Saturday, August 11, 2012
The Pull of Blood in E-Book
The Pull of Blood has finally been released in ebook totally re-edited and revised with a brand new publisher and new cover! http://shop.bradleypublishings.com/The-Pull-of-Blood-9781938076206.htm?categoryId=19
Thursday, March 29, 2012
I am NOT a Bleeding Heart
Hi All! So far today my training has gone well! 1 hour Zumba, walked a mile, as soon as I'm off here it will be time to start steps with the kitchen chair, then on to weights!
Now to the subject at hand, which was inspired by a incident yesterday that sparked a rather long FB convo. So Lisa Begin Kruysman you are my Blog Muse today!
This would be the original post:
My 96 year-old mother-in-law just called. She lives in a senior development in Whiting, NJ. A kitten has been stuck up in a tree outside her house for a week. She has called the town, police, etc. It is hard to get the whole story, but the woman is upset. This is in Ocean Co. NJ...Anyone?
These are informative posts that followed concerning Lisa's encounters with the powers that be:
We are on the phone with the Township now. It is hard to really know who she has called, she is so agitated.
We called the town. Animal Control has been made aware.
Okay, just got off the phone with Margaret from AC in Manchester Twsp. Quote...it isn't a tiny kitten, it is teen aged, those people are so old there they probably can't even see it. FD won't come with a bucket so she suggested that they could all throw in a couple of bucks for tree service guy. I know it may be feral, and some don't care, but this is what she told me. I told her I would be sharing her comments on facebook and wherever I can. Yep.
An elderly man is threatening to climb up a tree on a little ladder. The problem is, the cat is going higher because it is scared. It is a shame.
I called Animal Control and had a disturbing conversation after which I called the Mayor's office and spoke to his secretary. Two minutes ago someone from the Mayor's office called me back to say a truck was brought to the scene which in turned scared the kitten out of the tree after which it retreated to a sewer. That is their story. But it was funny that when I said I was going to blog about it and call the paper...I will see what the witnesses say. Anyway...with things said well, "It's just a cat, or comments about old people, just goes to show who is in charge of our animal welfare.
Yes, we are told the kitty is down from the tree, but I think that there is a bigger story here. It is how this situation was handled that is so telling. I am just talking about this incident, please note, but each day I hear from other areas in the nation where those who are supposed to help the animals in their appointed region are not doing their jobs. A cat is up a tree for over a week and it is not the concern of Animal Control because it is feral, should come down any day and we don't have a bucket high enough to get the cat down? Beside...the old people probably aren't seeing the cat properly. It took a visit with a community truck to get this cat down (only after a threat of bad press). Doesn't matter if it is feral or not...you are ANIMAL CONTROL...it is YOUR JOB.
Yeah I know that was a lot of posts, but for you to understand the circumstances I feel they needed to be posted. Now I am not a bleeding heart liberal in no way shape or form. I'm not a member of PETA, I eat meat...a lot of meat...and I have a collection of leather jackets. However, I firmly believe in human rights, and mostly believe in animal rights! Humans, with the exception of children, physically/mentally challenged, and some elderly are very capable of taking care of themselves, some choose not to but that's their problem, I don't feel sorry for you if you are capable of fending for yourself but chose not to. I'm sure at this point I have offended someone, well, too bad! Domestic animals are not capable of fending for themselves, they are totally dependent on their owners. Animals with no owners, like that this kitten in the tree or perhaps a lost dog are dependent on those who have been hired, or have volunteered to take care of them. Animal Control, The Humane Society, Veterinarians, are just a few examples of these people. Am I wrong? Were these people not hired to take care of animals in need? I also believe another part of the problem is the fact that laws concerning animal rights and safety are lax. Take Micheal Vick for example, if he had killed or treated cruelly as many people as he did dogs, he would have never seen the light of day, and depending on the State that his many many vile crimes had taken place in he may have even seen the death penalty! If an officer of the law is killed in the line of duty, he is a hero, his assailant is punished to the full extent of the law, but not his K-9 partner, nothing happens to the assailant of the police dog. Or if he is punished it is the equivalent of a slap on the wrist. NOT FAIR, in my opinion! No I am not taking away from the death of the officer I believe that he is a hero and his killer should fry! But I believe the same of his K-9 partner, his killer should fry also and the Dog should be deemed a HERO! Now to the animal control issue where this poor cat was stuck in a tree for a week with no food, no water, probably starving and scared, and animal control would not help! What? Again is this not what you are paid to do, OH Wait! I get it Animal Control means...let the animal starve and die, one less offensive creature on this earth to bother me! Makes me want to tie that lady to the top of the tree for a week with no food or water or anyone to care about her and see how she feels. And as I said yesterday...oops can't do that because she is human...I would go to jail for cruel and inhumane treatment! Think about it!
