Pandemic Road: Halfway Through June Intensives

Writing Desk with computers and lots of paperJune. The beginning of summer. Also as you can tell from both Fern Brady’s blog as well as my blog, we have been attending Max Regan’s June Writing Intensives. There are two of them that we can attend via zoom. In the good old days before the pandemic and rising gas prices, we could travel to Boulder, Colorado. Oh well. Now I have my writing desk. Doesn’t it look neat and tidy? I had to clean it up to take this picture. The papers are usually much more scattered and the computer is used for both writing and research. The other day I needed a name for a character who is 85 years old. I came up with some of my own ideas, but then I literally Googled something like names for old guys. I had quite the list to choose from before I settled on the name Vincent.

Hannah the cat sitting on a pile of blanketsIs your summer as exciting as mine? It’s too hot to go outside. So, I stay inside and try to exercise with video and virtual classes. One time I decided to take a break and watch some television. This is the look I got from my cat, Hannah. She considers herself to be both my supervisor and co-author. . Considering this side eye I am getting, I decided to get up off the couch turn off the television and get back to work. Of course Hannah does take long naps in the afternoon. She is 17 years old and needs her rest. That’s when I sneak out to go to the store for more provisions and a little bit of sunshine. But only a little bit of sunshine because like so much of the nation, temperatures are just way too HOT!

Plastic Halloween Pumpkin in StairwellHowever during one of my brief journeys outside my home, I ran across this pumpkin in a stairwell of all places. I was delighted to see it. Halloween is coming! So, is the spirit of Halloween following me? I hope so and would not be in the least surprised. Just in case I feel like I am having a heat stroke or something, I can remember that my favorite holiday is only a few months away. I did not take this pumpkin, but left him right where I found him. I already have quite a lot of decorations just waiting for the chance to jump into place around my home. Also, I hope Mr. Pumpkin inspires others to remember that there will be an end to summer and fall will be here before we know it!

Now I must get back to writing. The second intensive begins this evening and I have much to do.

Until next time.….….

Pandemic Road: Podcasts, Skeletons and a New RoadBroad

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.

Check out the podcast for yourself at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/54944332

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.

All in all, I had a blast. I hope you get a chance to listen the podcast. If you’ve had any interesting experiences with new online technology, please feel free to share with me.

Back at the home front, I notice that I am not the only one who has begun decorating for Halloween. There are several skeletons wandering the streets of my neighborhood. Here are two of my friends:

As you can see on the right, Ms. Bones, is ready to head out on her golf cart and go shopping. Unfortunately, Mr. Bones is curled up taking a nap in the gutter. That is a water bottle that he is using as a pillow, but I’m not exactly sure if that water wasn’t mixed with something alcoholic. Poor Mr. Bones. But don’t worry. Ms. Bones has the credit cards with her for the shopping spree and is not afraid to use them.

Fern BradyBetween 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!

What a fun week! I can barely handle all the excitement and can’t wait to see what is around the next corner.

Until next time.….

New Roads, New Skills, New Creativity

It’s true! You’re never too old to learn. By default that means that I am not too old to learn. What I have noticed is that the older I get, the more interesting stuff I can learn and experience.

For starters last Sunday I went to Murder By The Book bookstore and attended a meeting of the Houston Sisters In Crime. You guessed it. This is a group of women who enjoy writing murder mysteries and the like. There was a panel presentation from women who have been writing for a while and have had many experiences with getting published.

That’s Fern Brady on the left in blue. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Inklings Publishing and a dandy fine writer. You can check out the website at inklingspublishing.com.

At the March meeting for the Houston Sisters in Crime, the speaker will be someone known as “The Poison Lady”. For those writing a murder mystery and have a character that will die from some type of poisoning, this speaker will tell us how to write the scene realistically and convincingly. What fun! There is just no end to the exciting topics you can research when you call yourself a writer.

Then this past Tuesday I attended a meeting for Women In The Visual and Literary Arts (WIVLA). There I heard two speakers talk about Zines! What fun! What is a zine, you may ask? Well, I found out they are physical printed self published creations that can consist of a single sheet of paper or more. They are made for the love of creating and rarely makes a profit.

Well, sign me up! After the meeting I checked out some information through Google and YouTube and have started planning on making a few of these to see how it all works. The first thing I discovered is that I may have to practice a bit of coordination to make the paper booklet that is so common to zines. After watching several YouTube videos, I just might actually be able to pull this off. Stay tuned and I’ll let you know how is goes.

What topics will I cover in my Zines? Who knows. The possibilities are endless and I’m feeling creative! And in November there will be a Houston Zine Fest! It’s already on my calendar.

There are a lot of writing adventures coming up in March including some very exciting writing classes at the Spectrum Center Writers Guild! More on that soon!

Until next week.……