Caroline Gerardo's Blog, page 53

Entropy

Copyright © March 28 2011 Caroline Gerardo

Entropy
"I stop carrying your ocean on my back like a block."
The garden hose syphoned the dank water backwards from the fountain into the house.
"Well I guess that is one way to clean up." She rubs that one hair on her chin. She plucks the one coarse wire avoiding the tip at Happy Nails. She fills the upstairs tub. To kill bacterium, she adds Epsom salts. This theorem has no scientific basis.
Soaking on her back she announces, "The sky blue sheets are in the recycle bin."
The children sleep. Behind the door, the dog whines believing there was an announcement for second breakfast.
Anxiety grabs her toes out. The girlish pink glaze is cracked. The universe in rapid entropy rises from the milky lake.
"What number of moons have the linnets gone unfed?" She attempts to relax.
The doorbell rings. She jumps for a cozy towel. Would it not be more civilized to own a hotel towel warmer?
The Cavalier's claws scrape wildly to protect the hardwood ground. The bulging eyes protect the nest. She slides around the animal.
"Who is knocking at six A.M.?"
The triple slide locks clatter. Her turban head and Chinese phoenix robe face the sunlight. She looks up and down Pacific Coast Highway. It is not Federal Express, there is no sticky note with the routing label. It is not the Sherriff with a summons either. Half nude, she gathers no attention.
The glamor of her morning is all falling apart.
She thinks of the ordained importance into the thread count. There will exist no more Saturday morning ritual sheet washing. The anointed grew a flaw. A ladybug hole spread into the Los Angeles River. There is no sewing back. The comfort replaced by a cheaper brand. A cold measure of disorder, not expressing sorrow, concern or regret, she picks up a 'Rock'em Sock'em Robot'. His arm is missing.
No fur coat can insulate the children from breaking.
Passive aggressive motions forward, she locks the door twice, her hand pulls away as if burned.
The fingers do not smell like bacon.


You are not a reversible thermodynamic force.
 
 
 
 
 
http://www.amazon.com/Caroline-Gerardo/e/B004PHVP1C

Planning Write It Down.

It is spring time for cleaning, polishing and sharpening my pencils for great writing.


This is not my ordinary blog post. I am making it public.

With all the demands in my life, I need to write out my goals and stick to a schedule.

There are six key areas for my five year and one year plan:

Spiritual, Financial, Health, Writing, Family, and Fun.

1. Spiritual Life

I have grown closer to God by daily prayer. The rosary comforts me when doing the most menial tasks. I feel closest to Him when I am gardening. I will add ten minutes of meditation. This daily meditation is a big request. My life is packed with work, writing and raising two children alone. As the weather warms, I can sit outside and have this silent time.

2. Financial

I will monitor my stocks each morning for an hour. When I read about trends in the market, I can determine timing on buys and sells. I am not going to purchase commercial real estate or residential for three more years, as I believe the worst is not yet over. My house is upside down and I must continue to work full time. I must market my mortgage origination business to sustain my children and myself. I will keep to my budget. I need to save $ X dollars (number withheld because this is public) more for Carson's college fund. In order to do this I need to put ten percent of my earnings a year into his accounts for the next five years. Blair's college fund is completed. I want to purchase the video equipment she is eyeing for her possible explorations for her career. This is likely a large Christmas expense. I also want to send her to some film school this summer. I want to put the maximum into my 401k each of the coming five years.

3. Health

After surviving the big C, I need to be mindful of my health. The huge stress of the personal loss this year has worn upon my cells. I am buying organic produce. We have organic vegetables in our garden. I do not eat red meat or pork. I need to exercise six days a week. Walking, really hiking two days with my camera and three days running or something aerobic. Avoid stress, laugh at life and smile at everyone. Attitude is the key to health.

