The voices need to chill.

I hear dialogue in my head. I have odd notions come to me all hours of the day. Last night, I misspelled a single word and now have an idea for another book.

But holy shit balls. The voices? They are on blast.

Before I wrote full-time, I would have to parse the voices. When I didn't have time, I would nail the doors shut and hope to fuck they didn't break. Because I'm a full immersion type chickie. When I'm in...I'm IN.

And when I open the door to my creativity and don't try to actively block it, the voices have a rave.

I'm editing two books right now and have all sorts of ideas and, wouldn't you know it, the last sentence of  "The Rabbit God". In true Crystal form, the book I haven't started writing yet.

I've tried to put the feral folks in my Mind Cabin (more of a chalet) and have them calm the fuck down. But voices are raised. Confetti is flying. And those obnoxious little horn screamer things are at full volume.

I should put a sedative in the water, shouldn't I?

I cannot do two things at once.

Okay. I can but maybe not well. Tropes, as promised, on my Inman Books Facebook page. It's funny. My chaotic short ass desperately wants to make up new tropes. I am THAT writer. And, you know, they tell you not to be.

That's the rub.

I love being different.

Different storylines. Different characters. Simply...different.

But, to sell, authors are told to be the same in book covers and descriptions and aesthetics.

And, God forbid, you color outside the lines.

Guys, I'm not even coloring on the pages.

I'm coloring in my Mind Cabin with umbra, a character born to a psychotic demigoddess and Nyx, Goddess and personification of Night. I'm playing Spades with a gay dragon and his Berserker husband. I'm watching the stars with a half-blind warrior and his lover. I'm petting a hellhound twice as big as I am who is glowing a bit to keep me warm on this chilly evening.

I'm not a beach house writer with margs on deck. I wouldn't know a billionaire if he bit me on the ass, though he could certainly try. I don't write about functional families because I didn't have one. Writing what you know is brilliant fucking advice. 

BRILLIANT

But I know and like weird shit. That's why I enjoy paranormal. I can blend weird factoids and mythology and history. I can take so many different little pieces and make a mosaic. I stir shit together and out comes this ridiculously rich tapestry of lore stitched with my heart and mind. 

THIS is what excites and soothes my soul. Why I write. Why I love words. Why I WHY.

Back to it. 

Always writing*

Saturday Plans

 It's my day off.  We all know that doesn't mean what it sounds like.

I'll be editing "Fascination", third book in the Rivers Sisters series, for the last time.  Possibly uploading to Amazon today.  If not, I have Wednesday and Thursday off.  I'll shoot for that.  I work tomorrow at the day job, which is ass.  A one-to-five day is actually a 10-6 day for me.  Getting ready, driving an hour, working 12-5, driving an hour home.  The day is shot.  But it's my LAST Sunday to have to work.  There's that.  😁

Will work on "Incantation", fourth book in the Rivers Sisters series, if I feel the yen to do so.  Or I can pop back over and work on my first book of a dark little trilogy I started.  Not sharing the title.  It's a thing for me.  I'm a bit superstitious in that way.  Not a romance in the slightest.  Reflection, regression, and redemption.  Story of a soul and the journey it takes.  I was on that hot and heavy before I popped out "Dante's Desire", finished "Fascination", and absolutely glued myself to the keyboard for "Chimera".  It's always that main character that plucks at me.  I'm absolutely addicted to writing their stories.  

Have I told you about my mind cabin?  😎

It's sort of like a chalet, I've never been to one, but my subconscious has ideas.  I'm chilling out in the main room.  All sorts of beings wandering in and out.  Some say "Hi!".  Some give me a dude nod.  Some promise to see me later...with no indication of how long "later" will be.  And they explore and walk off to wherever they need to be.  It's wonderful.  High traffic.  I greet everyone.  Every once in awhile I'm taken off-guard, but that's okay.  It's good for me.  It is, quite literally, never a dull moment in my white matter.

I'm off to be a word wizard.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Always writing*