Welp! As the year draws to a close I cannot help but think about the crazy year I’ve had. A whole bunch of things happened this year – stuff I will not be going into detail about because it’s still a very fresh cut and it doesn’t need talking about – but my friends have always been there for me.

As much as I wanted to avoid the little speech thing (like the celebrities do at the Oscars) I do want to just give a little shout out to the many people who supported me, who stood by me, who made me laugh, who told me it was okay to cry, who believed in me, and who – most of all – let me be just a little bit insane for a while to get it out of my system! You will never know just exactly how much you mean to me because I cannot put tears, smiles, laughter, happiness, that-much-greatness, down into words! I just hope you can see a glimpse of my gratitude!

Moving swiftly on, after I have undoubtedly embarrassed myself! I haven’t done much in the way of getting published lately. I’ve been mostly caught up in running back and forth from work, while trying to study a few things (Buddhism, mostly. Hey! You wanted to know!) Along with trying to survive against the waves of drama at home. I do intend to pick up the attempts again in the New Year and I will keep you updated. (On that matter alone: sorry about the lack of updates recently!)

Hmm – other news? I will be visiting family during January and maybe February depending on who is willing to put up with me! Hoping to touch base with a lot of people/family – even if it is only for a day or weekend. (I think getting in touch with family right now would be a good thing ... especially since I haven’t seen most of them for more than three years!)

Still nothing on the job-front but to be honest I haven’t been looking very hard either. Clinton Cards didn’t offer me a job but I didn’t exactly expect them to do so either! I do miss that place, even if it was a little volatile towards the end. I know they will be contacting me again if anything comes up. I live quite close-by if they have any staff ill or need a quick hand for a day.

For Christmas I got a bunch of very whacky things – which was pretty awesome! It included a notepad, mugs with Henry the Hoover on, a new bag, chocolate, and three incense burners (damn they must think I’m a hippy! Although I do love the elephant one!) It was a pretty good Christmas, actually, albeit it very different from the past few years. I had a Quorn chicken roast (fake-meat for the win) which tasted more like turkey and was great with cranberry sauce. There was a different feast for three consecutive days. I was hella impressed by the cooking and patience!  My roast lasted the three days while everybody else ate the meat. I also got a good share of sprouts, cauliflower cheese, peas, gravy, roasted spuds ... and most of all: warmed mince pies with oodles of custard and a dollop of ice-cream. Needless to say: I no longer care about my waist-line!

New Years will be spent up at the Cittaviveka – a second and third visit for me. I’m pretty excited and hope all of my plans work out! Mum is driving me there, and picking me up the next day, and I am staying with a friend overnight (THANK YOU!) It’s a lot of logistics and things that can go wrong ... and I will definitely owe the people helping me to make it happen. The Monks at the Monastery have a special Dharma talk, meditation, chanting, all sorts going on. They even have a Lay-following thing on New Years day: a retaking of the precepts ... stuff like: no killing, lying, and no sexual misconduct (wikilink: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Precepts). I’m looking forward to watching and participating. The energy at Cittaviveka is just amazing and healing.

Ponder ... do I have anything else to tell you about? I will definitely tell you all about the New Years up at the Buddhist Monastery once it’s all over!

Oh! I finally finished the Dr Seuss story for the AWritersRecluse monthly Flash Assignment. I was really happy with the final product. It was rather daft really. I spend ages investigating how Dr Seuss did what Dr Seuss does ... the meters and the rhymes and I even rented “Green Eggs and Ham” from the library ... but eventually it all came down to one night and a sudden moment of genius thinking. I just sat down and started writing a rather simple story, two lines, rhyming couplets, with no amazing meter, and it worked pretty well. See for yourself here: http://awritersrecluse.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=mpa&thread=3481&page=1#275359 . I was happy with the final outcome, even if it isn’t quite what I was aiming for! I definitely think Jordoom has won this time. He managed to include religion with his story and it is very quirky!  We shall have to wait until the judges weigh-in. I will let you know how well it fares.

I bid you a goodnight and a good New Years celebration, dedicated blog followers. I hope the New Year brings you a lot of joy and happiness, maybe some financial gain, awesome changes in your life, or perhaps a new lover. I have no idea what it has in store for me but I shall definitely find out! With no direction to head in, I think sitting still is the best option, before running heedlessly after something stupid ... but then, any direction could also be applicable!

