Wednesday I posted a art piece. Today I am following it with a poem. Both were inspired by a dream. I may end up doing a story of the dream. I don’t know. I am recovering from an er visit Wednesday night… So I am fighting exhaustion…. But I wanted to share this.
Lyrics – 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
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
You know I never meant to cut you off
Got phantom feelings I can never stop
Stranger things to worry ’bout I know
But I’m so scared that I’ll end up
I’ll end up, I’ll end up alone
I 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
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
You know I’m like a ghost
Ooh, I’ll be ok
I’ll be alright
I know, ooh, I’ll be ok
I’m just scared that I’ll end up alone
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 – some days…. Booooo!
Ok… Let’s get down to the discussion of money. Being a writer is far from cheap. You will not see a large check each month…not generally speaking… Most writers actually end up spending more money to put together their books than will be earned immediately.
Serena’s Rust, Gore, and the junkyard zombie… Cost me $250…twice. Two visits to the editor (I was neurotic)…editor rates are usually a price per word. Though some have a flat rate. On average for a full length novel count on spending anything from $200 to $1000. Shop around and find an editor that is not going to change your voice, but still going to do it right.
Another cost you should count on (unless you are able to do it yourself) is the cover. From what I have seen a decent cover can run you anywhere between $30-$500.
That does not count any costs after publishing. That will be another post. But this is the costs of self publishing.
Okay so I have my own view on life. I am fairly open minded and will always accept that I might be wrong. That is… I don’t believe that I am wrong, but I am not infallible. That being said… I saw a post that I shared… And immediately regretted.
Not because of comments… Or the like… But because it made me think. Don’t we all hate being made to think? What is it that makes a good person? Is it a certain set of views on politics? I know that I am adamant on my view on abortion. A good friend who is usually seen as a good man… He has a differing opinion. So does that make me the bad person?
How do we determine if someone is good or bad… If it is easy to determine? I don’t know that it is. I think that the current events are enough to put division between neighbors… In religion we are taught to love our neighbors.. Doesn’t matter if they are good people or not… However it never says that we have to expose ourselves to their beliefs. Or them.
So I pose the question… Do you think that you have a good person?
Lyrics – I can almost see it
That dream I’m dreaming but
There’s a voice inside my head saying
You’ll never reach it,
Every step I’m taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high
There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb
The struggles I’m facing
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I’m not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I’m going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I
I gotta be strong
Just keep pushing on, ’cause
There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb (yeah)
There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes you gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb (yeah yeah ea ea)
Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It’s all about
It’s all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith
Whoa oh oh
My 2 cents…
The world is hurting… And the majority of us are caught up in the back and forth, and finding it to be too much. I stepped away from Facebook yesterday… Because I found that I was crying everytime I opened it up. I have been torn between wanting knowledge of current events/ family and the need to be sane (or as close as I get). I am going to choose my own sanity here. But with any mountain blocking my path… I will rest but I will not give up. I can’t be there to join the fight. But I will say that Black Lives Matter. I will say that the cop deserves a murder charge. And that my heart hurts for the fact that either of those statements are not immediately apparent.
Hello there. Today is a green tea sort of day for me. This year has been a strange one, time passes either on fast forward or in slow motion. I am looking forward to the release of both preorder books (Through the Sunshine, and Poetic Reminders.)
There is a deadline coming up for two of Fae Corps calls for submissions in June. Nightmare Whispers and Fae Dreams. There is going to be a call for submissions put out in August for a new anthology as well.
I have been updating keywords on my books… And it was brought to my attention that a few of my covers needed work. It feels like I do this yearly… But I have been updating covers again as well.
The person who made the suggestion is a poet of considerable talents. I had approached her for marketing advice, and what she said was basically that some of my covers lacked the personality of my poems… I immediately understood. There was some of the covers I liked better than others. I started with the covers that I liked least.
Please don’t get me wrong… That does not mean the covers are bad… Or even in need of replacement. It just means that I could see her point. I was not happy with those covers because they did not suit me. I had something similar happen with a logo I had been using… Someone stopped me and said that it did not suit me. When I asked why she simply replied that it was just not colorful enough… It seems that I have a lot of personality and it shows up in my work.
For me these books are my art. Yes I could pay for the “perfect ” cover… I would likely sell more… But it would not be mine… Does that make any sense? I don’t write for the money. I write because it is part of who I am, who I always have been.
