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It's Friday, so you know what that means!

Here is our second installment of FAE's Friday Faves.

Number One: Brian Buckley Band

The Brian Buckley Band was introduced to the Supernatural Family by Jared Padalecki himself. They've released some great albums such as Hysterical Blindness, Without Injuring Eternity, and For Her. Brian Buckley has a uniquely beautiful voice that soars over beautiful guitar. The band is an amalgamation of various genres from folk to rock to soul. All of the music is beautiful and full of emotional punch.

I was introduced to this wonderful band when I went to my first Supernatural convention in 2011. They were the concert for that Friday night, and I went in not knowing very much about them. By the end of the performance I was hooked.

Their music became great inspiration for me. I used it as my soundtrack while writing my novel. “I Am Human” is the song that I connected with the most.

If you want to know more about this wonderful band, check out their website.

Number Two: Osric Chau



Osric Chau was our beloved Kevin Tran on Supernatural. He's a talented actor with a bright future ahead of him. He's worked with the likes of David Carradine and had a role in the disaster film 2012. Chau's also done video game voicing. His next project, Killing Poe, is currently in post-production. He'll be playing the character Bud Polinski.

Since his stint on Supernatural, however, Chau has become more involved with the fandom. He has offered to work on a cosplay event at upcoming Supernatural Conventions that he's attending, selecting a fan that will also attend to help select his outfit. It'll be interesting to see what he does both professionally and on the convention circuit. Chau can be found on Twitter under the handle @OsricChau

Number Three: Nikita

This spy show signed off at the end of 2013. It's four seasons are full of action and suspense, but what really carried it was the relationships between Nikita and her various allies. It had a little bit of everything---humor, drama, tension, friendship, and yes, romance. With the secret government spying making the news these days, Nikita really hits home there, too. Maggie Q makes Nikita a kick ass woman that we all want to cheer for. If you haven't watched this brilliant show, find a way to watch it now in its entirety. It finishes with quite the bang.

Number Four: Super Wiki



Whenever I need to look up something for an article I'm writing about Supernatural, I always turn to the Supernatural Wiki for my information. They've massed so much of it throughout the show's history. They have everything from major character backgrounds---such as detailed biographies of Sam and Dean---to the littlest detail describing a weapon, minor character, or set design. If you want to know more about various crew members and their roles in making the show, Super Wiki has that covered, too. Super Wiki is a fanrun database and any fan in the Supernatural Family that is willing to help out can. It's one of the best fan resources around---and having it made by the fans for the fans makes it all the more special.

Number Five: Almost Human

This is a new show on FOX staring Karl Urban and Michael Ealy. It fits my TV bill for a buddy drama. Urban and Ealy have great chemistry as Kennex and Dorian. I admit it. I have a thing for buddy shows---especially those that have two characters that banter and bicker. The story centers on a future set in 2048 where all cops must be partnered with an android officer. Dorian is our android---but his model is distinctly more human than most. This is what gives Almost Human its undeniable charm. For a futuristic series, it also hits close to home both in emotions and questions about the advancement of technologies. If you haven't watched this series yet, give it a try.

Until next week!

Last time I simply put out an ask for help. I want to know the publishing secret handshake so I can get my book out to the world. So today, I sat down and started the research process.

A follower on Twitter linked me to an article about how publishers go about choosing books for publication. It was a fascinating read, discussing the meeting that takes place between the various people in the publishing house. Marketing, editors, accountants, and more gather to discuss the profitability of various manuscripts on the table. I'm not surprised that the primary focus is on money and sales projections. Working retail as long as I have, that's about the only thing that seems to matter on many levels.

Which makes me think about my literary paranormal novel and it's chances. Since I don't know yet how to make the pitch to sell it to the big group at the publishing house or a literary agent, that brought me to my next step: researching the query letter.

It seems that everyone has their opinion on how a query letter should be written. I don't know how to do that, yet, so I am looking for any advice anyone is willing to give me on this subject. How do you start one? What does it entail? Where should I send it? To how many different agents and agencies should I query at a time? Are there any recommended books anyone can suggest that discuss this in a manner that doesn't just make my head explode?

The more I researched, the more my head started to swim and be overwhelmed. Some said not to start with a hook that jumps into describing the story itself. Others said it's a must. Some said to not give it all away in short synopsis paragraph. Others said you must include the ending or risk being passed on.

Which is right? It would seem that I have a lot more digging to do today and through the week if I'm going to nail down the next piece in the puzzle.

Meanwhile, I'm also debating starting that long overdue fifth draft. I am proud of the current form of my book, don't get me wrong, but I worry that I haven't done enough to make my manuscript as polished as it could be. What needs to be rewritten, cut, or added? What needs better description or dilaogue? I'm a bit lost on that, too.

All in all, this first day trying to figure out what to do now with the publishing goal in mind is a lot of “I don't know what I'm doing. Help!”

So again, I ask for everyone's help and guidance. I do know one thing about publishing---or the world in general. You can't get anything done without asking for help sometimes.

Until next week!

"So wise so young, they say, do never live long" Shakespeare, Richard III, Act III, Scene I

The fate of the Princes in the Tower is perhaps one of the greatest mysteries in English history. Who actually killed Edward V and Richard, Duke of York? How is it that they ended up in the Tower of London at all? Who benefited the most from their deaths? And what was the ultimate result of that tragedy? Alison Weir pens a great case for what happened back in 1483---and squarely lays all the evidence on one man: Richard III.