Disney's Food and Wine Festival 2016

Today literally marks the last day of this year's Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. Unlike previous years, I didn't get to cover as much ground because of the unusual level of heat. 

Florida is ALWAYS hot in September, October, and November. But 100 degrees at high noon without even a sliver of a breeze? Good god, it was brutal. 

So I did what anyone would do. I refused to overeat in the hot weather, so I only stopped at one or two booths during each visit to the festival. I drank a lot (water, soda, tea), but the hydration didn't help. Only ice cream and frozen drinks did the job. I also sought out air conditioning wherever possible and got used to peeling myself off of chairs when it finally time to get moving again. 

New Stuff

The biggest change this year is the transition from collecting stamps at every festival booth to... not. Instead, every passport contains the sticker versions of the stamps that you can place yourself on each booth that you visited. 

I'm going to miss the stamps (each one felt like a little victory), I get why they've been phased out. The lines for the booths are usually long, but it was worse when I'd found out the five people in front of me in line were only looking to fill their passports with another stamp. 

So now that sort of thing won't happen anymore. 

The Festival Center was decked out with chocolate sculptures, as usual. Though this year, it was awesome to see Star Wars join the chocolate ranks. As well as the adorable chocolate pandas I posed with. 

And I took a few other photos while wandering around the parks - the lovely rows of passports with the menus/stickers inside, the seafood fisherman's pies cooling at the Ireland booth, my friend Jen and I kicking butt at the festival, and my first Snorlax caught over by The Living Seas!

Besides the hot weather, there was extra incentive for annual passholders to return multiple times - three times, specifically. After your third visit (while supplies last), you could collect your free glass tumbler. It's beautiful. I love it more than last year's wine glass (probably because I don't really drink wine, haha). 

 

THE EATS:

As you can see, I didn't get to try as much as I usually did. And my favorites were anything frozen - the liquid nitro truffle I raved about last year (pictured here twice) and the frozen pumpkin chai tea drink. They saved my life AND were incredibility delicious!

Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey-Caramel (Chocolate Studio)

Twinnings Pumpkin Chai Tea and Caramel Shake (Ireland Booth)

Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream (Belgium Booth)

Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese (Germany Booth) 

Seafood Fisherman's Pie (Ireland Booth)

Traditional Scottish Lamb Stew with Neeps and Tatties (Scotland Booth)

Fresh Potato Pancake with Scottish Smoked Salmon and Herbed Sour Cream (Scotland Booth)

Korean-style BBQ Beef with Steamed Rice and Cucumber Kimchi (South Korea Booth)

Red Wine Chocolate Truffle (Chocolate Studio)

Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey-Caramel (Chocolate Studio)

Loaded Mac 'n' Cheese with Nueske's Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers and Green Onions (Farm Fresh Booth)

Two Henrys Elderberry Hard Cider (Farm Fresh Booth)

UNTIL NEXT YEAR - STAY IN THE SHADE!

Manuscript Deadlines in 5 GIFS

Behold! I have emerged from a month of not blogging with big news: I just submitted my third manuscript to Swoon Reads this past week! I also noticed that there's a major blue theme going on with the photos I took of the process...

This is not intentional. But it totally makes sense. Yes. Secrets. 

After going through the whole submitting-my-manuscript-to-my-editor-for-the-first-time process a few times, I've noticed some patterns. Have you finished a writing project and felt/experienced the same things? 

1. The end is nigh!

You can almost smell it. This is such an exciting time. I feel like a world-weary traveler carrying a machete that I dulled cutting through the wilds of the middle of my manuscript. I've come such a long way since the first chapter, where everything was shiny and new and hopeful. Not that there isn't hope at the end. It's just a different kind of feeling. It's a little surreal. In just a few chapters, I'm going to be done. The story will close. WOAH. Soak it in. Then get cracking. 