Ok… I didn’t sleep well… And I have been so busy lately that I literally do not have any poetry to share… (I will be sharing a link to coffee house writers later)…
So, I was debating what to do on Mondays that are not good for poetry… Or when I don’t feel up to fighting with it… And I could not think of a exact topic or specific interest to delve into… I think that I will do a few different things. One is echoes from the void… That is where I will be letting the more philosophical content take over. Another is going to be Monday Money. It will be where I discuss both the costs and income of writing/art.
It feels like having 2 or 3 possible topics per day give me a good chance of keeping the blog active.
Hello my lovely readers. I don’t know if you missed me yesterday… I was terribly ill. My daughter had it (a stomach bug)… And apparently decided to share. So I spent yesterday in illness. Today I am doing much better, though I am still being careful with food.
This week has been a slow one for news. The preorder for Through The Sunshine and Poetic Reminders are still going. Fae Corps still has 2 anthologies that they are taking submissions for.
Now… Here’s something that I rarely do. I have many writers as friends on Facebook. I don’t promote Facebook off of there much… It just feels pushy most of the time. However… This is a story worth sharing. This is part of why I have gone almost completely to draft2digital. I only use my kdp account for when Amazon gets too picky and refuses something that I know should be publishable.
Hopefully this finds you all well. Tell me what is new in your world?
The Beatles – Yesterday
Lyrics –
[Verse 1]
Yesterday
All my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday
[Verse 2]
Suddenly
I’m not half the man I used to be
There’s a shadow hanging over me
Oh, yesterday came suddenly
[Bridge]
Why she had to go
I don’t know, she wouldn’t say
I said something wrong
Now I long for yesterday
[Verse 3]
Yesterday
Love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away
Oh, I believe in yesterday
[Bridge]
Why she had to go
I don’t know, she wouldn’t say
I said something wrong
Now I long for yesterday
[Verse 4]
Yesterday
Love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away
Oh, I believe in yesterday
My 2 cents – this is a song that is timeless… Many times it has been covered… You can tell how it suits modern day by that alone. Personally I think that the original is the best.
Hello, lovely readers! Today, my need for caffeine was strong, so I am enjoying coffee. Triple chocolate coffee with cinnamon creme creamer. That and the toothpicks propping my eyelids open might allow functionality.
So much news today. Two preorders… One for Poetic Reminders and one for Through the Sunshine. Upcoming events. What is being worked on now. And commentary about life at large.
So let’s start with talking about the preorders. Fae Corps is doing a party all through May. There is going to be a chance to get to know the authors in the anthology. Giveaways and just general fun. Go check it out and join us for the fun! I am not doing anything so big for Poetic Reminders…. However if I get comments on this blog post I will do a random drawing for a free ebook copy… So tell me something that makes you smile.
Coffee house writers anthology is moving right along. My submissions have been assigned to its first editor. They are going to assign three separate editors to catch all errors. That way you, the reader, get the best piece possible. With Fae Corps we have the authors read the manuscript after the final edits have been put together to make sure that there are no errors. That is often 10+ sets of eyes on the whole thing. That helps to insure quality. Quality is the best way to ensure the stories are showcased properly.
So, Serena is working currently on a short horror story for the Nightmare whispers anthology. I think that it is off to a good start. She is still working on The Kingdoms of Sin, but the short has a deadline. She is determined to get both done soon. I hear that she is hoping to release her book some time this year.
As for me… I have started a new poetry volume. The cover is above… I really love how it turned out. I still am working on heart drops, but as I don’t often write love poetry… I wanted a volume that could catch the other poems… The darker poems. I think that this volume suits that idea. I have the next Dylan book written, and am waiting for the illustrator. If I have time I want to finish Attack of Shoe Mountain. I have so much going on though that it may be a while.
Life has been chaotic for me for a bit now. Back in November we started expansion of my daughter’s room. Due to the lack of people to assist or timing being bad or just bad luck… It is still unfinished. That is changing this weekend. So next week will be me cleaning up the mess left by construction. The next project is my master bath, hopefully it will be done faster.
So I mentioned a giveaway above. I asked for things that make you smile, but I am also curious about how life has been for you. How has the current situation in the world affected your day to day life?
Pattimouse 