New Venture

I admit, since becoming a full-time writer for hire I have been keeping a lot of secrets. Occupational hazard, I guess, but never worry -- I'm doing quite well as a ghost writer. In addition to being employed full-time since October, I have been building a list of terrific clients, and recently landed a series project that will keep me a very happy scribe for the next couple of months. I've also been working on a franchise project that I think is going to change things for the better around here.

Yes, change is inevitable, but this one is almost imperative. PBW has always been about the fun of writing, and I think we need more of that. The problem is that writers are always so isolated and serious and forever wrestling our demons and whatnot that we forget to set aside some happy us-time. It's depressing. We need to get out and hang together and forget about all that editing and characterization stuff. I mean really, who needs to spend five hours deciding to go with Courier New or Times New Roman, or if Jessica should have violet-rimmed emerald green eyes, or soulful chocolate brown with just a hint of amber-tangerine sparkle?

To bring more writers together and promote the good times we should be having I am opening a chain of publishing study centers where we can commune over the really important stuff. I'm also revamping the blog to promote my new venture. Here's a sneak peek at the new banner:



Yes, from this day on PBW will stand for what writers really need: Pizza, Beer, and Wings. Because this is the ultimate triumvirate; the cure for every single one of our writing problems. Can't figure out if you're writing an urban or epic fantasy? Come down and have a large pepperoni with extra cheese. A pitcher of our fabulous house ale can cure any rejection woes and could help you compose an interesting thanks-for-bouncing-me-bitch reply. And for that writer friend of yours who just got the six figure contract for their debut novel we recommend a double order of our new ghost pepper extra-hellish wings (which can also be shipped to the ingrate in one of our Punishment/Preparation congrats basket.)

I know, you're all saying "Why didn't I think of this?"



Everyone excited? So am I. But you do know what day it is, right?

Image Credits: The real Pizza Beer & Wings

PBW's Book of the Month

I skipped doing a book of the month post in February because I had time to read only a couple of books and my favorite was actually a cook book (plus I was feeling too blue about Leonard Nimoy passing to work up the proper amount of enthusiasm.) I did make more of an effort to read in March, and my pick for the book of the month is Prudence ~ The Custard Protocol: Book One by Gail Carriger.

You don't have to have read Gail Carriger's The Parasol Protectorate series to follow this story, although if you have then you're in for a treat. Prudence is the first novel of TPP's next generation in this delightful Victorian steampunk alternate universe. The protagonist is none other that Lady Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama, the daughter of TPP's Alexia Tarabotti, whom we last saw as Alexia's mischievious abilities-stealing infant. She's also the adopted daughter of Lord Akeldama, London's ever-dazzling, always-fashionably brilliant vampire.

Prudence -- now known as Rue -- is all grown up, and about to set off on her first adventure with her best friend Primrose, Prim's bookish brother Percy, and the utterly too rakish French engineer Quesnel Lefoux, all on board a fantastic dirigible run by the most charming (if not perfect) crew ever to take the skies. How to describe Prudence as a story . . . you're in for a romp that twists and turns like The Spotted Custard (the name of Rue's airship, which resembles an enormous ladybug) as it floats off to India in search of adventure, tea, intrigue -- and finds all that and quite a bit more.

I picked this book because it made me continually laugh out loud while keeping me on the edge of my seat, especially in the second half of the novel when things go from very interesting to Holy Cow, how is Rue getting out of this mess? As fond as I am of all the characters from TPP, and loved seeing some of them show up in the story, I really enjoyed the quartet of Rue, Prim, Percy and Quesnel. As a team they're definitely original and endlessly entertaining, and I can't wait to follow their adventures in the next book.

Repurposeful

I'm always looking for ways to reuse things. For example, I like to recycle old dryer sheets in a couple of ways (wrapping for fragile Christmas ornaments, stacked as batting for mug mats, stitched into a pocket and filled with dried lavender or rose petals as a quickie mini-sachet, etc.) so I don't throw them away after I use them.

My guy hates this. This is primarily because sometimes the used sheets fall onto the tile floor in the laundry room and act like banana peels underfoot, but also because there is no really tidy way to store a lot of crumpled up sheets. I was sticking them in plastic bag hanging by the dryer first, but evidently this was too technical for anyone else to remember to do. My guy wanted me to stop saving them; I was just as determined to keep doing it. Then one day I had an empty tissue box I wanted to reuse in some way and the lightbulb went off.

Now when I take a used sheet out of the dryer I pop it in the empty tissue box I leave on top of the dryer. When the box is full I put it in my recycling cabinet, take out another empty tissue box and start over. I get to save the sheets, everyone remembers to use the box, storing them takes up less space and best of all my guy is happy now.

Sometimes when you're writing you come up with a character, scene or plot element that seems so great but ultimately doesn't work for the editor (or the story and you) and bites the dust during the editing process. I have never liked throwing away these dust biters; often they are the victims of space constraints, differing opinions or other edits that render them unnecessary. Sometimes you can rework them back into the story -- Chapter 24 of my Disenchanted & Co., for example, was originally the novel's prologue -- but most often they need to be deleted entirely.

You don't have to erase them permanently, however, if you set up a Repurposing file for your story discards. This can be an electronic or paper file folder where you stick the stuff you have to toss. I set up a file for every book I write as [Story Title] Cut Notes to which I save anything significant that is removed from the manuscript, and keep them all under one folder which I often raid when I need ideas or want to repurpose something into another story.

Draftback

Draftback is a Chrome extension that allows you to see what edits and revisions you've made while working in Google Docs. I found it via author Jeff Somer's hilarious post about it here (and personally I agree with everything he said about the idea of recording yourself editing a doc for vanity purposes.)

The reason I'm still posting about it is for the benefit of collaborating writers who work online together. Using this could save tons of time for writing partners who can use it to see what changes have been made by the other partner versus telling them via lengthy e-mails, writing up change notes, etc. I think this might also prove helpful to indie writers who want to work online with their editors. This could also be a pretty decent teaching tool for editing, particularly with students who can follow along and see how the process works.

Sub Op

UFO Publishing has an open call for their upcoming dark humor SF/F antho Unidentified Funny Objects 4: "We’re looking for speculative stories with a strong humor element. Think Resnick and Sheckley, Fredric Brown and Douglas Adams. We welcome quality flash fiction and non-traditional narratives. Take chances, try something new, just make sure that your story is funny. Puns and stories that are little more than vehicles for delivering a punch line at the end aren’t likely to win us over. Unlike the previous volumes, UFO4 will feature the theme of “Humor with a touch of darkness.” This time around we’re seeking stories that are darkly funny rather than light and fluffy. Sarcasm, black humor, biting satire are all welcome, but I’d like to steer clear of outright horror, even if it has a few humorous lines thrown in. Funny first, dark second. We’re open to a relatively wide interpretation of dark humor, but each story must combine elements of humor with touches of darkness." Length: .5-5K; Payment: "$0.07 per word + contributor copy. Payment will be made upon acceptance. Our preferred method of payment is via PayPal, but you may request a check." Electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Reading period opens April 1st, 2015; Deadline April 30th, 2015.

