Dragons and Ciruelo Cabral

I love dragons.  Talk about interesting beings.  I love to read about them, write about them, and find interesting pictures of them.  Starting this Thursday, I hope to add another page.  It is a prose on dragons.  It too, like the poems I put here, is in the process of copyright.  Who knew it was a process?  Anyway, it is entitled 'The Halls of Aberforth.'  I will try to post each Thursday on this story.  Each week, I will only post a short segment as it takes so long for me to edit and revise.  And since it is not completed yet, you can be sure there will be changes.

Speaking of pictures of drawings, my favorite artist for dragons is Ciruelo Cabral.  His artwork is amazing.  And he doesn't just have dragons!  I could have a house filled with his work.  Here is his official website:
http://www.dac-editions.com/index.htm  Take a look at some of his works.  If his style looks familiar, he has done covers for many companies, including George Lucas.  His works have helped my imagination to soar with 'The Halls of Aberforth.'

A Religious Interpretation of the the Three Little Pigs

Keeping with posting spiritual/religious poems on Sunday, I am posting one of my favorites that I wrote a few years ago.  It is an analogy between the story of The Three Little Pigs and common Christian beliefs.  I hope you enjoy it.

Pogo

Last year, I stumbled upon Pogo Land.  It's a site with tons of games.  My favorite games are the word games and there are lots of them.  I go to Pogo everyday and play word games, along with some other games.  It's a great stress reliever for me. The word games are great practice.  Have you ever been stumped for the perfect word?  Are you looking for an unusual word?  Well, I find these  in the different word games.

 If you happen to pogo too, just look for me, merri2dls.  I'm usually in Boggle Bash, Scrabble, or Word Whomp.  When I get stumped in writing I turn to Pogo.  I use it for my reward too.  I read a book about writing where the author said if you can keep yourself writing and are accomplishing something, then find a reward for yourself.  Mine is Pogo.  In that case, you might find me popping balloons or working a puzzle or playing a card game.

Everyone needs a fun outlet and Pogo is mine.   pogo.com  See you there.

Edgar Allan Poe

I have been reading the collected works of Edgar Allan Poe.  He is one of my favorite writers and poets.  I love his works.  Edgar Allan Poe was a genius, born way ahead of his time.  I read something he wrote once.  He said he would imagine his readers and what they would want from him.  That would be his goal as he wrote.  I couldn't help but think that is an admirable goal.

 I also think he was the first American Gothic.  He always wore black.  He had the dark hair and dark moustache and his works were so dark. 

If you have ever read any of his short stories, then you know that he was a genius.  I cannot believe the stories he wrote or where he could have possibly come up with those ideas.

If I could be one tenth of the writer/poet that he was, I would be a highly successful author!  Here's to one of my favs - Edgar Allan Poe.  May his works live on forever.

Always

As I get my novel ready to send in the 1st chapter, I ran some of it by my WD friends.  Thanks to their willingness to be honest and point out some obvious mistakes with dialogue, I find myself once again editing my book. 

I have decided with my next book to edit more carefully as I write.  I was in such a hurry to actually finish 'Always' that I didn't spend much time editing upfront.  I guess we  learn as we go.

That's what I have spent much of my day on today - editing yet again.  I have to admit, with each edit the story flows better.  It is also cutting down the word count, which is good too.

I read today that an author needs to show passion for his/her work.  Well, I am passionate about this novel, so I want it to be in the best format that it can be. 

It will be by the end of this week that I will send my quiery out now.  However, I have decided that the time is not so important with the first novel.  It is more important that I have it edited to where I feel comfortable with it.  And I am very comfortable about how it reads now.

A Religious Poem

I decided the poem for this Sunday will be one of my 'religious' poems.  I firmly believe in a Supreme Being, however you want to refer to Him or Her.  My Supreme Being is God.  I also believe many have been sent to guide us and teach us.  This poem is about Jesus.  Do I believe that Jesus is the Son of God?  Of course I do, because I believe that we are all Sons and Daughters of the Divine.  Jesus has been here for me many times when I have needed Him.  As I've mentioned before, I am not a religious person, but I am a spiritual person.  And I believe that there are many who are with us every day, to guide us and help us.  They are all just a prayer away.
I hope you enjoy this poem.
LHR

Writing the Synopsis for my Novel

I have spent most of today writing the synopsis for my novel, Always.  I am just one of those people who has to research everything.  Like every other author who has wrtten a book, I believe in my writing and I know my book is one of the best out there.  Getting the query letter ready has been the hardest step for me.  I'm not finding that with the synopsis of the book.  The problem with the synopsis is knowing what to put in and what to leave out.  Both these steps, the query and the synopsis, are two important steps.

