Scene Break
Scene Break 10/2/2024
SCENE BREAK 9/26/2024
MY APOLOGIES FOR SKIPPING A MONTH!
I tried to post this on the above date but had internet issues. Trying again!
WHAT'S NEW IN POETRY
I've had a few more acceptances and publications but the main news in poetry is how busy I am with several projects. The Poetry Society of Indiana fall contest is in the judging stage. Kathy Jo and I are collecting the winners' names and poems for each of the 39 categories from the various judges. We are both keeping our own list or spreadsheet. So far, we have the results for 9 categories. Kathy Jo had more envelopes in her mailbox today that should indicate 6 more.
From all the miscommunication, left out information, and the fact that she and I came to this game late has led to a few items we know need fixing for next year. I've begun a guide sheet with all that information. We will have a one guide sheet for poets entering their work and another for the judges.
This is my first time doing this and it's proved very educational. Responses have ranged from praises heaped on me to being screamed at over the phone. That's a story I won't get into, but it happened. And many people don't know how involved I am with the whole thing. They see KJ on the email and often think she's running the show. Believe me, I keep busy!
I'm also keeping busy with the book we are putting together at PrimeLife Enrichment. It's the senior place I go to. The writing group there has a new leader – me – since Caron, the previously leader decided to return to the workforce as a substitute teacher. Our book, Creative Expressions is a collection of poetry and prose written by the 7 of us in the writing group with art from the art class. Published independently, proceeds from sales are earmarked for PrimeLife Enrichment, a 501c3.
And of course, Lost at 27: Musicians, Artists, Mortals. Cicada Song Press has hit the ground running with this poetry collection. I turned everything over to the publisher, Johanna. We are hoping for a release date of October or November.
I'm lucky to stay awake with all the work, let alone write poetry.
WHAT'S UP WITH CICADA SONG PRESS
I attended a workshop online about marketing through a Facebook group, The Publishing Lane. It was extremely helpful. I forwarded worksheets from that workshop to our marketing folk.
Here is how our schedule looks for now:
Lost at 27 – November 2024
long story/novelette/novella collection by 1 or more authors at end of 2024.
short story collection – stories are coming in now. Spring 2025 publication
single author poetry collection – my next book, Calling to Shore, Summer 2025
possibly a single author prose for Autumn 2025
Looking ahead to 2026 Johanna hopes to add another single author poetry collection and single author prose collection beyond the one-a-season schedule as listed above.
WHAT'S UP WITH MY FICTION
My novel, Under the Bubble, is still in the query trenches. So far, I've received nothing but rejections. My second book, which isn't the same, is in progress. Dreams to Visions takes place 2000 years after the end of Under the Bubble. It's become a novel in verse.
WHAT I'M READING
Not much. I've started Oxoto a novel in verse by Lyn Hejinian. She calls it a short Russian novel, as compared to long Russian novels. Each poem in the book has 14 lines, though some are rather long. She was inspired by Pushkin to write Oxoto. Of all the books on my list and shelf, I chose to read this one next because I'm involved in ModPo, a free course online in which we study poetry. Hejinian is one of the poets in the course.
STAR TREK (not really)
Star Trek is between schedules at the moment. I participate when I can with online groups. We watch episodes and chat. Or I sometimes watch videos of others in the Trek world. More realistically, I've been watching YouTube. Genealogy, crime, but mostly The Voice. I had no idea The Voice was all over the world. YouTube offers snippets of the various shows. I have seen great performances from Norway, Romania, France and other places. Mostly, I watch US, Australia, and UK. I love hearing how the contestants put their personality into covers of popular songs.
PUBLICATIONS SINCE LAST SCENE BREAK
Evolution
https://www.journalofexpressivewriting.com/post/evolution
I need to tell you about a river
https://luckyjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ember-No.-12-ONLINE.pdf
also available in print
Kate
https://www.miserere-review.com/
careful – this journal is complete with music
Utility
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1774156048/storm-cellar-112-ebook-literary-magazine
Shade
https://www.qwertymagazine.ca/product/qwerty-48
This journal printed the last stanza of my poem wrong. I emailed and they said they would also publish 'Shade' in their next issue and send me a free copy.
