Rhi Etzweiler's Blog, page 5
August 1, 2013
Faded Monarchs
There haven't been many instances for me to catch actual butterflies in the garden. There were three of them, the other day. All adults, two of them with colors so faded and wings so damaged and battered that I was astounded they were still flying. The one I recognized from a few days prior; that time, though, it had been alone. Guess it loved the bush so much it came back and brought its buddies.
Took these with a faster shutter speed and the auto-focus function engaged (the default "sports" setting on my camera) because I'm terrible at gauging these sorts of things.
It reminds me of when I was young and my parents would give me their camera to take family and group photos. It was an old Kodak, 39mm with a five inch manual lens. And I was a myopic adolescent without corrective lenses.
Suffice it to say the photos were always blurry and messed up.
"I can't tell if the camera is focused or not."
It was one of the more supremely frustrating experiences I had. It wasn't until many years later that I began a tentative attempt to rediscover photography and found it enjoyable. Equipment that accommodates and can compensate for my weaknesses has been a large part of that. Even with an unsteady hand, astigmatism, and poor vision, I can take photos that please me. I get enjoyment from it. I've gotten to the point where it astounds me that I don't carry my old 6MP camera with me everywhere.
No doubt there's parallels that can be drawn here. About art, and finding the tools that work best for you. About recognizing your weaknesses and learning to compensate for them; about self expression, and the sense of fulfillment you derive, being your driving forces. Finding the medium of art that speaks to you, through which you communicate most easily. The gratification that brings you is like nothing else you can experience. Because everyone has the ability and potential for artistic expression--it's the mediums that are unique to the individual. Try new things until you find the one that suits you best. Keep exploring new mediums even after you do.
July's Camp Nano did not end up anywhere near as productive as I'd wanted. Progress was made but it was less than a third of my aspirations for the month. Which is fine, I'm not even particularly upset about the lack of productivity because I've spent a great deal of time thinking and stewing and engaging other mediums of artistic expression this month. Including making a little something special for someone who needed something special. Yes, terribly vague of me I know, but not all my artistic endeavors are for public perusal. Many of them, in fact, remain extremely privatized due to their nature. They've kept my juices flowing, though, and my imagination fully engaged for what I hope will be an August writing frenzy.
Took these with a faster shutter speed and the auto-focus function engaged (the default "sports" setting on my camera) because I'm terrible at gauging these sorts of things.
It reminds me of when I was young and my parents would give me their camera to take family and group photos. It was an old Kodak, 39mm with a five inch manual lens. And I was a myopic adolescent without corrective lenses.
Suffice it to say the photos were always blurry and messed up.
"I can't tell if the camera is focused or not."
It was one of the more supremely frustrating experiences I had. It wasn't until many years later that I began a tentative attempt to rediscover photography and found it enjoyable. Equipment that accommodates and can compensate for my weaknesses has been a large part of that. Even with an unsteady hand, astigmatism, and poor vision, I can take photos that please me. I get enjoyment from it. I've gotten to the point where it astounds me that I don't carry my old 6MP camera with me everywhere.
No doubt there's parallels that can be drawn here. About art, and finding the tools that work best for you. About recognizing your weaknesses and learning to compensate for them; about self expression, and the sense of fulfillment you derive, being your driving forces. Finding the medium of art that speaks to you, through which you communicate most easily. The gratification that brings you is like nothing else you can experience. Because everyone has the ability and potential for artistic expression--it's the mediums that are unique to the individual. Try new things until you find the one that suits you best. Keep exploring new mediums even after you do.
July's Camp Nano did not end up anywhere near as productive as I'd wanted. Progress was made but it was less than a third of my aspirations for the month. Which is fine, I'm not even particularly upset about the lack of productivity because I've spent a great deal of time thinking and stewing and engaging other mediums of artistic expression this month. Including making a little something special for someone who needed something special. Yes, terribly vague of me I know, but not all my artistic endeavors are for public perusal. Many of them, in fact, remain extremely privatized due to their nature. They've kept my juices flowing, though, and my imagination fully engaged for what I hope will be an August writing frenzy.
