Spooky Fun At Work

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Happy Halloween Readers and Visitors!  Thought I’d share another “coincidence” and a bit of spooky fun.

In a recent post I mentioned that many times I’ve finished a novel only to see plot devices or the actual plot appear in headlines.

Well after I’ve published the story.

Yesterday I came across another in a string of “Oh look – what a coincidence!” headlines.

Great horned owl caught in barbed wire.

A 2 for 1 deal!

Two books, same series.

Dragon Core.

This series – one of my favorites – centers around the lives loves and adventures of shape-shifters in our midst.

The Headline Connection?

Not only do I use a bird caught in barbed wire as a plot device in Redemption, I have a bird of prey as a significant part of the plot for my favorite in the series Shadow of the Gods.

Though I use a cooper’s hawk, I was inspired to introduce this predator after a barn owl landed on my balcony one night.

It apparently enjoyed  watching us play Scrabble as it stuck around for quite some time, watching unblinkingly.

Experience

A source of inspiration.

There’s a bit of dialogue between Mica and Cayden in the presence of the hawk that was inspired by witnessing how one was showcased at a hotel in Arizona.

I really felt for the bird being stuck with such a grumpy handler.

These are just a few examples of adventures that guide my writing.

The Psi Side

Another example of art imitating life.

The Psi Adventure Series follows the lives loves and adventures of a team of paranormal investigators and while they live and work in San Francisco, I thought this Washington article timely and worth sharing.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

An Author Reads

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As I was sitting rereading one of my very favorite Dragon Core Stories – Shadow of the Gods – I wondered briefly if other authors reread their own work.

And if they did was it to do the endless editing we’re known for or because they absolutely loved everything about that moment

The moment being

  • The characters
  • The story
  • The setting
  • The memories

Characters

Readers and visitors will note I regularly mention strong independent characters who steer/direct their destiny… Character driven fiction is the priority for me because it’s a reflection of my existence as an observer of the world and those in it.

Story

For me the story flows naturally – from feeling.

The process of a tale fighting to get out is more psycho-emotional than cerebral

As an author, rereading my work ignites the same feelings and psycho-emotional responses that were at work when I first put fingers to keyboard.

It isn’t a high, just a happy feeling of accomplishment.

Setting

Setting is a natural extension of the above.

When I write I can see the setting as if I’m there.

Memories

Memories can be tricksters, jesters hiding in shadows waiting to feed their need for perverse entertainment

At your expense.

Memories associated with an event such as writing and/or publishing a story can be associated with what was going on in your life at that moment, life memories evoked while putting fingers to keyboard, or anything that happened as a result of releasing that work into the world.

Mixed bag.

Of all, I believe memories the most challenging as they tie in multiple variables including memories of where you thought you would be once you released your art to the world.

And how you thought the world would react. Hahahahahahaha

Mental Minefield

It turns out Time holds the key to healing incongruencies

Even when reality surpasses expectation memories can be a wrench in it all

Healing

Time has been an element of fascination and passion for me for as long as I can remember

And – at times – my nemesis

One thing Time has done is take pity on me as the author wading through my favorite works by its passing blunting the edge of emotions that might ruin the joy of reliving creative expression through reading a work of art given to the world to spread joy.

And love.

Just in time for Halloween: Life as a Costume Party!

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Hope everyone is enjoying life if not the weekend.  Had a lightbulb moment and wanted to share.

It’s up my holistic – aka body mind spirit – alley.

But first

Making progress figuring out “next steps” in website/career update.

Feeling more at peace with it. But – it takes time.

As usual [for me] the universe is directing the energy – but – it’s coming round that the energy will be pulled in – put to good use.

I’m feeling better!

I wanted to share the perspective that popped into mind.

Perspective is everything!

Many of us are searching – in one form or another – for ourselves.

Searching for meaning, searching for what our Divine Purpose is, searching for the winning Powerball numbers…

Got a bit of insight as to why it’s been so difficult for some of us to find ourselves

Imagine…

Showing up to a costume party where you’re trying to see if you can figure out who’s who only to find you don’t even recognize yourself

because…

Your soul is housed in a damn good costume!

Maybe too good ya?

Good things coming!

Eager to share!

Stay tuned!

Site Update

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Happy Autumn!

