Wednesday, March 28, 2012

To All My Followers

Hi guys:)
I was wondering if all of you that follow Playing The Blind Card would go check out my other site Nicole Rae's Blog and click to be a follower of that one too.

I would really appreciate the support and that way you can stay up to date on both sites. You can click on the link to the right to go directly to Nicole rae's Blog or you can copy and paste the address below in your browser.

The address is http://www.authornicolerae.blogspot.com/

Thanks again and thank you for reading:)
xoxoxox

Monday, March 26, 2012

The Skinny On The Real Blind Date

I don’t really see what all the fuss is about with a blind date. Sure you don’t really know the person but so what. You don’t know the cashier that rings up your groceries either. You don’t lose any sleep or sweat profusely at the thought of telling him or her your name do you? Well, maybe you do but that’s probably to do with an entirely different problem.

When a blind person goes on a date every date is a blind date. They don’t know what the person looks like or whether or not they are wearing pink bunny slippers with a flannel shirt and nothing else. They can’t see that when the person smiles in greeting they are really revealing a mouth full of nothing but gums. They do not know if the person has a gnarly cold soar before they come in for the kiss at the end of the night. They can not see when they motion for the water to give you an extra shot in your drink. Supposedly, everything looks better in the dark, but that isn’t always a comforting thought if your lights can’t be turned back on in the morning.

Voices can be very deceiving. Sometimes a voice sounds like the sexiest thing you’ve ever heard. Don’t be fooled! Just because someone sounds like Edward from Twilight doesn’t mean they actually resemble so much as his big toe. A person who sounds identical to Jenna Jameson might be better compared to your Schnauzer. It’s quite possible you are in the middle of a nightmare with a face not even a mother would love.

This is not to say that this should discourage you. After all you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover right? Just because someone isn’t your type doesn’t mean they can’t be your soul mate. When you are blind it’s easier to get to know someone for who they are and not how dazzling their blue eyes look in the moon light. A blind person has to realize that their entire definition of “type” needs to be altered to allow for new possibilities.

Maybe more sighted people should close their eyes when meeting someone new. The main problem is things aren’t always how they appear and the first time you touch your date you might be unpleasantly surprised. Running away screaming isn’t a good option when this happens. Don’t forget you can always peak. So the next time you’re nervous about your big blind date remember…

There’s always someone out there with a worse plight then you. Just suck it up and take a chance. At least you can see to make a smooth escape if things don’t go as planned.

If you liked this post please use the links below to share it with your friends. Be sure to subscribe to Playing the Blind Card to receive updates via Email when future posts are published. If you have any horrible blind date stories whether you’re blind or sighted please share them in the comment section of this post. I also have another blog at http://www.authornicolerae.blogspot.com where you can read a description of my upcoming book Clandestine Slayer Saga Book 1.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Introducing My New Blog

It is still in the beginning stages but I have started a new blog today to talk about my writing. It doesn't have a lot to it yet but I hope you all will check it out and subscribe.

Once you are there you can click on the link labeled "Clandestine" to read a blurb about my upcoming book. It will be out soon in Print and EBook format on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ITunes and hopefully at some point on book shelves at local book stores:) That last one is more of a dream of mine but we will see what happens.

I will still of course be writing for this blog so don't worry. In the very near future I will be publishing a post entitled "The Real Blind Date". The name obviously speaks for it's self so I wont bother summarizing but I know you will love it.

Please check out the new blog "Nicole Rae's Blog" and be sure to subscribe. I am also now on Twitter and you can find me at NicoleRae@NicoleRae83.There is a direct link to my Twitter on this site already and one will be up on the new blog tomorrow. The address for Nicole Rae's Blog is http://www.authornicolerae.blogspot.com

I am getting ready after publishing this post to add a link list feature to this site and it will have a direct link to the new blog for your convenience. For all my fellow blindy's if you scroll down until you find the heading "Visit My Other Pages", the link will be under that.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

I'M PUBLISHING A BOOK!!!

Hi everyone long time no talk! I apologize for my extended absence on the blog. I haven’t forgotten it I promise. I have just been very busy with my latest project… my first book!!

It’s called Clandestine~ Slayer Saga Book 1! I’m getting it published and hope to have it out next month! It’s an Urban Fantasy/paranormal fiction book for young adults and adults who carry the genre as a guilty pleasure. : )

It will be available in print and EBook. I’m trying to get things squared away for an audio format to be released but that process is a little bit trickier. So to my blind readers I am terribly sorry. Hopefully though you will be able to read the book in the EBook format with an EReader using a text to speech program. I really am sorry about this but I am going the Indie publishing rout and audio publishing is very expensive. I will remedy that problem as soon as I am able I assure you. I know what it’s like to want to read a book only to find it isn’t available in an accessible format.

The publishing industry is a confusing place. A lot of work goes into publishing a book. My hat’s off to all the Indie writers out there. One good thing is that aside from the work it’s not difficult. Well, scratch that. Parts of it are hard and others are just tedious. A prerequisite for this business are definitely motivation, drive, knowledge and passion.

