Category: Writing

Writing Roundup

9/2/2014

If you know me, then you know it's not unusual for me to have 2 or 3 writing projects going at once. However, with a trilogy in progress, it's time for me to organize and make a plan to keep things going. Here's what's up with my writing these days:

Shatterpoint, the blog series I did here in July, is now published as a free ebook at Smashwords. I published it yesterday and encourage you to go pick up your free copy. If you've never registered with Smashwords, it's easy and well worth it. Plus, you can get ebooks in any and every format available on the market today. So go pick up your copy today and forget everything you know about Christians! It's available at
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/472472

Obsidian, the sequel to Move, is temporarily shelved. I feel I've rushed this project, and I need to slow down to make it the best ebook it can be. I'm putting it on hold while I write the rough draft of Fracture, the first book in The Earthside Trilogy. At the rate that Fracture is going, I believe I'll have that rough draft done by Halloween, so I should return to Obsidian in November. I plan to self publish it, so hopefully I'll have proofreads and cover art for it and be ready to publish by late November or early December - if, as an old friend of mine says, the Lord wills and creeks don't rise. Honestly, I don't think shelving this project for now will delay the publication much more than a month or so from my original plan.

As I just mentioned, Fracture, the first book in The Earthside Trilogy, is in progress. I have a plan for the entire book and it's flowing ok - usually, I pick up around the midpoint, so this one should go pretty quick. Once I get Obsidian complete and published, I plan to take the rest of 2014 off and return to do the rough draft of Book 2 and Book 3 in this series. I decided to write the entire series at once instead of doing the books one at a time. I feel it would be better to do it all together and to focus on this project solely in 2015, at least until it's ready for submittal to the publisher. This is my biggest venture to date - it will probably be around 200,000 words total for all 3 books, so I need to buckle down and really focus on it. Plus, sci-fi is more intensive than mystery, so it takes a sharper focus and lots more research to pull it off. But it's fun. I enjoy it. I'm already enjoying Fracture, so this whole series promises to be fun.

So that's the plan. Let's hope it works out. Then again, I can adapt and adjust if I need to. That's what being a writer is all about!

That's all today. Take care and have a great week.

Bye!

Healthy Coping

8/27/2014

Another thing I’ve learned during the past year and a half is the value of finding healthy ways to cope with stress and the emotional issues related to it. It’s easy to fall into bad habits, which can make things worse by putting you in a self-defeating cycle that put your health (mental and physical) and relationships at risk. Here are some ways I’ve found to cope with the days and times that try your soul:

1.       Exercise. This is the #1 way I’ve found to work off stress and to help me relax. I feel better mentally and physically when I get on the exercise bicycle or walk regularly. I also find that I sleep better, I have more energy, I feel stronger, and I don’t tend to get sick with every passing virus so easily. It’s definitely better and better for you than a pill or a drink.

2.       Writing. Blurry was written based on recurrent dreams I had while Rick and I were building our home. Anywhere But Here was written based on knowing several people struggling with depression, and a conversation they had when they crossed paths one day. Splinter, Move, and Obsidian were written based on major life changes I went through a few years ago, and the subsequent adjustments I had to make. And I don’t think it’s any coincidence that I started the rough draft of Fracture five days after my father-in-law passed away and five months after losing my parakeet to cancer. For every major novel I’ve written, I can give you stories of how I used it to help myself cope with what was happening in my life at the time. Somebody recently suggested to me that people who don’t want to talk it out usually write it out, and this is actually a great way to work through what’s going on in your head. If fiction isn’t your thing, then you can journal privately, or blog about your thoughts and experiences (you can blog publically to get feedback, or you can do it privately if you don’t want to release it online). I’ve been “writing it out” since before I knew it was a coping mechanism, and I believe this is a great way to work things out.

3.       Hobbies. I believe we all need something that is ours and ours alone, that we do purely for enjoyment and no other purpose. In addition to writing, I also enjoy reading, but there are countless other hobbies that give you joy and a purpose beyond the requirements of daily living. From gardening to cooking to decorating to artwork, there are many ways to find creative outlets in your life.

