The Next Big Thing – My Current Work in Progress (Pigeonfall)

June 1, 2013 | Author: Day

BooksBlackandWhiteNow before you think me vain or a little soft in the head, let me explain that this is the title of a blog hop/chain/meme/I-don’t-know-what-it’s-called. A member from the Words Are In Order (WAIOs) writing group, Ivan Ewert tagged me for it.  At the same time I think he got Anthony Cardno.  We can blame Ivan’s conversaion from Shay Derrach who also got Kay Holt and Sabrina Vourvoulias. 

This blog hop/chain/meme/I-don’t-know-what-it’s-called looked like a great little Q & A about my current Work In Progress so how could I resist? Of course, this was supposed to go up on May 30th and as usual, I’m late – June 1st. :)  But it was still fun to do.  It holds me accountable for my own project and of course gives you a bit of an idea of where the story came from. I hope you’ll be as entertained reading it as I was writing it.

1.  What is the working title of your next book?

Pigeonfall

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

Originally, this started as a joke. A good friend and amazing writer had just started as a slush reader for Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I threatened to send her an AWFUL submission with a ridiculous storyline and to do it under the questionable moniker of Brownlee Mummerschmidt.  It would be steampunk/alternate history set in the Old West.

It was to be a trail drive story, only with passenger pigeons instead of cattle and airships instead of horses.  :) The closest way to describe it is a steampunk version of Lonesome Dove (and for those of you who haven’t read this, it is AMAZING). So I began writing, and then the most wonderful thing happened.  About fifty thousand words later, that idea didn’t sound quite so stupid; and a couple of spin-off short stories with the same characters later, suddenly people are asking when the novel will be out.  Yikes! This was supposed to have been a joke!

3. What genre does your book fall under?

This WIP clearly falls into the Steampunk/Weird West subgenre (is that a subgenre?). It reads like a western, but with fun technology.

4. What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Hmm, I need to watch more television.  I’ll have to come back to this question later. (Can I do that?)

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? (Okay, I cheated.  I used 2 sentences)

Pigeonfall – After the Civil War, two veterans are trying to herd a flock of a billion pigeons across the Great Sioux Confederacy to California Territory.  Aloft in giant airships and Iron Flyers, one is a battered and broken knight seeking redemption for the many deaths caused by his hand; the other is a young knight-errant, seeking his destiny.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I would like to query agents and publishers first, most likely traditional, and then independent and small publishers.  If it never sells, I shall be very sad (and then may self-publish). 

7. How long did/will it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I’m still working on it.  As mentioned earlier, I’m about fifty thousand words in and have ground to a screeching halt.  My not-so-secret goal is to complete a “zero draft” all the way to the final “The End” by December 31, 2013.  It is possible.  Not likely, but possible.  I keep reminding myself that I made a commitment.  The N-word (no, not THAT one, I mean “novel”) is a little intimidating. 

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Within genre, I can’t say I’ve seen a strong comparison.  Outside genre, I’d have to once again reference Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove and possibly Cullen Bunn’s The Sixth Gun.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I have to admit my inspirations tend to come from reading history.  This book, as mentioned earlier, began as a joke. Then I’d discover I needed to learn more about airships, and then about passenger pigeons, and then the layout of Fort Laramie in the 1800s, and the “ands” just kept on coming. I found more fascinating tidbits to include in the story, in the character’s backgrounds, and in the world. 

10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

There are some great female characters who are strong women without seeming out of place for the time period.  I also love putting in professional or historic phrasing and terminology here and there, or a location or person that if you know your history, it’ll be a bit of extra fun.

Now for the last part of this blog hop/chain/meme/I-don’t-know-what-it’s-called, tagging other writers. For the Next Big Thing, I choose:

 

Linda Adams

Wayland Smith

DL Thurston

 

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You Can’t Do Everything…

March 18, 2013 | Author: Day

The following cartoon on Incidental Comics has been making its way around Tumblr.  From the uncomparable Grant Snider, it really struck a chord in me.  It’s called “Disclaimer” but in my own head I couldn’t help but retitle it. You can’t do everything…or can you? I wanted to respond, I wanted to say things and fight against some of what feels like cynicism. Some would argue that it is real-world pragmatism, but my internal compass rails against that thought.

