Name & URL Change

You may have noticed that there have been some name changes occurring here on my blog. I decided recently that I outgrew the name "Unlaced Heart" -it doesn't have quite the ring I want and I don't feel like it depicts who I am right now in my life. So, the new name is Strange Ink & Wine which I am thrilled with! I also re-did a few of the graphics, although the layout is pretty much exactly the same.

I have also changed my url to manda-rave.blogspot.com, so you should all update your bookmarks. I still own ladyraveunlaced.blogspot.com and it currently just has the link to my new url posted on it. I realize I might lose a few people because of this switch but I thought it was necessary.

What do you guys think?

Manda x

I got a new laptop!

gratuitous picture of my face

Yep, this lady got a brand new laptop courtesy of the love and generosity of my wonderful boyfriend.  I am so excited! I have missed having a usable laptop to work on. Desktops are nice but I like to be able to write/blog/tumblr/watch hulu anywhere in the house I feel like it. Plus I can take it with me places (you know if I want places.)

I have been having lots of fun personalizing everything and getting used to using Windows 8 as I have been using 7 for quite some time. The apps threw me off at first but now I really kind of dig it, mostly for the 8tracks and mahjong apps that I installed, haha.

On top of playing around with my new computer I am trying to get my writing done as we are in the final week of Nanowrimo -only a few more days! Currently (as in right now while I'm typing this and before I go back to work on it) I am at 41.6k words out of the necessary 50k. So close! Although even when I hit 50k I won't be anywhere close to finished with the novel. Right now I'm probably half-ish the way through, maybe less. I tend to write my novels kind of long and slim it down in the editing process.

Aaaand Thanksgiving is this week for me and my American readers. I am going to be eating with my grandfather and some of my family, which I haven't really done in a few years. I'm not super close to a lot of my family but I love my grandfather and am happy to get to spend some time with him.

Welp, this has been a random update about my life. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Manda Rave

Sweater Weather

So I wanted to update but I couldn't think what to talk about because literally all I've been doing is writing my novel and reading and marathoning random tv shows -so I decided to answer the Sweater Weather questions!

Webcams are fun, aren't they? Haha

QUESTIONS: 


1. Favourite candle scent?
 Right now I'm really enjoying a raspberry sangria scented candle.

2. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate? Toss up between coffee and tea. I'm a coffee in the morning person always and then I usually drink tea the rest of the day.


3. What's the best fall memory you have? Honestly, I have no idea. Probably something centering around Halloween.


4. Which makeup trend do you prefer: dark lips or winged eyeliner? Dark lips, definitely. Give me a nice dark shade of plum purple or a deep red and I am a happy camper.

5. Best fragrance for fall?
 Anything musky or spicy. I currently have a roll on perfume oil that fits both of those things and I love it.

6. Favourite Thanksgiving food? Pumpkin pie. So tasty!


7. What is Autumn weather like where you live?
 I live in Massachusetts so lots of changing leaves, chilly winds, crisp air, and temperatures that go anywhere from 25 to 65. Because New England.

8. Most worn sweater?
 I have this oversized black cable knit sweater that I wear a lot, mostly because it's super comfy and it matches just about everything (because I wear a lot of black) -I thrifted it for a few dollars last year.

9. Must-have nail polish this fall?
 Black. Most of my warm clothes are black or grey and I tend to get pretty monochromatic as the temperatures go down. My nails usually stay black or charcoal or dark red.

10. Football games or jumping in leaf piles?
 Jumping in leaf piles. I don't care for sports.

11. Skinny jeans or leggings?
 Leggings, if only because they're comfier for lounging around the house in as well as going out.

12. Combat boots or Uggs? Combat boots, always combat boots. I think Uggs are, well, ugly.


13. Is pumpkin spice worth the hype? Yes absolutely 100% it is :D


14. Favourite fall TV show? Right now I am really into Sleepy Hollow as well as The Originals.


15. What song really gets you into the fall spirit? Anything by Fiona Apple, Metric, Mumford & Sons, or Tori Amos.

Welp, there you have it, my autumn season.

How is everyone doing? Well, I hope. I've been okay, just lost in alternate fictional realities, which is fine by me. I'm at my best while engrossed in a book, either one I'm reading or writing.

