Sep 30, 2011

Time For the Official Announcement!

I did it! I crossed the line from aspiring author to author. My first novel, An Elemental Wind, is now out there for all the world to see . . . and better yet, to purchase! :-)

Special thanks to Jamie DeBree of Brazen Snake Books for her tireless work in making my dream a reality. I also want to thank Heidi Sutherlin of My Creative Pursuits for the awesome cover – once you’ve read the book yourself you’ll see how dead on she was in depicting the main character – she’s so accurate it’s scary.



Nakeisha Windsinger has been chosen to represent her planet to the Pan-Galactic Council of Worlds. She and her mentor, the Ilezie E.Z., must travel in secret to avoid their enemies, but when her mentor is killed, she loses control of her element, the wind, as she takes vengeance on those responsible.

In doing so, she crosses paths with the crew of the Burning Comet, a ship with a secret mission of its own. A reluctant guest, Nakeisha struggles to control her element, a task made more difficult as she fights her growing attraction to the ship’s navigator, Chaney.

As their enemies close in, Nakeisha and Chaney spin a fragile web of trust between them, finding that fate has a way of interfering when you least expect it and love can destroy - or rebuild - worlds.


You can purchase it through Brazen Snake Books (where you can also read the first three chapters for free), or Amazon. It’s also available from Smashwords, and the print edition (which will be released on October 14) will also be available from Barnes and Noble.

And for those of you who came here to read this week's installment of Fire, which, incidentally, is the second of the Ardraci Elementals series, I promise to have it up later tonight . . . tomorrow at the latest. ;-)

Sep 29, 2011

Cuaderna Vía

The Cuaderna Vía (frame way) dominated most of the serious Spanish poetry for the 13th and 14th centuries until the 15th century when it was replaced by the Art Mayor. The Cuaderna Vía was the introduction of syllabic verse into Spanish poetry. This stanzaic form is known for its rigidity of form - syllables are counted carefully. In addition to the rigid meter, only true rhyme is allowed.

The Libro de Alexandre, an anonymous 13th-century Spanish account of Alexander the Great holds an important place in Spanish literature as the most substantial and probably first work in the Cuaderna Vía verse form. Pedro López de Ayala, Spanish poet and court chronicler, is chiefly remembered for his Rimado de palacio (c. 1400), one of the last works in Cuaderna Vía, an autobiographical satire on contemporary society.

Schematic:
Written in any number of quatrains.
Lines are 14 syllables, divided into hemistiches of 7 syllables each, often broken by caesura. The syllable count must be adhered to.
Lines are mono-rhymed. The rhyme must be a true rhyme - no slant rhyme, assonance or consonance.

I found this form a little on the difficult side to work in. For some reason I kept wanting to write it in 7 syllables to the caesura, and then five syllables. And I found the “true” rhyme to be a little intimidating, so I stuck to one syllable words. I also have to admit that although I held to the syllable count and the rhyme scheme, the poem doesn’t really flow well. I don’t know if it’s the form itself, or just my example. :-)



Dark Thought

In the darkness dwells a thought, a thought that should never be
It ghosts through the subconscious, seeking the elusive key
Biding its time patiently, keen to escape, to be free
Madness lurking in its wake, waiting for its chance to flee.

The thought was there from the start, just hidden so very well
Poking though the mind at will, infecting each minute cell
Turning bad good intentions, as though invoking a spell
Leaving wicked residue, on its crossing o’er to hell.

Sep 28, 2011

Hump Day Hunk

Today's one of those grey days that's just perfect for lounging around in bed. ;-)

Sep 27, 2011

7 Wonders of the Natural World - Part Three

Harbour of Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro Harbour is located on the south-western shore of Guanabara Bay and spans an immense 88 miles in length. The Harbour is surrounded by gorgeous granite monolith mountains that include the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain at 1,296 feet (395 m), Corcovado Peak at 2,310 feet (704 m), and the hills of Tijuca at 3,350 feet (1021 m). It was formed by the Atlantic Ocean which eroded the soil and rocks along the coast.

Portuguese explorers named the Harbour of Rio de Janeiro as “the River of the First of January” because they were convinced that they had reached the mouth of a great river, when they glided toward a narrow opening in the coastline on the New Year’s Day, 1502. The large waterway was not a river; it was an island-studded bay stretching 20 miles inland, containing a tropical wilderness teeming with tapirs and jaguars. The Tamoio people had named it Guanabara or the “arm of the sea.”

Europeans called the smaller bay of Botafago, under Sugarloaf, a "lake"; the Tamoio themselves named Guanabara Bay's eastern edge Niteroi, meaning "hidden waters." Guarding the entrance to the bay, the naked and lopsided mountain the Portuguese called Pao de Acucar evoked the sugarloaves fashioned on the island of Madeira. They called the highest mountain Corcovado - "the hunchback" - for its humped profile.

The Harbour at Rio de Janeiro as we know it today was colonized in the 16th century, and modernized in the 20th century. Yet the actual structure of the bay has been around for millions of years, gradually being eroded by the waves that come through Guanabara Bay and hit the land behind it.

The Atlantic Ocean that surrounds this area of Brazil that is responsible for this erosion; a process which earned the harbour of Rio de Janeiro its prestige. The erosion occurred in such a way that if you look at the bay from different angles, it can look like a river mouth, or even a lake. Evidence of the harsh sea conditions that caused this kind of formation can still be seen today from October until March, which is the start of Rio de Janeiro’s rainy season.

Unfortunately, the Bay’s vastness has been shrinking. With usable land at a premium, landfill has twice altered Guanabara Bay's contours. In the 1920s and again in the 1960s, small hills that had once been home to Rio's earliest settlers were sluiced through pipes to create bayfill. The new land now anchors an airport, a six-lane highway, parkland and beaches, the city's modern art museum, and other 20th-century landmarks. Where this expansion and development will lead is unsure, but one thing’s for certain; the shape of Rio de Janeiro’s harbour is changing fast.

The best way to see the Harbour of Rio de Janeiro is to get above it. This can be done either through helicopter or for the more adventurous through the use of a hang glider.

The most common way of seeing this wonder is to travel to the tops of the surrounding peaks. Sugar Loaf Mountain and Corcovado both offer panoramic views of the harbour and surrounding landscape. Sugar Loaf Mountain is actually in the harbour and provides views back over the city and into mountains. Additionally, visitors will have great views of the beautiful beaches that line the harbour.

Corcovado peak is much higher and looks east over the harbour and back towards Sugar Loaf Mountain. Corcovado peak also offers visitors with an opportunity to see the famous monument - Christ the Redeemer.

Sep 26, 2011

Macaronic Monday

macaronic ~ muddled or mixed-up

Coming September 30



Nakeisha Windsinger has been chosen to represent her planet to the Pan-Galactic Council of Worlds. She and her mentor, the Ilezie E.Z., must travel in secret to avoid their enemies, but when her mentor is killed, she loses control of her element, the wind, as she takes vengeance on those responsible.

In doing so, she crosses paths with the crew of the Burning Comet, a ship with a secret mission of its own. A reluctant guest, Nakeisha struggles to control her element, a task made more difficult as she fights her growing attraction to the ship’s navigator, Chaney.

As their enemies close in, Nakeisha and Chaney spin a fragile web of trust between them, finding that fate has a way of interfering when you least expect it and love can destroy - or rebuild - worlds.


The cover art is by Heidi Sutherlin of Creative Pursuits. Isn't it gorgeous?

If you can’t wait until Friday, you can buy an advance copy directly from Brazen Snake Books. And while you’re there, take a minute to check out some of the other books that are available.

There’s still time to get your flash fiction in to Jamie DeBree at Rattles. Heidi Sutherlin has provided an intriguing picture for the prompt. The challenge is open to all comers to write a story between 800 and 1,000 words using the picture as inspiration. The best stories will have a chance to receive $25 and a chance of publication. Submissions are open until midnight, September 30. You don’t want to miss out!

What’s Up This Week:

Tuesday: Part three of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World is Harbour of Rio de Janeiro.

Wednesday: Another hump day hunk for your viewing pleasure. ;-)

Thursday: This week’s poetry form is another Spanish form, the Cuaderna Via.

Friday: Chapter 43 of Fire.

Random Thoughts

Today’s Rant: Parking.

Wednesday: Chapter 20 of my on-line serial Shades of Errol Flynn. Thank God the boots were saved!

No grammar this week. To be honest, I’ve run out of ideas for it. I have other ideas for an end of the week post, but they’re still percolating.

This week I’ll also be busy with:

I’ve been promised a story to edit this week and I’m looking forward to it. Is it weird that I find editing relaxing?

And speaking of stories . . . I want to get my offering to the Rattles flash prompt finished.

Work has been progressing steadily on the transcribing and I need to polish up a couple of these interviews to submit them to the client to make sure they like the format. If they like them I’ll be continuing with more transcribing. If they don’t, I’ll be making changes before continuing with the transcribing. :-)

Now that my book is out there I have some red tape to wade through for tax purposes. I always knew in theory that actually writing a book is the easy part, now I’m finding out just how true that is in practice.

