New Year, New Opportunities

Courtesy of Morguefile.com

These are exciting times, filled with new opportunities. Many of you may already know this, but for those of you who don't, my publisher, Lyrical Press, is now an imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp. You can read the press release here.

I'm excited for Lyrical's future and mine, too. :-) I'm working on focusing on my writing and not letting myself be distracted by other people's successes. It's hard to keep pursuing one's goal when it seems everyone else around you is more successful, but life isn't fair, right? The best thing is to keep persisting, never give up if it's something you really want. And sometimes it seems being patient pays off, although we're not always aware of the future. Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing? :-)

One of the ways I'm working to improve my art is doing the exercise in The Artist's Way (Julia Cameron) and surrounding myself with positive people.

Call them goals or resolutions, this year I'm not letting anyone impede mine. I'm not listening to the naysayers. One of my favorite authors is Sherrilyn Kenyon, and she's an inspiration to me because she never gave up. Maybe I've had a lot of setbacks, but that may be a good thing. (Although I'll admit it doesn't seem that way when it feels like you're getting kicked down on a regular basis. You can choose to lie there or you can get back up. Trust me, I've got the emotional scars and bruises from hitting the concrete on the proverbial school of hard knocks face first.)

So, here's to kicking 2013 out the door and making way for new friends, new opportunities, and having a damn good time along the way.

2012: What Now?

The year started off a bit shaky. Migraines and sinus headaches waylaid me the first couple days. Then I got hit by an unfavorable review on the anniversary of Death Sword's release. Ouch! January 5 was the 23rd year since my mother passed away in a car accident.

January 4 saw a more positive take on the new year with the release of an interview, courtesy of Ashley Barron. You can read it here:  http://blog.thepriyas.com/2012/01/04/author-interview-pamela-turner.aspx

I wanted to see what the rest of 2012 would bring regarding writing. Since I hadn't submitted any story in 2011, one of my goals this year is to submit a minimum of two manuscripts. But what else could I learn about myself that would help or hinder my literary intentions?

I decided to read the Tarot. Specifically, I laid out a six card Simplified Celtic Cross. Now I am by no means a professional Tarot reader. What I interpret from the reading may be far different than what other Tarot readers might. But I also believe the Tarot delves into ones intuition. Perhaps this reading will show that aspect of these cards.

The Tarot deck I used was the Celtic Tarot.

1. Experience to Date: 8 of Swords
A woman bound and blindfolded, pinned and surrounded to the ground by eight swords. The card of "imprisonment." But it seems to be more one of self-confinement. How many times had I failed to finish and submit a story because I feared it would be rejected? Yeah, self-doubt does that to a person.   

2. Where You Are Now: 10 of Pentacles
This card is considered to be the passing of time. I think for me it's regret over not accomplishing anything with my writing in the past year. Not that I can do anything about it. But I also look at this as being a temporary solution, one I can change. 

3. Near Future: Empress
Is this a good sign? The focus is on "prosperity, action, beneficial influence..." I wonder if it means I'll have a manuscript ready to submit in the near future. I have an UF currently with beta readers/CPs, so maybe...  

4. You in Environment of Future: Lovers
My husband is very supportive, allowing me to focus on my writing and classes. Granted, he hasn't read much of what I've written but I'm not going to quibble over that issue. :-)

5. Best to Hope for: Chariot
Well, this card is pretty self-evident. The idea is I'm in charge of my writing career. I just need to take control of it. 

6. Outcome: Queen of Pentacles
I look at this card as being a positive one. It seems I will attain some results but perhaps not all I want regarding the writing. Still, any positive step is a good one.

Overall, I believe 2012 will be a good year writing wise. Not only because the reading indicates such but because I plan to make it so.  

Artful Wednesday

Yep, I changed the title of this week's art post. Actually, it's one of a few changes I'll be implementing soon.

Anyway, on to Wednesday's picture.

 "Welcome to My World"

It's a mixed media piece I started years ago. Acrylics, fabric, and digital painting. I'm still not sure if it's complete or not. (And yes, I know my art skills are lacking.) LOL

Art, whether it be photography, drawing, painting, etc., is an integral part of my creative process. One of the reasons I enjoy reading manga and graphic novels is seeing the artistic representations played out over the course of the story. Have I considered writing/drawing a graphic novel? Heck no. I don't have the drawing skill needed to not only create but maintain sequential characters and scenes. If I were a cartoonist, I'd be restricted to one panel.

