Category Archives: weekday randomness

Disney Infinity: Better Than Candles

So, in all the excitement surrounding the recent first anniversary of the Monkey Queen, I may have forgotten to mention that it was also…my birthday. And since it was, I may have decided to gift myself a few things.

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Barbossa looks just as awesome as I expected; Jack Sparrow should be ticked that he came in second-best. Violet and Mrs. Incredible got there in one piece, and I’m grateful for that; those figures look quite fragile. I’ve never even seen Wreck-It Ralph (I know, I know), but Vanellope came with the others, so. And the Rapunzel is adorable, even if she may be getting on Merida’s nerves.

Yeah, I’ll probably need to expand to a second shelf soon. And the flash on my smartphone does make Sabine look rather orange. But I’m quite pleased with the way my collection is shaping up! I just need half a dozen figures to fill out my Disney Infinity 1.0 and 2.0 wants. And then just Minnie to finish…

[checks calendar]

Aw, crap. I would write this on new release day. And Chewie and Han look so good, and I need all the Rebels figures now, and I don’t have to go to Best Buy for Mulan…

Which is why I’ll mention again that I have a Disney Infinity wish list on Amazon. Belated birthday presents will not be looked down upon!

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Disney Infinity: What.

Blame this guy.

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More after the cut. Continue reading

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Disney Infinity: A Whole New World

So my Disney Infinity shelf expanded a little:

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It’s tough to resist when there are so many figures out there I want, and I need to add to my Amazon order to hit $35 for free shipping. Which means that I need now to get a Hiro to go with my Baymax.

3.0 starts hitting the shelves in the next few days.  It’s not so bad right off, because the only figure I really want from the first wave is Yoda. (Minnie Mouse would be nice too, yeah, but she can wait. Sorry, Mickey.) But October (well, September 30) brings all the Star Wars figures from the original trilogy, so that’s five more I want right there, plus Mulan later on.

And since I started late, I’m now looking at the prices going up for the 1.0 figures I need. I have an emergency workaround for Violet and Rapunzel, but that still leaves Barbossa, Jack Skellington, two Incredibles and maybe the Toy Story crew. And I still want a couple of 2.0 figures besides Hiro, namely Captain America and Tinkerbell, and isn’t that a team-up we all want to see?

What it all means is that, darn it, Yoda and Chewie and the rest may have to wait until I fill in the holes. Which with my limited budget will probably mean that by the time I can get to them, they’ll start going up in price as they get discontinued with the rollout of 4.0.

I saw that Disney decided on Peter Pan as their “ToyBox” selection for 3.0. I suppose I should be glad that Tinkerbell has someone to play with, but I’m also a bit disappointed. So many great characters, ones that would make awesome sculpts, are being overlooked at this point. I know that Disney needs to focus on the new releases, and that not everyone is into classic Disney. But it wouldn’t have taken much to make me happy. Just a Jafar. Or a Darkwing Duck. Or even a Basil of Baker Street…

I also saw that Jar Jar Binks is showing up in the game. Is there a Toy Box minigame where we get points for kicking his butt? You should get extra points if you come up with a creative way to waste him, like having Baymax or the Hulk throw Stitch at him, or if you pound him into Jar Jar paste with as many different characters as possible. Which might get a bit tricky with Minnie or Olaf, but I’ll figure out a way.

Hey, don’t forget that if you like reading these posts, leave a comment and let me know what you think. And if really like these, or want a creative way to support or thank a hard-working writer, head over to Amazon and check out my Disney Infinity Want List. Especially with my birthday coming up in a few weeks. Hint hint.

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eFestival of Words: the wrapup!

The 2015 eFestival of Words is over, and thanks to everyone who dropped by and to Julie Dawson for organizing the whole shebang! The forums are still open for viewing, so you can catch up on all the events and chat transcripts here!

My chat transcript is here. In trying to keep up with all the questions, I did miss one asked by user HideAndSeek, referring to my saying that it took 17 years from conception to completion for the first Monkey Queen book: “Why do you think it took so long from conception to book?” It was because I moved on to other projects, and eventually other things, and didn’t come back to Michiko and Beth until I stumbled across my extensive notes in March 2013.

