tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1647440496901799852024-02-18T20:39:15.141-05:00Callooh Callay CallayBecause sometimes one "callay" just isn't enough.Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-53180175950175682072023-05-02T21:32:00.000-04:002023-05-02T21:32:01.765-04:00Book Review: Brine and Bone, by Kate Stradling<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47gPeHEAN7sbRatzEidXKZdPNZJyxlvt0TOIdvQxq5MAdKEQ9nzneDVXrWMAmAf0Kayf0W_RRkbL17OztSAI1M6g2Fri4Oo34V8KU7RJtpbFCKZpGgEQZhPG5Za4ZS8d4ECNc3bFj06ySSBdAjsBSWnXseNMnllxxPjzkjh_nVZ5B6M-TeSs9P9803Q/s1920/Brine%20and%20Bone.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1236" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47gPeHEAN7sbRatzEidXKZdPNZJyxlvt0TOIdvQxq5MAdKEQ9nzneDVXrWMAmAf0Kayf0W_RRkbL17OztSAI1M6g2Fri4Oo34V8KU7RJtpbFCKZpGgEQZhPG5Za4ZS8d4ECNc3bFj06ySSBdAjsBSWnXseNMnllxxPjzkjh_nVZ5B6M-TeSs9P9803Q/s320/Brine%20and%20Bone.jpeg" width="206" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, it’s been a hot minute, hasn’t it. But I’m here again,
with a book review! Try to contain your excitement, please.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Today’s book: Brine and Bone, by Kate Stradling<br /></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>TL;DR:</b> This is the Little Mermaid retelling that I never knew
I always wanted. The book is short (I believe it’s novella length), sweet, and completely
not what I expected. The author’s preface begins with “Stop. If you’re
expecting a clone of a certain redhead underwater songstress... prepare for disappointment.”
But if you’re interested in a Little Mermaid retelling that actually addresses
the foot-knives, the seafoam, and the rather unsatisfying ending—read it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Rating:</b> 4.5</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>What I liked: </b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The outstanding part of the story is how the perspective
switch makes everything just <i>work so well</i>. It seems like such a little
change, but it just made me love it. Stradling’s writing is also lovely and
spare and really fits the fairy tale tone. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I enjoyed getting to know the main character, Magdalena, and
learning about her backstory and her future. I liked the prince. I liked the
magic involved—just enough to add excitement and some pretty severe problems
without feeling like it was also going to be a deus ex machina.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Also, let’s just admire that pretty pretty cover for a
minute. It fulfills one of my reading bucket list items for the year (a book
with a typographical cover), and it’s fancy, so I give it extra imaginary
points.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>What didn’t work for me:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Two minor things come to mind.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">I wish I understood a bit more about the
characters’ backgrounds. They come with some pretty frustrating baggage
attached, and while we get to see bits and pieces of how it all happened, I just
wanted more.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">The POV switch from first to third to first. I’m
not sure if this was done to stay in keeping with other books in this series
(it was my first Kate Stradling, but it won’t be my last), or if there was some
other reason that is unclear to me as a reader. But... well, it <i>was</i>
unclear to me as a reader, and I found it distracting. Still, it was only the
bookends, so my brain will just pretend that it didn’t exist at all, and that
works for me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Clean rating: </b>PG. There’s some pain and stabby-stabby
feelings, but there’s no gore, no sex, nada. It’s a light read. I’m subtly
trying to convince my 15yo to read it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Last thoughts: </b>Enjoyed it, LOVED the perspective switch,
bought another one.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-22410319089881337862021-08-09T02:59:00.001-04:002021-08-09T02:59:00.149-04:00Adventuring Again<p><a name="_Hlk78813438"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Warning: Very mild
spoilers for “Forged in Iron and Blood” herein. If you haven’t read it yet,
you can find it in the </i>Best of Deep Magic anthology 2<i>, along with a
bunch of other wonderful stories.</i></span></a></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk78813438;"></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ever since I wrote “Forged in Iron and Blood” a couple
years back, I have had in my head this vision of fan art for the story. In my
head, Lina and Seelah are setting off on another adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But you can’t really force fan art, you know? So I just
sat on that thought and hoped that magically someone would just create it
(because I have totally realistic dreams). But last year, I turned forty, and
as part of my celebrations, I decided I was going to go out and buy some lovely
arts and crafts from my friends and seek out artwork that would bring even more
beauty and joy into my household (we already have what I call my “wall of
happy,” which is covered in bits of art and family photos and such—but I wanted
to add to it!). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Around that same time, I saw someone in one of my
Facebook groups asking for illustrator recommendations. I checked out the
illustrators suggested and found just the person I was looking for: Bethany
Crandall. I decided that it was silly to wait around for someone to create what
I wanted; I was going to make it happen myself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So I hired Bethany to make the picture I wanted. I
told her about my characters,* their personalities and descriptions, and I gave
her the overall idea that I was looking for. Then she just went to town. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And here it is! It’s not what I imagined, but to me
it’s actually a lot better. I originally imagined a much more somber picture,
to suit the original story, but I love the cheerier mood of this piece so much.
As I think about it, this is what I hope for Lina going into the future—I want
her to be off on buddy adventures with Seelah. They’ll go into an area where a
dragon has been ravaging the hillsides, and they’ll have a chat with the dragon
(and maybe a cup of tea) and settle things happily. They’ll visit a town with a
bully mayor, and they’ll help the villagers rebel. Seelah will pull a giant
ball of yarn out of her basket and knit a scarf for a troll with a cold. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaLXUe4MqScphNr8R4hIBhliOB9koLGePrD_cKa3qrdREqNPSqUazk5r5t9XC2OBSQUg8TrLbLUaZ0-SLtalxuw17K5B3kSPVwOATcwf5em4YG1FL3XxFaUD_wjmOvjqLB_cls7KHjvMq/s2048/Lina+and+Seelah.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1575" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaLXUe4MqScphNr8R4hIBhliOB9koLGePrD_cKa3qrdREqNPSqUazk5r5t9XC2OBSQUg8TrLbLUaZ0-SLtalxuw17K5B3kSPVwOATcwf5em4YG1FL3XxFaUD_wjmOvjqLB_cls7KHjvMq/w493-h640/Lina+and+Seelah.JPG" width="493" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I want them to have fun, exciting adventures without
the fate of the world at stake. I want Lina to eventually stop having
nightmares. I want them to keep making peace everywhere they go but not be
burdened quite so heavily.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So I wanted to share this artwork with you. It’s going
in a special place on my “wall of happy” (along with an epic family portrait
that we also commissioned from Bethany—which we have turned into a huge canvas
on our wall and it is soooo fantastic!), and maybe (I hope) someday it will
inspire me to write up some of the continuing adventures of Lina and Seelah.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">* Seelah has to have a basket!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">** I love love LOVE the scarring on Lina’s
arms, from all the blacksmithing work.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-30795560891292044952021-08-02T02:57:00.003-04:002021-08-02T02:57:58.514-04:00Lina and Seelah, On the Run<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRkA8G_5v7kXmAg4pM8GDaZtIVJbOJYTlpBXMaOAOw-PPLeo-A-Vg-wOMV9GSe0zCv-gZDcJkydu8uDK_HSNE6pYfriOCl4XS_0oYRLYCjBd9h1aFnpJDAnrZRGumVB_GAbKVqPXjVRqT/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRkA8G_5v7kXmAg4pM8GDaZtIVJbOJYTlpBXMaOAOw-PPLeo-A-Vg-wOMV9GSe0zCv-gZDcJkydu8uDK_HSNE6pYfriOCl4XS_0oYRLYCjBd9h1aFnpJDAnrZRGumVB_GAbKVqPXjVRqT/" width="157" /></a></i></div><i><br />Warning: Major spoilers for “Forged in Iron and Blood”
herein. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find it in the </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Best-Deep-Magic-Anthology-collections-ebook/dp/B09485CTDP/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=deep+magic+anthology+2&qid=1627887365&sr=8-2">Best of Deep Magicanthology 2</a><i>, along with a bunch of other wonderful stories.</i><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I wrote this micro-story in
response to a prompt—500 words or less, a secret, and the word “serendipity.” It
needed to stand alone, so it kind of rehashes a bit of what happens in “Forged
in Iron and Blood.” But it also hints at the future for them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I wish I could say that I have
more stories written for Lina and Seelah; that’s always the first thing people
ask after they read the story—what do they do next? I love that there’s so much
interest in these two lovely aging women. I still want to write their stories,
but for now, nothing has really resolved into a plot. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Next week I’ll be sharing some
artwork I commissioned about them, and I’ll be talking about how I see them in
the future. But for now, I hope you enjoy this little tidbit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;">***</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seelah leaned over and lit the kindling, blowing on it
gently as it caught the nearest twigs. In the last weeks of travel, they’d
discovered that Seelah was the better campfire starter—ironic, given that Lina
had spent the decades as a blacksmith and before that as a traveling soldier. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m truly the only other person who knows who you are?”
Seelah asked, leaning back slowly, her back creaking. “Too old to sleep on the
ground like this,” she muttered to herself, and Lina agreed. Her every muscle
protested every morning. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then she shrugged. They’d already covered this ground,
multiple times. “It wasn’t safe.” She gestured back the way they’d come, back
to the village they’d been forced to flee. “You already saw what happens when
someone comes too close to the truth.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seelah nodded. Lina was on the run, and Seelah had willingly
joined in to protect her—and that was before Lina had revealed who she was. Now
she seemed even more determined to help keep Lina safe, in whatever small,
grandmotherly ways she could. “I suppose you’re right.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For what seemed like the thousandth time, Lina whispered
thank you. It had been pure serendipity that Seelah had been in Lina’s
blacksmith shop when the men arrived. And then it had been Seelah’s sheer
brilliance and bravery that had helped Lina escape, right under their noses. Lina
owed Seelah her life, of that there was little doubt.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seelah waved the thanks away. “Couldn’t let them hurt my
dearest friend, could I? Even if I didn’t know how important you are to the
kingdom.” She shook her head. “There’s still part of me that can’t believe I
didn’t guess it years ago.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lina smiled. “To be fair, you guessed most of my other
secrets.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seelah laughed and poked at the fire with a long stick.
