Blast From The Past and More

I'm Judith Ashley, co-founder of Romancing the Genres along with Sarah McDermed. Every now and then I look at RTG's stats. I did that this morning and this is what I saw.

Page Views: 1,289,205

Posts: 3700

Comments: 2,772

December 2024 we had 59,195 page views

So far in January 2025 we've had 11,755.

The blog posts that have garnered the most views with over 4K each?

# 1 - A Victorian Halloween by Mae Pen

#2 - Eton College During The Regency by Bronwen Evans 

Enjoy this Blast From The Past. Step back in time to see what  our readers say are our best.

And check back in over the next couple of weeks as we continue to shine a light on the posts our readers loved.

Saying Goodbye is Hard to Do

There's an expression almost everyone has heard. "Saying goodbye is hard to do." it's so true but there comes a time in your life when you have to follow your heart and your dreams. And where life decides to take you.
The Blog-queens and all the other bloggers here have been wonderful these last four years, unfortunately life has swept me onto other things. I've discovered I'm not much of a blogger and prefer a more visual medium. You can find me on Instagram as maepensteamauthor.

I'm also knee deep in jewelry with my mother, a legacy of my late father for which I will always be thankful to have known. You can find us on Etsy under Tinker's w'at knots. I want to send everyone here a big hug and a giant thank you for having me join and be here and I'm looking forward to seeing all the great things to come out of this group. Good luck and I'll be seeing you!


Mae Pen
Steampunk Romance Author

A German Tradition

In our house during the holidays we have a tradition. My mother's mother's side of the family came over from Austria in 1906 and with them they brought a Christmas tradition that we've kept up to this day. Pfeffernuesse. In our home it's simply called the German Cookie. Besides sugar cookies it is the most liked and asked for treat. Well, besides home made bread and cinnamon rolls.

Pfeffernuesse Recipe:
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup butter
2 beaten eggs
4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

The first step is to cook and stir the molasses and butter on the stove until the butter melts. Be careful to keep an eye on the pot as the molasses can burn. Once the butter is melted, pull the pot off the stove and let it sit until it cools to room temperature. The trick to this recipe is to wait. Where I am at it usually takes 30 to 40 minutes.
From there stir in the beaten eggs. Then you add the flour, sugar and spices. Mix it well, as well as you can get it. Then set the mixture in the refrigerator and let it get cold. But don't let is sit too long. It should clump together but not be sticky. Once it is ready shape the dough into one inch balls and bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.
Once they are cool roll them in powdered sugar. And you have "German Cookies".

What food tradition do you have within your family?

Love in all Places

Love. Such a simple word yet it's filled with so many complications and contrasts. For Romance Authors it is our life's blood. It's what we write about, what we urge others to find and sometimes even what we yearn to find in our own lives.

This month I wanted to touch upon a topic both hot in the press and sort of taboo. Yes, I'm talking about 50 Shades of Gray. A lot of romance authors I've read tend to write dominant male characters, in fact, even I do. There's nothing wrong with it and I'm sure quite a lot of others out there would agree. And then there are the others who are so against the thought or think it is oppressive. I'm not usually one for stirring the pot, but with the movie coming out this month I thought I'd put my thoughts down.

Being in a Dominant and Submissive relationship is nothing new. If you think about it every relationship is one. There is give and take from both parties, sometimes one more than the other. This is exactly what a Dominant and Submissive relationship is. The only difference is the Dominant gets to make the decisions, with the idea that those decisions need to make the submissive feel safe, loved and confident.

As a Submissive you gain immense joy and pleasure to do the things asked of you, not just by the Dominant in the relationship, but by anyone. It is what the Submissive lives for.
So the next time you hear the words Dominant and Submissive give it a second thought. What authors can you think of that write powerful men and women and shy self-conscience partners and watch their love and security blossom. I can name, Christine Feehan, Jayne Ann Krentz, Sheryl Kenyon among many others.

A Year of Possibilities by Mae Pen

2015 started off bright and cold here in the Pacific Northwest. Like a ray of sunshine through the gray clouds this year screams of possibilities and moving forward. Of course with this being January, and not wanting to buck tradition, I've made my own goals for the year and going by my yearly horoscope things look great. I've come to learn over the years to keep goals few and manageable, so for this year I have seven.

