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 https://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:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

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:

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003SH6HIQ

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:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

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:

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003SH6HIQ

Write On

November 2019 Blog

Today is the first day of the rest of my writing life, again.

Write Away: A Haiku

NaNoWriMo reigns

Supreme, demands I fulfill

Declared prophesy.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

Today is November 1, 2019 – the first day of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month – https://nanowrimo.org) for this year and their 20^th Anniversary, I have been participating for most of those years, if not all. It seems their records only go back to 2011. I have penned at least 50,000 words each of those years.

50,000 words are not enough for a full-length novel, so I always tried to finish in December with NaNoFiMo (National Novel Finishing Month), but I’m not sure they still exist. Haven't seen a NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month) for a while either.

This year will be no different, except I’ll do my 1,667-2,000 words with more determination this year, since I really need to complete all my projects. One never knows when one won’t be able to do it anymore.

Once again, I’ll try to finish by November 28^th, which is my birthday – a lovely little present to myself.

It still takes about 2 ½ hours a day to accomplish the writing goal. Haven’t figured out a way yet to write any faster, and it’s about the fastest my little fingers can fly. I still write with pen and paper and my dear husband still types everything into the computer for me. I am so lucky.

Hopefully, I will be able to sit out in my backyard and write (my absolute favorite place to avoid the distractions of the world).  However, the weather is finally turning bitter cold after a long, hot, hot summer, so I may have to retreat inside and take to my bed with classical music playing in the background and only my puppies to sit on my lap and help me. I can’t tolerate hearing words or lyrics to songs, as it breaks my train of thought and prevents my characters from talking to me and telling me where they think they should go. Sometimes we argue about it. Sometimes I say no.  But usually we agree that they know best what they are doing. Probably the only time when I allow that the little voices in my head exist.

This year I’m again working on The Chronicles of Acqueria series and should have a new book ready to publish the first of the year. I’ll also be publishing a new edition of the first book, “Blood Moon Treachery” so all my prequels and sequels will match up. Noticed some definite conflicts with hair color and family trees have cropped up, so I will be solving them.

As always, I look forward to NaNoWriMo and NaNoFiMo more than I do Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I’m just strange that way. After all, I am a writer. (That explains a lot.)

As I head into 2020, I hope my new-found momentum gathers speed. I plan on accomplishing a lot this next year. Who knows how many more years I will be able to. I’m getting the feeling I’m definitely pushing the envelope. I surely don’t want to have to stop with so many of my stories untold, so many of my heroes (literary) unsung.

I will be posting daily results on Twitter and Facebook this year – maybe even post a tantalizing excerpt or two. That will be along with my daily Haiku. I can’t give that up. It’s part of my daily routine.

My computer is bearing up well, so I shouldn’t  have any technical problems this year. And I will endeavor to back everything up. I also always print a hard copy of my files, so if anything catastrophic happens, we can always retype it into the computer. Thankfully, that has not happened too often.

I’m resurrecting my “Rhimo” for the month. Got his picture framed and hung.  If nothing else, he will keep me motivated.

This month, in honor of NaNoWriMo, I’m featuring “The Chronicles of Acqueria: Blood Moon Treachery” so my faithful readers can get involved in Sentia’s story before you learn of its origins. It is available from Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/y96zzp9u.

Also in honor of NaNoWriMo, my featured poetry for October is the second of my two Haiku chapbooks, celebrating the #WritingCommunity: “Life’s Lemons and Lemonade: A Collection of Haiku, Volume Two: The Write Life”, now available in print from Amazon at: https://tinyurl.com/ycqtq3mt

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:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

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:

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003SH6HIQ

All Is Not Lost

December 2017 Blog

All Is Not Lost

Although the future is never guaranteed, at least the illusion of it appears with the possibilities of redemption.

Saving Grace: A Haiku

E’en as this year is

Weighed, found wanting, the next looms

On the horizon.

Besides surviving the year (so far), on my very short list of accomplishments in 2017 have been the posting of my daily Haiku daily and the posting of my monthly blog monthly.

     As 2018 looms, I feel the need to plan for a much brighter year with a far longer list of finished projects.

    Perhaps the new year will be my “year of the charts”. Maybe such visual reminders will help me focus. I might even get some of those tiny star stickers they used in schools to reward students for their good behavior. (We were such suckers for those little gold stars.)

    In addition to making charts and schedules this month for use next year, I need to finish the manuscript for this year’s NaNoWriMo ( https://nanowrimo.org ). I managed 54,000 plus words and another WriMo win. Now, during NaNoFiMo ( http://nanofimo.net ) I’ll write another 30,000 words for a good-sized novel I can edit in January and February for publication in the spring.

