Goals check up

Well, apparently I had no need to worry about the blip of only a few books in January that were read. Because I read an obscene amount in March. Ripped through several author’s entire back list too!

I’ve been blogging more regularly this year, too. Looks like I’m hitting 3 times per month every month. Not great, but so much better than the years previously that I’ll take it.

I’ve been writing more, too. Sometimes I’ll start and stop. Or play here and there. Flash and poetry are what I’m currently completing on a regular basis. But I am writing. And submitting.

One of the best things for my writing was showing up  for a writing date with Rie. It isn’t about being held accountable. It’s about having someone you can shoot a text to really quick– hey, a short female name that doesn’t start with an M or is Lily?? And get a response. It’s not being or feeling so alone in the process. Forwarding opportunities that might fit the other one’s story, feedback, heck just being “there.” We are states away, but technology is a wonderful thing. Just knowing someone is there for an hour a day, Monday through Friday with me… It’s a beautiful thing.

Now, I’m off to go write more in my silly little story. I’m calling it that because right now I’m writing it just for me. It makes me happy to write it. 

And that is enough.

For today, making myself giggle is enough.

Cheers!

Momcation

I haven’t been by myself in a house for an extended amount of time in… Years. I always have my son (15) or my dad (95) around or coming back. It’s wonderful. I love my family. But….

I used to love living by myself too. I’ve always kept myself occupied– readings writing, television. I’m not one that gets bored and stays bored. The quiet is a friend of mine- it allows a moment of reflection, a deep sigh.

Thanks to Caltrans and my Best friend I just had that. A glorious Sunday through Thursday morning where I stayed in a house all by my lonesome. Caltrans closed the freeway that I need to get to work. (Not a work vacation, alas). My BF is travelling, and offered her house. I have to tell you….

It. Was. Glorious.

I wrote and sent out cards. I didn’t cook ANYTHING. Frozen all the way. And after work, I went to the real happiest place on earth, Barnes and Noble, and bought many wonderful magazines. One was brand new to me, called Oh, Reader and I read every single article in it. Which has inspired me– to do magazine reviews. Share what I’m loving. Maybe a few book reviews in there too.

The fact is that I miss blogging. I miss sharing the things I love, and boy do I love books and magazines!

I love my family. Of course I do.

But I missed myself, and didn’t even realize what had been missing in my life was ME.

Bye Facebook

It started with me limiting my time on Facebook. Then, 2 days ago, it quit working on my phone. Which is what I used to browse Facebook.

At first it was hard. Still is to some degree. Most of my friends and family are on it, so I like to pop in and see what’s going on with them.

Except…

That’s not what Facebook is anymore, is it? There are a few people who will update with something more personal than Night FB FAMILY! Who still show pictures and snippets of their lives. But for the most part, we’ve become obsessed with memes and shares of new stories that aren’t knews. And really, in a lot of them they aren’t written well either…

So I’ve been taking a bigger break than intended. But I’ve had some nice suprises. I’ve been on WordPress more, catching up with my favorites, passing along links to those who I think need them. Discovering new bloggers. Reading on my breaks. Feeling more connected.

Writing more.

Facebook isn’t evil, but I think it helps to take a step back from it. Otherwise, we might be so busy sharing and tagging that sunset picture someone else took… Instead of seeing the gorgeous one in front of you.
Live well, my lovelies. Obviously I’m writing more too. Hope to see more of you!

Flash Fiction (Essay) Challenge

Do you read/follow Chuck Wendig over at Terrible Minds? Love the guy, love his quirkiness to bits. On Friday’s he posts a Flash Fiction challenge. This week… it’s not fiction. Yay! You can read his original post here

(PS Chuck, you said to drop the link in the comments, but… the comments aren’t open. Insert Sad Face).

Write an essay on the topic of: Why I Write.

This is something that I’ve been struggling with lately. I’d love to make my living writing, but that currently isn’t happening and it doesn’t look promising. I want to support my son and myself, by my writing, but it’s not in the cards right now. It does remain in the realm of dreams.

So. Money isn’t the reason why I’m writing.

