Final Wrap-Up and Writing Challenge

Whew, what a week it's been! Emma was quite sick for several days, including Christmas, Kate came down sick the day after Christmas, and I'm still nursing the same cold I've had for almost three weeks, which seems to have settled in my chest. Through it all, though, we've had a pretty wonderful time. There's been surprisingly little crankiness, considering how lousy everyone has been feeling, and we've all had a good time playing with our new toys, reading our new books, and watching our new videos.


The Groovy Girl Boutique was a big hit and I was really pleased with how it all came out. You can find lots more pictures of it here.

My parents got me a brand-new, very fancy digital SLR for Christmas, so expect my posts to become even more photo-laden! I can't wait till I'm feeling well enough to really start playing with it.

I've had a few poems accepted in the past couple of weeks. I'll post more info when they are published. Tomorrow begins a new year, the perfect time for new writing. Flashathon, poem-a-day, or just jotting down a few choice words -- if you're a writer, I hope you'll join me in celebrating the new year with something fresh.

Here's a prompt to get you started: pick one moment/incident/occasion/event in your life from the past year and use it as the jumping-off point for a story or poem. Feel free to post your work in the comments or provide a link to your own blog.

Best wishes for a healthy, happy, and peace-filled 2008!

Merry Christmas!

Give them Ruins

Still looking for a great Christmas gift? Ruins Terra is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. This anthology of short stories and poetry explores the ancient ruins of Earth, from Meso-America to the lost island of Atlantis. My story "Rising Tide" is set among the ruins of an Anasazi cliff-dwelling in the American Southwest. If you have a sci-fi/fantasy lover on your list, or anyone who enjoys good stories about interesting places, check it out. You won't be disappointed.

slump

Here's a thumbnail of my week so far:

1 trip to the ER
1 kidney infection
2 kidneys with multiple stones
3 rejections in as many days
Rain. High winds. Rain. Flooding. Rain.

I'm tired, I'm sick, and I can't seem to get my poems in the right place at the right time. Bah. Humbug. (That's for the above, not for Christmas, which is the one redeeming aspect of this moment in time)



In brighter news, I'm getting ready to mail off two skeins each of Misti Alpaca Lace to two lucky winners as part of the Yarn Harlot's karmic balancing/thank you to those who raised all that money for Doctors Without Borders. It's beautiful yarn, purchased at Foothills Flock & Fiber in Hood River, and I'm thrilled to be able to pass it along to knitters who will (hopefully) appreciate it (because me and laceweight - not such a good combination). Let the karma roll...

Under the Umbrella

The Winter issue of Umbrella is now up!

Inside, you can find me meditating near Mt. St. Helens and gasping for air.

Ms. Ang is also there, treading the strange ways of loss and distance, and Jayne Pupek muses on winter in the not-so-distant future.

I'm also pleased to announce that I'll be serving as guest editor for the Spring 2008 issue of flashquake, so get those submissions ready!