Haunted Holidays Returns to Brazos Bookstore!

My absolute favorite night of the year has come and gone once again. Haunted Holidays took place on November 9th at the Brazos Bookstore. Literary artists gather together on this night to share their own scary spooky stories about any of the fall and winter holidays. To me the scary season begins with Halloween and doesn’t end until New Years. This year there were several poems and essays about the election. Yep, many consider that to be one of the scariest nights of the year! I had the honor to host the event and dressed up in my scariest finest formal clothing for the evening.

Of course, my skeleton friends were in attendance. They always enjoy a good scary story. There were nine of them who sat amongst the audience and visited with the other attendees.

The following people participated in this event: Jere Pfister, Denise Bossarte, Katherine McDaniel, Jean King, Margo Toombs (who also read a selection by Rebecca Chirak), Dedra Murchison, Laura Pena, Sandi Stromberg and yours truly. One of the scariest stories was written by Katherine McDaniel. She told us a tale of living in a haunted house and everything was based on actual events! EEK! Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to thank Melody Locke who served as our cinematographer. She has posted a video of all of the writers and poets on YouTube. Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/@wivlahouston5821.

And as always, many many thanks to the Brazos Bookstore and the Houston Writers Guild.

Here is a picture of all of the people who read their literary creations at the Haunted Holidays event:

Please try to remember to join us next year for Haunted Holidays 2025!

Until next time.….

Entangled 2024

Are you ready to see some beautiful art work and hear some good literature? It’s all happening this Friday night, September 20th, at the opening Reception highlighting some of the best collaborative works from the wonderful women of Women In The Visual and Literary Arts (WiVLA). This event will take place at the Sabine Street Studios located at 1907 Sabine Street, Houston, TX 77007. The Theme for this current collaboration is Entangled.

Every other year a theme is picked and both visual and literary artists team up to provide the art going public with some more amazing combinations. I personally teamed up with artist Deborah Ellington. For this piece she created a glass sculpture. On the one side you will see a Raven that is looking directly at you. Can you hear what he is saying? The other side is a trail that leads to a haunted house. The piece that I have written is called Arabella’s Story. Yes, of course there are ravens, ghosts and graveyards.

As you can see in the picture above on the left is artist, Deborah Ellington. Between the two pictures you can see both sides of her wonderful glass sculpture. On the wall hangs the story that I will read at the opening reception this Friday. If you want to see more of Deborah’s work, check out her website at https://www.dellingtonartstudio.com/.

In addition to Deborah and me, there are there are over 20 teams of creative WiVLA members. The visual works include paintings, fiber arts, sculpture, etc. The literary works range from poems to literary essays. I am so proud to be a part of this biennial collaboration.

You will be able to purchase a book with all of the works at the event or you can purchase a copy through Amazon. The collaboration will be hosted at Sabine Street Studios beginning on September 12 through November 2.

Until next week.….

Multi-Tasking Flashbacks

Yes, I am multi-tasking this month. More so than usual. Also, it never fails that when I have the greatest number of projects to work on, that is when I will have technical troubles. For starters this blog has no pictures. I took pictures and prepared them for publication. However, I have a new phone and cannot send pictures from my new phone to my old computer. I know what needs to be done, but I have not managed to do it yet. Last week it was my zoom connectivity that was acting up. My trusty friend and computer consultant was able to help out with that chore. I hope he doesn’t mind coming back over to my place to fix this picture situation. Until then, please use your imagination!

When I decided to become a full-time writer, I envisioned myself sitting alone by myself day after day cranking out fantastical fiction, essays, or memoir. Now, I know that writing is a team sport. Oh, there’s plenty of chances for procrastination, dawdling and falderal. Can you tell one of my favorite time wasters is finding interesting and exciting words to use in my blogs?

Okay, back to being a full-time writer. As I type this missive, I am involved in serving as a beta reader for one of Fern’s novellas. It is a really good story and am enjoying spending lots of time reading and reviewing it. Also, I am reviewing fiction pieces for the upcoming publication of the Journey Into Time Anthology so that I can assist with the process of developing the cover art. The launch for this annual collection of brilliance is scheduled for October 3rd at the Brazos Bookstore. More details on that to come later.

