The Crooked Path

Marie King ©

love builds up the broken wall

and straightens the crooked path.

love keeps the stars in the firmament

and imposes rhythm on the ocean tides

each of us is created of it

and i suspect

each of us was created for it”

 

--Maya Angelou

Faintly through the universe...

-James Joyce

Forgive the misquote (*His soul), I was really tired when I did this.

Once upon a time...

Marie King ©

The next big adventure...

There were two places I wanted to go in this world more than anything.

One was Alaska. 

The other is London.

Guess where my next big adventure is going to be!

From moment to moment....

Marie King ©

Miles to go before I sleep...

“These woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

-Robert Frost

-Photo: Edited by Marie King©- 

Find original photo here

"The library, and step on it"

In my humble opinion, David Foster Wallace is one of the best writers of the past century. His beautiful use of the English language, his rich, complex plot lines, and the introspection into the human conscious remain unrivaled by most. His work makes me laugh, cry and question this existence. Fun fact -- he grew up in Urbana. Sometimes I'd wander the streets and marvel at the fact that he had likely done the same.

R.I.P. Mr. Wallace.

You should watch/listen to 'This is Water' if you have not
(a very insightful commencement speech he gave before departing this earth)

Quote: D.F. Wallace ©
Photo: Lonnie Bradley, http://www.sxc.hu/photo/348663 

Edited/Design: Marie King

Visually Driven Words

'To enjoy the little things...', Curated by Marie King

So, I'm working on the next part of my book late at night, a continuation of the one I wrote for NaNoWriMo. This isn't going to be the book, in fact I don't know that I'm going to let anyone read it EVER, but I need closure. I intended it to be more serious than it is, in the vein of Never Let Me Go but it has drifted from it's course and I can only grasp at it's tails. 

However, I've been using Evernote to create my magic world for my Harry Potter-esque series that I intend to write in the next year. It takes quite a bit of time and planning. Evernote has come in quite handy, allowing me to organize my thoughts and inspirations- you should check it out if you have any projects you're trying to tackle. 

"Flame the Fame", Curated by Marie King

Pinterest is also a great way to get into it. I use a few of my boards to inspire a tone/feeling for my writing. If you too are a visually driven person, I'd highly recommend this up and coming site!

'Oh the places you will go', Curated by Marie King

What the time? What's the place?

Back in the days of my childhood, when I lived in the city- up in Lakeview, this was the church we used to go to. St. Alphonsus. I'll never forget walking in the freezing, cold Chicago winds to go on Saturday night. My dad would always buy us pie afterwards from the art-deco Greek restaurant across the street. 

I stopped in recently and there was still a waitress who worked there when I was a little girl and the small 13" tv above the diner that we used to watch the Bulls on (in the days of Jordan). Back in the day, we'd all go to the Golden Apple- my friends and their parents- after a school event. We'd be running around and staring at the pies going round and round in their glass case.

All the good times... how fast they went by.

Photo: Marie King ©, Chicago, March 2012

Infected with Irish Fever

 

  

 

A terrific evening of Irish pubs, old friends and Guinness!

Happy St. Patty's!

March Madness

 Quite a few upsets this year! Duke, Mizzou, Michigan....

And then, to top it off, the Bulls lost to Portland! 

 I guess they call it March Madness for a reason.

I can't wait till next weekend- way too many games going on this weekend!

What up, Amazon?

 

eBook now available on Amazon!! 

Woot, woot!

I want to see Samantha's dreams come true so do me a favor and thumbs it up, tell your friends, or buy it and write a review! Everything helps and Samantha deserves it!

The Delivery Girl

Tomorrow's the day! Super excited for Samantha! 

You can buy the e-book now for $4.99 @ http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/141896

King for a Lifetime

Marie King ©

Just kidding!

Come and find me...

 

Home.

Photo: Marie King ©, Feb 2012

Land of Harsh Wind, Hot Air & Soft Breezes

Photos: Marie King ©, Chicago, March 2012

Winter Night, Winter Bright

There is nothing more inspiring to me than quiet, bright winter nights.
They make me think of blank canvases to be filled with the lushness of the months to come and the stories yet to be told.

Photo: Marie King ©, January 2012

Like a wave from the ocean...

- Alan Watts

Lit My Fire

 

I have a thing for books. Old books, new books, red books, blue books. Books, books, books. I love to read more than anything else in the world (besides traveling).

But my books were becoming a problem. There were books on every surface of my rather small room. The ledge (above which the new book shelves were added) was the only designated place I had, and every 6 months I'd artistically rearrange them with little trinkets from my travels and my latest thrift store painting find. Needless to say, every time I wanted to read a book, it would always happen to be at the very bottom of the stack and in my attempts to slip it out, I would inevitably end up in a pile on the ground with my books spread around me. 

So- along with the updated closet that I showed you the plans for- I added book shelves so that my babies now have a home. I have placed my bed under them in the corner, attached a small reading light and stuffed it with pillows. It is my new favorite space in my home and as I've been dreadfully sick these past two days- my life saver!

Chicago Auto Show '12

 

 

Feb 2012, Marie King ©

My sister, father and I go to the Chicago Auto Show every year to see what the auto industry has up its sleeve. The best years are those with lots of concept cars. Unfortunately there haven't been that many in the past few years, but this year was still pretty good. Lincoln and Lexus had some pretty classy stations, Ford maintained their American working man foundation, and Jeep had their usual theatrics- the annual climbing wall and all.  

Till next year!

Book Cover Potentials

All images: Marie King ©

I'm currently designing a book cover for a wonderful author I'm working for, the same one I'm  illustrating a children's book for. I've really, really enjoyed collaborating with her. She's got lots of talent and I was able to get to read the novel before it comes out to the public on March 15th. It's a terrific book- especially great for upcoming summer beach adventures. It's the first in a series and after that ending, I can't wait to see what comes next. 

Besides illustrating her books, I'm also working with her husband on the marketing aspect. I've never been so excited and pumped for a project in my life! Although I still lack a job with a fixed income, this is surely a once in a lifetime opportunity- especially for a fresh graduate! 

I'm truly blessed.

The Surface of the Stars

A quick thing I did in tribute of a new favorite poet of mine.