My favorite season.

Over the past months I’ve focused on healing after severe burnout.

Even as I wanted to work on a vision for my writing career.  

Walking countless miles I examined the possibilities.

And felt ill even thinking of writing.

I was fully prepared to walk away from writing forever if that’s what I needed to do to stay healthy.  There was just one tiny issue.  Writing wasn’t just a job, it was a lifelong dream.

I couldn’t get the maxim God never puts a dream in your heart without giving you the means of fulfilling it out of my head and heart.

While walking mile after mile – rain snow or shine – I prayed for guidance.  

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Over the months I came to see that it is possible for me to continue along the path of my dream provided I start over and – most importantly – I don’t go back to doing things the same old way.

A way that led me straight into burnout.

Simply giving myself permission to dream of the possibility I might be able to write again terrified me, so I acknowledged it as a possibility and set it aside for several months more. 

Light At the End of the Tunnel

A light that thankfully was not an oncoming train!

I started with blog posts and when that went well gave myself permission to dream of more. At the same time I kept my focus on healing.

Walking is wonderful for body mind and spirit.

The vision started to crystalize but I struggled with details such as layout and organization and soon came to realize I was overcomplicating things.

Again.

I’ve finally come up with a format I can live with.

As someone with a passion for excellence, I’m picky.

In the coming weeks I will be implementing the changes which will include

  • Work on EMF Sensitivity
  • Work on the Psi Side
  • Fiction
  • New nonfiction work I will provide details for in the near future

When it comes to blogs, rather than overcomplicating things by filing posts in different locations,  I will simply make sure the subject is in the title.  

Readers can decide whether the subject is of interest.

I look forward to sharing my desire to make the world a better place through Creations, Communications, and Research in the weeks and months to come.

Stay tuned

Writing Crystal Visions

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Hey y’all 

Typed with a Midwest accent

I haven’t dropped off the planet, just gathering my thoughts.

Lots of projects under consideration.

The biggest hurdle at this point is deciding how to do a site layout that reflects my vision. I’ve always been a visual person, one who sees things then works to recreate what I see in my mind’s eye.

So readers can immerse themselves in that vision.

Vision as Part of the Process.

When writing, my visual process makes it so I not only see characters, colors, settings in equisite detail, I can smell the smells.

Whether they come from shampoo a character uses, a by-product of what is going on in the scene – i.e., the aftermath of a battle – or from memory – i.e., a hospital or elementary school.

When I set fingers to keyboard I literally have images of characters, settings, smells in mind.  It’s why I so easily identify with my characters.

Which helps when writing from their point of view.  

I see them with crystal clarity.

As if they were standing in front of or beside me.

Speaking of Crystal Visions, the song of the same name – by The Big Pink – is pretty sweet.

On the Red Riding Hood Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

I imagine other novelists have this ability.

As would song writers, painters, sculptors, photographers, and a myriad of other artists, including actors who create their character as they see – and feel – in body and soul.

What makes this phase of my career challenging is that despite the tremendous improvements in tools and layout options available through WordPress, I’m concerned about making the layout overly busy.  

I want to represent multiple projects in one place without making it cluttered.

As with many disciplines (i.e. writing software code**), there are numerous ways to accomplish what I want and plenty of tools for doing so, but it’s wanting to match what I envision with what is displayed that has me taking time.

Considerations

Some projects will remain under wraps.

I’ll be revealing them in the near future.

Some are topics I never walked away from.

They’re integrated into who I am, woven into my life in a way that means to abandon them is akin to pulling a thread and watching everything unravel til nothing’s left but a spaghetti mess.

That doesn’t mean I was obligated to share.

In spite of a passion for making the world a better place.

Going back to the way things were would only land me in the place that drove me to step away to being with.

The way I’d been doing things resulted in serious damage – to me.

It was as if – metaphorically – I suddenly found myself in a ballroom so crowded I couldn’t hear myself think.

Let alone breathe.

As I go forward with these projects I’m taking my strengths and vulnerabilities into consideration.

As I honor my passion for making the world a better place.

Among the myriad of topics attached to various projects are EMF Sensitivity and life through a Living the Psi Life lens.

Stay tuned.

