VACAY!

OK, so not really vacation time, but sort of... I'm planning for one. A year and a half from now, give or take a month or two. My friend and I are planning a trip to Europe. Backpacking and doing things I may have already done, but need to explore further. Not to plug my book, but the profits I get will help to go toward the trip. The trip where I will further research TRL (The Rose Legends) destinations/locations and find little nuances that, perhaps, my characters will find too.

Remember things like the Eliminator or the football game from Book One? I'm trying to insert those into the second book right now. Things I've seen or done that will make the characters and the places they visit more relatable. It's what makes reading a book that much better. Sure a character could be nice or somewhat interesting, but seeing them in a real place that you know the author has seen or that you've seen yourself? Well that's even better.

Also, I'll be taking suggestions. Remember, I'll be on a budget, but if you have tips or ideas for places (even specific restaurants, etc) to visit, please post them here!

This is Kate Brown, signing off!

Never Forget

Remember 9/11/01 and what happened that day.

Remember those who died.

Remember the heroes who gave their lives.

Remember where you were and what you were doing.

Never forget the flag flying, no matter where it is; in your front yard, in your school, high over the memorial fountains. Keep the families of those lost in your prayers and in your hearts. This is a day we will never repeat. Because we are stronger now. We have come together as a nation to show those responsible for this tragedy that we can only come together during an attack like this. We cannot be divided.

The cowards who caused these attacks; the ones who took not only their own lives, but the lives of nearly 3,000 people. They tried to bring down this nation by tearing us apart. Did they think we would not retaliate? Did they think we were so weak? We are the longest surviving republic of our kind and we will continue to be strong.

In the New York City skyline, there is something missing. We all know it when we see it. Those two towers, which never really stood out to most of us before, are gone. And in their destruction, in the place where they once stood, we see twin fountains, around which the names of the victims and heroes have been etched into the black stone. We are going to soon see the memorial building which is currently under construction. And every time we see that building along the NYC skyline, whether in person, picture, or film, we will remember the strength of the city that lost so much ten years ago. We will remember the families of those we lost; of those who gave their lives for others. We will remember.

Never forget. This is Kate Brown, signing off.

Spicy Pico de Gallo Chicken Pasta

Ready for my first recipe post? Y'all didn't know I could cook, huh? Yeah, I didn't think so. Well, I can!

First off, let me just say that I bought the ingredients at Wal-Mart yesterday and didn't know what I was going to do with it all. A handful of parsley, a yellow onion, some tomatoes and frozen chicken. How does that turn into a fantabulous, spicy pasta? Like this!

Ingredients:
2 frozen chicken breasts
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1-1 1/2 TBSP fresh, chopped cilantro
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1-2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP olive oil
Crushed red pepper
Salt
Black pepper
Dried parsley
Garlic powder
1-1 1/2 cups pasta (any type, though spaghetti and fettuccine are not recommended)
Shredded cheese for garnish (mozzarella is what I used, but you can choose)

Directions:

Thaw frozen chicken breasts.

Heat water for pasta on the stove.

In skillet on medium high heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Try not to caramelize, though it's certainly an option if you like. When onions are softened, add olive oil and thawed chicken breasts. While chicken breasts are cooking, add a few shakes of salt, pepper, and garlic powder to uncooked side. Add a pinch of dried parsley, pinch (or more if you like) of crushed red pepper and all of the chopped cilantro. You can leave a bit of the cilantro for a garnish or simply chop a little extra. Add the diced tomatoes at this stage. Cook chicken for about 5 minutes and then turn. Add the same seasoning to the other side. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

THIS STEP OPTIONAL
BEFORE the chicken is thoroughly cooked, take both pieces out and cut them on the cutting board. Place back in the skillet to continue cooking.

When chicken is cooked, throw in the pasta and tossed thoroughly. Garnish with cheese, possibly cilantro and any other Mexican-style flavors you can think of!

Serves 2-3 people

BEFORE

AFTER

I've got to say that my taste buds were very happy with this dish. It was spicy and flavorful and filling. Mmm... Well, that's all for now!