Handmade

If there is one art I will forever envy, it's the ancient craft of pottery. Here's a short film on the process featuring Swedish artist Karin Eriksson in her studio (with background music, for those of you at work):

Manos, Pottery Studio from Homegrown Swedes on Vimeo.

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: More on Club Denizen, with new material beginning on page 47. Also, I'm sorry I wasn't able to get this posted before midnight this week; bad weather here conspired against me.

For more details on Just Write Thursdays, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: windujedi

Collab Free

MoonEdit freeware enables "Cooperative multi-user text editing over the internet: Every co-author can edit the shared document at any time, from any place, and at the same time! There's no need to send files via FTP or to compare documents when multiple users need to make changes to it independently. Multiple text cursors visible on the screen: Every user has their own color. Every cursor movement and text changes are simultaneously visible on the screen by all users. Remote text editing without latency: "ME" uses local prediction code - the same technology used in modern video games! You can use a dedicated standalone server to share a whole directory of text files. Remote users can then edit these files using the "me" client - at the same time. This functionality can be useful for creating websites directly on the www server - which is more efficient than editing files privately and then uploading them via FTP. You could even use "ME" to run a real-time text forum :) Users can view the history of changes from a multi-user edit session. This is especially useful if you want to check out what other users have changed since you were away. Keyboard typing sound simulation: With this, you don't need to move your eyes to know when someone else is making changes to the document. Built-in calculator and music sequencer: To solve complex mathematical expression, just type it as normal text and press Ctrl+Enter. You can also enjoy most unique ME feature: collaborative multi-track music edit. Enter music score using simple text format, and play it using your own or built-in samples" (OS: Windows 98/XP/2000; Linux [i686]; FreeBSD 4.10 [i686])

Sub Op

Cohesion Press has an open call for their upcoming military-themed paranormal antho: "For this anthology, we want hunters of the supernatural. Sam and Dean… Grimm… Van Helsing… with soldiers, hunting along the edges of reality, watching their backs while others watch them from the shadows. Take us along for the ride while your soldiers or hunters take the fight to their enemies. Both hunter or hunted may die, but above all, show us the hunt. We still want ORIGINAL military-style combat from any period, don’t get me wrong, but we also want fear… we want suspense and tension… we want originality in the monster/antagonist. Most of all we want action, action, ACTION! We want something jaw-droppingly amazing. If there are no soldiers in the tale, make the hunters and the action military in nature." Length: 2-10K; Payment: according to Ralan: "AU3¢/word + print & e-copy." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Submissions open May 1st, 2015 (do not send in anything before this date); Deadline: August 1st, 2015.

CPSpring

The March/April 2015 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors was so chock full of excellent new ideas for journaling and book making that I've already picked three to try out:

Modern cartes de visite by Gabriela Domville Dondisch: Back in the nineteenth century, people would mount small photos of themselves on cards and use them to share with friends and family or even use them as the next generation of calling cards. Gabriela's short article covers how to simply make some modern versions, which would be a very cool promo item for authors to hand out with their backlist, contact info, appearance schedule, etc. (theme your cards with your genre, and steampunk writers, this project was practically made for you guys.)

My Story to Tell by Kristen Robinson: if you've ever wanted to try to make a mixed-media book or journal, this is the project for you. The artist uses a lot of recycled materials and offers a very simple two-hole binding technique that anyone can manage.

Dip It! by Ann St. Martin Stout: You know those little sample jars of latex paint at the home improvement stores that always tempt you? Okay, maybe it's just me. Anyway, in this article Ann tells you how to use that paint to decorate the spine plus bind a small book, and uses this really cool marbling technique that is also practically a no-brainer.

At the end of the issue there are also five reader challenge winning projects that show you what you might sculpt out of old unwanted books, plus lots of other articles with fun ideas for your art. Definitely recommend checking out this issue.

Time Tracker

The free standard version of ManicTime "automatically collects data on your computer usage. It records active and away time, as well as which applications you used and for how long you used them. The data ManicTime collects is stored in a local database on your computer. Once data is collected you can use our simple click and drag feature to accurately tag how you spent your time. Time tagging allows you to see how you spent your time based on your own time tags and gives you accurate information on how efficient you really are. Because there is so much data available about your computer usage, you are able to tag spent time for days in the past. Based on this data you are able to generate various statistics. You can easily find out how much time you spend behind a computer or how much time you spend browsing the web." (OS: Windows XP/2003/Vista/7/8)

Sub Ops

Third Flatiron Publishing has open calls for several upcoming anthos: "We are looking for submissions to our quarterly themed online anthologies. Our focus is on science fiction and fantasy and anthropological fiction. We want tightly plotted tales in out-of-the-ordinary scenarios. Please send us short stories that revolve around age-old questions and have something illuminating to tell us as human beings. Fantastical situations and creatures, exciting dialog, irony, mild horror, and wry humor are all welcome. Stories should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Inquire if longer."

On payment: "Your story must be original work, with the digital rights unencumbered. Accepted stories will be paid at the flat rate of 3 cents per word (U.S.), in return for the first publication rights to the story for six months after publication. All other rights will remain with the author. We no longer offer royalties. If your story is selected as the lead story, beginning July 1, 2014, we will pay a flat rate of 6 cents per word (SFWA professional rate), in return for the permission to podcast or give the story away as a free sample portion of the anthology. We also pay SFWA members 6 cents per word. You do not need to be a SFWA member to submit work."

No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Themes and submission periods for their upcoming anthos:

"Only Disconnect - Presentism as a theme: the pitfalls of distraction, overstimulation, attention thieves. Too much to do, too little time, headlong into the singularity. Advantages of being bored or being "in the present." Connecting with the Earth rather than Bluetooth (gardeners, here's your chance). Are we becoming ADD? Should we disconnect--or connect even further?" Deadline March 31st, 2015.

"Ain't Superstitious - Theme involving superstition, e.g., luck, prophecy, magic, rational and irrational thinking, Spinoza, dark times, black cats, Orpheus, the Flying Dutchman, Sleepy Hollow, Tam O'Shanter, astrology, witchcraft, etc." Submissions open May 1st, 2015; Deadline June 30th, 2015.

"It's Come to Our Attention or Scratching the Surface - Under the radar: things that are happening quietly, without a lot of fanfare, that may still be extremely significant or make a big difference." Submissions open August 1st, 2015; Deadline September 30th, 2015.

Next Gen

On the personal front, I had my six-month eye checkup this week and I have great news: I'm healed completely and seeing (almost) perfectly. The minor difficulties I've been having with reading and threading needles and doing other close-up work is due to my prescription changing -- also because of the healing process -- so in a week I'll have new glasses that should help.

