Music Monday: So Unfair

Oh, welcome to the new year. While I'm trying to make it my mantra in 2026 to not be so negative, to protect my own calm and peace, and to worry about my reaction to things/people/rhetoric rather that those things themselves. During my holiday break from the DayJob in years past I have enjoyed being a full time writer for two weeks, spending my days working on manuscripts, editing, and generally living my dream of doing this full time.

Then January rolls around and it's time to go back to gathering schedules and making sure that my students have their accommodations and keeping up with classes and zoom sessions and the like. I don't dislike my job... but without interpreting in the mix, it isn't the same as it was. When you have something that makes you as happy and fulfilled as writing does for me, it's hard to put it down for anything less than a lateral move.

In that vein, today's Music Monday is speaking to my feelings--that I have firmly crawled up inside, mind you, with a soft blanket and a mug of warm cider--and I hope it will speak to you too, if you have your own blanket to stave off the back to work after the holiday blues. Captions are on the video. Enjoy... if you can.

Music Monday: Of Living Masterpieces

I will admit to being low-key obsessed and potentially hyper fixated on the latest album from an artist I'd never really heard of before TikTok - Livingston. The lyrics to Last Man Standing have jumped out at me, and I am seeing the MCs for several of my novels through the images this young man creates. The fact that he not only sounds like Imagine Dragons but has recorded a song they gave him? Priceless. Sublime bliss. Enjoy. (lyrics in the video)

My 2023 was a blur...

From one Annus Horribilis into another...?

So as I was looking for something in my blog, I came across my New Year's Eve wrap up from 2010 and I thought I'd just share this bit before launching into the same for today:

June wasn't hot, but it wasn't freezing anymore either, which was quite nice. I'm going to include July here as well, because there was one event that absolutely stole focus for all of us for the entire month. I found a lump in one of my breasts. I survived having what turned out to be a cyst drained, as well as a needle-core biopsy (google that if you want to be scared out of your mind) that showed absolutely nothing. Mind you, I'd planned my funeral in the six weeks from finding the pitch invader to the results of the biopsy, and I've never been so glad to hear a doctor say he recommended that I not come back to him again.

Yeah, so I think that was the bit of tissue that became Eugene, my breast cancer tumor. I have the gene mutation that won't stop cells from growing out of control, which is how Eugene came to be. But I think it is interesting that I thought THAT was awful. I've done so much more awful since then. 

So, January - June were pretty much status quo around here. I sold books and met wonderful people at the Atlanta Steampunk Expo and the Georgia Renaissance Festival and put in applications/made plans for many other events in the months to follow.

In June, I decided to be a grown up and finally get signed on with a new GYN since my insurance had changed who was in my providers list and I'd passed the 50 years old mark. I also attended ConCarolinas for the fourth time including the virtual weirdness that was 2020.

In July, I was diagnosed with Stage III-B breast cancer that had not spread beyond the tumor itself and some lymph nodes just behind it. I named it Eugene and started a long line of medical appointments as well as attended ConGregate 9 - which was far and away more fun. I started chemo on 31 July.

In August I continued chemo, started awful shots that jacked up my immune system, and waved goodbye to my hair. I will say, though, that experience wasn't as bad as others have experienced and I was expecting...but I'm glad it's over. 

In September, I continued chemo and changed from The Red Devil cocktail every two weeks to a lighter weight poison called Taxol that was administered weekly. I waved a one-fingered salute at those immune system shots with the switch. I also attended the Upstate Renaissance Faire as a vendor for the first time, since the 2022 faire was a monsoon and my tent tried to pull a Poppins so we had to pack up and head home. I met some really great folks and sold more books than I had at any event to date so...good times, if not a little hot.

In October, I continued chemo and attended Multiverse for the first time with two magnificent human sherpas and one canine salesman extraordinaire. A new show is always nerve wracking, and after a rough start (I showed up THIRTY MINUTES late for a panel that I was on...), it was an amazing time.

