Library 010101 6.22.12

Note: Wistful Nebulae is moving to http://mpaxauthor.com/blog/ on August 20th. Starting today, the website and this blog are the same, publishing the same articles on the same days, MWF.

  For you Wendy Lu               

 May good fortune fall on you in plenty
throughout the year as you turn twenty

Happy Birthday, Wendy Lu

Part of Wendy's Roaring 20's Blogfest. There's still time to sign up at The Red Angel.

  What to Read                    

Congrats to Christine Rains on her acceptance of Red for publication by Pill Hill Press. It's her sci-fi flash piece.

Anna Marie Smith released Alphabet Wishes: A Collection of Poems. Congratulations to Anna.

Laura Eno releases Wraith, June 27th. Congratulations Laura!

 Awesome                         

Went to see Prometheus in 3D last week with one of my writing pals. What made it worth the price of admission was feeling as if I stood on an alien world. It's something I've always dreamed of doing. Just awesome. It was an enjoyable movie, but I thought they could have upped it a notch on the suspense and scary factors.

 Writers Desk                    

I set a release date for Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge. July 23rd. I'll be doing another launch party and will be putting up the linky link shortly.

Polishing the chapter ones of Earth Hereafter and Boomtown Craze, the next two stories in the Backworlds series. Madly writing to complete The Renaissaince of Hetty Locklear, anticipated release end of October 2012.

Have a great weekend everybody.

No Opening, Opening Weekend

I hear the rest of you sweltered in the US over the weekend. Not us. Friday's weather was so miserable, I had to have the lights on all day, wore two sweaters and socks. It only rained in town, but up at the summit of Pine Mountain there was a raging blizzard.

Because of all the ice and snow, we weren't open to the public. I hope this weekend will be better.

Laura from the Daily Dodo has a book out, 100 Blog Prompts. Available on Amazon and Amazon UK.

Thank you to Tara Tyler for the Kreative and Versatile Blogger awards. An awesome blogging friend, and a poet who often tugs at my emotions. Maybe she'll publish those one day. Yes?

And thanks to Trudy Schoenborn for the Versatile Blogger award, too -- an awesome in-person crit partner, friend, and writer. I try to channel her ability to twist and turn. An amazing talent.

Thank you Allan Douglas for the One Lovely Blog award. We're on a few Triberr tribes, but I met Allan before that. Perhaps on Twitter. He's been a great supporter since I released my free reads last year. A most valued friend.

And much gratitude to Alex J. Cavanaugh for honoring me with the You Rock award. I surely wasn't expecting that. I'm indebted to Alex for showing me the ropes of this blogging business and how to make a splash when launching a book. He's a great guy, a great friend, and a great writer who made me bawl more than any 'girl' book ever did. That takes talent. Another very valued friend.

You can't go wrong networking with any of these folks. You can only go right.

Writing News ...                             

 I want to say a sincere thank you to all of you for your support in launching The Backworlds. Amazon finally price matched over the holiday weekend, so the downloads are flying. It's also now on iTunes, B&N, Kobo, and Diesel.

Reviews are coming in, all glowing so far. :D Most exciting, I've started receiving fan mail via email and Twitter. I have to say fan mail is awesome. Sales of Semper Audacia pick up. My mailing list grows. Folks following the website via email grows.  None of this would have happened without all of you and what you did to help me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Christine Rains! You're to blame for me dusting off an old short story and rewriting it. Deadline for submission is this week ... like I needed another project. But the story and call for submission were so well matched, I couldn't resist. Almost done ...

I continue editing Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge. I'm no longer hating every word, just a few here and there. Sometimes the best fix for figuring out why I'm not loving my work is critiquing someone else's. Oh yeah! That's what I need, too. Funny how that works. In a good way. Anyway, it's on schedule for release at end of July.

I also wrote a tentative first chapter for a novella series to run between releases of Backworlds novels. This subseries will be stories from the Foreworlds, to flesh out my universe more completely. I also wrote a tentative first chapter for Boomtown Craze (and did test covers for both), which will be the sequel after Stopover. I'll include both first chapters at the end of Stopover.

Writing continues on The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear. I set a deadline with my editor. That will be out this fall as planned. Not sure I can get The Augmentation of Hetty Locklear out by the end of this year, but I'll give it my best shot.

This will be my only post this week. I'll be working on all the projects laid out above. I'll back next Monday.

So tell me, what are you up to these days? How are your projects coming along?

Happy REAL St. Patricks Day

I made a kind a 'squee' type announcement this week. GO SEE in case you missed it.

Now onto my Got Green? bloghop contribution. Hosted by Mark Koopmans of Aloha! Mark Koopmans says hi from HI.

Followers of this blog know that I celebrated St. Patrick's Day a month early this year. I was so bogged down in January and February that my thoughts started jumbling. So last month I thought, "Oh, it's almost the 17th. I always forget St. Patrick's Day. I won't forget this year." I made my list for the grocers which included corned beef fixings. Days passed, I did not realize my mistake.

