The Triwizard Birthday

Ah, the joys of chronic illness! As you can imagine from previous posts, you have the reason for my absence.

But let's not focus on that! Instead, let's focus on something I love: birthday parties.

A group photo of the Faery Party attendees! 

And I mean, I love them. I love planning and celebrating the birthdays of people I care about. This
past month I did a joint birthday party for two of my friends, Toni and Carla, that drew inspiration from Jim Henson's Labyrinth, fairy folklore, and The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning (which all three of use are reading- I just finished reading Iced).


If I'm honest, it more focused on Labyrinth, though, so I suppose last month's party could be classified as a movie themed party.

Can you guess which one is Jon?

But do you know what I'm planning for June? A Harry Potter party!

That's right! Three dear friends have birthdays in June! And they all agreed to a Harry Potter themed party!

Now one of the three people this party celebrates is my husband, Jon. The other two are Lucas and Quinn, both of whom were groomsmen for my own wedding. Jon even acted as the officiant for Lucas' wedding back in December. So, yeah. I guess I like these guys or something.

So here is what I've got in mind for this party coming up!

Party Concept:

There are three wonderful people being celebrated in this party, and as such it has been deemed The Triwizard Birthday! Get it? Because there are three of them?

Quinn was real excited at the zoo,

Anyway, this suggests a kind of competition. Since I wanted to have the invitation worded as a Hogwarts acceptance letter but did not want to deal with the other schools mentioned in the The Goblet of Fire I am instead basing this more around The House Cup. Yes, I know, I know, there are four houses, not three, and that makes the name seem weird, but remember, the name is more about the three birthday boys.

Which leads me to the main rule I try to follow when making a party like this: Keep the guest(s) of honor in mind at all times! After all, the party is for them, not you. Make sure they're comfortable and it's something they'll enjoy. They are the reason for the party!

Competition:

Lucas and his wife Courtney!

The House Cup is awarded based on the number of house points gained during the school year. With this idea, I decided to have a series of games that party attendees can choose whether or not to take part in. All the points earned during the games are house points. So basically, if you win one of the games the only prizes you win are bringing your house closer to victory and bragging rights.

Everyone who is already Sorted into a house should come dressed in their house colors. This isn't a costume party, so keep that in mind. A yellow t-shirt would be perfectly fine to represent Hufflepuff.

If anyone is not sorted, then there will be a Sorting Hat that we can use as part of a central decoration and as a fun little ceremony each time someone needs it. In order to make sure everyone has their colors on, I will be making some ties with the house colors out of cardstock that will attach to shirts with a paper clip. 

This brings me to my second rule: Keep things cheap by being creative and crafty. The worst thing about a party is checking your bank account afterward and realizing you blew your budget. It's a real let down. Don't do that to yourself.

Rule three: Foresee possible problems. For instance, if I'm sorting out the guest list into the houses, keep an idea that the houses will be unbalanced. The guest list as it stands for this party is overwhelmingly Slytherin. If we have ten Slytherins playing games and getting points against three Ravenclaws, there is no way the Ravenclaws stand a chance. So I have been up front about the fact that if the houses are unbalanced, people may have to go into a different house for the evening. 

Games:

I came up with a few games on my own, and a few games I saw online. It is with these games that the house points will be gained or lost (yes, you can lose points!)

Trivia - A Harry Potter Trivia Game is a very cheap and easy game to include. Just has some paper and pens, and a list of questions.

Scavenger Hunt - I intend to hide Dragons Eggs (aka Easter Eggs) throughout the party's decorations. This is a simple way to help decide on decorations and include a fun game which can also be super cheap (if you don't go overboard).

Look at her. So evil.

