Contest Entries on Their Way

My entries for the Arkansas Writers Conference contests are on their way. I ended up entering 3 of the 36 catagories (though one is only for students). That's several fewer than I had hoped, but I didn't expect to be hit with another bout of bronchitis last month. There's something about cough medicine with codeine that seems to limit my writing....

I've been going back over some of the fan fiction I wrote in the past 10 years or so, wondering if I can salvage any of it as original stories. What's really been surprising is that I still like what I wrote all those years ago. I don't think I'd feel the same way if I could find some of the stuff I wrote 30 years ago (when I started writing fan fiction), so I guess it's a good thing that those stories are among the missing (I'm sure they're in a box somewhere in the garage, with everything else that won't fit in the house).

Is there ever enough room?

Men In Kilts

I'm back from a weekend at the (28th Annual) Arkansas Scottish Festival and Games. Three days among men in kilts. (Pause. Deep breath. Go on.) The Festival was held (as usual) at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas.

The find of the weekend was a musical group from Dallas, Texas, called Need Fire. They are terrific! They play rock adaptations of traditional Celtic music, original songs and instrumentals, and bagpipe blues. The last has got to be heard to be believed. With John Cleghorn playing a fairly traditional blues guitar (and remember, I'm a big fan of Jim Byrnes), Brad Madison plays (what traditionally would be a harmonica part) the bagpipes. Also phenomenal is fiddler/digeridoo player Dylan Cleghorn (John's son!). I've never seen a bass player have more fun (and play better) than Ed Walewski, and Gabriel Martinez may not sound Celtic but drums up a storm. They have two CDs currently available and are working on a third. Don't miss them! I've posted photos (the look red because of the red tent) in an album – look to the right sidebars for the links.

Also at the festival was the preeminent Scottish folk singer, Alex Beaton. He's in fine voice these days, and has moved from California to Tennessee.

It was a beautiful weekend (I'm a bit sunburned from standing in the sun most of Saturday) and we had a wonderful time.

Another week until I have to have the Arkansas Writers Conference contest entries in... I'll just have to see what I an wrench out of the various muses. Carys Weldon has been writing in her blog about her entries to the same conference contests – so far it doesn't seem like we're entering the same contests, but we may be in competition with each other... Good luck, Carys!

Publishing Delay

Sorry to say, there's going to be a delay in the publication of Slash & Burn by Sybaritic Press. Lack of cover art is one of the reasons. It's looking like Fall — I'll keep you posted.

I heard from Changeling Press — they're not buying mythology based stories right now. More market research....

This weekend is the Arkansas Scottish Festival at Lyon College in Batesville, AR, so I'll be away and unreachable for a few days. (Ah... men in kilts....)

Writers Group vs Erotica

Well, I guess the Writers Group was more than embarrassed with my reading of steamy part 3 of "Handfast." The self-proclaimed "facilitator" of the group called me this morning and let me know several members had phoned her about being uncomfortable with my subject matter. They don't want me to leave, just don't read anything dealing with sexuality. I don't suppose I could ask for the same considertion when it comes to the Sunday School-lesson type work some of them read. I'll have to think about whether or not to go back and not read, or not go back. I've enjoyed the meetings beyond reading – it's not like they give critiques, or even comments, but I enjoy hearing their stories as well. I guess if I write more like "Leave Taking" and more of the Darik story, I could read those, but that's not what I'm looking to write for sale. Any comments?

I did query Changeling Press about "Immortal Memories" (aka "Wingéd Dreams"). They have quite a list of e-books available, many right up my alley, and I'm thinking of Ellora's Cave for "Seasons of the Heart."

