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April 27, 2009
Cover Art Contest Deadline Approaching
Only four days left. Get those entries in!
Top prize is $50. Deadline is Thursday, April 30th.
Posted by Selena at 11:30 AM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2009
Why a day job can be good for your writing.
This is just my opinion and "your mileage may vary," as they say. But I think having a non-writing day job can actually be good for your writing. I grant you that it's counter-intuitive, but if you think about it, it kind of makes sense.
Having a day job makes writing more mistress than "old lady." (I should point out here that the people in this metaphor are archetypes and not intended to represent any actual, real people.) That lends added excitement to writing as you "sneak around" to find time for your writing/mistress, avoiding the responsibilities of home and job in favor of spending just a little more time with the ever-seductive words-on-page. Having writing as your "job" can make it mundane, something you have to do rather than something you want/need to do, and that can take some of the fire out of it.
Thinking of the issue another way, you can't light a fire by laying the piece of flint on a soft down comforter, patting it gently, and making sure it's always comfortable. No, you get the damn thing to spark by banging it repeatedly against a rock (or other hard surface). It’s painful for the flint, sure, but before you know it there is a flash of fire springing out of that nexus of flint and rock.
And that, my friends, is my minority opinion on this topic. ;)
(Thanks to Kevin Lucia for prompting this rumination with his very innocent comment at FaceBook about writing a bestseller so he can quit his day job and write full-time.)
Posted by Selena at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)
April 24, 2009
"Saul" by Jeff Chapman
"Saul"
by Jeff Chapman
Martin came to kill. Joan came to survive.
Posted by Selena at 07:58 AM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2009
Cover Art Contest: Deadline April 30th
Reminder:
Entries for the cover art contest at MindFlights must be received by Thursday, April 30th. Top prize is $50. Click link for details.
Posted by Selena at 07:20 PM | Comments (0)
April 20, 2009
MindFlights Monday
It's MindFlights Monday. I published a poem, responded to authors re: their submissions, read a couple submissions, and paid an author via PayPal.
Now, I need to make the rounds and remind everyone about the cover art contest and its approaching deadline. Actually I may wait and do that tomorrow.
Posted by Selena at 03:49 PM | Comments (0)
Updated Recommended Books Page
I finally got around to updating my Recommended Books page. The list had gotten so long that I had to break it up into categories.
Posted by Selena at 03:03 PM | Comments (0)
"Reflections on Our Coming Doom" by John Nichols
"Reflections on Our Coming Doom"
by John Nichols
The Big One Gets Us
Posted by Selena at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)
April 18, 2009
"Bones" Rocks
I am a big fan of the TV show "Bones."
I didn’t watch it until my mother, and then EW.com, recommended it to me. Whenever I saw the ads I thought "yuck, another police procedural, mystery-type thing." But it is so much more. Really, it’s more about the characters than the cases. At least for me.
This week’s episode ("Mayhem on a Cross") was especially great. EW.com has a good recap, complete with video. It's the last scene that is the highlight and the recap details why. Brennan's "sharing of scars", and Booth's reaction, had been crying on the treadmill.
I am curious though why the show has started doing a recap at the half-hour mark. I keep meaning to look at the schedule and see what thirty-minute show might be competing with the first part of "Bones." As if anything could compete!
Posted by Selena at 07:29 PM | Comments (0)
Nickel and Dimed
I recently finished reading Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. It is fantastic! It ought to be required reading.
I recognized a lot of myself and my past minimum wage jobs in her story.
I'm going to have to update my Recommended Books page just so I can add it.
Posted by Selena at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)
April 17, 2009
"First Impressions" by Susan Tsui
"First Impressions"
by Susan Tsui
What would you do if you had the power to erase all your mistakes from the mind of someone close to you and start all over again?
Posted by Selena at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)
April 14, 2009
Two Stories Accepted
I had two stories accepted today. (Yeah!)
You can look for them in May at All Things Girl and Static Movement. The stories are "Café Encounter" and "No Birthdays," respectively.
It feels great to get a "yes." With two in one day, I am over the moon!
Posted by Selena at 07:52 PM | Comments (0)
What's Been Going On
I haven't been blogging much. I guess messing around on FaceBook has taken up some of my blogging time.
