Posie & Mosey Mondays

A posie is a tiny flower bouquet typically given as a gift. In medieval times, they were carried or worn around the head or bodice to keep the bad smells away and the nose happy.

Well, that's kind of what poems are for me. Word posies: little bouquets of words that though smaller than novels, keep my inner reader happy with powerful sensory and emotive cues.

On Mondays, I like to share these word posies with my readers. Comments are disabled so you can enjoy the gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's.*

Please drop back by on Wednesday, my interactive blogging day of the week. Until then, have a lovely and productive Monday and Tuesday.

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar. ;)

Leisure

~W.H. Davies (1870-1940)

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Not time to stand beneath the boughs,

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

entrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this, if full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Posie & Mosey Mondays

A posie is a tiny flower bouquet typically given as a gift. In medieval times, they were carried or worn around the head or bodice to keep the bad smells away and the nose happy.

Well, that's kind of what poems are for me. Word posies: little bouquets of words that though smaller than novels, keep my inner reader happy with powerful sensory and emotive cues.

On Mondays, I like to share these word posies with my readers. Comments are disabled so you can enjoy the gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's.*

Please drop back by on Wednesday, my interactive blogging day of the week. Until then, have a lovely and productive Monday and Tuesday.

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar. ;)

A Woman's Looks

~Author Unknown

A woman's looks

Are barbed hooks,

That catch by art

The strongest heart,

When yet they spend no breath.

But let them speak,

And sighing break

Forth into tears,

Their words are spears

That wound our souls to death.

My muse is GIZMO ... Rambo style.

Last week, I stumbled upon a Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog question posed by Deb Salisbury:

How would you personify your muse?

Well, my muse is sometimes fluffy and sweet and cooperative ...

Other times, an ugly, cantakerous, slimy beast.

What better personification than a gremlin? So, from this day forward, I dub my muse Gizmo.


Gizmo shares the same three rules for proper care and maintance as his cinematic counterparts:

1. Keep it away from bright lights.

Gizmo can be shy. He doesn't always want to come out to play. I've found he's most responsive in a dim room with only the computer's glow for company.

2. Don't get it wet.

Getting Gizmo wet (as in too many glasses of wine) causes his ideas to multiply too quickly, to wit my characters meander around aimlessly for chapters on end.

3. And don't feed it after midnight

If I make the mistake of going to bed with WIP on my brain, Gizmo responds with a nasty bout of insomnia. He doesn't care that I have a house to run and children to tote about which requires a full seven hours sleep before my seven a.m. wake up call.


But when Gizmo and I are on the same page, we get along splendidly. I guess I would even say he's my hero. A reluctant one at times, but a hero nonetheless. 

Now, to all of you, how do you personify your muse?

This is an official traveling blog question for the month of June, so if anyone decides to post about this, let me know in the comments so I can come meet your muse! Until then, have a great weekend, and see you next week. :)

Posie & Mosey Mondays

A posie is a tiny flower bouquet typically given as a gift. In medieval times, they were carried or worn around the head or bodice to keep the bad smells away and the nose happy.

Well, that's kind of what poems are for me. Word posies: little bouquets of words that though smaller than novels, keep my inner reader happy with powerful sensory and emotive cues.

On Mondays, I like to share these word posies with my readers. Comments are disabled so you can enjoy the gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's.*

Please drop back by on Wednesday, my interactive blogging day of the week. Until then, have a lovely and productive Monday and Tuesday.

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar. ;)

So Fast Entangled
~Author Unknown

Her hair the net of golden wire,
Wherein my heart, led by my wandering eyes,
So fast entangled is that in no wise
It can, nor will, again retire;
But rather will in that sweet bondage die
Than break one hair to gain her liberty.

We interrupt this Friday haitus...

Quick shout out to any faery loving folks. I've been invited by my dear friend Katey to write up a movie review for one of my all time fave movies: Labyrinth. It's scheduled to be posted on the Fae Awareness Month blog this Sunday, June 12th.

