Fixin’ whut aint broke

As you can see, I’ve been messing around with my site. I figured, ‘what the hey’ and added some cool widgets that the rest of you cool kids have on your sites. Now I have to figure out how to add pages, content and whutnot (yeah, I know) without crashing my site. I can be dangerous with tools, time and a little knowledge!

Anyhow, I’ve been struggling with a story idea that I want to work on for November’s NaNoWriMo challenge. I also want to use the same story idea in a short story format and submit it to PUB518.com for consideration in their upcoming, Guide to Useless Sidekicks, anthology. I have the short story part figured out and am off to a start. One of the conditions is that it must be unpublished and a blog is considered published, sooo…, I won’t be able to share it with you in my blog. Sorry. I will keep you posted on my progress though. So far, I did a dramatic reading of it’s opening salvo and cracked up my wife. Good thing she wasn’t drinking something! I would like to write the long version as a novel, spoofing the super-verse, or, as a graphic novel, doing the same. I have some unique characters and a twisted sense of humor, look out Marvel! You too DC!

About 518 Publishing. Their idea is to tap into the creativity of upstate NY writers in the 518 area code, but they will take submissions from writers wherever they may be. The last one, Influence of the Moon, has a piece from a writer in London, England that is, so if you have a story idea, check them out and submit it. You won’t get rich, but you may get published and that is really neat. I have a short story titled ‘Selene’ and a poetry piece, ‘I Should’ve Quit and Gone to Bed’ in ‘Influence’. Check it out on Amazon, I already got my free copy and Amazon gift card, so I’ve been paid. Buy it if you want for yourself, not for me. I won’t be able to put up those pieces for a year.

Please check out Eugenia’s BrewNSpew cafe https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/69221687/posts/55850. She puts weekly prompts out there for you to expand or expound upon. This week’s prompt is ‘Ghoulish’. I have something in mind to submit. For now, I’ll leave a teaser that’s part of a series of poems that I’m trying to convince my insanely talented daughter to turn into a graphic novel with me. Check her work out at; https://madisonrose225.wixsite.com/violetrose/gallery

Ahh, teaser smeaser, I’ll just let it rip!

I am what I am

Torment drives me relentlessly, beyond all hope, beyond care
a wraith, I drift, by impotent fury consumed
preying on dreams, turning faith to ash,despair
remains, it ravages still, it's thirst un-slaked.

Oh, foul beast, the demon inside runs rampant
in catacombs of my un-redeemed soul. without remorse,
I tread in its wake of wreak and ruin, unrepentant,
led astray, without the will to reverse my awful course.

In battle, I engaged my foe, headlong, Hell driven,
unyielding, iron cold, no thought for mercy or compassion.
My creed; No quarter asked, no quarter given.
Alas, hollow victories were naught but crimes of my own commission

Reflection reveals my conscious choice to ignore
the consequences of my actions. I'll live with them forevermore. 

BrewNSpew Cafe https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/69221687/posts/55850

The wheels in my head go round and round

I wisheth I couldeth remembereth all the things that I think. I remembereth that I thought things, and, though the things that I thought are, theoretically, thtill there, they thwirl outhide my grathp.

Thorry about that.

Then I saw the BrewNCafe weekly prompt, Scarecrow, and this happened.

 Most of the time                                                10/01/19
  
 I don’t say what I think,
 most of the time.
 I don’t think you would understand,
 most of the time.
 I don’t understand what you expect,
 Most of the time.
 I don’t expect you even know,
 Most of the time.
 I don’t know what you want,
 Most of the time.
 I don’t want to care,
 Most of the time.
 But I do.
 My head is full of thoughts, not straw.
 A heart beats within my chest.
 I do have the courage,
 To stand by your side,
 To fend off the crows that peck and steal,
 To support you on your stony path,
 To help you stay true when you are lost,
 To be your friend when you’re in need,
 And peace.
 Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
 He doesn’t know what to say,
 Or think.
 He doesn’t understand,
 Or expect,
 To know what you want,
 Most of the time.
 But he does care,
 Most of the time.   