Disclaimer from Grant Snider

Disclaimer from Grant Snider

This amazing webcomic really made me think about my life and my own philosophy. My wife teases me every so often by repeating something I said to her more than 10 years ago – “The more things you do, the more hours in the day you find to do them.” Now that I’m older, I can recognize the hubris in that statement. No, there aren’t always enough hours to finish that project, or the make it to the gym, or any number of other activities. But the phrase HAS worked well for me. And I do believe there is a lot of truth in it. Snider ends the comic with the caption: “You CAN be anything you want to be…but can you be EVERYTHING you want to be?” I would posit – yes. And even if you can’t quite make everything, in the attempt you will gain so much.

I have a fulfilling job, a wonderful wife, great friends, and a fantastic home. In addition, I work on outside policy blogging, I fence and workout at my gym regularly, I play guitar, I Curiosity Hot Wheelsvolunteer, I write fantasy and science fiction…If there is anything that remains from my “everything I wanted to do” it would be “being an astronaut” (not too different from the character in the comic). But I read about space and science; I watched Curiosity’s amazing release and landing (I even got the Hot Wheels toy to commemorate the event – Thank you wonderful wife!), I follow the rover on Twitter, and support conventions that encourage young women into non-traditional fields such as space, and even put a few dollars towards a space-based documentary on Kickstarter. My life is enriched by my love of space and science even though I never did make it to the moon. :)

I still do believe in doing everything. Snider says, “One of the most difficult questions to answer is “What do you want to be when you grow up?”" and he’s right. It is. But what hurts my heart is that somewhere along the way, we tell young people that you have to give up on some of the things you love; some of the very things that make you…well, you. Machiavelli said, “Make no small plans, for they have no power to move the soul.” I would argue that we DO need to keep dreaming of doing everything; more than that, we need to keep striving for everything. These are our loves. They shape not only who and what we are, but who and what we can be. There are so many amazing and beautiful events, experiences, and so much knowledge out there in the world – lets keep chasing those loves.

For those with a screenreader:
Panel 1 – A boy in his room with things all around him. Books, musical instruments, a space shuttle toy, a camera, and paintings.
Caption: You can be anything you want to be!

Panel 2 – Boy swings from a trapeze.
Caption: With some natural ability.

Panel 3 – Boy enters a bounce castle with an astronaut.
Caption: In the right economy.

Panel 4 – Boy practicing his musical instrument.
Caption: After years of diligent study.

Panel 5 – Boy in a boat with camera. Under the boat in the water is a giant squid.
Caption: Given ideal opportunities.

Panel 6 – Boy is painting. Wife is watching angry. Baby is on floor.
Caption: By neglecting other responsibilities.

Panel 7 – Boy balancing on a highwire with a baby on his back, wearing an astronaut suit, carrying a music instrument, camera and paint brushes.
Caption: You CAN be anything you want to be…but can you be EVERYTHING you want to be?

 

And don’t forget to check out more of the fabulous Grant Snider at Incidental Comics!!!  Btw, his “This Year” is my new favorite.

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Every Day – A Belated Post for the Beauty of a Woman Blogfest

March 4, 2013 | Author: Day

“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.” — Sam Levinson (quoted by Audrey Hepburn)

The Beauty of a Woman Blogfest was on February 22nd.  Fifty-one bloggers joined August McLaughlin in an event that focused on sharing words, thoughts, ideas, and inspirations about beauty.  Inspired by Sam Levinson’s poem, August shared the story of her experience with an eating disorder that almost ended her life, and then took that struggle and thought about how to use that experience to change things for the better.  In her own words:

“When I was enduring the darkest time of my life, the eating disorder…this poem struck me like a dart between the eyes, pinning me to a wall of “What if?” What if its words hold true—not just rationally or solely for other people, but in my heart, soul and beliefs? What if we’re all beautiful and the truest, deepest beauty has little to do with shape or size? What if the “something more” so many of us long for exists inside of us, waiting to be unlocked and cherished? What if I wasn’t afraid of being large, but living large? And in doing so, missing out on the most remarkable beauty of all?”