**  A big part of why I refused to do coding on-the-fly as part of my technical consulting is the simple fact I would be setting the sales rep up for failure.  I’d either be trying to deal with a predecessor’s code or writing in a way that meant whoever came after me needed to understand where I was coming from – at that moment – in order to support the customer.

Never mind that whatever I did wouldn’t be supported if the customer ever called the help desk.  

Ah, but that is a story for another day.

Introspection – Clothes Make the Career Mindset

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A well organized closet is a double-edged sword.  – Elizabeth

I’ve had a lifelong love-hate relationship with closets.  

When I was very young I had to share a very small closet with a sibling.  Because it really was too small to be functional a lot of stuff ended up getting shoved under beds in the room we shared.  

More than a feng shui no-no it was a great way to lose small items like socks.

In my early teens I had a closet that was bare.

And I mean bare.  Not better times in life.

In that case I pushed everything to one side and kept the sliding door closed over the other so it didn’t seem quite as empty.

In high school it became a place to put not only clothes but posters and other visual aids that inspired creativity.

Paving the way for my novels to become reality.

Closet Normal.  

Once I was fully entrenched in corporate my closet found itself organized for the simple fact every piece in it had a purpose.

Since many suits and blouses were Christmas and birthday gifts it also served as incentive to smile every time I looked inside.  

It also reminded me of a brilliant colleague – who left corporate to become a full-time writer – who advised me on dressing for the job I wanted not the one I had. 

 Thank you MT!

Tweaks Thanks to Advice from Mom.  

I’d just moved back to the Midwest from Silicon Valley, my closet filled with a hodge podge of Caliornia stuff alongside suits.

Messy – like my state of mind at that point.

My mom told me of a TV show on which a guest who was a professional organizer explained that most people wear 20% of their outfits 80% of the time.  Armed with that I did the first major wardrobe purge of my life.

I’d always donated what I outgrew or no longer needed but taking a hard look at what I truly wore was something I hadn’t done before.

Career Identity – The Clothing Evolution

Life in Silicon Valley – corporate clothing wise – was always more casual than the Midwest.

My first day of work in Santa Clara I ran into a sales guy in shorts, tank top, flip flops and sunglasses.  When I asked if he was on vacation he laughed and explained he was on his way to Intel and that his attire was not only right it was what he would see at his customer as well.

Rather than get rid of perfectly good suits I swapped out the skirts and pants for jeans.  

Colleagues would often say “You can take the girl out of the Midwest…” in response to my formal attire.

Career Identity Trouble Brews

Though I left corporate to pursue writing full-time I kept all the beautiful suits.  Unfortunately, wearing them to work on a novel didn’t feel right.

Or comfortable.

Wearing jeans and a t-shirt, however, felt too casual and stymied my creativity.

I didn’t feel like I was working.

About a year and a half later I decided to donate my suits.

I wasn’t wearing them and seeing them in the closet was keeping me stuck between my old career and my new one.

Career Identity Trouble Intensifies.

This was the beginning of a years long wrestle with my career wardrobe as every time I looked in my closet I felt confused.

And inadequate.

No Goldilocks In Sight.

I vascillated between overly formal which killed my ability to be creative…

Stemming no doubt from being physically uncomfortable/feeling physically confined.

And feeling like a bum because I was dressed so casually…

Inhibiting my ability to take my writing career as seriously as I had my corporate one.

Changes Outside Inside

Aaron supported me as I tried multiple versions of wardrobe pieces, taking effort to explain that in the time since I left corporate, things had become even more casual in terms of work wardrobe.

What I remembered from when I was there was no longer en Vogue.

For all his support, my psyche was still caught in conflict.

Too formal V. Too casual.

Irony

Perhaps the biggest irony is this now being an issue for thousands thanks to the Work From Home wave brought on by the pandemic.

Changes Inside Outside

The Closet Speaks

I’ve come to see recently that my closet was always a reflection of where I was along life’s path.  In terms of my career I have been successful in having what I needed but only this weekend past did I see that I have what I wanted, a wardrobe that reflects who I am – career-wise. Specifically, I came to see my casual work wardrobe has evolved as I have.

Career wise.

Over the past 2 or so years I’ve worked in pajamas, jeans, and t-shirts associated with the various series.

I’ve also put on more formal tops if the Muse moved me.

