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....

Top Dog Press submission

I answered a call for submissions to a e-publisher, Top Dog Press, which publishes (on line only) The Shadow Sacrament. It's not for everyone, but I have a new story that fits their needs rather well, I think. It's the Ephanie story, where I give the details of David Smith's heritage (his father is the Greek god, Hephaestus). I actually wrote it as part of David's back story, thinking that it might end up as part of the David/Mark story I'm working on, not thinking it would find a market on its own. It'll be a while before I hear from Top Dog, but I've got my fingers crossed.

Conway Creative Writers

I'm so glad I joined the Conway Creative Writers group. The group is made up of a variety of writers, and they all are so supportive, even though we each write very different genres/styles. I read the first part of my (longish) short story, "Handfast" today, and will continue with it over the next 3 weeks. [The complete story, in its original (Highlander) version, is on Chez Emma.] We now have a website, though it's still under construction, and I look forward to watching it grow.

Upcoming contests

Well, I've got two entries ready for the Arkansas Writers Conference contests. There are still several I want to enter, and I've got until the end of April (though that will be here before I know it!) What's strange is that these stories are nothing like my usual -- G-rated, even mainstream-ish. Where they came from I have no idea, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth (or a channelled story in the verbs....).

Not much of an entry today — I haven't been doing much this week (James is home for Spring Break). I'll have to get busy and either write something new or find something suitable to read at the Writers Group this Friday.

Weekend at a Monastery

Subiaco Abbey and Academy is located in west-central Arkansas, just south of the Arkansas River, near Mount Magazine. It's a Benedictine monastery, and the monks produce peanut brittle to die for and an excellent hot sauce ("Monk Sauce"). The Academy is all boys, college prep, grades 9-12. There's also a retreat facility.

James and I arrived just before sunset, but missed dinner. He joined the other boys watching a movie while I drove to the nearest town (5 miles away) for Taco Bell for us both. While he ate and watched the movie I got settled in the Coury House (the retreat facility). My room was much like many hotel/motel rooms I've stayed in: twin beds, a sofa and easy chair, a built-in desk/vanity, a small bathroom (stall shower only), and wire coat hangers in a small open wardrobe. A lovely view of the athletic fields and the valley beyond, towards the Arkansas River. No telephone. No television. No clock. No radio. A Bible.

I met James as the movie let out and turned him over to one of the Blue Arrow boys, the students who were acting as hosts and guides for us. He took James to the dorm entrance and informed me I could not accompany them to the 4th floor. So I said good night and returned to the Coury House.

There I met another mother there on her own (her husband and daughter were to come on Saturday, as was my husband). We shared a cup of coffee and discovered that we both teach in public schools, and that we had much more in common. Helene teaches art at Hall High in Little Rock, and lives near the Governor's mansion.

Helene returned to her room (to work on her taxes, as she was seeing her accountant on Monday), and I went back to my room, washed my hair, and knit for a while. It was VERY QUIET.

Since I'm accustomed to sleeping 4 am to noon, it was difficult to sleep more regular hours, but I managed to doze on and off from about 2 until 7. Breakfast was simple, cereal, juice and coffee, then we met for a brief welcome and broke into groups for our tours. There were about 8 families there, some just one parent and son, some with both parents and siblings (one only 2 months old).

We toured the campus, including the athletic center we skipped on our brief visit in February, had mock classes in biology, literature, and geography before lunch. Then it was touring dorm rooms (dorms are all the same, no matter which school) and the Abbey museum before a wonderful concert from the Jazz Ensemble and an informal performance-cum-rehersal of the school chorus.

The boys were taken off on an excursion to see some of the outlying features -- some of the places they go for camping and hikes while the parents got some time off. I took my knitting to the Coury lounge and met another of the parents, Steve from Katy, Texas, a metalurgical engineer. Soon it was time for the parents' Q&A with the Dean of Men and the Academic Services Advisor (who was also the geography teacher we had met earlier). Having been through sending a son away to school, not much was new for me, though Subiaco seems to be much more proactive about keeping the boys on task academically. Stuart arrived just before the end of the session and we went right to dinner.

Delicious pork chops with mashed potatoes, broccoli and a salad bar, a slice of cheese pizza (an appetizer?) and yeast rolls to die for -- I threw away the too dry chocolate cake and had an extra roll for desert.

We talked with Ellen, a pharmacist from outside Tulsa, and Steve for about an hour in the lobby, then returned to our room. Stuart tried to access the wireless internet (not ok in the rooms, it seems, he would have to go back to the lounge), but he had music on the computer, so it wasn't so quiet as I knit before taking a shower and going to bed.

I slept a bit better Saturday night, but Stuart's alarm woke me up earlier than I would have liked. After breakfast the boys were taken off for the exam (more of a placement exam than an entrance exam; average or better grades are expected) and we had a formal interview with Mrs. Kiefer, the Academic Services Advisor/geography teacher.

It's been a long time since I attended a Catholic Mass, and I was welcomed by the first hymn -- "Amazing Grace." The school doesn not require that the students be Catholic, and quite a few of the boys didn't go up for communion, so I presume that's the non-RC contingent. As there is a fair number of international students (most of them Asian) there are non-Christian students as well. Though the boys all take religion class, it's presented more as a history/anthropology course than a catechism. After lunch (they do feed the boys well) we packed up, checked out, and drove home (Stuart did stick around for a while to take pictures, to no one's surprise).

