S.M. Pace's Blog, page 8

Work Week Warm Up – July Approaches

I’m still not sure what to call this particular, weekly segment.  I kind of like Work Week Warm-Up, but I don’t know how easily it rolls off the tongue.

But anyway, Monday is basically my day to sum up my weekly goals.  If you stopped by for a visit last Friday, you’ll know what my monthly goals are.  To sum up, this month I’ll be launching a Patreon, set up a mailing list, and posting more often.  Longer term goals include finishing the draft for Cry of the Hawk, revising two novellas, and posting several short stories to the newly minted Free Reads section of my website.

Writing

Cry of the Hawk – goal for week 3k

1 flash story

Revising

Hero (my Patreon Thank You for Donating Gift) goal for the week is to finish revision

Cats at Midnight (my first Patreon/website serial) goat for the week is to get it 30% revised

Seer (tentative title for a plot bunny novel I wrote a few weeks back) goal for the week is to it 5% revised.  I plan to submit this one to traditional publishers, so it gets less of my time

And revise 1 flash story

Website

Make my various website pages consistent with each other

Set up my header drop down menus

Personal

Dedicate a half hour, three nights this week to practice drawing

Exercise for at least 10 minutes every day (I know that doesn’t sound like much, but baby steps, and all that)

Read 10% each (I’m all about the ebooks) from:

Shifting Shadows, a short story collection by Patricia Briggs

Indiana Bell, a time travel historical novel by John Heldt

I will likely review the latter, less likely the former

 

Wish me luck.  Sound off in the comment, and share your goals for the week. 

 

 

This week, today in fact, I plan to finish the short story I’ll be offering as a Thank You for Donating Gift on my Patreon.  I plan to look into mailing list software, and this will be one blog post for the week, soon to be followed my two more.

 

 

Wewriwa and a Dragon

Another installment of Weekend Writing Warriors!

If you have no idea what that is, here’s the skinny:  Every Sunday, a whole bunch of writers across the blogosphere post an 8-10 sentence snippet from one of their current projects.  Sound intriguing?  Check out the rules here, read this week’s entries, and sign up on the linky if you’d like to join.  Hope to see you on the list.

I decided to jump a little outside the box and include a snippet from a short story I intend to offer as an exclusive goodie on my soon to launch Patreon.

Background:  A dozen children have gone missing from an Arctic village, and one man has decided to confront the beast everyone believes is responsible.  But the confrontation doesn’t go quite as he expected.

You humans, so focused on your self-centered guilt.  The Ice Dragon tilted her head, studying John like a bug.  There is nothing you can do.  She reared up and her wings spread to lift her into

the air.  

“No!” John debated the wisdom of throwing himself at her, but she paused to stare down at him.  “If you don’t take me to her, I’ll find her myself.”

The Dragon lowered back down, until her wide snout stood close enough for John to touch her, and feel her cool breath.  All the others gave up and walked away. 

John lifted his chin to show a bravado he didn’t feel in his trembling heart, and he thought about Johnny and Alice.  “I’m not like them.” 

 

The final version probably won’t play out like this, but I do like this exchange between these two.

Snaps for the Season – Pool Days!

 

Bunny loves the pool, however my cell phone, less so.  The first couple pics look blurry because of the plastic bag I had my phone in.  I adjusted it for the last pic, but you’ll see there was apparently a little drop of water on the bag.

I actually love how this came out blurry. It gives it a wierd ethereal look, on top of Bunny holding my Mom’s hand while she’s off camera.

Less blurry, and a decent motion shot of Bunny splashing :-)

I took this picture because Bunny’s favorite part of the pool is the awesome, cobbled together fountain. The rainbow in the corner was a pure accident, I’m pretty sure caused by a smear of water on the plastic bag covering my phone.

Do You Have Goals – July Edition

 

I can’t believe it’s already the end of June.  Time is flying by so fast, it’s making me dizzy.  My little Bunny is already a toddler, Bear and I have been together for eight years, and this month begins my year long journey as a full time writer, in the hopes that I can start making some money.