Dolores Umbridge Dart Board - I am pretty sure even Voldemort hates Umbridge. I will print off
several copies of the same picture of her and attach it to a cork board. I need to make four sets of four darts that will not potentially damage the wall, but will stick easily into a cork board when thrown. Points will be gained or lost based on where attendees hit the picture or if they miss,

Butterbeer Pong - Beer pong is a pretty basic adult party game. The nice thing about it is you don't have to use alcohol. You can just find a different drink to use. I am intending to use a butterbeer recipe, once I find one that looks good to me. All the ones I've found so far have been very sugary, so I'm still on the hunt. There will also be the three Quidditch goals in the middle of the table, and, of course, the Snitch. At this point, I intend to have a paper cutout of a snitch attached to the bottom of the cups used for the game. Whenever the Snitch is revealed, the team that landed the ball in that cup gets 150 points and the game ends. Anyone who gets a ball in the cup without going through the goals gets ten points, and they get 30 points if the ball does go through the goals. Originally is was one and three, but when the 150 points were accounted for with the Snitch, whoever got it would clearly win. As such, I ended up increasing the number of points gained when the ball landed.

Food:

There are so many book-inspired treats for a Harry Potter party. Too many. I love cooking and trying new recipes, but there is no way that I can manage to try out everything in time for the party, much less afford all of it. Remember, I'm trying to keep it cheap.

Toni is a wonderful baker, and she volunteered to bake the birthday cake. Some of the iconic food items are also sweets, and that makes them often much cheaper to make, as well as easier to transport to the party venue.

I decided that I would provide drinks and sweets. As an additional way to gain house points, I ended up adding in another contest- a pot luck contest. This helps to take some pressure off of me for the party and lets people show their own creativity. This leads me to the last rule: Don't be afraid to ask for help. From adding in a potluck element, to asking a friend to be a party co-planner, this step can make a world of difference. A party is no fun if the host is super stressed out about getting everything set up in time.

Note that this is the only part of the competition where a prize is offered to an individual. This is because I know that adding a pot luck element brings in a level of stress to the guests. Adding in a prize (which is yet undetermined) shows appreciation for their efforts.

The House Cup

Once someone finishes a game, they bring the number of points they gained during it to the table with the House Cups, which I intend to make out of thrift store vases/jars, and put them in. The house with the most points at the end of the night wins the House Cup.

The trouble is, I can't have a decorative cup for every single member of the winning house. It's just not feasible. Instead, I will have little prize bags for each member of the house- I'm anticipating having ten of these bags, but that number may change once I get all of the RSVPs.

These bags cannot break the bank. I intend to make little prize items to include, and maybe some special candies. Who knows what will be in them? It's a mystery.

I'll be talking about how I came to these decisions in later posts, and discuss how I am making each of these party elements work. I'm really excited to be doing this party for Jon, Lucas, and Quinn. I can't wait!

The Five Second Rule Doesn't Work For Eggs

Wow! It's been a while! I almost forgot how to handle Blogger!

Actually, that's not true. I totally remembered. I just wanted to be dramatic.

Anyway, I won't make excuses. Except for these: chronic illness is tough, and balancing work and shows make it tougher.

But seriously, who could say no to assistant directing this?!

Sadly, No Wasted Words was the party that suffered most. I am sorry, my thousands of adoring fans!

Ok, maybe tens. At best. But you are still awesome!

Anyway, I've been going over my last posts and I've pretty much figured out that while the topic may be interesting, the articles are SO. BORING. The voice drones on like Ben Stein calling for Ferris Bueller.

It was an attempt to be professional from my days writing for my college newspaper. Geez, I hope I wasn't as boring when I was writing for that. I'm going to pretend I was fascinating, though, and that I'm merely shaking off the dust.

You see what lying to yourself can do? I feel so much better now.

As you can probably guess, I did not complete the Reading Challenge for 2015. *insert failure theme song here*

There were just so many BAD books that I picked up *cough*shadowsedgemymaureenlipinski*cough*! I couldn't take it anymore. So instead, I ended up reading a ton of books that did not fit onto my challenge list.