On February 17th I started making the corned beef. I had a guest post up on Melissa's Imaginarium that day and thought, "I should have wished everyone a Happy St. Patricks Day in the post. Damn." Then I started to wonder why no one else on the interwebs had mentioned St. Pats.

"That's odd," I thought. It finally occurred to me that it was because it was February and not March. When Husband Unit came home I said, "Happy Not St. Patricks Day." He'd also had a brutal week and absently replied, "Happy Thanksgiving." So, Patsgiving has been born, and next year we will celebrate again on February 17th.

Happy REAL St. Patricks Day everybody.

Eyes Above the Waterline

This past week was in a word...brutal. I knew that if I made it through the weekend, I could maybe catch my breath a little. A wee little.

The second edit of The Tumbas is returned to its editors (yeah, round 2 of edits came in last week), contract signed, bio and photo sent. They say there will be one more final edit after this. I, therefore, hope to have a release date told to me sometime in the near future. Deadline met.


My two upcoming releases for the Backworlds' series hit a spot end of last week where they both required my undivided attention and a lot of mental power--writing the last couple of chapters for The Backworlds, rewriting some chapters in Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge. And I had to keep going with both of them, knowing once I got past these points with both of them, the drafts/edits would pick up speed.

I have two chapters left to write in The Backworlds, then it's simultaneous 1st/2nd draft will be done. Sometime this week. Third draft begins this week, too. Luckily my crit partners have found no major course corrections in it, which means the 3rd draft will go fast. Phew! I will meet it's deadline to go to the editor end of this month.

Stopover is in third draft phase already and it will go much faster once I get the next couple of chapters straightened out. Then there's a few bumps later on that need some ironing, so my crit partners pointed out. I got scolded for keeping people awake. It's nice to know they found the story that exciting. I did contact its editor and pushed the deadline back one week, same day as The Backworlds now. I feel confident about getting it done by then.

And although I wanted to scream and bang my head against a wall on Saturday, I didn't. I powered through everything that needed to get done. Got guest posts written, emailed out and other projects done, too.

Is this enough for me to do? No. I've been thinking about the 1st draft of The Augmentation of Hetty Locklear, knowing it's up next--taking it from first draft to a pretty polished second draft. I think, hey, she needs a freebie before the novel release, too. What will I write about? Hmmm. Think, think, think...got it.

Anyone know anybody who works at Renaissance Fairs? There's one in Southern Oregon in May that I plan to attend and scope out. But some behind the scenes stuff would be great. I went to the one in Maryland once years ago, but feel I need some more updated information. Maybe I can track down some of those jousters online. There's a profession you don't hear folks mention often.


What do you do?

I'm a professional jouster.

What fun things we get to run into as writers.

Plus! That's right, there's more. I'm giving the presentation at my local writers guild meeting in April. Yup. Folks keep asking me about platform and building a blog, so that's what I'm going to teach. So, I have to learn powerpoint, make a presentation and some handouts and all that kind of thing. But I'm not going to worry about it until I'm done with both Backworlds stories. What would you say is essential about platform/blog building?

Anyway, I'm still in the swamp over my neck, but I don't feel as if I'm drowning any more. Progress. How are things going for you?

PS, to coincide with the I'll Tumble 4 Ya blogfest this week, my post will not be going off until late on Thursday. So, I didn't fall into a hole...unless you hear otherwise...I'm just delaying the post for a few hours for festing.

Oh, and if you haven't signed up for the I'll Tumble 4 Ya blogfest yet, here's the linky link. It's this Friday and all's you have to do is post up your 80's crush.

Stopover's Second Draft Done

Despite all the frivolity of the past few weeks, I was able to power through finishing up the 2nd draft of Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge. Right now I'm lining up an editor while putting on a second coat of polish. The third draft won't take too long, as it's mostly detail work and no major changes, and it's the 3rd draft which will go to an editor. Then guess what I get to do? That's right, edit again when it comes back. And again. I went over Semper ad nauseum. I expect that trend will continue. Then comes formatting. I'll be doing paperback this time, too. Busy, busy.

The Backworlds is supposed to go out before Stopover as a freebie. I'm still writing its first draft as I decided to write it in the middle of Stopover. Then Stopover caught momentum, and sometimes I just have to go with what has momentum. Does that happen to you? Write faster me, writer faster. I intend The Backworlds to be a short story, but seems my idea is too lofty for brevity. That's OK, I have a clear idea as to how that one is to go, which should help me finish it up. I'm aiming to have the second draft of it done by mid-February and hope it'll come in under 30,000 words.

Then what? I have to finish up Hetty Locklear's 1st draft, which is about 2/3's written. It'll be a lot of work to get that mess into second draft shape. I'll do it. Seems my life revolves around revisions. Always. Polishing, revising and editing. Anyone else feel that way? Anyway, I hope to release it this summer.

