Agh! I cannot believe October is almost over! Where did it go and how did it get there so quickly?!
(They say time speeding up is a sign of getting old... should I be worried?)
Well, since October is nearly over, I suppose it's time for news and updates.
First on the list: I'm being featured as a guest blogger over at Stories in the Mind, the blog of my dear friend and fellow writer Pure Grace. She's an amazing writer, and I'm honored by the opportunity to be a guest blogger there. So hop on over and check it out. I talk about the weirdness we writers all share/suffer from, and even share a few of my own embarrassing and humorous writer moments. I'm sure Pure Grace would love it if you all stopped by and shared your own writer moments with us. ; )
Second: While I am no fan of Halloween, I have accepted a challenge issued by Gillian Adams over at Of Battles, Dragons, and Swords of Adamant to enter the Character Costume Challenge. The challenge is just what its names implies: writers dress like a character from one of your stories; readers, dress like a favorite fictional character. Then take a picture of yourself in costume and post it on your blog on October 31st. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to participate and/or spread the word. Click Here to read the full details in Gillian's post.
I'll actually be dressing and posting pictures as two of my characters - one from my current novel in progress, Empathia's Hope, and one from the NaNoWriMo project I'm about to begin, The Sword Masters of St. George's Academy, so look for those pictures tomorrow!
Speaking of NaNoWriMo brings me to announcement number 3: NaNoWriMo is about to begin!!! As I'm sure you've gathered already, I'll be participating yet again this year. This is my third year to undertake what is probably the most insane event known to man (next to the running of the bulls), and I'm very excited. The last two years I've written fantasy stories; this year I'm turning to Steampunk for a high dose of fictional epicness! Swords, conspiracy, intrigue, action, and more swords, all coated with a thick layer of awesome steampunk style. Just as I've done the last two years, I'll be journaling my progress here at the Lair for those of you interested in following it. But of course, if you're participating in NaNo as well and would like to be my writing buddy, just look me up at my NaNo Profile. I look forward to seeing you there!
Well, I think that's all the announcements for now, so I'm off! Between Character Costume Challenge tomorrow, and NaNo beginning the day after tomorrow, I've got a lot to do! : )
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
October 30, 2012
October 23, 2012
My Trip - and Exciting News!
Yes, I'm finally getting around to posting about my trip last week. (So sorry it's taken me so long to get around to it!) Since I didn't give a whole lot of detail before hand, here's the long and short of it:
Grace Bridges - the owner of Splashdown Books, mastermind behind the Avenir Eclectia project, and author and editor extraordinaire - has made the trip from New Zealand to spend the fall traveling the U.S. She was staying in Illinois for a few days, so I got to go up and meet her!
Mom and I started out early Wednesday morning, armed with written directions as well as a borrowed GPS. We had studied our route on Google Maps the night before, and were under the impression that it would take us safely around the outside edge of St. Louis, avoiding the traffic and confusion of the city itself. As they say, ignorance in bliss.
We ended up right in the middle of downtown St. Louis. (This picture was taken before we actually got all the way downtown. By the time we were there Mom and I were both too preoccupied to think about taking pictures.) Where I come from we thought we were elaborate when we got a diverging diamond interchange. So needless to say, staring up at ten different flyover ramps and trying to choose from among the twelve lanes below them, Mom and I were a bit overwhelmed. But we eventually made it through without so much as a single tear shed, so we were pretty proud of ourselves.
Once we made it to Illinois, the fun really started! Deborah Cullins-Smith, one of the authors of the Avenir Eclectia project, graciously opened her home to me, Grace Bridges, and Kaye Jeffreys (another Avenir Eclectia author), enabling us to not only make history by getting four AE authors together in one place for the first time ever, but also to enjoy a fabulous AE girls' day!
There we are! That's Deborah Cullins-Smith in the back on the left, Kaye Jeffreys to the right of her, me, and Grace Bridges in front. And of course, a glossy, brand-new copy of Avenir Eclectia Volume 1 in the middle!