“True.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They both went quiet again, each counting down the days to
an unknown future when they’d have to stop running and somehow get Lina back
into hiding, in a new life, safe again from the men who would kill her so they
could start a war. For now, though, there was a friendly silence in listening
to the crackle of the fire as darkness descended around them. They were as safe
as they could manage, Seelah’s basket was filled with delicious pastries they’d
bought in the last town, and the future would have to wait.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Lina?” Seelah finally said into the quiet.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Yes?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Can I tell you a secret?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lina released a short bark of laughter. “Please. I’m pretty
sure I can keep it.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I feel so silly about it. I’ve loved my life, you know. My
dear Himleh—he was the best husband a woman could ask. And the children and
grandchildren have made may days so full...”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“But?” Lina prompted.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Well, I’ve always wanted to travel. See the world.
Experience new things...”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lina sat in stunned silence for a minute. “Your secret is
that you wish to travel?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seelah chuckled. “Well, yes.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lina looked around. The campfire warming them, the open road
waiting before them, the skies above them. She’d thought she’d need to settle
somewhere again, build up a life where she hid her connections to the war like
she had before. But maybe she didn’t need that. They had the money, and a
moving target was always harder to find. Maybe they’d just stay two silly old
women, traveling the world, nothing at all to hide. “Seelah, I think we can
accommodate that. Where should we go next?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p>Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-84481417701688243122020-12-29T02:25:00.015-05:002020-12-29T02:32:55.014-05:00Big Announcement!<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">I’ve been sitting on this
announcement for a while now, for various reasons, but I am so very pleased to
announce that I have joined the Board of Deep Magic Ezine! You can see it
looking all official right <a href="https://deepmagic.co/about-us/">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://giphy.com/embed/35HTaxVJWzp2QOShct" width="480"></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/spotify-play-streaming-35HTaxVJWzp2QOShct">via GIPHY</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">I have been so pleased to work with
Deep Magic, their first readers, and their Board members for the last couple of
years. It’s solidified even more for me something that I relish participating
in—finding and bringing to light stories that are filled with awesomeness, joy,
good people, and wonderful writing. I feel especially passionate about this place where I can almost always happily share the stories with my voracious 13yo and where I myself end up loving the majority of our publications. As a slush reader, I always waited with
anxious excitement to see what stories the Board would choose from those that I
had loved in the slush pile, and I always cheered when something I adored got
published.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">I love getting to work with all the
people I’ve met through this process—the fun, funny, and helpful first readers,
and the brilliant, hardworking, and encouraging Board members that I now get to
work even more closely with. And of course the authors, who put their art into
the world in the hopes that it will find a home.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">It’s also been humbling to see this
business from behind the scenes. I continue to be amazed by how many wonderful
writers are out there. How many great stories get written. How many beautiful new
worlds come to life through these words. The lovely stories—sometimes silly,
sometimes bittersweet, sometimes joyful—that we get to accept! And sadly, how
many fantastic stories we have to reject. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">I have loved being part of the slush
process, and I’m even more excited as I settle into my Board member duties. I look forward to finding more incredible stories and more authors to publish. I look forward to helping shape this magazine that I love. This
is a place where I know I belong right now, and I see a thousand little steps
that brought me here. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-18462987891931973702020-11-15T08:09:00.001-05:002020-11-15T08:09:34.963-05:00Turning Forty<p class="MsoNormal"><b>This is the year I turn forty.</b></p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://giphy.com/embed/zD2SpVI4vBLeo" width="480"></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/celebrate-happy-party-zD2SpVI4vBLeo">via GIPHY</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m rather excited, and I have plans that I
need your help with. But first, <b>the explanation:</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the way home from another woman’s fortieth birthday bash
recently, my husband turned to me and asked, “What do you want for your fortieth
birthday?” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And I wasn’t sure what to answer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I can usually buy for myself most of the “stuff” that I
want. And the things that I can’t buy—time, patience, sleep, etc.—can be
carefully worked in to life but can’t really be given as gifts. (Though my husband, Brice, is
always excellent at working in extra time for naps and alone time around my
birthday.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Parties? Gifts? What did I really want?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A couple years back on Twitter (I think) I saw someone make
a comment about how women turning forty come into their powers and should
celebrate by running wild with the wolves, that sort of thing. And for a while I
kind of envisioned doing something immense and wacky for my fortieth. But to be
honest, I’m not a run-naked-in-the-moonlight kind of gal (plus, egad, all the
prickles here! and the summertime snakes! no running naked in the bush,
thankyouverymuch). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I spent a lot of time wondering what I really did want to do.
What would make me the happiest? I have lots of swirling thoughts, but I have condensed
some of them down to a few actionable items, and I need your help to make them
happen. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>So what do I want?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>I want to support my friends in their creative endeavors.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>I want to support the creation of things that bring
beauty into the world. <o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>I want to support things that bring joy into the world.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>I want to be a creator of some of that joy—or at least
contribute to its creation.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><b>Here’s
how you can help:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://giphy.com/embed/oxW9IXKWP2Ouk" width="470"></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/cheer-cheering-oxW9IXKWP2Ouk">via GIPHY</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>1. Sell me something beautiful.</b> Or charming. Or quirky
and fun. Are you a maker of something? Crafts? Art? Photography? ... Something
else? (Not books, we’ll get to books in a minute.) I want to know about things
that you (or your children or spouse) make. Or I guess I’d also accept things
that someone you know makes, if you think they’re wonderful (but I want to
stick to people I’m closely connected to; don’t just tell me about a cool
creator you ran across on Youtube). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tell me about the thing you make. Give me a link (if you don’t
have an online store, send me a picture!). I can’t buy everything, of course, but
I can buy some things. So tell me so I have lots of options to choose from! As
a sidenote, I’d especially love to hear about why you create what you do—this
isn’t a sales pitch, I am just excited to hear your stories.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>2. Author friends: Tell me about your favorite book by a
different author friend. </b>I have no doubt your books are amazing (and, given
that I buy a LOT more books than I ever manage to read, I probably have already
bought one of your books), but I want to hear you brag about books by your
friends this time around.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>3. Tell me about a mutual friend who could use a gift.</b>
In theory, I could be buying several items, and I may not be keeping them all.
Who knows? (Not me. I have no idea if this idea is going to really explode or
totally tank.) But, as my 13yo decided this year for her birthday, I want to at
least sort of celebrate “hobbit style” (by giving gifts to other people). So
who needs some extra love via a silly small gift? (Tell me this privately
please, via messenger or email or something).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>4. Make a video and share your love of simple things!</b>
Are you a pet rock enthusiast? Do you love telling people about your favorite
dinosaur? Have you just been waiting for someone to ask you about how to
___________? Now’s your chance! Pretend I asked, and send me a short video (1–3
minutes) about something you adore, something that excites you, something you
think is just plain wonderful.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It doesn’t have to be professional or fantastically edited
or anything nifty. Just something you love. I really, really want to hear about
it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, if you are inclined to help me celebrate my fortieth
birthday in the way that would make me ever-so-happy (and will hopefully make
you happy too), then help me out! I would appreciate it a lot.</p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://giphy.com/embed/KJ1f5iTl4Oo7u" width="480"></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/just-thanks-KJ1f5iTl4Oo7u">via GIPHY</a></p>Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-6163208062854714172020-05-31T20:55:00.000-04:002020-05-31T21:10:55.810-04:00Give Me Alice Springs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHFeLQF57xH23aZfDj_eFlG8g_XeolCeNGWwiS_8jV7TMQD6DgVBvXjsj_FLIHa3-UTzGLHYrOmbsmk-tu24fWNZIuTOx9H234z2MaqtSt1QgqaPG8L6EwMqOFikl6Mb-IDCCSmZu50yg/s1600/IMG_3310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHFeLQF57xH23aZfDj_eFlG8g_XeolCeNGWwiS_8jV7TMQD6DgVBvXjsj_FLIHa3-UTzGLHYrOmbsmk-tu24fWNZIuTOx9H234z2MaqtSt1QgqaPG8L6EwMqOFikl6Mb-IDCCSmZu50yg/s400/IMG_3310.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As of today, my family and I have been a year in Alice
Springs, Australia. There are so many things I could say about this time so
far. I could tell about the growth my kids have experienced, the walks through
the bush behind our neighborhood, the different things I’ve noticed about life
while living out of the US for my first time. So many things.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But in the end, what I did recently was write a poem, which
is very much not my medium. I started it out as a kind of essay about my experience
of the natural world here and how life here has forced me to change, but it
didn’t feel right and it wasn’t working. So I condensed and altered, and this
is what is left. It’s not complete. I actually kind of hate the idea of sharing it because it feels both too personal and not personal enough. Plus, it is poetry, which—I cannot stress this enough—is not my thing. But I’m trying to be brave. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It doesn’t take into account a lot of the
joys and wonder. It doesn’t tell you about the months when I thought, “I will
never step out into cool weather and no flies again; I will never be cold again,”
and then suddenly, within about a week, all the jumpers and long sleeves and
jeans came out again and I remembered that there was cold in the world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It doesn’t tell you about the hike we took one day that led
us past a strange combination of objects—old tin cans, a whole lot of golf
balls, little paddymelons, and a kangaroo carcass that had probably become food
for dingoes or at least kites. How what might have been disgusting was merely
fascinating—a part of the natural world, a part of real life. How we examined
its bones and remains, appreciating a kangaroo’s incredible structure and
adaptations for the life it leads.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This poem doesn’t explicitly mention that this experience is
so very specific to my life, here, as a white woman transplanted into a world I
have never lived in before. It doesn’t discuss what it would be like to
actually live off this land, and it only skims the surface of some of the
beauty here. It also only skims the surface of how I have changed in the last
year—both so much and so little at the same time. And how there’s still so much
to learn. So it feels so incomplete in some ways, but hopefully it captures at
least a moment or a feeling or just a tiny bit of what life has been here for
me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so, without further ado (because that was definitely plenty
of ado already!):<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Give Me Alice Springs”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some
people love <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">the
lush, bright greens, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">the
wet humidity, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">of
lands where rain is plentiful and gardens grow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">a
rainbow of color <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">even
in neglect. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have loved them too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
for me, for now, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">give
me the granite, the gneiss,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">the red
rock rising in ridges and crags, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">the
dust and dirt, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">the
sand that stains every white <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">a
perpetual pale rust. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Give
me the greens of the desert, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">a
thousand shades of muted sage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The restrained
reds and softened yellows<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">in
the grevillea, the bottlebrush, the wattle—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">flowers
that know <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">how
to grow in drought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Give
me a land<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">stripped
down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Give
me the sturdy strength that survives—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">flourishes—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">in
the searing of a too-close sun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Give
me the sky as wide as eternity, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">as sharp
as certainty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let
me search, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">work,
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">dig
deep to find <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">infinitesimal
treasures <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">buried
in the rubble <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">of
broken rock and hard-packed earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
then, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">after
I’ve gathered piles of pebbles, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">let