Then what? Sequels for both series -- Boomtown Craze for the Backworlds series, no title for the Hetty sequel but I know what it's going to be about. So, that's something.

My aim for 2012 is to get both of these series going and to concentrate on growing my audience. What are your plans for 2012?

Did you all have a nice holiday? Was good here. Still haven't had much snow, which is really, really strange. It snowed for the first time last Friday night and was merely a dusting. Not the normal bluster of winter this time of year. Not complaining though. I hate driving on ice and snow, so the lack of it is fine with me. I did some stargazing over my break. On Christmas night, in fact. I took Orson Bradbury out in the driveway and looked at Jupiter, then the Orion Nebula. Tested out my new magic eyepiece. :D Awesome.

Reframing and Repackaging

My perspective on my writing career received some reframing this year. All the changes in the industry made me pause and mull a number of things over. Meeting Lindsay Buroker was another shove in reframing my ideas about becoming a published author: I could do what I love and what I wanted to do. I could do it now. Thank you, Lindsay. If I can follow in her footsteps of success, I'd be thrilled. In one year she's sold over 10,000 ebooks. Woot, Lindsay!

The growth of the ebook industry, some positive rejection I'd been receiving from some of the big science fiction rags [SFWA worthy], and the uncertainty of the traditional publishing model led me toward taking my career into my own hands.

It began with releasing Plantgirl, Small Graces and Translations in late June. Free reads I initially released on Smashwords. They're now also up on Scribd and Feedbook. The point of releasing free reads is to get the work into as many hands as possible. I recently discovered reads can be uploaded to Goodreads, too. So, I'll get that together in the next couple weeks and get them there, too.

Putting out the Free Reads was a very positive and rewarding experience. I received a lot of feedback, and after adding the newsletter signup to the end of my stories, I've gotten people I don't know who want to be kept in the loop as to my future releases.

Downloads stagnated for a bit. I had never really liked the cover for Translations, but it was the best I could do at the time. I kept playing around with Paint.net though and began formulating a better idea. Then I stumbled across the perfect piece of art for it and it all came together beautifully. Everything else got repackaged after that so they didn't look like cheap cousins beside Translations.

I liked the original Semper cover a lot, but in thumbnail [which is what most people see] it just looked like a brown square. My skills at Paint.net were improving, so I tried something new. It turned out beautifully. Yea.

Repackaging can work to improve downloads and sales. Although, I'm no bestseller yet, I've made inroads into a start. I think sometimes my problem is I'm not as confident after a release as I need to be, and probably should be. I think, 'Oh, it's just a short story.' If I short change it, well, I have to quit doing that. I love Semper Audacia. It's a good story. It deserves a better attitude from me than it's gotten. I'll do better. Perhaps a topic I'll address in more depth for IWSG in January.

I'm not stopping. The polished draft for Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge should be done by the end of the year. Then it goes through a second coat of polish. Refining, adding some new detail, and making a few changes per my local crit group. I redid its cover, too. Mostly because I noticed video gal and I had a typo in the title -- which I didn't notice for several months. The apostrophe goes after the s in Backworlds, not before. But now I think I might release Stopover in paperback, too, which means redoing the cover again. That's OK. I'll manage.

The Backworlds is a prequel, which I intend to release before Stopover as another Free Read. It will come in somewhere between 20-30,000 words. Thanks to my crit partners Misha Gericke and Tony Benson here in bloggyland for their feedback.

The Backworlds Series will be a space opera series set on planets in our galaxy. My premise is that humans on Earth 'improved' ourselves to be able to live on a variety of worlds. Then humans decided they didn't like what they had created and try to take it back. This resulted in a war. The series begins during a truce between the Foreworlds and the Backworlds. Thank you to the Husband Unit for the last bits of inspiration both of these stories needed.

Also coming in 2012: The Augmentation of Hetty Locklear. Redid her cover, too. She's still in 1st draft stage. This will also be a series. A mix of contemporary sci-fi and urban fantasy. It will eventually morph into sci-fi. Right now it's envisioned as a trilogy. Folks' love for Plantgirl was its inspiration.

Wandering Weeds Anthology should be coming out this year, too, in which is my novelette, The Tumbas. I wrote it so long ago now, I'm not sure what I think about that.

Anyway, all of you are the ribbons on my year. Thank you for the inspiration, the support, the encouragement, the new directions and the success I've found. It's not measured in dollar signs at this point, but in winning over some grains of sand to my beach. Thank you for joining me on this adventure. I can't wait to see what 2012 brings for all of you. There's an amazing amount of talent out there and I'm fortunate to rub elbows with a lot of that great talent.

Happy Holidays and a Joyous 2012. You're all my stars. [This is my last post for the year -- there will be a holiday themed post going up on Thursday -- regular posting will resume January 2 -- Will be talking about Super 8 on the website tomorrow, then it goes on hiatus until January, too].

