Category: Houston

Posted on by Ellen Seaton - No Comments on Getting to Know Your Literary Characters

Getting to Know Your Literary Characters

Once upon a time, I started writing a novel. I had the basic story line, the location, most of the characters, the beginning and three possible endings. It’s a real fun story about a historic art deco building located somewhere in the downtown area of some-city, USA. Then I decided to take a break from the inevitable problems a writer comes across when making the characters interact with each other. Some of my characters are human in nature and living every day on a regular earthly plane of existence. Some of them are “good guys” and others are “villains.” Then there are also groups of other characters that involve ghosts, invisible monsters, grim reapers and such. Getting the different groups to interact and move the plot forward can be a bit tricky. One of my solutions to work out these difficulties came about as I started writing a series of short stories. Other worldly abilities are explored. Personalities develop through motions, dialogue and actions. My favorite character and the focus of many of my stories and tales is a grim reaper. You might remember this picture from Fern’s latest blog post. This is how most people see grim reapers.

Just because they remove people from this earth and their current lives, some people seem to think that they are mean and nasty creatures. The more I wrote about my grim reaper, the more she developed a much more complicated personality. Yes, she is a female reaper named Willow. It turned out that she could be mean and stern when she needed to; however, there are many other aspects to the personality and interactions with both other humans and ghosts. Since she is made up of her skeletal frame wearing big black robes, one of my first problems was to demonstrate that she was a female.

Willow as portrayed by local artist, Shirl Riccetti.

Willow is just one of many grim reapers that work all around the globe. She is not just yanking some poor human out of an earthly life. She helps to guide them to the next stage of existence. What is the next level or stage? It could be many things ranging from a bright white light, to Heaven, to Hell and many other places in between. As I discovered more aspects of my favorite character, I began to see her better within my imagination. At one point I made arrangements for a local artist, Shirl Reccitti, to create some scenes based on some of my plot points and characters. Here is her rendition of Willow.

In viewing Willow, I began to think about the details of her appearance. Just how big is her scythe? Is it better to show her face or keep parts of her in the shadows of her big billowy robes? Sometimes she uses her scythe in a heavy-handed way (when necessary), but the other times she just barely passes the instrument between the almost deceased human and earth. Then the spirit is free and ready to move on. Does the size of the scythe make a difference? If it is too large, does it get in the way? I have also started developing the differences and purposes of all of the character groups. Ghosts have much more latitude, but that will have to wait for a future blog. Also, if grim reapers are supposed to escort the newly deceased, then why are there ghosts? So many questions. So few hours in a day.

Until next time.……

Posted on by Fern Brady - 2 Comments on Shifting Gears in the New Year

Shifting Gears in the New Year

Ellen’s world features grim reapers and the lore behind these fascinating characters.

Ellen and I met up to enjoy a lunch and talk shop. There are many fun projects we work together and so much to discuss for the coming new year. One of the topics was this blog. RoadBroads has had a journey of its own since its inception. Now, it may be time for it to take a new path once again.

This blog began with a trip Ellen and Melanie took to Boulder, Colorado for June Retreat. This was pre-pandemic and every year Max Regan of Hollowdeck Press hosted two 10-day sessions to get your project growing. Ellen and Melanie decided to drive up from Houston. The drive birthed the idea of a blog for traveling women — RoadBroads.

My stories are set in an intergalactic alliance of planets called Thyrein’s Galactic Wall.

During those first years, Ellen and Melanie wrote about an array of trips they took, some by car, others in various modes of transportation. They hosted guest bloggers, like me, to talk about their own trips. I remember writing up Rental Car Hell from my trip to Italy for the blog.

Then COVID struck. Ellen and Melanie decided that the focus of the blog should shift. They began writing about a creative woman’s life journey. When Melanie stepped away from the blog, Ellen brought me and Rachel on board. This created an interesting dynamic of the life of three female creatives at very different stages of life’s journey.

Now, as Rachel has stepped back, and life begins to shift once more, Ellen and I discussed the future of this blog and what we want it to be moving forward. One consideration we discussed is our desire to grow the blog’s audience. In researching blogging, we found that the strongest blogs have a narrow topic focus.

