Dear 12-Year-Old Me
Dear 12-year-old me,
It’s just after Labor Day, and you’re about to start the worst two school years of your life. I don’t say this to discourage you, but to let you know things will get better.
Continue Reading →
National Poetry Month, April 2
I’m taking poetic license on the definition of “date,” as I often do. It is the same day from the time I wake up until I go to bed. So there.
This is a quick post, at least. I had this pairing in my mind for a while because this is a picture that has remained with me since I took it. For a little over ten years, I volunteered for the Bay State Equine Rescue. It was a wonderful experience that gifted me with my own adopted horse, Calico Silver. This picture far predates Calico, though, and comes from my early years at the rescue. One morning, when I came in for my volunteer shift, lo and behold, there were three new horses! It was an Appaloosa family: a stallion (soon to be gelded), a mare, and their baby! I happened to have my camera with me (well before camera phones were a thing, so a miracle in and of itself!), so I snapped pictures. And this picture of the stallion, Metro, was one that stayed in my mind as striking with his expression and the wind in his hair. For the final piece, I will likely use the black and white (which was quite some stressful playing in PhotoShop since all my other photo editing has just been on my phone, itself!), but I wanted to share all his gorgeousness here!
The poem is also in its rough draft form, too. My aim is to compose the poems this month, and then go back and edit later.
Please do not share these photos; I am not finished and sharing them can hurt my future plans for this piece. Thank you!
National Poetry Month, April 1
For National Poetry Month, I decided to challenge myself with an ekphrastic poem every day.
What’s an ekphrastic poem? It’s a poem written about a picture or work of art–or inspired by a picture / work of art–meant to expand upon the meaning of the piece it’s in response to.
I’ve had the honor and privilege to be part of the Blackstone Valley Art Association‘s Art-Poetry Pairing for the past three years, and I’ve loved working with artists. This year, I participated as both artist and poet. You can see this year’s parings at this link.
So, this year, I decided to celebrate National Poetry Month by doing my own pairings of my hobby photos and poems. Some days the poem will be the inspiration, other days the picture will be.
Today is my first full day home after attending Conbust, one of the regular conventions I attend. It was amazing, as always, and it’s the inspiration for this particular pairing. I had an idea of taking a picture of my duffel bag spilled first and writing a poem about recovery, about self-care and permission to recover–particularly after several excellent panels discussing invisible disabilities and the challenges of neurodiversity.
Instead, with the photo plan in mind, I wrote the poem first–a very different poem than I planned–and then did the shoot, chose the pictures, and edited them a little. The poem, however, is unedited and will be edited. Most of my poems are handwritten first. So here are the two pictures I am deciding between for the pairing and a photo of the VERY ROUGH draft of the poem.
Please do not share these photos; I am not finished and sharing them can hurt my future plans for this piece. Thank you!
DragonCon Schedule
OMG it’s DragonCon!!
This is the biggest convention I do all year, and one of the most insane. I…can’t even measure the excitement / anxiety level right now…
Also, I ought to be in bed because I’ve got a Dark O’Clock flight… soon.
So, REAL QUICK, here are a few places you’ll find me at DragonCon… outide of the Westin bar in the evenings, the Voltaire concert, the Cruxshadows concert… buying band stuff, and possibly stalking some actors from The Expanse. And John Barrowman. Maybe.
If you’re there, hopefully I will see you!
Title: Readings in Honor of Kathryn Fernquist Hinds
Time: Fri 07:00 pm Location: Techwood – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: Writers & friends celebrate the life of author, bard, poet, & teacher Kathryn Hinds with reminiscences & readings from her work.
Title: The Women of Doctor Who
Time: Fri 08:30 pm Location: Galleria 5 – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: From companions & villains to directors, writers, & producers (and soon the Doctor herself), women have had a lasting impact on the show over the past 54 years. Their changing roles & indelible footprints will be discussed.
Title: Steampunk/Urban Fantasy/High Fantasy, etc.
Time: Sat 11:30 am Location: Embassy CD – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: Is Steampunk loosing its steam? Is Urban Fantasy on the wane? Does anyone read High Fantasy any more? This panel discusses the many subgenres of SF/F and how to keep readers interested.
Title: 200 Years of Women in SF
Time: Sun 11:30 am Location: Embassy AB – Hyatt (Length: 2 Hours 30 Min)
Description: In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. Taking that as a starting point, our panelists will discuss women in SF, how they have fared, who they are, and how things have changed over the years. Presented in conjunction with the Diversity in SF track. 90 minutes.