July 3, 2013
A lack of aluminum, an abundance of light.
I'm not a terribly avid or educated gardener.
Evidence of such: a few years ago I trimmed back the juniper outside my front door--and chopped off ALL the aged berries in the process. They ended up in the trash with the rest of the yard debris. I didn't know what they were until about six months later when I was looking for a way to use juniper in a natural herbal mixture for a very specific application. I was suitably horrified. Those berries take three years to form and mature. I'm hoping for my first crop later this fall.
Most of the other plants in the ground at Haus of Rhi have been foisted upon me by the matriarchal Master Gardener among my close relations. Among that number are: a T-Rex variant hosta with these gigantic leaves that gets the daintiest little lavender flowers later in the year; a butterfly bush that has started to rival my juniper and cypress bushes for girth and height; and the most recent addition last fall, a deciduous bigleaf hydrangea that I crammed into the soil just outside my front door so that it wouldn't die come winter.
Wonder of wonders, the thing lived. And actually looks happy and healthy.
Happy Bigleaf Hydrangea
Apparently there isn't any aluminum in my soil, because that's some wonderfully intense pink going on there. Which is perfectly fine with me. And this gives you an idea of how I weed my garden--I don't. Errant grass is allowed to grow, along with dandelions and whatever else. The only plant I remove is the poison that occasionally crops up. All the others are left to supply the natural wildlife with food sources, be they butterflies and moths, bees, rabbits, or birds.
The butterfly bush is wildly popular with them.
It's especially fun in late July and early August when the weather dries out and the butterflies are feasting on the nectar, as thick around the bush as the humidity in the air. I got a couple really great shots of monarchs last year, and I'm hoping for a few more great opportunities later this summer.
But yeah, my garden is very low maintenance for the most part. Mostly because when I attempt to maintain it, I fuck shit up.
Coffee, though. Coffee I haven't fucked up yet. I just keep finding new ways to make it better and better.
Gave up on the so-called gourmet flavors some time ago. I hate when it smells divine and tastes like shit. Lately I've been using Pilon, which comes finely ground in vacuum packed bricks. Usually it's reserved for espresso. Well, you know. Coffee, espresso. Same diff, except one is ten times stronger and better than the other.
I forget where I first discovered cardamom. I think I found it mentioned in a story I read, being used in the coffee grounds during brewing. When it comes to coffee, I'm always up for trying something new and different--I really should buy a french press next. Anyway, I got a bottle of ground cardamom at the grocery store and tried it. It smelled wonderful, and the flavor was crisp and invigorating without overwhelming or detracting from the coffee.
I got hooked. Seriously. I don't even put creamer in my coffee much anymore because it weakens and destroys the natural flavor. A good quality bean, properly brewed, needs nothing. Except cardamom. But this stuff isn't cheap from a standard retailer; that small jar from the spices section at the grocery store pushes thirteen dollars.
So I went hunting for an alternate source. Pods. Got myself a few mortars to use because I disliked the idea of using a coffee grinder.
The black cardamom pods arrived first, even before the mortars. When I cut the bag open, they had a very deep, dark, earthy scent. Much stronger than the ground stuff at the store, but heavier too. Wasn't sure what to make of it. I took a few pods, tossed them in my grinder for a few pulses. The seeds ground finely and the pod skins shredded like bark. I added it to the coffee grounds and brewed a pot.
The intensity of flavor wasn't there, but it's entirely likely accountable to not having used enough pods. With the ground version, I usually added about two teaspoons or a little more for a single pot.
From left: beech, acacia, & grey marble.
Well, yesterday the mortars and green cardamom arrived.
I cut the bag open and grinned in pleasure. They have a vibrant, intensely airy-sweet aroma reminiscent of what was ground up in the jar. Now this, I decided, was the good stuff.