Onto this week's short video: One thing I love about quilting is how it evolves with each new generation. Here's a short film about one young quiltmaker who has taken a very modern approach to quilting while still preserving the tradition of hand quilting (with music and narration by the artist, for those of you at work):

Modern Quilts By Lindsay Stead from House & Home on Vimeo.

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My Link: More on Club Denizen, with new material beginning on page 44.

For more details on Just Write Thursdays, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: windujedi

Win an Inn

Generally I don't post any essay contests that include fees, but this one offers an opportunity of a lifetime: to own your own historic county inn and restaurant in Maine. Here are some of the details from Janice Sage, the owner (who also won the inn from the owners previous to her via an essay contest):

"Have you ever dreamed of owning a Country Inn and restaurant in New England? Well, here is your chance! Located in southwestern Maine overlooking the White Mountains is The Center Lovell Inn and Restaurant. In 1993, the former owner ran an essay contest and I was the winner. After 22 successful years, it is time for me to retire. Now, I would like to fulfill someone else’s dream.

The Inn was built in 1805, the barn on 1795 and the adjacent guest house in 1985. There are 7 guest units, two dining rooms, and a screened-in wrap-around porch overlooking the mountains, all on 12+- acres.

This area attracts guests from around the world for biking, hiking, skiing and all kinds of boating on beautiful Kezar Lake (across the street) and the many other lakes in this “Lake District” of Maine. Visit www.centerlovellinn.com for more details on the Inn and area."

To win you have to write a 200 word essay on why you would like to own and operate a country inn, and send that in along with a $125.00 entry fee. There are also some requirements the winner has to fulfill (like running the place as an inn for a year after winning.) To find out more, visit the official contest site here. Deadline: "Entries must be postmarked on or before May 7, 2015 and must arrive at the Center Lovell Post Office by May 17, 2015."

Aloha

Which state in the U.S. is the perfect place for you to live? Take this online quiz to find out.

My results:



Not much of a shocker there. So where should you be living? Let us know in comments.

(Quiz link nicked from Gerard over at The Presurfer)

Digital Art Freeware

I found this freeware while looking around for a freebie alternative to Adobe Photoshop for a friend. The gallery of user art is pretty impressive, too:

KRITA is a "KDE program for sketching and painting, offering an end–to–end solution for creating digital painting files from scratch by masters. Fields of painting that Krita explicitly supports are concept art, creation of comics and textures for rendering. Modelled on existing real-world painting materials and workflows, Krita supports creative working by getting out of the way and with a snappy response. Note that when we say "Krita is a KDE program", that doesn´t mean you need to run the Plasma Desktop to run Krita. It means that Krita as a project is proud to be part of the wonderful KDE community and uses the great framework technology that the KDE community develops. You can run Krita on Windows, Gnome, XFCE, and if you spend some effort even on OSX. There are three versions of Krita: Krita Sketch, for touch devices, Krita Desktop desktop systems and finally Krita Studio, which is like Krita Desktop but supported by KO GmbH. You can find info and the download links for the other Krita programs as well as various Linux ditros on the developer´s download page. A 64-Bit version is also available." (OS: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux)

Match Game

Let's play a game. You know the old saying that you are what you eat? Try to match the writer with their snack of choice:

The Snacks:

1. Coconut Chips

2. Milk

3. Unpeeled carrots

4. Ham and cheese sandwich

5. Beans and hominy

6. Vinegar

7. Oysters

8. Coffee with raw eggs

9. Heavy cream

10. Homemade Bread

The Writers:

A. Emily Dickinson

B. Walt Whitman

C. PBW

D. Franz Kafka

E. John Steinbeck

F. Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket)

G. Michael Crichton

H. Agatha Christie

I. Lord Byron

J. Victor Hugo

No Googling! List your guesses in comments, where I'll post up the correct answers at the end of the day.

Sub Op

Plaidswede Publishing has an open call for a New Hampshire-themed fantasy antho: "Come all ye tale-tellers, yarn-spinners and bards! The sixth volume of the New Hampshire Pulp Fiction series is now open for submissions—and your submission needs to be fantastic: literally! Volume VI, tentatively titled “Live Free or Dragons,” is seeking New Hampshire-based fantasy fiction. Elves at the town meeting, unicorns in the White Mountains, or supernatural lumberjacks in the north country. If you’ve known the magic of a bright autumn day, hoped to meet a faerie on the streets of Nashua, or felt that something wondrous might lurk in the chill of a boulder cave, this anthology is for you. Your story can be contemporary, historical or other-worldly—as long as it features a strong New Hampshire connection." More on the theme: "New Hampshire must be integral to the story but how you use it is up to you!" Length: "Submissions should be 1,000 to 8,000 words long." Payment: " Payment will be $50 on publication and two copies of the book." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline" May 1st, 2015.

Color Me Evil

This delightful animated short film demonstrates the evil that is pink (with music and narration, for those of you at work):

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: More on Club Denizen, with new material beginning on page 40.

For more details on Just Write Thursdays, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: windujedi

In Internet Years

Can someone tell how old you are by how you use the internet? Take this online quiz to make BuzzFeed guess.

My results:



Twelve years off, I'm afraid (you did not realize I was all of 29, yes? Ha.) So how old are you as an internet user? Let us know in comments.

(Quiz link swiped from Gerard at The Presurfer.)

WFH No-Nos

Ten Things You Should Probably Avoid Putting in Your Ad for a Ghost Writer
(all quotations found in actual Craigslist writing job ads)

"I will pay you in money and other valuable considerations."

Just to be upfront about it, I'm not taking any more chickens in trade.

"Most writers can average $30-45 per hour."

What if I'm above average? Will you pay me $100?

"This is a pay per job position and you can do it from home or you can come sit on my coiuch with your laptop, doesn't matter to me, as long as the work gets done and done right."

Right as in . . . spelling the word couch, for example?

"You really have to get it done pretty quickly, because otherwise it's too expensive."

You really have to wait until you can actually afford to hire me.

"Have a passion for booze in all forms?"

No, but I think I'm developing a migraine. Got an aspirin?

"If you are interested and you think you can write good enough books to hang with the big boys you can email me or text me."

Good enough books, okay. Um, give me a minute to stop laughing and then I'll text. I promise, big boy.

"The more views your articles get, the more you get paid."

Let me reinterpret this one: The more views your articles get, the more we get paid -- not that we'll ever tell you how much that is, btw. You, we might toss a couple extra pennies. Maybe. If we're feeling generous that day.

"While the pay for each task may vary, the goal is to pay approximately $12 per hour for work completed."

And if you don't, can I have David Beckham kick a soccer ball into your groin?

"We're looking for ambassadors . . . "

Try the U.N., pal.

"Please do not send a resume, I would rather see an image of you."

Make that two aspirin.

So Noted

Here's a contradiction: I rarely write in books, but I love to find writing in books. I think the former is because I read mostly library books when I was a kid, and I didn't want to get in trouble with the library ladies. The latter is like spying a bit on the book's former owner and finding out something about them.