Enough for today...But I am not done bitchin about this...
Now to the subject at hand, which was inspired by a incident yesterday that sparked a rather long FB convo. So Lisa Begin Kruysman you are my Blog Muse today!
This would be the original post:
My 96 year-old mother-in-law just called. She lives in a senior development in Whiting, NJ. A kitten has been stuck up in a tree outside her house for a week. She has called the town, police, etc. It is hard to get the whole story, but the woman is upset. This is in Ocean Co. NJ...Anyone?
These are informative posts that followed concerning Lisa's encounters with the powers that be:
We are on the phone with the Township now. It is hard to really know who she has called, she is so agitated.
We called the town. Animal Control has been made aware.
Okay, just got off the phone with Margaret from AC in Manchester Twsp. Quote...it isn't a tiny kitten, it is teen aged, those people are so old there they probably can't even see it. FD won't come with a bucket so she suggested that they could all throw in a couple of bucks for tree service guy. I know it may be feral, and some don't care, but this is what she told me. I told her I would be sharing her comments on facebook and wherever I can. Yep.
An elderly man is threatening to climb up a tree on a little ladder. The problem is, the cat is going higher because it is scared. It is a shame.
I called Animal Control and had a disturbing conversation after which I called the Mayor's office and spoke to his secretary. Two minutes ago someone from the Mayor's office called me back to say a truck was brought to the scene which in turned scared the kitten out of the tree after which it retreated to a sewer. That is their story. But it was funny that when I said I was going to blog about it and call the paper...I will see what the witnesses say. Anyway...with things said well, "It's just a cat, or comments about old people, just goes to show who is in charge of our animal welfare.
Yes, we are told the kitty is down from the tree, but I think that there is a bigger story here. It is how this situation was handled that is so telling. I am just talking about this incident, please note, but each day I hear from other areas in the nation where those who are supposed to help the animals in their appointed region are not doing their jobs. A cat is up a tree for over a week and it is not the concern of Animal Control because it is feral, should come down any day and we don't have a bucket high enough to get the cat down? Beside...the old people probably aren't seeing the cat properly. It took a visit with a community truck to get this cat down (only after a threat of bad press). Doesn't matter if it is feral or not...you are ANIMAL CONTROL...it is YOUR JOB.
Yeah I know that was a lot of posts, but for you to understand the circumstances I feel they needed to be posted. Now I am not a bleeding heart liberal in no way shape or form. I'm not a member of PETA, I eat meat...a lot of meat...and I have a collection of leather jackets. However, I firmly believe in human rights, and mostly believe in animal rights! Humans, with the exception of children, physically/mentally challenged, and some elderly are very capable of taking care of themselves, some choose not to but that's their problem, I don't feel sorry for you if you are capable of fending for yourself but chose not to. I'm sure at this point I have offended someone, well, too bad! Domestic animals are not capable of fending for themselves, they are totally dependent on their owners. Animals with no owners, like that this kitten in the tree or perhaps a lost dog are dependent on those who have been hired, or have volunteered to take care of them. Animal Control, The Humane Society, Veterinarians, are just a few examples of these people. Am I wrong? Were these people not hired to take care of animals in need? I also believe another part of the problem is the fact that laws concerning animal rights and safety are lax. Take Micheal Vick for example, if he had killed or treated cruelly as many people as he did dogs, he would have never seen the light of day, and depending on the State that his many many vile crimes had taken place in he may have even seen the death penalty! If an officer of the law is killed in the line of duty, he is a hero, his assailant is punished to the full extent of the law, but not his K-9 partner, nothing happens to the assailant of the police dog. Or if he is punished it is the equivalent of a slap on the wrist. NOT FAIR, in my opinion! No I am not taking away from the death of the officer I believe that he is a hero and his killer should fry! But I believe the same of his K-9 partner, his killer should fry also and the Dog should be deemed a HERO! Now to the animal control issue where this poor cat was stuck in a tree for a week with no food, no water, probably starving and scared, and animal control would not help! What? Again is this not what you are paid to do, OH Wait! I get it Animal Control means...let the animal starve and die, one less offensive creature on this earth to bother me! Makes me want to tie that lady to the top of the tree for a week with no food or water or anyone to care about her and see how she feels. And as I said yesterday...oops can't do that because she is human...I would go to jail for cruel and inhumane treatment! Think about it!