    Hopefully, 2018 will usher in a kinder, more gentle world, but I hold little hope for that. 2017 has seen an incredible amount of inhumanity among humans – both toward themselves and the other inhabitants of this Earth. Actually, we haven’t been very kind to the Earth itself, and Mother Nature has taken us to task for it.

    Climate change deniers aside, even believers are not doing enough to right the wrongs we are daily heaping upon an Earth that is nearing the tipping point. Once past that, it is my understanding that nothing we do will reverse the damage we have done.

    In my lifetime, the world has gone from the brightest of all possible futures to the bleakest of all scenarios – from unlimited riches available for all industrious peoples to a dystopia where there is no hope for the future of the world or its angry, angry populations.

    We have managed (in the span of seventy or so years) to send an Earth that has survived for millions of years into a tailspin that will leave it desolate and uninhabitable for any form of life. Thankfully, I will not live to witness its demise, but future generations (and not too distant future) will experience the ravages of the sun and the storms that we have only begun to feel.

    This is starting to sound like a dystopian novel. I’m starting to get an idea. I need another sequel to “The Chronicles of Acqueria”. I’m sure I can work in a lot of mayhem and destruction. After all, the not-so-dead volcano its inhabitants are sitting on has hinted at its own resurrection. I could have a few villains help it along.

    Oops, there’s that shiny object distracting me again. Gotta love all those shiny objects, but they do take a toll on my plans and objectives.

    I need to find a way to incorporate all my new shiny ideas into my charts, plans and schedules so I don’t have so many loose ends out there. I keep tripping over them. Then I fall down and have to start all over again.

    Distraction, thou art mine enemy. But really, where would a writer be without new ideas? I simply have to develop some discipline to keep progressing and actually finish some of these myriad projects I have started.

    So far, for next year, I can anticipate to continue my daily Haiku and look forward to publishing at least three collections of same.

    I also look forward to continuing my blogging on a regular basis. See, I have developed some sense of discipline. I must also release my darlings into the world and let them live lives of their own in the hearts and minds of my readers. My favorite people in the whole world. The people I love to share my ideas and my stories and characters with.

    I must remember that I write not only for myself, but for my readers, too.

    Oh wait, the characters in my head have just reminded me that I write for them – to give them life and being outside of myself. They are becoming very vocal. So before I’m accused of being schizophrenic, I better give them their own lives. There, that should keep me on track.

   But then, there’s…

  Until next month, I welcome your reactions and responses to my current blog. 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:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

Write Away

November 2017 Blog

Write Away

Today is the first day of the rest of my writing life.

Write Away: A Haiku

NaNoWriMo reigns

Supreme, demands I fulfill

Declared prophesy.

Today is November 1, 2017 – the first day of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month – https://nanowrimo.org) for this year. I will be participating for my seventh year in a row – at least. Could be longer, but that’s as far back as their records go.  Every November since 2011, I have penned at least 50,000 words, literally, since I still write with pen on paper.

I’ve written an odd assortment of novels, some finished and published – some not. Actually 50,000 words is not enough for a full-length novel. So I try to finish in December for NoNoFiMo (National Novel Finishing Month – http://nanofimo.net).

There has even been a NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month) in March. Not certain that one still exists as my attempts to access it give me an unsecure site warning and tells me I do not exist.

Writing 50,000 words in 30 days requires at least 1,667 words a day to finish on the 30^th.  I try to finish by  November 28^th , which is my birthday. Kind of like a present to myself.

I find it requires a good two-and-a-half hours of dedicated writing to accomplish. I seldom split the time up, because I don’t want to lose my train of thought and have to go over what I’ve written. I reserve that for the first few minutes of my writing session.

I pretty much isolate myself as I don’t like distractions. For background noise, I listen to classical music. I can’t have regular TV on or any music with lyrics I can understand – my mind will start to wander.

I love the idea of getting lost in my story. I find it’s the best way to write. Also, it gives my characters the chance to jump in and maybe tell me something about themselves I didn’t know.

     I usually start with an abbreviated outline of where the story should go, But I have no problems taking it elsewhere, if my characters tell me it needs to go there.

The year I wrote “The Chronicles of Acqueria: Blood Moon Treachery”, my main character, Sentia told me she had a younger sister, Petra. The sister became an integral part of the story and is featured in the sequel on which I am still working.

My favorite novel so far has been “The Seasons of Sam Rock”, a 1940’s  Hollywood detective novel that does not follow the detective genre rules, but becomes a horror showcase. In this noir novel set in sunny Southern California, I commit two of the novelist’s cardinal sin by killing a little old lady and a cute little dog. The culprits? A murder of ravens, controlled (or not) by a red-headed French woman named Marie Delacroix whom Sam Rock does not find hard to look at.

My favorite heinous killing come from my Western novella, “Black Oak: Town of Joy”. It’s a woman on woman axe murder, and I smile every time I read it.

Okay, so by now, you know I’m an introverted psychopath who loves to write horror, although I also write in the science fiction and fantasy segments of genre fiction.

This year’s NaNoWriMo will be a sequel to the Black Oak novel. If I stay on schedule, I should be able to publish in late spring. Although, the best laid plans of mice, men and writers oft gang awry. We’ll see if I can stick to that schedule.

Actually, I might be able to better it, since a novella can be around 43,000 to 50,000 words, so I might be able to publish early spring.

I find myself looking forward more to NaNoWriMo than to the holidays. I ‘ve never been much of a holiday person (any holiday) but writing in November is something special I do for myself, and of course, I love sharing my work with my loyal readers.

I will do my best post excerpts from the day’s writing on Twitter, so my readers can see what I’m up to. Maybe a sentence or two. Maybe every couple of days. Wouldn’t want to give too much away.

In the meantime, I will keep writing and posting my daily Haiku on Twitter and on Facebook, and I will endeavor to publish my next collection of Haiku before the end of the year.

Hopefully, with my computer problem behind me, I will get back into some sort of routine and start the New Year on a more productive note. Yep, I’ve pretty much chalked this year up on the non-productive side. I don’t know where it went; it just went, and I know there’s no do-overs for time gone by. It’s just gone.

So, here’s to NaNoWriMo and here’s to my mascot for the month.

And here’s a big salute to the coming year – a year of frenzied productivity.

Now y’all, don’t laugh too hard. It is possible, you know.

Until next month, I welcome your reactions and responses to my current blog. 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:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

Heatwave Still Goin' Strong

August 2017 Blog

Heatwave Still Goin' Strong

I'm still melting and about to go down the rabbit hole. Before I do, I need to accomplish something, so I've set a concrete goal:

Writer's Prayer: A Haiku

As words may fail me

At the hour of my death, let

Them speak for me now.

I will publish my second collection of Haiku (Life's Lemons and Lemonade: Volume Two: The Write Life) on September 1^st.

That will be followed hard upon by the third volume – Global Warning (not a typo).

I will be spending a lot of time in front of the fan working on the formatting for the print version. Also this time, the Kindle edition will be properly formatted to retain line breaks and actually look like poetry. (I believe form is as important in poetry as content.)

At the same time, I'm still finishing the Sam Rock sequel manuscript, and I'll be editing the 2^nd Black Oak novella.

Hopefully, the weather and my heatlh will cooperate.

It somehow always amazes me at the end of the month, that I have not reached my goals. It's time for that to stop.

Actually, I'm posting this late on the 1^st of August because I almost forgot to write it.

So I guess I'm going to have to make lists and then actually look at them. There's just so much I want to accomplish before I can't accomplish anything anymore.

I frequently lose sight of the fact that I'm on the waning end of my life. The majority of my days are behind me and what days I have left are rushing past me at an alarming rate.

Another problem I face is that I'm not the sharpest tack in the box anymore. Technological advances are impossible for me to keep up with. So I guess I better get things done before I lose any more brain cells or social media passes me by completely.

I love my Facebook friends but I hardly know how to connect with them anymore. I spend way too much time on Twitter, but it is a little easier to work with (although they make changes and upgrades frequently).

I've got Instagram, Pinterest and other social media accounts also, but I have no idea what to do with them.

 In addition, I spend any more time on the computer, I won't have enough time to write. And my computer is already on life support. I have an external fan blowing on it this summer (don't tell me it isn't getting hotter out there).

As I write this, I'm listening to Al Gore on CNN talk about The Climate Crisis. He's much more intelligent and knowledgeable about this stuff than I ever realized.

I write many of my Haiku about climate change. I'm a firm believer, and I'd like to get my third Haiku collection about Global Warming out before the end of the year. I'd love to be able to change some reluctant minds with it. I'll be satisfied to persuade a few more people to entertain the idea that we need to do something about climate change now, before we reach the point of no return.

Haven't written much about the nuts and bolts of writing this month and for that I apologize.  My mind has been wandering in the heat. Hopefully the temperatures will subside so I can feel more like doing things and spend more time outside writing which is my very favorite thing to do in the whole world – that and watch the squirrels and the birds cavort in the trees. Amazing what you can learn about their habits. Squirrels do actually play. Some of them are braver than others. They build nest in trees, too. Almost grown boat-tailed grackles chirp their little heads off and wait to be fed by their daddies, even when they are grown enough to fend for themselves.

What a shame it would be to lose all this nature to climate change disaster.

Better type this up now and get it posted before my midnight. Next month, I plan to post my September blog and announce in it that my new Haiku book has been published.

Until then, I welcome your reactions and responses to my current rantings. 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:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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