Doings on Planet M. Pax

What's happening on planet M. Pax:

1) Blogging. Here comes the split. Beginning this week, I split the blog on my website off from this blog. The website is geared more toward readers, so the blog there will be geared toward readers and fans. When I get some. Yesterday's post is on things to consider when choosing a telescope. Photos of Saturn, the Moon and Jupiter are included.

On Tuesdays I will publish an article there on science fiction, astronomy or things to do with my books/stories. www.mpaxauthor.com  I made some changes over on the website ... again. I dropped Spacedock 19, as that will now be covered in the blog. I added a 'Coming in 2012' tab between the MPaxWorks (published work) and WritersDesk (finished work still searching for a home). Eventually the stories in WritersDesk will get published in short story collections for econsumption, or expanded into longer pieces for epublication as novels or novellas.

2) Revisions on Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge are moving along. The once was novella has blossomed into a novel. I should be done with the polished draft by end of November. Hope to have it through my crit partners before Christmas ... then off to an editor. I anticipate the release to be February 2012.

In the far future humanity, bioengineered humanity created to deal with different environments, has spread out to other stars and planets in the galaxy, called the Backworlds. Craze’s Tavern sits on the fringes of expansion. Last stop for one hundred fifteen light years, Pardeep Station is a heap of dust and little more.
 
The lepper opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. Stamped with the Foreworlds’ mark as if spoiling for a fight yet the war ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of Backworlder thought to be extinct. She brings rumors and subterfuge, danger and troubles. Craze knows he has stepped into her trap the moment she walks into his bar. His only hope is that it isn’t too late to find a way out.

Video Gal is hard at work on a new video for Stopover. Hope to unveil it soon.

I'm working on a free story to go out before Stopover, which will be the story of how Craze and the other characters in the novel get to Pardeep Station. It'll be called The Backworlds and I should have the book cover and blurb ready later this week. I also started the second novel in this series, Boomtown Craze. My ideas on it are still a little fuzzy. When I have more time to devote to developing the first draft, I'm sure they'll get clearer.

3) The Augmentation of Hetty Locklear. This was my previously untitled work based on the popularity of Plantgirl [my free read]. Thank you to the Husband Unit for coming up with the awesome title. It now has a cover, and chapter one has come back from all my crit partners. I'll be attaching chapter one to the end of Plantgirl, and I'll let you know when it's up. That'll be one way to get chapter one early. The other is to sign up for my newsletter.

So, I'm really excited about this cover. Video gal and I got smarter and pick out stockart before I finish a first draft now. We pick models and art that have multiple selections. Video Gal gets annoyed if she only has one photo to create a whole video from. I do what I can to keep her happy. Anyway, we had picked our model for Hetty Locklear, and when I went to purchase one of the images to create the cover, there were a bunch of new photos. One of which was the most perfect photo for the cover ever. I was so excited. Because that never happens -- the perfect artwork.

Hetty Locklear somehow passed the initial screenings and assessment tests to land an interview. Finally. She desperately needs this job. Her internet is about to get cut off. The interview starts off terrible and never gets better yet it never occurs to her to question why she's hired. Not until it's too late.

A loner who spends most of her time in cyberspace, the new job at Willamette Research Dynamics transforms Hetty's life. No longer alone, she gains a hot boyfriend and a stalker. Some things at the new job are kind of strange though, and she finds something at work she shouldn't. A hellish experiment. She won't ever be the same.

Hetty Locklear is the first novel in a second series. Contemporary sci-fi. I will begin its polished draft when I'm done with Stopover's and have The Backworlds first draft done.

The plan is to then get a sequel out in each series by the end of 2012. Hetty Locklear is planned as a trilogy. The Backworlds series has no limits


Sometime in 2012 The Tumbas will be out in the Wandering Weeds Anthology, too.

Found two new outlets for free reads. Scribd and Feedbooks. Feedbooks has been great. Almost 200 downloads a piece for Translations and Small Graces in two weeks. Scribd is slower, but I'm still reaching new people. The more hands I can get the free reads into, the better. I updated Translations and Small Graces, attaching the first four chapters of Semper Audacia to the end. Hoping it will help generate some sales. Haven't uploaded Plantgirl yet. Waiting to attach chapter one of Hetty Locklear, then I'll upload it.

So, yes, my summer job may be over, but my schedule hasn't slowed down at all. How are things on your planet?

Rooting for the Little Guy to Win

I remember when I was single, longing for some guy I thought the sun and moon rose on to notice me. That's part of what my story Translations is about, but only part. Most times, I write about characters dealt a lousy deck of cards looking for a way out or just looking and not knowing what it is they're searching for. Somewhere along the line they come across something that changes how they think or perceive their world. Often I take my character from being insignificant to significant in some way. Maybe only in their own eyes, or through a distorted lens, and they might not get what they thought they wanted.

