Thirteen Places I Want to Visit
I love to travel, but in the last couple years have been limited by graduate school and the fact my stepson is in private school that we pay for. I’ve gotten away from grandiose travel plans in favor of staycations, but I thought I’d ruminate on where I’d like to go – both ‘if money were no object’ but also in the sense of, you can’t go anywhere if you don’t know where you want to go…
1. Las Vegas! I used to live there, actually, back in the dark ages. You think I’m kidding, perhaps, but it was a very dark time for me. I’m not really the ‘Vegas’ type, if there is such a type. I found it lonely and devoid of intellectual culture (which probably makes me a snob, but so be it). It’s a fun place to visit, and I had a great apartment, but I sure didn’t enjoy living there.
Of course, the natural question is, if you hated it so much, why go back?
Well, it’s a nice place to visit? ~sheepish grin~ Actually, a friend of mind lives there and I’m going to visit her. I’m really excited!
2. Salt Lake City! I’ve only driven through, and a good friend lives there. I want to visit her and her family!
3. Melbourne, Australia! Same reason!
4. Alabamalama… Sensing a theme here, aren’t you?
5. Antarctica! Ha! No, seriously, I do want to go there. Don’t know anyone there, just want to see the place. It’s got me curious!
6. England. I have friends in London, Manchester, and Scotland (yes, I know Scotland isn’t in England, but she’s English and I don’t know if she’ll BE in Scotland when I get there, so…)… You’re right, that didn’t make sense. Let’s just say England, Ireland, Scotland, and leave it at that.
7. Toronto, Canada. I have a friend there I want to visit, and it’s an amazing place! I’ve done a lot of research and really want to explore it!
8. Madison, Wisconsin. One of my novels is set there, and I’d like to go back for more research. Besides; it’s a beautiful town!
9. Chicago. Oh, wait. I live here.
10. I’d like to visit Europe, all over the place. I can’t do that in only one visit, so… I guess I’ll just spend my life exploring it!
11. St. Petersburg, Russia. I want to see Tsarskoe Selo and the Hermitage, walk the canals, and shake my fist at the statue of Peter the Great… o.O
12. Kiev. It’s the seat of Slavic culture on earth and I wanna go!
13. China. Big place, I know, but I’d love to toodle around the whole thing. The south farm country is gorgeous, and I’d love to see Beijing, Shanghai… I even want to visit Hong Kong.
I ran out of TT, but there’s more places I wanna go! ~jumps up and down~
Happy TT!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Night Is A Harsh Mistress, Chapter 16
Chapter 16 of The Night Is A Harsh Mistress, featuring Rachel Carmichael, is up on the Writer's Retreat Blog. Enjoy!
Chapter 16: You Know That Saying, ‘Don’t Poke the Bear’?
Chapter 16: You Know That Saying, ‘Don’t Poke the Bear’?
Friday, January 8, 2010
Wiggins: A Cop Tale
What do writers do when we’re bored or seeking inspiration? We do what any self-respecting sports fan would understand: we challenge each other to duels!
Originally posted on the Romance Divas forum, one of the top writing-related forums on the internet, this challenge came about because I failed to step backward fast enough when the Captain asked for volunteers.
That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it!
Well, okay, this is my story, but hope you enjoy!
Original Challenge, issued by Jess Granger, Thursday, January 07, 2010:
“Thank you for calling Chicago 311 Emergency Response. Please state the nature of your emergency.” Calysta, the nametag read, sounded heartily bored.
I resisted rolling my eyes. First week on the job and it didn’t do to make waves, particularly about employee attitudes.
“A what, ma’am?” Calysta blurted, interrupting my train of thought.
I met her eyes and she moved the gum in her mouth over to one cheek, like I wouldn’t be able to tell she had it in her mouth.
“Jessup! In here!” my lieutenant shouted from her office.
“Yessir!” I answered automatically.
Crap. ‘Sir.’ I called her sir! Nothing for it. Just getcher ass in there, Jessup, but sweet butter on a biscuit was the Lieutenant sensitive about her rank and place in a male-dominated department. Even if I was female, I’d cut no points for calling her ‘sir.’
I felt the presence the minute I stepped in the room and froze in the doorway.
“Della Jessup, this is your new partner. Wiggins, say hello to Della.”
“Hello…” The voice whispered and hissed through the room like a nineteen fifties bad monster movie ghost voice, eerie in all the right places. I felt a shiver travel up my back, around my neck, and down my front, tightening both nipples on its way by.