I also am printing out more than a decade’s worth of short stories that I have written. Are there enough for a publishable collection? I have a plethora of stories about ghosts, skeletons, grim reapers, etc. Some are geared around different holidays and others are just fun stories. Like my other reading, these stories are fun to revisit and review, so it is taking me a while to collect these.

Next, I have the yet to be published great American novel. More ghosts and skeletons, but with a much longer plot. I still haven’t decided if the villain is going to live or die. Everyone else including the paranormal characters continue to live. Or maybe I should say they will continue to exist. Anyway, they will go back into my creative imagination to await my second great American novel.

I have three dates coming up for public readings. I am preparing short works to share. I have a short story coming up in the WiVLA (Women in the Visual and Literary Arts) collaboration. I paired up with a visual artist and developed the piece of fiction. All visual and literary art will be published in a program catalog. Yes, this is another event that I will tell you more about between now and October.

In November, I am writing an essay on the topic of Pearl. WiVLA is celebrating its 30th anniversary. During the member meeting in November many of the writers and poets of this organization will share their reflections on Pearl. I will contribute to that evening; however, I haven’t started my essay or short story yet.

Finally, I finish up my literary year in November when WiVLA and the Houston Writers Guild team up for a night of Haunted Holidays. That involves spending the evening at Brazos Bookstore listening to writers and poets share scary and spooky stories. The Holidays involved in these pieces include anything from Halloween through New Year. Several of the stories that I have written for this annual event will end up in the collection of short stories I am compiling.

That’s enough for now. Writing is not lonely. It is collaborative, it is a sharing of creative talents with other creatives. Oh, and I forgot to mention the concept of getting together in small writing groups, but I have written enough for now. Must save something for the next blog.

Until next time.…..

April is Poetry Month and a Good Time for Caterpillars, Magnolias and Books!

I always heard the saying, “April showers, bring May Flowers.” However this month my new saying is “April is busy. Very busy!” I know it’s not just me in this predicament. Both people and Mother Nature are kicking in with their best games. It may take some time away from my own writing, but the inspirations gained will assist me in the very near future.

For starters, April is National Poetry Month. You may have seen several poetry readings around town. This Saturday, the annual poetry reading by the Women in the Visual and Literary Arts (WiVLA) is being held at the LaPorte Library starting at 11:00 a.m. There are many wonderful poets in WiVLA and this is a great opportunity to hear some of their gems. This event will be recorded on YouTube if you want to see it sometime in the future.

Another writer who has been busy is Barbara Carle. She has published books of poetry in the past, but this month she, along with Inklings Publishing, has launched “Evening At Tony’s”. I couldn’t wait to get my own copy. If you’ve ever had dinner in a crowded restaurant and wondered what stories lay behind all of the other diners sitting at their own tables, then you will enjoy this book. As is said, I laughed, I cried, I couldn’t put it down. You can get your own copy at either Inklings Publishing or Amazon. I am always so impressed at the amount of writing Barbara gets done every year. I think her next book is scheduled for this coming fall. I’ll be sure to tell you about that launch when it happens.

As far as Mother Nature is concerned, in addition to some strong storms that have moved through the area and across the country, I have made several observations in my day-to-day life. For starters, I went for a walk at the Houston Arboretum the other morning. Not only were flowers blooming and birds singing while I was there. I also saw lots and lots of caterpillars! Apparently these little critters come in different colors. This picture shows a fuzzy black caterpillar. Supposedly they shed their skin about six times and get lighter in color each time. These cuties are harmless to humans, but they love to eat leaves of plants. They only live for about six months and then they go through their magical (or scientific) process to become butterflies. I am guessing there are going to be lots of butterflies at the Arboretum later this summer, because there were so many caterpillars that it was challenging not to step on them.

Please note! These black fuzzy caterpillars aren’t harmful to us humans. However there are other cute fuzzy little animals that will sting a person in a way that hurts a lot! Be careful out there.