Over the weekend I did something that is guaranteed to make me more productive. I put up the cork board in my office. Now I just have to start tacking up notes about stuff that needs to be done.

There’s a bunch of other stuff I need to get done this week, but honestly I’m too tired to remember what. As I write this post it’s 1 a.m. and I have to get up at 6:30 a.m. and there’ll be no chance for napping tomorrow ‘cause I need to take my son-in-law to an appointment in the morning, and my other in-laws to Toronto in the afternoon.

No rest for the wicked! ;-)

So how about you? Anything coming up that you’d like to share?

Sep 22, 2011

Wayra

Sometimes I find it difficult to locate information about a poetry form, and this week it was the Wayra. What facts I did manage to ferret out agreed on a few basics. The Wayra is a short verse form originating in South America. The name means "Wind" in Quechua, one of the traditional native languages of Incan culture. Written in five lines, it has syllable counts of 5-7-7-6-8 and is unrhymed.

This gives us a structure as follows:

1. xxxxx
2. xxxxxxx
3. xxxxxxx
4. xxxxxx
5. xxxxxxxx

After writing the first example, I thought the form was short enough that I could take the time to write a couple more. This being a South American form, I chose to write the remaining two examples with a South American theme.



Cold

Dark of night descends -
Wolf howls on autumnal winds.
The chill that is in the air
Has so little to do
With the coming of the winter.


~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Inca

Now the time is here
Come you all from Cay Pacha*
Celebrate the festival
Of Inti the sun god
And Mama Quilla of the moon

*Cay Pacha, the outer earth where humans live.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Chocolate

Ka’kau’, the god’s gift
Hot and frothy, bitter spice
Poured, back and forth from a height
Mayan secret spirit
The cacao god, Ek Chuah

Sep 21, 2011

Hump Day Hunk

Summer's come to a close. You have to get those last few days in the water where you can.

Sep 20, 2011

7 Wonders of the Natural World - Part II

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world. It’s made up of over 2,900 separate reefs, stretching over 1,600 miles (2,600 km). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia. Larger than the Great Wall of China, it is the world’s largest single structure made by living organisms and is visible from space.

The Reef is a site of remarkable beauty and variety, containing the world’s largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral. It also holds great scientific interest as the habitat of species such as the dugong (‘sea cow’) and six of the world’s seven species of sea turtle.

The variety of life along the Reef's vast expanse is immense. The Reef's unique biodiversity of species and habitats make the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding areas one of the most complex natural systems on Earth. Its great diversity reflects the maturity of an ecosystem which has evolved over millions of years on the north-east continental shelf of Australia. The site contains a huge mixture of species including over 1,500 species of fish, about 360 species of hard coral, 5,000 species of mollusc, and more than 175 species of bird, plus a great diversity of sponges, anemones, marine worms and crustaceans, among others.

The reef system, extending to Papua New Guinea, comprises some 2900 individual reefs of all sizes and shapes covering more than 12,500 square miles (20,000 square km) including 760 fringing reefs, which range in size from under 1 hectare to over 10,000 hectare and vary in shape to provide the most spectacular marine scenery on Earth. There are approximately 600 continental islands including many with forests and freshwater streams, and some 300 coral cays and sand cays.

Two main classes of reef structure may be defined: platform or patch reefs, resulting from radial growth; and wall reefs, resulting from elongated growth, often in areas of strong water currents. There are also many fringing reefs where the reef growth is established on sub-tidal rock of the mainland coast or continental islands.

The site includes major feeding grounds for the endangered dugong and nesting grounds of world significance for two endangered species of marine turtle, the green and the loggerhead, as well as habitat for four other species of marine turtle. Given the severe pressures being placed on these species elsewhere, the Great Barrier Reef may be their last secure stronghold. It is also an important breeding area for humpback and other whale species.

A wide range of fleshy algae occurs, many of which are small and inconspicuous but which are highly productive and are heavily grazed by turtles, fish, molluscs and sea urchins. In addition, algae are an important component of reef building processes. 15 species of sea grass grow throughout the reef area forming over 1,800 square miles (3,000 square km) of sea grass meadows and providing an important food source for grazing animals, such as dugongs.

Because of its natural beauty, both below and above the water's surface, the Great Barrier Reef has become one of the worlds most sought after tourist destinations. The weather is tropical, and is fairly consistent being neither extremely hot nor extremely cold. The summer temperatures range from 73 to 91 degrees and the winter months range from the upper 50s to the mid 70s. The rainy season occurs from November through May which accounts for over 75% of the annual rainfall during this period.