In November, I attended the Geekery Market in Concord, NC, for the first time. That one was so much fun - again with two amazing sherpas to help me - and I am so excited for the next one. I should have been selling/signing/meeting/greeting at CRF again, but that event has changed to something that doesn't work for out-of-town authors. I also continued chemo and got to have it ON MY BIRTHDAY, but that wasn't so bad - does everyone have an oncologist who lip-syncs to Stevie Wonder and dances in the middle of the infusion suite? No? 

In December, I finished chemo and rang the life out of that bell...for me and for our Ciaragh, who lost her fight with lymphoma. I celebrated Christmas, sort of, and watched SO MUCH AMERICAN FOOTBALL. 

So... what's next? Surgery in late January, possible radiation in February, and hopefully the grand return of my hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Then the reconstruction process continues, per "plastics" as the cancer center calls my reconstruction surgeon, in late summer/early fall and I am DONE. Dunne and Done. I promise there won't be too many posts like this because it's all kinds of TMI but fingers crossed that a year from now I have loads more fun stuff to report!

January 2024 Newsletter

Here we are at the start of a New Year, and my one resolution is to do better at this newsletter thing. Let's begin with a bit of a catch-up, shall we?

The second half of last year was filled with medial issues that I'm pleased to say are about 85% behind me...at least for now. There are two-three more hurdles to clear and I should be back to my normal level of chaos...and I am looking forward to that!

I'm still working on final edits on Hero, struggling through writing on the collab (that I still can't talk too much about), and re-discovering two YA novels that I found buried in my Nanowrimo folder. More on those later - I'd like to have them out by the end of 2024 but I'd also like to be able to fly and to speak all the languages and...and...and...

Old Lady Kaylee Frye sells books
at ConCarolinas

On to appearances/shows/signings in 2024: Those last hurdles I mentioned will keep me from being at ConPossible in February, but I have lined up two trusty sherpas to man my table with signed copies of my books. This is the Con formerly known as the Atlanta Steampunk Expo and I'm just gutted not to be able to be there this time - these folks are so nice and so welcoming!

Hopefully I will be able to attend the Dahlonega Literary Festival in March, but there will be more on that as January and February roll along. This will be a new event for me, so fingers crossed there.

I'm still discussing logistics with the Georgia Renaissance Festival for an author event there, so watch this space for more information. I'm hoping it will be scheduled before Georgia turns into the surface of the sun, but I grew up there so I know it could be hot there right now. 

Once I have heard from more events and shows I will add to this list. I'm hoping for a return to ConCarolinas and ConGregate. Again, watch this space.

Finally, I could not do any of this without you, especially now, and I so appreciate all of your support. Remember, if you want to help an author, one of the best ways is to leave a review - it helps other folks find my work and it gives me very important feedback that can only make future novels better.

Thanks y'all! Happy New Year!

Music Monday: Before you go...

Hey, so I'm still safe from Whamaggedon as of this morning. You? I'm also up to my ears in Getting Things Done for the DayJob™ so I'm going to leave you with this pretty little song that speaks to me of my current WIP (not to be confused with the Orana novel Edit In Progress that is sadly ongoing) and of the two MCs that seem to orbit each other at the moment without being physically together. Cryptic enough? I'm also coming off a very happy Critmas celebration with my DnD group yesterday, followed by trees taking out my power for a few hours so...normal levels of insanity around here. Lewis Capaldi, do your magic! (Lyrics in video.)

Music Monday: Keep on, Carry on...

Before you ask, no, I have not seen the series finale of Supernatural. Much like I tried to do with Star Trek: Voyager, I am choosing to believe that the boys are still traveling around, spreading salt circles and listening to great music through Baby's speakers. I have a problem with change and endings, okay?

Anyway, this song came on my radar awhile ago, but my writing partner heard it and came up with an entire scene in his head for the WIP we are working on currently...so I am posting it today, for him and all of you that can see movies in your heads (I'm lucky if I can get a limited run series to pop into my mind's eye at one time). You are the writers I want to be when I grow up, so...carry on.

(Lyrics in the video)

Music Monday: It's coming...Nano is coming...

I may have posted this one already, but if I did it deserves a repeat. When I was a kid taking piano lessons, this song was OF COURSE in my repertoire as it was for every kid. But this version...it speaks to me of a storm brewing, a conflict coming, a reunion just on the verge of happening. It makes me want to write, and that is my favorite kind of music...especially on the cusp of another Nano month in July. Enjoy. 