Both Ellen and I are speculative fiction authors with unique worlds that our characters live in. Ellen has her grim reapers. I have Thyrein’s Galactic Wall. We have both had short stories set in these worlds published as a result of contest wins and anthology submissions. While Ellen is still working on her first full novel in her world, I have two novels out for mine.

The world’s we create are a blend of fantasy and science fiction with tinges of horror and humor built in.

In view of this, we have decided that in 2025 this blog will focus on our worlds. Each post will discuss some element of our respective story universes. We might write about the setting of a particular scene or short story, or we might share tidbits of character’s backstory that can’t go into the book proper. In the midst of this, we will discuss our writing process as well as share insight into what makes our creative juices flow and why we work in these genres.

Of course, there will be blogs on creative life in general, such as when we do readings or enter contests, as well as conferences and retreats we attend. In fact, I’m writing this post from Galveston, Texas, where I’m on a short writing retreat with some friends now.

We hope that by sharing our writing, our worlds, and the journey of being a working author, you will enjoy and follow not only this blog, but our publications as well. And, maybe it will help us to grow the consistent audience of this blog. One thing is for sure, we enjoy collaborating and that’s not changing any time soon.

So be ready this year to learn all about Willow, the Paladium, Grim Reaper Headquarters, Dragonborn Kings, Intergalactic Alliances, Gortive Offensives, Rajin Masters, their Elmalin counterparts, and a whole host of other beings and places from the wild imaginations of Ellen Seaton and Fern Brady.

Ellen and I wish everyone a wonderful and prosperous new year and hope you enjoy the journey RoadBroads is about to take!
Posted on by Fern Brady - 1 Comment on Art Show Excitement

Art Show Excitement

As a publisher, I have the joy of working with amazing creatives in the process of putting together their books. We publish fiction because the world needs a place to escape the harsh realities of life as well as a safe space to explore tough issues.

There is one artist, however, who I have a contract with for producing her art coffee table book, and that’s Violet Jen. When I saw the painting of the bird putting on her make up, I fell in love with Violet Jen’s work. This image spoke to me on so many levels.

Then this amazing artist showed me more of her incredible works. The bird merged into the human form held a fascination to me, as well as to her. We decided to work on a book to bring these images, and the inspiration behind them, to readers. It has been a long road in the making.

First, the artist had to decide on the number of paintings she wanted to produce. As the work continued, she came to realize that the bird series was not going to be finite. That, in fact, it was a subject she would work on for the rest of her life. So, we decided to create a series of books chronicling the time periods of her life as reflected in the birds that populate them.

This concept is incredibly intriguing but not new in the art world. Artists life’s are often chunked up by the works that they produced during certain periods which reflect the influences on them. The first set of paintings has now been determined.

While the actual book is still in the production process and won’t be out until winter of 2025, the paintings that encompass this part of Violet Jen’s life are going to be displayed for the first time in an art gallery show all her own. The show opens tonight and will run until the end of the year.

Here’s where the paintings will be:

I hope you have a chance, if you are in the Houston and Montgomery areas, to drop in and take a look at these amazing paintings. Share with me in the comments what they speak to you, both the images here that I’ve shared and if you see them in person. I’m leaving you with the playlist the artist compiled that she listened to while working on these and which inspired her.

https://music.apple.com/profile/violetwatr

Posted on by Fern Brady - 1 Comment on Half a Century

Half a Century

So, on July 9th I celebrated a half a century of life. I prefer to say it that way rather than use the number 50; just feels more significant when you call it a half a century. For a life marker of such powerful importance, it was a very powerless birthday.

The Sunday night before my birthday on Tuesday, Hurricane Beryl came to Houston. My poor Arya spent the whole time in grandma’s closet, hiding out. My dad and mom and I decided to camp out in the living room. We had been binge watching the series Homeland on Hulu.

An aside — if you haven’t seen this series, get Hulu and watch it. Fantastic acting and great writing. The story just gets better and better which is rare in some series.