me spend a day in the sun, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">trickles
of mud pouring down my arm <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">as I
hold a sieve full of hope <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">to
the sunlight, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">seeking
the tell-tale glint <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">of
garnet red. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here
I have been forced to strip away <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">what
would not grow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Felt
weak things wither painfully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Felt
myself held up to the <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">scorching
sunlight, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">searched
desperately for value that came <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">not
from trappings or titles or tasks <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">but
from me—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">the
garnets of who I am among the dross <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">of
what I thought I was meant to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here,
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">when
the rain comes, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">it
must come for days, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">for
weeks, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">before
the river flows. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
it flows, the land wakes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
flow to the water as the water flows into the land, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">we
come to splash <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">and
wade <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">and
expand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
night silence is broken <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">by
the croaking of frogs, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">singing
their mating songs, celebrating new life,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">then
burrowing and laying their eggs <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">once
again <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">as the
river shrinks and disappears. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
eggs will hatch <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">when
the next rain comes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Someday
I will return to a land <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">of brilliant
greens, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">a
land where I must ever work to weed <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">what
is not wanted,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">not
carefully cultivate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">what
I wish to keep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
for now, I am content <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">to
be refined in the heat of this sun, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">to
let my chaff blow away in the searing desert wind, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">to
soak and splash in the water that heals, that makes everything live where it
goes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For
now, I am content in Alice Springs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<br />Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-84491982501821358982020-05-31T20:50:00.002-04:002020-05-31T20:50:49.982-04:00Mormon Lit Blitz Semifinalist<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A month or two ago, I went into a rather unusual
productivity spike for me. The deadline for submitting to the Mormon Lit Blitz
was approaching, and I really wanted to submit. Most years, I struggle to come
up with even one idea for this competition, even though I love it—and even if I
do get an idea, I struggle (more than just the usual) with how to put it into
words. This year, I had about six ideas, and I found myself actually pulling
some of them together and getting them into words. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The results: One story that started out as a tale of
midwives and took a slight turn, requiring a lot of editing and revision to
bring it a place that (to be honest) I’m still not entirely happy with. One
story that popped into my head, almost fully formed based on a prompt from an
episode of Writing Excuses. One poem. You read that right—a poem. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pieces for the Lit Blitz are always excruciatingly difficult
for me to have beta readers for. As I mention in <a href="http://calloohcallaycallay.blogspot.com/2017/07/forty-years-wins-and-some-serious.html">this previous post</a>, I can’t
even let my husband read them—and he beta reads everything for me and is an
incredible help. But somehow it’s too weird. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To make a long story short: I submitted all three pieces
(three are allowed), and two of them were <a href="https://lit.mormonartist.net/2020/05/9th-annual-mormon-lit-blitz-long-list/">selected as semifinalists</a>
(interestingly, the two that I thought were weaker, but sometimes you just don’t
know what’s going to work). However, when the <a href="https://lit.mormonartist.net/2020/05/9th-annual-mormon-lit-blitz-finalists-and-schedule/">finalist list</a> came out, both were
dropped. This honestly doesn’t surprise me. I pretty much expected it; they’re
just not as good as I would have liked them to be (though they are the best I
could make them for now). So while it was a bit sad, like I said, not surprising.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then came the next tricky bit. Would I share them now?
The nature of the Lit Blitz is such that my writing for it really won’t fit in
any other market. There’s no point in keeping them locked up because they’re
never going to sell anywhere else. It’s Lit Blitz or Bust! But if I couldn’t
share them with my husband, how could I do it here? Well, to make another long
story short, I’m just gonna do it. I’m going to post one now (for reasons you’ll
see when you read it), and then I’ll take a break because the actual finalists
for the Mormon Lit Blitz are going up, and I want to just pay attention to
them. Then I’ll post the others later, provided I still have the courage.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regardless of my pieces, though, I hope that some of you
will take the time to read the finalists when they come out. So many of the
stories are wonderful every year, and though many speak specifically to an LDS
audience, a lot of them also transcend that border and speak to human
experience in general.</div>
<br />Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-5303067282302828942019-12-17T19:37:00.000-05:002019-12-17T19:37:04.727-05:00Book Review: Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik<div>
<a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1Q86CjVzXL._AC_UY218_ML3_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Spinning Silver: A Novel" border="0" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1Q86CjVzXL._AC_UY218_ML3_.jpg" /></a>(Caveat: I read this a couple months back, so some of the details are going to be woefully wrong—like I can’t remember for sure if the rulers are tsars, but I think they are.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Rating: </b>4.5 stars, maybe 5</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Clean rating: </b></div>
<div>
PG-13, largely for thematic elements (it’s a harsh sort of life, there are demons and other evil beings, there’s a forced marriage in which the woman worries quite a bit over where the sex life is going to go, etc.). I didn’t find it unreasonable or gratuitous.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Overview: </b></div>
<div>
This book is an awesome, complex tale loosely based on Rumpelstiltskin, with nods to a number of other fairy tales (I caught Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, a couple others that seemed like maybes). It’s set in an Eastern European feeling world.</div>
<div>
The story follows three women in very different situations, starting first with Miryem, the daughter of a Jewish moneylender, dealing with a lot of the real prejudices a Jewish moneylender would have faced in this kind of a world. Next is Wanda, a poor daughter of an abusive and drunken father. Finally is Irina, a rich noble who, despite her better economic situation, has very little control over her life, just like the others. Their stories start separate but interweave until they all work together.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>What I liked:</b></div>
<div>
This story was exactly my cup of tea. The characters are highly flawed in a lot of ways, including being sometimes downright unlikable—but they’re all in untenable situations and doing the best they can. I loved the writing. I loved the nods to fairy tales but how much richness was added to the narrative beyond the basics of a fairy tale. I liked the worldbuilding with strange fae-like characters (called the Staryk) whose motivations seem incomprehensible but maybe aren’t really, once you get down to the details. </div>
<div>
Plus, no spoiler here, but I thought the very ending (we're talking about the last couple paragraphs) was spot-on perfect. Love love loved it. I think the story may have earned an extra half a star from me for that alone. It’s certainly what left me smiling goofily and telling my husband all about it after I finished.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>What I didn’t like:</b></div>
<div>
I’m sure there was something here, but it fades. I don’t really think the story was perfect, but I enjoyed so much and felt like it all came together—even the things I didn’t like about it as I was reading it came together in a way that I felt satisfied with. I will say that as I was going, I was not convinced the author would resolve the romantic storylines in ways I felt good about, given that so many of the characters were selfish, incomprehensible, or sometimes downright evil. And I’m sure that those resolutions didn’t work for many readers—but for me, they did.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Other notes: </b></div>
<div>
In looking at other people’s reviews of the book, I began to consider the POV issue. This book is written from three main POV characters, but then there are another 2-4 minor POV characters thrown in as well. I didn’t have a difficult time figuring out who was speaking, though some readers complained about that. But I do think some of the POVs seemed unnecessary, and I didn’t love having them jump in just when I’d gotten used to how many POV characters we had. So if you have difficulties with multiple narrators, this is likely to be distracting and unpleasant to you. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Final thoughts:</b></div>
<div>
I enjoyed it. I know not everyone did, but I thought it was a wonderful book and if the POV thing and some sometimes-unlikable characters don’t throw you off, and if you love fairy tale retellings, you should read it. The end.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-32593606063704019442019-12-10T19:30:00.000-05:002019-12-10T19:30:35.619-05:00"Forged in Iron and Blood," out today!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51r7xc7y3AL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Deep Magic - Winter 2019 by [Wheeler, Jeff]" border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51r7xc7y3AL.jpg" /></a>I’m so pleased to finally be able to share “Forged in Iron
and Blood.” It has been embarrassingly long in the works (like, most authors
spend less time on full-length novels than I spent on this one), but I’m immensely
happy with how it turned out,* and I hope you enjoy it! You can order it, along
with a bunch of other great stories, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Magic-Winter-Jeff-Wheeler-ebook/dp/B081ZF79BQ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=deep+magic+winter+2019&qid=1576023989&sr=8-1">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I figured that, now that this story is out in the world, I’d
share a few bits and pieces about how it came about. No spoilers here.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A couple years ago (seriously), I saw an open call for short
story submissions that really struck my fancy (I can’t remember it exactly, but
it was something about iron and oak, I think—tales of the fae), and I started
mulling over it. My husband and I were just about to leave for Italy for an
anniversary vacation, and I remember standing in line to board our first plane
(before we were so massively jetlagged that we could hardly string together
complete sentences)** and explaining the theme to him and starting to
brainstorm. At that point, if I recall, I had about one idea—I wanted an awesome
older woman in my story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brice (the husband) is my most fantastic brainstorming
partner. I bounce all my best ideas off him, and they get better. There are
also about a million zany ideas that I immediately discard (he usually brings
up dinosaurs or explosions at some point, or weird stuff like talking goats and
such). But it’s so much fun that I don’t mind. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the end of our first
brainstorming session, we had a character named Lina, who was a retired soldier,
and she had an awesome berserker fairy friend, and there was going to be a kind
of Wild West shootout sort of thing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I took the ideas and ran away from that plotline, but I
saved a few of my favorite parts (including bits of the early description of
her berserker friend), and I came up with an ending that I was soooo excited about,
and I wrote that. And then I stalled out. (I have an embarrassing number of stories
that have an awesome beginning and ending written, with absolutely no way to
get from one to the other.) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So it sat around for a while, while I worked on some stories
inspired by our Italy trip (those are still drafting—one is a novel, one is a
short, a couple are totally dead in the water) and the deadline for the
submission call went whooshing by. And I finally wrote it and workshopped it
and was still stuck on a couple of little elements. So I kept putting it off to
work on other stuff. And/or avoid working on other stuff.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally, in August of this year, I had an awesome experience
that kicked me back into gear. As you may know, I’m a slush reader for <i>Deep
Magic</i>.*** Our fantastic board members (Jeff Wheeler and Charlie Holmberg in
this case) occasionally offer us various opportunities to learn from them, and
they gave us the chance to submit a first page to them for critique. I
submitted the first page of “Forged in Iron and Blood.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To make a long story short, Jeff especially liked it, and I
made a commitment to submit it by the end of the current submission period. Now
I had a deadline! And suddenly, just like that, I got back to work (I know there
are these magical people who work better when they’re <i>not</i> on deadline,
but I’m not one of them). There was more drafting, more critique, and an
amazing editing cut by my husband. I was trying to drop the dross from 9000
words and struggling over a couple hundred. Brice got hold of it and somehow
managed to delete about 3500 without even breaking a sweat! I ignored about a
third of his changes and smooched him for the rest—he made the story so much
clearer and lovelier—and it was ready to submit!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that’s the story! One final note, though: The day I got
my acceptance letter had been a bad day. I don’t even remember why, but it was
blech. When I saw the email come in, the little preview of it on my phone made
me think it was going to be a rejection—yuck. So then when I opened it and got
the acceptance, I had to do a little happy dance. It definitely helped make the
rest of the day a lot better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you read the story, I hope you enjoy it. If you haven’t
bought it yet, you should! ;) It’s only $3 for my story and a whole bunch more!
