Showing posts with label Audio Book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audio Book. Show all posts

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Spring Springs

 

April 2021 Blog


Well that worked!

 

My Choice: A Haiku

This day, to do as

I choose, is a rarity;

I choose to enjoy.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

 

One of those rare days I can do what I please. It pleases me. So, I’m writing this blog to announce the arrival of my newest Audible.com book, “The Seasons of Sam Rock”, narrated by the multi-talented Steven P. Hamm. A man who could easily be Sam Rock if this book were to me made into a movie.

It’s been a long journey and a steep learning curve for us both, but now; “It’s Alive!” (One of my favorite lines from the old Frankenstein movie.) Check it out: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Seasons-of-Sam-Rock-Audiobook/B08ZGV8VQF





     The only thing I’m not fond of with the coming of Spring is the “change”. (You know the one I’m talking about). Actually it happened the Sunday before Spring started, and I will miss that hour’s sleep until late Fall when we change back.

Every year there is talk about abolishing Daylight Savings Time, and every year the  motion falls by the wayside. I’m not in favor of DST. When I lived in Arizona, we didn’t change, and we survived just fine. Of course, in places like Phoenix, with days of 115° F you’d rather not save the daylight. The people navigate just fine in the cooler darkness.

But it is what it is, and we deal with it. I’ll just keep saying “But it’s only...” for a while until I get over it.

Spring also means new growth. I might even try to grow something this year, even though we are still in the midst of a drought. Surely a few herbs and flowers won’t soak up too much precious water. I’ve pretty much given up on grass. I think the gardener sprayed to kill off the mustard grass last year and killed everything else in the yard as well. So now we have a layer of dust blowing around the yard and nothing else.

Not only is it depressing to look at, it’s not good for the wiener dogs to breathe – or for us for that matter. Allergies are already getting bad this year.

The vultures came back to Roswell last month, and the parade of the smaller birds at our feeders has grown. I love to sit and watch their antics. I’ve learned so much in the past year. I know when they start making “kissy face” noises and bobbing their tails up and down it’s mating season. I know doves are not peaceful. They argue among themselves and others.  I know that male grackles feed their young – and way past the time they could fend for themselves. And if grackles peck long enough, they can break pecan shells open and eat the insides.

I love that I can sit there and watch their antics, and they don’t even pay any attention to me anymore, unless I make noise shuffling my papers or move around too much. Otherwise, we both just go about our business.

I’m afraid the squirrels have left the area or died out over the winter (although it was not a harsh winter). I’m not sure what has happened to them. We used to have as many as five at a time cavorting up and down the pecan tree. Lately, I’ve seen only one, and that one not at all in the last week or so. They will be missed.

I’m waiting for the hummingbirds to come back. There’s usually two or three that come through here when it turns warm, and they stay for most of the Summer. I try to keep a feeder with nectar filled for them. They are fascinating to watch and are very territorial. They tend to chase one another away from the feeder whether they are hungry or not.

Spring also means I can sit outside and write, so I should finish my WIPs in short order, barring other disruptions or demands on my time. I have high hopes anyway.

I’m two-thirds done with “The Secret of Raven’s Roost” which is still a working title. Also considering ”Return to Raven’s Roost”. Whatever I end up calling it, it will have “Raven’s Roost” in it.

Okay, my day is complete, I just saw my first ladybug in all the years I’ve been here. (about ten now) so I’m now sure this will be a good year.

On that note, I’ll wrap it up and let my dear husband type this. I’ll edit it tomorrow and post it on the 1st of April.

Happy Spring, everyone.

As always, 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 or look for my publication announcements:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

Until next time, let us read and write to our heart’s content, all the while looking forward to enjoying our lives even more in the coming months. Let’s keep the faith.

Hard to believe that I have eleven books published, All are available on Amazon for your pleasure.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky




I am so happy. This just popped up in my Twitter feed today: https://twitter.com/AuthorShout/status/1377582577930940420




 

 

 

 

 

Friday, January 1, 2021

Happier New Year 2021

 

January 2021 Blog


Hard to raise a resounding cheer replete with mask and gloves, but here goes.

 

Happier 2021: A Haiku

The clock has struck, and

I have held my breath too long;

My cheer is silent.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

 

Happy New Year! I am imploring 2021 to do better by us. It’s predecessor was such a cruel, deviant monster. It would be difficult to survive two such years in a row.

I know nothing has changed overnight, but there is hope on the horizon for better days ahead. I’m actually looking forward to getting a shot in the arm. Also, looking forward to less daily chaos surrounding us all. The sooner, the better on that front.

After things settle down, I’ll look forward to finishing at least two novels this year, along with a couple of Haiku chapbooks.

Sometime this month, the Audible version of “The Seasons of Sam Rock” will be live. I’m  listening Steve Hamm’s upload now. It sounds great! He really brings Sam Rock to life. Would love to see him star in a Sam Rock movie someday. I’ll settle for him doing the audible for the Sam Rock sequel now titled “The Secrets of Raven’s Roost: A Sam Rock Novel”, if he’s available. I like to dream big.