This is Kate Brown, signing off. Remember...

Stay random!

The Update To End All Updates! But Not Really

I know I've been absent for a while, but I have had so many other things with which I've been occupied. First of all, many of you may know I have an internship which I am completing. Working on that until January and then we'll see where I go from there. Also, you may not know my goal for Book Two, working title Brand. I'm attempting to finish it (without forcing it) in time for a release summer of 2012. Again, that's just a goal, but it's the first I've set. I'm well on my way, though, with about half of the length I want already achieved!
When I say that, what I mean is that, while the story was complete and finished, I feel Book One just wasn't enough for the readers. Not enough material. So I'm trying to put as much detail into Book Two as I possibly can and trust me: it won't be hard. I've done some free writing in which I've added some major twists that I never intended to pop up. I've also done much more character development while keeping the potential readers in the dark from the real goings on. Yes, I'm evil. An evil genius.
For those of you who don't know, I created a new official website for The Rose Legends and it is up and running now! You can join for free by heading on over to http://theroselegends.webs.com/ and register on the right-hand side! It's free and you gain access to things like the forum where you can interact not only with the author (yours truly), but other fans as well! Sounds like fun, doesn't it? I thought so.
Also, don't forget that I'm shoot for 500 fans on the Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rose-Legends/181205465232041) by October 1. If we reach that, I'll send on lucky fan a FREE, SIGNED copy of The Rose Legends, Book One: Found! Awesome, right? That's what I thought.
That's all for now, folks. This is Kate Brown, signing off...

Remember, stay random!

It All Ends Today

Four words which may have changed a lot of people. It All Ends Today. But there are simply two words which changed my life eleven years ago. Harry Potter. Those two words, that name, inevitably changed everything I would be obsessed with in the future. Now, I'm not talking about the kind of obsessed where I draw pictures of the terrific trio and put them on my wall or stalk the actors who play the characters in the films. I mean the kind of obsessed where it literally changes my personality.

Think about it. If I'd never cracked open Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I probably would not have found the love of reading which I have today. There's something fulfilling about reading a new story about a new group of characters in a new world. Something wonderful and exciting about getting to leave your own world, even if it's just for a few minutes, to visit Hogwarts or Middle Earth or Alagaesia or even just Lawrence, KS (if you've never been there, that is). But what is it about Harry that makes his story so intriguing to children (and now adults) everywhere? The story of Harry Potter transcends generation, gender, and so much more. But why?

Sure, Harry is destined to be a hero and we know that, one day, he will have to stand up to the man who murdered his parents in cold blood. And we follow his story in the meantime when we could choose to read other books. Harry himself is no extraordinary person, if you think about it, is he? He goes to school, he makes a few friends and a few enemies and he goes through the stage which all young adults go through; teenage angst. So why is he so amazing?

The answer is simple: It's not Harry that's amazing. Or rather, it's not just him. It's everyone else with whom he surrounds himself. Hermione Granger, the intelligent, bushy-haired, sometimes overzealous young girl. Ron Weasley, the fiery-haired, loveable friend who's always there for our hero... well most of the time anyway. The rest of the Weasleys who seem to adopt Harry as their own, not because he's famous, but because they know family is the most important thing. They teach us that throughout the books. Without the Weasleys, Harry might have befriended Malfoy and I'm sure we can all imagine how that might have turned out.

But not just Harry's friends. What about his professors? McGonagall, the wise, sometimes funny, stern, but caring professor who was there the night Harry was left with his aunt and uncle. Snape, the man who hates Harry because of Harry's father, but loved Harry's mother so much. We see Snape's true colors in the final installment of the films and the novels. And let's not forget Dumbledore. Dumbledore: the man who, in truth, raised Harry like a pig for slaughter, but who did truly care for the boy nonetheless. A man revered by the wizarding world and loved by his students. It is partly because of Dumbledore that Harry was able to defeat Voldemort in the end.