Sometimes I find notes in books that really intrigue me, such as those I discovered when I purchased a 1958 edition of Edmund Spenser's poetry. Inside the front cover some reader before me wrote this:



The notations on the inside of the cover are lists of the seven deadly sins and the seven cardinal virtues, along with the phrase "Fatal to spiritual progress" next to the sins list. In case you're wondering, I pulled this book to get the list of the seven deadly sins for a scene in Club Denizen.

On the opposite/title page are some fainter, different notes in pencil (some of which I've typed out beneath them):



I didn't recognize any of the words except the Pershing, which I thought used to be an old gangster hotel in Chicago back during the Capone/Prohibition era. I never bothered pursuing the meaning of the words, but after author Kris Reisz made a very interesting discovery about one of his old books I decided to research the notation and see what I could find out. Which lead me to this recording over on YouTube and this article over at The Wall Street Journal.

I didn't recognize the notation because I'm definitely no music expert; the jazz in my own collection is primarily limited to sax wizards like John Coltrane and Charlie Parker. Still, it was very cool to discover Ahmad Jamal, listen to his music, and find out how he and his trio changed so much with their live album.

Have you ever tracked down something you found written in a book? Let us know in comments.

County Quilt Show

Here's a slideshow of all the amazing quilts we saw at the county show this year:

Off to See My Other People

I'm unplugging today to go hang with my quilter pals. So that your stop here was not a complete waste, here's an open call for a LGBTQ+ spectrum themed e-zine startup I spotted over in the Paying Markets forum at AbsoluteWrite.com:

"McKay & Gray is looking for submissions for our monthly zine, “The Running Bunny”. We’re looking for comic writers and artists, spot illustrations, and previously unpublished short stories and comics. Our zine “The Running Bunny” is focused on queer content. All stories must contain at least one character on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. We’re looking for strong characters going through all sorts of struggles, from fighting dragons to finishing their math homework. Characters should be more than just their queer identities. All genres are welcome to apply. Do not submit if you are under 18 years old. This is paid work, however our rates are currently: $10 per spot illustration; $15 per comic page; $30 per short story. We hope our rates will raise as our readership grows. We want to pay you decently, we promise! Everything is out of our own pocket for now. Intellectual properties remain the creator’s. Digital rights are exclusive to McKay & Gray for one year then revert back to the creator. Digital copies will remain in the zine’s archive however."

On short story submissions: "We’re looking for short stories between 500-7,000 words. All genres are welcome, as long as one character identifies on the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

On one shot comic submissions: "We’re looking for 1-5 page comics. All genres are welcome, as long as one character identifies on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Specifications: 2000x3000 pixels; 300+ dpi; B/W or Colour accepted.

On comic series submissions: Comic artists without a writer, send your portfolio with subject line COMIC SERIES ARTIST SUBMISSION. Writers / Artist teams, send your portfolio with a pitch. We prefer to work with people who have done one-shots in the past. Comic writers are welcome to send a pitch. Please have a completed script prepared before submitting without an artist.

For more information hop (or run) over to MacKay & Gray's Tumblr blog and read the submission guidelines here.

Uh-oh

To revise or not to revise, to serve the story or the powers that be, to write your vision, or what everyone else wants you to write -- this adorably scary short film from Robert Rugan just might decide all those questions for you (with music and dialogue, for those of you at work):

DANNY AND THE WILD BUNCH - Short Film from robert rugan on Vimeo.

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: More on Club Denizen, with new material beginning on page 36.

For more details on Just Write Thursdays, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: windujedi

Falling Up

My first major art project this year is this lap quilt I put together from some random red and gold fabrics in my scrapbag. I also used some black broadcloth leftover from the MegaCon booth drapes last year as the backing and sashing, and simply strip-pieced the patchwork to create long straight lines for me to hand quilt.

I haven't made a quilt since my eye surgery, and I've missed sewing. I'm also seeing some of my quilter pals this month for our annual in-person get together, and I didn't want to say I'm still on hiatus while they talk about all the projects they've finished (we're not really competitive, but I wanted to have one good story.) After struggling with beading and sewing on some tote projects this winter I knew in advance my needlework would probably suck, though. With my flip-flopped vision I can pick out a stray thread hanging from across the room, but it now takes me about ten tries to thread the eye of a quilting needle.

I still felt pretty optimistic when I pieced the top, even when I saw that I had mixed up the order of the strips, and the two dark wide black floral print strips I had ended up practically side by side instead of opposite sides of the quilt. It irked me a bit, but it was a practice piece, so I kept going.

And the going? Was very slow. My stitching did suck, quite a bit; I couldn't seem to quilt one straight row. What should have looked like ----- was more like /~\\~/. My thread kept popping and knotting and raveling. All that color in my face didn't help; I forgot that anything red tends to work like a matador's cape on me when I'm frustrated. The only good thing about the red is that it nicely disguised the fact that I kept stabbing myself with the quilting needle and bleeding on the fabric.

I refused to give up or start over. I can be mule-headed that way. I didn't care what the damn thing looked like; I just wanted to finish what I started. I felt like if I could just get this piece done I'd finally have my quilter self back. I miss her. She's fun.

I think my final straw snapped after I'd quilted my way to the center strips and found two small rips and a hole in two of the fabrics that I hadn't before noticed. That's the quilter's equivalent of completely falling down on the job. All that work I'd done was instantly reduced to a complete waste of time. What was I going to tell my pals now, that I was an idiot? I felt like ripping it to shreds.

But I didn't. I believe in falling up, not down. As in, if you can't learn from your mistakes you'll never improve.

Finishing the ripped-up holey quilt took me two months. I spent a couple of hours almost every night stitching up and down. I quilted over the hole and the rips and tried some different threads to see if anything would be a little easier for stitch practice (and weirdly enough, rayon thread turned out to better than glace or waxed for me.) Once I finished the piece I looked at the damaged spots in the fabric and decided to cover them both with with the strategic placement of two heart appliques. Sappy, I know, but by then I had worked through my frustration and come out the other side with my love of quilting intact -- and maybe more balanced.

I'm going to keep practicing, because that's what you do to get better. I may never again be able to quilt the way I did before my vision failed, but it doesn't matter. This piece taught me that the love of quilting isn't about perfection or doing everything right or even what others think of the final product. Quilting actually doesn't care when I mess up. It's always there, waiting for me to make it into something that I see inside, where no one can see. That I can take that and make something out of nothing, something that will comfort and keep someone warm on a cold night, is never a waste of time. And that's the story I'm going to tell my sewing sisters when I see them.

Now apply this to writing.

Sub Op

Found this SF/Fantasy/Horror freebie/charity antho open call over on Ralan.com, which has posted it in lieu of linking to a web site (because they don't have one): "Science fiction, fantasy and horror (and derivatives) short stories of between 5000 and 8000 words, nothing shorter than 5000 words. No theme, subject is open. Looking for the best to use in this wide ranging collection. Payment $75 AUD on acceptance and paid via paypal – sorry, my only payment method. Plus a copy of the collection in print and ebook form. The ebook form can be copied and sent to as many people as you like, just as long as it is free. Note: While the payment is low, the anthology will be offered as a free ebook to readers, and as a very low cost print book on amazon." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see Ralan's post for more details. Deadline: October 1st, 2015.