I’m also dreaming of a healthy world at peace. I’m thinking that is not so far-fetched with the changes coming this month. We can only wait and see, but the signs are encouraging

Maybe I’ll be able to concentrate more on my writing this year. There is so much I need to catch up on that’s been so difficult to do this last year. I spent way too much time worrying and waiting for the worst to happen. Maybe this year is my year to anticipate the good things left in life.

I’ll also look forward to going to a restaurant and enjoying the company of others. I’m even looking forward to getting in a car and going somewhere to enjoy the scenery and the people. And, although I don’t like crowds, I’d love to attend a gathering of people and not have to worry about coming in contact with someone with something I might get that might kill me. Oh, and I’d like to see a movie at a theater with popcorn and everything.

I ‘m hoping this New Year finds all my friends well and safe. It’s been rough for all of us. We’ve all gone from crisis to crisis with barely a chance to breathe in between. May we all find the inspiration to follow our dreams instead of reliving our nightmares on a daily basis.

I will try to maintain a positive attitude for this coming year. I’m planning on getting everything organized and clean and neat and tidy. Okay – now I’m getting into resolution territory. I hate doing that, because there’s always so much room for disaster and failure.

So, I’m not making any hard and fast resolutions this year. I’m just going to do the best I can, which is really the best we all can do.

I’ll be happily reading and writing and editing and publishing to my heart’s content. And I will be encouraging my writer friends to do the same, so all our reader friends out there can continue to follow our journeys and enjoy themselves.

So, again, Happy New Year! Cheers to a much better 2021!




Hard to believe that I have eleven books published, All are available on Amazon for your pleasure.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky




Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. Look forward to the best of the coming year. I have a feeling...

As always, 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 or look for my publication announcements:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

Hopefully, all were able enjoy some holiday festivities, and we can look forward to enjoying our lives even more in the coming months. Let’s keep the faith.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Renewed!


January 2020 Blog

We, who survived the year just past, let us rejoice in the present.

Renewed: A Haiku
Salute! And Welcome!
The New Year lives and breathes and
I along with it.
by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

The above is Haiku #2192. I posted Haiku #1 on Twitter on Jan 1, 2014. Like the Energizer Bunny, I just keep going and going and...
It is time to rejoice.  We have been given a brand new year. It is also time to hope that we make better use of it and our resources than we did in 2019.
For  me, that would mean more writing, more editing and more publishing – more of the things that matter and less of the things that don’t.
I also need to find a writing space inside, since winter has finally taken hold, and even in the sun, it is too cold for me to write outside in my beloved backyard.
Right now, I’m considering writing in bed, under the quilts, listening to classical music. Think that will be my best bet.  I’m sure the puppies will want to snuggle up and help. (As I am writing this, I’m sitting outside in the cold sun, freezing my little fingers off. Not sure where my gloves are.)
But regardless of where I decide to write, I need to write – like Stephen King says to do – at least 1,000 words a day. (Seems to work for him, although I’m certain he writes more than that.)
I also need to set aside a bigger chunk of time for editing, publishing and promotion. The last being my least favorite thing to do.  I never could sell anything – not even real estate. (Tried that back in the ‘70’s.)
I’m actually looking forward to this year. It’s brand new and comes full of promise. We should all see what we can do with it, explore all it has to offer, and choose its best.
The best for me will come with sequels and prequels published along with my protest of climate change denial. I need to add my voice to Greta Thunberg’s and Jane Fonda’s and do what I can to help more people realize that we are indeed close to the tipping point – that point beyond which we can do nothing to reverse the damage we have done to this Earth.
My voice may not be as loud as the two I have mentioned, but I would join their chorus gladly and shout “Climate Change Emergency” to the rooftops.
I’m also anxious to get more audio books released. I’ve had such great response to “The Cottage” audio book narrated so brilliantly by Christine Brewer that I can’t wait to see how my other novels do.
“The Seasons of Sam Rock” narrated by Steve Hamm is in final editing. I’m going to put “The Aurora UFO Incident - A Novel” out for audition next and then “The Chronicles of Acqueria: Blood Moon Treachery”. They all deserve to have their own voice – so to speak.
The newly scheduled publication date for “Global Warning” is now Earth Day (April 22, 2020).  Couldn’t  think of a more appropriate day.
Hopefully, with the renewed interest of so many people, this Haiku collection will help spread the word that the Earth is in trouble, and the entire world needs to act to stop the damage from getting worse –  if we cannot reverse what we have done.
I am still looking for an environmental group to which to donate $1.00 of the proceeds from the sale of each book. Haven’t made a decision on that yet.
To all my writer friends out there, let’s make 2020 a great year for getting those manuscripts in tip-top shape. Ready to publish or ready to hit the market in search of an agent or publisher. We can do this. We are writers. That’s what we do, and that’s what makes us happiest.
To all my faithful readers out there, I will have more new novels and poetry chapbooks out there for your reading pleasure, and soon.
I will be drawing up a project matrix that I actually intend to follow this year. So you will be seeing the prequel to “The Chronicles of Acqueria: Blood Moon Treachery”, the sequel to “The Seasons of Sam Rock”, the novel version of “The Castleweaver”, and several Haiku Chapbooks along with “Global Warning”.
I will also be republishing the long lost “Rainbows and Unicorns”, since I recently found the original poetry that went into it.
Busy, busy, busy, as I am sure you will all be also. So, here’s to a great 2020!  May our weather be moderate, our creativity at its peak, and our valiant efforts be rewarded.
This month, I’m featuring “The Aurora UFO Incident - A Novel”. It is available from Amazon at tinyurl.com/yb875xw4. I’ll be starting the #AudioBook process soon for release this summer. It is suitable for middle-grade and above, so the whole family can enjoy it.