Though I understand the more comfortable I am the more likely the words will flow, it’s how I see myself as the writer that should drive what I wear.

It’s Attitude not Clothes!

There was a time when wearing pajamas and working on the couch got me down because I felt I shouldn’t do it.  It didn’t matter that I was highly prolific.  My mind was stuck back in corporate thinking What would people think if they saw me?

Slacker anyone?

Over recent months as I’ve made changes on my website and to my project calendar I have further tweaked my wardrobe to better reflect the changes that were every bit as internal as external. 

The Weekend Breakthrough.

This weekend past I spent time in a closet that was already cleaned and organized to see what if anything was tied to the old writer me.  I then took any items I felt fit that bill and put them into a donate bag.  

The idea being let go of what no longer serves.

Though I know that I, like my career, am still evolving, at least I will be journeying with less baggage.

Fewer items holding me in a place I have not been in a long time.

Interestingly, the most important work was done before I went through the closet.

Internally.

I needed to come to peace with who I have become in the years since leaving corporate long before thinning the wardrobe.

Be well and journey light!

END OF YEAR TRADITIONS

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I wanted to take a moment this holiday week and let everyone know how thankful I am for my readers.

And visitors to this site!

I am also thankful not only to my team but to all of those at WordPress, Smashwords, and other organizations who make this all possible.

I hope everyone has a peaceful and happy Thanksgiving week.  

Update

I will be offline for a bit.

Though I may be inspired to write a post.

I continue to work on projects but will be using the coming weeks to do a bit of introspection and self-evaluation.

This end-of-year tradition is a significant part of career planning.  

After a hectic 13 months I consider this a well-deserved and much needed break.

I will post and/or provide updates as appropriate but for now…

Happy Holidays 2022!

MORE THAN A HERO’S JOURNEY: BRINGING A STORY TO LIFE

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I’ve been sitting here contemplating the Port Gallatan Series from a few different angles including a stubborn refusal to let what was Hollow Shelter go without a fight.

The premise is just too good in my opinion.  It’s also close to my heart.

That isn’t to say in its current form it would fit the series and while I originally floated the idea – to myself – of reworking it so that it did fit the series, I decided it was probably too much work given everything else going on.  So, I let it go.

Or so I thought.

I was sitting here, minding my own business (pun intended) when a niggle of an idea for a reworked story came knocking on my consciousness. 

 I tend to pay attention to these as even if a new book doesn’t come from them I usually get information that is of benefit.  

Tune Out to Tune In.

For me, the best way to let something from the unconscious percolate to the top is to play Free Cell. The mindless repetition lulls – or perhaps bores is a better word – my mind to a daydream state whereby unconscious thoughts can be seen in the mind’s eye

Scenes

And heard

Characters

Within a short time I had a great way to totally revamp that story for a future Gallatan book.

It will have a different title by then.

Satisfied I was ready to go back to Blue Skye in the Rain when another random thought popped into my head.

The unconscious wasn’t done talking apparently.

The Hero’s Journey.

That was it.  That simple phrase.  However, it was accompanied by images of a newspaper article I once read that was about a movie.  In it the critic mentioned the movie being a “typical” hero’s journey along the lines of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.

I’m thinking that writer didn’t enjoy either movie.

The writer in me tensed up.  By suggesting there is nothing more to a story than labeling it as falling into one of the 7 basic plots one risks sounding like a high school teacher trying to convince bored students the classic they are reading will change their life forever.

Oh, it may, but not always and not necessarily in a way that can be predicted.

When it comes to a novel, classifying it in such limiting terms not only denies the reader the oppoturnity to discover the adventure in the characters, setting, and subplots that make a novel entertaining, it diminishes the role of the writer in the story.  I, for one, do not think, “Hm, which of the basic plots does this fall into?” when I start a story.

Port Gallatan.

As with the Okcracoke Awakening Series, the first choice I made before the initial book was even fully formed was the setting.

I love the Carolinas for their rich history and love the peaceful Outer Banks Islands off their shores.

For the fictitious Pacific Northwest Port town I created something completely fabricated that was inspired by a number of ports I’d visited.

Combined with various East Coast towns throughout the Mid-Atlantic.

