Janine Donoho's Blog, page 7

Gone Missing by Janine M. Donoho

You may find it astonishing that a person can go missing from the electron cloud that defines our world. Especially to those in such forward-thinking nations as Malaysia and Nigeria, where most commerce occurs on smart phones, this seems far-fetched.

However here in the United States of America, we enjoy spotty coverage at best. And when a monster wildfire like Carlson Complex melts the few fiber optics supplying this rural area, well, some of us disappear—or at least temporarily plummet from the vibrating electrons that generate the cloud.

Frankly, when measured against the loss of 300 homes, 250,000+ acres of living earth and incalculable numbers of dead and maimed critters, both wild and domestic, this proves an infinitesimal concern.

So allow me to direct you to a storyboard of summer in the Okanogan desert of Washington state. Let the photos serve as chronicle.

Now before the next supercell of thunderstorms rolls in, I’m off to finish my edit of SOUNDINGS, Water Elemental.

Gone Missing

You may find it astonishing that a person can go missing from the electron cloud that defines our world. Especially to those in such forward-thinking nations as Malaysia and Nigeria, where most commerce occurs on smart phones, this seems far-fetched.

However here in the United States of America, we enjoy spotty coverage at best. And when a monster wildfire like Carlson Complex melts the few fiber optics supplying this rural area, well, some of us disappear—or at least temporarily plummet from the vibrating electrons that generate the cloud.

Frankly, when measured against the loss of 300 homes, 250,000+ acres of living earth and incalculable numbers of dead and maimed critters, both wild and domestic, this proves an infinitesimal concern.

So allow me to direct you to a storyboard of summer in the Okanogan desert of Washington state. Let the photos serve as chronicle.

Now before the next supercell of thunderstorms rolls in, I’m off to finish my edit of SOUNDINGS, Water Elemental.

Elphaba, Glinda & I by Janine M. Donoho

Despite an intent to steer toward the middle channel, life’s awash with sucking whirlpools and standing waves. In mid-May after losing my beloved greyt Kartoucheʹ, I collected my guy from Wenatchee Airport when he returned from Japan after a 4-month stint. Responding to seasonal parameters, we immediately leaped from winter-cave mindset and rushed into spring toward summer. Anticipation of deep winter’s freeze often sends us scurrying before we’re again forced into our rather luxurious cave.

Last week after attending Write on the River, where Larry Brooks, Booktrope’s Jennifer Gilbert, Jess Walter, and Jason Brick revved my writerly engines, we sprinted to Spokane. The highlight of this jaunt? A grand performance of WICKED, The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz. The final number of Act I, Defying Gravity, launched me into blissed-out sensory overload. The same happened during the finale.

Yes, I read WICKED by Gregory Maguire. No spoilers here, but the ending worked better in the play. As with the best of story arcs and character development, we discover aspects of ourselves. So it was with WICKED. At my best I am strong and self-actualized Elphaba—at my worst, a false and shallow Glinda. Yet each needs the other to become fully realized.

This theatrical production proved a delight on many levels. What struck me in this rendition was the theme of finding pack—and the joy that entails. Acceptance as theme either trickles or gushes through most of my stories.

Which makes me wonder: do we all struggle to create a pack of our own? I suspect my best friends, who are also creatives, may share this sentiment. When we gather for our biannual writers’ retreat this coming Sunday, I’ll ask. Perhaps I’ll query those who attend our book signing at A BOOK FOR ALL SEASONS in Leavenworth on June 7th from 1 – 3 pm, too. Yes, a shameless plug. In the meantime…

What steps do you take toward finding others to accompany you in your journey? Do you connect with temporary or more permanent packs? Or like me, are you a hybrid who does both?

Elphaba, Glinda & I

Despite an intent to steer toward the middle channel, life’s awash with sucking whirlpools and standing waves. In mid-May after losing my beloved greyt Kartoucheʹ, I collected my guy from Wenatchee Airport when he returned from Japan after a 4-month stint. Responding to seasonal parameters, we immediately leaped from winter-cave mindset and rushed into spring toward summer. Anticipation of deep winter’s freeze often sends us scurrying before we’re again forced into our rather luxurious cave.

Last week after attending Write on the River, where Larry Brooks, Booktrope’s Jennifer Gilbert, Jess Walter, and Jason Brick revved my writerly engines, we sprinted to Spokane. The highlight of this jaunt? A grand performance of WICKED, The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz. The final number of Act I, Defying Gravity launched me into blissed-out sensory overload. The same happened during the finale.

Yes, I read WICKED by Gregory Maguire. No spoilers here, but the ending worked better in the play. As with the best of story arcs and character development, we discover aspects of ourselves. So it was with WICKED. At my best I am strong and self-actualized Elphaba—at my worst, a false and shallow Glinda. Yet each needed the other to become fully realized.