My featured poetry for January is  “Life’s Lemons and Lemonade: A Collection of Haiku, Volume One: One For The Book” – available from Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/ycnu2kvt . It features comments from some of my Twitter friends (some of whom are no longer with us – may they rest in peace) It is one of my favorite collections.

Until next time, keep the faith. Keep writing and keep reading. Enjoy what makes you happy. There is far too little happiness in this world these days.
As always, 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:
As all of my books are available on Amazon, I’m also including a link to my Amazon Author’s page. Feel free to visit me there also:




Sunday, December 1, 2019

What’s Up?


December 2019 Blog


There are myriad answers to this simple question – endless even.

What’s Up? A Haiku
Simple question – so
Many answers, from “All’s good!”
To the worst: “Nothing”.
by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

Today is December 1, 2019 – the first day of the last month of this year.  The most obvious answer to “What’s Up?” is the year. For all intents and purposes, it’s pretty much over.
Since my birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year, I am doubly thankful. First, that I survived another year on this earth, and second that I still have all my faculties (well, reasonably so).
I am not happy with my lack of progress this year. Just figured out there’s a couple of ways I can handle that. I can bemoan the fact and be miserable, or I can look forward to doing better next year.
For sanity’s sake (mine and that of my dear husband who types all this and my novels), I’ve chosen the latter path. I’m going to spend December wrapping up the year and actually making a plan for next year (in which I accomplish amazing things).
Hey, at my age, it’s better to look forward than to look back. Although my horizons may be limited, I still have horizons, and I intend to pursue them.
My biggest accomplishment this year was getting the #audiobook version of “The Cottage out there for all to hear and appreciate. There’s a link in my “featured” section. I also have a few codes left for free promos for my friends and readers out there who would like to hear the brilliant job that Christine Brewer does on the narration. Just let me know.
I have a lot more to look forward to. I’m just finishing up my “Chronicles of Acqueria: The Early Years” and should have it ready for publication by spring.
Eldreth is bugging me to finish his novel, and Sam Rock would really like his sequel published.  He really wants to put an end to his nemesis Marie Delacroix (or maybe not).
I’m also way behind on my Haiku chapbook and am currently reviving my interest in some longer, rhyming works that have languished over the years.
Then there’s the Chronicles of Acqueria sequel “Homecoming” and the stand alone Forest-North epic “Shadra’s Song”.
All are waiting for me to put pen to paper. (Plus my DH needs to keep his typing skills up.)
I’m writing this outside while the sun is shining, therefore I’m in a good mood. Although  Winter has barely started, I’m already suffering from S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder). The grayness of the cloudy and stormy days really gets me down – even more so with my Macular Degeneration affecting how much light I can see. As it progresses, things are getting darker and darker. But I can still see and I’m grateful for that.
So here I sit and write. I am in my glory. Happy as a clam or whatever is happy in a warm hooded jacket, wrapped in a blanket, sitting on a lawn chair, smiling.
I really don’t want to quit and go inside, but duty and household chores beckon, and I must oblige. So here’s to the happiest of holidays and the greatest of New Years to you and yours – and world peace and harmony while I’m at it. (I might as well think big.)
This month, in honor of its #audiobook debut, I’m featuring “The Cottage”. It is available from Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/ybobdpuy. Also, if you’d like a code for a free listen, contact me. I’ve got a few promo codes left. And here’s the link to the #audiobook itself: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0816RWMXY/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-171456&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_171456_rh_us



At Eldreth’s request, my featured poetry for December will be both Castleweaver Chapbooks:  “The Castleweaver's Tales: A Dozen Glimpses of Medieval Madness: 25th Anniv. Ed” – available from Amazon at: https://tinyurl.com/y9d8czj4  and “The Castleweaver’s Tales: The Madness Continues”  https://tinyurl.com/y2up63fg



Until next time, keep the faith. Keep writing and keep reading. Enjoy what makes you happy. There is far too little happiness in this world these days.
As always, 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:
As all of my books are available on Amazon, I’m also including a link to my Amazon Author’s page. Feel free to visit me there also: