Dreamtime

2009-04-02T11:47:00.001-07:00

Available online through Starcrossed productions or from you favorite neighborhood bookstore.

Ancestral Magic by Moondancer Drake

Publisher: PD Publishing

Genre: multicultural paranormal romance, f/f

ISBN: 978-1-933720-54-8 (1-933720-54-9)

Trade paperback cover price = $16.99 USD

"Moondancer Drake draws on indigenous history and ideology to create a rich "underworld" that exists right in plain view of contemporary America, in which battles and intrigue rage between warring clans--one seeking ultimate domination, the other fighting to prevent it. Ancient wisdom goes head-to-head with old animosities in this tension-laden cat-and-mouse game where the stakes are nothing less than the future of a lineage whose roots run deep in the sacred healing traditions of the Earth."

--Andi Marquette, author of Land of Entrapment and State of Denial

Blurb:

In a world where magic has become no more than childish fantasy or cinematic illusion, secret towns exists beyond the sight and understanding of mundane humanity.
Green Grove is such a town.

Sky Hawthorn is a single mother struggling to support herself and her blind son, on nothing more than a waitress’ salary and hardheaded determination.

Meg has spent years watching Sky stumble through one doomed relationship after another with the wrong men, never daring to reveal the secret love she has for Sky

When a lawyer arrives to tell Sky that an aunt she’s never known has left her a manor house in a place she’s never heard of, her family’s life is turned upside down and Sky is left with a big choice to make.

At that moment, with that single decision, the three of their lives change forever.

Hidden away in northern Wisconsin, inaccessible to anyone without magic in their blood, Green Grove’s secrets prove to be big ones. There’s a dark underbelly to the friendly town called the Sect, and they want Sky’s home and the magical place called Sacru Teren, a place her family is bound by ancestry to protect.

With the arrival of Roger Thompson, a charming local doctor that seems determined to sweep Sky off her feet, Meg is left with little but jealousy and doubt. Will the handsome doctor steal away their chance to be happy together, or will visions of Sky’s past and the dark secret that past holds change everything?

Excerpt:

Sky closed the ledger with a snap and leaned back in her chair, reaching her hands toward the ceiling. Her shoulders cracked, one after the other, and she groaned. Twice a month she went through the torture of paying bills. There was something masochistic about watching a bank account dwindle away, bit by bit, check after check. Things had always been tight, but lately she felt as if they were drowning in a sea of debt with no rescue boat in sight.

If it hadn’t been for the state funded programs available to them because of Drake’s disability, they never would have been able to afford his doctor bills or school equipment. Books in Braille were expensive enough when you had a son who was a voracious reader, but with Drake going to a school for the gifted, each of his textbooks had to be specially printed.

A year ago, Drake had insisted he wanted a dog like their neighbor Telisha’s. Sky applied to accredited training schools all over the country, but most insisted Drake was too young for one of their guide dogs. She gathered letters from his teachers and school, reports from therapists and doctors, and after a long battle, Drake’s application was finally accepted by a school in New Jersey.

Their friends and family had pitched in so they could pay Drake’s fees, which covered his room and board for the month he stayed at the guide dog school and the travel fare from Milwaukee to Morristown and back. Sky didn’t like taking charity, didn’t like feeling that she owed a debt to anyone, but she swallowed her pride for Drake’s sake. From the day Jewel entered their lives, she had been a treasure. The freedom her son gained from having Jewel as his guide, and knowing Drake was never alone, brought Sky peace of mind. Vet bills and food for a seventy-pound Labrador were not easy on the budget, but even with the extra financial burden, Jewel was worth her weight in gold.

For his birthday next January, Sky wanted to give Drake a Braille printer and a computer. She had saved all year for the cash and had even looked into financing to get it. That, too, had fallen prey to the reality of their new situation and the limitations their reduced circumstances placed on any further plans. She wanted to make Drake’s life easier, to give her son everything he needed, but...

Sky sighed and gathered up the bills. Throwing on her coat, she checked her pocket for the keys and locked the front door on her way out. One more batch of bills paid to fend off the creditors, and a large hole burned in an already thin bank account. Just proof that no matter how tough things got, somehow she and Drake got by. Some months it was close, and lately she almost always came home tired, but they survived.

She walked across the sidewalk to the mailbox, the packet of filled envelopes held tightly in her hand. Things were starting to get desperate, and she wasn’t sure what more she could do. One more surprise, and the narrow ledge on which their lives precariously perched might just tumble out from under her little family.

“Mrs. Hawthorne?”

Sky looked back toward the apartment building and saw a man in a sharply pressed suit standing on the top step. Everything about him, from the serious look on his face to the well-shined shoes, said his was not a social call.

“It’s Ms., actually; I never took my husband’s last name.” She opened the door of the mailbox and slid the letters inside. Her heart raced. A lawyer? It had to be. She took a deep breath and turned to the man. “Can I help you, sir?”

The man walked down the cracked cement steps and crossed the sidewalk to her. “My name is Michael Kessing, Ms. Hawthorne, and I’m here to discuss an official matter with you.” He held out his card and she took it. “Is there somewhere we can talk? Over coffee perhaps?”

Sky eyed the card suspiciously. “Any reason why we can’t just talk right here?”

“Ms. Hawthorne, it’s been a long drive from Columbia County. I’d like to sit down and relax while we discuss this matter.” He pulled a leather wallet from the inside pocket of his coat and flipped it open to reveal his driver’s license. “I understand your caution, and I commend it, but what we have to discuss could take a while.”

She scanned the driver’s license carefully and matched it with the name on the business card in her hand. Sky checked her watch. It was three o’clock; Drake would be home on the bus in an hour and a half. “Can you tell me what this is about, Mr. Kessing?”

“Ms. Hawthorne, it will take a long time to give you the details of what I’ve been sent to discuss with you.” Mr. Kessing walked back to the steps and picked up the briefcase that he’d set there. “Suffice it to say, it would be quite advantageous for your family if you agree to this meeting.”

Sky chewed the inside of her cheek in thought. The last thing her family needed was more trouble. Panic welled inside her until she was sure she would choke on it. Best to get this over with so she could plan how to attack the new problem.

Sky pointed down the street. The cool fall air was making her arms and hands tingle and she rubbed her fingers together to warm them. “There’s a diner across from the casino on Clyborn. I’ll have to call someone to meet my son when he gets home from school and also let them know where I am.”

“Understandable.” Mr. Kessing nodded at her arms, which were covered in goosebumps. “You may want to get a jacket while you’re at it. I’ll meet you at the diner in fifteen minutes. Is that sufficient time?”

“Give me twenty; that should be fine.” Mr. Kessing’s hard-soled shoes clicked on the street as he crossed to the other side, apparently heading for the silver Acura RSX parked at the corner. Sky took several calming breaths and turned back toward the apartment building.

The tiny ledge her family perched upon was getting even shakier, and there was nothing to grab on to if they fell.

Win a copy of Land of Entrapment by Andi Marquette

2008-09-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

Andi Marquette is giving away a copy of her latest release, Land of Entrapment. Leave a comment on this post and you’ll be entered into a drawing. The winner will be chosen October 4th. Good luck!

Land of Entrapment

K.C. Fontero left New Mexico in the wake of a bitter break-up to take an academic fellowship in Texas. With a doctorate in sociology and expertise in white supremacist groups, she’s on her way to an academic career. But a plea for help from her ex, Melissa, brings K.C. back to Albuquerque to find Melissa’s troubled younger sister. Megan has disappeared with her white supremacist boyfriend and K.C. knows she has the expertise to track the mysterious group, and she knows she’ll be doing a public service to uncover it. What she doesn’t know is how far into her past she’ll have to go to find both Megan and herself and the deeper she digs into the group, the greater the danger she faces.

GCLS Report Up

2008-08-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

I finally pulled myself away from the kittens and writing to finish the complete GCLS con report I promised everyone. Keep in mind this is my experience, and what I remember two week prior. I met so many more wonderful people then were mentioned here, but names have never been my strong suit. :)

Moon's GCLS Report

Golden Crown Awards...And the Winners Are!!!

2008-08-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

In Atlanta after a trip on the red eye, will be leaving for home at about 9:15. I plan to do a big post on the whole convention, but for now I'll leave you with the winners of the 2008 Golden Crown Literary Awards. There will be comintary when I am more awake.