1.) I will try new things out of my comfort zone.
        I am taking more time for my hobbies such as Cosplay and Scrapbooking and going to conventions and talking with people I normally wouldn't.

2.) I will take control of my health.
       After watching my father loose his battle with cancer I am determined to be more aware of my health and how things affect me.

3.) I will make my career a priority.
       I'll get back to writing and put at least one short story and one novel out this year and learn to market.

4.) I will reconnect with the earth and the magic of the world.
      The world is a magical place and as authors I feel like we bring the magical child wonderness to our readers, but in order to do so we need to see it ourselves.

5.) I will learn to become more self-sufficient (homesteading).
     As you know from last year this was something we were working on. This year we will be adding chickens and more gardening space as well as learning how to can.

6.) I will become closer to my community.
      My hope is to use the Cub Scout Pack my husband and I run to make a difference in our community. Several years ago our cult-de-sac would have a block party and I'd like to see that make a return. I'd also like to see a community garden make an appearance in our area and a service to help senior citizens with yard work and home repairs.

7.) I will dedicate more time and attention to the animals.
       We will be building a cat-run and enclosure for our cats, which aren't allowed outside due to a grumpy neighbor. As well as learning how to care for chickens. The kids are really looking forward to that.


So what are some of your goals for the year? Do you have any idea how you'd like to accomplish them?

Christmas Read

Well it's that time of the year. Holidays. A perfect time for magic and science to merge and become one really neat present. Since Steampunk is still emerging in the literature world, and gaining force, I haven't read very many full length novels of a holiday theme. So today, I'm going to discuss a lovely, light, and fun novella. Captain Andrew's Flying Christmas by Heather Hiestand.

Captian Andrew's Flying Christmas by Heather Hiestand was fabulous, especially for a short novella. Her characters are sweet, engaging and brave in a world of darkness and grime. Her main character, Linet, as the daughter of an airship captain, had loved her life and her family until the fateful day her father was executed. Andrews, the current airship Captain of the Christmas, her father's airship, was a family friend when her father was alive and has returned to rescue her from a life of servitude. Captain Andrews has his own agenda that he's not ready to let her in on, but his attraction for Linet pulls him to her repeatedly. Together they must rescue Linet's sister imprisoned in Newgate Prison before Christmas Day is over. Captain Andrew's Flying Christmas ends, of course with a happily ever after, but with a twist I don't want to spoil. Definitely a great Steampunk Christmas read. One I will keep reading every year during the holidays.

Being Thankful

For Americans, November is all about Thanksgiving and being grateful for what we have. For me 2014 has been a year of ups and downs, but it's also been a year that has made me realize how much the people in my life mean to me. It's also been a year for me to realize how much I mean to those within my life.
Since my father has been going through so much, as the readers of my blog already know, I have hit pockets of time where I get so overwhelmed I turn into a turtle and hide. That's where my friends have come into play.
And this is where I want to give a Thank You to our blog queens, Judith and Sarah. If it wasn't for you guys emailing and calling me I might have morphed from a turtle into an ostrich with my head in the sand. You two mean the most to me and I wish there was a way to say it better.

Who is the person who pulls you out of your hole and how would you say thank you to them?

It's Reincarnation!

Have you ever met someone, a complete stranger, and instantly connected or hated them? Have you ever thought you know someone intimately but had never actually met them before? For some it's just coincidence for others like me, it's fate. It's Reincarnation.

Reincarnation is a big belief in my life not only as a normal everyday person but as an author. The instant I met my husband wayyyy back when we were teenagers I knew him instantly. I knew the good hard working honorable man he was even though he didn't see it himself.  Writing within the bigger genres of Sci-fi and Fantasy I believe there needs to be an instant connection between the hero and heroine, just like with us. My heroines always sense the good in the hero even when the hero can't see it himself and my heros always see the beauty in the heroine even when she doesn't see it herself.



Reincarnation gives me the attraction while giving me the availability to have different characters from the past to the present. It also gives me an added conflict in that maybe something in a past life has been influencing decisions or viewpoints even when there is no logical reason for them. Writing main characters that have extended life spans gives me the room for missed opportunities to be repaired. Just like my last blog post said, Love Conquers All, including time.

 Artwork copywrite 2014 Ellie Thiebaud

Love Conquers All

Love conquers all. Such a cliche right? As romance writers this is our motto. We can't write, or sell, without this cliche taking form. As humans we want to know that the world isn't as harsh and cruel as it seems. We desperately want there to be something that can swallow up the cruelty of the world.