Much love, to all of you! x

My goodness, it has been a while! I did not expect the part time job to turn into something of a monster. It is all good, of course. Extra money and it does get me out of the house and I do love making a customers day (albeit in an obnoxious, loud, innuendo-packed way!) ... but OUCH do my feet hurt and my shoulder. I’ve been working all the hours I possibly can. I haven’t had a proper day off since I did my Christmas shopping (check Blog for when that was) and the days off I was supposed to have were cut short by working calling me in because they were over-run or co-workers didn’t turn up. So, yup, ouch!

I do sincerely apologise to any followers I may have or anybody that was half-heartedly following my waffling. Much love to you guys. I do hope you are all ready for Christmas!

As far as publishing news goes ... Not heard anything back about “Hugbugs.” As far as I know it is still in the folder, awaiting the spring edition magazine thingy. It still could be cancelled but no news its good news! Remaining hopeful. I also heard back from Vestal Review about “Bus-route Rain” and it was rejected. Wondering if I will ever find a home for the mega-short flash fictions I do ... which will probably be a self-published venture (which I am still considering, by the way!)

No idea what I am doing for Christmas. I haven’t even picked up a vegetarian alternative to turkey yet. The family has a massive bird in. I was thinking I might actually miss it the other day. I may be a vegetarian and I do not like the idea of killing things to survive ... but turkey and cranberry sandwiches on Boxing Day are pretty hard to beat. A friend told me about some kind of nut-loaf. Tomorrow during my hour lunch (which I usually spend putting my feet up because they are pounding/throbbing/abouttojumpoffmyanklesandrunforthehills) I might pop over to the supermarket and investigate. It’ll be one of the last chances before everything closes down.

I’ve got two more days left on my contract with the card shop. It is a bitter-sweet pill to take. My feet would appreciate not being murdered daily and there are a lot of difficulties with the staff there ... but on the other hand, I’ve really been able to stretch my customer services skills and most of the customers have been really nice! There is something really touching when you get to lead an old lady around the shop and help her choose cards for her grandchildren, or when you make somebody laugh, or chatting up the older granddad’s (Sir, you do not look a day over 21! If I was not working right now ... *wink*)

I really am a quite disturbing person, really. Reading that sentence out loud to myself. I really have been a bit innuendo packed at work. There have been several inappropriate ways I have asked a question or offered a card/teddy deal. I also seem to turn into a female “Del Boy” every time I offer a deal, which is mildly worrying.

Finished “Under The Dome” in the week that I had to read it. I would totally recommend it to absolutely everybody. There was only one let down in the entire book (two, if you really want to nit-pick but then it was true to character – what went down) and that was the explanation for the dome. I really wish King could have given a better, and more plausible, ending ... but then, the Dome wasn’t actually the focus. The focus was the people and how they reacted and what they did. It is like the judging of Zovo and my “Jill” stories: we didn’t give information on the diseases/plague because it was not the focus of the story. The focus was the human emotions and what Jill was seeing and feeling. So, yup. On the whole, I definitely enjoyed this book. I certainly fell in love with a lot of the characters. It has a bit of everything: cunning, planning, crimes, horror, love, and uncertainty ... just EVERYTHING!

Also read “American Gods” ... finally. Got to say this is also an amazing book! You would think there was too much foreshadowing (when you find out) but there really wasn’t! I never suspected once what was really going on, even though there were really huge pointers, in bright neon lights! The sexy scenes were well done (read with the view of my Alonzo – which I really need to pick up again), the deaths were not gory or over-exposed, and the confusion was rife! I loved all of the sneaky Gods slipped in there – some I knew, others I didn’t. The fact gathering mission that Gaiman went through must have been quite incredible. He earns another “Kudos!” from me. I have to admit that I am reading it again ... just so I can see what actually happened, now that I know the ending. I think it will be just as enjoyable the second time around.

On a bit of a King trip, honestly. I’ve also rented “Skeleton Crew” from the library. I read all of his short stories a while ago (teens?) and fancied a stroll down memory lane. Not read much of it lately but it is on the desk next to my laptop and it accompanies me to work most days for my break filler.

Haven’t made much progress with the two stories I am doing for this month’s challenges over at AWR. The short story has a draft being hashed together, although I expect it will be a while until the draft is finished and it might be hella long! The Seuss flash/poetry thing ... is going for a MAJOR rework. I do not like the original idea any more, or the second idea. I’m thinking the third idea might be the best yet, it’s just whether I can work it out. It won’t be using the anapaestic tetrameter any more. It’ll be something more like “Green Eggs and Ham” ... but “shoooosh, don’t tell anybody over at AWR about my plan!”

