Ciara Stewart » Nothing To Do With Romance Novels

Why, hello 2011. What big promise you have.

Ciara — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 22:57:50 +0000

Hope is a funny thing. It sustains us through dark times, nurtures the good inside us, and gives us a reason to move forward. The act of hoping can make us happier. Some say that writing your hopes and dreams down on paper, or saying them out loud to the universe, can make them come true. Paul Coelho writes in The Alchemist, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Hope can also be frightening. Sometimes I want to spit three times and turn in a circle just to be safe. It’s a fragile thing, but it blooms in the darkest corners of our hearts.

I love starting a new year, like starting a new book. It is full of the promise of good things to come. The anticipation is the often the best part. The heartache is when reality doesn’t measure up to our dreamy expectations, so this year I’m not going to make any new year’s resolutions. I’m going to go with the flow, play it by ear, let the universe unfold as it will. I’m sure it will have many surprises in store.

What are you looking forward to this year? (Besides, of course, reading SHADOWFEVER and finishing Karen Marie Moning’s riveting Fever series. All I can say is, if Barrons and Mac don’t end up HEA, my expectations will have been cruelly dashed.)

I haz knitting fever

Ciara — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 07:46:23 +0000

NaNoWriMo? Pftttttbbbbbbbbbb! The weather turned dark and stormy (as it is wont to do in Seattle in the winter), and I came down with a bad case of the knitting bug. As I rock the baby to sleep, I browse cute baby patterns on Ravelry. As I nurse, I browse cute mama patterns on Ravelry.

Yes, yes, I’m still writing. I’m just in the brainstorm/plotting section of my new project. NaNo is a little too early for me.

And I’ve been READING. WOOT! Steampunk. It’s where it’s at. I hate that phrase. I recommend LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfield and BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE by Annette Curtis Klause. The latter is not Steampunk and is nothing like the disappointing movie loosely based on it–thank you writing gods. It predates the YA craze, and has the rich prose and kick ass heroines that I’d like to see more of in today’s Bella-centric tomes.

What’s on your needles?

Happy Halloween!

Ciara — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:37:48 +0000

Halloween is my favorite holiday. It’s all about the COSTUMES. Last year I pulled together a group of friends to go as characters from Alice in Wonderland. After making five of the costumes, I succumbed to the flu and had to stay home. This year is J’s first Halloween. Such an auspicious event has to be perfect. What is the perfect costume for an infant? Something unique, but recognizable. Something creative, but relatively easy since I have, oh, zero time to make it. Something literary, since we love us some books. Should we go as a set, with the whole family involved? Originally we had planned to make Ryan the Man in the Yellow Hat and the baby would be George the Monkey, but that didn’t leave me any character. Finally I whittled it down to the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Ryan and I would wear pictures of all the food the caterpillar eats. I finally decided on Hedwig, Harry Potter’s snowy owl. Ryan and I are Harry and Ginny, but I didn’t quite finish our costumes or get around to dying my hair orange. She makes the cutest snowy owl you ever did see. Today we are going to the Pumpkin Bash at the zoo and trick or treating at the merchants event in our little neighborhood. Maybe tonight I’ll have a free moment to carve a pumpkin.

How do you celebrate Halloween? What are you, or your kids, dressing as? What’s your favorite type of Halloween candy?

Happy Ada Lovelace Day

Ciara — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:28:54 +0000

Today is an international day of blogging to celebrate women in technology and science. Lord Byron’s daughter, Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, wrote the first computer programs for Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine. (Are visions of steampunk dancing in your head yet?) Today we celebrate her accomplishments and those of countless other women scientists who get far less name recognition than they deserve.

My hubby informed me of this day, with the email subject line “for our daughter.” How cute is that? Hopefully she will grow up in a more equal world.

I’ve pledged to blog about women in science and tech that I admire. I’ll start with my mother, a doctor, who saves people’s lives during the day and comes home each night to be a domestic goddess. She started medical school when I was two and had my little brother during it. Her patients love her. Move over, Martha Stewart.

Famous woman I admire: Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman doctor, (1821-1910). Tenacity, thy name is Elizabeth. She began studying medicine privately before searching for a medical school that would admit her. Rejection after rejection followed. Geneva Medical College in New York eventually accepted her. She fought ostracism and prejudice to graduate first in her class in 1849, becoming the first woman to graduate from medical school. Faced more ostracism and prejudice to set up a practice, but she kept on trucking. She later went on to found a Women’s Medical College.

So here’s a toast to women everywhere who strive to make the world a better place, who innovate despite opposition, and who don’t give a darn what society thinks about them. Cheers!

Happily Ever After

Ciara — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:45:18 +0000

Six years ago today I married my Prince Charming!

May you have a very happy New Year filled with love!

Happy Holidays!

Ciara — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:31:55 +0000

Warm wishes and god jul to you and your kin!

We celebrated the holidays in Seattle for the first time in four years. Our semi-annual caroling party with friends was a success, though we missed a number of people who got snowed in on the East Coast. After stuffing ourselves with good food and drink, we caroled in four part harmony along Candy Cane Lane in Ravenna. My mom made our secret family Swedish Glögg recipe (which, consisting mostly of port and whiskey, I could only sniff wistfully this year).