So here's what's been going on...
Easter was good. The pepperoni and mozzarella bread was a big hit. I made three loaves and they were still all gone before dinner. On the other hand, coloring Easter eggs with Lily, who is just shy of her second birthday, probably wasn't the smartest thing I have ever attempted.
I watched "Proof of Life" again recently. (I was so excited when I turned on the TV and caught a glimpse of it. I immediately commanded the DVR to tape it since I had seen the movie before and love it.) I still can't get that last scene and the accompanying song out of my head. Not that I'd want to. Sigh. Who knew a "kidnap and ransom" movie could be so romantic?
I didn't get much done last week—what with Easter and all. But I am trying to get back into it. I got a lot of MindFlights stuff done yesterday. But today I’ve focused on the writing stuff. I worked on and sent off two stories, and have another ready to go tomorrow.
I've been watching a lot of "Studio 60." (Thanks to iTunes and Apple TV.) It has had the effect Aaron Sorkin's work always does on me: it makes me want to do better, be better, achieve more. But it's also making me a little depressed because coupled with the news that two of my favorite shows ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Dollhouse") aren’t likely to be back next season, I keep thinking, "Why aren't there any real-life Jordan McDeeres?" I watch "Studio 60" and see Jordan reject a wildly profitable but morally repugnant reality-TV series, while desperately trying to get a smart, well-written series about the United Nations, and I think to myself: "This woman is a total fiction. Nobody like this exists in the television business. And that is why good shows can't make it on broadcast TV." It's so depressing.
Add to that, more disappointing episodes of "Heroes" and a "General Hospital" that I don't even watch anymore unless the gals at Serial Drama say there is something worth tuning in for, and what you get is: me really down on broadcast TV right now.
The bright spot is that YouTube has a bunch of "Studio 60" clips like these two that highlight the relationship between Danny and Jordan:
Part 1 (never mind that the dialogue at the beginning is muted in favor of the music, eventually you can hear what they are saying.)
Part 2
Posted by Selena at 07:18 PM | Comments (2)
April 10, 2009
"Wakescape" by Audrey E. Marquis
"Wakescape"
by Audrey E. Marquis
(A Student Contributor)
Ryan lives in a society based on three commandments: 1) Feel what is good. Subdue what is negative. 2) You may excel inasmuch as you do not displease other members. 3) Love yourself enough to be without discomfort. Then he meets someone who challenges this way of life.
Posted by Selena at 12:29 PM | Comments (0)
Nightmares with Hymns?
Last night I had another one of those nightmares where the only defense against the Big Bad is the singing of hymns. Last night it was "Amazing Grace" that saved me.
I guess I don't have to search too far to figure out the meaning of that.
Posted by Selena at 06:52 AM | Comments (0)
April 09, 2009
Story Published at Sonar4 Mag
My story "The Power of Suggestion" has been published by Sonar4 Mag. You can buy a copy of the issue it's in, which is Spring 2009, at their website.
Here's a brief blurb:
A scifi story about an alien who, while not telepathic like the rest of her species, can transmit emotional states to other people. She is enlisted by her government to sabotage negotiations between two warring factions by manipulating the human diplomats seeking peace.
As you might be able to tell from that, it's kind of a dark story.
Posted by Selena at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
April 06, 2009
"tanka - through the branches" by Joshua Gage
Here is the poem that inspired this month's cover art. Enjoy!
"tanka - through the branches"
by Joshua Gage
through the branches of the Dyson tree
Posted by Selena at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)
April 03, 2009
"Dale, Me, and the Speed Demon" by M. L. Archer
Here is our first story of the month. Enjoy!
"Dale, Me, and the Speed Demon"
by M. L. Archer
"...because the words that come out of your mouth mean something..."
Posted by Selena at 09:14 AM | Comments (2)
April 01, 2009
"Through the Branches" by Marge Simon
No fooling. We have new cover art to kick off the new month. Enjoy!
"Through the Branches"
by Marge Simon
Check back later in April for the poem that inspired this illustration.
(P.S. our cover art contest is now accepting entries.)
Posted by Selena at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)