Are those the types of stories you enjoy reading? Not all of my stories are set in outer space. Neither Plantgirl, nor Translations is. Small Graces shares that same search by the main character who ends up finding something she didn't know she wanted. There are links at the sidebar to download these stories from Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and iTunes, and they aren't going to cost you any money. They're all free. Short and free. So, they won't take up much of your time either.

Translations covers this same theme of searching and not always getting what was wanted. Nora is desperately in love with Mitchell Allen. He's trapped inside a tomb. She's trapped by Mitchell's brilliance. She gets a small taste of what she wants, but only a taste, and not exactly the one she was looking for..

Last Thursday, I read my story Translations at an event sponsored by my local writers guild. It was my best reading ever. I met new friends and talked to old ones about my new decisions. A local fellowship of other authors is a great thing. A safe environment to learn to read to an audience is another great thing. I am doubly fortunate in that my local library and writers group both provide opportunities.

The story I have coming out this fall is similar. Leda has to overcome obstacles to get what she wants. Some are physical, some are mental and emotional. I hired an editor last week. Semper Audacia, a space opera novelette, will be my next release. Here's the cover I've been working on.

Here's the trailer, made by my wonderful friend, Kimberly Nicole. She's very talented and I'm very grateful to have her on my team.



I'd like to repay all you wonderful people who have supported me in this endeavor, and I'd like to say thanks with a special offer on Semper. There's one of two ways to get it. Either leave your email in the comments, or send me your email at mpaxauthor@gmail.com.

I'd also like to pay the rocking writing community back by helping you get the word out about you, your blog, your website, your story and/or your book. For more details, hit on the 'Guest Post' tab above.

Aliens Ate My Modem

Worse than a coffee crisis is an internet crisis. That scream you heard last week, that was me when the internet went out on an innocent Tuesday afternoon. That odd sound afterward, those were my withdrawal symptoms.

There is no interent.

Nooooo!

There is nooo internet.

Nooooooo! Aaaaaa! Aaaaaaaa!

We called the cable company and talked them into letting us swap modems. That seemed to do the trick until Thursday. The internet went out again. :-O Noooooo!!! Then some of the TV stations went out. I was glad the cable guy was scheduled to come on Friday morning. Something was wrong.

I knew I loved internet, but hadn't realized how dependent I've become on it. When I've typed 'light' fifty times and want a few synonym choices, I like access to thesaurus.com. I wanted to double check my solar sytem killing scenario again. What did I need? Internet. Wanted to research proposed propulsion again. INTERNET!

It felt as if my hands were tied behind my back and worse. Without any email to check, I was forced to just get through the final details on my novel revision. Lack of internet is good for productivity, to a point. It's inhibiting when I need to get to research. No streaming Netflix. :-( No Twitter. :-( No blogging. :-( No checking the weather or what NASA is up to. :-( No keeping in touch with people. :-( I felt like an isolated island. No internet sucks.

Turns out the entire street was having problems, so the cable company was out at the trunk replacing something on Friday. No problems since. Phew!

Decided on which WIP idea to go with next ... now that I'm done revisioning my first novel ... again. I thought signs pointed one way as to which novella series idea to go with, but my heart and passion goes the other way, to the space opera. I believe in writing where the heart is and the space opera idea composted first. That's what Ursula K. Le Guin calls it when an idea needs to sit and marinate awhile. She gave a workshop here a few years ago. I live on the wrong side of the state to bump into her more often, but the words she spoke back then inspired me. I keep the pen she used to sign The Left Hand of Darkness in a special place on my shelves. It's not allowed to be touched or used. It keeps watch over me as I work.

And I typed this sipping coffee from my new 'I <3 Jayne' mug. :D So, with all crises over, life returns to normal in these parts.

Do you have any author souvenirs? What have you done with them? Ever had an internet crisis? How did you survive?

There's Nothing Out There

So, the first weekend in June, Friday night, up at Pine Mountain Observatory, was some less than stellar star gazing. The sky was a frustrating tease that night where only the brightest stars came out. Constellations were half formed. Even after the sun and moon fully set, the contrast was awful.

There were these high strands of hazy clouds obscuring most of the sky. Not even the 24 had any luck seeing objects. A dark sky and clear conditions are needed for that contrast so the sparkly objects and stars show up nice in the telescopes.

We gave up and packed everything up. We stood out there staring at the sky for awhile trying to figure it out. It didn't seem fully dark like it should. Some clouds in the east were lit up, a brighter silver than everything else. It was really pretty and I pointed them out to my fellow star guides.

One said, "Wonder what's lighting them up. There's nothing out there."

Hmm. So right. East of Pine Mountain begins the Great Basin and there's nothing out there but antelope and desert. Civilization is a scarce commodity. And the moon had already set. I got home and wrote that down in my idea journal as I have an idea for a future novel set at Pine Mountain [with all the crazy doings around me -- cattle mutilations, UFO sighting and Bigfoot -- I can't resist].

