Friday, November 21,2008

Friday, November 21, 2008
Waning Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

It snowed yesterday, which cheered me up, especially since I didn’t have to go out in it! It was just flurries, but it was fun.

Yesterday was tough. The shock of the death wore off, and the reality set in. It comes in waves – I’m okay for awhile, until I’m not. Spoke with the family up in Maine; they’re looking forward to having us come up next week. We’re all relieved that my grandmother is no longer suffering, but it’s a big hole in all our lives.

You know it’s not a good day when I get into a cleaning frenzy!

I got the next assignment from Confidential Job #1, which I plan to do this weekend, so I can invoice them before the holidays!

I spent most of the day revising and designing both “The Ramsey Chase” and the Nina Bell Christmas Story, which is now entitled “Too Much Mistletoe”. “The Ramsey Chase” is within a whisker of going up – I hope to get it up today or tomorrow – the first official Penny’s Dreadful release! I’m excited. The cover photo is something I took in Cornwall when I visited a few years back, and I think it fits the mood well. It’s a fun piece, and I hope everyone enjoys it.

Which means I have to start the first Mick Feeney adventure today or tomorrow!

I had a good morning’s work on the mystery today, cracking 50K. The temptation is to stop, but that’s just going to drag everything else down. What I can do is now push less, drop back to a saner 1500 words/day instead of pushing for the 2500. But now I’m in the rhythm of the piece, so maybe I’ll keep it up. I have to play it all by ear. I’ve got so many deadlines coming up in December and January that I have to stay on track. I’m not complaining; I just want to find a sane way to get it all done.

Off to the city for some errands this morning, then back to deal with some business correspondence and back to the page.

Devon

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery –50,179 words out of 50,000 (Nano goal)

50 / 50 (100.0%)

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 50,179 words out of est. 75,000 (total goal)

50 / 75 (66.7%)

Devon’s Bookstore:

NEW!Sensory Perceptions: Techniques to Improve Your Writing Through the Six Senses by Devon Ellington. Use the six senses to take your writing to the next level via a series of sense-specific exercises. By the end of seven weeks, you complete seven short stories!. $1.29 USD. Here.

Free limited download
“The Possession of Nattie Filmore: A Jain Lazarus Adventure” by Devon Ellington. If you loved HEX BREAKER, you’ll love spending time with Jain and Wyatt as they try to solve a haunted house mystery. Read an excerpt of the story and download it free here

Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing.
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures.

Back By Popular Demand!
30 Tips for 30 Days: Kick Start Your Novel and Get Out of Your Own Way. A Nano Handbook by Devon Ellington. FREE!
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you could survive National Novel Writing Month, this is the handbook for you! Ideas on preparations, setting goals, overcoming blocks, pushing yourself, tips for each day of the process, and ideas for going beyond, this handbook by veteran Nano-er Devon Ellington will help you survive. Best of all, it’s free! Download it here.
Limited time offer

5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.

Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.

Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here:

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Thursday, November 20, 2008
Waning Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

As you see, I am semi-back online today, although it will be sporadic for the next week.

Yesterday morning, I got a phone call stating that my grandmother, to whom I am very close, and who has been ill for a long time, had taken a turn for the worse. We ran around preparing to leave – putting up messages where necessary, packing, etc., but before we could get on the road, we received the call that she passed.

After a lot of discussion, we decided that, rather than driving up immediately and sitting around staring at each other, we would go up as planned next week for the big (60 person) Thanksgiving dinner, which would be a tribute to her.

On top of that, I managed to sprain my wrist (still not sure how I did that) and the cold I’ve been fighting for the past few weeks is winning.

Needless to say, I didn’t get much done yesterday, although I swapped some boxes out of storage and reacquainted myself with some items including m blender and a quilt project I started years ago, that I think I will work on through the winter. I need to redesign it a bit, and take some of the borders out, replacing them with other fabric, but it will be a good piece when it’s done, and a good project for a cold winter.

I’m right-handed, and it’s my right wrist sprained, so it’s slowing me down. I can’t do any more storage swap, because I can’t even lift a teacup at this point.

I managed to drop back into the mystery today, and it flowed well. I hope to hit 50K this weekend, if I can keep my focus.

I also plan to edit “The Ramsey Chase” today, which didn’t get done yesterday, and maybe do some work on the Nina Bell Christmas story.

Ultimately, I’m just living the next few days moment-to-moment. Your kind comments mean a lot to me at this difficult time. Thank you.

Devon

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 47,436 words out of 50,000 (Nano goal)

47 / 50 (94.0%)

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 47,436 words out of est. 75,000 (total goal)

47 / 75 (62.7%)

Devon’s Bookstore:

NEW!Sensory Perceptions: Techniques to Improve Your Writing Through the Six Senses by Devon Ellington. Use the six senses to take your writing to the next level via a series of sense-specific exercises. By the end of seven weeks, you complete seven short stories!. $1.29 USD. Here.