I have been published, and I loved the accolades. When people tell me that they loved it, ohhh… my heart shivers. I haven’t made much money (see above), and I have received some wonderful reviews, but…

That isn’t what keeps me writing.

Not for money. Not for accolades. Both would be bloody brilliant, don’t get me wrong. I won’t lie.

I write because words have power. We can shape our worlds, and make sense of that world, through words. When I was writing fiction, I almost always work out a problem in my fiction. Something that’s been on my mind comes out in the theme of the story.

Still has my quirky voice,tho.

I liked fiction because it gave me a buffer between my feelings and what I was working out. Sometimes I need that space, the step back from the situation that fiction gives. In Dragon’s Champion, the heroine saves herself. And when she finds her voice… oh, the power she wields! In The Golden Apple and Other Stories, there were lots of strong women saving themselves… as they dealt with love, death, family and the perception of others versus reality.

Not everyone needs saving.

Except, perhaps, me.

I write to save myself, to save my soul. It’s how I pray, how I connect myself to… myself. It enables me to get the junk out and cross it out decisively and then get to the meat of the matter. I took a step back from fiction, and have been writing a lot of nonfiction and poetry, trying to realign myself. Essays mostly, some a micro shot of life as I see it. (One is scheduled for tomorrow, my shifting sideways series. Whee!) They are all full of my weird quirkiness, a lighter slightly twisted version of myself or the deep, dark and twisty. Apparently, my writing is like the water I love so much. Some is nothing more than a babbling brook—entertaining and will cool you off and refresh you. The other half is the middle of the ocean, deep, dark currents pierced by light.

I write to save myself. Because when I don’t write, I can feel it calling to me. Even my nine year old can tell when I’m not writing. A line of poetry that grabs hold until I write it down. An opening sentence will grab hold of me and won’t let me go until we go exploring down the rabbit hole.

It’s the only sure way to comfort myself, make my soul nice and tight with the world. If others get saved along the way, that’s a blessing. But I have to save myself first.

MMP Anniversary Sale!

 

Mocha Memoirs Press, the brilliant publishers who liked my story (Dragon’s Champion) is having an anniversary sale. It’s a wonderful opportunity for readers to score some great reads at a great price. They’ve got some truly great writers, like Rie Sheridan Rose, Billy London, Thomas Olbert and many, many more. OOPS, and don’t forget me!

They also have a great blog. I know, because I write over there on the tenth of the month. This month, I have a moody, flash vampire piece. I’ll post a link when it goes live. But today’s blog post (click here) made me think, really think about who and what I say yes to, and how I say no. It’s not about writing per se, but oh it sure is!

When I received the announcement of the sale, it put my gears to thinking. Not many mainstream publishers give back to their consumers. Tor has their blog and newsletter, which is better done than many. They feature little things by authors about their characters or worlds, short stories, and of course the normal book thumping.

Avon did a one off promotion where they sent out “A Fairy Tale Sampler” by Eloisa James for pre-ordering her current book. Most of it is opening chapters of books I already own, but there is one new short story and lots of little essays on the writing and themes behind the books I already own. Still, obviously, a promotional item but it is something that had value even to someone who owned all the published books it was promo’ing.

But everyone else? Not so much.

So my question for you is, as a writer or publisher, do you feel the need to give back to your readers? Or do you feel that giving them a good book to read is good enough?

As a reader, what kinds of promotional things make you think more favorably of an author or publisher? A magnificent sale so you can get both favorites and new authors at a great price? A varied blog? Promo materials that give something new? 

MMP is relatively new: they opened in 2010. At three years, they seem to have a good handle on reaching out to their readers. I wish the big boys could learn that lesson as well.

Blogging

Well, the tenth is fast approaching which means you can find my poem, A Haunted Birthday, here . Yay! I’m so excited… I really like this one, and I hope you will too! (It was inspired by my trip to Disney Land in April).

In other news, I have a brief Q & A with the publisher of Mocha Memoirs Press which I am saving as a Mother’s Day gift for you, my lovelies!

I’m just all a shiver!

Ta! Talk to you soon! Go read my poem! Let me know what you think 😀

The Plot thickens

Shake em, stir em, rattle them babies around. It’s kind of nice seeing the stregnth anf vulnerabilities of your characters start to pop through. I had no idea that the tentatively titled “Garden” would have so much of a romantic subplot.

