Cosmopolitan

I soared on the back of an eagle
made love in the clouds
then took a vulture back down.

I raced a cheetah up Everest
and won gold medals
all the time I smoked pot
with the king of Monaco.

I beat a sequoia, once,  pounded
it to paper wrote a Pulitzer
Prize winner.

These are the stories I
will tell my fans,
my adoring public who buries
me in cash and accolades.

Stories fade to dust
as does my cosmopolitan
and I’m here with
empty paper and an empty glass.


I hope you enjoy this poem as I am a little busy finishing up this other writing project. I don't want to leave you all in the dust while I shoot up to fame.

And by the time we meet again, there will be mounds of spaghetti in your back yard (not really but I thought it would be funny)

Working on Writing

It's been five days...

Oh I know I am slacking on posting but the good news is I am writing though. So I think I mentioned in the last post, I am going to try freelance writing. As far as I know I am accepted for the story idea I submitted for ebook publication. I really thought this was going to a peice of cake but I was so wrong. I proposed a story, I already wrote and I figured I would add some more stuff to make the word count.

It's been awhile since I even looked at this story so I thought I only had to write an additional 2000 words. HAHA. The story was only a hair under 3000 words and the minimum word count is for 6000 words. So that means I had to fatten the story up by 3000 words. Well I almost have the story done. I am up to 4500 words and I still have some more stuff to add. So go me.

It is so nice to be writing and actually enjoying writing again. Of course, I told the guy I would have everything done in three weeks. It hasn't even been a week yet and I am moving a lot quite nicely. Once I finish fattening the story, I am going to edit it several times and then I have some other quick things to do with this particular job.

Oh sure it sounds so nice to be a freelance writer but I really don't care for looking for jobs and I don't really care for huge articles with a low pay rate. But I have to start some where and it is always at the bottom.

Other than that, I am enjoying this weather. So nice to run around (not like I am running anywhere) outside with a tee shirt on. Back to the story, I want to get it done so I can write the first chapter of SUBURBAN VAMPIRES. Oh yeah I had to throw it in, so you all can be excited about it again.

Until the next time we meet on this moonlit road by the broken headstone where all signs point to the devil.

Working on Freelancing

As you noticed, or maybe not, I am looking for freelance work. Because this is what I want to do not to make a living off of but for extra cash and start becoming a credible writer. I joined this site called oDesk. And it is much like elance (if anyone knows what this is.) I admit it, I am a complete newbie when it comes to looking for freelance work. Most of the time, they don't teach you this kind of work in college. I think you can take some classes on the web or some other place to show you how to do things but really I am going to go old school here and live and learn.

There are jobs I won't even bid on because I will not write other people's papers. I will edit them but that is about it. If you can't do the work then you shouldn't pay for it either. I believe that is completely unethical for anyone. I know there are writers in this world who wouldn't care what they were writing as long as they were getting paid.  But I say to each their own.

I joined oDesk because there were oppurtunities I was interested in and these are more the creative writing jobs. The one I just applied for is where I write a story and then I will sell the story to these people who will make an ebook out of it. Guess what though, I get the byline and I get money. Yes, I lose all rights to the story but I am okay with that. I put a lot of thought into it and I believe just getting my stories to circulate will be a good thing. At least right now since I am starting out in the world of publishing.

And of course, my fans I will be sure to let you know everything to know how this ebook goes. If this works out maybe I will be invited to write more stories.  This is a win win situation for everyone.

Until next time, let the snow cover the mud and watch the stars shimmer.

Election Day Tomorrow!!!

Well I did my homework, I am a good voter. Well not really, I did my homework for different races the one is for state representative for my district and the other is for president. My husband personally knows Glen Thompson, he is running for United States House so I am voting for him again.

So for the state representative the race it is Tommy Sankey, republican, and Mark McCracken, democrat, and I am going to vote for McCracken. I went to both of their websites and read what they had to say. If you remember, I rambled on about political mail and I how much I get from Sankey. McCracken is also a supporter of the second amendment, which I am a  huge supporter of constitutional rights.

And for whatever else at the state level, I more than likely will vote for incumbents. I  know, bad voter right there. I do it all the time. Unless of course, the incumbent is crap and I want to make sure my vote counts and have someone  else in office.  I know you all really want to know is who I am voting for president. I think most people would think that to be important.

First things first, I went to each of candidate's website. And Obama's is written in clear and concise format. I don't have to have a PhD in political writing to understand what it is going on. Romney's site is not as easy to read. In fact, there was so much text I got bored. Not saying I am  stupid but I don't want to get lost in political language. I really only care about certain issues. One of them being social security. I don't know what Obama wants to do, I couldn't find it, Romney's plan made no sense. Other than he wants to increase the age for full retirement. Holy shit, how much older do I have to be? I already have to be 72 years old to get full benefits. I guess I must be one breath away from the grave before I can get full benefits. My luck, I get my first social security check and then I kick the bucket. Well I guess that's money saved.

I care about jobs and job creation. I like seeing tax credits for business who want to keep jobs in America. I also believe in clean, green energy and I know that is one huge job creator for the US and it is a job that can never be out-sourced. I also care about health care and honestly, I don't like either's plan so no one wins there.

And I'm voting for Barack Obama. Comments are always open, would love to hear them

Publishing Poetry

With a title like that I am bound to get people like me, people who are starting out in the world of publishing poetry. Oh, I have been writing for years and I know that doesn't count for much. I know being poet doesn't bring all the riches in the world. Even winning the Pulitzer Prize gets you ten thousand dollars ( I know that is hell of a lot of money and if I did win, I sure wouldn't turn it down). Being a poet means not making thousands of dollars a month in royalties (and it does seem many small presses don't even offer royalties.)

