Call of the Kami Audiobook progress update

I just found a note in my inbox from Andrea Missias, the narrator for the Call of the Kami audio version of the poetry/folklore/mythology book, that she is nearly done with getting the rest of the  audio files ready for upload to ACX for me to check.  I am very excited to finally get to hear the rest of her narration, and will greatly be looking forward to when this will be available on Amazon Audible, ACX, and iTunes.  As I understand it, those that buy the Kindle version are supposed to have the option (when they buy) to also get the Audio and to switch back and forth.  I am looking forward to seeing how that works in actual practice for people, since I have to read Kindle on the computer, and so will have to rely on other people telling me if it actually does work on their Kindle devices.

AyaMayA, Goodreads, The Cold of Brain Drainage, and The Dragon's Beads updates

1.
The cover art for Ayam Yogi Abraxas' debut book, AyaMayA looks stunning and is done by Marantha Dreamweaver Jenelle.  Marantha is the third cover artist of choice for THG StarDragon Publishing now.  She is quite good, fast, and very professional so if you are in need of cover art I do recommend her.  I am very pleased with how this project is progressing.

Be watching for the big cover reveal.  I want to talk with both the cover artist and the author to make sure they are both ready for it before the unveiling.

2.
The good folks at Goodreads have been extremely helpful with taking care of getting the author name change implemented on my older books and linking author accounts so that I can finish listing my own stories under my author name.  This (Teresa Garcia) is now going to STAY under my maiden name no matter what happens with my legal name.  It also has the added benefit of being a continuing acknowledgement of my father's influence on my having become an author in the first place.

So, many thanks to the people that make Goodreads work, as I begin wading into this.  I will later have to ask to become one of their librarians so that I can take care of the book listings for my other authors if they do not feel like setting up Goodreads author profiles yet.  I certainly want to make sure that everyone that publishes with me gets their spot (I'd still prefer that they get their own pages and accounts though so that they can participate in reading circles).

As Goodreads fan pages become available I will make sure to include links from the side tabs here on the blog, and add them to the list of updates for the webhost to apply on the THG StarDragon Publishing site.

3.
I have a doctor appointment tomorrow.  Hopefully the good people there at our wonderful clinic will be able to help me get this cold whipped so that I can concentrate long enough to work on my manuscript.  Just as important... this is my one week break between classes.  I certainly need my brain back stat!

Since brainpower is low right now, and I'm only clocking about 100 or so words a day on Selkies' Skins progress on the manuscript is slower than I would like, but it is progressing.  I am a little late on getting Sunday's episode of the webnovel version posted, but hope to have that cleaned up for the public soon.  Formatting errors like to creep in when I am ill for some reason.  And I want to make sure all the typo bunnies are cleared out.

4.
I am still accepting submissions for the anthology The Dragons' Beads: A Treasury (yes, that is plural).  Submissions will be open till July 31, 2013.  This is open to anyone from child to adult, though please keep submissions appropriate for all audiences and do not submit fanfiction (I don't have time to wade through legalities of publishing fanfiction stories right now).  Feel free to circulate the info to your local schools and favorite writers.  The original idea was to get promising child writers recognition and it snowballed from there.

AyaMaya needs a cover! Looking for cover artist.

The author and I are looking for the right person to do the book cover for AyaMayA.  The artwork absolutely must reflect the theme of his esoteric manuscript dealing with world religions, and the unity of the universe. Subjects covered include Kaballah, Taoism, lucid dreaming, Tarot, magic, psychology, New Age, symbology and more.

Experience in artwork and cover layout is preferred.  It does not need to be in metaphysical artwork.  I do need to see some samples of your artwork though before I will recommend you to the author.

For further details email me and if your portfolio shows me the sort of work that will fit then I will put you in contact with the book's author so that you can get a better feel for his project and vision and he can find the person he feels will resonate best to help with this project.

The meaning of lamps and their parallels

Yesterday on Twitter I had been pointed to a collection of short stories by Debrah Wattes. On picking up her short anthology of Short Stories for the Nightstand for a nice read (being sick does not leave me the concentration or strength for my normal activities) I noticed that her cover had a cute little lamp.  I commented on it and made an observation of how lamps have many meanings, and she asked about the meaning of the lamp on the cover.  Here is my answer, which is a bit long for Twitter.

The lamp on the cover reminds me of the Tiffany lamps that were and are so popular, and Tiffany anything used to be a status symbol as they were expensive.  If you were able to have those, you were fairly well off.  Further though, light itself has a lot of symbology.

