Q. Kelly's Blog, page 4
May 6, 2016
Irene, a Land of Water and Green in the Desert
Today, I checked out two trails at Irene Reinhart Riverfront Park in Ellensburg. Loved it! Reminiscent to what I enjoyed back home in Virginia. Irene will be my new go-to place. I hope you enjoy the pics.
May 5, 2016
Good Things Come in Threes, and I Have Three Discounts Coming Up!
Good things often come in threes. So do bad things, actually, but hey, let’s not think about them right now. ;) Starting tomorrow, I am kicking off a May trio of three novel deals. Each ebook will be discounted to $2.99. Scheduling info and excerpts are below. For the excerpts, I went to page 23 of each print version and picked something (23 because it’s one of my favorite numbers and why not?).
“The Odd Couple”
Amazon U.S.May 6 to May 11, U.S.May 6 to May 12 UK
Excerpt:The visitor was not Margaret Hawthorne, but Gareth's other grandmother, the woman from the cemetery. She clutched two wrapped packages to her chest. "Hi," she said in little more than a whisper. "First of all, I wanted to say that, uh…"
Shock paralyzed Morrisey. She could not find her voice, especially with the Acclaim looming in the driveway, mocking her with its silver door.
JP's mother displayed a shaky smile. "I just wanted to, well, I just wanted to...I wondered if you could help me. I didn't introduce myself yesterday, did I? My name's Charlene Sudsbury."
“Third”
Amazon U.S.May 9-May 16, U.S. and UK
Excerpt:Anne felt another weeping spell coming on. Had been. Had been!
Dear God. How could she be alive and well, and her daughter four hundred and nine years dead? The woman who sat on the British throne today was Elizabeth II, no direct relation of Elizabeth I. Or of Henry VIII, for that matter. For all of her husband's obsessing about male heirs, his genes lasted a pitiful generation. The royal family today was directly descended from Henry's elder sister, Margaret. Still, Anne liked the fact that the British queen's name was Elizabeth. Sometimes Anne pretended that Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was her own Elizabeth Tudor.
“Time and Time Again”
Amazon U.S.May 16-May 23, U.S. and UK
Excerpt:
Linn blinked and felt as if she was exiting a trance. Tumor One had suckered her in, that was for sure. Christian spoke with a quiet, steely calm that Linn rarely saw these days. People tended to hound her for one of three things: her autograph, writing advice or to get her to listen to their life stories, which never turned out to be as interesting as these people believed. Christian’s story, though…interesting. Of course, the boy was not real. He and his sister were brain tumors attending a costume ball—masquerading as ghosts.
May 2, 2016
When Writers Are Most Likely to Tumble...
A few minutes ago, I posted pics from a little desert hike I did earlier today. As usual, on my hikes, going down was the most hair-raising part. So far on my many hikes, I've not really fallen, although I am afraid I will. (I need a walking stick!) I certainly slip and slide a lot on my way down, and that desert hike was worse than those I am used to in Virginia/the Portland, Ore., area. More dry and rocky trails here. Anyway, my mind wandered rather than contemplate me falling off a cliff in slow motion. It wandered to how going down a hike is much like writing after you have finished your first draft.
One pic from my hike today
Writing your first draft: you're excited much of the time. You move quickly, in spurts, eager to see what is around the next bend. You can't wait to get to the top. Whether it's a simple mountain hike or climbing Everest, getting to the top is a huge accomplishment. So is finishing a first draft.
But guess what? Getting down is harder much of the time. For example, many, if not most, Everest deaths have occurred after climbers reached the top or had to turn around. Here's how it ties into writing. You're most likely not done after your first draft. Sure, it's possible that a magic pink unicorn helicopter will show up and whisk you off your Everest. It's somewhat more possible that you've written a masterpiece on your first attempt and can breeze from now on. In the huge majority of cases, though, what happens now determines the future of your book (or your health). Rock falls. Avalanches. Getting lost. Being robbed. Getting bitten by a snake. Becoming insecure about plot points. Clinging onto your wordy darlings, certain that you're on the right path--when you're miles and miles off course. Deciding whether to self-publish or to submit to publishers. Many times, rounds of editing and revisions.
Make it as easy on yourself as possible. Take breaks. Know ahead of time what you might be doing. Go with someone knowledgeable until you gain more experience. You get the picture.