The winners of the 2008 Goldies are:

Lesbian Anthology (non-erotica)
Love, Castro Street: Reflections of San Francisco edited by Katherine V. Forrest & Jim Van Buskirk, Alyson Books

Lesbian Poetry
The Human Line by Ellen Bass, Copper Canyon Press
The Islands Project by Eloise Klein Healy, Red Hen Press
Torch River by Elizabeth Philips, Brick Books

Lesbian Dramatic General Fiction
In Broad Daylight by Jane Vollbrecht, Regal Crest Enterprises
Landing by Emma Donoghue, Harcourt
The Spanish Pearl by Catherine Friend, Bold Strokes Books

Lesbian Short Story/Essay Collection
Are There Closets in Heaven by Carol Curoe & Robert Curoe, Syren Book Company
Deep in the Heart – A Memoir of Love and Longing by Sheila Morris, Red Letter Press
Fried & True – Tales from Rehoboth Beach by Fay Jacobs, A & M Books

Lesbian Mystery
Dark Valentine by Jennifer Fulton, Bold Strokes Books
Redress of Grievances by Brenda Adcock, Regal Crest Enterprises
The Devil Unleashed by Ali Vali, Bold Strokes Books

Lesbian Erotica
Crave by Catherine Lundoff, Lethe Press
Erotic Interludes 5: Road Games editted by Radclyffe and Stacia Seaman, Bold Strokes Books
In Deep Waters: Cruising the Seas by Karin Kallmaker & Radclyffe, Bella Books

Lesbian Speculative Fiction
Crown of Valencia by Catherine Friend, Bold Strokes Books
Queens of Tristaine by Cate Culpepper, Bold Strokes BooksR
ebels' Quest by Gun Brooke, Bold Strokes Books

Lesbian Romance
And Playing the Role of Herself by K.E. Lane, Regal Crest Enterprises
Out of Love by K.G. MacGregor, Bella Books
Second Season by Ali Vali, Bold Strokes Books

Lesbian Debut Author
K.E. Lane, And Playing the Role of Herself, Regal Crest Enterprises
Paula Offutt, Butch Girls Can Fix Anything, Regal Crest Enterprises
Jennifer Parello, Dateland, McKenna Publishing

The Ann Bannon GCLS Popular Choice Award
And Playing the Role of Herself by K.E. Lane, Regal Crest Enterprises

The GCLS Trailblazer Award
Katherine V. Forrest

The GCLS Director's Award
Nann Dunne (she who created JAW (Just About Write, a wonderful resource for lesfic writers and readers)

Congratulations to all the winners!!!

Green Monday: Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort

2008-07-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

I know the bicycling series I was writing for Green Monday was preempted by the Green It carnival last week, but with me heading to GCLS con tomorrow, I felt the need to talk about the place I will be staying while I’m in Phoenix. Be patient, there is a link between all of this and the purpose of green Monday, I swear.

This is some of the things Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort had to say about itself that really caught my interest.

Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort is located on the Gila River Indian Community, and is designed to be an authentic representation of the Gila River Indian Community heritage and culture. The architecture, design, art and legends of the Pima (Akimel O’odham) and Maricopa (Pee Posh) tribes are celebrated in every detail imaginable, indoors and out.

I this the perfect place for my first GCLS con or what? Yes, I know it’s not Cherokee run (Tsalagi), but I love the idea of supporting a tribe efforts to care for their people financially whenever I can, my tribe or not. Admittedly, without the scholarship I could never have afforded the $150 plus rate a night the con is getting if I remember the number range correctly (normally the room prices look between $180 and $210) for the five days I’m staying.

Now, I am not certain the hotel itself is tribe run and owned, it’s certainly a franchise of Sheraton, but that is something I plan to look into while I’m there. There several touristy things in the area also looked to be tribe run, the Rawhide (steakhouse and western town), Koli Equestrian Center (I sooooo wish I could afford the $65 to take a ride while I am there. I haven’t been on a horse in forever, and I miss riding), and a golf school (no interest in that). The Gila River Indian Community has other touristy places listed under Wild Horse Pass itself like a casino, the Aji spa, a golf club, and a business park which make me hopeful that the whole area in under the reins of the tribes themselves.

While I am there I hope to learn as much about the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) tribes as I can. There’s a heritage center about two miles from the hotel I’m going to try to make a day of on Wednesday if I can, called the HuHugam Heritage Center. I did manage to find some info online at the community site that I can share with you now.

Aikimel O’otham: If the level of a people’s arts and cultural activity is an accurate refl ection of their overall state of vitality, it is encouraging to note a renaissance of both traditional and innovative arts, crafts, and cultural pursuits among our Gila River community. Historically, the Akimel O’odham and Tohono O’odham were some of the world’s premier basketmakers, and the Tohono O’odham remain very active in this fi eld. Among the Akimel O’odham, basket weaving is an art undergoing revival. In addition, culturual gatherings and special arts events are growing larger, and more tribal members are making a living, or supplementing their income, through the sale of arts and crafts. And, in January 2004, the community dedicated one of the nation’s fi nest facilities for the preservation and display of Native artifacts, the HuHugam Heritage center.

In 2003, community youth at Ira Hayes Memorial Applied Learning High School on the reservation tackled a new arts medium: video. With the aid of the Herberger College of Fine Arts at Arizona State University in Tempe, the teens created a wonderful documentary, The River People, which was chosen for screening at the Cinematexas International Film Festival in the fall of 2003, showing that our people’s artistic talents can be extended in new and exciting ways.

Pee Posh: The Maricopa people were small bands living along the lower Gila and Colorado rivers. Each of these bands migrated eastward at different times. The Xalychidom (Maricopa of Lehi), left around 1825-1830. The last of these bands is said to have left the Colorado River in the late 1830’s. Eventually these bands came together and became collectively known as the Maricopa. As they migrated eastward, they came upon the Pima tribe and established a relationship. Both tribes provided protection against the Yuman and Apache tribes.

Some Maricopa’s (mostly Xalychidom Piipaash) began migrating to the area now known as Lehi on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, because water from the Gila River was becoming scarce. When the Salt River Indian Community was established in 1879, the reservation included both tribes within these boundaries. The Maricopa Tribe is known for their red clay pottery work. Various jars and bowls were created for essential needs, made of natural materials. The clay was collected at various locations within the area. Natural dyes were used to depict geometrical designs. Maricopa pottery artwork can be viewed at the Community’s Hoohoogam Ki Museum

Looks like it’s a good thing I will be there a day early. I admit my interests may be quite different than many of the women going to the con, but if I have to trek to the heritage center solo, I’m okay with that. I can’t afford much, but hopefully the center will have books I can buy and cart home so I can share with my children what I learn there about Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) tribes. One thing I am going to be sure to do (since I suck at remembering names and learning languages) I’m going to work very hard to remember how to pronounce the tribe names. Pee Posh is easy enough to remember, but Akimel O’odham might be a bit more of a challenge. :)

Okay, on to the Green Monday part of the topic. Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort is a part of the GeoGreen Resort Initiative. According to the hotel site this is an organization dedicated to environmental responsibility and cultural sustainability. I couldn’t other resorts connected to this program, but they really should be. It looks like a great program. Here’s the GeoGreen program detailed by Department.

The more I read about this place, the more excited I am about going there. This resort is like nothing I have ever stayed at before, but I wish there were more place like it. Imagine is local tribe here like the Onieda and the Potawatomi, or even the Ho Chunk who have their ornate casinos created hotels like this one. It is possible a place like Phoenix is a far better location for places like the Wild Horse Pass Resort, but I would love to see more place take the clue from the Gila River Indian Community. Something tells me convention aside, this is going to be a place that will be hard to leave after the five days are up.

Marketing on a Budget

2008-07-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

With my first anthology out (Chilling Tales) and a novel due this fall (Ancestral Magic) I’ve been giving a great deal of thought to the idea of marketing. Being with a small publisher, a lot of the promotion lands on my shoulders, and not having a ton of extra cash to spare, I have to be frugal with the marketing tools I use. Some of these I have been working on for quite some time, whole others are new tools since the anthologies release or resources geared to the novel as its date of availability get closer. Whereas any artist can use these tool to promote themselves, as a writer I will mostly be focusing on that aspect.

The internet itself is a great tool to give your work widespread attention. There are no gas or plane fares to dig into your pocket book, you simply have the world at your fingertips. What you do with this connection is up to you. Here are some suggestions.

Blogging

What a blog is for

This is something I suggest to do as early as possible. Establishing yourself as an online presence before you have work you are promoting is a great way to gather a fan base, as well as giving a place for people who what to know where you stand a way to get to know you better. You can do anything with blogging. Make a stand about social injustices, display personal art and writing, gather with other writers to offer advice on writing or to promote/support each others work. The possibilities are endless.

Be careful what you say

This is not to say you should do anything on a personal or professional blog. This is not a place to publicly bash publishers who reject your work, editors that get on your nerves, other artists you may be having a row with, or even complaining about your boss unless you are okay with these folks finding your blog and seeing what you say about them. It’s an easy way to shoot your career in the foot if you aren’t careful. That is not to say you can’t have an opinion, or vent your frustration, just remember folks are not only reading what you write there, but the wrong person would be just as likely to repost what you say someplace else to start trouble.