Closer to home I have noticed a lot of magnolias blooming. Where I live now there are many of these trees, which makes for lovely walks around the neighborhood. This picture really doesn’t do these beautiful flowers justice. I hope you get to see some up close and personal for yourself.

Now, while I am looking at all of the flowers and spring time critters, I am not spending much time writing. I am reading books, but that still does not help me with my own personal word count.

Maybe, next, I need to focus on my own writing now that I am feeling all inspired.

Until next time.….

After Halloween — The Hauntings Continue

I’m relaxing this week and for good reason. Another successful presentation of Haunted Holidays Readings at Brazos Bookstore has come and gone. If you missed it you have two options. You can go to https://youtu.be/A83grQr9bis?si=ZETZ-A-2F9k8nxSi

and watch the enjoyable event on WiVLA’s YouTube channel. Also, you can start writing more spooky stories in preparation for next year.

I must take this opportunity to thank Brazos Bookstore and especially, Amy, who helped to coordinate this evening. Also, when you watch the presentation on YouTube, please know that Melody Locke is our wonderful and official film crew.

As you can see the skeletons who participated this year are quite tired and taking a bit of a rest. You might notice that this year Barbie was able to join in the fun. This was in addition to all of the other spooky guests. Once again this year, my good friend, Jim, served as the Chief roadie and skeleton wrangler. He made sure all skeletons made it to the event on time and then landed back home safely. I think we only lost one sock in the process. Also, Sabina Gartler (Sister WiVLA Member) helped with additional decorations. Finally, thanks to all of the wonderful members of WiVLA and the Houston Writers Guild for joining in with their creative talents. It takes a village to pull off a well organized Haunting. Much gratitude to everyone.

Of course, there will not be a lot of time for rest. There are other holidays to consider, but for me and my skeletons, the stress level goes way down. This fine fellow volunteered to be our official Turkey Day mascot. My official Thanksgiving plans include going to Govinda’s for a vegetarian Holiday dinner with all the trimmings. Yes, I actually like Tofu Turkey!!! I will bring enough home to share with my skeleton crew. It’s the least I can do.

So as of now, I have completed all of my public readings for the year. I will keep you up to date with all of the antics me, my crew and my friends get into over the rest of the holidays.

And of course, I have plenty of time to write. I have both short stories and the Great American Novel that I continue to work on. A writer’s work is never done and skeletons can try to scare you all year round! BOO!!!

Until next time.….…..

Fairy Doors and Halloween Lifestyles

I have heard that there are some people who think that I go a little over the top when it comes to Halloween. However, I can assure you that I do not. It is not possible. I have spent years cultivating Halloween Culture that is good 365 days a year. Yes, I have decorations up all year. There is my large collection of witches, skeletons, and grim reapers. Of course if I am going to have a large selection of skeletons, then they must have a wardrobe that can adjust to the various holidays and weather conditions. As you can see in this picture, sometimes the skeletons just like to relax and chill out indoors. The witches have their own hutch and an ample supply of books and grimoires. They don’t go out much preferring to spend their time developing spells and potions.

Yet, every so often, I cross paths with another creative person who gives me exciting ideas for taking my Halloween lore to another level. Have you ever heard of Urban Fairy Doors? While attending the monthly WiVLA (Women in the Visual and Literary Arts) meeting this week, I heard a fascinating presentation by Elissa Davis. Apparently there are fairies that set up shop around the city. Sometimes they are accessible from a public street and sometimes they are located inside businesses. This door was made by Elissa and remains in the neighborhood where she lives. The fairy who lives here is seldom seen, but does communicate with folks by exchanging notes and trinkets.

There are even Facebook pages devoted to these Urban Fairy Doors. It is not unusual to find pennies on the door steps left for the magical inhabitants. In case you are wondering about size, this door is 1/12th the size of your average front door.

Elissa discussed how she was developing ideas for helping the fairy decorate for various holidays. That’s when my mind started clicking and whirring. How many different ways can one decorate an Urban Fairy Door for Halloween? I have started my list and just have to make a door for my own magical fairy so I can add little skeletons, witches and pumpkins. I have a solid project for this coming October. I will compare and review notes with Elissa since she is the local expert on this subject.