4.       Moderate Socialization. As tempting as it might be to hide away from the world, it’s actually good for you to get out there some. That doesn’t mean pack your schedule, which is why I say “moderate.” You still do need some time to yourself, but not every minute. Take some time to talk on the phone, have lunch with a family member or a friend, or go out to the movies or an activity you enjoy. Get out there in the world and stay connected, because you tend to find strength and inspiration in times, places and people that you least expect.

5.       Volunteering. If you’re a member of a church, then there are countless opportunities to volunteer to help out the congregation or the community. Whether you serve on a committee or sign up to help with an event, it’s good to help out other people and/or people you don’t know. The best way to get your mind off your troubles, after all, is to help other people with their needs.

Of course, I would add to this list to seek therapy if you are really struggling. There’s no shame in this and in fact, I once saw a therapist to help me through a trying season of life and I still say it was the best thing I did because what I learned still benefits me years later. It can be a great help to have somebody removed from the situation to give you a new perspective and to guide you to new and better ways to handle situations. This can be especially helpful if everybody in your “inner circle” is involved in whatever is happening and is emotionally connected to the situation. Sometimes, one set of eyes from the outside can be a tremendous help.

Sometimes blessings come in the least expected ways, so keep your eyes open for opportunities and look for good, healthy ways to deal with whatever challenges come your way.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great rest of the week.

Bye!

Fracture Prologue

8/21/2014

If you’ve been on Facebook, then you know that I started work on my sci-fi trilogy last week. Although I’ve been planning this project for a couple of months, I really didn’t think I’d start it until 2015, but as often happens, the ideas started coming and, well, you roll with them before you lose them. One thing all writers know is to write when you have the story.

The series is titled The Earthside Trilogy, and Book 1 is tentatively titled Fracture. So far, I’ve written three chapters, and it’s coming along quite well. I’m really excited about this project and look forward to seeing it develop and having fun with creating my own tale of “the ultimate alien invasion.”

I usually share the prologue of my novels with you when I start a new writing project. Honestly, I hesitated to share this one, because it’s a deathbed scene (well, perhaps) and might be disturbing. The thing is, it’s integral to the plot, and you won’t understand future excerpts unless you know what happens here. It is, after all, what kicks off the story. After some internal debate, I’ve decided heck with it, it’s going to be out there eventually anyway. So here you have it.

Here’s the context of the story: meet Kalea Kerner, a thirty-three year old electrical engineer in Columbia, South Carolina. She’s a successful young woman who recently took over as President of her father’s engineering company after his retirement a few months ago, and was recently heralded in the media as one of the youngest professional business owners in the State of South Carolina. We find her sitting with her Uncle Carson, who is in the final stages of Alzheimer’s (maybe?). This is set in the future, but not very far – perhaps fifteen to twenty years. I’ve decided to hint at the slightly futuristic setting throughout the novel without specifically “dating” it per some suggestions I’ve found on writer’s groups online. You’ll see this in future excerpts. For now, you can imagine that it’s sometime in the years 2020-2025.

And now, I proudly present Prologue of Fracture. Venture forth if you dare:

No matter how clean a hospital is, there’s no way to mask the simple fact that people die here. They do it every day, and no amount of cleanser or disinfectant can wash away the overbearing sense of loss that permeates these places. Souls enter and leave the world in hospitals every day with such regularity that it’s routine.

Still, it’s different when it’s someone you know. It’s not just another death. This time, it’s Uncle Carson.

Kalea blew out a long sigh as she fanned herself in the stifling room. “Why is it so hot in here?”