Title: Ursula K. Leguin: Honoring a Grand Master
Time: Sun 05:30 pm Location: International South – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: The field lost a great voice last year when Ursula K. Leguin passed. We will be honoring the author of The Left Hand of Darkness and Wizard of Earthsea (among others) by discussing her work and life.
Title: Where Do I Begin?
Time: Sun 07:00 pm Location: Embassy CD – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: You’ve decided to write a novel. Where do you begin? Let our pros tell you how to get started on that novel…and keep going.
Happy Labor Day Weekend! Happy DragonCon!
Conbust Schedule!
Three months into the year, and it’s a FOURTH convention schedule I’m posting! Woohoo!
(At some point my personal blog posts will be more than convention schedules; I promise! I have thoughts on a variety of things and some health updates, too…)
Anyway, I know it sounds redundant, but this is another beloved convention of mine! Conbust!
Conbust is a student-run feminist SF/F convention held at Smith College every spring. I found out about Conbust through Broad Universe, not realizing that such a gem was basically in my back yard. (I grew up in Springfield, about 15-20 minutes from Northampton.)
I have a pretty ambitious schedule this year at Conbust, so if you’re looking to follow me to all my panels (and they are pretty awesome panels, so you might want to), make sure you are loaded up on your favorite coffee or energy product! I’m scheduled in the very first panel slot, the very last—with eight panels in between!
Also, I’ll be traveling to and from the convention with my friend and editing colleague, Suzanne Lahna, who has their first novella out. They’ll be on a bunch of excellent panels, too. Find out more on their blog!
Since Conbust is on a college campus, I won’t be hosting a party here, and we don’t have either a Broad Universe or New England Horror Writers table here, so it’s all panels and catching up with some of the great people I only get to see at this convention. I’m excited!
Oh—quick note, these aren’t the official convention descriptions. They’re mine—and subject to change depending on the audience / panelists. I’m also not listing the panelists here because there were some last minute changes that I don’t know got finalized… but just check the guest list! I’m on panels with almost all of these spectacular people!
Without further ado, here’s where I’ll be:
Friday, March 23; 5:00 PM; Room 101 – Fandom and Criticism
Can you criticize what you love? Should you? Why is it important?
Friday, March 23; 6:00 PM; Room 201 – Hero, Protagonist
Discussing writing the protagonist hero, or analyzing them.
Saturday, March 24; 9:00 AM; Room TBA – Believable Fight Scenes
This was my favorite panel of last year’s Conbust. Actual reenactment fighters play out writer battle scenes! Of course, now I need to figure out which gods’ awful fight scene of mine needs the most work / will provide the most entertainment to the audience…
Saturday, March 24; 10:00 AM; Room 101 – Suspension of Disbelief
What throws a reader out of a story? How can writers avoid these pitfalls? What’s the term “Flying Snowman” (coined by John Scalzi) and what does it mean to writers and readers?
Saturday, March 24; 11:00 AM; Room 109 – Freelancing: More Ways to Make Money Writing
This panel will discuss the ways people can make a living working with words. No, it’s not easy, but it’s also not impossible. See if this career works for you or if you want to stick to the day job.
Saturday, March 24; 2:00 PM; Room 204 – Everything but the Writing
Note above panel on making money while writing? That’s Making Money Writing 101. This is Making Money Writing 102 and talks about the business decisions you’ll have to make if you decide you want to make money while writing.
Saturday, March 24; 4:00 PM; Room 109 – Children’s Fairy Tales
Fairy tales is my jam. So is writing for kids. This is a thing that far predates my efforts, though, so I love studying and talking about it. Come discover all the nerdy, geeky goodness children’s fairy tales have to offer!
Saturday, March 24; 5:00 PM; Room 109 – Fairies
Rather apropos that this is in the same room immediately following Children’s Fairy Tales. Except the fey are NOT just for children. In fact, they can be kind of predatory on children—or humans in general. And they go waaaay beyond “fairy tales.”
Sunday, March 25; 9:00 AM; Room 106 – Female Protagonists / Female Villains
Because, yes, we still really need to talk about women characters, how they’re included in stories, and how authentic they are.
Sunday, March 25; 1:00 PM; Room 102 – A Monster Manual Beyond Dragons
There’s already a panel about how awesome dragons are, but other fantastical creatures need and deserve our love, too! Find out about other magical beasts and their proper care and feeding.
