Writing Field Trip

Writing Field Trip

While I am normally posting a poem or three, today isn't going to be Poetry Thursday. I am going to Cassadaga, Fl today to have a nice writing field trip. Getting away from the normal places and having a nice picnic by the lake. A little background on Cassadaga, if you've never heard of it. It is claimed to be super haunted, and it is also has the largest number of spiritualists living in one place. It is very peaceful, the air just feels calm when you get outside. No Paranormal Activity 3 shit here. 


If anyone knows me, they know I am a skeptic about everything. But today I am going orb hunting. I'm not expecting anything, but I think it will be fun nonetheless. It will be just me and my fiance. So I am looking forward to today. Just sitting by the lake, absorbed in our notebooks. 

Concerning NaNoWriMo

So I've been reading a lot of posts about NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month for those of you that squinted at the strange jumble of letters haphazardly capitalized. Opinions concerning NaNo are never tepid; they are either burning hot or freezing cold. In short--people either Love or Hate NaNo.
I was actually getting geared up, and then the negative posts outnumbered the positive ones. 


Things I've heard about NaNoWriMo+

• Write a novel in a month
• Wonderful community
• Caffeine
• Literary abandon
• 50,000 freaking words

Things I've heard about NaNoWriMo-

• Encourages people to write crap(quantity over quality)
• Nothing of substance to work with
• And just about everything else dissing it

With all the bad rap, it is hard to be as excited as I previously was. As writers we know this: like it or not, words do influence people. Maybe they always shouldn't, but they do. A lot of the posts I've been reading put a really bad spin on things. They make it seem like no legitimate novelist would be caught dead participating in NaNoWriMo. It's not like I actually think I will win or anything, but all the nay-sayers are kind of a downer. 


I will be doing NaNoWriMo this year. At the beginning of things it was just about completing the goal, but you know what. I'm going to try to prove the nay-sayers wrong and write an amazing kick-ass first 50,000 words of my novel by December 1st. This novel has been forming itself in my head for about three years, all that's left to do is let it down on paper and word document. And with that, I wish you all a happy National Novel Writing Month whether you are excited about it or wish the participants ill will.


Write on...

Danny Marble and the Application for Non-Scary Things by Jessica McHugh

Danny Marble and the Application for Non-Scary Things is the first book I've read from Jessica McHugh, but it certainly won't be my last. From the first page I was intrigued, and could instantly relate to Danny Marble. I know my nightmares aren't real, but that doesn't make them any less terrifying. Also, I know the burden they can cause others, so it is best to tuck them away and deal with them on your own. The imagery is captivating and I am devouring it like the moon did the cow. As if his home problems aren't bad enough, his school problems are just as bad with constant mockery and bullying from his peers. Danny’s three scary things are very real and so is his bullying arch-nemesis Edmond Gray. The only thing positive in his world of grey is Jenna Vale. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I will just say this: A dream sends him to another world which is masterfully blended with Greek mythology. Danny Marble goes on the ultimate hero’s journey without the nasty downfall of hubris. I would recommend this to kids of any age and the kid in all of us. I will be keeping my eyes open for more Jessica McHugh books. 

Hourglass: A Poem

My hourglass is cracked

How would you react?

If every second

Extra grains of life

Slipped right through.

What would you do?

The times it can be turned

Has gone to the max.

I’m at death’s door

I just sent them a fax

All because of my

Cracked hourglass.

Others have bigger ones

Taller and wider

Filled with more sand

With a smaller divider

The sand grains flow slowly

So longer the life

There’s nothing to do now

But sit and wait

No glue can help me

It‘s far too late.

My hourglass is cracked

And my proverbial bags are packed

To cross to the land of death

Where all dead things go

Souls left to roam

All because their hourglass 

They were entombed  

In the endless sea of souls

I watched as the last grain

Fell through the crack

All of this time

I can never get back

Now I’m just another soul

Looking for home. 

Hidden[A short horror story]

Hidden

“Stay awake. Everything will be okay if I can just stay awake.” David urged himself, eyes bloodshot sipping the remnants of a quickly disappearing pot of coffee. He would do anything to stay awake, his  life depended on it. His tongue favored the empty sockets in his mouth. A casualty from the first time he resigned himself to sleep.


