Hellooooo GLITCH!!

Cover by Anima Black

Hi Peeps! Remember awhile back, I published this beautiful picture and proclaimed it my brand new cover? For my brand new novella? Due out before the end of February? Yeah, hold that thought...

I was all set to launch, I pretty much just had to set a date. But wait...What's this?  An alert on my Createspace dashboard? It's about TAXES. Oh, goodie.

Turns out, that since I am a Canadian, (Non-US Resident) I require a host of different rules from the average American citizen. They're important too. I could be taxed twice  Who would want that?

I mean, with piracy, glutted markets, and limited marketability it's hard enough for writers to make a buck. Let's throw a roll of red tape in there, shall we?

Fortunately, and thanks to Google, this isn't going to be as hard as it sounds. Even I was able to figure out what to do.If you're a Canadian writer, you might want to pay attention.

First of all, go here:How to get an ITIN

From there, you need to get your passport certified. I had to google that too. See Here: Passports Canada, and go to "Find a Form". Near the bottom of the page is a link called "Request for a True Certified Copy of Your Travel Document." It will give you a form to print and fill out. You take that, and your passport to your local Passport Office. (The ones in Edmonton are GREAT! I've never seen such efficient government workers!)

Then you take your Createspace letter, your certified passport and your W-8, and mail it off to the IRS. Voila!

Or so it would seem...I'm still waiting. When that letter comes in, I'll have more information. Until then, I'm still writing.

Femmuse#1 And Deservedly So

I've saved the best for last. MALALA inspires me as no other woman in the world can.

What can you say about a fourteen year old who defies her government to exercise her right to an education? Though it almost cost her life? Her bravery and determination astound me.

I'll be the first to admit, when I was going to school it mattered...but not enough. I took it for granted. I was late, absent, and spent more time at work than school. I did try. But not hard enough.

Then came this small girl in a country where education for girls, among other human rights, is frowned upon. She not only overcame obstacles to GET to school, but she braved her society and made speeches about why it was the right of every female child to get schooling. She knew full well what the Taliban was, and that they would try to stop her. Did she know they would go to such extreme lengths?

I read the book 'I am Malala'. Here's the link to Amazon: I am Malala I learned how her government's politics worked, and how her father, a public speaker himself, not only created schools for girls, but encouraged his daughter to speak her mind. She became an orator as well.

I can't imagine what she felt when that man boarded her bus, and shot her in the head. Just because she wanted an education for herself and the girls of her country. Because the Taliban wants to treat their women like livestock. What kind of madness compels men to shoot children for wanting to better themselves?

She was rescued. Flown to England so that they could perform life-saving surgery on her. Why? Because the world NEEDS Malala. She was too valuable to the world to lose.

And what does she do once she recovers? Right back to school. Back to making speeches. Business as usual. Gobsmackery right there.

I read how she saw the clothes she was wearing when she got shot in a display case, and burst into tears. She was with the man who she shared the Nobel Peace Prize with. ( Also deserving of the Nobel Prize. I am ashamed to admit I didn't know of Kailash Satyarthi until I learned of Malala's sharing of it with him. Also an inspiring person.) I'm guessing the enormity of her mission, and its consequences finally hit her.

But she's a brave soul. I intend to keep up with her. She's only 18 now. She's already done all this, and she has her whole life ahead of her. Imagine what she'll do with it...

Malala-1, Taliban-0. Give 'em Hell, girl. This is why Malala is the number one Fem-Muse.

DARE TO SHINE COVER REVEAL!

It's here! The beautiful cover Emma Hibbs has worked so hard on is finished! Soon, the book we ALL worked so hard on will follow and I can't tell you how proud I am to be a part of this.

THIS is the Anthology I mentioned a few months back. The fundraiser for S.O.P.H.I.E. and the crusade against bullying.

A lot of writers, AND editors put their time, effort and hearts into this. All for a good cause. Would you like to meet us?