And if you do fall? If you do trip like a clumsy mofo and roll and roll and scrape your knees and your legs and your arms and get dusty? Well, shoot. Get up and shake yourself off. But while you're down there, enjoy the view as much as you can (despite the pain). I bet it's gorgeous.
One pic from my hike todayWriting your first draft: you're excited much of the time. You move quickly, in spurts, eager to see what is around the next bend. You can't wait to get to the top. Whether it's a simple mountain hike or climbing Everest, getting to the top is a huge accomplishment. So is finishing a first draft.
But guess what? Getting down is harder much of the time. For example, many, if not most, Everest deaths have occurred after climbers reached the top or had to turn around. Here's how it ties into writing. You're most likely not done after your first draft. Sure, it's possible that a magic pink unicorn helicopter will show up and whisk you off your Everest. It's somewhat more possible that you've written a masterpiece on your first attempt and can breeze from now on. In the huge majority of cases, though, what happens now determines the future of your book (or your health). Rock falls. Avalanches. Getting lost. Being robbed. Getting bitten by a snake. Becoming insecure about plot points. Clinging onto your wordy darlings, certain that you're on the right path--when you're miles and miles off course. Deciding whether to self-publish or to submit to publishers. Many times, rounds of editing and revisions.
Make it as easy on yourself as possible. Take breaks. Know ahead of time what you might be doing. Go with someone knowledgeable until you gain more experience. You get the picture.
And if you do fall? If you do trip like a clumsy mofo and roll and roll and scrape your knees and your legs and your arms and get dusty? Well, shoot. Get up and shake yourself off. But while you're down there, enjoy the view as much as you can (despite the pain). I bet it's gorgeous.
Proof That I Live in the Desert
Well, it's official. I've convinced myself. I live in the desert! ;) One of my new favorite places in Ellensburg is the Umtanum Recreation site. I took a little hike there today. I did not go as far as I would have liked to, due to being massively out of shape. Still, I did decently and got awesome pics. Here they are!
April 29, 2016
Japanese Garden in Ellensburg -- Another Favorite Place
Yesterday, I posted about Dick and Jane's Spot. Today, I headed out to another of my favorite places in Ellensburg, the Japanese garden on the campus of Central Washington University. The garden is a perfect place to spend a few minutes or a few hours of tranquility. Today was chilly and windy (Ellensburg is always windy!), and I am excited to return to the garden in a few weeks to see the changes.
April 28, 2016
Dick and Jane's Spot
My new town of Ellensburg has a lot of cool places. The coolest is arguably Dick and Jane's Spot. Lots of recycled art creatively deployed in a tiny space! I thought I'd share some pics.
April 27, 2016
Halloween in April/May!
BOO! Who doesn't appreciate the Halloween spirit all year round, right?!? ;) To that end, I have two treats of Halloween goodness for y'all. First, Hit and Run, a short story of mine that is about 8,000 words, is out by itself. It was originally published as part of the Goldie-award-winning anthology Wicked Things by Ylva Publishing. Now it can be yours for 99 cents at Amazonor free (!!!) if you are in Kindle Unlimited or Kindle Prime.
Here's what one reviewer of Wicked Things said about Hit and Run: "This is a unique tale with some serious twists and turns....impressive." Since I'm pretty crunched for time at the moment and Wicked Things achieved wide distribution, I decided to put Hit and Run in KDP Select for the next three months. I may expand distribution after that, but seeing as how I will be the just-new mother of a baby girl, I am not sure my time will be any better then. ;) As always, my stories are DRM-free, so even though this is Kindle-only, you can convert it to read on any device.
BOO AGAIN! To help celebrate the re-release of Hit and Run, I am offering a discount on my Halloween novella, Woman Behind the Mask. Ordinarily $2.99, you can get it for 50 percent off, $1.50, at Smashwords through May 5. You do need to enter a coupon code, and here it is: MY26R. This novella is also available at retailers such as Amazon, Kobo and Barnes and Noble (Nook) for the still-great price of $2.99. (P.S. I have no idea if Smashwords is basing this May 5 date on the United States, which time zone, etc., so it's probably best to buy by May 4 to be safe.)
Blurbs for both stories:
Hit and Run: Maxie Douglas’s husband, Zachary, was mowed down by a hit-and-run driver
five years ago on Halloween. Far from grieving, Maxie is eternally thankful to the driver for saving her from the monster Zachary had become. She longs to meet her hero or heroine, but there is much she doesn’t know.
Woman Behind the Mask: Annie Hardesty wants Zorro for sex, except Zorro turns out to be a woman named Hayden. Surprise doesn't stop Annie for long, and she sets up a liaison. While it doesn’t go exactly as planned, it’s enough for Annie and Hayden to realize they have a genuine connection. Can they overcome obstacles such as Annie’s boyfriend and Hayden’s ex-girlfriend to discover who they can be together?
Happy AprilMayoween! BOO!!!
Check out my other stories in KDP Select for free.
The Odd Couple
Time and Time Again
Third
The Green Pill, One Hour and Other Lesbian Stories
Here's what one reviewer of Wicked Things said about Hit and Run: "This is a unique tale with some serious twists and turns....impressive." Since I'm pretty crunched for time at the moment and Wicked Things achieved wide distribution, I decided to put Hit and Run in KDP Select for the next three months. I may expand distribution after that, but seeing as how I will be the just-new mother of a baby girl, I am not sure my time will be any better then. ;) As always, my stories are DRM-free, so even though this is Kindle-only, you can convert it to read on any device.
BOO AGAIN! To help celebrate the re-release of Hit and Run, I am offering a discount on my Halloween novella, Woman Behind the Mask. Ordinarily $2.99, you can get it for 50 percent off, $1.50, at Smashwords through May 5. You do need to enter a coupon code, and here it is: MY26R. This novella is also available at retailers such as Amazon, Kobo and Barnes and Noble (Nook) for the still-great price of $2.99. (P.S. I have no idea if Smashwords is basing this May 5 date on the United States, which time zone, etc., so it's probably best to buy by May 4 to be safe.)
Blurbs for both stories:
Hit and Run: Maxie Douglas’s husband, Zachary, was mowed down by a hit-and-run driver
five years ago on Halloween. Far from grieving, Maxie is eternally thankful to the driver for saving her from the monster Zachary had become. She longs to meet her hero or heroine, but there is much she doesn’t know.Woman Behind the Mask: Annie Hardesty wants Zorro for sex, except Zorro turns out to be a woman named Hayden. Surprise doesn't stop Annie for long, and she sets up a liaison. While it doesn’t go exactly as planned, it’s enough for Annie and Hayden to realize they have a genuine connection. Can they overcome obstacles such as Annie’s boyfriend and Hayden’s ex-girlfriend to discover who they can be together?
Happy AprilMayoween! BOO!!!
Check out my other stories in KDP Select for free.
The Odd Couple
Time and Time Again
Third
The Green Pill, One Hour and Other Lesbian Stories
April 26, 2016
"You're Fat," As Some/Many Deaf People Like to Say (and F**k Them)
This is going to be a bit of a rant on the Deaf community, so if that kind of thing bothers you, please do not read this post.
A few other things first: I am Deaf. I did not grow up in Deaf culture as much as I would have liked to. My first widespread exposure to Deaf culture was at Gallaudet University, which was the ONLY college I considered going to. I really needed to be around other people like me.
Anyway, from a very young age, I did have contact and friendships with Deaf folks of all ages (but never widespread. That contact was limited to small groups or one-on-one interactions). And I noticed one thing. Many were blunt. MEAN blunt. "You're fat." "You have awful pimples." It goes on and on, but weight always seemed to be the number-one concern/complaint that Deaf people made about others. It is one reason that, as a teenager who did not meet society's ideals, I did not go out of my way to socialize with Deaf people. I did not need any negative stuff pointed out to me by friends and strangers alike, stuff I knew perfectly well was going on with me. But, yeah, I still chose to go to Gallaudet, and all was well.
About 2009, my weight started to creep up again, and I pretty much stopped socializing with Deaf people at that time because I could not stand their comments. Now that I am living in Ellensburg and with an interpreter, I have more reasons to socialize with Deaf people and have been excited about it. Wary, too, of course. Because I knew the weight comments were coming. And today, it happened. A guy I had met only once before and ran into today asked what I did for a living. I said I was a writer. His eyes lit up, and he said, "Ah, I understand now. I've noticed that people who write are fat. Look at me. I'm thin and active."
You know what? FUCK YOU, YOU HORRIBLE PERSON. Maybe he saw my expression or whatever but he said something like, "Sorry." And whatever, I don't remember exactly what he said because I was fuming.
Again: FUCK YOU. And fuck you to all of you insensitive Deaf people. I do know many who are not like this. (And thank you for being nice!!!)
Sure, part of this "sensitivity" of mine comes from being raised in hearing culture. But you know what? I don't care anymore. I am not gonna give these rude Deaf people a free pass anymore. YOU ARE RUDE. YOU ARE HORRIBLE.
Why are people fat? Maybe they're pregnant and have gained weight. Maybe some are writers, sure, who sit and don't exercise enough and don't eat healthfully enough. Maybe some have medical conditions. Maybe some enjoy being fat. IT DOES NOT MATTER. Don't be an asshole. Whether you are hearing or Deaf, don't be an asshole.
Deaf and hearing parents alike, please teach your Deaf and hearing children manners.
A few other things first: I am Deaf. I did not grow up in Deaf culture as much as I would have liked to. My first widespread exposure to Deaf culture was at Gallaudet University, which was the ONLY college I considered going to. I really needed to be around other people like me.
Anyway, from a very young age, I did have contact and friendships with Deaf folks of all ages (but never widespread. That contact was limited to small groups or one-on-one interactions). And I noticed one thing. Many were blunt. MEAN blunt. "You're fat." "You have awful pimples." It goes on and on, but weight always seemed to be the number-one concern/complaint that Deaf people made about others. It is one reason that, as a teenager who did not meet society's ideals, I did not go out of my way to socialize with Deaf people. I did not need any negative stuff pointed out to me by friends and strangers alike, stuff I knew perfectly well was going on with me. But, yeah, I still chose to go to Gallaudet, and all was well.
About 2009, my weight started to creep up again, and I pretty much stopped socializing with Deaf people at that time because I could not stand their comments. Now that I am living in Ellensburg and with an interpreter, I have more reasons to socialize with Deaf people and have been excited about it. Wary, too, of course. Because I knew the weight comments were coming. And today, it happened. A guy I had met only once before and ran into today asked what I did for a living. I said I was a writer. His eyes lit up, and he said, "Ah, I understand now. I've noticed that people who write are fat. Look at me. I'm thin and active."
You know what? FUCK YOU, YOU HORRIBLE PERSON. Maybe he saw my expression or whatever but he said something like, "Sorry." And whatever, I don't remember exactly what he said because I was fuming.
Again: FUCK YOU. And fuck you to all of you insensitive Deaf people. I do know many who are not like this. (And thank you for being nice!!!)
Sure, part of this "sensitivity" of mine comes from being raised in hearing culture. But you know what? I don't care anymore. I am not gonna give these rude Deaf people a free pass anymore. YOU ARE RUDE. YOU ARE HORRIBLE.
Why are people fat? Maybe they're pregnant and have gained weight. Maybe some are writers, sure, who sit and don't exercise enough and don't eat healthfully enough. Maybe some have medical conditions. Maybe some enjoy being fat. IT DOES NOT MATTER. Don't be an asshole. Whether you are hearing or Deaf, don't be an asshole.
Deaf and hearing parents alike, please teach your Deaf and hearing children manners.
Hit and Run!
"Hit and Run" is coming out soon (in the next few days)! This short story of about 8,000 words was originally published as part of the Goldie-award-winning "Wicked Things" anthology. You can buy "Wicked Things" here.Blurb for "Hit and Run": Maxie Douglas’s husband, Zachary, was mowed down by a hit-and-run driver five years ago on Halloween. Far from grieving, Maxie is eternally thankful to the driver for saving her from the monster Zachary had become. She longs to meet her hero or heroine, but there is much she doesn’t know.
March 22, 2016
Starbucks Doesn't Trust Us
Take a look at the picture. I noticed this only when I got home, but apparently, the Starbucks
employee who took my refill order was so afraid I might bring in my cup tomorrow or some other day that she felt compelled to write the date on the cup. Instead of making their customers feel like crap, maybe Starbucks should simply add a date line to the electronically printed labels.
employee who took my refill order was so afraid I might bring in my cup tomorrow or some other day that she felt compelled to write the date on the cup. Instead of making their customers feel like crap, maybe Starbucks should simply add a date line to the electronically printed labels.