I don't write poetry to make money but that is only a benefit. I love poetry. I have all sorts of poetry books scattered around the house. How to write poetry, anthologies and everything in between. I  think I have more poetry books than how to write a story book. Anyway... I always wonder how people can even get a poetry book published. I have one written. I love this book, sometimes when I read it over, I am in awe of myself. I actually feel like I am reading someone else's book (I  know how it sounds- but who cares? I have to have some pride in my work).

I feel like two different people. Writer girl and the everyday girl. Sometimes, I write something and I can hardly believe I wrote it. Now this book is called Into the Garden it is a book of acrostic poems. Okay don't get scared... there is nothing like this in the world. This is different and unique and maybe that is why some people don't want to look at. It is acrostic poetry which I think I am pretty good at. It is not written like:

B is for beauty that you posess
E is for an equality in heart
T is for time I spend with you
H is for hands in mine always.

No, mine are written more like this:

Cautious with the feral wind     

And I wait in slipping dusk for  

Truth to fall from the sky.          

You get the idea. These poems are arranged in gardens: flowers, vegetable and fruit. And the titles of the poems are things found in each garden like tiger lily, cauliflower and others. No, I won't publish any on here because I want to keep the entire book pure. As in I want to keep it whole and that's why I don't even send the poems out to magazine publishers (they are acrostic so of course some people have a stigma to this form, thinking it is childish).

Next to haiku, I love this form of poetry because it offers a challenge. You have to say what you to say in certain perameters. I have been writing acrostic poems for years. I made some for my friends  and family and then I would frame them and voila, a totally unique Christmas present.

It is one of my dreams to write poems for these types of poems for people and get paid for it. Back to Into the Garden, I created the title before anything else. In fact, this was an idea born on a hot summer's day while I was beside my own small garden. The very early winter of that same year, I finished the book. I spent the following year editing, typing and pruning my love.

Here is a sample from the poem "Hibiscus" ...Go/Into the garden, where/Succubi feed you dangerous/Cakes made of lies.

I know you want more, tell the world you want more.



Haiku 2

cut cobblestone path
calm, white plantation
bodies hang from cypress

it titubates
cotton candy on the tongue
surprise snowfall

prismatic eye
from shadowy corridors
straight jacket peril

where laugh begins
where it dies under cloud fall
ridged life

Its been awhile since I added to my online collection for This Salacious Life.  Most of these were written in February. The first batch was written in January through the beginning of February. I have a lot of haiku to choose from. I select ones that I want to send away for printed publication, those bad boys you won't read until they are published. The ones I select here are the ones I may have sent away at one time, or I like a whole lot. There are plenty that are bad and they will stay hidden in the actual book document.

My goal to publish in order is because I think I gotten a lot better with this form. I should hope so, I am  almost done with my poetry project for the year.  So the next  time I post some on here they will probably be written from March through April.

I would love to hear what you have to say. The comment box is always open.

As always may your coffee cup be brimming with hot WAWA coffee.

Sweep by Cate Tiernan

I am a sucker for really cheap books.  It is huge weakness for me.  I will read any book that costs a dollar or less unless it is just a romance book. Not to say the books I just read didn't have some love story element to it. It is safe to say love is everywhere and sometimes love is just the bigger part of the whole story. It is my thought that love is the root of all evil (not money). Why? Look at love- people get jealous, people will kill for it, steal for it and whatever else love possesses people to do. Anyway back on track on cheap books....

While shopping at Ollie's one day, I found myself drifting over to the books and I found Sweep by Cate Tiernan, it is series of novels for teens. This particular book had three separate novels in it, Book of Shadows, The Coven,  and Blood Witch. Thank god, they were the first three books.  Okay this book was $2.99 but it did have three novels so I really only paid a buck a book.

I read all three in one day, there are very quick to read. So lets get to the basic story line. A girl meets this enigmatic hunk who is Wiccan. She is quite taken by him. Eventually, he forms a new coven with the friends he met since he is  new in town. The main girl, Morgan, comes to discover she is a real witch from a witch bloodline. The story weaves love and jealousy, high school drama, spells and circles and magick of discovering of the Wiccan path.

One thing is incredibly evident, Cate knows her stuff. She didn't pull the Wiccan stuff at her ass. I am assuming she probably practices.  I did like that about the book. And I am sure I said something about witch's are cool. Though it seems like Secret Circle a series of books by LJ Smith (same author who wrote The Vampire Diaries). I have not read the books but watched the show on Netflix and there is a lot of similar story lines.

I am not going to rip apart her work at all.  For many reasons: she is published, so who am I to judge her work. I don't have books published. Her novels are for teens and I write more for an adult audience. Her books must be popular because there are 12 more in the series. I do want to share what I learned from a writing point of view.

*When I was a young teen I read The Fear Street series by RL Stine, things have changed as far appropriate content for teens, especially in the sex department. There is mentions of sex but there is not pages and pages of sex. This especially good to know if I want to write for a younger audience

*How the story is crafted. One thing that is harped on almost every writing site is character development and don't tell show. Of course this is a large series so character development can happen over a longer period of time. There is an equal mix of showing and telling. And to me it seems like she wrote these stories because that is the way she wrote them. These novels are more story driven and not character driven, this is how I exactly write. I want to tell a story.

*Description is always awesome. Some of her descriptive passages were just amazing with a beautiful mix of colors and scents especially since all books took place in fall through early winter. She really chose some nice adjectives to enhance color.

And with that I am done. Read a book, stay under the covers and watch shadows dance on the wall.