Mind Sieve 2/7/21

If you’ve been following the blog for a while, the term Mind Sieve should sound familiar. They used to come out every Monday. In these posts, I shared movie trailers, social media/marketing, writing life, and other off bits.

The old logo for these is below.

The last one of these I did was back in May 2017.

By that point, the day job was getting the best of me, and something had to go. (It’s funny. I thought I gave them up a lot farther back than this! So I am not as lame as I thought! Woot!)

Anyway, I plan for them to make a comeback (but not necessarily on Mondays), so I need to think up a new logo for them. (By the way, the sunset in the background for the old logo is from a pic actually taken by yours truly.)

The Universe is Weird!

This week I was working on finishing up the first draft of a prequel novelette (yep, it ended up longer than I meant it to! So more benefit for you! 10K words!) showing how the two protagonists of my upcoming historical cozy mystery “Black Jade” met.

The reason for the prequel is not only to share the fun of how their paths crossed but also as a thank you gift for anyone who sends me a link to a review of the book once it comes out. (If the editor, the cover artist, and I stay on schedule, I am hoping for a release of June 2021! I will keep you posted!)

Anyway, two-plus years ago I had decided Dai was a year older than Jacques and what their ages would be in the first book. Since the novel takes place in 1930 Dallas, this made their birth years 1909 and 1910.

Since Dai is Chinese, I decided to go find out what their zodiac signs were. Aside from the 12 animals, there’s also an element that goes into the astrology of it. Dai turned out to be an Earth Rooster and Jacques is a Metal Dog. When I went to read what traits they assigned to each of those, I got a thrilling shock! The Universe gave its approval. The two descriptions fit my characters exactly! How bizarre is that?!?!?!

So here is what I got from the Metaphysicalzone:

Daiyu Wu (Dai) – Earth Rooster

“Under the influence of the Earth element, he is studious, analytical, and probing, digging for the truth, maturing early, and compiling his own irrefutable information. He will be accurate, efficient, and careful in carrying out assignments, knowing when to brush aside non-essentials. He is not afraid to shoulder vast responsibilities but will cling to his reputation of not mincing words. He is unpretentious, dogmatic with missionary tendencies, leading a simple and austere existence if he finds the job rewarding, exhorting everyone to work harder and follow his example. Fanatically systematic, he keeps notes, files data, and record everything for posterity.”

Jacques Haskin – Metal Dog

“Under the influence of the Metal element, he can be unwavering in his convictions and highly critical of any infraction of the law, according to his own interpretation. However, his principles are of the highest kind. Fundamentally, he is noble and charitable. If he finds an object or cause worthy of his devotion, he is capable of dedicating a lifetime to it. Yet he can be ruthless if aroused and will pursue his enemies until they are annihilated. His loyalty is unquestionable, and he has strong political views. Never indecisive, he will pick a side and stay with it. Despite his hatred of injustice and foul play, he is capable of resorting to extreme measures when he demands that others subscribe to his views.”

Squeeee! (Why, yes, I am amused by the weirdest things! lol)