So I have been thinking about this week and how much Tuesday has thrown off my schedule. My daughter was definitely more important and I have spent as much time as I could with her for her sweet 16th. So I also kinda missed my Monday poetry by telling y’all about my family.
A conversation with a friend of mine, another author, got my mind going. There are a few women poets who have been a big influence in my life. They helped me to survive and become me. So I am going to, until I cover each of them, share information about these poets daily. Yes it is going to include the weekend. I am also going to do next week’s normal posts if I have not finished by then.
I am starting with a legend. Maya Angelou.
Picture from snopes.com
I feel like her voice when she finally found it was what every survivor needed. A good deal of her poetry is about being a better person, about growing into something more. She was a woman of her age, and a activist who was an example for her community. For women, for women of color, for survivors, for people who are struggling. She was all of this, and more. She used this to leave words to inspire that will continue to help those who read them.
Her writing has a very lyrical quality. You can feel the rhythm as it is read. For me, there are several of her poems that resonate. I chose the three that I love most to share here. Her autobiography is a very interesting read. She was someone worth reading.
Ok… There’s a saying… Something like everything old is new again. So I have been told on a few occasions that my ideas for stories were already done.
My response is always yes but it was not done by me. Original content doesn’t always have to be new ideas, some times it is a new look at an old idea.
Now, be aware, I am by no means suggesting plagurism… Write the story in your own words. Your voice is what will make it original.
The banana in the picture above is original… It’s different. But it is still a banana. Serena rewrote the story of Peter Pan. She put a horror twist on the story… Her novella The Death of Neverland is nothing like the original Peter Pan. It is a dark exploration of the worst of humanity. Did it start with an old idea? Yes, it certainly did. We pull from the fount of our experience… We create from what we know. The stories from our childhood reflect in the stories we tell. No two humans have the exact same well to draw from.
Fan fiction is an often disputed art form. The first idea was put into the world as accepted cannon… But then a fan saw the way to take it in a new direction. I personally have read some amazing stories on fan fiction boards. Does that invalidate the story? No, far from it. It merely means that the author found inspiration in something that someone else wrote.
Don’t let the ones who are contrary about your inspiration dissuade you from writing. The story you want to write is original… After all, you have not written it yet.
Well I had said that I was moving to the first Friday of each month with my prompts. If you want me to feature your response – art /poetry- email it to me patti.mouse@gmail.com
or if you want it featured on the Fae Corps blog send it to faecorpspublishing@gmail.com
So I have a set up for this blog… Mostly. Monday is poetry.. Either mine or discussion of others. Tuesday is Tuesday tunes. Wednesday is either webcomics Wednesday or wordless Wednesday… Or very rarely Wednesday whimsy. Thursday is either tea party or reviews. The first Friday will be monthly prompts. I am considering a monthly submissions call on the second week. (Where I scour through finding calls for submissions for you all) I have two Fridays (most months) that I am still not sure about. I am considering doing a service spotlight where I point attention to a person providing a service for writer’s (editors, illustrators, cover designers, etc). 2020 my word for the year is change. I am going to embrace change. That means I am looking to improve how I interact with the world around me, how I approach my writing.
That is incredbly scary. Courage is not the lack of fear, instead it is being afraid and doing it anyway. I am terrified of change. It brings more Chaos… But I am facing it anyway.
So, I challenge you. What is your word for 2020? What are you going to embrace, and change in your life? No, I am not speaking of new year’s resolutions… This is something that is meant to make you think about you and how you approach life.
Well, well, what have we here? Our last tea party for all of this year! Gracious, this year has been one filled with growth… And strange adventures. I certainly have many planned for 2020.
Faery Footprints, the next anthology from Fae Corps Publishing, is due to be released on January 6. I will have a link for the preorder by Monday.
The submissions deadline for Through the Sunshine, a light fae anthology by Fae Corps Publishing, is January 30. It will be released around June/July 2020.
Beauty’s Tears, having been set aside so I could do layout for Faery Footprints, is about to go into layout. I am planning a release around the first of February.
The illutrations for Dylan and the Pet Zombie are nearly done. Once they are completed, I will be doing layout for it and announcing that release date.
Serena is still working with Kingdoms of Sin and Life, Guilt, and Undeath. She is hoping to finish one if not both in 2020.
I am still working with Coffee House Writers. I have been accepted to attempt a place in their anthology. I also am planning to submit to a couple of others in the upcoming year.
I personally still have to finish Attack on Shoe Mountain, and of course the poetry volumes. There is so much writing that I have to finish. So I plan to be busy.
Of course I will be updating you as I know more! This year should be a busy one.
So… I have avoided seasonal songs because they are usually religion based…and it makes them likely to offend. The non religious songs… Well I was not feeling them. Until today. Sunday my daughter played a song that I had not thought of in a while – Weird Al – The Night Santa Went Crazy. I decided that it would be a good one for today… Then, yesterday a friend introduced me to another good option. Dar Williams The Christians and The Pagans. So I decided to do both.