Yes. Subplot.

Because there’s a lot going on underneath that. A lot of healing that has to be done, by the heroine, before she’s going to be ready to trust someone again. And yes, she must heal herself. No one can drag you through it, but they can definately help you through it.

Yes, this one is going to have some my life in it. A lot of it. The thing is, I really really want to write this the way it deserves to be written. I love Sarah Addison Allen, and I’ve devoured all of her books. I like the magic weaving through “real” life, the characters are slightly off beat…

But they don’t have the asinine humor that I somtime’s deploy.

Yah. I said it.

When my son was a wee little babe I called him, among other things, Melon Head. I even wrote a poem about him at ten months, calling him “Beloved Melon Head”. It’s right there on the top of the page— click on it and take a look. I can wait a moment.

Waiting

Waiting

Yah. See? I can be a bit asanine. But even though there are things in there that aren’t quite right, you can tell through every line of the poem that I adore that baby.

And that’s the kind of book I want to write.

A little bit asanine, but with the beauty of possiblity woven through out.

I’m game. are you?

Note:

If you’re up to it, I’m appearing on the Mocha Memoirs Press Blog for 4/10. Another 10×10, but this time I did top ten movies. Which is harder than it looks, by the way! By the end I had to think really hard about the movies. But they are a great cross section to know the kind of person I’m like 🙂  Go find me at the MMP Blog at http://mochamemoirspress.blogspot.com/ My post should go live at midnight tonight, or you know, tomorrow as that’s the date I’m set for over there (4/10). Even if you don’t see me, poke around— there are several great authors over there blogging on a regular basis.  Oh, and Rie’s blog post back on the fifth has a snippet of ME! yes, me! They Love me! They really do! (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!)

Ta, my lovelies! I’m planning on blogging again tomorrow, as I will be gone all next week starting on Sunday. We’re going to Disney Land!

Meanderings: Music and Writing

Hello again,

Well, I haven’t been reading as much lately because I’m living in my brain, working out the important people in my new story and who goes where. I’ve done novels both as a seat of the pants thing, and as a strict outline and I gotta tell you… Neither work for me.

My outline is loose– I like to be able to take detours. But the outline itself helps to remind me where I’m trying to go. Getting from one place to another becomes easier when you know the surrounding neighborhoods because then you can find interesting paths.

I’m also listening to Bon Jovi’s new album, “Because We Can”. Specifically, track 5. I don’t know the name of that song, but it should be Amen (which if you’ve heard the disc you’ll agree with my titling of it). It just fits… because the story is becoming more about 2 broken people figuring out how to be whole than just the one.  So that’s what I’ve been up to recently.

If you want to check out a scene I wrote back in the day, go check out my friend Rie’s post at Mocha Memoirs Presses blog:   http://mochamemoirspress.blogspot.com/2013/04/putting-sizzle-in-steamy-scenes-part-one.html

Music has always been a big part of my writing. I used to make a play list of songs for a novel that I’m working on. The songs range in genre: rock, pop, classical, jazz— the story itself decides the tempo.

Rie’s post is about writing sex scenes as a writer, so hang on to your blushes! But it’s a good article. There’s actually a lot of great posts by MMP’s writer’s going there. I believe I mentioned that I write on the blog on the tenth of every month. But there are several of us who picked a day to post, so feel free to poke around.

Till next time, my lovelies!

Hello again…

 

 

First off, I need to apologize. I have been a bad blogger. I should have been over here beating the drum for my blog post over at the Mocha Memoirs blog (but I will be on there every month on the 10th! check it out!).

Things happen.

One of those things was a co-worked who became gravely ill while at work. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, and I hope he makes a full recovery. It might be a long road, though.

Saturday, Linda took Ray and I to the snow. I hung out, watched Ray playing in it. Watched Teagon throw a fit when people were paying attention. But I also just soaked it in. I haven’t been in the snow, not like this, since I was a preteen maybe?

These two remind me of a Robert Frost poem. Can you believe this was taken in California in March? Crazy!

 

My son, I couldn’t see it at the time… but apparently he was makeing a snow teddy bear!