Free limited download
“The Possession of Nattie Filmore: A Jain Lazarus Adventure” by Devon Ellington. If you loved HEX BREAKER, you’ll love spending time with Jain and Wyatt as they try to solve a haunted house mystery. Read an excerpt of the story and download it free here

Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing.
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures.

Back By Popular Demand!
30 Tips for 30 Days: Kick Start Your Novel and Get Out of Your Own Way. A Nano Handbook by Devon Ellington. FREE!
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you could survive National Novel Writing Month, this is the handbook for you! Ideas on preparations, setting goals, overcoming blocks, pushing yourself, tips for each day of the process, and ideas for going beyond, this handbook by veteran Nano-er Devon Ellington will help you survive. Best of all, it’s free! Download it here.
Limited time offer

5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.

Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.

Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here:

Off Line

A family emergency came up, and I’ll be offline for a few days.

Will catch up as soon as I can.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Waning Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Sunny and cold

I finished “The Ramsey Chase” yesterday, so today is about editing and design.

Still waiting for some promised checks, and getting annoyed.

Repacked a bunch of stuff yesterday afternoon that will go back into storage. I’m going to haul that in today, get a few more boxes out of storage, and do some purging and repacking. I’m hoping to consolidate a lot of stuff in the units, and maybe even get rid of the second, smaller one.

Drove up to Mohegan Lake and found the supplies I needed for the Big Holiday Project. Will get the rest of what I need up in Maine next week.

Tough start this morning on the mystery, in spite of thinking about it a lot yesterday. Eventually got back into the flow, but I’ll need an awful lot of revision on this chapter.

Not much to say – just trying to juggle too many deadlines, and frustrated by slow payment. I don’t even want to pitch anything in the next few days, because I’m not getting myself into a situation where I get a client who’s disorganized and then expects me to work during the time I’m up in Maine next week.

Urgh.

Oh, and these automobile CEOs who are begging for OUR money so they don’t go under? They’re flying to DC to beg in PRIVATE JETS, and when called on the carpet for it by Congress, said that was not negotiable. Hey, dumb ass, if you’re asking ME (meaning all of the taxpayers) for money, EVERYTHING is negotiable, and we can decide to let your frigging company go under if you won’t give up your private jet.

I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again, publicly: Paulson and Bernecke must be removed NOW, or there won’t be an economy left to save come January. The solution is NOT to keep pouring money into the pockets of the executives who created the crisis in the first place, but to ease the pressure on the consumers – when the consumers actually get their money on time at reasonable interest rates so they can pay their bills, they’ll be ABLE to put money into the economy. Handing it to institutions who then hoard it and/or give it to their executives is the same thing that got us into this mess in the first place. One of the caveats that any company who receives OUR money must fulfill is that they remove the top executives who caused the problems in the first place. Purge the CEOs who caused this mess and rebuild all the institutions with people from within who actually do the work in the companies, and then there will be progress.

Devon

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 44,878 words out of 50,000 (Nano goal)

44 / 50 (88.0%)

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 44,878 words out of est. 75,000 (total goal)

44 / 75 (58.7%)

Devon’s Bookstore:

NEW!Sensory Perceptions: Techniques to Improve Your Writing Through the Six Senses by Devon Ellington. Use the six senses to take your writing to the next level via a series of sense-specific exercises. By the end of seven weeks, you complete seven short stories!. $1.29 USD. Here.

Free limited download
“The Possession of Nattie Filmore: A Jain Lazarus Adventure” by Devon Ellington. If you loved HEX BREAKER, you’ll love spending time with Jain and Wyatt as they try to solve a haunted house mystery. Read an excerpt of the story and download it free here

Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing.
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures.

Back By Popular Demand!
30 Tips for 30 Days: Kick Start Your Novel and Get Out of Your Own Way. A Nano Handbook by Devon Ellington. FREE!
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you could survive National Novel Writing Month, this is the handbook for you! Ideas on preparations, setting goals, overcoming blocks, pushing yourself, tips for each day of the process, and ideas for going beyond, this handbook by veteran Nano-er Devon Ellington will help you survive. Best of all, it’s free! Download it here.
Limited time offer

5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.

Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.

Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here:

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Waning Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Cloudy, cold, snow flurries

Yes, we’re set to have our first snow of the season today!

Sandy Lender’s making a stop on A Biblio Paradise on her blog tour. Stop by, check it out, leave a comment!

A short story of mine was rejected yesterday, which was disappointing. Even more disappointing is that I didn’t do my due diligence before I started submissions, so I haven’t yet created a list for it. I won’t have time to do anything about it until the end of the month. I hate just having a story sit around, but it’s my own damned fault. I thought it would be a good fit for this particular publication, hurried to meet the deadline, and then moved on to something else, instead of my tried-and-true list-making method.