The subject of trolls

For those of you who have never experienced internet trolls, here’s a brief definition of what these creatures are. The term trolls has a connection to the technique of” trolling” a style of fishing that involves a bait to be dragged though an area looking far a fish to bite. Internet trolls do basically the same thing. They come to a blog or online community for the purpose to make off topic comments and cause trouble. They are generally a person who feels their life is out of control, so they victimize someone else to make them feel important.

Trolls are something any blogger who takes a stand on anything that could be seen as controversial, or who isn’t meek when it comes to commenting on other blogs, will have to do with at some point. Set your blog settings accordingly to protect yourself best you can, avoid posting personal pics or information you don’t want these trolls to have access to, and work to build a supportive online community who can all just to each other’s defense when these trolls come calling.

You can’t protect yourself completely, but don’t let them stop you from talking about the issues that impassion you, nor give them the power to derail an important topic with their idiocy. It will be up to you on whether to fight or just ignore the trolls, often the latter is the best you can do.

How to handle a troll

Zero Tolerance

Blog linking

Assuming I haven’t completely scared you off of blogging talking about trolls, one of the best ways to bring traffic to your blog is to link up with other blogs as well. Post link to places you admire or find interesting, trade links with other writers or artists you admire or like. Helping promote each other is a great way to increase traffic for all of you. Marketing yourself as an artist isn’t about competing, it’s about giving the consumer all the information they need, and at the same time giving you a place to be creative and speak out. Whether you blog every day or only once a week, it’s a good habit to get into. Also don’t forget to spend time visiting other’s blogs. You may be surprised what you learn and what may inspire you.

Websites

Basics

Other great tool for personal promotion, and something that can be easily links your blog is the website. I prefer having a domain through a paid hosting source, but there is many free webhosting places out there you can use as well. Unless you have a friend who has the ability to build your site for you, you will have to do the web design yourself or pay to have it done. Be sure to keep it as simple as you can easily maintain, so you can make regular changes as you need to.

What to have on your site

There are several things that I think are crucial on any website as an author or artist. You want someplace where the casual viewer can learn about you, a bio page of some sort. This can be as simple or as complex as you’d like. You want to display your work in some way so those visiting can get a taste of what you do, your style and skill. Also, here is a good place to add links to other artist, resource sites, ect…for the cross promoting I mentioned before. You have review of your work, post them on your site. Events you’ll be attending? News on upcoming releases or awards? Yep post those here too. This is your site, your chance to show new viewers who you are and what your about. Inlike the blog this is a much for the casual reader, as for the person who wants to learn much more about you.

Other Tools

Mailgroups

Places like google, yahoo, etc have email communities and forums where you can connect with like minded people and talk about anything that interests you. This is also a great place to promote your work assuming personal promotion is allowed on the group, and you follow the group rules for doing so. My advice, join these groups long before it is time to promote your work. Be as active as you can so people know who you are, and don’t only see you as someone just here to promote themselves but a true member of their online community.

YouTube – Book trailers

Places like YouTube or any other video hosting are fabulous places if you have the tech knowledge and equipment to do your own videos. Book trailers are a great way for you to attract the more visually geared folks to want to check out your work. A well done trailer can be a huge boost, and there are many places that give tutorials on how to do this. You can make your trailer or virtual gallery as simple or as complicated as you like.

Writer Unboxed

No Rule. Just Write

We CAN Market Our Books

Readings – Podcasts

Now many of you know about doing readings and panels at conventions, but with the growing cost of travel I’ve thought about how else to present my work in a less visual arena, for those like me who are more audiotorally geared. Podcasts are a great way to accomplish this. Whether you do them like a regular radio show, for example a writer workshop, or group promotion of several writers, or for accessible reading or you reading your work online, podcasts are a great tool. Here are some great links to teach you how to take advantage of this useful technology.

About.com

Weekend Project

How Stuff Works

Now, in honestly podcast and web vids will never truly replace the feeling of live readings (for some of us the terror and the nausea of public speaking is like nothing else), and if you keep your author events local you can keep costs down as well. Remember, indy bookstores are just one place to do a fun author event. You can do group reading which can be a fantastic draw for attendees, slam session at local coffee houses, any place you can think of that fits the audience of whatever type of work you do. Be creative, and have a good time. If you make it fun, your prospective readers will have a good time too.

Well, I hope this information was useful to you. It’s never to early (or too late) to focus on self promotion. You don’t need tons of money, but you will need to plot your time so as not to get overwhelmed between you promotion time, your creative time, and everything else your life demands of you. Good luck!

Also, as part of this special event there are some other authors doing workshop on their blogs worth checking out.

Sandra Barret is doing “Worldbuilding with a Wiki” Tuesday, July 29, 2008. Jove Belle is doing a not to miss workshop on “Brainstorming” Thursday, July 31, 2008, And the magnificent Larkin Rose is doing a piece called “Hitting the Wall” on the subject of Writer's Block Saturday, Aug 2, 2008

GCLS Con in 4 more days…

2008-07-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

Laundry, packing, and so on, my weekend is full of excited preparation for GCLS Lit Con. Here’s an idea of what I have planned…

I leave out Tuesday afternoon because AirTran likes to change stuff on me (again) to force me to head out almost 24 hours early so I don’t miss social stuff Wednesday night. Luckily Patty and her honey are coming to get me and giving me a place to crash Tuesday so I don’t have to sleep in the airport. I won’t be there Tuesday until after 9:30 in the evening, so no early sightseeing for me that evening.

Wednesday check in isn’t until 5pm (though I can at least check into my room earlier than that) so I should be able to get in some sight seeing then. I’ve never been to Phoenix. Or any place that had what people could consider a “dry heat” so I’m looking forward to the experience. The meet and great should be a great time, so many people I have only known online I can finally meet in person.

Thursday we got the murder mystery going on, and I am soooo getting in on that. It should be fun (note to send, be in the vendors area at 2:50 pm on Thursday). My time co-mentoring is from 9 - 10 am so should give me plenty of time to get lunch and relax a bit before we meet up.
The change in mentoring time also means I’ll miss Page-Turning Plots: Outlining & Organizing Your Novel (Presentation & Workshop) Part I with Jennifer L. Jordan, but maybe I can get someone to take my mini recorder with them or take very good notes so I wont be too far behind when I go to Part II at 10:45 am.

It’ll all still leave me time to also go see It's Not All About You: Creating Story People with Depth (Workshop) Part I with Karin Kallmaker& Lori L. Lake at 1:30 pm since that ends at 2:30. I hope O can make it to Part II of that at 3:15 pm, but with the presentation for the murder mystery event that could be hard to manage. Whew I’m gonna be running that day.

Friday will be an early day for me convention time, even though I am regularly up at 6am when I’m not on a (working) vacation. Stop Wasting Those Gigabytes: Make the Most of Your Author Website (Presentation) with KG MacGregor is at 8:30 am, and that sound like a useful panel to check out. I have to be at Tough Girls, Bitchfights, and Girls Gone Bad (Panel/Reading) right after that, so I’ll miss part I of Katherine V. Forrest’s Writing Fiction for Publication/The Successful Manuscript: The Editor's View presentation. Talk about some rough competition to be up against. I hope some of you that may be going to GCLS will make it to the reading.

I might make it to part II of Katherine V. Forrest’s presentation after that, but the world building one looks so good to since I right exclusively paranormal within my own version on the modern world. There’s a part III and IV to this presentation as well, maybe if I am lucky all four parts will be on the GCLS DvD (which I will be ordering a copy of.

See how many cool panels there are here. More of ya’ll will have to come check the con out next year, huh? My other panel is Caliente! Spicy Hot Erotica & Romance (Panel Reading) Saturday at 1:30 pm. Gonna be some fun stuff in here, I bet ya. Ya’ll should come check it out! The winner of the murder mystery will be announced on Saturday, bit as busy as I’m going to be not sure how much of that I’ll have time to participate in. I’m really looking forward to the dance. I love music and dancing, though not sure how much energy I’ll have left for a long night. Depends how late, early I am up writing that weekend along with everything else.

Needless to say I am really looking forward to this trip, and I will do my best to keep ya’ll in touch with what’s going on at the blog. Copies of the anth Chilling Tales of Terror and the Supernatural will be there I found out, so I hope the reading I do and such help will the sale of that as well as drum up interest when Ancestral Magic comes out this fall. If nothing else, I’m sure it’ll be a great time all around.

The Transplanted Writer by Fran Walker

2008-07-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

Great new article at Women and Words blog called "The Transplanted Writer" by the wonderful Fran Walker. Here's a sample...

