Creativity on the Horizon...

After taking a break from writing, I'm going to start back at it again.  I want to start off by editing "The Shepherdess Princess," and then go to work on another story idea I have for a poetry devotional book based on scriptures taken from the Bible.  The poetry devotional will be a short 30 or 31-day pocket devotional I will talk to my pastor, or the church office about printing up copies to hand out to my local church congregation.

I already have the first verse picked out for it, but have yet to write a poem to go along with it.

I don't know when I'll be able to get back into the swing of things because the next couple of months are already filling up with appointments.  It may be April or May before I can take a breather.

Also, my mom is not doing well.  I am waiting for a phone call from my sister to let me know when to come see her one final time.  We hope she will last through the winter because the roads are impassable where she lives right now.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

"Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Happiness"

Since Blogger has been down for maintenance, I feel like I'm finally getting a chance to share new developments with my readers finally. I actually ended up sending in my new story for "Chicken Soup for the Soul" on May 9th, three days before the deadline. Here is the story I submitted to share with you:

Truly “Chicken Soup for the Soul”

This year, I started submitting stories to “Chicken Soup for the Soul” because I’ve always enjoyed the books as a reader, and felt a bit of jealousy because I wanted to be included very badly as an author. At first, I didn’t think I had anything worth sharing, but then I came across a “Chicken Soup” book that made me relive some of my own life experiences through other people’s stories. That got the wheels turning to start thinking if I’d be any good at it. Then, a friend of mine submitted one of her own stories, was accepted and asked to submit more in future books, and that gave me the push I needed to find out how to do it, too. I already have a couple books under my belt that have been self-published, one which I co-wrote with a friend, and have had mixed reviews about but mostly good.

When I came across a book topic on the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” website called “Devotional Stories for Tough Times” I knew I just had to try, and submitted one of many stories I had to choose from. I had recently lost my father after a battle with prostate cancer, and have come to rely on my Heavenly Father to fill the void. My only problem that I had was to cut the story down to the required word length. That started me on a road I am now revisiting: finding my happiness.

There was an unexplainable joy that filled me when I was typing and submitting that story, which I titled “An Answer to Prayer.” It brought back a special memory I’ll always cherish, and one I’ll be grateful to God for giving me. I am my happiest whenever I am writing, especially when I’m writing about my faith. I thank everyone behind “Chicken Soup for the Soul” for giving me the opportunity to share my stories, love on my God more, and find my happiness.

"Chicken Soup for the Soul" Update, and One New Poem

After almost a full month of nothing, the creative juices are slowly trickling again. Before I went to bed last night, I grabbed my notebook and pen and wrote a new poem for the first time all month long. Here it is:

John Grisham

From lawyer to author to sometimes lawyer again,

John Grisham is treated like a long-lost friend

when a new book is opened

that I don't want to end.

I impatiently wait for another to come,

and my world brightens some

when an email is sent

about the upcoming event.

Then I countdown the days

I can pre-order the newest book on the way.

John Grisham is a common name

uttered in my home some days.

Do I pay the rent,

or wait for the next book to be sent?

I'm glad I don't have to choose

between the two because the bills won't lose.

I just wait for the day

I can splurge on a copy,

but sometimes I'm library bound

when a new Grisham book comes around.

"Chicken Soup for the Soul" Update

I looked at the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" website a while back, and found out the book I submitted a story to will be published in October 2011. I haven't heard from them yet if my story's been chosen, but that would make an excellent birthday present~my birthday is in October.

I still haven't started another story for submission, but I will very soon. The deadline is coming up pretty soon for the other "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book I want to try to get into. I think it's due in June, but I have to double-check the site to be certain.

In two days...

I've almost read halfway through Jane Austen's "Persuasion." I can't believe it! It took me months to finish reading "Mansfield Park," Jane Austen's longest novel with a whopping 344 pages. That was a lot back then. I've also learned that aside from "Persuasion" being her shortest book at 181 pages, it's also the last novel that she published before she died.

On another note...Any "Chicken Soup for the Soul" story submissions for the category I chose and one about "Canada" is due tomorrow/today. It's 11:56 PM by my clock, so it's technically still February 27th, but it might be February 28th by the time I finish this post.

There's another book topic of theirs I'm thinking of submitting a story to later. The deadline for that topic is sometime in May. It's still a ways off.

I haven't been able to do much writing in my poetry book since I wrote "In the Secret." Inspiration comes and goes, but I hope to take some time out of my day soon to have another creative writing session.

Three Newer Poems

In The Secret

In the secret where we've met

I'm allowed to be upset.

What you did before

leaves me wanting more,

but do I want to risk

it all to be kissed?

How do I know

if our love would grow,

or if it will fade away

on some distant day?

Leaving me heartbroken,

and yearning for completeness again.

Is it too much to ask

to forgo everything that passed?

If I could forgive and move on,

I know I'll be able to find "the One."

Breathe Out, Breathe In

I breathe in, I breathe out

a wellspring of emotions

and abysmal notions

of a life I can have

if I took the risk to grab

on tightly with both hands,

and follow the rainbow's end.

Why aren't you here?

I need to hear your voice loud and clear.

I need some sage advice

on how to get on with my life.

Instead I breathe in, I breathe out

while living without.

I need a father, I need a friend.

When will the death spiral end?

I'm teetering on the brink,

so I breathe out, I breathe in

until I can see you again.

I'm constantly taking pills to numb the pain

of the jackhammer in my brain

while I fight to keep sane.

Across the Universe

Across the universe

everything is reversed.

Day is night,

and night is day

ever since you went away.

I don't know if I'll ever get back

the happiness I now lack.

The empty hollow deep inside

is what I constantly hide

from family and friends.

With my family, they're also on the mend.

A "boulevard of broken dreams"

is where I seem

to be living these days.

I would desperately like to move away.

Just a note to say I wrote "In The Secret" last night, and the other two poems are older. They all seem to fit together, so I decided to clump them into this post.

Welcome to the garden!

This page will solely be used to share my writing projects with the outside world, and my love for writing in general. What I share here will eventually be bound into book form, or may just be talking about authors I love or what I happen to be reading.

I normally have to be by myself in order to create what I write, and sometimes that means taking a notebook and pen to some park where I could be at one with nature and feel a sense of serenity. I've also longed to have my own garden someday, so I could sit for hours among the plants and take everything in. Like my very own "Secret Garden" to enjoy. Until that day comes, this'll have to do.

So, welcome to my garden paradise...