Probably the best way to see the Great Barrier Reef is through the lens of an underwater mask. Snorkelling or scuba diving provides an up close view of some of the most vibrant fish, coral and marine life. Visitors can select from a variety of boat or cruise tours that include single day trips, extended stays and varying boat sizes. A helicopter tour is an excellent way to get above the Great Barrier Reef and witness the size and expanse of this spectacular marine natural wonder.

Sep 19, 2011

Mulm Monday

mulm ~ organic sediment at bottom of an aquarium

Last week was both busy and productive.

First and foremost, did you see my book cover on Friday? Isn’t it gorgeous? Heidi Sutherlin is amazing! If you missed my cover, you can still catch a glimpse on Brazen Snake Books and you can download the first three chapters of An Elemental Wind for free. And while you’re there, take a look at the other books available. I promise, you won’t be sorry!

I had a wicked bad toothache Monday, so I only stopped in at the Scribe’s meeting long enough to drop off some handouts and a quick PowerPoint presentation about NaNo. There are only two of us in the group that have done NaNo and we’d like company this year. :-)

The ISBN for my poetry chapbook arrived Wednesday, just before I was spirited away by a friend for a road trip so I didn’t get started on printing my chapbooks until Wednesday evening. Between paper jams and empty toner cartridges, my laser printer and I are no longer on speaking terms. However, despite many setbacks, I had my chapbooks done in time for my reading, which went very well.

I am still managing to keep abreast of my e-mails . . . mostly.

Did not get any brochures printed out – see above paragraph about running out of toner. At the price of the cartridges for the laser printer, it’d be just as cheap to buy a whole new printer – maybe even cheaper.

This Week’s Schedule:

Tuesday: Part two of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World is the Great Barrier Reef.

Wednesday: Another hump day hunk for your viewing pleasure. ;-)

Thursday: This week’s poetry form is the Wayra. Yes, I know it was supposed to be last week’s form, but I presented my own form instead.

Friday: Chapter 42 of Fire. So, E.Z. has a plan, does he?

Random Thoughts

Today’s Rant: Under Where?

Wednesday: Chapter 19 of my on-line serial Shades of Errol Flynn. Do you think Jessica’s finally going to get up out of bed?

Saturday: This week’s Grappling With Grammar is Spelling.

Elsewhere in my week:

There’s still time to get your flash fiction in to Jamie DeBree at Rattles. The amazing Heidi Sutherlin of Creative Pursuits has provided an intriguing picture prompt. The challenge is open to all comers to write a story between 800 and 1,000 words using the picture as inspiration. The best stories will have a chance to receive $25 and a chance of publication. You don’t want to miss out!

Tuesday I have a poetry meeting, which is always a good time.

I spent quite a bite of time on Sunday shovelling off my desk and generally going around the house to get rid of some of the clutter. I think I’m going to dedicate a couple of hours each day to getting rid of more clutter. I really am way too attached to all my “stuff”. And most of it is pretty useless stuff at that. Time to start purging. At the very least I’d like to shovel off the table in my work room.

Now that the poetry madness is over with, I need to get back to work on the transcriptions for the Living History project. The interviews are actually a lot more interesting than I expected, which makes typing them out go quicker.

I’m between editing projects at the moment, so this would be a good time to get a few instalments ahead on my serials. At the very least I’d like to get a bunch of entries to Wynne’s Journal done for Fire.

Over the weekend I started getting a few ideas for the next book in the Elemental series – Water. It will start out by overlapping the end of Fire, but of course from the Water Elemental’s point of view.

Write a letter to my sister. I’ve owed her one for month and she’s expecting it to be waiting for her when she gets home on the 28th.

Do an album on Facebook of the pictures I took during my road trip last week.

I think that’s enough for me for one week, how about you?

Sep 16, 2011

Special Announcement

As you may have noticed, this isn’t the next instalment for Fire. This week’s chapter is moved to Saturday. Mainly because I had a poetry reading and the launch of my poetry chapbook last night and I was too freaking tired to come up with the required energy (or brain power) to get the instalment written.

But also because I wanted to save this space for a VERY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT.

I'm thrilled to announce that Brazen Snake Books will be releasing An Elemental Wind, my debut novel on September 30, 2011. It will be released in ebook format on September 30, with a paperback to be released on October 14th.



An Elemental Wind

Nakeisha Windsinger has been chosen to represent her planet to the Pan-Galactic Council of Worlds. She and her mentor, the Ilezie E.Z., must travel in secret to avoid their enemies, but when her mentor is killed, she loses control of her element, the wind, as she takes vengeance on those responsible.

In doing so, she crosses paths with the crew of the Burning Comet, a ship with a secret mission of its own. A reluctant guest, Nakeisha struggles to control her element, a task made more difficult as she fights her growing attraction to the ship’s navigator, Chaney.