Gods I hate that!
“I want you to take Wiggins to the meetup, Jessup.”
“Lieutenant, there’s nothing here!”
“Oh?” a voice asked. And it wasn’t the Lieutenant.
Frickin’ ghosts. Never should have allowed them on the force. Damned ADA regulations stipulated no discrimination on account of any disability, including the bodily challenged.
“All right, Wiggins. Come with me. We have to meet –” I broke off, mid-sentence, because I saw it again. The same black-haired waif I’d been seeing everywhere since yesterday, following me in Trader Joes, following me to LA Fitness, following me to my carport, following me!
“Jessup?” Wiggins murmured.
“Do you see it?” I realized the second it left my mouth, how is a ghost supposed to ‘see’ without any eyes, but I let it stand.
“What?”
“The kid, there…” I pointed, but of course, poof, no black hair. No waif. No stinkin’ kid! “Come on,” I snarled instead, leading the way back out to my cruiser, first stopping to pick up my sidearm from the security lockup.
“Sign here, Della,” Sergeant Whiska ordered.
“Sergeant, when did you get an earring?” I scratched my nose. Earrings were non-regulation on duty, just like gum, but…
The feline grin that appeared after my question startled me and I had to resist the urge to step back. His teeth looked sharp! “Like it?”
“Um…”
“Beautiful,” Wiggins susurrated.
Whiska flicked all of his fur in a wave down his back. The glossy reddish brown flashed in the light and I had to physically put my hands in my pockets to avoid petting him. After the evolutionary jump that let cats speak, they now had equal status with humans. One did not pet a fully accredited Sergeant of the Chicago Police Department.
Not if one wanted to keep their hand, anyway.
Whiska handed through another piece of paper and I took it automatically. Then I looked at it; the loopy calligraphy beautiful. And pink. Pink? “What’s this?”
His grin widened. “Jezebel agreed to marry me! That’s your wedding invitation!”
“When’s the shower?” I asked curiously, eyes on the invitation.
He hissed. “I don’t like water.”
“No, silly. The wedding shower?”
“Oh. I don’t know yet.”
“Maybe we’ll throw one for you,” Wiggins put in.
On that note… “I have to run, Sergeant. Thank you for this. I’ll see you later!”
My car had chilled to ice in the hour it sat in the lot, thankfully free of the snowstorm. First Blizzard of the New Decade, the news called it. I rolled my eyes.
“Where are we going?” Wiggins asked once we sat down.
Uh, once I sat down. Wiggins… wafted, I guess. “National City Bank, then the Bank of Ireland. Seems the regulators want some police presence. We’re close to an indictment.”
“On what?”
“Money laundering.”
“Mmm.” Wiggins sounded thoughtful, though I still couldn’t see anything in the car with me. “Perhaps you should not tell them of my presence.”
“How come?” I asked.
“I could be of some use, perhaps.”
“Sounds good.” I shivered as I pulled onto the main street, clogged with new snow. Here’s hoping Wiggins didn’t give the bankers the… well. What was I supposed to say now? Willies?
Yeah, I did that, and Lieutenant would find me a trained ape by that name for a partner.
Nevermind. Forget I thought it.
We turned onto Columbus Drive, both lost in thought.
Originally posted on the Romance Divas forum, one of the top writing-related forums on the internet, this challenge came about because I failed to step backward fast enough when the Captain asked for volunteers.
That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it!
Well, okay, this is my story, but hope you enjoy!
Original Challenge, issued by Jess Granger, Thursday, January 07, 2010:
“Your hero/heroine just got a job working in supernatural law enforcement. Lately they've been having some trouble with Leprechauns running a money laundering scheme for a bunch of investment bankers/vampires. Your hero/heroine is just about to meet with a new partner for the undercover operations when she/he suspects someone is following...
Please include a feral cat with a notch in his ear, a wedding invitation, and the phrase ‘sweet butter on a biscuit.’”
“Thank you for calling Chicago 311 Emergency Response. Please state the nature of your emergency.” Calysta, the nametag read, sounded heartily bored.
I resisted rolling my eyes. First week on the job and it didn’t do to make waves, particularly about employee attitudes.
“A what, ma’am?” Calysta blurted, interrupting my train of thought.
I met her eyes and she moved the gum in her mouth over to one cheek, like I wouldn’t be able to tell she had it in her mouth.
“Jessup! In here!” my lieutenant shouted from her office.
