We observed the Autumnal Equinox last week, so for the last few days, we have been enjoying a somewhat equal amount of day and night, thanks to…physics*?
The spin of the Earth, where the sun is, how we orbit around it all combine to give us this phenomenon**. It also will give us a whole lot of night in about 3 months, no thanks to Daylight Savings Time (DST) which Robinhoods an hour from the evening to make the morning brighter (technically, this doesn’t change the length of the evening, but when it gets dark at 4 PM, it sure feels like it).
Some places don’t do this, and the time is the time all though the year (Only in North America you say? Pity.). I never remember when this is supposed to happen—it was recently (a few years ago?) moved from/to…November?…to/from October? Or is it the other way around?***
Why? Something to do with farming or saving electricity or trucking****. It’s just something we have to live with. DST***** serves a purpose, even if it we don’t understand the reason behind it.
-Leon
*I am not an expert in physics. **Facts may or may not be factual. ***See? What do I know? ****I suppose I could look it up, but what is the fun in that? *****Also the name of a lesser-known K-Pop group.
I was at my parent’s place, sitting having my morning coffee, when a bird (Grey Jay/Whiskey Jack) flew up to the window and hit its wings on the glass a few times before perching on the deck railing.
“It wants to be fed,” my mother said as she handed me a slice of bread.
So, bread in hand, I walked out and torn off a small piece, held it out, and waited. The bird hopped over and took a look at the meager offering. It then hopped over my hand to the other which held the large piece of bread and proceeded to fill its beak.
This will be my third author conversation that I have done. I have enjoyed getting to know some of the authors that I have been participating in promotions with, and I hope you have enjoyed reading them (because I have a few more in the works). Today I meet with poet C. Streetlights.
Today I have the pleasure of sitting down with author/poet C. Streetlights. Thanks for dropping by. Can I offer you anything? Coffee, tea, or other?
I’d love a Diet Coke, thank you!
[Pshhht!]
I’m going to jump right into the most pressing question on reader’s minds: What the heck does C. stand for?
Ha! It is a mystery I will not divulge.
Fair enough, we all need an air of mystery around us, don’t we?
We do. When I first started writing, I had to stay anonymous due to some possible retaliation from the school district I once worked for. Now that that threat has all but disappeared, the mystery has stuck.
What was the first book you remember reading on your own?
I loved the Golden Books. My older brother and sister made the mistake of teaching me to read when I was quite young, I was about 3 years old. I say mistake because they thought it was great fun to teach me to read by decoding the words but not anything about comprehension. This caused me some strife in kindergarten because all I wanted to do was read but not tell what the story was about. But to your question, we had a lot of Golden Books when I was little, and I just loved those. I also loved anything by Richard Scarry. I would spend hours looking at the pictures and finding the Lowly Worm.
The idea that those little marks represent something we can say is quite fascinating for kids. But you are right; comprehension is the key. The answer to “Why am I reading this?”
Exactly, and I struggled with comprehension for a minute, but then I caught up to my classmates. My brother and sister were still pleased with themselves, though.
Do you have a favorite book?
I have always loved To Kill a Mockingbird. Taught it to ninth grade honors students for years, and it has always resonated with me. Perhaps I identify with Scout in her precociousness and desire to understand the world around her.
I’ve read that book before, quite a while back, though.
To me, it is timeless though I know that there has been some debate over it and the role white people have in combating racism.
What was the first book you published?
I first published with Tea and Madness. I was very nervous to publish because these were my private thoughts in dealing with depression, losing a baby, and being a rape survivor. I wasn’t sure how the audience would respond to that. But I went ahead and publish and held my breath. Thankfully, I found many people who were touched by the memoir, and I have received many messages and emails from readers who appreciated the work.
As writers, we are able to put into words what some others cannot, and this allows our creations to help our readers.
This is very true. I think that as writers we bridge the gap between what is intellectually known and what is emotionally known. We should be mindful of that because it is a responsibility.
Your newest book, Black Sheep Rising, is a memoir written in prose and poetry. Why did you choose that format?
I love both poetry and prose because I feel these formats are more reflective of me and how I think. I have a very free-verse, free thought, way of thinking and I make connections by drawing comparisons or examples. I have found poetry to be especially freeing when I write about hard topics because I don’t bind myself to the usual rules of writing. Poetry and prose have really been therapeutic for me in my recovery because it is very intimate in how I approach writing it. When you read my work, it really is reading what is in my heart and my experience.
I write the same way, not setting out to write any specific form, letting the words and phrases dictate the stanzas and rhymes. I also started writing poetry as a therapy. Words on the page have a way of making thoughts more tangible and then more pliable, don’t they?
I’ve always felt that the written word is so empowering. Once we set the words on paper, they come alive, and we are set free from their burden.
I read in your bio that you live in California. How has this year affected your writing?
Well, I grew up in California and lived there until I was 19 years old. I then moved to Utah for school. My memories of growing up there has definitely shaped how I write, however. I draw on my memories of being a child there and having the never-ending sunshine. I think the California lifestyle of being laid back and casual has helped form my laid back, free verse, writing style a great deal.
What’s the best thing about living in the mountains?
Oh, the mountains! The mountains have so much personality to them. One moment they are bright and green, the next they are a fire-red and orange, and then they’re covered in snow. The fall is my favorite time for the mountains as it looks like an enormous quilt has been laid on top of them. The colors are so vibrant and rich.
Mountains are stunning to see for the first time. And the second. Well, yeah, all the time.
I always have some music-related content on my blog, so let’s segue into that, shall we? Any favorite genres or bands?
I don’t have any particular favorite as far as band or singer or genre. Right now, I’m listening to the Derry Girls soundtrack—is it still called a soundtrack these days?
I think so…I don’t know a better title.
—and that music is all from the 90s. I also enjoy 21 Pilots and Lizzo. Kind of a contradiction, I know, but I’m really all over the place with music!
There’s good music in almost every genre.
Do you have a favorite meal or snack to eat that other people just think is weird?
I really enjoy rice cakes with peanut butter. People don’t get it and complain about how tasteless and dry rice cakes are, but honestly, with peanut butter it is *chef’s kiss*.
I do like peanut butter. I discovered Jiff Dark Roasted recently. Now that’s…as you put it…*chef’s kiss*.
I am putting that on my shopping list to give it a try. I’m usually a Skippy girl, but the dark roasted sounds delicious.
It is! Are you ready for the lightning round?
Oh dear, let’s have it.
Great! Here we go.
Forests or lakes? Forests Highways or byways? Highways Diners, Drive-ins, or Dives? Diners Favorite city? Washington, D.C. Without looking at a keyboard, what number has the ampersand? 7 I saw you peek. Ha-ha, I did not, actually.
This has been a pleasure. Thanks for chatting. Any links you want to share?
Teresa James is known for her poetry and art shared throughout social media as Love of a Poet. Where you can actually interact with her. She is passionate about the creativity and beauty of poetry. She mostly writes short poems about love and relationships. She is a mother of seven children, a horticulturist, and philanthropist. While going through heartbreaks, struggles, and grief throughout life. She learned to write her emotions down on paper to vent and release pain. She now bleeds ink by writing and sharing through her poetry.
I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?
Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.
No? Well, you are lucky because that meant you had to wait. For everything. For information, pictures, email, and videos (Hamster Dance took forever). Maybe not forever, but you had time to go make a sandwich.
We take not waiting for granted. Entertainment is on-demand, we can get in touch with each other whenever we want, and find out who that girl was who acted in that show. No matter where you are, there is a pretty good chance that you have access to all this.
When things take too long, it’s easy to get frustrated. But wait. Yes, wait. Relax there, buckaroo. Sip that coffee. Sit back. Make a sandwich.
I’m currently experiencing slow connection. Not 5G, or 4G. More like…it’s… kinda nice. It’s quiet out there, there are no neighbours for miles, the sun is rising over the lake, and I have nowhere to go.
Six months ago, it was the beginning of spring. The sun was tracing the same route across the sky, yet now, the temperature and wind feels like an ending, rather than a rebirth. The 19 degrees (Celsius), which felt absolutely balmy now, has a chill to it. The wind seems to be a harbinger of the coming cold rather than a welcoming of summer warmth.
I suppose it’s the same as being able to shovel the snow in shorts and a T-shirt when it hits 0 degrees in the middle of winter, while the same temperature in the fall forces the long sleeves to come out.
Weird.
Since I am taking a break from my cartoons, here is my “The Day Before” series:
That’s all the weirdness for today.
-Leon
Oh yeah, tune in on Friday for my next conversation with another author. Who is it? Well, I’ll tell you on Friday.
First there’s one, then another, then you lift a banana out of the fruit bowl and “POOF!” a cloud of them emerges.
No sir, I don’t like ‘em.
I don’t have any table scraps lying around or in the garbage for that matter. I don’t have the means to compost outside, so I take all my vegetable scraps and put them into the freezer until I can bring them to a friend’s place.
Problem solved? You would think, but Nooooo.
The solution given to me was to put cider vinegar into a container, cover it with plastic wrap, and poke small holes in it with a toothpick.
Problem solved? You would think, but Nooooo.
Oh, I got a few. I saw the pickled flies floating around in the brine (I know it’s not brine), but I believe that the others saw them too, and being smart as crows, never ventured near the jar o’ death.
I’ve been able to clap a few into oblivion.
At least it’s not cockroaches…
-Leon
Bonus Mini-rant
Election News: Canada’s parliament looks…well, pretty much the same as it did a month ago before the Prime Minister called an early election in a bid to win majority control of the government.
Thank you Justin Trudeau for spending 600 million dollars of taxpayers money when you still had two years left in your term.
It’s election day in Canada and if you live anywhere outside of Canada, this is probably news to you. Canadian elections don’t tend to make international news. So, as a recap of the electoral system:
Either way, it won’t make a difference in the outcome in about 12 hours.
I forgot to mention in the post that due to the majority of Canada’s population living in the east, most of the seats in parliament are decided by the time the polls in Ontario close, and very rarely do the seats won out west affect the final outcome. That’s “representation by population” working for you, folks.
To quote the most famous Canadian, “Is that weird…or what?“*
Dear Friends—Happy September! This week, I again open up PhoebeMD.com for another Meet & Greet event. I originally started this on PhoebeMD: Medicine + Poetry as a dedicated time for bloggers to come together to share their work, make new connections, and expand their blog audiences. In short: a chance to promote yourself and your…
I started to put together my next poetry collection. Some of the poems have never been seen before (oh, the suspense), others are scattered throughout my blog (so now you will not have to search for them), and I am including my 30 Poems/30 Days as a bonus.
Have I learned anything from publishing 2 books already? Yeah. It’s hard. Want to be on the list to beta read the first draft? Let me know.
Featured Author:
Meet poet Annalyn J. Rasul, a writer, poet, and professional registered nurse. She has a strong passion for helping people with physical, emotional, and mental health problems. It gives her a sense of satisfaction and joy, knowing that she has made a difference in someone’s life. Her philosophy has always been to learn as much as she can from every experience life has to offer. She is currently pursuing her advanced degree as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).
Click for Amazon page
New Promos (StoryOrigin / BookFunnel)
Free Books
Four new authors share samples
Kindle Unlimited
Sci-fi Available on Kindle
There are a few more new ones, but you can see them here: Discover New Authors and Free Books as I have decluttered the page of all expired links (there were a few…)
Need another? Yesterday I posted some self-promo options. Another blogger does an author spotlight on Fridays as well:
*I tried to schedule my Friday post last week because I was away. It would have posted on Saturday morning.
The story behind Free Book Friday:
I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?
Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.