Sunday, March 25; 2:00 PM; Room 204 – Tarot and Writing
Two great tastes that taste great together! I love giving this workshop at convention. Come learn a little about the Tarot and how you can use it in your life and writing.
There it is! It is SUPER crazy, and I am SUPER excited because it’s my last convention until probably July. I am so excited to return, and SUPER excited to catch up with a lot of amazing people.
Arisia Schedule!
I love doing conventions, and I’m always really thrilled to return to the Arisia family each year!
And look… I am actually remembering to post my schedule so people can find me!
During hours I’m not on panels or giving workshops, there is an excellent chance you will find me at the Broad Universe table in the Dealer’s Room. I have books! It makes me super happy when people buy said books and ask for signatures. <3
So, outside of the Broad Universe table, here’s where you can find me THIS weekend at ARISIA!
Friday, January 12, 8:30 PM, Room 404 – Party Not Found? 2 (Electric Boogaloo)
I’m hosting the Broad Universe party at Arisia, and they put me in Room 404 again—and even a technophobe like me can make bad puns. Do find us and enjoy great food, great stories, and meet some awesome Broads!
Saturday, January 13, 10:00 AM, Adams – Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading
(I’m waking up early after throwing a party for y’all!) Come discover your new favorite writer as members of Broad Universe read short excerpts from their work. Each writer has just a few minutes to show you what she’s capable of! We offer chocolate and the chance to win prizes. Broad Universe is an international organization that supports women writers, editors, and publishers. NOTE: Not all authors may be in attendance for the entire time slot. Other members of Broad Universe not listed may be reading.
Saturday, January 13, 7:00 PM, Douglas – Rewriting Fairy Tales: Updating our Mythologies
(I’m moderating!) With anthologies such as _The Starlit Wood_, along with many authors choosing to rewrite and rework old fairy tales, what is the purpose of rewriting our myths, or writing new ones? What can we learn about ourselves when we bring these old stories into today? What is the purpose of creating new fairy tales?
Sunday, January 14, 11:30 AM, Bulfinch – Writing & Tarot
Last year we filled this up, so this year you gotta pre-sign up at PROGRAM NEXUS. In any case, I love teaching this hands-on workshop that talks about Tarot as both a tool for divination and a tool for your writing.
Sunday, January 14, 4:00 PM, Alcott – Tricks for Self-Editing
I’m thrilled to be giving this workshop again too, and this is another that fills up quickly, so pre-sign up at PROGRAM NEXUS. Why should you sign-up and come to this workshop? I’ve edited over 50 books for multiple publishing houses; I teach writing and editing; and I put a lot of effort into not making people cry. And what I can teach you will make you a better writer because most of writing is editing.
Sunday, January 14, 7:00 PM, Independence – Everything But the Writing
This is Trisha’s killing the workshops year at Arisia! And it’s another one you should pre-sign up for at PROGRAM NEXUS. I’ve been in business as “A Novel Friend” since 2003—and I have the tax forms to prove it. This is a look at the business side of making a career as a writer or editor, whether you want to stick to fiction or branch out into journalism, non-fiction, or “other” realms.
Monday, January 15, 11:30 AM, Marina 1 – Spec Poetry Reading
I also write poetry! And so do a bunch of other awesome folks. Do you? Join us or come listen. If you want to read, come early to sign up for a slot.
Monday, January 15, 1:00 PM, Alcott – How to Train Your Dragon & Other Writing Issues
(Because animal stories! And as an editor, I have been known to leave…detailed…comments on misuse of animals in Track Changes.) Whether you’re writing horses and dragons in a medieval setting, or having your space hero(ine) bond with a psychic cat or flying banshee, incorporating animals into your fiction requires knowledge of how real-life animals act. Our panel of experts will discuss how to write real and unreal animals, what they eat, how often they need to rest, how they act around humans, other animals and machinery; and other interesting tidbits which can bring your sci-fantasy stories to life.
Round Up Time #authorevents #outandabout #blogging #holdontothelight
While October is usually extremely busy for me, being that I tend to write dark fantasy, dark SF, and horror, October 2016 is especially so! I’m back in my blogging saddle, so let me give you a quick round-up of things to expect (some of which do make blogging challenging because I’m not at home much). Here you go:
This week, I had a most wonderful time being on The Taco Society Presents television show! You can see the whole thing here.
I also had a great dinner/marketing/shop-talking evening yesterday with the Massachusetts SciFi & Fantasy Authors.
TOMORROW, October 22: I’ll be at the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival! I’m super excited about that, AND I will have a limited (only 18 copies) run of a glossy softcover edition of “Tea with Mr. Fuzzypants” for sale. They’ll be numbered and with some surprise original drawings inside by me! Besides myself, there are about 35 other amazing horror authors who will be signing, a great set of panels, and all sorts of Halloween surprises, so do come and check it out.
On Monday, October 24, I will have a special blog post as part of the #HoldOntoTheLight movement, where over 100 authors of science fiction, fantasy, and horror talk about their experiences with bullying, mental illness, and more. Find out more about this important movement on their website, and check out my Monday blog for my experience.
About the campaign:
#HoldOnToTheLight is a blog campaign encompassing blog posts by fantasy and science fiction authors around the world in an effort to raise awareness around treatment for depression, suicide prevention, domestic violence intervention, PTSD initiatives, bullying prevention and other mental health-related issues. We believe fandom should be supportive, welcoming and inclusive, in the long tradition of fandom taking care of its own. We encourage readers and fans to seek the help they or their loved ones need without shame or embarrassment.
Please consider donating to or volunteering for organizations dedicated to treatment and prevention such as: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Hope for the Warriors (PTSD), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Canadian Mental Health Association, MIND (UK), SANE (UK), BeyondBlue (Australia), To Write Love On Her Arms and the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.
On Wednesday October 26, I’ll work out another #WriterlyWednesday post about…National Novel Writing Month and be at The Children’s Friend with the Worcester Writers Collaborative, getting in some fiction or poetry words before the big push of NaNoWriMo.
On Thursday, October 27, I’ll be running my Group Tarot Workshop at Generations in Oxford, MA. If you are interested in learning Tarot for divination or writing or your own personal interest, come join us! I’ll be looking at the “scariest” cards in the deck, and sharing a little surprise.
Then on Saturday and Sunday, October 29-30, I’ll be in the Salem Open Market festival with the New England Horror Writers, where we’ll be having a launch party for our latest anthology, Wicked Witches!
And then, Monday, October 31, it’s Halloween, and I plan on snuggling up to the hubby and watching scary movies and getting cheap take-out. Because that’s how you romance this girl, right here. <3 (Also, due to our location, we don’t actually get trick-or-treaters… which is sad.)
What are you folks up to? Hopefully the rest of your Halloween Month is as full of treats as mine has been so far!
Back in the Saddle #WriterlyWednesday #BabySteps
I’m Blogging Again…
I’ve written and re-written my “Hey, look, my blog is alive again” post so many times it’s sickening. I’ve revised some of my published short stories fewer times.
Why is this post so hard? It’s not more personal than what I pour into my fiction nor what I give to the authors I edit.
If I’m to guess, it’s because I’m afraid I won’t keep up a schedule, that I’ll fail. I’ve dropped blogging so many times – though I do enjoy it – to make time for paying projects and such. And when you drop or fail something…and take a long time to get back into it, it’s So. Much. Harder.
That’s why, in horseback riding, when you fall off, you should always get back on right away. The longer you wait when it’s been a failure, a hurt, a fall, the more difficult it is to get back into the saddle.
Well, this is hardly the first, nor will it be the last blog post where I intersperse some riding wisdom with writing wisdom.
Here’s another piece, just for today:
Even a short ride or short interaction is worth it.
In writing, once you’ve been away from a project, you lose passion. It’s easy to forget it and keep putting it off. Same lesson…
Sometimes just making yourself write one sentence, edit one paragraph, re-read one page is a good start. Just keep at it.
I had one author friend who could only squeeze in one sentence a day. That’s all. Then she finished the story.
If you want to write, if you want to market, if you want to accomplish anything… baby steps are okay. Just keep making them.
My awesome/torturous/awesome-because-she-is-torturous riding instructor once had me dedicate an entire class to mounting/dismounting. Calico and I were having issues…and that was the baby step we needed.
So, here is my short #WriterlyWednesday blog post. To get me back in the saddle.
It’s okay to take baby steps; it’s okay to only write a little.
Just keep going.
Happy 2013!
New year, new goals, positive accomplishments… new try at blogging. 🙂
Most everyone in the world is talking about (or has already talked about) their New Year’s Resolutions/Goals, etc. Not to hop on the bandwagon, but it’s a fun and inspiring topic… so I’m playing with it, too.
I’ve already hit a couple of short-term goals this year already:
- Submitted a novella for publishing
- Gotten my email inbox to a manageable level (from over 1000 to under 140)
- Handwritten my publishing deadlines for 2013 for Spencer Hill Press
- Handwritten a Personal Goals sheet
- Printed out my detailed deadline for January Spencer Hill Press projects
- Accomplished editing deadlines thus far
And we’re just a week into the new year!
When I was going through my deadlines and goals, I went back through my prior years’ blog posts so I could get an idea of what I’d accomplished and what I could accomplish. I’d forgotten that I never actually got around to publishing my goals on my blog last year… so I had to go back to my January 2011 posts to get an idea of what I’d been doing.
With the path my life has taken since 2011, most of those benchmarks and steps simply are… no longer useful.
When I sat down to make my plan for this year, I needed a whole new template!
And that’s ok. I’m very happy with where my life is going.
Let’s have my accomplishments for 2012 explain why:
Became a Senior Editor at Spencer Hill Press.
I’ve been blessed in the past decade or so to have jobs and bosses who I have loved. And every move I’ve made has been an improvement… yet I can’t imagine a more healthy and supportive job than working at SHP.
At Spencer Hill Press, I’ve had the pleasure of working on many awesome books – which I will detail as they start coming out. 🙂
Published Short Stories
“Photo of a Mermaid” came out in UnCONventional by Spencer Hill Press
“Fixed” came out in Corrupts Absolutely? from Damnation Books
Sold Fiction
THE KELPIE – my first novel! – comes out this December from Spencer Hill Press
“Finding Fire” comes out in May in the Holiday Magick anthology, Spencer Hill Press
“Steadfast in the Face of Zombies” to Once Upon an Apocalypse Volume 1 – more on that when I get the info. 🙂
Lost Ten Pounds
After three years of gain or plateau – that’s still an accomplishment.
Rode in my First Competitive Horse Show – and GOT RIBBONS!
Mind you, it’s been well over a decade since I practiced any sport competitively. This was HUGE. 🙂
… And there were a lot more life changes.
I traveled to four different countries I’d never been before. And, between those travels, I was without my husband who I’ve not lived without for over a decade. In fact, I only lived on my own for three months out of college before we got married… so it was definitely… an experience. I also got really into my job at Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester, helping with event coordination.
I left my last W2 job in May… because things with fiction and freelancing were picking up as well as they were.
And I still held my position as president for Broad Universe – though, honestly, between my Veep, Kimberly Long-Ewing and the rest of the Motherboard, it was a massive team effort for which I’m deeply grateful.
So, that’s 2012 for you. Massive. Change.
From there, I move forward. With a lot of hope and energy for this year. 🙂
Thank you, Universe!
Oh? What are my actual goals for this year? 😉 Well… that’s another blog post. 😉
Happy New Year!
Corrupts Absolutely?
I’m in another anthology coming out this March!
The call came through last year, and I’d been moved to write the story for some time. I kept re-emailing myself the call for submissions because I was so intrigued with the idea:
A superhero anthology playing with the extent of how much power would corrupt your average, real person.
I didn’t get a full idea until the editor added an extra wish list:
Female writers and protagonists
Non-meta* individuals who are just super smart or technologically enhanced
Teams or siblings
And a few other things, but those three clicked a switch in my brain, and Victoria jumped into my head and started complaining about her boss at this engineering firm who treated her like crap and had grand delusions of being the next Tony Stark. Ok… maybe the boss wasn’t that delusional, he really was building a massive weapon war suit thing.
Thing is, while her a-hole boss may not have any superpowers, Victoria does: She can make technology bend to her will.
To find out what happens, you absolutely need to order this book!
If not for me, there are some other great writers – including at least two other fabulous Broads that I know.
I also have to say, that I’m liking the editor’s marketing plans for this anthology. He’s already working on promotional blog posts, we’ve got the cover (see the pretty picture), and we’ve gotten a lot of other emails with ways that we, the contributors, can help.
As I’ve progressed in my writing, I’m learning how much I love anthologies. Not many pay well, but I do love having physical books – and the themes totally get my creative juices flowing.
Besides Corrupts Absolutely? I’m working on two other stories for two other anthologies. I’m not accepted in either yet, but I’m writing!
On top of that, Christy and I have reunited yet again. 😀 Yaayy!! For those of you who are Shadow Guard Fans, keep an eye out for some Super Special Updates!!!!
Happy Writing!
*meta – a common word for “mutant” or someone with special powers.