Kyle Pratt's Blog: Musings & Rantings, page 21

Honey Harvest for 2015

The honey harvest this year was very good.

Kyle Pratt ready to harvest from one of his hives.

We have only two hives on our small farm, but even so, the harvest takes nearly all day. After breakfast we set up the equipment, including our honey extractor (basically a hand-crank centrifuge), stainless steel buckets, a couple of food-grade plastic pails, strainers and assorted tools.

Kyle Pratt harvesting honey.

Then we don all of our protective gear because the bees really don’t like what we are about to do. By nine in the morning we are at the apiary and I pulled off the lid of the first hive. The top of the frames in the honey super were covered with thousands of bees and more were inside. Every bee had to be brushed off before the honey frame could be taken. 

By the time my wife and I were done the bees were very mad. That’s why I do the harvest inside. If I harvested outside all those outraged bees would crawl over everything and try to sting me. After I removed the appropriate frames and brushed off the bees, I passed them to my wife. She took them to our garage, where we had everything ready for extraction.

Lorraine Pratt looks over twenty pounds of honey.

When I finished, and closed the hives, I joined my wife inside for the harvest. Using a long knife we cut the comb open and place the frames into the centrifuge. Then I cranked and cranked. It takes a lot of arm work, but the honey soon begins to flow and continues in a slow stream for hours. By the end of the day, my wife and I harvested 308 fluid ounces of honey or over twenty pounds.

Don’t worry about the bees. We take only the excess; most of the honey is left in the hive, so they can eat during the winter.

After a hiatus

One thing I enjoy about the Matrix is the different types of writers.

After a brief hiatus for an anniversary celebration, music and other summer events, the Lewis County Writers Guild is back meeting at the Matrix Coffeehouse.

That is where you will find me most Friday evenings. While writers regularly meet at my home, larger groups are easier at the Matrix. Also, more varieties of food and (non-alcoholic) drinks are available. However, the thing I enjoy most is the wide variety of writers that attend. Some are novice writers, others are professional. Most write fiction, but some prefer non-fiction. Many different genres are represented.

However, the motivation that keeps me coming is that we all wish to say something with our writing and so, together, we work to improve our skills. 

Under the Northwest Sky

Meteors and the Milky Way over Mount Rainier.

I know much more about this month’s cover picture than I did about the previous cover. Photographer Matthew Dieterich captured this image just a few weeks ago near Mt. Rainier in my home state of Washington. I wish I had known he would be practicing his skills so near my home. I would have enjoyed meeting him. However, he’s probably already back home in Pittsburgh.

In addition to the mountain, several meteors of the recent Perseid shower are visible, along with one band of the Milky Way galaxy arcing over the snow-covered peak. Clearly, Matthew is a very talented man.  

You can learn more about Matthew Dieterich on his Website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed.

Find previous cover pictures here.

A Time to Endure

Oregon Christian Writers Summer Conference, Day Three

The third day of the 2015 Conference required endurance.  

Susan May Warren teaching in a cold room.

I know I’m late with my summary of the third day of the conference, but I have two things I must mention. The morning coaching class taught by authors Susan May Warren, James Rubart and Jeff Gerke, was always insightful—but cold. The weather in the northwest has been hot and dry this summer and the management of the Jantzen Beach Red Lion hotel must have turned up the air conditioning in an attempt to cool the entire region.

One person said, “They don’t need to give us ice water, just tap water and in a few minutes we’ll have the ice.” Another person bought coffee for the entire class. Bless her, Lord.

So, now you know why Susan Warren is wrapped in a blanket as she teaches class.

The Cascade Awards Banquet

The Cascade Award banquet climaxed the third evening of the conference. As a finalist for the Cascade Award in published speculative fiction for A Time to Endure, tension grew in me with each passing minute. At my table as my own private support group were my critique partners Barbara Blakey, Carolyn Bickel, and Kristie Kandoll. Other award nominees at our table were Cheryl Secomb, for unpublished children’s fiction, Bethany Hayes for unpublished nonfiction, and Shari Carroll, for unpublished devotionals. Shari Carroll went home that night as a Cascade Award winner, the rest of us remained finalists.  

Ben Wolf and Kyle Pratt after the Cascade Awards banquet.

The other nominees for the published speculative fiction award were Gary Bray, author of The Republic of Texas 2022 and Ben Wolf, editor-in-chief of Splickety Publishing Group with his novel Blood for Blood. I’ve never met Bray and didn’t find him at the conference, but Ben Wolf is a friend and I’m glad he won the 2015 Cascade Award for published speculative fiction.

I’ll try again next year. And maybe Ben won’t!

Night Owl Critique

Oregon Christian Writers Summer Conference, Day Two

The second day of the 2015 Conference ended with a critique session.

 

I started the day with the first session of a coaching class taught by authors Susan May Warren, James Rubart and Jeff Gerke. Today, in both small groups and the class as a whole, we discussed the building blocks of great fiction. In particular we covered the opening line and paragraph of our stories. The class will continue tomorrow and the next day.

Later I attended a class with Sheila Seifert, editor of Focusonthefamily.com. Her presentation on Developing Your Voice was interesting is an aspect of my writing that I need to work on. Next I attended Greg Johnson’s, Finding Readers: The Ultimate Key to Success. Greg is the founder of WordServe Literary Group. I’m a writer and would prefer not to market, but in the changing publishing world it is a growing part of my business day. I need to understand this aspect of the business.