So, this may be the first month since I joined Misha and Beth’s Do You Have a Goal Blog Hop where I actually have some hope of achieving my goals.  The Do You Have a Goal Blog hops hosted by Misha Gericke and Beth Fred.  Click the links and you’ll find an awesome blog hop to join and some great people to follow.

In that light, I’m sticking with goals that are more achievable for July.

Launch my Patreon – This will happen on August 1st, so close enough Much of the work for the

launch will happen this month.  If you don’t know, Patreon is a bit like kickstarter or gofundme, but for ungoing projects/support.  Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/

 

Post at least three times a week – So, I’m hoping to have posted at least twelve blog posts by the end of July

 

Set up my mailing list – At first I was just going to go with Patreon as my sort of mailing list, but further research showed me that’s not really how Patreon works.  So, I’m going to give the mailing list deal a try again, hopefully launching that by mid-July before …

 

Enjoy the heck of my beach vacation – Bunny will actually enjoy the beach this year and I plan to

pictured: not the actual beach I will be going to

enjoy it with him.  Which means I’ll be MIA the week of July 16th – July 23rd.

 

Wish me luck and good luck to my fellow Goal Blog Hoppers.

I’m Back Again, and Hopefully For Good

I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth just yet, although anyone would be forgiven for thinking that.  I have huge plans for summer, so stick with me.  If you like my writing style, you will definitely get something out of it.

Like free stories … is what I meant.  A lot of free stories

See you again soon!

 

A Puddin’ Cap

I wouldn’t say I’m good at crafts, but I love doing them.  I especially love making things I know my characters would make or have around their house.

Toby and Ora from the Threads of Magic series live in something of a psuedo 18th – 19th century world.  I play around with the range of available inventions quite a bit, in part because of how annoyed I was when a beta reader insisted I couldn’t put guns in a fantasy novel.  Ha!

But this little creation is well suited to Toby and Ora’s world.  In this world, it’s called a puddin’ cap.  It’s designed for babies and toddlers just learning to walk, so when they fall, they won’t become … puddin’ heads

I can easily picture my two main characters wearing these as toddlers, although probably not with a Winnie The Pooh print.  And hopefully better made

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a link to purchase the instructions and patterns for this cap.  Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

Cheers

Do any crafts inspire you, either in writing or just in general?

WeWriWa – More Plot Bunny

It’s Wewriwa time again, when bloggers post their amazing excerpts to tease and tantalize.  Check out this week’s entries in the link above.

Another plot bunny excerpt, this time from a different story that ran away with me.  I also love giving absolutely no context for these.  I think Matt’s predicament is easy to figure out, though.

 

Matt thrust his bundle of stakes, felt them sink in, and jerk to a stop.  Splinters stung his palms.  He met Ryler’s furious red eyes.  Foaming blood dribbled from the vampire’s mouth. 

Matt shoved passed him and ran.  Shouting followed him.  A promise of payback.  Still, Matt ran.  Into the lobby, and outside.  Sunset greeted him, and a horrifying sight. 

Wish him luck.  He has a rough road ahead.

Seasonal Saturday – Rain

Spring is in the air, as is the rain.  Here are some lovely rain pics I took last week, to really get you in that Spring cleaning mood.

The rain always drags the bamboo branches down.

 

A wild berry, hidden among rain soaked weeds.

 

Rain spattered pond grass.

 

The waterfall of our fish pond, swollen with rain water.

Happy Spring, everyone!  Hopefully your seeing sunny days where you are.

A Leprechaun’s Gold

Flash Friday!  Hope you enjoy this fun little flash piece, about a leprechaun who just wants his gold back.

A Leprechaun’s Gold

Aed clambered over a gnarled root, and gazed at the entrance to Underhill.  His home.  Sugar milk, honey cakes and a soft bed of moss waited beyond the Door. 

He touched his pocket.  Without his gold coin, he could not pass the Door.  Nor would any of his kin let him in.  The Folk were an unsympathetic lot.  

Aed leapt into the air and caught a tree branch in his nimble fingers.  Ears perked, he leapt from tree to tree, in search of the coin thief he’d tracked since waking.  Caught sleeping and robbed … by a human.  He’d never live the shame down.