4. Writing

I want my writing to be my full time career by 2015. I will complete four more novels by that date. I will have a full time agent who assists me in marketing the work. I want to write well and reach a large audience. This entails a following of two hundred thousand. Publishing business is shrinking in these economic hard times. Art will be seen as an unnecessary commodity. My work must be general fiction, and genre specific as well. Focus on the novel, full-length work. I enjoy short fiction and it is fun to write flash but there is no financial market for poetry. I am expanding my reach in social networking, but it is slow brick building. Keep positive, write 4000 words a day. Do not whine about editing.

5. Keep my children healthy and learning. Teach them by example. Lead them to great things. Show them beauty in the sky. Talk about love and show everyone kindness. Take care of my Mom, she is getting frail. Spend time listening to my Mom. Talk with my siblings who I love so very much. Be helpful to those I hold dear.

6. Walk to the beach more and get in the water- this combines a couple goals. Light the fire at night and the Jacuzzi to hear the ocean with the lights all off. Joke with my children. Enjoy the people at work. Share some baked things I make with the office. Build the team at the office to be working together. Vacation plans in the US to visit independent bookstores. Get together with friends who are happy. In the past I did volunteer projects and fundraising for fun, I am not going to focus on this going forward. I am running an idea in my head to invite authors to come stay a weekend and brainstorm edit and help each other. I have the blessing of a beautiful home and amazing location, I can share that alone as a gift. Be creative in all things. Blair and I bought all the parts to make a chandelier out of Kerr jars, and the wine bottle wind chimes. Make things and give them to others. Paint, take photographs, cut flowers from the garden and put them in the house and give them to others. Laugh much more.

STOP ME, Richard Jay Parker

Richard Jay Parker's Thriller/ Drama/ literary thriller... I just started. I think it will be an all-nighter. Don't STOP ME.
It will be fun, join me let's chat about it at midnight. What you need to watch Snookie on Jersey Shore tonight? 'come on...

Title of Novel in Progress: Lucky?

My current novel in progress I have been calling "Seth." The old title was simply the name of the lead character. He's a psychopath. One might say it is all not his fault, or everyone around him is too lazy to see through the fog of their own existance..  After giving him a row of trials, volcanoes, and temptations you will somehow love this guy.

The title Lucky seems trite. It reminds me of how much my son loves Lucky Charms. If I put the cereal in the story will the sue me? Thank you General Mills for Box Tops for Education but also for the evil look in the eyes of that green guy on the box in the morning.

So with that in mind, can you name all the magically yummy marshmallow symbols above?

Back to work Caroline you have much work today. Writing is never as simple as one might think.

Charlie Sheen's Launching a Leadership Revolution???

I recently started using Twitter. A dear friend was shocked that the third person I "followed" was Charlie Sheen. I have never watched his television show. I make no comment about his personal life that I know nothing about.

I sought to understand why Americans would be engaged to follow that leader, how his platform of come-back #winning, digging out of a fox hole, and media fervor would result. I come out of the experience thinking Americans love a fallen from grace star and they want all those men and women to get back up and dance.

This brings me to why I read Launching a Leadership Revolution, in a roundabout method. Orrin Woodward "followed" me for some arbitrary reason perhaps, or found me posting positive words to stir up some change in this world? The book runs fast and neatly. It is not a textbook, but has many factual references. They review Tom Brady, George Washington and my all-time favorite the Apostle Paul. Just what does it take for thousands, perhaps a million twitter followers in days?



The purpose directed life. What fervor keeps fuel on the fire for us lowly workers to keep marching in paper boots? I have been a mentor, a pusher, a cheerleader, a Mom. The best success is seeing others share the glory.



Read his book. Learning one piece of inspiration will be worth the read. Perhaps together we will unlock our potential.
(The book is co-authored by Chris Brady just to give him a plug, although I do not know either of these authors)



I challenge all my indie author friends to read someone's work as suggested by April L. Hamilton.

So here I put my hashmark, being a brand new Twitterati

#indieaction #ind #selfpub #writing #reading #books

Submit Writing in Online Magazines

Submitting to magazines offers a mire of new information.

