MUSIC PROMOTION : Let The Phoenix Fly (new release) by Phoenix J

Musician Phoenix J (pictured above) has released a new album called "Let The Phoenix Fly", on October 14th this month! To listen to samples and buy it, simply click the link by the promotional brochure below.



http://phoenixj.bandcamp.com/album/let-the-phoenix-fly

Phoenix describes her style as improvised jazzy bluesy pop, rock, R&B and classical styles on songs from oldies to present day which she performs accompanied by piano or guitar which she plays herself.

An album beautifully made by the talented Phoenix J! http://phoenixj.bandcamp.com/album/let-the-phoenix-fly

Phoenix also will have a concert November 7th at Mondo's and again on December 5th same time
For more info ,please read the brochure below!

Please enjoy the album and congrats Phoenix J, a long time friend of ours at OI Magazine SL!
Also since it's October 31st, Happy Halloween everyone.


Check out 2 beautiful pictures done by OI Magazine SL photographer Kaley Fancypants of our client Phoenix J's avatar in the Second Life virtual world game, thank you Kaley! :

A Second Life Prodigy : Topaz Joubert

Written by Carmichael Caudron






This interview took place on July 15th.
Since the year 2009, Topaz Joubert aka Thelma Lay in real life, has been a prodigy in the Second Life™ virtual world, simply because she was one of few who managed to catapult her virtual digital magazine, MANIERA™ into a real life legitimate magazine just like any other in the real world we all normally read. Real life models, real life coverage of fashion shows, art events their real life reporters attend and ofcourse also real life advertisers which truly makes it worth it in the magazine business.

MANIERA even got nominated last year at the Digital Magazine Awards™ ceremony, amazing.

Throughout all this, she remains as humble and genuine as can be, a pleasure to be around.

I interviewed Miss Joubert via Facebook™ this Monday morning at 11 AM Pacific time for an hour, getting all the details of her journey that seems to have many more accomplishments to discover.

How did you discover Second Life?

"I first heard of Second Life by watching the show The Office™ and thought it was fictitious until I heard a few guys I worked with talk about virtual games . I became curious and decided to check it out."

MANIERA magazine was first noticed in Second Life before you made it a real life magazine, what made you want to start a magazine, do you have a background of being an editor in real life already or was this all first created in SL™ (Second Life)?

"Everything I learned about publishing and the magazine business , I have learned in Second Life. My background in RL is travel management. But what I found was useful with my real life background is always thinking on your feet.

I was not the founder of MANIERA, I was originally hired as a fashion editor . After the company was formed in SL and before the very first issue was released the owner stepped down and asked if I would take over.

Well, to answer your question. We put a lot of work to get the first issue together. We had everything just about done and when the owner stepped down. It was either trash it all or try to make a go for it.

We all decided we wanted to make it work."

Thelma Lay's Second Life avatar Topaz Joubert by G Photography.

What made you want to take a job as an editor in Second Life?

"I saw the job noticed posted for a stylist and thought it would be interesting , I think at that time I was in SL for approximately 9 months. I honestly thought it would be fun."

How on earth did you manage to make MANIERA into a reality in the real life publishing world? It is so rare and unheard of,seriously.

"Well, I think we were in our 2nd year in SL when we first starting talking about it. by the end of that year , I honestly felt where do we go from here? We put so many hours into the SL magazine, and I say "we" because it was not only me but NOx Deigan, Aphrodite Brianna, Lovelymiwacko7399 Menna and our former photo editor AtomicSparkle Skytower. I personally got to a point of either close it, sell it or see how far we can take it. I knew I just could not let it go because MANIERA became so much a part of my life.

So I talked to the team and its been amazing. They all trusted and believed in the vision . I honestly think, or should say I know , that this would have not been possible with another group of individuals."

Sweet! how did the transition come about? Did you have real life contacts or you got real life offers? Dish some (not all) secrets to our readers please :D

"Real life contacts definitely help but with this business I am finding its based on trust , building relationships. Yes, there were real life contacts, friends of friends and a good portion of reaching out to people and building a relationship.We all do our part , researching, networking , searching for new and interesting topics to cover. Our writers play a huge part in obtaining content for upcoming issues."

Thelma Lay on the cover of ManieraSL's Women issue (June 2012)

Awesome, if I am not mistaken your first real life issue was the one where you were on the cover?

"The edition with my picture on the cover was out SL Women's issue. That was the edition where we first announced we were going real life. We ran a real life preview edition and had a launch party in SL which I think is one of my happiest memories of SL. Our first official real life edition was released September 2012 with the Russian Designer Dmitry Loginov on the cover."

MANIERA's November 2012 issue, one of their best releases

November 2012: MANIERA PHILLIP TREACY FEATURE

MANIERA CHI ZHANG FASHION SPREAD

MANIERA LONDON FASHION WEEK

Taking a look back at the cover of October 2012

Some editions of real world Maniera including last month's cover of June 2013

Please tell us about yourself a bit.

