New Writing Stuff ... And Stuff ... Because, Yeah, I Need A Great Title

Definition: STUFF [stuhf] 

n. Things for which no one can think of a word for
n. Umbrella term for random things

So I've been doing more Twitter lately, which I thought I would never do, but it's been fun and weird and fast, so like most folks, I feel I have time for it. Find me @Court_Ellyn

In other news, I was sure I could write the last few chapters of Cry of the Falcon this month, and certainly by Thanksgiving, but now I am coming down with a head cold, which may slow me down for a few days. Plus, I am embarking on an online writing course from the University of Iowa. Not sure how basic it will be, nor what the assignments and discussion will be like, but if it ends up taking up too much time, I will have to drop it and give priority to finishing Cry.

The course starts today and runs through Thanksgiving. The best part is that the course is free. What?! Can't pass that up, right? The next best part is that several other LegendFire members signed up too, so we will have each other for support and discussion.

In non-writing related stuff, I got a new car this week. I had been driving a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder, and she was on her last leg. At the dealership I hopped into a 2014 Subaru CrossTrek and knew it was the one. So I got to bring her home, and she looks great on me.

Hoping for many amazing road trips in this kewt lil' thang.

Road Trip: Santa Fe in Snapshots

The best excuse to not write for a week is a road trip across huge empty country to a picturesque destination. Just got back from Santa Fe, NM, with several shopping bags of loot and a few snapshots worth sharing.

We explored ...

LOCAL ARCHITECTURE

LOCAL ART

Pedernal - From the Ranch I, 1956

LOCAL FOOD

Classic food at MARIA'S, where they serve the best margaritas in town.

LOCAL LANDSCAPES

AND (for me) THE PRIZE...

LOCAL LITERATURE

Fans will know that George RR Martin calls Santa Fe home. This happens to be the movie theatre he purchased and renovated a couple years ago. It features a coffee shop, art exhibit, and book store that sells only signed copies of his books and books by several other authors. What did I buy? A signed copy of Dying of the Light, and a gorgeous illustrated copy of The Ice Dragon. My only regret is not staying long enough to watch the feature film and enjoy a cocktail named after the icy wraiths in A Song of Ice and Fire.

Well, there's always next time.

5th of July: Recovery

Had the best, most exhausting Independence Day celebration ever (Why do people call it the 4th of July? That happens everywhere.). Family poured in unexpectedly, so what was going to be a small gathering ended up being more like a family reunion. Represented by both sides of the fam-damily, which was sorta awkward but ended up working out pretty well.

My dad took all the kids fireworks shopping and ended up buying $--- worth because he's great at spoiling them (and really likes showy explosions), and so the kids shot them off until nearly midnight. We also shot clay pigeons b/c that's apparently what rednecks like to do (make even more things explode), and I tried it for the first time and shot three out of four. I woulda got that fourth one too if my ear muffs hadn't have gotten in the way. :hmm: Yep, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Cooked and ate waaaaay to much food, opened waaaaay too many cans and bottles, and breathed waaaaaay too much black powder. So today, I'm so exhausted and sore from laughing and talking that I just want to crawl under my bed and go back to sleep.

It was awesome.

First Friday Writing Prompt - Lifelong Dream

Inspiration: go after it with a club

Your character finally achieves their lifelong dream, but it's nothing they thought it would be. Now they would do anything to take it back. Must your character live with the consequences, or is there a way out?

Ready, set, write!

If you find inspiration and wish to share your creation with me, please do the following:

* DO paste a link to your creation as a comment to the prompt you’ve used, OR if you don't post your writing publically, type a paragraph as a comment.
* If you post your story/poem on your blog, DO include a link back to my blog, Wordweaver.
* DO NOT copy anyone else’s work and publicize it as your own.

Prompt History
January's Prompt

February's Prompt
March's Prompt
April's Prompt
May's Prompt
June's Prompt

Twice Upon A Time Blog Tour: Interview with Bobbie Palmer

CONTRARY to the title of this anthology, working with such a talented cast of writers is an opportunity that usually comes once in a lifetime. From best-selling to greenhorn, independent or traditionally-published, the authors in this anthology span all ranges in addition to spanning the globe—from England to Australia and all over the United States. I've had the privilege of getting to know each and every one of them, and they have become a part of my extended family. I've even caught a glimpse of a secret side of them that only another writer...editor...is privy to witness through their words.