Enough for today...But I am not done bitchin about this...
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Training for Chimney Tops
Being as it is Wednesday this post was originally going to be Word Wednesday...which is nothing more than an exercise, of randomly choosing words from the dictionary and using them to write a paragraph, rolled over from my days in a Creative Writing class from years long past. But...
My Dad has dropped the gauntlet! He challenged me! So...now I'm training to climb Chimney Tops.
Me , my hubby and son are planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains this summer, when my dad found out he told me what a wonderful time I would have there. Said he had even climbed Chimney Tops. I told him we had thought about it but after everything I read about it I wasn't sure I could do it. So what does my Dad say? "Come on Kid, there ain't no reason you can't climb that rock! Hell, I did it and on my way up there was an 80 year old woman coming down. You won't have any problems with that old rock." Yeah... I am 43 years old, and my Dad still calls me Kid! Which I think is the problem here. He still sees me as that little Tomboy that would rather climb a tree, hike the woods, go hunting for Morels, or canoeing more than anything else the world. Well, I still like to hike and do all of those other things. But...do I spend every waking moment in the woods or up a tree now? That would be a big...gigantic... NO! I'm so out of shape I need smacked!
So I have started to train to climb that damn rock. I spent an hour doing Zumba, was going to walk a mile but the wind is horrendous today! Later tonight while watching Criminal Minds, I will be doing steps with a kitchen chair. Might even throw in some weights...wait... Do I even own Weights? Nope...Looks like I'll be stealing my sons!
This is the plan for vaca...usually I don't like to do an itinerary, but we have cut this vacation short...only five days so we have to try to get everything in that we want to do. Sunday...Hike to Grotto Falls possibly with an extension to Brushy Mountain.
Monday Paddle and Saddle, whitewater rapids and horseback riding, possibly with a trip to Oconaluftee River trail in the Cherokee region. Tuesday a hike to Alum Cave Bluffs. Wednesday will now be...hanging head, biting lip...a hike or I guess I should say climb...to Chimney Tops! Notice I have saved this for last, I figure if anybody, ME, gets hurt it is best that it happens on the last day of vaca instead of the first!
Why am I scared of Chimney Tops? It is only a 4 mile hike! No big deal! Well while researching and scouring for the best trails to hike I ran in to words like...difficult...strenuous...potentially dangerous...disastrous...And here is my favorite..."For those training to be a Navy Seal"!!! What?????
But my Dad has challenged me, so...I must do it...if he says I can...then I must be able to. And have I ever not done anything that my Dad has told me I could? NOPE!
So this my daily work out schedule:
1-2 Hours Zumba
Walk at least 1 mile, if weather permits
1 hour steps on a kitchen chair
30 min. lifting weights
With any luck and a lot of work come vacation time I will conquer that damn ROCK! And more importantly prove my Dad right!
My Dad has dropped the gauntlet! He challenged me! So...now I'm training to climb Chimney Tops.
Me , my hubby and son are planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains this summer, when my dad found out he told me what a wonderful time I would have there. Said he had even climbed Chimney Tops. I told him we had thought about it but after everything I read about it I wasn't sure I could do it. So what does my Dad say? "Come on Kid, there ain't no reason you can't climb that rock! Hell, I did it and on my way up there was an 80 year old woman coming down. You won't have any problems with that old rock." Yeah... I am 43 years old, and my Dad still calls me Kid! Which I think is the problem here. He still sees me as that little Tomboy that would rather climb a tree, hike the woods, go hunting for Morels, or canoeing more than anything else the world. Well, I still like to hike and do all of those other things. But...do I spend every waking moment in the woods or up a tree now? That would be a big...gigantic... NO! I'm so out of shape I need smacked!
