Brain Freeze!

 

February 2023 Blog

Cold Thought: A Haiku

There are those days that

Chill the mind as well as the

Body – this is one.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(1/31/23)

 

There is ice over everything today and almost all over the whole of the United States. In Roswell, New Mecico, we have had a rather mild winter. February 1^st may be the worst of it.

My brain is frozen, too, and I can use only my inside voice. Which is not as free-wheeling as my outside voice writing in the sun and fresh air.

And, I have a deadline (self-imposed for sure), but I have promised to have “Raven’s Roost – A Sam Rock Novel” to my manuscript checker in early March and to my audio narrator this s\Spring.

So it’s coming (come hell-or-high-water) this Spring – my Sam Rock sequel. Yay! Just a few more chapters to finish off and preliminary editing and then off to the printer.

It has not been as prolific a winter as I had hoped, but I did discover some early poetry that is both free verse and rhymed (way before any thought of Haiku). I am seriously thinking of publishing a collection this summer – after a little editing, of course.

Me and mine have survived the winter well so far. No serious illnesses or injuries. I hope that you and yours have all fared as well. Although I know that a lot of the country had had far more brutal weather than we have had here.

I’m looking forward to Spring. I’m really hoping to revive my green thumb this Spring. I used to grow a lot of flowers, vegetables and even trees in California. But for some reason, not in Roswell. Seems I either over-water or under-water them here. Gotta get that straight this year. I want to have lots of flowers for the few bees and butterflies left in the area. Plus they are beautiful to gaze on as I’m writing.

As February is a short month, this will be another short blog post. I could beg off that I must go and write and finish up, but that’s what I said last month. I guess I could say that all my Haiku writing lately has shortened my attention span. Maybe getting back to some regular poetry will help me was more poetic again. I can hope anyway.

I am again looking forward to an entire month of writing. Again, it’s onward and upward.

Please, feel free to check out my eclectic selection of books on Amazon. The list will surely grow this year.

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

Until next month, read and write to your heart’s content, and remember we deserve to be much happier this year, and I’m still hoping we will be.

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. They will surely be forthcoming this year.

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

It’s now February, the second month of 2023. Ten more months to look forward to. Let’s make it a great year.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year!

 

January 2023 Blog

2023: A Haiku

This I know: as this

Year passes, it will not leave

Me where it found me.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(1/1/23)

 

Whatever the year brings, it will involve change. I feel it in my bones. Of course, I’m not sure of better or worse, richer or poorer, or sickness or health – but it will end differently than where last year left me.

It’s become my New Year’s resolution. I will not have another year like the last two. I’ve started by writing this today and vowing to write every day this year.

I also highly resolve to get organized so that I’m on top of things and can avoid the surprises of an overdue bill I never opened in the first place or a reminder of an appointment I have today that I forgot to write down months ago.

Knowing that life will surely throw me curve balls during the year, I don’t need to add my own brush-back pitches to the mix.

I would wish and hope for world peace and health in 2023, but that may be reaching too far. I might even wish for sanity in politics and in people getting along with one another, but that’s way out there.

What I do wish for each one of us is peace and love in our own lives, including our loved ones. I wish for happiness and success in our endeavors, whatever they may be.

We surely deserve better than we’ve gotten and seen in the last two years. I won’t even list the problems and the disasters (natural and manmade) mostly because I don’t want to add to the longevity of their memory.

I know I can’t expect sunshine and clear skies every day to sit outside and blithely write to my heart’s content. I would just love to not spend my days putting out fires (if only just figuratively).

I’m sure we could all use a breather, and I wish us contentment as well – not complacency, but true contentment in our lives.

I would much rather relegate the daily horrors to my writing. I would much rather my friends be frightened by the pages of my books than the pages of the newspapers.

And, speaking of writing, I think I’ll wrap this up and edit it and post it. So I can get ready to go outside and write tomorrow and the next day and the next – and send Sam Rock on his way to the publishers.

I am so looking forward to this entire month of writing. The New Year has started. Again, it’s onward and upward.

Please, feel free to check out my eclectic selection of books on Amazon. The list will surely grow this year.

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

Until next month, read and write to your heart’s content, and remember we deserve to be much happier this year.

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. They will surely be forthcoming this year.

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

It’s now January, the first month of 2023. Eleven more months to look forward to. Let’s make it a good twelve months.

 

 

 

Forward Hope!

 

December 2022 Blog

Preparations: A Haiku

Getting ready for

Another year, hopefully

Better than the last.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(11/30/22)

 

Actually looking forward to a year better than the last three years. Well, one can only hope.

Had a great NaNoWriMo month, so that helps in the hope department for next year. Writing always makes me feel better.

Okay, I haven’t done real well in the publishing department this year. I did much better writing and editing. That means publishing should be a breeze this next year. That’s one of my big hopes.

Also hoping for an end to pandemics and wars. But that may be too much to actually look forward to. Then there’s the outside hope for an end to gun violence and mass shootings. I realize that may be just beyond the reach of hope.

I plan on spending a lot of time this coming year all by myself in my own little worlds of my own design. I should be most happy there.

I may have to take some time off to have cataract surgery. I’ll find that out in January. I understand that is a relatively routine procedure now – not at all like I remember people having in the 80’s. It was not an easy thing then. But I’m still not looking forward to it. I’m not fond of anything that takes me away from my first love – writing.

And I’d better get to that writing. My characters are even starting to invade my dreams. And their worlds right now are more preferable to mine. Except maybe the Castleweaver, Eldreth, who appears more in nightmares than in pleasant dreams, but then that is his wont. Maybe he will win out. I could use the chance to get some horror off my mind. Eldreth is a great way to vent.

Detective Sam Rock is standing here with his arms folded. Okay, I’ve got to get his sequel out so I can write the third one in the series and explain how he got kicked off the force in the first place. He swears it was not his fault. I believe him.

So, I have a lot to look forward to. It’s onward and upward. Next month will bring the New Year. Hope we can all ring it in with cheers and happy bell ringing.

In the meantime, feel free to check out my eclectic selection of books on Amazon. There may be something there you have yet to enjoy.

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

Until next month, read and write to your heart’s content. It certainly makes my heart feel better.

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 (yes, I still Tweet) and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for my publication announcements. They will be forthcoming:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

It’s now December, the last month of the year. Thirty more days and 2022 is gone. See you next year.

 

 

 

 

 

NaNoWriMo Ho! Again

 

November 2022 Blog

NaNoWriMo Ho! A Haiku

“Don’t start nuthin’, won’t

Be nuthin’” has new meaning.

I better start now.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(11/1/21)

 

Now would be good. A lot has happened in the last year. Not a lot of it has been literary. But, I have this year’s NaNoWriMo to look forward to. And it’s gonna be swingin’.

When all else fails, I can count on “National Novel Writing Month” to get my fingers and my pens moving.

This year I won’t even think about my up-coming birthday except as the goal for finishing this year’s 50,000 words on the 28^th no matter what they may be.

Okay, I will think about my birthday and perhaps wonder how many more NaNoWriMo’s I’m going to be able to do. And I swear, I will do them until I can’t anymore.

Actually, it’s very comforting knowing I can look forward to this every year. I also look forward to being able to encourage younger writers just starting out on their literary ventures. And that’s a lot of writers, since most all of them are younger than I am. (lol)

I’m so not going to wax eloquently on the state of the world this month. I need to shut that out as much as I can. That’s a relief, too. For I would be angry at the world as bitter as it has become, if I let myself dwell on it. I would rather dwell on telling a story wrapped up in a world that does not exist – one that I have total control over.

Okay, smiling now!

I’m actually going to cut this blog short this month so I can jump into NaNoWriMo with both feet. I’ll fill the space with pictures of some of my covers for your enjoyment. I’m proud of every one of them.

Please wish me luck with this month’s endeavor. I’ll let you know next month how everything came out.

If you write, you’re welcome to come join me on a whirlwind of flowing thoughts and words.

If you care to check out some horrific stuff, feel free to check out my eclectic selection of books on Amazon. There may be something there to terrorize you.

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

Until next month, read and write to your heart’s content. For us NaNoWriMo’s that’s 50,000 words and counting.

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. They will be forthcoming:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

It’s now November. Only two months left in the year. Where did it go? I have no idea.

My NaNo RhiMo!

 

 

 

 

 

Transition!

 

October 2022 Blog

Transition: A Haiku

“That I am” need not

Be. if I change the story

That I tell myself.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(9/30/22)

 

To paraphrase Anderson Cooper on Stephen Colbert’s late night show: “You can change the story that you tell yourself”. Thank you, Mr. Cooper. Rearranging my story now.

“That I am” has not served me well lately. Need to rethink where I’m headed and head in a different direction. The last two years have just been devastating to so many of us in so many ways. I no longer feel the need to even list all that’s driven us to virtual distraction. Let’s just say our lives have been rearranged for us whether we wanted it or not. Time has come to take back what we can – to take control of those things dangling within our reach and set out again on our own path, believing that we can make our story go the way we want it to go.

Reminds me of what we authors do. We control our novels and their characters. We forge the story to go the way we want it to. Sure, sometimes they grab the reins and force their stories elsewhere...

But wait! Isn’t that what we must do with our own lives now?

Mine, anyway, needs an overhaul. I need better organization and better follow-through – starting with “a place for everything and everything in its place”. That way, when I get around to tackling a project, I’ll have everything I need right where I need it and won’t have to spend valuable time searching for stuff – a definite waste of time.

Starting and stopping projects hasn’t served me well either. Taking too long to restart the project means I often have to “reinvent the wheel” and backtrack before I can move forward – another time waster.

I probably should limit my computer time also. I have a tendency to get caught up in Twitter and solitaire and jigsaw puzzles. It’s amazing how time flies when you’re hyper-focused on those things.

