During this time of pandemic, writing has become a major source of solace and distraction. Focusing on my made up world of Thyrein’s Galactic Wall, and the lives of its denizens, has allowed me to focus my mind on fun things, rather than be engulfed in the ever present anxieties of the never-ending-plague.
The writing community, and the various retreats, workshops, and conferences it offers, has been a place to hone my skills as a writer and to watch how the industry is evolving in the new normal of our post-covid world. Many things have changed in the publishing industry, and staying in tune with the business side of things has also made me ponder what new avenues authors, and authorpeneurs, will take in this dynamic new world.
The fellowship, and ongoing offerings, of the writing community run by Max Regan and Rosa Glenn Reilly have been the safety net for me as 2020 and 2021 have progressed. The three yearly bootcamps, plus the retreat in June, and the monthly classes, have kept me engaged and learning. More than that, being in this community of writers has made me take my own writing career more seriously than ever before.
Being the head of the Houston Writers Guild has also motivated me as the pandemic has drawn on. Putting together the conferences HWG offers allows me to network and connect to many industry professionals. It also brings awareness of what the industry is doing, and how important it is for our members to stay up to date on the changes.
Marketing your books, finding reviewers and bloggers to help spread the word, developing a vibrant author platform, and connecting to other formats like audio book or the filmmaking industry, are all key elements that career-minded authors need to know. So as the date for the second conference of the year drew near, the board and I focused on making it as comprehensive as we could. The Indiepalooza line-up turned out truly jam packed with amazing sessions.
We desperately wanted it to be an in person event. So many of us are fighting off zoom fatigue. Unfortunately, all of our presenters ended up coming to us virtually. We had, literally, none who wanted to do their session in person. Paying a venue cost so we could all sit and stare at a screen together felt foolish, and not the best allocation of resources. So, Indiepalooza will need to be virtual.
This made me think about the future. The road ahead will bring with it in person learning conferences and other events. But it can’t over look the power of the virtual event. Yes, it isn’t as nice in terms of networking options and such. Hard to meet and get to know people in square digital boxes. But, the virtual events allow us to bring in presenters from places we could never afford to fly in — like the cover designer who will be with us at Indiepalooza who lives in Australia. And it allows people who aren’t able to travel to attend the event.
I don’t know whether we will find a way to do a hybrid event, or simply choose to do a virtual one yearly amongst the other programming we offer, but I know the digital conference will not go completely away. The digital space offers opportunities we should not toss out the window. The future will look different, and perhaps it will be that much better now that we have gone through this mess.
PS: If you are a writer and wish to check out the lineup of the upcoming Indiepalooza 2021 conference — scheduled for the weekend of October 9–11 — you can visit the event brite page here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/indiepalooza-2021-tickets-167939466465
Be still my beating heart, it has finally happened. The Spirit Halloween Store has opened. Halloween is coming. Really. My decorating has begun. Of course some of you might say I never stop decorating for Halloween. That is true of course, but I do try to be subtle about it from December to August. Actually, I haven’t shopped at the Spirit Halloween Store yet this year. I was there the morning of their opening day. Unfortunately, they didn’t open until that afternoon. Bummer. I left crushed and devastated, but determined to go back.
I also noticed that there are pumpkins for sale at local stores. Another sure sign that both Halloween and Fall are right around the corner. This picture was taken at a local grocery store. Yep, that’s a palm tree in the middle of the pumpkin patch. That’s how we roll with Halloween here in Houston. And I still have my first annual visit to the Spirit Halloween Store to look forward to!
Well, now I have seen everything. Just when I thought I was becoming a grizzled old broad who could no longer be surprised, I saw this. A car dealership inside a shopping mall. I didn’t intend to see this, but there it was.
Anyway, I was amazed and a bit gobsmacked to see a car dealership during my most recent trip to the Galleria. The view of this made my mind go off in several different directions. How did they get the cars in the mall? I need to go back and check to determine if the location is accessible without riding an escalator. Also, how does one take a test spin? Does one simply head off down the hallways past the restaurants and fashion stores? If you are taking a Tesla for a test drive, can you stop at any of the Starbucks for a latte? I have so many more questions, I might have to go back and investigate this matter further.
Finally, I would like to give you an update on my cat (and familiar) Hannah. You have seen her pictures many times in these posts. She loves to pose for the camera. Also, she has become a Zoom Queen. She loves to take part in any meetings or conversations I am engaged in on my small screen. Here is a picture of what she looks like “on camera”. While she is 16 years old, she has the personality of a much younger feline. When she went to the doctor’s office the other day, the veterinarian discovered that she has the beginnings of renal disease. She does not appear to be in any pain or discomfort at this time, but I will keep a close eye on her. Many thanks to the good folks at Richmond Avenue Animal Hospital for the quality care she receives. They are helping me adjust her diet and they are very patient when teaching me about this new phase in Hannah’s life. Of course I’ll keep you posted on her progress.
It’s another RoadBroad first! More fun and excitement.…..and learning! Thanks to Creatrix Chats, I participated in my first podcast. I talked about my writing and Women in the Visual and Literary Arts (WiVLA). I talked about the world building I am doing as I write stories about ghosts and skeletons and grim reapers.….Oh My! My hostess and I discussed passion for writing and other forms of creativity. We also went over what we do to keep our muses active. We talked for over an hour.
The fun part was that I learned an awful lot. When the podcast was first set up, I was told by the hostess that we would talk via zoom. I have zoomed before. I know what I’m doing with zoom. I assumed the podcast would be filmed as well as recorded. So I got up early. Took a shower to make sure my hair was clean. I applied makeup. I put on a nice blouse and even put on a bra. I was ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille. So, now I know podcasts are all auditory. Now I know that bras and make up are not necessary for podcasts. Good information to know.
