Friday, March 1, 2019

Author’s Choice


March 2019 Blog

We writers are a fortunate lot. We can escape reality (if only for a little while) and create our own world – one we have some say in.

Author’s Choice: A Haiku
by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

What world shall I dwell
Within today? Perhaps one
Where peace, love abide.

Time to add to the body of my work. The weather is mild (far too mild for this time of year), and I can sit outside in the fresh air and write.

The second Castleweaver chapbook has gone live on Amazon, and getting it ready was quite a chore. Poetry and artwork are always a bear to format and the page numbers wouldn’t behave, so I eliminated them. (Something Eldreth the Castleweaver would so do.)

I am not happy with the demise of Create Space (Amazon’s original paperback publishing arm. It was easy to work with. I find Kindle Direct Publishing far harder with fewer viable options. I may have to check around for other options. (I’m not looking forward to doing that, because I hate change.)

In the meantime, I will write. Both the prequel and the sequel to Acqueria are calling to me, as is Sam Rock, and Eldreth insists I complete his novel. With the weather turning fair, there’s no reason not to get them done.

Besides, I need to go dwell in another universe for a while. It’s wonderful that writers have this option. I’m not finding the current reality a pleasant place to be. I would much prefer late 1940’s  Los Angeles, a booming place after the war and exciting to be in. Although, I was in Chicago at the time. It was also a wonderful place to be. Growing up there, we had nothing but good things to look forward to, including the technology of the future. Now is not so much wonderment as head-shaking bewilderment.

Women did have limited horizons back then, but even then it was changing. It continued to improve  until we almost had equality, and now – it just seems we are backsliding .

The world of Acqueria seems almost beckoning. Although its currently a patriarchal society, that is changing, and Sentia will have her say. Even pre-Acqueria, the Forest North was run by strong women, including a shamaness. They pretty much had things under control.

I might go back to Eldreth’s world, but women seem to die around him a lot – except for the Raven Woman – she was special. Could have been a witch (at least Eldreth thought so). May need to explore that and her world further.

Come to think of it, I have a spinoff short story about a young girl (Solan) with special powers who is turned over to the good wizard Tawold in Eldreth’s tales, so she won’t be subject to Eldreth’s whims. Not sure where that one will go. I may post it online somewhere. It’s actually suitable for middle-grade readers.

So, there’s not a dearth of thing to do – just a dearth of energy to do it all. I only have about one or two more chapters of the Sam Rock sequel left to write. Unfortunately, it will then require a complete rewrite as it meanders way too much and didn’t go where I needed it to go.

Not sure how my audio book of “The Seasons of Sam Rock” is coming along.  My narrator got married and went on a honeymoon.  I’m sure he’s super busy with his new life. We’ll have to see.
Actually, I got a couple of great ideas from said narrator about where he thought the sequel should go. So, I’ll be working on incorporating some of that.

March will find me far busier than February. I also need to work on the “Global Warning” Haiku chapbook. I think about it a lot as I sit outside in fair weather that isn’t due until April.

Until next time, keep the faith. Keep writing and keep reading. Enjoy what other universes may make you happy. Perhaps someday, even this one will match up to our ideals, but I’m not holding my breath.

Until that time, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there:



I’m also including a link to my Amazon’s Author’s page. Feel free to visit me there also:


All of my books are available on Amazon.

This month’s featured novel is my 1940’s noir fiction “The Seasons of Sam Rock” https://tinyurl.com/ydftx4xq



        This month’s featured poetry chapbook is “The Castleweaver's Tales: The Madness Continues: 25th Anniversary Edition” https://tinyurl.com/y2up63fg