Concerning Puffy Clouds and Kansas

****Interrupting this post before it's even begun to shamelessly promote the short story I posted this week on Tangled Fiction. It's a little on the experimental side of things for me in that it is vaguely SciFi (which, I should note, I LOVE to read, but rarely write). You can read SECOND STAR RUN by clicking........here.****

This weekend, my dad came up for a visit, which was perfect because autumn in Kansas is nothing like autumn in Mississippi and I was ten kinds of excited to get to show off my town in all it's autumnal glory. Our first thought was to take him out to the Konza prairie. This isn't right in our backyard, but it's worth the hour long westward drive because the fields are rolling and all shades of rusty gold and brown. There were going to be buffalo and tallgrasses and puffy clouds the likes of which my dad had never seen. It was going to be grand. He was going to fall into unexpected love with Kansas; which, I might argue, is how everyone who wasn't born here comes to love Kansas - suddenly and with quiet passion.

But then we discovered that KSU was playing MSU at KSU.

And I cried because that meant insurmountable traffic and no buffalo.*

So instead, we decided to take dad somewhere closer to home: The Haskell/Wakarusa/Baker/Lawrence Wetlands (why, yes, there is controversy over what they're called...). I'd been there before, but in the dead heat of summer when the boardwalk could burn the rubber from your shoes and you could barely breathe for the butterflies.** Dad thought it sounded great so away we went!

Only to discover the wetlands aren't so wet in autumn time. In fact, they look no a little bit like the prairie I intended to take him to in the first place. WIN! A beautiful, puffy-clouded win.

Of course, I forgot my fancy camera, so all of my photos were taken on my fancy phone instead. So, I apologize for the photo spam, but I would like to share with you a few of the reasons I love Kansas a la photo essay.

REASON #1
Puffy clouds and cattails



REASON #2
I don't think you know what I mean when I say TALLgrasses
(PS - This is where the water is supposed to be.)



REASON #3
SWAMPS! Seriously, Kansas has all the things!



REASON #4
Labyrinth was filmed here.***



REASON #5
Humor.



*This was an exaggeration.
**So was this.
***.....yeah, this, too.

Better than a bear trap?

In the next few weeks, I'll be going to Alaska for a week. It's not a vacation, but a business trip, which might not sound all that exciting, but a business trip with scientists and researchers is rarely dull.

When we asked what we should pack for a trip to Alaska in March, we were given a single item and it wasn't one that any of us was expecting to hear.  I mean, if you're going to Alaska and there is ONE thing that's essential for your survival, I'm thinking reflective blanket, a bear trap or maybe a grappling hook. I wasn't expecting rubber boots.

How can rubber boots be the Most Essential Thing I will need? I was under the rather strong assumption that Alaska is not a swamp or even a wetland. It's not below sea level, right? But when we asked for any other packing guide, we were given a stoic shake of the head and, again, the words: rubber boots.

So, I'm thinking this is pretty serious and I do NOT want to get to Alaska without the crucial piece of my wardrobe, but searching rubber boots on Google is about as useful as searching for comfortable bras. It's just not helpful.

Do I go for the standard, reliable rubber boot?



Something more fun and artsy?



Something trendy?



Or something totally industrial and uninteresting?



I just don't know. And I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. Like this ->  O_O

It totally depends on what the purpose is. Are these for safety and comfort? Or is this a fashion thing to keep us from sticking out like the big Kansan thumbs?

Do you wear rubber boots? Any insight to share with me? I'm listening.

Also, and unrelatedly, you can check out a short story by moi on Tangled Fiction today.  Every forth week we're each posting single-authored shorts to change things up a bit. Today, mine is Butterfly Girl.

Things that have to do with writing

I'm writing this from beneath a giant moose head. And by giant, I mean, a moose head of EPIC proportions. It grows out of the wall complete with it's own forest. Giant, GIANT moose head.

What does that have to do with writing? Well, more than you'd expect, I suppose. He's the ever-watchful guardian of 23 writers currently challenging the strength of the internet and power lines in Branson, Missouri. He sees EVERYTHING. He knows EVERYTHING. By which, I mean he tweets - @FreddytheMoose. Follow him for the bird's eye view of this little retreat in the snow.

And now for things that follow numbers!

1. On Friday, as I was madly scrambling to get my house and bags in order, I wrote a complete short story for Tangled Fiction and actually posted. It's called "Water Sacrifice" and I'm quite pleased with it. Here's the snippet meant to entice you. . .
    