[The lighting in these photos is odd and uncooperative; the setting sun decided to flare through my kitchen windows just as I was taking them.]
Ground green cardamom & empty pods.
Five or six pods went into the marble mortar. They had a faintly greasy texture when I pulled the seeds from inside them and discarded the skins. That would be cardamom oil, which is used in tea a great deal, specifically chai and Bengal Spice blends. They must not use very much, because I can't begin to imagine how expensive cardamom oil must be.
Ground seeds in coffee grounds.
Not all of the seeds were ground to my satisfaction, but I spared a bit to sprinkle into my cup of coffee while I waited for the new pot to brew. And wow. I like doing it that way so much better. The freshly ground seeds are so much more flavorful than the store-bought variety. I definitely have to get a french press, because I think I'll hold off on using freshly ground seeds in with the coffee grounds until I can guarantee the cardamom oils won't just get filtered out.
Until then, I'll just sprinkle them into my coffee cup because, behold caffeine utopia.
Highly recommended. Sadly, I haven't found an ethnic grocer near me that stocks green cardamom so I've resorted to purchasing them through Amazon. Here's the link to the item and buyer I used if you're curious. That packaging label is misleading, however; the bag I received was not sourced from hosindia.com as the product picture suggests. I'll hunt around for other sources through which to acquire green pods, but for the time being I'm satisfied with the quality and convenience of purchasing them through Amazon.
Oh wait, this is supposed to be where I blog about my writing...
Well you can track my progress on my current project for this month, if you like. I'm participating in Camp Nano and attempting to tackle the greater part of a sequel for Fragile Bond, which doesn't yet have a title. I'm only aiming for 30k this month because I want to focus more on developing the characters and proper construction of the plot arc more than I do churning out words.
This story includes a fresh cast of secondary characters along with the return of a few recognizable from the first story--Reccin, Makko, and Dehna. Hamm and Marc will make a few cameo appearances, but as of right now I'm planning this story from the POVs of Reccin and Makko so it's unlikely to focus much on the former MCs. Well, beyond the implications their relationship has on the humans, furrs, feathers, and the interspecies alliances. All is far from settled and peaceful.
A bit of strife keeps things colorful.
Evidence of such: a few years ago I trimmed back the juniper outside my front door--and chopped off ALL the aged berries in the process. They ended up in the trash with the rest of the yard debris. I didn't know what they were until about six months later when I was looking for a way to use juniper in a natural herbal mixture for a very specific application. I was suitably horrified. Those berries take three years to form and mature. I'm hoping for my first crop later this fall.
Most of the other plants in the ground at Haus of Rhi have been foisted upon me by the matriarchal Master Gardener among my close relations. Among that number are: a T-Rex variant hosta with these gigantic leaves that gets the daintiest little lavender flowers later in the year; a butterfly bush that has started to rival my juniper and cypress bushes for girth and height; and the most recent addition last fall, a deciduous bigleaf hydrangea that I crammed into the soil just outside my front door so that it wouldn't die come winter.
Wonder of wonders, the thing lived. And actually looks happy and healthy.
Happy Bigleaf Hydrangea
Apparently there isn't any aluminum in my soil, because that's some wonderfully intense pink going on there. Which is perfectly fine with me. And this gives you an idea of how I weed my garden--I don't. Errant grass is allowed to grow, along with dandelions and whatever else. The only plant I remove is the poison that occasionally crops up. All the others are left to supply the natural wildlife with food sources, be they butterflies and moths, bees, rabbits, or birds.
The butterfly bush is wildly popular with them.
It's especially fun in late July and early August when the weather dries out and the butterflies are feasting on the nectar, as thick around the bush as the humidity in the air. I got a couple really great shots of monarchs last year, and I'm hoping for a few more great opportunities later this summer.
