Inside Out & Upside Down

Funny how much your life can change with a single decision. You know how I tend to keep myself busy...

The past months have been a flurry of activity, with the new writing gig, and all the other interesting things I get myself into. I've had to give up a lot of other activities to be able to focus on this very important career goal. I've been writing for over 20 years now with limited success in breaking into print. I've had a few articles published here and there, but my fantasy stories just sat in files or came back with form rejection notices. After a while, you get discouraged. I focussed on other things.

Then this spring, Lee got recommended for a writing position with a startup pulp fiction company called Pro Se Productions. Pulp is the hard driven action adventure and speculative fiction writing whose sole raison d'etre is to be entertaining. It tends to reinvent itself every so often, and right now, the pulp world is solidly in the hands of a lot of indie companies like Pro Se. Being the supportive sweetie that he is, when Pro Se put out the call for writers, Lee recommended me. And now...

I am both a staff writer and an editor for one imprint. I have a whole slew of exciting and motivated writing friends and acquaintances. We mostly keep in touch on FB when we're not writing or attending something that has to do with writing or editing. A lot of my family and friends are on FB too, and it gives me a chance to stay in touch and let them know what I am up to. My online time has evolved from bulletin boards and email to blogging, and now social networking and chat. And I spend a significant amount of most days simply sitting at the computer, working on new stories as well as editing for myself and others. I'm loving every second of it.

Oh I still have my other hobbies, I've just had to cut back on the amount of time I spend at them. Right now, crochet has my attention, and when I sit in the evening with family, watching TV or movies, that is generally what I will be doing. I still go thrifting and have months worth of pictures to post about that. I'll be getting some of those up as I go along. I cook now and then, but not as often as I have in the past because I just don't have the time. I never did much in the way of baking this holiday season, just some pies for Thanksgiving, gingerbread and a Toll House pie on Jason's birthday before Xmas. No cookies at all! Getting the tree up and decorated, shopping and wrapping gifts was all I could handle. I doubt we will have a garden this year.

How do I like this newly reinvented life? I L♥VE it!!!! This is exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up. With the boys grown and plenty of people to pitch in with housework and whatnot, it is now my chance to have a career of my own. I can't tell you how amazing it feels to see your name in print and the story you crafted on the page for all the world to read and enjoy. Sure, I've had to make some changes, but it has been worth it. Even if it does make my life a study in contrasts, and turns things inside out and upside down.

Good things are ahead too. I have a new writing project that with some luck and a lot of hard work on my part, will revive an older piece of work and turn it into something that should start broadening my reader base considerably.

I will be attending the conference below, which is being held in Batesville Arkansas, and there I will get to meet my peers in person, as well as some artists, publishers, and hopefully a few fans. My first writing conference, and I am going as a guest! Whoo hoo!

Lee is going too, and hopefully our old horror writing pal Kevin Rodgers, from the Prodigy Internet days. Kev is now also involved with Pro Se, and has had several stories published. Sure wish Roger could make it though... :(

Plenty of other exciting things going on too, many that I just can't talk about right now. ;-)

So I guess it just goes to show, that no matter how dismal things may look on the outside, it's how you nurture yourself and order your life that makes a difference. I never stopped trying to find my comfortable little niche in the world, and eventually it just kind of settled in around me. And it fits like a glove. I'm loving every moment of my life these days.