After reviewing several pictures on this topic, I realized that I had walked past an Urban Fairy Village right in my own neighborhood. Every time I strolled past, I was fascinated at how the different aspects of the Village would change. Sometimes little creatures were added and sometimes another door appeared.

The possibilities of developing Fairy Doors in conjunction with my overall dedication to everything Halloween is going to keep me busy for a while. And I don’t need to worry about finding Elissa when I need her advice. She can always be found running the library inside the Jung Center. I can only imagine what Jung himself would say about Fairy Doors, Villages and such.

Thanks Elissa!

Until next time.….

Bluebonnets and Poetry

I guess I can no longer deny it. Spring is here. The vernal equinox has come and gone. Everyone who celebrates anything during this time of year has celebrated. What more is there to say? While most folks get very excited to welcome all of the pretty flowers and warmer days, I do not. What excites me is that April is halfway to Halloween! Now that will get me excited! However all of my skeletons are resting right now, so I am giving you my annual obligatory picture of Texas Bluebonnets. There are lots of them this year and they actually bloomed early. While temperatures have reached daytime highs in the 80’s, here where I live, Becca, my niece in South Dakota is still dealing with lots of snow.

April is also known as National Poetry Month. I write very little poetry myself. My muse occasionally inspires me to write Haiku, but that’s about it. However, I own many books of poetry. One of my favorites is Devotions by Mary Oliver. And there are any number of poetry readings and festivals around town all month long. The Women in the Visual and Literary Arts (WiVLA) is holding their annual poetry reading on Saturday, April 22nd. It’s called Poetry By The Bay and takes place at the La Porte Library from 11:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. If you are a member of WiVLA, there is still time to sign-up to read your own pieces. Or you can just plan on attending this event to hear the wonderful work created by other WiVLA members. I look forward to seeing you there.

For your literary pleasure, here is a quick poem by Mary Oliver that is called We Shake With Joy:

We shake with joy, we shake with grief.

What a time they have, these two

housed as they are in the same body.

However, if you are like me and are excited that we are halfway to Halloween, I will leave you with this picture. Hopefully scenes like this will hold us over until October returns. I’m already working on plans and stories for the annual Haunted Holidays reading event that will be held in November. I know I am looking forward to it. How about you?

Art Openings and Armadillos

The weather has been so nice and cool lately. It has inspired me to do some hanging out at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. What did I find? Armadillos. These are usually nocturnal creatures so I could not pass up the chance to talk to one of them. The Nature Center will tell you that conditions have been dry and that the cute little critters are just looking for insects, but I suspect they just wanted to see what all the humans were up to. I kept my distance while taking some pictures and as I walked away I could swear I heard the ‘Dillo say, “Have a nice day and come back soon!”

Yes, I did. I really heard that. The Armadillo spoke to me, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. If I see him again, I will ask his name.

When I am not conversing with my forest friends, I am getting ready for the WiVLA Art Exhibition. The opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, December 3rd, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. the theme for the exhibition is “Reflection”. Here is the card being distributed to advertise the event:

Both visual and literary artists paired up to submit collaborative artwork pieces and literary writings to the exhibition. I paired up with two separate artists; which means that I have two literary pieces in the show. Wonderful artist Marie Casamayor-Harvey painted a wonderful picture to go along with my story entitled, Lorelei.  Here’s a hint for appreciating this collaboration: We both like the color red.

My second piece of fiction writing was done in collaboration with artist, writer and sister RoadBroad, Fernanda Brady. She developed an intense collage piece while I wrote about Different Women; Different Paths. Both collaborations are different and both are inspiring. Working with other such talented people really ups my level of creative energy.

This is all happening at Lee College , in the PAC Art Gallery. The address is 801 West Texas Avenue, Baytown, Texas. Believe me, it’s worth the drive to see all the amazing creative results.

I hope that you will be able to join us on December 3rd or make it out to the exhibition sometime before February 7, 2023.

Until next time.….