Between podcasts and skeletons, you would think that would be enough excitement for one week, but wait there’s more! I am honored and delighted to announce that a new RoadBroad is joining the team. Her name is Fern Brady. Many of you already know of her through her own writings and through Inklings Publishing. She will be introducing herself shortly. Until then, please join me in welcoming Fern as our newest RoadBroad!
Once I had my first sighting, I had to try other venues. Bath and Body Works told me they had some Halloween products come in, but were all sold out. Did they know when the next shipment would arrive? No. Just call back. Apparently there is a Halloween Hand that is very popular this year. I am more interested in the skull soap holder and the skeleton that will hold a candle. I’ll go back for them later. I also drove past the location where I have visited the Spirit Halloween store for the past several years. Oops. There is quite a bit of construction going on in the area. Since this work has been going on for several months, I am beginning to think the location for the seasonal store might be different this year. According to their website, they’re coming. I just don’t know when.
Do you think I might have bought a few items while I was at Michael’s this morning? Well, yes I did. Do you think I only purchased these four small items? I plead the fifth. However, I needed these things for story research. I am currently working on several Halloween themed short stories and one long story that involve witches, ghosts, grim reapers and such. I need these things for my creativity. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Now, I have been visiting this Houston landmark since it opened in 1985. Back then you could easily run into folks washing their crystals in the wall’s fresh water on a Sunday afternoon. This is considered to be an energy vortex within the city of Houston. Since I did feel more relaxed after my visit, I guess I could vouch for the healing properties of the location. However, on this day, there was no one cleansing crystals. Rather everyone there seemed to be caught up in the art of the selfie. Back in 1985 I didn’t own a cell phone. And even if I did, it would not have had a camera for me to take pictures of myself everywhere I went. But that’s okay, because I did not have a social media account for posting such pictures. Of course neither did anyone else. My how times have changed.
After this wonderful visit I realized that I was within walking distance to the Galleria. This was one of many places I had not set foot in since the beginning of the pandemic. Curiosity got the better of me and I put on my mask to venture inside. I felt so very brave and adventurous! Of course the first thing I saw was the ice skating rink with actual people skating. In this picture the Zamboni machine had just finished resurfacing the ice and children had received the all clear to resume skating. As I walked around this mall, I was pleasantly surprised at how many shops were still open and doing a good business. There were lines at the Lego store and a jewelry store whose name I can’t remember. The Galleria has more than a few jewelry stores. Some people wore masks and others didn’t. I wore mine and I also tried to maintain a good social distance from others.
The one thing I didn’t see were any hints of Halloween decorations. I have been keeping up with a countdown to my favorite holiday. I have been reading on Facebook how some across the country were seeing stores selling the season’s first ghosties and goblins and ghouls.….Oh My! In hopes of finding my first sighting of Halloween supplies for 2021, I went by Michael’s on the way home. Alas, it was not to be. Empty shelves. Fourth of July decorations gone. It is my hope that these shelves have been cleared out to make room for haunted bits of mischief.
I received a lot of help from my cat, Hannah. She has turned into a zoom queen as she would walk back and forth in front of the computer. When she wasn’t doing her “cat walk” she spent a good deal of time enjoying having the couch all to herself. I left out an assortment of warm and comfy blankets and she made herself comfortable. I actually think she found it a bit inconvenient when I would try to sit on the couch with her in the evenings so I could catch up on the daily news.
Of course there was that one pesky day when both Hannah and I were disrupted by some noisy tree trimmers outside my office window. Instead of receiving her usual accolades from the other zoomers, she was busy protecting her home. As you can see Hannah tried starring down the pesky hard working trimmers. She didn’t keep them from trimming branches, but they didn’t dawdle once they were done either. Hannah kept both me and herself safe from any falling branches. What a good watch cat.…especially while she was safe inside my home. Meanwhile, I am enjoying lots more sunlight coming through the windows even if I did lose a bit of shade during these hot summer months.
desk chair. This spot was ground zero for my marathon sessions. Apparently Hannah wanted me to take the day off from writing and zooming today. Well, except for this blog post. Since I am showing three pictures of her, she has given this bit of writing her “paw” of approval.
Cupcakes with candles! Just perfect for a celebration. What am I celebrating you might ask? Why, it’s the Third Birthday for the RoadBroads Blog! Now, doesn’t that make you feel festive? Works for me. No, I didn’t eat all three cupcakes by myself. I had help from a friend. I only ate the equivalent of one all by myself. Half red velvet cupcake and half chocolate cupcake to be exact. The flavor of the third cupcake will remain a mystery. Many thanks to the nice people at Sprinkles in Highland Village for the tasty treats.
RoadBroads is three years old? Back in 2018 Melanie and I took off on a road trip where we headed west to Boulder, Colorado for one of Max Regan’s 10-day writing intensives. During this trip we blogged on a daily basis to document our adventures. This is the Boulder Bookstore where we would meet daily with other writers to hone our craft. I also bought several books while I was there, because a writer never has enough books. In the evenings we had salons where we could share and discuss our recent writings. Whenever I was outside, I could see the Flatirons off in the distance. What a wonderful adventure.
through class meetings and salons. Max is joining us from Boulder, but other attendees are in Texas, California and Maryland, among other places. Instead of looking out the window to admire the Flatirons, I see the same neighborhood that I always see. Instead of staying at a nice Air B