Info, smiles, and truisms

cj Sez: I know. I’m supposed to post an interesting and informative blog for our Lyrical Pens followers. I thought I had this week’s post almost done, except for the art, and procrastinated finishing it (or I could blame the cats who insist on sitting in my lap, which means I cannot move until they do).

  Upon re-reading the work I’d done, I decided the info was better suited for next week. So today, I’ll pass along some smiles and truisms that show up with regularity on my Facebook page.

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I am a multitasking procrastinator.  I can put off several things at once.

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Noun-verb agreements:  I write. You write. He writes. She writes. They write.  We all revise.

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It’s funny how Red, White, and Blue represent freedom . . . until they’re flashing behind you.

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A child who reads will be an adult who thinks.

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I am a professional writer. I can tell lies with a straight face. But I’m a piker when it comes to atoms. You can’t trust them. They make up everything.

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Martin Rooney: “Your life will not be measured by the things you started but by the few you finished.”

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Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.

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At two a.m.: "I need to stop, I whispered to myself as I started another chapter." (cj Sez: That’s the book I hope to write one day.)

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I am currently unsupervised. I know. It freaks me out, too . . . but the possibilities are endless!

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Diablo Cody: “I don’t have a formal rewrite process. I just compulsively groom and re-groom scenes like a cat with OCD.”  (cj Sez: My method exactly.)

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We are all precious in the sight of the Lord. He may shake His head a lot, but we’re still precious.

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  For readers and writers: Mark your calendars and SAVE THE DATE. . . March 23, 2024 . . . for an upcoming one-day reader and writer event—

  The Mobile Literary Festival at Mobile’s Ben May Library in conjunction with the Mobile Writers’ Guild. Published authors will present panels on character development, setting, marketing, and plotting. You’ll have the opportunity to purchase a book and have it signed by the author! And best of all, this amazing literary festival is FREE. 

For more information, click this link: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MobileLiteraryFestival/

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For grins:

“Let me know how that works out.”

“The difference between genius and stupid is that genius has its limits.”          Albert Einstein

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  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

  Now some words from my sponsors:

Available! Two Mobile Writers Guild PIECES anthologies filled with wonderful short stories and poems to celebrate upcoming special days.

Buy Valentine’s Day Now Buy Mardi Gras Now

  Everyone from Mobile, Alabama, has a Mardi Gras story. In MARDI GRAS PIECES, the second installment of the Mobile Writers Guild Pieces anthology series, Guild members share their stories—some true, some fictional, some funny, some touching, and some downright chilling. 

  So don your beads, deck yourself out in purple, gold, and green, grab a Moon Pie, and relax while you read MARDI GRAS PIECES to enjoy a little bit of the Mobile Mardi Gras tradition.

Laissez les bons temps rouler

  Also for your to-be-read stack: My novels, THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are fast-paced, thriller/suspense stories with a strong female protagonist, sassy banter, and a touch of romance. The books are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  The Haunted Book Shop has signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  If they happen to be sold out, shoot me an email. I have a small stash (for a discounted price plus shipping.

➜ Follow me on . . .  

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

cj Sez: No problem if your Cajun French is rusty: “laissez les bon temps rouler” (pronounced "Lay-say le bon tom roo-lay") only means “let the good times roll.” The excitement kind of looks like this: 

  The Mardi Gras parades in and around Mobile just keep on rolling, and rain can’t dampen the enthusiastic crowds with hands reaching out to catch the throws flying off the floats.

  Revelers are taking home lots of loot: moon pies, plush toys, cups, glowing necklaces, Star Wars swords, and, of course, beads! 

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Only two weeks to go!

  Hey, all you young writers (and your teachers) in Mobile and Baldwin, AL, counties, the last date to submit a short story to the Mobile Writers Guild for the Tracy Hurley Fran Driscoll Contest is only two weeks away.

  The Mobile Writers Guild is sponsoring a Writing Scholarship contest calling for submissions of short story fiction written by students in grades 6 through 12 in Mobile and Baldwin counties.

  The process goes like this: Write your story, edit it, get it proofread (the more eyes that read it, the better), polish it some more, and submit the manuscript to the Guild by February 26 for a chance to win a ca$h prize. (Be sure to follow the instructions.)

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Also happening in two weeks . . .