2. When my characters decide to do whatever they want...

... instead of following the carefully constructed outline I have in my head. This happens ALL THE TIME. Usually it's a good thing, especially when you're still exploring your characters. But the timing is awful when this happens just a week or two before you're supposed to submit your manuscript. 

When this happens to me, I have to stop for a second and ask myself why my character is veering off course. Will following the character be more beneficial than dragging it back into the pre-planned plot? If so, it means I've got a lot of rewriting to d0 (aka no sleep for days).

Other times, a character wandering off has more to do with the above sleep-deprivation than anything. That's when I take a nap and then find my characters behaving nicely again. 

3. Sensing my deadline, my friends instinctively feed me.

I can't tell exactly what gives it away. My pallid skin? The bruise-like shadows under my eyes? Or maybe my gentle, if not worrisome muttering as I scratch out plot points and re-research the steps of the Charleston to practice under my desk?

Friend: How's the writing going?

Me: Oh, you know, pretty okay, just gotta rename a minor character and figure out what color train ticket my MC is using for...

Friend: I made extra Pastelón. Here. 

Me: *shoves fork in mouth*

Either way, I appreciate the extra brain fuel. I'm sure my friends are to thank for being able to keep up with my deadlines... and motivation to squeeze in exercising. 

4. My head is full of music.

I need to listen to music when I write. I don't do ambient sounds. I can't stand silence. So I have my earbuds in as I work on those precious few scenes left in the manuscript. 

I make playlists for every writing project, but I'm probably not using them at this point. It's all about high-energy electronic music or soulful movie soundtracks now. Sometimes I'm lucky and it meshes with my manuscript (wahoo electro swing). 

Unless I know I'm not going to be disturbed, I only wear one earbud. Because most of the time reality demands to be heard and no music in the world can keep it quiet. 

5. Having some kind of vague pride in the finished product. 

At this point, I finished writing the last chapter. I've probably spent months with this manuscript. I know it's strengths, the parts I love and the characters I'm a little sad to part with. But I also know that it's not perfect - and that's okay.

Did I work hard on it? Is it ready for my editor to see? Am I even a teeny bit excited about showing my editor this SECRET THING and that PLOT TWIST and the DID NOT SEE THAT COMING moment in the middle? 

Heck yes, I am. 

Now it's time to return to the land of the living. My bedroom needs dusting and I should probably make my lunch for work tomorrow. 

Sculpting My Own Boyfriend: The Grimbaud Life

You've probably read the blurb for Love Charms and Other Catastrophes by now. And no doubt, this particular part has caused you pause:

"Concerned that its favorite charm maker has given up on finding a boyfriend of her own, Love takes matters into its own hands and delivers the perfect boyfriend to her in a giftwrapped box...literally."

Literally. 

I don't know how I would react if I found a boyfriend wrapped in a nice box on my doorstep. Nope. No idea. 

But as I did some shopping this month, I found something that I knew I had to try because it reminds me of Hijiri. It might, in fact, be a thing sold in Grimbaud. 

I'm still not sure if a love charm is attached to this thing, but... this is for you, guys. I bought this:

Yes, this is a real thing. Take a moment to read the front and back of the kit. Savor those words. Your, your, your. I love the focus.

In February, when you can't help but look at others - other couples, in particular, and jab your own heart in the process - the message here is ironically sweet for a joke gift. The minute you open the kit, this is about what you want. Kind of appealing. 

So let's see how I did with it.

As promised, the kit comes with polymer clay and an instruction booklet. This is the time where you sit with your eyes closed, envisioning the perfect guy you'll create with your super fantastic artistic skills. 

Then you actually start sculpting head. And it begins:

I'm not getting "dreamy," are you? He looked more like John Malkovich as a Muppet. 

Plus, I got fingernail prints all over him. BATTLE SCARS. How do polymer clay sculptors avoid making those???

