Angelic Forecast from Volcano ~ November 28, 2011

Weekly Angelic Forecast from Volcano

Straight from the Carnal Cherub himself...

Angelic Forecast ~ #169

For the following week, the theme is ‘home is where the heart is’. Now is the perfect time to explore what ‘home’ really means to you. This is also an ideal time to search for another home if there is a nudge from your Inner Guidance.
During the next three months, many people will be ‘moving’ to a different location that calls to their soul. Also, many people will be leaving their current relationships to form new relationships and new families. As well, some will return to the fold, as in returning to their families of origin.

This is due in part by the need to hunker down in this great time of turmoil. Metaphorically, the gloves are off now. And this has become a bare-knuckle world -- the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly. The more you are with others you trust, and who trust you, the better life will be for All.

Another major transitional shift will begin this week. This can be seen in the turbulent events that take place around the worldwide financial debacle. As the face of evil is further revealed, a mighty backlash against the ‘soulless ones’ will sweep across the globe like a raging tsunami.

There is likely to be a dramatic increase in earthquake activity for the next six months, and volcanic activity will follow. There are few safe areas because Mother Earth is changing her landscape. Also, super duper weapons are being used in weather and tectonic warfare in a battle to dominate the world.

Look for ‘more’ shocking events to unfold midweek. As well, from this point forward every excuse will be used to bring in a draconian and militaristic control over the people.

On the personal economic front, be aware the game has changed, and will continue to change at a rapid rate. The more you can remove you and your family from the system, the better off you will be in the long scheme of things. Banks will continue to fail, and some of them cannot be relied upon. Use your money wisely at this time, and plan for the future in a realistic manner.

Trendwise, seek out ways to celebrate the holiday season that are truly meaningful to you, and those you love. What has been is crashing down and coming to a quick end. For those of you not currently living in a rural community, now is the time to look at returning to a simpler and more sustainable way of living.

This week is all about taking advantage of good opportunities that come your way, especially if they include family and friends. This is also a magic time to find the right love partner.

Angelic blessings from Volcano & Sedona
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MORE...Volcano’s Angelic Forecast for this week ~ sirenbookstrand.blogspot.com ~
~~~~~~

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~
~~~

Thanks Giving

So this doesn’t end up sounding like an Oscar acceptance speech, I’m going to limit my list to the writing-related things I’m thankful for. Such as:

The Muhlenberg Township School District, who held a typing class as part of their summer school program. They opened up a whole new world of speed to me. I could now write as fast as all eight fingers and both thumbs could type. I suspect I used to get better grades because I typed my term papers. Less eyestrain for teacher, more points for me.

Steve Jobs and everyone else involved in the creation of the personal computer. Back around 1990 I bought my first PC and laser printer and never once looked back. No more whiteout, retyping drafts, endless Xeroxing manuscripts or carbon paper smears on my hands. The actual writing didn’t get any easier, but editing, formatting and printing reams of final copy just became a snap. My first drafts are all or mostly longhand, but subsequent drafts are always typed on computer. I’m writing this blog on the laptop right now. Where’s the one that plugs into your head and prints your thoughts directly on the screen? Invent that one next!

Al Gore, or whoever really “invented” the Internet. No more lugging bulky packages to the post office! Hit a couple buttons and an entire novel goes zipping off to the publisher. Except when the system crashes and you lose a month’s work, but I’m trying to stay thankful here.

The global economy, which got me laid off the last time it took a nosedive, and ageism, which is making it difficult for me to find replacement work. Between the two of them, I now have plenty of time to write. I really should be doing that instead of playing Spider Solitaire or cruising fanfic sites.

The readers, who plunk down their hard-earned bucks for my imaginings. You folks get the biggest thanks of all. I’m going to work harder on my end to create the most entertaining books I can, so you’ll be thankful you bought them. Happy Turkey Day, everybody!

Angelic Forecast from Volcano ~ November 21, 2011

Weekly Angelic Forecast from Volcano

Straight from the Carnal Cherub himself...

Angelic Forecast ~ #168

For the following week chaos and rage will own the streets, and the entire world will appear to be falling apart. Simultaneously, a new spiritual nature emerges, and will be most recognizable at the grassroots level. This is because all those of good conscience are coming together to help each other, and work toward a greater Good for everyone.

This week, the fraud that has taken over the system will be your greatest enemy. Take heed to follow your own Inner Guidance. This is more crucial than ever when protecting yourself and those you love.

At this time, be aware that the rate of social change is accelerating. And like a herd of stampeding elephants anything in the way will be trampled. You have three choices: Fight it and be trampled. Step out of the way, and learn what it takes to survive and thrive. Or, three, leap astride an elephant and enjoy the wild ride.

