Janalyn Voigt's Blog, page 21

The Seattle Times Features My Closet Office

Here’s one shot of my closet office. Be sure to follow the link to see the winning photograph.

When I happened to notice a picture of the writing office of my friend and fellow speculative fiction writer, James L Rubart, in NW Jobs by the Seattle Times, I wondered how any other office could equal the sheer brilliance of my friend’s secret hideaway. But then one thing led to another and I created my own writing office in the closet beneath the stairs of my home. Of course, I had to submit a picture of my office, one I haven’t yet released anywhere else, for a chance at a $5 Starbucks gift certificate, and the Seattle Times published it today in My Cube: Novelist Janalyn Voigt’s closet office!

After you take a look at my picture, be sure to hit the link in the My Cube title and scroll down to see Jim’s cool office. Leave it to us speculative fiction types to gravitate to such places! I’m thinking Jim and I should have coffee.

Need an adventure?

DawnSinger, Tales of Faeraven #1 by Janalyn Voigt

A headstrong young princess and the guardian sworn to protect her fly on winged horses to the Gate of Life above the Well of Light in a desperate bid to release the DawnKing, and the salvation he offers, into a divided land. Will they each learn in time that sometimes victory comes only through surrender?

Purchase DawnSinger today!

©2013 by Janalyn Voigt

Subscribe to the Creative Worlds of Janalyn Voigt

The post The Seattle Times Features My Closet Office appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

The Red Plaid Christmas Stocking

This is my red plaid stocking, which I still hang by the fireplace year after year.

I expected little in the way of Christmas cheer. As a single mom struggling to finish college, the holidays were just one more thing to endure. I had just five dollars to spend on a Christmas gift for my daughter, but I was determined that we would have beautiful Christmas stockings. Day after day I labored, cutting up some red-and-blue plaid wool that I’d been saving for just the right project and stitching the stockings by hand. Across the tops, I added white fringe, and then crocheted loops for the tops. I made the stockings a little small so they wouldn’t seem sparse when filled with the few items I could afford. Christmas would be hard, but we’d get by.

My roommate volunteered to cook Christmas dinner for all of us, which was truly a blessing. On Christmas Eve my daughter and I were treated to a gourmet dinner. My roommate didn’t attend church but surprised me by suggesting we find a Christmas Eve service. I’d fallen away from going to church when my personal life fell apart, but the idea ignited a spark within me.  Read more at Fay Lamb’s On The Ledge.

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In Search of a More Meaningful Christmas

Last month in Guides and Recipes to celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, a guest post I wrote for the Inkslinger blog belonging to inspirational author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter, I described my desire to celebrate the feasts that occur during the twelve days after Christmas leading up to the feast of Epiphany on January 6th. Since then, I’ve discovered more feasts.

In many European countries Saint Nicholas Eve on December 5th is when children hang stockings or put shoes by the fire in hopes of waking to a treat. This year, for the first time ever, I and my family borrowed a few traditions and celebrated the life of Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop who inspired the legends of Santas Claus, Father Christmas, and Kris Kringle. The commercialization surrounding the memory of this man is a shame, because his was a noteworthy life worth celebrating. Here’s a snippet from The Real Saint Nicholas, my guest post for Christian Fiction Historical Society:

One of the most famous tales of Nicholas is that on three occasions he secretly dropped bags of gold through an open window to help provide dowries for the three daughters of a poor man. They are said to have fallen into stockings or shoes drying by the fireside, thus starting the Christmas tradition of leaving stockings or shoes by the fireplace. The father of the daughters caught Nicholas throwing the last bag of gold through the window and afterwards told everyone what he had done. Whenever anyone received a secret gift, it would be thought to have come from Nicholas.

Our Christmas morning has always included stockings but as more of an afterthought. This year we used the hanging of stockings as an opportunity to discuss living a life of compassion and generosity.

On Saint Nicholas Eve (December 5th), we mulled apple cider and baked traditional spaculaas (Dutch windmill cookies). The spice mixture used in these cookies dates from the 15th-Century. When I bit into one of these cookies, I was delighted to discover that they have the same flavor as the Christmas cookies my mother made for her children to cut out every Christmas.

When we woke in the morning on Saint Nicholas Day, the stockings we had hung from the fireplace mantel were filled with nuts, fruits, cookies, and candies. This was a fun, inexpensive way to celebrate. Next year I will make sure to get some molds for the windmill cookies. They are supposed to be imprinted, but regular cookie cutters worked okay.