Seconds after closing his eyes, he found himself in a makeshift dentist’s office: No anesthetics, primitive tools, strapped to a chair. He couldn’t see the dentist, but he could trace every movement. Someone prying his mouth open. The clumsy exploration with sub par tools. The feel of knives and pliers. The sickening crunch of relenting tooth, the stab of shards unharvested. Pure agony as tooth and knife and hard metal danced with blood and spit. 


Desperately screaming for help, but nothing comes out. Just gushing blood and the taste of pure fear. The dentist said nothing, merely laughing at David’s distress while extracting the teeth. Three teeth stolen, overwhelming pain radiating from the freshly made holes. Nearly choking on his own blood David heard the dentist say one thing. “The clues to immortality lie hidden within you, we have come to harvest them.” then he unstrapped David and vanished with the teeth.


The moment David stood up his eyes flashed open and he was on his now bloodstained couch. He ran to the mirror and his greatest fear had been realized. Whatever he’d experienced was reality, the three teeth were missing and there was blood all over him. David vowed never to sleep again, he didn’t care if it drove him mad. Anything was better than being some sort of human treasure map to immortality. He would die before that happened, though he feared death would come either way. 


After that terrifying incident David started brewing coffee: pot after pot after pot. Draining each in quick succession. If he could’ve injected the coffee straight into his veins, he would have. Though there was a good chance he might bleed coffee if he somehow drifted to his perilous slumber and got hurt. 


Dave was beyond exhausted, but the caffeine kept his eyelids at attention. He jumped at every sound, and expected the worst around every corner. His trips to the bathroom were frequent. The sight of the shower gave him hope. Not the full-fledged, everything will be okay kind of hope. More like the decaying shell of hope that might stay together just long enough to tease, then deteriorate beyond recognition.


He shed his coffee-stained clothing and stepped into the shower. A cold shower killed erections, maybe the same could be said about fear. His shaking hands clasped the knob and he turned it all the way to the left. For a moment frigid water rained down followed by scalding hot water. Steam went up in billows, fogging his glass shower doors. He tried to adjust the water, getting it no cooler than a very hot shower. The shower door caught his eye, in the fogged glass there was a message.

If you Leave, You Will Die

Was he dreaming? Did he somehow fall asleep? He didn’t feel asleep. Obeying the ominous message, he remained in the shower. He couldn’t adjust the temperature and the water slowly but surely lulled him to sleep.

…

Shrouded in mist. Distant screams, floating figure caught David’s eye. The growl of demons approaching unsettled his caffeine riddled brain. Sharp claws poisoned his belly. Thick, muddled blood dripping in a slow but constant manner. Drip. Drip. Drip. His insides were burning, and his blood pooling, collecting ion a container that was ripe for the taking. 


The demons retreated, but still he was bleeding. A distant voice, approving his blood. “The key to immortality lies hidden within you.” his eyes flashed and his shower was red with his blood mixed with water. Carnage all over. He knew he was going to die. 


Helpless, he let the water rush over him. Poison receding, all that remained were four small gouges and lethargy started to set in. The fight was draining him, as was his energy. He didn’t yet resign himself to death, but he did the next worst thing. He resigned himself to sleep.

…

Unintelligible whispers enveloped him, planting the seeds of paranoia within. You will die…but in good time. They will harvest what they need, first. Only then will they discard your bloody corpse like the garbage it is. He tried to drive the voices from his head, but they found a home there. High levels of sleep deprivation coupled with intense fear and pain were the perfect breeding ground for the voices to live and flourish. 


Dave, consumed by the voices, completely unaware of the cloaked figure approaching. The figure scanned David’s naked, bloody body for the perfect patch of skin. It would know it when it saw it. For the briefest moment, a portion of his skin glowed red. Drawing the knife, the figure began to carve the swatch of skin away. 


David’s screams of agony waned as the voices grew louder. You will die…there is no reason to fight it. Physical pain is just temporary. Soon you will be nothing. The voices assured him. The figure had the dripping, flaccid flesh in its hand. Before leaving, it said one thing. “The key to immortality lies hidden within you.” The figure disappeared and the voices quelled. 


David woke up in the shower shaking, covered in his own blood. Intense pain spanned his entire leg and stomach. The thought of food repulsed him, and he couldn’t get up. The skinless area of his thigh was large enough to surround his hand with at least an inch on each side. The water still ran hot, which was strange because his hot water heater was never this kind.