I also have some other stories sitting around, and I have in mind several markets for them, but haven’t actually gotten around to submitting them; that will need to happen this week.

But then again, many things need to happen this week!

Got good news from the producer – she wants my next two plays. So we have to figure out deadlines for them.

Catching up with the research for the IOWFA interviews – I’m hosting a week’s worth of authors early in December from this particular group over on A Biblio Paradise.

Drove to White Plains on errands – some of them turned out to be fool’s errands; couldn’t find what I needed; will drive to Mohegan Lake later today to see if they have it.

Did a massive grocery shop. Realized that, due to what I saved by shopping at Costco last week, not only did I save $50 on the Costco stuff, but it cut my grocery bill by $13-$15 today. It’s nice when the numbers actually make sense.

Cooked a turkey chili for dinner – first time in my life I ever made chili. It was good!

I miss the linked, slightly magical, fantastical stories I worked on in October, and hope I can get back to them in December.

Decided to shelve the western novella for the moment – it wasn’t a solid contract, so, although there was a deadline to it, without a contract in place, I don’t feel bound by it. Withdrew gracefully, and will complete it when it’s appropriate – and probably submit it elsewhere. Part of the struggle was that I don’t particularly have warm and fuzzy feelings towards this particular house – there have been too many false promises out of them, and, unless there’s a solid contract in place, it’s silly for me to put me in a position to be jerked around when I have other, more solid contracts in place. However, not too many houses at this point do westerns, and it’s a genre of which I’m rather fond.

But I have more pressing and more solid, contracted, definitely paying deadlines to worry about, so something had to give. And it was the project with the least solid promise from the other side of the table.

How much do you want to bet that, now that I’ve decide to shelve it, the characters will have a different idea? Besides, Josiah and Amanda are too good to push back for long!

But Nina’s awfully persistent, and she’s determined to get her Christmas story out in a timely fashion, and Cornelia and Roman are quite irritated that I am STILL working on their tale . . .but we’re working up to The Big Reveal, which will be followed by The Big Finale, and then The Big Dilemma.

And there’s another project, still in too early stages to discuss in detail, that needs to be prepped (as in figured out and WRITTEN) for an early January launch.

And Aunt Doris and Cassio still want THEIR Christmas story written – they keep promising me it will be SHORT.

And Jain’s got a New Year’s story that’s clamoring to get out . . .

Sigh.

Good morning’s work on the mystery. In spite of all I need to fill in, I feel as though I’ve got a solid skeleton on which to build a book.

Devon

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 42,556 words out of 50,000 (Nano goal)

42 / 50 (84.0%)

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 42,556 words out of 75,000 (total goal)

42 / 75 (56.0%)

Devon’s Bookstore:

NEW!Sensory Perceptions: Techniques to Improve Your Writing Through the Six Senses by Devon Ellington. Use the six senses to take your writing to the next level via a series of sense-specific exercises. By the end of seven weeks, you complete seven short stories!. $1.29 USD. Here.

Free limited download
“The Possession of Nattie Filmore: A Jain Lazarus Adventure” by Devon Ellington. If you loved HEX BREAKER, you’ll love spending time with Jain and Wyatt as they try to solve a haunted house mystery. Read an excerpt of the story and download it free here

Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing.
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures.

Back By Popular Demand!
30 Tips for 30 Days: Kick Start Your Novel and Get Out of Your Own Way. A Nano Handbook by Devon Ellington. FREE!
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you could survive National Novel Writing Month, this is the handbook for you! Ideas on preparations, setting goals, overcoming blocks, pushing yourself, tips for each day of the process, and ideas for going beyond, this handbook by veteran Nano-er Devon Ellington will help you survive. Best of all, it’s free! Download it here.
Limited time offer

5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.

Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.

Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here:

Monday, November 17, 2008

Monday, November 17, 2008
Waning Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Sunny and cold

I have a new article up on WOMEN ON WRITING about Outlining Vs Blank Page process. You can check it out here.

The interview with me on Long and Short Reviews will be up in May 2009 (don’t worry, I’ll remind you) and my day on Stacy Dawn’s special Christmas blog-a-thon is December 13 (yeah, I’ll remind you about that one, too).

Except for the mystery, I didn’t write much yesterday. I went to storage. I got out the Christmas decorations. Some of them, I hadn’t seen since I packed them in 2001. They’re already up. I’m not putting up the others until the first of Advent, but I’d unpacked them to look at them, and it seemed silly to repack them for two weeks.

I also rescued some of my favorite china and did some rearranging so I can keep it in the apartment and use it. I’m repacking some boxes of stuff I don’t need, and that will go back to storage. I’m going through all those boxes marked “misc.”, repacking and reorganizing and maybe even doing some purging.

