For Winning the Silver in the RPLA Nonfiction Blogging

 

I will add this to my "Irrational" article over at the You Might Notice A Trend blog.

It's always a good motivational to have an award on your mind as you keep writing. /sigh

Time to NaNoWriMo 2022

Where's your word count already, fellow writers!

I've actually got a decent turnout of writers at Bartow Library tonight, which bodes well for the Lakeland group presenting a strong front this year.

In the meantime I gotta start this Sci-Fi fantasy series of a falling stellar empire and a rebellious princess who turns herself into a jaguar lady. GET TO WORK, people!

I Survived Florida Writers Conference 2022

And I have documented evidence that they didn't survive me. BWHAHAHAHA. Ow stop hitting me.

Okay. TO THE PHOTOS.

I have my Batman logo t-shirt on, but
my blue button-shirt is in the laundry
so I wore a white-blue beach bum shirt
instead. I masked for much of the day
because yes COVID IS STILL OUT THERE...

One of the two writing sessions I attended.
The FWA organizers hosted a smaller program this year,
again due to COVID and people still being wary of
public places...

The lunch gathering.

The dinner gathering. They switched out the tablecloths,
obviously. ;-)

One thing at FWA was the backlog of annual anthology
publications offered for FREE. I'm guessing they were
clearing out storage space somewhere.
AS A LIBRARIAN I CANNOT RESIST
FREE BOOKS!!!!! This was just the one I brought with me
to the dinner. There was a huge pile of volumes
back in my car...

I changed out to a more professional look for the dinner,
because I was a Royal Palm Literary Award finalist in the
Nonfiction - Blogging/Articles category. I know this isn't
Oscars-worthy fashion, but WORK WITH ME HERE.

Hark! A Blogger Approaches!

HOLY FORKING SHIRTBALLS.
I WON SILVER (2nd) WITH THE 
"Irrational" ARTICLE FROM MY POLITICAL BLOG!
BRING TO ME THE FINEST CHEESES OF THE LAND.

There may be more photos and prize stickers forthcoming. Long day, satisfying night. 

Update: Here is the official event photo of me accepting the award!

Keep on blogging, you beautiful bastards!

 

Quick Note: Florida Writer's Conference

 Here's hoping I do well in the Non-Fiction - Blogging category this weekend!

NaNo Time, Kiddos, for 2022

It's less than a month away: Another round of National Novel Writing Month. 

I've been doing this regularly since (checks notes) 2006, off and on with some success reaching the 50,000 word counts certain years.

The problem, which bothers me but not to the point of obsession, is that I don't finish up.

I've had - past tense, because the flash drive I've been saving to is lost now - a stack of unfinished first drafts piling up that I found myself unable to finish either because 1) I hated the direction the novels were going even when I had plotted them first, or 2) lost track of how I wanted those works to end. When I found myself with about five of those unfinished drafts, I couldn't decide on which one to stay focused on.

This year, with something of a clean slate ahead of me, I will be making the effort to plot out a reasonably short work, nothing too elaborate, and find the motivation to stick to the landing on this stunt.

Wish me luck.

Again.

FWA Finalists for the 2022 Royal Palm Literary Awards

HOLY FORKING SHIRTBALLS.

Two of my blog article submissions to the Best Non-Fiction Short/Blogging category have reached FINALIST status!!!

The submissions still in it to win it are:

Hark! A Ranking of Nirvana Albums

Irrational

I'm a bit surprised The Tragedy of Surfside did not reach Finalist status, as it was both a somber (and non-partisan) article as well as something of regional (Florida) interest. Irrational, after all, was rather partisan (anti-trumpian) in tone. Hmm. The judging does depend on how the readers view the quality of it, alas.

Still and all, NOW I have to go get a day pass to attend this year's FWA Conference to be present for a hopeful award win. I know now the rules about Finalist grading does NOT guarantee a win - there can be more than three Finalists, hell there could be more than TEN Finalists for the top three awards - so I will be more guarded about my hopes.

Good luck, all.

Official Release: Strangely Funny IX

It's official: Strangely Funny IX - containing my short submission "The Brides of WiFi" - is available on Amazon.com!

The Kindle download version is up-and-running, although Sarah at Mystery & Horror LLC says they're still waiting on the print proof for the paperback version.

Either way, it's good to go faithful readers!

For those of you wondering about the other stories they've published in the Strangely Funny series, check out the earlier volumes I'm in:

"I Must Be Your First" in Strangely Funny

"Minette Dances With the Golem of Albany" in Strangely Funny III

"The Pumpkin Spice Must Flow" in Strangely Funny V

"How a Vampire Gets a Tan" in Strangely Funny VI

"War of the Murder Hornets" in Strangely Funny VIII

Also check out "Why The Mask" in Mardi Gras Murder and "The Secret of the Battle of Los Angeles" in History and Mystery Oh My! 

Many thanks again to Sarah and Gwen for accepting these stories, and get to reading the rest of ye!