No reply. Just the shallow hiss of the air conditioner and Uncle Carson’s rattled breath. The same as the last two hours. A useless air conditioner that somehow couldn’t go below eighty degrees and that awful death rattle. The nurse called her Aunt and cousin out of the room for a “conversation” five minutes ago, leaving her alone on here to watch him just in case – of what? Maybe he could still hear, but if his demise was inevitable to everybody else, then surely it was inevitable to him. He was the one stuck in the bed. He was the one hooked up the machines. He was the one rattling, rattling, rattling. She heard a muffled sob out of her aunt in the hallway.

“Geeze!” she hissed, dropping her shoes on the floor and pulling the splint off her left leg. “It’s a hundred degrees outside and this sprained ankle is so swollen that it’s almost the size of the pumpkins you used to grow. Remember the pumpkins?”

No response. So much for reminiscing over the good times.

Kalea leaned back in the chair, propping her foot on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry, Uncle Carson. I’m sorry that the cure came too late.” She raised her canned drink in a mock salute. “Here’s to the world’s worst timing.”

Rattling – from the air conditioner and Uncle Carson.

Kalea sat the can on the table and leaned back in the chair. “This is crap,” she muttered, pressing her hand over her head where she felt a migraine coming on. Great, one more problem was just was just what she needed. Her uncle was dying because the nanotech that could have reconnected his neural pathways was put on the medical market too late to help him. She was hobbling around on a sprained ankle because she couldn’t afford the same tech that could have healed this stupid running injury in a matter of minutes. And now her head hurt and her medication was left behind in her apartment, forgotten in her “your uncle is dying” haste of picking up her cousin at the airport and rushing here, just to sit and wait. She pressed harder, trying to press out pain, the rattle, her aunt’s sobs in the hallway.

Kalea groaned as she squinted at the late afternoon summer sunshine streaming through the window, reminding herself that whatever chaos reigned in here, the world was going on as normal out there, and she’d be part of it again as soon as they got through this. They would get through this. Whatever happened to Uncle Carson, tomorrow would come and they would make it through that day, and the next, and the next, and everyday after that until they faced this moment themselves. At least, that’s what the chaplin said a hour ago.

Kalea relaxed, sinking in the chair. She opened her eyes a slit to see the blue sky and sunlight through the top of the window. A peace seeped into her, a quietness that told her that everything would be alright. Tomorrow may not come for Uncle Carson, but it would for everybody else, and they would go on.

A hand grabbed Kalea’s ankle. She jerked up to see Uncle Carson sitting up in the bed, his hand holding her sprained ankle.

“Kalea?”

Kalea tried to pull back her foot, but his grip tightened. She whined.

“Kalea, it’s going to be alright.”

She stared at him with wide, brown eyes. “What --“

Uncle Carson smiled. “It’s fine. We’ve been chosen. We’re going to save the world.”

Kalea pulled harder on her ankle. A shock went through her ankle and foot as she jerked away and leaped out of the chair, dashing out of the door. She ran down the hall to the nurses station where her aunt and Avery has retreated with the nurses, her left bloody foot leaving prints on the linoleum floor. They stopped as they saw her approach, her short, brown hair flying behind her. Avery hurried to meet her, catching her in his arm. “Kalea, what is it?”

Kalea gasped, staring at Avery. “He’s awake.”

Aunt Molly turned from the nurse she was talking to, her eyes wide. “What did you say?”

“He’s awake!”

“That’s impossible,” the nurse said, pushing past them. They followed her to Uncle Carson’s room, where they found him sitting up and calmly removing the morphine IV drip from his arm. He smiled at them.

“Hello everybody. Isn’t it a beautiful day?”

Aunt Molly and Avery rushed to Uncle Carson, engulfing him in a hug.

The nurse pushed her hair out of her face, her shaky arm exposing a phoenix tattoo. “I don’t understand.”

Aunt Molly looked up from her embrace, tears dripping down her cheek. “It’s a miracle!”

Kalea backed against the wall. “Then why am I scared?”