Elements of a Fire
https://www.redrosethorns.com/redrosethornsmagazineissue03
Breed Restrictions
https://litshark.com/lit-shark-shark-dog-live/
also available in print
A Quartz Prayer
http://www.activemuse.org/2024_Collections/varsha/poems/Mona_Mehas.html
3 poems along theme of 'silence'
https://coalitionfordigitalnarratives.org/2024/07/29/cw8-mona-mehas-3-poems/
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
It doesn't take much energy to sign up for things. My energy is consumed by all the things I sign up for.
TODAY'S CARD
Deborah Koff-Chapin makes my favorite oracle cards. She has a monthly zoom meeting for those of us who have purchased the Portals of Presence cards. They are different faces she painted over a 20-year span. I always get a poem from these gatherings.
In the last zoom she said she'd taken this card to the place on the mountain where she made it. When I saw the card it spoke to me. I wrote a poem in the POV of the card. Afterward, I read it aloud and almost brought her to tears, and me too. She asked me to send her the poem, which I did. Deborah said she would write about the experience on her website and post my poem. I check often and it isn't there yet. Eventually, I'll put the card and poem on my website.
THANKS FOR READING!
https://linktr.ee/monaiv
King of Cups - Tarot of a Moon Garden by Karen Marie Sweikhardt
Scene Break end of July 2024 -- I put updated ad for 27 Club in Meanderings!
Scene Break end of July 2024
WHAT'S NEW IN POETRY
Several acceptances have come through, but they're not published yet. I did something I'd never done before. An online journal requires we write collaboratively. Instead of asking a friend I signed up for their drawing for a partner. I think I hit the jackpot with lovely Florence! She's French American living in New Jersey. The call was for hermit crab poems, a specialized form. We had a lot of fun over zoom talking and composing three poems to submit. Turns out, Florence also likes tarot. I invited her to join Kim's online tarot group that I usually attend.
Hermit crab poems are written in the guise of something else. We did one as a house for sale ad, another as a recipe, and the last one was a trouble shooting chart for a boom box. I think the chart was our best poem, but we'll see.
A few people are buying my latest book, 'Hand-Me-Downs' from Amazon. Thank you so much if you are one of those people! I'll include the link in the publications section below.
WHAT'S UP WITH CICADA SONG PRESS
I thought I'd start adding this section to my newsletter since it's a big part of my daily work life. Our first collection – 'Lost at 27: Musicians, Artists, Mortals' is coming along nicely. At last count I have 46 poems with at least 5 more expected. Our submission window is open until August 15. I'll put the updated ad at the end of this letter and with it an extensive list of people for whom we don't yet have poems.
Our next project is a short story collection. Watch for that on our website: www.cicadasongpress.com.
WHAT ON EARTH IS UP WITH MY FICTION
More rejections for UNDER THE BUBBLE. I need to get busy and send out more queries.
Concerning DREAMS TO VISIONS, I'm stagnant. I was stuck for a long time and let it sit. I had a tough time getting back to it. When I did, I decided to draft the novel in verse. I'm still not making much progress and I don't know if this will work. I don't want to abandon the story or the characters, but I couldn't continue the way it was. Like so many other things I do, it's an experiment.
WHAT I'M READING
I was reading THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O'Brien but had to toss it across the room. I got about halfway through and came to a part with animal cruelty. I won't read that.
Let's get real. I was talking about all the books on TBR shelf and all the books on my wish list on Amazone and what I should read next. Then it hit me. I have 5 books I've started and not finished. One is almost done; one is barely begun. The others are in between. One is a huge poetry book I'll read between other things.
For now, I'm finishing 'The Compass Rose' book of short stories by Ursula K Le Guin. I have the books stacked on the couch beside where I sit. That's my reading spot, TV spot, and as it turns out, my sleeping spot. And of course, my cuddling-with-Jose spot. I am reading them there as opposed to stacked in the bedroom where they were. In 'The Compass Rose,' I just read Gwilan's Harp, a really sweet story. I found a video on YouTube of Ursula reading the story.