But yeah, my garden is very low maintenance for the most part. Mostly because when I attempt to maintain it, I fuck shit up.
Coffee, though. Coffee I haven't fucked up yet. I just keep finding new ways to make it better and better.
Gave up on the so-called gourmet flavors some time ago. I hate when it smells divine and tastes like shit. Lately I've been using Pilon, which comes finely ground in vacuum packed bricks. Usually it's reserved for espresso. Well, you know. Coffee, espresso. Same diff, except one is ten times stronger and better than the other.
I forget where I first discovered cardamom. I think I found it mentioned in a story I read, being used in the coffee grounds during brewing. When it comes to coffee, I'm always up for trying something new and different--I really should buy a french press next. Anyway, I got a bottle of ground cardamom at the grocery store and tried it. It smelled wonderful, and the flavor was crisp and invigorating without overwhelming or detracting from the coffee.
I got hooked. Seriously. I don't even put creamer in my coffee much anymore because it weakens and destroys the natural flavor. A good quality bean, properly brewed, needs nothing. Except cardamom. But this stuff isn't cheap from a standard retailer; that small jar from the spices section at the grocery store pushes thirteen dollars.
So I went hunting for an alternate source. Pods. Got myself a few mortars to use because I disliked the idea of using a coffee grinder.
The black cardamom pods arrived first, even before the mortars. When I cut the bag open, they had a very deep, dark, earthy scent. Much stronger than the ground stuff at the store, but heavier too. Wasn't sure what to make of it. I took a few pods, tossed them in my grinder for a few pulses. The seeds ground finely and the pod skins shredded like bark. I added it to the coffee grounds and brewed a pot.
The intensity of flavor wasn't there, but it's entirely likely accountable to not having used enough pods. With the ground version, I usually added about two teaspoons or a little more for a single pot.
From left: beech, acacia, & grey marble.
Well, yesterday the mortars and green cardamom arrived.
I cut the bag open and grinned in pleasure. They have a vibrant, intensely airy-sweet aroma reminiscent of what was ground up in the jar. Now this, I decided, was the good stuff.
[The lighting in these photos is odd and uncooperative; the setting sun decided to flare through my kitchen windows just as I was taking them.]
Ground green cardamom & empty pods.
Five or six pods went into the marble mortar. They had a faintly greasy texture when I pulled the seeds from inside them and discarded the skins. That would be cardamom oil, which is used in tea a great deal, specifically chai and Bengal Spice blends. They must not use very much, because I can't begin to imagine how expensive cardamom oil must be.
Ground seeds in coffee grounds.
Not all of the seeds were ground to my satisfaction, but I spared a bit to sprinkle into my cup of coffee while I waited for the new pot to brew. And wow. I like doing it that way so much better. The freshly ground seeds are so much more flavorful than the store-bought variety. I definitely have to get a french press, because I think I'll hold off on using freshly ground seeds in with the coffee grounds until I can guarantee the cardamom oils won't just get filtered out.
Until then, I'll just sprinkle them into my coffee cup because, behold caffeine utopia.
Highly recommended. Sadly, I haven't found an ethnic grocer near me that stocks green cardamom so I've resorted to purchasing them through Amazon. Here's the link to the item and buyer I used if you're curious. That packaging label is misleading, however; the bag I received was not sourced from hosindia.com as the product picture suggests. I'll hunt around for other sources through which to acquire green pods, but for the time being I'm satisfied with the quality and convenience of purchasing them through Amazon.
Oh wait, this is supposed to be where I blog about my writing...Well you can track my progress on my current project for this month, if you like. I'm participating in Camp Nano and attempting to tackle the greater part of a sequel for Fragile Bond, which doesn't yet have a title. I'm only aiming for 30k this month because I want to focus more on developing the characters and proper construction of the plot arc more than I do churning out words.