Seasons of the Heart

I finally got all the way through Seasons of the Heart/A Season Apart to adapt it to be an original story – gone are all the Tokienisms, Sindarin words, and geography of Middle Earth. Well, not entirely -- some of the names I made up for original secondary characters can be traced to Sindarin, and the distances and general directions of the geography are about the same (the sanctuary is in a valley; the errant prince is from a forest on the other side of the mountains). But I think it'll pass as original (fingers crossed). I'm entering the first chapter and synopsis in one of the Arkansas Writers Conference contests, so we'll see if it passes muster there. I've got a couple of markets in mind for submitting it, so we'll see if it sells. I've restructured it a bit, calling the entire novel "Seasons of the Heart" with a Prologue, Part I (Seasons Together), and Interlude, Part II (A Season Apart) and an Epilogue. I don't know if I'll change the LOTR version to match that structure, I'll have to think about how much work it would be to change all the web pages (since each chapter is a separate page).

Two more weeks until the deadline for the Writers Conference contests, but I don't know how many of the contests I'll end up entering – three for sure, maybe as many as nine, if I can get the muses in dictation mode.

Today I thoroughly embarrassed most of the other members of the Conway Creative Writers Group as I read part 3 of "Handfast," where Gordon and Sarah (originally Duncan and Sarah when it was a Highlander story) finally consummate their relationship. Even though I skipped several paragraphs, there were blushes all around. I'm afraid I may have offended one lady who usually shares very devout inspirational writing with us when I explained that "Handfast" is one of the few heterosexual stories I've written, but she did comment that though she found that distasteful, she thought I should write what I chose to. One of the other ladies was very quick to remind the others that there is quite a market for gay romance, and it's the writing, not the subject that we're there to share. I also assured them that I wouldn't be reading any explicit gay stories. The men in the group seemed to be the most embarrassed by the steamy scene I read part of... but I got the idea that they would enjoy reading it silently...

Now for a more serious note...

I received word this week that a delightful young woman my family knows, a brilliant cellist named Natalie, has been diagnosed with Type 1 (juvenile or insulin-dependent) Diabetes. As many of you know, my daughter-in-law Leia has been insulin-dependent since the age of 8. If any of you are disposed to make any charitable contributions, please consider the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which is trying to find a cure for this terrible disease. Please also remember when you vote next that stem cell research has been very promising for diabetes, as well as many other devastating diseases and conditions.

Laura Castoro

I just read an article in the May issue of The Writer by Laura Castoro entitled "Chick lit grows up." I met Laura last year at the Arkansas Writers Conference and look forward to seeing her there again this year. The article made several interesting points about the current wave of "chick lit," but the one that reached me was that the heroines no longer have to be 20-something, or even 30-something. As a 50-something woman I can appreciate a mature heroine (or even a secondary character). The world is not all 28-year-olds with perfect bodies and unlimited resources, as so many popular novels/stories would have you think.

Kudos, Laura, for telling it like it is!

Easter ramblings

I can't believe I actually won Carys Weldon's March blog contest. Thanks, Carys! Hey, y'all reading this, visit Carys too!

It's Easter, and as I boiled eggs last week to make devilled eggs for the SF group party, I didn't feel up to coloring eggs this weekend (a bit of bronchitis). But the Bunny of Spring (we're not exactly Christians) brought everyone a bag of treats -- mostly dark chocolate (I only buy what I like for any candy holiday).

I'm working this weekend on de-fanning my long LOTR romance (Seasons of the Heart/A Season Apart) so I can try to market it. It's 70,000 words or so, and it would be a shame to waste a good plot and all....

Still waiting on the galleys for Slash & Burn. Deborah says it doesn't take long once they're back until she gets hard copies, but we're running out of April. Then again, when was a book ever published on time? Speaking of April, I've only got until the end of the month to come up with more entries for the Arkansas Writers Conference contests.

We've had a cold snap (down into the 20s at nights these last few days) and my azaleas have all died in full bloom. Yuk yuk yuk. It'll be months before any other flowers bloom around here (the roses have budded, but they're still little and tightly closed). Even the violets in the bathroom window are wilting and fading. Some spring!

New Photo

I finally got a photo of myself with short hair (since my 8th grade school photo, that is...). My sister took it last summer, just a few days after I had it cut. I look a little flushed, but this was taken after an afternoon ride on the lake, and you know how fast I burn.

Spring has sprung, and the front of my house is awash in pink azaleas, the dogwood is all in bloom, and we've had thunderstorms four of the past 6 days. Now if I can just get the pollen off my car....