Eugenia, you are a wicked woman to make me spill like this.

https://amanpan.com/2019/09/30/brewncafe-september-30-2019/

Also, you have to check out these writers, Larissa’s Ebony and Crows https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/59361397/posts/2432025260 and Mitchel David Ring. https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/156206608/posts/1196 They are amazing as is Michael Malachi – The 6’6 giant! https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/97708154/posts/2429946613

I’m spent!

Just in

I arrived home half an hour ago. I went with my wife, Rosemary, to meet with a friend who happens to be the editor of the anthology, Influence of the Moon. I purchased a few copies to gift to friends and I gotta say, it’s really cool for me to have a copy of a book that I contributed to. There are 25 other extremely talented authors who poured their creativity into making this book a reality, they all deserve and have my praise. My thanks and praise also extends to Shannon and staff at 518 Publishing who made the book a reality. This is the third anthology they’ve published in as many years, take a moment to check them out. I’ll try to link up with their blog or at least give the URL they can be found. I also want to send a shout out to Susan Blackley, owner of Written Image Press who called me out where I was lazy and made me write a better story.

I don’t mean to sound like I won a literary award and a lucrative book deal. I’m just excited to be part of the endeavor along with the other authors.

Here’s the URL’s;

https://www.pub518.com/blog/categories/ampublishing

https://www.writtenimagepress.com/

Shannon and her technicolor top knot

once emerald green
like summer past, now fuchsia
blazes on her brow

It’s time for me to go to bed now. Good night friends.

Is anybody out there?

Cassiopeia
Polaris, Ursa Major
Meteor's bright flare

Heavenward my gaze is drawn
Do the stars look back at me?

I have to believe that others, far away, look into the vastness of the cosmos and ask the same question. Our suns may be invisible to our mutually searching eyes, but it’s nice to know that someone else cares to look and wonder too.

Lyrically Speaking

My commute to work is very short, in fact, I shouldn’t be driving at all to get to work. I have two perfectly good legs and my carbon emissions are gonna happen anyway. What I’m getting at is this, the only good thing about a commute, besides the joy of driving (yeah, I like driving), is listening to music. I recognize and appreciate talent when I hear it, even if the style is not to my liking (country, the current incarnation; most of the currently popular pop, some great voices that need to really cut loose and achieve their potential; and, I’m sorry, most jazz). That being admitted, Johnny Cash rules; Lady Ga Ga, Kelly Clarkson, Pink; I’d love to hear them really going for it, and as far as jazz goes, the cool, smoke filled speakeasy stuff is OK.

I prefer my music loud and proud, turned up to 11, intelligent, de-tuned, long haired, pyrotechnic and guitar driven! I only went to two concerts at SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) this summer with my daughter, We saw Korn / Alice ‘n Chains (I went for A’nC), and Slipknot / Volbeat (WOW, both of them!). I’m sorry that Rush has retired from touring, I never missed them when they came to town. Rush, ‘nuf said.

I read a most depressing article about the aging and impending demise of most of the rock ‘n rollers whose music I grew up with and whose lyrics helped shape me. Sad times are coming soon. Many of them are still performing. Their energy fuels new artists and great music will continue to be made long after we’ve gone to join our idols in the great concert hall in the sky.

I listen more attentively to the lyrics now than I used to. The words they sing and the stories those words tell sometimes stop me in my mental tracks. They speak of experiences, pain, loss and addictions that I’m glad I never experienced and probably couldn’t have handled or survived intact. They also tell of love, hope, longing, joy, freedom, dreams come true, fantastical places and the vitality of youth. The songs never get old, though the artists do. I can listen to their music and journey to places I’ve been, experience their experiences, tempered by wisdom and maturity granted by my own accumulation of years, and still be amazed at the thoughtfulness of those young artists when they weren’t given much serious consideration then, by people of my current age.

Listen to the lyrics of Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, read the social commentary of Slipknot, journey with Rush to self discovery in fantastic settings, take Scarlet’s walk with Tori Amos, Journey’s Evolution, and, Infinity odes to young love, Pink Floyd’s the Wall will give you goosebumps, Tool, if you dare! I could go on with both classic and new, but I wont. I’ll suggest one more that makes me smile every time I hear it and I heard it today, The Proclaimers; I’m Gonna Be (500 miles).