I got work done on the Nina Bell Christmas story, and on “The Ramsey Chase.”

The interview with Kim Smith was so much fun. It was so nice to actually talk to her, after all the emailing back and forth. I can’t wait for her book to come out in January, so I can host her!

Good morning’s work on the mystery. I cracked 40K today, so I’m in my own home stretch. Hopefully, these upcoming 10K will be easier than the last 10K!

I’ve got a lot of business correspondence to deal with, and, now that the computer is semi-running properly, more interview stuff to get out for the IWOFA week I’m hosting in December. Plus errands, grocery shopping, etc.

Poor Iris had ear trouble. I thought she and Elsa might have ear mites, so I gave them ear mite medicine, but, in Iris’s case, it seemed to make it worse. So I washed everything out yesterday with simple soap and water (can you imagine how much she hated that?), but today the ears seem clean and clear and are back to their normal color. And she’s stopped scratching. Whew.

I figured out what I want to make for holiday presents for people – something from the heart, but not too complicated, but still cool enough and fun enough so that each one is totally unique. If I can get everything in the next day or two, I’ll do a few prototypes and then get to work. If what I envision works, I’ve just solved the bulk of my gift-giving for the season in a way that’s both completely unique AND something I can afford in this economy.

I was a little worried.

Back to the page.

Devon

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 40,018 out of 50,000 (Nano goal)

40 / 50 (80.0%)

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 40,018 out of est. 75,000 (total goal)

40 / 75 (53.3%)

Devon’s Bookstore:

NEW!Sensory Perceptions: Techniques to Improve Your Writing Through the Six Senses by Devon Ellington. Use the six senses to take your writing to the next level via a series of sense-specific exercises. By the end of seven weeks, you complete seven short stories!. $1.29 USD. Here.

Free limited download
“The Possession of Nattie Filmore: A Jain Lazarus Adventure” by Devon Ellington. If you loved HEX BREAKER, you’ll love spending time with Jain and Wyatt as they try to solve a haunted house mystery. Read an excerpt of the story and download it free here

Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing.
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures.

Back By Popular Demand!
30 Tips for 30 Days: Kick Start Your Novel and Get Out of Your Own Way. A Nano Handbook by Devon Ellington. FREE!
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you could survive National Novel Writing Month, this is the handbook for you! Ideas on preparations, setting goals, overcoming blocks, pushing yourself, tips for each day of the process, and ideas for going beyond, this handbook by veteran Nano-er Devon Ellington will help you survive. Best of all, it’s free! Download it here.
Limited time offer

5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.

Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.

Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here:

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Sunday, November 16, 2008
Waning Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Cloudy and cool

A couple of guest blog posts are up.

There’s an interview with me on Writing the Danger:

And a guest blog up on retaining the Joy in your writing on Writing the Cyber Highway:

I hope you stop by and drop a comment on both!

Adventures!

I haul two loads of laundry down four flights of stairs to the building’s basement, toss them in the machines, add the soap, put in the money, slide it home. The machine eats the money and doesn’t start. I kicked it; didn’t help.

So I called the temp super, who fixed it with some sort of magic, and I got my laundry done. Unfortunately, the dryer’s acting up, so hot I burned my hands taking the clothes out, which makes me worry something could catch fire.

I completed an interview and wrote two guest blog posts. I also did some rewrites on a novella-length piece – yes, Nina Bell fans, she is coming back! So stay tuned.

Did some other business stuff, and that was the day. It zoomed by pretty quickly.

This morning’s work on the mystery was tough, and I’m a little under where I’d like to be. I usually hit 50K around the 18th or 19th (last year I hit it on the 13th, but I was on fire), but this year I won’t. As long as it’s done by Thanksgiving, right?

I was also looking at desktop publishing programs. Nitro PDF does not meet my needs; I’m in search of something that does. I won’t be able to get it until after the first of the year, but at least I can do my research now. So far, I’m leaning towards PagePlus.

I’ve got to get some stuff out of storage – I’m getting out the Christmas decorations, and some important-to-me dishes and glassware. Usually, I don’t like starting too early for the holidays, but, for some reason, I’m having a great deal of time preventing myself from decorating for Yule already. I had hoped to be in my house by now, so I’m extremely disappointed in myself.

Back to the page.

Devon

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 37,416 words out of 50,000 (Nano goal)

37 / 50 (74.0%)

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 37,416 words out of est. 75,000 words (total goal)

37 / 75 (49.3%)

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Saturday, November 15, 2008
Waning Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Rainy and cool

Long and Short Reviews sent me an exciting email to let me know that HEX BREAKER is in the running as “Best Book” for this past week. It’s a poll, and voting is only open today and tomorrow. If you get a chance, please go here:

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/recentrev.htm
and vote for me! (If you liked the book, of course, if you don’t have a book in the running, or if you don’t have a friend whose book you’d like to vote for).

It was nice to come back to that email, let me tell you, because yesterday was quite a day.

Chase gets yet another Middle Finger Award. ‘Nuff said. I have a distinct feeling it will get yet another of those rewards today, too.

Metro North was late – as usual. And the conductors are too damned stupid to figure out if doors are open or closed, so, please, just send them back to kindergarten and let five and six year olds who have some common sense run the railroads.

Manhattan was full of fashion disasters yesterday. One was a girl of about ten, who can be forgiven. She wore red and black plaid shorts with a red sweater and tights. Okay, not too bad. Except that the tights had a black and white checkerboard pattern that fought with the plaid in the shorts rather than complimented it. Even at age ten, she couldn’t pull it off.

Then, there was the woman in her thirties. Healthy figure, not too big, not stick thin. But she wore a skirt in cobalt blue, black, and yellow plaid SATIN, above the knee, that fell in ruffled tiers. Now, it was just shy of being a mini-skirt, so probably 14-20 inches from waist to hem. And it had FIVE tiers. I counted ‘em. It wouldn’t have suited a beanpole, much less a human being. It was paired with thick black tights, a blunt, flat boot, and a baggy cardigan sweater. And her friend, a few years younger, wore a mini dress in sparkling horizontal blue and gold stripes. Really not attractive. If it was for an evening event, paired with navy sheer stockings, a bit of a heel, and some simple jewelry, she could have pulled it off. But in the middle of the day, worn with clunky black opaque tights, flat UGGS, and a bulky, unattractive man’s varsity-style jacket she probably wore to tell the world that yes, she IS having sex – it didn’t work. I hope they lost a bet or something and hadn’t chosen those outfits! And I found it hard to believe that they were coming home from the previous night at 11 in the morning – if that was the case, they’d be cabbing it, not strolling up Fifth Avenue smoking menthol cigarettes!

They just didn’t have enough individual charisma to pull it off. There are those who could have looked like they were marching to a very unique fashion drummer, but not these two. Individually, the pieces weren’t all that bad (except, in my opinion, the plaid satin skirt), but the way they were put together didn’t work.

Came back home, ran some errands, visited my friend in her new place, cooked dinner, and had a quiet evening.

Woke up around 5 this morning after dreaming that I was doing some work with Vice President Elect Joe Biden. I mean, I know I’m enthusiastic about this new administration and all, but that’s a little ridiculous!

I’m at the struggling point in Nano, which I usually hit between 30-40K. Urgh. A struggle, even though I have a good idea where I’m going. But I just push through.

I heard from my editor and we seem to have worked things out. I’ll know by the end of next week. I’m little leery at this point.

Don’t forget, I’m on the radio tomorrow at 4 PM EST:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kims

Back to the page.

Devon

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 35,044 words out of 50,000 (Nano goal)

35 / 50 (70.0%)

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 35,044 words out of est. 75,000 (total goal)

35 / 75 (46.7%)

Devon’s Bookstore:

NEW!Sensory Perceptions: Techniques to Improve Your Writing Through the Six Senses by Devon Ellington. Use the six senses to take your writing to the next level via a series of sense-specific exercises. By the end of seven weeks, you complete seven short stories!. $1.29 USD. Here.

Free limited download
“The Possession of Nattie Filmore: A Jain Lazarus Adventure” by Devon Ellington. If you loved HEX BREAKER, you’ll love spending time with Jain and Wyatt as they try to solve a haunted house mystery. Read an excerpt of the story and download it free here

Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing.
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures.

Back By Popular Demand!
30 Tips for 30 Days: Kick Start Your Novel and Get Out of Your Own Way. A Nano Handbook by Devon Ellington. FREE!
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you could survive National Novel Writing Month, this is the handbook for you! Ideas on preparations, setting goals, overcoming blocks, pushing yourself, tips for each day of the process, and ideas for going beyond, this handbook by veteran Nano-er Devon Ellington will help you survive. Best of all, it’s free! Download it here.
Limited time offer

5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.

Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.

Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here:

Friday, November 14, 2008

Friday, November 14, 2008
Waning Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Rainy and chilly

Thanks so much for bringing the review to my attention! I had no idea that HEX BREAKER had been reviewed by Long and Short Reviews.

There’s also an excerpt up for “The Ramsey Chase”, the first Cornelia True/Roman Gray adventure.

Hopefully, that whets your appetite for the whole story!

Busy day yesterday, with lots of busy-ness and business, but it will all be fine. Chase gets yet another Middle Finger Award (I think they’re going for the world record). I don’t even want to go into it, I just want these banks held accountable for fucking up regularly and screwing their customers up various portions of their anatomy whenever possible.