Stop by Lyrical Pens on February 26 when we feature a guest post by Darlene Dziomba, writing about her five-year journey to get “Up Close and Pawsonal,” the second book in her Lily Dreyfus series, ready to launch. 

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For your reading enjoyment

  Here are a couple of Mobile Writers Guild anthologies, chock full of a variety of short stories that transcend their popular holiday themes.

And the Ebooks are sale-priced, too!

Buy Valentine’s Day Pieces 

Buy Mardi Gras Pieces 

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  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for your health and safety.

cj

  No inflation here: THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA, my fast-paced, exciting suspense/thriller ebooks, are low-, low-priced at $2.99.

P.S.  The Haunted Book Shop has signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

➜ Follow me on . . .  

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Candy or roses?

 
cj Sez: Candy or roses notwithstanding, what would be your ideal Valentine’s Day gift From your special someone?

 
   Now that that’s settled…what would be your ideal Valentine’s Day gift To your special someone?
 
   When I had a significant other (in the olden days), the thing I wanted most was to be reminded that he cared . . . but I wanted that on any day except Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day or my birthday.
 
   I was always floating when he unexpectedly dropped by the office with a single rose in a vase because he was thinking of me.
 
   Brings back some old, sweet memories.

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   Speaking of something old, I dusted off an old, short story (several years in the making), spent a day cutting/polishing, and sent it off as a submission to an anthology. It was the second short story I’ve re-edited and submitted (to a different anthology) in the past month.
 
   Yay or nay from the editors will come much later. Of course, I’ll be bummed if I get a “thanks, but no thanks,” but really, I’m excited to be excited about writing again.
 
   My advice to writers is: Don’t give up on those old stories of yours. Maybe, someday one of them will be the draft you need to respond to a call for submissions without starting from scratch.

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Celebrating Black History Month

Alan Sealls is a well-respected meteorologist in Mobile, Alabama, and he “owns” the position among his peers. It’s obvious to his fans (me included) that he loves what he does and is happy to share his knowledge. Like the following article says, he’s opening doors and making history and the community loves him.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/meet-the-man-opening-doors-and-making-history-in-the-meteorology-field/893769?fbclid=IwAR07ybftA-5uXTtnXMUY767P9XQHU2HbiwyBjUs-rqe9U2JLNa_1nJvB3yc
 
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
― Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

   

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   In VALENTINE’S DAY PIECES, the third installment of the Mobile Writers Guild anthology series, members (cj included) celebrate the traditional romantic aspect of Valentine’s Day with sweet and funny stories of hearts, flowers, and kisses, but they also explore the darkness that surrounds the day with a few tales of intrigue, madness, and murder.  

BUY IT NOW   

   In MARDI GRAS PIECES, Mobile
Writers Guild members share their stories—some true and some fictional, some funny, some touching, and some downright chilling. The street festivities are on hold, the floats are not parading, but no problem. 

   Don your beads, deck yourself out in purple, gold, and green, grab a Moon Pie, and relax with some great stories while you experience a little bit of the Mobile Mardi Gras tradition.  BUY NOW
  

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   cj Sez: That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

Orona raccoon

P.S.  My stand-alone novels (suspense with a touch of romance) are out of print on Amazon, but The Haunted Bookshop has signed copies in stock. The store has re-opened to limited hours, so if you’re in the Mobile area, you can stop and shop, too.
 
   TO ORDER my autographed books or any book of your choice on-line from a favorite, indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us
➜ Follow me . . .       
➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

It's Mardi Gras Season in Mobile...and in New Orleans

cj Sez:   Along the Gulf Coast, Mardi Gras is a month-long season, and Mobile, Alabama, has an ongoing debate with New Orleans, Louisiana, about which was the first U.S. city to celebrate Mardi Gras. Hmm. Well, we know who that is.

   What do you think? Would a duel between the mayors of Mobile and NOLA satisfy the doubters?

   When I lived in Detroit, Mardi Gras was a one-day affair that many called Pączki Day. Pączki (pronounced "punch-kee" or "ponch-kee") are Polish pillows of pastry with a variety of possible fillings that Detroiters line up outside of the Hamtramck bakeries to buy and eat each year on Fat Tuesday. Someone in my office would get up at 5 a.m. to make a 6 a.m. paczki run to his favorite bakery where he might have to wait in line, in the snow, in sub-zero weather, barefoot, (hee hee NOT) for up to an hour to bring in several boxes (true).

