Hitting the Road

I'm almost packed. In a few hours the hubby and I will take to the highway in our little Metro en route to Pittsburgh for my very first Romantic Times convention. Between the social events, the writing workshops, and the (squee!) huge book fair, I know we'll have a fantastic time! But what I'm looking forward to more than any of the events, is having the opportunity to meet, face to face, some of the wonderful people I've been talking to online since ATIV began last fall. ATIV finalists and fellow Title Magicians Helen, Trish, Holli, and Evonne will be there, as will ATIII winner Jenny Gardiner, ATIII finalist Judi Fennell, and lots of other American Title alumni.

Are you going, too? If so, let us know so we can say howdy!

If you're not going, never fear. Most of us Magicians are arriving with cameras and notebooks in hand and will blog about the fun, so TM readers'll get bonus content in between the week's regular posts.

All right. Time to stick the elf ears and the monkey slippers in my duffel bag and hit the road. See y'all on the flip side!

Lunar Eclipse Magic

I had planned to blog only about the magic of our lunar eclipse last night, when Mother Earth separates Lunabelle (my pet name for the moon) from Sol's light. And thus, we earthlings are separated from the bright light enchantment of Diana for a short time. For those astrologically inclined, during this eclipse the sun moves into the dreamy water sign of Pisces while the moon shines her full silvery beauty in the virgin earth sign of Virgo.
In the bone-chill cold, at about nine-thirty, I watched the spectacular and hypnotic lunar eclipse. The heavens were a deep black. The planet, Saturn, and the star, Regulus – and another snow-brilliant white star in the constellation of Leo – formed a triangle to the north side of the moon. So entrancing was this picture, so beautiful was the moon in her finery of radiant red-gold, her veil of transparent smoke, I remained outside far longer than I anticipated, freezing my you know what off...and every moment worth it.
Plans change, as if tapped by a magic wand, however. Yep, an over-the-moon surprise arrived in my e-mail! Upon this day of the lunar eclipse. My fantasy romance e-novel, All Shades of Blue Paradise, coming from Siren Publishing, has been given a release date. March 10, is the lucky day. Okay, it has to be lucky since St. Patrick’s wearin’-of-the-green, shamrock day is just around the corner.
Indeed, the happy, happy dance on cloud nine beneath the dark eclipse of the moon, then beneath Luna’s brilliant luminosity, ensues. Ahhh, perhaps, Sparkles and the other fairies will join me in the glade or behind the barn. Does my golden unicorn await the gaiety? Are the St. Pats’ leprechauns lurking?
Enough...enough! Of such word-sorcery and gushing-spillage. And more about the opportunity of the lunar eclipse.
From my research this is a time to gaze at our personal situation in the world with a realistic eye, then use the tools of Earth to make changes. Or simply make some practical improvements in your life. For example, your home – what would you alter to have it suit you, your particular preferences? A new bookshelf? New writer’s furnishings? Or perhaps, find new ways to organize which will assist you in writing that best-selling romance novel.
Any new works-in-progress being penned out there? Share a small working blurb with us. And if you have a question we can help with, just ask.
'Shamanic Astronomer' AJ McGettigan writes for all of us on the public domain of the Coast-toCoastam.com website:
The darkened Full Moon with Saturn highlights an opportunity for those willing to take stock of their true situation and act accordingly. Saturn is still roughly trine with Pluto— an arrangement which promotes regeneration and renewal for all conditions ripe for change. Additional details are available at ncrising.com.
From the darkness
Rings a tone of new potentials
Karma need not bring fear
When seen with attentive eyes
Old shapes take new form
New choices and new strength
Emerge in opportunity’s light
Lunar Eclipse Magic...yep, the synchronicity is obvious as the full white-shimmer moon above. Since my fantasy aristocratic realm, World of the Blue Pearl Moon, is the series title for All Shades of Blue Paradise. How truly moon magical is that?
Blurb: [Erotic Paranormal Romance]
Beneath the blue pearl moon, Lady Sheridan's fiance, Baron Zaggry, broke her heart into unbearable pieces. Ten years later, she becomes his love slave. Baron Zaggry never discovered why his Sher broke their engagement. Now, he has ten years worth of denied pleasures to enjoy her however he chooses.
For wonderful love scenes, each one with it’s special brand of magic, click on over to Romantic Times. Heart-savor the final two entries of Helen and Trish in the American Title IV contest. Then vote for your fave!
This is the big one. Winner takes all, the whole publishing contract enchilada with Dorchester Publishing.

A Sense of Proportion

A Sense of Proportion

I include the picture of myself, a little bit older than Trish,
not to copy her idea but because I was struck by the similarities. While it may sound trite, I find we all share so much!

And considering our similarities, from the pictures we posed for as children to our tastes in books and chocolate (I actually don’t have a clue if my fellow Titlers have the same taste in chocolate, I just assumed:), my thoughts jumped to the news this past week. Tornadoes touching down seemingly out of nowhere, definitely at random, children shooting other children, and, in our local news, two young men from the best of families sentenced to ten years in adult prison. The last hit me particularly hard since my own son is a freshman in high school.
He’s 14 to their 16, but two years is not a large gap to a parent. Their families didn’t sound so different from our own.

