Snow Days Are Good For...

"And Whereas snow, in many forms, is thought to impede the progress of the nation, it has here been proved as a catalyst for literary productivity...."

Such might run a resolution in recognition of snow-days bringing on the writing bug. Thursday, quite snowed in and unwilling to spend very long out in the cold after an icy walk, I holed myself upstairs with a fast-cooling cup of tea (or three) and finished the first draft of The Fox Went Out. I finished the draft only 590-some words past the 15,000 limit laid out by Narrative: a number easily cut in editing rounds. I wasted little time in printing the thing off and beginning first round edits. I am able to come to you tonight with first round edits also complete. If you are struggling to finish a first draft, may I suggest calling upon the weather man and ordering up snow? And if the temperature rises and you find the snow quickly melting, I might also suggest establishing a gravel-less driveway which will naturally provide you a quagmire during the thaw. It is currently quite the ordeal for me to even make it to the road to check the mail. Effective for keeping the distracted writer indoors and working, oui? I hope to type up my changes over what remains of the weekend and send The Fox Went Out to a couple trusted critics. My write-along (the wingman of writing-sprees who will read what you write as you write it and beg for more) this time was Clara Diane Thompson, fellow author of Five Glass Slippers. Clara did her part valiantly and howled over the ending of the story which made me feel penitent but Not. You know the feeling, perhaps? I am excited to receive feedback from the betas and take it through Editing Round Two so that I can get it away to Narrative's contest and its fate.

Reading has picked up. I'm in the throes of a beastly cold. Nearly done with The Hunger Games and reading Psmith, Journalist by P.G. Wodehouse for medicine. It really does work magic. I went on a book-buying spree at the front of the week: Rachel Rossano's Honor, Flannery O'Connor's Mystery & Manners, N.D. Wilson's Notes From The Tilt-a-Whirl. I have not read anything by O'Connor. Wilson, too, is a mystery. I can hardly wait for the books to come so I can dig in. I've been in need of fresh non-fiction. Somehow I find it as inspiring as (if not more than) fiction. I've heard much of O'Connor...how she is somber, dark, desperate. But I've also heard of the "terrible speed of mercy" that hurtles through her work and the Christian worldview through which her fictional worlds were created. So I am interested to read this collection of essays listed in The Rabbit Room as essential reading for modern readers and writers. I will be sure to let you know how I like it.And N.D. Wilson's word-crafting has enraptured me from afar since I first saw the book-trailer for his Boys of Blur.

What are you reading?

Cover Reveal: Pendragon's Heir

You know how much I enjoy promoting my writing friends' books when they come out? There's something so satisfying about talking up things written by people I appreciate and respect. So I'm thrilled today to help reveal the cover of Suzannah Rowntree's  epic fantasy, Pendragon's Heir, coming to shelves near you March 26, 2015.

Blanche Pendragon enjoys her undemanding life as the ward of an eccentric nobleman in 1900 England. It's been years since she even wondered what happened to her long lost parents, but then a gift on the night of her eighteenth birthday reveals a heritage more dangerous and awe-inspiring than she ever dreamed of—or wanted. Soon Blanche is flung into a world of wayfaring immortals, daring knights, and deadly combats, with a murderous witch-queen on her trail and the future of a kingdom at stake. As the legendary King Arthur Pendragon and his warriors face enemies without and treachery within, Blanche discovers a secret that could destroy the whole realm of Logres. Even if the kingdom could be saved, is she the one to do it? Or is someone else the Pendragon's Heir?

If you're interested in this (wonderful-sounding) book, pray add it on Goodreads. I know I am going to do it right now, and cannot wait to read this novel from a writing-blogger whom I deeply respect! And if you're interested in a fun behind-the-scenes post about how Suzannah came to choose this cover, head to Vintage Novels and read up on it, plus get a sneak-peek at the illustrations! Ciao.

Wordplay Wednesday: Week 2

Hello to you all and happy Wednesday! 

Last week I introduced a new project called Wordplay Wednesday which many of you enjoyed. All that is required of participates is that you share one quote from your past week's work, and hashtag if on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook with #inkpenauthoress and #wordplaywednesday so that everyone else can see your work too!  My own is below:

So sorry to have such a brief and businesslike post on here, but I'm up to my ears in trying not to read The Hunger Games (I have never met a more aggravating and yet impossible-to-put-down book) and to instead finish the first draft of The Fox Went Out. We are looking at getting even more snow and if we do and work is, in fact, snowed out, I shall aim to finish Round One this week. Wish me luck!

Anon, Sir, Anon: I'll Sign My Name To It

DID you know that sometimes people fancy copies of books with a little scrawl inside them called an "autograph?" And sometimes people fancy them even more if they are acquainted with the author of said book. Well folks, I am here to tell you that autographed copies of Anon, Sir, Anon are now available for purchase from The Bookery! If you are interested in getting your copy of this charming mystery and would like an autographed version, send an email to theinkpenauthoress@gmail.com and I will be in touch with you. Cheers! I look forward to doing business with you, my dear readers.

And if you so choose to spread the word via sharing this link on Twitter or Facebook, you're a more than decent creature and I'd like to shake your hand.

The Fox Went Out: an explanation

For weeks I have been hinting around about a short story which I call The Fox Went Out. Some of you like Clara Diane Thompson and the Anne-Girl have gotten sneak peeks at it while the rest of you are sitting back thinking,
"Good grief, another plot idea? Whatever happened to Scotch'd the Snakes?"
I'm here to explain in full about this dilemma and my current writing project. A while ago, I received an email from my uncle about the Narrative Winter 2015 Story Contest. I'm not generally an enormous fan of contests because one is required to put much effort into a thing one will not assuredly win. In fact, most times the effort one puts out is not quite worth the possibility of winning, especially if said contest requires an entry fee. But with a first-place prize of $2500 at stake, I figured it could not hurt to enter Narrative's contest. Therefore, I set out to practice writing in a style and on a subject that is entirely new to me. I like playing with different voices and emotions to keep things fresh. And since the deadline of March 31 approaches and I still have not finished the first draft, I have exiled any idea of continuing my mystery until I have finished The Fox Went Out. You see how deadlines make the world go round?

So what the crumbs is this story?

Allow me to explain...

Dear God, I prayed. Give me a girl. He wants a boy, but this is my child. Give me a girl, if You love me at all. That didn’t seem quite fair, suggesting the Lord God didn’t love me, but I thought He’d see the heart of it. See that I couldn’t give John O’Grady a son. A girl, Lord, I repeated, just in case He hadn’t been listening.

Anise Clare is a young woman who, for as long as she can remember, has been denied the pleasure of owning herself. When her father assigns her to be the wife of backwoodsman, John O'Grady, Anise declares passive-aggressive war on her new husband, a man who knows nothing of honor but keeping his word to marry Anise and to destroy anyone who gets in the way of his will.

Unknown to Anise, she has an admirer in the Fox: a being about whom legend swirls as thick as smoke in a meat-house. Is he man or a creature? Legend or reality? Terrifying spirit or misunderstood human? Anise cannot know the Fox has set his heart upon having the Gray Goose and her Duckling...until the night John beats her and the Fox spirits she and her daughter away to his haunt: a new kind of ownership, but an ownership all the same. And here, with one man vowing to destroy and another vowing to keep, is the end of all things familiar for the graceful, strong-hearted woman whom the Fox loved.

I am excited for this story. It is written in style I have never used and told in a way that crawls up the backbone and puts a cold hand down the neck. Part fairy-tale, part folk-tale, part backwoods tradition, The Fox Went Out was inspired by the song of the same name and a real fox that stood in our road and stared me down. I do not expect to win any place in the Narrative contest with this story but have enjoyed playing with my words in a new way. It is a story of love, forgiveness, terror, and dignity. I am happy to have spent the last month with the Fox, Anise, John O'Grady, and Duckling. If the story does not win a place in the contest, I might be prevailed upon to offer it to my readers here, in a serial format. But for now, I must away to peck at the first draft and try to make it finish. Merry writing to you all!

The Fox watched her for three years, craned his neck, caught the moon, and laughed...She smelled of stubbornness and wood-fires, wildwood honey and sadness. Her small one smelled of protection...

February's Chatterbox: Passing the Time

"February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March."
-Dr. J.R. Stockton

One of these days I will utilize Blogger's "schedule a post" feature and actually get Chatterbox out on time. The 19th of the month is late, even for the Queen of Tardy Posts herself. While I am already writing up one post, perhaps I will schedule March's Chatterbox. I think it is a fine idea. And then I shall feel clever when March 1st rolls around and the post shows up on your dashboards. It struck me last month that I have quite a new frequent-viewers/followers of The Inkpen Authoress blog who were unfamiliar with the general goal of Chatterbox. I realize now that including a concise description of the project in every edition might be more helpful that not. My apologies to newcomers last round: I've mended my ways.

CHATTERBOX IS A MONTHLY EVENT CREATED AND HOSTED BY ME, DESIGNED AS A QUICK DIALOGue EXERCISE. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE STRICTLY DIALOGue, AS I ENJOY GOOD DESCRIPTION TOO, BUT CENTERING YOUR PIECE AROUND A CONVERSATION IS THE GENERAL IDEA. I ASSIGN A TOPIC (USUALLY ONE THAT CAN BE TAKEN ANY OF SEVERAL WAYS) AND IT IS YOUR JOB TO WRITE A CONVERSATION BETWEEN YOUR CHARACTERS, USING THIS PROMPT. WHEN YOU'VE POSTED YOUR PIECE ON YOUR BLOG, COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE YOUR LINK ON THE LINK-UP BELOW.

I have become notorious for surprising people with topics one would not generally think of in relation to a given month. For instance, I am sure you are expecting "romance" as the topic of February. I am an Expectations Disappointer. "But that is a friendly name...used only by those who don't know me well." (Name the quote and unending glory is yours) Last February I chose "criticism" for the assignment. This month, hearkening to the quote at the front of the post, I choose:

Passing the Time

Kudos in advance to those of you who manage to make a scene of creative dialogue! To be fair and not judge me too harshly for assigning this topic, isn't passing the time the thing for which chit-chat and small-talk was created? So don't roll your eyes and heave a hearty sigh. Get your pens out and get you to writing, Lizzy!

Wordplay Wednesday: Join the Fun!

Because I am frequently home on Wednesdays and want to start something we can all look forward to and keep up with and join in together on...I bring to you a new project:

#wordplaywednesdays

The idea of this project is that every Wednesday, you people and I will share one favorite/important/beautiful/profound quote from our last week's work. I will likely hand-write mine, and it breaks up the Times New Roman text with which I work the rest of the time. I will work mainly off of Instagram for this project but if you don't have an account, just hashtag yours on Twitter or Facebook with #wordplaywednesday and #inkpenauthoress so I'll be sure to see it! If you'd like to join, do so at any point on Wednesday. For me, this week, I am sharing with you this quote from The Fox Went Out, which WIP you will hear more about in the future, I promise. It isn't a new novel, just a long short story...if you know what I mean.

Off with you! I can't wait to see all the quoteables you share with us on Wednesdays from here on out. Cheers and a productive writing day to you all!