As their enemies close in, Nakeisha and Chaney spin a fragile web of trust between them, finding that fate has a way of interfering when you least expect it and love can destroy - or rebuild - worlds.


If you’d like to read the first three chapters, go HERE.

What else can I say, except . . . SQUEEEEEE!

Sep 15, 2011

Xenolith

People have been telling me for quite some time now that because I love poetry forms so much I should invent one of my own. So I did. :-)

When I started out I had no idea what I wanted to do for my form, other than I wanted it to be unique. Once I decided base my chapbook on poetry forms following the letters of the alphabet I knew the name of my form had to start with the letter X. Why X? Because no one else has done a form starting with the letter X.

After consulting several dictionaries, I finally settled on a name for my form – Xenolith. A xenolith is fragment of extraneous rock embedded in magma or another rock. I kept coming back to this while I was playing around with syllable counts and rhyme schemes – a rock within a rock. How about a poem within a poem? And so my form was born.

The Xenolith is a 15 line poem. Seven of the lines have twelve syllables per line and are mono-rhymed. Eight of the lines have eight syllables per line and are written in rhyming couplets. You can separate the 12 syllable lines from the 8 syllable lines and have two complete poems.

Schematic.

1 xxxxxxxxxxxA
2 xxxxxxxB
3 xxxxxxxxxxxA
4 xxxxxxxB
5 xxxxxxxxxxxA
6 xxxxxxxC
7 xxxxxxxC
8 xxxxxxxxxxxA
9 xxxxxxxD
10 xxxxxxxD
11 xxxxxxxxxxxA
12 xxxxxxxE
13 xxxxxxxxxxxA
14 xxxxxxxE
15 xxxxxxxxxxxA



No Guarantee

A poet does not always use his eyes to see
The beauty in a thought or deed.
Inspiration is found wherever it may be -
Beauty to make the heart concede -
Whether moonlight reflected on a midnight sea,
The white curl of the ocean spray,
The glitter of a summer’s day.
Or, with the deft touch of the poet’s master key,
Reshape the mind into a lie -
Show instead a new path to try.
Like cobwebs dim, clear from the mind the soul’s debris,
Invite in the beauty unseen
And unveil imagination’s dark devotee
To keep the questing mind e’er keen.
I know now a poem, like life, has no guarantee.


12 syllables, mono rhyme

A poet does not always use his eyes to see.
Inspiration is found wherever it may be
Whether moonlight reflected on a midnight sea
Or, with the deft touch of the poet’s master key,
Like cobwebs dim, clear from the mind the soul’s debris,
And unveil imagination’s dark devotee.
I know now a poem, like life, has no guarantee.

8 syllables, rhyming couplets

The beauty in a thought or deed,
Beauty to make the heart concede -
The white curl of the ocean spray
The glitter of a summer’s day . . .
Reshape the mind into a lie;
Show instead a new path to try;
Invite in the beauty unseen
To keep the questing mind e’er keen.

Sep 14, 2011

Hump Day Hunk

Here's something a little intellectual for all you college students out there. ;-)

Sep 13, 2011

7 Wonders of the Natural World - Part I

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is known for its visually overwhelming size and its intricate and colourful landscape. Geologically it is significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rock layers record much of the early geologic history of the North American continent.

Located in the state of Arizona, the Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long and from 4 to 18 miles (6.4 to 29 km) wide. Nearly two billion years of the Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. Recent evidence suggests the Colorado River established its course through the canyon at least 17 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River continued to erode and form the canyon to its present-day configuration.

The Grand Canyon is considered one of the natural wonders of the world largely because of its natural features. The exposed geologic strata rise over a mile above the river, representing one of the most complete records of geological history that can be seen anywhere in the world. Geologic formations found at the bottom of the Canyon date back 1,800 million years.

The entire park area is considered to be semi-arid desert, but distinct habitats are located at different elevations along the 8,000 foot elevation gradient. Near the Colorado River, water vegetation and sandy beaches prevail. Just above the river corridor a desert scrub community exists complete with a wide variety of cacti and warm desert scrub species. A pinyon pine and juniper forest grows above the desert scrub up to 6,200 feet, while between 6,200 feet and 8,200 feet ponderosa pine is abundant. On the North Rim at elevations above 8,200 feet, a spruce-fir forest tops out the park.

Before European immigration, the area was inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon ("Ongtupqa" in Hopi language) a holy site and made pilgrimages to it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.