I consider Twitter my window on the world right now, so I probably won’t cut back much on that. However, the solitaire and jigsaws may demand some kind of time limit. I should start setting my timer for fifteen minutes or so, so I don’t find myself glued to the chair an hour later, having spent time that could have been better spent sparring with my characters and recording their stories for posterity.

What a great idea! I can rearrange my story in order to tell their stories! That’s the spirit! Pumping myself up now. I’ve spent way too much time being down in the dumps. I’m smiling a little bit now. Thank you again, Anderson Cooper for your enlightening take on chaning our own stories and living our lives as we want them to be.

What an amazing concept! Building enthusiasm now – and energy. Hope it lasts longer than most of my bright ideas. But then it wasn’t my idea, was it? It was Anderson Cooper’s.

If I can make it work, I’ll be releasing my Sam Rock sequel in time for Christmas, along with Steve Hamm’s brilliant audio version of my paranormal western, “Black Oak: Town of Joy”.

In the meantime, I’m jumping back on the “Fly Lady” band wagon this month to get rid of my paper clutter. Really need to cut down on the boxes and boxes of paper stuff I’ve always thought I needed to keep. Less stuff means other stuff is less likely to get lost and force more downtime searching for stuff. Love that word “stuff”! It’s so much better than the word it replaces: “sh*t”, you know.

Well all of this will start tomorrow. Tonight starts the “Svegoolie” month of horror. Gonna love every minute of it! Oh, and then there’s the season premeire of SNL – Gonna love that, too.

If you care to check out some more horrific stuff, feel free to check out my eclectic selection of books on Amazon. There may be something there to terrorize you.

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

Until next month, read and write to your heart’s content and see if you need to alter your own story. There will never be a better time.

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. They will be forthcoming:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

It’s now October and the world is cooling off. Unfortunately, its weather is most unruly. Praying for all those affected by the storms. May be a good time to check out: “Global Warning: Climate in Crisis” available from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KWQ6SHK/

 

 

 

The Write Life!

 

September 2022 Blog

Be Prepared: A Haiku

Words not written can

Oft’ not be remembered, thus

I keep pen at hand.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(8/31/22)

 

I always try to keep pen and paper handy. Sometimes I fail and the words are lost. In my mind, those lost words were really brilliant, and their loss a loss for all of posterity.

Okay, maybe that last part is pretty far-fetched, but you get the idea. As most writers usually do, I get ideas at the oddest moments – not just when I’m sitting down to write. I try to be prepared at all times.

I have a steno pad turned to a clean page with a pen insered in the spiral witin arm’[s reach of the bed. I used to joy down my notes in the dark of night, but I’ve recently added a tiny flashlight so I can read wheat I’ve written the next morning. Otherwise, it’s jibberish.

I also keep a small spiral notebook the my pocket along with a pen. They really come in handy at those odd moments I’m out and about and an idea strikes. I’ve even gone so far as to jot down an inspiration while sitting on the commode.

When I drove a lot, I used to have a cassette recorder handy to record those fleeting moments of brilliance. Now I don’t drive much or far and cassette recorders are fairly passé.

But the idea stands: Think it, Write it, or lose it. It is also important for those of us who write poetry. One may think of the perfect phraseology for a piece of brilliant poetry, but it can slip away before the ink can strike the page.

Although the main idea may persist, the perfect way to put it may be lost.

It also helps to jot down story ideas, plot points and even a tidbit one of your characters may share with you in those odd moments you are mulling over your story in your head.

I once had one of my main female protagonists tell me she had a younger sister and her name was Petra. The novel tool a whole new turn and richness. Thank goodness I captured that thought (though having a sister is kind of hard to forget).

It’s taken a while, but I guess I’m falling in love with the art of writing all over again (after a long dry spell). I’, beginning to picture scenes and people to populate the worlds my mind dreams up once more. My mind is filling with scenarios involving those people and places – beautiful. Stunning scenarios and (because I’m a horror writer) glorious blood and gore and...

Okay, I’m on a roo. Time to gather my notes and start writing again.

First come the ideas, then the words, then the sentences, the paragraphs, the chapters, the novels, and the series.

Smiling now!

So the take away from this month’s ramblings should be this: keep something to write with and something to write on handy. You will thank yourself (and maybe me) when that gem comes to you, and you capture it. Then you can polish it and share it for posterity.

If you care to see what I am sharing with posterity, feel free to check out my eclectic selection of books on Amazon. There may be something to inspire you.

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

Until next month, read and write to your heart’s content and jot down those random thought. You never where they may land you.

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

You may also find some inspiration in my Haiku Collection Celebrating the #WritingCommunity: “Life’s Lemons and Lemonade: A Collection of Haiku, Volume Two: The Write Life”, available, of course, from Amazon at:

https://tinyurl.com/ycqtq3mt

It’s now September and the world is thoroughly heated up. The A/C is still working way too hard. A little more rain recently brought us some relief from the drought. Still a good time to check out: “Global Warning: Climate in Crisis” available from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KWQ6SHK/