This story includes a fresh cast of secondary characters along with the return of a few recognizable from the first story--Reccin, Makko, and Dehna. Hamm and Marc will make a few cameo appearances, but as of right now I'm planning this story from the POVs of Reccin and Makko so it's unlikely to focus much on the former MCs. Well, beyond the implications their relationship has on the humans, furrs, feathers, and the interspecies alliances. All is far from settled and peaceful.
A bit of strife keeps things colorful.
June 9, 2013
I read a book! It's amazing, actually.
I have this enormous TBR list, and I don't find much time to read anymore. Between the day job routine, writing projects, and general boring mundane stuff like finding time to eat, do yoga, and keep the house from looking like a landfill, reading is rather low in clout when it comes to prioritizing.
It's taken me months to finish a single book, in fact. I've been reading Meyer's Into the Fire since last fall when I received a complimentary hardback copy. In that time, I've added another five books to my pile.
Meyer's book has left me with mixed feelings. I knew writing a review for this one would be difficult. Just reading it has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. Over the months, I've shared quotes from the book on #soldierporn [you can find them by scrolling through the Reading List tag, here]. But even those don't convey what it evoked as I read it.
I need to figure out how to describe the impact this writer and his story have, after reading of his failed suicide attempt with a Glock. A weapon he kept loaded in his glove compartment; a weapon which has no safety.
Click.
A weapon unloaded by someone else.
Who saw him sliding down a spiral toward that moment.
It drives home how epidemic the issue of veteran suicide truly is in this nation.
Hopefully I'll do a better job of describing my thoughts on the book after I've left it seep in for a few days.
It's taken me months to finish a single book, in fact. I've been reading Meyer's Into the Fire since last fall when I received a complimentary hardback copy. In that time, I've added another five books to my pile.
Meyer's book has left me with mixed feelings. I knew writing a review for this one would be difficult. Just reading it has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. Over the months, I've shared quotes from the book on #soldierporn [you can find them by scrolling through the Reading List tag, here]. But even those don't convey what it evoked as I read it.
I need to figure out how to describe the impact this writer and his story have, after reading of his failed suicide attempt with a Glock. A weapon he kept loaded in his glove compartment; a weapon which has no safety.
Click.
A weapon unloaded by someone else.
Who saw him sliding down a spiral toward that moment.
It drives home how epidemic the issue of veteran suicide truly is in this nation.
Hopefully I'll do a better job of describing my thoughts on the book after I've left it seep in for a few days.
May 28, 2013
HAHAT Blog hop winner :)
Thank you to everyone who participated in the HAHAT blog hop, and especially those who stopped by and took the time to engage in some conversation about personal identity.
The winner of my HAHAT giveaway is...
Andrew J. Peters!
Please contact me at rhianon.etzweiler@gmail.com with a valid email address for your copy of "Blacker Than Black."
If I don't hear from you within 24 hours, I'll select an alternate recipient.
The winner of my HAHAT giveaway is...
Andrew J. Peters!
Please contact me at rhianon.etzweiler@gmail.com with a valid email address for your copy of "Blacker Than Black."
If I don't hear from you within 24 hours, I'll select an alternate recipient.
May 17, 2013
It's about time.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Haus of Rhi!
Today we're joining in on a blog hop that's raising awareness about a very important subject.
Today we're all dedicating blogspace in recognition of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. And Haus of Rhi is joining in. This week I'll be giving away an ebook copy of "Blacker Than Black." Leave a meaningful comment on this post with a valid email address before midnight on May 27th to enter the drawing. Each comment will be counted as a separate entry (so if you leave more than one comment, each one will be a separate drawing entry). One winner will be selected via randomizer and announced here at Haus of Rhi on May 28th.
It's about time.
It's about losing the labels that discriminate and delineate.
It's about accepting that not everyone's identity will fall neatly within the definitions you create in your unique perspective.
It's about realizing that you have the right to not align with someone else's definitions.