"Hmm.. well, I am single , I live in Washington DC. I am a lousy cook . I wish I could say my life is all glamour and glitz but working on the magazine consumes all of my time. I am still trying to find the balance between work and leisure. Overall , I think I am pretty laid back, some may say too laid back or some may just disagree. Hell, I am still trying to figure it all out."

From a personal standpoint, I have always looked up to you. Remembering seeing the arrival of MANIERA on the scene in Second Life when I was actively publishing OI Magazine SL™ at the time back in 2009 and 2010. I even attended some of your workshop classes on publishing back then. I knew right away you would go far from the beautiful professional work you did but just how far I was pleasantly surprised! Having said that, what advice would you give beginners in the magazine world besides not giving up on their dream? Follow up question, MANIERA publishes 2 magazines a month, the real life one due today I understand and then the Second Life issue too, can you give us a sneak peek what they are about for which we will post the embedded links below for our readers to read.

"Thank you , so much for your kind words and as well for all the support you have given us. The real life magazine is monthly and we have moved the SL magazine to bi monthly. We had to make some touch decisions regarding our publications. We felt going bi monthly at this time was the best decision , to keep the quality to a certain standard. The real life magazine started growing at a fast rate , faster then we even dreamed about. We started to be noticed in the industry , mind you we were only in our 3rd publication when we made the finals of the Digital Magazine Awards™ and that is pretty unheard of. So with how great that was it also added tremendous pressure to the entire staff.

Well, I am excited for this issue , we love fashion but we also love new technology as well as science and I think this one has the right blend. We also this issue have a very special interview with Tobias Tobell director of the new thriller Confine which will have its international release. We are so fortunate to be able to get one of the first interviews with such an up and coming director.

For the Second Life issue which is now called MANIERASL™ we have a special edition featuring Mohna Lisa Couture™ and the new MLC Adriel Huntress™. Our July SL edition is a new twist on fairy tales.

Read it here at the MANIERA website (click hyperlink)

MANIERA JULY 2013 COVER

The best advice I can give anyone who is planning on launching a magazine in SL is to really think on why you want to and are you willing to devote the time. Also, decided on what magazine you want , what will make it different from the rest and look not only at SL magazines but real life ones as well to get a sense of design, content and layout."

Then the only way is up!  Thank you for your time Topaz, it is an great honor you deciding to let us interview you.

"Thank you.. it was an honor and once again Thank you Carmichael for all of your support . It means alot."


Update for 2014 :Topaz Joubert is hitting another milestone, she is going print in real life with Maniera and thus retiring what started it all ,the SL Maniera, congrats Topaz!

Her words on Facebook :
As you all know, last year we took on an unheard of step in launching a RL magazine. In such a short time, we saw how what was a pipe dream became reality - not just any reality, but a recognized and respected reality, but with that came some hurdles. One of which is one many here in SL can relate with: balancing SL with RL. I know many of you have seen how it has affected the SL side: halting the SL publication, less shows and less communication.
This is due to the fact we are redirecting our focus. In 2014, the RL MANIERA Magazine will be not only a digital magazine but also a print magazine, which will be carried in bookstores and newsstands around the US, Canada and Europe. Another major change is that while we will still carry international features, we will be more centered around the events, people and news makers in the Washington DC area. Washington DC is an ideal market for us and having a “home” location will not only build distribution and circulation but also build the brand.
The RL MANIERA has grown over the past year and is at a critical stage. We just finalized a working relationship with a business consultant who specializes in launching new magazines and circulation and distribution with existing magazines. We are fortunate to be working and guided by someone with over 30 years experience with magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Time and with Bob Guccione, Jr.owner of Penthouse launched SPIN magazine.
So, what does this mean to SL? After much discussion and some serious soul searching, we decided it is time to phase out the Second Life operation over the next few months. We will be contacting students holding unused vouchers to finish their courses, downsizing the sim and APR/MAR will be the last official edition of MANIERASL. We will not be closing down any groups as to retain the MANIERA brand in the SL community. Our RL staff will still be here in world to keep an eye on the brand as personal members of the SL community -- but not as MANIERASL. There may be opportunities for shows, just can't say when. I will, of course, understand if any of you feel the need to drop our groups. I will keep you posted on the timeline of events as they happen.
Aphrodite, Nox, Deep and myself want to deeply thank each and every one of you for the last five years. I know I have said this many times, but SL has changed my life in so many ways and each one of you have been a very important part in MANIERA. This is not goodbye, but instead a new journey for us. Ending a relationship - whether it’s business, romantic or friendship - may be sad, but remember it is not the end of the world but a chance for a new and better beginning. (end quote)

Rap Sensation Tomgirl From Japan Is Also A Star In Second Life™!

Written By Carmichael Caudron

2 glam pics of Tomgirl's avatar done by our photographer,kaley fancypants.

