Reconnections

       

The post explodes into a festival of colors and flowers one of my charmed tales is in the brew. Yes, my friends it appears that one of my penned fantasies is going to be picked up, and produced. The piece is happens is one I touched on here before: Souvenirs For a Seance. I will dialogue more as the shadows pass into pristine crystalline clarity. IE once the paperwork is signed and sealed.

Presently I'm editing my book, and have written six chapters of the second one. Though can a novel be only 20 chapters? Would it be considered a novella? If so should it be longer? Should the additional chapters I have written be included in the already concluded piece? Questions, questions.

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I do know it has been quite some time since I have been here though life passes as having two jobs does siphon away your creativity. A wonderful thing however, I visited Portland, Oregon. I know it doesn't seem as wonderful as venturing away from this drought riddled portion of the Northern American continent. Portland was wonderful.  Full of trees, plant-life and pleasant people. Yes, pleasant people so typically unCalifornian. By my limited view of their nightlife and creative workings it appeared the city operated on a communal belief in art. Truth and authenticity were valued far above mass appeal. Funny, that?  It reminds me of my time having spent in London and San Francisco. I so value my friends and miss them dearly. Southern California does strain daily life, everyone is a freeway away. 35 minutes this way (Pasedena), 45 minutes that way (Orange County) and over there 15 minutes (Azusa) and don't forget over there 45 minutes (Los Angeles) and when one doesn't drive such as I. It can be a right pickle.  But sighs and tear drops aside, Claremont is a charmed little place though being the selfish brat that I am, I hope, no I aspire for more!

Back to editing, it is also odd that I find myself enjoying my own work: it is a touch flowery, and but the heart of tale is simple: love. Could my work be viewed as a romantic love, perhaps, could it be a romanticized view of subculture and gender norms: possibly, will it seen as paranormal YA: maybe? You will have to read it when it too comes out. Though it is filled with witches, ghosts, shape-shifters and nudgesto the 1980's music scene it also stares pieces of my friends, family and desires in some of those named locals I mentioned above.

It's oh so daunting.

A typical movement in life. A friend from England, An uncle's funeral and a short story to revise. In that order exactly. A childhood chum came for another visit of sunshine and mirth, a funeral for an elderly grand-uncle and then a short story returned with edits to go over.

I will leave the personal bits to be discussed at a much later time as well, as well as this new bubbling stomach/intestinal illness I am afflicted with, ho-hum. Though my wee tale of teenage invisibility has surfaced. Loads of red lines-cross outs and suggestions-daunting when you see the bloodshed across the text. Verbal Transfusion, please. Seriously, my dolly hearts wading in the muck is worth it. It took about 4 days to go to perfume and finesse the piece. 

Stand alone, really-no. The title character's wee bio-tale "One Last Vigil" will be a possibly led into the new book, where he will be a secondary character. Trouble is I have another idea of composing a cast of short stories all centered  on supernaturally afflicted people. Biography tales on them and unveiling them in a novella. Partial anime and super hero feel. Giggles worth, my in progress novel of 6 years carries some elements of fantasy anime not intentionally. 

On the short story vein, I am awaiting to hear back on story, "Souvenir For a Seance." I loved this story so much. The characters were difficult to abandon when the story finished. I felt that had so much more to say, the swirl of satin skirts, phantom kisses, and disembodied romps through the marsh. Romance, yes, Magical, yes it was a story weaved on Wuthering Heights's Catherine and the Mexican legend of La Llorona (The Weeping Woman). I remembered reading Withering Heights in high school and something clicked inside me, then hearing Kate Bush's helium high Wuthering Heights song. I was sold. I adore the book. The Llorona legend terrified and excited as a little boy along with the moth-man. Hmmm, the MothMan maybe I should reinvent him, who knows? So cross you fingers and kiss your elbow that my story, "Souvenir For a Seance" is sold.

With Vigil's tale is complete but I am curious about how to create the cover art for it? Plaid shirts, shaggy auburn air, Oz books, yellowed leaves, crumbling wineries, ideas...

Tiny Tidbits

Me oh my, I sent out another short-story to my lovely editor friend regarding being awkward, magical and misunderstood. Haven't we all felt like that before? No, no, this a period piece. Granted, I have only penned two pieces in the era of crinolines and gloves, though this one is set in the land of cassette tapes, scrunchies and shoulder-pads. Would the 80's be a period piece? I am not sure but regardless the story centers around a teenager who feels invisible, beat-up and queer in all senses of the word.

Can we say: personal subject matter, oui but autobiographical, non. It is strange brew of my own experiences plus a friend of mine's life blended into one tale. Though for this particular story, the working title is "One Last Vigil" which has inspirations from the Fantastic Four's character: Invisible Woman, Shakespeare's Ariel via the Tempest and the X-Men's Kitty Pyrde aka Shadow Cat.