If I am truly a great writer - not just good - but great - then I feel I should be able to do the best query and the best synopsis.  It is the query letter any agent will see before my manuscript.  So it is essential I understand the elements of both the query and the synopsis.  I am grateful to belong to a writer's community where we critique each other's work.  This has helped me so much in the process of writing these two letters.

I wish all of you writers the best as you prepare your own query and synopsis for your books.
LHR

Why I Wrote a Poem About a Poodle

I talked before about how much I love pets and couldn't live without them.  I have had so many and varied pets over the years.  They've always absorbed the lonliness.  Some of my pets could tell when I was depressed or saddened, while others could tell when I was sick.  There is nothing like a cat laying on my stomach kneading his paws in an effort to make me feel better.

Nothing lifts my spirits more than one of my pets doing something funny.  Currently, I have two poodles and they make me laugh everyday.  One of them always looks sad.  I groom them myself.  While I was grooming my little sad one, he looked at me with a look that asked 'why?'  It struck me funny, so I wrote the poem 'Little Black Poodle so Blue'  Please check it out under poems.

LHR

My Favorite Reads

I love books.  I love to escape to the fantasy land that a good book provides.  Maybe that's where I developed my interest in writing and poetry. 



I love to read books such as Harry Potter,Narnia, Twilight, etc.  Right now, I have started the FableHaven series.  Although these books are for younger audiences, I find them to be just plain fun to read.  Plus I think these aughors have found new ideas on old subjects.  And their characters are so interesting.


I find it interesting that although I enjoy good fantasy books, I myself am a more delicate writer.  I like to write Women's Fiction, stories about life and people.  This subject fascinates me.  Maybe that's why I write in this genre.

Of all writers, Agatha Chrisite is my favorite.  She added a drop of humor in all her books and it often catches me by surprise.  I love her characters and the mysteries surrounding the stories. Her books are short and delightful.  I have never been disappointed in an Agatha Christie novel.

Words

Are you fascinated by words?  I am.  I love words.  I love studying the souncs and the spelling.  I love to study other languages.  But I am most fond of studying the history of language and words.  Every day from this site I get a word a day.  It's fun.  It tells the meaning of the word, how to use the word, and the history of the word.
For instance, today's word was wreak. 
Some other fun words have been:
Boxing Day/christmas-tide/gossamer, to name a few.
If you are interested in writing or poetry, this is the perfect site to find words.  They even have links to word games.  If you have other sites you use, let me know.  I'd enjoy hearing about them.
LHR

http://www.alphadictionary.com/index.shtml

Pets and Love

I love all creatures of our earth.  All living beings play a part in keeping our earth alive.  I don't think I could ever live without a pet for companionship.  Over the years, I've had so many who have given me such joy.  I would love to see no homeless pets and certainly no abused pets.  It breaks my heart to see how some people abuse pets or carelessly put them out on the streets.  I am sharing a poem I wrote about this.  Feel free to comment or tell about your pets.  I currently have two poodles that I adore.  I have a favorite site.  Take a look at this place.  It is Best Friends Animal Sanctuary near Kanab, Utah.  It must be like heaven to the animals they bring there.  .  I will get a pet from a homeless shelter next time.  How sad these poor pets are that need homes.  I think if you are not aware of Best Friends, that when you take a look around their site, you will be amazed at the love and help these animals get.


http://www.bestfriends.org/

Love Honor and Respect

I love to meditate.  Amazingly, answers to come to me through meditations.  I try to meditate every day.  It is just good for the soul.

Some of you may have noticed that I end my writing in L.H.R.  Well, these words came to me a few years ago while I was meditating on the traumas and sufferings in our modern world.  Of course, I wrote a poem about it.  If you're curious why I use these words, just read the poem 'Love, Honor, and Respect.'

