This year the holidays stunk. Yeah I said it. It is so taboo to be miserable during December, because you feel like you are weighing everyone else down. Or you feel just freaking ungrateful.
I know that I am not alone in this. This year has weighed hard on so many. No ability to do big gatherings, or family meals, or the other traditional trappings of the holidays. So much of this year has been death and illness. And for me family distancing.
The holiday was just lacking. So I was playing video games with my youngest, and scrolling down Facebook occasionally when something caught my eye. Serena has her own Facebook. Well someone, another author, had told me that Serena’s Rust, Gore, and the Junkyard Zombie was on his Christmas wishlist. He tagged Serena in the comments of his gifts… He got it.
Seeing that tag just made me smile. It made my whole holiday better. Just knowing that book was wanted.
So till this year is gone, enjoy the little things. Don’t let it fall apart because the big things are missing. Enjoy what you can. I hope that each of you find a little thing that brings joy this season.
Due to the Holiday my schedule for updates may be a little off. I will be trying to do a couple of posts but I can not promise, I will return next week to my regular posting.
Tools, something that are different depending upon the user. Each person may have different skills depending upon the tools that they have at hand.
For an example, I am capable of sewing by hand. I have been taught this skill in childhood. My mom, my grandmothers, my other female role models… They all sewed. In various levels of skill. My mom still makes the most beautiful quilts. However, though I have the ability to sew by hand… It is slow. I have arthritis in my hands. This makes it take longer. I am not as neat as I am with a machine.
This is something that was brought up lately. Someone told me that my digital art has improved. I am sure that it has… After all I have better tools. I have a decent laptop. I have good art programs (Gimp & Krita are my two current favorites). I even have a good mousepad that I recieved for Christmas. (An elephant with headphones on. It is an ergonomic one that helps with my arthritis).
If someone is struggling with their art, or their writing, or any part of their life and you want to assist… Ask them what tool they are missing. Sometimes it is something small such as someone to bounce ideas off of.
Blogging is harder than it looks. There’s timing, hashtags, content, and readers to consider. When you first start, if you are anything like I was, you think that you really are less than interested in sticking to a schedule… more that you just want to get what you have to say heard.
Then you start seeing that you are being seen more… Hence people are seeing what you have to say… And it becomes the thing to stick with a schedule (something I am still struggling with)…
So you find yourself searching through the daily Hashtags to find something that both fits your blog and is easy to do content for. You realize that the blog is in control.
I think that I am just not going to plan for Friday. If I feel like posting I will. Thursday is going to stay chaotic as a true mad tea party should be chaotic. (Even if the poet hosting the party is only half mad…). So I think that the blog posts that I share regularly will be Monday poetry, Tuesday Tunes, and Wordless Wednesday. Even the weeks where I am struggling I can usually do those 3.
It was suggested that I do a Follow Friday… Problem is it does not fit my blog. It’s too calm for my crazy
[Verse 1] Creeping eyes from across this masquerade Feeling scared, every stare will cut like blades Dead inside, try to hide behind And shake the tremors
[Verse 2] Hiding with a smile in a crowded place Moaning through the lips of a plastic face Every word just a code that screams Owned by terror Are you scared to see what lies beneath Behind these artificial teeth Through the guilty strings this mask Controls it’s wearer
[Chorus] Trapped in our own disguises Cut free but soulless still Our dreams our haunted by the Ghosts we kill Identities of silence In search of cheaper scares We’re all surrounded by the Masks we wear
[Verse 3] Vilified for deeds done in the light Hiding away within plain sight These cloaks are keeping safe The secret faces Terrified of making one mistake Narrow mind t’ill the soul begins to break We are just husks seeking The world’s false graces
[Chorus] Trapped in our own disguises Cut free but soulless still Our dreams our haunted by the Ghosts we kill Identities of silence In search of cheaper scares We’re all surrounded by the Masks we wear
[Verse 4] Awake within the moment Asleep throughout our lives We suffer in this torment Ensnared in our own lies In facelessness we’re equal When we’re not even there You’re someone underneath this Behind the mask you wear
[Chorus] Trapped in our own disguises Cut free but soulless still Our dreams our haunted by the Ghosts we kill Identities of silence In search of cheaper scares We’re all surrounded by the Masks we wear Trapped in our own disguises Cut free but soulless still Our dreams our haunted by the Ghosts we kill Identities of silence In search of cheaper scares We’re all surrounded by the Masks we wear
My 2 Cents
This year has a lot of mask themes. It feels like it is being encouraged more an more to hide who we truly are. I am not sure if I am happy about this. This song expresses that unease at the hiding of self. it makes me feel like I am less of a freak in the fact that I hate the hiding we do,
Hello Lovelies! Long time since we had tea. My current favorite is Lipton’s Peach Passion Green Tea.
2020 is nearly over, and I know that I am not the only one who is grateful. 2021 is already shaping up to be busy. Fae Corps has several authors lined up that we are going to be publishing. We have 2 anthologies planned (Fae Playgrounds and Fae Shivers). Serena is going to be in Circle City’s Absurd Apocalypse Anthology. And I submitted to two of Indie Blu(e)’s upcoming Anthologies. (I hope I get accepted, their books are always so pretty. )
Song of Shadow released this week. I am still working on Half Mad Meanderings and Heart Drops. I hope to release both in 2021. I am also planning on pulling each of my Poetry Volumes, one at a time, and Revamping and re-releasing them. I don’t know how long it will take to do each volume. I do know I will be releasing Large Print versions of each as well. I have learned so much this year that I can put into practice on my books. I hope it will give you, my readers a fun thing to look at.
This will be as far as I am concerned the final version of each book. Serena’s not going to do that with her books, and I am going to go through the poetry volumes first then deal with the children’s books after. I may try to talk Serena into large print at least.
I am also working on Grandmothers wisdom. Coffee house writers anthology will release next week. Like I said 2021 is shaping up to be a busy year.
Life has been hitting hard for me lately. I had to move out of my home, my life is in chaos. It will stabilize but it will take time. So I am looking at my options. I have been considering making my blog a paid one, so I could add a shop to sell some of the cute Jewelry and other crafts I make. I also am thinking about the other benefits…And I realize that I am looking at this with two blogs possible and debating. I can only do one paid right now. I have more readers here then on the Fae Corps Blog, even though I maintain both. I may see about combining them. Making it work that way…But I want to get your opinions. Should I combine the two blogs? Expand and make it bigger and better, hopefully. or should I choose one to go paid with?
I will not be able until the first to do it, so chime in with your opinion. I am also about to ask my partner and our marketing girl. So it is not just a random ask. I am looking at options.
I have been proudly Indie Publishing for a decade now. I am always looking for better platforms. Better tools, not just for me, but for the other authors I work with. I like Draft2digital for their eBook option. We are looking at other Print options for the future. The pandemic has caused a few errors in the print that has us concerned. Also other places offer hardback, which we have been unable to do before. I have been reaching out, submitting my work to other presses to get more eyes on my writing.
I have no intention of naming names, but I have come to the conclusion that not all of the small presses are created equal. I honestly believe that you need both smarts or heart to do anthologies. Some of the presses possess this. They understand dealing with writer’s is choosing to deal with chaos. I find that this will be the last time I involve myself with at least one of them. For I feel less than appreciated. I will be in the anthology, but I will not be listed as one of the authors with amazon…there was only enough room to list the editors….
To me that feels like I am being told that I have less to be proud about with the anthology than the editors do….so I think I may decide to not talk about it….
Pattimouse 