Japan is a country where if you make it big, you have realized your dreams.
Tomgirl™, a rap sensation from Japan did just that, starting back in 2003, driven to become a rapstar after being a backup vocal musician for various Japan pop groups.
With the help of a Nigerian composer, Udy Frank, she started her success in rap in 2005.

The exact start of her professional music career was 2005 November , when her song “Give It A Try”...was nominated for “Yokohama Music Award” in FM Yokohama, Japan’s one of main radio stations. Tomgirl got the second best prize thanks to the listeners’ vote, which led her regular appearance in FM Yokohama.

Rap is big in Japan too besides the United States of America or Europe and the artists are very versatile, rapping in various languages besides Japanese, doing it in English and even in Chinese.
With her first album “Tomography” released nationwide in June 2007, Tomgirl did just that collaborating with fellow music star MC Maira™.

Her most recent release on Dec. 24th 2011 , Tomgirl released her third album "Lady Samurai" in downloading format. The album hit No 1 position in Amazon.co.jp download hiphop album category.

OI Magazine SL™ took notice and had the pleasure to meet with Tomgirl in Second Life ,a virtual world to discuss her expanding success in this virtual world what we call the future of the internet and unlimited potentials to come how musicians like Tomgirl and other world sensations have used it to advertise their real world success to millions of internet gamers from all over the world, in Tomgirl's case , making fans outside of Japan!

Her glamorous promotional pictures are as beautiful and "kawaii"(Japanese word for cute, adorable, pretty) as expected, the radiance of a rap star.
We met on a Saturday afternoon inside of the virtual world after making an appointment to meet there with communications via her official Facebook page.

Our interview starts.
"Konnichiwa Tomgirl", Thank you for meeting with us at OI Magazine SL.
How did you discover Second Life?



2 Nice real life photography promos of rapper, Tomgirl

"I had a producer who made several hiphop tracks for me. He urged me to perform in Second Life. That's how I got to know second life. So firstly I went to his house to perform.", she replied.

Do you perform by request or do you have a schedule?
"Since the first performance went very good, I wanted to do the broadcasting from my house. So I invested my money in expensive PC parts so that the PC I build up is fast enough to do SL™ (Second Life)", she continued. "Since then I kept on my regular show for about 3 years even though the producer quit his activity in SL. At the same time some of my SL audience started to invite me to his/her place and asked me to perform, which I also am thankful."
"As far as concert schedules, I both had scheduled gig and at the same time people requested me to perform."

Your English is excellent, you also rap in English, did you learn English in school or were you raised speaking English because I read in your Facebook bio that you once lived in the United States?

Tomgirl performing in Second Life (from Tomgirl's Facebook)

"I went to US when I could not speak English. But the hiphop tracks that my host brother was playing in his room hit me like a thunderbolt in 94. Since when I came back to Japan I started to buy lots of hiphop CDs and started to copy rap music exactly like Coolio™, Salt N' Pepa™ and other 90s rapstars were doing. That was how I evolved my English skills. But at the same time my high school provided the higher English education than other schools & my mom was an English teacher so I could always go ahead of the curriculum that also must be part of the reason."


Your rap music is really good, I listened to Lady Samurai and Player, do you write your own lyrics? What do you mostly like to rap about?
 "Yes I write my own lyrics. I'm glad you liked the messages in my songs, too. I express my message to boys in those 2 songs. In 'Player' I sing about boys who have two names, two cell phones, several chicks to play around and never commit to one girl. The message is similar to TLC™'s "No Scrubs". This song is favored by lots of female fans. In "Lady Samurai", I deliver messages to foreign guys who have fixed images to Japanese girls as nice, rich and obedient."

Pictured above are the cover photography of her 3 published Cd's in real life.
To our readers at OI Magazine SL, Tomgirl's music Cd's "Lady Samurai"(2011) , "Give it a try"(2005) and "Tomography"(2007) are available at this online store (click hyperlink). The albums and songs also available in iTunes Music Store. Spread the word!

Ok, continuing our coverage of this gorgeous female rapper we told her we were so excited to interview a real life star who made an account in the Second Life virtual world, our second time a OI Magazine SL so far to have the honor to have done this, our next question was how it felt when she first saw she became successful and what the first thing was that she bought to spoil herself.
Humbly, Tomgirl answered , "Honestly the first moment I thought I earned money with my music was when I won a 2 million yen (about 20,000 dollars) scholarship from one company to make my dream come true. But that money vanished quickly by my activity trying to print CDs, shooting PVs, hit ads and pay for my dancers. Everyday was another struggle after a success. And I don't feel that I came to my goal till today, which motivates me more. But one thing I learned is I should keep investing to my music from the money I earned from music because it surely paid back to me. Never buy a sexy sport car out of your music earnings if you want to keep on going with your dream job."
"And as far as in Second Life, the first thing I bought out of my SL earning was a stage costume from SL boutique, because I know I cannot look the same on 2 stages to impress the audience everytime.

