Yokohama City. That's Vancouver's sister city in Japan, according to the Consul General of Japan. It's been a while since I've posted. The blossoms have faded, but the warm weather and sun have not, much to everyone's delight. In lieu of those blossom photos I mentioned, perhaps these will do?

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=44202832'
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=6253&picture=cherry-tree-blossoms

What can I say, I'm a little lazy. And not much of a photographer - I'm too busy sitting indoors writing novels! And reading up on other e-book authors making a living writing genre novels. This is my goal, and I better get back to work...

Spring has sprung in Vancouver! There are tons of cherry blossoms blooming and gorgeous pink and white magnolia trees too. It's also starting to warm up temperature-wise (not that Vancouver ever gets very cold, but we do get a lot of rain). I'll upload some photos of those cherry blossoms very soon, before they start fading away. They were apparently a gift from our sister city in Japan (um, can't recall the name of it right now but will try and find out!).

I though I'd also throw in the Wikipedia page about "Van", so you can learn a bit more about where Ariana lives, plus see some current photos of it. Gee, maybe Tourism Vancouver should be paying me a fee for this? Kidding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver

As for some tidbits of recent newsworthy news about us:

1. We hosted the Winter Olympics in 2010, which was...interesting. It was a circus, but most Vancouverites were over the moon to have the world's spotlight on us.
2. Vancouver is a hockey-mad city, and I, too am a Canucks fan, as would Ariana be, if she followed hockey more. Perhaps she will, now that she's dating a cop who is a fan. For those in the NHL-know,  yes, our team was just eliminated from the playoffs but I have faith in them. The darkness before the dawn is a saying that comes to mind.
3. Yes, there was a riot in our downtown core, after the final game of last year's Stanley Cup playoffs. Sounds like it was a bunch of kids from the suburbs who went there, got drunk, were PO'd so they decided to trash the place, which they wouldn't have done if it were their actual home. Then they disappeared into the night, back to their own homes in the 'burbs. That's about all I have to say about that. Bad news is what leads the news, and our city has a lot more positive stuff to offer than that.
4. Having said that, Vancouver is one of the most expensive cities to live in, in North America. Ariana is very lucky that her new PNPI agency is financed by the ghost of a wealthy man who is quite fond of her.

Have any of you who don't reside in Vancouver had a chance to visit us, and if so, what did you think?

It's up on Smashwords!

After much toil, I uploaded the thing, and the e-mail I got from the nice folks at Smashwords said I passed the Auto-Vetter test, which means I apparently formatted my manuscript properly! I just have to fix a wee issue on my cover, re-upload that and it's done and dusted.

Then I hafta write another one, just to keep the momentum going! I hope people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was hard work but worth it.

In case you're curious, here's the link to the book on Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/153269

Don't forget to let me know your honest opinion.

Launching Ariana into the stratosphere

Hi. I'm a writer, and my name is Elise Moto. I wrote my first novel, The Amazing Adventures of Miss Ariana Okata, a few years back, and have been editing and rewriting it ever since. It will be available on Smashwords soon, and I'll be posting the link here when it is. Oh, and it's free.

Here's the plot summary:

Ariana Okata loves her job as a receptionist for an up-and-coming Vancouver mining company, especially after a big gold mine strike in Asia promises to make all of the company's employees rich. She also loves Laboutins, fake eyelashes, mohitos, miniskirts and itty bitty purse dogs, more or less in that order. And, for some reason, British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. But when her boss is murdered, to her great shock, Ariana becomes a suspect. Embarking on a series of fantastical adventures around the globe, she sets out to clear her good name and, in the process, win the affections of the lead detective on the case.