(No lyrics this week because this is just instrumental.)

Music Monday: Of Booms, Shakes, and Funnel Fries

I am back from a glorious* weekend at the Georgia Renaissance Festival! This was a new experience for me...for the first time, I joined other amazing authors to sign/sell books at GARF instead of following a large dog around all day. 

I was looking for something that could convey the music that we were treated to at our tables on Saturday and Sunday, but how do you combine majestic trumpets, thundering drums, Italian pipes, and violins? Well, you don't...at least I don't. So I thought that I would instead treat you to this gem I heard on the television as it was on in the background of a mad editing session. (Thank goodness for Shazam!)

This song IS the 20 years I've been affiliated with the Georgia Renaissance Festival. It is me sitting in the car on day one, afraid to go in with my greyhounds. It is me putting on my Wild Hunt cosplay and searching for oathbreakers with the rest of the Hounds. It is the quiet just before FIRE IN THE HOLE and after, in the parking lot, when the car door is closed and the A/C is blasting. 

Enjoy. The lyrics are in the captions.

*by glorious, I of course mean exhausting, hot, muggy, and in a few cases painful...and 100% worth it.

Music Monday: Right Outta Nowhere

Once upon a time, I was an interpreter who moved to a new state and, while dreaming of being a writer, hadn't gone in that direction. Yet.
Once upon a time, I was a fledgling writer who had published some fairly entertaining stories about my dogs but hadn't yet tried to write in the genre where my heart lives and thrives. Yet.
Once upon a time, I was a newlywed--again--who was moving to a new country and was utterly terrified and excited in equal measure. Okay, that part isn't really true, I was just terrified. But I remembered this song by an artist introduced to me back in those first days as an interpreter here in SC. 
This weekend I'm going to a brand new event, and while I'm not MOVING TO ANOTHER COUNTRY terrified, I'm pretty apprehensive. But this time, I revisited this song that my friend Katy introduced me to and found...hope. I found freedom. I hope you will too.
Leap...and the net will appear.

Right Outta Nowhereby Christine Kane
Midwest morning October snowfallShe packed her ChevorletAnd brushed her fear awayShe got a great big dreamAnd a history of playin' smallAnd everybody seems to thinkShe'll be back by Christmas dayWell, She hit that highwayWith every bit of faith she could summonWhen courage finally comes you never see it comin'
Right out of nowhereOpen your heart, that changes everythingYou're goin' somewhereAnd all you need to knowIs that you're free to go
Summer night the soft smell of seashoreAnd all the deadheads dancing out on the beachHe's got a 10-year tanAnd his own little junk store he saysSome people got a lot to prove and that's the way I used to beI'm just an old hippy with a half dozen PhDsSome choices hold you downSome chances set you free
Right out of nowhereOpen your heart, that changes everythingYou're goin' somewhere.And all you need to know...Is that you're free to go
And you dreamAnd the way will be clearAnd you prayAnd the angels will hearLead and the net will appear
Right out of nowhereBelieve in everythingYou're going somewhere And all you need to know Is that you're free Right outta nowhere You open your heart And have faith in everything You're going somewhere And all you need to know Is that you're free to go 

On Writing, Nanowrimo, and Writer's Block

This happens every time I attempt a Nano month, and you'd think that I would have learned my lesson by now. After all, this Camp Nano that's going on right now is the 37th time I've committed to a specific word count goal in one month.

It's a funny thing, being a writer, especially when you aren't writing for your DayJob™ income. Some days I am so ready to throw off the day's frustration and will make my target word count and then some. Other days, I know what I want to get done but none of it it happening. Every sentence is awful.

Usually, the Nano months will pull me out of that ofnadwy (my favorite Welsh word these days, means terrible) slump and get me back to putting words down. You can always sort out the good from the bad later.

Until this month. Holy Shnikes, is this an uphill battle! It's a new project but not a new genre, if you will. I've got two "manuscripts" in my hard drive that are vampire fiction and the fits and starts of a third. I think the difference is that this one is a collaboration with another author, and I'm frustrated by only hearing one of the two main characters in my head.