 

Of course he had a blast, and it was so awe inspiring to see him experience it for the first time. He was soaked by the time we left. I was kind of worried because of the Dyspraxia– his motor skills and right and left are a little off. However, he took to sledding like a pro. He got one push off, and he was off! By the time we left, he was falling almost every other step. At that point, his brain needs a break as well as his body.

Sunday he had a fever of 102.9 He apparently brought the stomache flu home from school. Great. Today, Tuesday, he’s feeling much better. Fever broke sometime yesterday, and today he’s been full of wanting to play play play.

Yay!

I did read Beautiful Creatures while on sick child duty— they do sleep alot hehehe. So I will be back probably Thursday with a review on that.

Oh. And go over to the Mocha Memoirs Press blog (i even linked it very nicely for you over there on the side) and check out the outher awesome writers who are going to be blogging on a monthly basis.

Hopefully, things will settle back down. Work of course is stressful, but I’ve always been really good at leaving work at work. The worry for the co-worker doesn’t count, though, and he prognosis is optimistic.

Of course, what else could a Polly Anna say? But it is cautiously optimistic.

And that’s a good thing.

 

I think I’m going to go hug my son. See you all on Thursday. Have any of you read Beautiful Creatures yet ?Have to say, was not what I was expecting at all!

 

New Years Goals: 2013

So it’s a new year again, this time with my luck number~ 13. I haven’t done any “resolutions” for a very long time, I’ve mostly skipped on that portion of celebrating the new year.

This year is different.

What’s different about it? Well, I’m getting my voice back (writing wise) and feeling more capabale in general. More able to take on risks. Sooo… without further ado, I give you:

RESOLUTIONS 2013

1. Write a novel. This one’s a no brainer, and it’s one that has been chasing around in the back of my mind for a while. I think it needs to perk a little bit more, but that’s ok. I’m a quick writer.

2. Write my Bon Jovi Rock Opera. Actually, it’s either more of a one woman play or something with a narrator that does all the talking, except for the songs. This one has already started to tingle my fingers, which writers will understand. I drove to work on Friday screaming ‘ MY FINGERS ARE ITCHING, MY FINGERS ARE ITCHING!!!” I hate to think what the person next to me thought, but you know… Itchy fingers for a writer are a good thing.

3. Get passports for my sonand I. I don’t know how easy or hard this will be. I don’t talk about it much, but I have full physical and legal custody of my son, so you would think it would be easy. However, the ex is still alive, if not in the picture right now. So we shall see. But this leads into wanting to be able to travel to Europe with Ray in 2014.

A girl’s gotta have some goals, right?

4. Accept how I look. Not to say that i don’t want to loose weight, or what ever. But I hate getting my picture taken. HATE IT. If you’ve friended me on facebook, you know I RARELY post pictures of me. But what does that do to my son? When he’s older, is he going to care whether or not i was overweight? Or will he care more that he has no pics of his mom, and none of us together? Yah. I got over myself real quick with that one. I posted 2 or 3 pics with me in them to Facebook last night, as a matter of fact. So progress!

5. Be Joyous!! Let the boogie out!!!

6. Pray every day for the women of the world. It’s easy to forget here in the US, where we have an expectation of safety to a certain degree (and yes, mostly, but there are always exceptions)… But in other parts of the world young girls are being beaten, shot, killed for daring to want an education. In other parts of the world, young women can be out with an escort and get beaten and raped,… and ultimately killed. This last case polarized the country, and hopefully will bring about change in India. I’m still gonna pray for them. just my thing.

7. Figure out how to write a montage scene in fiction with 2 characters who are geographically far apart. I think i’ve figured it out, but will see.

8. And this one hurts. Even more than number four. Write more, read less. I can’t write if my head is always in someone elses world. I just can’t. I know some of you are here because I started reviewing books.,.. and i’ll still do that to a certain degree. But writing book reviews brought me back to *my* writing…. And I need to do this. For me, for my son.  (BTW– i do have a very interesting book review for next week. HA!)

Anyways, that’s the list as of right now. 8 tiny little goals. Right? Not too ambitious, right?

 

Yah, that’s what I thought!