That is great advice, and also I saw on your Facebook update that you are expecting! Are you having a boy or girl is its secret still? Congratulations!
"I will have a boy in mid August. This is my first baby and I am so excited!"

Thank you so much for meeting with us, Tomgirl ,it is a true honor.
"It was an honor for me to get interviewed from a famous editor in SL, too. Thank you for choosing me as your article subject. And thank you for the congrats to my baby", Tomgirl replied.


Here are some additional nice pictures including one of her on maternity leave, borrowed from her official Facebook page, a truly beautiful and successful woman, enjoy!

a promo in Second Life virtual world for one of her concerts

TomGirl beaming expecting her first child

She also Dj's in Second Life

Nice glam real life promo



Tomgirl's article translated in Japanese!

http://ameblo.jp/tomgirlweb/entry-11572399439.html



Update August 31st! :

Nice update : Tomgirl told me she had her baby August 14th. Congrats ! :)

Our fb convo :

Carmichael Caudron
Hey tomgirl I saw your baby on twitter! Beautiful and congratulations
Thursday at 9:44pm
Tomgirl
Hi Carmichael. Yes my son was born on Aug. 14th. Thank you for your message. I am feeling great to be come a mom.
Yesterday at 1:04am · Sent from Web

Update December 5th! :

Tomgirl posted a new song featuring the birth of her son on Facebook, check it out below from this proud momma! Enjoy.

[Tomgirl's Facebook quote]I'd appreciate your feedback and sharing to your friends. 感想コメント、シェア歓迎いたします
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkOl0EDxH0Q

Kylie Sabra, Author Of "The Singing Dagger" & Upcoming "The Lost Child"

Written by LadyVictoria Lenoirre












Glam pic of Kylie Sabra done by kaley fancypants, OI Magazine Photographer

Most of you who have heard of or know Kylie Sabra, know that she is

the curator of the Rose Theatre and Art Gallery and is known for her photography, but did you

know that she is an author in real life?

She wrote a novel called The Singing Dagger which was published in 2012.

If you think photography is hard, trying writing an entire novel! That really takes time and

patience.

The Singing Dagger is a novel about intrigue, romance, and lots of drama. It is a “Celtic

fantasy.” Kylie ,who has Scottish ancestry, started writing the novel before she heard of SL. I found

time to question Kylie about her fascinating novel. She invited me to her place for a little afternoon

wine.


What is The Singing Dagger about?...........


You might be wondering about the singing dagger. Kylie said frankly, "There is actually a

singing dagger wielded by a ruthless wizard who thinks he's in control.”

“It is a time of magic or rather magic had been "put on hold" so to speak as many felt it to be a

dangerous practice. But the people of Tara realize that they must once again embrace magic if

they are to survive the onslaught of the wicked king from the South. Although it has magic and

witchcraft in it, I would not say it is Wiccan as Wicca, as a practice, has only been around since

the mid-fifties.


Is it based on SL experiences?..........


The first novel is not, she admits. “I am looking forward to writing my second one though. I

think my experiences here will make it even richer.”


How did you prepare for writing this novel?.............


“I did a tremendous amount of research on Celtic lore and gods/goddesses for the book. Then did

what I wanted. Lol”


Did you hear stories and read about Celtic lore when you were little?.............


“My father told me tales. I think I've always very much felt my Celtic roots. I was an avid

reader. I was reading Tolstoy when many my age were reading much lighter fare. Now! I love

young adult literature. And particularly fantasy. This book however is not for the young adult

audience.”

Cover of the Singing Dagger

So it's darker than JRR Tolkien?!......................


She grins before replying,  "I jokingly refer to it as Tolkien with sex. OMG So sorry, Mr.

Tolkien.”


What are the series based on?................


“The series is based upon a poem, which is indeed a prophecy, which affects three generations.”

It is a poem I wrote, called "The Bane of King Adaire".


Who or what has influenced you to become an author? Do you feel that your experience in SL has enriched your writing in any way?...


“Not for this book it hasn't as it was finished. As to what influenced my writing... I started

writing stories, music and poetry as a child. As well as creating art. As well, I was in corporate

marketing and communications for 15 years as a writer.

I do think that my experiences here will affect the next book. Just in the practice of constantly

writing every single day.”


The Lost Child, the sequel, how would you describe the tone, darker or lighter than The Singing Dagger? When is the tentative release date?...............


“Darker. I'd say it is about a year out. I'm honestly waiting to see how sales of this book go,

but I've had little time to promote it as I should for both SL & RL reasons. My work here at the

gallery is pretty intensive. Additionally, I've focused more on my art and art promotion. Frankly

I’m hoping that promotion will overlap as my name is broadcast about. I write 3 blogs as well.

You really can't run about saying "READ MY BOOK!'. There are too many out there doing that.

Best to let people read your other writings and get a sense of who you are. If they like you, they

will buy your book.”


