The Art You See

Quick post to share that my latest short story release can be found in Havok Publishing's new anthology. Sensational: Havok Season Four is full of flash fiction all inspired by the five senses, and by what could be termed "sixth sense." 

Here's a little teaser from my story, "The Art You See":

We've all heard the stories of tortured artists. Cutting off ears, attempting suicide, drugs, depression. We see their anguish in horrific images, harsh brushstrokes, deep shadows. 

But those sweet cottages, sunshine-yellow flowers, and cherubic children are painted by happy people. Right?

I wish. 

***

My sister walks into my apartment and scrunches her nose. "Really, Jace? Another one?"

I sigh as I shut the door behind her. "Hello to you, too, Teagan." I watch her as she looks my newest acquisition up and down. A creepy forest, filled with shadows. Blood-red tentacles snake from between twisted trees. Claw marks rake the pathway into the forest, as though something has been unwillingly dragged off and swallowed up.

Teagan turns to me, giving me that look. The one she gives me every time. Lips pressed flat, brows scrunched, eyes filled with sadness. "It's so dismal." What she means is, What's wrong with you?

I don't bother arguing. Teagan will never understand. 

You can find Sensational: Havok Season Four on Amazon.  And to subscribe to Havok's online magazine, go to www.gohavok.com. 

Art and an Anthology...and More Art

My dad helped a friend clean out a rental property and found a box of unpainted ceramics. He brought the box over to see if I'd like to have them to paint. Some of the figurines were of no interest to me, but I did snag several and set to painting.

This one I kept for myself. Dragon, of course, so no way I could sell it.

And this one I painted and gave to my dad as a gift. What you see here is the top. It's actually a container.

But these....oh, I hate clowns. Always have. So I couldn't resist turning what was obviously meant to be something cute into something a bit more sinister. 

Pennywise, old and new.

Poltergeist doll and the Joker. 

The Poltergeist doll has been sold, but the other three are still available on my Etsy store. 

And just a little catching up:

The Stories That Sing anthology I posted about last time has been out for a while. I got a cool write-up in a local paper (The Osprey Observer) about my contribution to the anthology cover art and my story inside.

You can check out the article HERE.

You can purchase Stories That Sing HERE. It's available in print and ebook.




And as I mentioned above, my Etsy shop, Jumping Rails is open. Original art is available, including a few of my altered thrift store paintings. And I recently added prints.

Free shipping on everything!

Click HERE to visit my Etsy shop.




I mentioned prints...You can buy prints of some of my art on Fine Art America. They also put the images on select items. Right now you can get some of my images on face masks.

Click HERE to visit my Fine Art America page.

And clicking HERE will take you directly to the masks.

Women of the Secret Place

The newest anthology containing my writing is available for pre-order! I have two stories in this book, btw :).


Women of the Secret Place is a compilation of personal experience stories--think along the lines of Chicken Soup for the Soul, but with a distinctly Christian focus. 


The "official" blurb:


Faith. Hope. Humor. Who wants to face the challenges of life without them? Not the Women of the Secret Place! Explore this collection of real-life experiences and glimpses into a woman s personal relationship with God. Discover for yourself what the Women of the Secret Place have learned. As you relax with the fifty-two devotionals in Women of the Secret Place, you will laugh, cry, and be encouraged. You will gain new appreciation for God s unique plan for you as a woman of faith. You will be inspired to trust Him through life's most difficult circumstances! The power and beauty of story is captured in the spiritual reflections of award-winning author Ruth Carmichael Ellinger and other contributing authors who candidly share their experiences.


Reviews:

Women of the Secret Place is the perfect bedside table companion: start your day with encouragement or end it with comfort. Readers will relate to touching, heartfelt, candid stories that are embroidered with meaningful scripture. Over fifty-two devotions, written by several different women, are sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always inspirational. This book will appeal to women of all ages and all walks of life. 

--Suzanne Woods Fisher, author of Amish fiction and non-fiction Christy Award Finalist, The Waiting

These heart-felt readings took me from laughter to tears within a few pages. The real stuff of life, this. From the whimsical to the sublime, a variety of gifted writers transport the reader to the throne of God on the wings of soul-stirring personal anecdotes accompanied by scripture and prayer. A marvelous devotional that magnifies grace and fully satisfies that need within for quality face time with our Savior and King. 

--Debora M. Coty, award-winning author of Too Blessed to be Stressed and More Beauty, Less Beast.

Find it on AMAZON and B&N.COM.

RUTH CARMICHAEL ELLINGER is the primary author for this inspirational collection, Women of the Secret Place. She was born and raised in the Ohio Valley, the setting for her historical and inspirational trilogy, The Wild Rose of Lancaster, Wild Rose of Promise, and Sword of the Wild Rose. Ruth is a two-time recipient of the American Christian Writers Writer of the Year award and the 2010 Brandon Arts Council Award, Artist of the Year for Excellence in the Arts. She has received numerous writing awards for both fiction and nonfiction. Ruth is currently the co-director of Florida Inspirational Writers Retreat, and founder and president of Brandon Christian Writers. As a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Ruth celebrated her patriot ancestry by winning first place for OH DAR, Bells of Freedom. Ruth is a member of two Scottish clans, Carmichael and Davidson. The author s unique ministry experiences have taken her and her family from deserts of Arizona to the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia to the tropical banana plantations of Central America. She writes about her experiences in her blog, The Shepherdess. Ruth and her husband, a pastor, make their home in Florida and spend time at their summer home, Wildrose Cottage, an 1882 restored historical cottage in the picturesque Ohio Valley area. They have four grown children: Lucy, Kendy, Kathy, and James.

Aquasynthesis...

What is Aquasynthesis?


aqua (n) - water, used in compound names, or substances in water.
synthesis (n) - The combining of elements into a unified entity.
aquasynthesis (n) - a combining of worlds within a pool of water; an anthology of short stories from Splashdown authors.


Gizile follows her mysterious teacher, Tok, as they look into the ice of an ocean pool to contemplate a series of strange and mystical visions: astonishing tales of technology and transcendence, aliens and elves, space and time, dragons and demons, prophecies and scriptures, humor and horror, the gifted and the enslaved, virtual and supernatural reality, insanity and inspiration.


No, really, what is it?


Just what is says--an anthology from Splashdown Books, which features stories by Fred Warren, Caprice Hokstad, P.A. Baines, Adam Graham, R.L. Copple, Travis Perry, Mike Lynch, Keven Newsome, Kat Heckenbach, and Ryan Grabow. Edited by Grace Bridges and narration by Walt Staples.

My contribution includes three stories:


"Between the Pages" is a story that involves my character Angel and the magic of books, sort of a prelude to Finding Angel. Can't say it really happened, can't say it didn't. But it could have.


"The Artist" was previously published in two other magazines (Mindflights and Beyond Centauri) and is a companion story to Finding Angel, a bit of back story for one of the characters who struggles to find her magic Talent.


"Dude" was originally published in Residential Aliens, and is unrelated to Finding Angel. It's the story of a scientist and a stuck-in-the-eighties Elf working together on a very special project.


Available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. 
(Note--Amazon is being squirrelly right now and only has the Kindle version up. B&N has the print version but is taking a while on the ebook. Smashwords has all ebook formats.)

What makes it all worthwhile...

This year an anthology came out that contains a story I wrote about my Grandmother. It took months for the publishing process. Then, I had to order copies of the book. The publisher is in Canada, so we're talking international shipping, which can take a while. In my case, a while meant forever (or never, depending how you look at it) as the package got lost in the mail. I had to email the publishing company (nice people! no issues with them!) in order to get another shipment sent out. Finally, though, I got the copies of the anthology.

I gave copies to my Grandmother (my dad's mom), my dad and my aunts. It was a teary scene :).

Here's a picture of me and my dear Grandmother (holding the book, and the mirror that had belonged to her--now me--which inspired the story):



Tell me that face wasn't worth the wait!

(BTW--she is 97 years old. Sharp as a tack, too.)