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. 

My 2021 Goals...er, Guidelines

I've never really been a New Year's Resolution kind of person. Not that I don't believe in making goals, but I know all too well that life can derail you at a moment's notice, and sometimes you simply decide that the track you're on isn't working and you jump rails by choice. (Says the girl whose Etsy shop is named Jumping Rails. Now you know part of the reason why.) So, yeah, I set goals, but I have a very Pirates of the Caribbean attitude about them--they're more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules.

This year I've come to a realization, though, that has spurred a decision to change direction. I've been working on a novel off and on for several years. It's a middle grade book, a sort of ghost story. I've not shared much about it with anyone until recently because my work on it has been so sporadic. This year, though, come hell or high water, or continuing pandemic, I'm getting that manuscript edited and published one way or another. 

And then, no more novels. For one, I have no real ideas for any. Sure, maybe a vague idea for a sequel to Relent, but since I have all of about 27 readers for that novel, there's not much of a motivation for me to tackle it. Other than that, nothing. Not to mention, marketing books sucks. At least, for me it does. 

One of my paintings, entitled Longing.

My art has been my focus the past few years, and I'm finding myself so much more inspired in that area, and after losing my son in 2018, it became a source of healing for my grief. My Etsy shop has done 1000 times better since reopening than it did originally. I'm finding my niche, learning what my artistic voice is -- even though it too can be a little all-over-the-place like my writing is. (Another reason my Etsy shop is called Jumping Rails.) I love painting, love doing altered thrift store art, even still, now and again, making some mixed media pieces or the once-in-a-blue-moon wand. Doing all that makes it very hard for me to focus on writing longer works, but...

There are short stories.

Back when I first started writing, I pumped out short stories like crazy. My main goal (see, I do make goals) in doing so was to build an audience for my novels. I honestly don't know if it helped at all. Most of the short stories were very different from my YA fantasy Toch Island Chronicles series. I wrote all different genres, for all different ages. (And there's that Jumping Rails thing again.) But, see, that's one thing I loved about short story writing. I never had to limit myself. Didn't have to worry about my "brand" and whether my stories tied together. Publishers of magazines and anthologies don't really care if your stories are all consistent, they just care whether or not the story you've submitted fits the magazine/issue/anthology they're publishing at the moment. 

One of the anthologies
I was asked to write for.
(This story is not on Wattpad,
but you can buy the antho
on Amazon.)

Anyway, I got away from short story writing. Over the past few years, the only short stories I've written were solicited ones--meaning, some small publishers came to me and requested I write stories for specific anthologies they were planning. That was an honor for me, and of course I agreed. But I had gotten away from just writing what popped into my head and shopping for markets. I think it was maybe the thing that had to give. I couldn't juggle novel writing and art and short stories, all while homeschooling, and definitely not after losing my son. 

But I'm so close to having my middle grade novel done. I feel like, if I can just get it finished and published, I can let go and shift over to short stories, which I can balance with my art. 

And folks, I'll tell you it's bizarre: I was kind of needing confirmation that this was the right decision, all while planning this blog post for the past few days. Then, today, when I was finally ready to sit down and type this, I noticed I was getting comments on some of my short stories on Wattpad, which hasn't happened in ages. So, yeah, here we go!

And if you are interested at all in my short story writing, you can check out some free stories on Wattpad for yourself (no membership needed to read them).  CLICK HERE. 

Some of those stories have been published in anthologies that can be purchased on Amazon, and of course there are other anthologies on Amazon that have stories which are not on Wattpad--you can find them by going to my Amazon Author Page. 

PS--I've turned off comments, and intend to continue keeping comments turned off on this blog. To be honest, for years (literally, I'm not exaggerating) the only comments I ever get on here have been spam. So, sorry. I will, as always, post links to these blogs on my Facebook Author Page, so you can always follow me there and comment if you have something to say. 

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.