You know you want to. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Except that one sentence that I just today realized how I
would have liked to rewrite it! Sigh. The life of a writer—nothing is truly
done, you just have to let it go.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">** Little did I know how much worse jetlag could be,
traveling with small, sick children literally to the other side of the planet—13.5-hour
jetlag is crazy talk.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*** This means I get to read through tons of submissions
that come in to the magazine, and I pass the stories that best suit Deep Magic up
to other readers—it’s an awesome opportunity, and I’ll have to write about it
more sometime!</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-70330364294843906472019-10-31T17:37:00.000-04:002019-10-31T17:37:16.130-04:00How NOT to Write a Short Story<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 1. Have a short story idea for a submission call. Two
years ago. It has one POV character and is, loosely, a romance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 2. Start to brainstorm it. Run it by an agent, just for
funsies, because you already paid for a pitch session and have nothing else to
talk about.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 3. Hear these fateful words: “It sounds like a novel.”
(Cue ominous music.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 4. Yeah, it does sound like a novel. This would be
pretty great. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 5. But it needs two POV characters.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 6. And an antagonist, obviously, who’s pretty awful.
But he doesn’t need a POV.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 7. Enter the very important sister with a very detailed
backstory—enough for her own short story at least.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 8. That villain is getting pretty loud. Definitely need
to do some scenes from his POV.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 9. Some first chapter contests, some workhops.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 10. One round of NaNoWriMo (but only 30k words, because
you’re working on other stuff at the same time). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 11. More brainstorming, more outlining. Because finally
you’re really seriously going to finish up this story idea. No more sidetracks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 12. Wait, what? That new character idea would really be
super intriguing. She totally deserves her own sequel. But for now, she’ll just
show up as a hint at the very end. Right?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 13. Wrong. She’s totally a POV character. Maybe?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Step 14. But at least I don’t have to write the sister’s POV!
(Yet.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that, my friends, is how a 7k-word story idea I had a
couple years ago has blossomed into today’s NaNoWriMo project, projected to
end up probably somewhere around 80-90k, with four POV characters.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<img alt="Image result for madness gif" src="https://media1.giphy.com/media/S0KRynVEROiOs/source.gif" /></div>
Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-90280925479080712602019-06-23T03:00:00.003-04:002019-06-23T03:00:50.686-04:00Podcastle Semifinalist, NYC Midnight Flash Fiction<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1c1e21;">Fun news! A story I submitted to Podcastle’s flash
fiction contest (500 words or less) is now a semifinalist! The competition has
gone from about 215 stories down to 51.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1c1e21;">I finished a decent draft of this piece in March-ish at ~900
words, but it needed some tightening. So the challenge to drop down to 500 was the
perfect boost to get cutting. The competition is strictly anonymous, so I won’t
talk more about the piece itself, but I may post later, after names have been
revealed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #1c1e21;">If you are a SFF reader who loves very short
fic, you’re welcome to read and participate in the voting. The forum where they
hold the contest is currently down, unfortunately. They had some tech bugs at a
very good-and-bad time. Good because they’d just finished up the first round of
voting. Bad because those of us in the semifinals are now holding our breath. All
my sympathies to their “tech barbarians” for having to get this sorted. When the
forum is up again, I’ll share a link to show you how you can get involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21;">As I mentioned, the competition i<span class="textexposedshow">s very anonymous, so please, if you are among the few who
know which piece is mine, don’t vote in my semifinalist group! And obviously
don’t say, “Oh, hey! This is Jeanna’s story!” Or do anything else nefarious,
like creating multiple accounts at a single household, etc.—I really don’t want
to succeed by cheating. (And I am up against some really fantastic stories, as
well as a few I don’t particularly care for—but there are enough wonderful ones
that it’s going to be hard.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21;">In other news, I’ll be doing <b>NYC Midnight’s flash
fiction contest</b> again this year. It’s going to be weird doing it from an
Australia time zone rather than New York’s. I’ll write for half a day on
Saturday, take a break for Sunday, and finish my piece on Monday morning, so
that’s a bit different. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1c1e21;">In honor of preparing for this contest, and to dust off
my rusty writing skills, I’m requesting some prompts! So if you’re still
reading this post, I’d love to have you comment with the following: a genre, a location,
and an object. Be as random as you want. Then I’ll pick a couple of these and
write some flash fiction! If I choose your prompts, I’ll also send you my story
to read (it may be great or it may be trash—it’s like a grab bag from the
dollar store, where you have no idea what you’re going to get!). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21;">That’s it for now! Thanks for reading.</span></div>
Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-36625050909589560252018-06-22T06:37:00.000-04:002018-06-22T20:27:18.877-04:00My Favorite Fairy Tale, a Blog Hop Party<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TUYevmyhz0CHoVcrGOcB6k7PB8y_ArmUhFc9KnXVLhUaBNzpnLVLZ5ArwLIjwcOOI8bFi0Sc0YLiV6AUUjOkwB5048GLAuycnhHeGO2mKSst1WcWGpDo387GsCRa0ib7pX9LJPXE2kwi/s1600/Fairytale+blog+hop.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TUYevmyhz0CHoVcrGOcB6k7PB8y_ArmUhFc9KnXVLhUaBNzpnLVLZ5ArwLIjwcOOI8bFi0Sc0YLiV6AUUjOkwB5048GLAuycnhHeGO2mKSst1WcWGpDo387GsCRa0ib7pX9LJPXE2kwi/s400/Fairytale+blog+hop.png" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Greetings, fairy
tale explorers! Welcome to my portion of the fairy tale blog hop. I hope you
have a good time exploring different authors this week, and I hope you find
something new to delight you (better yet if it’s me!). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thirteen fairy tale
authors have gotten together to talk about their favorite fairy tales. Follow
the links at the bottom of each blog post to hop to the next author’s website.
Collect our favorite numbers to total up at the end and enter to win a print
collection of our books! (There are several anthologies, debuts, and even an
ARC for a BLINK YA book you can’t buy in stores yet!)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Favorite fairy tale? That used to be
an easy question. “Beauty and the Beast,” of course. In college, as part of
graduating with university honors, you had to write a thesis paper. I wrote
mine on—you guessed it—“Beauty and the Beast.” Oh, I ate, drank, slept, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">read</i> that story for several months. So
many different versions, with lots of contemporary ones. And the picture books!
So many picture books. (Despite all this, I sadly left some ridiculous gaps, so
please don’t ask me about Villeneuve’s version. I’m still embarrassed that I
didn’t read that.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Which was my favorite retelling?
Definitely<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> not</i> the Disney film. I
like elements of the Disney, but I can’t escape feeling like Belle is stuck up
and just really not the Beauty that I wanted her to be.* My favorite version was
easily Robin McKinley’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beauty</i>. And
then, when I wrote my own (currently shelved) novel-length version, that was my
favorite. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I love “Beauty and the Beast” for
its story of redemption, which was in fact what I wrote about. Here’s the TL;DR:
The story is about more than falling in love with a beast. It’s about the power
of seeing people truly and how that changes them—and us. There you go, about 64
pages summed up in a sentence (64, by the way, is 2^6; I love powers of 2,
which is why <b><span style="font-size: large;">16</span></b> is my favorite small-ish number).** <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But to make another long story short,
years have since intervened, and the luster has faded from dear Beauty, the
Beast, and all their incarnations. Asked today, I would be much harder pressed
to answer, but I’m leaning toward “The Six Swans” (so much angst! so much
sacrifice!) or “Diamonds and Toads” (my favorite theme—how gifts can be curses,
and vice versa!). I even have a <a href="http://calloohcallaycallay.blogspot.com/2012/10/diamonds-and-pearls.html">flash version</a> of <o:p></o:p></span>“Diamonds and Toads” here on the blog, if you want to check it out.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Which probably explains how I’ve
ended up starting a novel based on a character from each of these tales. I love
these characters so much, and if I can do even a little justice to who they
are, you will too (someday).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So that’s it!
