Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts

# 1: My knightly prizes arrived! Thank you, thank you, M.Pax for your generosity and for hosting this most awesome joust. I'm extra excited to dive into The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear AND to wear my steampunk knight pin by Dire Steampunk . In the spirit of giving I'll let the kiddos have the chocolate...really! #2 The sassy, sweet & sexy Janie Junebug is hosting a great giveaway of books, gift cards, T-shirts & editing !  And because she's such a giver, she's giving bonus points for anyone who contributes a birthday card for a special person who's celebrating a BIG birthday.  #3 It's here - the  Black Friday Extavaganza!!!  Enter to win one of four $50 Amazon Gift Cards by following authors of these fabulous books. Laura Howard has been the amazing ringmaster of this event, and you can visit her blog to enter. Also, if you're on Facebook, be sure to stop by  the event page  for additional Black Friday giveaways all day long

Sing it with me... We are the champions, my frie-ends, we'll keep on fightin' 'til the end...  Or if you like it 2005 World Champion White Sox style... Don't stop believin' ...  But you know who says it best? YOU! Your faithful cheers and poetry and songs not only made my day every single day last week, they took us straight to the top. Thank You! And thanks for your comments on the animaknights featured here---I'm so happy everyone enjoyed them as much as I did. Let's let the Fallen Monkey say it for all of us, eh? This was her 3-part Joust comment on Friday: I sought a soothsayer to divine Lady Elson’s fate, and what she had to say was great! “Gather three vine leaves with spots,” said she, “as the first of which you must bring to me..." “Next fetch me twenty rodents’ toes, and you will ease Lady Elson’s woes. But not before you bring of thine that which you hold most divine…” “But Lady Elson is whom I hold divine!”

I've be dying to share this clever cat with you. Isn't it freaky? And it turns out Lady Elson just may be the dark knight of this joust---I had no expectations of getting this close to the lead; I just didn't want to show up with nothin'---but yesterday we closed the gap to 6 votes!!! So I humbly ask, if thee hath energy left for one last push, get thee to the final joust and cheer Lady Elson , Divine , and Three . Each cheerer will be allowed to leave three comments, earning a total of 9 points, if it be not too much trouble... Let us make the other knights  Feel the forsooth*! (*quoted from Sir Chris Fries , who spoke Medieyoda yesterday The prizes at today's Joust are:  ebook copy of either Being Human or Snapshots by Patricia Lynne A signed paperback of choice by M. Pax CD of Czech Fairy Tales by Dennis Strachota $25 Amazon Giftcard from  Kimberly Afe Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for making this week so funneth!

The force is strong with my loyal cheering section! My goblet overflows with gratitude. Today's peanut gallery is open here  if ye be not too hoarse to shout another round of Lady Elson , Divine & Three .  A simple sentence will do, but below you'll see two knaves true, who hath taken their service to the extreme. In yesterday's cheers,  Sir Chris Fries  hath created his his own language I call it Medieghties: Like wow and forsooth! Methinks it would be most totally gnarly if Lady ELSON were to win this rad and regal joust. Fair Dudette, I’d be quite enchanted and all like, “Wow! How un-bogusly DIVINE and huzzah-ish!” Verily, I would refrain gagging myself with a spoon at least THREE times by the morrow, lest I miss the bitchin’ merriment that would ensue! If ye be the kind to start you day with a song, be enchanted by  Lady Jennifer Lane 's seranade: She’s a Lady Whoa-oh-oh She’s a Lady Lady Elson is fine She’s damn near divine S

Aww, dost though think yon squirrel is verily stuffed into yon suit of armor? The Joust continues at the fair M.Pax's blog , so if ye be so inclined, pray thee go thither , my lords and ladies, and speakest these good words (cheering open until 8pm EST): Lady Elson * Three * Divine   Ugh. You have NO idea how long it took me to write that. Every time I try to talk Medieval, it comes out all piratey...or drunk Irish. So now I revert to 80s-speak: I, like, totally appreciate all the awesome comments you're leaving at the Joust. You guys are cracking me up! Totally. Don't forget, your way cool comments at the Joust  get you entered to win prizes. Cool beans, right? Today's awesome prizes are: ebook copy of either NeverLove or The All Fall Down by Angela Brown $25 Amazon gift card from Melanie Schulz copy of The Newstead Project by Melanie Schulz Medieval Poison   80s Poison

I found exactly five adorable pictures of animals all knighted up, which means you can expect one each day of the Realms Faire & Joust . Here's a link to today's post , where you have until 8pm EST to cheer for the knights. I just realized that Lady Elson counts as one of my words, so, if you'd like to cheer for me, simply leave a comment at M. Pax's daily post using any combo of these words: Lady Elson *  Three * Divine If you're not sure what to say, here are some of the comments that made me smile big yesterday. Cutting and pasting is not against the rules. ;) This is Three times Divine Divine things come in threes ! Huzzah for the divine Lady Nicki Elson . Three cheers for her quest and what-not…Hip, hip huzzah! The tale of Lady Elson is indeed most divine , with her daring-do against the Daves a- three ! Thank you, thank you for helping this Lady to not feel like a loser. Your comments at the Joust get you entered to

The Realms Faire and Joust, a blogstravaganza hosted by M. Pax and lots of other great bloggers, has begun, and this wayward knight needs your help!  I'm precariously perched on a pony with a reaallllly long stick in my hand, and I have no idea what to do with it. You can keep me from getting pummeled by getting thee to the daily Joust and leaving a comment that includes the words " three " and " divine ". When you leave a comment at M.Pax's post by 8pm EST, you'll be automatically entered to win that day's prize package. The joust is going on all week with a new prize each day. I'm one of Monday's featured knights (with a little story about how Lady Elson came to be ), so Monday's prize includes a choice of eBooks from both me and Mary Waibel as well as what you see below (a ngel wing earrings,  set of 4 chalice charms &  beaded angel wing bookmark) : Huzzah! And thank you. Also, happy Veterans Day!  Where would we be wit

My mind went running in so many directions for this month's  Insecure Writer's Support Group  , but in the end, I think I'll piggyback on Crystal Collier's post about keeping the faith , which I'm so happy I didn't miss (thanks to D.L.'s Blog Blitz ). You can go ahead and read that first. I'll wait. Oh good, you came back. :) You see, I live my life based on the cues I get along the way. I tend to not ask a lot of questions when making life choices; a gut instinct is generally good enough for me. The danger in living on instinct, however, is that the Good Guy isn't the only one trying to get through to me. Lesser forces are whispering to us all. the. time. and it's often difficult to know the difference. Sometimes I go skipping off down the wrong path, at times get pretty far along it, but at some point I've always hit a wall of resistance---and it grows barbs when I try smashing through it. That's how I know I've been listening t

First up, check out this super cool cover for Jay Noel's Dragonfly Warrior. It'll be released on January 6 Dragonfly Warrior Blurb: The Mechanica Wars : Savage Machines Are Afoot...  At the age of twenty, Kanze Zenjiro's bloody footprints mark the bodies of those who stood in his way to protect the throne of Nihon. Now, the tyrannical Iberian Empire is bent on destroying his kingdom, and they send their steam-powered giants and iron spiders against him.  Zen embarks on a quest that takes him on the most dangerous journey of his life. To succeed, Zen must live up to his nickname, the  Dragonfly Warrior , and kill all his enemies with only a sword and a pair of six-guns. He is called upon to somehow survive a test of faith and loyalty in a world so cruel and merciless, it borders on madness. Book Information : Dragonfly Warrior is a steampunk adventure like no other. It's a dynamic mix of Asian and European mythology, the Wild West, martial arts, traditional f