So I have started to train to climb that damn rock. I spent an hour doing Zumba, was going to walk a mile but the wind is horrendous today! Later tonight while watching Criminal Minds, I will be doing steps with a kitchen chair. Might even throw in some weights...wait... Do I even own Weights? Nope...Looks like I'll be stealing my sons!
This is the plan for vaca...usually I don't like to do an itinerary, but we have cut this vacation short...only five days so we have to try to get everything in that we want to do. Sunday...Hike to Grotto Falls possibly with an extension to Brushy Mountain.
Monday Paddle and Saddle, whitewater rapids and horseback riding, possibly with a trip to Oconaluftee River trail in the Cherokee region. Tuesday a hike to Alum Cave Bluffs. Wednesday will now be...hanging head, biting lip...a hike or I guess I should say climb...to Chimney Tops! Notice I have saved this for last, I figure if anybody, ME, gets hurt it is best that it happens on the last day of vaca instead of the first!
Why am I scared of Chimney Tops? It is only a 4 mile hike! No big deal! Well while researching and scouring for the best trails to hike I ran in to words like...difficult...strenuous...potentially dangerous...disastrous...And here is my favorite..."For those training to be a Navy Seal"!!! What?????
But my Dad has challenged me, so...I must do it...if he says I can...then I must be able to. And have I ever not done anything that my Dad has told me I could? NOPE!
So this my daily work out schedule:
1-2 Hours Zumba
Walk at least 1 mile, if weather permits
1 hour steps on a kitchen chair
30 min. lifting weights
With any luck and a lot of work come vacation time I will conquer that damn ROCK! And more importantly prove my Dad right!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Movie Night
At my house Sunday's are movie night. Sometimes life gets in the way but not often. We usually make a nice dinner of comfort food while watching sports...football, NASCAR, golf, basketball...whatever happens to be on that day. Yep I watched the final Elite Eight Round. Got totally wrapped up in the action, missed the final round of the Arnold Palmer tournament and Tiger started the day with a one stroke lead, missed the race. And started cooking later than usual. And I'm not even that big of a basketball fan. However, this year I was drawn in by the excitement. Since I got a late start on the cooking I decided to go with something quick and easy. I cooked some breakfast food for dinner, scrambled eggs, fried taters and ham steaks! Hubby went and rented some movies. Sometimes when he comes home its a crap shoot as to the quality of movies...but last night... I loved two of the movies and now have to add them to my reading list!
Started the night with: Tomorrow, When the War Began, followed by Tooth Fairy 2, and ended with drum roll please, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!
I'll start with my least favorite of the night. Tooth Fairy 2. In my opinion it was cute, a little funny, but not the typical Larry the Cable Guy movie. On the other hand it is definitely a kids movie, so keep that in mind. And if I was a kid in the targeted age group I would have loved it. And probably would have liked it better if we had watched it before the other two. Because yes I'm guilty of liking to watch kids movies! Come on who doesn't love Nemo or the Chronicles of Narnia!
Now on to the next...the first movie of the night was Tomorrow, When the War Began. When the hubby came home with this movie I had never heard of it. Didn't know what to expect. Well...I loved this movie from the get go! Yes it is a YA movie, and targeted to that age group. But still it was action packed and in my opinion had just the right amount social interaction. It reminded me of Red Dawn with a modern spin and it takes place in Australia rather than the USA. In my opinion, at the time Red Dawn came out it seemed to be targeted towards the male teenager. I feel that this movie will appeal to both genders of the teenage crowd and to adults that like that sort of thing. I liked this movie enough that when the ending seemed to leave you hanging a bit I looked it up. And what did I find? Of course this movie came from a book, and it is a whole series. The series consists of seven books authored by John Marsden known as The Tomorrow Series. And there is a sequel series of three more books know as the Ellie Chronicles by the same author. Both series are written in the first person perspective of Ellie Linton, a teenage girl, who is part of a small band of teenagers waging a war on the enemy soldiers in the region around their fictional home town of Wirrawee.
I can't wait to add all of these books to my reading list.
List of books in the series.