This theatrical production proved a delight on many levels. What struck me in this rendition was the theme of finding pack—and the joy that entails. Acceptance as theme either trickles or gushes through most of my stories.

Which makes me wonder: do we all struggle to create a pack of our own? I suspect my best friends, who are also creatives, may share this sentiment. When we gather for our biannual writers’ retreat this coming Sunday, I’ll ask. Perhaps I’ll query those who attend our book signing at A BOOK FOR ALL SEASONS in Leavenworth on June 7th from 1 – 3 pm, too. Yes, a shameless plug. In the meantime…

What steps do you take toward finding others to accompany you in your journey? Do you connect with temporary or more permanent packs? Or like me, are you a hybrid who does both?

Farewell to a Greatheart by Janine M. Donoho

What we carry forward:

A fading rage at what invaded his rocket-scientist’s brain;

The thump of his expressive tail—

His blissful lupine smile, eloquent look and

Dazzling flow across jagged landscapes;

Silky heat beneath the hand—

Raw tenderness where the heart resides.

Kartouche’
July 6, 2007 – April 30, 2014

Farewell to a Greatheart

What we carry forward:

A fading rage at what invaded his rocket-scientist’s brain;

The thump of his expressive tail—

His blissful lupine smile, eloquent look and

Dazzling flow across jagged landscapes;

Silky heat beneath the hand—

Raw tenderness where the heart resides.

Kartouche’
July 6, 2007 – April 30, 2014

A Walk on the Primitive Side by Janine M. Donoho

Snow, rain, wind, extreme heat and cold, my pack and I take a hike—nearly every other day. Doing so feeds our brains and recharges our bodies. With our environment stretching from sere winter into lush spring, you’re invited to take a photo journey.

We drop about 1200 feet during a winter walk. That’s about 365 meters for those in the know. The loss of altitude takes us from Ponderosa pine forest into sagebrush steppe. Of course, that means you climb on the return.

I’ve retired my YakTrax and the pup’s Muttluks for the year and will soon graduate from hiking boots to lighter Saucony or Asics. Once we can navigate dilapidated forestry roads dependably, we’ll begin exploring higher elevation National Forest. This continues throughout spring, summer and into fall when heavy snow sends us back to hiking within ten miles of home.

As a creative process, hiking works for me. So long as I remain aware of my surroundings. Mountain lions, coyotes, and bears—oh, my!

Do you embrace an activity that stimulates your creative juices?

 

A Walk on the Primitive Side

Snow, rain, wind, extreme heat and cold, my pack and I take a hike—nearly every other day. Doing so feeds our brains and recharges our bodies. With our environment stretching from sere winter into lush spring, you’re invited to take a photo journey.

We drop about 1200 feet during a winter walk. That’s about 365 meters for those in the know. The loss of altitude takes us from Ponderosa pine forest into sagebrush steppe. Of course, that means you climb on the return.

I’ve retired my YakTrax and the pup’s Muttluks for the year and will soon graduate from hiking boots to lighter Saucony or Asics. Once we can navigate dilapidated forestry roads dependably, we’ll begin exploring higher elevation National Forest. This continues throughout spring, summer and into fall when heavy snow sends us back to hiking within ten miles of home.

As a creative process, hiking works for me. So long as I remain aware of my surroundings. Mountain lions, coyotes, and bears—oh, my!

Do you embrace an activity that stimulates your creative juices?

 

Whose Series Is This Anyway? by Janine M. Donoho

Mistborn Chronicles

A comment from my MISTBORN CHRONICLES page:

Josh  Mar 08, 2014.@ 06:29:44     Is this sanctioned?

My first novel KALEIDOSCOPE began moving through the submittal cycle shortly before Danielle Steele’s book by the same name hit the shelves. Amazon.com alone now lists over 25 titles by that name. While mine received a slew of encouraging rejection letters, it will never see the light of day. You see, I’ve moved on and KALEIDOSCOPE served as a terrific lesson on ‘how to write a novel’.

Borne of Mist
Book 1

My complete and original epic fantasy series MISTBORN CHRONICLES started crystallizing in the early 1990’s while I studied for my biology degree. I wrote the first novel of my MISTBORN TRILOGY after graduation. If MISTBORN TRILOGY sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone—it’s out there. Thus my tweak to MISTBORN CHRONICLES when in fact, my series is a trilogy. Great minds? Perhaps.

When BORNE OF MIST, Book 1 of MISTBORN TRILOGY, was complete, my then-agent sent it to Claire Eddy at Tor. She wrote a heartening thanks-but-no-thanks, referring to another series in the pipeline that ‘was too much like mine’. Well, long story short, that series was listed as MISTBORN TRILOGY and has done very well.

I recently read the first two books of this other fantasy series, which has expanded from the original trilogy format. Contrary to Ms. Eddy’s comment, TOR’s MISTBORN world has nothing in common with mine in which:

A rapacious mage rips the veil between realities to pursue an escaped captive. Into a world innocent of magic and meager science, mysterious powers and creatures surge through the rift. This triggers events leading to earth-shattering changes to this world and others. Two Mistborn must learn to trust each other, developing tactics and strategies even as their evolving talents become paramount. Meanwhile a mage war escalates, promising to quench the spark of this world—and others.

Forged in Mist
Book 2

So please, potential readers, understand the way of the written word. Titles describe a fictitious world and invite you into them. There may be times when one novel or series’ title appears to mimic another. Consider another view.

It takes time to finish and edit a 340,000 word trilogy. Add in the years spent going through multiple traditional publishers, who insist upon single submissions, then hold your works hostage for 6-12 months before deciding it’s ‘not-quite-right for them, but please send any other work you have’. Consider an indie writer, winner and runner-up in multiple writerly contests, who decides to take her work to an alternative platform. Because really, what more does any writer want than to find those readers who love her stories?

Chosen by Mist
Book 3

Then understand this proposition. We writers tap into an infinite river of creativity, allowing what comes to flow through us and onto the page. Some have dubbed this process ‘writing to the bone’ or ‘ripping open a vein’. We humbly offer this gift to you.

In answer to those readers who take issue with titles that appear to provide more of what they already love: why not try the new? Decide for yourself. What do you really have to lose?

Have other writers and authors dealt with this issue? What worked for you?

Whose Series Is This Anyway?

Mistborn Chronicles

A comment from my MISTBORN CHRONICLES page:

Josh  Mar 08, 2014.@ 06:29:44     Is this sanctioned?

My first novel KALEIDOSCOPE began moving through the submittal cycle shortly before Danielle Steele’s book by the same name hit the shelves. Amazon.com alone now lists over 25 titles by that name. Mine received a slew of encouraging rejection letters, yet will never see the light of day. You see, I’ve moved on and KALEIDOSCOPE served as a terrific lesson on ‘how to write a novel’.

Borne of Mist
Book 1

My complete and original epic fantasy series MISTBORN CHRONICLES started crystallizing in the early 1990’s while I studied for my biology degree. I wrote the first novel of my MISTBORN TRILOGY after graduation. If MISTBORN TRILOGY sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone—it’s out there. Thus my tweak to MISTBORN CHRONICLES when in fact, my series is a trilogy. Great minds? Perhaps.

When BORNE OF MIST, Book 1 of MISTBORN TRILOGY, was complete, my then-agent sent it to Claire Eddy at Tor. She wrote a heartening thanks-but-no-thanks, referring to another series in the pipeline that ‘was too much like mine’. Well, long story short, that series was listed as MISTBORN TRILOGY and has done very well.

I recently read the first two books of this other fantasy series, which has expanded from the original trilogy format. Contrary to Ms. Eddy’s comment, TOR’s MISTBORN world has nothing in common with mine in which:

A rapacious mage rips the veil between realities to pursue an escaped captive. Into a world innocent of magic and meager science, mysterious powers and creatures surge through the rift. This triggers events leading to earth-shattering changes to this world and others. Two Mistborn must learn to trust each other, developing tactics and strategies even as their evolving talents become paramount. Meanwhile a mage war escalates, promising to quench the spark of this world—and others.

Forged in Mist
Book 2

So please, potential readers, understand the way of the written word. Titles describe a fictitious world and invite you into them. There may be times when one novel or series’ title appears to mimic another. Consider another view.

It takes time to finish and edit a 340,000 word trilogy. Add in the years spent going through multiple traditional publishers, who insist upon single submissions, then hold your works hostage for 6-12 months before deciding it’s ‘not-quite-right for them, but please send any other work you have’. Consider an indie writer, winner and runner-up in multiple writerly contests, who decides to take her work to an alternative platform. Because really, what more does any writer want than to find those readers who love her stories?

Chosen by Mist
Book 3

Then understand this proposition. We writers tap into an infinite river of creativity, allowing what comes to flow through us and onto the page. Some have dubbed this process ‘writing to the bone’ or ‘ripping open a vein’. We humbly offer this gift to you. In answer to those readers who take issue with titles that appear to provide more of what they already love: why not try the new? Decide for yourself. What do you really have to lose?

Have other writers and authors dealt with this issue? What worked for you?