Epigraph

Into whatever houses I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of the sick. -- Hippocrates (466?-377? B.C.)
-- epigraph for StarDoc by S.L. Viehl

Last week in comments I mentioned that Tennessee Williams used the last line of my favorite e.e.cummings poem as an epigraph for The Glass Menagerie, and promptly got three e-mails asking me what epigraphs are and why writers use them.

To put it simply, the epigraph is a very brief preface, usually in the form of a line or two, placed at the front of a book or chapter by an author. Epigraphs are almost always a quotation of someone else's work, and are frequently borrowed from verse or text that has some relation to the story or some personal significance to the author (or both.) Epigraphs became popular back during the early eighteenth century when printing processes had evolved enough to make mass-produced books less expensive and more accessible by the general population. Authors and publishers knew many of these folks didn't have extensive backgrounds in literature so they used the epigraph to give the reader a preemptive shove in the correct thematic direction.

Why do writers use epigraphs? Lots of reasons that have to do with our love of words and wisdom from other writers. Epigraphs could also be interpreted as the copy we would write for our stories (if publishers ever let us.) I can't dismiss how very cool they look at the front of a book, either. Epigraphs quoting Scripture, poetry and classic literature are common, but there are plenty of other forms. I used the definitions of genetic terms as epigraphs for my Kyndred novels. Quotations by Kafka and Nietzsche are particularly, ploddingly popular among the literati, but Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Eugenides coolly opted to use lyrics from a Talking Heads song for The Marriage Plot.

Up there you see the very first epigraph I published, which I did not place in the front pages of StarDoc but used to open book's first chapter. This was deliberate; I wanted the statement by Hippocrates to be the very first words of the story that the reader saw. Yes, it was that important. StarDoc's epigraph doesn't simply describe the main character's goals and conflict or what drives the plot for ten novels, or even give a big hint about the series. Those sixteen words are the series.

Other writers with interesting epigraphs:

E.M. Forester was famously, fabulously brief with the two-word epigraph for Howard's End: "Only connect . . ."

Going for the ego gold F. Scott Fitzgerald decided to quote himself as an epigraph for The Great Gatsby: "Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she cry 'Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you!'" (It's a line he wrote for Thomas Parke D’Invilliers in This Side of Paradise.)

Ernest Hemingway made John Donne pull double duty when he used him for the epigraph and the title of For Whom the Bell Tolls: "No man is an Iland, intire of itselfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Manor of thy friends or of thine owne were; any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee."

Mario Puzo was extremely cold and direct with his Balzac quotation epigraph for The Godfather: "Behind every great fortune there is a crime."

Mark Twain is the author of my all-time favorite epigraph, which you can find (if you dare) in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. By Order of the Author Per G.G., Chief of Ordnance."

If you want more examples of book epigraphs, visit Epigraphic, a Tumblr blog devoted to them.

Blogger SPAM

I always reserve the right to make fun of anyone who SPAMs me -- including my own blog host:

Starting March 23, 2015, you won't be able to publicly share images and videos that are sexually explicit or show graphic nudity on Blogger.

Because I'm, what, Sexy Back Writer now?

Note: We’ll still allow nudity if the content offers a substantial public benefit. For example, in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts.

You know, that's what every twerp says when his mother finds his sticky little Playboy stash: "Geez, Mom, they were substantially beneficial to me."

Changes you’ll see to your existing blogs: If your existing blog doesn’t have any sexually explicit or graphic nude images or video on it, you won’t notice any changes.

Kinda doubt there is anything I've done that qualifies. Well, this cover. And this one before I convinced them to put a shirt on him. Or are you doing the gender double standard thing and not counting naked male chests?

If your existing blog does have sexually explicit or graphic nude images or video, your blog will be made private after March 23, 2015. No content will be deleted, but private content can only be seen by the owner or admins of the blog and the people who the owner has shared the blog with.

Okay, so if PBW suddenly vanishes this time it will be entirely due to your uptight, unwarranted and unwelcome censorship. Gotcha.

Settings you can update for existing blogs, blah blah blah

Oh, bite me. Wait, only if it offers a substantial public benefit!

LLAP

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory."

--Leonard Nimoy, 1931-2015

Image credit: Kalina Vova

Come Sail Away

Smith Journal describes Ray Gascoigne as a man who "has been around boats his whole life, as a shipwright, a merchant sailor, and now as a ship builder on the smallest dry dock there is: a bottle." His art is simply stunning (and this film is narrated by the artist with some background ambience, for those of you at work):

Bottled History from Smith Journal on Vimeo.

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: More on Club Denizen, with new material beginning on page 31.

For more details on Just Write Thursdays, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: windujedi

Bridges

Listen; there's a hell of a good universe next door: let's go. -- e.e. cummings

I doubt any writer has saved me more times than a former ambulance driver who considered words his paint and verse his canvas (when he wasn't actually painting a real one.) He was a soldier who hated war, and suffered from depression but despised fear; he was that kind of contrary -- and mysterious and gifted and more lyrical than any man I've encountered on this planet.

He wasn't perfect by any means. He looked a bit like a seedy ranch hand, and made some stupendously massive mistakes with his choices in love and politics. He could be pompous and unyielding, and probably rode his artistic high horse too often as well. He was brought up to be an aristocrat but lived like a bohemian and adored rascals and heretics. Even in death he had to be different; when he suffered a massive, instantly fatal cerebral hemmorhage, he was on his way to sharpen an ax.

great men burn bridges before they come to them -- e.e. cummings

So how can you be protected by a guy who died when you were in diapers? Edward Estlin Cummings left behind for me a bridge through time and space and life and death, built from the thousands of poems he wrote. And not just any poems. The man sculpted language and ignored rules and nose-thumbed spelling and grammar. He took the much-loved sonnet form and played Twister with it. He spoke from the page with ease and wonder and stunning candor. The first time I read this he had me for life.

Edward may have moved on to the next place, but he has never abandoned me. Just the other day, when I was again subjected to some unnecessary and hateful behavior, he was there for me in his work. I opened a book and retreated from this world into his, and on the other side of that bridge he reminded me once more of the many things he's taught me. When you embrace beauty like this, you make it impossible for anyone to infect you with their ugliness. And when I crossed back over the bridge into my reality, it was like the cruelty never happened.

To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting. -- e.e. cummings

And this is why we should create instead of destroy, heal instead of harm, and love instead of hate. To build our own bridges for those who need us now, and those who will need us after we're gone. To be there as a sanctuary and a source of reassurance for someone in need of protection, even after we've moved on. Honestly, this is the only immortality worth having.