I will be using Create Space, Kindle Direct and Smash Words. Create Space is who will be printing the book. They have excellent customer service. They offer a number of services that you can pay for to get your book out there smoother. The good thing about them is that if you are like me and don’t have a lot of money to get your project completed; they don’t hassle you. They also don’t disregard your customer service request just because you’re not buying their services. To all my blind readers who are looking to get a book published the Indie way; I think you will be pleasantly surprised with Create Space. They are very supportive and not opposed to revamping their explanations to fit our disability. There Do It yourself (DIY) process on their site are accessible and easy to understand. The only problem with the site that I’ve run into is with the Cover Creator tool they provide. Once you get past the first step it’s no longer accessible. Well, I will say it’s no longer accessible if you are running an older version of JAWS. I’m not sure if the problem would be remedied if you were using the current version.

I haven’t had to use the customer support for the other two companies mentioned above so I can’t give a recommendation one way or another with them. I will say that I have read articles by other Indie authors that say they used them and the process was relatively seamless. I didn’t see any complaints mentioned. I have not found any articles written by blind authors so I’m not sure about that aspect.

Did I mention my book was called Clandestine~~ Slayer Saga Book 1?? I am so excited! I hope that all of you loyal readers and even new ones order a copy and request your local book stores and libraries to carry it once it’s out as well. In the beginning it will only be available online but it will be listed in the two main catalogues for book distributors. This means book stores and libraries can easily search the title and order copies! Isn’t that cool??

I will be posting a blurb about it soon on all my sites but I have to put the finishing touches on the description. I’m going to be launching a second blog soon on Blogger to further publicize the book and also future books as they come out. I have debated and am still sort of on the fence on if using this blog as my book blog as well as to talk about blindness is a good idea. If any of you have an opinion I would really appreciate you leaving it in the comment section of this post or using the “Contact Me” link to send me a private message with your thoughts. Also leave a comment if you are interested in more information about Clandestine! I would be happy to chat with you about it

Side Note: I’ve recently signed up on Twitter! I’m not really sure completely how it works yet but am excited. It will give me yet another way to connect with peers, fans and friends. If you follow me on Twitter you will get updates about this blog, the new one if and when I publish it, book info and random tid bits from my life. If you tweet to me I will always respond so happy tweeting! You can click on the link under the heading “Follow Me on Twitter” on this page or search for me at http://www.twitter.com I’m under the @name NicoleRae83. Additional note to blind tweeters: The “N” and the “R” of my name on Twitter are capitalized. Hope to see all of you there!!

Don’t forget to leave your comments about the book blog dilemma in the comment section. And if you haven’t joined this site, the You Tube Channel or the Facebook page what are you waiting for? lol But seriously, please show your support by joining, subscribing and or liking.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Dreaming Blind

Everyone dreams whether they remember them or not is another story. The images depicted during sleep depend on the person who develops them. I was recently askedhow a blind person dreams? Does a person who is born blind have different dreams from someone who became blind?

The answers are simple. Blind people dream just like a sighted person. The only difference is the types of dreams that they have. Just as no two people are the same, neither are their dreams. Dreams are based on thoughts, memories and experiences.

That being said, it would obviously be difficult for a person who has been blind since birth to dream images. They do not have any visual memories or experiences to draw from. This is not to say that they are incapable of having a dream. It has been said that some people have what is called an auditory dream. This means the person dreams in sounds and voices. The dream will exhibit scenarios based on the dreamers experiences but in an all audio format with no pictures.

As for people who became blind later in life, their dreams depend on at what age they lost their sight. For example, a person who lost their sight at age fifty are going to have more visual experiences to draw from then a person who lost their sight at age five.

Personally, I dream as though I were still sighted. My sight really started to decline at age twenty. My sight in the waking hours was limited at best. In dreamland though my dreams have always been vivid and clear as crystal. The only time I don’t see things properly in my dreams is when I’m picturing something or someone that I’ve never actually seen. If I’m dreaming about a person they might have blurry features but are still present visually in some form or another. Sometimes my mind even makes up their appearance but what I think they might look like. Sometimes, I get this right other times the person looks the exact opposite of what I imagined.

I’m glad I dream so vividly. It gives me the opportunity to see faces and places I would have otherwise forgotten. It keeps me aquainted with the things that are most important to me. This way when the genious’s of the medical world invent a cure for my eye condition. Although, I do admit that I am slightly worried about this. People aren’t going to look just as I remember them. I wonder if I will even recognize certain people.

If you are a blind person reading this how do you dream? If you became blind later in life are your dreams different from when you could see? If you are sighted, what do you think you would miss the most if you only had auditory dreams?

If you have thoughts to these questions please log them in the comment section of this post. Also, feel free to ask any questions of your own. If I can’t answer them maybe one of the visually impaired readers wouldn’t mind fielding it.

As always thanks for reading.