PUBLICATIONS SINCE LAST SCENE BREAK
My second book of poetry: https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Me-Downs-Generational-Trauma-Memoir-Poetry/dp/B0D9FMS65T/ref=sr_1_1
A story based on fact I'd tried to get published for almost 2 years https://www.redrosethorns.com/post/needles
STAR TREK
I was right about a couple of predictions for Star Trek Prodigy. Gwyn's father was a sweetheart and I think he was the absolute best character in the entire show. And there was no passionate embrace between Janeway and Chakotay. My favorite regular character on Prodigy is still Dal. I hope there is a season three.
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
This is tough for me this month.
I started a new poetry group at The Creative Academy. I'm trying to rotate the days between Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. A man who's new to Creative Academy joined in our group the first time. We ended the hour with readings from each person. Everyone seemed to enjoy that so that's a good thing to do. In the coming months I hope to teach a few forms, respond to poetry, and critique each other's poetry. For the most part, those are the things I've heard that people want.
This section is supposed to be about what I've learned. A LOT. From Johanna, how to respond in writing to a person's poem written in extremely broken English. From a YouTube video, how to write hermit crab poems. From my body – I'm still not doing something right.
TODAY'S CARD
Tarot cards are addictive, kinda like tattoos. I bought 2 new decks. This card is the King of Cups from Tarot of a Moon Garden by Karen Marie Sweikhardt. I love this deck because of the bright colors and fanciful designs. Totally opposite from my other new deck, which I'll feature next month.
I need to be generous and kind to myself. I'm an artist.
Thanks for reading!
https://www.linktr.ee/monaiv
Scene Break July 3, 2024
SCENE BREAK July 3, 2024
May the 4th be with you if you celebrate such things. I was with a pyromaniac for over 20 years and had my share of fireworks. I don't go out to see fireworks anymore. If I happen to see them from my yard, fine, but I always worry for the wild animals, and they scare my dog anyway.
When I was in a conference online, I met up with a writer who asked for an exchange. I agreed so I'll share her information and hopefully she will share mine.
https://www.rachanee.net/
WHAT'S NEW IN POETRY
My second chapbook, Hand-Me-Downs is coming out July 18! I'm so thrilled to see these poems in print. They are deeply personal and cutting. The entire book carries a general content warning of childhood trauma and neglect.
My third book, Calling to Shore will be published later this year by Cicada Song Press. I'm excited and honored to be working alongside Johanna in the baby stages of this venture.
Our first collection, poetry about the 27 Club, is planned for later this fall. We are still accepting poems about the artists who died at age 27. Send work to me mona@cicadasongpress.com by August 15. You can reference this article for people to write about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/27_Club. Remember artists only.
WHAT'S UP WITH MY NOVELS
My first book is still in the query trenches. I've queried 22 agents so far and have received 7 rejections. A couple of those rejections have been nice and personalized, but no one has offered any constructive advice.
I'm not running any races. Querying takes energy and effort. I send one or two at a time when the mood hits.
My second book, DREAMS TO VISIONS, is underway. Once could say it is a sequel, but it really isn't because it takes place 2000 years after the events of the first book, UNDER THE BUBBLE. In that respect they are stand-alone novels. The stage is set, however, at the end of UTB for DTV.
My signature has turned out to be telling stories of platonic relationships. UNDER THE BUBBLE featured two women, Peggy and Nora. They loved each other and grew very close. In DREAMS TO VISIONS Trebor (male) and Wand (female) develop a loving platonic closeness while having relationships with other people.
WHAT I'M READING
I've started reading the book my grandson got me for Mother's Day, called The Things They Carried. I am not reading fast and sometimes I skip an entire day, but I am enjoying it. Tim O'Brien seems to be telling his personal story but in fiction. I call that "faction." My grandson read this in school and knew I would enjoy a book about Viet Nam.
PUBLICATIONS SINCE LAST SCENE BREAK
On June 12 I read a few poems from my book Questions I Didn't Know I'd Asked courtesy of the Journal of Expressive Writing. https://youtu.be/z8n9jRskvjM?si=f8Vo0dLocvgtkqg-
I have a short story in here called "My Name is Holmes." https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5VMP77Y
An essay I'd tried forever to get published https://www.thehooghlyreview.com/weekly-features/china-1987-by-mona-mehas
Republished because the journal the poem was in folded. https://www.bulbculturecollective.com/read/followed-mona-mehas
This one is just barely out but not sure if it's available. https://gnashingteethpublishing.com/books/making-room-zine/
I might also list this next month.
