August 16, 2017

Interview - Part 2 - FIRE, the Hunger

FIRE, the Hunger

Why did you pick the FIRE stories you selected?

I wasn't sure if there were stories that talked about the beginnings of FIRE. I knew there were ancient stories about discovering the wheel. So I went the online library and came across about 10 suitable stories. Plus, a few stories about FIRE gods:  Pele and her anger, and Greek and Roman gods, and a story from South America about the god that protected FIRE in the heath. Some worked and most did not. Then I came across stories from the Native Americans about who spread FIRE: Hummingbird, Beaver, Spider, and then the Monkeys who helped a lost Hunter with FIRE. Finally, I found a warning from the bushmen God Kaang, who "If humans had FIRE no harmony would last between trees, animals, and the humans. No longer could they speak with each other." That became the premise, the theme, for the plot - the dangers of FIRE and fear in animals. And as a child, when camping we had FIRE contained in a pit, and it was dangerously hot and tried to continually escape to eat whatever FIRE could.


August 2, 2017

Interview - Part 1 - 'FIRE, the Hunger'

FIRE, the Hunger

What made you decide to tell fire stories with the intriguing title ‘FIRE, the Hunger’?

When I was a child, I grew up in Colorado and loved the mountains. My Dad, cut timber up Highway 24 by Woodland Park, which at that time was not a city. My intrigue with Fire started then we kept it in the pit and burned our garbage and everything, tin cans, and shoes. Fire was very feared because it would burn the forests and take my dad’s job of cutting timber for buildings and making telephone poles.
When my Dad retired from that job because lumber was scarce in Colorado, we went camping every summer. I think every weekend. My Dad loved the outside so did my Mom; she was from the small farm in Limon, Colorado.
At camp, at night, my uncles made this big fire in a rock pit. They built the pit making sure no trees and no roots were near. They brought their wood or cut the dry wood for the trees. Cutting fire wood is not allowed today, too many fires burnt too many forests. 
We had a beautiful warm, actually hot, Fire at night with dancing sparks. When I looked into the air, the flames danced in the darkness. We were never allowed to start the fire or to feed it the wood. However, we could to roast hot dogs on long sticks and after wards melt or burn marshmallows.
 After the camp dinner, the men sat around the fire while the women cleaned up the dishes and put away the foods. Like a hunter's camp only in the summer with the kids and women could come. The men fed the fire and talked about their fishing adventures they had during the day. Now and then, they would drop into their hunting adventures. As the kids, we got to listen.
When the fire ate all the wood for that night, it was put out. Either smothered with dirt or drown with water on the glowing embers. The men killed Fire, so as not to have it escape into our camp or the forest. Sometimes the kids killed the fire.
Fire did burn if touched, always entrancing, magically, and ate all we gave and could turn into a monster taking what FIRE wanted eating everything in its path. As happened in our neighborhood about 20 years ago; 3,000 homes burnt. Now in North Bay in San Francisco where many friends and relations live. FIRE is a HORROR!
Children should know FIRE's charms and dangers.
FIRE, the Hunger

June 26, 2017

STORY, STORY, and more stories

STORY, STORY, and more stories ...

For the next month through NaNoWriCAMP, their July 2017 camp. I am pledge to write 10,000 words eight stories about FIRE, actually how gods of the ancients knew the humans should not handle fire---> which does escape from a dirt pit and eats everything around.

My writing progress will be posted with the Clarion Foundation Write-a-Thon for 8 finished stories.  And, stories will be published on my wattpad page called, 'FIRE, the Hunger.'

May 23, 2017

Where is the authorpreneur?


Frankly, I'm lost on a busy noisy downtown business district in a gigantic intersection lined with sky-scapers, packed with cars, buses, taxis, streetcars, bicycles, scooters, and pedestrians rushing everywhere among the loud noises. 

My car stopped at 'red' light in the intersection with multi lanes going in all directions: emails, websites, blogs, e-newsletters, subscribers, e-publishers, e-bookstores, e-books, PoDs, bookstores, libraries, info-products, podcasts, audios, and video production. All cramped into lanes waiting for the light to change. 

The green light directs "go" in my lane. I drive safely through the congested intersection while others wait, watching. When I'm on the other side, I park my car to open my computer to find 'where', 'when', 'how', and 'why' all the (^*%@*&~) traffic.

Long web lines attach from my computer stretching and dangling somewhere/anywhere from one site across to the next site in one massive jumble of links. I slip into tangle lines entranced by banners, ads, visuals, and promotions that hypnotize with flashing lights and fantastic hooks for marketing my stories. 

First, my blogs storyportfolio for my story art; then TheSTORYRealm for my verbal stories; and BlobBlobandBlogging for writing advice; LinkedIn.com for my resume and business As Is Productions; Flickr and Behance for art and photos; and my website Wordpress; for my e-newsletter
Eventing . . . a provider MailChimp which formats email and manages the lists; Facebook with professional pages ART and STORYTELLING; and @twitter; Pinterest for product sales; and google+ general posts.Then there are apps, plug-ins, and widgets for your websites and blogs; Comiclife and Canvas for design; Libsyn, Audacity, iTunes, and Soundcloud for podcasting and audios; webinars; google+ hangouts; and youtube channel for my storytelling videos. For challenges NANOWRIMO and the Clarion Write-a-Thon for writing; an AtoZBlog challenge to keep the stories coming. Then Scribd., Wattpad, and Bubblish for beta readers to enjoy my works-in-progress, on and on and on. 
 
All these sites have connecting links for my readers to post comments and links to their sites or friends.

Thus, Rhyonna's story has copyright, ISBNs, and LCCN# for paperback and Kindle on Amazon with an Amazon Author Page; listed on Smashwords for distribution to libraries and other ebook stores:  iBooks, Barnes&Nobles, Kobo and now on SELL-e for Librarians; and so featured on Goodreads.
 
--> Rhyonna and my stories happily and contently stream through the web catching readers and listener from one site or another. I close my computer and relax, waiting like a spider to capture visitors that stream enchanted through the vast buzz of STORY! Successfully, I accomplished my goal.

I love STORY!

I start my car and drive into the streaming traffic working on my next projects:  Vasalisa and The Elfin Letters.

May 5, 2017

WINNER 2017- Camp NaNoWriMo Survivor - # AtoZchallenge



During Camp NaNoWriMo, I wrote a story a day that I tell verbally. The stories were outlined for the events and characters. April 2017 as the last Camp in April 2016, I entered the #AtoZBlog challenge to posted a daily 'teaser' for the story on my blog The Story Realm. Also, the complete story posted daily at my site on Wattpad.com for my followers to read. The triple challenge is the best way to link the stories and reached readers. The super best are the links to reach followers on the other sites. My blog The StoryRealm has links to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, my Amazon page and emails that I used to send 'teaser' for the story to followers.

So written daily, the story posted on many sites for visits and comments from my followers.
This is a broad critique group that meets online and gives suggestions or can ignore the story. Comments or not, I have successfully written a story daily and notified my followers all done because I was under pressure at Camp NaNoWriMo to finish a project. So, I say, take all challenges, do your best, and while working on a project 'web' publish so others can see your progress.

THANK YOU all at NaNoWriMo and #AtoZchallenge ---> I'm one who needs a challenge and a goal to feel success, especially the bonus of the certificates that state, 'WINNER' and SURVIVOR which were earned and well deserved.