COMING TO PAPERBACK AND E-BOOK

SUNDAY 22 MAY 2016

WORLD GOTH DAY

SYNOPSIS

In August 2007, Sophie Lancaster was viciously attacked and later passed away from her horrendous injuries. The only reason she was targeted was because she looked different.

Now, authors from across the world have come together to present an anthology of stories inspired by the joy of individuality.  From science fiction and paranormal to fairy tale reimaginings, fall into a celebration of life and difference, all to benefit ​The Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

 Registered charity number - 1129689

​

Website: http://www.sophielancasterfoundation.com/

THE AUTHORS

E. C. Hibbs

E. C. Hibbs has lived all her life in Cheshire, north-west England. A lover of stories from an early age, she wrote her first 'book' when she was five, and throughout school was a frequent visitor to the younger classes to read her tales to the children.

Living so near the coast, she loves anything to do with the sea. She studied Animal Behaviour at university and longs to work with marine mammals in the future. As well as nature and animals, she also has a soft spot for history, and loves paying visits to castles, cathedrals and museums. She also runs Elphame Arts; creating unique portraits in both digital fantasy and graphite mediums, as well as book and CD covers.

There are many things she could be without, but writing isn't one of them. She carries a pen everywhere, in case an idea appears, and takes pride in still seeing the world as brimming with magic. Besides writing, she reads obsessively, her favourite genres being the classics and all kinds of fantasy. She enjoys Disney and horror films, practising Shotokan karate, drawing, archery, hiking up mountains, and playing with her very cheeky cat Millie-Moo. She also models for the UK Alternative Fashion Fest in aid of local charities and S.O.P.H.I.E., and is an avid supporter of WWF.

Website: http://www.echibbs.weebly.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/echibbs

Twitter: https://twitter.com/echibbs

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbjx3A43ygTUWxr3EyFjQTg

Instagram: https://instagram.com/e_c_hibbs/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6571427.E_C_Hibbs

Elphame Arts: http://www.elphamearts.weebly.com/

Donna Milward

Donna Milward lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with her troll and two cats. She is a proud old-school headbanger of 30 years who has always embraced her individuality with determined ferocity.  She loves Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Skinny Puppy, Sepultura, Rammstein and anything unique and abrasive...like her. Besides writing, she likes gardening, canning, and all things to do with cats, mythology and the paranormal. She is the author Thoeba and Aphrodite’s War.

Blog: http://www.earthtothoeba.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/donnamilwardauthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/donnamilward

Mystell Oshay

Mystell Oshay is a 24 year old from Fife in Scotland. She started writing when she was nearly in her teens and always enjoyed reading books as a child. Her other hobbies include gaming and listening to music. She loves to escape reality and travel to other worlds and has even made her own world. Music inspires her to create things and gaming is a great pass time as well as writing to escape everyday life. She is an animal lover and has gerbils. Her favorite genre of book is fantasy.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MystellOshay

Rose Titus

Rose Titus works two jobs to support her writing habit. She exists somewhere in cold, dreary New England, with two manipulative cats and a very out of date Macintosh with which she creates horror and fantasy fiction. She also has a restored classic car to ride around while in search of adventure.

For travel she has stayed for the night in an allegedly haunted castle, has taken a boat ride on Loch Ness, and has visited the fabled Bermuda Triangle without getting lost.

Her work has previously appeared in Lost Worlds, Lynx Eye, Bog Gob, Mausoleum, Midnight Times, Blood Moon Rising Magazine, The Bugle, Weird Terrain, Descend, Wicked Wheels, The Dead River Review, and other literary magazines. Her novella Night Home has been published with Bathory Gate Press and is available with Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com and Smashwords.

​When she’s not writing or working or messing around with her old Buick, she waits by her mailbox for the next issue of Fortean Times to arrive.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRoseTitus?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Bobbie Palmer

Bobbie Palmer is a Delaware Author who is very involved in her local writing community.  She currently has three novels out and has short stories in two anthologies.  She writes Young Adult, Fantasy, and Murder Mysteries.  In addition, she has a full-time job, but in her spare time she enjoys hanging out with her family and reading.