Personally, and in my career, love really does conquer all... If your willing to fight for that love. The characters I write have their flaws, including some of them not believing they are worthy of such all consuming love, but they are all willing to fight for it. Weather it's against the outside world, against each other or themselves, they end up thriving in that love.

Take for instance my first novel, Key of Time. My heroine, Imogen, had been in love with the hero, Blaise, for years. Even though he didn't feel worthy of her adoration almost loosing her taught him that he had to fight for the love he desperately wanted.

In my personal life, I've watched my parents fight against illness while proving to themselves and each other how much they love each other. My husband and I have had out tough times, but without the fight for that all consuming love we would never be where we are today.

What is something in your life that you feel is cliche yet is completely true?

 Artwork Copyright 2014 Ellie Thiebaud

The Sandwich Generation?

It's funny how our lives move. Just this past weekend my parents moved back into the house with us. As such my husband and I are currently referred to as the sandwich generation. That term came about to explain a multigenerational house. My father is recovering from throat cancer and several surgeries, my mom has degenerative hip disease, then there is my husband as we raise our three kids (two of which are teenagers).


There are so many emotions that float through someone when they take on the responsibility of a parent's well being. Getting them healthy, keeping them from wondering off, or even just trying to make them happy can induce stress not only among the adults taking on the responsibility, but also the kids within the household. They not only have to listen to their parents, they've now got an additional set of adults that get to boss them around.

Luckily, we've got plenty of things planed for them this summer to take away stress. On the plus side they get to know their grandparents better and hear the stories of their ancestry from the mouth of someone who remembers.

Have you ever had to think about living with your parents? Would you if you had to?

Summer Read

The sun warms the skin, the scent of roses and vegetables mix with the buzz of honey bees and dragonflies. In my hands sit the world I've currently lost myself in. It's that time of the year. Summer. With the breeze blowing my hair I suddenly find myself surrounded by misty clouds and airmen shouting out commands. Key of Time is the first book in my Phoenix Warrior's series.

Imogen has spent the last twenty-one years yearning for Blaise's love because he is the only person that makes her feel safe, but he's never around.

Blaise has spent every waking moment the last two decades working towards a Council position because it's the only way he can give his soul companion the life she deserves, but that life is threatened by the Vampire Nation and the machine they plan to activate.

Imogen holds the key to the machine. Blaise holds the key to Imogen's memory. Together they must find each other and stop the doomsday device.

Join Imogen and Blaise on the adventure of a lifetime while soaking up the summer rays. Available on the Kindle.

Favorite Vacation?

My favorite vacation is one that will never be repeated. It's buried deep in my memory and even deeper into my soul. You're probably wondering why I feel so strongly about something that would be so common for most people right? Two words, My Dad. That's right, my dad. As most of you know by now I didn't grow up with my dad. All I had of him growing up were stories of what my mom remembered. Which wasn't much.
In 2009, my mom, my kids and I made a special trip to meet him after hiring a private detective to find him. It was actually much easier than we knew and only took the guy two weeks. We spent two weeks with him in New Mexico, getting to know him and visiting places around the town he lived in.
We visited White Sands, which used to be a military base but is now open to visitors; farmers markets, an old military fort, and Carlsbad Caverns. We also made a side trip to San Diego, where my uncle still lives, and took the kids to the San Diego Zoo and to the tide pools out at the Cliffs.
Several months later, my dad moved back up to Oregon to be with us and it's felt like a vacation all on it's own getting to know him and have memories to last the rest of my life.

What vacation stands out in your heart? Why does it mean so much to you?

Freedom

What does freedom look like? I think that's an age old question that everyone has a different answer to. For Americans it means we can choose whatever religion we want and to say whatever we want. For others it's as simple as living off the land, or off-grid. You're probably wondering why I'm bringing this up, right?
Well, I'm living free. Well with more freedom than just a few days ago. Why? Because we are out of debt. Yep, we had 40K of medical and educational debt like a lot of Americans. I'll be honest I'm sure you've read some of those stories on Yahoo about families going to the extreme to pay off debts or a family using one income to pay down the debt. We've never had two incomes, we've never made a lot of money and we never had family to help us pay things off. It took a lot of hard work, sacrificing and learning to live without as a family but it was all worth it.