Preparations for Fall and Halloween

Just because Halloween isn’t here yet, that doesn’t mean we aren’t getting ready. And by that I mean not only humans. I was visited this past week by a group of skeletons fleeing the rising waters in other parts of the country. Also, they wanted a warm, dry spot where they could gather and catch up on their studies. Apparently now there is an invisible sign over my home that reads, “Ellen’s Skeleton Hostel and Tea House”. Of course, that sign may change if other creatures need to find respite to prepare for the upcoming holidays.

I am getting no end of inspiration from them for the haunted reading that I am preparing. On November 5th there will be a Haunted Holidays reading that is being sponsored by the Brazos Bookstore, the Houston Writers Guild and the Women in the Visual and Literary Arts. This year the reading event will take place inside the store. We are making plans for decorations and costumes. Having this event in November covers all holidays from Halloween, El Dia De Los Muertos, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years Eve and everything else in between. Several folks have joked that they wanted to include the election. This should be very interesting. I’ll provide more details as I have them.

Now, back to my skeleton visitors. As you can see they all gathered together for a long study session the other evening. They brushed up on spells, potions, magic brews and sorcery. There is a Book of Fright and a Book of Charms. All in all it’s a lot to cover, but they’ll have it all down by All Hallows Eve. Right now everyone is practicing and studying here in my home. Around the middle of September it will be time for them to move outside and practice their magic skills on the balcony and around the neighborhood.

Sometimes one of the older skeletons will work on a special project and have one of the younger crew assist him. That is what is going on here with the typewriter and extra books that are being closely studied. You may not have realized that in addition to magical skills, there are some skeletons that have impressive intellectual skills. They write the books for other creatures like themselves to learn from. Just like any science, there is always more to know. They have visited several black holes and are very impressed with the amount of knowledge humans are gathering on that topic. The skeletons can’t wait until you learn some more.

Of course after a long day of studying, writing, and practicing, all good skeletons deserve a little time to rest and refresh. Sometimes it’s nice just to sit back and chat with friends. They listen to music, but really don’t have much use for television. In their invisible state they can go to the movies and theater. Just the other day they went to the Symphony and heard their favorite piece, Danse Macabre.

At other times, the older skeletons will “belly up to the bar”, pardon me, I know they don’t actually have any bellies, but you get my drift. They can enjoy a refreshing beverage. How do they do that you might ask? They don’t drink as you and I do, but they love aromas. Chamomile relaxes them and coffee wakes them up. Any kind of alcohol makes them tipsy so they tend to avoid it.

Until next time.……

Pandemic Road: On Planet Earth and Beyond

I don’t know about you, but I have been watching the news lately. There are a couple of stories I am following, but still too much of the serious stuff is not good for my mental health. So, this week I have taken the time to enjoy all of the great pictures that are coming from the Webb Telescope. More and more of them keep getting shared on the internet. I hope you have enjoyed them as well. Folks are having lots of fun with them on Facebook. This is one of my favorites. It really helps me put all of my earthly worries into perspective.

I also like this other picture. I have suggested to Fern Brady that there is a dragon in there. Think about how much fun science fiction writers can have with a dragon that flies around from one universe to another. Maybe this is the reincarnation of Puff the Magic Dragon of the song that was released by Peter, Paul and Mary in 1963. I’ll just bet Puff lives on a planet called Honah Lee. Excuse me if you are not old enough to get the reference. Check out the song on Google or YouTube. I promise you will be enchanted.

So much for my musings. I have finished my June Writing Workshop and am now busy catching up on all things literary. I just wrote a small piece for the virtual anthology that celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Archway Gallery. Additionally, Archway Readings, which have been held on zoom for so long, is finally returning to in-person live readings this month. I can’t wait. I am also working on The WiVLA (Women in the Visual and Literary Arts) Collaboration that will exhibit in December. I have paired up with two different visual artists for two different entries. I will share more about this collaboration when the time draws near.

Last, but not least, Haunted Holidays will happen on November 5th this year. It will be a joint effort between Brazos Bookstore, WiVLA and the Houston Writers Guild. Last year the event was conducted on zoom. We are hoping that we will all meet in-person at the Brazos Bookstore! Again, more details to come as the date draws nearer.

Yikes, I’m busy!

Until next time.….