Much love. No idea what I will do once my contract runs out at the card place. I have no other jobs lined up and no plans to go anywhere else – although I will be visiting Cittaviveka again. We shall see.

Good news, folks. I think!

Hugbugs was accepted ... in a roundabout way. I received an e-mail this morning from one of their contacts asking to hold on to it until the next issue of the magazine, which is June 2011. My story is the first in their folder ... which I suppose could be a good and a bad thing, really. Good in that it made it to the folder of stories and articles intended to be used in the magazine; bad because it has to survive against all the incoming stories before June 2011.

In truth, there could be a bunch of stories that come in that are better than Hugbugs. If a bunch of better stories do come in then Hugbugs will probably get tossed out. It could happen. I know it’s a rather dark view of the matter in hand. Truthfully, I opened the e-mail expecting it to be a rejection because that is how you need to be! If you get your hopes up every time your heart will just disintegrate after a very short time. I knew that Hugbugs was over the word-count they wanted as well. It was definitely a nice surprise!

Now I’m not sure whether I need to celebrate or hold my breath. I’m thinking hold my breath. Still, it is definitely progress.

More good news: I have now sold more teddy bears than anybody else at my Temp place. I’ve also just finished doing my Christmas shopping. Got a couple of really cool things and spent a mini-fortune on my little sister. She didn’t want anything but I know she was just saying that because she doesn’t want me spending any money on her. I would totally tell you what I got for her but I’m not entirely sure if she reads this blog or not.

Oh, I also got some really funky Christmas wrapping paper. I don’t like stuff that advertises Christmas (I’m funky like that) instead this has a bunch of cartoon shiny turkeys. It made me grin when I saw it and I just had to have it.

Festive hugs! x 

 

Good morning, folks! We have another guest interview for you today: Sensar, the mighty poet! I was just so impressed with his Sestina (formal poem) that I had to grab it for my readers. (Separate blog-post below this one just to keep things tidy!)

There isn’t really that much I can update you on personally. Hugbugs finally got rejected. It hurt a great deal but I think that was because of outside stressful factors being involved. Never mind though! It made it further than before so that is a good sign and one editor did like it. Need to go through a whole lot more rejection in order to get my stories out there too; so there is no point in getting all hurt about it.

Not going to let it stop me (the Delaney bouncebackability has been activated).

I sent Hugbugs out to a new publisher – which I will call Fang. They’re another Young Adult e-zine website. I am determined to find a home for Hugbugs. It really is a good story ... even if the ending is a little “guessable” but honestly I wanted it to be like that because it aids the story with creepiness. (It is basically a “CreepyPasta” for kids. The idea is creepy!)

I also sent out a new story to be published. I cleaned up “The Morning Coffee” and sent it to Blink. They prefer the really short stuff at only 50-words. The Morning Coffee is a little over that with 59-words but I think they don’t mind it being slightly over. It’s another -thinker’s- Flash. It makes you pause and think. It’s also a nice snapshot into a morning – which their website says they like snapshots. Well, I like it at any rate. (If that one comes back as rejected I might send them “The Wish” which is over at Flash Fiction Forums getting work-shopped, thank you XyZy and Locke!)

Bus-Route Rain is still with Vestal. They take a while to reply back usually. Last time about 3 months, so I’m not bothered currently. It is there and I am not thinking about it. They’re a pretty professional site so I expected the reply to take a longer time.

The new job is going very well! Turns out I have a knack for selling the promotional teddies. I found out the staff have a running competition on who can flog the most teddies, so now it is a personal goal of mine to sell as many as possible. I’m already beating some of the full-time permanent staff having sold 4. I’m just too competitive for my own good!

Hmm, anything else to mention? Oh, this morning I think I found the story I am going to write for this month’s Flash Fiction assignment over at A Writer’s Recluse. The topic is “Dr Seuss” and I’ve definitely had a little twitch of inspiration. I think it will need a lot of work though ... so watch this space! The Short Story assignment will be interesting too. I won’t say anything on this one because I will spoil the ending!

The snow’s gone, by the way. It rained ... well, when I say it rained, I mean that it came down in buckets! I’m also making awesome progress on “Under The Dome” which needs to be returned this Wednesday. I should have it finished by then and will probably try and pick up a book some friends recommended. (Damn you King for doing what I didn’t want you to do with one of the characters!)