There we have it. What in terms happens after should be the dreadful part. Promoting my work. I have yet master how to do so properly. I will be taking advantage of social media, at present everything is loosely connected to my personal FaceBook page but friends say I should use Twitter, Instagram and the like. Me becoming modern is laughable as I still contact people via my Ouija board. Though I can learn I suppose to adapt. If you're curious about my first self-published piece it's available on amazon ready to be snatched up, read and reviewed. 

Another tangent: what to do for the artwork for it, hmmmm I do have ideas. 

http://www.amazon.com/Migrating-Through-The-Avenues-Love-ebook/dp/B00NVZ1TZG

#X-Men #FanatsticFour #Shakespeare #LGBT #Gay #Queer #Writer #Paranormal #1980s 

See the Sea....

Yesterday was a tad rough, my whimsical world came to a halt as the dreadful tally of youthful indiscretion returned. Bill payment. Awe, the college years that caused more pain in my pocket book than to my misty sensibility.  Priding oneself on their keen ability to see life as fairground attraction is difficult  to weather when you have the "other" biting at your toes. Other people's reality does indeed bite-but why let them bite, when you can swallow them up?

Still I push forward, weaving little fantasies on page and stitching dreams on my soul. It can be a tad rough.  Grown-ups can be vexing especially when fiscal matters are thumping ones skull like a calvera after the marigolds wither, a muerte es más dulce que la vida, si? Spanish indeed, pardon my incorrect use of the language, I'm hardly the Spanish speaker but I do try.

Speaking of Spanish, which raises a bridge to the word: cultural and leading me to multi-cultural mythology. For those reading this, if anyone does intact read my fledgling blog- I am a wee obsessive over myths, legends, and ghost stories. Since a child I had a curious admiration for the Irish Bean-Sidhe:

Banshee and the Latin America: La Llorna. To vary different personifications of death, both female though one keens preceding death and the other cries following death. Death in those worlds signifies change, a progression from one plane to the next. I guess that is what drives me to write, moving through planes. Transcendence in any form is creating something out of nothing. My stories where never nothing, they come from somewhere hence are something.

My thoughts are doing a wild watusi, here. Prado me, I'm overly excited in watching, "Song of the Sea." A charming animated film about selkies. The shape-shifting seal women of Ireland. Dearie me, I have been on this aquatic feel for a few years, my entire flat is drenched in shades of blue.

Though this month steered me further into the emerald, Emerald Island ala Ireland. While skimming through movies, I came across, "Undine" with Colin Farrell, a enjoyable film till its ridiculous ending, but a myth-tinged film,  a week later some random conversation concerning some vague so and so, someone mentioned Maureen O'Hara (Irish actress)  which brought someone mentioned "The Quiet One," set in Ireland leading me to eavesdropping on a customer's conversation via iPhone at the shop I work at, mumbling about a "I'm watching a movie from the guys who did a cartoon about some book called Kells." Really I thought to myself, calling one of the most beautiful illuminated manuscripts "some book"set my cauldron to a bubble. Granted, it did spark my attention. so I'm quite thankful for the young woman's ignorant comment as she spawned my research into the film, "The Secret of Kells" introducing me to "Song of Sea." Hurrah for new cinema this evening!

#undine #banshee #selkie #nymph #faerie #fairy #ireland #lallorona #ghoststories

Acquired Personality Traits

Working on the evolving ending of my novel. It is an odd sensation, partially sad, tragic then it moves to warm relief, it's progression you know. It has been a total of 6 years that these characters have adventured on the pages. I know each person/character as intimately as I do my own friends. To be frank, most of them are loosely based on certain individuals-you know who you are. Oh goodness, most are an amaglamation of others, typical most are fragments of my varied acquired personality traits. Acquired indeed, television, books and magazines were ingredients during my younger years, like bits at the local Mongolian Barbecue, slice and dice and swirl together over heat and ta-dah, a new you.

During this process of I have sold a wee little short story (period piece) on amazon regarding shape-shifting, fashion and thwarted romance: Migrating Through The Avenues of Love. It was an odd little piece but it did open up the proverbial floodgate in my novel. Expanding the book's universe (Juniper) and such, so now background characters are getting their own voices.  The difficult task is writing background stories to the the main and secondary characters and try not to included them in the novel. I have another one (short story) percolating on the flames: Souvenirs From a Seance, set in a nondescript time, regarding ghosts, murder and first loves. I thoroughly enjoyed writing that one, not that I don't love them all, but this one was came out of the recesses of the Latin legend of La Llorona, Chicago's Resurrection Mary and England's Brown Lady of Raynham Hall. Three tales all tinged in romance and disappointment to put it mildly. My reimagining is a tad more light, and floral.

Breakfast is calling and the chihuahua on my lap, Inari is still asleep an egg will wake her up. Tea for me, hmmm what kind? White tea with toast and honey.... and a haircut in the afternoon before the rain.

#avery #books #resurrectionmary #stories #writer #ghosts #legends #averylouis