Well if it isn’t November already. Wow, the year does fly by. So now that we are here, it’s Nanowrimo season. November is National Novel Writing Month. The challenge is 50,000 words in 30 days.
And already, I’m behind. I didn’t start on November 1st as I have in the past. Usually, I wait up until midnight on October 31st and then I start writing my nano project. But not this year. I’m working so I couldn’t stay up that late on a school night.
So I haven’t actually started a project yet. I do have two books outlined and ready to write. Love’s Fire is book two of the Dragon and His Kitten series. I should work on that one as it is the next one that needs to release after War Rising.
Which of course brings me to the fact that War Rising, book two of the Thyrein’s Galactic Wall main line series, is waiting for the final edits. Max Regan, editor extraordinaire, has sent me the feedback and I need to make the final tweaks so it can go off to copy editing. AND I need to start working with my designer on a cover for it.
But that won’t do for Nano. You can’t successfully complete 50,000 words on a revision draft, least of all if it is pretty ready to go. SO, Love’s Fire is waiting for me. Then again so is Gortive Offensive.
Ah, yes. That was supposed to be book 2 for Thyrein’s Galactic Wall and the sequel to United Vidden, but the preparations for war took so many words (nearly 127,000) that we had to cut it off and create War Rising.
I have Gortive Offensive mapped out as well. To be honest, I even have a nice start on it because of the chapters that didn’t make it to War Rising which had already been written and which are being shifted to GO, which is now book three.
So, as this weekend, the first in November, kicks off and I host my first write ins, which book will I work on? I honestly don’t know. I guess when I sit down later tonight during the first write in I’ll see which one decides to speak to me.
All in all, this is a good moment for me. I’ve been so swamped with keeping Inklings going and full time teaching, not to mention Authorpalooza conference and the release of the Journey into Art volume for Houston Writers Guild and Women in the Visual and Literary Arts, that I haven’t written anything since August. It will be lovely to get myself back into my projects and back to my writing soul.
So it came as a shock to me the other day when I found myself driving along I‑10 on my way to Highway 6. For those of you not familiar with Houston geography, it felt like I was driving from the Grand Canyon all the way to California. Well, it felt that long to me and then I had to drive back home. I went to a place called Crown Trophy. The Authorpalooza conference is happening this weekend. Friday night is the Journey Into Art Anthology launch and I had the First, Second and Third place medals for the winners of the writing contest. This was a very nice company to work with and I highly recommend them for all of your medal and statue needs. But must they locate themselves so far away from where I live? Not very neighborly of them. But at least I have fulfilled my obligation for this weekend.
As soon as I got home, I sat down with some of my skeleton friends. Now that the temperatures are actually cooling down, they prefer to sit outside and study their books. I think they also go for walks at night or so they tell me. Luckily they are in a spot where they are protected from the rain.
Now of course the two friends who are not necessarily protected by the rain are Mr. Gargoyle and his friend, Skelly. One day I asked them why they chose their current spot and Mr. Gargoyle said that it was the spot where he could best protect my home. Since he feels like this is his primary function, I decided he could stay there. He assured me a little rain wouldn’t hurt him. Also his friend, Skelly, knows how to hold on real tight in case the wind starts blowing. I feel very safe knowing that these critters are in charge of the safety of my home. Of course, when I leave and go somewhere else (like Highway 6), I am pretty much on my own. That’s why I stay close to home.
I’d like to wish you a Happy Autumnal Equinox! For those of you who are not familiar with celestial terms, then I will wish you a Happy First Day of Fall. According to many pictures on Social Media and television commercials we can now expect colorful leaves, the nip of coolness in the air and Pumpkin Spice everywhere we go. What difference does this make in Southeast Texas? Apparently, not a damn thing. As I write this, it is 97 degrees outside with lots of humidity. The only real sign I have of the arrival of fall, is the appearance of the Spirit Halloween Store! I was there this morning and purchased another skeleton, because obviously seven are just not enough.