“Write what you know” is a common writer’s mantra. Authors do research in order to create believable characters and settings. The writer of a medical drama can go online to learn the typical layout of a surgical suite or emergency room. An historical writer might check out library books to study the difference between a castle and a palace. But to create a believable story in any setting, the author seems to need a “sense of place” in order to convey a credible world. And sense of place, I’ve learned, has less to do with the obvious differences and more to do with the tiniest details. Often writers depict settings poorly simply because we aren’t aware of the gaps in our knowledge.

Thursday Thirteen #36 “Songs that Inspire”

2008-07-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is crossposted from the LJ journal ya'll are used to seeing me at. I've decided my blogger is going to be mostly a place for my writing, and things that inspire it (current event, music, art, etc...) so I will likely use both for my TT's depending on the subject.

This week I wanted to talk about songs that charge my writing, and sometimes even inspire it. Too bad that utube has so many of the best videos that have had embedded removed, I assume at the record companies request. Oh well.

1) “Youth of the Nation” by P.O.D.

2) “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence

(inspired my novel Cryptic Voodoo (which may be getting a name change, the novel not the band), one scene in particular was based on part of this video)

3) “Stranger” by Billy Joel

4) “Dark Lady” Cher (inspired my villain in Ancestral Magic, Morrissa Donaldson, especially the very beginning of this song.)

5) “Angie Baby” Helen Reddy

6) “(I Just) Died in Your Arms” Cutting Crew

7) “True Faith” New Order (makes me think of Eve from Cryptic Voodoo, the feeling of being outcast from her peers, but being free)

The next two are so hot, the never fail to fuel me up for my more erotic scenes. I warn you, you put these on full screen and I’ll not be responsible for the result (wink)

8) Beautiful Liar with Beyonce and Shakira

9) Shakira 'Hips Don't Lie (f. Wyclef Jean)'

10) Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen (performed by Seal) (I was thinking about this song in part while I wrote the first scene in Natural Order, but this song has touched me for so long far before that)

11) Dear Mr President - Pink- Live

12) Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - Elton John

Though the version with George Michael is my fav, even though I can’t find an embedded version of that one

13) Queen Latifah- U.N.I.T.Y.

(this one is one of my very favs, and great for when I need to charge my Amazon battery and do some literary ass kickin’. Is there any guess now why I have such a crush on this woman?)

Come add your link and them don’t forget to comment.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Very useful blog traffic related articles by Bobby Revell

2008-07-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

I found some great articles at a blog I just discovered, Revellian Dot Com, about making your articles search engine friendly, using SEO keywords, and how to provide traffic for others. I found these a great resource to teach me ways to increase blog traffic based on tactics I can use when writing my articles, as well as being able to help other good blogs get noticed. How cool is that? Here’s some clips to give you a taste.

Many people believe a catchy blog post title is the way to go, some think a search engine friendly article title is - which is best? I think it’s a combination of both. (note that I repeated the blog title in the previous sentence - you should do the same and use it naturally in a sentence at the start of the post). For sake of this discussion, let’s hypothesize there are two types of bloggers: Those who know how search engines work and those who do not.

You can see the rest here at “Search Engine Friendly Article Titles”

I’d also recommend the article called “SEO Keywords For Beginners” that this site has made available as well.

I chose the phrase, seo keywords, and actually used it as the central motif from which to build this post. Look at the title of my post. It contains the keyword phrase, seo keywords. This is important to do. I could have named it something else and used the phrase, seo keywords, in my title tags. If you use blogger with an xml template (new blogger), you will simply need to make sure you title your post so it contains the keyword phrase.

And another article I found interesting was called “How To Provide Traffic For Others”

I see so many people trying hard to earn traffic for their own blogs, it’s natural. As humans, we like attention. We want to feel important and our work has some sort of validation. Often, with this mindset, we miss out on what is truly important.

Well, I hope you enjoyed these articles as much as I did, and take the time to check out all of the other great stuff at Revellian Dot Com. You never know what you might find.

Women and Words: The Dark Side by India Masters

2008-07-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

New stuff up at Women and Words blog. India Masters is doing a post about the type of fiction she writes called "The Dark Side", you can guess by this our gal doedn't write fluffy happy fiction, huh? Here's a taste...

Well, anyone who’s read my work, knows that light is not a word associated with what I write. Hmmm, food for thought. Do I include past experiences in my writing, and I guess the answer to that is, yes. My first book was a paranormal, The Soul Collector, about an immortal Celtic Druid who is married to a vampire from the French Revolution period.

It is done!!!

2008-07-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

Whew, I never thought I’d finally say this, but…

(drum roll please)

…the first draft of Primal Magic is completed (sequel to Ancestral Magic). Now if I can find a couple more beta readers willing to tackle the 68,045 word manuscript, I can have it out to the publisher by end of August and reach my goal. Wow, this feels sooooo good.

I’m going to take a couple weeks off so I can actually relax during my trip to GCLS con (If I can stand to go without writing for that long) and get started on the rework of Bloodstained Innocence (which has been homeless since the demise of Stardust Press). Once that is ready to go (I want to add a few chapters and a bit more action, make the story less romancy), then begins the big job.

Working on the sequel for Natural Order, Natural Rebirth!

I love being a writer!!!

Green Monday "Creative Recycling with the Green It! Carnival"

2008-07-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

I was invited to join the new "Green It" carnival, and it's up and live.

The Creative Recycling edition of the Green It! Carnival has been published, which has been compiled by Lisa of Condo Blues. Reducing waste is a big part of living green, but at times it can be a bit of a challenge, if not down right impossible to come up with creative ways to recycle! Never fear! This edition of the Green It! Carnival will provide you with ideas galore and solutions to also sorts of recycling quandaries.

Sniff, looks like it’s over

2008-07-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the end. The last episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender just finished tonight. Where as I am excited to have gotten to see the finale, there’s melancholy that there will be no more episodes in the future. (the link above has spoilers so don’t read if you haven’t seen the show)

For those of you who haven’t had a taste of the show, or like me can’t get enough, here’s some samples…

Isn't This Just Stupid

2008-07-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

I see, so the cost of living, the fact that to fill my tank cost over $60 a pop, all in my head right? Thanks to Move On for this enlighting look into Bush and McCain, masters of psychology.

Joss Wheden has done it again!

2008-07-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

One week only you too can see the only miniseries of its kind. Dr. Horrible, the super villain musical.

For only one week it’s free for your viewing, then it will go away, only to be had to the most worthy of fans (or those that pay the fee for the dvd).

This is great stuff folks, cheesy, funny, sweet, and musical! Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog

A New Strategy for a New World

2008-07-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

"Barack will lead a new foreign policy based on restoring America's military strength and global respect, cooperating with allies, and reversing failed Bush policies"

Of all the speeches from out future president, this one touched me the most, and excited me for the possibilities in the next few years.

Thursday Thirteen #35 "Thinking Ahead"

2008-07-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

I know I need to get some more blogging in, at least on a more regular basis. I use all sort of excuses not to, kids being crazy, heat sapping my brain, too many other things to do (cleaning, edits, working on Primal Magic), but in truth I just need to feel I have something interesting to write about that ya’ll want to read.

So here’s the deal. I’m going to throw out some suggestions, and ya’ll can tell me what you’d find most interesting. No limit in choices.

See TT here

Talk about stupid laws...Hey, Wisconsin Family Council! Buy a clue!

2008-07-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

I just got this sent to me by Fair Wisconsin.

On July 9th, CNN.com aired a story from WKOW about an obscure law facing Wisconsin gay and lesbian couples if they enter into a marriage outside the state that would not be legal in Wisconsin. In the interview, Wisconsin Family Council CEO Julaine Appling said verbatim that “that’s a defrauding of the government” and “someone needs to prosecute them.”

Later, Wisconsin Family Council issued a denial of the comments made by Appling, calling the story “distorted and misleading,” and claiming that what she actually said was that gay couples who get married in California are “taking a risk that some DA somewhere could charge them under this law, unlikely as that may be.” To see the text of the Wisconsin Family Council's denial click here.

Clearly, the only “defrauding” going on is the re-writing of history coming from the Wisconsin Family Council.

See for yourself what Appling actually said:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/09/dnt.wi.same.sex.jail.wkow

Fair Wisconsin remains committed to protecting the civil rights of LGBT citizens and fighting for equality for ALL of Wisconsin’s families. For more information or to make a donation, please visit http://www.fairwisconsin.com/

Best regards,

GlennGlenn Carlson,
Executive Director

WTH? Sexual identity disturbance?

2008-07-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks to eternalwytch for the heads up on this one

ROME (Reuters) - An Italian court has ruled the government must pay 100,000 euros ($157,700) in damages to a man who was told to retake a driving test because he was homosexual.

