When did life get so busy with Facebook, Twitter, and all manner of other distractions so compelling that my LJ sits idle for months?
I'm still working full time, blogging on my website, using Wordpress to tweet my blogs, writing fiction, attending and helping to facilitate writing retreats and illustrator intensives, working on fashion shows, presenting at Comicons, taking on consulting clients, fulfilling my GPA National board secretary requirements, churning out items for my new Steampunk clothing line for Evermore Nevermore, editing stories for the recently released Haven I book, promoting and doing book signings for my new book, In Case You Didn't Hear Me the First Time, and getting ready for the launch of my YA Fantasy novel this fall . . .
Adieu, 2010. You have been a blessing, a trial, amazing, annoying, inspiring, frustrating, glorious, painful, joyous, and many other things.
What you have not been is boring, nor have you ultimately let me down.
Family and friends are healthy and we are still here, gainfully employed and living in a sturdy home.
You also gave me the most incredible birthday present ever. A once in a lifetime (actually once in 450 years) full lunar eclipse on the winter Solstice. What more could a Solstice baby ask for?
I am surrounded by family members who love me, friends that are true gifts and a husband of the ultimate order.
I continue to write and create and to find success in those endeavors. And no matter how small those successes may appear to some, I count every single one as a win. Each is an invaluable bit of kindling that keeps my creative fire lit and my motivation strong.
2011, you have some mighty big shoes to fill, but I know you won't let me down.
May we all have the most successful year ever, in whatever way we measure our own success.
I am again participating in Novel in 90. I'm managing to make the 750 word count about 5 days a week. With work and all the home maintenance, I'll take what I can get.
“The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean." Robert Louis Stevenson
I often drive my step-daughters crazy by making them stop talking for long enough to think about what they are trying to say and then state it clearly using specific language. But I firmly believe that people often speak in vagaries, not because they don't know what they are talking about, but because they don't know how to express their thoughts clearly.
Writing can be like that. What does it look like to amble, stroll, or sidle up to someone? Can the hero really wrap her arms around the hero while still holding onto that bloody sword? Can a short cowboy step smoothly into the saddle? How long can an able-bodied person hang on for dear life?
I sometimes find myself in front of the bathroom mirror, making faces to see what they look like. What does a smirk really look like, and is it better to call it a smirk, or describe it? Of course, that all depends on the POV and the workings of your POV character's mind and inner thinking. But sometimes it helps to experience, to see or feel, what you want to write.
Although, I don't recommend hanging off the edge of a cliff by you finger tips, I do often find that getting up out of the chair and moving through the motions I want my characters to make is very helpful in pulling together the language I need to convey those movements onto the page.
Best part of the 11th Annual AAGP Conference--Reconnecting with friends Most fun at the conference--Mingling with the multiple Board members in the Presidential suite Favorite workshop session--Priceless: Increasing Your Value to Your Employer Yummiest meal--Braised Lamb shank at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Biggest Austin letdown--Threadgill's Best Austin experience--The Bats, The Bats, The Bats
Thanks to my good friend Anne, I found the trailer for the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland movie. Looks to me like he played some American McGee's Alice before pulling this one together. Can't wait!!!!
Highlights from SCBWI-LA include but are not limited to: hanging out with our wonderful AZ RA, Michelle and the rest of the AZ crew, connecting with the heart inside Richard Peck's amazing speech, the fun of seeing Holly Black do math, the timeliness of Esther Hershenhorn's coaching tips, seeing SCBWI friends like KJ and Jo, making new SCBWI friends like Rachel and Debbie, and re-connecting with the SCBWI community.
In some ways it was a challenge, mainly the travel and being away from home again so soon, as I had spent 20 out of 28 days traveling and staying in hotels.
But the value is always there for me, and I always return with a fresh desire to continue writing and working toward publication.
Many say that you should write just because you love it, that publication is not the be-all, end-all, and in many ways I agree. But I also believe that there is no sense in having a transmitter without a receiver. I write to transmit my ideas, to share them with others who will connect, to tell my stories in the hope that someone, somewhere will find meaning and value in them, a place to escape, encouragement to dream, something to relate to.
I send my characters out in the hope that that others will get to know them and learn to love and/or hate them, see them as real as I do, and hopefully become friends with them.
Stories touch the inner core of who we are. Books can help us see the world in a new way, help us to understand ourselves and others, give us hope that we can rise above the daily struggles and personal and social limitations.
Leaving today for the annual SCBWI Summer Conference in LA. Woohoo!
Part of me is not looking forward to the traveling part, since in the past month I spent 2 weeks in Washington, DC and most of a week in Tucson. I just got home last Thursday and here I am off again.
But the SCBWI conference will be so worth it!
I am looking forward to seeing all my LJ-SCBWI friends.
So, a good friend of mine hooked up my step-daughter, Aura (who is interested in forensic photography), and me to tour the Phoenix Crime Lab.
And, to quote Aura, "That was way better than the TV shows."
We weren't able to go into the actual labs, as that could potentially compromise evidence. However, we got to see plenty through the windows and our host was exceptionally kind and extremely knowledgeable.
We had originally planned to go see the lab last week, but our host couldn't accommodate, because he had to attend an advanced Blood Spatter training. How cool is that?
Sorry. I can't help it. That stuff just fascinates me!
(Because of my field service work with Baxter (many years ago), I recognized a lot of the equipment, and the whole place made me sort of miss being around labs. Although, I certainly don't miss the on-call hours and travel.)
Here is a link the Crime Lab photo section of the Phoenix Police Department website:
It is with great sadness that I sit here and type this. While some people are not reptile fans, I became one 30 years ago, when I was introduced to my first Rainbow Boa. He was the size of a pencil and fit my wrist like a bracelet. I named him Quetzalcoatl after the feathered serpent god of the ancient Mayans, because he iridesced in the sunlight, reflecting rainbow colors of blue and green and purple.
He was always calm and gentle, even winning over the hearts and minds of persons who had previously feared snakes. And he knew me. When I would hand him to someone to hold, he would invariably stretch out across the gap between us and try to come back to me.
When he was bracelet size, we went everywhere together. When he grew to be larger, long enough to wrap around me like a belt, we still traveled extensively, only I put him inside my shirt where, wrapped around my waist with just his head poking out between the buttons, he could watch where we were going without frightening strangers.
One day, when he had grown even larger, he decided he wanted to learn to drive and crawled out of my shirt and onto the steering wheel of my car. Unfortunately, that put an end to our regular forays out into the world. After that, we only went out in the yard for crawls, and sometimes a bit of tree climbing. We also did a bit of Belly Dancing together; he seemed to genuinely enjoy performing.
Over the ensuing years, we grew apart a bit, but we never stopped caring for one another. I know there are many people who may read this and think, “Good grief. It was only a snake!” And it is true that he was never much for snuggling, and I know he had a brain the size of a pea, but after 30 years spent together, I am truly going to miss him.
One thing I can be certain of, he had a good life. The average lifespan of his breed is around 15-20 years. His ripe old age of 30 made him the equivalent of about a 110-115 year-old man. Not a bad run, although I suppose crawl is more apt.
I think of him now, *sunning himself beside the Rainbow bridge, or flying, like his namesake. And I am glad to have had him in my life.
*This image of him by the bridge was given to me by a dear, dear friend, Anne, in her note of comfort and it is so apt, I can't see him any other way now.
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