STAR TREK
The second season of Prodigy dropped on Netflix July 1, all 20 episodes. I thought I'd binge them since they are only a half-hour each. But have I? Nope. I get so sleepy at night when I'm trying to watch TV that I fell asleep in episode two and had to watch it 3 times! I'm ready for episode 4 tonight.
I predict that Gwen's father will be nicer this time around. When she told him their relationship would be complicated in the future, he looked stricken. I believe Gwen and her dad will save the planet and that evil one will die. (can't remember her name.)
Will Janeway and Chakotay end the season in a passionate embrace? Off-screen of course, it's a kid's show.
Maybe by next month I will have seen them all.
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
I should have known --
People don't listen.
I gave a presentation about submitting to journals and still people don't know how to present to journals or where to look for journals. After teaching for 21 years, I should have expected this, but these are adults.
People are lazy.
OK I'll include myself in this. I'm also stubborn. When someone tries to bully me into doing their job from 2 years before and insists time is running out, I dig in my heels. Unfortunately, someone else did it this time but at least she made that person stay involved for over an hour and they realized (though didn't admit) they'd dropped the ball.
I am bored, lazy, and stuck in a rut.
Yes, I said that. Nothing anyone can do about it but me.
TODAY'S CARD
From the Savron Forest Deck by dark.synevyr.
The Ten of Wands
This card shows 10 sticks piled on the ground.
The first line in the booklet talks about reproaching myself. (From Whitman's Leaves of Grass.) I need to do some soul searching and then write about it.
www.linktr.ee/monaiv
Scene Break May 29, 2024
Picture my daughter sent me in text this morning
May 29, 2024
I was born 69 years ago today. My friends and family have been sending me bunches of stuff on Facebook and text. I will put what I can here. I don't know if you can make them work or not but if so they're kinda cute.
https://www.facebook.com/677307896/videos/1012563307266712/
https://www.facebook.com/100093885923160/videos/2142980826083836/
blob:https://www.facebook.com/a6e7f8a4-4b58-4c19-b362-794468fd3f42
https://youtu.be/MjF1bG5LUcs?si=o2zNrxBYHZ20WrsP
https://www.facebook.com/1557647140/videos/1610813246427686/
https://www.facebook.com/726747016/videos/443802184921694/
https://www.facebook.com/616240249/videos/1491205201513222/
https://www.facebook.com/100000935040037/videos/1490719521856056/
Ok enough of this.
WHAT'S NEW IN POETRY
The sad news is the anthology I was working on with the other person has folded due to her health issues.
The good news is a handful of us (myself and the ones I recruited to be in that anthology) wanted to publish our poetry as a chapbook together. One of us, Johanna, said she'd always wanted to have a small publishing company. This seemed like the best time. Now we are collecting more poems for our project.
The company is called Cicada Song Press. More to come later.
We need poetry about the members of the 27 Club. You can find out who they are by viewing this list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/27_Club
We want poems about artists, musicians, actors, writers, etc. Not ordinary people. If you are so inclined, send your work to me.
WHAT'S UP WITH MY NOVELS
I queried 12 agents and had one rejection for UNDER THE BUBBLE. I haven't sent anymore yet but I'm about ready to. I'll query a few agents every month.
My second novel, DREAMS TO VISIONS, is once again being rewritten from the beginning. A few years ago, an editor gave me some bad advice and I took it. It made this book not as enjoyable. After having a few people read the first 4 chapters, I realize I need to start in a different place. The place I'd started before.
Needless to say, this has been discouraging. I am pretty tired of starting over but something in me won't let me move on. However, I was able to jot down some ideas for scenes using tarot the other day. Scenes I know will happen later in the book. At least that's a start.
Instead of calling the next section WHAT I'M READING I'm calling it WHY I'M BARELY READING.
It's been so hard to read when I can barely keep my eyes open. I can sit on the couch and fall asleep almost immediately but then in bed I toss and turn. I can read in short spurts but tackling a book is next to impossible. My sleep issues might be a culmination of meds, caffeine, staying up too late, eating too late. But mostly I tell myself, Mom was like this, too.