Even though, the major events that take place during this Thanksgiving week will not be tame, the rise of the renegade spirit continues. Surprising new expressions of this rebellious spirit will occur, and grow throughout the year, 2012.

With the economic war between the global elite escalating this week, watch out for the ‘metaphorical’ dead bodies falling like Autumn leaves. For one thing, the world’s supply of available gold is nearly gone. That is, what has been sold on paper does not exist.

Once again, there will be odd happenings in the space program, and in space itself. Nothing will be told to the public except for misrepresentations and outright lies. However, as has been said before, the truth is out there. And will be leaked.

The most important thing about this week for all of us, is that old standby, LOVE. Whatever loving act you can do for someone who is ‘truly’ deserving... this will mean a better world for all of us, because the goodness will ripple outward forever.

Trendwise, this week of Thanksgiving encourages our gratitude. Search your heart to discover what you are most grateful for. This may ‘not’ be what is considered the ‘right thing’, or the popular things to be grateful for. However, what ultimately matters is that you find out what resonates as real and sincere gratitude.

This week when someone shows you kindness, let them know you are grateful. It’s all about spreading the universal love.

Angelic blessings from Volcano & Sedona
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MORE...Volcano’s Angelic Forecast for this week ~ sirenbookstrand.blogspot.com ~
~~~~~~

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~
~~~

Central Casting

It took me long enough, but after close to a year of writing (and avoiding writing, but that’s another blog) I finally finished Legacy, my sequel to Belonging, and sent it off to Siren, who were kind enough to accept it. I’ve never denied my male leads were inspired by Sam, Dean and Castiel from Supernatural – or, in my version, Jeremy, Wallace the vampire, and the mysterious slayer known as the Preacher. (I chose that particular photo because the Preacher favors black. Tan trenchcoats tend to stand out in the dark.)

This isn’t the first time I’ve cast a favorite actor as the lead in one of my stories. Dialogue writing gets so much easier when you can “hear” the words spoken in a specific voice and rhythm. (Probably why I’ve never used William Shatner.) If you’re the kind who visualizes as you write, then hey, who wouldn’t want to imagine a naked Christian Bale or shirtless, Star Wars era Harrison Ford for weeks on end? I love romance writing.

Waiting patiently in my closet is a romance in draft I’ve been meaning to get back to. The lead, Sam McCollough, is a Texas boy and art thief looking to leave the biz, buy a boat, and sail around the world. The voice I heard when I started writing him was 1980s Don Johnson. Sam became a rough-but-tender guy with piercing eyes, a quick, boyish smile, and a perpetual five o’clock shadow. I’d sail around the world with him any day of the week.

Vin here was an accident. I wrote a flash scene for my other blog, Shapeshifter Seductions, about a dragon shifter. I described a tall, muscular male with a bald head and cavernous voice. After the fact I realized I’d imagined Vin Diesel. Picture that body covered in flame tattoos and that drifting-up-out-of-a-cave voice drawling at you and yeah, you’ve got a dragon. I’ve already seen Pitch Black and The Pacifier, so when I finally get around to expanding the flash, I think I’ll rent Fast 5 for research. That way I get both Vin and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. This job gets better and better.

Speaking of shapeshifters and wrestling, I wanted a menacing, no-nonsense Russian assassin, so I based Sergei on WWE’s Undertaker. Mark Calloway’s 7-foot, pumped-up frame was perfect for my white tiger. Picture that guy over there as an albino with icy blue eyes and that’s Sergei. Tough? Calloway has his wife’s name tattooed on his throat. Now that’s tough.

My current WIP concerns cat shifters. I haven’t quite decided on my lead yet, other than he’s blond, but I’ve got a good match for his romantic interest: Ian Somerhalder from The Vampire Diaries. Check out those eyes. Is that a cat or what? Mee-yow.

You’ll notice there are no pictures of actresses up there. I usually have only a vague idea of what, or who, my heroines look like. My mental image of their men is always more concrete. Can’t imagine why that would be … If I ever cancelled cable, I’d probably have to give up writing. Now, about that M/M/M ménage …

Angelic Forecast from Volcano ~ November 14, 2011

Weekly Angelic Forecast from Volcano

Straight from the Carnal Cherub himself...

Angelic Forecast ~ #167

For this week, the theme will be ‘duality at superspeed’. This is particularly true for events on the world stage. What has been termed ‘high strange’ events will be happening in contrast to the down-to-earth, ‘if it bleeds it leads’ news stories that will be used to keep the public at large ignorant of the most important news in these times.

Of course, every effort will be made to suppress the truth about these high strange occurrences, and the spin machine will be burning gears to explain them away. However, given the force of Magick is rising, everything considered paranormal will be on the increase during these times, and the ‘truth’ is out there.