And now that we're free and relatively young, mid-thirties, we can spend the rest of our lives living the lifestyle we want not only for ourselves but for our children and grandchildren (when they come). If there is one lesson I can take out of this event is to be resourceful. Sometimes things can get done with just blood and sweat while others need communication.

Is there an event in your life that gave you a sense of freedom?

Opening Your Heart and Your Space

When one door closes another opens. I've been told this phrase all of my life and never really realized what it meant. I had thought growing up without a father would keep me from learning what it felt like to loose him to death, but after having him back in my life and facing his mortality I think about everything I've learned from him.
My father is an amazing man; stubborn as all heck, set in his ways, and very minimalist. But what can I say? He was raised by a grandmother who hadn't wanted him after his mother died when he was eight, did three tours of Vietnam, and spent most of his adult life living on the streets. You're doing the math aren't you? He's 75 in case you're wondering. And during that time he's fought cancer seven times, currently in his throat and lungs.
Seventy-five is a long life, even longer when you've endured the things he has. He's a fighter but even then you can only fight for so long. And when he's done fighting he'll need a place to find peace and joy for those last days, weeks, months, possibly even a year or two.
And that's where we come in. They will be returning home to live with us. Which leaves a whole new problem right? Seven people in a three bedroom two bathroom house. Yep. That includes three kids and adult who all have their own hobbies, and gadgets. Which made me realize how much supplies I had for my hobbies and how much room we need to make.
What are my hobbies? Well, of course my career of writing, but I also scrapbook and do just about anything crafty as well as my husband and my kids do Cosplay. Which leaves a lot of things laying around. So with this knowledge urging me on I decided to tackle getting organized.
Step one, get my office back into order and trim down my scrapbooking supplies.
Step two, make sure the kitchen, living room and garage are organized and labeled so that anyone can find and put away things.
Step three, find a way to turn the bonus room into a suit for them.
Step four, take joy with whatever time he has left.

What do you do to keep organized? What are your hobbies? 

Moving Back to Simplicity

Thankfully, it's a new year. I've heard from many people around the world, in person as well as on-line, that 2013 was a crummy year. Of course for some I've heard it was a good year. For Americans there was a lot of uncertainty as our government shut down, thankfully for only a couple of weeks.
Then the weather decided to go all haywire, and still is. The east coast and Midwest are being hammered with snow, ice and freezing temperatures. Now in the Northwest the H1N1 are causing troubles, already causing two deaths, for people. Do I sound like a paranoid person where everything is out to get me? Lol.
All of the issues within 2013 made my husband and I realize how dependant we were on the community and government for how we live. And we realized how hectic our life was with those connections. We were racing around from store to store, doctor to doctor, schools to schools so that by the time we had any time to sit and relax we were exhausted.
What happened to the good days where you went where you needed to, like the doctor, but you life wasn't hectic and you could breath without someone yelling at you or pushing you aside. You cared. You loved what you did. You loved your home you did anything you could to keep it.
And that's when we decided we need to slow down and decided to move back to simplicity. Within that vein we are turning our little piece of heaven in the city, ok suburbs, into a homestead. Complete with chickens, growing our fruit and veggies and maybe eventually Pygmy goats which can give milk. I'll be blogging about our adventure into a simpler life on my website, www.maepen.weebly.com, Moving Back to Simplicity.




What does simplicity mean to you? Is there something you wished you could do, but aren't sure how? 

New Year, New Look, New Readers?

by Judith Ashley

February 1 is the second Blog-O-Versary of our sister site, Free Reads From The Genre-istas. Our readership has grown and as I write this, we are less than four hundred page views from reaching 10K.

If you aren’t aware of Free Reads, let me tell you a little about it. First founded as a way for some of the Genre-istas to explore new-to-them genres using Flash Fiction, it soon grew from Flash Fiction to short short stories of 3 – 5K words or more. Several of the Genre-istas used their Free Reads as a starting point to expand the story into longer short stories.

Another use of the Free Reads stories is to expand and publish them. Both Paty Jager and Mae Pen have done that. On February 14, 2014 an anthology Love and Magick - Mystical Stories of Romance from Judith Ashley, Diana McCollum and Sarah Raplee will be released. The anthology contains original short stories as well as ramped up versions that first appeared on Free Reads.