Losing Track

8/19/2014

I had no idea that school started back up this week! Oops! Well, it didn't take me long to figure it out, between Rick informing me that the most stressful time of the year was upon him, and I hit bumper to bumper traffic on my commute these past couple of days. I guess I tuned out all the back to school stuff because frankly, when you're in the workforce, one season is much the same as the rest. It's Monday - Friday, winter, spring, summer, and fall.

See what you kids have to look forward to?

Really, where did the summer go? I suppose I did lose track of it with everything going on these past few months. It's understandable, but still shocking. You hate to take a look around and say "whoa, what's happening?" but there are times when it happens to us all. It seems I'm still working on the getting back on track thing. It's alright. We all live one day at a time, and the world keeps turning.

In other news, I have the first couple of chapters of Fracture written, and it's got a pretty good foundation going. The situation is set and now it's time to watch it unfold. This is a big project, and I'm trying to remember to have fun with it and to enjoy the whole process of writing it, from start to finish. While I always enjoy my writing, it seems that each novel and/or project is a unique experience. Now that I've done one sci-fi novel (Splinter) and a novella (Incursion), I do feel more comfortable and confident writing in this genre - so I'm having more fun with planning and plotting now, and I'm not so nervous about "pulling it off." I know I can do it, because I've done it twice already. Now I really get to find myself in the sci-fi genre through this project.

I'm also getting back into exercising. My parents gave us their stationary bicycle last weekend, because they decided to go back to using a treadmill and our treadmill was on it's last legs. We've been using a treadmill and walking for years, and I think we got slack with it because we were bored and needed a change. So far, it's working out, but wow my legs are sort. It's definitely a different kind of workout! But it's good to be exercising again. I want to make that a regular part of my life again.

So that's life here. I hope you're doing well. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

Meanwhile, At The Hall of Justice

8/15/2014

Remember the Superfriends cartoons from back in the 80’s? I loved that show. Usually, the Wonder Twins and that intergalactic monkey of theirs were screwing things up back at the Hall of Justice.

Not so here, thankfully, and life has plugged on. Truth be told, a lot has been happening lately that I haven’t talked about. It was a friend on Twitter that asked if I’m writing. I know I’ve said “a lot” on social media, but haven’t elaborated on that much. Perhaps its best if I start at the beginning and work through it project by project:

Whiskey Creek Press sells to Start Publishing – I shared a news release about this a few weeks ago, and it’s official: I’m with a New York City publisher. Whiskey Creek Press, who published Splinter and Anywhere But Here, sold to Start Publishing in July. So far I’m very happy with Start Publishing. It’s funny: I started out wanting a NYC publisher, decided to go the ebook/indie route in 2010, and now here I am. Talk about taking the long road! Life is funny, I’ll say that. And you never know where your road leads.

Nonstop to Nowhere, the story for the Nightlife Young Adult Anthology, is turned in and is being formatted for ebook release in late September, and a paperback release in December. I’m glad this is progressing and am excited about this project. Look for more plugs for it through social media and this blog as we get closer to a release date!

Obsidian, the sequel to Move, is getting to a final form. I plan to send it to a proofreader and get cover art next month. If all goes well, I hope to publish it through Kindle Direct and Smashwords in October. This has turned out to be a great project, and I’m happy with how everything ends in it. Stay tuned.

Shatterpoint, the inspirational novella that I released here last month, is also in progress. I plan to self publish that and offer it as a free ebook, but there are some parts that need to be redone, given recent life events. Fortunately, it’s a short project, so I hope to have that published through Smashwords before too long. I don’t want to rush it, but at the same time, I see no reason to hold on to it either. Truth be told, I’ll probably finish it and get it posted sooner rather than later. Keep an eye here and on social media for announcements.

The Earthside Trilogy. The sci-fi trilogy has a name, and has gone from planning to progression. Yes folks, the alien invasion is coming! Book 1 is tentatively titled Fracture. Book 2 is developing, and Book 3 is currently summarized as follows: all hell breaks loose - battles, breakdowns, chaos, and resolution. That one obviously needs more development. This is a massive project, and I’m excited about it. Don’t look for huge aliens with tentacles and flippers here. My aliens will be something different. (No spoilers, but I can assure you that there will be no intergalactic monkeys in this story.)