“Yessir!” I answered automatically.
Crap. ‘Sir.’ I called her sir! Nothing for it. Just getcher ass in there, Jessup, but sweet butter on a biscuit was the Lieutenant sensitive about her rank and place in a male-dominated department. Even if I was female, I’d cut no points for calling her ‘sir.’
I felt the presence the minute I stepped in the room and froze in the doorway.
“Della Jessup, this is your new partner. Wiggins, say hello to Della.”
“Hello…” The voice whispered and hissed through the room like a nineteen fifties bad monster movie ghost voice, eerie in all the right places. I felt a shiver travel up my back, around my neck, and down my front, tightening both nipples on its way by.
Gods I hate that!
“I want you to take Wiggins to the meetup, Jessup.”
“Lieutenant, there’s nothing here!”
“Oh?” a voice asked. And it wasn’t the Lieutenant.
Frickin’ ghosts. Never should have allowed them on the force. Damned ADA regulations stipulated no discrimination on account of any disability, including the bodily challenged.
“All right, Wiggins. Come with me. We have to meet –” I broke off, mid-sentence, because I saw it again. The same black-haired waif I’d been seeing everywhere since yesterday, following me in Trader Joes, following me to LA Fitness, following me to my carport, following me!
“Jessup?” Wiggins murmured.
“Do you see it?” I realized the second it left my mouth, how is a ghost supposed to ‘see’ without any eyes, but I let it stand.
“What?”
“The kid, there…” I pointed, but of course, poof, no black hair. No waif. No stinkin’ kid! “Come on,” I snarled instead, leading the way back out to my cruiser, first stopping to pick up my sidearm from the security lockup.
“Sign here, Della,” Sergeant Whiska ordered.
“Sergeant, when did you get an earring?” I scratched my nose. Earrings were non-regulation on duty, just like gum, but…
The feline grin that appeared after my question startled me and I had to resist the urge to step back. His teeth looked sharp! “Like it?”
“Um…”
“Beautiful,” Wiggins susurrated.
Whiska flicked all of his fur in a wave down his back. The glossy reddish brown flashed in the light and I had to physically put my hands in my pockets to avoid petting him. After the evolutionary jump that let cats speak, they now had equal status with humans. One did not pet a fully accredited Sergeant of the Chicago Police Department.
Not if one wanted to keep their hand, anyway.
Whiska handed through another piece of paper and I took it automatically. Then I looked at it; the loopy calligraphy beautiful. And pink. Pink? “What’s this?”
His grin widened. “Jezebel agreed to marry me! That’s your wedding invitation!”
“When’s the shower?” I asked curiously, eyes on the invitation.
He hissed. “I don’t like water.”
“No, silly. The wedding shower?”
“Oh. I don’t know yet.”
“Maybe we’ll throw one for you,” Wiggins put in.
On that note… “I have to run, Sergeant. Thank you for this. I’ll see you later!”
My car had chilled to ice in the hour it sat in the lot, thankfully free of the snowstorm. First Blizzard of the New Decade, the news called it. I rolled my eyes.
“Where are we going?” Wiggins asked once we sat down.
Uh, once I sat down. Wiggins… wafted, I guess. “National City Bank, then the Bank of Ireland. Seems the regulators want some police presence. We’re close to an indictment.”
“On what?”
“Money laundering.”
“Mmm.” Wiggins sounded thoughtful, though I still couldn’t see anything in the car with me. “Perhaps you should not tell them of my presence.”
“How come?” I asked.
“I could be of some use, perhaps.”
“Sounds good.” I shivered as I pulled onto the main street, clogged with new snow. Here’s hoping Wiggins didn’t give the bankers the… well. What was I supposed to say now? Willies?
Yeah, I did that, and Lieutenant would find me a trained ape by that name for a partner.
Nevermind. Forget I thought it.
We turned onto Columbus Drive, both lost in thought.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Chapter 3 of New World Order Is Up!
Chapter 3 of the serial novel, New World Order, is up and ready for your review and comments. (Not that we whore for comments, or anything gauche like that...)
New World Order is a serial novel written by me and a colleague, fellow writer Rachel Wilder. We conceived of the notion late last year to write an erotic tale using "real" magic and preternatural creatures, but set in present-day Madison, Wisconsin. Come join us as we explore Belinda and Brock Gary, twin siblings, as they navigate the tricky waters of love relationships and deal with magical and nonmagical beasties. Enjoy!