Manda Rave

A Lean & Hungry Look

I've been listening to this song a lot lately. I absolutely love it and it fits with the music I've been listening to for Nanowrimo. Just thought I'd share.

Manda Rave

I Am Grateful 11/11/13

Purchase this here

It's been awhile since I've made one of these posts and I feel kind of bad about that because I fully believe that we should take the time to reflect on what we have and be grateful for it. So, here are some of the things I'm grateful for right now...

•  Books. I have been reading so much and I am beyond grateful for all the books I have at my disposal.
• Nanowrimo -it gives me an extra boost of motivation to get my writing done and I really appreciate that. I love to write, but having a deadline is a nice little push to get my butt into gear.
• Patience. Specifically my boyfriend's patience with me as I muddle through my emotions on a daily basis.
• Hot beverages. They warm my hands and my insides and make me feel a little bit better at the decreasing temperature outside.

What are you guys grateful for lately? I'd love to know.

Manda Rave

Writing away...

I am actually managing to keep up pretty well with Nanowrimo. I thought for sure I'd fall behind, and although I did briefly I caught up quickly and have been staying on track since. The month is still young of course, but I'm choosing to stay positive about it. The scenes are getting easier to write as I get further away from the beginning which is nice. The first few chapters will be a nightmare to edit later but that is a problem for my future self.

If you are interested in my Nanowrimo writing venture...

• My Nanowrimo account.
• My tumblr blog dedicated to the novel I am working on.
• A collection of 8tracks playlists I am listening to while writing.

cover designed for the nanowrimo site

excerpt:

Maitland wasn’t the kind of girl who got doe-eyed over boys with nice hair and charming smiles. Maybe it was because she had never properly socialized with anyone her own age growing up, but she could never make sense of being infatuated with someone based on their looks. It wasn’t that she was closed to the idea of love –her parents had nursed her with a healthy idea of the concept. She believed in love and that it could be a very powerful force between two people. She didn’t believe that love spawned between two people just because one of them had cute dimples. Looks had never meant much to her. 

It was because of this, and partly because of his own insufferableness, that she found Nikandros’ steely blue eyes and devil-may-care smile so unnerving. And annoying. Who even had eyes that colour anyways?

Hope everyone is having a good weekend so far! I am spending mine writing and catching up on my reading -my usual activities.

Manda Rave

p.s. Oh yeah! I saw Thor: The Dark World last night and loooved it. The Thor movies are my favourite of the Marvel films. The second was just as good as the first, plus is was so funny. I am always much more into movies if they can make me laugh, and this one definitely delivered on that front.

Nanowrimo

It's November, which means it's Nanowrimo time -National Novel Writing Month. I know a few of my readers are also participating this year, so good luck to you my dears! I am already a bit behind as I didn't write at all on Sunday because I had a hangover and didn't want to do anything except for watch Netflix and eat. Which is exactly what I did.

The night before said hangover -went to a party as Zoe Benson.

The novel I am working on is unique because of the way the ideas for it have come to me. Usually I get characters first and a general plot idea which I can then write a good first few chapters for. Then as I continue to write more characters develop, as does the story line and everyone's background. For this I got the setting first and ideas for minor characters. My main character and plot were some of the last things to come to me. And because everything came to me so backwards, I am also having a hard time with the beginning. Right now the scenes are kind of a mess and there isn't enough dialogue. Although this is in the beginning and it's not too bad...

Maitland grew up knowing two things for sure. One, she was a perfectly ordinary human girl. Two, her parents were perfectly ordinary human parents. It wasn’t until after her mother and father got sick and died when she started accidentally raising small rodents from the dead. It was then that she realized she might not actually know anything at all.

Right now I am just powering through it, writing what comes to me even though I'm not particularly satisfied with it. The first few chapters are going to need a lot of work. But editing comes later, and in the mean time I am just going to keep going until I get to the stuff I actually want to be writing -witty banter, accidental zombie raising, monster hunting, that kind of stuff.

I know I have been on-and-off with this blog lately. That will probably continue to be the case throughout November as I am focusing most of my attention on writing this novel, catching up on my reading, and dealing with my personal life. his space is very important to me, but I can't afford to put it first right now.

As always, thank you so much to my loyal readers, you guys are great and never fail to put a smile on my face.

Manda Rave