But I digress.

While Free Reads has been a place for the Genre-istas to showcase their work and to launch early versions of later-published short stories, it has also been a lot of work. When Sarah and I realized we were publishing in 2014, we also realized that something had to give. We did not want to shut down Free Reads so we revamped it.

Check out Free Reads and see the New Look.

A new feature is the “Side Bar” on the right. The side bar lists the Genre-ista or Friend who is ‘responsible’ for that month, the date their story will be published and who else is coming to visit.

Another addition is the "Headline" where you can see not only the writers for the month but also the title of their short story and any other news such as the title of a new release, an award/contest they’ve won, etc.

These changes mean Free Reads is more diverse than ever and writers have another platform where they can be seen and read. Plan on joining our audience of readers from around the world: Russia, Germany, Poland, India, China to name a few!

Key of Time Excerpt

Chapter One

Maen growled low in his throat at the approaching hooves. Never a good sign. Imogen sighed taking a quick second to look up from the mare struggling to birth her foal. Through the stable doors she caught a glimpse of riders and the Amhearst carriage approaching. Her heart beat erratically while sweat poured down her mostly bare back. Grimacing she pulled her attention away from the new arrivals and back to the life or death situation before her.

"That's it my girl. Sweet and easy now." she cooed sending waves of reassurance and warmth to the mare.

This wasn't her first foal and hopefully it wouldn't be her last. Maen let out a brief yap of joy and took off. The mare's stomach clenched, but nothing happened. Bloody hell!

Reaching her small hands inside she discovered the problem. The foal was backwards and stuck. She bit her lip sending a quick look around the stables. Just her luck. Empty.

The room spun as she stood up too fast. The lack of sleep and the heavy work load today was finally taking it's toll. Shaking her head to clear it she went into her Veterinary Surgery and pulled down the heavy chains. She dumped them at the mare's hind quarters startling the poor thing. Sending more reassurance out she leaned out of the stable doors. Imogen frowned.

The carriage was definitely Lord and Lady Amhearst's vehicle. The black machine was lined with royal purple velvet and silk inside. It was the same carriage that had delivered her to the estate twenty-one years ago. Imogen scanned the motley crew of men with a judicial eye for a strong man. The similar coppery tan skin and various cuts of black hair proclaimed them all to be of the Ettarian race. Perfect.

"You! Sir! Give me a hand, will you?" Imogen shouted out to the nearest one who'd just dismounted. Without seeing if he would accompany her, she turned back to the labor in progress.

The heavy chains rattled as she pushed them aside to kneel down. Thankfully on the next push a hoof appeared. Slowly so as to not frighten the mare she wrapped the chains three times around the hoof. Looking up to double check someone had arrived to help her she groaned. Her head pulsed in time with her heart beat. She winced at the sign of a headache emerging. Of course no one had come to help. What was it with men? Why did a woman asking for help always scare them off?Especially the Ettarian males.

Grumbling under her breath she wrapped the chains around a hitching post. It wasn't the most ideal way to get it done, but it would do. Hopefully.

"Alright Sweet Lady. I need you to push." The mare who lifted it's head as if to say are you insane. Smiling she whispered encouraging words until the next contraction hit. At the same she pulled on the chains making them tighter around the post. She grunted with the enormous effort it took. The hoof moved an inch.

The next contraction hit and again she pulled the heavy chain as hard as her weak human body could. Another inch. At this rate the mare and the foal would both die in labor. Tears burned. She wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't! Imogen dug her feet into the straw laden cobblestone and on the next contraction pulled. As if she had suddenly grown wings she jerked backwards and landed solidly against a man's muscled chest.

Power zapped through her at the immediate contact. She held her breath tilting her head back. She blinked. The horse screamed at the same instant pain slammed into her own stomach. She fell to her knees not expecting the sudden connection. Nausea burned. Large familiar hands wrapped around her upper arm and pulled her to her feet. The jolt of awareness from their contacting skin jerked her heart against her ribs. A shiver chased down her spine leaving a tingling pleasure in its wake.

Blaise.

The mare screamed again. Swallowing Imogen turned away from him to check on the mare. Only the lower section of one pair of legs were out.

"Tell me what you need me to do to help."