New World Order is a serial novel written by me and a colleague, fellow writer Rachel Wilder. We conceived of the notion late last year to write an erotic tale using "real" magic and preternatural creatures, but set in present-day Madison, Wisconsin. Come join us as we explore Belinda and Brock Gary, twin siblings, as they navigate the tricky waters of love relationships and deal with magical and nonmagical beasties. Enjoy!
Thursday 13 – January 7, 2010: Thirteen Reasons Why Writing Is Better Than Not Writing
I’m a writer. Those of you who know me, know this. Occasionally, I get questions like “Why do you write?” or “How do you write so much?” Instead of answering them directly, I want to share a few thoughts on why writing is better than not writing, in a whole host of ways. This applies to writers and non-writers alike.
1. Julia Cameron, in her seminal work The Artist’s Way discusses the concept of Morning Pages. This is three pages of longhand writing daily. They act in subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) ways to align us with our own creativity and with our own awareness. While difficult to describe, even the evidence of a week can show their power.
2. Writing is a way of grounding. Something about kinesthetically running the pen across the page is therapeutic (I speak here of literal writing, and not just keyboarding).
3. Which is ironic, actually, since I’m typing this list. Which leads me to the next idea, that any writing is good, regardless of the method of doing it. I personally think that it counts even if it’s spoken into a voice recognition software (the one I recommend is Dragon Naturally Speaking ).
4. Storytelling is our birthright as humans. Even if we tell stories verbally, which many good storytellers do, writing them down is a way of preserving them and interacting with them that leads to insight and better acquaintance with repeating issues.
5. Memoir is valuable. I’ve spoken with many people over the years who lament the passing of elders who left this plane without their stories being preserved. Even the vaunted Smithsonian Institution is acting to halt this loss of our cultural heritage with folklore preservation efforts, but more can be done at the grassroots level by ordinary people like you and me.
6. Writing is becoming more and more critical in today’s economy, and only will continue to rise in prominence. Regardless of your opinion about the internet, it’s not going away. While it is a tool of the developed and wealthy world right now, more and more inroads are made every day to bring connectivity to the masses all over the globe, from Africa to Iceland, and Fiji to Indonesia. Facility with written communications, emails, web pages, and whatever the next generation of communication tools will be is critical to professional and interpersonal success. Srsly.
7. Writing is fun. The grammar method of teaching writing is broken, as you’ve probably heard me rant before in these pages if you’ve been reading for a while. If you haven’t, then I’ll simply say, the grammar method of teaching writing is stupid. It isn’t how the human organism communicates, and it stifles creativity. Creativity is messy, like children with finger paints. Rather than be afraid of it, we can embrace it and harness its raw power.
8. Grammar and spelling are even more important now than ever before, despite the proliferation of text-speak and lol-cat language. Why? English, for good or ill, has become the global language of the internet. While there are signs that other languages have gained prominence (German and Chinese, among others), English is still the way that businesses conduct international business and how a very large chunk of the reading population reads – even if it’s in translation. In order to effectively communicate, we need a common language – and simply saying “English” isn’t enough. Grammar is there for a reason, and as much as I dislike saying this, it has importance. It allows people to communicate in a common tongue – which anyone reading the story of the Tower of Babel can see is of a benefit to society.
9. Even non-writers need to write to share their art. Knitters, for example, are voracious consumers of knitting patterns, knitting profiles and interviews, history, design concepts, and all sorts of things. In fact, Nancy Bush made headlines in the writing industry because her last book signing drew 350 patrons – completely unexpected by the publisher (but totally understandable to those of us who are fiber geeks – it’s Nancy Bush, for Heaven’s sake!!).
10. One of the requirements for the national certification of Master Knitter in Handknits is… to write a pattern that the applicant designed themselves. While knitting knowledge is a requirement for this, so is writing. There are a host of other fields for which this is a requirement, from auto mechanics to physics.
11. It’s a marketable skill. You can use it in all sorts of industries, whether it’s for writing letters and such or using them as a copy editor or content provider. Technical writing, for example, is a lucrative profession. While it requires writing skills, it also requires expertise in the specific industry for which you’re writing.
12. You can tutor others. High school students and college students are notoriously weak in the area of writings skills, and there are a growing number of immigrants who need assistance with written English. If you want to pick up some money on the side and help others doing it, this can be a rewarding sideline.
