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Well…I’m on another hiatus. Or I’ve been on one since the beginning of February!
I’ve got so much going on right now! My family is in the process of putting our house up for sale (so we can get out of Dodge and over to LA to begin the next phase in our lives).
I’m still learning Korean. I’m also taking some online drawing classes through Skillshare. One’s on Fashion Illustrating and the other is on Lettering. Once I get some decent sketches I’ll share them with you! I’ve always drawn cartoons but the Fashion Illustrating is really different.
While all of this is going on…I’m trying to write my scripts (so I can have something to show when I get to LA) and I’m still reading books for Common Sense Media.
Probably some of you have given up on this blog. Frankly, I don’t blame you. But I will return — with news on our move, reviews and sketches. I know, I know, I know…I keep saying it…but I’ll get there!
- Julie
안녀오아셔요! (Hello!) — Korean? We’ll get to this later.
I’m back! To prove how long I’ve been gone: almost 4,000 spam comments. You might have thought I disappeared from the blogging world and Twitter for good…but no. I’ve been super busy these past few months. I’ve had a lot of paid writing assignments, including book reviews.
I’ve also had to abandon HuffPost for awhile. I had several interviews and reviews for HuffPost, but I had to choose between doing something for free or getting paid. Fortunately, many of the books have sequels coming out this year and why not continue to give a book publicity….even if it came out last year!
In November, I participated in NaNoWriMo. It was fun! I didn’t get to 50,000 words, but I got to about 20,000. I’m happy with that. It was a blast to take part in the writing sprints with Susan Dennard, Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, Erin Bowman, Marie Lu and others on Twitter.
I’ve been working on expanding my short story Out of the Dark into a novel. I’ve also been working on my screenplay. And…my family and I are planning on moving to LA sometime this year. I’ve been busy at home doing a lot of cleaning, throwing things out and donating items.
Anyway…so you are probably wondering what’s up with the graphic at the beginning of this post? Not to mention…the Korean.
As many of you know, I love television. LOVE IT! About a month ago, Susan Dennard and Rachel Carter (So Close to You) were talking on Twitter about a Korean drama called “The King 2 Hearts.” They highly recommended watching Korean dramas. I decided to take the plunge. I’m so hooked! There are some really good, sweet, funny and exciting shows, including Variety Shows like “Running Man” (think “The Amazing Race” only with celebs) and “We Got Married” (where single celebs pretend to get married) that have me in stitches! You can watch these shows online on Hulu, Viki, and DramaFever with English Subs or just do a search — some are even on YouTube.
What I’ve watched:
Boys Over Flowers — starring Kyu Hye Sun and two hotties: Lee Min Ho and Kim Hyun Joong (I laughed, shook my fist and cried over this amazing drama) and has great songs.
The King of Dramas – a behind the scenes look at Korean dramas (by far one of my faves) starring Jeong Ryeo Won, Kim Myeon Min and Choi Siwon (Super Junior).
Faith — a time travel historical drama starring Lee Min Ho.
City Hunter — a revenge thriller starring Lee Min Ho (fave actor…see a trend?)
Full House: Take 2 — about boy bands (it took me a bit to warm up to this, but I was completely charmed by the end).
I’m starting to watch King 2 Hearts, A Hundred Year’s Inheritance, and School 2013 (brimming with teen angst).
Some of last year’s Korean movies look awesome, too – A Werewolf Boy, Love 911, The Tower and The Thieves.
I can’t wait for Snowpiercer (post-apocalyptic) and Stoker (starring Nicole Kidman) this year.
Since watching the dramas, I’ve become obsessed with everything Korea and South Korea. The culture, the language, the clothes, the music (Big Bang, KHJ, SS501, Jaejoong [if you like vampires and angels check out his latest release, "Mine" -- holy hotness!] CNBlue, 2AM), and the city of Seoul.
I’m even learning Korean through TalkToMeInKorean.com, magazines and books. But why learn Korean, you ask? Because I’d love to write a Korean drama! LA also has Koreatown, which is a huge area. And the Korean Film Council has a branch in LA. So, why not expand my horizons? To Hollywood and beyond! Not sure if this is super realistic…but one can dream, right? At least write or collaborate on a killer movie for Bong Joon-Ho (The Host and Snowpiercer).
I’d like to say 감사합니다 (Thank you) for visiting my blog these last few years.
Please, stay tuned for upcoming book reviews and more — and even some Korean — in 2013!
Hi Everyone!
So….I haven’t been around “That’s Swell!” for a while…except for posting things here and there. I’ve had a lot going on lately — personally and professionally. Aside from getting a temp job, I’ve been writing reviews on my Huffington Post blog and for Common Sense Media. However, I have big things planned for “That’s Swell!” — including a new look. Yes, I’m going to keep the retro factor…so not to worry!
I also have a new blog that will be strictly devoted to my writing — short stories, my work in progress, my script ideas, interviews with authors on writing and writing news in general. I’m even thinking of putting my artwork on there. As for the short stories….I plan on posting a scene a week. Once I have it up and going with my welcome message and the first scene I will post it here for you!
I also want you to know that I have been visiting blogs and reading your content. I’ve been lacking in leaving comments. I apologize…but I’ve been online and I’ve read your stuff!
“That’s Swell!” will be back with tons of reviews!!