I never said I wasn't reading, just that I wasn't reading THOSE books.

You want to know what I'm reading now? No? Well, too bad.

I'm reading Yes, Please by Amy Poehler! Yay!

My husband was taking a nap when I started. I was only reading the introduction, but I kept laughing and woke him up.

Ladies and gentlemen, there are causalities in the War on Illiteracy. It is sleep. I think it's a sacrifice we're all willing to make, though. I look back fondly on books that kept me up all night reading. I may have been kicking myself the next day, and I may have lied about my grogginess by saying I was at a raging party to seem cooler, but the memories are still fond.

Anyway, let this remind you that if you drop something you can always pick it back up (except eggs) and go on your merry way.

So the morals of the (lack of) story are:

Don't Give Up
You Can Always Pick Up A New Book
Being Sick Stinks
The Five Second Rule Doesn't Work For Eggs

Tales from the Publisher: Embarking on the Checkerboard - Guest Piece by Ben Ravensdale!

As a quick disclaimer- "mileage may vary". In other words, the information I'm presenting here is based on my unique combination of circumstances, opportunities, and happenstance. For some people, the information I share will not align with their experiences. In that case, I ask that you contact me directly and relay your stories and experiences, so that we can discuss the differences and maybe collaborate on another post highlighting the alternate outcomes or options!

I’ve been a gamer almost my whole life.  I’ve wanted to be a writer for longer than that, and recently I realized that I want to be in business for myself.  It was inevitable that I would start working on something that let me combine my creative energies and desire to live a comfortable life.

Creating a distinct logo is essential for new companies.

Early this year, I started up a very tiny publishing business, called Ravensdale Publishing, with the intent of publishing board games that my wife and I have designed.  Because I’ve talked to a lot of people that are trying to do the same thing, I figured sharing the lessons I’ve learned might help out some folks who like the idea of getting into board game design or publishing themselves!  To that end, this is the first installment in a series of blog posts about the process, and whatever information I’ve gathered so far.  First things first – let’s talk about the decision to open the business, then talk about the decision to focus on board games.

The first piece of advice I’d like to impart is: don’t start a business hoping that you’ll find a good product.  Create a product, and form your business around that.  Starting a business costs a few hundred dollars, so it’s not a decision to make lightly.  Even if you do have one good product, you might want to think twice about starting a business.  Are you planning on this being a full-time endeavor?  If so, will one product sustain the business?  You might be better off getting a couple of solid products on paper before moving forward to incorporate your own business.   If you don’t intend to devote significant time to designing and creating more products, consider speaking with an existing publisher or studio that might be interested in buying your idea from you.

My wife and I spent a few months refining our first game before we thought it might be ready to show off in public.  Then, we went to a local game convention to get feedback from people and see how well it was received.  Luckily, it went really well!  People liked the game, and from our first demo we gained a fan or two who have been keeping track of our updates over the last year.  We then started brainstorming ideas for other games that we thought would be easy to design and fun to play.  We ended up with a dozen ideas for various games, and had a couple gems that are currently in development behind the scenes.  Based on that, we decided that we wanted to go ahead and go into business for ourselves, so that we could control our ideas and products.

At that point, we had to create our company.  Creating a company is not as difficult as people might think.  Yes, there are regulations to consider, and laws to be aware of, and decisions to make regarding what kind of company you’re creating.  However, the process can be streamlined significantly by working with a law firm that specializes in incorporating business.  For example, I went through Spiegel & Utrera, a nationwide law firm that assists with a lot of the legal nuances and other aspects of creating a company.  They also offer long-term assistance for their members, which can be invaluable when you inevitably have questions about trademarking logos or copyrighting intellectual properties.


(For the record, I know their website looks sketchy.  They are legit, though, and very helpful!)

