A Few Winter Tips

With Winter looming right around the corner I wanted to share a few tips for keeping your skin soft and protected. Colder air and more exposure to the dry heat of furnaces and central heat can do lot of damage to your skin, especially if it tends to be dry or sensitive.

The last thing any of us wants is to feel greasy or gunky, and a lot of heavier makeups tend to feel that way. A lighter option is to go for a tinted moisturizer with a built in SPF of 15 or higher. You can use this as your makeup or under your regular makeup for a light shield of protection against the elements. I like to use moisturizer, let it set, then use my mineral makeup. That way I stay moisturized and protected with a good coverage of SPF 15.

If you have super dry skin you can use cocoa butter or coconut oil as your moisturizer. Leave it on for 10 minutes and blot off the excess. The cocoa butter feels icky and heavy at first, but is a heavy duty moisturizer/protectant. It also blots off nicely, which is why I sometimes use it before bed. In the morning you do your usual face wash routine and your skin is very soft and smooth! Same thing goes for coconut oil, however it is lighter in feel but very slippery at first. The coconut oil usually soaks in after a few minutes.

Either of these heavier moisturizers can work under tinted moisturizer or makeup, but you must blot off the excess or you will have a mess! You can also use cocoa butter as a lipbalm. It works very well for that. I personally use Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula. It is the one brand I am not allergic to! Also, there is no stinging or burning.

Guys can use these moisturizers too, but remember to blot off the extra.

Regardless of where you live, don't forget the SPF of 15 or higher to shield your delicate skin against the UVA and UVB rays. The rays that can cause skin cancer can still get through in the winter as well as reflect off snow. If you enjoy outdoor sports, like skiing, you are at risk so be safe and sun block with an SPF.

Also protect your hair with caps or hoods. Did you know your hair can actually freeze and break off? Yeah, weird right? I usually cram mine up under a warm cap or wrap a warm winter (woolen) scarf over my head and around my neck. Keeps me warmer and protects my hair too. On really cold days I love my old gray sweatshirt hoodie. It is so soft and so thick, I just pull that hood up over my head and snuggle back in the cocoon of warmth. It's also great under a heavy coat.

Okay, I kinda got off my usual track. *laughs* But I wanted to share a few tips that work for me with my sensitive skin that remains very pale year 'round. I hope some of these little tips will work for you too.

Noises in the Night

As a writer a lot of things can inspire you, and a lot of things can distract you. As a life-long night owl I've always found it difficult if not impossible to sleep at night like normal people. My family gave me grief over it when I was growing up, telling me over and over to do this or stop that, that there was nothing wrong with me that discipline would not cure. I thought that was laughable considering I was often the most disciplined one there. Also, they were battling against a lifetime of insomnia that nothing could cure and they didn't understand.

Fast forward to a lifetime later, and here I sit before my computer
at 3:30 a.m. working away on my latest book. It is quiet, dark and peaceful. My loved ones sleep, our pets are snoozing contentedly so what's not to love?

Oh, yeah. Noisy neighbors. We moved out of the big city, we moved out of the small noisy town, to get away from the damn noise! Yet here it is, following us like a stalker.

Every night, ah hem, morning there is the rumble of a large truck in need of a new muffler breaking the silence as it grumbles and splutters in the night. Sometimes this goes on for half an hour, other times it cuts off after a few minutes. It is often accompanied by the godawful racket of loud music with heavy bass jarring everything around it, literally shaking the house.

So tonight I hear this sound, as usual, groan a little and wait it out. After a bit the truck is silent, then twenty minutes later its rumbling again and driving off. At 3 a.m. Thinking that's it for the moment I hear--I swear this is what went through my mind-- a good sized blender driving up and down the dirt road in front of our house. The visuals give me a snicker or two, but as that fades the sound of a big motorboat passes by, making me shake my head. I live in a fucking cartoon! I swear it.

