you’re curious to know more about noblebright, I set up a page about it here.
So what do you think, readers? Do you like the concept of noblebright? I know some people love the “gritty” and “grimdark” stories that are so popular today. Are you one of them? Share your thoughts in the comments!
30 Monday Jan 2017
Tags
author, candy, entertainment, fun, Skittles, Stephanie Beavers, Stephanie Stewart, sugar, sweets, writer, writing
I have a confession. I have a Skittle addiction.
Well, really it’s more of a sugar/munchies addiction, but let’s face it, “Skittle” is a fun word and “Skittle addiction” sounds better than “snackaholic.” Maybe. Actually, “snackaholic” sounds pretty awesome too. Ahem. Anyways.
I love candy, and everyone who knows me, knows that, including people at work. I have earned the nickname “Squirrel” for the snacks I stash away, and also “Hummingbird” for the sheer amount of sugar I consume (ironically, not usually in liquid form, as I don’t drink pop). They are all familiar with me nibbling away on chocolate, skittles, other candies, and Tostitos.
Which brought me to an amusing thought. What if, while typing, every time I ate a bite of something, I had to type the word skittle? When I send invoices to customers, it would probably read something like this:
“Dear Mr. skittle Smith,
Please find you invoice skittle attached.
Thank you for skittle your business.
Regards,
Stephanie skittle”
Or what about when I’m working on my manuscript?
“Vhi hovered behind skittle the thick trunk of a cottonwood, occasionally peeking around it at the village down the road. The village skittle looked to be a fairly humble one, with largely thatched roofs and accessed by a road that was more of a wide path of earth packed by feet and wooden wheels. Humble or no, each skittle glimpse of it drove her back into hiding behind the tree.”
Again, I may have a problem.
By the way, Orchard Skittles are the best variety of Skittles. Just sayin’.
So, dear readers, what’s your favorite kind of Skittles?
09 Monday Jan 2017
Posted in Fun
31 Monday Oct 2016
Posted in Fun
Tags
author, best costumes, costumes, creativity, Disney, family, fun, Halloween, kids, Stephanie Beavers, trick or treat, writer
Bored Panda posted a fantastic series of parent-child costumes. Here are my favorites: 
Which is your favorite?
17 Monday Oct 2016
Tags
author, baby on board, bumper stickers, Calling On Fire, Fire Within, fun, funny, humor, laugh, lol, passive aggressive, smart alec, Stephanie Beavers, think, writer
Bored Panda had some amazing bumper stickers the other day. I’ve picked my favorites and divided them into categories for you:
For the passive-aggressive types:
Stickers for people tired of seeing “Baby on Board” signs:
Fair warning stickers:
“Deep” bumper stickers:
Smart alec bumper stickers:
19 Monday Sep 2016
Posted in Fun
Tags
angels, author, comedy, devils, fiction, fox, fun, lore, Lucifer, morningstar, police procedural, shows, Stephanie Beavers, Supernatural, television, tv, writer
Today I’m totally stoked because Fox’s TV series Lucifer is coming back for a second season.
Tom Ellis as Lucifer Morningstar.
Lucifer is by far my favorite current show (although there are old favorites still unshaken). The premise? Lucifer gets bored with Hell and decides to take a vacation in L.A. He opens a nightclub with his demon buddy Maze.
Lesley-Ann Brandt as Maze.
Then he meets a detective named Chloe who is mysteriously immune to his supernatural powers of charm and persuasion. Intrigued by that and titillated by the idea of punishing evildoers, he starts helping her on her cases.
Lauren German as Detective Chloe Decker.
Did I mention that Lucifer has a badass brother angel?
DB Woodside as Amenadiel.
Oh, and Lucifer has a psychiatrist.
Rachael Harris as Kim Martin.
So if you’re looking for a new TV show in the vein of comedy/supernatural/police procedural, look no further. It probably isn’t quite what you’re expecting.
Anyone else out there seen Lucifer? Are you thinking of trying it now?
22 Monday Aug 2016
Tags
AC, air conditioning, author, CollegeHumor, entertainment, fun, gender stereotypes, Stephanie Beavers, summer, winter, writer
I’m one of those people. Yes, one of those people. The one who’s always cold. It will be crazy hot outside (say, mid-thirties Celsius – mid-nineties to you Americans), and I will be packing a sweater around because the second I step foot inside, I know I’ll be freezing. ‘Cause y’all have the AC on too much.
So while the below video is a very humorous portrayal of this trait divided across gender lines, I take it to new heights. The other women laugh at the fleece blanket that I cuddle up in while they’re complaining about the heat.
So ladies, take pity on me, because if you feel like the ladies in the video, imagine how it must be for me; when you’re warming up, I’m still cold.
How is it for you, readers? Are you like me, always cold, or like the guys, laughing at the cold people?
Stephanie Beavers 