But not only Dumbledore. As I said earlier, Harry could not have done any of this alone. He needed Hermione and Ron and McGonagall and even Snape. He needed them all. He needed help as all heroes do. As we humans could not, Harry could not have done any of this alone.

It is not Harry himself to whom we relate, but the other characters; Hermione or Ron or even Neville. Those characters make us keep reading the story which we began reading because of Harry and because JK Rowling is such a fabulous author.

Rowling is inspiring and I'm glad that she allowed changes to be made in HP7:2. Yes, I said I'm glad changes were made. If it had been done exactly the same as the books, I may have felt empty because it had been a letdown. But the Battle of Hogwarts took up most of the final film and they changed it just enough to make it exciting while keeping enough to satisfy the true fans. It was well done, well-filmed, and the music was fantastic. I'm not sure why I ever disliked Alexandre Desplat as a composer, but her regained my favor with that score.

I'm getting a little rambly and I apologize, but if you saw the film, you'd understand. There's just so much going on in my head right now. Voldemort is dead. My childhood is over. My mischief is, sadly, managed. What do I obsess over now? I'll tell you what. I'm going to continue writing and taking cues from my favorite authors and hopefully my books will be half as loved as Harry Potter because no author could ever trump JK Rowling.

JK Rowling is my idol. Without her, I would definitely not be where I am today. So I say thank you, Ms. Rowling. Thank you for thinking up Harry Potter on a train without a piece of paper and sticking with the idea long enough to do all you've done. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and, if I ever meet you, I think I'll be too in shock to speak.

That is my post for the day. This is Kate, signing off and remember...

Stay random!

A Technological Revolution

I've had a lot of questions about my book. One of the most popular questions happens to be about whether or not the book will be available in an e-book version. My answer to that is...

YES!

In fact, it is now officially available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites for download! So head on over and get your copy today!

In other news...

I'm in Florida now, but I won't be in Orlando until Sunday night. I move in to my apartment on the Disney property on Monday and then from there I begin my biggest adventure yet!

Stay tuned for the site of a NEW blog made specifically FOR Disney. Until then...

This is Kate Brown (author) signing off! Remember....

Stay random!

To Study or Not To Study...

Right, so it's been almost a month since I've posted and for that, I'm sorry. My randomness has ebbed slightly in recent weeks due to my lack of energy because of finals. The horror!

Here's the deal, though. I have some things I need to rant about.

The first is dealing with certain things in the house. There is a rule during finals week that quiet hours are 24/7, however there is a group that doesn't seem to give a rat's ass if they are disrespectful to their sisters. Their most recent crap is screaming in the halls and playing the piano loud (whilst singing at the same volume). The piano wouldn't be bad if we couldn't hear it all the way up on the third floor. There are also those idiots who blast music when they're getting ready in the bathroom. I can hear it in MY room with the door closed and I'm about as far from the bathrooms as I can get when you talk about the walls in between and all that. Rude. Very, very rude.

OK, so that's really all, but it's the worst. It goes on all year and the person whose job it is to take care of these problems (among others) doesn't seem to be enforcing the rules, which is getting on everyone's nerves, not just mine.

I'm really sorry about the negativity, but I needed it out there. Maybe it'll change, maybe not.

On the bright side, I have less than two hours until my final final! See what I did there? Clever, right? I know. I'm brilliant. I graduate on Saturday!!! Yay me! *clap clap clap clap clap* If anyone else got that reference, just know that you're awesome. Speaking of Disney (and yes it was a Disney reference), I have just 11 days until I begin my adventure in the most magical place on earth! YAY!

Exactly 1 month until The Rose Legends, Book One: Found is officially released!!! But, if you order now, it'll be there in a few weeks/days. I don't know how fast it's shipping, but it'll be there before the release date of June 11, almost guaranteed. Check out http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rose-Legends/181205465232041 to Like it on Facebook and for the links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other sites where you can order your copy!

If you're interested in a signed copy of my book, e-mail TheRoseLegends@gmail.com and I'll see what I can do!

As always, questions and comments are appreciated!

This is Kate Brown, signing off! Remember...

Stay random!