   Hamtramck (“The World in Two Square Miles”) is a city located entirely within Detroit’s city limits. The hamlet is the go-to location for pączki because it’s been home to thousands of Polish immigrants since the early 1900s. These yeast-risen and fried doughnuts (that, in the minds of devotees, put the airy jelly-filled versions by Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts to shame) were first made by Polish people who wanted to use up the last of the sugar, lard, and fruit in the house before the austerity of Lent. 

Being a writer, I wonder: Is there a mystery story in there somewhere?   

Piotr Partook of a Poisonous Pączki and Passed Away on Pascha

   By the by, in case you didn’t know, Mardi Gras, the actual day also known as Shrove Tuesday, is February 25 this year. The parades in and around Mobile, however—each of which has a story—started in January.

   Lower Alabama’s first 2020 Mardi Gras parade rolled on Dauphin Island on January 25, Mobile’s first one rolled on February 7 and the parades continue until Fat Tuesday, which falls on February 25.

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Available on Amazon: 

  

 In MARDI GRAS PIECES, Mobile Writers Guild members share their stories—some true and some fictional, some funny, some touching, and some downright chilling. 

So don your beads and deck yourself out in purple, gold, and green, grab a Moon Pie and relax while you experience a little bit of the Mobile Mardi Gras tradition.

   In VALENTINE’S DAY PIECES, the third installment of the Mobile Writers Guild anthology series, members celebrate the traditional romantic aspect of Valentine’s Day with sweet and funny stories of hearts, flowers, and kisses, but they also explore the darkness that surrounds the day with a few tales of intrigue, madness, and murder.  

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   Coming next week…a give-away….A paperback of your choice: DEADLY STAR, CHOOSING CARTER, THE POSSE, or VALENTINE'S DAY PIECES. Check out the descriptions on Amazon this week and tell me which one you’d like. You might be the winner of a random draw!

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   That’s all for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

   Autographed print copies of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, and THE POSSE are still available at the Haunted Bookshop. TO ORDER (and support an indie bookstore) contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and an award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice. If you’re in Mobile area, do stop in at the book store; it’s a neat place to browse.

   These friendly people make a point to shelve the books of local authors, and the Mobile Writers’ Guild anthology series is also available there. If they don’t happen to have any copies of any book(s) you want, they’ll place an order for you.

➜ Follow me . . .

➜         on Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj

➜         on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author/facebook

➜         on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

A book signing and a C. Hope Clark essay

cj Sez: Mark your calendar! There’s a book signing coming up, and many of the authors whose stories are in these anthologies will be there to sign your copies.

Scheduled for a local indie bookshop, The Mobile Bookseller on Friday, February 7th from 3 to 6 p.m.  

   Plan to stop by for a meet and greet with local authors. The Mobile Bookseller is located at 3990 Government Blvd. Mobile, AL, in the Skyland Shopping Center, at the intersection of Hwy. 90 and Azalea Road.

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   Because I am crashing to finish and submit a short story by February 1 (and I have two to three thousand more good words to go before I have to find a speedy beta reader), I’m going to re-post a guest piece by C. Hope Clark. I first posted her “You Are Not Alone” essay in 2016. There’s a lot of good information in it that bears repeating.

You Are Not Alone . . . and Shouldn’t Be

By C. Hope Clark

Writing is a profession of isolationism. If we didn’t have internet, we’d be recluses of the highest order. Or would we?

Writing takes considerable alone time, but without the internet we would be out amongst the masses, getting ideas, discussing concepts because, after all, we can’t know it all. Add to that connecting with agents, publishers, editors and the public in general. In years past, writers made a point of meeting other writers, and coming into New York to dine with editors. Agents were life-long friends. Hemingway often socialized with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, Sylvia Beach, James Joyce, Max Eastman, and he was acquainted with the painters Miro and Picasso. He appreciated rubbing elbows with other creators, even if in many circles he was considered their superior. Back in those days they propelled, endorsed, and gossiped about each other, making for great news . . . and sales.  Paris networking

Networking is critical in any profession. While we need the alone time to create, we need feedback on our quality. We need professionals in the other aspects of writing and publishing to guide us. We need to see how those ahead of us got there. Regardless of how independent we think we are in your publishing, which self-publishing has allowed us to be, we still find ourselves needing the knowledge of successful indie authors, graphic designers, formatters, and the people at CreateSpace, IngramSparks, Draft2Digital and other self-publishing resources.