Thanks for coming by. Now go visit <a href="https://aliciagaile.wordpress.com/blog/">Alicia Gale</a> and find out what she has to
say. If you’ve already been to all 13 stops and
collected everyone’s favorite number, then go <a href="http://shonnaslayton.com/fairy-tale-blog-hop/">enter to win the grand prize</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As an added bonus, if you’d like to be included in an additional
drawing (for an individual copy of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unspun</i>),
go to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JeannaMasonStay">my Facebook page</a>, follow me, and leave a comment letting me know what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your</i> favorite fairy tale is and why. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzkKFS2eDjs8kybeeHqFklHQfq9P4S7h2D9nAaAq6U5k3eadjM4_BjEfYHLgbhXNYLBT7z8okl3WYHrZmrWk1ayXvMflp6EI4_QTNvWpwsieDP5g6lFY-d8zu3uy_ARoLt7FZXcTmRniU/s1600/International+Fairy+Day+Sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzkKFS2eDjs8kybeeHqFklHQfq9P4S7h2D9nAaAq6U5k3eadjM4_BjEfYHLgbhXNYLBT7z8okl3WYHrZmrWk1ayXvMflp6EI4_QTNvWpwsieDP5g6lFY-d8zu3uy_ARoLt7FZXcTmRniU/s400/International+Fairy+Day+Sale.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">For an additional entry to my individual drawing (only available after Sunday, the 24th),
go to <a href="https://www.timelesstalesmagazine.com/"><i>Timeless Tales </i>magazine</a> and read some of the Snow White issue, which features my super-fluffy (and somewhat out
of character for me) “The Nanny Job,” then come back to Facebook and tell me
what you think of Snow White stories (doesn’t have to be mine).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
And finally, if you just can’t wait and want to make sure you get a copy of <i>Unspun</i>, it’s on sale just this weekend. Go forth and purchase and enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy reading, all!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">*
On the other hand, in junior high I used to walk home from school while reading
a book, and a boy I had a crush on called me “Belle” one time (just after we
almost collided), and that felt like a compliment, so... mixed feelings?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">**
Which may also have something to do with why I’m a geek. (And yes, 16 is the
number you’re looking for in the blog hop</i>.)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-19612696767511942322018-06-22T06:30:00.001-04:002018-06-22T07:54:22.093-04:00Book Review: Blackthorn and Grim series, by Juliet Marillier<br />
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<i style="text-indent: 0in;">Note:
</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;">This review is about book 1 (</span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">Dreamer’s
Pool</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;">) and book 2 (</span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">Tower of Thorns</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;">),
sort of combined. I haven’t read book 3 (</span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">Den
of Wolves</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;">) yet, but I’m looking forward to it. While I think you could
probably read book 2 on its own if you really wanted to, I don’t think it works
well as a stand-alone.</span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">TL;DR:</b>
Read the clean rating section. If that doesn’t stop you from wanting to read
these books, read them. If you’ve read and liked Marillier before, read them.
If you like complicated characters with horrific backstories who are
nevertheless doing their best to live reasonably decent lives, read them. They’re
great.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rating:
4.5<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Clean
rating: PG-13</b> definitely. Largely for thematic elements (there’s some
pretty majorly violent/awful backstory for both our main characters, including
rape, torture, injustice, and various other horrible events). The backstory is
neither glorified nor described in depth, but it’s pervasive in how these
characters experience life. The books are not light, fluffy reads, though I
also didn’t find them dark and depressing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Book 1 also has some sexual content
that I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, I don’t like reading the
sexual elements (though there was not a lot of detail, and it was all told in a
very repressive tone by a character who clearly didn’t approve of his own
behavior). On the other hand, whereas some sex scenes are just thrown in for
fun, the couple of incidents in this book are absolutely integral to the
storyline. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So while I can’t recommend the books
to various of my friends and family who I know share similar values, I have
loved them and will continue to read them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Short
summary:</b> Blackthorn is a healer who is too angry to want to heal anyone anymore.
When she’s given a chance to escape a terrible situation or die, she takes the
deal that lets her escape, even with some conditions on her freedom that tend
to ... chafe. Grim is big, strong, and loyal to Blackthorn. He’s got his own
ugly past to deal with. Together they get drawn into complicated challenges to
help people who may or may not deserve help. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Blackthorn and Grim’s characters and
growth create the series arc, along with some mysteries from their pasts. The
individual challenges create the individual book arcs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What
I liked:</b> Oh, Marillier. It’s probably easier for me to just skip to what I
didn’t like. But I’ll hit the highlights here.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Blackthorn. Grim. Although I think I
like Grim a little better. He is not my usual kind of character; I tend to like
witty, funny, clever—though not obnoxiously charming. But Grim is wonderful.
He’s strong, determined, steady, kind, loyal. The revelations of his backstory
throughout book 2 didn’t surprise me overmuch, but they gave such lovely depth
to him as a person. I kind of want to hug him—except that would be super weird,
because he’s also kind of this huge ogre sort of a fellow. It would be kind of
like hugging a slightly friendly rock.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Blackthorn, for all her thorniness,
is a lovely character too. Not the sort of person you want to sit and chat with
(she would hate that anyway), but reliable and stronger than she thinks. I like
how we see both of them slowing growing and changing and softening. Plus,
without giving spoilers, I love what happens with the characters in the end of
book 2. It made me happy and sad and yelling-at-the-characters-for-their-idiocy
all at the same time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As with the other Marillier I’ve
read, the writing is exquisite. The storytelling is excellent. The twists
worked—though I figured out what was likely to happen with large parts of the
plot, there were plenty of surprises along the way. And the stuff that wasn’t
surprising was still an enjoyable journey.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What
didn’t work for me: </b>Ummm... I’m thinking... Okay, I do admit I would have
preferred some sort of workaround for the sexual content in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dreamer’s Pool</i> (although I giggled just
a little bit every time the character mentioned his “manhood”). <o:p></o:p></div>
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I was about to go on a bit about how
I had no idea how to pronounce stuff. But then I saw that book 2 had a
pronunciation guide that I just missed. Oops. I listened to the first one, so I
got pronunciation of names like Flidais (Fliddiss) and Emer (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">eh</i>-ver!) and Laois (leesh!) from that.
But in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tower of Thorns</i>, I spent the
entire book wondering how I was supposed to pronounce Geilèis (ge-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lace</i>, apparently). So I guess I can’t
complain about that now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Last
words:</b> I recently had a friend do a critique for me on some stuff I’m
working on, and she compared the writing to Marillier, and I kind of wanted to
reach through the computer and hug my friend and then do a little happy dance.
If my stories could one day be classed even remotely close to Juliet Marillier,
I would feel like I had won at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all the
things</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-53765356640610062272018-06-05T13:46:00.002-04:002019-12-11T03:38:59.733-05:00Book Review: A Bit of Magic, a fairy tale collection<br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1525714741l/40056357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="A Bit of Magic: A Collection of Fairy Tale Retellings" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1525714741l/40056357.jpg" /></a>Overall rating: 3.5 stars<o:p></o:p></div>
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In case you missed it, fairy tales
are my thing, so I was already sold on the idea of another fairy tale
collection. Because I’m not really sure there can ever be too many. Most of
these stories were based on fairly well-known tales, but there were a few
lesser-known as well. On the whole I really enjoyed this collection. There were
a few stories that didn’t speak to me, as is always the case in a collection,
and there were a few that I really loved.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The highlights, for me: <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Reed Girl, Fire Girl, Cloud Girl,”
by Lynden Wade. Nothing truly unexpected happens here, but I just kind of loved
watching these characters travel together and discover love. It had me from the
get-go. This one had a really strong traditional fairy tale feeling too, which
I loved.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Bluebeard’s Wives,” by Mae Baum.
Kind of the grittiest story, but that’s to be expected from a story that
involves Bluebeard, am I right?* I loved setting this tale in the modern world
and with a different explanation of the Bluebeard mythos. But really, it was
the ending that sold me—it was so deeply satisfying to me. I just kind of
cheered internally. “Take that!” However, this isn’t a story that I think most
of my family and friends would appreciate quite so much. There was just
something about it that made me happy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“The Thief and the Spy,” by Katelyn
Barbee. For me, absolutely the highlight of the collection. The rich setting of
the piece, the main characters and their personal quandaries and struggles, the
magic woven into the story so seamlessly that it just feels like a part of
their world rather than an additional afterthought. I also loved the variations
from and similarities to the various versions of “Cinderella.” Like the slight
change in the arrangement of Asha’s family (there’s only one evil stepsister;
the other is on her side), the explanation for why Asha’s dresses keep getting
prettier, why she sticks around, etc. Just a delightful romantic read with a
lot of other stuff going on in it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Clean rating: PG mostly, but some
PG-13 stories, largely for fairy tale-ish violence or for thematic elements
(you just can’t get away from Bluebeard, remember). “Bluebeard’s Wives” and “Goodbye,
Gigi” had the most, as I recall.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
I received an ARC from the publisher,
but my opinions were not influenced in any way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Please note my utter inability to
use slang, even in writing. Because I just couldn’t imagine myself typing “amirite?”