Saint Lucy Day, or the feasts of lights, occurs each year on December 13th, and we also observed it. Unfortunately, we had to take our ailing cat, Guinevere to the vet, and then run some errands, so I was not able to prepare to the extent I would have liked.

Lucy of Syracuse (283-304) was said to have devised a crown of laurel leaves to hold candles for her head so that she could carry food and drink to Christians hiding from persecution in the catacombs. Lucy was martyred for her faith. In memory of her kindness, many traditions exist, some in which the oldest daughter, wearing a crown set with lighted candles on her head, gets up early to serve her family special buns baked with saffron.

Next year I’ll mail order saffron threads so I can make the buns, but I did manage to make a Santa Lucia braided bread  that is pictured above. (Click the image to see it larger.) Mine didn’t come out as delicate as the one pictured, but it tasted wonderfully and looked beautiful with the candles lit.

I’ll post more about the feasts of Christmas as we celebrate them. If you’d like to observe them, too, click to learn more about the different feasts that happen during the Twelve Days of Christmas. Be sure to follow the links in the post for suggestions and recipes to create your own more meaningful Christmas.

Need a good adventure?

DawnSinger, Tales of Faeraven #1 by Janalyn Voigt

A headstrong young princess and the guardian sworn to protect her fly on winged horses to the Gate of Life above the Well of Light in a desperate bid to release the DawnKing, and the salvation he offers, into a divided land. Will they each learn in time that sometimes victory comes only through surrender?

Purchase DawnSinger today!

©2013 by Janalyn Voigt

Subscribe to the Creative Worlds of Janalyn Voigt

The post In Search of a More Meaningful Christmas appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

Who Was the Real Saint Nicholas?

Saint Nicolas, mosaic, Grgeteg monastery
photo courtesy of http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Use...

The legend of Santa Claus and his reindeer bringing toys to the children of the world has become a symbol of Christmas for many Americans. In England, children look forward to a visit from Father Christmas, a fellow who pops down the chimney to leave presents and sample the mincemeat pies and milk or brandy left for him. The French leave out shoes filled with carrots and treats for Pere Noel’s donkey, and to receive his gifts of candy, money, or small toys. Parallel Christmas traditions take place throughout Europe, all of them based on the life of one man. Ever wonder who the real Saint Nicholas was?

Click to read more of my guest post for Christian Fiction Historical Society

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One Writer’s Trouble with Numbers (or How God Knew Which Husband to Give Me)

It’s not uncommon for a writer to be proficient in English but challenged when it comes to numbers. I say this in my defense because I’m still living down some stories. The most famous one happened when a writing retreat group member volunteered to pick me up on the way to our San Juan Island retreat. That’s when I learned it’s possible to confuse house numbers with street numbers. Fortunately, we made our ferry on time.

I once played a math maven in a community theater production. Really. Having performed in theater since childhood, I prided myself on memorizing my lines early and well. But not even to save my life could I remember the complicated mathematical formulas I was supposed to spout. Opening night had me clinging tightly to the clipboard my character carried throughout the play. Care to guess why?

God knew who to give me as a husband. The theory that opposites attract plays out in my marriage. You see, my husband is an accountant and personal investment manager; in other words, a numbers guy. For continuing education credits he studies subjects like tax preparation, annuities, and estate planning–all topics that make my eyes cross. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for my husband’s help with my writing accounts, but imagine being married to your accountant and tax man. 

I try not to be a pain but I find keeping track of mileage tough. It only takes a moment to jot down your starting mileage. Why, then, do I have so much trouble finding that moment? I will either forget and drive off or remember and have a pen but no paper or paper and no pen. The process has to be repeated when you reach your destination, and then again when you return home. It’s not hard for a creative individual to feel persecuted by numbers.

One of the elements of a writing life is the need to price your books for sale at various events. I have to calculate a profit for myself but also take into account the tax rate (which varies by location) and the percentage paid to the organization sponsoring the event. This means I have to recalculate to find a sales figure for each new event. Well, all right, my husband does, but I have to bend my mind around his calculations in order to make an intelligent pricing decision. This is akin to going to the dentist for me, but being a professional and also a grown up, I power through it.