Would I jump at the chance to see my work done in graphic novel format? If it's by an artist whose work I admire, hell yeah! Besides, I know Hollywood won't come calling. :-)

Anyhow, creating in a different medium from writing is a good way to jolt the right side of my brain when it's stuck in ennui mode. Not only do my art and photography provide me with something to hang on my walls, but also material for my websites, including this blog, stories, etc. So I guess you could say I'm visually oriented.



 

Open Topic Thursday: Being Your Own Cheerleader

One thing I like about the internet and social networking is the ability to connect with people who share similar interests. I follow a number of authors on Twitter, some who follow me back. Same for my Facebook author page and MySpace site. We congratulate each other upon hearing good news and commiserate over virtual chocolate when faced with the bad (i.e. rejections). Even though we may live thousands of miles apart, there's a sense of community.

Writers need this. I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, my family didn't support my writing. Instead I was told to "get a real job." Well, I did. And guess what? My writing suffered because I listened to that negative advice. If not for my high school English teachers, who supported my writing, I might never have stepped back into the proverbial ring.

After graduating from college with a B.A. in English, I followed the path of many writers by holding a series of jobs, including telemarketer (which is why I have an aversion to telephones), fast food worker, secretary/receptionist, artist model (clothed), waitress, security guard, and sales person. It wasn't until several years later that I worked as a freelance magazine writer for a couple of local magazines, although in college I wrote reviews for a local arts association. So despite what my parents thought, I actually got paid for my writing and put my degree to use.

I suppose I can't be too hard on my parents, who are now both deceased. They were of a generation that believed in hard work and didn't see writing as being laborious. (Ha!) Plus they were trying to impart upon me that not every writer becomes successful or wealthy. However, my mother often pushed negativity to the point where she didn't believe one should have dreams at all.

So what do you do when you have no one to cheer you on? Are people even obligated to support your creative/artistic endeavors? Maybe not. As David Bayles and Ted Orland point out in Art & Fear, "In fact there's generally no good reason why others should care about most of any one artist's work." They continue, "But until your ship comes in, the only people who will really care about your work are those who care about you personally. Those close to you know that making the work is essential to your well being."

In other words, no one owes you just because you're a writer or artist. Tough to hear, isn't it? Writing is a lonely occupation and often we're competing with other authors for people's attention. We congratulate the writer who finaled in a contest or got her dream agent, but a part of us wishes we could have the same success. Jealousy is a demanding bed partner and often times one needs to show it the door.

We have to be our own cheerleaders. Not easy, though, especially for writers who suffer from depression. It's difficult enough getting motivated to get out of bed, much less write. Now we're expected to boost our mood with a little pep talk? No one expects you to cheer yourself on if you're not up to it. But when you are, it's important not to berate yourself or punish yourself for not being able to write. Trust me, I've been there and mental self-flagellation is counter productive.

But I digress. This is a post about being your own cheerleader. Because if you don't believe in your writing, who will? If you're not willing to go out there and promote yourself, why do you expect anyone else to? From what I understand, a lot of book sales are by word of mouth. I don't remember where I read it (possibly Zig Ziglar) but businesses seem to rely on customer referrals more than advertising. Why do you think they ask you to tell your friends and family about them?

You could hire a publicist. But you can't expect them to do all the work. The few writers I know who have publicists still do their own promotion. It's probably the same thing as having an agent. You don't write one book and expect the agent to plan your entire writing career on that. No, the agent wants to see more work. Remember, writing isn't easy. It's hard work and the sooner you understand that, the better off you'll be.  But it's also rewarding work. There's nothing more exhilarating than receiving that acceptance letter from a publisher.

Even with social networking, there will be days when no one responds to your posts. Doesn't mean no one cares or is ignoring you. I get more comments when I have guest bloggers, and I know it's because of them and not me. I'm happy when it happens, though, because I want their efforts to be worthwhile.

If you're positive about your career, others will be too. That's not to say you can't have days where you feel down or think you can't write. We have to be realistic and remember we're not super-humans. Whenever I get in a funk, I have a writer friend who assures me, "This, too, shall pass."

Guess what? It does.


Note: For anyone who's interested, here are my links for Twitter and Facebook. I usually follow and friend back.