Can't remember if it was last year or the year before that, a visitor brought the jail and gallows to my attention down in Millican. She showed me the photos. I passed it all the time and never noticed it. So, I thanked her as it helped gel together other ideas I'd gotten which then birthed the plot of this future novel. Someday I'll get to this one. It was going to come next, but I think I pushed the steampunk in front of it. And now there's a paranormal fantasy series of novellas pushed in front of that. And a space opera series of novellas now in front of that. Too many ideas. I need to learn to write faster.



The little jail and gallows, a little right of center, in Millican Valley



The 6th or so revision of my first novel is DONE. Hooooo!! Finished it up last week -- attended to all the post-its that got stuck to the side of my monitor along the way, spellchecked and grammar checked, checked my chapter numbering, etc ... Final word count: 96,600. 64 chapters. 397 pages. Query letter is ready. Working on a new synopsis.

So, now I take a break from revisions for at least a month. I felt lost yesterday, unsure what to do next. I'm pretty sure I'll go with one of the novella ideas first. There are some half written short stories lying about here somewhere, too. Then after a rest, my second novel still needs revisions. I started it, but set it aside when I picked up the first novel revisions again.

How about you? Any cool fodder for stories run across your path lately? How's the writing going?

Looking for a new blogfest? Why I Write Blogfest - Wednesday, June 29th. Hosted by Kayleen Hamblin of Kayleen's Creations Corner.

Delusional

Hart Johnson of Confessions of a Watery Tart is hosting the Delusional Doom Blogfest on March 15. To find out more and / or sign up, go HERE.

And I'm sure you all know of Arlee Bird -- Tossing it Out -- A to Z challenge by now. I summoned up bravado and signed up. I figured I can make it work by divvying up the fellow A to Zer's over the whole of April into manageable amounts. I can double up on Fridays, since I take weekends off from cyberspace.

So my time management schedule will stay intact. That was my biggest worry as I didn't want to eat into my writing time and the various other things I have to get done in a day. That and I wasn't sure of what life had in store for us for April. I've said it before, but limbo really sucks.

Still slogging away at the two novels. My schedule is holding. They both keep moving forward. Rewrote the beginning of the 1st novel which put a different spin on character arcs and interactions. So, I'm going to have to go through the whole WIP and revise for that. Had a fit of frustration with that one. It's over now and I'm happy with how it's going. Just plain old revisions going forward on the 2nd. Have one of those niggling inklings on the 2nd, but will ignore it for now and forge ahead. It's something I can fix later and will probably find easier to fix later if I need to.

Got more rejections on the short stories. Been saying the same thing lately, 'not for us, but encourage you to keep submitting this, it will find a home somewhere.' So onward and onward. Will have to find time to do another round of submissions. Some are still outstanding. I try not to hope. Every time I send them out, I try not to. But I can't help it. I feel like I'm dancing on the edge, so I think 'this time is it'. Every time. A certain type of delusional belief is a requirement in this profession. And tenacity. Never surrender, never give up.

I will add titles to the 'published' column. I'm determined. Already have the next round of submissions sent out. That makes six out for sale, one in a contest and one with a yes. Will get another entered in a contest shortly.

What all do you all have to say this week about your journeys?

You Guys Rock!

First off, I have to say how much you all rock! Really! A thousand times thank you for all the shared enthusiam on my first yes.

Special thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for the shoutout on his blog about it over the weekend.

So yes, I got my first yes. Which leaked out on Friday. It was supposed to post today, but I suspect the war between my printer and Windows 7 got in the way and blogger did not get the 'scheduled at' message before HP rebooted my computer. :-O I won't go into how idiotic a reboot is when you are in the middle of the help instructions for resolving an issue. Yeah, if the computer reboots, the instructions disappear. Really HP! Did you test your instructions? I don't think so.

Anyway, The Tumbas will be published in an anthology. I will certainly let you know when it comes out and all the other gory details as soon as I know them. You can find out more about the story here: http://www.mpaxauthor.com/biblio.php?storyid=37

Just so I wouldn't go getting a swelled head, the universe sent me a rejection a few hours later. No matter. I keep at it. Another yes will creep in somewhere. Eventually. Never surrender, never give up. Otherwise, you'll never get that occassional yes. And they are wonderful.

I read Recycled on Sunday at open mic. A nice contrast. Recycled is the shortest story I ever wrote and The Tumbas is the longest. The crowd was bigger than usual, about 80 people and I had an off day. I was more nervous than usual for some reason. I got through it. Got a few nice words from folks afterward. Said they thought my writing was beautiful. We all have off days. You just keep going. And I still got applause and a few friends in the audience. So, it wasn't bad. Just not as good as I've done.

Got my short story submitted yesterday for a local contest, titled A Calling Home. It's basically my love letter to Central Oregon. I imagined being back in Portland and yearning to return here. If we move, I will be grieving for this place. Still have no idea about that. Limbo sucks.