.Tomorrow, When the War Began (1993)
.The Dead of Night (1994)
.Third Day, The Frost (1995) (published in America as "A Killing Frost")
.Darkness, be my Friend (1996)
.Burning for Revenge (1997)
.The Night is for Hunting (1998)
.The Other Side of Dawn (1999)
The Ellie Chronicles:
Following on from the Tomorrow series, these three books continue Ellie's story after the war.
The Three Books in The Millennium Series:
.The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
. The Girl Who Played with Fire
.The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest
Started the night with: Tomorrow, When the War Began, followed by Tooth Fairy 2, and ended with drum roll please, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!
I'll start with my least favorite of the night. Tooth Fairy 2. In my opinion it was cute, a little funny, but not the typical Larry the Cable Guy movie. On the other hand it is definitely a kids movie, so keep that in mind. And if I was a kid in the targeted age group I would have loved it. And probably would have liked it better if we had watched it before the other two. Because yes I'm guilty of liking to watch kids movies! Come on who doesn't love Nemo or the Chronicles of Narnia!
Now on to the next...the first movie of the night was Tomorrow, When the War Began. When the hubby came home with this movie I had never heard of it. Didn't know what to expect. Well...I loved this movie from the get go! Yes it is a YA movie, and targeted to that age group. But still it was action packed and in my opinion had just the right amount social interaction. It reminded me of Red Dawn with a modern spin and it takes place in Australia rather than the USA. In my opinion, at the time Red Dawn came out it seemed to be targeted towards the male teenager. I feel that this movie will appeal to both genders of the teenage crowd and to adults that like that sort of thing. I liked this movie enough that when the ending seemed to leave you hanging a bit I looked it up. And what did I find? Of course this movie came from a book, and it is a whole series. The series consists of seven books authored by John Marsden known as The Tomorrow Series. And there is a sequel series of three more books know as the Ellie Chronicles by the same author. Both series are written in the first person perspective of Ellie Linton, a teenage girl, who is part of a small band of teenagers waging a war on the enemy soldiers in the region around their fictional home town of Wirrawee.
I can't wait to add all of these books to my reading list.
List of books in the series.
.Tomorrow, When the War Began (1993)
.The Dead of Night (1994)
.Third Day, The Frost (1995) (published in America as "A Killing Frost")
.Darkness, be my Friend (1996)
.Burning for Revenge (1997)
.The Night is for Hunting (1998)
.The Other Side of Dawn (1999)
The Ellie Chronicles:
Following on from the Tomorrow series, these three books continue Ellie's story after the war.
- While I Live (2003)
- Incurable (2005)
- Circle of Flight (2006)
The Three Books in The Millennium Series:
.The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
. The Girl Who Played with Fire
.The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Character Names
How do you come up with the names of your characters? Long ago a friend ask me this question. I can't even remember my response to the question at the time. But as years have gone by I know my answer today is completely different.
Keep in mind that this is only my opinion and my process. Every writer has their own process and opinion on this subject.
To me each character is different, as are the names, sometimes the names have meaning sometimes it just depends on the importance of the character. If the character is not an important factor to the storyline I'm likely to just shoot a name off the hip and if I like it or don't plan on using it for a later character then that is what I go with. If my character is important then I just might do some research, sometimes I go by physical characteristics, as in eye color or hair color? Is the character a shifter, Wicca, vampire, or just your everyday nothing extraordinary person? Take Abel for example, he is the main male character in The Pull of Blood, he is a shifter, vampire, elemental mix. He is also the alpha of his pack. But none of that came in to play for his name. What did is the fact that he is huge, golden and just yummy in my opinion. So as I was looking through a baby name book (yep that's right, a baby name book) I found that the name Abel, means breath. Well the image I have in mind of Abel absolutely takes my breath away. So...that is how Abel got his name.
Sometimes I just hear or see a name, that I like and shelf it for future use. Most times if I do that I will twist the name to fit my purposes. One of the characters in the book I'm working on now, Tybee Moon, actually came from a person on Tybee Island that I met. But I had to twist the name for my purpose, the character is inspired by the man I met, but his name is that of a popular American beer and his band has the same name. Well my character is of Irish decent and a Wicca. I twisted the name using the original concept...Beer...adding the Irish flare and came up with Redderick Killian.