I'm busy with my book, the poetry for the 27 Club collection, and new poetry I sometimes write. Then my eyes start to close, and I head for the couch.
PUBLICATIONS SINCE LAST SCENE BREAK
2 Viator poems with Ice Floe Press https://icefloepress.net/2024/05/10/two-constraint-poems-mona-mehas-art-robert-frede-kenter/
2 poems in Tipton Poetry Journal https://issuu.com/tiptonpoetryjournal/docs/tpj60
1 poem in Calliope https://calliopeontheweb.org/
My Meter & Mayhem interview https://youtu.be/JIgQdis-BeA
STAR TREK
1 more episode of Discovery and it will be over for that series. I love Discovery! It was the one that brought the Trek universe back to our world after so many years without any new Star Trek. Some people complained about it because it jumped in time. Others complained about how the Klingons looked. I loved how those Klingons looked! I'm sad to see Discovery end but happy we had it for 5 years. Also so looking forward to Starfleet Academy, Section 31, and maybe Origins and Legacy. Those in charge have pretty much decided that 5 years is long enough for a Trek series. (TNG, DS9, Voy all went 7 years.) I feel lucky that Discovery and Lower Decks got 5 years each. TOS, followed by TAS, almost one series divided in half, were less than 5 together. So was Enterprise. And Prodigy got booted and picked up by Netflix with season 2 on the way.
NOTE: If you don't know all the acronyms maybe you should watch more Star Trek.
TODAY'S PICTURE
My daughter texted me all the birthday pictures included in this newsletter, including the one at the top of the page.
www.linktr.ee/monaiv
March Scene Break
WHAT'S NEW IN POETRY
I composed five new poems in March. None are published yet but 2 are set to appear in the 27 Club Anthology I'm co-editing with Aurynanya. That book will be out this summer.
I received 13 copies of my poetry book, Questions I Didn't Know I'd Asked from my Australian publisher, Lachlan McDougal. I have 1 left unspoken for. I just received my first royalty check via PayPal! Granted it wasn't much but every little bit helps.
I've been invited to do a guest blog about poetry forms. That will appear online April 17, 2024. I'll write a Meandering post when it's up.
Sometime in April, Jen from Meter & Mayhem will interview me for her podcast. I'll talk about Questions I Didn't Know I'd Asked and the book coming out in July, Hand-Me-Downs. My interview will air in May on her YouTube channel.
NOVEL PROGRESS
Beginning this month, I have 2 two novels to talk about. UNDER THE BUBBLE is basically finished. After a round with 5 beta readers, I did another pass of edits then sent the manuscript to my #1 reader. She has promised she will read it again by May 1. I have the synopsis written; it just needs a little cleanup. If all goes well, I should start querying agents in May. Once this book is in the query stages, I'll be reporting here how many queries I send, rejections I get, etc. I'm prepared (I think.)
I wrote the sequel, DREAMS TO VISIONS, a few years ago. As I begin to rewrite the thing in the first stage of editing, I am seeing how much I have learned about writing. This book is in 2 POV, a male and a female. Ha! I remember wanting to make it 12 POV at first! When I realized what a horrible mess that would be I cut it to 8, then 4. Finally, 2 POV felt right. DREAMS TO VISIONS features a cast of characters but revolves around a handful of people. I focus on 2 of those people for this book.
So far, I've written the first chapter 3 times and chapter 2 is about half done. Once I get through these first 2 chapters, I probably won't seek input until the entire first draft is finished. When I was composing UNDER THE BUBBLE originally, I got too many opinions in my ear and in my head early on. That led to too much confusion for me. I won't do that again. If I ask anyone for input it will be only a select few.
WHAT I'M READING
I don't read enough. I have seven books stacked by my bed in various stages of reading. So, what do I do? I'm starting another book. The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart is one I heard about on a podcast. I need to set aside time each day to read the dang thing. BUT I've had this discussion a lot recently. If I can't get into any book by the end of the first chapter, I won't finish it. I don't owe the book or the author anything. I'm not obligated to read something I'm not into. Which is why it's so important to me to get my first chapter done right.
