May has been a sunny month of growth. Today I’m thankful for:
The opportunity to create podcast episodes like the young YA sci-fi short story podcast of “The Great Elevator” about a teen girl living on a staircase that spans a planet, and the sweet (clean) romantic fantasy short story podcast of “Root Deep” about a Dryad in love.
The Northwest Christian Author Conference and learning from authors like Thomas Umstattd, Nova McBee, Chelsea Bobulski and more.
The Heroine’s Journey by Gail Carringer, a writing craft book this month which helped me gain some insights on writing a journey that differs from the Hero’s Journey made so popular by Joseph Campbell.
All the green in the Northwest. It’s gorgeous outside these days, especially on the coastal side of Washington state.
Getting outside for short walks. Sitting outside (before the heat of the day) is invigorating, even with limited mobility, but walking feels even better. I’m finally able to walk for twenty to thirty minutes again, after seven months of rest, recovery, and physical therapy.
My sister-in-law Lynn’s invitation to travel with her and her husband to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was a last-minute, unplanned invite (other family members couldn’t go). We all had a restful time, went on a family friendly pirate cruise, and even saw some blue whales.
Bonus: Some articles I’ve read this month: School’s Out for Summer by Austin Kleon, Exploring Stuckness with Visual Frameworks by Dave Gray, How to Use Substack Sections by Russel Nohelty, and Jingwei Tries to Fill Up the Sea by Mary Soon Lee at Uncanny Magazine. (Mary Soon Lee is one of my favorite sci-fi and fantasy poets.)
Writing Prompts:
Planting a seed, waiting for it to grow, but…
Walking barefoot
When the winds change direction,
Backstage, behind the smoke screen at the pirate show,
In the deep,
BTW, if you like my writing prompts, I have a full collection of them entitled A Pocket-Sized Jumble of 500+ Writing Prompts. Find it here.
On my writing desk:
I am working to fully integrate the storylines of a novel that’s not published yet, and my Rayatana Series. The reason for this: they were always in the same universe.
Plus, I’m working with my Kindle Vella series, Dark Blade: Tempered, the sequel to Dark Blade: Forged, which is complete.
Plus, I’m writing some random poetry and short stories, because— SQUIRREL