S.C. Mitchell's Blog, page 44

Winter projects

It’s shaping up to be a great winter for writing. This morning I sent the newly formatted and pre-edited copy of Son of Thunder off to Soul Mate Publishing. I am so looking forward to working with one of their editors to really polish my baby.

My next goal will be to finish Seeds of Immortality, the third book in my Demons Rising series. I am very close to the end and hope to have it done, edited and to my beta readers before Thanksgiving.

After that I plan to concentrate on Daughter of Darkness, the sequel to Son of Thunder.

On top of all that, I have two very exciting projects in the works. I was discussing a concept I had with a couple of my fellow RWA romance writers. The idea is that I co-write a novel with one of them. They would write the female perspective in the book and I would write the male perspective. We would alternate chapters and see if anything materialized. Two of the ladies said they’d be interested in the project so about the middle of September, one of them and I started writing a paranormal-erotic-thriller we’re calling Mind Games. We’re 20 chapters in and I think the story is fantastic. A few weeks ago the second author jumped on board and we began a YA action-adventure novel. It’s been a fun challenge for me to jump between the two stories and I am excited about what we’re producing. I will bring you more information on these projects as they move forward.

Now, that should be plenty to occupy me right through the end of the year and beyond, however certain characters, from the other novels I have on the back burners, have started calling to me lately. They really want to tell their stories.

It looks like my New Year’s Resolution this year will be to be prolific.

Stay tuned,

Steve

 

Blogging elsewhere today.

I’m blogging today over at the Soul Mate Authors blog: http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/

Stop by and discover my deep, dark secret.

The manly art of Lefse making.

Where have I been?

Yes, it has been quite a while since I updated this blog, and I apologize profusely for that. I have been traveling for the past two weeks. Driving long hours, visiting wonderful places and people. Fun was had, but blogging went by the wayside. I finally made it back home this weekend for an annual tradition. Lefsa day.

For those of you unfamiliar with lefse let me just say…you are missing out. This Norwegian flat bread is the basis for an extraordinary cuisine that includes a jelly-like white fish treated with lye and stacked like cord-wood behind the cabin in the winter cold, rich, bland cream sauces, and macaroni boiled to within an inch of it’s life. (In Norwegian al dente means ‘not yet done’.) Thank the Lord for Swedish Meatballs or I would not have survived my church’s annual Lutefisk dinners.

But the shining star of the blond, bland traditional Norwegian cuisine…is Lefse!

Lefse

This incredibly versatile and almost tasteless flat bread is made of mashed potatoes, flour, cream, butter and salt. Now come on, can you get any blander than that?

Okay, I hear you asking…what’s the big deal?

My friends…here is the big deal. Behold my vast array of lefse making tools:

Lefse tools

What is that implement in the center you may ask? (go ahead…you may ask.)

Lefse Sword

Yes, that is my Lefse Sword. If ever one food reflected the proud bearing of a cuisine…a people…Nay, A NATION! it is Lefse. For Lefse is made with a sword!

Oh how those hearty vikings, fresh from the rape and pillage of Europe must have looked forward to wielding their swords in the kitchen upon their return to Norway. Hearty men in horned helms flinging bland flat bread on to table and shield in a quest to find something…anything…that would make that lye soaked fish palatable.

Now woman, stand back, for this is a manly art, and not for the faint of heart.

Balls of cold dough…

rolled so thin you can almost see through them.

Then the sword is applied…

to move the thin pastry to the griddle.

Brave Warriors

It is the truest mark of a man’s skill at arms.

At my side was my trusty sword-mate (my niece’s husband) Matt. He learned the craft at my knee a bare three years ago. The boy became a man that day, and has since upheld the annual tradition that is Lefse Day.

