Hello everyone! Wanted to provide a quick update on various projects.
After much consideration I’ve decided to decomission Metatron’s Army.
For details including an audio message from me, click here.
I will be releasing new material in both my Dragon Core and Port Gallatan series.
I’m excited about the new projects and anticipate new material being available by or before autumn.
Stay tuned!
I’ve known I wanted to be a writer since I was 3. What I didn’t know was the convoluted path it would take. Even as I was praised as a storyteller, winning fiction writing awards beginning at 6 of years age, I was getting pushback, the harshest coming from a woman of influence – my paternal grandmother.
I now understand she was putting the burden of her need to live in reflected glory/accomplishment on my young shoulders.
My education drove very strict grammatical rules into my head.
Most of which didn’t and still doesn’t apply to published works.
I excelled.
Was reading college level at age 7 – tested 99th percentile in the country – qualified for the new Mensa for children program.
All of which did little to help with my dream of becoming a published storyteller.
Arbitrare This!
Oh – is arbitrare a word?
Fast Forward through a successful multi-decade career in tech to 2003.
Enter Fate!
A merger from hell led me to know that if it was ever going to be –
The Time to Write is Now!
I’d wanted this for as long as I could remember and yes – I remember being 3 and giving my mom a poem I’d written [to her] in gold crayon on a red construction paper heart I cut myself and declaring I was going to be a writer.
Yeah but
Back to 2003
Even as I was working to publish Kerry’s Game – I was working on a doctoral thesis in holstic medicine.
Another passion.
This necessitated I not only spend hours in the scary basement of the science library at Stanford
Hey – it’s dark and creepy in that corner!
It required I purchase a book on the accepted writing style and grammer for a doctoral thesis.
My Masters’ thesis didn’t require this.
Detour Ahead!
My literary plans were derailed by Fate when an adjunct professor who read my thesis encouraged me to turn it into a book.
Which I did.
And detoured further via EMF Sensitivity which led me to publish nonfiction first.
I had multiple individuals begging me to give them unfinished work which I refused to do – on ethical grounds among other reasons; as in it wasn’t finished.
Skipping around a bit – including the impact of Smashwords on the industry …
Once I published and subsequently dealt with the fallout of that lifetime achievement award I returned to my original dream.
Published storyteller.
I invested in my dream.
Time and money. LOTS of money
Classes and conferences and more time.
I ran into rather interesting challenges.
No one told me not to quit my dayjob. Quite the opposite.
I received a hand-written letter from an editor at Tor-Forge explaining their slots for a particular paranormal fiction angle were currently filled and inviting me to submit more of my work for consideration.
Aspiring published writer gold.
Fate intervened
Beyond the scope of this article.
Then intervened again.
Cue Mark Coker founder of Smashwords.
The man who upended the industry I was just breaking into had watched his wife suffer the hoops of fire aspiring novelists are put through and decided to do something about it.
For details visit his site.
By the time I was listening to him speak at a conference in Anaheim I was self-pubished and on my way to a flourishing writing career.
My dream.
I didn’t feel an imposter. That didn’t mean I wasn’t ill at ease.
I was writing by someone else’s rules and the vernacular that went with those rules. I hadn’t found my voice.
Full Circle
It was while reading one of my favorite books [I’d written] that it came to me. I’d written my stories as if I was working for the Big 5 when I wasn’t!
Their rules. Their voice.
Smiling from the Aha! moment I began editing with the warm feeling of someone who has found their voice!
I can finally write as me as opposed to a representative of a corporate standards list.
Stay tuned!
Just reading Redemption, a Dragon Core novel,and appreciating a scene.
Brought back memories.
I wrote from experience for this one.
In the scene the heroine is explaining to the hero she’s taking a “staycation” to do a bit of painting.
Gilotti’s – core to the plot of the series – are some of my favorite characters to write!
She elaborates she’s behind in unpacking because she spent Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays working.
So colleagues with families could spend time with them.
As did I
Once upon a time.
I drew from this experience for a plot device that fit nicely into the bigger novel picture.
Lived It
It started as a great way to earn money.
I was doing the work of a salaried professional while paid hourly wages.
I didn’t mind.
It was good money!
I was single; they had families.
I had a lot more flexibility.
It was a great way to learn on the job.
I had to do some quick thinking for some of those emergency (sometimes middle-of-the-night) customer calls.
It became a wonderful yearly tradition.
I connected with customers and coworkers who were in the same boat including some out-of-the-country or from cultures that didn’t observe our holidays.
It played a significant role in becoming a Supply Chain expert.
I fielded calls from people across the globe – including C-suite folks – flabbergasted if not outraged the automotive industry as a whole followed GM’s mandatory 2 week shutdown and that it bled over into tech – and a number of other industries and companies.
When I told my boss at a subsequent employer I was more than happy to work holidays he was thrilled.
Then called me at home to ask what the deal was. There had to be a catch, right? Nope.
Plot Device
Though my character’s industry, along with the region she lives/works in, are different, it was easy to tap real life experience to create a believable scene.
Believable in the explanations if not arguments she gives as to why she’s spending her vacation working.
I have fond memories of those days.
Memories that live on in my work.
And maybe – just maybe – someone somewhere on our big blue marble remembers “that woman” who picked up the phone over the holidays.
And saved their sanity.
I worked Halloweens too.
So they could be home to take their kids Trick-or-Treating
C’est la vie.
Cool song by Emerson Lake & Palmer.
Untangle this.
Rereadinng Shadow of the Gods.
One of my favorite Dragon Core novels.
I love the characters.
Though I pay attention to every detail character development is a particular passion for me.
Characters are people and the myriad complexities associated with.
A brilliant challenge plucked from life.
A Little Goes a Long Way
Less is more.
Though I’ve included longer snippets from novels in previous posts I felt – after reading this scene – it did the job nicely.
Illustrating my style.
Context
It’s Christmas
Hey, it’s after Halloween. Tis the season!
Details
Cayden is a raven shifter. Mica? Human.
From Shadow of the Gods.
“I love you, Cayden.”
“If you think -.”
She gave him an understanding smile. “What I think, Cayden, is that you have nothing from your childhood, though you definitely had one. You did not hatch from an egg.”
He didn’t appreciate the levity but at least she had his attention. Or that could have been that she’d unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse.
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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!
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
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
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.
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!
Elizabeth Maxim 