Thoughts I was meditating on: What is love? What's for dinner? Why do I love it when guys roll up their shirtsleeves? Who thought it was a good idea to put googly eyes in this kit and why would that be romantic?

You'll have to check my Instagram for my thoughts on sculpting my boyfriend's hair - but let's just say that I was VERY determined not to copy the hair on the kit. 

Now then. Time to sculpt the body. One big problem, though. When I opened the blue pack of clay meant for the t-shirt, the clay was completely hard. I couldn't use it! WHAT TO DO?

My boyfriend decided for me that his favorite color is black. So I prayed that I had enough of that clay to cover the rest of his body and set to work. I couldn't help but add the crumbled, useless bits of blue clay I managed to dig out. VICTORY CRUMBS.

I am also incapable of sculpting thin arms. 

There is no need to show you how painstaking it was to sculpt his legs. For a brief moment, I considered not giving him a torso. I was out of clay. But then - I still had brown clay left! If you see him on the street, please don't ask him why his pants are two different colors. He'll be embarrassed. Maybe. 

My polymer clay boyfriend is needy. Instead of sculpting flowers, I had to use the yellow clay for shoes. 

So here he is, standing up (leaning on) his paper bedroom. A bedroom I wouldn't have dreamed of, but you know. It came with the kit. 

Side by side comparison. They look almost the same. If you squint. 

Okay, so I didn't sculpt my dream boyfriend. My skills just aren't that great. I also realized that I will probably never sculpt adorable tiny clay food, so I should move on to another hobby like making pop-up books or terrariums. 

After finishing and cleaning up all the bits of clay, I finished by afternoon with another very February treat:

So tell me... how was your Valentine's Day? Have you ever attempted to sculpt before and how did it go?

A Very Grimbaud Giveaway!

Hello readers! We survived our first week of February. Or maybe it's just me because, after getting hit with a stomach virus at the end of January, I now finally feel well enough to eat... normal food. No more toast, rice, and saltines. Hurrah! 

AND JUST IN TIME! Because I have had Big Plans for this month. If I have anything to do with it, the rest of February is only going to get better. 

I'm excited to announce that I will be hosting a few giveaways this month... and they all start TODAY! 

No matter the giveaway, they all begin today (February 9th, 2016) and run until the end of the month, February 29th, 2016.

Who Can Enter?

ANYONE! These giveaways are open internationally and in the US. 

How Do I Enter the Giveaway(s)?

Depends on the social media. My giveaways are on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Facebook

"Like" my page and leave a comment on my giveaway post. The winner will be chosen at random.

It's February 9th, which meaaaans... giveaway time! In order to win a personalized, autographed copy of LOVE FORTUNES...

Posted by Kimberly Karalius on Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Twitter

Follow me and Retweet my giveaway tweet. The winner will be chosen at random. 

Giveaway! RT & follow @kkaralius by 2/29 for a chance to win a signed copy of LOVE FORTUNES + book swag! Open Int'l pic.twitter.com/L7aa91Jaao

— Kim Karalius (@kkaralius) February 9, 2016

Instagram

Okay, so since I LOVE Instagram way too much, this giveaway is more involved. There will be THREE winners. Why? Because I'm running three different photo contests. You can enter one or all of them:

1. Post a Valentine's Day inspired photo with the words "Love Fortunes and Other Disasters" and "Kimberly Karalius" included in some way, shape, or form. Example below:

2. Post a Valentine's Day inspired photo with your copy of Love Fortunes and Other Disasters.

3. Post a photo of of First Kisses and Other Misfortunes - of you reading it, your favorite page, anything! It's up to you! 

In order to be entered into the contest(s), you MUST use the hashtag #thegrimbaudlife and PLEASE use these additional appropriate hashtags like #kimberlykaralius #LoveFortunesandOtherDisasters #FirstKissesandOtherMisfortunes #SwoonReads

I will choose one winner from each category, but I'll also be able to feature everyone's photos who entered on my blog (as long as you use the hashtags, my friends, haha). 