PUBLICATIONS SINCE LAST SCENE BREAK
https://www.darkwinterlit.com/post/watcher-by-mona-mehas
https://www.loftbooks.co.uk/ Click last issue; go to page 98. My story is "Unweathered."
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXTJKVJ3/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 I have 2 poems in this anthology.
Another site I've published on is Subliminal Surgery. Their message is "content has been eaten but we are in the process of attempting to regurgitate." I'll not post the link here but hopefully I can next month.
STAR TREK
Yesterday I participated in a Star Trek trivia game online with a Facebook fan group. It was fun and I had no clue how much trivia I actually knew. However, I am not quick enough to win anything, especially the Jeopardy version. I did better on the multiple choice but scored a fat zero on Trekordy. One category was Episodes. I am absolutely horrible at titles of episodes. Anyway, today is another Trek chat at noon with the same Facebook group, Star Trek Family. Tis the season for a new season of Discovery, it's final, so that's mostly what we will chat about.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED SO FAR & TODAY'S PHOTO
Patience.
An example is what happened at the Subliminal Surgery site listed above. I also have published poetry at the guy's sister site, "Exist Otherwise." Something must have gone wrong with his equipment or technology. I noticed his last issue of "Exist Otherwise" was missing. I wonder if he received emails with people yelling at him for losing their stuff.
This leads me to a whole different conversation of kindness. In some situations, we must realize that no matter what, kindness is the only answer. He didn't lose that writing on purpose. Computers, printers, technology—they fail, hiccup, or otherwise default.
I'm trying to be kinder to myself. The other day, I noticed white roses in the forsythia bush outside my kitchen window. At first, I thought there was a hidden rose bush there and it was blooming, protected by the larger forsythia. I just moved to this apartment last August so I wouldn't have known. I went out and found a discarded bouquet of white roses and baby's breath in the bush. Had the neighbors upstairs argued? Maybe he gave her roses but she was still mad so she tossed them overboard? It's possible; I've heard them fight before.
I brought the flowers in, trimmed them about 6 inches, and put them in a vase with water. They've done quite well, despite having spent the night outside when it was below freezing. This bouquet is now my gift to myself. The roses are beginning to fade but the photo has preserved them.
Thank you for reading my Scene Break.
Be kind to yourself. Buy yourself flowers. Or maybe you will be lucky and rescue a bouquet.
A list of all my publications
THUNDER MARROTT
First, I want to acknowledge the loss of my beloved cat, Thunder on Valentine's Day. He'd had a heart murmur for several years. Thunder would have turned 18 on May 1. When he quit eating and drinking, I knew the end was near. He started falling over when he tried to walk. My other cat, Esse, had done the same thing last April. I took Thunder to the vet, and she said he was in heart failure. He crossed over in my arms. I talked about him a couple days ago in a Meanderings post.
By the way, my pets' middle names are their shelter names if they have one. In Thunder's case, his previous owner had named him Marrott, for the apartment building where she lived and found him.
WHAT'S NEW IN POETRY
My chapbook, Questions I Didn't Know I'd Asked, is finally out in the world! My publisher released it on February 29, Leap Day, 2024. Some of my friends and family have purchased copies. Here is the link to my publisher's site. You can buy the book from him in Australia or from Amazon. He includes a link to Amazon on this page. https://lachlanjmcdougall.wordpress.com/
Right now, that is a 'sticky' post featuring my book. I don't know how long it will be. Lachlan has other irons in the fire so if you are reading this later and don't see my book there, simply scroll down and you will find Questions I Didn't Know I'd Asked.
I sent all my poems to the National Federation of State Poetry Societies Contest. I had 4 poems for Category 1, which had to be submitted separately along with a fee of $20. For Categories 2-50, I had to compile a list of the poems I was sending and pay my fee of $10. OK if you are keeping up that was 2 submissions on submittable. Next came sending the actual poems themselves for those Categories, 2-50. I didn't write for all of them, so I had 42 poems. You would think I could enter them all as one document. No, that's too easy. This contest is for ALL the state societies. I had to send my 42 poems separately to the states sponsoring the individual contest category. Once I figured that out, I think it took me 2 hours from start to finish.
It cost me $30, it was a lot of work, but the prizes are wonderful. Wish me luck!
PROGRESS ON THE NOVEL
I finished UNDER THE BUBBLE and sent it to 6 beta readers, 4 of whom have given me their reports. Overall, the reports are good. One reader is a friend who doesn't normally read science fantasy, so she had a tough time with my book, but I took her comments seriously. The other 3 have given me positive results and feedback. There are a couple of areas I need to work on because they agree on those areas. Other than that, the comments have been personal, minor, and fixable. There is one reader I have not heard from at all and I'm a little concerned. I should email her. Another said she'd get back to me this weekend. I've already started edits based on the comments from the other 4.
The friend who doesn't read in this genre brought up a valid question which I won't go into here. When the others tell me their opinions, I ask them that question. That is one of the primary areas I need to work on. So, I guess what that means is maybe it's important to have a beta reader who doesn't usually read what you write. They see things through a different lens.
WHAT I'M READING
Between the poetry contest, my novel, the poetry anthology I'm co-editing, and my duties with the Poetry Society of Indiana, I haven't had much time to read.
I'm supposed to be reading a book of short stories and joining in a group discussion on zoom. The book is called Exploring New Suns 2, edited by Nisi Shawl with speculative fiction composed by authors of color. The ones I read last week were really good but I'm too busy to read and keep up with the class discussion. Honestly, the day I got this book in the mail, I was surprised. I'd forgotten I'd even signed up for the classes!
What I've read so far has been good and I have added it to my stack of books by my bed. There is one more zoom in a week. I'll try to read for that get-together and then finish the other stories on my own. Since this is 2, there is also Exploring New Suns 1.
PUBLICATIONS SINCE LAST SCENE BREAK
1. QUESTIONS I DIDN'T KNOW I'D ASKED https://lachlanjmcdougall.wordpress.com/
2. Subliminal Surgery, 3 poems on March 1 https://subliminal.surgery/
WHAT I'VE LEARNED SO FAR
Rejections aren't always bad. Yeah, that's right. I have 2 examples.
1. I sent a short story to a journal but got a rejection. In the rejection, the editor said he liked the story, but it doesn't necessarily fit 'right now.' Then he said if I haven't placed it elsewhere in 6 months to resubmit. When I get a cool note like that in my rejection, I mark it in red lettering, so I'll see it when skimming my spreadsheet.
2. I need to be careful describing this one because I don't want the guy to be swamped. I'd had several poems of a particular form rejected and didn't know why. I thought I was doing the form justice. When I got a rejection from one place the editor said he liked my story a lot and asked if I wanted his help. Of course, I jumped at the chance. After a few back-and-forth emails, he rewrote the poem. I asked him if I could 'steal' it and he said yes. Not only that, but the poem will fit the theme for the next issue, and I can submit it.
Most of my rejections are the usual 'we get a million wonderful submissions and it's so hard to choose…blah, blah, blah.' I wonder how many times they want to say, 'I hate the way you write, don't send your stuff again!'
The above 2 super nice rejections are truly diamonds in the rough. Like finding a Petoskey stone in clean blue water and seeing clearly all the tiny mineral deposits inside.
STAR TREK
I rewatched seasons 1 & 2 of Picard but I didn't rewatch season 3. It seems like I just saw that; it hasn't been that long ago. However, I'd forgotten how good season 1 was. I think that was my favorite of all 3 seasons. But I also like the ending of season 2. I try to keep up with Virtual Trek Con on YouTube. I'm looking forward to new seasons of all iterations of Trek, especially Discovery season 5, even though it will be the last.
One thing is certain. I used to think Enterprise was my favorite Star Trek series. Now I've changed my mind. Deep Space 9 is far and above the best in my opinion. 'Far Beyond the Stars,' season 6, episode 13, is undoubtedly the best Star Trek episode ever aired.
TODAY'S PHOTO
Instead of drawing a card, I posted a photo of Thunder Marrott and Esse Diamond curled on my couch in Yin Yang position. My friend Liz put their dates on the photo for me. I'd had Esse since she was 3 months old, and she crossed at age 17 ½. I got Thunder when he was 5. He crossed over 3 months before turning 18.
I won't have anymore cats. The litter box is too much for my back.
Thank you for reading.
January's End Scene Break
WHAT'S NEW IN POETRY
46. That's how many poems I'm sending to the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. I am entering 43 of the 50 categories. I went through my entire spreadsheet and all my poetry to find any poems not tied up elsewhere. I found 16 and I used 14 for the National contest. That means I wrote 32 new poems. They are due by March 15. I like to have several people who I trust read my poems after I write them so that's what's happening between now and March. Then I'll submit the document around March 1. The top prize for one category is $1000.
Believe it or not, I've written a couple more poems beyond those. I've also been reading at open mikes locally. I'll list the readings in my events.
One thing I've found I enjoy doing is writing a viator poem using tarot. The first card I draw is the repeating line. After that, I draw a card for each line. I've written two viator poems in that fashion. It's a lot of fun.
PROGRESS ON THE NOVEL
I'm basically finished writing UNDER THE BUBBLE, my science fantasy novel with women's fiction elements. My last step is listening to Microsoft Word read it to me. I've found that is the best way to eliminate small mistakes. No matter how many times I read a page aloud, my brain fills in a missing word or ignores the misspelling, but the computer doesn't. Once I hear the entire book and make minor corrections, I will send it to my 6 beta readers for a month or so. I'll need to know if they lose interest anywhere, if I repeat myself; things like that. The deadly synopsis is next before querying agents.
WHAT I'M READING
I'm kinda still reading what I've said before: the Le Guin poetry collection, the Mohammed Noor book. I also read other stuff all the time like the latest Writer's Digest and the other day I got the Authors Guild Bulletin. Needless to say, I have way, way, too much stuff to read. I don't have a TBR pile, I have a TBR shelf. So, I bought this new poetry book I found online from Jackleg Press. I barely started it today but so far, it's fabulous. The title is Solastalgia, and the author is Brittney Corrigan. It's about devastation of species. I don't dedicate much time to reading like I should, but I believe I'll read this!
PUBLICATIONS SINCE LAST SCENE BREAK
1. 'Dislocated' https://www.journalofexpressivewriting.com/post/dislocated
2. 'For Larue,' 'Waning Days,' 'Merry Christmas' https://inparentheses.art/2024/01/21/harvest-and-other-works-by-m-mehas/
3. 'In a Sylvan Wood,' https://campliterary.wordpress.com/sylvan/
4. 'With the Banned https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CS3R6F3Y/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
5. 'Tarantula,' 'When Dogs Howl at Two AM' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRPGQK45
JOSE
I don't think I could have asked for a more perfect dog for me. He listens to me and does what I say 99% of the time. Jose was neutered on 1/31 so he is officially mine now. He's still deathly afraid of cars so neighbor Kevin had to lift him in going to Humane Society in the AM and home from Humane Society in the PM. He gets 2 pain pills a day in a hot dog bite and seems to be doing fine.
By the way, our Hamilton County Humane Society (Indiana) is not affiliated with the national. They get no money from them but exist on donations alone. The building and grounds they're in now were (mostly) donated by a local benefactor. I used to volunteer there when I first moved here.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED SO FAR
This section is about what I've learned concerning writing or submitting. I have a third poetry book I'm trying to get published on this side of the pond. I sent it to a publisher that said they were mostly hybrid. So sometimes they would accept books and not require money upfront from the author. That is the reason I sent them my manuscript. I got a contract offer today but for hybrid. I responded by saying I live on a fixed income and can't pay anything up-front. We'll see if I hear back from them. I guess the lesson here is don't fall for the first offer. Keep your head on your shoulders. I learned that mostly from being in the Manuscript Academy for 2 years.
STAR TREK
I've been rewatching Lower Decks. Some people say it's their favorite Trek, probably because it's a little bawdy, and it's funny sometimes. It's not my favorite but I love the easter eggs in the episodes. This is my first time rewatching the whole 4 seasons and I think it's better the second time around because I'm picking up more. I'm looking forward to Discovery season 5.
TODAY'S CARD
King of Pentacles from Tarot in Pandemic and Revolution by Nomadic Press.
What will I write about confidence and sharing my wealth when I live paycheck to paycheck?