Before I start a story, I almost always come up with an outline. I don't always stick to that outline. My stories tend to take on a mind of their own and go somewhere I didn't expect. My start and end point usually stay the same but how I got there may be totally different. Same goes with the names I use except my main characters. Part of my outline process is coming up with the characters I plan to introduce. I decided on their descriptions, personalities, attributes, and pretty much everything about them before I give them a name. And I almost always use those descriptions to decide on their name. Depending on the character I may go through baby books, different websites, even the phone book flipping through and with my eyes closed and dropping a finger if its a good name I use it. I go through my personal list of names to use. Twist, tweak, and roll until I find the perfect name. Sometimes if I like a name enough I will even create a character to fit that name.
To me naming my characters is almost the same as naming a baby. It is not taken lightly and deserves just as much thought, care and love.
Keep in mind that this is only my opinion and my process. Every writer has their own process and opinion on this subject.
To me each character is different, as are the names, sometimes the names have meaning sometimes it just depends on the importance of the character. If the character is not an important factor to the storyline I'm likely to just shoot a name off the hip and if I like it or don't plan on using it for a later character then that is what I go with. If my character is important then I just might do some research, sometimes I go by physical characteristics, as in eye color or hair color? Is the character a shifter, Wicca, vampire, or just your everyday nothing extraordinary person? Take Abel for example, he is the main male character in The Pull of Blood, he is a shifter, vampire, elemental mix. He is also the alpha of his pack. But none of that came in to play for his name. What did is the fact that he is huge, golden and just yummy in my opinion. So as I was looking through a baby name book (yep that's right, a baby name book) I found that the name Abel, means breath. Well the image I have in mind of Abel absolutely takes my breath away. So...that is how Abel got his name.
Sometimes I just hear or see a name, that I like and shelf it for future use. Most times if I do that I will twist the name to fit my purposes. One of the characters in the book I'm working on now, Tybee Moon, actually came from a person on Tybee Island that I met. But I had to twist the name for my purpose, the character is inspired by the man I met, but his name is that of a popular American beer and his band has the same name. Well my character is of Irish decent and a Wicca. I twisted the name using the original concept...Beer...adding the Irish flare and came up with Redderick Killian.
Before I start a story, I almost always come up with an outline. I don't always stick to that outline. My stories tend to take on a mind of their own and go somewhere I didn't expect. My start and end point usually stay the same but how I got there may be totally different. Same goes with the names I use except my main characters. Part of my outline process is coming up with the characters I plan to introduce. I decided on their descriptions, personalities, attributes, and pretty much everything about them before I give them a name. And I almost always use those descriptions to decide on their name. Depending on the character I may go through baby books, different websites, even the phone book flipping through and with my eyes closed and dropping a finger if its a good name I use it. I go through my personal list of names to use. Twist, tweak, and roll until I find the perfect name. Sometimes if I like a name enough I will even create a character to fit that name.
To me naming my characters is almost the same as naming a baby. It is not taken lightly and deserves just as much thought, care and love.
Friday, March 23, 2012
What the "Bleep" is a Muse?
Good day all!
Today's blog topic is inspired by my wonderful daughter! After yesterdays blog where I mentioned my missing Muse she posted a comment asking, what the hell is a Muse. I know, you would think being the daughter of an author she would not have to ask. So after a short giggle, I gave her a short and simple reply. Throughout the rest of the evening I thought about the question and decided what a perfect topic for a Blog post! So thank you Ashley for a little inspiration and steering me towards the direction of today's topic. You are today's Blog Muse! I will try to keep this short and sweet, but as informative as possible.
In today's world of modern English Muse simply refers to a person who inspires an artist, writer, or musician. There are three different definitions in the dictionary for the word muse, since I am a writer I will just stick to third and final definition.
muse: n, [ME, fr. MF, fr. L Musa, fr. GK Mousa] (14c) 1: capitalized: Any of the nine sister Goddesses in Greek mythology presiding over song and poetry and the arts and sciences 2: a source of inspiration; esp: a guiding genius 3: Poet
These are the nine Muses of Greek Mythology:
Clio the muse of history
Euterpe the muse of flute and musical instruments
Thalia the muse of comedy and science
Melpomene the muse of tragedy
Terpsichore the muse of dance and poetry
Erato the muse of the lyre and love poetry
Urania the muse of astronomy
Polyhymnia the muse of sacred songs and the art of mimic
Calliope the muse of epic poetry and eloquence, and the superior muse.
There are many mythological stories about how the the Nine Muses were created. In my opinion the most common story being that the Nine Muses are supposedly the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne being created after the Greek god and goddess spent nine nights of crazy hanky-panky together.
Some are of the opinion that there are three original Muses, aaccording to Pausanias Aoide; for song or tune, Melete; for practice or occasion, and Mneme; for memory, were the three original Muses that were worshiped at Mount Helicon.
Throughout history many scholars, authors and creative types have referred to, studied, or have had an opinion on the subject of the Muse. Many authors have used the mythological Muses in their writings, including Dante, Shakespeare, John Milton and Geoffrey Chaucer. Shakespeare's Sonnet 38 even invokes the Tenth Muse. Many museums around the world displays various statues and paintings that involve the mythological Muses, such as The Muses Sarcophagus at the Louvre.
This information is only the tip of the iceberg where the subject of the Muse is concerned. For those interested Wikipedia has great link with tons of info on the origins of the Muse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muse. And several Books worth reading on the subject, these are two available at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Lives-Muses-Women-Artists-Inspired/dp/B000C4SJB6 : http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Muses-Forrest-Aguirre/dp/0975590367
Now back to my missing Muse! In my simple opinion a muse is anything or anyone who inspires your work, that little something that sparks an idea, or gets you through writers block, the thing that picks at your brain and nags at you until the words or paints or music flows. Maybe its a mythological goddess, maybe its just imagination, or God forbid a split personal! But in the dark of night while I toss and turn and the words just keep pecking and my brain begging for release and I just can't sleep until I get up and give the words release, I must and always will blame Rhia, my own personal Muse! Whom needs to get her but back home where she belongs!
Today's blog topic is inspired by my wonderful daughter! After yesterdays blog where I mentioned my missing Muse she posted a comment asking, what the hell is a Muse. I know, you would think being the daughter of an author she would not have to ask. So after a short giggle, I gave her a short and simple reply. Throughout the rest of the evening I thought about the question and decided what a perfect topic for a Blog post! So thank you Ashley for a little inspiration and steering me towards the direction of today's topic. You are today's Blog Muse! I will try to keep this short and sweet, but as informative as possible.
In today's world of modern English Muse simply refers to a person who inspires an artist, writer, or musician. There are three different definitions in the dictionary for the word muse, since I am a writer I will just stick to third and final definition.
muse: n, [ME, fr. MF, fr. L Musa, fr. GK Mousa] (14c) 1: capitalized: Any of the nine sister Goddesses in Greek mythology presiding over song and poetry and the arts and sciences 2: a source of inspiration; esp: a guiding genius 3: Poet
These are the nine Muses of Greek Mythology:
There are many mythological stories about how the the Nine Muses were created. In my opinion the most common story being that the Nine Muses are supposedly the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne being created after the Greek god and goddess spent nine nights of crazy hanky-panky together.
Some are of the opinion that there are three original Muses, aaccording to Pausanias Aoide; for song or tune, Melete; for practice or occasion, and Mneme; for memory, were the three original Muses that were worshiped at Mount Helicon.
Throughout history many scholars, authors and creative types have referred to, studied, or have had an opinion on the subject of the Muse. Many authors have used the mythological Muses in their writings, including Dante, Shakespeare, John Milton and Geoffrey Chaucer. Shakespeare's Sonnet 38 even invokes the Tenth Muse. Many museums around the world displays various statues and paintings that involve the mythological Muses, such as The Muses Sarcophagus at the Louvre.
This information is only the tip of the iceberg where the subject of the Muse is concerned. For those interested Wikipedia has great link with tons of info on the origins of the Muse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muse. And several Books worth reading on the subject, these are two available at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Lives-Muses-Women-Artists-Inspired/dp/B000C4SJB6 : http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Muses-Forrest-Aguirre/dp/0975590367
Now back to my missing Muse! In my simple opinion a muse is anything or anyone who inspires your work, that little something that sparks an idea, or gets you through writers block, the thing that picks at your brain and nags at you until the words or paints or music flows. Maybe its a mythological goddess, maybe its just imagination, or God forbid a split personal! But in the dark of night while I toss and turn and the words just keep pecking and my brain begging for release and I just can't sleep until I get up and give the words release, I must and always will blame Rhia, my own personal Muse! Whom needs to get her but back home where she belongs!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
To Blog or Not to BLog?