As has happened before, what was once sci fi will show up as reality in the coming months, and during the year 2012. This will also be true for certain aspects of fantasy, or what has been thought of as the fantastical, the impossible.

This will be a complex week in many ways. On a personal level there is likely to be several areas of your life pulling on you all at once. Take a step back and decide which area needs attention first, then act using your experience and wisdom.

On a personal level there is another highly important aspect to this week. That is, be careful about outside forces that could negatively affect your relationships, especially a love relationship. Your best defense is to keep the lines of communication open. Have an intimate dinner together, and remember why you love each other so much.

On the economic front, this will be an up and down week that benefits no one in the longer scheme of things. There are rival forces at work -- a fierce war behind the scenes between the dark siders themselves, and those who wish to preserve ways to create a better future for us all. To that end, predictions are useless, except to say the tactics used by the global bankster gangsters will backfire. Thus, new draconian measures will be initiated.

With the now-announced worldwide depression, an avalanche of people across the globe will wake up to what is occurring, and take action against the real perpetrators, ‘those’ who are the soulless ones. This will mean, in part, that riots will become bigger, and a true force to be reckoned with.

For many the upcoming week will be a ‘strange’ one. Relying on your Inner Guidance will see you through and give you a greater understanding of the true nature of the Universe and the Divine.

As the evil ones seek to loose the big dogs of war, an unexpected opposition will arise. This group of individuals will mostly act in secret. Their success depends on those of us who will stand for freedom against any form of tyranny.

Trendwise, it’s all about the ‘good surprise’ this week. Take time to create a wonderful surprise for someone you love. A surprise birthday party. A surprise night out. Anything will be appreciated if it truly shows the other person how much you care about them. How much you cherish them. Now is also the time to bring forth your creativity.

Besides preparing for winter, showing someone how much you cherish them is the best thing you can do this week.

Angelic blessings from Volcano & Sedona
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MORE...Volcano’s Angelic Forecast for this week ~ sirenbookstrand.blogspot.com ~
~~~~~~

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~
~~~

Today's Topic Is ...

You got me. I think I’ll just ramble for a couple of hundred words. There’s bound to be something useful in there somewhere.

Last week I e-subbed a novel. Now I’m waiting to hear back. I know I’m supposed to be working on my next book, but this publisher has a quick turnaround and I figure I’ll hear something shortly. This is one of my hang-ups as a writer. Not only can I only work on one story at a time, once I send something out I’m tempted to sit back and see how things turn out. That’s fine when the wait time is only a week or two, but I’ve had stories out at places that held them for close to two years. Am I supposed to stop writing for two years? Tempting thought, but no. Looks like I just went back to work.

The anthology with the horror story I wrote as “Gerald S. Parker” may be back on. They think they've found another publisher. The drawback in this case is the antho was pay on publication. I don’t see a penny unless and until the book actually comes out. That happens a lot with smaller magazines. Moral: aim for the “pay on acceptance” markets first. That way if something like this happens, you still have cash in your wallet. Still want to be a writer?

Assuming the book I sent out is accepted, I’ll then have to deal with the edits. The book clocked in at 86,600 words. Gahhh! What was I thinking? I still feel the last several chapters were rushed because I knew the thing was running long and tried to wrap it up in a hurry. Let’s see what the editor says. I know you’re supposed to let the book run as long as it needs to, and length doesn’t make that much difference in e-publishing, but c’mon. There needs to be a limit. Oh, and that word count was even longer in draft. I found myself cutting lines and whole paragraphs when I did the final type-through. One chapter got eviscerated by at least a third. And it STILL came out to 86K+. That’s it. My next project will be a novella. No more War and Peace.

In fact, I could probably benefit from limitations. Discipline and I have only a nodding acquaintance, which is why it takes me so long to write stuff. I work much better with set deadlines. Not the deadlines I set for myself either, because I just ignore those. It’s not like there are any consequences beyond not earning any money. I should talk with the publisher and have her set specific deadlines for me. Then I know things will get done by such-and-such a date, because if they don’t I won’t get paid. Last month I wrote a story on assignment (different genre) and got it out two days before deadline. I had a month and a half to write 6000 words and I waited until the last minute. I used to write my term papers the night before class, too. The point is, they got done within a specific time frame because I had a deadline. Maybe I should hire somebody to set deadlines for me so I get more writing done in a timely manner. If I miss deadline, I pay that person $100. That ought to speed me up. Any takers?

As for the length problem, I’ve been toying with an idea for Harlequin’s Nocturne Cravings. They have a specific word limit. If they had a deadline, I’d be set.