I was twelve the day my papa took me to the clinic in Old Ogallala. He left me in the small waiting room where green light filtered through the spill of lettuce, tomato, and green bean plants in the sky gardens outside while he disappeared down a narrow hallway to speak with the nurse. The air was filled with buzzing and the distant sounds of a radio, but the waiting room was empty except for the girl sitting behind the desk. She held a book to her face and made no signs of having an interest in conversation. I picked a seat and waited staring at a sign that read, “No Water Kept on Premises!”  
2. Every evening we are here, there is a selection of authors doing a LIVE SHOW hosted by Jackson Pearce. Join in tonight, when Carrie Ryan will be reading a teaser of The Dark and Hollow Places (which is a zombie book and in spite of this, I am not afraid of her). Live chat show time is 8pm EST. Go here to see the show: http://www.livestream.com/jacksonpearce
   
3. I'm really and truly horrible at foosball. I didn't know this had anything to do with writing, but it does.

Reminders marching two by two

"To draw, you must close your eyes and sing." - Pablo Picasso

Just a quick reminder that the final edition of The Cello Project is up (here!) and comes with a small contest to mark the occasion. In addition to announcing the winners tomorrow, I'm also pulling together a blogroll of year long creative projects going on in 2011. If you've got one and you'd like to be creative in community, drop a link here or in the contest post and I'll include it.


"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." - Maya Angelou

We're posting like mad on Tangled Fiction. We kicked off the year with a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood called Lady of the Ax, and I've started a new piece this week called Strange Tongue. It's here, if you missed it, with more to come later today from Valerie.

Friday Fribbles

My ancestry is pretty much a European hodge-podge of genetic stuff.  The family tree has branches from Italy, Scotland, Ukraine, England, and Slovakia.  But thanks to Maggie's recent trip, she's discovered that there is also a branch from Hungary.  The seriously cranky branch, specifically, and where my pout undoubtedly hails from.  See the proof she brought me...



It's only slightly disturbing.  Of course, I love her dress and I'm keen on the idea of having family ties to the artist, Munkacsy Mihaly.  I'm also keen on the idea that one day soon I'll meet The Doctor and have an adventure (carrying buckets?) in 19th century Hungary.

And in other Friday news, we've got two full stories up on Tangled Fiction for December and I can't decide which I like better.  Check out BETHLEHEM for some post-apocalypic holiday spirit and I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU for something of a serious creepfest!  

BUST*

*Some deadlines were harmed in the making of this post.

I had to release my self-imposed deadline to the winds sometime around Sunday. As I stood hip deep in my wip, I realized that in the process of making the whole thing better, I was making specific parts worse. That's when the hacksaw came out and words were flying into the recycle bin like there was no tomorrow. 

I don't have a final count for all that I cut, but it was easily more than 5k. So, I have something to show for all of those lattes, but it's not what I was hoping to have. But that's the way it goes.

BUT! On the topic of deadlines I *did* manage to meet, I have two finished products to present.

One - The November edition of the cello VLog, in which I discuss the relationship between the cello and Greek Myth (sort of).

&

Two - My first solo short story on Tangled Fiction. I'm thinking there should be a clever name for our solo stories like Not So Tangled Fiction or Loosely Tangled Fiction.  Okay, okay, in any case, it's up and here's a preview.

PROPHET

This is my curse: I will tell you your future, but you won’t believe me.

***

My apartment was tiny, which was why the trainer’s sharp knock sounded like a volcano erupting through my front door.

He was short and round and gruff, and he made no attempts at polite introductions. “You’re that prophet chick, yeah?” His voice was no surprise, shattered and coarse.

Pulling the Tangled Pieces Together

I have an announcement to make. It's one of the little ones, but it feels sort of major and a little profound.

The ladies of Tangled Fiction have put their heads together (yes, I'm aware I'm speaking about myself in the third person) to make this thing we're doing even more accessible. We have heard from a few readers that they prefer waiting until Friday to read the full story all in one go and we think this is pretty keen and have been brainstorming on how to make this easier. And we've done it. Prepare yourselves.

We have created an archive of Tangled Fiction Fulls.

Impressive, right? Once the story has been posted in full, we'll be compiling all of the pieces into a single document and loading them into the archive. This will be hosted over on the Blogger side of things because it's just easier that way. If you visit us there you will notice that we have installed IntenseDebate in order to thread comments, so please use that feature! It will let you comment as a guest, create an IntenseDebate profile, or sign-in with your Twitter or Facebook account.

The Tangled Trio now has two completed shorts up and and I have to say our latest is my favorite so far. Seeing where Valerie and Lacey took this one was exhilarating. You can find it here: What Wishes Are Made Of.