Website: http://authorbobbiepalmer.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bobbie-Palmer/304444518542?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bobbie_palmer

Mari Brown

Mari has been writing as far back as she can remember. She spent most of her teen years writing short stories for her friends, it was a hobby for her even though she was published in the school newspaper.

She met and married her very own Alpha male 20 years ago and they have a 19 year old daughter, and two sons ages 16 and 15. They have 4 dogs and 2 cats. There is never a dull moment around the house. They live on the beautiful Gulf Coast of Alabama and are blessed to have a home on the river and to have the beach just 20 minutes away.​​

Over the years she wrote a few short stories in-between raising babies but it wasn't until 2012 she decided she needed to pursue her dream of writing a full novel. It took a while but in January of 2014 her debut novel was self-published. There is always a story in her head and characters talking to her. She enjoys being able to share her characters with others.

Website: http://www.maribrownauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maribrownauthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/maribrownauthor

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mari-Brown/e/B00JND6YO6

Lilly Rayman

First and foremost I am a wife and mother.  I was born in England where I had a dream at the age of 14.  That dream was to chase cattle on horseback across the Australian Outback.

In 2008, I had the opportunity to follow that dream, and found myself travelling to Australia on an Outback working holiday, and I've chased cattle, on horse back, across the Outback.  I met my soul mate, whilst on my working holiday, married him, and we have two beautiful daughters, and I'm still loving life in Australia.

I love to read, much to my husbands dismay sometimes when I have my head metaphorically buried in the pages of a book (I mean, how can that be literal since the dawn of e-books?)!

I love fantasy, I used to take myself away from my nasty world of bullies and appear in some wonderful land of dragons and magic! Pern was my all time favourite hide out world, God bless Anne and Todd MacCaffery.

When I immersed myself in my fantasy worlds, I used to re-write the plots in my head, starring myself as some great, sword drawn character who wouldn't give two hoots what the local bully thought! That eventuated in my actually writing down my own stories.

More recently I was inspired to start writing again, and I picked up on the whole craze of werewolf and vampire. I have had the most enjoyment writing AN UNEXPECTED BONDING, and the two books that will follow it!

Website: http://www.lillyrayman0007.wix.com/lillyrayman

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lillyrayman0007

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lillyrayman0007

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lillyrayman0007

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/lillyrayman0007

MP Ashman

MP Ashman debuted in 2012 with Black Hollow, a fantasy fiction novella about Jessica Bannerly, a girl who believes herself to be far from special, until she is whisked away into a magical kingdom, where an ancient wizard believes her to be his only way of escaping a mystical prison. This was followed, a year later, by Black Hollow Part II, in which the wizard uses Jessica's best friend Ciara, and her brother, Justin, to finally win his freedom.

In 2014, Ashman turned to science fiction, with the novella Time's Child, following Nina Summer, a technophobic 21st century teen who discovers that the life she has is not the one to which she belongs.​

With The Water Tower, Ashman begins a whole new saga in the Time Twins science fiction series for young adults.

MP Ashman lives in Toowoomba with his family, including his cat, Prue.​​

Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MpAshmanAuthorNews

Time Twins: https://chaseandstaceyblog.wordpress.com/

Time Twins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChaseandStacey

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mpashmanauthor

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-zCGbcvFP10eXt7p7IK9cQ

Allana Kephart & Melissa Simmons

Allana Kephart

Allana Kephart has been making things up and bending people to her will from a very young age. She loves animals and reading and spends a large amount of time thinking up ways to torment her characters. When not writing she can be found walking one of her many furbabies, working at a local pet supply store, or jamming out in her car. She lives south of Denver, CO with her six fur-babies.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.%20com/author/show/7376577.Allana_Kephart

Amazon: http://www.amazon.%20com/Allana-Kephart/e/B00JOVDOF4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_%20pel_1