I have enjoyed sweating through the early stages of decorating my home. Of course it is always decorated on the inside, but this time of year is when I let all my neighbors know for sure what kind of neighbor they have. The best comment I have gotten so far is that folks are happy that I am finding enough chairs for all of the skeletons and witches to sit down. Yet, please understand, I am only getting started. I have plans. Lots of plans. There will be bats added into the mix this year and even a gargoyle. I like to start out small so as not to scare the villagers too quickly; however, once October 1st arrives everything is fair game.
I have extra space to decorate this year and I plan to cover every inch possible. I even have extra doors, so I don’t have to decide which wreath to use. I just have to make sure that I follow current fire regulations by keeping walkways clear. Now that’s a funny thought, because the ghosts already know to get out of the way whenever there is a fire or medical emergency. Even the goblins have that basic knowledge. Humans are so weird sometimes with their various rules and regulations as if they are in charge of things.
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.
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.
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 
Every year around this time, I pay close attention during my shopping trips, looking for my first sighting of Halloween decorations. Of course, I would always purchase something to add to my already busy collection. My personal rule is that once Halloween decorations hit the store shelves, then summer is all but over, and it is time to decorate with my favorite witches and skeletons. This usually happens around the month of September.
Now it is the last of August and turning into September. The situation gets worse. The last time I went shopping, I not only found more Halloween decorations (which I didn’t mind, because I can always use more!) I also found a display of Christmas decorations. Please let me repeat this, because this is newsworthy and worth repeating. In 
Think back to your childhood. Do you remember how excited everyone around you got when you said your first word or took your first tedious steps? People around us would clap and tell us how wonderful we were. Then we all started going to school and the competition got a bit stiffer and there were always more people who wanted to compete against you. As we all got older, the competitions became harder. There was still applause and adulation for the winners, but the ratio of winner to not-winner shrank it seemed every year. Then you finally finished with school and most of us entered the work world and the cycle of achievement and adulation started up once again and yes, the number and talent of competitors increased.
In the middle of all this, I realize that I am now going to make strange noises while I sleep and I might look like an alien. I guess you could say that my snoring was also noisy, but at least that was an organic noise. This is more of there’s a monster in my bed sounding like Darth Vader or something. I have attempted to prepare my elderly cat for this adjustment to our sleep environment. To date, she is not too excited about the whole new arrangement. So far she has responded by sticking her tongue out at me and shedding extra fluffy white hair on my black bed sheets and comforter. I’ll keep you posted on how this progresses.
When I’m not looking for more alien devices to attach to my face, I have been settling into my new apartment. I have one long wall that I am converting into the likes of a French Salon. Pictures will be hung as they fit rather than by topic or color. It helps to receive Hannah’s input and opinion on some of the tough decisions that must be made. Several of the pieces are works completed by other artists. Some are my own creations. I love the “hodge-podgieness” of the whole experience. Yes, of course I will send you pictures when all is done. And yes, skulls and witches alike are given equal amounts of space.
Well, it is time once more to start a new notebook. A Writer’s Notebook is a term coined by Ralph Fletcher. In his book by that same name, he describes how authors all have notebooks in which they collect seeds for possible writing pieces. Of course, it also includes writing pieces and design documents.
Some of my oldest notebooks are covered in pictures of movie stars. Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise, and Denzel Washington have made many cameos on my covers. Also found there are the Prince of Monaco as well as King Felipe of Spain. Needless to say, there are only hot males. No ladies.
Maleficent is always there. I adore that character. She is the epitome of a strong confident woman. Yes. She’s evil. But she knows who she is and embraces herself fully. Naturally, I’m referencing the cartoon movie and not the live actions.
Recently, I have moved from composition notebooks to the cute notebooks that you can buy in stores. Although these already have cool designs, I still add a bit of my own flavor on the covers judiciously and on the inside flaps. Some that are just solid colors I can decorate fully.
If you are a writer and have some amazing writers notebooks, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to post on Fern Brady, Author on Facebook some of yours notebooks and let me know how you use this tool. Even if you are not an author, and just enjoy journaling, or scrapbooking, please share some of your wonderful creations with me.