Tales from the Raven

I postmarked my Tiger Goddess story to WOTF on this the last day of the 2nd quarter.  It’s kind of short, but I did give it a twist ending they may like.  We’ll see. This may sound bad, but my main hope would be to finish at quarter-finalist, just cause that’s what my other stories [...]

10 - You’ll never have to do any real work. 9 – Your friends will all be famous. 8 - No one will ever criticize your writing again. 7 - You can be a primadonna artiste and no one will complain. 6 - You can pick out a cool new name. 5 - You won’t have to study for a degree–the [...]

My dh has been suggesting for years that I get all things writing organzied, so at last I ordered a file cabinet.  When it came, I used it (still in the box) for lovely wall decor for, oh–about four months.  Finally I got it put together, but still it sits empty of files or tabs. [...]

As promised, I’ve spent the last while studying hooks.  I’ve not progressed so far as to like the ones I write, but I am getting an inkling of what they’re all about.  I’m also working on my understanding of what catches the interests of the market. To further my lofty goals, I’m spending time in B&N [...]

Watching people is always a great way to start a story idea. Take the time to jot down a note or two when an idea comes. Maybe there’s something to this ‘write your own obituary’ stuff.  When I get to the end of my life I want to look back and feel at peace. Ordinary people [...]

A shadow gathered at the corner of the lawn–just beyond the reach of the yellow light from the window.  A women’s form pierced the square of light, her back to the shadow.  The open screen carried her vengeful voice to the listening night. The silhouette of a man joined her, his hand reaching.  Her voice punched up [...]

We’ve arrived.  And though everything went off without narry a hitch, I still feel thoroughly flattened. So I’ll dodge any real blogging responsibilities and give you a few links I’ve wandered across. Rachel I’ve mentioned before, and is of obvious interest as she’s an agent in my genre. SSB has a funny site, and worse [...]

Tomorrow we’re heading off again–just three weeks after the last trip.  For business travelers who fly every other week that doesn’t sound like much, but when you realize that a trip for the family means me packing up for four people, two of which are kids, and a complex trip involving dressy occasions and time spent in [...]

I had a Dr.’s apointment today which included some blood work, and was reminded of the first time our son had blood drawn. I knew ahead of time that they would take a sample, and knew that if he could cooperate it would all go much better, so I prepped him.  I talked about why it [...]

Anyone who’s a regular (anyone? anyone?) I’m sure has noticed all the obnoxious spammy comments that have been making it through my filter.  The eventual goal will be to provide some extra checks to automatically filter at a higher level, but in the meantime I’ve changed my options so every comment will need my approval [...]