Creating Ravensdale Publishing was only the first step in starting a business, however.  We had to consider marketing, establishing fans/customers, selecting a manufacturer for products, and a ton of other decisions.  Most of these will require their own posts to cover in detail, but I want to stress that creating a company and starting a business are two different things, and we’ve only dipped our toes into the actual business side of things.  We’ll keep you updated as we go!

In Villains and Henchmen!, the players get to play
as bad guys, defeating heroes and obstacles
to break their super-villain boss out of prison!

Some of you may be asking, “Why is it called Ravensdale Publishing if you only make board games?”.  And that’s a fair question.  Ultimately, I plan to publish novels and maybe some comic books, so I wanted that goal to be part of my company’s “identity” from the beginning.  Also, don’t forget that board games get published too, just like novels and comic books.  I want to offer publishing services to other game designers who don’t have the desire to pursue self-publishing, but want to release their games to the market.  I’ve met several game designers like that in my local community, so I know there is potential for Ravensdale Publishing to expand its brand and services, even if it’s on a small scale.

In the meantime, I’ve decided to focus on games of my own design for a few reasons.  First, it’s cheaper.  I don’t have to pay a designer for their idea, and then pay for manufacturing, shipping, and marketing.  I get to design the game itself, test it, and decide what the theme and style of the game will be entirely without monetary cost.  Second, I have a number of ideas for games, and I’d rather have the final say in how they work, how they look, and how they are presented to customers.  Third, I feel like board games are easier to promote in person – they’re interactive, and people can decide if they enjoy it by playing a turn or two.  Offering demos of a game is more natural to me than trying to explain my favorite parts of a book in such a way that other people will want to buy said book.

The biggest reason, though, is that it allows me to keep my company’s focus small.  It is much less likely for the costs and effort to expand beyond my ability to manage it as long as I focus solely on my products, and as long as those products are exclusively board games.  Once I’ve got that foundation firmly set, I’ll start looking at publishing other people’s games, and will consider branching out into other print materials.


Thanks for reading!  I’ll be putting up another post sometime in the next few weeks, and I’ll try to follow it up with at least a post per month.  The next post will focus on one of the business elements of creating a board game – manufacturing quotes (exciting, right?)!  In the meantime, folks are welcome to email me if they have any specific questions or feedback!

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10 Book to Musical Adaptations

This past weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of seeing a play I have never seen before. This is odd, considering I was one of the co-producers for it (being a producer in my community theatre is totally different from any kind of professional producer- essentially, I'm there for helping out wherever I am needed, so don't get any ideas about me being some kind of investor type).

The show was Big River. For those of you who don't know, that's a musical version of Mark Twain's 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'. Now I love Mark Twain's works, and Huckleberry Finn is my favorite of his list. I never really thought about it being a musical before, but I have learned to keep an open mind anytime I see something is a musical that I did not think would make a good one.

Take, for instance, Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'. I first heard of that musical when I was 14. I did not think it would make a good one, but I decided to see it anyway. I was so happy to be proven wrong!

So below is a list of some of the best, and rather surprising, book to musical adaptations. Enjoy!

Sorry, folks! You'll have to watch
for the next one!

1. Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

As I said before, I love the story of Huck. What I don't love is bluegrass music. Please, cut me some slack- my introduction to it was not a good one. This particular show's music and lyrics were written by Roger Miller, a prolific bluegrass musical artist who wrote and performed a whole host of songs, including Oo-De-Lally from Walt Disney's Robin Hood. I was struck by how the music captured the sound of the river (helped along by sound cues from the techies in the sound booth), but I was most struck by the way it communicated the beautiful loneliness that a life of traveling cultivates. I can't get enough of Leaving's Not the Only Way to Go. The haunting notes transport you to a different place. If you haven't heard this music, I urge you to go out and buy a copy of it, borrow it from a library, or listen to it online. If it doesn't sound like your usual cup of tea, give it a try anyway. It didn't seem like mine, either, and I loved every single song, especially the one mentioned above and Muddy Water.

Filmmakers certainly kept the integrity
of Shrek's original design.

