New Work Now Live

I'm happy to tell you the collection that includes my latest published piece, "Our Conversation in the Garden" is now live on Amazon.





I will tell you something funny about this particular piece. I submitted a few poems for this, and I find it very interesting that for a collection of Midwestern writing, they chose the poem that (at least in my brain) takes place in the L.A. area--Beverly Hills, if you want specifics. I guess it's a nice juxtaposition that makes the work stand out that much more.

No matter what or how or who or where, I hope you enjoy it.

NaNoWriMo 2015: DAY 3

I love how much I hate my characters.

(This sentence made sense in my head.)

What I mean is that my characters are deeply, deeply flawed. They are the type of people that if I had to meet them in real life, I'd be pleasant to their faces (that's just my Midwestern way), but I would definitely wonder what the hell was wrong with them. I'm not even through introducing all six of them yet and they are so scattered, disillusioned, defeatist and more that it's exciting to keep writing. Although I have an outline, I'm really not sure where these characters are going next.

I do know that even though they are broken now, they all have room to grow--if I let them. *evil cackling*

Let's Write the Winter Blues Away

The sun was out today, but it's like eight degrees outside and we're all still surrounded by snow. I want out. Not just out of the Midwest, but out of winter. I'm done with it. I will gladly trade in my snow boots for spring dresses and my winter hat for... well, anything else not winter related. 

Enough complaining though. Compared to the Big Picture, I'm still immensely grateful for everything else. Even on the days I feel totally lost, I can still spend my day writing. The one-year anniversary (I'm deeming it a publish-aversary from now on) for Unfolding Life is coming up and I've been working on a series of posts about that for next month. I seriously can't believe it's getting close to being a year since I first embarked on that journey. Crazy, crazy times.

Even with all this work I managed to get that grant application in on time. I've got my fingers crossed until the recipient is announced in April. And there's no slowing down either--a lot of literary journals have their submission periods closing this week, so I'm getting everything organized to send out tonight and tomorrow. I don't care how much I tell myself at the end of the every night that all this unpaid and unappreciated work isn't worth it. I still wake up each morning believing that it is, and that's all that counts.

What are you working on this week?

Snow, Anyone?

It's snowing a little today. Not much, but noticeable. Winter is surely here in the Midwest. Unfortunately, dull days lead to a little lethargy in this household. Usually I'm fast at work on Monday mornings, but I'm working a little slower today. Nanowrimo is still on my mind, though I haven't written a word for it since Day 2. I may be able to get back into the groove, but don' hold your breath. My to-do list is a mile long and it just keeps getting longer. Speaking of to-do lists, I better get back to checking tasks off.

I'm itching to get out of the Midwest. I can't stand being here anymore. This is the one time that I wish I has finished school in four years. It's true that I only have a semester left, but I don't think it will be an enjoyable experience. The last four years haven't really been. Well, like everything, college has had its moments. I'm just stuck at the place in my life where everyone seems to be going to somewhere, or they are completely content to stay where they are. I'm in the middle of the spectrum. I want to get out of here, but I don't know how. I thought about teaching English in Japan. I thought about moving to LA just to see if anything could happen. I've even contemplated doing the same, only in Chicago or New York. There are no real promises of a great career anywhere I go. I just want to be able to find a job--any job--when I get to a new place.

I have high hopes and magnificent dreams, but they are far away from my grasp at the moment. It's because I want an easy break into whatever I decide I want to do. And that's not going to happen unless you know someone who knows someone. And I don't think I do.

But I'm trying to make steady progress. I submitted two flash fictions to various journals yesterday. I'm not hopeful, but at least I'll get a few more rejection letters to add to the pile. Then if I get enough, maybe I'll stop screwing around and finish a novel. Doubtful though--I'm easily distracted by pretty faces.