Lefse is once again available for meals, for snacks (it isn’t just for breakfast anymore). A dinner roll replacement with butter, a wrap for sandwich fixings, a basis for hundreds of different meals, snacks and desserts. This flexible food has limitless options, and only wants for a bit of imagination. Don’t take my word for it. Look here: http://www.norskenook.com/index.cfm?event=galleryView&galleryid=670&photoIndex=2&page=1

If we are frugal, our batch will last through the holidays, though most years I am forced into making a second batch. Gladly do I draw my sword and march once again into battle. For we must have lefse for  Christmas. But there will come that day, usually late into a cold, snowy January, when the lefse runs out. Then we must wait, and do without lefse, the rest of that cold, dark year, for the grand tradition that is…LEFSE DAY!

Until next time (munch, munch),

Steve

The Creative Process

Lately I’ve found myself with so many creative irons in the fire I’m jumping from one thing to the next. Some days I find myself writing in the morning, doing Music for the the New IRPMUS Gaming system in the afternoon and attending play practice in the evening. I can’t remember ever being so happily busy. There is something about hanging out with creative people that is stimulating.

A few days ago I attended a meeting of my local writers group, where we discussed self-publishing and publishing in general. Being the most advanced of the group I was happy to share my knowledge. Later that evening I was struggling to learn a Jazz Box dance step for our theater production. (I’m not much of a dancer.) A couple of the young people stepped up to help me out. It’s got me thinking lately about the creative community, and how different it is from the corporate atmosphere I worked in most of my life. People climbing the corporate ladder tend to push or hold others down as they work their way to the top. My experience in the creative communities is that others tend to want to pull you up with them.

With that thought in mind, I’d like to highlight some creative people on the way up, that could use a helping hand. A couple of guys from my IRPMUS Live Improv Group have struck out to create a game system from our onstage lunacy, and from what I can see they have a pretty creative product in production. To help get started they created a Kickstarter campaign. I myself have signed on at the Pig Snouted Goblin level, and am looking forward to receiving the game system and other benefits of this level, which look to be a bargain.

If you’ve got a bit of time, stop by and check out the IRPMUS Ultimate Role Playing Game Kickstarter at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nhgames/irpmus-ultimate-role-playing-game

You can get in for as little as $2.00 on something unique and creative.

Until next time,

Steve

Author and Book Pages up on SMP Author Group!

Yeah, I’m still floating from the news that Son of Thunder will be published, and it just keeps getting better. Today my Author Page and Book Page went live on the Soul Mate Author Group site. Check them out:

Author Page: http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/meet-steven-mitchell/

Son of Thunder book page: http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/meet-steven-mitchell/son-of-thunder-by-steven-mitchell/

While you’re there, check down the sidebar for the incredible group of authors I’ll be joining at Soul Mate.

Also, I will be blogging there on a regular basis, but I will also be keeping this blog alive. So much to do, and it’s all good stuff. No wonder my head is spinning.

Until next time,

Steve

This is it!

Paperwork signed…T’s crossed…i’s dotted. It’s now official:

Son of Thunder will be published by Soul Mate Publishing. I’m so excited to be joining Soul Mate’s incredible bullpen of writers.

It’s still so hard to believe it’s finally happening. I received a laundry list of things to do from my publisher (yeah, MY publisher…boy, that sounds good) and I couldn’t wait to dive into it. A bio, a back cover blurb, how do I envision the cover looking…FUN STUFF!!!

Anyway, if you have some time, stop over to Soul Mate Publishing at: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/

Tell ‘em S. C. Mitchell sent ya…you know, the new kid on the block…

Until next time,

Steve

Son of Thunder!!!

One of the interesting things I’ve found about my writing is how easily I’ve come to expect rejection.

Early on, you need to develop a thick skin while trying to sell yourself and your writing to an agent or a publisher, or you just won’t survive the sea of rejection. Just a week ago I received one of the nicest rejections I’ve ever gotten from an agent. She said I was doing everything right, but it just wasn’t right for her, and I said “Yeah, okay.” and filed it away in my mounting pile of rejection letters. I have just come to expect rejection. There are days I’ve wondered why I keep banging my head against that wall. I mean, I’ve got the self-pub thing going. maybe that’s all I can do.