More than 200 years passed before two Spanish priests became the second party of non-Native Americans to see the canyon. U.S. Army Major John Wesley Powell led the 1869 Powell Geographic Expedition through the canyon on the Colorado River. In the late 19th century, the promise of mineral resources—mainly copper and asbestos—renewed interest in the region. The first pioneer settlements along the rim came in the 1880s.

Early residents soon realized that tourism was destined to be more profitable than mining, and by the turn of the 20th century the Grand Canyon was a well-known tourist destination. In 1901 the Grand Canyon Railway was opened from Williams, Arizona, to the South Rim, and the development of formal tourist facilities, especially at Grand Canyon Village, increased dramatically.

It was first afforded federal protection in 1893 as a forest reserve. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon in 1903. An avid outdoorsman and staunch conservationist, he established the Grand Canyon Game Preserve in 1906. Roosevelt added adjacent national forest lands and re-designated the preserve a U.S. National Monument in 1908. Grand Canyon National Park was finally established as the 17th U.S. National Park by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on February 26, 1919.

Today the Grand Canyon can be explored on foot through traditional hikes, day hikes, or extended backpacking trips. You can also explore the canyon on the back of a mule. This provides a unique experience of the canyon while allowing the mule to carry the load. The floor of the canyon can also be explored by taking a white water rafting trip. There are a variety of trips offered depending on the type of experience someone is seeking and their rafting skill level.

Sep 12, 2011

Micrograph Monday

micrograph ~ instrument used to write on a very small scale

I have to admit, last week really got away from me. I don’t know if it was the holiday or what, but I felt like I was a day behind all week. This week doesn’t look like it’s shaping up to be much better – I lost one of my weekend days to family obligations and I’ve got a heck of a lot on my plate this week.

Despite all the stuff I have to get done this week, I spent a couple of hours yesterday writing a poem. Not the final form I needed for my chapbook, but a new poem for my reading this week. I like to end my readings with something humorous, and this one has been flittering with my brain for a couple of weeks now.

Got caught up on my e-mails (knock wood) although apparently I still owe one of my sisters a snail mail. :-)

The poems for my reading are printed out and sitting in a folder waiting for me to go over them.

The brochures got side-lined again for more important things, but I did get the final edits of An Elemental Wind sent off.

You notice there’s no status update on MSN Patchworkz!? I think I’m pretty much over that game. Now it’s all about Fishdom 2. LOL

This Week’s Schedule:

Tuesday: The first instalment for the 7 Natural Wonders of the World is the Grand Canyon.

Wednesday: Another hump day hunk for your viewing pleasure. ;-)

Thursday: This week’s poetry form is the Wayra.

Friday: Chapter 41 of Fire. I have to wonder what Pyre’s going to think of Dr. Arjun’s plans for Rayne . . .

Random Thoughts

Today: Words For the Wise.

Wednesday: Chapter 18 of my on-line serial Shades of Errol Flynn. Jessica wouldn’t abuse her privileges as an “honoured guest” would she?

Saturday: This week’s Grappling With Grammar is an editing checklist.

Elsewhere in my week:

Still waiting on the ISBN for my chapbook, but I’m going to go ahead and get some made up anyway. I can always print the numbers on a clear label and stick it in the right spot if I have to, and if I don’t get the number in time then at least I’ll have the books made up.

There’s still time to get your flash fiction in to Jamie DeBree at Rattles. The amazing Heidi Sutherlin of Creative Pursuits has provided an intriguing picture prompt. The challenge is open to all comers to write a story between 800 and 1,000 words using the picture as inspiration. The best stories will have a chance to receive $25 and a chance of publication. You don’t want to miss out!

Tonight I have a Scribe’s meeting and Thursday is my poetry reading. If anyone’s in the Cobourg, Ontario area on the 15th, stop in at Meet at 66 King. Admission’s free and the treats are tasty (but unfortunately the treats aren’t free). Come and hear me read and buy one of my chapbooks. :-D

And that’s how my week is shaping up so far. How about you? What are you up to now that summer’s over?

Sep 8, 2011

Jagati

Like the Ushnik, the Jagati is a Hindu verse form. Hindu literature is divided into two main periods—the Vedic (c.1500–c.200 B.C.), when the Vedic form of Sanskrit generally prevailed, and the Sanskrit (c.200 B.C.–c.A.D. 1100), when classical Sanskrit (a development of Vedic) predominated. Sanskrit had, however, become the standard language of the court by 400 B.C., and its early literature overlapped the Vedic. The word Sanskrit means "perfected," and the language was adopted as an improvement of the Vedic.

The first part of the Vedic period (c.1500–c.800 B.C. was a poetic and creative age, but afterward (c.800–c.500 B.C.) the priestly class transferred its energies to sacrificial ceremonial. Vedic meter is measured by the number of padas (lines), and the number of syllables in each pada.