 

Tuesday Guest Post: Lynda K. Scott

Good morning, everyone! Before I forget, I want to thank Pam for letting me come and play in her corner of the blogiverse. It’s a pleasure to be here.

I’d been racking my brain trying to think of a subject for this blog post that you all would find interesting. I considered writing about a plot idea I’ve been mulling over, about how I began my writing career, about my inspiration... and realized I’d done those posts about a dozen times each.
Even my alien kitten, Wookie, was no help (Mostly because she wanted Greenies and petting and why was I wasting my time on writing when I could be doing something worthwhile? Mrrphh?) Obviously she was not going to help so I took a large swallow of burning hot, hazelnut flavored coffee. Large swallows of hot liquids are never good ideas and you’d think I’d know better by now. But as I swallowed and promised myself I wouldn’t do that again, I actually read my coffee mug.

I’d picked this mug up at a RWA conference a few years ago and I’ve used it as my primary travel mug/coffee mug ever since. This one is from Lake Country Romance Writers and reads ‘I kill off my enemies in my book. You’re on page 12!’

And I thought how many of us actually do that? Put people that we’re annoyed with in our novels and kill them off? I confess I’ve done it. ..but only to people who’ve frayed my very last nerve. I’ve sent them drifting in the vacuum of space never to be seen again. I’ve had alien carnivores consume them...slowly. I’ve stabbed them, electrocuted them, washed them away in a rushing river.

In fact, these ‘Page Twelvers’ are rather like the ‘Red Shirts’ on the old Star Trek series. You know the ones. Since you can’t kill a major character and you have to show how dangerous the situation is, you call in the young, expendable, good-looking Red Shirts or, in my case, the Page Twelvers. They die so that your major character may live.

Now...Many of the ‘Page Twelver’ death scenes were eventually cut because they pulled attention away from the main characters. In other words, they weren’t absolutely necessary to the plot which was a real shame since I’d had so much fun annihilating them in varied and bloodied ways. :-)

Which proves a point...All these scenes really did was act as a cathartic and that’s not a good enough reason to stay. I’ve included an excerpt that shows how bad I can be to the main characters. You can imagine what would happen if Eric had been a ‘Page Twelver’.

I’m sure that makes me sound like a blood thirsty, dangerous woman. I’m not. Really. I’m a pussycat. But, like all writers, I have a vivid imagination. You really don’t want to get on our ‘last nerve’.

As writers or readers, what do you do to the ‘Page Twelvers’ in your life?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heartstone

Eric d'Ebrur is out of time. He must find the legendary Heartstone and fulfill the ancient Gar'Ja bond he shares with the Stonebearer. But when he finds her, he discovers that love can be more dangerous than the Gawan threat. Eric can defeat the mind-controlling Gawan but will it cost him the woman he loves?

After terrifying episodes of hypersensitivity, Keriam Norton thinks she's losing her mind. When handsome shapeshifter Eric d'Ebrur saves her from the monstrous Gawan, she's sure of it. But insane or not, she'll find the Heartstone and, if she's lucky, a love to last a lifetime.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt: (Eric, the hero, is recovering from an attack by a giant lake creature called an oorgh. Keriam, the heroine, is trying to nurse him back to health. Froggy, the linlie, is a small, flying critter that took a liking to Eric while he was unconscious.)

Eric cranked his eyelids open over eyes that felt full of grit. The suns’ light filtered through the forest canopy, lending a hazy green glow to everything he could see. He could hear the muted roar of the waterfall and the linlies odd laughing song. Wood smoke and a sweet, hot odor filled his nose and made his mouth water. His stomach rolled, then grumbled and he would have laughed at the conflicting messages his body sent but he simply didn’t have the strength.

Then he tried to sit up and thought he was going to die. What had happened to him? Clearly, he’d been injured. Why was he in the woods? Why wasn’t he in a med-center? He turned his head to look around. But the least movement sent shafts of torment racing though his body. He moaned, shut his eyes again.

He heard movement. A cool hand touched his forehead.

“Eric?”

Keriam! The battle with the Gawan-spawn rushed back to him. Without opening his eyes, he rasped, “How long?”

“How long have you been unconscious? Two days.” Her voice faded as she moved away.

Two days? “What happened?”

“We were attacked by Gawan-spawn, the big green guys. Remember?”

She sounded unnaturally loud. And far too cheerful. Had she no sympathy for a wounded man? He cleared his throat and whispered, “What happened to me?”

“You mean where are you hurt?” Her voice was close again. “You’ve got cuts and bruises over most of your body, particularly on your chest and left thigh. There’s a nasty bump on your head so you might have a concussion. I think you may have a bruised or broken rib. And you have a mild fever. All in all, Wolfgang, you’re a mess.”

He felt like a mess.

Struggling to get his mind past his injuries, he squinted through barely open eyes. “My sword?”

“Here,” she said, indicating its silver length on the ground. “And no. No sign of the Gawan-spawn. I think they all died in the lake.” She turned to glance away, toward the water, pensively. “There’s something in there, something big. I think it got them.”

“Oorgh,” he rasped, understanding her fear and wanting to warn her about the creature. “Dangerous. Don’t go in.”

“I know.” Her shuddery sigh was audible, then, briskly, she said, “I’ve made dakka soup. Do you think you can eat?”

Maybe it would ease his throat. “Please.”

She lifted his head, a movement that sent unbearable agony through his body. Voice filled with sympathy, she said, “Go ahead and growl, sweetheart. I know it hurts.”

Keriam sounded honestly contrite and, perversely, that made him feel better. She held a hollowed dakka gourd to his mouth. The soup, a thin broth, eased his throat but settled on his stomach like a rock. He hoped he could keep it down. Vomiting held no appeal at all.

He was perspiring heavily by the time he had swallowed half the contents of the gourd. He ground his teeth together to keep from crying as she gently lowered him. Fervently, he hoped the oorgh had killed all the Gawan-spawn. In his current condition, he would be hard pressed to battle an infant linlie.

A moment later, she wiped his face with a cool, wet cloth. It felt wonderful but he wondered where she had gotten a cloth. Curious, he opened his eyes in time to see her head toward the fire, her arms bare to the shoulders. Apparently, she had sacrificed her shirtsleeves for his benefit. He muzzily promised to buy her a new wardrobe when they got home. Something fit for a High Born female, for his mate.

His eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

When he awoke, the light was different. A different time or a different day? He didn’t know. He blinked, slowly. A whispery breeze tickled the hair on his chest, arms and legs.

Rottinghell. Was he naked?

There was a soft, warm weight on his stomach and that startled him. Lifting his head, he was surprised to see the purple linlie curled into a ball. Its wings were tucked around its body and covered its tiny head. His folded shirt covered his genitals, a very good thing considering the sharp linlie claws.

Where was Keriam? Had she left him at the mercy of the elements and the linlies? He wiggled his buttocks, trying to dislodge the small creature. It furled its wings, and then raised its head to glare balefully at him. “Get off.”

The linlie yawned hugely, eyes glinting with nearly human amusement, and put its head down.

If Eric had had any strength, he’d pitch the insolent creature against the nearest tree. Then he admitted that he wouldn’t do that. Not unless it decided to tromp across his bare flesh. This seemed unlikely given its obvious indolence. He lowered his own head, feeling rather indolent himself.

The next time he woke, Keriam was bathing him and arguing with the linlie. The air was marginally cooler and judging by the soft light dancing on his eyelids, he had the feeling that it was early morning. Keeping his eyes closed, he listened curiously.

“Find yourself another perch, frog face.”

Chuckle-cough-chirp-chirp.

“Well, what are you going to do when Eric’s up and around, huh?”

Cough-chuckle-chuckle.

“Yeah, I know. You’ll be on his shoulder like a parrot.”

Chuckle-chirp, chuckle-chirp.

“You need to find other friends, Froggie.”

As she continued down his legs with her gentle ministration and her teasing banter with the linlie, Eric felt his penis stir. He must be feeling better. Experimentally, he tightened his muscles and discovered that he didn’t have nearly as much pain. He also discovered that Keriam had realized he was awake when she flicked cool water in his face. He opened his eyes to find her grinning at him.

“Playing possum?”

He blinked, not sure what a game of possum entailed but decided he felt good enough to tease. “I will if you tell me how.”

She snickered. “I think you’ve got a handle on it already, Wolfgang.” Her gaze drifted toward his groin. “And you’re feeling pretty optimistic, aren’t you?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEARTSTONE is available in both print and ebook format from Mundania Press. You can find it here: http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=Heartstone

If you buy Heartstone through the Mundania site, you can use the code LSCOTT10 at checkout and receive a 10% discount on your total purchase)

Heartstone is also available in print from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Heartstone-Lynda-K-Scott/dp/1606592335/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281979082&sr=1-1

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I’d love you to go to my website and check out the prologue for Heartstone. My editor and I decided that the novel was just fine without it but I thought readers might enjoy reading it for free.

Open Topic Thursday: Writing with the Tarot

One day at Barnes and Noble, I happened to pass the section on writing when a book caught my attention. Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner piqued my interest for two reasons: 1) I'm a Tarot reader and 2) I'm a writer. Granted, I don't consider myself an expert in either field (the Tarot much less so), but Kenner's book made it clear that wasn't an issue.

For those of you thinking this is a book review, it isn't. I bought Tarot for Writers and tried the exercises, using characters and situations from my forthcoming short novel, Death Sword. Since I have two decks, the Rider-Waite and the Celtic Tarot, I used both at different times. The decks are vastly different so some familiarity with both was necessary.

What did I learn? Well, perhaps the most important lesson was tapping into my subconscious. It amazes me how the analytical part of our mind interferes with our subconscious, restricting our innate natures.

So how does the Tarot apply to writing? Because the Major Arcana is based on Archetypes, it allows one to explore one's characters through the symbolism associated with the Archetypes. (I have a copy of Jung and Tarot but haven't read it yet.) The Minor Arcana is a journey, some say of the Fool and others of Campbell's Hero. Either way, our protagonists are always on a quest which, in the end, will change them, hopefully for the better.

The rich symbolism of the Tarot also enhances one's writing. Symbols from alchemy to the Kabbalah to angels are explored in the Rider-Waite Tarot. Of course, since Tarot decks differ, the symbolism will be unique for each one.

Do I believe using the Tarot has helped me improve my characterizations and plots? Yes. Not only that, but it's helped me "see" my characters in ways I might not have considered. And sometimes a second opinion isn't a bad idea.

Coyote Con

I heard about this digital conference on Twitter and decided to register. (If you're interested in learning more, please click on the icon to the left. Registration is open throughout May, but some special sessions are sold out.)

The diverse panels appeal to me. Examples of sessions I hope to participate in are "Envelope Pushing Concepts," "Writing Mentally Ill Without Getting It Wrong," and "Querying and Synopses." Because I'm participating in a writing challenge (possibly two), and editing Death Sword in May, the weekend schedule of these panels won't impede my writing schedule. (Now, if I can just go without sleep and convince my DH to bring the coffee maker into my office...)

Why Writing is Almost Like the Derby

If you're from Kentucky or enjoy horse racing, no doubt you've heard of the Kentucky Derby. Today is Thunder Over Louisville, touted as the largest fireworks show in the country. I don't know if it creates the biggest traffic snarl in the country, but wouldn't surprise me.

What does the Derby have to do with writing? We both train for the final outcome. For Thoroughbred owners, it's that coveted Derby win. For writers, it's our book reaching number one on the bestseller charts.

Those same Thoroughbred owners work with trainers, jockeys, the racing commission, veterinarians, etc., to pull off a successful race. Writers don't work in a vacuum, either. We have critique partners, editors, publishers, cover artists, etc., helping us on our journey. Team effort.

And now, because I've been remiss about posting lately, a few updates:

Death Sword, the short novel I mentioned earlier, was accepted by Lyrical Press for publication in early 2011. I'm excited and nervous. My husband and I still haven't celebrated. We're waiting until it's actually available. (Yeah, we're pragmatic like that. LOL)

Needless to say, I'm working on the preliminary round of edits. Luckily, I don't mind revising. I'm the type who can slice and dice my manuscript. No word is golden. And even if it is, I can always use it elsewhere.

Finished my synopsis for Serpent Fire, the second book in the series, tentatively titled The Angels of Death. (Death Sword is the first book.) Next, I'll break the synopsis down into detailed chapters. My goal is to have a first draft written before July 31.

I've two other books I'm plotting, and which I'd like to write first drafts this year, too. Both are urban fantasies/paranormals and involve angels, including the Grigori. The one good thing about working multiple projects is one doesn't have time for writer's block.

Meanwhile, debating about attending Hypericon this year.