It's about acknowledging that the boxes are illusions, that they don't exist. Just because everyone once believed the Earth was the center of the universe, or that the Earth was flat, didn't make it so. Our abnormally spherical planet continued orbiting the sun as it always has despite the proliferation and power of their belief.
Nobody--not the patriarchy, nor the feminists or even the misogynists and misandrists; not the homophobics nor the transphobics or even the cisphobes and heterophobes; not the male identifying individuals nor the female identifying individuals or even the non-binary identifying people--nobody has the right or privilege to dictate how you should see yourself.
Nobody has the right to attack you for how you see yourself, whatever your self defining labels might be.
Nobody has the right to classify you with their personal definitions. Nobody has the right to reject your self perceptions. Nobody has the right to clobber you with biologically determined veto power. It's a thing they'll try but it doesn't exist and holds no power over you.
Acceptance. Acknowledging that others are different from you and they've a right to be, and don't deserve your hatred because of it. Acknowledging that others are not less than you, nor are you less than them, simply because of those differences. Acknowledging that others should not be treated differently just because of the differences that exist--nor should you.
Tolerance. It's a thing, and there needs to be more of it.
It's about time.
How do you balance your freedom to define yourself against the recognition that another's definitions will not match yours? Have you ever felt like that difference created a disconnect? Has it ever led you to revisit your own definitions or redefine yourself in some way? Do you think it was a positive or negative influence?
Today we're joining in on a blog hop that's raising awareness about a very important subject.
Today we're all dedicating blogspace in recognition of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. And Haus of Rhi is joining in. This week I'll be giving away an ebook copy of "Blacker Than Black." Leave a meaningful comment on this post with a valid email address before midnight on May 27th to enter the drawing. Each comment will be counted as a separate entry (so if you leave more than one comment, each one will be a separate drawing entry). One winner will be selected via randomizer and announced here at Haus of Rhi on May 28th.
It's about time.
It's about losing the labels that discriminate and delineate.
It's about accepting that not everyone's identity will fall neatly within the definitions you create in your unique perspective.
It's about realizing that you have the right to not align with someone else's definitions.
It's about acknowledging that the boxes are illusions, that they don't exist. Just because everyone once believed the Earth was the center of the universe, or that the Earth was flat, didn't make it so. Our abnormally spherical planet continued orbiting the sun as it always has despite the proliferation and power of their belief.
Nobody--not the patriarchy, nor the feminists or even the misogynists and misandrists; not the homophobics nor the transphobics or even the cisphobes and heterophobes; not the male identifying individuals nor the female identifying individuals or even the non-binary identifying people--nobody has the right or privilege to dictate how you should see yourself.
Nobody has the right to attack you for how you see yourself, whatever your self defining labels might be.
Nobody has the right to classify you with their personal definitions. Nobody has the right to reject your self perceptions. Nobody has the right to clobber you with biologically determined veto power. It's a thing they'll try but it doesn't exist and holds no power over you.
Acceptance. Acknowledging that others are different from you and they've a right to be, and don't deserve your hatred because of it. Acknowledging that others are not less than you, nor are you less than them, simply because of those differences. Acknowledging that others should not be treated differently just because of the differences that exist--nor should you.
Tolerance. It's a thing, and there needs to be more of it.
It's about time.
How do you balance your freedom to define yourself against the recognition that another's definitions will not match yours? Have you ever felt like that difference created a disconnect? Has it ever led you to revisit your own definitions or redefine yourself in some way? Do you think it was a positive or negative influence?
May 10, 2013
Moving on, then!
April's editing pass went better than I expected it to. Cleaning up prose and addressing a couple consistency issues I stumbled upon, that was the worst of it. Since Piaffe sits at 80k it was no small task, but thank fuck I can call it done.
Done enough that I need a break before tackling the completion of Levade, the second volume. I know I struggle with writing short stories, or even shortER stories, but really, there comes a time when one must stop and breathe or it becomes downright arduous. So, with that first volume of Dancing Circles wrapped up rather neatly, I'm shifting on to the second project on my 2013 To-Do List.