When 26 year-old Danilo Giuffrida told doctors he was gay at his medical examination for military service, they passed the information to the transport ministry, who told him he must repeat his driving test or have his license withdrawn due to his "sexual identity disturbance."

Giuffrida agreed to re-take his test, passed it for a second time, but the ministry renewed his license for just one year rather than the usual 10 years because of his homosexuality.

The judge ruling on the case in Catania, on the southern island of Sicily, said the actions of the defense and transport ministries showed "evident sexual discrimination" against Giuffrida and ran counter to his constitutional rights.

The behavior of the ministries led Giuffrida to have "a grave sense of mistrust towards the state," added the judge, who ordered them to pay him 100,000 euros of damages in his verdict issued on Saturday.

Giuffrida's lawyer said the case marked the first time the state had been punished for sexual discrimination, and he hoped Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would "summon Giuffrida and apologize to him on behalf of the state and all Italians."

Giuffrida said the sentence was "a step forwards for civil rights because from now on what happened to me can't happen again."

Green Monday: Cycling pt 1, Fitting a Bike

2008-07-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

I’ve really been thinking about the idea of getting a bicycle and using it (to start with) for shorter errands and trips. I’ll admit the raising gas prices is one reason, the environmental impact another, but a big reason is also that weighing in now at 157 (a 30 lb loss since Feb) it’s time to step up the fitness part of my day so I can have that nummy Culvers custard guilt free. :)

Okay, I admit, health is a good part of my reason too, even though living in Wisconsin the months it’s warm enough to get on a cycle is limited. So, with all of that in mind, I’ve been doing some research on buying, riding, and maintaining a cycle. There’s so much info, I think I will talk about bikes in several steps over a few posts. This first one will be about bike fitting.

Read the rest at Cycling pt 1, Fitting a Bike

Women and Words update: Objectively Speaking by Clifford Henderson

2008-07-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

There's some great stuff over at the Women and Words blog this weekend. Clifford Henderson has a great post going on about character building that's not to miss. Go forth and check it out!
Cliffi here to talk about “The Big O.” Now, before you start salivating, or running for some privacy, let me warn you, it’s not what you might think.

It was one of those days. The writing wasn’t coming easy. Or, editing, I should
say. Eagle-eye Cindy Cresap, my editor, made the case that one of the
relationships in my novel needed a bit of beefing up. The chapter I was working
on today was crucial in that it’s the first time we see the two characters alone
together.

read the rest here!

Best Image Ever!!!

2008-07-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

I am soooooo usng this image as my icon for lgbt justice! Thanks to the The Lesbian Said What?? blog for this treasure.

Moon's addition to "Post-a-rejection-letter Friday!"

2008-07-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

A couple gems for Post-a-rejection-letter Friday!

A past regection for the novel that is coming out this fall with PD Publishing. Keep in mind this is the final response I got after seven months of waiting and having few responses to my polite email enquiries. That's okay, the next publisher I sent it to couldn't say enough things about how much they liked it.

I apologize for the the extreme delay in the review of your manuscript. I truly enjoyed your submission, and I believe it has great potential. However, it did not pass review, each reviewer felt that the ending was not fleshed out enough. They felt as though the ending came right in the middle of the story.

Here's one for anouther book that will be coming out through PD next year. The editor here was very nice about it, and I hope it might help others to not assume that because the publishers page says they sell something, that they actually want manscripts like it.

We have reviewed your submission and while we found the writing good and story line very well done, we feel that this story is not right for us. At this time, we are not accepting lesbian stories. Our readership has indicated that this genre isn't one they are looking for in a (publisher's name removed) book.

So there's a couple that I saved, though many I didn't. There was even one instance I never got through the door bcause I have one book cotracted with a publisher the editor said it would be a conflict of interest to even look at any of my other manuscripts. Honstly I am pretty happy at PD, so that's okay by me. :)

New Blog on Writing to Check Out!

2008-07-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

A group of women writers (me being one of them, heh heh) have formed a writing craft-focused blog. The participants are: Andi Marquette, Clifford Henderson, India Masters, Jove Belle, Larkin Rose, Me, and Sandra Barret. The first post is up, and it's a great one by Andi, the travel goddess herself.

Women and Words

Been Absent - Back Now

2008-07-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

I've been hanging over at my LJ blog, and neglicting this one. Now with the new blog sindication I think keeping both wouldn't be a bad thing. Likely there will be little here that you can't find at my LJ, but I may hold some suprises in me yet. Let's begin. :)

Too Much Snow

2008-01-23T05:45:00.000-08:00

In the past week we’ve gotten over a foot of snow. Now before you start day dreaming about a winter wonderland, remember I live in the Industrial part of my end of Wisconsin. This means the chemical in this snow are likely quite toxic and plain disgusting. No face washes and catching snow flake on the tongues for my kids. In fact it’s so cold that they can’t even play outside. So here are some pics of places I’d rather be than Milwaukee right now during the winter.

So glad kids are back to school!

2008-01-22T15:45:00.000-08:00

Here is the newest addition to my writing goal updates. Perhaps when I get through the crazy making month of January, I can work harder on my non-writing goals for this year too. :)

My submission for the Scottish Fiction contest at Dark Eden Press titled "Wild Things" is in the last beta's hands who is also going over the synopsis. So, in a few days off it goes. You can find a clip of the story here if you are interested.

Also on my rather overful plate is a story I just finished the first draft of my story for the "Toe to Toe: Standing Tall and Proud" anthology being done by Bedazzled Ink. The story is called "Reborn" and its a story about one of my most favorate fantasy characters I created, that as of yet I have not fully brought to life in print. Perhaps now is the time. The deadline is Feb 1st, and the story just made it under the 8k cut off (whew)

I've been looking into the "Pretty Scary" anth call out being published through Dark Hart, but I can't find details on word count, and none of my email have been answered. I'm assuming for now they are just busy, and am working on revising a horror story I had sitting around. If anyone knows more about this let me know, please.

Of course I am still working on revisions on Natural Order and look to be close to being able to resub that in the next week so so. Thanks all for your support and good wishes. I'll keep ya posted!

Green Monday "The Story of Stuff"

2008-01-21T15:08:00.000-08:00

I was wracking my brain today to deside what of thousands of things I could do for the Green Monday post today, when my friend Janet Sumner sent this to us in a yahoo group.

Sunday Magic Chat "Gathering the Goddess"

2008-01-20T15:05:00.000-08:00

Through the Dianic Study group I found these wonderful series of videos involving my teacher Ruth Barrett’s teacher, Z Budapest. This is a 6 part video series, each running about 10 mins. Enjoy!!!!!

Author Spotlight "KG MacGregor "

2008-01-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

Dreamtimes Author Spotlight with KG MacGregor has been slightly delayed because the interviewer has a sick kid. However, to make up for this, Sundays Magic Chat will be postponed so you have plenty of time to spend with this interesting woman.
( come meet the author )

Flashback Friday with Xena

2008-01-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

Odd as it may sound to some, Xena has had a big part to play in the later part of my life. Both my kids were “baked” on Xena (meaning I watched the show most of both pregnancies) and though the tougher time in my life the show brought me comfort and enjoyment. In the past few years I haven’t watch my Xena tape, though lately I have considered requiring the episodes on DvD and watching them, simply once again for enjoyment. For the heck of it, I thought I might share with you some of my fav episodes from the 6 seasons the Xena: Warrior Princess was on the air, but then I found something even better.

Thursday Thirteen #19 "Moon's Favorite T-shirt/Bumper Sticker Quotes"

2008-01-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

Okay after finishing some of my 2008 writing goals this week (more to go) I gave my brain a break and decided to go something frivolous and fun for my TT this week. Enjoy!
( TT ahead )

I can't believe I wrote the whole thing!

2008-01-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

And one the third day of the writing crunch my muses gave to me...

Nearing the finish line!

2008-01-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I've made it over the 8k mark on my story "Wild Things" so anything after this is icing. I think I have about 2k left and then I'll edit, and fill in surnames, town names, all the research stuff. I'm amazed I've gotten so much done in two days. This might even be ready for betas by Thurday if I'm lucky. *wink* hint hint Here's a sample...

And we have progress!

2008-01-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

For those of you expecting a "Sunday Magic Chat" or a "Green Monday" post this week, I've afriad this weekend has been far too busy for that. Between two days with a feverish child, and writing deadlines, it just wasn't possible. For anyone following my progress on my 2008 writing goals here’s what we have so far.

Spotlight: Lambda Nominees from P.D. Publishing

2008-01-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

I was looking over this years nominees and was thrilled to see many of my fellow PD Authors involved. WooHoo. Here's who I noticed. If you haven't checked these great talents out, what are ya waiting for?

( Read more... )

Thursday Thirteen #18 “Thirteen Quotes from Moon's Fav 2007 Movie”

2008-01-10T07:04:00.000-08:00

I remember seeing the original “Hairspray” movie in 1988 after it just came out. I was doing RHPS in Chicago and our whole cast went to see it. So when I heard there was a new “Hairspray” movie, I didn’t know what to think about it. Last week I saw it for the first time, and I LOVED IT!!! This is official my favorite movie from 2007. I want to see the musical on stage too now. Warning, this is very long, but I hope ya’ll will enjoy it.

( TT and gush ahead )

All Hail the Queen

2008-01-09T07:11:00.000-08:00

After soaking my mojo in some Queen Latifah this week I thought I’d share that great feeling with ya’ll. Talent, beauty, strength, intelligence, just a whole package of Nubian Goddessness all around.

( Read more... )

Guest Blogger: Moon's friend Renee on Emergancy Planning

2008-01-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

My friend Renee talks with us today about emergancy planning

( Read more... )

Green Monday "Vermicomposting"

2008-01-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

I thought a bit ago I’d start using Monday’s post to talk about thing people (including me) can do to make themselves or/and the earth herself healthier.

Last week I talked about the juicing I’ve been experimenting with, and that went very well. The thing is, that branched my thoughts out into something else entirely. You see with juicing, between the pulp and the scraps, you have a bit of food waste. So what do you do with that food waste?

Vermicomposting!

Magic Chat: A Princess of a Different Kind

2008-01-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

With a young daughter to raise I think a good deal about what things I can do to support a possitive self image that will support her physical, emotional, and even magical growth. What I saw posted on one of my lists reminded me of how much things have and will still be changing.

Wonder Woman Gets a New Voice, and It’s Female

Quote from the article...

"During a telephone interview from her home in Florence, Ore., Ms. Simone was effusive when discussing Wonder Woman. “She’s just the best kind of person,” she said. “She was a princess who didn’t need someone to rescue her. I grew up in an era — and a family — where women’s rights were very important, and the guys didn’t tend to stick around too long. She was an amazing role model.”

The thing that strikes me most about this article, is when I think back to my daughter and how she her always talks about wanting be a princess. How many of the TV/Movie princesses are helpless, in need of being rescued? Well here, my sisters, is a princess we can all be proud to have our girls emulate.

To be honest, I didn't give how fiction and media protrayed princesses much her until I saw my daughter and the other little girls playing "princess" and having the boys rescue them. Coming from a mom who "baked" both her kids on Xena, I found it really bothered me. When I heard my son (8) and my daughter (4) argueing because she kept wanting to play the princess as a "damzel in distress" and my son said he'd not play with her anymore if she kept playing the helpless princess (my son is such a wonderful feminist)

After that, I began to look over her selection of tapes more closely. I recently introduced my daughter to Princess Diana. My daughter had known Diana as Wonder Woman for a long time, but when I mentioned she was also a princess, then that was an entrily new matter to my little girl. So there's hope yet. :)

Dreamtime's Author Spotlights in 2007

2008-01-05T06:52:00.000-08:00

Now that 2007 has come to a close, and we’ve started a new year of Author Spotlights on Dreamtime. I thought it would be a good time to give thought to those authors who were kind enough to share themselves and their work with us in the past year. (side note, this was much more indebth, but lj burped on my and I had to do it all over again)

So welcome to... "Author Spotlights in 2007"

Drake Family News

2008-01-04T15:51:00.000-08:00

Well, the plan for my Friday flashback had been postponed so that I may share with you the great news. If you want to know more come on in and I’ll tell ya the story. It started like this, an innocent trip to the grocery store gone array…

Thursday Thirteen #17 “Thirteen Plus Personal Goals for 2008”

2008-01-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

I’ve given a lot of thought to what my goals for 2008 are. I don’t want to give myself impossible challenges, but I really do want to make an impact in my own life. I don’t do these things to please anyone else, but me. I’ll start from the beginning, for a lot of these one progresses into the other. So my Thursday Thirteen this week is “Thirteen Plus Personal Goals for 2008”

Goddessly Beauty

2008-01-02T05:58:00.000-08:00

We all have our own personal images of beauty, and the faces of the Goddess
I thought I might share some of mine. Everything is written by me except where noted. Enjoy! :)

Eyes as dark and a moonless night, looks deep in your soul
Fiery spirit, passion and flair, no one tells her who she is
The daughter of the furies, retribution for her sister pain
Only the most perfect of love will touch her, true of word and of deed
She is whole, she is goddess, she is the future

Earth Mother, we honor your body
Earth Mother, we sing to your stones
Earth Mother, we enter your body
Earth Mother, we honor your bones

***

“Earth Mother” written by Kay Garner
Sung on the “The Year is a Dancing Woman, V2” cd by Ruth Barrett

Listen to the spirit, they call you, sister
The stories they tell touch you deep, don’t turn away in fear
Face the magic of your heart, you may learn you are stronger than you know
Do not listen to the mad whispers, those that cut your soul, bleed out your will
You frighten them, those who would hide your power from you
They fear your magic, your light, your knowing of the truth
Listen to the drumbeat of the ancestors, your heartbeat, the link to your maternal line
You are sacred, sister, reclaim your power
She is waiting
She is waiting
She is waiting!

The beauty of a woman’s wind kissed face, hair gently tousled by the chilled winter air.
Her cheeks glow red with the cold, like they’re on fire, and my heart jumps
She wets her full lips with a teasing tongue, they glisten, begging to be kissed.
Colorful bits of wool come together, protectively cradling her sensual neck
The deepness of her eyes pulled me in, and I happily surrender
My lover, my beauty, my goddess

You are born to the many and born to the one.
In the lap of your mother you are held by us all.
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Now it’s yours
Can you feel our protection as we bind you a spell?
Can you hear our blessing you beautiful child?
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Now it’s yours
There is a coil of all women encircling time.
We are dancing through mirrors and unbroken lines.
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Now it’s yours
From mother to daughter, to daughter to babe.
At the breast of one woman you are fed by us all.
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Now it’s yours
To the earth house of light you have quietly returned.
We greet you with honor and welcome you in.
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Now it’s yours
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Come into our dream
Now it’s yours

***

Quote from the song “Come Into Our Dream” written by Caroline Hillyer
I love Ruth Barrett’s version of this one on “The Year is a Dancing Woman, V1” cd
This song verse tears me up every time, especially the one verse that fits this pic best.

With each breath come the Winds of change
Sing Daughters of Her blood
Within our womb burns the Amazon fire
Dance Daughters of Her blood
Our tears will cleanse the wounded land
Rage Daughters of Her blood
Let the drum beat sisters, time to make a stand
For we are all Daughters of Her blood

Spiral is turning
Season is changing
Old One is waiting
Blessed is she

“Spiral is Turning” written by Holin Kennen and Carolyn Hillyer
Sung on the “The Year is a Dancing Woman, V2” cd by Ruth Barrett

Looks Interesting

2008-01-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

I might need to find the remote to clear the DVR so I can tape this. Might give me some new story ideas (with my full plate may or may not be a good idea)

Author Spotlight "Jennifer Pelland"

2008-01-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

As our first Author Spotlight of 2008, Dreamtime is happy to welcome Jennifer Pelland who is joining us today. Jennifer is a talented Sci Fi short story creatrix (as someone who struggles writing short I got to give lots of props for that) and a feminist. A gal after my own heart *wink*

Green Monday "Juicing"

2007-12-31T07:29:00.000-08:00

I’ve been thinking, since I’ve got Nutrition on the mind I might share a bit with ya’ll on what I am learning about. Over several days of experimentation, this is how my experience with Juicing went.

It all started on Thursday…

I admit I hate veggies in general, but I know I have to eat more of them than I do. My other issue is when I am writing, if it’s not right there in front of me, I forget to eat all together. With the juices I can make them that morning while I get the kids to school, take my thyroid meds, and in the time it takes for me to clean up and get settle to right the juice is cooled and I am ready to work, juice in hand. Okay, that’s the theory anyways.

I could even make some the night before, but I have to wait an hour or so after I take my thyroid meds in the morning before I’m allowed to eat anything. And I need my meds even though I forget those half the time too. If I can get into a regular schedule of things, it will make all of it easier for my ADD brain.

What I’m thinking is I should start with a few simple recipes, give myself variety, but not so many I get confused. I’ve tried a few juice recipes at the local coop, so I know a few combinations I like. I’ll need some recipes for energy boost, immune boosts, etc… Any of you that are already juicing have fav recipes…and what are they best for? I’d like to get organic fruit and veggies for these, but my budget can’t really take the strain of everything being totally organic, so I’ll do the best I can. This spring I’m doing my garden and that will make things easier.