What are your sites?.............


http://wp.me/2hke0

http://wp.me/P3DnOh-1

http://kylie-sabra.artistwebsites.com/

Amazon link for The Singing Dagger:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Singing-Dagger-Caitriona-Prophecy/dp/147810712X/ref=sr_1_cc_1/190-2312381-6693737?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1372463217&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=the+singing+dagger



“The Singing Dagger” is available in both paperback and kindle. When you

have time, you should read it. In Kylie’s words, “It's a beautiful love story, but with plenty of

violence, mystery and magic to keep it out of maudlin' territory.”..........

Creative IT® Videos, The Brainchild of Pamila Tiponi.

Written by Margaux Dufaux

When Pamila Tiponi first came to Second Life™ (SL) almost 3 years ago she wanted to see what this interesting virtual world was about. She came on to explore and in short time met a friend that provided her with her first lindens and helped her learn her way around. Before long she was employed as a hostess and through her work there she met many wonderful new people, landing her a job playing in a band, and eventually getting into modeling. It was while training to be model she started to experiment with making videos, which is also a real life interest for her.

When she decided to make her first video, she asked her friend Spirited Emor if she could record a music video for him  and she asked friends to join in. (see that video below).

"Spirited Emor- Stand By Me"

Pamila, a recent college graduate, continued to explore SL, making videos applying her real life skills to improve.  While working as a manager for a music business  she filmed her first wedding video. Wedding videos are the bulk of the business now and for Pamila the most enjoyable part of her work " I love to make Customers happy, to give them the best moment in their SL life captured by us".

This video  "Yannick & Curvey" is one of her wedding videos.




As more and more people started to become aware of her work approaching her to record for them she decided then it was time to learn how to establish and promote her own business.

Creative IT® Videos Production was born, to date they have produced 85 videos (35 of them being wedding videos).

Logo of Creative IT Videos production

 

One of her favorite and most successful projects was the sexy belly dance video she did, for a client:
See it below:




This video has had over 6500 views from all over the world and was named one of the best Second Life™ videos of 2012 by Momac.
It was one of the best of Momac Videos of August 2012. Be sure to check out the Creative IT Youtube™ channel https://www.youtube.com/user/MissArubiana so that you can see their full body of work ranging from performance pieces, to weddings, to promo videos. 

In addition to videos with Creative IT, Pamila also offers modeling, clothing design https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/86738 and wedding consultation services. Many of her past clients like Rose/ rfb morpork of Paris Metro™, and lovelyrans of Love Dreamers™ are now part of the network she utilizes to help provide her clients with full service experience. In addition to video services providing help with anything you need for that special day, from advice on finding that perfect gown to arranging the reception of your dreams. Attending to all needs of the client is what she credits with their success. They all recently teamed up under Creative IT to sponsor a contest to find the perfect bride and groom. See details here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Creative-IT-Videos/299160863484322?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline

Pamila plans to continue making videos and sharing in some the most special moments of people. Her greatest satisfaction comes in knowing she was able to capture the quiet beauty and tender emotion of those precious moments, for her clients to enjoy for years to come. See for yourself what her customers have to say https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Creative-IT-WEDDING-VIDEO-S/4587280. As for the future she is exploring SL to real life possibilities for growing a successful business doing what she loves using skills gained on both sides of the grid.

The Creative IT team also do Live events for customers and fans one of them are Weddings contest here is an example of  a Second Life wedding contest of Creative IT:



If you want to participate in their videos as actor or want to participate in their contest feel free to contact Pamila Tiponi in Second Life.

GraffitiWear™ Is Fashion By Designer, Chalice Piers.

Written by Fuzzball

GraffitiWear, founded & owned by its designer Chalice Piers-Soulstar (Soulstar is her partner's last name) is a shop that, upon first glance, seems to be just another clothing store in Second Life™ virtual world, but after a look around, it's much more than that. It's a store for both men and women, who are looking for clothes, at a reasonable price.

GraffitiWear Gowns for L$ 225 each in 4 assorted colors (shown above are the red and purple ones)

               The dresses found here, are not only creations of the store owner, but are also better looking than others, and cheaper than far more. In Second Life (SL) a single dress, of this caliber, can go for about L$ 500 to L$ 1000. At GraffitiWear, they are sold for the mere price of L$ 225, each. Dresses aren't the only item sold here, for a cheap price, skirts also made by the store's owner, are sold for as low as L$ 25, each, and look a lot better than most, that are sold for four times as much.

Velour Skirts @ L$ 25L each

                What store is complete without a few games? There are two Gatcha machines here, as well as an Unlucky Dip. Gatcha machines have become a sort of necessity in an SL store. However not many people have probably heard of the Unlucky Dip. It's a game that has basically the same principals of Bobbing for Apples, but instead of apples, you're bobbing for prizes.

