Tag Archives: Poetry

Comics, Novels, Poetry, RPGs, Short Fiction, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

GOODBYE TO THE OLD, HELLO TO THE NEW

Writing

So, everyone is doing their end-of-year posts. I don’t usually do these, but it’s been a rough year and I’m proud of the things I managed to accomplish despite that.

In 2021, I:

  • Sold 13 new poems; saw 7 of those published
  • Sold 4 new stories; saw 3 of those published
  • Pitched, sold, & delivered a story for a WFH RPG anthology; saw it published
  • Pitched, scripted, sold, & delivered a comic book story
  • Pitched, sold, & delivered a WFH RPG adventure
  • Pitched & sold a WFH novel

    • (I can’t talk about those last two yet, but will of course share more when I can.)

    That’s a lot for me, especially considering that the nerve issues in my neck I’ve been dealing with since I was rear-ended in 2019 make it so I can’t spend a lot of time at the keyboard.

    Things I am looking forward to in 2022:

  • Finishing & delivering the WFH novel
  • Writing a solicited story for a WFH anthology

    • More RPG work? More WFH work? Nothing firm in those areas yet, but some good possibilities, so we’ll see.

    Also, I got this really nice tweet about my poem, “The Things We Pass Down,” in the Wanderers chapbook. (Note that “moved” in the tweet should be “woven.” Thanks, autocorrect! LOL)

    Nice tweet about my poem, “The Things We Pass Down.”

    Everything Else

    I hope you all had a wonderful [insert your preferred winter holiday/break], that you have a very happy New Year’s Eve/Day, and that 2022 makes up for how crappy 2020 & 2021 have been for most of us.

    A cool blurry picture of my youngest with a sparkler on New Year’s Eve (2020).

    Appearances, Poetry, Preorder Link

    POETRY IS A GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT. SO ARE ANSWERED PRAYERS.

    Writing

    Jeff and I were at the Red Mountain Library in Mesa this past Saturday, and not only did we see some old friends (Hi, Jan, Sharon, & Bob!), but we made some new ones, like Danny from PopCultX, an awesome site for GenXers who love pop culture (which would be most of you reading this, so go check it out).

    I sold a couple more poems; more on that when the contract is signed (you know the drill). Also, the chapbook containing my poem about being Métis, “The Things We Pass Down,” titled Wanderers, will be available for purchase December 15! But you can preorder it now! You should do that. Poetry makes a great holiday gift.

    Everything Else

    This week has seen some storm clouds that have been hanging over us for a very long time begin to clear. We want to thank all our friends and loved ones who have stuck by us, and give a special shout-out to St. Expedite for answered prayers. So here is a virtual offering of some of his favorite things: red carnations, pound cake, and whiskey.

    Saint Expedite altar with red carnations, pound cake, and whiskey.
    St. Expedite and a few of his favorite things.
    Appearances, Poetry

    WHAT’S IN THE BOX? PAIN.

    Writing

    First, I’m sorry to say that due to a severe pain flare (the legacy left from when I got rear-ended in 2019), I am just not able to travel at the moment, and so will not be able to attend TusCon48 after all. Apologies to all who were hoping to see me there. sadface

    Jeff and I are still hoping to attend the Local Author Book Fair at the Red Mountain Library in Mesa. That will be on Saturday, December 4th from 12-4 PM. Come see us and grab some new books!

    I also sold a couple of poems since my last update. My poem about being Métis, “The Things We Pass Down,” will appear in the Wanderers chapbook being put out by Off Topic Publishing. Not sure when that one will be released, but of course I will let you know. The other poem, about Iris, goddess of the rainbow (which was actually the inspiration for my short story, “Play It Again, Sem”), will be in an anthology to be published in Spring 2022. More details on that after the contract is signed.

    And Jeff has a spiffy new website. Go check it out.

    Everything Else

    SPOILER ALERT!

    They took one of my favorite exchanges out of the new Dune movie.

    Paul: Are you suggesting the Duke’s son is an animal?

    Reverend Mother: Let us say, I suggest you may be human.

    Those two lines have stuck in my mind for 35-odd years, ever since I read Dune for the first time. I was super disappointed when they weren’t in the new movie. Haven’t finished watching it yet, so can’t render an opinion on it as a whole, but cutting that exchange out is definitely a mark in the negative column for me.

    Appearances, Poetry

    MY MMIWG2ST POEM IS UP! AND I’LL BE AT TUSCON 48! COME SEE ME!