I'll admit that sound carries weird out where we live. Noises far off carry as though they are a few feet away, something a few feet away sounds like it is coming in from miles away.

But as a writer, you often put sounds together and let the story unfold in your mind. Sounds, smellls, colors, snippets of music all build into a tale in your head. In part, it is a good thing, but sometimes you wish the loud, noisy inconsiderate folk would have the decency to shut the fuck up at midnight. Some people actually get to sleep at night! Let them do so in peace.

As for me, now that it is quiet, I am going back to my writing where demons and angels war for possession of mortals and vampires are not always the bad guys. Yeah, it's fantasy and I love it! Also, with a dash of eroticism thrown in it's not at all bad calling it work!

Getting Published

Well, it has been a busy and exciting few weeks! I've got good news to share along with this update. For anyone trying to follow me on this blogger site, apologies for being so random and sporadic. Unfortunately, I've kept journals about as accurately off and on since I was 8 or 9.

I've been pretty upfront about being a writer and mentioning some of the ups and downs associated with being a writer. After numerous publications in various forms and appearing in a few anthologies and the like, one of my books is being published.

I've had AFTER DARK accepted for publication through BOOKTROPE! I'm very excited and a little nervous, as this is my first experience working with this kind of publisher. It's a team effort and everyone has particular skills and duties on the team. It sure is different from self publishing or other traditional forms publishing, so I'm getting the hang of it.

Booktrope is a newer publisher with an insane amount of talented people connected to it, along with tons of very skilled, creative authors that make me want to read everything! I'm very honored to be around such amazing people and talent; I'm feeling very blessed at the moment and a bit dazed.

The book that they accepted on August 14th is a collection of short horror tales that I put together with adults who love to read, but are short on time, in mind. Those little lulls in the day when you pick the kids up from school, are waiting in the doctor's office or are stuck at the DMV, with 15 to 20 minutes to kill and do not want to read the last year's copy of Vogue or Sports Illustrated, or worse are sick of the online news flow of insincere overbloated fake news. I don't care how much you love or hate the Kardashians, one of them in a pair of high priced ugly shoes does not make for newsworthy feed. OK so I'm getting old, right? *laughs*

As a writer I want to entertain, to tell a good story and make you think, creep out, cry or laugh. I want to move you in some way, and hopefully make your day a little bit better. I have no desire to become the next Hemingway, even though I love his work. It would be too much pressure and I'm not capable of drinking that much! I'm definitely a one or two drink person, more than that and I start to sound about as rational as Spongebob. Also, I write like shit if I drink, so give me a tall glass of iced tea or a slushy cola and I'm good to go. Oh, and chocolate, lots of chocolate! That is what makes the world go 'round.

Last but not least, I want to share my book blurb with you (it may get some tweaks before publication):

    Restless spirits roam forgotten haunts, demons rise to play on the fears of the unsuspecting, lovers overcome death to reunite. Some seek the warmth of companionship, some thirst for blood, others simply hunger for flesh. Dungeons, witches, demons and more haunt the pages within.
    Twenty two short tales of terror, from the unknowable, to the monstrous and beyond, to chill, thrill and captivate the imagination. They all come out After Dark.

Still Running

I'm still trying to get back on track. I've been re-editing one book while writing on two others. Progress is not too bad, but it would seem that I've caught a stomach bug somehow. Fortunately, the bug is not too bad and should be history in a day or two. While it's a pain in the ass, and it does slow me down a bit, at least I can still keep working! Yay!

While visiting Facebook one of my favorite groups has been putting up pics of their black cats for Black Cat Appreciation Day. Now, their cats are a jaguar and a leopard, so they are amazing photos of stunning cats. The Wildcat Sanctuary has some of the most beautiful furry residents and it is always a treat to see new photos from them. (This is also a charity I support via Amazon Smiles program. I would like to do more in the future but we are facing some pricey renovations to the house, so...)