Currently their best selling item, the Lace Tees @ L$ 50 each

                The design of this place is just as top notch as its merchandise. With the bottom floor filled with woman's wear such as the Lace Tees the best selling items currently selling for L$ 50 each, and the top floor with men's wear and accessories, one might think of a bunch of boxes just stacked everywhere, but once you see how the design of the store works well with the placement of the products, you will realize there are no boxes here.

                Of course, most stores have boxes, though this store has the bottoms hanging on hangers. Even a lot of the tops are on hangers. This store is truly one that had the goal of looking realistic, and not only reaching that goal, but perfectly, and flawlessly, exceeding the goal.

                The lady's section is split in three parts, with the new products in the middle. To the north is the single piece items, as in the shirts, the pants, the skirts etc. To the south is where the ladies outfits are sold, giving it a more organized look. The men's and accessories section is split in half. The men's wear is to the north, and the accessories is to the south. Fat-packs (an item packaged in a bundle of sorted colors) are sold with the items that are in the fat-packs..

GraffitiWear men's wear Hawaiian shirts @ L$ 95 each

                Don't be discouraged if you don't have enough linden for something, because they have a mini mania board, as well as a lucky letter board, too. So the store is nicer than a lot of other stores that only want your linden. This store actually wants you to have clothes, that's why their prices are cheaper than most.

                A place of amazing clothes at cheap prices, and fun almost addicting games, and an amazing design, make this store one of the best in SL. It is definitely worth a visit.

Below are GraffitiWear new releases which include Jewelry sets and Pleated Skirt & Top sets.
To see more of the designs online, please visit Chalice's Flickr™ account http://www.flickr.com/photos/chalicepiers/
Thank you for reading my review of GraffitiWear, my avatar name in SL is Fuzzball! (theonlyjohnny) reporting for OI Magazine SL.

These new released jewelry sets are sold at L$ 95 a piece sold in assorted colors each

The Pleated Skirt and Top Set are also new releases that are L$ 150 per set

Entrepreneur, Stacy Mosely Talks Business, Life & Charity.

Written by Carmichael Caudron

Glam picture of Stacy Mosely done by our photographer Kaley Rae Fancypants.

Few people in Second Life™ are as driven as Stacy Mosely, our client this time at OI Magazine SL.
She is the owner of 2 companies, acquiring one recently this year, VMS aka Virtual Music Services™ publication, previously owned by Jay Hurikan. She manages several live singing acts and on top of that also works as a photographer and machinima artist.

We will highlight her career up until now and take a look inside the mind of this dedicated entrepreneur of what she is willing to share ,what made it all happen into who she is today, who is by her side and what further plans she has stored in her journey in our virtual world online community.


Charity...

You must be tired, Stacy coming from the event yesterday. I read in some notices that you were promoting Brixton Canning and Jessy Davidson , could you tell our readers more about it?

Stacy: "To be honest, every day is pretty much chaotic. Not only the venue grand opening last night but I also had a performer singing the hour before the opening. So dealing with rl and then coming inworld to make sure notices get sent out, the performer has what they need, the venue has what they need then being at the show to monitor their stream, make sure sound is right and things are going as they should. Play hostess to their shows and answer the dozen IM's that always come through during performances about the performer, then running to VMS Club Neuro™ to get things ready for the first performer in about 5min or less before stage time, pretty nuts.
Actually it was so crazy yesterday that I was at all the events in an evening gown with no shoes.
SL was not cooperating with notices, my bot that sends out groups notices inworld about performances wasn't working right, I was writing 3 different sets of notices and never got shoes on!

Picture of the event taken by Stacy, with Jesse Davidson playing the guitar



Brixton Canning also appears in this shot, taken by Stacy Mosely

The VMS Club Neuro, is that your club?

"Yes, it's the collaborative work between VMS™ and The Guardian Spirit Transitions™ (GST) sim. It's a group working with autistics inworld. They use SL to help teach social and personal skills in a non-threatening environment. Hoping people can take what they learn gradually to their real life."


That is very cool, what kind of club is it and when did you establish this collaboration and what made you interested in doing so?

"It's a tips only venue, the main goal is a place where any performer can play. They don't have to be one of "the famous" to have a place to sing. A place for just musical enjoyment and help with bringing awareness of Autism to everyone. What it is, who these people are and how to understand.
when I took over VMS, the first thing I did was eliminate the venue. It was never prosperous and the cost was ridiculous. Venues really don't make money but what was being paid out vs return was beyond bad.There was some flack from some performers over it, who had had regularly scheduled (paid) gigs there. The more I started thinking about it, the more I thought would be nice one day to re-open but with better thought put into the operating.
Marcus, the owner of the GST group and sim approached me about their group and if I were interested in re-opening on their sim, rent free, with a tip split to the sim for the venue
after lots of thought and discussion, we came up with the plan - Club Neuro was a club they had had years ago and we decided to keep the name and go with it from there ... thus we now have VMS Club Neuro back on the grid
It's not a fund raising venue, that's not the goal. Any venue tips are appreciated but we don't use it as a fund raising venture. Just a place to hang, have fun, listen to some music and meet some extremely interesting people."