Kyle Pratt helping critique manuscripts at Oregon Christian Writers conference

In the hotel ballroom for dinner, I sat with Harvest House publisher and senior editor Nick Harrison, author and editor Jeff Gerke and my critique partner Carolyn Bickel. We talked about the changing book market and how it affects companies like Harvest House.  I finished the day helping with critiques. I attended at least one critique group for many years and believe they are a vital part of the editing process for new and mid-list authors. So, when Julie Zander asked me to help, I was more than willing.

Back to Boot Camp

Oregon Christian Writers Summer Conference, Day One

The first day of the 2015 Conference started with Boot Camp.

Susan May Warren and Kyle Pratt at the 2015 Oregon Christian Writers summer conference

The morning started even before the regular conference with a marketing “boot camp” taught by bestselling author Susan May Warren and Nicole Miller of Buffer.com. For three hours they discussed the creation of a marketing plan that included a platform website, mailing lists and the use of social media leading up to the release of a new book. Since the release of my fifth book, Braving the Storms, is coming soon, this is a topic on my mind. I’ll be implementing several things they discussed when I get home.

After the boot camp, I registered with the conference and attended a panel with book and magazine editors. This session was not as pertinent to me as the boot camp, but I enjoyed hearing what they were looking and what they paid. The bottom line is, the editors on the panel were not interested in what I write and they don’t pay enough for me to care. I’m going to continue doing what I’ve been doing.

For dinner in the hotel ballroom, I had the pleasure to seat with Barbara Blakey, Carolyn Bickel, Kristie Kandoll and across from Karen Ball of the Steve Laube agency. She seemed to be interested in my writing. I’ll be following up with here and see if we can work together.

At the Fair

Today I spent a couple hours at the Grays Harbor Fairgrounds

It’s fair time once again and I was asked to help judge the writing competition for the Grays Harbor fair. Earlier this year I helped judge the Cascade awards for the Oregon Christian Writers conference. That was fun so, when fellow author Janice Clark asked me to help with fair judging I thought that would be fun also. I was right.

Kyle Pratt and Janice Clark at the Grays Harbor Fair

I made the drive out to Elma this morning and pulled into the fairgrounds. However, I’d never been to this fair before and wasn’t sure where to go, but I happened to park beside Jan and she showed me the way.

The writers ranged in age from about ten to adult. Several were very impressive and it wasn’t easy to selection the winners. I hope they all continue to write.

I’ll be back at the Grays Harbor fair on Wednesday for some meet and greet time.

Things I Forgot

I recently sent out my July email newsletter.

Despite my forgetfulness, there were several things in the email newsletter that I wanted all my readers know. So, if you receive my free monthly newsletter, you’ve already heard the news below.  

The July newsletter of author Kyle Pratt

Braving the Storms

First, the covers for the next book, Braving the Storms, Strengthen What Remains, book three, are out. I’m still writing the last third of the book, but beta-readers and editors are examining every line of the manuscript I’ve written. The graphic artist, Micah Hansen, has been busy creating covers for the paperback, eBook, and audiobook. You can see larger versions of the covers and read the first few chapters (with no spoilers) by clicking here. The book should be out at the end of October.

Deals & Discounts

Every month in my free monthly newsletter I list the latest discounts for my books and audio books so that you, my readers, will receive the best price for any of my books, ebooks and audiobooks. All you need to do is subscribe.

A New Website Feature

I try to find ways that make it easy for you to know what I’m doing. While I’d love it if all my readers regularly visited my blog, I know that is not possible, people are busy. However, you can now subscribe to receive my free weekly email digest of blogposts. Each Monday you’ll receive a single email containing any blogposts I posted the previous week. For more information about this new feature, click here.

If you would like to receive the weekly email digest or the monthly newsletter, go here to sign up.

Amazon Amuses

All I can do is smile when Amazon tries to sell me one my own books.

This happens more often than you might think. Every few days I go and check each of my books to see if there are new reviews and to ensure everything on the page is correct and working. Usually, I’m on the page for less than a minute, but Amazon takes this as interest in the book.

So, about once a month I get an email trying to sell me one or more of my paperbacks, ebooks or audiobooks. I have no idea why Amazon thought I might want the middle book.

Therapy No Longer Needed

I meet with a group of local writers every week.

I’ve attended this particular gathering every week I’ve been in town for over a decade. While I think that is notable, the group has met for nearly twice that time.

Front: Carolyn Bickel and Bob Hansen.  Back: Kristie Kandoll, Barbara Blakey, Joyce Scott, Debby Lee and Kyle Pratt.

We critique the writing of other members, but we also educate and inform each other. The group is very informal, with no elected leader, no treasurer and no name. While I enjoy the informality, as a busy man, I have to schedule my time. More than once I’ve noted, “Group Meeting,” on my calendar, but that always made me feel like I was going to therapy or an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

I’ve suggest that we name the group more than once. Each time the conversation quickly turned back to writing and editing.

A few months ago I started writing, “Inklings,” on anything to do with the group, just to keep it organized. The original Inklings were an informal literary discussion group that met in a pub in Oxford, England during the 1930s and 1940s. Two of the original members were C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis once wrote that the original Inklings had, “no rules, officers, agendas, or formal elections.” That sounded like our local group.

So, by the power vested in me by no one, I have named this group, at least for my own purposes, “The Inklings of Southwest Washington,” or simply, “The Inklings.”

While assuming such a notable name may seem presumptuous, I hope our local group continues, as an informal group of friends. Also, by using the name, I no longer feel like I’m going to therapy.