Finishing a half-complete project, Fang and Fire.
Read more »
Done enough that I need a break before tackling the completion of Levade, the second volume. I know I struggle with writing short stories, or even shortER stories, but really, there comes a time when one must stop and breathe or it becomes downright arduous. So, with that first volume of Dancing Circles wrapped up rather neatly, I'm shifting on to the second project on my 2013 To-Do List.
Finishing a half-complete project, Fang and Fire.
Read more »
April 12, 2013
Sproing
I should make an update, shouldn't I?
Especially since it's been over a month since my last post, and my self-imposed deadline has expired.
I bought seed starter kits and entirely too many packets of seeds, all of them the same thing: sage. I decided, back at the beginning of March, that since I buy so much of it to dry and burn, that I should really just grow my own.
My seeds are actually sprouting! I have a tray of them in the kitchen window, and they are happily doing their thing. The packet said they needed to germinate for a few weeks, so imagine my surprise when I noticed them popping out after only a week. I will have a LOT of sage to plant outside in May. If I don't manage to kill the seedlings somehow, between now and then. I'm not ruling it out. After all, I do have a black thumb, haha.
On to the latest writing news.
That last push through the end of March actually went well. I won't pretend that I'm exorbitantly satisfied with the current state of affairs that is the end of the manuscript, but that's redundant since, you know, hello editing that is what you are for, yes?
Read more »
Especially since it's been over a month since my last post, and my self-imposed deadline has expired.
I bought seed starter kits and entirely too many packets of seeds, all of them the same thing: sage. I decided, back at the beginning of March, that since I buy so much of it to dry and burn, that I should really just grow my own.
My seeds are actually sprouting! I have a tray of them in the kitchen window, and they are happily doing their thing. The packet said they needed to germinate for a few weeks, so imagine my surprise when I noticed them popping out after only a week. I will have a LOT of sage to plant outside in May. If I don't manage to kill the seedlings somehow, between now and then. I'm not ruling it out. After all, I do have a black thumb, haha.
On to the latest writing news.
That last push through the end of March actually went well. I won't pretend that I'm exorbitantly satisfied with the current state of affairs that is the end of the manuscript, but that's redundant since, you know, hello editing that is what you are for, yes?
Read more »
March 10, 2013
The Tortured Writer Flogs the Whip
I was strolling along quite innocently through this forest of a story, rather certain that I had all the characters figured out. Or that I was in the very least intimately familiar with all of them.
After all, this WIP I'm working on currently...this one has been with me for decades, not just years. I know this forest well. We've forged a few new trails over our time together, but the views are much better along these newer routes. I'd finally reached a place in my journey as a writer where all the pieces had begun coming together. An awareness of self that let me truly see what the story had been whispering all along.
So not really expecting any surprise confessions from characters, right? Dude, come on. I've known y'all longer than anyone except my siblings for fuck's sake. Nope, they've managed to catch me completely off guard. And all the sudden I'm tackling a character who's physically abusing their significant other--because it's the most efficient means of communication and they heal almost instantly.
Just to be clear, I'm finding this disturbing and had no awareness to this particular facet of this character or the relationship. Although it really does...explain a great deal about how little I've cared for this person ever since the outset. The evolution of this story has been a long and decidedly meandering one, yet at no point along that trail have I liked this individual. And to be quite honest, they were one of the more solid creations from the outset. They have undergone the least amount of character alterations, although there has been some evolution in keeping with the rest of the story and world-building.
I'm not sure how I feel about this little development.
There's already so much going on in this WIP that it's likely to end up being two books once I hit completion of the plot arc. I can deal with this too. The details might need addressed in the spring editing I've planned, but this detail of the character feels very much like a piece of the puzzle that I've been struggling for blindly. Groping around in the darker recesses of my mind, batting away dust bunnies and cobwebs.