Though a reader may classify the storyline in such a way as to match one of the infamous plots I promise none of that was going through my mind when I came up with the idea.

I was sitting at a local haunt I went to (pre-pandemic) to have coffee and work when I came up with part of the story.  A lunch in a neighboring town weeks later gave me the other piece of the light-hearted plot.

To me, oversimplifying an aspect of a fiction work is cheating reader and writer both.  Far better, me thinks, to take the plunge into the adventure.

Now, back to my story.  (Grin)

WRITING A SERIES: MANIFESTING THE VISION

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Note: Excerpt at end of post.

Though I don’t have a release date I am well on my way with Blue Skye In the Rain, follow-up to Port In a Storm.

Thanks to work done prior to the pandemic.  

Working on material for the Port Gallatan series has been fun.  It’s also been challenging in that keeping the original vision through the twists and turns of the last 5 years has been a bit daunting.  In no specific order, here are a few of the challenges

Working Title.  Just prior to moving to the current location I mentioned to a casual if somewhat regular acquaintance that I was working on a novel with the working title Blue Skye.  I gave him a brief synopsis and he replied with a smile and a promise to periodically check in to see how things were coming along on the story.  

That was 3 years ago!

Shortly after moving I started the story, then set it aside.

This is typical when I’m finishing one book but want to keep up momentum for the next project.

Off Course.  We’d barely finished unpacking when we were staring down the chaos of a pandemic lockdown and while this turned into one of the more prolific periods of my writing career, it steered me far away from the vision I had for the series.

Switched Gears.  Toward the end of 2021 I turned my focus to a number of nonfiction projects.

Eventually, it was time to swing back around to the story.  And yet…

Which One?

When I plan a series I generally have a good idea how many novels will be in its borders.  Unfortunately, with the Port Gallatan work, I had three different novels that could have followed Port In a Storm.  What I didn’t realize initially is that not all of them were suited to the vision I had for the series.

I was so ready to get back to fiction writing I overlooked that little detail.

I was well down the path of Hollow Shelter when it hit me.

This isn’t going to work!

Dropping the book I took time to regroup.

Figure out where I went off the path.

The process took longer than I anticipated and was filled with a great deal of angst as I tried to figure out where I went wrong and what the best path forward might be.

And which book I should work on next!

Thinking it might be helpful to step away for awhile, I considered doing the next Dragon Core book.

Eventually decided against it.

I considered reworking Hollow Shelter – even started to – then realized that wasn’t the best one for next in the series.  

Finally, I determined Blue Skye was the best one, not the least reason of which is that it beautifully sets up for the next 2 in the series.

It’s also based on a comedic theme, something I think everyone can use these days.

Trouble was, Blue Skye was only a place holder title, what those in the industry call a working title.  Sure enough, I spent several days struggling to come up with an alternate.  Unfortunately, there was a plot device that went with Blue Skye and I knew if I switched out the title I would lose that.

That plot device is a big part of the story.

Aaron and I were out driving recently and I began talking through the challenge of the working title.  Without even thinking, I added “In the rain.”  When I mentioned it being a follow on to Port In a Storm, I smiled.  I had my tie-in!

Details like that are very important to me!

Inertia from being away from fiction had set in.

Little details like working titles don’t get the novel written.

I spent yesterday building out the setup for the story, managing to get in some write time.  

Stuff like organizing files and directories, building a playlist that suits the story.

After a good night’s sleep I am back at it.

Release date will be announced in the coming months.

The following is an excerpt from the upcoming book.

PROLOGUE

Construction Site, Montana

Spring, 2021

“Blue Skye In the Rain?  What kind of a name is that for a business?”

Knowing it would irritate his father, twenty-eight-year-old Ryan Skye took a moment before replying to lean over so he could use his t-shirt to wipe his sweaty forehead.  Oh, and count to ten.  Twice. 

Standing slowly he noted a number of the crew – those not used to the periodic and somewhat regular squabbles between father and son – had stopped what they were doing to watch.  Lips in a half-smile half-smirk, he looked into the eyes of the man who taught him everything he knew about running a business through good times and bad, who taught him to be independent, whose wife his mother encouraged him to follow his dreams.  Shrugging, he replied,  “Guess you’ll just have to come out and see for yourself.”  