I do believe if we just think the words Love, Honor, Respect with whomever we are dealing, we would have a more peaceful homelife, neighborhood, city, country, world.  I work daily to love, honor, and respect every living thing on our planet.  And that includes Mother Earth herself.
LHR

Happy Mothers Day

I wish everyone a Happy Mothers Day - everyone.  Everyone one of us has a mother figure in our lives, or we are mothers.  So may we all have the fondest of memories.

The day I became a mother, my views on life changed dramatically.  When I held that precious newborn in my arms and saw that he had his own personality, I knew my life would never be the same again.  He was one of the few right choices I ever made in my life.

The poem today is on mothers, of course.  I hope it rings a bell with all of you, my friends.

LHR

ALWAYS

I am so excited about my first finished novel that I wanted to talk a little about it.  ALWAYS is a tender novel that is set in modern days.  In this book, we follow the lives of two individuals - Simon and April - who have loved each other always.  Set mainly in England, this is the story of life - its ups and downs, its happy times and sad times, birth and death.  It is about Simon facing a changing world and having to decide on continuing with his beliefs, or accepting that there are other possibilities to life and beyond.

When I finished this novel, I was inspired to write a poem.  Keep in mind some of my poems are short and some are longer.  This is a longer poem so if you click the Poems button you will be able to read it.  It is titled 'I am With You Always.'

I will soon be sending my query to an agent.  I can only hope this book will be published, because it is a sweet tale of life and love, and a tale of how people can and do influence other lives.
LHR

Sister Friends

When I decided to go back to writing and poetry, I didn't know if I would stay with it.  I had started so many times in the past, but moved on to other things:  a job that paid bills, raising a family, etc.  This time, I leaned on two women who are dear to me.  I asked them to read my poetry and my book.  Their encouragement, guidance, and belief in me inspired me day by day.  Their kind words guided me on the path back to writing, and because of them, I have finished a novel and enough poetry for 2 volumes!  So I want to publicly thank my cousin and my Virgo friend.  Thinking about them one day, I wrote this poem which I dedicate to them:

Sister Friends

Women have a special bond.
We support each other in loving ways.
When asked for help, we respond
Whether to listen or give responsive praise.

Friendship warms our saddened souls.
A chat and lunch helps heal our confused minds.
When we can’t succeed with goals
A kind friend’s voice gently guides and reminds.

It’s that female connection
That soothes our harried and befuddled thought.
When we have inspiration,
With positive words, we’ll not be distraught.

Oh, sister friends, patiently,
You’ve praised my writing with verbiage so fine,
And in my hopes support me,
Thus in this struggle I will not resign!

Classic Poetry

I love to read classic poetry.  I signed up on About.com to receive one classic poem a day - free.  Can't get better than that.  Every morning when I open my email, there is my classic poem of the day.  It's a great way to start the day.  Today's poem was by one of my favorite classic poets, John Keats.  John Keats was one of the great Romantic poets.  Today's poem was 'Where Be Ye Going, You Devon Maid.'  In this poem, he sees a young maid walking and dreams of kissing her.  This was one of the sweetest poems I've read from the Romantic Poets.  The Classic Poems are thoughtful and well written.  They are perfect for rainy days when relaxing by the fireside. 
After reading this poem, it set my mood for the entire day - and that's what poetry does - sets a mood.
LHR

Welcome to my Blog

I am excited to have my first blog - a place where I can talk about my interests and post my poetry.  First of all, I send a mega 'thank you' to my son and daughter-in-law for all their help in getting this site up and running.  To me, they are computer brainiacs.

I am pleased to say that I have actually finished a novel.  I am in the process of forming my query letter.  Query letters - these are new to me, but thanks to my friends at Writers Digest, I am getting to understand queries.  I have written all my life, but never finished a book.  So this is a major accomplishment to me.  I am currently working on 4 other books, waiting for the one that will grab me and beg me to write it.

I am also posting one of my poems. I will post my poems from time to time.  They are going through the process of copyright.  So please be aware that I do not give permission to use my poems.  I write spiritual/new age, religious, quirky, life, childrens, and general.  I write short poetry, long poetry, and extra long poetry.  I hope you enjoy reading my poems as much as I enjoy writing them.

LHR

Here is one of my simple fun ones:

The Gentle Butterflies

The gentle butterflies
Care not how they appear.
They simply flit along
With colored wings so sheer.