Melissa Simmons

Melissa Simmons loves music, reading, her cat and her husband-not necessarily in that order, of course. She is obsessed with all things Disney, Supernatural (TV show) and comic book TVshows/ movies and doesn’t care who knows it. Her favorite superhero is Batman and she will defend his awesomeness to her last breath. When she isn’t writing and plotting, she loves to bake and spends her days helping other authors promote their work. She resides in upstate NY with her husband and their adorable cat.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.%20com/author/show/1639094.Melissa_Simmons

Amazon: http://www.amazon.%20com/Melissa-Simmons/e/B00JOLW9J6

Blog: http://melandlanawrite.blogspot.com/

The Dolan Prophecies: http://%20dolanpropheciesseries.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/%20MelandLanaWrite

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelandLanaWrite

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/%20melandlanawrite/

Fiona Maher

Fiona Maher is the author of the dark fantasy The Last Changeling and also the ‘Horror in a Hurry’ series of novellas. She also co-organises The Legendary Llangollen Faery Festival and loves anything fae and fantastical.

Legendary Llangollen Faery Festival: http://www.northwalesfaeryfestival.com/

The Last Changeling: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Changeling-Enigma-Wars-Book-ebook/dp/B00B90EIRQ/

Horror in a Hurry: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Salem-Strategy-Horror-Hurry-Book-ebook/dp/B00RHW14AY

Please share this, and support us in our cause. The world is a better place when we don't judge others by the way we look.

Fem-Two, As in Muse-ik

Kind of looks like Furiosa, doesn't she?

This album was one of the first I ever purchased that wasn't Duran Duran or a Smurf album. (Strange fact, my very first album was Styx, 'Use your Illusion'. Short story--I have no idea why I bought it. I was six and I think I wanted to buy something grown-up with my first allowance.)

I bought 'Touch' because of "Here Comes the Rain Again." It was this beautiful, painful song about unrequited desire that spoke to me. At the time, I assumed Annie Lennox was 'just' a singer. I thought Dave Stewart was the brains behind the whole outfit. Now I know Eurythmics  ( It means: a system of training through movement to music.) would not be the unique animal it is without her. She's an equal and appreciated partner in the duo.

If you watch her musical partner in interviews explain lyrics, Dave Stewart will say things like, "It was just something Annie needed to express at the time and it really shaped the album." I have to give kudos to Stewart for putting ego aside and allowing Annie to do the thing that makes them great together. Not every man is that laid back. That's why they made brilliant music for over thirty years. He`s a musical genius, she`s a lyrical mastermind who is exceptional at using her voice.

My enlightenment occurred while listening to my favorite song of theirs, Beethoven (I love to)
It's a cool video too. See here:Beethoven (I Love to)

I loved that song because of the emotion it invoked.  When I'm stressed out at work, I hear it in my head, and I feel her tension. Then, after years of playing that song, a single lyric slapped me in the face..I was just thinking of something SLEEK, to wrap around my tender throat. 

I thought, "Ohhh. That's RAW." Lyrics about fantasizing about suicide isn't what amazed me.  As she says herself, it's "Something extreme." It's the fact that she said it. She went there without apology. She came right out and said it, and doesn't care if anyone heard her.

I love Annie because #1: She's amazingly talented. Anyone who has ever heard her voice knows she's got a perfect sound and great range. But seriously listen to her voice. It's more than perfect tone. It's truly an instrument. If you have any doubt, listen to this:Sex Crime

It was about the George Orwell novel, 1984. Listen to the many different ways she uses her voice.  Right from 'HAI!" To 'Doopa-doopa-doo-booboop'. She likes to use her vocals to create different effects. (And sometimes with Mr. Stewart's help.)

Number Two: Annie is unique. She once said in an interview. "You can't define me by the way I dress."  In Annie Lennox's career, I've seen her as a man, an angelic waif, a housewife, a slut. Like how she felt here: I Need a Man Plus many more. It depends on her mood. I LOVE how she dons any character she feels like. Which brings me to the number three reason why I love Annie Lennox.