Catching Up Before Thanksgiving (and a Special Offer)

I can hardly believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I'm seriously behind on posting here, as usual. Quick catch-up:

Necronomicon was AWESOME. Probably the best one yet. I was on ten panels, and got to judge the costume contest. And I dressed up in costume myself (although, of course, did not enter the contest). And for the first time I entered some of my artwork into the art show--and I sold several piecees!

Me on a panel..I forget which one. I must have been looking at my phone?

My art, both the panel and the table (left of the pink mushroom thing).

Costumes from the contest.

Me and costume contest contestant (and dear friend and fellow author) David Berger. 

There were also some very STRANGE THINGS at Necro this year. Like...the wall from Stranger Things and the one and only Dr. Paul Bearer Jr. from Creature Feature. He is, of course, not the original with whom I grew up, but I was completely star-struck nonetheless. 

RIGHT HERE. RUN. 

SQUEEEEEE!

For more pictures, visit my Facebook album HERE.

After that came Halloween. Then a trip to Universal Studios to celebrate family birthdays. If you haven't seen my bazillion previous posts with pictures from this oft-visited theme park, here's a few:

Beastie 2 and one of her heroes. 

This is in Sapphire Falls (a Universal Studios hotel we walked around).
I WANT THIS ROOM.

Obligatory dragon photo from Diagon Alley.

Having fun with monsters in the Prop Shop.

Whilst most of this was happening, I have been painting and whatnot. I have several pieces on display at Center Place, next to the Brandon Library (in, of course, Brandon, FL). If you're local, go check it out.

If you haven't seen my artwork, visit my Fine Art America page HERE. (You can also buy prints there.)

And speaking of art...I am running a special at my Etsy store. Free shipping on everything from now until Christmas day. This includes mixed media (most 6"x6"), pendants, and wands. There is also one original acrylic painting (4"x4" plus a frame). To keep things simple, the code is FREESHIPPING. Just click HERE.

My Artistic Busy-ness

I promised my next post would be about what's been keeping me busy outside of writing.
I promised pictures.
I also promised this would be sooner.

Well, I can't keep that last one without time-travel, but I can keep my promise on the other two.

For the past month or so I've been finishing up the third Toch Island book....

...which finally has a title: 

While it's off for its final edit and I'm waiting on the final cover design (something I promise I will reveal in full as soon as I can!), I've been focusing on my visual arts.

Wand-making:

Multiple methods displayed here, some made from sticks, some dowels, and lots of fun finishes.

My most recent and the first one I hand-carved (except for the ball on the end).

Pendant-making:

And my newest endeavor...

Mixed media:

This was a gift for the worship leader at my church.

This is my drawing worked into a mixed media piece.
I'm planning on making more, with different drawings, and selling them at art/craft shows.

Actually, I may add a bit to that last one. I'm really enjoying trying different kinds of art, doing something that's not drawing-focused (although I'm still sketching now and then), and making things out of the drawings I've already done.

Eventually I'm hoping to start an etsy store. Of course, that takes time, and I've got events coming up soon where I'm hoping to sell these in person, so we'll see when that actually happens.

There you have it. My artistic busy-ness.

Here There Be Dragons

As I was hanging my latest art purchase--a dragon print by Stanley Morrison, purchased while at the Necronomicon last month--I realized my house is slowly being taken over. I've always, always, always loved dragons, and I've had my share of them in many forms over the years, such as t-shirts and candles. I have neither of those anymore (unless you count my Ender's Game Dragon Army tee), but I do have dragons lurking in every room of my house. Today I thought I'd share them with you.

This one hangs by my desk on the side of an armoire. The artist is Rob Carlos. It was given to me by Grace Bridges, my dear friend and Space Kiwi. See that coin on the corner? That's a New Zealand dollar.

These next two are in my hallway. They are the creation of the aforementioned Stanley Morrison, both bought two years ago at Necronomicon. I adore his artwork. I promise you will believe how wholeheartedly I mean that by the end of this post.

A puzzle I put together a few years ago. The only place I could find to hang it where it would fit properly--it is BIG--was my hallway with the thermostat. Well, dragons do heat things up...

Yes, another Stanley Morrison, bought three years ago at Necronomicon. (Are you seeing the pattern?)