    Writing

    First off, excited to say that my #MMIWG2ST poem, “Reservation Fairy Tales 101 – Final Exam” is now available in Augur 4.1! I am SO proud of this poem – it is unlike anything I’ve ever written before, and it highlights this horrible epidemic Indigenous people are suffering from that gets so little attention (though that seems to be slowly changing). If you can pick up a copy of the issue, you really should. There is a ton of amazing work in it (not just mine, heh).

    I have also signed the contract to work on an exciting new RPG property that is right up my alley. Excited to share that when I can. Signed another contract, too, but mum’s the word on that for now, sorry. And got an invite to an awesome new project that I can’t wait to tell you about.

    So my writing dance card is pretty full ATM, which is both good and bad, I guess. Good, because no day job. Bad, because writing = pain. But it makes my little creative heart happy to have such a bounty of work, and I am definitely thankful to Creator and my patron saint of writing, St. Catherine of Alexandria, for their efforts on my behalf, heh.

    Also, Jeff’s historical fiction epic about the bandit Joaquin Murrieta (written in conjunction with his descendant, Peter Murrieta), Blood and Gold, released on October 27th. It’s a genre that is not usually my jam, tbh, but I found it engrossing and entertaining, and some parts were heartbreaking. You should definitely go pick it up if you are at all interested in Gold Rush or California/Mexico history.

    Finally, Jeff and I (both fully vaxxed AND boostered) will be at TusCon 48 IN PERSON (gasp!), and since that’s coming up on Nov 12-14, I figured I should post my schedule. Not super busy this year, but that’s okay with me, because I have a lot of stuff to keep me occupied during my downtime (see above).

    Sat, Nov 13
    Autograph Signing
    Autograph Area, 2PM – 3PM
    Jeff Mariotte, Marsheila Rockwell, S.A. Bradley, Gloria McMillan

    Sat, Nov 13
    The Dark Side of Fantasy
    Panel Room 1, 3PM – 4PM
    Janni Lee Simner, Heshe Leontess, Marsheila Rockwell, Curt Booth

    Sun, Nov 14
    Could Telepaths Be Anything But Sociopaths
    Ballroom, 12PM – 1PM
    SJ Schauer, William Herr, Jim Doty, Marsheila Rockwell, Curt Booth

    Whew, long post! I’ll end it soon, don’t worry.

    Everything Else

    We got to see Stacey Abrams a few weeks ago. Even if you don’t agree with her politics, she is smart and funny, and I’m going to leave you with this nugget she dropped at the event:

    Interviewer: What are some of your guilty pleasures?

    Stacey: I don’t feel guilty about my pleasures.

    Neither should we. Especially in 2020 the Sequel. Find joy where you can, and hold on to it. It’s a precious commodity these days.

    Poetry

    TWISTY POEMS, HISTORICAL EPICS, AND A SHIFT IN THINKING

    (Because I am masochistic, I’m going to try manually cross-posting my blog entries from Dreamwidth to here, as there is no way to do it automatically at present. If it becomes too much of a bother, I will just stick to directing the “BLOG” page over to Dreamwidth.)

    Writing

    First off, my poem “Erasing Myself from the Narrative” is up over at The Lorelei Signal. It’s a twisted Rapunzel retelling, and you should definitely go check it out. Go on, I’ll wait.

    I have other news about a couple of projects that I am not currently at liberty to share, but I’m SUPER excited about them. I’ll let you know what’s up just as soon as I can. I think you’ll be excited, too!

    Also, Jeff has a metric TON of stuff going on, including the release of the historical epic, Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murietta. It’s all very exciting, but I’ll let him tell you about it.

    Everything Else

    Facebook and Instagram were down all day yesterday. It cost Mark Zuckerberg $7 billion dollars and I’m not sure he even noticed. Meanwhile, my Twitter feed is full of folks needing GoFundMes to pay for their medical bills. There is something deeply flawed in our society when one man (or a handful of men) could pay off every single medical bill, mortgage, and college tuition in this country and still have millions left over, and yet we still have people losing their homes because some of their genes decided to mutate in a the way that kills you instead of giving you super powers.

    Maybe it’s because I’m Native, but I have always understood that when you have, you give. When I was growing up, we had to live off of welfare, intermittent paydays from my step-dad’s carpenter gigs (virtually non-existent during Montana winters), food from the Mission, and grocery store dumpster diving. And my mother would still give money or food to people who had less than us.

    Because when you have, you give. That’s why you have. I realize that’s a foreign concept to a lot of people these days, but it’s how we began. Maybe it’s time we remembered why.

    Man is not the pinnacle of the hierarchy. There IS no hierarchy. We are all connected, all equal. That simple shift in worldview would make this planet a very different place. A better one, I’d wager.