As a writer who finds numbers challenging, I’m not alone. I recently sold copies of DawnSinger (Tales of Faeraven 1) at a Christmas bazaar alongside a writing friend (who shall remain nameless). We split the cost of the table among four local authors, kept sales records, and then calculated the amount to give the school hosting the event. This became a lot more complicated than it might seem because we had to first remove taxes to come up with the school’s percentage but then put them back to calculate each author’s earnings. My husband was at home studying some left-brained continuing ed course or other, so with much laughter at our math-challenged selves, we came up with the necessary figure to pay the school its share. Well all right, she did, but I was called upon to check her figures. Since the instructions she gave me on how to use her cell phone’s calculator had my eyes glazing over, I decided to tally things manually.

We decided to trust the calculator.

©2013 by Janalyn Voigt

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Host a Medieval Feast This Christmas

For a fun spin on Christmas, why not host a medieval feast? It’s easier than you may think, although the philosophy that menus were based on in the Middle Ages seems a little strange to us today.

 Click to read more of my guest post for Christian Fiction Historical Society.

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My Writing Closet

Ever since I moved my writing office into a three-by-seven foot cubbyhole under the stairs, my husband has had no end of fun with his wife being in the closet. Why did I abandon my roomy office in favor of such a cramped space? It happened a little at a time but has reaped a surprising benefit.

My Writing Office in a Closet

The story of my closet office began when I needed to put a sound booth together so I can read audio versions of my books and also start a podcast. The under-stairs closet in our house provided the perfect dead space for recording, so out came the Christmas decorations, to be relegated to a home elsewhere in the house.

 

I set up an old sewing machine table to use as a computer stand and managed to just fit a comfortable chair near the door. The long shelf above my work space demanded to be filled with something. So I decided to move my research books and binders to my closet office so I could take advantage of its quiet to study. But this left me with two office spaces plus the prospect of constantly moving my computer up and down the stairs from one office to the other.

Inspiration struck. I also used my upstairs office for personal planning, homeschooling, and as a guest room, so my writing supplies and files didn’t really take up much space. In fact, as I soon learned, they fit easily into my new cubbyhole. My extensive library of books on writing topics or to read for review wouldn’t fit, but a bookcase just outside the door solves that problem.

This closet apparently was once a playroom for children, created by a previous owner of our house. That’s why it has a door with gaps that allow air to flow in and a stained glass window. The antique doorknob and vintage wallpaper showing children catching butterflies in nets, skateboarding, and flying kites add charm. When I first moved my office into the closet, I planned to pull the wallpaper off, but my husband surprised me by asking me to leave it intact. It turns out he loves it! I’ve marked that down on my long list of reasons I love this man.

I’m not sure if it’s because of the happy childhood scenes and bright colors of the wallpaper or simply the peace and quiet, but I’m getting a whole lot more done in my writing office in a closet. As a bonus, family members interrupt me less. Either my being in the closet sends the message that I am working or else remembering to interrupt me has become too much of an effort.

I thought you would enjoy this look into my writing life. And who knows? I may inspire you to set up a private closet of your very own. If so, you have to email me a picture!

Need a good adventure?

DawnSinger, Tales of Faeraven #1 by Janalyn Voigt

A headstrong young princess and the guardian sworn to protect her fly on winged horses to the Gate of Life above the Well of Light in a desperate bid to release the DawnKing, and the salvation he offers, into a divided land. Will they each learn in time that sometimes victory comes only through surrender?

Purchase DawnSinger today!

©2013 by Janalyn Voigt

Subscribe to the Creative Worlds of Janalyn Voigt

The post My Writing Closet appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.

Gearing Up

It’s amazing how time at home can improve my mindset. That, and reaching the end of a difficult period of transition has me focused and happy. I’ve had to let go of a dream of publication in the western historical market, at least for the time being, but that sacrifice has opened the door to new adventures. In November I wrote about 23,000 words of a romantic suspense novel that, once polished, will go to my agent as part of a proposal she requested.

I hope to complete that in December, but we’ll see whether holiday shopping and eggnog slow me down. I really need to finish the last couple of thousand words of DawnKing, book three of Tales of Faeraven, and polish that manuscript as well. And then there is, of course, the elf story I promised as a gift to my subscribers. It’s doing well but in editing has morphed into a longer version of itself. Because of this, it is taking a little longer to complete than I anticipated. As you can see, I’m a little bogged down with projects right now. I usually just have one I’m writing and one I’m editing, but my wanting to offer the elf story has changed that balance.

