Can‘t resist sharing this video my son Liam edited of him and his sister Regan ringing in the new year by each biting into a raw jalapeño. I really did not expect to laugh so much watching this, but they did some creative stuff with this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4cft8UakBc
Sheri and I are at her alma mater for homecoming. The Richmond Spiders are hosting the Stony Brook Seawolves. Go Spiders! #SpiderPride #Football #LifeWithDragonQueen
Non-reading stuff here. My wife Sheri found a recipe for chicken biryani. It was spicy, but such a good burn! Think this one is a keeper. #dinnertime
Did a double take as I was doing my previous post and realized my Litfluence cracked 20k a few days ago. #litfluence #whoa
Sheri & I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary today. We originally planned a day trip to DC but decided to save that for warmer weather. Instead, we did a mini-movie marathon. We started with “Star Wars,” which we watched the night of our first prom. We followed it with “Sneakers,” one of our all-time favorite films. After going out on the town for dinner, we finished with Kenneth Branagh‘s “Dead Again.”
One of my favorite Richmond traditions is going to Proper Pie Co. on #PiDay. The first hundred customers get a free, special Pi Day mug. As you can see, I‘ve made it there 4 of 5 years now. That 2015 mug is about done, though. I got there an hour before they opened today and was 5th in line. The line was to the end of the block by the time they opened. Next year, Pi Day will be a Saturday. That line will easily be twice the size then. #PiDay2019
I saw “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” when I was nine. Spock was (and always will be) my favorite character from the TV show. I left the theater crying. We‘re talking hard core, ugly crying. During the past year, I‘ve recognized the impact of that film on my storytelling. While not everything I write has that exact kind of ending, I think I‘m often writing to that moment on an emotional level.
What story from your childhood shapes you?
In honor of #NationalHatDay, here‘s to the hat that was an impulse buy for me twenty years ago and turned out to be one of the most practical purchases of my life (especially once I started losing my hair). This hat is older than my kids.
For today‘s #ManicMonday, @JoScho did a collage theme choosing a single color with four items (food, clothing item, toy, and book cover). I went with red for some blatant self-promotion. #NoShame #GidionKeep
I joined the guys from the “Prose & Cons” podcast for their latest episode today, along with one of my best friends and fellow writer Phil Hilliker. I talked about my “Gidion Keep, Vampire Hunter” series, critique partners, James River Writers, and the infamous Twilight Saga (yeah, I go there).
#podcast #GidionKeep #ya #youngadult #vampires #twilight
https://proseandcons.org/2018/03/26/episode-16-bill-blume-and-phil-hilliker-jame...
I‘m riding on radio waves today. My pal Phil Hilliker and I get to talk books and writing with the guys from “Prose & Cons” on WRIR 97.3 FM at 11am! You can also listen online. #RVA #writerslife
http://wrir.org/show/prose-cons/
Couldn‘t resist taking part in @Chelleo ‘s idea to share the story behind my #litsyavatar. My #profilepic is taken from the headshots I took for the release of my second book Gidion‘s Blood. I went to Richmond‘s Canal Walk at night to take the pictures, because that‘s where the opening chapter of my first novel, Gidion‘s Hunt, takes place. I took hundreds of pics by myself, using a camera with a timer on a tripod. These two pics were my favorites.
Hit a @Litsy milestone yesterday. Cracked the 10,000 mark. I originally got into Litsy because I wanted to find a social media I enjoy that isn‘t toxically overpopulated by other writers. Yes, I wanted to promote my writing (probably should promote more), but instead, I‘ve gotten a lot more reading done, did a reading challenge for the first time, found new podcasts, made friends, and discovered some books & authors I love. Glad to be here.
This seems appropriate to share since it's Father's Day. One of the things I enjoy about writing my Gidion Keep series is that Gidion is a third generation vampire hunter. The books hit on what that life has done to Gidion's father and grandfather and how it impacts Gidion's life in ways he doesn't even know. The second book, Gidion's Blood, really lights the fuse on the explosive baggage Gidion's father and grandpa have buried. #FathersDay
Got some help from Windsor, the Grumpy Dragon, for a book rainbow to celebrate Pride Month.
#Pride #pridemonth #grumpydragon #bookrainbow #dragon #dragonsoflitsy #rainbow
Day 16 of #Riotgrams focuses on bookmarks, and I have a unique one. After the release of my second novel Gidion's Blood, one of my coworkers made this bookmark for me. Love what she did, even trying to make the font style similar to what's on the cover. #GidionKeep #GidionsBlood #bookmark #bookmarks #vampire #vampirehunter #ya #youngadult #youngadultbooks
Day 12 of #Riotgrams is simply about "outside." I don't often read outside, but my favorite place to do it when I do is when I visit a writers retreat in Norwood, VA, called The Porches. I've gone there many times during the past few years, and it's amazing how the creative energy of this place helps me (& many others) focus to write. Some important sections of Gidion's Blood were written here, but I also love to read a little on the upper Porch.
For today's #Riotgrams, here's my local library. The library near me in Chesterfield County is the newest addition to the county's libraries. It's a beautiful place, and the open, bright design of it makes it a place I enjoy going to write. Sadly, I don't have an outside picture of it, but I do have this picture of the young adult section. #yalit #library #libraries #AmWriting #RVA
Decided to join in the fun of BookRiot's February #Riotgrams here on Litsy. So, here's my Day 1: Shelfie. My wife gave my books a place of honor on top of one of our bookshelves, and I'm gonna shamelessly show 'em off today. I promise the rest of my #Riotgrams won't be all self-promotion.
#GidionKeep #GidionsHunt #GidionsBlood #TheDeadlands #bookshelf #shelfie #vampire #vampitrhunter #yalit #urbanfantasy #shortstories #anthology #bookholders
I'm saddened by the news about George Michael. His music inspired me a lot when I started to write. His album "Older" also reminds me of when my wife and I married. I included a reference to the title track of that album in my second novel Gidion's Blood, which was a challenge in a YA novel. I hate that there won't be more music from him, was always eager to hear what he'd do next. #RIPGeorgeMichael #GeorgeMichael #GidionKeep #YALit #GidionsBlood
My daughter made a Gidion Keep inspired dreamcatcher. Turned out super cool!
#MerryChristmas #Christmas #dreamcatcher #GidionKeep #christmasgift
It's usually not a good idea for a writer to look at reviews, but in weak moments, curiosity bests me. Just came across several positive reviews for my latest novel, Gidion's Blood. Provided a nice boost to fight the constant self doubt I (and most writers) deal with. Worked hard to create something different with Gidion and the vampires in his world. #GidionKeep #GidionsBlood #writerslife #AmWriting #rva #vampire #vampires #vampirehunter
@Litsy hope you'll forgive me, because I'm gonna go shameless self-promotion for #AllHallowsRead. My young adult series is less horror than thriller, but the second book in my "Gidion Keep, Vampire Hunter" series places Gidion, everyone he loves, and everything he believes at risk. It gets plenty scary. #GidionKeep #ScaryRead #YALit #GhostlyEchoes #youngadult #vampire #vampires #giveaway
Gidion's Blood: Gidion Keep, Vampire Hunter - Book Two | 