It was such a fabulous day. Just getting to meet some of the people whose stories I've been reading and enjoying for so long was awesome. Getting to meet Grace, the reason we even have Avenir Eclectia, was amazing. Getting to autograph my first book was so exciting!
Getting to talk to people who didn't look at me like I was nuts when I said something about giant bugs or telepathic sea creatures, people who didn't need me to explain what ash lung is, who already know where the cities of Zirconia and Adagio are in relation to each other, was so much fun - a writer's dream come true! We did so much talking, so much brainstorming, so much dreaming and creating. Like Rush Limbaugh says: 'Having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have.'
The day ended too quickly, and Mom and I headed out early in hopes of avoiding a storm that was moving across Missouri. We didn't succeed.
We had to pull off the interstate and buckle down in a parking lot for half an hour or so, while some pretty heavy rains, winds, and small hail blew over. It looked for a few minutes like we might get a tornado, but fortunately we didn't. Once it blew over and it was safe to drive again, we got back on the road and made it home without further incident.
My first 'business trip' as a writer - and it was awesome!
Exciting news for the here and now, too: my copies of Avenir Eclectia Volume 1 arrived this morning! I think I can safely say that I have never before felt the urge to hug the mailman, but I sure felt like it today!
I've already got my copy on my bookshelf, I've signed my family's copy (which is sitting on the dining room table for all to see), and I'm pretty sure that every one of the six others that I ordered are already spoken for. I'll have to order more soon! Woo-hoo!
I'm going to be interviewing some of the other authors from the project over the next few days, possibly even giving away a copy, so be sure to stick around! We're going to be having a lot of fun with this, and I'm so, so happy that God has brought me to this point in my writing journey. He's given me so many opportunities, opened so many doors, and blessed me so richly, and I am absolutely loving it!
Grace Bridges - the owner of Splashdown Books, mastermind behind the Avenir Eclectia project, and author and editor extraordinaire - has made the trip from New Zealand to spend the fall traveling the U.S. She was staying in Illinois for a few days, so I got to go up and meet her!
Mom and I started out early Wednesday morning, armed with written directions as well as a borrowed GPS. We had studied our route on Google Maps the night before, and were under the impression that it would take us safely around the outside edge of St. Louis, avoiding the traffic and confusion of the city itself. As they say, ignorance in bliss.
Once we made it to Illinois, the fun really started! Deborah Cullins-Smith, one of the authors of the Avenir Eclectia project, graciously opened her home to me, Grace Bridges, and Kaye Jeffreys (another Avenir Eclectia author), enabling us to not only make history by getting four AE authors together in one place for the first time ever, but also to enjoy a fabulous AE girls' day!
It was such a fabulous day. Just getting to meet some of the people whose stories I've been reading and enjoying for so long was awesome. Getting to meet Grace, the reason we even have Avenir Eclectia, was amazing. Getting to autograph my first book was so exciting!
Getting to talk to people who didn't look at me like I was nuts when I said something about giant bugs or telepathic sea creatures, people who didn't need me to explain what ash lung is, who already know where the cities of Zirconia and Adagio are in relation to each other, was so much fun - a writer's dream come true! We did so much talking, so much brainstorming, so much dreaming and creating. Like Rush Limbaugh says: 'Having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have.'
The day ended too quickly, and Mom and I headed out early in hopes of avoiding a storm that was moving across Missouri. We didn't succeed.
My first 'business trip' as a writer - and it was awesome!
Exciting news for the here and now, too: my copies of Avenir Eclectia Volume 1 arrived this morning! I think I can safely say that I have never before felt the urge to hug the mailman, but I sure felt like it today!
I'm going to be interviewing some of the other authors from the project over the next few days, possibly even giving away a copy, so be sure to stick around! We're going to be having a lot of fun with this, and I'm so, so happy that God has brought me to this point in my writing journey. He's given me so many opportunities, opened so many doors, and blessed me so richly, and I am absolutely loving it!
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