Thumb Rules

I'm not a fan of rules, but I do enjoy the folksy alternatives, such as rules of thumb. These are advice, estimates or predictions based on experience or opinion, such as "When the ink on a fountain pen flows more liberally than usual you are likely to have a storm" or "If it rains all summer here we'll have at least two freezes during winter" (one of mine). Rules of thumb range from utterly ridiculous (If you don't want a cat to jump into your lap, don't make eye contact with it) to totally accurate (Cook fish ten minutes per inch of thickness.)

You can imagine how entertained I was when I discovered there's a searchable web site devoted to rules of thumb on just about every subject you can imagine. You simply enter any topical word into the search box, and the site will offer you all the thumby wisdom it has on the subject.

Here are a few zingers about writing:

"If you feel that you need a thesaurus to write something, you are probably trying too hard."

--John Shed, language instructor

"Always figure out who your characters are before you figure out your plot. You can follow a good character through a bad plot, but you can't make a good plot out of a bad character."

--James Erwin, Editor, Des Moines, IA, USA

"If the erasers of your pencils wear out before the graphite, you're too fussy."

--Stephen Unsino, poet, Eastchester, New York

(Thanks to Gerard over at the Presurfer, who led me to the Rules of Thumb site via this helpful post.)

Ban Me Baby

Which banned book are you? Take this online quiz from Columbus State Library to find out.

My results:



So I'm a Utopian parody written by a smartass pacifist. Sounds about right.

Why should we ban you? Let us know in comments.

Sub Op

Dragon's Roost Press has an open call for their upcoming romance Lovecraft-themed charity antho [PBW notes: Yes, you read that correctly; romance + Lovecraft.]: "For our new anthology, tentatively entitled Eldritch Embraces, we want to put the love back in Lovecraft. In order to be considered for inclusion in this anthology, your story must focus on two things. There must be an element of love or romance and the story must invoke the cosmic terror of H.P. Lovecraft. What We Want: Finely crafted works of Dark Speculative fiction which explore the connections between people or between elder gods or combinations thereof. Obviously, this topic lends itself best to horror, which is our wheelhouse genre, but science fiction and fantasy are also welcome, provided there is some element of fear involved. We have no restrictions on the setting of your work in time or space. We look forward to exploring ancient deserts, Depression Era alleyways, modern cityscapes, and even far off worlds. While we usually dwell in the shadows, we do enjoy laughter. Humor is more than welcome. Bonus points for fiction which explores some of the more Lovecraftian themes like the how humanity is influenced by forces beyond its comprehension, the quest for forbidden knowledge, and apocalyptic threats to the world." [PBW notes: I am SO buying this antho when it's published.] Length: up to 6K; Payment: "At this time payment is one cent per word ($0.01/word) plus one contributor’s copy and one digital version in the format of the author’s choosing. We will be running a crowd sourcing campaign with the goal of providing higher monetary recompense to our authors. As with our first publication, this is a charity anthology to raise money for the canine rescue Last Day Dog Rescue." Query on reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: October 17th, 2015 or when filled.

Write Habits

Daily writing is not for everyone, but if you want to produce new work more frequently than once every blue moon you should consider making a weekly writing committment. I started this last year with Just Write Thursdays so I could get back to my old habit of trying some new ideas and having fun with story. Thursday is now my favorite day of the writing week.

I think the first step is decide what you most like to write. For me books are inevitably creative marathons, but writing short stories aren't. Short stories have always been my idea test strips, and I like that I don't have to spend months working on them before I reach the finish line. Blogging, journaling, and writing poetry are also fun for me and are even shorter than my short stories.

If you're not sure what form of writing would best fit as a new write habit for you, try prompts. I spotted this button for The One-Minute Writer over at Terlee's blog, and this gal offers daily prompts that are brilliant (and even better, brief.) The idea is simple, too: pick a prompt and write about it for sixty seconds. P.S., if you can't spare one minute to write, you should maybe stop calling yourself a writer.

Other habit-forming write exercises:

Carry a notepad with you the next time you leave the house, and when you see an interesting stranger, jot down a new name for him or her.

Compose your official author bio (and if you want it to sound professional, lie about everything.)

Describe a character with twenty-six words, using one letter of the alphabet for every word.

Make up a list of titles for stories you'd like to write (or that you'd never write.)

Open your dictionary to a random page, close your eyes, point to something on the page, and then write a story premise using that word.

Pen an acceptance speech for an award you'd like to win -- then write one for an award you'd hate to win.

Take five names from different random pages in your telephone book and make up a character for each one by inventing a description, occupation, and a conflict for them.

Tell a story using only one complete sentence.

Write down every word you can think that describes your favorite color, then do the same for your least favorite.

Do you have any tricks you use to get you back in the writing habit? Let us know in comments.

Wizards of the Wheels

Sometimes people do things that seem ordinary but when you slow them down they reveal an amazing, poetic magic to them; this short films shows how much there is in skateboarding (with background music, for those of you at work):

LOCAL from Sean Slobodan on Vimeo.

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: More on Club Denizen, with new material beginning on page 27.

For more details on Just Write Thursdays, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: windujedi

Club Denizen Final Cover

I appreciate all the feedback for my Just Write cover quest. I was rather surprised by the responses (my favorite starting out was actually #1) but what you told me made lots of sense. I fiddled a bit with the final choice in Photoshop, and here's the result:



Stop by tomorrow if you'd like to read more of the story.

Sub Op

Quarterly journal Farrago's Wainscot publishes "original fiction and poetry in the literary weird mode. Style: Experimental, cross-genre, or other interstitial forms that challenge or expand standard narrative mechanics." What they'd like to see from the poets: "We are open to all subjects, styles, forms, and genres, especially, but not exclusively, those moments where lyric collides with narrative. We are most excited by poems that do or say something, those attentive to the musicality of language and to voice, that do their work subtly and surprisingly, that blindside us with epiphany or heartbreak or both together, that make us want to get up and walk away for a bit to digest. We like poems that whisper, poems that haunt, poems that know when to croon and when to punch." Length fiction: 2-4K; poetry unspecified; Payment: $0.06 USD per word for fiction, $20.00 USD per poem up to four poems. No reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.

Got Indy?

Now that the eyes, work and life in general have settled down I've been looking for some indy author titles to add to my TBR. I confess I haven't read much in the way of indy since LJ Cohen blew me away last summer with her indy YA SF Derelict so I do need to make more of an effort.

I guess the main problem is print is always my #1 format preference. I know, with all the technology involved in reading these days the paper book is going the way of the dinosaurs, but then I am, too. Print books for me are always going to be the real deal; they're easier for me to read and I just like them better. So the first thing I look for with any indy title is a print edition option. Not many authors opt for print, however, so I then have to eye the electronic alternatives. Since I don't have a working e-reader I use Adobe for .pdfs (love being able to print them out, too, hint hint) my Nook thing on the PC, or that idiot Amazon Cloud thing (don't get me started on that; I just this week finally figured out how to reopen a book on it.)

My latest indy purchase was from LJ, as she has a new indy title out: Time and Tithe, which is the sequel to The Between. Along with all the electronic incarnations she has a print edition available on Amazon, which I happily ordered and will have by Tuesday, according to the e-mail. I could complain about having to wait three years for the book, but that might jinx the sequel to Derelict so I'm keeping my mouth shut.

Having been burned more than a few times I generally don't buy indy titles from writers I don't know anymore. Sad but true; I just can't gamble on new-to-me indy authors the way I can while browsing the brick-and-mortars; there are just too many indies who are simply not writing at a professional level. I have a select few authors who are doing both traditional and indy publishing whom I trust to deliver every single time, and I'll buy anything they publish indy-wise. Some favorite authors of mine are now independently publishing backlist titles for which they've had their rights revert, and if there's something I've never read I'll grab those. I'll also occasionally buy indy titles from authors I'm watching (not in the stalkerish sense, but more to see if they overcome various rookie/early career writing problems and develop into the storytellers that I think they could be.)

Considering how many debut indy titles I have I think the bulk of my purchases are to support writers I know who have opted to fly solo out the starting gate -- like our blog pal B.E. Sanderson, who has gone indy with her first novel Dying Embers. Although B. has a print edition option I bought the Kindle format so I could use it as a test book on their stupid Cloud thing. It turned out to be my good luck charm novel, too, because with it I finally figure out how to close/go back/reopen my purchases. Which means that once I finish B.'s novel I can also read that Anne Stuart Kindle-only book I bought like two years ago and have never been able to reopen.

Are you buying more indy books these days? Got any title recs you want to share? Let us know in comments.

Opinions Wanted

I'm tinkering on cover art for my current Just Write Thursday story and would appreciate some opinions. I'll likely be changing the title and byline fonts, and polishing the final product in photoshop, but which do you like best?

Cover #1:



Cover #2:



Cover #3:



Please let me know what you think in comments (and there are no wrong answers.)

Image Credits:

Mask by belchonok

Figure in Tunnel by eugenesergeev

Old Door by exile7

Wishing You

Image credit: StockPhotosforFree.com

Crazy Little Thing Called

In honor of the big V day I have for you a very short, very cute film about the L word (with narration and background music, for those of you at work):

Foolishly Seeking True Love from Jarrett Lee Conaway on Vimeo.

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: a bit more on Club Denizen, with new material beginning on page 25.

For more details on Just Write Thursdays, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: windujedi

Time to Read

I got a bit of a surprise this week when my college kid told me she was reading The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub; because of her current class workload (including a hefty course in western lit) I thought that she didn't have time to read for pleasure. Then she mentioned that her boyfriend had given her the book because it's his favorite, and it made a little more sense (and now I know the boyfriend is a serious reader -- gave Mama here a moment of utter joy.)

As busy as work/home/life is it's easy to assume people don't have time to read. I used to feel apologetic when I give someone outside my circle a book because I bought into that myth, but the truth is most people will make time to read a book -- as long as they're curious enough or think it's worth it. Thus getting people properly motivated to crack those covers and dive in is the real trick.

I read a lot about books online, and the one thing that captures my attention 99% of the time is humor. If you can employ something fun (a cute video, a tongue-in-cheek post, a list of laughable points) to get me interested in your book, I'm usually motivated to invest. For this reason I also frequently use humor when I recommend other author's books; I know how well it works on me.

Other factors involved in me making time for a book:

Cover art and quotes don't impress me (occupational hazard), but short and very well-written cover copy or a teaser can, as long as there is a strong, substantial hook involved. Has to be pretty tantalizing, though.

Online samples are great motivators, but I think most authors post too many chapters. At most I read only the first page or two of a sample or excerpt, and I don't think I'm alone in this.

Recs from a reliable source are great as long as they've never burned me in the past with a lousy read they've pimped for a publisher or pal. Sources can be anyone in your life -- one of my neighbors is at the top of my trusted rec list because she's never once steered me wrong.

Notoriety can create buzz but I'm kind of contrary when it comes to that; the more notorious and buzzy a book is, the faster I run from it. Interesting and thoughtful discussions about a book work better for me.

Freebies like short stories set in the same universe or part of the story told from a different angle always get my attention because I've used them so often to promote my work, and I'm always intrigued to see what other writers are doing. I like free stuff a lot, too, and a freebie gives me a chance to test-drive the author before I invest. If I don't care for it, I don't get mad because I didn't spend any money on it.

I don't borrow books from anywhere but the library, but if I was more of a dedicated e-reader I'd probably check into the loaner options the e-booksellers offer and swap books with another e-reader pal. Unfortunately my Nook died last summer and I haven't gotten around to replacing it.

What motivates you to make time to read? Let us know in comments.

Image Credit: robynmac

7 V-Day Prezzies

Since Valentine's Day is this weekend and everyone I know is cash-challenged I thought I'd share some ideas for low to no-cost gifts for your special loves:

Framed Picture: Print out or make a copy of your favorite picture of your honey (or a romantic moment in your lives) and place in an inexpensive frame (the dollar store has tons of these.) If you want to get crafty, make my photo collage using an old Scrabble game. For bonus love points add a personal caption to the photo or write a sweet message on the frame's backing.

Handwritten Poem: Compose and hand write a poem for your love on some nice paper. If you're not poetic, find a classic love poem and copy it.

Home Cooked Meal: Make your special one's favorite meal for them, set a nice table, light some candles and let that kick off a romantic evening together. If you don't know their favorite meal, I suggest anything Italian as a pretty safe romantic choice.

Pizza Potluck Party: This is a fun way to celebrate the day with a group -- invite everyone over and ask them to bring a small or medium pizza with their favorite toppings. You make a big salad and provide the drinks. You can also do this with Chinese take-out or subs instead of pizza.

Romantic Reads: Nothing says love like a great romance novel, and it's fun to give copies of your favorite to those you want to inspire. Or hunt for the book love at your local thrift or used book store and fill a tote with a themed collection or series.

Theirs for a Day: If your budget can't cover a gift offer your Valentine your services instead. For family members you can babysit, help around the house, work on the yard or just spend the day with them. For your love you can offer a night instead of a day (I'll leave it to you to figure out what services you want to offer for that scenario.)

Treat Tin: Make a batch of brownies, homemade candy, cookies or fudge and pack them into a pretty tin (also plentiful at most dollar stores.) If it's a special recipe, write it on an index card and tape to the top of the tin.

Got any thrifty ideas for great Valentine's Day gifts? Share them in comments.

Image credit: StockPhotosforFree.com

Sub Op

Stone Skin Press has an open call for their upcoming antho: "Stone Skin Press is proud to announce our newest anthology, Swords v. Cthulhu. As you might have guessed from the title, this project is a spiritual successor to our previous Shotguns v. Cthulhu, but while Shotguns featured mostly modern or futuristic settings for its action-heavy eldritch tales, this tome will collect stories of a historical or fantastical bent. To fulfill the promise of the title, we want at least a few adventure romps in which sinewy muscle and cold steel are pitted against the minions of the Great Old Ones. That said, we’d also like some stories combining movement and violence with the existential despair at the heart of Lovecraft’s work. What we want to see is the cerebral cohabitating with rowdy action sequences." Length: up to 5K; Payment: five (5) cents a word; No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: March 1st, 2015

5 Flickr Photo Freebie Sources

For those who are hunting freebie images to use, Flickr is a popular place for various archival entities to post collections of photos in the public domain, particular those of historic interest or value. Generally works that have passed into the public domain are free for anyone to use for any purpose, but you should always check the source for terms of use before assuming you can. It's also wise to give credit to the source of any public domain image.

Here are some interesting pics from five of my favorite Flickr freebie image sources (and to go to the complete collection, click on the name):

Library of Congress



Making History



The National Archives UK



National Library of Ireland on the Commons



Florida Memory



As to what you can do with them -- here's what I did just having some fun:



What happens when a Prohibition-era housewife opens the wrong bottle (I might actually have to write this one.)



Docket builds a defensive corset and all hell breaks loose. Or not.



Or maybe just the responses I wanted to send but didn't . . .

Sub Op

February is one of World Weaver Press's open submission months for unsolicited fiction queries (the other two are June and September), so if you have a SF/F novel, novella, serialized fiction or a fiction collection you might want to check out their very detailed guidelines on what they'd like to see. They also have two new assistant editors who have posted specific details here and here about the sort of submissions they'd personally like to see in 2015.

Sea of Clouds

Here's a lovely time lapse film that shows the mists and fogs of San Francisco behaving like ghost oceans (with background music, for those of you at work):

Adrift from Simon Christen on Vimeo.

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: More on Club Denizen, with new material beginning on page 22.

For more details on Just Write Thursdays, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: windujedi

Tumblriffic

My kid has been nagging me to surf around Tumblr more often than I do (which is never) so I cruised on over to have a look around and found these very inspiring stops to bookmark:

Archisketchbook -- Architecture + Drawing = Wow

Art Journaling -- as the subtitle says, where art and words meet. Look at the Archives. No, really, look.

Book Mania -- I admit, somewhat snotty in places, but the very cool visual content makes you forget the occasional lit butt sticks.

Bookshelf Porn -- I think I could live at this one, actually.

I Work at a Public Library -- be prepared to laugh. And sigh.

Inspire Me Now -- 354 pages of brilliant designs from all over the planet.

Things Organized Neatly -- the other kind of visual porn that I love. I know I've linked to this one before but now I think I'll add to my blog roll.

To Love Many Things -- This is what you get when you raid museum databases.

Writing in Notebooks -- I want to live on the planet of Notebook people. Now please.

Writing Prompts -- if you need a kick in the muse, you'll probably find a good one here.

Are there any Tumblr blogs you haunt regularly? Share your favorite links in comments.

Pens Pens & More Pens

All of my every day pens around the house have gradually disappeared over the last couple of months (I blame the college kid; when it comes to pens she never has any of her own -- but she always has at least three of mine) so I hit Office Depot to do a little cheapie/disposable pen shopping, and bought these:



I know, after my past, less than joyful experiences with InkJoy I should have skipped them, but they were on sale ($5.00) and I haven't tried this variety. The Uniball Vision Elite pack was a bit pricier at $11.99, but I like Uniball and I wanted to try them, too. The weirdest thing is I actually got the pack of Uniball BLX pens with black-infused color inks for free; when I checked my receipt I discovered that the clerk didn't ring them up.*

Anyway, here's how the pens write:



They're all good, but I like the Uniball BLX pens best. The black-infused ink looks really normal with the blue and red pens, but the green and purple are rather gothic:



I'm going to hide the ones I like and share the rest with the pen thieves. Should keep them from filching mine for another couple of weeks . . .

*This is the universe balancing things, I think; a few days ago I tried to use a coupon on some toner Office Depot e-mailed to me, and although it was perfectly valid they wouldn't honor it because the bar code wouldn't scan.

Ugly Beautiful

In December I did a lot of crocheting to help retrain my eyes, learn some new stitches and work out some creative frustrations. My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was five, so I can pretty much do it in my sleep, plus to crochet you just need a hook, yarn, and scissors. My sewing and quilting, on the other hand, I had to let languish while I recovered because even after the surgery I still couldn't focus well enough to do even simple tasks like threading a needle.

Over the holidays I slowly adjusted to my new vision. I crocheted four scarves, two pillows and a hat, but I still avoided all of my needlework. I had this terrible yearning for it -- nothing calms me or makes me feel as peaceful as sewing -- but I was afraid the changes to my eyes would make it difficult or even impossible for me to do anymore. Contemplating the thought of giving up sewing was really tough.

Finally I decided to find out just what I could do by doing a practice piece with things I didn't care about, so if I totally screwed it up I could throw it away without a qualm. So I crazy-patched a little tote with every unsightly fabric in my scrap bag and went to work embellishing it. Sort of like putting lipstick on a pig, but I didn't care how it turned out.

For the embellishment I began with this yellow flower lace applique, which came with a bunch of other appliques I ordered for another project last year. Yellow is my least favorite color, so it had been sitting in my lace box for months. On some level I almost wanted to screw it up, so I used it to practice beading:



After I spent a week of tediously beading that applique and the swatch of ugly fabric around it I moved on to another applique; one with an oddball gold color that went with nothing. I decided to pearl that one until it begged for mercy:



Working on all these ugly bits and pieces helped me channel a lot of anger and frustration that had been building since before the surgery. I even found a use for this really hideous plastic bead that I'd had in my bead bag since the Jurassic era:



After a lot more beading and embellishing I finally finished the ugly damn thing last night, and sewed it up, and turned it out to discover this:

 

My stitching was less than perfect, and I think I need more practice with spacing my seed beading, but . . . it's not really all that bad. I did some rather neat things with this, actually. It reminds me of Fall and October fires and how the leaves on my Japanese maple look when they begin to turn red. Somehow in trying to make something ugly on purpose I accidentally made something kind of beautiful. Something I couldn't have made if I'd given up on sewing.

As for yellow, I'll never love it, but I don't hate it anymore. This time it kind of saved my ass.

2 Sub Ops

I spotted this double op over in the Paying Markets forum at AbsoluteWrite.com:

"We love anthologies. Can’t get enough of them. So what are we doing about it? Well, Broken Eye Books is preparing to unleash two new anthologies, following up on this past year’s By Faerie Light.

It is our pleasure to announce the new anthologies Ghost in the Cogs and Tomorrow’s Cthulhu. The first is alternate history steampunk ghost stories and the second is transhumanist near-future science fiction tales of the Cthulhu Mythos.

If you would like to submit a story for one of them, we are having an open reading period for original fiction submissions from March 1, 2015 to April 1, 2015.

We are paying six (6) cents per word for up to 4,000 words. Publication requires first rights for the print and digital versions of the anthology. No reprints. You may submit one submission per anthology. Please, no simultaneous submissions."

Get more details on the anthos from Broken Eye Books here.