My new time management schedule is going pretty well -- until I hit the glitch with the printer drivers on Friday. I did not schedule in 'computer frustration from hell'. Yet I hit my goal for revisions on novel#2 last week. So setting goals is working out. This week I am reworking the start of the first novel and continuing with revisions on the second novel. Hope my head doesn't explode. So far, so good. I set a 2 hour time limit for one then switch. 2 hours for the second. Then I have to get onto other things. Like queries and cyberspace and research and feedback. I like to sneak a workout in, too.

How's your week shaping up? Discover any secret weapons for managing a busy life? Writing career?

There was clamor for a party on Friday. Any suggestions?

Universe's Most Distant Object

The universe's most distant object. From NASA and Hubble. Cool!



This video is a zoom into the Hubble Space Telescope infrared Ultra Deep Field, first taken in 2009. It is a very small patch of sky in the southern constellation Fornax. The zoom centers on the farthest identified object in the field. The object, possibly a galaxy, looks red because its light has been stretched by the expansion of the universe. Credit: NASA/ESA/G. Bacon, STScI (no audio)

So, I return to normal life this week. Last week I got caught up in revising my first novel. I decided on the spur of the moment to enter ABNA. I did not make the cut off. General fiction closed about 5 minutes before I entered. That's OK. It motivated me to revise my first novel and get it done a helluva lot quicker than I would have without such a tight deadline. Now it's ready to go back out into the agent gristmill. So, I'm getting queries together. Every time I send one, it will be like entering a contest.

Anything that motivates me to get something done is worth the effort. If only I could find such a thing to motivate me to move faster on my second novel revisions. I decided I have to set weekly goals and get better about time management. This time to the novel. This time to short stories. This time to queries / submissions. This time for editing. This time for cyberspace. My goal this week is to edit the next chapter.


Thank goodness I love writing.

This coming Sunday is 2nd Sunday at the Bend Public Library. Ellen Waterston is the author of note. Program begins at 2:00 p.m. I'll be reading "Recycled" if there is open mic. You can find out more about this piece of flash fiction on my website: http://www.mpaxauthor.com/biblio.php?storyid=36


So, that's what I've been up to. How about you? What have you got going on?

Hopping Projects and Outlaw Traitors in Derbyshire

This is right up some of your alleys. Ellie Garratt is hosting Top Ten Horror/Science Fiction Movie Quotes Blogfest on February 6. To sign up, click HERE.

Arlee Bird of Tossing it Out is hosting the A to Z Blogfest extravaganza in April 2011. Click HERE to sign up and read more about it.

Here's a great blog for you science buffs and sci-fi writers http://sciguy-science.blogspot.com/


Seems I am intending on entering three contests. One is local. Two are international. So, I've been working on short stories and am eyebrow deep in a novel revision. Deadlines looming, so excuse me if I'm quiet this week. I'll be busy kicking myself in the head and bitching at myself.

Have seven shorts out on submission. Got one rejection back already, but it wasn't unexpected. The piece didn't quite fit their niche. Shrug. But you never know unless you try. They encouraged me to submit again. So, that's positive. Already sent the piece out elsewhere.

Reading anything good these days? I'm reading The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction. Maybe that doesn't surprise you, since I've done some posts on history. The beginning of this story was great. Seemed to sag for a bit, but is picking up again. Will see how it goes. As long as there's history in it, I'm happy. I love glimpses into other times. Always fascinates me.

I'm also reading Outlaw Tales of Oregon by Jim Yuskavitch. This is research for a future novel. I've been enjoying it. The outlaws are colorful and it gives me some insights into my state's history. Just finished Women's Voices From the Oregon Trail by Susan G. Butruille, which I loved. Also for research puposes. I found it a fascinating read. History is good enough for me, but mix in women's history and I'm extra interested. This book really gives a flavor of what it was like to travel the Oregon Trail. Sounds pretty horrible. Those were some hardy souls.

I'm also rereading Pride and Prejudice for about the 200th time prompted by a recent rewatching of the movie. The Keira Knightly version is my favorite. I'm a major Jane Austen fan. I watch the movies over and over [especially Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice] and read all her books over and over. If I'm not careful and overdo it, all my characters start speaking with English accents.

I really love reading old literature. People in other eras did not think the same as we do. I find those differences intriguing. It feels like time travel to me, so I get a rush out of it.

So, how's your writing / projects going? What are you reading?

What's Your Process Blogfest

Hosted by Shallee of Life, The Universe and Writing.

Life of this writer. My most creative hours are morning. I'm fresh. Words flow free.

Ideas and inspiration come throughout the day, however. Usually while doing something mundane - making dinner, working out, driving, reading, right before I fall asleep, in the middle of the night, watching TV / movies and in conversations with others. Although I will act on the inspiration, writing is mostly a daytime activity for me. When my brain feels spent for the day in wordsmithing, I print out what I wrote. I read it in the evening and edit it with a pen. In the morning I begin with inputting those edits. When a chapter feels done, I move on. Usually takes several days to a week or two in the revision phase.