Through this series of posts, I plan on introducing you to my new family through a mini-interview of each. You may not get a chance to see their secret side, but you'll get a sneak-peek into their minds, their passions and inspirations, and what made them the writers they are today.

..The Mini Interview..

1. At what age did you start writing?

I wrote my first story in 6th grade for a class assignment and I haven't been able to stop.

2. Which book introduced you to Speculative Fiction?

Harry Potter; it opened me up to a world I never knew existed.

3. Do you have an all-time favorite book? What about it makes it your favorite?

The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. When I first read it, I fell in love with the writing style and I felt like I connected to Mercy.

4. Which author and/or book inspired you to start writing?

Stephen King. His determination to have his work out there is inspiring.

5. What would you say is the most important lesson all writers should learn?

Writers need to rember to have fun. Its too easy to get caught up in edits and promoting. Both are important, but you need to have fun writing so you keep doing it. Don't let the pressure get to you.

6. Of the entire publishing process, which would you say is the most difficult aspect to endure?

Edits. I like getting lost in the story. When you edit you can't, you need to check grammar and spelling, make sure the story flows.

7. If applicable, did you have a favorite character (to write) from your story? If so, what sets them apart the others?

Scarlette Gunn. She's the main character in a series I've been working on for a few years. She is who I want to be, but won't become. She stands up for herself and won't let anyone beat her down.

8. On what projects are you currently working?

My latest paranormal romance, Emily's Captive, was just released on May 30, 2015.

Read Bobbie's story, Iron Strong Adalie, in your very own copy of Twice Upon A Time today!

Available for Purchase at...

Amazon|Paperback ♦ Amazon|Kindle

B&N|Paperback ♦ B&N|NOOK ♦ Kobo|eBook

Schuler Books|Paperback ♦ Smashwords|eBook

..About the Author..

BOBBIE PALMER writes both paranormal and thriller novels. She loves reading just about anything and when she’s not writing she has her nose stuck in a book. She loves to cook and hang out with her nephews and two cats. She is very involved in the writing community, hosting a writer’s breakfast once a month and a former municipal liaison for NaNoWriMo.

..Connect with the Author..

Twice Upon A Time Blog Tour: Interview with Brian T. Hodges

CONTRARY to the title of this anthology, working with such a talented cast of writers is an opportunity that usually comes once in a lifetime. From best-selling to greenhorn, independent or traditionally-published, the authors in this anthology span all ranges in addition to spanning the globe—from England to Australia and all over the United States. I've had the privilege of getting to know each and every one of them, and they have become a part of my extended family. I've even caught a glimpse of a secret side of them that only another writer...editor...is privy to witness through their words.

Through this series of posts, I plan on introducing you to my new family through a mini-interview of each. You may not get a chance to see their secret side, but you'll get a sneak-peek into their minds, their passions and inspirations, and what made them the writers they are today.

..The Mini Interview..

1. At what age did you start writing?

I loved comic books as a kid—anything that showed a world that was more mysterious, more fabulous than my school-bus/school-day existence. But I was never satisfied with reading other people’s stories, so I wrote my own. As far back as I can remember, I wrote thinly-veiled autobiographical tales of superpowers and magic. I illustrated them, folded them into booklets, and shared them with friends and family. As I got older, the stories matured and I began to experiment with different genres and media, including music.

2. Which book introduced you to Speculative Fiction?

There are so many great books that planted spec fic seeds in me, but, if I was forced to choose one, it would have to be The Phantom Tollbooth. Why? Because that story brought magic to the real world. To think that an ordinary kid just like me could stumble upon something so fantastic, so magical—really?!?! Sign me up.

3. Do you have an all-time favorite book? What about it makes it your favorite?

My all-time favorite book ... hrmmm ... that’s a hard one because I love so many stories for so many different reasons. But pressed to decide from among my darlings, I guess I’d have to go with Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow. Why? I suppose it was her use of realism and human drama as a frame within which she unfurled a wild science fiction tale. Reading the book, I felt as if I was experiencing that crazy planet and alien life because I was so connected to the character’s emotional arcs. It was very effective; images from that book have haunted me for years.

4. Which author and/or book inspired you to start writing?

I can’t really point to any one author who inspired me to start writing. I come from a family of story tellers—there wasn’t a day that passed by that wasn’t made more interesting by some creative embellishment. Writing came naturally to me. It was a way to explain and respond to the word. That said, there are several authors whose unique use of language inspires me when I put pen to paper, including Karin Tidbeck, China Mieville, Kathe Koja, and August Strindberg.

5. What would you say is the most important lesson all writers should learn?

Don’t be afraid. You will constantly hear voices telling you that you can’t do this or you can’t do that. Listen and understand why we have so many “rules” to art. But don’t fall into blind obedience. Experiment. Make mistakes. Be Bold. Most of all, write your truths. Never, ever let anyone make you afraid of your own voice.

6. Of the entire publishing process, which would you say is the most difficult aspect to endure?

Without a doubt, waiting for responses to submissions is the hardest part of the publishing grind. I love writing. I love editing. I hate waiting. When I’m done with a story, I’m a proud dad. I want to post pictures of my wriggling, pink story all over my social media channels, but I can’t. I have to lock that baby in a dark closet and let it squirm all cute and bubbly until it’s finally selected for showcasing in a magazine or anthology. Sometimes, it’s still a little darling (like Eyes of Woods, which thankfully was selected while it was still an infant). Other times, the tale is grey and grizzled and almost unrecognizable from age.

7. On what projects are you currently working?

I have a literary Sci Fi story, A Song Unheard, coming out later this year in the anthology, Startling Sci Fi, to be published by New Lit Salon Press. Tissues are a necessity. Several of my fantasy and magical realism short stories are in the submission/publication process, including my fantasy novella (which subverts the mage’s apprentice trope).

Read Brian's story, Eyes of Wood, in your very own copy of Twice Upon A Time today!

Available for Purchase at...

Amazon|Paperback ♦ Amazon|Kindle

B&N|Paperback ♦ B&N|NOOK ♦ Kobo|eBook

Schuler Books|Paperback ♦ Smashwords|eBook

..About the Author..

BRIAN T. HODGES lives in the mossy forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he works as a lawyer, researcher, and non-fiction writer. He is also a musician, having released several albums of esoteric and ethereal music under the moniker, the Blue Hour. His fiction has been published by New Lit Salon Press, Liquid Imagination, The Strange Edge, received an Honorable Mention from the Writers of the Future contest (V31 Q1 2014), and was a finalist in the 2013 N3F Amateur Short Story Contest.

..Connect with the Author..

First Friday Writing Prompt: Anthology Themes

Inspiration: go after it with a club.

If one is writing with the goal of publication in mind, what better prompt than those offered by publications themselves? Small presses and independent presses are great about putting out calls for stories based on a theme. Some of these prompts are broad, some are more specific. 

It's been easiest for me to find these themed anthologies by using search engines, like Duotrope (subscription-only) or The Submission Grinder (free). Using their search options, you plug in the kinds of writing you're interested in, and the engine returns a list of results.

As of June 1, 2015, The Grinder returned a list of twenty fantasy anthologies that offer token payment or higher. On that list are fun ideas to spur a rush of creativity:

* Snowpocalypse: Tales of the End of the World by Black Mirror Press
* Gears, Gadgets, and Steam by Harren Press
* Game Fiction by Gold Shader
* Typhon: A Monster Anthology, vol. 1 by Pantheon Magazine

These submissions are usually time-sensitive, so dive in as soon as your other projects allow. And be sure to check dates on press blogs and release estimates. Some of these small presses go under or appear inactive before the anthology can be published. While the prompt may still be fun to explore, these may be poor prospects for publication.


If you find inspiration and wish to share your creation with me, please do the following:

* DO paste a link to your creation as a comment to the prompt you’ve used, OR if you don't post your writing publically, type a paragraph as a comment.
* If you post your story/poem on your blog, DO include a link back to my blog, Wordweaver.
* DO NOT copy anyone else’s work and publicize it as your own.

Prompt History
January's Prompt

February's Prompt
March's Prompt
April's Prompt
May's Prompt