So...I've spent the night wondering what in the world I was gonna do with a blog! Should I only write about book stuff... my work... what? Should it be fun? Serious? Should I even mention my family or what I did today?
With much thought I decided "Why not do it all!" why not write about my books, my work, family, fun, even my crazy dog Jake!
This blog may take crazy rides, serious turns and God only knows what else! Some days it may seem like a not so private journal, or a lecture (not too many of those) or just a bitch session that I might need. You might read my conversations with my Muse, Rhia. Yep, she has a name and we argue quite often. You may read about my family or friends; a much needed girls night out or what I'm reading as of date. You may have a day of quotes or jokes!
I've decided to treat this blog as a daily conglomeration of whatever is on my mind at the time. My version of a rambling journal! However with that said I do promise to try to be organized about my thoughts and try very hard to come up with a subject of the day...But friends, family, fans, and foes keep in mind I did say try!
Subject of the day? I suppose since this is the beginning of the blog I should actually talk a little about myself and my work. I am the co-author of The Pull of Blood, which is the first book of The Keepers of the Damned series. I am also the author of She, a short story in the anthology Menage a Twenty, which is a compilation of 30 stories written by twenty different Goodreads authors. My co-author on The Pull of Blood is Holly Jones. We have also written the sequel Blood Chalice which has yet to be published. The Pull of Blood was originally published by Eloquent in hardcover. We have since cancelled the contract with Eloquent and have been picked up by Bradley Publishing for Ebook. They are now in the process of reediting for republish, and believe me it definitely needed the new edits! We are hoping that once The Pull of Blood gets released that they will pick up on Blood Chalice.
My preferred genre of writing is Dark Paranormal Fantasy and Erotica I have several erotica short stories that I have written but have yet to publish. I also dabble a little in mystery and horror. I am currently working on a paranormal/horror/ suspense, that I have titled Tybee Moon. And when I say currently working...I mean...very slowly working on. Yes, almost a year now and hardly past 20,000 words. Yikes! I think my Muse has taken a vacation, or life just got in the way. Not sure which. Maybe just a little of both, so if you see Miss Rhia out there lurking around anywhere give her a smack on the ass and send her home, she is needed!
With much thought I decided "Why not do it all!" why not write about my books, my work, family, fun, even my crazy dog Jake!
This blog may take crazy rides, serious turns and God only knows what else! Some days it may seem like a not so private journal, or a lecture (not too many of those) or just a bitch session that I might need. You might read my conversations with my Muse, Rhia. Yep, she has a name and we argue quite often. You may read about my family or friends; a much needed girls night out or what I'm reading as of date. You may have a day of quotes or jokes!
I've decided to treat this blog as a daily conglomeration of whatever is on my mind at the time. My version of a rambling journal! However with that said I do promise to try to be organized about my thoughts and try very hard to come up with a subject of the day...But friends, family, fans, and foes keep in mind I did say try!
Subject of the day? I suppose since this is the beginning of the blog I should actually talk a little about myself and my work. I am the co-author of The Pull of Blood, which is the first book of The Keepers of the Damned series. I am also the author of She, a short story in the anthology Menage a Twenty, which is a compilation of 30 stories written by twenty different Goodreads authors. My co-author on The Pull of Blood is Holly Jones. We have also written the sequel Blood Chalice which has yet to be published. The Pull of Blood was originally published by Eloquent in hardcover. We have since cancelled the contract with Eloquent and have been picked up by Bradley Publishing for Ebook. They are now in the process of reediting for republish, and believe me it definitely needed the new edits! We are hoping that once The Pull of Blood gets released that they will pick up on Blood Chalice.
My preferred genre of writing is Dark Paranormal Fantasy and Erotica I have several erotica short stories that I have written but have yet to publish. I also dabble a little in mystery and horror. I am currently working on a paranormal/horror/ suspense, that I have titled Tybee Moon. And when I say currently working...I mean...very slowly working on. Yes, almost a year now and hardly past 20,000 words. Yikes! I think my Muse has taken a vacation, or life just got in the way. Not sure which. Maybe just a little of both, so if you see Miss Rhia out there lurking around anywhere give her a smack on the ass and send her home, she is needed!
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