Oh, the fun this already is! One thing I still haven’t figured out is whether to write all three books together, or take them one at a time. I’m leaning toward writing straight through all three, but we’ll see what works.

Short stories and fun stuff - through all of this, I have done a couple of short stories. It hasn’t been much and is mostly writing exercises. The big thing in this area is that I did a fun bird story over at Conure Corner titled Attack on Anipal Land. It started as a fun story I told Zack about his adventures with our Twitter friends, and Rick encouraged me to write it and post it on their blog. The story grew to 5 installments and was a hit on Twitter. People love seeing their names in print, especially on fun adventures like this one turned out to be. Plus, it was great to write and share something just for fun, without worrying about grammar, spelling, and publishing potential.

Readwave Editor - You may also recall that I accepted a post as an editor for Readwave in May. That’s grown to three themes: feminism, society, and flash fiction. I’m enjoying that too, and I think it helps me as a writer to see what other people are doing “out there” and to stay connected with other writers. The stories are short, so it’s not terribly time consuming, but it’s still good to get a peek at the writing industry from the other side of the desk, so to speak. I’m having fun with this. Plus, it inspired me to clean up my own profile on the site, and to keep plugging along and having fun with my own writing.

So whew, that’s the update on my writing! When I said I had a lot going on, I wasn’t kidding. And not even a stupid cartoon monkey dumping shape shifting buckets of water on the super-computer, either. Zack and Chloe are downright sophisticated compared to that!

So there’s you update on what’s happening in other areas of life. The muse and the laptop are working overtime, as they should be with a writer. I hope you’re enjoying life and things are going well. Take care, and have a great weekend.

Bye!

My Own Worlds

8/3/2014

I hope all of you enjoyed Shatterpoint. I like to do a blog series every now and then just to mix things up around here, and it looks like the website hits went up while that series was running. I hope you enjoyed it. I plan to spruce it up and offer it as a free ebook through Smashwords in the coming months, so keep your eyes open for that.

It's amazing where inspiration comes from. Shatterpoint was spurred by a trip to a Christian Bookstore a few weeks ago, and to tell you the truth, my muse has been quite busy every since. It seems that ideas are everywhere, and I'm finding stories all over the place. In addition to Shatterpoint, I've also started a fun project over at Conure Corner titled "Invasion on Anipal Land." It's what I call "the ultimate bird fairy tale," and it features many of our Twitter pals. So far, they're loving it. Swing by at the hyperlink if you're interested. I posted Installment 4 today, and there's one more installment due out, probably on Tuesday. I don't plan to publish that - it's just a fun project that Rick and I thought would be good for the bird blog.

I also wrote two short stories last week. One's a flash fiction piece titled 5:00 over at Readwave. The other is a short story that's still in progress called "Dedication" over at Writing.com. It was inspired by seeing the same car parked outside an abandoned building in our office complex for a week. That one is still in rough draft format and needs work, but I welcome feedback from the Writing.com community. Again, it's just a fun writing exercise for me to hone my skills.

Today, I started another round of edits on Obsidian. I figured I may as well keep going since I have the momentum up and things are flowing well. I tell you, it might seem like I'm in my own little world(s) to others, but these are the times writer's like. Writing ideas all over the place when things are relatively settled in life - what more can you ask for? It's a blessing I'm definitely grateful for.

In other news, the foot is on the slow healing process from plantar fasciia. At least it's not getting any worse, which is good, but I am trying to take care of it. I appreciate all the well wishes, too. It will heal. I actively keep that in mind, especially on occasions when it acts up. Heck, it might be the only thing on WebMD that doesn't end in death :) Rick is helping me out a lot around the house too, which no doubt is helping with the healing. He helped me clean the house and get groceries this weekend, and every day he helps me with all the other things that go into keeping a house running, in order, and relatively sane. I appreciate it so much. He's the best!