We cannot know it all.

Then there’s the magic that happens in a face-to-face. Meeting people in person comes with its own rewards that are more unobtainable online. Professional organizations, Yahoogroups, critique groups, and conferences make you walk in as a writer and see how you measure up. While that scares introverted types, rarely do we walk away from those experiences without knowledge we would not have achieved otherwise.

Online, we learn what we query, but sometimes we aren’t certain which questions to ask. We search and search, hoping we are hitting the nail on the head, but then nobody is there to tell us whether we did.

In person, we can achieve so much more. For instance:

Sitting in a conference, we hear the best-of-the-best talk about how they achieved their success with anecdotes we might not find in a blog post or magazine interview.

Sitting in a conference class, we hear how-tos and examples, but then hands shoot up. We hear questions we hadn’t thought to ask, which makes us think of additional questions, and we find our own hand rising.

Seated in a room, we grow weary of the silence so we introduce ourselves to the people on either side of us, or across the table. The conversation leads to promotion tactics and publishing preferences, and soon you’re meeting them after class or following them to the lobby, excitedly sharing comparison.

We share business cards and email addresses in person, the eye contact visceral because they have connections . . . or you have connections they want, and in exchange they are willing to make introductions for you, barter editing each other’s book, or promote each other.

We sit next to a writer who has won awards, and we learn how that works. We enter a presentation of panel of authors who’ve made six figure incomes from their talent, and we are able to ask detailed questions as to how those journeys took place.

We sit in a class, hearing the lecture, but that’s not what’s important. The charisma, the passion, the excited enthusiasm of the speaker makes you listen keener and raises your own excitement. This person has done something with their writing, and they are who you’d like to be. You want that feeling. 

However, many authors avoid conferences because of the cost. There are ways to diminish that expense.

Share a motel room with someone.

Watch for conferences closer to home, or close to relatives you need to visit.

Volunteer to work the conference in exchange for the fee.

Apply for scholarships. Some conferences have them but do not advertise them.  Ask.

Apply to your state arts commission seeking financial assistance.

Ask your writing group to sponsor you, with you bringing back handouts and lesson plans that you in turn will teach them.

Or you could apply to writing retreats, many of which have scholarships and financial aid. They may not have speakers, but they often have other writers on site whom you can still share experiences and knowledge with.

Or you can join professional organizations like Romance Writers of America or Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators and learn from those local chapters or attend their one-day conferences held around the country. That cost is minimal.

Regardless how you network, find ways to step outside yourself and learn from others. If I had not attended a Sisters in Crime chapter one Saturday, I would not have heard about libraries needing writers to teach. From there I landed a contracted gig enabling me to get paid for speaking in three dozen appearances across my state. From there, I was chosen for the SC Humanities Speakers Roster, opening up more doors.

None of this was on my to-do list for the year, but I was willing to make the adjustment. The grant was not on the internet. The roster was on the web, but I didn’t know about it until getting involved with this grant.

Networking opens doors. Face-to-face exchanges can create ideas and connections found no other way. You cannot answer all your problems yourself. We do not operate in a vacuum. The maxim that it’s better to have more than one set of eyes carries merit.

                                 ****

C. Hope Clark is founder of FundsforWriters.com, a resource of grants, crowdfunding, agents, publishers, and markets with calls for submissions. Her newsletter reaches 35,000 writers.

Hope’s latest novel (Book 6) in her award-winning Edisto Island Mysteries is the five-star rated EDISTO TIDINGS. A click on the cover will take you to the Amazon site. 

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That’s all for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

   Autographed print copies of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, and THE POSSE are still available at the Haunted Bookshop. TO ORDER (and support an indie bookstore) contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and an award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice. If you’re in Mobile area, do stop in at the book store; it’s a neat place to browse. These friendly people make a point to shelve the books of local authors, and VALENTINE’S DAY PIECES anthology will be available there soon. If they don’t happen to have any copies of the book you want, they’ll order it for you.

➜ Follow me . . .

➜         on Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj

➜         on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author/facebook

➜         on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson