First and Fav Pic from GCLS 2014

Thanks goes to Bren Miller for the great pic (that's her next to me)

Rebirth!!!

This blog has gotten lost in the shuffle since I started using LJ more, and since the demise of PD Publishing sent me into a self pitying downswing.

I am done with all that crap! I am working on gathering the cash to reawaken my website, resubmitting my novels old and new to a new publisher, and doing whatever it takes to breathe new life into my career and my stories. The most recent Golden Crown conference was very cathartic in helping me drag my lazy ass out of this funk and begin the journey forward. If you have not been to one of these conferences you should go. You'll never be the same.

So far I have finished the revisions to Natural Order and sent it off to one of my best beta readers, and now am working on the revisions for Ancestral Magic. The goal is to send both off to Regal Crest along with Worlds Collide. If accepted the novels won't be rereleased in print for but they WILL be in ebook formats which is something they haven't been before. I am excited to see what new readers this will bring in.

I also am planning to go over Shadow Magic (book 2 in the series Ancestral Magic is part of) so I can submit it as well. It was on final edits right before PD went away so shouldn't need much work to be ready. Next on the to do list is Natural Rebirth (sequel to Natural Order) which when I left it (also at the time of the PD death and creative crash following that) the novel rough draft was about 2/3 completed. This task is likely to take the most time so is on the the list after Shadow Magic.

Another thing I am working on between revisions is the marketing plans for once the books are out again. I sucked at the marketing thing before. I am determined to find a way to be better at it, while still keeping up with school and mom stuff, at the same time staying within budget. This means heavy organization. I have an editor (who I loves!) who has agreed to go over some of my past novellas (I have about 5) so I can give them away as free taster fic to hopefully convince people not familiar with my work to give me a go :) I got a lot of new marketing ideas from Catherine M Wilson's workshop she did at the con on Marketing to the Mainstream, which I will share as I make my list and plans.

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

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

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!!!

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

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.