A Mother's Day present from my husband and the Beasties. He guards my bookshelf.

Also on my bookshelf, a coffee mug that holds my reading glasses (which I actually use pretty much only for sewing). The mug sports the art of Heather Young. 

The dragon dagger I bought at the Medieval Times dinner show in Orlando. I refuse to believe I could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere. Also, I paid for the memories. Yeah, that works. 

A ceramic dragon I made at one of those paint-your-own-pottery studios years ago. Yes, he was the inspiration for Spike, the dragon pet of Sir Benjamin, who owns the bookshop on Toch Island.

The best deal I ever got at Disney World. Or maybe Universal Studios? Either way, this necklace was a whopping $12, and I wear it all the time. 

Another two prints I bought at Necronomicon. I don't know the artist for sure on the first one--the signature looks like R. Mayo--but this matches the colors in my bedroom perfectly. The second one is Theresa Mather. They complement and contrast each other nicely. I love the loose sketchy feel of the first one, and the tight, detailed work of the second.

Ah, and here we go....the culprit who started this whole post. The last print I bought from Stanley Morrison at Necronomicon last month. Believe me now? I. Am. Such. A. Fan.

And for more dragons, you can visit the "Dragons!" board on my Pinterest page.

Sneaking Unseen

Er, no, that should be Seeking Unseen. But what I'm doing today is giving some "sneak" peeks from the interior and cover art of Seeking Unseen :).

(You may roll your eyes and groan now.)

First, the "scene break" art. That's the little doohickey that goes in between scenes inside chapters. Some books just put an extra space between the paragraphs. Some put a basic symbol or whatnot. Some, like me, put actual images.

In Finding Angel, that image was a key.

With Seeking Unseen, I couldn't decide between two elements from the story I thought were cool. So I decided to use them both:

Nope, not gonna tell you the significance. Gotta read it yourself and find out :P.

I do want to give a hint of the cover, though. It is only a portion. We're still in the building stages, so I'm cropping what I have down to one corner. I leave it to you to guess what this is:

Another tiny peek, to show that I am using the keyhole from the cover of Finding Angel on this book, too:

Just so you know, the amazing and talented Keven Newsome (author of Winter) and his wife DeAnna Newsome (of Newsome Creative) are doing the actual cover design. I did some drawings, and scribbled out a concept layout, but they are doing the real work!

So? So? Whatcha think?

Links, Links, and More Links

Seems like all I ever do lately is post links on Facebook. But there's good reason--so much is happening! I decided that today I'm just going to compile a bunch of stuff here while I'm on a roll.

First, you can find the anthology FECKLESS, which contains my short "Delete," on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. This is an anthology of horror stories, some with a Christian bent, and some, just bent ;).

For a full list with links to all the anthologies that contain my short stories, visit my Amazon Author Page.

Second, there is all kinds of crazy stuff going on at Splashdown Books. If you aren't signed up for their newsletter, get over to the site and sign up. You'll discover that there are some cool new releases coming out. And Splashdown will be launching a new imprint in June: Darkwater. Check it out and see if you can brave the deep.

Third, it's all about me :). I've been messing around on Zazzle again, and updated my store. If you like beetles, and my artwork, and you'd like to combine those on cool t-shirts and other stuff, please visit my store, An Inordinate Fondness. I'll be adding new designs as I create them. Everything is customizable, so you can change the style and color of shirts, add text, whatever.

While you're there, make sure you click on my "profile" to see a self-portrait I drew. It was done on request of the editor over at Port Yonder Press, as she wants the illustrators of The Book of Sylvari: An Anthology of Elves to have self-portraits instead of photos with our bios. (Yes, that last link is for Facebook. If you're not on FB, I'm sorry. If you are, get over there and "Like" the page, please!) I've done three drawings for the anthology, and will let you know as soon as it is available for purchase.

Finally, a "missing link." Yep, I was supposed to have a short story coming out this month in Daikaijuzine. But their February issue has been delayed until March. Sigh...I understand, though. I personally know several people who run online magazines like Daikaijuzine and it is HARD WORK. These people generally do this for nothing, or next to nothing, and have full-time jobs on top of editing and producing the 'zines. So I will not gripe, but admit I'm a bit disappointed. It's a story I've been waiting a while to see in print.

So...let's end this on a happy note: I received notice that a short personal experience story of mine has made the short list for another Chicken Soup for the Soul anthology, due out in July. It's Chickens Soup for the Soul: Just for Preteens. And my story is called "Armored and Dangerous." Being on the short list there means that there is an ever so slight chance the story could get cut, but that generally doesn't happen unless there is an issue with it, such as a conflict of rights ownership, and there is nothing hindering my story so I fully expect it to make it in.

If you've made it this far, I thank you. Long post, I know. But so much news to share! Now get busy checking out those links.

Art for a Muse

We're closing in on the end of this series. Two more books to go and we've pretty well covered the Splashdown Books current catalog. As a reminder, I started this series because I personally did some artwork for books at Splashdown, including cover elements for The Duke's Handmaid and Nor Iron Bars a Cage by Caprice Hokstad, and interior art for Tales of the Dim Knight by Adam & Andrea Graham. I got to see first-hand the progress of the cover work for Alpha Redemption by P.A. Baines. I find the process fascinating, and wanted to share even those I didn't personally have a hand in, so last week I told the story of Grace Bridges' Faith Awakened cover.

TODAY, I'm turning my focus on the book that led me to Splashdown Books in the first place. The Muse, by Fred Warren. It was Fred's story "Angel Wings" at Digital Dragon Magazine that introduced me to his writing, and I immediately bought The Muse as a result. So, Fred, I owe it all to you, man.

OK--on to the cover art!

I got the details from Grace Bridges, owner and head honcho at Splashdown.

Grace wanted something striking and unique, and opted for a black background to start. Then, as she said, she "messed around" until she got a "suitably spooky glowy text," which shows up quite vividly against the black:

Here are Grace's exact words on the next step, as posted in a blog of her own, back when she was actually going through the process:

"Next I really wanted a picture of Stan, the main character. But who could it be? The answer turned out to be quite close to home, as I ended up photographing none other than my own brother when he came to town for a visit. My housemate at that time happens to own a wonderful fantasy sword, and things just came together after that. Over there you see one pic of many taken during that photo shoot. I was up on the veranda with the camera, and Andrew was down on the driveway so I could get that oblique angle. The black sheet was an aid to later pasting "Stan" onto my mostly black background."

Next is a mock-up with "Stan" in place, in front of a pair of spooky eyes Grace liked initially:

And then with a textured background:

But, ultimately, Grace decided to mess around with the glowy eyes again, enlarging it and making it into a spiral. Here's how it turned out, on the final cover:

All of this, she said, was done in consultation with Fred. And to prove she's on the up and up about that, here's Fred's impression of the process, in his own words:

"In some ways, the cover was the hardest part of the book to finish. It
had to encapsulate the story and capture its mood in an interesting,
eye-catching manner without giving too much away. That's a lot of
weight for two little pieces of paper to carry. Grace and I probably
spent about two weeks on the font selection alone.

Writing the back-cover blurb was actually fun. Grace, Connie Brzowski,
and I spent over an hour in an online chat bouncing ideas back and
forth, one sentence at a time, until we came up with something we were
all happy with. The interesting part was that Grace and I had been
working at it for a while without much success, but when we brought
Connie into the discussion, the ideas began popping like firecrackers.
One more person's input made all the difference."

Remember me going on about the teamwork aspect? I'm not the only one who believes in that!

So, there you have it. I'll admit, I didn't give a lot of thought to the cover when I first bought the book (other than, "dude, that is some hair") because I knew what was important to me was the writing on the inside. But now that I have read the book, and learned about the cover design process, I see how this all ties together. The Muse is a fun book, with vivid characters and a bit of a wild ride in parts. The cover does capture that mood. Do yourself a favor--if you haven't read any of the books I've featured so far, start where I did.