In addition to all that writing and editing, I’m gearing up for the launch of WayFarer, book two of Tales of Faeraven. It will be available on January 3rd, and I’ll be mounting a launch effort February 1st. Look for more details in next month’s newsletter.

I’m moving back to posting once a week from my Creative Worlds blog as I think twice-weekly posts are more than my readers are comfortable keeping up with. Also, this will help me carve out time for the podcast I’m planning to start in 2014 (details to come).

That takes care of my author news for December. Until next time, here’s wishing you a wonderful Christmas season.

 

 

 

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Stretching As a Writer

Ever felt stretched just a tad too far? That’s how I’m feeling lately. There’s always a trade-off in energy lost when you travel and disruption on both sides of a trip. October was a phenomenal month for which I am very grateful. I’m a good kind of tired, but I’m still tired.

As you may recall, I received an invitation to attend the Montana Humanities Festival of the Book as one of seven inspirational authors. I’m still a debut novelist until January, when WayFarer, the second book in my Tales of Faeraven series, releases. It was quite an honor and a little terrifying to be featured in an author panel alongside literary giants Tracie Peterson and Janet Chester Bly. In case you’re wondering, it went well. In fact, we are told that the book slam we indulged in during our author panel stirred up a lot of interest. For the book slam we read two lines from the same page in each of our books to create a story. The result was hilarious. I laughed so hard I could barely read my lines. I’d love to do something similar again because it definitely connected us with our audience. Other presenting authors included historical novelist Miralee Ferrell, rising author Susan D. Hill, farm-fresh romance author Valerie Comer, and author Angela Breidenbach, our mastermind.

Getting to know everyone in our team prior to the book festival during a wonderful retreat meant a lot to me. I could have listened to historian Jim Peterson for hours. We had a lot of supporters who either prayed for us, contributed money to pay for our retreat so we wouldn’t have to, spent long hours selling our books at the book table, and looked after our needs as we flew here and there on a tight schedule. These people didn’t have their name up on any reader signs, websites, or brochures. They received little for their help but our gratitude. Most of them are fellow authors who unstintingly gave of themselves. They set an example in humility and were the real stars of the event.

If you want more on the book festival,  catch Tracie’s blog post, Missoula Festival of the Book; the Bly Books update, Janet Chester Bly Invited to 2013 Montana Festival; and Valerie Comer’s Humanities Montana Festival of the Book.

Here are the inspirational author panelists at the Montana Festival of the Book.  Last row: Miralee Ferrell, Janalyn Voigt, Tracie Peterson, Valerie Comer, Janet Chester Bly, and (seated) Angela Breidenbach.

The complete Montana Book Festival team

Tracie Peterson and her husband, Jim, visiting with readers at the book table.

After the book festival, my husband and I said goodbye to Angie and her husband, who hosted us at their home, and set off for Robber’s Roost, Virginia City, and Bannack ghost town. I shot a lot of pictures but since returning home haven’t slowed down long enough to get them off my camera. November will be quieter, so I should be able to post some of them for you with an update about the trip soon. I’m excited to share my trip with you.

Career Decisions

You may also recall that in last month’s journal I was processing a tough decision I needed to make. I’ve been researching, plotting, planning, and writing a series of books set in the Wild West. Unfortunately, through several rounds of submissions, they’ve not found a home. The opinion of two editors at separate houses is that my stories are ‘too western.’ When more than one knowledgeable literary professional expresses the same opinion, I listen. I had the opportunity to ask Tracie about my project during the book festival, and she gave me advice that will help me rewrite to suit my market. But at this point I’ve lost my objectivity and just need a break from trying to walk what to me has become a tightrope.

Besides all that, I’m asking myself some real questions about my resources of time, money, and energy. It taxes all three to establish yourself in a single genre. For this reason, authors who want to write in multiple genres are better off breaking into them one at a time.  I made the call finally while lying awake one night. I’m going to back down on historical fiction for the time being. I’ve already broken into the fantasy genre with my Tales of Faeraven series. I’ll keep writing in that genre and concentrate on adding the romantic suspense genre. That doesn’t mean I won’t write historicals at some point. It’s a matter of timing.

The morning after I made my decision, my agent requested a proposal for a romantic suspense novel. My casual mention of a project I was thinking of writing in this genre had intrigued her. After I finish writing the final scenes of DawnKing (only a couple of chapters left) and complete my half-finished Elf Seeyer novella, I’ll plot the romantic suspense novel and write sample chapters for my agent’s review. I’m hoping to complete all of that in November and possibly a bit more on the romantic suspense novel.