Stay safe, folks! Love x

 

 

 

SHOWCASED: SENSAR

a sestina


I wonder if I will forget:
And if I will never remember:
These memories:
Once written,
Now put away and done,
Do they die?

I hope they don’t die,
But I can still forget
What has been done.
So where go those things I can’t remember?
Once written,
No longer in my memories.

And if the memories
Die:
Is what is written,
Or what I forget,
Or remember
By pure chance done?

What I’ve done,
I am these memories -
What I remember.
So I die
When: I forget
What was once written.

So as if in pencil it is written,
It can be done
Away with, erased to forget
Memories
They die.
I wish I could remember.

Can I remember:
The first word of mine written,
And when it will die.
Words are done:
Leaving recorded memories
So I won’t forget.

Do my memories die? I can’t really remember:
I admit to forget: what was just written.
But when it’s done, I can look upon my memories.

© Sensar

Name(s)?
Well, I don’t love revealing out my personal info on the web, but part of my name is James (you can fun guessing which part).

Age?
Same as above, I am still a student … and daringly single, ladies!

Location?
Los Angeles, California. But not for long, if I have it my way.

Favourite feature about you?
Probably how I manage to entertain myself. From inner monologues that vary amongst hundreds of different topics (including my various inner monologues), to all the weird faces and gestures I make. Sadly, no one else seems to notice. I am still convinced it’s hilarious, though. IT IS.

Favourite colour?
Blue-grey. The colour of a cloudy sky. It’s not depressing, just calming.

Favourite food?
Oh, such a very hard question for me. For years I have preferred the Japanese style of preparing meats and soups. However, my taste have turned increasingly Italian. No doubt my mother’s side of the family is becoming more and more predominant in my palate.

Favourite music?
Classical, mostly piano based (musician’s bias, no doubt). Rachmaninov is by far my favourite classical composer, followed by Chopin and Debussy. However, my taste also delves deeply into the realm of Sondheim and his works: utter and complete genius, don’t let the sentient trees and psychotic gingers fool you. I listen to his musicals all the time, along with Classical. Listening to Assassins right now, as it turns out.

When writing – What is your preferred genre/style?
I have always felt comfortable in the realm of the fantastical: it’s the genre I grew up in. But increasingly my dominant genre is poetic and theatrical. I’m about to work on a one act, as it turns out. Segments of it may be available on A Writer’s Recluse (that’s the internet version of a shameless plug, isn’t it?)

What are you really proud of so far in your writing career?
I am genuinely proud of some of the poetic work I’ve turned out so far – the sestina is one of them. I also felt I’ve grown, and for that alone I am proud. I would hate to stagnate in my creative process.

Who is your biggest inspiration/muse?
Who? Hard to say who at this juncture. But, I’ve always drawn from writers I’ve loved: Tolkein, Jordan, Martin, Stroud, (and for poetry) Shakespeare, and Pound. Rather, I’d say: what is my inspiration? For that, it would be music and theatre. The compacted emotions and revelling in action (see: Aristotle’s Poetics) has had a deep and profound impact on my as writer (not considering the fact I act and play piano).

Tell us about the piece you have selected to “Showcase”?
‘a sestina’ was one of my adventures into a form I am not familiar with. I’m quite happy with the result. With such a complex form, I wanted to see how I could use to my advantage, since I usually write in more abstract forms. All the examples I saw (which was only about four, to be honest) had full sentences for each stanza. I wanted to avoid that: it would not turn out well. The recitation of the same words made the subject of forgetting ironic for me, and I enjoyed playing with it. By the way, if anyone feels it morose, don’t worry. The last sentence, to me, is what writing is all about – and that’s a good thing. Like music, like theatre: how do you capture an emotion? Sometimes it’s all in a moment. And moments fade faster than memories. But writing is one of the best ways to capture the moment.


Sensar’s other poems:  http://awritersrecluse.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=s&action=display&thread=2303

Sorry for not really updating in a while. Life got a little hectic but I think it is settling again. During this time, and without escape, I did manage to read a lot of “Under The Dome” by Stephen King. I seriously cannot put this book down. Right now, even as I am writing this, I want to pick it up again and divulge another hour in his World. So let me tell you my basic thoughts:

*WARNING: There may be spoilers ahead! I’ll try my best to keep them out of here!*

First off, the plot starts as a very basic one but boy does it get complicated! I’m not even half way through the book and already there are several plot-lines running and each of them addictive. Stephen King also leaves enough time between these arcs to really build up the suspense but not enough for you to have forgotten what happened, (which is usually what happens when there are several plot-lines on the go with so many characters).