Generally after a twenty minute hot shower it would take ages to conjure more. The stray drops of water stung his leg, keeping him just conscious enough to keep himself awake. The bathroom lights went out, and the message on the shower door glowed red. David wasn’t sure if the pain had caused him to grow delirious, or if the message he saw was real. 


Mustering every ounce of energy and will power, he crawled to the shower doors. Trying his damnedest to pry the doors open, they would not open. The metal sides of the shower door were gouging deep under the nails on his nails on his trembling fingers. Pounding on the shower doors, he could not get out. Trapped. He was trapped.


Fist clenched, bloodied nails digging into the flesh of his hand he pounded on the glass. It wouldn’t give. He pounded and pounded and pounded. The pounding stopped only when Dave collapsed. Upon collapsing he passed over to the land of sleep.

…

Dave came to in a grimy operating room. The cold metallic table froze his fevered flesh. A surgeon approached the gurney in jet black scrubs, he had lowing red eyes. The hellish surgeon began hastily sawing limbs off, binding them about the amputation site. Both arms and both legs had been removed.


The voices settled around Dave once more, calming his earsplitting scrams. David wasn’t going anywhere, so the surgeon took the opportunity to search through the limbs with reckless abandon. He harvested the left femur, the right ulna, and all ten fingers. The bones had been secured. The surgeon left, replaced by a surgeon in red scrubs, with black piercing eyes. He used his scalpel to perform a living autopsy on Dave. The surgeon was after one thing--his heart. He harvested it and said one thing to David’s lifeless body.


“The key to immortality has been found because of you.”


Dave didn’t wake up, but his shell of a body remained in his shower, water still running. 

Autumn Inspired Poems

Florida Faux Fall

Oak trees filtering

The light from above

Maple leaves

Crunching

Beneath your feet

Nowhere to be found

On the Florida ground

A chill in the air

Just a momentary tease

Never enough

To freeze even bees

Candy Apples

Apples harvested

Candied with care

Ready to hand out

To anxious girls

And eager boys.

Unaware of the

Metallic treat inside

First bite

Always safe

Second bite

Nothing there

Third bite

Draws blood

Everyone’s favorite 

Time of year

Razor blades

And candy apples

Go together like

Scarecrows and 

candy corn.

Pumpkins

And candles.

Black cats 

And skeletons.

Candy apples

And razorblades

Victim: Identity Unknown

My latest victim

Safely hidden

Until it’s time

To operate.

Tools in hand

Steady their face

Carving out one eye

And then the other.

Fluid leaking

Messy

The nose must be

Removed

Finally, 

Out with the mouth. 

After all body parts 

Are properly removed

And cleaned

I sit back

And admire

My jack-o-lantern 

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy

I'm so pleased with all of the positive feedback and support that I've been getting for Don't Ask, Don't Tell: A Month in Reformation Hall. This project started out as nothing, a simple few hundred words typed in a word document, closed and forgotten. That is, until September, 16 of this year. I found the words and a story emerged. At that time I thought it was going to be a short story, or maybe a novelette tops. But now it is turning into a fully fledged YA novel, and I couldn't be happier. This one is going along rather quickly. Already at 20,000 words with no signs of slowing down. If you've missed the synopsis flying around, here it is:


Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is an anti-gay policy sweeping the Bible Belt portion of the nation. Freshman journalism student Rachael Ainsley goes undercover as a high school senior named Cassie Rae for a tell-all exposé, hoping to drastically alter the Gay Rights Movement. She instantly befriends the gayest boy in school. Imagine his surprise when he finds out who she is…

Cover

 “I’m Zane. These are the consequences.”

He handed her a small booklet.

ANTI-Distraction PRO-Education

Handbook

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy

1. No student may openly discuss their sexual orientation if it lies outside of the traditional man-woman pairing.
2. No student may take another student of the same sex to a dance or school function as anything more than friends. 
3. No same sex student may show any public displays of affection [PDA].
4. No male student may wear female clothing.
5. No male student may wear make-up.
6. All books addressing or promoting homosexuality are hereby banned. 
7. If any student makes their unfavorable sexual orientation known they will thereby forfeit their gym class, which will be replaced by Reformation Hall.
8. Students forfeit inclusion in sports and extra-curricular activities if they let their unfavorable sexual orientation known.
9. If a student is “cured” he or she may return to gym and other all extra-curricular activities.