The birds are doing good. Heck, they think they're famous with this fairy tale on their blog, and they're enjoying it. We've all had a tremendous amount of fun with that one. More bird stories may be in order in the future!

So that's what's up with me. I hope you're doing well. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

New Writing Project - Shatterpoint

7/17/2014

I'm starting another new writing project, and you get to see it from start to finish right here at my blog. It's titled Shatterpoint - Smashing the Christian Stereotype, and I plan to post it here as I write it. That's right - I'm making it available for free, with a chapter an entry. Once it's complete, I'll do the appropriate revisions and offer it as a free ebook through Smashwords.

This is a short book - it's only 5 chapters, plus an introduction and a conclusion. Bear in mind that this is my first foray into Christian/Inspirational writing in 10 years, and this is an early draft. And now, without further ado, I bring you the introduction to Shatterpoint:

Battleground Earth might not have caught on, but that wasn’t the end. I didn’t achieved my dream of traditional publishing success, but experience and the ebook revolution have granted me the new dream of being an independent author – something that wasn’t possible ten years ago when Battleground Earth was published. I’ve expanded my horizons and found joy in writing mystery and science fiction. I also branched into writing non-fiction articles, and am now an editor for several genres at Readwave.com . I believe these first steps into the world of editing are what caused me to reflect on my roots, and to return to them to address an issue that has plagued me since Battleground Earth was published – the stereotypes of the boring, Bible-thumping Christian with the sole purpose of converting the world. As a lifelong Christian, that stereotype really makes my blood boil. I won’t mince words with you: when people ask if I’m “born again,” I have a hard-to-resist urge to reach for my stun gun. Hard-line evangelism has always aggravated me, and what’s worse is when they keep pushing that “you aren’t the right kind of Christian.” Says who?

No, I don’t have credentials. I’m not a doctor, or a pastor, or even a motivational speaker. My “churchy” activities are being an usher once a month (yes, an usher, not a greeter – I don’t do the “stand around and look pretty” thing well), serving on the Information Technology Committee, and helping with “Share Our Stuff,” a spring and fall event where we collect clothes, toys, and household items from the congregation and give them to the low-income families in our community for free. I am no leader; I’m a servant, and I’m one that’s sick and tired of being gawked at because I don’t fit the image of the “God bless you,” scripture-quoting sheep that people think I should be.

This novella is my opinion on the stereotypes that I’ve faced as a Christian. It’s not scientific, nor is it official, self-help advice. No official inspirational speaker, preacher, station or bookstore would ever endorse this, nor should they. The only thing that makes me qualified to write this is the fact that I’m a lifelong Christian, an independent author, and that I have the audacity to not only do it, but self publish it and make it available to readers for free. That’s right, free. This novella will be released chapter by chapter on my personal blog at www.sherrithewriter.com and then in ebook format through Smashwords and their affiliated retailers once it’s combined, revised, proofread, and been through the appropriate amount of scrutiny to make it “ebook worthy.” I don’t want to sell God. I have a day job and mystery and science-fiction books to sell. This one’s on me.

That being said, this is all advice given in good fun, and as with all advice, you can take it or leave it. I’m just a failed inspirational writer – but that failure has led me to other discoveries that I’d like to share with you now. Like every writer, I hope this will provide you with things to think about and inspiration for your own journey.

Are you still here? Great! Then let’s go!

There Are Worse Things Than ...