There is still plenty of time to go, at least. My word count target is very low, so I don't have to worry about not being able to finish, no matter how ofnadwy the end result is. If you've gotten to this point where NOTHING IS HAPPENING, how do you pull yourself out of it?

Music Monday: Leaping into Camp Nano Like...

...get it? A Catapult?

Listen, I had many other puns involving felines that were MUCH worse, so...you're welcome. 

I have a feeling I have posted this song already before it got lost in the seventy-eleven playlists that I have for every significant moment in my life, but if so, enjoy it again. Another writer I follow on Twitter just finished Darkness and referred to Sath and Gin's relationship as "delectable" (what? Maybe I AM a romance writer after all? No...). I heard this song again recently and it really does bring me into the mind of the Royals of Qatu'anari, so I'm sharing it with you. Romance with a side of never-ending danger and a bit of sarcasm - Sath and Gin all day long. Since this April's Camp Nano isn't going to be in Orana, I'm getting all my Sath and Gin vibes out here. 

Maybe. 

Probably not.

Catapultby Jack Savoretti
Following the headlightsGot to find a way back to youI can be the white knightYou can play the princessWe'll be running like outlawsHiding in the midnightBreak down them gatesLet in the sunlight
Throw me over these wallsHigh up in the atmosphereIf I could catapult my heartWatch the empire fallI'm gonna get you outta hereIf I could catapult my heartTo where you are
You say you had your heart brokenWhat a stupid little thing to doNow you're tied to a train trackBut I'm a gonna comeAnd rescue youMake no mistakeI'll do whatever it takes
To get over these wallsHigh up in the atmosphereIf I could catapult my heartWatch the empire fallOoh I'm gonna get you outta hereIf I could catapult my heartTo where you areIf I could catapult my heart
Oh throw me over these wallsOoh high up in the atmosphereIf I could catapult my heartWatch the empire fallOoh I'm gonna get you outta hereIf I could catapult my heartTo where you areIf I could catapult my heartTo where you areI'm gonna catapult my heart

Off Camping...Again. April 2023 Newsletter

 Well, here goes nothing.

Again.

This is my 24th Camp Nanowrimo, which means 12 years of trying to fit in 2 more 30-50K word months in the year. There have been a few that didn't reach that goal, but that's okay. I just looked back at my projects, and I do have something listed for all of them at least.

This is why I preach the Nano gospel whenever someone asks me for my best advice for someone that wants to get started writing - the accountability is there, the community is there - I firmly believe it can be a great introduction to this crazy life.

So many of my books have started as Nano/Camp Nano projects, including all of the Orana Chronicles, the World of Arcstone, and the Clobberpaws/Proud Racer novels. If you have any questions about joining up for either of this year's Camp sessions (April and July) or the full Nano proper in November, I'd love to hear from you.

As always, if you want signed copies of my books and can't make it to one of the events, contact me and let's talk about how I can make that happen. If you have a copy of one of my books, I'd love it if you'd leave me a review - that's the best way for others to find my books and for me to know how my writing is being received!

Cheers, y'all!

Music Monday: In Which I Almost Crashed my Car...

 Not really.

I was driving along listening to my latest playlist and I'd added this version of Hoist the Colours because it represents one of the amazing parts of social media - several creators came together who aren't physically together to make this cover. But it was the last line that hit me and screamed WRITE MY STORY that nearly made me drive off the road. 

Y'all, I don't write pirates well, just ask poor Lucian the Black (when you get the sequel to Rift in May). But this needs to be part of a story (and NOT another Pirates of the Caribbean): 

"The bell has been raised from its watery grave/ Do you hear its sepulchral tone?/ A Call to all, pay heed to the squall/ And turn your sail towards home!"

Enjoy. No lyrics below this time because they are on the video. 

Well, that was unexpected...

Truer words were never spoken...or written...on an image...nevermind.

Lots of things have happened, and even more...haven't. There's no Music Monday today, mainly because I've been sick off and on throughout the holidays. Ho, Ho, NO. Crappy New Year. That sort of thing. But also...I'm stuck in my writing, so I haven't been able to come up with anything that really inspires me.

I'm currently revising Storm, the second in the World of Arcstone series. While manning my table at the Carolina Renaissance Festival's Time Traveling Authors event, a young man approached - one I recognized from the event in 2021. He had purchased Rift at the time and had some questions. This is amazing and terrifying as an author, but I went with it. 

I had announced elsewhere that I would publish Storm in the late spring of 2023. He was glad to hear that and made sure that I knew I needed to clear up why things happened the way they did at the end of Rift. (HEY! I didn't spoil it! Go me.) This statement kick-started my revisions because now there was a person out there that wanted to know what happened next...and it wasn't someone that I know. 

And once again, they stalled out. It isn't that I don't love Em and Lex or that I'm bored of Arcstone. Quite the opposite - if this was my game world, I'd never leave. (Norrath and Azeroth, just pretend you didn't hear that, okay?) I'm just...having trouble. So I decided it would be a good idea to re-read Rift, and maybe Em, Lex, and the others would start talking to me again. Even better - I will have my voice assistant read it!

Y'all. I am not a romance writer. Ugh. So cringey! But I've powered through, and I've found the source of the problem...I left some things untied at the end of Rift on purpose, but now I haven't even reached for those strings, let alone tied them up in Storm. So...here I am, starting again with revision.

How long till March?

Music Monday: Terribly and Beautifully Tired

I spent the weekend back at the Carolina Renaissance Fair as one of the Time Traveling Authors and y'all, I am exhausted...but in that giddy, happy kind of way that needs a cozy bed and some cider and no responsibilities for about a week so I can just reflect. Ah well, I got the cider and the bed, two out of three? 

Anyway, I was surrounded (quite literally) all weekend by fantastic music in the spot they set up for us. So for today's Music Monday, I want to share some out-of-the-box music that I ran across on TikTok that is a happy fusion of two things I love: bagpipes and Punjabi bhangra music. This mashup version of Toss the Feathers - an Irish song - is guaranteed to get you moving. Enjoy - somewhere that you can turn the volume up. (No lyrics this week because are on the video!)

An Upcoming Signing Event and a bit of Gratitude

The book that started it all, in Orana, anyway...

Once again, I will be at the Carolina Renaissance Festival for Time Traveler's Weekend, hanging out with a bunch of fellow SciFi/Fantasy authors to sell signed copies of our books. You may remember that in 2019 I was there for the first time, selling a book that I'd started during the 2010 Nanowrimo. It came into the world as a ginormous 350K manuscript called - because I'm clever like that - Superginormous_Manuscript.doc. Yeah. That became the Nature Walker Trilogy, then the Orana Chronicles which has just seen the launch of the 8th book set in the universe of Orana, The Temple.

But this post isn't about that. Not really. 

This is about working for so long at CRF and seeing the authors set up on that weekend and wishing I could be one of them. This is about finally sending the email and seeing my name listed on the CRF website as one of the authors. This is about remembering how scared I was that first weekend, and how others around me had to basically pull information from me about my books.

I'm not going to lie and say that it has gotten any easier - if anything with so many titles it has gotten worse. But here's where the gratitude comes in.

I'm not really a part of any writing groups, not formal ones. I belong to two writing/author groups on social media and I am a proud member of the Broadleaf Writers Association in Georgia...but only because I attend their annual writer's conference and want to support what they do. So that first weekend at CRF I didn't know how to be an author. I'd sold books before, but they were never mine. I think I came back home after the weekend with almost as many copies as I'd taken with me.

But that's not the point. I am more grateful than I can ever express to the authors that were there that first weekend for treating me like I belonged there. I listened to them talk to people that came up to look at their books. I practiced saying what they said and working on my elevator pitches for the two titles I had with me. I have used Tell me what you like to read? and What kind of books are you reading right now? at all of my signing events since then, and it gives me a not-so-scary way to start a conversation.

When I returned in 2021 (2020 was cancelled because the faire didn't happen) I thought I was ready, but I still listened and still learned. And now, in 2022, I'm ready to spend a weekend up there hanging out with people who get the writer side of me. People who live in fantasy worlds and have characters on their mind day in and out. And I'm going into this on my own, without a Sherpa or a sidekick, and I'm gong to keep listening and keep learning.