Lyrics – The Night Santa Went Crazy Down in the workshop all the elves were making toys For the good Gentile girls and the good Gentile boys When the boss busted in, nearly scared ’em half to death Had a rifle in his hands and cheap whiskey on his breath From his beard to his boots he was covered with ammo Like a big fat drunk disgruntled Yuletide Rambo And he smiled as he said, with a twinkle in his eye, “Merry Christmas to all, now you’re all gonna die!” The night Santa went crazy The night St. Nick went insane Realized he’d been gettin’ the raw deal Something finally must have snapped in his brain Well, the workshop is gone now, he decided to bomb it Everywhere you’ll find pieces of Cupid and Comet And he tied up his helpers and he held the elves hostage And he ground up poor Rudolph into reindeer sausage He got Dancer and Prancer with an old German Luger And he slashed up Dasher just like Freddie Krueger And he picked up a flamethrower and he barbecued Blitzen And he took a big bite and said, “It tastes just like chicken!” The night Santa went crazy The night Kris Kringle went nuts Now you can hardly walk around the North Pole Without stepping in reindeer guts There’s the National Guard and the F. B. I. There’s a van from the Eyewitness News And helicopters circling around in the sky And the bullets are flying, the body count’s rising And everyone’s dyin’ to know, oh Santa, why? My my my my my my You used to be such a jolly guy Yes, Virginia, now Santa’s doing time In a federal prison for his infamous crime Hey, little friend, now don’t you cry no more tears He’ll be out with good behavior in seven hundred more years But now Vixen’s in therapy and Donner’s still nervous And the elves all got jobs working for the postal service And they say Mrs. Claus, she’s on the phone every night With her lawyer negotiating the movie rights They’re talkin’ ’bout The night Santa went crazy The night St. Nicholas flipped Broke his back for some milk and cookies Sounds to me like he was tired of getting gypped Wo-oh, the night Santa went crazy The night St. Nick went insane Realized he’d been gettin’ a raw deal Something finally must have snapped in his brain Wo-oh, something finally must have snapped in his brain Tell ya, something finally must have snapped, in his brain
The Christians and the Pagans Amber called her uncle, said “We’re up here for the holiday, Jane and I were having Solstice, now we need a place to stay.” And her Christ-loving uncle watched his wife hang Mary on a tree, He watched his son hang candy canes all made with Red Dye No. 3. He told his niece, “Its Christmas Eve, I know our life is not your style, “ She said, “Christmas is like Solstice, and we miss you and its been awhile.” So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table, Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able, And just before the meal was served, hands were held and prayers were said, Sending hope for peace on earth to all their gods and goddesses. The food was great, the tree plugged in, the meal had gone without a hitch, Till Timmy turned to Amber and said, “Is it true that you’re a wtich?” His mom jumped up and said, “The pies are burning, ” and she hit the kitchen, And it was Jane who spoke, she said, “It’s true, your cousin’s not a Christian, “ “But we love trees, we love the snow, the friends we have, the world we share, And you find magic from your God, and we find magic everywhere, “ So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table, Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able, And where does magic come from? I think magic’s in the learning, ‘Cause now when Christians sit with Pagans only pumpkin pies are burning. When Amber tried to do the dishes, her aunt said, “Really, no, don’t bother.” Amber’s uncle saw how Amber looked like Tim and like her father. He thought about his brother, how they hadn’t spoken in a year, He thought he’d call him up and say, “It’s Christmas, and your daughter’s here.” He thought of fathers, sons and brothers, saw his own son tug his sleeve, saying, “Can I be a Pagan?” Dad said, “We’ll discuss it when they leave.” So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table, Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able, Lighting trees in darkness, learning new ways from the old, and Making sense of history and drawing warmth out of the cold.
My 2 cents – Both of these songs are fun, in different ways. The night Santa went crazy is straight up satire. It pokes fun at everything about the holidays. The Christians and the pagans is a well thought out song that speaks heavily of tolerance for the holidays. Holiday songs are so very often a sign of the times they were created in.
[Verse 1]
Today I’m kinda feelin’ like a ghost
Call my friends but ain’t nobody home
Tell myself I’m fine but I don’t really know
I’m just scared that I’ll end up, I’ll end up, I’ll end up alone
I never let it show
But I feel like a missed call on a phone
Tryna live my life, pay-as-you-go
But I’m so scared that I’ll end up, I’ll end up, I’ll end up alone
[Chorus]
You know I’m like a ghost, sometimes I have to fade
And it haunts me that I have to be this way
You say it’s gone cold, I say I’ll do better
But I always seem to disappear again
You know I’m like a ghost, I see it in your face
And it haunts me that I have to be this way
You say it’s gone cold, I say I’ll do better
But I always seem to disappear again
You know I’m like a ghost
[Verse 2]
You know I never meant to cut you off
Got phantom feelings I can never solve
Stranger things to worry ’bout, I know
But I’m so scared that I’ll end up, I’ll end up, I’llghost
up alone
[Pre-Chorus]
Can’t see myself in the mirror
Does that mean I’m not really here?