I had signed up to participate but unfortunately my own busy life interfered and I did not post on February 22nd.  However, I made a commitment and would like to honor that.  Not only because of my own promise but becaus of the premise – the critical idea at the heart of the blogfest – that women are beautiful in all their forms and features.  Perhaps fortunately, my tardiness only reinforced my own theme for my blog post.

Today is March 4 and today I say women are still beautiful.  We are beautiful.  All of us.  On March 4, 2013; on Feburary 22, 2013…the date doesn’t matter.  We’re beautiful every day.  Every. Single. Day.  Beautiful on dressed-up-in-formal-gowns evenings, beautiful in sharp-business-suit-mornings, beautiful in sweaty shorts and faded sweatshirts, and yes, even beautiful in  swimsuits.

There is already so much stacked against young women and girls. Everywhere we turn, magazines, books, television, art, even other people telling us what we should look like, what we should wear, how we should behave, and we can’t help but bow to he pressure.  And this doesn’t end in adolescence.  You can’t be a strong woman in the workplace and be beautiful.  You can’t be a beautiful “older” woman.  And you certainly can’t be a blind woman and be beautiful.  I hate that.

The beauty of a woman isn’t in looks, but in spirit.  The beauty of a woman doesn’t conform to some specific color or shape.  The beauty of a woman doesn’t age.  It may grow and mature, but it doesn’t age.  Nor does it die.  But it can be hidden.  Hidden by the lies we’re told, the rules we’re given, and the expectations imposed on us by others.  They’re like a shroud, urging us to be something we’re not, assuring us that this artifice is what will make us wealthy, successful, and happy.  And that is battle that we must face every day.  How do you ignore the world around you constantly demanding you be something other than what you are?  Skin color, hair color, height, weight, body shape, disability…all things that “disqualify” one from being beautiful. How do you shut down all those influences that say “You’re wrong.”?

I want more for my life.  I want more for the lives of my sisters and daughters; my friends and neighbors.  I want things to change.   To recognize beauty is to wake up, but those precious moments of clarity are difficult and hard won.  The beauty of a woman, every woman, is something not just for February 22nd but for every day and we need to try to remember that we ARE beautiful. Every. Single. Day.

  • Every day, we need to look in the mirror and declare ourselves beautiful.
  • Every day, we need to choose to ignore those little voices both internal and external that tell us we aren’t good enough, pretty enough, smart enough.
  • Every day, we need to build each other up and recognize that beauty is reflected in those around us.
  • Every day, we can work and grow and achieve and succeed and know that this is what makes us beautiful.
  • Every day, we can try and fail and get up again and our beauty will still be there.
  • And every day we need to take that piece of ourselves, that fragile, vulnerable part, and hold it up as the diamond it is, and let it shine in the sunlight.

 

Beauty of a Woman Blogfest 2013

 

Please check out August and the other blogger’s stories at the Beauty of a Woman Blogfest 2013.

 

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National Disability Day of Mourning – Remembering Lives Taken

March 1, 2013 | Author: Day

National Disability Day of Mourning

Today, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, Not Dead Yet, and the National Council on Independent Living held the second annual National Disability Day of Mourning to remember people with disabilities who had lost their lives at the hands of their family members or caregivers.  The event was inspired in part by the story of George Hodgins, a 22-year-old autistic man from California.  He loved hiking, walking through shopping malls, and stopping at the Disney Store.  And in 2012, he was shot to death by the person who should have loved him the most – his own mother.

As a part of the event, they read out the names of individuals who had been killed and asked attendees and others to put forward names.  I wrote about this in more detail at Day in Washington and the Lead On Update, but I wanted to take a few minutes on my blog to consider Jennifer Lee Daugherty (November 8, 1979 – February 11, 2010). Jennifer was a woman with an intellectual disability who was murdered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania by six people she thought were her friends. They tortured and murdered her, and then wrapped her body in Christmas decorations and dumped it in the parking lot of Greensburg Salem Middle School.

Are you angry? You should be.

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