With the next novel, I plan to move much faster in the first draft phase. Doesn't mean I will. I do a lot more organizing and planning at the revision phase - chapter outlines, character studies and the like. I just prepare the minimal basics for a first draft - main characters, setting, needed research and plot. I need to know where I'm going to end up before I can start. I need a 'purpose' or aim to write toward. Otherwise, I feel I'm wasting my time.

In the submission process, I send a few out at a time then wait for the replies. I've been tweaking / rewriting before doing another round. But that's about to change. I've learned a lot since my first stories and the first ones have been so through the revision wringer, they're done.

I deal with rejection by sending out more submissions / queries. I've gotten some very interesting rejection. Most times they use my name these days. One said my story was not for them, but told me to keep submitting it; that it was sure to sell. So, that was nice and encouraging. I've gotten a few requests for revisions and resubs. Several times I was in serious running. Those are probably the most disappointing rejections - to know I was that close. Yet they are also encouraging and keep me going.

Rejection is all right. Means I'm in the game. Many kind editors have given me personal feedback along the way, which is as rare as a 'yes'. Learning to master the short story are skills I can bring into my novel writing. It's certainly helped me to hone my pitching skills.

My process for reading in public - take a deep breath, place husband in the audience and go for it. I had him video my readings for awhile. By watching myself and by watching other people, I improved a lot. I actually enjoy reading my work now.

What about you all? How do you handle the rejection-love? Have you tackled the reading in public beast yet? What's your golden hour for wordsmithing?

Block Neverwhere and What's Pluto

Happy Monday everyone!

I had a terrible case of writers block end of last week. Just horrible. Granted, it was restricted to one story, but it drove me crazy. It inspired an article on the blasted ailment on my website: WRITERS DESK

I also updated my bio, calendar and news. Everything but Discovery, which I will update later this week. I also have a new poll and discussion up on the home page of my site.



What is Pluto?
What super power would you like to have? Replies limited to 250 characters. Hit the yellow 'discussion' on the left hand side at the bottom.

The next book in the Wistful Reads bookclub will be Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. He is always a treat and this book falls into the urban fantasy subgenre. Intrigued by lands like Narnia and Alice in Wonderland? This story may just be your thing. We'll talk about it more in March.

As I mentioned earlier, I had a tough go with a lack of inspiration on a short story rewrite end of last week. I loved the new 1st five pages, but could not figure out where to go from there. I struggled with all my devices and tricks for days with no luck. After writing that article, my muse found me again later that evening - just when I was about to put the piece down and get back to the novel or another rewrite.

After sitting and being still, I knew that story needed revamping. And I suppose the struggle was worth it as I am quite pleased with where it is going now. A friend's feedback has me quite focused and on track with it. I'm glad I invented multiple routes when stuck. When I am done with the rewrite, it will sit and be still once again since it is such a major overhaul of the story.

Have another rewrite slated after this one plus continuing on with revisions on novel#2. Also came up with 5 new short story ideas while trying to come up with something for the stuck piece. Did more submissions last week. Will keep at it. Onward and onward and all that.

What are your tricks when the muse leaves you high and dry on a piece?

Festing a New Beast, or Something Like That

Want to mention a couple of upcoming blogfests, in case you're unaware and would like to participate.

1.  Shallee of Life, the Universe and Writing is hosting a What's Your Process blogfest on January 18. Sign up here

2. Alex J. Cavanaugh of Alex J. Cavanaugh is sponsoring a Top Ten Countdown music blogfest on January 24. Sign up here

So, the beast died last week. RIP Wrongway. He's been replaced with a new beast, which I am very happy with thus far. It has no name yet. Although I am leaning toward naming it after the main character in my current WIP.

What a weakling I am, that I could not bear to go any longer than a few days without a desktop. Our routines and habits really do get ingrained, don't they? We rebel at any change to our ingrained habits or throw tantrums. Something to keep in mind in our writing. Huh? Everyday life is full of lessons.

Another is: always backup your work. Everyday. I lost nothing but a few emails.

I wrote a new short story last week. It needs a little bit of work, but the idea is there. I really enjoy writing cerebral, abstract crap - sort of like surreal paintings with words. Although I enjoy it, I have to tamper such stories with grounding. My crit group hates when I write that sort of thing. If I give them some grounding points, they do better with it. For now, the piece needs to sit and be still for a few weeks before I decide how it should be grounded.

Working on chapter 5 of the novel revisions. Finished the second total rewrite for "Beacons". One of my 'revise and resubmits'. I think I finally got it right. Also tweaked another short story which delves into the abstract / cerebral. It's a flash fiction. It's about ready to submit.

Did some submissions last week spurred by some encouraging rejection. Wierd how that can be motivation. Huh? Do you ever find rejection motivating? Got a good rejection story? I received one recently which said I should be flattered they read the whole thing. It gives me a chuckle, but I'm not really sure how to take that one.