By that evening…

The first recipe they mention I’d wanted to try is carrot (4) (good for vit a,b,c & beta-carotene, and a ton of other good stuff) and asparagus (1/2 lb) (a, b1, folic), celery (4 ribs) (c, potassium, sodium), apple (2) (pectin reduces cholesterol), and (2 cups) spinach leaves (iron and everything else that is good and pure ;)).

Okay, it looked interesting (pg 47 of the Complete Idiots Guide to Juicing), so I thought might try some and see if I could get use to the taste, or even better, liked it right away. So Thursday last week I went to the store and gathered my supplies, braving the brand new Trader Joe in my area. Then I cleaned up the dusty juicer and gave it a whirl.

Okay, so I added less asparagus (1/4 of a lb maybe) and spinach (about a cup) then they asked for…it was looking soooo very green, but it’s not too bad. I’m gonna load it into the fridge and see how it is really cold.

Onto Friday……

Okay, cold it even tastes better. It’s strong, no doubt about that. I might need to fluctuate between this and something lighter. For the heck of it I’ve renamed the juice and here is my version of the recipe.

Gaia’s Garden Mix

4 carrots (cut of tops and wash)
2 celery (wash well)
10-12 asparagus spears (check for bruises)
1 cup spinach leaves (washed)
3 apples (decore)

First cut veggies and fruit into juicable pieces, send ‘em through the blades, mix well and chill overnight. Not bad at all and very healthy. Makes around 2 ½ cups.

Introducing my next experiments. I’m thinking we go more for “early morning sunny refreshment” this time and less for “packed with vitamins”. Just means I need to send the hubby for more variety of supplies to test out, but with all the snow falling in Milwaukee not sure if he can do tonight.

Later that night…

Well, we’ve finally braved the snow now that the storm is calm, and have come back with the goodies. There’s a carrot and strawberry juice that could be fun. It’s easy enough to make, you just alternate between the two through the juicer. How hard can that be? I wonder if this’d make a good slushy. Gonna experiment and see the way I like it before I write it down.

Okay, it took a bit of messing around since I lost my mind on the strawberries (I love fresh strawberries), but it’s pretty darn good. Gonna try it cold in the morning, but even warm by 4 year old loved it, and she is uber picky, hates carrots.

Willow’s Choice

6 carrots (good sized, cut off tops)
1 lb strawberries (cut off tops and bruised parts)

Mix and guard from children. If you’re making a family treat I say triple the recipe at least. :) Try mixed with soy milk or made into slushies (though it will loose some nutrients in the freezing), and tell me how it tastes. I will say this taste better fresh. Use in 24 hour or it starts to taste sour to me.

I also made a nummy looking combination that calls for carrots (3), beet (1/2), cucumber (1/2). This one looks like it might make less juice than the other did, but When I make it I’ll make the carrots and cucumber first, taste it, and then add the beets. I might even throw in a wee bit of ginger in this one too.

I found it at the Soyquick site along with several other interesting looking recipes. Also check out the cool soy and rice milk maker they have there. It looks easy to use. My b-day is coming up, time to poke the family. It should make them happy, first year I haven’t answer a question of “what do you want for you’re birthday” with an “I don’t know”

After the juice is made...

Okay, with a little taste testing, and my own changes, the juiced ended up it an interesting shade of red. They call it a purifier, I guess I’d be good for detoxing. It’s good for relaxation they say, without the beets. I might try that later. Here’s my variation.

Gentle Detox Juice

5 carrots (good sized, tops removed)
½ a small beet
1 cucumber (if you use organic no need to peel, if not, peel the waxy skin off)

It makes a little less than two cups. It’s a unique tasted, the beet are odd at first if you are not used to their flavor. The rest of the ingredients tone down the beets a lot to give you a chance to get use to them easier. I’m still struggling with the oddity of the taste myself, so this will likely be an “only when I need it” combo.

There are a few veggies that will never enter my juicer. No tomatoes, my body doesn’t seem to be able to handle nightshades any better than dairy, so no yogurt mixed in either. I hate cabbage and brussel sprouts equally, so no way on those either.

Saturday…

Oddly enough, Willow’s Choice (my daughter loves the name of course) is not as much to my taste cold as it is warm. Maybe I’ll be better to make it fresh and drink it right away. Other folks my feel differently, so if you decide to try it, play around.

Most of what I’ve made have carrots so I’m trying something different today. Freedom You has a brain stimulator recipe with one each of oranges, hard pears, grapefruit, apple, and yam. With the writing I have to do before the kids get up in the morning might give this one a try. Trouble is you have to go on a five day juice fast, and I don’t really drink coffee, or eat junk food, so I’m wondering how necessary the fast it. Well, at least I can try it to see if I like the taste of it anyways.

Sunday...

Okay, so I didn’t get the brain combo done until today, but I did finish off the beet and the strawberry mixes. I changed the recipe (you went surprised were you?) and ended up with the BEST tasting juice yet. Oh my Goddess it was soooo good even warm, all frothy and rich. I’m gonna try it cold as soon as it’s in the fridge long enough. This is not gonna last the day. I’ll make these more often. My kids liked them, especially my son.

Healthy Frothy Dessertilicious

2 orange (peel the outer skin)
2 apples (decore)
1 grapefruit (peel outer skin)
2 pears (decore)
1 yam (med sized, scrubbed)

Wow. Makes a whopping 4 cups, and you’ll need it when the kids get s taste.

Okay, one more today. One recipe at Harvest Essentials mentions juicing 3 oranges and then one cucumber. Hmmm that sounds kinda smooth. Gonna try that. They also have basic juicing prep info there that is useful.

Well, it made nearly 4 cups when I used 5 oranges and 2 cucumbers. I really do need to get organic cucumbers next time so I can see what the taste is like when I juice them peels on. This is more yellow than the last one which was a nice orange, and a bit more sour, but not bad.

There are some things I might add to my fav combos later like bee pollen (protein, a,b,c, and e, as well as magnesium and calcium), flax seed oil (omega 3 fatty acids), wheat germ (protein and fiber), and perhaps even some soy protein.

Well, that’s it for my juicing diary, but I will continue trying new things and juicing everyday. If I find a new recipe (or create one) that I’d like to share, you’ll see it here first. I’ll leave you with a few other recipes I found in case you want to experiment too.

This one at Health Recipes mentions ginger, apples, peaches, and pears which might be interesting, but they have great nutritional info here too. Juicing Basics also has some useful info as well. I’m not sure the complete recipes work for me there, but it’s given me ideas or combos to play with just for fun.

In the end, if I do at least 16 oz of juicing a day, I’m still getting more fruits and veggies than I was before anyways. It all adds up. It just means more regular trips for fresh produce at the store since it’s winter here. Summertime will be fun, lots of farm fresh veggies at the farmer’s markets.

I figure the transition is like this...

I eat better I have more energy

I have more energy; I get the house in order

I get the house in order; I have room and the extra emotional energy to exercise

I exercise and I loose enough girth to get back down to a healthy weight, which in turn gives me more energy.

In the end I’ll maybe find recipes I like to make and eat, and perhaps set a good example for my kids and get them to eat healthier too.

I’m off to drink a glass from the second batch of Gaia’s Garden that’s chilling in the fridge and see how the Healthy Frothy Dessertilicious slushie turned out. See ya’ll later.

Moon’s Winter Medicine Chest

2007-12-30T05:02:00.000-08:00

Some of you might ask, what do herbal remedies do with magic, well if you make them yourself, your magic and intention go into every bit of the work. The tincure and infusions I create for myself or those I care for are filled with my own healing energies as well as that of the wonderful herbs I use. The knowledge of these plant and the gree magic that goes with them has been held by our ancesters for countless time. The use of them to keep us healthy is our birthrite.

Okay, in the season of colds and flus, there are a few things I’d never be without if I can help it. Some of them I keep for the other member of my family more than myself ‘cause I have pain in the hinny allergies. Now I admit, some of these we are a wee bit low on currently, budget issues and the reality of having to replace many herbs yearly, but this is what I recommend to have if you can manage it.

If the symptoms are really bad, or last for several days, don’t screw around, see a doctor! Your heath is not something to play with. Also be careful to check with your doc before messing with any sort of treatment especially if you are already on meds.

Echinacea Tincture – Immune Booster for infection

This is kinda obvious. It kicks up your immune system when used every one in awhile, like an antibiotic. Now this is not something you can use everyday, but if you have a major bacterial infection, this’ll help a lot.

You can buy it premade at a health food store or make your own. To make your own clean and chop up fresh Echinacea root, enough to fill ¾ of a jar, then add 100 proof alcohol to fill the jar the rest of the way. Label! Shake daily for about six weeks at least (if you use dried roots make that 6 months), but you do it longer if you want it really strong. Then strain the liquid from the used root. Store it in a dark colored glad container away from light.