According to the Bhaktivedanta Veda Base:
Thereafter the art of literary expression, uṣṇik, was generated from the hairs on the body of the almighty Prajāpati. The principal Vedic hymn, gāyatrī, was generated from the skin, triṣṭup from the flesh, anuṣṭup from the veins, and jagatī from the bones of the lord of the living entities.

The Jagati is written with 4 lines or padas to a stanza and 12 syllables in each pada. The Jagati is not only characterized by the number of syllables but also by its particular sequence of long and short sounds. This heavy-light or guru-laghu pattern of the lines is language specific and almost impossible to duplicate in English. Needless to say, I didn’t even try.



Disconnection

A cool white moon, shining high in the midnight sky
Keeping silent vigil o’er an uncaring world,
Pacing across the heavens in an age old dance,
Seeking the perfect partner that does not exist.

A lost god, winging his way across the heavens
Forever in pursuit of the truth, of the way,
Fruitlessly searching for the vision gone astray -
Steadfast, the mission to find a forgotten past.

A rising sun, red on the distant horizon,
Herald for a new day of unanswered questions,
As eternal and enduring as time itself -
Archaic habits cannot be changed on a whim.

Sep 7, 2011

Hump Day Hunk

Hmm, he looks like he could use someone to help dry him off. Or maybe he's better wet - what do you think? ;-)

Sep 6, 2011

More Wonders of the World

Last week we wrapped up the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World so it’s time for a new list.

When I first started this series I thought I’d be stopping with the original list of Wonders. However, I discovered there’s a whole pile of wonders out there, so I kept going. Now I think it would be interesting to keep the series going until I’ve covered seven different lists of 7 Wonders of the World.

We’ve already explored the Ancient Wonders of the World, the Medieval Wonders, and the Industrial Age Wonders. Next up are the Natural Wonders, followed by the Underwater Wonders, then the Modern Wonders, and finishing with the “New” Seven Wonders (based on voting from around the world).


The Seven Natural Wonders, a not-for-profit organization created to protect the natural wonders of the world, was created in 2008. The mission is to help people discover and explore the natural wonders of the world, to teach them about the wonders and the things that threaten their existence, and to inspire them to create a philosophy and practice of conservation.

Their list of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World was compiled through a global poll and is as follows: The Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Harbour of Rio de Janeiro, Mount Everest, the Aurora Borealis, the Parícutin volcano, and Victoria Falls.

We start next week with The Grand Canyon.

Sep 5, 2011

Mutivity Monday

mutivity ~ tendency to alter

It’s nice to be back on-line. I never knew how much I was addicted to enjoyed the internet until I was without it for a couple of days. However, it was all to the good. I got lots accomplished.

No internet meant no games, so it forced me to do other things instead. Like reading, and working on my writing and . . . did I mention the reading? :-)

Wednesday I went on a short road trip with a friend. We were following the directions from a road trip brochure she’d picked up at the local tourist office, and the directions left much to be desired. I’m not sure we followed the actual route faithfully, but we didn’t get too lost and our route involved poutine for lunch, so it was all good.

I ended up having some major formatting issues with my chapbook, but these have all been taking care of and I have a proof copy finished. Looks pretty good if I do say so myself. I just need an ISBN number for it, finish the “X” form and come up with something for “About the Author”. The cover came out better than I’d hoped for and the hand stitching looks good.

Missed Saturday’s Grappling With Grammar post, through no fault of my own. Which means I was using my lack of internet and lap top as an excuse not to write it on the other computer and put it on a USB key to upload from someone else’s computer.

Still haven’t got my brochures done. *sigh*

This Week’s Schedule:

Tuesday: Time for a new set of Wonders. This time around it’s the Natural Wonders of the World.

Wednesday: Another hump day hunk for your viewing pleasure. ;-)

Thursday: This week’s poetry form is the Jagati.

Friday: Chapter 40 of Fire.

Random Thoughts

Today: A rant about upgrades.

Wednesday: Chapter 17 of my on-line serial Shades of Errol Flynn. So, is Jessica’s father going to mount a rescue?

Saturday: Grappling With Grammar this week is all about active versus passive.

Elsewhere in my week:

Back to answering e-mails. I was just about caught up when I lost access to the internet last week. I should probably catch up on my blog reading too.

Get my brochures designed and printed out. This will be moving to the top of my priority list, I think.

Get the edited version of An Elemental Wind sent off.

Print out the poems I’m going to read later this month and start practicing.