The promo for the Club Neuro grand opening event

Did Marcus come up with supporting Autism, a very noble case btw or did you both decide on it?
 
"Marcus is autistic and has been doing this for many many years. He's a published writer and loud proponent of all things Autism. It is his guides that are being used on the sim as training tools. He founded a rl non-profit foundation years ago based on his work and brought it into SL as a means to reach more people, services and support at no cost to anyone - minus sim tier fees.
There are a lot of supposed non-profit focused groups and sims in sl, all looking for handouts and fund raising under the pretenses of some rl foundation. The Autism Society of America™ does not have a true group inworld that is governed by their standards and guidelines yet. There are those who claim to be but the funds donated never leave SL and make it to the foundation. We're hoping to fix that."



Business....


You mentioned taking over VMS™, when did you buy it? Follow up, what made you interested in buying VMS?

"Well that's an interesting story.. short version - I'd been working with Jay as Chief Editor for about 9 months or so and he came to me one day frustrated and said he was giving up VMS, going to do something different because he wasn't having fun anymore. This happens to everyone in sl over time. So I offered to take it. That's pretty much how it came to be. We've reorganized, made some changes to the website, added to the magazine page and are doing very very well."



That's great. Looking over at your profile I noticed you are also the co-owner of Krypt Keeper Media™, tell us more about it please, what is it about?

"It's a group that my partner (Kessryll Stormcrow) and I put together, originally for the inworld machinima that we filmed - should point out that it is adult oriented material and the photography work that I do. We were very involved with it for a while and I do still photo work when asked or if the mood hits, but like most "hobbies" in SL, it's fallen to the wayside for the most part.
We enjoy building sets and poses for them for photo work, we have an MP store where we sell the custom poses really cheap after the photo shoots are done. We prefer making our own because of the uniqueness and ability to make what we want how we want, rather than use someone else's pose and make my set fit them."

logo of VMS

logo of Krypt Keeper Media

Did you start out as a machinima artist and photographer in SL before doing publishing and music management?

"Yes, we also do a lot of our own building and I make textures as needed. The music management came into play because my partner is a live performer inworld - Stormcrow."



Life....

Oh yes, I noticed you were partnered to Stormcrow, may I ask how did you guys meet?

"We met in SL, friend of a friend kind of introduction and literally just hit it off instantly.. love at first pixel."
*Smiles*
"He really wasn't singing much inworld and just didn't have a strong management base so I took over. That was almost 2 years ago. It just took off from there. Meeting the most amazing people just inspired me to get more and more involved."


That's so nice to hear, how long have you been together?

"We had some rough times and split up for a few months but we've been back together and partnered now for a year and 1/2."

past promo of Stacy's partner, live singer Kessryll Stormcrow

I always ask our clients this,because it is so interesting to know, how did you discover SL and what was your first wow moment here as a noob?

"LOL...omggg...sooo long ago! I actually saw it on an episode of CSI like a million years ago and decided to check it out. I think that was maybe 7 years ago now, maybe 6...lost track. But I was instantly hooked and have been here since in some for or another. On my 3rd AV and last.
And initially, every moment was a WOW moment and even now I am still Wow'd fairly regularly.
Haha...I googled...appears to be 2007 when that episode aired."



Contacting Stacy Mosely, VMS...

Great. In closing could you let our readers know what they should do if interested in contacting VMS and how they can stay updated on your future projects there?

"Well the best way to stay in touch with us inworld is to join the VMS group - we have around 600 in the group now. We dont spam! Notices are 99% about VMS updates on the web or major goings on on the grid.
We also have the Facebook™ page where same things are posted and a twitter account
and there's a VirtualMusicServices page that allows for everyone to post upcoming shows and anything live performer related on the grid.
VMS is not just about the VMS Venue, we want to promote all live performers, venues and anything performance related in SL. We don't charge for our write ups or reviews. We average about 12k or more hits a month on the site so great place to advertise - those we charge for but very affordable compared to other online advertising options for inworld marketing."

https://www.facebook.com/pages/VirtualMusic-Services/164576940263986
https://www.facebook.com/groups/virtualmusicservices/
http://virtualmusicservices.com/vmsmagazine/
https://twitter.com/Vmusicservices

"The first link is the main group to LIKE on FB, 2nd is the group to join and post in and last is the magazine website itself."
This concludes our interview of Stacy Mosely of VMS in Second Life, thank you for reading, feel free to comment and recommend this article to others, my name is Carmichael Caudron, reporting for OI Magazine SL.

Life Talk Adult Counseling Services™ Makes Its Entrance In Second Life™

Written by Carmichael Caudron

Surfing through Facebook™ last Sunday afternoon I came across Life Talk Adult Counseling Services™ page and saw the inspiring posts left by its founder, Sabrina Hannu aka sabrinaxox​o hannu, her avatar name in Second Life™.