If your tincture is store bought follow the instruction on the bottle. If homemade, I normally use 40-50 drops for myself, up to 5 times daily to fight an infection. I never use the homemade stuff on my kids. There’s a glycerin version you can get for the little ones, but I’d much rather they eat more garlic or something. This stuff can be too strong.

Fever

Echinacea and Yarrow Tincture

Susan Weed suggests the use of Echinacea or Yarrow Tincture for fevers. The dose is 1 drop Echinacea for every 2 pounds of body weight; taken every two hours to begin, decreasing as symptoms remiss, or a dropper of Yarrow tincture every four hours.

Incase you want to make a yarrow tincture, here’s what you do. For yarrow you use the flower tops of the white flowers only. You cut them up (after shaking off any bugs) and fill a jar (do NOT stuff) with the herb. Fill the jar to the top with 100 proof alcohol and cap. Label! Important part. Should be ready in 6 weeks.

Sore Throats

Gargle with a Yarrow tincture; see above for instructions how to make the tincture.

Other Immune Boosters – Preventive

If you want something daily, Susan Weed suggests Yarrow tincture (she says to prevent colds she uses Yarrow tincture 5-10 drops daily; to treat them, she suggests still using Yarrow, but in larger quantity, say a dropperful every 3-4 hours at the worst of the cold and tapering off over time.) , or adding more seaweed and garlic to your diet. I don’t think I can take Yarrow because of allergies, so be careful with that one if you have plant based allergies too. She also suggests daily does of astragalus, but I’m not as familiar with that. Have any of you used this before?

Colds

Peppermint and Elder Flower Infusion

I swear by this for a cold. I use equal parts of each herb and store it away from the light. This is not the same thing as a tea. To make my infusions I take and ounce of hero to a quart of boiled water and steep for 6-10 hours. You can keep it in the fridge after it’s done to keep fresh for up to 36 hours, but I normally use a quart in a day. My fav way is to make it before I go to bed so it’s ready for the next day. This you use dried herb for instead of fresh.

St. Joan's Wort tincture

This is easy to make. You use the yellow flowers fresh, best picked in the heat of the day, and fill the jar with the blossoms and leaves. Shake free bugs first and do not stuff the jar. Fill the jar to the top with 100 proof alcohol and cap tightly. Label! The tincture will turned a really cool looking red. Let this set for 6 weeks.

To use St. Joan's Wort tincture, the dose is 25 drops of every two hours to treat a cold or a viral infection.

Coughs

Wild Cherry and Slippery Elm Bark Cough Syrup

To make this, place an ounce of cherry bark and slippery elm in a quart jar and fill it with boiling water. Close the lid and let it steep for 8-10 hours. Using cheesecloth, stain out the liquid, squeezing the cloth to get all you can. Measure what liquid you now have and then add it to a glass saucepan (metal is no good for this, though ceramic is okay). Bring this too a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer.

Cook it for several hours, until the volume of the infusion is reduced by half (should be about 2 cups). Do not let it burn, or boil hard, or it will be ruined. Add 1 ½ cups honey to the infusion and bring to a rolling boil. Pour into jar (Sterilize the jar by boiling it in plain water for a few minutes just before filling it.) while it is still hot. You can add a bit of vodka to preserve the syrup longer if you want, but I never do. Once the syrup is room temp, label it and cap for storage (in cool place or fridge is best).

To use, take 1-3 teaspoonfuls as needed, as often as every hour. This syrup is bitter so take right before eating food.

Diarrhea/Indigestion

Wormwood Tincture

To make a Wormwood tincture you cut up the fresh leaves gathered in the late summer or early fall (they are mature then), and fill a jar (remember don’t stuff). Cover the herb with 100 proof alcohol up to the top of the jar and cap. Always label your jars once they are clean and free of moisture.

For diarrhea take 3 drops Wormwood hourly for up to four hours. You can use this also for acid indigestion, 5-10 drops in that case every ten minutes until the discomfort passes. Same thing for gut cramping in general.

Dandelion Tincture and Peppermint Infusion

If you want to prevent heartburn, Dandelion tincture is great. Take a dose right before meals. I also swear by drinking peppermint Infusion with meals. I have intestinal sensitivities, and the peppermint has always done the trick. If you prefer the taste, ginger works well too, as does dill, but personally give me my peppermint.

Low Energy

Dandelion Tincture or Ginseng Tincture

Chop the fresh dandelion or Ginseng root into small pieces and fill a jar to the top with the chopped root. With 100 proof alcohol, fill jar to the top and cap tightly. Label. Ready to use in six weeks.

To use: 10 drops of Dandelion or Ginseng tincture in the morning.

Headache

Skullcap and St Johns Wort Tincture

To make the skullcap (the St John instruction are above), pick the flowering tops when there are seeds as well as flowers. Fill, don't stuff, a jar with the blossoms and leaves. Fill jar to the top with alcohol. Cap tightly. Label. Ready to use in six weeks.

To use, take 25 drops St Joan's plus 3-5 drops Skullcap every 10-15 minutes for up to two hours. 5 drops of Skullcap may prevent some headaches.

***

If you are really serious about this work get as many of Susan Weed’s books as you can. I cannot stress this enough. She has many, and all are a GREAT resource. Here are my favs.
Books

Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year: Simple, safe remedies for pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and newborns. Includes herbs for fertility and birth control.

Healing Wise: Superb herbal in the feminine-intuitive mode. Complete instructions for using common plants for food, beauty, medicine, and longevity.

Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way: The best book on menopause is now better. Completely revised with 100 new pages. All the remedies women know and trust plus hundreds of new ones. New sections on thyroid health, fibromyalgia, hairy problems, male menopause, and herbs for women taking hormones. Recommended by Susan Love MD and Christiane Northrup MD.

Breast Cancer? Breast Health!: Foods, exercises, and attitudes to keep your breasts healthy. Supportive complimentary medicines to ease side-effects of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or tamoxifen. Foreword by Christiane Northrup, M.D.

***

If you want to order herbs, the best place I’ve found is Mountain Rose Herbs. They are women owned and have great ethic business practices, not to mention their prices are fair.

Author's Spotlight Special Event "Best QGT interviews of 2007"

2007-12-29T09:36:00.000-08:00

Since I never heard back from this week’s author for her spotlight, I thought it might be fun to share some really great interviews I’ve read this year. Since I joined Queer Girl Talk, I’ve seen some wonderful work done there by Deven, and I’d like to share some of 2007’s personal faves. Come check out the Author's Spotlight Special Event "Best QGT interviews of 2007"

Friday Freeform "Australia Dreaming"

2007-12-28T04:42:00.000-08:00

Instead of doing my weekly Friday Flashback, I've decided to go for a Friday Freeform called Australia Dreaming. So many people were talking about traveling lately, I thought I might find some pics of one of the places I've dreamed up seeing for a long time. I don't know if I can ever afford it, but not giving up on the dream quite yet.

I'm a one meme lass. :)

2007-12-27T06:54:00.000-08:00

I've heard all kinds of meme's around, but I've had so much fun doing the Thursday Thirteen meme. This week was #16 for me, and that's with a couple weeks off. Now I am ready to comit to every week. This week is "Thirteen of the Author’s Favorite Quotes from Natural Order”. If you want to know what that is take a peek.

Testing a theory

2007-12-27T05:51:00.000-08:00

It's been suggested that my having multiple blogs and posting there it will atract more readers. I am not certain of the truth in this but I'm going to give it a try. I already have these three blogs, the lj I've been using reguraly...

Blogs

Live Journal: http://moondancerdrake.livejournal.com/

My Space blog: http://blog.myspace.com/moondancerdrake

Wordpress: http://moondancer.wordpress.com/

and now I'm going to add one at blogspot. Any other places ya'll think are a good idea. It this crazy, or do you think this is worthwhile? I'll be making at least one post a day, and just coping them at each for now. Perhaps I will get very creative and find a special use for each. :)

Greetings

2006-11-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

My name is Moondancer Drake and I am a student of the Dianic faith as well as a member of the Temple of Diana in Wisconsin. I draw much of my inspiration from my own spirituality as well as experiences as a Cherokee woman and a mother. I live in Milwaukee with my family, which includes my son Raistlin and my daughter Willow. I’m an author of environmental paranormal lesbian romance and an very vocal advocate for civil rights and the responsibility of us all to take better care of Mother Earth. It is likely that in the future that many of my rather blunted stated opinions will offend some people, so I ask you come here with and open mind and a calm heart. If you wish to know more about me feel free to visit my website at www.moondancerdrake.com