Skip to main content

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Japanese language learning

For a couple weeks now, I’ve gotten back into my Japanese language study. I discovered that for me, my Japanese study is like exercise, in that I have to do it first thing in the morning or it’s never going to get done. Even if I tell myself I’ll do it later, that almost never happens. I’m usually too mentally tired at the end of the day to do Japanese study.

So I’ve been doing about an hour of Japanese flashcards studying before I start my writing work every day. A part of me chafes at doing it when I’m raring to go to work, but my Japanese learning is important to me. Eventually I’d like to get proficient enough to be able to translate my writing into Japanese so that I don’t have to pay a translator. I know I’m really far from that right now, but I can dream, right?

I had been thinking of restructuring my Japanese learning for a while now, so today I went to the Bunpro.jp website for the first time in months. Bunpro is basically flashcards for grammar, and it’s a really great website. However, I had forgotten a lot of grammar, which made the Bunpro flashcards difficult and frustrating, and I had a tendency not to do them. So I went ahead and reset my reviews so that I could start again from the bottom. I want to be able to do some grammar flashcards everyday in addition to my kanji and vocabulary, and while Bunpro is great for that, it wasn’t helping if I wasn’t doing them. So by resetting them, I hope it’ll make it easier for me to make myself review my grammar. It’ll be too easy for a couple weeks, but it’ll be a good review of some things I’ve probably forgotten.

Today, I also happened to read in a forum board that it’s best to both study the grammar and vocabulary, and also to expose yourself to more difficult media and get used to reading and listening to the language. This is something I had read about earlier, too, but I had forgotten about it. So I also started working on a light novel I’ve been wanting to read for a while now, Migawari Hakushaku no Bouken 身代わり伯爵の冒険, which translates into “The Adventure of the Substitute Count”. It’s a pseudo-European historical romantic comedy and it looks really cute, although I’ve only read the scanlated manga version, and the light novel is not translated into English. Even though it’s harder than what I can read right now, I can at least study the kanji, vocabulary, and grammar of the sentences, which will challenge me. I bought the ebook version from Bookwalker.jp, which makes it easy to look up words. I started working from the first page looked up the kanji and the vocabulary words in my Anki flashcards app. In Anki I tagged the cards with a “Migawari” tag and made a special Custom Study deck to specifically study the kanji and vocabulary from the book. This way, I’m still learning my Japanese, but it’s also targeted toward the book I want to read.

I wish I had more time to devote to my Japanese, but with the house chores I need to do every day, I have a limited amount of time left, which I need to devote to writing. I’m actually using some of that time to study Japanese rather than write, and I don’t want to cut too much into my writing time because I want to keep putting my books out quickly. Right now, I’m writing a book every 2-3 months, which really isn’t a bad pace. I think if I can learn to focus better, my writing speed might improve.

So here is my public declaration that I’m getting back into my Japanese language learning! I hope I can improve by next year!

Comments

Popular Posts

Camille's Writing Progress

Join my newsletter to get regular updates in your inbox!

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

One-Skein Pyrenees Scarf knitting pattern

I got into using antique patterns when I was making the scarf my hero wears in my Regency romance, The Spinster’s Christmas . I wanted to do another pattern which I think was in use in the Regency period, the Pyrenees Knit Scarf on pages 36-38 of The Lady's Assistant for Executing Useful and Fancy Designs in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work, volume 1, by Jane Gaugain, published in 1840. She is thought to be the first person to use knitting abbreviations, at least in a published book, although they are not the same abbreviations used today (our modern abbreviations were standardized by Weldon’s Practical Needlework in 1906). Since the book is out of copyright, you can download a free PDF copy of the book at Archive.org. I found this to be a fascinating look at knitting around the time of Jane Austen’s later years. Although the book was published in 1840, many of the patterns were in use and passed down by word of mouth many years before that, so it’s possible these are

Camy’s Worsted Cotton Comfortable Skirt with Lace Edging knitting pattern

I made my original Comfortable Cotton Skirt with a simple eyelet round at the bottom, but this one has a simple antique garter stitch lace edging, “Edging to Trim the Body and Sleeves” on page 43 of the book New Guide to Knitting and Crochet , published in 1847. You can download a free ebook copy of the book here . The edging was originally to trim a Baby’s Knit Body, but I have no idea what that is. :P If you do, please do leave a comment. I also changed the hip increases to 4 distinct darts rather than 8 sections, but if you prefer the hip increases from my original Comfortable Cotton skirt, you can substitute that. Like the original Comfortable skirt, this one is cotton for summer, and loose for casual wear. It has a little positive ease and is only slightly flared. The waist is drawstring rather than elastic so that I can loosen it on my fat days or after pigging out at my favorite restaurant. This pattern/recipe is for my size, but there are instructions at the bottom for

Gerard's scarf & Prelude winners!

I finished Gerard’s scarf! It’s lovely and squishy. Here’s the link to my Ravelry project page if you’re interested. And the winners are: The winner of Gerard’s scarf and a copy of Prelude for a Lord is: Cathy B. (Oklahoma) The winners of a copy of Prelude for a Lord are: Cora B. (Ohio) DeVorah B. (Georgia) Breanna D. (California) Deidre D. (Georgia) Carol G. (Oklahoma) Janka H. (Slovakia) Deborah K. (Virginia) Cheri O. (Kentucky) Sara W. (Virginia) Joan W. (Florida) Congratulations! I’ve emailed you. If you didn’t receive my email, or if I didn’t respond to YOUR reply, please contact me through my website , Facebook , or Twitter . My email has been a bit wonky lately. I know that the rest of you are crying into your Regency White Soup that you didn’t win. Cheer up and buy the book! Buy links are below. Buy print book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Christianbook.com Buy ebook: Kindle iBooks Kobo Nookbook Christianbook.com Prelude for a Lord

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

The Robe by Wes King

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.07.2006 I’ve been developing the spiritual theme for this current project for a while, and I think I’ve finally nailed it down. This song has inspired me in my own walk, but then it occurred to me that it communicates the emotional theme for my WIP very well, too. The Robe by Wes King Anyone whose heart is cold and lonely Anyone who can't believe Anyone whose hands are worn and empty Come as you are Anyone whose feet are tired of walking And even lost their will to run There is a place of rest for your aching soul Come as you are For the robe is of God That will clothe your nakedness And the robe is His grace It's all you need Come as you are Anyone who feels that they're unworthy Anyone whose just afraid Come sinner, come and receive His mercy Come as you are For the robe is of God That will clothe your nakedness And the robe is His grace It's all you need Come as you are From the album: The Robe c1993 Emily Boothe, Inc. (BMI)/Careers-BMG Mus

Blogging with beauty when you're loud and tactless

Captain’s Log, Stardate 07.25.2006 I'm gone to RWA National conference : This might be my last post for the rest of the week, depending on if I can get internet access at my hotel. Blog book giveaway: My Thursday book giveaway is WEB OF LIES by Brandilyn Collins . My Monday book giveaway is BE MY NEAT-HEART by Judy Baer . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. I won’t be drawing a winner this Thursday, but on Monday, July 31st, I'll draw the winner for BE MY NEAT-HEART and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Blame Mary: My beautiful friend Mary DeMuth is hosting a “Carnival of Beauty” on Wednesday. I’m not really sure what that means, but she asked me to join so I said “Cool!” The theme is “The Beauty of Blogging.” Now blogging I could talk about all day! Blogging is beautiful for people like me who can’t shut up. Maybe it’s ego-centric. I mean, blogging is uncensored, unedited writing/ranting/complaining/crowin