7/6/2014

The things that some people get hung up on amazes me. Maybe I live in a bubble, or perhaps I just don't "get it," but I don't understand why people freak out over some of the things they do. It seems to me that there are worse things in the world than the things they fear. I mean really, people, there are worse things than:

Having a full time job. When I graduated college in 1997, you were considered lowly if you didn't work. Now, between the recession and the retirement of the baby boomers, it seems the mindset has changed to "work is for stupid people." No, actually, it isn't. It's for responsible, independent people that exchange their knowledge, skills, and abilities for financial compensation. That hasn't changed just because work isn't "cool" anymore. Take it from somebody that's worked full time for sixteen and a half years - I'm living proof that work doesn't kill you, and I've built myself as an independent author on top of the full time job. Yes, folks, plus I personally know some people that work not one but two jobs. Talk about an OMG. Seriously, though, there are worse things than working - like having a pile of bills and no income. We all have better things to do than be chained to a workplace so many hours a week, but the security and independence you get from working is worth an alarm clock bleeting in your ear five days a week. Plus, you get some snazzy advantages from working. You know, stupid little things like insurance, retirement, and eligibility to take out a mortgage in your own name.

Not taking exotic vacations every three months. I've threatened to burn my travel bags the day I retire. I'm not a fan of travel and seeing as I'm pushing 39 years old, it doesn't look likely that shipping me off to all parts unknown is going to make me love it any better. In fact, a year ago I was pretty travel weary to the point that I literally snapped from travelling cross country twice in six months, plus taking several local trips. Now I know most people don't agree with me, but really, isn't there a level of stress that goes with living out of bags and navigating a place as alien as Mars to you? Sure, it's nice to get away every now and then. But the every now and then is what keeps it special. If you jet off every 90 days, that's called a lifestyle, not "vacations," and you need to arrange the rest of your life to mesh with it timewise and financially better.

Not having high end designer stuff. I'm sure we all know some people that are really stuck on having the latest and greatest, highest end everything. What I don't get is why people want to spend their money on a name, because in many cases that's exactly what you're doing. Sure, it's nice to have some high end things, but it is possible to go overboard. In many instances nobody really notices and if they do, it's probably not in a nice, flattering way - i.e. you believe they think "oh wow, you're rich and I envy you" when in fact they think "what a showy snob." Most of us have limited finances, so why spend all of your money for show when you really can't control what other people think anyway? Invest in who you are, not what you have. Save up to splurge on what you like best, get what works, be authentic to yourself, and be proud of it.

Who likes, friends, and drops them on social media. I don't even know how people can keep up with that, but I've seen plenty of drama over this person won't accept my friend request or that person dropped me. How rude! Seriously, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that people are going to be people, whether they do it in your face or online. Change your perspective and be thankful for the people that are still around. And if it bothers you that much, pull the plug. Computers shut off and apps can be closed, you know. Slamming the door online may not be as dramatic online as it is in person, but it's a whole lot easier to do.

Gossip. OMG, what a waste of time, energy, and relationships. As I said above, people are gonna be people, so let them be who they are and get a hobby, for gosh sakes. Everything that flies through your head doesn't need to fly out of your mouth, and the unflattering truth is that most people don't really care what you think about this or that anyway, so why waste your time? Read an book or better yet, write one since so many people say they'd like to do it. As a writer I can tell you that if you like stories, then creating your own characters and worlds is more interesting than reality about 99.9% of the time anyway.

That is true. Fiction is often more amusing than reality. And with this all being said, I think I'll go revise Obsidian now.

That's all today. Take care and have a great week.

Bye!

Hurricanes and Stuff

7/3/2014

It looks like we've been spared the wrath of Hurricane Arthur in South Carolina. So far all we have in the central part of the state is a lot of clouds, some wind, and scattered rain. The biggest impact is the influx of North Carolina evacuees clogging up I-20 west. My commute home took 25 minutes in Interstate gridlock. But I guess that just goes to show how spoiled I am by working 3 miles from home. 25-30 minutes used to be my normal commute when I worked downtown. That I'm used to half that time now and find what used to be normal outrageous - yea, so what? I battled downtown traffic for 4 years of college and 12 years of working. I paid my dues. Tell me you wouldn't cut your commute in half if you had the chance.