I have about thirty finished flash fiction pieces with photographs, and seventy poems. I thought I would submit them as a book to a small publisher, but am rethinking that process. I searched a few literary magazines, and there are thousands of online.
Many charge a "reading fee" which I believe is not worth the dime. Yes someone is going to jump on me and say, "What about the work and time the editors and staff must contribute?"
 I am going to share my thoughts, brain and time for free all in the name of art.

So looking for input on who is right for my work. I have had four say yes. I assume my batting average is good?

In no order here are reviews, magazines, online free sites to submit flash fiction, poetry and short stories. My (previous) as I call him agent said,
"C. G. don't waste time on shorts, there is no money in it."
Well he may be right but there is fun.


No answer back yet from:
WordRiot  Monkeybicycle  PANK  Sycamore  Scapegoat  Conclave   American Literary Review  34th Parallel  10000 Tons of Black Ink  20 X 20 Storyglossia
Slush Pile  Foundling  Hobart  3:A.M   Blackbird  Antioch  Los Angeles

Some sites are down, does that mean closed for business? - riddlefene

There are a couple services which will submit for you. They charge money. I don't see the advantage in paying for that either. Perhaps using heypublisher just helps one organize the submissions?  The process is simple enough. The important fact one must determine is: who or what is a match for me.

If  I had just a little time I would put up a website that is a match.com for writers. Writers put up profiles and tasty samples then we tumble them through the questionaire process all for say $ 39.99 a month? I have to pitch that idea to someone.

INPUT ? who else


P. S. Buy my book

Caroline Gerardo Reading "Granny Magic"

Poets To Put to Memory: Ruth Fainlight

Ruth Fainlight poetry takes time to read. She reworks the words sometimes for years. Her writing is lyrical and longing.

            
" On my right hand since then I've always worn the ringmy father and I choseas my twenty-first birthday present.On my left hand, these monthssince her death. my mother's ring:the engagement ring he bought herhalf a century ago, and gave to me, after the funeral....I spread my hands on the desk.Prominent tendons and veinson the back, like hers;red worn skin of the palm that chaps and breaks so easily, inheritedfrom my father. Even withoutthe rings, the flesh of my handsis their memorial.No need for anythingmore formal. Not gold nor platinum and precious stonescan serve as wellas these two orphaned hands." Ruth Fainlight
The hands which do not bear her parent's wedding bands, they are the genetic following of her beloved Mother and Father. Ruth gets to the center of grief, loss and carrying on.In our fast paced world of u-tube and noise, take some time to memorize a few lines. I can feel the sound of the words when I recite Ruth's work to memory as I walk.

Luke Romyn Go Save the World

Luke Romyn's novel  The Dark Path just released. It is set in villianous New York City. The lead man, need I call him a hunk, is a military assasin /bad boy. Vain is assigned to protect and save a young boy.
 I'm not done with it yet, will let you know how it ends. O.K. maybe I don't spill the beans.

Not welcome Renaissance Marriott when you are doing your book tour

 I am travelling to promote my book tour. I recently stayed in the Renaissance (marriot chain) Newark - really Elizabeth, on Spring Street, New Jersey.
The cost of the room was more than three hundred dollars.
They are undergoing remodeling and the lobby, hallways, and exercise facilities were a train wreck. There was carpeting torn up everywhere. The pool posted a sign that it was closed to sanitize it. No humans have been in that pool in a while.
A few things tips for the Marriott chain. I have stayed in 900 Marriotts and your staff needs to be fired. The front desk woman was rude. The security is terrible. A local chinese food restaurant and a local pizza joint both seperately wandered upstairs with flyers which they slid under everyone's doors late at night.
This is a hotel you stay with only to fly out early the next morning.
I expect clean sheets. One of the double beds had long black hairs between the top and bottom. Messy.
The room has a nice mirrror and was large.
The elevator got stopped/ stuck. Dry wall cut outs and plaster on the hall carpeting at night. No workers in sight.
Don't use the pool.
Out front the landscaping was ripped up.
Hallways with no baseboards and no carpeting
Out front two plastic chairs with summer colors which were cheery - but it was freezing cold and the heater in front is broken.