Today we rocked around the Christmas tree with my large extended family. The jultompten brought books on babies, breastfeeding, and birthing. (Not a secret baby in sight! ) Mr. Wonderful and I bought ourselves a fancy new camera to take photos of our little bundle of joy. Three months to figure out how to use all the bells and whistles–we can do it!

On a non-baby-book-related note: December’s book club book was Nalini Singh’s SLAVE TO SENSATION, which everyone loved. I’ve got her latest Psy-Changeling book in my hand as I relax on the couch, digesting my extra helpings of fruit cake. If you haven’t tried Ms. Singh yet, I thoroughly recommend her.

We’re looking for a good historical paranormal for our next pick. Any suggestions?

May 2010 bring you and your family good health, peace and joy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ciara — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:28:12 +0000

I have so much to be thankful for this year–the most wonderful husband, an adorable furbaby, great friends, supportive family, bountiful travel opportunities, time to pursue writing and art, living in the most beautiful place in the world…. This year we have exciting news to be thankful for: the Scottish playboy and I are expecting our very own secret baby! We found out this week that we are having a little girl, and now visions of sugarplums, tea parties and fairy princess dresses are dancing in our heads. Our little bundle of joy is due April 5th.

Name suggestions??? We’re looking for something not too popular, but not too weird, that will fit our heroine-in-training.

I hope everyone had a fabulous thanksgiving and that your holiday season is merry and joyful. May you read many good books!

Happy Halloween!

Ciara — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:03:03 +0000

It’s my favorite time of year: Halloween! Why? you might ask. Not for the candy, which I used to collect but never eat. Not for the ghost stories, which give me nightmares. Not for the pranks. When it comes to fun, I’m all about the costumes. This year I worked on five costumes for an Alice in Wonderland themed pub crawl before I was laid low by the flu. Fortunately the costumes are finished (see me as the Cheshire Cat at right). Unfortunately I’ll have to live the pub crawl vicariously through pictures. I also love pumpkin carving, and although I made it out to a pick-your-own-pumpkin patch, I didn’t get around to carving the darn things.

My favorite Halloween things:

Favorite Halloween Costume: Whatever I’m working on at the moment

Favorite Halloween Activity: Pumpkin Carving, costume making

Favorite Halloween Food: Hot spiced cider and hot gingerbread

Favorite Halloween Candy: mini mars bars

Favorite Halloween Movie: Disney’s Hocus Pocus, starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker

Favorite Halloween Song: “This is Halloween” from Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas

Favorite Halloween Story: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Necessary Halloween Items: A raincoat, scarf, warm gloves and a costume that fits over or under said raincoat. It always rains on Halloween here.

What are your favorite parts of this holiday? What are you (or your kids) dressing up as?

Haaaaapppy Birthday to me!

Ciara — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:27:10 +0000

Another year has flashed by. I’ve read a lot of books, written a lot of words and traveled a lot of places. I’ve said goodbye to some dear friends and family members, and celebrated weddings and births. A year full of adventures: showshoeing in Japan, sailing the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, and trekking the rainbow-filled mountains of New Zealand. A year of firsts: attended my first national RWA Conference, finished my first manuscript and biked in my first triathlon. I achieved PRO membership in RWA. I started a second manuscript and am ALMOST DONE WITH THE ROUGH DRAFT!!!

I hope you are all having a fabulous summer!

Disney's UP in Ballard

Ciara — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 05:13:05 +0000

Mr. Wonderful and I just got back from seeing Disney/Pixar’s movie Up. We both quite recommend it. So cute! Bring your tissues. I’m not sure how kids view it (we were some of the only childless people in the theater), but for adults it had an important message about life’s little adventures.

As a kid, Carl Fredrickson dreams of flying to South America to visit the land that time forgot just like his hero. He meets a little girl with the same dream, grows up, gets married and lives a really cute life of montages. They still dream of that trip, but life keeps getting in the way. At age 78, Carl’s wife dies, and Carl is left alone in their little house with the city closing in around him and life passing him by. Contractors and businessmen are knocking on his door trying to get him to sell his house so they can tear it down and build something big (like Trader Joe’s/LA Fitness). He decides enough is enough, ties a million balloons to the top of his house and flies UP to adventure.

Unfortunately an 8-year-old hitchhiker tags along. Russell is one merit badge short of graduating to senior wilderness explorer, the “helping the elderly” badge, and he is determined to get it. They fly to South America and land on the mountain where Carl’s childhood hero was last seen trying to find a mythic tall, colorful bird. They meet a pack of dogs, cue comic relief, and go toe-to-toe with the inhabitants of a very strange lost jungle. Carl want to move his house to the falls to fulfill his and his wife’s dream adventure. Life might have other plans.

In my neck of the woods, we have our very own little house that defied the encroachment of the city. Edith refused $1 million to sell her house near the Ballard Bridge to developers, even though the rest of the block was bought up. The developers built the five-story building around her. You can read the fascinating story here, or get your very own tattoo.

Edith’s house in Ballard (surrounded by LA Fitness & Trader Joe’s)

Carl’s house in Disney’s Up