Time Marches On

For the life of me, I couldn't come up with a catchy title for this month's blog, then I thought about the fact that I've been spending most of the last three months working hard for my son's high school marching band. I'm duly impressed, but that's no surprise. We are blessed to have one of the top high school marching bands in our town.

So between work, "doing the soccer mom" thing of driving to various sports practices and marching band practices, all the games and competitions, and adding scouts on top of it, I've had an active Fall to say the least.

September saw me writing in spits and spats, I was still in a lull of sorts. Finally dragged myself out of it by committing to rewriting MOONDRAKE, a 38k MMM Sci-fi/fantasy, I'd written in 2015 in response to a prompt and photo through Goodreads' MM Romance Group, Don't Read in the Closet. 

I'd been stoked to get the prompt as I'd already written a prior flash fiction for it. 

Here's the pic prompt:

My original 100 word flash was contemporary, but my letter prompt was science fiction. A merchant spaceship hijacked. Now I had to think hard... but I was pretty happy with my story, although I rushed it... and regretted it. After some thoughtful reviews were posted I knew what I needed to do, it just took me two years to commit the time to doing it. Now (as of Oct 25th) the original story has been altered. I added in the POVs of the two other main characters, took out some dubious non-con (not sure I had that in the first place) and some violence. Gave voice to a few other minor characters. All in all, I added about 7k (of course I probably took out a good 1k of "ick" along the way too). Thus creating Part I of the story.

The rest of the year is now devoted to writing Part II. I'd left my three men dangling with quite a few loose ends. Even as I'd finished writing the original I had plans to continue. 

This is my chance. 

Cracks knuckles

Wish me luck.

Gettin' it done

The kids are back to school, and I'm finally---FINALLY---getting stuff done. As meetings roll around, and dates come due, I'm diligently following up and through on commitments I've let languish over the summer (including August's blog post). Took at look at my monthly and yearly goals, and while the monthly ones have mostly been completed or pushed off for various reasons, the yearly ones... not so good. BUT, I did do the most important one which was sending off and then receiving a passport. I haven't been out of the country since a youth group trip in high school to Israel. I can't even tell you how excited I am to be going to Great Britain next year.

It's starting to look like I'll only have the one small release this year, which means I want to kick myself into high gear and get some writing done for 2018. Oh, that's not to say I haven't written anything, but one project has been derailed and the other may never be seen by more than my betas. I like it, but I'm mostly writing it for me. Feedback will decide otherwise.

Meanwhile, I've got plans in motion to free up more of my precious time and delegate responsibilities out where they can be done more effectively than by me. A good leader knows how to delegate, right? *wink, wink* There's writing projects I want to devote time to, especially in light of some recent inspiration.

Current Workings:
Still no word on a release date for Cue the Music (the small release I mentioned above). Proofing is in progress and it will come out in both a Beaten Track Anthology and as a standalone purchase.
Metamorphic Heart still has some minor work and a cover to create. I also have a 300 word flash fiction releasing this month as part of Queer Sci-Fi's Renewal Contest. I was chosen along with 100 or so others (from over 250 submissions) for inclusion in the collected works. I'll have more about the flash fiction next month.

Now, I'll go and make a new checklist for September... see if there isn't another goal I can attain...

Happy July!

July. 

Summer. Sun. Swim. Bike. Walk. 

Camp NaNoWriMo.

Edit.

Write.

Read.
Mostly it's been reading. Some wonderful books, some simply okay. And that's alright. I got sucked into a werepanther series by Mary Calmes. Five book series done in a week. Happiness abounds.

Other major happiness...
The cover for Cue the Music has been completed. My eternal thanks goes out to Francu Wulf Godgluck. He's made most of my covers and has quite the eye, taking the singular picture I choose and making it shine.

Nice, right? I'm about bursting. The short story will be included in a new anthology published by Beaten Track in the Fall, and as a singular title purchase. This is another short story in the Southern Jersey Shores series, but a standalone featuring two new main characters. Which reminds me I've still got to write the blurb. Let me just sneak peek it and say it's a kiss and make-up kind of story.

The re-release of Metamorphic Heart has been delayed. KC Faelen and I were hoping for late August, but it seems like it will be closer to the end of the year.

I submitted another 5k short story for a contest, but haven't yet heard back on the results. Was hoping to have that before I sent out this blog. Ah well...

I'll end here, wishing all of you a safe, happy and healthy season (whichever one you might be in).

Hugs!  

June - Jersey Pride!

June 4th... I'll be there. My third year in a row and, again, very excited to spend the afternoon with like-minded individuals who run the spectrum of LGBTQ, their families, friends and community supporters. I haven't been able to get there in time to see the parade yet, but I love the music and friends I meet and make there every year in the park. This year, I might even be meeting fellow Queer Sci-fi writer, Bill Keifer. Turns out he only lives about 40 minutes north of me.

May didn't see a whole lot of writing time as much of it was spent editing. Two short story submissions were sent in. The first was to a call for "Myths, Moons, and Mayhem". Wanted: paranormal erotica containing a menage, sex-positive, with a variety of men over the LBGTQ rainbow. I wrote the entire story (5700 words) in 4 out of 5 days, and then set about getting it beta read and reviewed and submitted by the end of the month. 

I also spent several more days editing Cue the Music for an anthology call for Beaten Track. The focus of the stories was older characters, with the main protagonist aged fifty or more. The publisher is still tweaking the blurb and title has yet to be decided on... but, here's one blurb possibilty put forth by A.M. Leibowitz and tweaked byHans Hirshi:

[The Anthology] is a collection of short stories that prove that love knows no age. Whether it's between long-term partners, a couple getting their second chance, love across generational divides, or the bonds of family and friends, there's something here for everyone. [X number of] tales ranging from the sweet and sensual to the platonic and familial prove that it's never too late for love.

I'll leave this blog post short and sweet with another song from Cue the Music: Lay me Down by Sam Smith.