Number Three: Annie is emotional, and she doesn't care that everyone knows it. Remember that bit where I said her lyrics are what makes the Eurythmics great? Yeah, it's because she isn't afraid to tell you she's feeling hurt, pissed off, happy, liberated or lonely. She's made a successful career out of it. She's 'used that weapon against us'. And I really admire it. In a world where women are belittled and shunned for expressing themselves, Annie Lennox never made apologies.

This is why Annie Lennox is Fem-Muse#2.

At Last. Progress. (New Cover Release)

Cover by Anima Black.

First, I must apologize. This has been a real adventure, trying to self-publish my new novella, but I'm getting there. I finally have something to show you. TA-DA!!! New book cover!!

The novella is called HER TRUE NAME: VOLUME ONE, and yes, it's going to be series. My first! It is edited by Heather Savage of Staccato Publishing, and the cover is done by Anima Black.

Publishing date? Uncertain, but certainly sometime this month. I hope!

I'm doing this through Createspace, and will have information about it's availability soon. Sorry to say, I only plan to publish it as an e-book. It's only 25,000 words, so it doesn't look feasible to publish it in paper form.

If anyone has questions, I'll be happy to answer them as best I can. In the meantime... Here is the back blurb. (Thanks Heather Savage for helping me write it.) And wish me luck!

When Virtus dies in a demon attack, Sage defies the Energy and goes in search of his soul. She finds him on Earth, and sacrifices her immortality to join him. She will pursue him through every human incarnation, each lifetime, until they can return home to Eden, together.

Finding each other is only the beginning. Theophrastus is a scholar and healer, come back to the village where he was raised. Salvia married a merchant, her greatest joy her three young boys. When Apophis, god of chaos, meddles in the affairs of humans no one is safe. Will they find love again? Or is survival their greater obstacle?"

Femusing...FeMuse #3

Lucy O'Brien is Assistant Editor at IGN AU, and Carrie Fisher is her rolemodel. Follow her on IGN at Luce_IGN_AU,or @Luceobrien on Twitter.

I've always associated the word 'muse' as a sexual thing...something that inspires because one finds the subject sexy or attractive because of talent, looks, or other things that cause one to think outside themselves. My muses are Bruce Dickinson and Henry Rollins. Both are older men in the music industry, known for re-inventing themselves and helping the world become a better place.

I've decided it's time for me to express my appreciation for the feminists who use their gifts to make this planet a little more awesome with their presence. They don't need to be sexy, it's irrelevant. They just need to be women who make me want to stand up and CHEER.

 There are so many...Emma Watson, Susan Anthony, Gloria Steinem, Lydia Pajunen, Tina Turner, Joy Maruno, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, The list really is endless.

I have decided on three women who I can look at and think "Yeah! They did it. I can too!"

Number Three is Carrie Fisher. And it's not just because of Star Wars, although she's brilliant as Princess Leia. So iconic was the movie, and her role in it, that people still shout "Princess Leia!" and she still answers.

Did you know she's an author as well? Titles I've read are : Postcards from the Edge, Delusions of Grandma, Surrender the Pink, and The Best Awful. There are more. LOTS more. Carrie Fisher Author Page

What I like about her, both as an actor and an author is her willingness to bare all, GIVE all. She's an open soul.

She's blunt and honest. She speaks of her own mental illness without shame, shares it with readers in The Best Awful, and expects people to accept her as she is. She'll have it no other way.

She's funny. She pokes fun at herself in pages, in interviews and in cameo appearances. She'll joke about her experiences in rehab and her weight. That's refreshing in anyone, never mind a Hollywood starlet.

She's talented as Hell. I loved her as Princess Leia. And she was so young at the time! She gave kids like me a REAL princess to look up to, not a damsel in distress. One who put herself in charge of her own rescue when the boys got them shot at. That role was MADE for Carrie Fisher. Who else could have pulled it off?

I liked her in The Burbs. I loved her appearance in Ellen, the sitcom. I loved her cameo in Big Bang Theory. I love her in interviews.