Oh, and gee, that bailout package that the Treasury Secretary swore was necessary to get credit flowing? Turns out the banks aren’t flowing credit, they’re hoarding it and/or using it to give the executives who got us into this mess more bonuses. In other words, Mr. Treasury Secretary, the facts have NOT changed, as you claim – you implemented a stupid idea that the people of this country didn’t want because we’re all smart enough to KNOW it’s a stupid idea, you lied to Congress about accountability, and now we’ve all seen how it DOESN’T WORK. Why isn’t this guy being kicked to the curb? Oh, yeah, friend of Bush’s, so for the next 60 days or so, he can continue to destroy the country economically.

Got a bunch of books mailed off for BookMooch people, which was good.

Went up to Somers to visit long-time family friends, which was lovely, although the drive in the rain in unfamiliar territory was challenging.

Got yet another vague email from an editor who owes me a payment that has all sorts of excuses and apologies, but nothing about payment, so I sent an email that was an only slightly more diplomatic version of “s— or get off the pot.” This money was budgeted, I’ve been left dangling for SIX MONTHS, you either want it or you don’t, tell me and either pay me or don’t, but stop this nebulous maybe sometime honoring the contract in the future. Pay me or reject the piece. Not that I could ever use it for anything else, but, at this point, I honestly don’t care. The frustration level isn’t worth it.

This is why, if you ever see a clause that states “pays on acceptance”, you must, must MUST add a clause putting a time limit on said acceptance, or you can be kept dangling for years. Learn from my mistake! Also, when the contract says “pays on publication”, negotiate an actual date.

Really, was there enough yoga to calm me down last night? I don’t think so!

On a happy note, I will be on Kim Smith’s radio show this Sunday night, 4 PM EST, 3 PM CST, and here’s the URL:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kims

I will also appear on The League of Extraordinary Paranormal Women’s radio show on December 11 – but don’t worry, I’ll remind you again. AND, Long and Short Reviews, who gave HEX BREAKER such a nice mention, will also run an interview with me; as soon as I have the date, I’ll post it.

I’ve got to hop into the city quickly, run errands when I get back out, and get back to the page. I’ve hit my Week 2 Wall of Resistance in Nano – urgh. Barely got out 1500 words this morning.

Devon

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery — 32,487 words out of 50,000 (Nano goal)

32 / 50 (64.0%)

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery –32,487 words out of est. 75,000 (total goal)

32 / 75 (42.7%)

Devon’s Bookstore:

NEW!Sensory Perceptions: Techniques to Improve Your Writing Through the Six Senses by Devon Ellington. Use the six senses to take your writing to the next level via a series of sense-specific exercises. By the end of seven weeks, you complete seven short stories!. $1.29 USD. Here.

Free limited download
“The Possession of Nattie Filmore: A Jain Lazarus Adventure” by Devon Ellington. If you loved HEX BREAKER, you’ll love spending time with Jain and Wyatt as they try to solve a haunted house mystery. Read an excerpt of the story and download it free here

Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing.
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures.

Back By Popular Demand!
30 Tips for 30 Days: Kick Start Your Novel and Get Out of Your Own Way. A Nano Handbook by Devon Ellington. FREE!
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you could survive National Novel Writing Month, this is the handbook for you! Ideas on preparations, setting goals, overcoming blocks, pushing yourself, tips for each day of the process, and ideas for going beyond, this handbook by veteran Nano-er Devon Ellington will help you survive. Best of all, it’s free! Download it here.
Limited time offer

5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.

Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.

Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here:

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Thursday, November 13, 2008
Full Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

Don’t you just love it when unpublished writers tell you what you’re doing wrong in running your writing business? Geez louise, people, if I wasn’t doing something right, I’d still be in a job I hate, just like the ones who tell me in the most strident tones what I’m doing wrong and why I’ll never “make it.” Make what, exactly? A living? Already doing that, although it’s still paycheck to paycheck. Make the fame roster? Made the choice not to join that ages ago, when I saw what fame did to so many actors with whom I’ve worked. There’s always room for improvement, but I’m on the right path.

I’m not saying that any comment by an unpublished writer is irrelevant. That, of course, is not true. Readers have perfectly valid comments about what does and does not work, content-wise (and the loyal ones stick by me even when I try something that doesn’t work, bless them). However, those outside the biz (be it writing or theatre or whatever) really can’t speak to the nuts and bolts of what it’s like to live inside it until they’ve been there, any more than I can speak to the nuts and bolts of living as a doctor or an astronaut or some profession in which I haven’t immersed myself in order to write about it!

And telling me that what I do is “wrong” when I pay my bills with it and the speaker can’t even get a letter to the editor published . . .time for a big eye roll, rude as it is.

I had an interesting adventure yesterday. I went to Costco for the first time in my life. My friend has a card, and we went together, since I’d never been and needed binders. I wound up buying all kinds of interesting things: a case of 48 cans of cat food, lots and lots of chicken soup, an 800-sheet ream of paper, my binders, enormous jugs of cranberry juice, crackers – I stuck to my budget, but I could have bought a lot more! I have limited storage space where I currently live, but when I move – I just may join a place like that and buy in bulk. For certain items, it makes a lot of sense. Because let’s face it, you can never have too much toilet paper or too many cans of cat food.

I’m still on that knife-edge, not sure if I’m getting sick or not. It’s the achy, fatigued, scratchy-everything, but don’t really feel that bad phase, and it’s boring the heck out of me.

Lost most of the afternoon and evening writing sessions due to computer problems. I need to get back on track today, because I have some questions to get out to interviewees, and I’ll be writing a guest blog post for Writing the Cyber Highway in the near future. AND, I’ll be on Kim Smith’s radio show on Sunday, November 16 – I’m pretty sure it’s at 4 PM EST, 3 PM CST. I’ll post times and urls tomorrow.

Back to the day.

Devon

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 30,947 words out of 50,000 (Nano goal)

30 / 50 (60.0%)

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 30,947 words out of est. 75,000 (total goal)

30 / 75 (40.0%)

Devon’s Bookstore:

NEW!Sensory Perceptions: Techniques to Improve Your Writing Through the Six Senses by Devon Ellington. Use the six senses to take your writing to the next level via a series of sense-specific exercises. By the end of seven weeks, you complete seven short stories!. $1.29 USD. Here.

Free limited download
“The Possession of Nattie Filmore: A Jain Lazarus Adventure” by Devon Ellington. If you loved HEX BREAKER, you’ll love spending time with Jain and Wyatt as they try to solve a haunted house mystery. Read an excerpt of the story and download it free here

Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing.
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures.

Back By Popular Demand!
30 Tips for 30 Days: Kick Start Your Novel and Get Out of Your Own Way. A Nano Handbook by Devon Ellington. FREE!
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you could survive National Novel Writing Month, this is the handbook for you! Ideas on preparations, setting goals, overcoming blocks, pushing yourself, tips for each day of the process, and ideas for going beyond, this handbook by veteran Nano-er Devon Ellington will help you survive. Best of all, it’s free! Download it here.
Limited time offer

5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.

Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.

Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here:

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Waxing Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Sunny and cold

I’m glad I took a day off yesterday. I’m fighting off a little something, not sure what, and taking yesterday off meant that, if it hits, it won’t hit too hard (I hope), whereas if I’d pushed, I’d be down for the count indefinitely.

I got some business stuff done, but mostly just too it easy, unwound from the days at the theatre, and figured out where to go from here.

I got back into the mystery this morning, hit my quota, got out the daily email, etc. I’ve got some errands to run, and then it’s back to the page.

I’m not going to push too hard at all this week; I’m just going to see how I feel each day and respond. I’m okay, deadline wise – not as far ahead as I’d like, but not so far behind that I need to panic. So, I’ll take care of myself and try to avoid running myself down.

Off to run some errands, and then it’s back to the page.

Devon

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 28,312 words out of 50,000 (Nano goal)

28 / 50 (56.0%)

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 28,312 words out of est. 75,000 (total goal)

28 / 75 (37.3%)

Devon’s Bookstore:

NEW!Sensory Perceptions: Techniques to Improve Your Writing Through the Six Senses by Devon Ellington. Use the six senses to take your writing to the next level via a series of sense-specific exercises. By the end of seven weeks, you complete seven short stories!. $1.29 USD. Here.

Free limited download
“The Possession of Nattie Filmore: A Jain Lazarus Adventure” by Devon Ellington. If you loved HEX BREAKER, you’ll love spending time with Jain and Wyatt as they try to solve a haunted house mystery. Read an excerpt of the story and download it free here

Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing.
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures.

Back By Popular Demand!
30 Tips for 30 Days: Kick Start Your Novel and Get Out of Your Own Way. A Nano Handbook by Devon Ellington. FREE!
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you could survive National Novel Writing Month, this is the handbook for you! Ideas on preparations, setting goals, overcoming blocks, pushing yourself, tips for each day of the process, and ideas for going beyond, this handbook by veteran Nano-er Devon Ellington will help you survive. Best of all, it’s free! Download it here.
Limited time offer

5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.

Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.

Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here:

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Waxing Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Sunny and cold
Veteran’s Day

I’m giving myself the day off today from writing. I’m not overly tired (slept in this morning, in spite of the cats), I feel fine. I just want a day off, and, since I’m where I need to be on Nano, I don’t have to stress about that. Although I’m a little behind on some of my other deadlines, nothing is in serious jeopardy yet, and taking a day off to recharge – while I’m still feeling good, instead of waiting until I’m totally depleted – will, I think, be a good choice.