2. Shrek

This one is special in that is went from a book by William Steig to movie to stage adaptation. Shrek started out as a children's book about an ogre that rescues an ugly princess. Because ogres like ugly things, he falls in love with her and they live happily ever after. Honestly, it's adorable, but the films inspired by it certainly added a lot of bulk to the plot line. Often that kind of thing fails spectacularly, in my opinion. This is the exception that proves the rule, though, and I think the first Shrek movie was wonderful. It's how I first heard about Shrek, and I didn't even know it was originally a children's book until my husband told me about it. I found out about Shrek the Musical when I saw the soundtrack at the public library. I am ashamed to admit that my first thought was "Lame!" I borrowed it, anyway, and by the fourth song in, I Know It's Today, I was convinced otherwise. Some amazing songs are in this show, and the set and costume designs are mind blowing. There is a dvd version of it, and it's on Netflix. If you want to see some truly amazing live stage designs, please watch it. You'll also get to see Sutton Foster in all her brilliance as Princess Fiona.

3. Little Women
Louisa May Alcott is a member of the famous Alcott family, where they bleed ink instead of blood. Seriously, it seems like they are all writers. Louisa, though, is certainly one of the most famous, and 'Little Women' is a book that defines her writing ability and style. It is no wonder that it's become several movies and a musical. Some of the songs are not my favorites, but some of them are. When you hear Marmie sing Here Alone or Days of Plenty, she will quickly become one of your favorite characters if she wasn't already.



4. Ragtime
The book, originally by E.L. Doctrow, is not for anyone younger than high school, in my opinion, and there are several differences from the book to the musical, like the relationship between Evelyn Nesbit and Younger Brother. Both contain lots of historical figures from 1902-1912 such as Henry Ford, Harry Houdini, and 'radical anarchist' Emma Goldman. It also contains heavy discussion of political unrest, poverty, rights of laborers, sexism, and racial and immigrant conflict. True to it's name, it contains a wonderful combination of music styles, relying heavily on ragtime. If you want to know a bit more about what's going on in the musical as well as the book, just give Prologue a listen.

5. The Man of La Mancha
Don Quixote, by Miquel de Cervantes, holds true to the book in many ways, though of course unable to contain all of the wonderful and delusional adventures this man had with his comrade, Sancho Panza. This musical discusses hopes and dreams, shows how others seek to stifle them because they are not right, usual, or considered sane. Don Quixote inspires Sancho and Aldonza, the woman he sees as his Dulcinea to live with hope. Yes, it sounds cliched, but the music is phenomenal. The songs that come to mind right away are Aldonza and The Impossible Dream. Listen to that last one and tell me you didn't get goosebumps. If you do, I probably won't believe you. Bonus: Linda Eder has a fantastic version of it on her album 'Broadway My Way'.

6. Jekyll & Hyde
Stevenson's 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' is a novella. If you haven't read it, please do. Most adaptations to screen or stage leave out the fact that the narration is done by Dr. Jekyll's friend, Mr. John Utterson, and it is a masterfully done book, as nearly everything by Stevenson is. The musical does remove the narration done by Mr. Utterson, but he is still a largely important role. The musical explores the good and evil in each person, just in case the poster didn't give that away, but the music so perfectly haunts and lingers in the ears of the listener that is's hard not to replay the album as soon as it's over. Seriously, I can't pick a song to highlight for you, so just go look it up and listen to the whole thing. Really. No, what are you still doing here? Stop reading this and go listen to the music. You can finish this article after that.

7. Cats
I almost didn't include this one on the list, but I decided to do it because it came from a different type of book. 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' by T.S. Eliot is a collection of poems. About cats. That pretty much makes it amazing right there. When music is added to it, and then jaw-dropping dance numbers get tossed into the mix, it gives a whole new spin on the interpretation of poetry that has no end to fun. I know, some people find this show annoying and disjointed. To those people, I encourage you to drop the musical in your heads, and just go read the poetry. You might find that your own version of them makes them far more interesting.


8. The Color Purple
I have a confession. I have neither read this book nor have I seen or heard this musical. I am ashamed. This will be corrected, though, as I have every intention to completely change the status of that! The book, written by Alice Walker, was published in 1982, and became a musical in 2005. It won 11 Tony Awards in 2006. So it obviously has some amazing credentials. Since I have not experienced either of these pieces, though, I will move on and write more about them when I have finished my task. Onward!




9. The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett, this book is about Mary Lennox, a young girl who loses both of her parents to cholera while in India and has to go live with her disfigured Uncle who is still in mourning for the aunt that Mary resembles. While exploring the huge house, Mary discovers her cousin Collin, an invalid who hardly ever sees his father. If you don't know the rest of the story, I won't ruin it for you. Just make sure you read it or see one of the many movies. If you're not convinced that a musical version of this is a good idea, then listen to Winter's on the Wing.




10. Wicked
This is possibly one of the most popular musicals I have ever been exposed to. I haven't met a single person who doesn't love it. Everyone I know who has read the book has loved it. There are difference, so if you have not had the pleasure of reading, seeing, or hearing this story, do not be surprised. I think the book sticks more closely and honestly to the character of Elphaba (who was named for L. Frank Baum's initials, L.F.B.), but that doesn't mean I don't still enjoy both. This is supposed to be the true, behind the scenes story of the Witches of Oz, so don't expect to see too much of Dorothy.

These are just a sampling of the musicals out there that began as books. Books and literature influence so many different elements of the arts, and should certainly not be written off (Ha! Get it? Written off? Because they're books?). What book inspired musicals do you love? Are there any you wish I had included? Tell me in the comments!

2015 Reading Challenge Review - American Entertains by David Tutera

The second book I read for the Reading Challenge was actually number 49 on the list, the second to last one. I had just decided to read this book cover to cover, so I decided it was as good a candidate as any for the Challenge!

'America Entertains: A Year of Imaginative Parties' by David Tutera, a prestigious party planner, is a non-fiction book that discusses how Tutera coordinates the sophisticated events he puts on, from weddings, to house warming parties, to cookouts.

The television show I connected this one to is a show I watched on Netflix while planning my own wedding, 'My Fair Wedding', which later became 'My Fair Wedding: Unveiled'. The second incarnation made it more about the drama behind the scenes, which wasn't to my tastes, but the first incarnation gave great ideas on how to pick themes, choose colors, decide on tablescapes, and everything in between.

The television show focused on weddings, but this book expands on the types of soirees he plans. The book is broken down into twelve sections, one for each month, and each month shows us a reason to celebrate, from holidays, to anniversaries, to gallery openings, and each in a different city in the U.S. Each chapter discusses the first stages of inspiration and planning, the visuals and atmosphere, and the three E's: essentials, extras, and extravagances.

I love that he broke down the three E's. No one, not even Tutera, is pretending that we can all afford to get carved-ice shot glasses or caviar, but most of us can manage to put together wildflowers, terra-cotta pots for vases, or jazz music to inspire our guests. The three E's change for each event, too. Once the theme and location is chosen, what are the most important aspects that will define the essentials? Will it be flowers in a certain color scheme? Maybe it will be a particular kind of cocktail, or patriotic decoration. Extras are just to add a little splurge, like a decadent dessert. He includes chocolate-dipped rose petals in this section for a Valentine's Day party, and the recipe does not look as hard to make as it sounds! Extravagances are for those extra-special events when you can and want to go all out, like one a custom made velvet tablecloth.

Each chapter also contains recipes for the cocktails, meals, and hors d'oeuvres served, and I cannot wait to start cooking some of these up. I may have to come up with some party excuses just to give them a try!

Rank: A
I really enjoyed this book, as I love putting on parties and events, trying new recipes, and figuring out different ways to celebrate the love I have for my friends and family. This book is a perfect fit for anyone interested in event planning, It's appropriate for any age!

2015 Reading Challenge Review: Witches and Ghosts, Pirates and Thieves, Murder and Mayhem

Wow, it's been a while! I'm sorry for that, everyone. Illness and the passing of a family member put a hold on things, but we're back!

The first book I read for the 2015 Reading Challenge was 'Witches and Ghosts, Pirates and Thieves, Murder and Mayhem: Scary Tales from Colonial Williamsburg' from The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation of Williamsburg, Virginia, copyright 2007 and compiled by John P. Hunter.

It may seem odd that a historical society would publish a book of folk tales and ghost stories, but the stories told in this book were stories that were actually told eighteenth-century Virginia. Oral tradition is one of the best way to learn about a society, and offers many ways to better understand their morals and beliefs. After all, almost every fairy tale teaches a lesson to those who listen.

What I found most interesting about the book was that the stories are written as if someone is speaking them, sometimes writing phonetic dialect of the speaker. Nearly all of them are told in first person, and some of them even contain an introduction in the first sentence of the story.

While some of the stories are comical and others rather grim, they are all well researched and included for particular reasons, as the Sources section at the back of the book explains. Each story has a paragraph or two about where it came from, who told it, and any historical documentation that goes along with it. Dark Corners, Black Ink, and The Houseguest are some of my favorites. The Combustible Woman caused me to put the book down and step away from it for a few minutes. As that kind of reaction was probably the goal of the story, I have to say they succeeded.

Rank: A-
I love the stories, the historical significance, and the research done into them. The only thing that dropped it from an A was the writing phonetic writing style, which sometimes drew me out of the book. There is some mild violent content, so I recommend this book for ages 10 and up. If you enjoy scary stories, I highly recommend this book!

A Birthday and a Book

Today is the birthday of a good friend of mine, Carla.

Carla is one of the most avid readers I know. Remember the 2015 Reading Challenge? She's the one who got me started on it. When I was afraid no human being would have read 'Howl's Moving Castle' without me having to introduce them to it, she has read it. When we're talking about books, she'll introduce me to books I have never heard of, and make them sound fascinating.

Carla, with her new copy of 'Burned' by Moning,
seventh in the Fever series.

Really, she should do PR work for books. I bet sales would skyrocket.

I'm not the only one who thinks this, either. Toni Lancey has also found Carla's love for reading contagious.

"Carla is definitely the most dedicated reader I know. She has introduced me to not just several wonderful books and series', but whole genres I'd never heard of. And although I only read a small fraction of what she does (sadly), when we have read the same book it's so much fun to see a completely different take on the same words, or even gush about the hunkiest guys in the book. One of my favorites times with Carla was a road trip to New Orleans, we listened to 'Iced' by Karen Marie Moning. It was so awesome whenever I had an "Oh my gosh!" or "What the heck?!" moment, someone was right there with a comforting, "I know."

Reading is often viewed as a solitary act. Obviously, it doesn't have to be, but even when it is there are plenty of opportunities to bond with loved ones over books. Reading a book your friend loves gives you a deeper knowledge of that person, and shows you care enough about them to make an effort to understand what they love. It can be s frightening thing to do, as well, sometimes showing a vulnerable side.

Carla had this to say about books and how they have impacted her relationships.

"Books have had an interesting affect on my relationships. They have both isolated me and connected me at the same time. Some books can be emotional roller coasters and that can be hard to explain to non-readers. But it's a beautiful thing when I meet other book nerds like me. I have made friends in Canada, the UK, Romania, and New Zealand because of one book series. It's kind of awesome having that kind of connection with people. It's like we all shared an adventure together."

I'd like to thank Carla for being so brave to share her love of books with us, to inspire a passion for the page that has only made our relationship richer.

Happy birthday, Carla!