Anyway, we were spared. I am sorry for the Outer Banks getting smacked again, and this time on a holiday weekend. What a pain in the rear. Keep those folks (residents and tourists) in your prayers. Hurricanes aren't any small matter. Rick and I both survived Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Rick got the worse of it in Summerville, but it hadn't died down that much by the time it made it to the midlands. That put a scar on the lower part of the state. Folks that were in the lowcountry for that adventure still get jittery over wind and thunder to this day. Don't ask them why, by the way. Trust me on this. It's like asking folks around here about the downtown Lexington tornado in 1994.

Isn't it amazing how the weather can impact you? We think it's small talk, but when it rages, it can really tear stuff up and reshape landscapes and lives.

Then again, if the weather is the talk of today, then that means that: 1. it's the big story now (which it is) and/or 2. not much else is going on - which is also true. That's good, through. Most of this week has been cleaning and organizing the house (as we do every now and then), and I finished reading A Dance With Dragons. A great book, and it's safe to say that the A Song of Ice and Fire series has made my list of all time favorite must read books. Now I can't wait for The Winds of Winter to come out, whenever that may be. In the meantime, I'll have to find other things to read - probably sci-fi, since I feel an urge to return to that with brainstorming my own sci-fi trilogy that I hope to start working on in 2015.

And writing, of course. If the Lord wills and creeks don't rise, I plan to do another read-through/draft of Obsidian next week. I'm also thinking about trying my hand at short stories again. I did publish an article on Readwave yesterday titled "Unicorns, Dragons, and Spies" about the Facebook experiment snafu, and I realized that I really should be contributing more short stories and articles toward my writing endeavors. Short stories aren't that intensive, and I think it would be a good idea for me to brush up on that. I used to do a lot of short stories, but that was before I got my fiction published and when I was still really active on Writing.com. I kind of got away from it with Blurry and on - the novel ideas kept coming, and I've been rolling with that pretty much since 2011. Short stories are fun and I wouldn't mind improving my skills on them again. I see more markets emerging for anthologies, and I need to sharpen my skills on writing the shorter stuff if I want to take advantage of this growing opportunity.

Well, that's all that happening my corner of the world. Rolling along and loving life. I hope you're doing well. Have a safe and happy 4th of July and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

Mischief

6/28/2014

As many of you already know, my mission for 2014 has been to reduce negative energy in my life, and try to focus on more positive, uplifting results. Sometimes, though, this leads to some unintended mischief. My personality type probably doesn't help. I am a writer, after all, so I love reading and writing books, and I don't mind integrating my fantasy into reality every now and then.

I had an incident a couple of weeks ago. It's not unusual for me to post things online related to issues I'm writing about and researching. I ran across a list of sigils on Pintrest and thought hey, this is a neat collection, and I'm using one of them in Obsidian. Other writers might like it, so I shared it on Facebook.

Big mistake. Oh, the writers and Supernatural fans got it. They thought it was awesome, but it completely and 100% freaked everybody else out. At first I thought OMG, they're scared of symbols, isn't that cute? Then it disturbed me because I realized that people really were taking things way too seriously. I thought they knew I was a writer. I thought they knew a bit of weird is normal out of me. I thought they knew how to make the distinction between fiction and reality better. I thought they knew me better than that. But most of all, I didn't realize that they scared that easy.

Well, the good news is that my next writing project is sci-fi. No supernatural there. Now, it's gonna be a lot of neurology and technology. I hope brains and big words don't scare them like symbols do. And by the way, when I shared this incident on Twitter, they thought it was hilarious that Facebook freaked over it. I saw pretty quick where I belong online (and am happy I've made appropriate adjustments!).

Still, it's out there now, Oh well. I'm gonna have so much fun at Halloween. Maybe I'll be a demon hunting alien. That sounds like fun. Or maybe by then, you'll realize it's all for the sake of art. You can't fear the darkness, especially in worlds and characters you create. You go where it takes you, and you enjoy the ride. My crazy is all on the table, both here and on Amazon, and I put it out there so you can join in - if you aren't too scared ;)

That's all today. Take care, and have a great weekend.

Bye!

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