Despite how dated the trailer looks and sounds, after watching the movie again through the eyes of an adult and a YA author, I've found some amazing similarities to today's YA fantasies.

In fact, I'm convinced the Net Generation's teens would find something to enjoy in Labyrinth if they'd give it a chance. Want to know why? Hop over to my guest post to see how this 80's storyline is like a YA novel.

Until then, I'm crawling back into my haitus shell. Have a fantastic weekend! Hope to see you next week -- Monday for some poetry, and then Wednesday for my regularly scheduled blogging day.

The seven books that made me who I am today...

Or, more to the point: The seven books which most influenced my love of reading and ultimately, writing...

I've been bequeathed the Sweet Blog Award (already posted on my side bar), this time by Jenna Cooper of Finding the Write Way. Thanks Jenna! Make sure to check out her blog. She's new and on the rise!

The rules state I list seven things about me and find 15 people to give said blog award to. And as I'm prone to do, I'm rebelling. ;) Instead of boring stuff about me, I'm listing the seven books which played the biggest roles in my passion for reading and writing, and why.

So off we go: The seven most influential books of my life thus far...


1. The Bible. Okay, stay in your seats. Nobody panic. I'm not going to preach to you. But have you ever really sat down and read it? Here's a tip: turn to Psalms. Read any of them. Poetry: uplifting, passionate, meaningful, romantic, and melancholy. Then there are the stories in the Old Testament: Daniel in the Lion's Den, Noah's Ark, Moses and the 10 plagues of Egypt, etc... C'mon peeps! This is drama at it's best! Suspense, tension, dysfunctional families, romance, spurned lovers, murder, mayhem and death. It's all there. Honest to goodness, want to know where I first developed my love of story telling? In Sunday School class with those little worksheets that used pictures and text to highlight a different bible story each week.

2. The Cat in the Hat. Who wasn't influenced by Dr. Suess at some point as a child? I remember sitting on the couch just looking at the pictures. Suddenly, I was somewhere else. Transported in time and space to hang out with a funky cat and his candy-striped hat. I got to make a HUGE mess of someone else's house, and didn't even have to help clean up. YAY! Then, once my mommy sat down and actually read the words to me, my ears tickled with rhyme and rhythm.

3. The Wind and the Willows. My first grade English teacher introduced me and my entire class to this tale, a few pages each day. I couldn't wait for that small window after lunch when she would read. The pleasures of country life and the dependability of good friends. This book greatly influenced my appreciation for individual characterization and scene setting/building. The Devil-may-care Mole, impetuous Mr. Toad, shy Badger, and discerning Rat, all going on picnics, joy rides in old-timey automobiles, and hanging around in row boats. These animals ... they knew how to party. And in the process, they taught me some valuable life lessons. Subtlety at its finest.

4. Charlotte's Web. I think I first read this in third or fourth grade. I cried. HARD. It was the first book to touch me viscerally. I loved Charlotte. She epitomized beauty, but on a level I wasn't familiar with. Spiders had always been scary and ugly to me. But Charlotte, she was beautiful inside. She cared about Wilbur when no one else did. And she threw herself into making his life better, in spite of how weary or busy she was. E.B. White gave me my first experience with a selfless character. And when Charlotte died, my love for the bittersweet ending was born.

5. Goblin Market. Please, don't disqualify me on a technicality! I know it's only a poem. But I would be remiss if I failed to mention Christina Rossetti's influence on my writing. She ignited my passion for imagery and sensory through the power of her beautiful and seductive prose.

6. To Kill a Mockingbird. One word for what Ms. Lee taught me with this timeless and poignant tale: VOICE.

7. Stephen King's On Writing. Granted, I read this book after the writing bug bit me. But even from a reader's standpoint, it's engrossing, intriguing, and encouraging. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from him (paraphrased, of course): You're a writer, not a liar. As long as something is true to your character, it will be true to your reader. Always seek the truth in your writing, and your readers will follow you anywhere. I think he's proven that with his incredible career, so I'm taking his word.


And there you have my seven books.

As for who I'm passing this on to, I'm leaving it open.