After I stop in at FB I like to attempt to hit a few other sites, but have been negligent lately. But I've been negligent for very good reasons. I've been writing like mad and editing a ton. So, I'm pretty happy with the results, even if I do need to play catch up on my blog, etc.,

For those who are familiar with HELLFIRE I am working on a sequel of sorts to that. It is set in the same, slightly skewered reality, which is about two steps off from ours, and this time we get to meet Paula Martin's niece, a powerful witch and occult expert, named Perry. After talking with her aunt and Krista Chancellor, Perry believes something unnatural and evil took place at the home her aunt once lived in. It is across the way from the Carstairs Estate and that means trouble.

So, this is what I've been doing while partially disappearing! With the summer being so hot and sticky, I just kinda buried my head in the sand and worked.

As A Writer

You are told when you first start out that you will need this special pen, this neat desk, these important advice books, this lamp and so on. As a budding new writer, one who has decided to take their scribbles and do something with them, or at least try to, you get a lot of advice as to what you will have to have, what you must have to undertake this path.

First off, most of these have to's are pure bullshit. You really only need a notebook and a pen. Really. Seriously. That is it. A good paperback dictionary is also a good thing.

When I first knew I wanted to write, I was about 9. After several years of doodles and scribbles and really awful stories, I pursued art for awhile, then returned to writing. By the age of 15 I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to write. I wanted to entertain with stories. I had no grand dream of writing the great American novel, that always seemed pompous to me. I simply wanted to tell good tales.

For many years I wrote everything in spiral notebooks and on college ruled loose leaf notebook paper. Thick three ring binders were my best friends. It takes years to learn your craft, to grow and develop as a writer. When you reach that point where you are ready to submit to an editor or agent or publisher, you need two things: a typewriter (way back then) or a computer today and a copy of Writer's Market for short stories & novels. The basic manuscript mechanics are detailed in the WM. But you can also go to your local library and save yourself $28. These are the basic tools, nothing else. With so many publishers accepting electronic submissions, you are spared the expense of postage, mailer bags, good paper and carbon for copies.

Today's new writer has it a lot easier than those of us from the 80's or early 90's had it. With the ability to keep track of submissions and manuscript copies, and saving a copy of outgoing mail in your email it makes taking writing seriously a lot easier. It still does not hurt to keep a ledger on hand so you can jot down what you sent where and to whom. I find that is a good way to keep track of all my submissions in one easy to find place. But it isn't a have to have.

Anyone tell you a whole long list of things you need, is full of shit. Your biggest tool and asset is your imagination and creativity. Learn to check your spelling and grammar, use your spell check often and consistently and you have overcome the hurdles. Oh, and try to cultivate a professional manner, it will take you farther than anything else.

The Real Work

You know it's a funny fact of life when you're a writer you go through a lot of ups and downs, joys and pains. When you are writing, you are creating, you are world building, you are developing characters, hoping they will turn into people, not just some random cardboard cut-out that you push around on the page.

After the creating, after the hard but enjoyable effort of crafting a story, you get hit with the REAL work: edits and proofs and sweating bullets. Probably the hardest thing to face is your new baby's flaws. It isn't fun, it isn't easy, but it will make your work 100% better in the long run.

This is where I have been lately. My big book of sexy romps and secret twists and turns must be faced head on and told what it needs to be put through to make it the best story it can be. I often liken this process to trimming the fat. You want to take off the excess fat, but leave enough there to flavor the meat (if you are a meat eater), because if there is too much fat it ruins a good cut, and if there is too little it will be dry and tough.

When this manuscript was put into the proper format for submission, it hit 907 pages. Eek! It also came close to 250K words. Yikes. Now this behemoth is being scrutinized, re-read and edited, trimmed, then gone over again. Honestly, if not for Cain's help on this book, it would not be ready for anyone else to see for another 6 months at least! He is a life saver, and a fair judge of what could be smoothed out or streamlined.

One of the processes we are going through, is reading sections out loud for flow and sense. What sounds awesome in your head can sound like garbled shit on the page. Trust me, I have often written some pretty shitty monkey-speech, Now it's on with the pooper scooper and (crossing fingers!) a tighter, smoother book that is not 900+ pages long!

Finished: My Pet Vampire

Well, I finally finished MY PET VAMPIRE the novel. This piece started out as a short story of 3,297 words and only 9 pages long. I had the idea and notes for it as far back as 2008, but did not finish the story until 2012. After some friends kept urging me to write more, do more with it, I finally took their advice. I started the novelization process on 1-15-2015 and finished it on 5-20-2015. The finished book is 574 pages and 225,995 words.

For the past four months I have had tunnel vision, working to get this completed by the time I set my goal at. Now, it is the editing and proof reading part of the process. I usually do a little of the editing as I write, but there is always the final edits to see to before it can be submitted or published.

So far, I am really pleased with the story. After several years away from the story I returned to find my short story had exploded into a big book with an entirely different kind of vampire.

I have always loved vampire stories (or any kind of paranormal story) but grew tired of seeing the standard shlocky rip off of Dracula (loved Stoker's book but not many of the follow up copy-cats) I don't care for shiny, sparkly or poofy emo vamps either.

I wanted something different, something that could step into the 21st century with us and thrive amidst our tech age and media presence. I feel that I have accomplished that.

In Progress-April 12, 2015 Sunday

    It has been a long time since last posting on here. Between dealing with pain and getting to write after a long dry spell blogging was not as high a priority as it should have been. To be honest I am a creature of habit and very weird schedules which means if I get out of the habit it is a bitch of a time getting back on track.
    Currently I am working on five different pieces. If I work on less I get bored, irritated and cannot write worth a damn. With several different pieces going I feel like I have more freedom, more room to create. I know it sounds silly but it is true.
    Some time ago when I was active on the Scribd site, I put up a copy of a short work called MY PET VAMPIRE. The story received a lot of comments, compliments and some intriguing PMs. The thing that surprised me was the repeated comments asking for more, wanting to know when the novel would be finished. I said it was only a short story, but I DID listen to their comments and suggestions. After more than two years I re-read the piece and finally saw the whole story emerge.
    I started the novelization on 1-15-2015. It is close to being finished now at well over 100,000 words. I have not been focusing on word length but on telling the story that needs to be told.
    After years on the back burner, I am revisiting my in progress novel BLACK LOTUS. It starts out with an ancient Egyptian theme which involves the life of a priest of Ra and his servant, as the story unfolds to embrace the Burning Times, a young girl falsely accused of witcthcraft and a very curious vampire, it spans many years and changes in the world.
    REVELATION is a paranormal/romance/erotica tale that was almost stolen from me by a publisher thought to be reputable. The incident made me very wary of the big guys and I began to cringe at the unsavory and criminal behaviors of some publishers. To be honest most publishers are up front about their business and contracts, but the ones who are not are nightmares to deal with. Anyway, I am polishing this up for submission or I may self publish.
    INKED is a fun (for me to write! haha) modern day romance tale of a desperate screenwriter who gets stuck on the way to the meeting that can set her up for life. Along comes a sexy biker who rescues her and whisks her off to her destination. Along the way is a lot of humor, fun and sexy moments.
    The fifth piece is called (working title for now) BY PROXY and is a continuation of MY PET VAMPIRE.
    In the meantime I am revisiting HELLFIRE and a WIP called IMP which picks up after HELLFIRE. They tie into a multi book story and share a world-reality that I need to get my head wrapped round better before I go any further. With HELLFIRE I have gotten a lot of likes, good commentary and so on, but the one complaint is that it moves so fast, too fast, so I have been considering slowing the warp 9 pace a wee bit.
    So, yeah, I have kinda had my head up my ass these past few months what with working like a lunatic and fighting off the pains of RA. Honestly, the work distracts me enough to help me forget how much it hurts.