Then last night happened. I check my email and see one from a publisher that I had submitted Son of Thunder to. So I open the email and start to read, looking for the “but” or “however” that usually precedes the bad news and instead read:

“I read your story this weekend and I have great news! I enjoyed Son of Thunder so much we’d like to publish your book.”

Whoa! I had to back up and start reading from the beginning, and then I notice that there’s a contract attached to the email. This is so cool, and I was in shock most of the night. It’s still settling in that I’ve taken that next big step – gotten over that next big hurdle.

I love all my books, but Son of Thunder has always been special to me. I’ve resisted self-publishing it because I really did believe it would sell to a publisher. Now that it has, I’m in heaven.

I’m not mentioning the publisher here, because I haven’t signed the contract yet, but rest assured that announcement is coming, along with all the details.

Stay tuned,

Steve

The Best Little Whorehouse…in central Wisconsin

Life takes some strange turns on occasion. A friend of mine is directing the Wausau Community Theater production of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, and ended up a little short of male actors who could sing. Thus I have been offered the role of Senator Wingwoah (with various other bit parts). It’s been a while since I’ve been on stage, singing and acting in front of an audience, but I’m really looking forward to it. The script is quite risque, and looks to be a lot of fun, but at it’s heart, Whorehouse is a love story, and that’s what I’m all about these days.

So, for the next few weeks I’ll be cavorting with prostitutes and getting into all manor of trouble. Just business as usual for a romance author…

Until next time,

Steve

 

Gardening and the coming Zombie Apocalypse

Today is my day to dig potatoes in my garden. I garden mostly in raised beds (saves a lot of back strain) and I had an interesting phenomenon this year. I have one bed completely devoted to potatoes, and that’s all I planted here, yet somehow I had a tomato invasion of this bed. Not just one, or a few plants, but probably a dozen. And they are producing tomatoes.

Thus my quandary. Do I take the chance of the potatoes rotting and wait until the tomatoes ripen, or do I pull the invading plants (I have plenty of tomatoes in another bed) and dig my potatoes today?

Then it hit me. The tomatoes were like an invasion force of zombies, rising from the dead and pushing themselves out of the ground to try and claim my potato bed for their own. Left to their own devices these Zombie tomatoes would suck the brains from my potatoes if I didn’t intercede. I am the ZOMBIE HUNTER!

[Yes, this is the way my brain works.]

I have selected a few tomatoes, who will live on as research subjects. Notice in the picture below that they survive on the edges of society, and thus can be contained:

Okay, so here’s where things get even stranger. As I’m digging I start to wonder why I garden at all. When I think about the cost of potatoes in the grocery store and compare that with the amount of work it takes to actually produce them myself, I can’t see the trade off.

Then it hits me!

I garden because of the coming ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!!!

You see…I don’t own a gun, and have little experience shooting one. As society breaks down I will need skills to survive. The guys with the guns will be way ahead of the game. We’re going to need them to shoot the zombies and hunt stray cows and deer for food. My place in the new society will be a humble one. I will have this one skill that makes me somewhat valuable. I can provide the potatoes (also some beans and carrots).

As we fight back the zombie scourge I will be fearlessly watering and weeding. A humble hero in a dark, dangerous world.

So, as you’re boarding up the Walmart while the parking lot fills with Zombies, don’t be looking for me to help. I’ll be the guy up on the roof…planting potatoes. It’s my job!

Until next time…if there IS a next time…

Steve

Seeds of Immortality

Okay! After weeks of weeping and gnashing my teeth, the plot has finally coalesced around the 3rd Demon’s Rising book, and I have a new title for it: Seeds of Immortality. I’m quite excited about this new chapter in the Demon’s rising universe. It should give a satisfying ending to the trilogy and set the stage for the future books.

Summer has been a busy season for me, with many distractions, including constructing a new office for my writing, taking me away from my writing. But the construction is complete and I am starting to settle into my new office:

I’m looking forward to a more productive Autumn writing season.

Until next time,

Steve