Come see us, won't you? We will be there cannon to cannon this Saturday and Sunday. Tickets for the faire are advance purchase now and there are only a limited number. 

I'd love to see you at my table and have you tell me what you like to read. 📚

Music Monday: Mad [Author's]World

Well, that sums it up, doesn't it? The first time I heard this one I thought that it was spot on, what with everything going on in the world these days, but then I listened to it through the lens of a writer/creative...and it meant so much more. We want to scream our pain and break away from the dark. Yes. YES. Enjoy that last day before Nano starts, won't you?

(No lyrics because they are in the video.)

Book Signing News! The Upstate Renaissance Faire In Greer, SC

Author Event, 742 in Rock Hill, 8/6/2022

So, I'm taking this crazy show on the road again, but not that far up the road this time. I will have my own booth (provided I can get that sucker set up and it isn't too windy that day) at the Upstate Renaissance Faire in Greer, SC this coming Saturday (Sept 10th). 

Y'all... I'm nervous. The good thing is that if I need something I have loads of people nearby that can come help - instead of at least two hours away like at the Carolina Ren Fest or the Atlanta Steampunk Expo. My trusty Sherpa, Anne, will be at the same faire but is working with the Hounds of East Fairhaven, and while hubs has the day off we don't want to leave the dogs alone that long.

You know what will make it better, though? If you come out to see me! You don't even have to buy a book (though that would be amazing, I really don't want to have to take all this stuff back home with me). Just come say hi and hang out in what I hope is a properly decorated booth run by a mostly properly decorated author.

Question...can I actually sign books while wearing my usual rennie garb? Only one way to find out...for more info, check out the link above or go to my website.

Music Monday: Bringing the...Hell?

So, in another Tiktok introduction, I bring you this song that follows the folk song tradition in that there is a story within its three and half minutes...but I came up with at least two more as I listened. This kind of music is what writers like me (pantsers) listen to when we need inspiration...or we just want to stare at a blank screen and pretend that we know what we are doing.

Hell's Comin' With Meby Poor Mans Poison
They all laughed as he turned around slowThey said you ain't welcome 'round here anymoreYou just might as well go
He wiped the blood from his face as he slowly came to his kneesHe said, I'll be back when you least expect itAnd hell's coming with meHell's coming with me
There is a hill at the bottom of the valleyWhere all the poor souls go when they dieAnd if you listen real closeYou can hear em' like a ghostSaying you're never gonna make it out alive
There is a town at the bottom of that hillThey got a secret that they keep like a slaveThey got a black magic preacher (ooh)We'd do well to let him teach herYou'll be heading up that hill to the grave
And it is well, with my soulYou line your pockets full of money that you steal from the poorAnd on your way down to hell, you hear me ring that bellI'd pay the devil twice as much to keep your soul
There was a drifter passing through that little valleySee he had promised he was coming back to town (coming back to town)They didn't know him by his face, or by the gun around his waist (ooh)But he come back to burn that town to the ground
First there was fire, then there was smokeThen that preacher man was hangin' by a ropeThen they all fell to their knees and begged that drifterBegged him please, as he raised his fist before he spoke
I am the righteous hand of GodAnd I am the devil that you forgotAnd I told you one day you will seeThat I'll be back I guaranteeAnd that hell's coming, hell's comingHell, hell's coming with me
And it is well, with my soulYou line your pockets full of money that you steal from the poorAnd on your way down to hell, you hear me ring that bellAnd I said, hell's coming with me (hell's coming with me)

Music Monday: Florence is King, Long Live the King!

I've just discovered this song -  how perfect it is for some upcoming inspiration...it's a new track from Florence + the Machine and, like everything else from them, is like someone opened up my heart and soul and sang about what they found. The part near the end where they all silently scream...just good, good stuff.

And I was never as good as I always thought I was

But I knew how to dress it up

I was never satisfied, it never let me go

Just dragged me by my hair and back on with the show

(no lyrics this time, the video is CAPTIONED and not icky automatic captions)