I’m losin’ touch with everything I know
And I’m so scared that I’ll end up, I’ll end up, I’ll end up alone
[Chorus]
You know I’m like a ghost, sometimes I have to fade
And it haunts me that I have to be this way
You say it’s gone cold, I say I’ll do better
But I always seem to disappear again
You know I’m like a ghost, I see it in your face
And it haunts me that I have to be this way
You say it’s gone cold, I say I’ll do better
But I always seem to disappear again
You know I’m like a ghost
[Bridge]
(Ghost, ghost, ghost, ghost)
(Ghost, ghost, ghost, ghost)
You know I’m like a ghost
(Ghost, ghost, ghost, ghost)
(Ghost, ghost, ghost, ghost, you know I’m like a ghost)
Ooh, I’ll be okay, I’ll be alright, I know
Ooh, I’ll be okay, I’m just scared that I’ll end up alone
(Ooh, ooh)
[Chorus]
You know I’m like a ghost, I see it in your face
And it haunts me that I have to be this way
You say it’s gone cold, I say I’ll do better
But I always seem to disappear again
You know I’m like a ghost
My 2 cents –
I honestly thought about a holiday song… But not everyone celebrates the same holiday. So I found a song that I feel reflects how many feel during this time of year. The artist has a wonderful voice and you really feel the loneliness in the song. I often feel like a ghost, unseen. That is the result of having a chronic illness. I often end up with only my family as company because I am too ill to go out. And then anxiety adds to it. If you are feeling like a ghost… You are not as alone as you feel. Reach out. Message me (patti.mouse@gmail). I will always chat with anyone who feels alone.
So, this is a milestone, and I feel like dancing. Or partying! What is a party without a giveaway? So for my giveaway… Leave me a comment. Every comment on this post, or reblog, will result in an entry. (New follows also result in entries)
Giveaway: I have a copy of Pocketful of poetry(my very first volume), and a painted tin for the winner.
Each year many of my writer friends choose a word to be their motivation for the upcoming year. I have done this in the past, but I felt like this year would be too chaotic. It was, but that is beside the point.
Let’s start with a review of this year and then I will reveal the word that I have chosen for 2020.
For me January through March crawled. I released one volume of poetry, Spilled Verse. I know that other stuff, personal stuff, happened… But at this point most of that time is a blur.
My Mom visited at the end of March. It is rare for me to see her, and her two eldest Sisters accompanied her. Both of which I have not seen since being a teen. It was a good visit.
The next thing that really happened this year was the release of Dream Drips. I did a migration to Draft2Digital in January which allowed me to offer all of my books in multiple formats.
I took a road trip in June to see people very dear to me. I also released Ink Splashes.
In July we released Under the Mists. Working with such lovely, talented wordsmiths, well it was quite a treat.
The next month of worth was October. I joined Coffee House Writers. I really enjoy working with them.
November was Nano. I have a couple of books in formatting that need releasing. I finished Beautys Tears, Dylan and his pet Zombie, and I am working on layout of Faerie Footprints.
Overall, 2019 has been eventful. I have written, and drawn, much this year.
So, I think that for 2020 my word will be change. I need to figure out what I am doing wrong and adjust to make not only my writing successful but my life. I need change, so I will be aiming for it..
Yeah I know. I usually just post my own poetry or do a spotlight for Monday… But I just spent a week with bronchitis. So I did not have a post prepared. And I felt like that was not fair to those who read my blog.
So I decided to mix the two and add a story of explanation. To change things up and hopefully give the reader a smile.
A Haiku A Day is run by an author that I worked with on Under The Mists. Haiku is for me a difficult form. I do so much better with freeform poetry. He is posting literally a haiku a day. I am in awe of his talent. Well I thought that it would be a neat challenge to try and answer his Haiku with haiku of my own. Silly right? Well I obviously did not manage it every day… But I have been able to do it a few times. Now I challenge you. Take a look at the haiku below and then go check his blog. See if you can match my answer to the original poem.
Now if you can… And send me in email your answer, I will be doing a giveaway. I do not yet know what I am going to give away. But free is always good, right?
Here are my Haiku.
The light was never hers Though she was told that it was Darkness was always home
The words choked the pen For the poet knew to be sin To lay down the pen.
Payment often comes Due in less than convenient Moments slowing life.
Sweetness fades away Memory remains to haunt him Over kisses stolen proper
Sanity is overrated insanity has benefits Missing pieces hide easy
The words outcry all For choosing one is downfall At the beginning then.
Tonight I see a Note of similarity between sleepy poet and me.
Echoes continue till We return to hear wisdom From who we once were