And here is where you can find the Heroes Vs Villains feud! Alas, the heroes lost, but Michiko made new friends and had fun. And is still figuring out how the heck she can get rid of a sasquatch…

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The Hunt Is On

Last month, we told you about the debut novel by Shei Darksbane with Darksbane Books, Awakened. Well, she’s just released the second book in the series…Hunted. Dakota Shepherd’s adventures continue in this gripping urban fantasy, when a mysterious threat stalks her and those closest to her. Grab Hunted here! And if you haven’t read Awakened, it’s just 99 cents US for a very limited time! Go! Read!

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The time has come for you to be…Awakened

It’s here! It’s here! You can now buy Awakened, the first book in Shei Darksbane and Annathesa Nikola Darksbane’s exciting new urban fantasy series, Auralight Codex! Look for this great cover!

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Geeky lesbian Dakota Shepherd was just a bored night security guard, working at a museum in Knoxville, Tennessee until one fateful encounter changed it all. 

A rogue wizard. A demonic ritual. A silver chalice. 

Dakota Awakened, Hellfire blazing from her hands. 

Dakota’s powers are a danger to herself and everyone around her, and she has to learn to control them quickly or risk losing her one chance to finally fulfill a lifelong dream.

While coming to terms with her new reality, she stumbles upon a secret that changed the course of her life. 

Now she wants to know who is responsible for the holes in her memory, the blocks that hold back her powers, and all the years she spent alone.

Who put her back to sleep when she Awakened years before?

 And as long as you’re at Amazon, don’t forget that you can still get the second Monkey Queen book, The Brigadoon Boondoggle, for just 99 cents! This sale will end at 11:59 PM PST on July 22. If you shop at any Amazon store other than Amazon.com, check back on July 31 for some great news!

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to Infinity 3.0 and beyond!

Don’t forget that the Summer Sale continues! The second Monkey Queen book, The Brigadoon Boondoggle, is on sale at Amazon.com for just 99 cents! This sale will end at 11:59 PM PST on July 22. It’s for Amazon.com only, but stay tuned for a special sale for non-US fans July 31-August 2!

After the cut: Hello, my name is Robert, and I’m a Disney Infinity addict. Continue reading

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Pluto

There are many things I could be blogging about tonight. I could be talking sales. I could be promoting cool stuff by friends and by total strangers. I could put up more photos and work Groot into them somehow. But I think all that can wait for another day.

Humanity is capable of many acts of pettiness, of cruelty, of evil. What’s amazing is that, every once in a while, we manage to get something right. And one of those moments is taking place before our eyes, now that we get to see the first close-up photos of Pluto (and Charon). We’re seeing and learning so many amazing things, and it’s a tribute to everyone involved that New Horizons worked so well and is bringing us so much info.

Here’s to hoping that, where space exploration is concerned, we won’t call it a day. There’s so much more to discover out there, so many wonders in the universe. I may not be around to see it, but I hope that someday we return to the moon, stand on Mars and the asteroids, fly alongside a comet. I hope that someday, humanity finally gets its act together, leaves pettiness and cruelty and evil behind, and proves itself worthy of traveling to the stars.

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getting to the sweet truth

Never let it be said that we avoid the issues of the day here at Monkey Queen Books. We’re about to rip the lid off a controversial issue – after the cut! Continue reading

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time to be…Awakened

Heads up! Author, web designer and all-around awesome pal of us here at Monkey Queen Books, Shei Darksbane, is launching her debut novel on July 21 – Awakening, the first book in the Auralight Codex series! Join snarky security guard Dakota Shepherd as she discovers secrets about herself and the world around her in this new urban fantasy novel! (Be advised that this series is targeted for older readers.) We’ll get publication links up as soon as they’re available, but here’s a peek at the cover:

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There’s also a contest taking place on the Darksbane Books Facebook page! Follow the instructions and you could win copies of Awakening and the upcoming second book, Hunted! And we’re sure that you can do better than this photo:

In related news, I am also Groot.

In related news, I am also Groot.

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