I love her most as a writer. When I grabbed Postcards from the Edge, I confess it was just curiosity. I didn't expect much. So many actors try to branch off into other fields like books and music, only to find they can't make the transition. But Carrie made it look effortless. She spoke to me in her own personality, and somehow it worked. She knew what she was doing. She knows how to write.

I can't wait to rediscover her in her role as General Organa-Solo. Yes, I'm aware it's January, and I'm probably the only person who hasn't seen the new Star Wars movie. I've been kinda busy, so no spoilers, please. There's so many of her books I haven't read yet. I'm very much looking forward to reading those too.

I'm glad Carrie Fisher is back in a new Star Wars movie, because I'm glad I found her again.

The Elusive Joy.

She videotaped my wedding for me.

This is the first year I've dreaded New Year's Eve. DREADED it. I couldn't even look at Facebook. It was plastered with bright colors and sentimental drivel about wishes and opportunities and other things I knew weren't coming my way since I'm gearing up for what feels like the hardest year of my life.

Husband still isn't working. Work hours drying up. Bank account shrinking. Impending need to publish, even though I may or may not make a single cent off my work. If I can even figure out all the computer stuff I have to do to get there.

My favorite uncle came to visit, and I tried to make light of it. I don't want to worry him. He's a bit of a hero to me. When I think of my mortgage, I remember him telling me about the years he had to pay 17 percent interest on HIS mortgage. "How the hell did you manage?!" I asked. He shrugged, and said, "We did what we had to do."

We did what we had to do.

When I told him how I was worried about paying my mortgage, at a measly three percent, and that it's half my wage, he assured me, "You'll figure it out." He sounds so confident. After all, I'm his niece. I come from good stock, and a long line of feminists.

As far back as anyone can remember, we had an ancestor named Suzanna, who left her home in Lapland at seven years of age to get a job rocking a cradle for a rich family in England, so they say.  I think she was my great-great-great grandmother. My great-great-grandma was Ida, wife of Captain Mikkelson. I don't know much about her, but I can imagine being the wife of a sea-capatin meant long months alone with the children. Things they don't tell you until you are an adult: My great-grandmother, Lydia Pajunen gave birth to seven children. My grandmother, her sixth,  was her first child to live past three years of age. (She's now 93) Great-grandpa drank too much, so she took courses to become a successful midwife. My grandmother was married to my grandfather for over 50 years, despite the fact that he didn't believe in looking for work. He thought his reputation should bring work to him. They had four boys to feed, so grandma took on any job she could get, including writing articles for the local newspaper.

I want to surrender. I want to just pack in the writing thing and say fuck it. Usually, I embrace change. It's inevitable. It's the only thing in life you can consider an absolute, along with death. Why am I resisting? Because I'm not ready. I don't have the time, energy or money to embrace it. I don't want to self-publish, and I resent the fact that I have to do it RIGHT. NOW.

So tonight, my best friend Mel took me to a movie with gift cards she got for Christmas. The movie was called 'Joy', starring Jennifer Lawrence. I think the universe is trying to tell me something.

No spoilers, but a synopsis. Ms. Lawrence's character has a complicated family, and a stressful life. Good thing she's a smart cookie. The story drags Joy through hell, over and over, but she doesn't give up. She uses her smarts to invent a mop, and does everything in her power to make her product a success. She's savvy, determined and doesn't sell herself short. She stays true to herself.

I got the message.

I also got to spend time with Mel, a woman I still can't believe is my best friend. If you knew who we were in high school, you would agree that life is strange. I can spend a few hours with her, and she makes the hurts seems comical and handlable. She makes me happy, and she is good to her core. Time with her today made me realize I'm not alone. And that there are OTHER friends in my life I DO appreciate. As long as I have friends like Mel, Colleen, Kathy, Kevin, The Raju's and the Maguires and so many more, I'll be okay. I'll do what I have to do.

I'll be an armadillo. I feel my optimism returning.