Story Land Jamboree

Good morning all members of The Tribe,  I hope your Christmas holiday (or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate this time of year) has been a good one and not the cause of too much anxiety. If you DID have some awkward moments, then utilize it as rich fodder for use in your writing endeavors. Yeah, I mean the stories about the weird, confirmed-bachelor uncle who likes to sit too close to you and talk -- in excruciating detail -- about his taxidermy hobby, his knife collection, his daily bleach bath, and his never ending hunger for Jello. Go ahead and chronicle the exact moment when you realized Uncle Weirdo fits a serial killer's profile, then ease yourself politely away from his presence and run to your notebook or computer and begin your story. I was recently asked by a new reader: "What do you mean when you call your readers 'The Tribe?'" I explain this periodically. Many years ago, I noticed a certain awareness level in people. Not everyone has it. 

Good Day to The Tribe,  This week I've been thinking a lot about duality.  It would not take Freud or Jung to figure out why this has been on my mind. I have a writing life as L.A. Story. Under my own name, I am working on what is shaping up to be a serial novel (probably two parts) called The Gifted . ( The Gifted will have two novels following - Criers and Beyond Shammua .)  Anyhoo, in the most basic breakdown of the plot, it is simply about good versus evil - in the world and in ourselves. Under my own name, I will be publishing supernatural/fantasy/scifi work. Okay, so that would explain why I am examining this, right? But, just like with an infomercial - THAT'S NOT ALL! I also write under another pen name. I gave her official life last week on Twitter. Under that name, I write ... um ... darker stuff. Horror. Why do I feel the need to hide this part of myself under a pen name? Well, my friends, there's the question.  Last night, my second oldest daughter made

Good Evening, Members of The Tribe,  I hope you are all living the lives of which you have always dreamed. I have been a busy little thing. I have been working on a first draft of my novel, The Gifted, and anticipate it will be completed by January 2015. Publication? Well .... (scuffs toe at the dirt) ... we'll see. I will have a LOT of polishing to do.  Since my last post oh-so-long-ago, I have moved into a new home, begun a new job with a new company, and have made some life-changing choices.  For the past few years, I was excited when I managed to create a word or two. I wrote lots of poetry because it was an easier form for me to enjoy -- creatively speaking -- than my fiction. Yeah, I know, I know ... poetry is a noble art form and all that. I won't argue. I love poetry. I love writing and reading it. Jeez! Calm down ... It's just that I have always wanted to be a fiction writer. A novelist.  For too long, I have not been living up to who I am. To