The Cloud

The Cloud


This is the book of short stories that has my first published story. Mine is one out of 10, and all the stories are written by talented, dedicated writers - and the stories are all different, entertaining and thought provoking.




The novel project called THE CLOUD is a concept created by Odin Roark based on a premise that challenges religion, commerce, and science, as well as general behavior in the 21st century. The plot involves reactions to a dark gray cloud that takes residence over the skies of Las Vegas in August of 2013 and is still there at the book’s conclusion in January 2014. The genre of this book is literary.


Thought at first to be just another incident of weather, the cloud ultimately becomes a concern for both science and religion, as over the course of several months, it seems to be moving only a few miles at a time, always returning to a similar position over Las Vegas. Given the seeming permanency of the cloud, science investigates, coming up with no answer as to how and why it refuses to move away or extinguish itself.


City coffers begin to suffer for a lack of sunshine, and low hotel bookings begin to pose serious problems to tourism. Conventions, vacations and weekend getaways continue to be impacted, as well as the job market. Layoffs begin, casino profits plunge, and for the first in its history, concern for the bottom-line compels the city to conserve energy by shutting down 30% of their night lighting after 10 PM.


50% of the net proceeds will be equally shared by the estimated 15 to 20 authors. 50% of the remaining net proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the formation of a charity fund developed by Odin Roark that will provide computers for children in developing countries.




It's well worth noting this last part about the charity! I'm excited to be apart of this. And it's one of the reasons why I eagerly yearned to be involved. That is why I will gladly give my proceeds to them
 
These are the authors -- and they are amazing writers in their own right, and some have published works already.
 
Zephyrus White (NYC),


Mitch Geller


Doug Moore


C.N. Howard


Sara Basrai (NYC),


Liana Vrajitoru Andreasen (Russia),


Anne Elle Altman   ~  http://clarissadraper.blogspot.com/


Kat Nove  ~   http://katnovian.com/


Louise Ann Saville (Australia)


Matty Zink (China)

The Cloud

It's a great read and I encourage anyone who is reading this to check it out.
 
Thank you!!




   
 
 

The New Year

I missed my online journal!  But I'm looking forward to more blogging this year.


2010 was a tiring year - not a bad one, just exhausting. I'm working more hours and my son was especially demanding. And working hard with my writing. I was getting alot of my chapters up for review as well, because for me that's a slow process. I'm discovering it is challenging getting so many reviews, which I seem to be getting lately. Not that that's bad as such... well, perhaps it is - but I need to go through and do revisions as well (and there's alot!) but I also have to work out if the reviews are right for me and my story. Reviews from other writers have to be dissected carefully, to make sure the advice isn't coming from their own 'story' writing perspective. Sigh!  But overall advice has been good and mostly helpful. It's a great encouragement.


But great things - I've nearly finished Part II of Guardians. But still more to go. Plus I need to do revisions.

A couple of Awesome events -  Having two short stories published!  Actually it seems quite extraordinary. So that is pleasing.




I'm quite a fluid writer. I look at a piece after a few weeks and I can rearrange and trim, easily cutting out things that I had at first deemed important. It's good in a way, but even so there are some things that are in deadlock and they will never be removed, especially in dialogue.


I'm planning on getting my map redrawn and then I shall upload. I think that will be helpful.


I'm also getting my Manga Blog ready!! Whoohoo!  My new great LOVE!   I'm so excited about manga. I'm already writing a fanfiction story.


and hopefully will be working on my Dyspraxia blog as well. I think that could actually be a useful blog.

I Won Something!

I think most people know by now. But I want to add it to my blog.

My Short Story won a place in the The Cloud anthology competition at The Next Big Writer. Yay! It's a great thrill. And it's official now with a contract.
I'm sure it is just the beginning. Also the publishing company will be using the profits to begin a fund for a computer program in Africa. I'm not sure of the details to that, but hopefully I can find out more.

I've pimped up my blog again, so I'm quite happy with it. Except the COMMENTS have all gathered at the TOP of the SCREEN. AAARHG! what a pain. Please note; I have got comments. It's just that they have disappeared, and I'm too daft to know how to get them back.

But seriously, there's alot of talk lately on the writing site I'm on, about marketing your writing on the internet. How important it is to have an online face - through blogs, and twitter, and facebook and the rest. How we should be following Agents, authors and anyone else who can tell us how to get a leg up. It's making my head swim, and the more I read of how important it is, the more I creep back into my quiet dark blog corner. It's not that I don't agree. I just don't know how to write about writing.

Don't get me wrong, I loooove networking - oddly enough. But I just want to make friends. I especially get excited when I know they will one day be published. I can then brag how I know a published author. Yay! cool. and maybe get free holidays in other countries. When I can afford to travel. (hehe! hope they won't mind)

Now I've got so many links of blogs, twitters, forum posts, and facebook, I hardly know where I'm supposed to be. I tried to be friends with someone on facebook but I was already their friend. I don't know what blog I should be reading, as well I'm trying to review other writer friends on tNBW. Did I mention that I have a life outside of the internet? yes, it's true. I can't believe it myself! how dare Life? and it suffers, and makes me suffer.
I should be more organized. But I really think that I have a form of ADD. Maybe that's ALWAYS DAY DREAMING! I can't get myself together, but I'm trying. I have to.
no, really I think I do suffer from ADD.


The only way my book is going to get published is through a miracle!
It's all exciting! well, I'm feeling it- on most days.

smoooch! :{}