The beginning of the book is just beautiful. There are no words to explain it! Stephen King keeps the reader fully engaged and hooked through each blow-by-blow moment ... and wow are they some pretty crazy blows!

The novel starts by following personal accounts of the events. The first real five minutes of his World span over around 5-8k words and it really doesn’t feel like it. The imagery and detail he uses to describe everything is so specific and vivid. Be warned: you are in for a lot of blood. I am not kidding, but then what do we expect from King?

The real clinch about this story is that it is about real people. There are no “Mary-Sues” or types that you would never find in real life. These are everyday people, for realz, in an extraordinary situation. It’s like a massive social experiment and you, as the reader, are God watching over all of them. Every new chapter follows a different point of view. You get everybody’s thoughts and can really get inside the characters heads – whether you want to or not. There are some really nasty types in this book but there will also be some that you will love.

I cannot deny that I am really attached to a few of the folks in the book. I will probably cry if something bad happens to them! Seriously, King, please do not kill her/him/them! (Trying to avoid spoilers here for you folks!)

Only grumble I have, which is a very tiny one, is about his repetition about certain phrases. “Cotton-picking-XYZ” being one of them and there are others. I appreciate that some people do actually talk like that in places of the USA, and the vileness of the saying, but several people have used it and a little too much for my tastes. Others might disagree. A variety wouldn’t hurt here.

Oh, and major kudos on the more horrific topics. Stephen King gave enough for the reader to fill in the blanks – rather horribly – but it was not excessive. It’s still an adult book. I would never give this to a younger person to read but he avoided making it needlessly “yucky” or violent. It aided the plot-line rather than just being a reason to spread author imagination/creativity. (I did wonder just exactly how much blood a broken nose could provide but then that is just being pedantic!)

All in all, I would recommend this book to any of my writer friends one million times over ... and I haven’t even finished reading it yet! (Full review to come once I've finished the book. Promise.)

Not really got much else to say! The snow is still falling, by the way. I’ve heard it’s supposed to stop tomorrow but I highly doubt that. I’ll see if I can get another picture up sometime tomorrow if it is still floating down from the heavy clouds! I’m still trying to tackle that cold out of my body too but it seems quite happy to be sitting in the back of my throat – threatening to lunge forth.

I guess staying in the warm indoors with a heavy book and hot drinks isn’t so bad! *Wanders off to read more “Under The Dome”*

 

 

 

Woke up to snow again and this time it is settling on the ground. So instead of my normal waffling on about all sorts I'm just going to give you a bunch of photos!

Enjoy! Love   :]

This is the back garden. You can clearly see the snow is settling but it isn't yet thick enough to really make a good snowman (sorry!)

At the far back of the picture is the family dog. She's a Labradoodle and insanely fluffy! Do not wear black around her. The other bigger dog is Buddy. I'm not sure what breed he is.

This is an area in Littlehampton called "Lobswood." I believe it has something to do with the Anglo-Saxon site that established Littlehampton but I'm honestly not sure. It is a beautiful little wood! The snow is barely resting on the branches. I love this little haven.

A wild Jenny appears!

Considering I took this with my phone and my hand was shaking ... it's not a bad picture! Haha. I was so happy and felt incredibly stupid standing on the beach while it was snowing. I did indeed play with my footprints again and I tried to make a snowball but the snow is too soft and fine.

Yes, that is a Jack Skellington beanie-hat! I got it from Disney land a few years back. So brilliant for keeping warm.

So it really is beautiful out ... but there is a slight problem! All it takes is one snowflake on the tracks of the railway for everything to seize up and stop running. Winter can be painful here because the trains are so unreliable when it comes to bad weather.

Right now there are a whole bunch of snowflakes on the lines and I've heard a rumour that there are no trains running between Worthing and Brighton. The NaNoWriMo TGIO party is tonight and the train is my only option ... the line that runs through Worthing to Brighton. There is no other way for me and I believe everybody is busy tonight. So I might have to miss out on the party this year.

Oh well! At least its beautiful and I do have that jumbo book to keep me company!