Anyway, back to the birthday — so there we were watching and enjoying each other and fretting about the violently swaying trees, when the power went out. We waited for the generator to kick in, but it didn’t. After a very short discussion, we decided to see about it in the morning and we just got books to read.

Monday morning, I went out to see about the generator and got it started manually. Let me tell you, I was petrified the whole time. What if the thing explodes? That thought kept running through my mind, and I did a lot of praying while turning it on. So, then my brother and his wife came over, because they were also out of power.

We discovered, much to our dismay, that while the generator gave us electricity, we did not have cable or internet access. We were completely disconnected from the world. Gone was Hulu. Gone was Homeland. We dug up our DVD collection — you remember back when you owned movies and that meant you had a physical copy of them. We even found some VHS tapes and we still have a video player so… we went old school.

Tuesday arrived in this unplugged manner. Roads were not safe as huge swaths of Houston were dark. My favorite eateries were closed. Friends were busy recovering from the aftermath of Beryl. My sister-in-law was cool and went to Whole Foods and got us a cake — from the Fourth of July ones they had.

It was a very patriotic celebration for my half century marker. I don’t know what the beginning of the next half of my life means, but it sure started with high drama and old school entertainment.

Posted on by Fern Brady - No Comments on Haunted Holidays is Coming

Haunted Holidays is Coming

Saturday, November 18, starting at 6pm, writers from Houston Writers Guild and Women in the Visual and Literary Arts will be at Brazos Bookstore for the annual Haunted Holidays Short Story Reading. This event began as the brainchild of the amazing ELLEN SEATON.

This year’s flyer, which you can enjoy here, was designed by Melody Locke. Her hauntingly beautiful artwork has given the event a whole new look. The partnership with Brazos Bookstore was originally for Haunted Winter Stories but last year the event was expanded to include any holiday tale with a haunted twist.

If you are a writer and would like to read a story that evening, there are still some spots available. You can register on the information page on the WIVLA website: https://www.wivla.org/calendar-from-mw#!event/2023/11/18/haunted-holiday-readings

The truth is that this year I will be reading a slightly revised version of the first story I ever read aloud for this event. Last year, I made up a whole new holiday for Thyrein’s Galactic Wall because… well I do love world building. But with my new full time job and my second novel waiting for me to finalize the edits from my editors I just didn’t have the time to do a fresh tale.

Original artwork from previous years.

The first year I participated in this event, it was held via zoom because we were mid-pandemic. So it will be nice to see how this winter witchy tale does to a live in person audience. Since I first read it, the characters have, as they often do, taken on a new life of their own. There’s a backstory now of the lady that leaves the cottage to the protagonist of the tale I will read next Saturday at Brazos Bookstore. I am certain that if I’m not careful this could become a whole new series of novellas. Not that I could keep them from blossoming if I sat down in earnest and wrote on it. They might well end up epic novels.

Just because I won’t write again until after the coming Thanksgiving break.

But, I must keep them where they are now — short tales. I have to get the two connected series I already have books published on out before I go off into yet another story line.

Posted on by Fern Brady - 1 Comment on Author’s Professional Growth

Author’s Professional Growth

As a writer, it is important to stay abreast of what is happening in the publishing industry. Many things have changed and when you are serious about having a career as an author, you must stay informed. Author conferences are a wonderful place to network and learn about what is happening in this vibrant industry.

The Houston Writers Guild is hosting an in person conference the weekend of October 6–8, 2023. There will be many amazing sessions to select from as well as lunch as a group on Saturday. Here’s a few things the Guild is offering this fall:

The venue is both comfortable and ideally located for a wonderful view of Houston.

The conference venue is the beautiful Hilton Houston Plaza/Medical Center Hotel located at 6633 Travis Street I Houston, TX 77030  Friday night kicks off the weekend with a session on how to use anthology and journal publications to build your author platform followed by the celebration of the winners of the Journey Into Art short story contest. The compiled anthology features the authors that won this contest sponsored in collaboration with Women in the Visual and Literary Arts as well as local publishing house, Inklings Publishing. (yes my company)

Saturday is the main day and starts with a powerhouse keynote by renowned fantasy author Kevin J Anderson. Sessions offered during the day include: Tips to being a freelance author; legal issues for authors; several sessions on different types of editors and when you need which; using writing to bolster your personal and professional life; a magnificent panel on writing diversity into your books; effective kickstarter campaigns; writing for radio; marketing tips for authors; using critique groups effectively; and even an old-style Samurai Renga Poetry competition.