And lookie here, I wrote a blog, and by deadline, too. Maybe next week I’ll talk about ways to find the discipline to write and not just veg out in front of the TV. Hey, that’s not a bad idea. Why not, I’ve got a week …

Angelic Forecast from Volcano ~ November 7, 2011

Weekly Angelic Forecast from Volcano

Straight from the Carnal Cherub himself...

Angelic Forecast ~ #166

This week, and for the rest of November 2011, it is all about ‘relationship’ and ‘relationships’.

First, it will be about how you personally relate to the world, and also how you relate to everyone around you. The Universal Force will be highlighting your strengths and weaknesses at this time.

Second, through this process, personal relationships which are not fundamentally sound, cannot withstand the rigors of the future, and are not based on love -- will be dissolved. In counterbalance, during this period, new and stronger relationships will be forged. This will be both love partnerships and enduring friendships.

The cosmic energies during the last two months of 2011 is about preparing for the future -- the immediate and long term future. Opportunities will appear and it is best to take advantage of them. Quickly. Decisively.

From this point forward, the pace of life will ‘quicken’ beyond the current hyperspeed. This means, in part, whatever is essential and most valuable in your life will be revealed to you. Out of this make your decisions for the future.

As usual, this is a critical time that will determine how the year 2012 plays out for humanity. In that regard, divisiveness will be the main theme for this week. Be aware that the ‘soulless ones’ are attacking with ‘divide and conquer’ strategies as never before.

Know also, the decision is upon you. Which side will you choose? Freedom or non-freedom? For, that is what 2012 will be all about, the rise of true freedom for humanity.

On the economic front, big-time deception will be the name of the game. Most likely every news story fed to the public at large, will be the exact opposite of the truth, or completely misleading.

For the best direction to go in pay heed to those who are the financial renegades. This ‘does not’ include any big name in the system currently. For, they are the false gods, and meant to lead all of us astray.

Several major conflict-events that will occur this week, have been initiated from the dark side of magck -- conjured by those who serve the soulless ones. Duck and cover spiritually.

This ‘black cloud sorcery’ is being done to cover up the Light streaming to us all from the cosmic center. This Light, straight from the heart of the Divine, is meant to reanimate our highest natures, and to give us the power to become strong in the face of evil.

Trendwise, this week, and through the holidays, people will be searching for new ways to celebrate -- ways that are more meaningful to them and their families. There will be a return to more ‘homey’ celebrations, as well as the opposite, all-out elegant affairs. Everything cheap and commercial will be shunned more and more this holiday season.

Exercise your personal power this week for your benefit, and the benefit of your loved ones. It is all-important.

Angelic blessings from Volcano & Sedona
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MORE...Volcano’s Angelic Forecast for this week ~ sirenbookstrand.blogspot.com ~
~~~~~~

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~
~~~

Blocked

I’m stuck for a topic today. This is normal. I just sent out a manuscript this week and it takes me a couple of days to get revved up again. I’ve been using the time to rake leaves and get caught up on the housework. When’s the last time I vacuumed the house? I can’t even remember.

There’s no lack of ideas, fortunately. I’ve got the sequel to the book I just sent out and a pile of other stuff. Trouble is, it’s logjammed in my head. They’re all clamoring equally for attention; nothing’s standing out. At some point one of them will scream more loudly than the others and that’s the one I’ll work on. When will that happen? No telling. It better not take too long, because I don’t want to go a year between submissions again. The one I just sent out clocked in at 86000 words. I think I’ll listen for a novella to start yapping this time.

While I’m waiting, there are tons of things I can do to get the juices flowing again. Reading works. Nothing sparks ambition like a monumentally awful novel that makes you go, “A monkey with a typewriter could do better than this.” Believe it or not, TV can be your friend. My favorite show sparked that trilogy I’m working on, and to some extent two other books I may get around to eventually. Sometimes it helps to just get outside and move around a bit. What’s that big, bright thing up in the sky? How long has it been there? What’s it called when you’re not seated in front of a keyboard? Standing upright, yeah.

To keep the writing muscle limber, I have a disturbingly-large number of spiral notebooks and pens piled up beside my bed. I don’t know how many stories I’ve started and abandoned in these things. If I want to blow off a couple of days, I can do an inventory. One notebook I keep reserved for quickie scenes, descriptions and ideas, so I can tell myself I wrote today. Some of those could probably be sold as flash fiction, or developed into stories. Again, I have to wait for one to poke its head above the herd. I’ve tried to force writing in the past. The results weren’t pretty, folks.

If all else fails, just sit your butt down and have at it. Don’t worry about plot, characters, or having it make sense. Gag your inner editor, tie her up and stick her in the corner and let your imagination go to town. You might end up throwing out every page you produced at the end of the day, but so what? You wrote. That’s what matters.

See, it worked. I just wrote a blog entry. I’m good for another week. Now, about that vacuuming …