Consequences


First Warning: Removal from gym.
Second Warning: Removal from sports and other extra-curricular activities. 
Third Warning: In School Suspension ISS
Fourth Warning: Suspension
Fifth Warning: Expulsion

If all students follow this handbook, we will have a happy and uneventful year. By continuing to attend classes, you have agreed to the terms and agreements within.

She closed the pamphlet in horror. How could this be legal? If they substituted gay for black, suddenly it would be something to cause outrage with students. It was still an outrage, at least to her. And after a month of undercover attendance, she would expose this ludicrous plan to the world. The ACLU and other organization would have a field day. She was so lost in her thoughts she forgot all about Zane, who was staring at her waiting for her opinion.

Author Interview: CarolLee Miles--Author of Getting Paid to Cruise

Hello and welcome to my blog CarolLee. Tell everyone a bit about yourself.

My name is CarolLee Miles, Author of “Getting Paid to Cruise: Secrets of a Professional Cruise Host” – a labor of love and peace, combined with personal, professional and philosophical sharing.  For the past 25+ years I have taken tour groups all over the world, having traveled on all 7 continents, in over 100 countries and about as many cruises.  I live in the Denver area and love the innocence and sense of wonder through children, especially my own two daughters and four grandchildren. 

How long have you been writing?  I started formulating the book in my mind in 2008, and actually writing in early 2009.

Tell everyone here about "Getting Paid to Cruise"  “Getting Paid to Cruise” is divided by photographs into halves  – the first half is a technical guide for using when a Cruise Host accompanies a group on board any cruise ship.  The info is based on “Embarkation to Disembarkation.” The Cruise Host may be professionally trained as such, or may be a Travel Agent who goes along with the group he/she has booked.  The second half contains personal, professional and philosophical “secrets” learned in my 25 years of experience, and leads the reader into the future with what I call a sense of inner peace.  There are questions at the end of each chapter that also lead the reader on his/her own journey of self-discovery.   

What brought you to writing this book?   I attended a ytb (Your Travel Biz) Convention in 2008 where there were over 18,000 participants searching for any kind of travel information they could find.  As many were new to the travel business and some had never taken a cruise, I decided I could help thousands of people by putting what was in my head down on paper so they would have a guide to use when they escorted groups on cruise ships.   Since cruising was and is one of my passions, it seemed to “fit” my over-all goal in life – helping people.

What kinds of "secrets" do you share?   Secrets shared are my personal life story, how I got started getting paid to cruise, how determination and focus can lead you to success, how to address fear in career change, how to replace F-E-A-R with L-O-V-E, personal stories from my career, a model for “conflict confrontation,” my personal Peace Journey, my definition of L-U-C-K (Love Until Creation Knocks), my motto: Dream it! Speak it! Write it! Live it!

Do you feel anyone can make money in Cruising?   If someone has a desire to cruise and make money doing so, yes there are ways to do so.  I believe anything is possible when a person zeroes in on a career leading to their highest good.  If that includes cruising, so be it. 

Oh, so this is a "self-improvement" type book also?   Absolutely this book comes under the category of “self improvement.”  There is a lot of psychology in the book as well as soul-searching if the reader chooses to use the book in that way.  I love self-improvement.  I believe when one decides to “go to the next level” of understanding a need to be a better person and proceeds in a given direction, the person has taken advantage of certain lessons learned and is moving on with life in a positive way.    

Are you involved in any "causes" near and dear to your heart?   Terrorist actions of any kind are near and dear to my heart.  One creates “terror” when one abuses another, and I speak with various empowerment groups to educate those dealing with or having dealt with verbal, mental, psychological and physical abuse.  Certainly one who abuses children is a terrorist in many ways.   I am one of many building an “Army of Advocates” to educate parents about the subtle terrorism in today’s Internet world such as cyber bullying and child predators.  I have traveled in Vietnam and Cambodia to educate myself on the subject of Human Trafficking, then came home to realize it goes on all around us in today’s day and age.  I believe we all have an opportunity to help parents and grandparents realize what goes on and how to deal with such situations.

Can you explain your "Peace Journey"  In 1996 I was given the words to a Poem entitled “Peace” while preparing for a trip to Israel & Egypt with a tour group.  I personally was praying for PEACE in my own life because I felt I had none.  A bomb went off in Jerusalem, shaking the windows of the hotel where we stayed.  When I opened my window what I heard was a song of Peace.  When I returned from that trip I was writing prolific poetry – 10, 12 or 15 poems a night.  It was profound because I had never written poetry with any meaning before.  Then I was led to various people in the music industry who told me what I was writing was song lyrics – so I asked them to put the words to music.  In 1999, I published a CD entitled “Peace” that contains 18 songs made from my lyrics, set to music by 4 different composers around the country.  The CD has made its way into various countries and many orphanages:  Vietnam, Cambodia, Haiti, India, several countries in Africa, Iran, Romania, Russia, Mexico, etc.  My life has been blessed a billion times over with this work.  If I can help an abused child or adult, I believe I am fulfilling my life’s work here on earth.

Do you have any other books out or planned for the future?  Not really.  I once dreamed of putting my life story in a screenplay, but somehow it seems too personal. For now what I have written seems satisfactory as there is so much of my life in it.  Perhaps one day I might do a children’s book series.  My mind never seems to rest much, as any creative person knows.  I’m always filled with ideas. 

Obviously cruising has been a huge inspiration of yours, does anything else inspire you?  Seeing people reach out to touch other people’s lives inspires me.  Those that have made k-zillions of dollars reaching out to touch others with a cause near and dear to their heart inspire me.  Talking with someone who has that deep sense of “inner peace” and is willing to share his/her story inspires me.  Songwriters who touch the world with their music, especially as it relates to “forgiveness” or “freedom,” inspire me.  Someone who touches the world because of deep-seated faith or spiritual presence (such as Mother Theresa) inspires me.  

 

 

Favorites:

Travel destination:  Antarctica, Holy Land

Pastime:  Dancing, Sharing from deep within

Food:  Salmon; Steak

Beverage:   Red Wine; Healthy Coffee

Color:  Blue

Movie:  Dancing with Wolves

TV show:  American Idol

Book:  Bible.  Right now reading “The Help” and loving it, Bridges of Madison County

Author:  Various

Animal:  Yellow Lab

Holiday:  Christmas

 

Contact Information:    Website:  www.GettingPaidToCruise.com    Email:  CLMPeace@AOL.com     Phone:  303-690-0405

It was a pleasure having you on my blog.   I would love to send you a personally autographed book.  It will be on the way shortly.  THANK YOU for allowing me to be a part of your greater calling.  I hope we can meet in person one day.   Obviously where there is a will there is a way. 

Stay tuned for my review of CarolLee Miles wonderful book Getting Paid to Cruise and my impression of her inspiring PEACE cd. I thoroughly enjoyed corresponding with her, and hope her book and story continue to touch the lives of others. 

First Part of Horror Story

“Stay awake. Everything will be okay if I can just stay awake.” David urged himself, eyes bloodshot sipping the remnants of a quickly disappearing pot of coffee. He would do anything to stay awake, his  life depended on it. His tongue favored the empty sockets in his mouth. A casualty from the first time he resigned himself to sleep.

Seconds after closing his eyes, he found himself in a makeshift dentist’s office: No anesthetics, primitive tools, strapped to a chair. He couldn’t see the dentist, but he could trace every movement. Someone prying his mouth open. The clumsy exploration with sub par tools. The feel of knives and pliers. The sickening crunch of relenting tooth, the stab of shards unharvested. Pure agony as tooth and knife and hard metal danced with blood and spit. 

Desperately screaming for help, but nothing comes out. Just gushing blood and the taste of pure fear. The dentist said nothing, merely laughing at David’s distress while extracting the teeth. Three teeth stolen, overwhelming pain radiating from the freshly made holes. Nearly choking on his own blood David heard the dentist say one thing. “The clues to immortality lie hidden within you, we have come to harvest them.” then he unstrapped David and vanished with the teeth.

The moment David stood up his eyes flashed open and he was on his now bloodstained couch. He ran to the mirror and his greatest fear had been realized. Whatever he’d experienced was reality, the three teeth were missing and there was blood all over him. David vowed never to sleep again, he didn’t care if it drove him mad. Anything was better than being some sort of human treasure map to immortality. He would die before that happened, though he feared death would come either way.