James seems pretty positive about the school, and though he's not ready to make a commitment, he does want us to proceed with the application paperwork and all. I think it would be a good environment for him, and a better education than he could get at Vilonia (they offer a wider range of AP courses, if nothing else).

Now I need a couple days to recover after 2 days of walking and stair climbing... more time on my feet than I've spent in a long time.

Away for the weekend

I'm off to nearby Subiaco for the weekend. It's time for son James to decide if he wants to stay in public school or go away to school as his older brother did. Subiaco is a Benedictine monastery and school that is highly rated as a college prep academy. It should do James worlds of good, as it's been hard to motivate him.

Before leaving for Subiaco though, I'm off to my second meeting of the Conway Creative Writers group. I've got a possible entry for the AWC contest to read; we'll see how they like it.

Daffodils and old friends

Today was the day to visit the largest daffodil field (anywhere, I think) at Wye Mountain, Arkansas. It's about 7 acres, all planted in daffodils -- and they're all blooming this time of year.

The SF group from Little Rock tries to have an away mission to the daffodils each year, and today I met Margaret, Robert, and Mary there. To our surprise, we ran into the former chairs of Roc*Kon, Ann & Leonard Wilson, along with Ann's sister and mom. It was a beautiful day, and we sat at a picnic table and chatted until it started clouding up about 5ish.

The drive back to Conway (going the opposite direction as those from Little Rock) was lovely, too. The view off Wye Mountain across to Toad Suck (yes, there really is a Toad Suck, AR) was beautiful -- the dogwood is starting to bloom and the Bradford pear trees look like white cotton candy on a stick. I passed the St. Boniface Catholic Church (Margaret couldn't remember the name) which was built about 120 years ago and is the epitome of the classic country church, though being RC instead of Baptist, it does have some gothic elements the other churches in the area seem to lack.

I seem to be getting the hang of this blogger thing -- with any luck I may even post every day or so...

Joined a new group

Today I joined a new writing group, the Conway Creative Writers. It's a small group, some published, some not, but from what I heard today, all talented. I don't think they're the right audience for most of my stories, but I do have some that aren't too explicit.

I've also been busy re-doing my conventions website. It used to be on free sites, but I decided that since I'm paying for web space, I should use it. Most of the photos are a couple years old, but the site describes conventions and conferences I've attended since 2000. I apologize if any of the links don't work; I had to work from downloads from the old site, as I can't get to my old computer's files. The new site is www.cons.emkaygraphics.biz.

My friend Carys Weldon is holding a contest on her blog this month -- you have to find where she's been and posted (with extra points if you post there yourself). She hasn't been here yet, but I'm expecting her any day now! Check out her website and blog at www.carysweldon.com.

Today is my daughter's 20th birthday -- I'm down to one teenager for the first time in 6 years... and only 6 more years to go until he's out of his teens as well. Yeah, I know, having 3 kids spread over nearly 12 years makes for a long haul as a mommy... most women my age are grandmothers and emptynesters already. That's what I get for having a baby at (almost) 40.

I've got the weekend to myself -- my mom is at my sister's, and hubby & son are off Boy Scout Camp-o-ree-ing -- so it's me and the cat until Sunday. Somehow, I don't think I'll mind....

Things to do instead of writing

I've been playing around with my new website (otherwise known as NOT writing), changing colors and layouts. All feedback will be greatly appreciated!

I've decided which of the AR Writers Conference contests to enter; now I just have to WRITE. I was glad to hear from Jennifer DeCamillo (aka Carys Weldon) that she'll be coming to Little Rock in June.

I'm still waiting for the galleys for Slash & Burn. It'll be my first chance to read the other stories in the book. It should come soon, as Deborah (the editor) wants to be able to release it in April, which is next month now.

Cutting my hair

Well, I found a photo for the heading of this page, but I have to warn you, it's an old one -- last summer I cut my hair (first time in 40 years) to donate to Locks of Love.

I'd been thinking about cutting my hair for a couple of years, but when my good friend, Valerie Mingus Beck, was diagnosed with breast cancer, my mind was made up. Valerie is only 35 years old, and is the younger sister of the girl who was the flower girl in my wedding in 1974. I lit the candles at their mother and father's wedding in 1963, so it's a long-standing family relationship. It actually goes back even farther, as Valerie's grandmother looked after me when I was a baby, and had been my grandmother's close friend. My grandmother died from breast cancer before I was born, so Opal was as close as I got to a grandma.

I've participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure several times and it's one of my personal causes.

Anyway, I'll be putting up a new photo as soon as I can get my husband to take one (he still hasn't told me what he thinks of my short hair).

Welcome!

Thanks for viewing my new website and blog. I'll keep you updated on what I'm working on, and where you can find my stories.

I've been working on the revisions necessary for my stories that will appear in Slash & Burn from Sybaritic Press and on submissions to the Arkansas Writers Conference contests. I'll be attending the conference in Little Rock on June 1-2, 2007. Hope to see you there!