Sunday the weekend closes with a wonderful session by Kevin J Anderson on how to maximize your productivity.

In addition to the presentations, the conference offers add ons such as pitch sessions with agents and aquisition editors of small presses looking for new voices. Plus, an opportunity to have a one-on-one session with a social media expert. Aimee Ravichandran of Abundantly Social is an award winning influencer who can help authors expand their reach and build audience. This is a golden chance to have her look at your platform and give you specific tips to improving your reach.

If you are an author, I strongly encourage you to check out this conference. It will be a great event and offers many oppotunties for authors to grow professionally. Here’s the link to the website for a more complete description of the offerings as well as a chance to get your tickets. While you are there, consider joining the Houston Writers Guild. It is a volunteer run organization that truly seeks to help ALL authors succeed by offering many different programs. You can check out the membership benefits at the link below.

Link to conference information:

https://www.houstonwritersguild.org/writersroom

Membership Page for HWG:

https://www.houstonwritersguild.org/membership

Posted on by Fern Brady - 1 Comment on Hidden Treasures

Hidden Treasures

It always amazes me when I discover parts of Houston that I never even knew existed. There is so much happening in this city and I feel like most of us live secluded in tiny corners unaware of the breadth and depth of opportunities.

Take downtown for instance. How often do most of us go there?

For me the answer is nearly never. In the past, when my dad used to work downtown at the federal courts, I would go have lunch with him occasionally. Most of the time, I drove up to the building and picked him up. Then we headed over to a nearby hotel, usually the Double Tree since they validated your parking, and we would valet for lunch.

A few times, I was called in for jury duty and of course I experienced the area of downtown around the state courthouses. I even got selected for Grand Jury one time and that was fun. But, again the excursions were simply to attend the courthouse in question and, for lunch, I mostly brought my own or bought something at a nearby coffee shop or deli.

I was aware, vaguely, that there was a downtown tunnel system, but I never had occasion to venture there.

Now, my brother works at the federal courthouse. We decided to have lunch together. Instead of driving up and going to some eatery, he told me to park in the garage and we would get food at the tunnel. This peaked my interest.

I arrived and met him downstairs so I wouldn’t have to go through security. We then set out across the street to the building over one block which had the access to the tunnels. This made sense that the courthouse would not have an way to enter the tunnel system. It could be a dangerous access point for the building.

Once in the tunnel we walked a ways. I felt a slight concern being aware of the fact we were walking under ground and all. The tunnel is wide enough for many people to walk in both directions, but it still felt a little tight for me. Then we arrived at a juncture.

Before us lay a wide expanse of tables and chairs around which an array of eateries had storefronts. It reminded me of the mall food courts of my childhood years. There are maps posted at certain intervals. Sadly, I didn’t take a picture of them since I, at that moment, hadn’t thought to write up the excursion for the blog.

We walked further and found an area with loungers and sofas, ping pong and corn hole, and even a table shuffleboard option. Sadly, they had no wax, so we couldn’t throw any weights. Plus, it is a short version and not the 22 foot long that is the official length for serious shufflers.

As we passed this area, my brother pointed out a wide white wall and explained that during the World Cup Soccer, they projected the games there so people could come and watch while sitting in the comfy loungers and sofas. Eventually, we selected a food choice and took it to go. We went back to his office and ate there. If you go to a courthouse, by the way, don’t take scissors or lighters. They confiscate them and store them for you until you leave. Yes. I know from first hand experience.

Anyway, if you are curious and want to enjoy a fun adventure, head over to downtown, park, and do lunch in the tunnels. Buzz me and we can make a day of it. I’m not sure which building uses these Star Wars inspired elevators, but I plan to find out on my next outing.

Oh, PS. this is a picture of me and my brother. Isn’t he cute?