13. You can share your love of writing with others! Group blogs, writing groups, online forums, and a whole host of other avenues for writing are available to you – all under the radar of the traditional publishing world. By that, I mean you don’t have to be a professional freelancer to write and get exposure. Plus, if you follow this route, you will eventually gain the skills necessary to get published professionally – and then, you can remember all of us “wannabe’s” and tell MORE stories of “When I was a newbie writer, I…”
Happy TT!
1. Julia Cameron, in her seminal work The Artist’s Way discusses the concept of Morning Pages. This is three pages of longhand writing daily. They act in subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) ways to align us with our own creativity and with our own awareness. While difficult to describe, even the evidence of a week can show their power.
2. Writing is a way of grounding. Something about kinesthetically running the pen across the page is therapeutic (I speak here of literal writing, and not just keyboarding).
3. Which is ironic, actually, since I’m typing this list. Which leads me to the next idea, that any writing is good, regardless of the method of doing it. I personally think that it counts even if it’s spoken into a voice recognition software (the one I recommend is Dragon Naturally Speaking ).
4. Storytelling is our birthright as humans. Even if we tell stories verbally, which many good storytellers do, writing them down is a way of preserving them and interacting with them that leads to insight and better acquaintance with repeating issues.
5. Memoir is valuable. I’ve spoken with many people over the years who lament the passing of elders who left this plane without their stories being preserved. Even the vaunted Smithsonian Institution is acting to halt this loss of our cultural heritage with folklore preservation efforts, but more can be done at the grassroots level by ordinary people like you and me.
6. Writing is becoming more and more critical in today’s economy, and only will continue to rise in prominence. Regardless of your opinion about the internet, it’s not going away. While it is a tool of the developed and wealthy world right now, more and more inroads are made every day to bring connectivity to the masses all over the globe, from Africa to Iceland, and Fiji to Indonesia. Facility with written communications, emails, web pages, and whatever the next generation of communication tools will be is critical to professional and interpersonal success. Srsly.
7. Writing is fun. The grammar method of teaching writing is broken, as you’ve probably heard me rant before in these pages if you’ve been reading for a while. If you haven’t, then I’ll simply say, the grammar method of teaching writing is stupid. It isn’t how the human organism communicates, and it stifles creativity. Creativity is messy, like children with finger paints. Rather than be afraid of it, we can embrace it and harness its raw power.
8. Grammar and spelling are even more important now than ever before, despite the proliferation of text-speak and lol-cat language. Why? English, for good or ill, has become the global language of the internet. While there are signs that other languages have gained prominence (German and Chinese, among others), English is still the way that businesses conduct international business and how a very large chunk of the reading population reads – even if it’s in translation. In order to effectively communicate, we need a common language – and simply saying “English” isn’t enough. Grammar is there for a reason, and as much as I dislike saying this, it has importance. It allows people to communicate in a common tongue – which anyone reading the story of the Tower of Babel can see is of a benefit to society.
9. Even non-writers need to write to share their art. Knitters, for example, are voracious consumers of knitting patterns, knitting profiles and interviews, history, design concepts, and all sorts of things. In fact, Nancy Bush made headlines in the writing industry because her last book signing drew 350 patrons – completely unexpected by the publisher (but totally understandable to those of us who are fiber geeks – it’s Nancy Bush, for Heaven’s sake!!).
10. One of the requirements for the national certification of Master Knitter in Handknits is… to write a pattern that the applicant designed themselves. While knitting knowledge is a requirement for this, so is writing. There are a host of other fields for which this is a requirement, from auto mechanics to physics.
11. It’s a marketable skill. You can use it in all sorts of industries, whether it’s for writing letters and such or using them as a copy editor or content provider. Technical writing, for example, is a lucrative profession. While it requires writing skills, it also requires expertise in the specific industry for which you’re writing.
12. You can tutor others. High school students and college students are notoriously weak in the area of writings skills, and there are a growing number of immigrants who need assistance with written English. If you want to pick up some money on the side and help others doing it, this can be a rewarding sideline.
13. You can share your love of writing with others! Group blogs, writing groups, online forums, and a whole host of other avenues for writing are available to you – all under the radar of the traditional publishing world. By that, I mean you don’t have to be a professional freelancer to write and get exposure. Plus, if you follow this route, you will eventually gain the skills necessary to get published professionally – and then, you can remember all of us “wannabe’s” and tell MORE stories of “When I was a newbie writer, I…”
Happy TT!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Power of Plurality: The Many In Support of the One
I blogged on the power of people over at the Writer's Retreat Group Blog today. I hope you visit!
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