Subscriber Gift

I’ve been planning to make available a free subscriber gift in November and have entitled my fantasy novella: Elf Seeyer. Look for a cover reveal at Fantasy Worlds soon.

Giveaway of WayFarer

My giveaway of WayFarer on Goodreads begins November 4th. I hope you will enter. You’ll be supporting me as an author by helping WayFarer gain exposure, and there’s always the possibility you could win a free copy of book two of Tales of Faeraven.

Need a good book to read?

DawnSinger, Tales of Faeraven #1 by Janalyn Voigt

A headstrong young princess and the guardian sworn to protect her fly on winged horses to the Gate of Life above the Well of Light in a desperate bid to release the DawnKing, and the salvation he offers, into a divided land. Will they each learn in time that sometimes victory comes only through surrender?

Purchase DawnSinger today!

©2013 by Janalyn Voigt

Subscribe to the Creative Worlds of Janalyn Voigt

 

Letting Go

Autumn’s shortening days, falling leaves, and first breath of cold whisper of mystery. A sense of timelessness lingers in every moment as nature lies down to sleep. Secrets dwell in shadow, ripe for the telling. Here, then, is a riddle: how can life arise from death? An impossible task, and yet each spring proves it. This is the cycle all of Creation teaches: in every death, there is life.

Many months of my life over several years went into creating proposals and sample chapters for my Montana Gold western romance series. Besides my own efforts, agents and editors gave hours of their time reading and evaluating my proposals. At one publishing house one of the novels went to publication board, which means that the editorial and marketing staffs reviewed and discussed my project. My husband and I have spent money on a research trip and research materials to help me recreate a bygone era. Given the investment, it’s hard to shelf Montana Gold, even it it’s only for a while.

Out of death, comes life.

The spark that fueled this series will burn on inside me. I know this. It happened with DawnSinger, the story that haunted me until I wrote it. That story went through a kind of death, too, when due to discouragement I tried to kill all my writing aspirations. Because of this, rather than despite it, Tales of Faeraven has emerged in a better state than it would have before. I suspect my Montana Gold series is going through a similar metamorphosis, one I must allow to happen naturally.

Change brings losses and gains, with the losses almost always coming first. 

A stray cat recently adopted my family. The timing wasn’t perfect, since my husband and I were about to leave for Montana, and created a difficulty. The cat would need to be cared for in our absence. We might have been able to leave out hoppers of food and water for her but after we spotted four raccoons eating her food at night. Someone would have to come and feed her, but making the family member who was watching our house drive over to put out her food in the morning and then take it in at night would create a hardship for him. We solved the dilemma by luring the cat inside and shutting her into our large laundry room where both she and her food would be safe. We didn’t know if Vanilla (or Nilly) as we dubbed her, was feral or a stray, but she took to the litter box so well, she must once have been owned.

Nilly, the stray cat who adopted my family.

After we returned home, we let Nilly escape into the rest of the house, where she quickly made herself at home. She has so much love to give that the thought of her having lived the isolated, subsisting life of a stray seems especially cruel. When Nilly asked to go back outside, my impulse was to deny her. If I kept her inside I could keep her safe. What if she ran off and didn’t return? What if she stayed out all night and the raccoons got her? Despite my concerns, it would be equally cruel to keep Nilly penned up. She should be allowed to return to her life in the wild if she wished.

I opened the door and set her free.

She went to the edge of the patio and drank rainwater from a planter tray. She preened herself, and then off she went to mark the edges of our backyard garden. This was her territory. Later she came inside to eat and sleep. The next day she wanted out again, and I obliged her. She stayed away longer this time but did come home. Each time I let Nilly out I run the risk of her not returning, and yet I must for her sake and for mine. I’ve gained something by being willing to risk losing her. I’ve learned that she stays with us willingly, something I otherwise would never know.

Life is about letting go and living in faith. Nilly entered my world at just the right time to remind me of this.

Need a good book to read?

DawnSinger, Tales of Faeraven #1 by Janalyn Voigt

A headstrong young princess and the guardian sworn to protect her fly on winged horses to the Gate of Life above the Well of Light in a desperate bid to release the DawnKing, and the salvation he offers, into a divided land. Will they each learn in time that sometimes victory comes only through surrender?

Purchase DawnSinger today!

©2013 by Janalyn Voigt

Subscribe to the Creative Worlds of Janalyn Voigt