without laughing at how I sounded so very not like me. </span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-82912473657712623442018-04-18T10:01:00.001-04:002018-04-18T10:01:31.053-04:00After the Excitement, Back to the Grind<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>- a
post about writing</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well,
in case you missed it, the anthology I am a part of came out last week. If you’re
interested in all the gushing excitement, just read the last couple posts. It
was a fun day/week for our little anthology, and its opening day was really
amazing. So much excitement! So much checking of stats! So much fangirling when
this happened:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQU2l6I2da2FjkP9wf9OlUMuTmR9dEprL521bNDS4x1CrPrJaTRlGo24qGUHHIb2_WtTmALJy01DA_CVf9GWl_BnBkuK-qUqLY4vXC3Q6kCRl_mLsyhFzW_wpx5_emOm9znYThUURg-Uy/s1600/Unspun+Number+14%252C+arrows+added.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="659" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQU2l6I2da2FjkP9wf9OlUMuTmR9dEprL521bNDS4x1CrPrJaTRlGo24qGUHHIb2_WtTmALJy01DA_CVf9GWl_BnBkuK-qUqLY4vXC3Q6kCRl_mLsyhFzW_wpx5_emOm9znYThUURg-Uy/s320/Unspun+Number+14%252C+arrows+added.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Okay,
sure, his book has been in that general area forever, and we only hit it for a
little while. But still, it’s one of those little moments you just have to
enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
a week has passed, and we’re past all the first hoorahs. And suddenly it’s like
my writing is in a vacuum. I’ve been spending the last several months on almost
weekly deadlines—short story contests, submissions, materials to submit for the
upcoming Storymakers conference, final proofs for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unspun</i>, etc. Now I have this gigantic lull.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
think this is where writing is hard for some of us. Somehow I manage to pull
out some impressive feats once in a while when I’m backed up against a
deadline, but then in the in-between spaces it can be hard to feel properly
motivated. But these in-between spaces are where a lot of the real work
happens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
we have to find ways to motivate ourselves. It’s different for everyone, but we
have to find what works for us. One thing I’ve got right now is an amazing
accountability partner—we check in with each other every week on goals and
plans. It doesn’t keep me perfectly in line, but it helps me to remember, “Hey,
if I spend five hours binge-watching reality cooking shows, I’ve got to go tell
LaChelle I was a total spaz. Maybe I’ll just write for five minutes... and then
binge watch.” (At least I wrote first!) I’m also trying to practice building in
deadlines (like most short story markets have deadlines, so I’m trying to write
to some of them). I have friends who create their own reward systems—new shoes,
new books, a bowl of ice cream, etc. There are lots of options out there!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
if you’re like me and you need some extra motivation to keep writing past the really
exciting moments (first ideas, first drafts, publications, etc.), go find it,
implement it. Not every moment of writing has to be filled with joy and
inspiration, but I think we can find a lot more lasting fulfillment as we
practice writing through the grind as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">P.S. Here is your subtle reminder that if you read and enjoyed <i>Unspun </i>(or even if you read it and didn</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">t enjoy), we as authors would be thrilled if you would write a review on Amazon and Goodreads. </span></div>
Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-22043591210347929592018-04-09T15:56:00.000-04:002018-04-09T15:56:08.508-04:00The Cosmically Cool Katherine Cowley** Dorky alliterative title<i> because I can</i>.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMz9uvkbEV0Mfxc5Z_dnRMHSCkKaRTEoTjmNOhKkn9ZkUnlR3Ky8-YE5hABQ4uCytrGXO81UZUYggvNfqZl114G4UCUzyvPQJvlyN07bKVCV7eNicjI6u9uvyarH-L7m_QaxbjSPfqIwO8/s1600/IMG_7004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMz9uvkbEV0Mfxc5Z_dnRMHSCkKaRTEoTjmNOhKkn9ZkUnlR3Ky8-YE5hABQ4uCytrGXO81UZUYggvNfqZl114G4UCUzyvPQJvlyN07bKVCV7eNicjI6u9uvyarH-L7m_QaxbjSPfqIwO8/s320/IMG_7004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why, yes, I <i>am </i>really terrible at getting good photo lighting.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ONE
DAY UNTIL THE OFFICIAL RELEASE! (Also, if you want to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unspun-Collection-Tattered-Fairy-Tales-ebook/dp/B07BSR6CPJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523299466&sr=8-1&keywords=unspun+fairy+tales">buy a copy</a> and haven</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">’</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">t yet</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">,
tomorrow is the perfect day to do it and benefit us authors. Amazon
likes it when there’s an uptick in purchases on a single day.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
let’s talk about how nifty Kathy Cowley is!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
the process of joining this project, I let Kathy know that I was willing to do some of the copyediting/proofing. I felt so privileged to be able to
help with a little bit of this work, and it meant I got a preview of many of
the stories along the way. In doing this, I also got to make friends with Kathy
Cowley, and I consider that definitely one of the highlights of working on <i>Unspun</i>. I’d already read and loved some of her flash fiction. (“<a href="http://lit.mormonartist.net/2017/05/celestial-accounting-by-katherine-cowley/">Celestial Accounting</a>” in last year’s Mormon Lit Blitz was my favorite piece other than
mine. It is so good! Also, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">“</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.defenestrationmag.net/2016/08/the-last-bathroom-by-katherine-cowley/">The Last Bathroom</a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is just the right level of weird-but-fun.) So getting to know her as a person was fantastic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
looking at her blog again to find links to some of her stories, I made an
amazing discovery. Kathy wrote “<a href="http://mormonmidrashim.blogspot.com/2013/05/in-which-eve-names-everything-else.html">In Which Eve Names Everything Else</a>,” one of my
favorite pieces from a different year’s Mormon Lit Blitz too! I had no idea
this one was hers, but people, it is beautiful. Kathy just keeps getting cooler
and cooler the more I know about her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We’d
been working together for a few months when she emailed to let me know she
would be visiting family in Arlington—and did I want to get together for
dessert somewhere in between there and here? Yes! Of course! I will even brave
my driving phobia about new places!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
we met up at a restaurant one night and sat and ate tremendous quantities of
cheese (no dessert in the end, but the cheese was definitely worth skipping the
cake). We talked writing, our latest projects, family, etc. As expected, Kathy
is as fun and cool in person as via email and phone (and on the phone she
sounds like one of my dearest friends, Sariah). She’s working right now on a
book that just sounds so very fun (if I get permission, I’ll tell you what it
is). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kathy
took on so much of this project. It absolutely wouldn’t be the lovely book that
it is without her. She coordinated people, arranged multiple edits, and probably
did about a thousand other things that I don’t know about. Oh, and did I
mention she did all the interior design? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Since
we met, she has also given me fantastic (and speedy) critiques of a ton of my
short stories, and her suggestions have been invaluable in them all. Finding a
great critique friend is awesome, and I’m so glad to add her as one of mine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anyway,
I’ll stop fangirling now. Let’s just say she’s awesome, and when she publishes more books, you should go buy them. Immediately. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
End.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">P.S. Her <a href="http://katherinecowley.com/">website</a> is down at the moment (stinky hackers!), but as soon as it is back up, you should go check it out.</span></div>
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Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-68626534016387894362018-04-02T21:58:00.001-04:002018-04-03T10:05:41.895-04:00A True Story (about Unspun)<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
for a true story: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KP-wG5Vz0RGcXwwjxHBjFtgJBCHmTitl5bel3S6WvM2DDIxb-J7kTgzwFXpUEGFoRJQEyO1ZcOmMsPxGnepY4-pupzLmnfPTvwfaHOfXXKcRSqXJiTo8-cXUyXY3cFNjAFHTgraPQTqI/s1600/Unspuncover.final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1033" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KP-wG5Vz0RGcXwwjxHBjFtgJBCHmTitl5bel3S6WvM2DDIxb-J7kTgzwFXpUEGFoRJQEyO1ZcOmMsPxGnepY4-pupzLmnfPTvwfaHOfXXKcRSqXJiTo8-cXUyXY3cFNjAFHTgraPQTqI/s320/Unspuncover.final.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
little less than a year ago, I got an email from Kathy Cowley (whom I did not
know at the time). It was an invitation to submit some poetry for an anthology
based on what happened after the fairy tales ended. I don’t know if you’ve
missed it, but rewriting fairy tales is kind of my favorite thing. But poetry?
We are not the best of friends. So this email was both awesome and devastating
at the same time. Exactly the sort of anthology I would jump at! Right at the
time when I was looking to write more short fiction! Hooray! But poetry.
Despair. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here’s
the embarrassing part: I might have cried. Okay, I did cry. Maybe it was
hormonal. Or maybe I already knew how much I wanted to write a story for this
collection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Whatever
the reason, I spent maybe the next twenty minutes or so trying to convince
myself that my poetry skills weren’t utterly awful and that maybe I could
indeed come up with a poem. Alas, I knew that was a lie. So I wrote back that
tragically I did not write poetry, but if she needed any short fiction, maybe
let me know. Pretty please with a cherry on top? (No, I did not write that
part.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
may have kind of done happy dances around the house when Kathy wrote back that
she had accidentally sent me the wrong email. She was actually looking for a
short story, not a poem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
wheels started turning. I came up with an idea that quickly expanded into the
novel I’m working on right now (and seriously, I’m so excited about this novel—these
characters! if I ever used heart-eye emojis, I would do it here—but that’s
beside the point at the moment). So that wouldn’t work for the anthology. Then
I came up with a couple other ideas that quickly sputtered out. Then I started
writing “Breadcrumbs,” which was originally a lighthearted romance between
Gretel and the woodsman from “Snow White.” Ha! Lighthearted romance! Not so
much. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As I
really began to write into Gretel’s world, I realized her story couldn’t be
that light. She was sent (with her brother, of course) into the forest to die
of starvation. By her father and stepmother. Then she was held prisoner by a
witch who wanted to eat her. And then she killed the witch instead—by pushing
her into an oven. Imagine that for a moment. This was not a cheerful tale I was
going to write, and no matter how much I wanted Gretel to have a quick, easy
romance, she just couldn’t. But she could still have hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So I
wrote and revised, had to totally rewrite the ending three or four or five
hundred times, and finally here we all are, with a shiny new story almost in
our hands. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all comes together, and I’m
especially excited because I finally got a sneak peek at Ruth Nickle’s artwork
in the book. She did the cover, so obviously she’s awesome, but seeing the
interior work made my heart so happy. Her little mermaid artwork! Again, I’m not
really big on using heart-eye emojis, but I love that piece so much. Her
drawings are gorgeous and evocative, and I think they will add a fantastic
dimension to the collection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Stay
tuned for my next gushing post in which I introduce you to how much I love
Kathy Cowley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">P.S.
Pre-order <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unspun-Collection-Tattered-Fairy-Tales-ebook/dp/B07BSR6CPJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522720676&sr=8-1&keywords=unspun%3A+a+collection">link</a> for the kindle version here! The paperback will be available soon as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-81352367181801281342018-03-22T15:25:00.000-04:002018-04-18T09:51:30.575-04:00COVER REVEAL: Unspun!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EGKQ6otviCmGOIEkYJzLvpFoeYGtyH0clVah1SDgfvloa4rwmT7Y4Q_WYj9uOH5k7zenOd1OeTAau4Nv0-pcU8JZ8deZUrOXOayuSqwFC2lBa0sjoHt0E2x1gLILtY60s7xF-SVzxEza/s1600/Unspuncover.final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1033" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EGKQ6otviCmGOIEkYJzLvpFoeYGtyH0clVah1SDgfvloa4rwmT7Y4Q_WYj9uOH5k7zenOd1OeTAau4Nv0-pcU8JZ8deZUrOXOayuSqwFC2lBa0sjoHt0E2x1gLILtY60s7xF-SVzxEza/s400/Unspuncover.final.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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Cover Reveal: Unspun!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
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People! I have been waiting impatiently for the day I could post this
news officially. I have a story, “Breadcrumbs,” coming out in this gorgeous
anthology on April 10th, and I’m so excited about it. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unspun</i> is an anthology devoted to what happens after the “happily
ever after.” There are stories both happy and sad, scary and silly, beautiful
and just a little bit crazy. I am thrilled to be associated with them. Here’s
the back cover blurb:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Whatever happened to “happily ever after”?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Heroes search for happiness, villains plot revenge, and nothing is as
easy as it once seemed. </i><i>Gretel suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, an orphan girl
questions Rumpelstiltskin’s </i><i>legacy, a monster cat searches for a child to eat, and the pied piper
realizes stealing a hundred </i><i>and thirty children may not have been his smartest idea.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fairy tales have endured for centuries even though—or perhaps
because—their conclusions are </i><i>often more unsettling than satisfying. In </i>Unspun<i>, eleven storytellers come together to
challenge </i><i>and explore a few of those classic tales. Unexpected twists are sure to
provoke both thought and </i><i>laughter.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gorgeous illustrations by Ruth Nickle accompany each piece.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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My contribution, “Breadcrumbs,” feels like a little bit of a different
direction from much of what I’ve written. I tend to write young adult, for
starters, and this piece is definitely not YA. Featuring Gretel (of “Hansel and Gretel” fame), it’s a little heavier than my YA
work, but I’m so pleased with how it came out, and I hope you will be too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But more than that, I am thrilled to get to tell you about the stories
in this collection. It’s hard to know where to begin. Should I start with the
tense, fast-paced “Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter,” by Ruth Nickle? Or with Kathy
Cowley’s novella about Tatterhood, a fantastic heroine who rides a goat and
fights with a wooden spoon? Maybe I’ll mention how cool it is that I get to be
related by marriage to two of the contributors. Sarah Chow’s story about the
firebird is delightful, and Chris Cutler’s “Heart of a Thief” is such a sneaky
post-beanstalk tale. Then there’s a story about a child-eating cat, a light
romance featuring orange dresses and a heroine who’s still figuring out what she
wants, a tale of Jewish grieving customs and a magical nutcracker, and a
coming-of-age about what happens when you decide to off the evil witch in a
rather gruesome manner.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have to confess, though, my favorite is Scott Cowley’s “The Pied
Piper’s Revenge,” which is an absolutely hilarious look at what happened after
the pied piper wandered off with all those children. Oh, this piece made me
laugh and laugh. My other favorite is PJ Switzer’s lovely poem “The Little
Mermaid,” which is just a perfect, gorgeous slice of her life as sea foam (way
better, incidentally, than my effort at this same topic last year on my blog).<o:p></o:p></div>
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But though those two are my favorite, I really love this whole
anthology. Have I mentioned that I’m excited to be a part of it? You will love
it. You should definitely buy a copy (it will be up on Amazon soon). Maybe two
copies. Maybe three, just in case. You never know when you’ll need a gift to
offer some poor old woman who just happens to be a sorceress in disguise.<br />
<br />
P.S. Here’s a <a href="http://mythoughtorchard.blogspot.com/2018/03/unspun-announcing-book-release.html">link</a> to Chris Cutler’s fabulous reveal as well.<o:p></o:p><br />
P.P.S. And here’s the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unspun-Collection-Tattered-Fairy-Tales-ebook/dp/B07BSR6CPJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524059440&sr=8-1&keywords=unspun+fairy+tales">purchase link</a>!</div>
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<br />Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-66127767798308006612017-12-01T22:27:00.000-05:002018-03-21T21:49:15.317-04:00Publication announcement: Love Undefined<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUywdqgk3Tb0kOavjOyBjfEBTq6f3-srowrGc-4AAe3ms6wGyqze3pOT5jIYrmEBvJ2m5M51Y2n74WYjB86L-0uJnu3WTr7lAYPKIPOHbQzeVE3G_dCT8hZDE8LNwLe2sHavKpBx2dU4aE/s1600/Love+Undefined+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="630" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUywdqgk3Tb0kOavjOyBjfEBTq6f3-srowrGc-4AAe3ms6wGyqze3pOT5jIYrmEBvJ2m5M51Y2n74WYjB86L-0uJnu3WTr7lAYPKIPOHbQzeVE3G_dCT8hZDE8LNwLe2sHavKpBx2dU4aE/s320/Love+Undefined+cover.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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Hey, lovely readers! I’m excited to announce that a new
romance anthology, featuring a story by yours truly, is coming out next
Thursday, December 7th!</div>
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<i>Love Undefined</i> is
a collection of 12 short, clean romances ranging from contemporary to fantasy
to sci fi. They’re by a variety of LDS authors, though only one or two are
explicitly religious. </div>
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Enjoy the lovely cover. Isn't it beautiful?</div>
Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-6317340614700910172017-07-13T22:47:00.003-04:002017-07-13T22:47:26.898-04:00"Forty Years" Wins, and Some Serious BackstoryIt's been a couple weeks now, but I knew I needed to update you all on the outcome of the Mormon Lit Blitz this year. It was such a surreal experience for me, skimming through the post that shared the winners. Fourth place ... not me. Third, then second ... not me. I almost missed first place entirely, and then I saw my name. That was me!<br />
<br />
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It was such a thrill! And yet, I feel like there is more to the story that I should share.<br />
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I had been sitting on this story for years. I knew in my mind how it was supposed to feel, how it was supposed to
end, but the several times I'd tried to put the structure together with the actual story were flat failures. So I'd set it aside again until it niggled at me and I picked it up. </div>
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Finally,
one night, in one of those miraculous bursts of clarity that sometimes
come, the words came out. I don't use the word "miraculous" lightly here. For me it was exactly that. I had prayed that if I was ever to write this story, I needed some help. There's a weird, fine line when it comes to talking about "inspiration" in writing, and I don't know where exactly that line is sometimes. I certainly don't want to blame God for having written this tale, but I will honestly say that the clarity of that brief time spent at the computer was a gift.<br />
<br />
I still had to edit and polish the words now, but I had
them on the screen. It was such a relief. I worked furiously and
eventually had it where I wanted it to be (or at least as much as I could bring it to--I've already discovered things I would rewrite if I could, but such is life). <br />
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As I sat and stared at it on my screen, I realized I could not bring myself to let even my husband read it. I <i>always </i>let him read my stuff, even the horrible junk, but I just couldn't. It terrified me. It was somehow far more personal than a lot of the actually autobiographical pieces I had written.</div>
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To address a question that arose when I accidentally called it "loosely autobiographical," here are some of the actual facts:</div>
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It's more like "inspired by true events." Which is to say that a couple of the
specific moments discussed in the story did actually happen to me, I did have a
complicated relationship with my mom (who died four months before I married,
not a year), and I have felt many of the sentiments involved. I did once overhear someone say that Mom had too many kids and it threw her hormones out of whack (as the seventh child of seven, I took that to mean it was my fault that she was a little broken). I do have fond, sweet, cherished memories of Mom helping me study for a spelling bee, as well as memories of her teaching me every craft under the sun and being a woman who loved to create beauty. I called my brother, whom she was living with at that point, the morning that she died--but I didn't think to talk to her.</div>
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And I do have moments where I worry that I am somehow irreparably broken, that I will pass on too much of my mother's soul's DNA.</div>
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On the other hand, my oldest child is only nine. There is time for us both to grow up, and I hope that when the day comes, I have a snappier, peppier sort of a pep talk. Also, Mom didn't miss my graduation or other important events. She was there. She was both, in some ways, a better mom and a worse mom than the one I imagined in "Forty Years."</div>
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That's fiction--it takes the real and bends it. The mother in my story is not at all my mother, even though in some ways she is. So for some inexplicable reason, the blend of fiction and autobiography was too tender--like prodding at a wound--for me to show my husband, Brice. </div>
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And yet I submitted it to the contest. Because life is weird that way, and sometimes it's easier to share with complete strangers than with those closest to you. Plus, I didn't really think it would make it.</div>
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Then when it became a finalist, I was so excited! Until I realized that <i>people I knew</i> would be reading it. Worst of all, my siblings and my husband would read it! (It didn't occur to me until much later that actually the very worst of all would be that my nine-year-old would want to read it, as she wants to read everything.)</div>
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Still, I overcame that fear, and I advertised it among family and friends, and I tried not to think about how it would feel to have them read it, and I tried to pretend it was totally fine. I even encouraged them to vote--virtuously (and honestly!) asking them to vote how they really felt, even if it wasn't for me.</div>
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Which brings us to the moment that I discovered I took first place. Hooray! Callooh callay even! And then, with a sinking feeling, <i>what if I didn't really deserve to win? </i>What if I just got so many people to vote for me that I tipped the scales? I spent the rest of the morning feeling sick, wanting to celebrate but thinking I shouldn't. Because I probably didn't really earn it fair and square.</div>
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And the thing is, I'll never know. No matter how many of my friends and family come out of the woodwork and tell me it was great, yada yada, I'll just never know. And even if I did know for sure, it wouldn't change that feeling. That's part of the story. It can't be changed by external adulation (which is still fun and nice, of course). It can only be changed on the inside. </div>
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And there, I think, I will fall back to "Forty Years." I do think that sometimes we are just wandering in the wilderness, trying to figure things out, but I hope that idea is not bleak. The wilderness can be pretty gorgeous and amazing and full of wonder. But it's not the destination.</div>
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In the meantime, I'll keep writing and hopefully getting better and hopefully even occasionally feeling like I wrote something pretty wonderful. </div>
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Plus, I'll spend my prize money on books. Which always helps.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17152160686978434157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-361019248272096012017-06-10T14:33:00.000-04:002017-06-10T14:33:25.629-04:00"Forty Years" on the Mormon Lit Blitz<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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So, today’s the day that my story is posted on the Mormon
Lit Blitz. You can read the story <a href="http://lit.mormonartist.net/2017/06/forty-years-by-jeanna-mason-stay/">here</a>, and if you would like to participate in
a discussion about it, go <a href="https://mormonmidrashim.blogspot.com/2017/06/forty-years-by-jeanna-mason-stay.html">here</a>. While the contest is obviously Mormon, I think many
of the pieces (including mine) speak to an audience beyond Mormons (although some do not
translate out very well). So if you like flash fiction, you might give these a
try anyway.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve loved reading the pieces this year. As always, not
every story speaks to me, but so many of them do that it’s always worth reading
and thinking. Plus, they’re really short, so what have you got to lose? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Voting will take place next week, June 12–14, and if you’re
so inclined, it would be lovely of you to go read and vote. I don’t even care
(mostly) if you don’t vote for me, just as long as you vote for what you loved
the most.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
In case you’re wondering, my
favorites were (in chronological order): </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
“Celestial Accounting” by Katherine
Cowley. I just loved this idea so much. Important truth contained in a funny
story. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
“Sonata in Three Movements” by
Jeanine Bee. Beautiful imagery, sweet and musical. Intergenerational too, like
mine.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
“There Wrestled a Man in Parowan”
by Wm Morris. Ha! A funny piece that made me smile. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
“Daughters of Ishmael” by Annaliese
Lemmon. This one definitely doesn’t translate out of Mormondom at all, but I
loved imagining these sisters and their family ties.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Of course) “Forty Years” by me. It’s only
very vaguely, very semi-semi-autobiographical, in case you were wondering.
(Especially since, you know, I’m only thirty-six and don’t have any grown children.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
What were your favorites? (Better
yet, don’t answer me here, but go and discuss them on the blog posts about
them. You can get there through the second link above. Writers love to hear that something they wrote made you think or that you
connected with it in some way.)</div>
Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-49112528115562083122017-03-20T19:39:00.000-04:002017-03-20T19:39:46.152-04:00Secret Cave<i>Well... I totally slacked off on posting (ahem, and also writing) the other assignments that I've been giving my teens in their writing class. In my defense, I've been working on a romance short story and grading papers and a piece for the class that just isn't right yet (blech). So I haven't been a complete slacker.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Moving on! The assignment this past week was to take a photo that I gave them and write an ultra-short story about it--only 5-10 sentences allowed. This assignment was inspired by Erin Morgenstern's <a href="http://erinmorgenstern.com/writing/flax-golden/">Flax-Golden Tales</a>, which are told in 10 sentences. </i><br />
<br />
<i>And now, without further ado, here is my own response to this assignment. Enjoy!</i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXM8_hfJ6G_s6b4qgSNf5N0wh2K_N_9iNtxBYo9TWkEAmEf2TJQbdyACjz_yamj20XBoTdjrya71RIp4SI0RxsK2HuLNlwaySDFPtEUPlMcD-jTWab0KzzTaqxp7jvB3FC9j-h47EB-1t/s1600/secretcave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXM8_hfJ6G_s6b4qgSNf5N0wh2K_N_9iNtxBYo9TWkEAmEf2TJQbdyACjz_yamj20XBoTdjrya71RIp4SI0RxsK2HuLNlwaySDFPtEUPlMcD-jTWab0KzzTaqxp7jvB3FC9j-h47EB-1t/s320/secretcave.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I am aware this cave is on water and my story doesn't mention water at all. Too bad. :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
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I am not expecting it when I round the outcropping of stone,
but there it is, sharp and sudden and stark. It gapes before me, this sudden
cave, and beckons me enter.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But I do not know what I will find within.</div>
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I think, perhaps, it might hold both.</div>
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And I think I won’t go in just yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-39237346191078288822017-01-21T20:54:00.001-05:002017-01-23T14:41:16.453-05:00Skillz<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Brennnessel_1.JPG/737px-Brennnessel_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="File:Brennnessel 1.JPG" border="0" data-file-height="1200" data-file-width="1474" height="162" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Brennnessel_1.JPG/737px-Brennnessel_1.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stinging nettles! (from wikipedia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Being a writer is the best. So few jobs allow you to watch random Youtube videos and then call it research! I just watched some overview vids about how stinging nettle can be knitted into fabric, and let me tell you, it was nifty. I have a whole new level of respect for the sister in the tale "The Six Swans." Seriously, wow.*<br />
<br />
In all the times I've imagined that story, though, it never occurred to me that she could knit the shirts instead of weaving them. Thank you, Youtube.**<br />
<br />
<i>* In case you're unfamiliar with the story, she has to sew a shirt for each of her six brothers, all by herself, from stinging nettle. Also, she's not allowed to speak that whole time. Also also, it takes her six years.</i><br />
<i>** In case you're wondering, I'm writing a short story based on the fairy tale. It's silly and snarky, and it may or may not take a major swan dive before I finish it.***</i><br />
<i>*** Ha. Swan dive. </i><br />
<br />
<br />Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-83010245271369204452016-10-11T14:39:00.002-04:002016-10-11T14:39:36.395-04:00Twitter Stories<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This
week’s assignment (which prompted one of my students to cry, “Do you hate us?!”)*
was to write a story suitable for a single tweet. So 140 characters or fewer.
To prove that it wasn’t too difficult, I worked up several rough drafts on the
drive to and from co-op. I think you can see from my examples below that not
all Twitter stories are created equal. (My favorite is the last.) Enjoy!</i></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Tumbleweed rolled by. Shootout
music played. Trigger fingers itched. Only one question remained: Who would catch
the most Pokemon? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
***</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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“My dog ate my homework,” you said.
<br />
I scoffed.<br />
You showed me the remains. <br />
My advice: Next time write on paper, not ham. </div>
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***</div>
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Pistols at dawn. Twenty paces and
turn. Bang! Bang! Too bad I bribed his second last night. He’s shooting blanks.
I ride into the sunrise.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
***</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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We almost didn’t meet, ships
passing in the night. I never thought to be glad for an iceberg.</div>
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>* Mwa ha ha.</i></span></div>
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Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164744049690179985.post-29957372862665859712016-09-21T16:45:00.001-04:002016-09-21T16:45:22.347-04:00A Mermaid's Tale<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEu1Ikd6u3QnpnPFASxwAWRSTjpcejsE469mzXO73fwJGXIwG6Az4JrvM73uksg3KmLPPBgQhVrzHqDFFj5mgjKnD7DMfcbtRvgKJv9bN24dT6lKanbnQzY6EI6Ue-O_nw747bBqBfuPDm/s1600/IMG_1805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEu1Ikd6u3QnpnPFASxwAWRSTjpcejsE469mzXO73fwJGXIwG6Az4JrvM73uksg3KmLPPBgQhVrzHqDFFj5mgjKnD7DMfcbtRvgKJv9bN24dT6lKanbnQzY6EI6Ue-O_nw747bBqBfuPDm/s200/IMG_1805.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image from morguefile.com</i></td></tr>
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<![endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Note: For the teen writing class I’m
teaching this year, the first assignment was a piece of flash fiction based on
an assigned fairy tale. Since I’m trying to do the assignments along with the
kids, I thought I’d share mine. This one is certainly shorter than usual, but I
figured I could bend the rules for me. :) Enjoy!</i><br />
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<br />
I have been a daughter of the sea, my tail fin flashing as I slide through
the water.<br />
<br />
I have been a child of earth, dancing upon two feet though the steps felt
like knives.<br />
<br />
I have been, for mere moments out of eternity, almost nothing, just a bit of
brine and sea foam.<br />
<br />
And now I am a spirit of air, lithe upon the wind, tossed about on invisible
currents. No body but a puff of air, no tail, no feet, no brine.<br />
<br />
In the sea, I was innocent, naive, but free. On the earth I suffered, but oh
the exquisite joy of that pain. In the wind I am witness to all the world at once,
its beauty and its misery. I change lives, right wrongs, nudge people. It is
amazing what a gust of wind can do. But for all that, I am only an observer, I experience
nothing for myself.<br />
<br />
Where do I belong, I wonder. It is the question that passes through me,
rustling through my thoughts like the breeze through the grass. Where is my
soul meant to be? For I have, I am told, finally earned that soul.<br />
<br />
It is a question I cannot answer, though I have asked it often in my three
hundred years of wind.<br />
<br />
My time in the air is over. I can feel the change in me, but I do not know
where it will lead. Perhaps I finally will disappear, from air to brine forever
despite that promise of immortality. Perhaps I will return to earth or sea. Or perhaps,
I think to myself, I will rise up from the wind into fire, one final element.
Perhaps I will rage into storm, a bolt of lightning crashing down through the
air, over the sea, striking at a ship made by men of the earth. Perhaps I will
set the ship afire in a great burst of power, and the cycle will be complete.<br />
<br />
Will there be, far below me, in the water, another child of the sea to
rescue the human flotsam of my destruction? Would she look to me for wisdom if
she knew my tale? And what would I tell her?<br />
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Jeannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17368761224192682300noreply@blogger.com1