Distracted, Aed missed a branch and crashed to the forest floor.  Muttering curses, he stood and thrashed dirt from his trousers.  All his noise almost masked the shushing steps behind him. 

Aed leapt just as a massive paw swiped, and caught his shoe. He snagged a branch, pulled himself up.  He huddled, shivering against the tree, and glared at the forest lion. 

The beast sniffed Aed’s shoe and licked her chops, then turned and strolled back into her lair. 

Aed shivered again.  Without his coin, he couldn’t turn invisible or see in the dark.  In the night, he would be at the mercy of owls, rats and worse.  He resumed leaping through the trees, toward his thief. 

A gangly man, covered in tangled, black hair, blundered through the forest.  A satchel bounced at his side.  Inside, Aed’s precious coin glittered. 

Aed stretched out on a branch, hands behind his head, and whistled. 

The thief looked up and grinned when he spotted Aed.  “Ah, manikin.  Looking for your coin?”

“T’will bring you only trouble.”  Aed tapped his shod foot.  “For wherever you spend it, it will return to your pocket.  You’ll be accused of thievery and witchcraft.” 

The thief smiled.  “I’m not looking to spend it.  You want you’re coin back, take me to Underhill.”  He glanced around and grimaced.  “I can’t find it myself.”

Aed’s stomach twisted.  Worse than his kin discovering he’d lost his coin; if he brought a human to Underhill, they might well throw him to lions.  An idea struck him, but he hid his smile behind a look of consideration.  After a moment’s thought, he nodded.  “We have an accord.  Follow me.”

The thief crashed through the undergrowth while Aed leaped overhead.  They reached the cave, and Aed pointed.  “Underhill is there.”

The thief gazed into the dark with a covetous look, then turned to Aed.  “Come along then.” 

Aed hopped to the man’s shoulder, and tried to still his shaking limbs.  Forward, into darkness thick with the smell of beast. 

“Wouldn’t be tricking me, would you?” the thief whispered. 

Aed said nothing.  Two yellow eyes loomed from the darkness, and the beast pounced.  Aed jumped clear, and tumbled to the undergrowth, heart hammering away.  The thief screamed for long minutes, then the only sound was the lion feasting.  Aed waited, then crept into the cave. 

His coin lay on the ground, and the lion asleep over her kill.  Aed snatched up his coin, and bounded away, back to Underhill and home.

IWSG and What Do to With an Unpublishable Story

It’s that time again.  Welcome to the first Wednesday of the May and the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.  This month’s bloghop is co-hosted by the following awesome bloggers:  Stephen Tremp, Fundy Blue, MJ Fifield, Loni Townsend, Bish Denham, Susan Gourley and Stephanie Faris!  Check out their blogs and shoot them a thanks for co-hosting.

Okay, to clarify my title, the story isn’t unpublishable.  The novella is question is the killer plot bunny I mentioned a few posts back.  A bunny with some pretty considerable fangs, as someone pointed out.

 

In point of fact, this was actually an erotic plot bunny.

Yep. Took me a while to think of what picture could represent an erotic plot bunny.

Here’s the thing.  Erotica is not generally what I write.  Far from it, in fact.  My stuff is mostly YA.  While I’m not adverse to eventually self-publishing stories that skew toward an older audience, I don’t feel comfortable self-publishing erotica.  I especially don’t like the idea of linking those stories with my pen name.  The audiences would be quite different, and I don’t want to turn any potential readers off.  In a word, the thought makes me very … insecure

But there is a market for these stories.  I’d be remiss if I allowed a story I spent a good two weeks writing simply go stale on my hard drive.  It’s a good story.  I’d like to see it published.

Then I realized that’s what pen names are for!  Once I’ve revised the novella, I plan to submit to a few e-book romance and erotica publishers.  With any luck, it will get accepted.  If not, maybe in a few years, I’ll self-publish under my pen name.  We’ll see.

Cheers,

Ever written anything you would never want to share with readers?  Sound off in the comments