Ignoring the snickers of nearby crew- and his father’s look of disgust – he hefted a bag of mix and made for the cement truck. 

CJAPTER ONE

Port Gallatan

Summer, 2021

The tiny town of Port Gallatan – a town some say is at the edge of nowhere – has had an identity crisis of one sort or another since being founded by eccentric French Noble Jamet Gallatan.  In search of privacy he made sure the small hamlet on the water earned a reputation for being unfriendly to strangers, including those just passing through.  But like the human desire to direct destiny, progress cannot be controlled and soon, others in search of freedom to pursue dreams joined the reclusive Frenchman.  

Those who settled in the small village, who knew Jamet, respected his right to seclusion, opined he should have known that in settling on a port he would be part of the progress he claimed to eschew.  And so it was that the small town, like the fledgling country it was a part of, grew.

For a period following the US industrial revolution, there was belief the town – thanks to the new railroad being built in the West – would grow.  Thrive even.  Speculators from near and far flocked to the tiny port village to lay claim to a piece of history and for a time Port Gallatan burst at the seams.  But it was not to be.  The railway bypassed the little village by the water, sealing its fate as a small town caught between progress and stagnation.  

MANIFESTING: A LOT HAS TO HAPPEN

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It’s been a busy two weeks as I’ve cleared out the old to make way for the new.

All part of the process of manifesting a goal.

As I was getting ready for bed last night I came to understand that some goals take longer than expected because a lot has to happen first.

For instance

In a previous post I wrote of being 13 and thinking while watching a movie that it would be cool to live in a certain type of house in a certain type of neighborhood featured in the movie.  At the time my family was in no position to achieve it and in any case, my vision wasn’t that of my parents.  Needless to say, a lot had to happen between then and now for me to attain that goal.

I lived in a lot of places between then and now and went through a number of life changes along the path to the goal.

It’s no different when looking to achieve a career goal.

For example

There came a time where I decided I wanted to be a technical consultant.  In spite of having taken programming in college and using a computer since I was a teen, I didn’t have the skills when I made the decision.

A lot had to happen.

I spent the next years immersed in classes and activities that filled in skill gaps.

A Wrench

Though an agreement had been in place at my place of employment that once I met a set of criteria I would be promoted, when I met the requirements, the company was in a downturn and there was no headcount.

The Universe Steps In

On the other side of the world

Germany, to be exact

A woman fell in love with a US citizen who happened to be working for the same company I was.  They decided whoever got a job in the other’s country first would move.  As it turned out the American who was a TC in Silicon Valley was the one to make the move.  

Lucky me.

There is a great deal of kismet to this manifestation but suffice it to say that the Universe had bigger plans for me.  Instead of getting a promotion where I worked – one that didn’t come with a raise – I got a bigger promotion and a significant raise.

And a cost of living adjustment.

Pivot

I eventually left corporate to focus on a lifelong goal of being a novelist.

Another Wrench

Thanks to an interesting set of circumstances, I ended up publishing nonfiction first.

The Universe Steps In

In the years since publishing Riding the Waves: Diagnosing, Treating, and Living with EMF Sensitivity, I’ve experienced a number of life changing events, each of which has nudged me – by hook or by crook – along the path of my career goals.  What I’ve come to see in recent weeks is that the path is not only long it’s often like a switchback trail where you sometimes wonder if you’re even going in the right direction let alone have a hope in hell of getting where you are headed.

There is a beautiful 11 mile trail in Sedona that left Aaron and I both wondering this at times.

I think he has video of me with needles from a friendly prickly pear sticking out of my shirt in several places from when I took a wrong turn and got off the path.

Path To a Series

Port Gallatan has simultaneously been fun and infuriating as I’ve tried to build out my vision for the series.

Other work and life in general kept throwing wrenches.

The Universe Steps In

I was so busy working at the macro level of the career goals I didn’t notice that the actions I was taking were in fact clearing a number of obstacles from the Port Gallatan path!

I am happy to say Blue Skye in the Rain, follow-up to Port In a Storm is well on its way to completion.

Availability date to be announced soon.

I’ll take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Holloween!

Closing with a joke I read in an email this morning.

What did Dracula say when the witch and the werewolf started kissing?

Get a broom!

Be well!