Light originates from the sun, and there is a meditation to gain more energy by visualizing yourself being filled with light coming from the sun.  Reiki practitioners often channel Reiki or original ki from Source (more familiar as God to Christians, but the ways this is seen by various cultures is a whole book in its own right) to themselves and those they are doing healing for.  It also stands for enlightenment to some people.  You see it this way in the Hermit card of Tarot, in the lantern being carried by the wizened old man at the top of the mountain.  Light from that lamp or lantern is knowledge.  For the child, the light from the lamp or nightlight chases away the Boogey Man, monsters under the bed, and the Thing in the closet.  The light from the lamp makes it much easier to deal with any danger once it can be seen for what it is.  Quite literally, a lamp is the Light in the Darkness dispelling ignorance and fear, and in some places can equate on a smaller scale to the Lighthouse symbolically.

For myself a lamp also represents hope, for the reasons above but also because lanterns, lamps, and lighthouses remind me of my father.  I lost my father to cancer on December 1st of 2008, and lighthouses were something that we loved to go visit when I was a child.  A favorite movie (that we did not watch as often as I grew older) was Pete's Dragon which also featured a lighthouse and its importance.  When he died I was lost and devastated, to the point that for a month what my mother and I survived on was mostly Ensures since neither of us was coping well enough to even cook.

Then the Lighthouses started cropping up as we got more and more of the final affairs taken care of.  We found his urns in an antique shop called Hidden Treasures, and I found what I was going to wear for his funeral in a shop called... the Lighthouse...

It took a while, but the safety, hope, and love that was symbolized by the lighthouse brought me back so that I could continue living.  There is a picture that I took after dad's cremation that still eases me today, consisting of one of his urns, a heart shaped rock, and...a lamp.

Thus for me the lamp on the cover resonated greatly, and I considered it an even better choice after reading the three short stories through and seeing how the lamp matched the content.

One final set of symbols that equate with the lamp that I can think of are flashlights (portable torches) and the old fashioned torch.  What other symbols can you think of?

Why did I make such a long post on lamps and the associated meanings?  Symbols are very important when writing, and when being able to consider possible meanings attached to things, this can add another layer to writing.

I'd rather be writing bumpersticker available

I have just had one of those days.  So instead of doing my homework when I originally planned to, I made this.  Then I did my homework.



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An Independent Author Hand: Ginny Griffin's First Day of School - John Krauss

Well, sort of.  I have been doing tarot readings for this person for a while, helping him decide which way to go.  A few readings into the client/reader relationship he came to me with the issue of his book.  At the time, he was going through another publisher, and getting very frustrated at how long it was taking and the lack of communication.  It turned out that she was avoiding the project, as my readings were indicating likely.

So he left that publisher, taking his project with him.  As I was already his tarot reader, it was a conflict of interest for me to pick up his book, so the focus turned to finding the best route to realizing his publishing dream, and rounding up an artist with the feel he was looking for.  I did read his story over and gave some feedback though.

His project, I am pleased to say, has finally come to fruition.  He has been interviewed for the SL Newser, so if you like, you can read what he has to say about Ginny Griffin's First Day of School.

You can also check out his book at Lulu http://www.lulu.com/shop/john-krauss/ginny-grffins-first-day-of-school/paperback/product-20635273.html available now for $12US.

Now, what do I think of the story?

I really enjoyed this story.  The publisher that he was originally working with had said the conflict between Ginny and the Principal was too over the top, but I have seen similar scenarios in real life.  Not quite to that level, but for me it was believable given my experiences and ones I have heard from other former students.  I really enjoyed how Ginny ended up solving the problem, and I felt that the adults initial reactions were very believable, especially for someone coming from small town background and this being a great example of the Way Things Tend To Work in small towns when something is found that just can't be believed.  When I can, I intend to fit getting a copy into my family budget.

Selkies' Skins Kickstarter Short Story Reward: Dreamweaving

The short story for one of the $75 backers was recently finished, prepared, and released.  You can own and read a copy of Diamondixi and Amehana's adventure "Dreamweaving" at two locations.  You should be able to find it at Barnes and Noble's online store soon in .epub format as well.

Smashwords (all formats)
Amazon (Kindle) (currently promotionally priced)

I was chewing my nails about the dialect that it was requested I write Diamondixi as speaking, so I was very pleased when I received her creator's feedback

I just started to read it and I have to say: very well done so far (especially in how she speaks and her physical description -I actually describe her eyes the same exact way!) The description of her surroundings is superb....two claw thumbs up! Thank you so much for writing it and keep at it!

~Kris

I am very happy to receive feedback like this as writing a character someone else creates is always so much different than one that I have created.