Posted on by Ellen Seaton - No Comments on Pandemic Road: Post Halloween Malaise

Pandemic Road: Post Halloween Malaise

Now that Halloween is over (I’m still in recovery from that!) I am on to the next distraction from the ongoing craziness of this pandemic ridden world. I began this morning by attempting to make plans for Thanksgiving which is just two weeks away. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not having to plan what meal I will be cooking. Remember, I don’t do anything as domestic as cook. However, for many years my Beloved and I have gone to a wonderful restaurant that knew how to do a Thanksgiving spread up right. However, this year we wanted a take-out dinner. We are both still big into isolating as Covid numbers are rising again.

When I contacted the restaurant to discuss a menu, things went strange quickly. I could get a turkey for $100+ and a batch of mashed potatoes for $75. I quickly realized that they were selling family style batches of food. Also, being a vegetarian, I did not know what I would do with all that Turkey! What was I to do? Luckily this pandemic, unlike the last, is in the 21st century. Google to the rescue! Now I have a choice between two wonderful local restaurants with lots of options and affordable prices. Don’t worry, I’ll go back to my former favorite Thanksgiving restaurant, hopefully next year. I have a week to decide between the two establishments. Check back to see which one I decide.

By this time, my mind was confused and blurry from trying to figure out a pandemic Thanksgiving. The cure? My beloved and I made our way to the Houston Arboretum. The skies were sunny and the trails inviting. We even found what appeared to be miniature flocked Christmas trees. I don’t know the real name of this plant. If you have any idea, please let me know. Anyway, we walked some of our favorite trails and at one point even we didn’t know which one we were traipsing down. I hugged some trees. Then we made our way to the pond and spoke with the turtles. We would have spoken with the alligator, but apparently he doesn’t live there any more. I was sane and centered once again.

Then for more adventure, we made our way to the grocery store for a few provisions. Of course, there were Christmas decorations everywhere. I gave up that fight at the beginning of November. But some things we did see confused me. For instance, why decorate with snow flakes or snow men in Houston? When was the last time we had snow in this area? As I was gazing at the snowflakes it was 80 degrees outside. I guess the air conditioning deflects the heat from the fluorescent lights and keeps the snow from melting.

Just when we thought it was safe to go home, we found these little gems. This is a bag of candy that is made to look like Legos. Children (and adults) are supposed to eat these sweet morsels and maintain enough sense not to eat the real Legos. Does anyone see a problem here? Notice the packaging states that this is “Candy you can play with” and “Build Holiday fun”. Needless to say, we didn’t purchase any of this candy. Probably because I don’t trust myself not to get confused and eat real Legos. This is clearly a sign of just how stressed I am during this time of year.

I will sign off now to go take a nap. Wish me luck!

Until next week.….

Posted on by Ellen Seaton - 2 Comments on Happy Halloween! Are You Scared? I’m Chillin’

Happy Halloween! Are You Scared? I’m Chillin’

It’s here! It’s finally here! Tomorrow is Halloween! Yes, I have been preparing for this day ever since November 1, 2019. I am currently sitting in my home listening to Halloween music and looking at my Halloween decorations. I found this little kitty in downtown Houston in a place called Market Square. Have you ever been there? If you haven’t, you should make plans to go. Even if you are one of those who still doesn’t want to go to restaurants or bars (like me) you can still view some of the spookiest spots in town.

If you wonder why this section of Houston is so haunted, it’s probably because it is one of the oldest parts of town. This particular building is called La Carafe. It is known as one of the most haunted spots in Texas. Over the years it has been any number of businesses, but now it is a famous local bar. It’s trying to reopen in light of Covid. It’s been a long time since I was in there, but it is a very friendly place. Even the ghosts that hang out there are supposed to be very friendly residents. Actually all of the ghosts that call Market Square home are supposed to be some of the friendliest critters around.

Then there is the Magnolia Ballroom. This one building used to be a compound of about 10 buildings that made up the Magnolia Brewery. Then during prohibition, they made ice. Now it is one spot on the second floor of a building where folks can rent space for parties, weddings, and such. Reportedly there are ghosts who like to dance around the ceiling of the large ballroom.

Market Square is not only the spookiest part of Houston, but it is also one of the oldest spots. It sits right next to Allen’s Landing. Houston was founded by the Allen Brothers and here where two bayous meet was the original port of Houston. The original Houston City Hall was located in Market Square.…all three of them. Each of them burned down before it was decided to find a new location.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s there were a few shops that sold merchandise for the growing group of hippies in Houston. Reportedly, one store sold cook books that instructed you how to make LSD in your kitchen. I’ve never found or talked to anyone who actually tried to do that. I hope whoever did is okay and survived to see the 1980s.

So those are my tales for this Halloween 2020. Isn’t this much more fun than listening to hours of news reports about the once again growing pandemic or the upcoming election. I think after I post this blog, I will turn off all screens and just relax and enjoy the ghosts and goblins. I only converse and make room for the friendly spirits just like Market Square. I will be wearing my lucky skeleton bracelet that I wear every year at this time. It must be lucky, because I have never faced any mean or ornery spirits while wearing it. I wouldn’t dare go out on Halloween without putting it on my wrist!

Enjoy your weekend and holiday! Stay safe!

Until next week.….

Posted on by Ellen Seaton - No Comments on Pandemic Road: Witch Holiday or Which Holiday?

Pandemic Road: Witch Holiday or Which Holiday?

Seriously? Really? I tried to warn everyone. I both begged and cajoled. I specifically said Do Not Do It! Did anyone listen? I don’t think that I am the only one who cares, but yet here we are. This picture was taken last week when I was out running errands. A big old red Christmas bow on the top of a building. Two or three weeks before Halloween! Before Halloween!!!

In the immortal words of Gomez Addams (Addams Family Values, 1993), “Has the world gone mad? I seek justice.….Denied!”

Also, you can see the tree limbs in this picture. Many of the leaves are still green. Some have just begun to turn brown. Here in Houston, we have barely begun with fall weather. Today, as I write this, it is a brisk and chilly 79 degrees outside. A cold front (or what passes here for a cold front) is due towards the end of the week. The temperature might drop into the low 50’s.…..maybe once. Check out this weather map:

Please note that this “cold front” brought snow to my friends in Colorado. Here in Houston we still don’t have any plans for putting the snow tires on our cars.

Also, please turn you attention to that big red thing in the lower right part of the picture. There is yet again a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Let me repeat that. There is another hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Zeta. Hurricane Zeta. For the umpteenth time this year, everyone in Houston is blowing real hard to make the storm go into Louisiana. It’s nothing personal to any of the nice folks in Louisiana. But it’s been a busy and disturbing year and we just don’t have time for the nonsense this year.

Well, because 2020 is such an unusual year, I conferred with my friend and we have come to a decision. If you really must start your Christmas shopping early.……Before Halloween.….we will allow it on one condition. You are allowed to shop either in person or online if you frequent locally owned businesses. No box stores and for sure no national department stores. Period. That is our last and final offer. I don’t want to say anything bad will happen to you if you purchase all of your holiday gifts from some corporate giant of the retail industry. But if you look closely at my friend, you might be able to figure out that this is one critter you don’t want to upset.

If that doesn’t do the trick for you, please note that my friend has many other friends in the neighborhood. I don’t know the humans who live with these skeletons, but I believe they are members of my soul tribe. Don’t you agree? Before this year, I had never seen a mermaid skeleton. I can only imagine the sea voyage where these two met. I can’t get either one of them to tell me their tales.….not even the “fishy tales”! Get it? Fish tales! Yes, I amuse myself. How else am I supposed to survive a global pandemic, murder hornets and Christmas shoppers in the middle of October?

I remember back when I was a young child (why yes, that was a long time ago. I am old. I believe we used feather quills for pens if I remember correctly). We weren’t allowed to even think about Christmas or any other winter holidays until Thanksgiving was over. That meant that after we drew ghosts and pumpkins in school art classes, then we had to draw those ridiculous turkey pictures by outlining our hands. Egad! Childhood was so weird back then. It took a lot of patience to be young that long ago.

Until next week.….