Since we do share so many similarities, it’s the differences that stand out. I’m reading three books on writing techniques right now (yes, I know that’s different, but each has its own time and place--one is read at my daughter’s swim practices, etc.) and several of them mentioned a sense of proportion. If a character spends a lot of time on your pages, he must be important. If a character does a number of things that aren’t so nice, he must be the villain.

This doesn’t apply just to characters. If a setting is described in detail, if the characters spend a great deal of time there, the setting must be important. The setting or characters allotted so much time must be important, not just to the author because she loves the mountains and kids, but because THIS setting and THIS character are crucial to the plot. One other piece of advice I picked up, and I’m going to use very soon, is that this setting and this character might be important for a very different reason than you’ve led the reader to believe. A mystery will have more punch if the villain is not the only one doing mean things, or if the REAL villain is not the one doing mean things all along. But, we have spent a lot of time with the villain/hero, we just didn’t know why.

So, the lesson I’ve learned and which may or may not be helpful to you, is keep a sense of proportion. In life and in our writing. Appreciate that, when your son brings home a D in Biology, he didn’t rob a Food Lion and he did come home. A sense of proportion lies in knowing where to put our time and our word count--where they NEED to be.

Vote!

Last day to vote for your fave dialogue scene. Guaranteed more fun than the Superbowl!

Last day to vote for this round

Super Tuesday is only three days away, but voting in the fourth round of the American Title contest ends tomorrow! The four remaining finalists -- Holli, Mai, Helen and myself -- would appreciate your support. To read this round's entries (dialogue scenes) and vote for your favorite, go here.

The Magic of One Spirit

The new year, 2008, is the magic of ONE. 2+0+0+8 = 10 = 1+0 = 1, ONE. Simple if you’re familiar with numerology, originally brought forth by Pythagoras. No, he wasn’t just a math genius guy. He was also a man who studied the sacred vibrations of numbers, the harp string vibrations of our world. Or frequencies, what our universe is composed of, what we are all composed of at the subatomic level, according to the quantum physics’ geniuses, the ones who speak of other dimensions as reality now.
The magic of ONE. What’s your vibration, baby? Sort of like my boomer generations’ what’s your sign? ONE is the pioneer’s spirit, those who built our beloved country. Now those who adventure into space, those who roam over the globe and beneath the oceans searching for what has not been discovered yet. Hey, Bigfoot is still out there. Or as Fox Mulder of the X-Files said, the truth is out there.
ONE, ambition and drive and aggressive focus for getting done what needs to be done, for bringing forth your dreams, for achieving the new world, whether it’s your personal realm, or contributing your magic to our world. ONE is bringing forth the renaissance, born from what has been, and born from all of us, the ONE SPIRIT of us all. Yes, it’s the magic of our words written as novels, the magic of brushing art upon the canvas, the magic of a sculptor’s hand as the clay is shaped. It’s the magic of shaping and creating life. Your life and the lives of us all upon this world, upon this Earth.
ONE is also about winning. The year of ONE is the time for all of us who have worked hard toward our goals to gain whatever is rightfully ours. Yeah, on a side note, this Title Magician is more than eager for this welcome turn of events! To state it with excessive mildness. Yes, now is the time to ask yourself, what victories do you want in your life? And what victories do you want against the current dark forces running this world? BTW, Darth Vader is resurrected, and very much alive, in case you haven’t noticed.
ONE is also about wanting to be heard as an individual. Your individual voice. Your individual ideas. Everything you value most – mind, heart and spirit. Everyone’s voices raised up to the heavens – for, the tidal force of ONE SPIRIT will be heard this year.
ONE will be fast-paced. The hyper speed of a starship, I ask? Can any year be faster than last year? I ask in personal reflection, my head spinning like an out of control gyroscope. No, not exactly unusual, but how fast can a head spin?
This year of ONE is also about regeneration, the regeneration of the human will, the magical regeneration of our imaginations into higher, more rarified fantastical realms – those other dimensions out there. Picture this writer rushing to explore even more of her fantasy otherworld realms.
Another key aspect of this ONE year is our ability to reclaim more of our personal power, more of our personal magic to create our lives. Always a good thing IMHO. For, it is this personal magic, this new sorcery creation of our lives which will bring forth our highest-inspired renaissance upon the world, and within our own individual realms.
May I humbly suggest we bring forth more playfulness into our ONE year? Ever turkey leg-enjoy the merry and ribald atmosphere of the Ren Festivals? Yes, my fellow magicians, there is a great and sorry dirth, or dearth, of playfulness upon our Land (except as I’ve read, at the Romantic Times Conventions, fairies and vampyres and mermaids and all wild things, where all manner of jolly and naughty wildnesses ensue). As well, there is a tremendous and sorry dearth of the regal color-sumptuous gowns of the Renaissance in our world. Okay, I admit it I just want more excuses to wear them.
Playfulness, imagine puppies tumbling and frolicking with each other. Imagine kittens racing like mad things, wrestling with each other – playing. And here, I whisper into Sparkles, our resident fairy’s tiny petal ear...fairy dust, fairy dust over one and all...wave, wave your purple star wand, so delicate and so shimmery...playfulness, yes, more – much more playfulness, I say.

And now, there are Four Title Magicians remaining in the American Title IV contest.
Congratulations on your advancement.
I shall tempt the goode and generous-hearted readers with the hope that all of the American Title entries may be posted for your enjoyable reviewing.

Happy One Spirit year to all! Savanna Kougar