Alas, here's another story that won't be for the faint of heart.
If I ever write one like that, you should probably take it as indication that the Zombie Apocalypse is imminent.
Damn you, I didn't need this. On so many levels.
These weren't demons I wanted to dig at.
Guess my muses have different ideas though.
Time to crank the "Rocker Monster" and get back to it...
After all, this WIP I'm working on currently...this one has been with me for decades, not just years. I know this forest well. We've forged a few new trails over our time together, but the views are much better along these newer routes. I'd finally reached a place in my journey as a writer where all the pieces had begun coming together. An awareness of self that let me truly see what the story had been whispering all along.
So not really expecting any surprise confessions from characters, right? Dude, come on. I've known y'all longer than anyone except my siblings for fuck's sake. Nope, they've managed to catch me completely off guard. And all the sudden I'm tackling a character who's physically abusing their significant other--because it's the most efficient means of communication and they heal almost instantly.
Just to be clear, I'm finding this disturbing and had no awareness to this particular facet of this character or the relationship. Although it really does...explain a great deal about how little I've cared for this person ever since the outset. The evolution of this story has been a long and decidedly meandering one, yet at no point along that trail have I liked this individual. And to be quite honest, they were one of the more solid creations from the outset. They have undergone the least amount of character alterations, although there has been some evolution in keeping with the rest of the story and world-building.
I'm not sure how I feel about this little development.
There's already so much going on in this WIP that it's likely to end up being two books once I hit completion of the plot arc. I can deal with this too. The details might need addressed in the spring editing I've planned, but this detail of the character feels very much like a piece of the puzzle that I've been struggling for blindly. Groping around in the darker recesses of my mind, batting away dust bunnies and cobwebs.
Alas, here's another story that won't be for the faint of heart.
If I ever write one like that, you should probably take it as indication that the Zombie Apocalypse is imminent.
Damn you, I didn't need this. On so many levels.
These weren't demons I wanted to dig at.
Guess my muses have different ideas though.
Time to crank the "Rocker Monster" and get back to it...
February 25, 2013
And...we have a winner!
The winner of the "Fragile Bond" promo tour giveaway contest is....
Nikyta J.!
Congrats! Watch your email inbox, I'll respond to your winning entry with a request for postal address.
And a warm thanks to all of you who followed along on the tour!
Nikyta J.!
Congrats! Watch your email inbox, I'll respond to your winning entry with a request for postal address.
And a warm thanks to all of you who followed along on the tour!
February 16, 2013
Book Bling & Milestones
It's here! Starting on Monday, I'll be tromping about for guest appearances at various blogs to pimp out Marc and Hamm. And the book bling from f.Inguz, which you'll have a chance to win. A gorgeous little bookmark trinket. The contest will close on Sunday, 24 Feb, and the winner will be announced here at Haus of Rhi next Monday. The full list of promo appearances is here on my website, starting with Cup O' Porn on release day, where the complete details of the contest will be available. Along with some porn, of course.
I'd also like to take a moment to thank the #soldierporn followers who are now four thousand strong. Curating it has kept me going strong through a number of dry spells with my writing over the past eighteen months or so since I started it (#soldierporn turns two in June). It's kept me focused and researching instead of getting lost in fruitless procrastination when the muses are uncooperative. And I'm grateful to everyone who's shown interest in its content, for whatever the reason; it's been my way of sharing knowledge, perspective, and insight to which most people don't have access or exposure. The followers of #soldierporn aren't necessarily my fans or readers, but that's never mattered to me because it wasn't why I started it in the first place. Still, without that interest I probably would've stopped maintaining it some time ago.
So, a warm thank you from Rhi and all the muses. Fragile Bond doesn't officially release until Monday, but you can download it now if you purchase it directly through Riptide, here.
And yes, this entire blogpost was born purely of insomnia and procrastination, fueled by caffeine and ice cream...how did you know?