Think of it as a meme ... if any of you haven't received this particular blog award and would like to follow the original rules or my new ones, snag that puppy up, post it on your sidebar, and give us all some insights into what makes you tick. Just make sure you let me know in the comments so I can come by and read your post. I love learning new things about my fellow writers!

Thanks for dropping by! Since today is my official day to blog, I'll be hitting your blogs shortly. Can't wait to see what's new with you. :)

Posie & Mosey Mondays

A posie is a tiny flower bouquet typically given as a gift. In medieval times, they were carried or worn around the head or bodice to keep the bad smells away and the nose happy.

Well, that's kind of what poems are for me. Word posies: little bouquets of words that though smaller than novels, keep my inner reader happy with powerful sensory and emotive cues.

On Mondays, I like to share these word posies with my readers. Comments are disabled so you can enjoy the gift of poetry then mosey on along to your list of daily do's.*

Please drop back by on Wednesday, my interactive blogging day of the week. Until then, have a lovely and productive Monday and Tuesday.

*Hungry for more in-depth Monday posts? Visit any or all of the entertaining and insightful blogs on my sidebar. ;)

 A Writer’s Reflection

~Tina Gray

This face in the mirror is beckoning me-

Luring me into her world;

An escape from this barren reality

Giving breath to my poetic sword.

She seduces my heart with her enchanted words,

And summons my soul to her lair;

Where hypnotic nuances entice my dreams

And compel me to wait for her there.

I cannot resist a lark so divine,

As my spirit has need to renew;

So mounted on currents of moonbeams we ride

To this place where sweet madness ensues…

And we waltz with wild flowers encircling a flame,

Keeping time with the pulse of the sea;

And seek our reflection in droplets of rain,

Against shimmering backdrops of leaves.

We drink dewy moon-beads and eat golden stars,

As we slide down the evenfall trees;

And sing with the dulcets of warbling larks,

Taking flight upon gossamer wings.

We live as ghost shadows atop pebbled walls,

And converse with the babbling stream;

Then rise into heavens painted with clouds,

Reaching port in their netherworld scene.

Once I’m returned to my common world vale-

My vision still roused from the sights…

I fervently script each vivid detail

And seek my repose for the night.

Yet still she haunts me, even in sleep…

She’s bidding me back to her cove;

Promising more of these visions she keeps

In her realm where illusions unfold.

Dare I pay heed to her fanciful verse?

Dare I reopen this door?

For I fear if I linger on this phantom path,

I'll renounce what is real evermore.

Writing is like a rose...

Happy Wednesday, everyone! First off, I'm very excited to announce that I'm being interviewed today over at Jessica LeSaicherre's fabulous blog: The Closet Writer. Hop over to find out a secret about me that no one knows... ;)

Now, onto my post. Last week, I was tagged by our sparkly Miss Cherie for the meme: "Writing is Not Like a Box of Chocolates," started by the ingenious Greenwoman. The rules state I'm supposed to come up with my own metaphor for what writing is in fact like.

Several of my talented blogger pals have already been tagged with said meme, and put me to shame with their eloquence (Jenny P and Carissa), inspiring irreverence (Marewolf), and creative brilliance (Kalen and Cherie). And I'm sure there's more to come that I have yet to read.

So, I decided to be a little sneaky and make something with music and pictures, because I can never compete word-wise with these amazing posts. ;)

But first, according to Meme Etiquette, I also have to tag three of my blogger friends (and hope no one else has tagged them yet; if you've already been tagged, consider yourself twice blessed).

I choose:

• Sophie Li, the queen of awesomesauce, who I expect will come up with something both charming and profound and might possibly even involve a stuffed animal.
• Ashley Nixon, who will no doubt weave a web of thought-provoking and effervescent insights.
• Mindy, whose sarcasm and wit can put a funny spin on even the most painful of subjects.

Just a reminder that I won't have a QueryTracker interview this Friday. I'm taking a few weeks off of interviewing to hang with family and work on my revisions and home renovations.

Everyone have a wonderful week and I'll see you back here next Wednesday!