Looking back at previous Nanos, I usually give myself a day off around now.

I’m in the process of cleaning up links. Of course, the people who are worried are the ones who are regular visitors, and whom I regularly visit, so don’t worry!

I deleted one particular site in a fit of pique on Saturday night, and felt as though a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. The person who runs this site considers it networking to “allow” visitors to comment, doesn’t respond to emails (“too busy”), publicly wails anytime said site is criticized, and plays nasty jokes on people. In addition to all of that, the site discriminates, in my opinion, claiming to support a wide-ranging profession, when, in fact, it’s geared to a small, specific cadre. That’s fine, it’s your site, do whatever the heck you want, but don’t be hypocritical about it, and don’t pretend you’re generous when you’re not. Ultimately, in addition to feeling there was enormous hypocrisy involved, I also found the site no longer met my needs – the reasons beyond networking that the site touts as its mission. Add that frustration to what I consider hypocrisy, and it simply isn’t worth the time. Why hop onto a site that only makes you feel angry, frustrated, and screwed? Buh-bye! I’ve been frustrated for months, when the release to it all was simply to not engage. So that was an important lesson, and I’m actually in the process of deleting several sites I enjoy, but which do not reciprocate, from my list.

Yesterday was a long darned day at the theatre, but I had a blast. Not only did I get to work with some actors I’ve admired for a long time (some of them, literally, for decades, true Legends of the Theatre), but I met a bunch of new people, and a lot of the crew were people I’d worked with years ago and not seen lately. It was old home week. There was a lot to do – I wound up primarily dressing the lead of the show. Even though it was a reading, which means they carried their scripts – the woman had quick changes. But she’s sweet and bright and lovely, we connected right off, she trusted me to figure out how to do the change, remembered everything I told her, and, when an extra change was tossed at us during the performance, we figured it out. I had six people on my side of the stage, although my primary focus was the female lead with all the changes. Almost everyone was lovely and low-key about it all, glad to know someone was there if they needed something, but not particularly demanding or high-maintenance.

The reading was of a film script of a famous film that starred Bette Davis. I had seen it years ago and enjoyed it, but, listening to it yesterday, I forgot how funny much of it is. Now, I have to go back and rent it.

All in all, it was a lovely day, and I’m glad I was included.

I got home around midnight, puttered around for a bit (too wired to go to sleep).

I’m sure I’ll wind up writing something today, but I’m not putting any pressure on myself. I have some research to do and questions to get out for a series of interviews I’m doing the second week in December on A Biblio Paradise, but, other than that, I’m finally in a position where I can take a day off “just because.”

Devon

Monday, November 10, 2008

Monday, November 10, 2008
Waxing Moon
Neptune Retrograde
Sunny and cold

Hex Breaker got another great review, this time from Simply Romance Reviews.

The shows were fine yesterday, Metro North was a nightmare, as usual, and I’m tired. I’m turning around to go back and work this star-studded reading today. Oh joy, oh rapture.

I got my daily quota done on Nano, and the daily email out. I’ve dropped the dead weights in the group and am filling the slots with people from the waiting list, and a couple of people who just found out about the group. Ten days is more than enough time to expect those who were dropped to step up to the plate. They broke the agreement, they don’t have the courtesy to discuss it, they’re out.

Off to shower, have something to eat, and head back to the theatre for another fourteen hour day.

Devon

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery — 25,763 words out of 50,000 (Nano goal)

25 / 50 (50.0%)

Untitled Helena Francis Mystery – 25,763 words out of 75,000 (total goal)

25 / 75 (33.3%)

Devon’s Bookstore:

NEW!Sensory Perceptions: Techniques to Improve Your Writing Through the Six Senses by Devon Ellington. Use the six senses to take your writing to the next level via a series of sense-specific exercises. By the end of seven weeks, you complete seven short stories!. $1.29 USD. Here.

Free limited download
“The Possession of Nattie Filmore: A Jain Lazarus Adventure” by Devon Ellington. If you loved HEX BREAKER, you’ll love spending time with Jain and Wyatt as they try to solve a haunted house mystery. Read an excerpt of the story and download it free here

Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing.
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures.

Back By Popular Demand!
30 Tips for 30 Days: Kick Start Your Novel and Get Out of Your Own Way. A Nano Handbook by Devon Ellington. FREE!
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you could survive National Novel Writing Month, this is the handbook for you! Ideas on preparations, setting goals, overcoming blocks, pushing yourself, tips for each day of the process, and ideas for going beyond, this handbook by veteran Nano-er Devon Ellington will help you survive. Best of all, it’s free! Download it here.
Limited time offer

5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.

Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.

Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here: