Author's Note

I had some fun exploring the ramifications of time travel over at the Echelon Explorations blog.  Check it out!

http://echelonexploration.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/can-i-get-a-do-over/

This is a quote I need to tape to the side of my monitor, memorize, and/or paint on my wall.  We writers should not forget this. 

“All considerations of language, of ideas, of symbols and metaphors serve only one function: to convey the soul of a living being to the soul of other living beings and in that process break us out of our isolation and loneliness and put us in touch with the universal spirit.”

~ Floyd Salas

I’ve got another guest blog up, this one with the main Echelon Shorts site.  Check it out!

http://echelonpressshorts.wordpress.com/

Join in all the fun here -

http://echelonexploration.wordpress.com/

Whoo-Hoo!  The fourth short story I sold to Echelon Press Publishing is up and ready for your reading pleasure as an ebook download.  This one is called “Hounds of Winter” and is one of many of my stories that has been inspired by one of my all time favorite musicians, Sting.  Here is the teaser description:

Winter is a treacherous season.  The ice can cut, the snow can blind, and the wind has teeth.  But some winters are even more perilous, some winters are inhabited by malevolent spirits.  Devlin finds himself alone in such a winter, his lovely FayLinn gone missing.  And when The Wild Hunt shows themselves in the area, he has an idea of where she’s gone.  What would be more dangerous: the winter wind and vicious hunters or the pain of abandonment and a broken heart?

It’s only $2!  Go download it now and get a good shiver!

http://tinyurl.com/houndsowinter

So Saturday my newest issue of Writer’s Digest came in the mail, emblazoned with all those catchy headlines designed to attract writers like moths to a flame.  This month’s headlines seem to focus on productivity, encouraging the muse, finding time to write, and making the most out of the time you do find.  Given that I am embarking on the longest writing project of my life and I’m always kvetching about not having time to write, my inner writer was squealing, “Ooooooo, Shiny!”  Of course, since it’s the January issue, its probably just that they know a lot of writers and would-be-writers are doing the New Year’s resolution thing and these types of articles are going to move magazines at this time of year. 

I finally had some time to settle down with an article last night just before bed.  The article I chose was about making time to write.  Pretty much nothing it said was new to me, but it did make something click in my head.  I had the kind of epiphany that makes you slap your forehead and say, “DUH!” Which scares the cat and she gives you the “bitch, please” look but at that point you’re too distracted by your shiny new epiphany to notice. 

And the epiphany is (insert drumroll please) – using little pockets of time, like 20 minutes or less.  The article author refers to them as “mini-retreats.”  The idea is so very simple.  Arrive early for an appointment and write before you go in.  Put the casserole for dinner in the oven and write while it bakes.  On your commute to or from the office, stop in the local coffee shop and write for 10-15 minutes.  What makes this even more of a duh for me is that I used to do precisely this thing back when I was in grad school and working full time.  It was the only way the copious amounts of reading I needed to do ever got done.  I always had a textbook with me and I read everywhere, even at stop lights (yes, I know that wasn’t particularly safe, but I never had an accident).  Now I just need to get back into that habit, except with my laptop/notebook instead of a textbook. 

Now, I know this isn’t my preferred mode of writing.  I like having long stretches of time where I can really shake loose and stretch out.  There’s time to get up and pace while I twist around a plot point in my head.  I feel like I can stare out into space for minutes at a time to find the right word, instead of feeling rushed because I only have 10 minutes and I’ve got to get as much down on paper as possible.  But beggars, or full-time office workers, can’t be choosers.  I have to keep my day job, it’s what pays the bills, so I don’t have the luxury of long stretches if time on a regular basis.  Until I make it big enough in the publishing world I’m going to have to make do with small pockets of time.  Even if I can only write a few sentences here and there, sentences add up to paragraphs and paragraphs add up to pages, pages add up to chapters and chapters add up to novels.  Mini-retreat, here I come…

The holidays seem to require traditions, the comforting rituals you associate with warmth, good cheer, and family.  Everyone has some holiday tradition to remember fondly, whether it’s allowing one special present to be opened on Christmas Eve, or that the youngest child lights the candles of the menorah, or setting off fireworks at midnight. 

One of the traditions that fascinates me is that of the first footer – a popular New Year’s tradition in Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom.  The tradition holds that the first person to cross the threshold of a home after the stroke of midnight on New Year’s, called Hogmanay in Scotland, determines the luck of the household for the year.  A tall, dark-haired man is said to bring the best luck, whereas red-heads and women are said to bring bad luck.  And you had better be sure the first threshold crossing is in instead of out, or all your luck and prosperity will flow out of the house all year.  And the best luck is brought by a first footer who also brings small gifts – bread or cake to ensure no hunger in the coming year, a few small coins to ensure fiscal prosperity, or whiskey to bring good cheer. 

The first footer tradition is especially important to my character, Agnes Milton, in my short story “Over the Hogmanay Threshold.”  Agnes lives alone on a sparse Scottish heath and cannot depend on a wandering stranger to help her fulfill the tradition, so she has to come up with creative ways to ensure her luck in the coming year.  How does she do it?  You’ll have to read the story and see.

May you and yours have a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. 

Buy “Over the Hogmanay Threshold” now at Echelon Press Shorts.

Join all the fun here!

http://echelonpressshorts.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/welcoming-the-new-year/

Leave a comment in the first 24 hours and you could win a free copy of the story “Over the Hogmanay Threshold”!  Check out the Echelon Press blog for details.

Ok, now that I have your attention…. I am participating in the 12 Days of Reading ebook promotion with my publisher, Echelon Press. Starting December 1st and running for 12 days there is a new holiday or winter themed short story released every day. The first 3 days have seen a horror story, a thriller, and a YA piece perfect for your tween reader. I have drawn the 6th position in the promotion, which falls this Sunday. I know Sunday is not usually a high traffic day, what with people having busy lives to begin with and now there is football and holiday preparations on top of it. So, I am running a promotion.

On the day my story debuts (this Sunday, 12/6) I will give away a free copy (pdf download) of my story to the most funny/touching/creative response to my blog post on the Echelon Shorts website (http://echelonpressshorts.wordpress.com/) posted in the first 24 hours.  I hope you’ll take a few minutes out of your busy Sunday to come visit my blog and make a comment, and maybe even win a copy of “Over the Hogmanay Threshold”!

Ready for great holiday ebooks? Join Echelon Shorts between December 1-December 12 as they celebrate 12 Days of Great Reads!

During this celebration, Echelon Shorts will be bringing you the best new holiday releases and posts each day from the authors. Find mystery and romance, mainstream and fantasy, thrillers and young adult stories. The release schedule includes short stories from Carl Brookins, Austin Camacho, Mary Cunningham, Lois Carroll, Christine Verstraete, Michelle D. Sonnier, Lance Zarimba, Karen Syed, Yvonne Walus, Jeffrey Martin, Vonnie Winslow Crist, and Regan Black.

Stop by http://echelonshorts.com to find these posts and stories, and for your chance to win free ebooks!