You can find Key of Time on amazon.com for $3.99.
Copywrite 2013 Mae Pen

www.maepen.weebly.com
Facebook: Mae Pen

4 Tips for That Sensational Seasonal Story

1.) Pick the Holiday.
           Don't think that a seasonal story has to be Christmas. There are other holidays: Thanksgiving, Easter, Valentine's and Halloween for some. Pick the holiday that speaks to you. A friend of mine, a starting author, R.T. Drake loves Samhain (sow-wen) so much that he wrote a short story, Guardian of the Banshee, that takes place in the days leading up to it.

2.) Have the Correct Setting.
          Each holiday has it's own settings. Halloween is typically spooky and paranormal. Thanksgiving is more about forgiveness and being grateful for the little things. Christmas is about celebrating others, good will towards everyone and letting people into your life and heart. Easter tends to be paired with the celebration of life.

3.) Include symbolism.
         Of course each holiday has it's own symbolism, but also think out of the box. Just because Christmas is usually linked with the baby Jesus, a barn and a mother and child doesn't mean those have to be the symbols you use. Choose ones that speak to you as a person. For me Christmas is about the pure (innocent) or the people standing alone outside the "normal" world and finding their place in such a chaotic world.

4.) The best tip of all... Make it Your Own.
             No one can tell the story the way you can and only you can infuse your personality and love of the holidays like you. The greatest thing about writing a holiday theme story is you get to share your love of that holiday with others. For me, as a historical author I get to bring to the modern reader some of the values and the glitz from an era relegated to the past.

I hope you'll visit our sister site, Free Reads from the Generistas, to view our holiday stories. R.T. Drake will be premiering Guardian of the Banshee Dec. 13th. I'll be premiering my latest short and the start to a new series, Copper Consecration, A Book of the Copper Dagger Sisterhood on November 29th.

What are some of your favorite holiday reads? What makes them so special to you?

5 Tips to Survive NANOWRIMO

November is that magical month of NANOWRIMO, National Novel Writing Month, so I figured I'd give my 5 tips for surviving NANO.

1.) Take it one word, one day at a time. 
Don't be hard on yourself. Some days you'll speed through and go over your word count for the day and other days you'll fight yourself to get even one word down. Don't be hard on yourself.

2.) Get together with others doing NANOWRIMO.
No one will understand what you're trying to do as much as other participants. This year there is Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, the NANOWRIMO website with the forums and chats, and write-ins. There is someway to socialize, get help when you're stuck or just encouragement to keep going for anyone.

3.) Be accountable.
Join a group, create a group or find some close friends that you can each send in your word counts for the day. It's great to have someone to encourage or embarrass you into getting your word counts in for the month. Groups are also good for brainstorming when you get stuck and laugh about the rest of the world outside of your little writing hole.

4.) Have caffeine.
I don't drink coffee, can't stand the taste, but yes I do need caffeine. I make sure that in November I won't run out because you never know when you're going to have one of those days that your mind just won't work without it.

5.) Tell family, friends, and work you're not available.
This is the most important I think. A lot of people outside of writers just don't understand why we would want to torture ourselves by spending 30 days using all our free time writing. This is what we do, what we want to do. You have to make it clear with family, friends, and yes even work that you can't be disturbed during whatever hours your writing.

Do you have any tips that I can add in? Tips could just be for your writing.

Favorite Costume?

It's October and for Americans that means Halloween is just around the corner. Halloween is the celebration of All Hallow's Eve, the night the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead are thinned. To be honest, it's my absolutely my favorite holiday.
For one thing we get to decorate in spooky or glittery ways that most people would think is completely weird. Secondly, you get to dress up and party with family and friends. My family loves cosplay, costume play, and Halloween is just one more day we get to dress anyway we want.
My favorite cosplay I've created so far was for last year's Halloween. I had a pair of green fairy wings and a dress so I decided to reuse those to become a wind-up fairy doll. It worked out gorgeously, except for one small thing I didn't factor into. The key didn't spin. At first.
In costume, my family went to the elementary school Halloween dance and I spent the whole evening explaining to the kids that the key on my back didn't actually turn. They all kept trying to turn it. So of course we had to evolve the key to actually turn. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of that model, but you'll see above what it evolved into.
This year? The Queen of Hearts. Next year... Queen Esther from an anime called Trinity Blood. Very elaborate and very sparkly.

What was one of your favorite costumes? Did you make it or buy it?