Life Talk Adult Counseling Services, LTACS for short in this interview, a non profit organization was created by Sabrina and her best friend and business partner, kataluna Quinnell.




logo of LTACS

How did you meet I asked."Kataluna and I met at a club in SL and I had IM'd her asking where she had bought her outfit.  We both have a love for shopping so we clicked right away.  I have known her for a few years now and she is the sweetest person I know alive, also very smart." Sabrina answered.

Glam shot of Sabrina's avatar done by our photographer Kaley Rae Fancypants ({g} Photography)

When asked how it came about creating LTACS, Sabrina told me "We started throwing ideas at each other probably about 4 or 5 months ago and that night I was pumped up about starting it that I had started to create a blog and Facebook page and we talked about how we would run it, and that it'd be free because helping people is something that makes us feel good and we aren't greedy like some. I am doing this for the sake of others in the time of need. We decided to start this because we seem to always have friends coming to us for advice and we have been through a lot. So I have always loved helping others by sharing my experience with them. We both realized how many people came to both of us just to talk, or vent, or just need some help with life. When we realized that I sort of joked around saying maybe we could save many SL relationships. That's where the idea of marriage counseling came in, then decided to broaden it to a more diverse population."


Relationships seemed a big interest for LTACS to their clients. The advices left on the Facebook page are very uplifting. Wondering if and why she encouraged SL relationships, she replied "Well SL relationships are a lot harder to maintain than in RL.  A lot more trust is involved but every couple has their own rules set and ideas of what they want.  It is just to find that other half that wants the same.  I have tried and failed many times. With every failure you learn a lesson.  I encourage it but be cautious."

Lovely RL pic of Sabrina Hannu!

LTACS has existed for a few months and is in process of also making its debut in form of a blog, I wondered what the best way was for clients to contact her and Kataluna when they need to talk.
"Best way right now is by our Facebook group (click hyper link).Then as I finish our blog I will be keeping the page updated about that."


Sabrina told me she had a few hours before she headed to work in real life, so I went deeper into our conversation mentioning at OI Magazine SL we were familiar with counseling groups as our co founder Krissy Sinclair had founded Survivors of Suicide group in SL.
Asking her if she was familiar with depression issues and if she was including that into her services, she took a pause and replied "Depression hits home for me.  I would support it 100%.  I have lost a loved one a few months back for this very reason who was my inspiration, my brother in real life.....  Even in hard times myself, I still find I feel better helping others.  As I heal, I find ways to cope and continue on in life in a positive manor and if I can share that conception about grief I hope it spreads to others.  To let them know that everything happens for a reason. As we don't have a cure all we can do is show our support to those who need someone they can trust and know that we really do care."

Sorry to hear that, Sabrina. My condolences. "Thank you."


With the recent rise for civil rights finally in LGBT groups and couples, many LGBT people in SL also look for their life partner and take it to real life in many cases. I asked Sabrina what her opinion was of the movement finally happening in our era and if she supported and included it in her counselings in SL. "Yes definitely, all are welcomed. We are all the same, a human being looking for someone to love and appreciate them.  If they find someone who makes them happy and it happens to be the same gender then so be it."


How long have you been in Second Life and what do you hope to see Second Life develop into or are you happy with the way it is? Follow up, who introduced you to SL ,how did you find it?
"Well I was in a previous virtual game called Vside™, and the group of friends I had there we heard about Second Life.  We realized how much more freedom there was and a lot more to do.  So as a group we all joined SL.  I have been in SL now for just over 3 years, and it has grown lots.  I still find neat sims and I am always learning new things to build or create.  I do hope to see it improve a little more quality wise as we all know as "Lag" it can get pretty bad sometimes :P, " She smirked.


Who designed your logo on Facebook and how did it come about?
"I came up with it myself.  I wanted something simple I didn't want to be known as an artist so I didn't want a fancy logo.  After a few hours of me being picky I came across this one I liked. As a Facebook group I use inspirational pictures as most can relate to using Facebook to generalize some topics that have come up to talk as a group."


We came to a close of the interview with Sabrina's parting words "I am no professional, no degree in counseling I am only here to provide my opinion.  I would like to see myself as someone who can try my best to help others sort through any hard time in life.  I haven't been married but I will help sort out fights, or life questions, grief is very popular as I have been through it I can provide exercises and activities to help cope."

Great words, to support or contact Life Talk Adult Counseling Services, please contact Sabrina directly at her Facebook page listed earlier in the article where you can contact her business partner as well and remember Life Talk Adult Counseling Services is a free service and client issues remain confidential.
Thank you for reading our article, feel free to leave comments and please let others know about this, my name is Carmichael Caudron, reporting for OI Magazine SL.


Update July 10th, Sabrina just designed her blog and it's ready to be viewed at this link:
http://sabrinaxoxo.wix.com/howtodeal#