What do I win? 

Now we're talking, right? 

Every winner, no matter the giveaway, wins this totally awesome pack of Grimbaud book swag and other magical Valentine's Day goodies. Let me break it down:

Left to Right:

1. Big stickers! The one on the right is inspired by Nico and Martin's novella, First Kisses and Other Misfortunes.

2.  A small postcard (front and back)

3. Two different bookmarks. The one on the right is designed like a train ticket!

4. A personalized, autographed copy of Love Fortunes and Other Disasters! 

5. (Not pictured) A bunch of Valentine's Day/Grimbaud inspired goodies! 

What are you waiting for?

Regardless of how you feel about the Most Romantic Month of the year, it COULD be potentially much more awesome if you enter these giveaways. Take a page out of Fallon the gang's book (har-har) and be a little rebellious. 

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments! 

So Long, 2015! Hello, 2016!

2015, ooooooh, 2015. You were both nightmare fuel and a pastel daydream for me. Adieu. Go away now. 

Over the past few days, I've read blog posts written by friends and chatted on the phone with family about this past year. We all seem to agree that it was a challenge. And by "challenge," I mean soul-shattering, life-changing, #toomanyfeels. 

My lovely writer friends wrote amazing blog posts. I can't possibly be as eloquently rallying as Sam or as bravely honest as Lydia or as bittersweet and hopeful as E.R. Warren; reading about how their 2015's went gave me the shivers. The good kind.  So even though writing a 2015 blog post was the LAST thing on my mind (though it certainly shouldn't have been), I'm taking a stab at it. 

2015 was a year of firsts.

• Becoming an author.
• Securing a full-time, permanent job.
• Awakening to the fact that the people I love are getting older. That I'M getting older. 

Time has been my biggest enemy. Or rather, a friend who had suddenly given me the cold shoulder and stole minutes and hours out of my purse while I was sleeping. 

Why? As my bullet list implies, getting a full-time job AND having my first novel published in the same year was an earthquake to my previously quiet life. 

Transitioning from writer to author was the easier part of 2015, It's one of my life goals, the biggest dream I've ever had, and now it's happened and ohmygoshitisthegreatest. But being an author is not like climbing to the top of the mountain and sticking a flag into the ground. It doesn't end with the publication of one book. THAT is just the beginning. There's so many miles to go. In fact, I'll gladly be climbing for the rest of my life, book by book. 

Then I got my permanent job. This was HUGE. Up until then, I'd been working as a temp - same hours, less responsibility. Contract-based, so if I wasn't renewed, I'd lose my job and have to look for another one. GAH. Applying for jobs is a lot like submitting manuscripts to agents: 90% rejection. But then I found the perfect job in the same company are survived the multiple interviews to get there.

A small galaxy's size of anxiety lifted off my shoulders. 

Annnnnnd, the real challenge of balancing work and writing began. It's something I'm still learning to do now, even in the infant days of 2016.

Yeah, and that last point on my miniature bullet list? GETTING OLD. Now that I'm in my late twenties, I can no longer pretend that I'm totally young and healthy. Not when I fall asleep on the couch at 8pm on weeknights. Not when I manage to pull muscles randomly. Both afflictions may have something to do with being in front of the computer too many hours a day. 

I had in fact made great strides (ha, pun) to exercise and eat healthy in 2015. But the holidays. The holidays. I may have eaten too much fudge. 

My dog Misty is also getting older. She's basically a little old lady who grumbles and glares at me if she can't sit in my lap. 

But it's going to be okay. I have great music to do my workouts with - the kind of songs that would even raise the dead and inspire them to Jazzercize. And if Misty's not feeling well, I'm always there for her... with dog treats. 

2016 is going to have some spillover from 2015. More surprises. LOTS of surprises. Book surprises *shifty eyes* 

How was your 2015? What are you looking forward to for the new year?