And in case you missed it last week, Jamie DeBree has a new blog called Rattles. Check it out. There’s a very interesting picture by Heidi Sutherlin of Creative Pursuits. The challenge is open to all comers to write a story between 800 and 1,000 words using the picture as inspiration. The best stories will have a chance to receive $25 and a chance of publication. You don’t want to miss out!

And that’s it for me this week, barring any unforeseen disasters like last week. How about you? What are you up to now that summer’s winding down?

Sep 1, 2011

the Flarf

The term Flarf was coined by the poet Gary Sullivan, who also wrote the earliest Flarf poetry. "I found the word flarf online on a police blotter where some stoner had described marijuana as flarfy," says Mr. Sullivan, who appropriated the term for the new poetic style.

His description of a Flarf is as follows:

1. Flarf: A quality of intentional or unintentional "flarfiness." A kind of corrosive, cute, or cloying, awfulness. Wrong. Un-P.C. Out of control. "Not okay."

Flarf (2): The work of a community of poets dedicated to exploration of "flarfiness." Heavy usage of Google search results in the creation of poems, plays, etc., though not exclusively Google-based. Community in the sense that one example leads to another's reply-is, in some part, contingent upon community interaction of this sort. Poems created, revised, changed by others, incorporated, plagiarized, etc., in semi-public.

Flarf (3) (verb): To bring out the inherent awfulness, etc., of some pre-existing text.

Flarfy: To be wrong, awkward, stumbling, semi-coherent, fucked-up, un-P.C. To take unexpected turns; to be jarring. Doing what one is "not supposed to do."

The Flarf is an internet dependant form that combines unusual phrases from Google searches. It takes its raw material from a search involving wildly different terms, like "anarchy + tuna melt" or "exquisite + corpse." A poem is created by cutting and pasting words from the search results page (none of the website links are followed).

The Farf aesthetic is irreverent, inappropriate, and deliberately discomforting. It is a poetry created from the entrails of the world wide web, preserving all the slang and messy syntax of its source material.

“Flarf is a hip, digital reaction to the kind of boring, genteel poetry” popular with everyday readers, says Marjorie Perloff, a poetry critic and professor emeritus of English at Stanford University. “You used to find it only in alternative spaces, but it has now moved into the art mainstream.”

Flarf verse has appeared in America's pre-eminent poetry magazine, Poetry.
So far, at least sixteen books of Flarf have been published—a flurry of them just in the past several years. Since 2006, the Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan has held an annual three-day Flarf Festival that features poetry as well as "flarfy" music, theater, and film.

The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Whitney Museum in New York have held Flarf readings. Two Manhattan theaters have showcased Flarf poets. In April, New York City's Whitney Museum of American Art hosted its own Flarf reading. And in November, Washington, D.C.–based independent publisher Edge Books will release a four-hundred-page anthology, Flarf: An Anthology of Flarf, featuring the work of twenty-five to thirty poets.

I have to admit, I got a little carried away when it came to examples. I did two using the traditional Google search, but when I discovered that the Flarf has blossomed into an anything-goes style no longer restricted to Google searches—so long as it is novel and edgy—I did a Flarf based on Twitter, and one based on Facebook. But to read them, you’ll have to go HERE.


Search terms: Apocalypse + Kittens

Kitten Apocalypse

Kittens are the new ninjas.
Check out this vicious cat killing spree!
Meet Hiromi, the shy artist;
her cat Vince, who has a secret;
her best friend Kitty ...
MEOW - YouTube
Its the kitten apocalypse!
under judgement. this is adult.
Animated zombie kittens!
Why the hell are you still reading?
Oh, hai!
Sorry for yesterday's absence.
What with the impending doomsday
tonight at 6:00pm.
Apocalypse warning,
kittens involved.
A sign of the Apocalypse.
If you see these,
you're probably screwed.
Zombie apocalypse knowledge:
Bears are the Devil's kittens.


Search terms: Earth + Apocalypse

Fallen Earth

Earth is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.
Tunguska centennial revives calls
for finding earthbound asteroids before they find us.
No kidding, one in three children fear earth apocalypse . . .
There's a new bogeyman lurking in the closet,
and this one isn't imaginary.
Welcome to the apocalypse.
Shocking accounts from ancient legends -
stunning scientific data reconstruct the details.
Earth under fire: Humanity's survival of the apocalypse.
Presenting astronomical and
geological evidence for cyclic cataclysms .
Apocalypse? Or, Earth rebirth?
Things that want to be . . .
Have any news that seems apocalyptic in any way?
Find the many faces of the apocalypse;
will the dead rule the Earth?
Livin' for the apocalypse.
People are completely delusional.
Or they're the people we'll be bowing down to.