Birthright

Snow falling outside,  like bits of fluff, thick and fat.   Children throwing snowballs with screams of delight.  Horses off in the distance looking so regal as puffs of steam emitted from their nostrils.  So peaceful… “Damn this tree!” …and so it begins. “Willodean what’s wrong now?”  I was so exasperated with her. “It’s has no good side.” Oh here we go again.  “Good side?” “Yes Charlese.  Everything and everybody has a good side, and this tree has no good side whatsoever.” “Oh sweet Jesus, just put the tree up and decorate the damn thing.  This is supposed to be fun, so…have fun!” I left her to do her business and got myself a soothing cup of coffee, the elixir of life. I started to pour the rich, dark brown…ooze?  The blood began to boil as my cheeks turned a nice, bright scarlet red. “Willodean!” She came in, lights entangled her body with tinsel in her hair.  “What…” in a low register of disgust. “...

I know I haven't been around much, busy trying very hard to finish the second book to the Birthright series and every time that I had set a goal to finish...I don't, however, it will be out the beginning of the new year.  I am almost done with it and I am finding that in doing so it has been one brick wall after another.  Who'd of thought that writing a sequel would be difficult! Plus, I've had some serious health issues which has me resting a lot, but I'm more than ready to finish this book yet and when I do, I will be taking a much needed break from writing.  I plan on going back to school, even though I have my degree and take some more art classes.  I haven't been able to do much artwork because of book signings and writing, so the only art I have been able to achieve is my photography, http://suesart.wix.com/dreamphotography. It amazes even me, how far I have come to my picture taking technique.  Every year it has gotten better and better and I'm ...

Women writers' are a class all unto themselves.  The hardships that they had to endure to make their creative juices flowing to being publish was in itself a troublesome task to put it mildly.  They had no rights!  Virginia Woolf said it best in her book, A Room of One's Own, 1929.  The complexities  of  women of that time period to get the recognition they deserved, not to mention the time and space to write one's creative dreams was truly stressful.  Even if they did complete their dream of a book, just getting it published was yet another fiasco waiting to happen.  We were not on the same level as male writer's. To start...money plays a key issue with A Room of One's Own.  In order to get money you needed to work and back then the bread winner was the male, husband, whatever you want to call them.  Women were looked upon as a child and was kept so by their husband.  They didn't want them to be worldly as they were, it wouldn't...

I want this day to go away I want this day to fly I want to smile and greet the day But all I do is cry. That's all I'll say...for now...I can't say much else...maybe time will heal all wounds...

There are times when I really hate technology.  For example, when I'm trying to format a manuscript and it doesn't work out or trying to save my photoshop brushes I've created and it doesn't work out, but one thing that I will say about technology is this new site, Kindlegraph.  Let me post what they say about the site... Kindlegraph lets authors send personalized inscriptions and signatures ("kindlegraphs") directly to the electronic reading devices of their fans. It is truly amazing.  Now your fans can receive an autograph from you without having to go to a book signing!  It's all done online now!  So if your fans are all over the US they now can get a signed copy of your book. Here is the link to all my books...you have to try it. http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/suemidlock

I haven't been around much and for that I do apologize.  I've started back at work and I'm also trying to get my sequel done, but I had to come on and post this awesome story that a dear friend has written about one of my photographs.  It was a unique picture in that its originally suppose to be a street with a lighted oak tree on the left side at night, but that's not how it turned out.  What turned out was a completely different picture that was so beautiful, so you could almost say, "The true beauty of the scene was hidden from the naked eye."  Thank you Lisa, it is a lovely story. Distorted Beauty (story link)

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see someone achieve greatness?  I have, and it was…great.  I live in Dry Prong, Louisiana, have all my life.   No one I know gets the newspaper because our population is about 421, at least that’s what is was back in 2000 and I can’t imagine that it’s gotten any higher than that.  You see, when you live in a town that small, everyone knows what everyone’s up too.  Gosh, keeping secrets around here is like trying to keep Herbert’s cows from straying off the pasture and into Mrs.  Laradell’s garden, lord have mercy!     It just can’t be done!  Anyway, Chester Bertie is my boss at Chubby Weiners and even though Chester has no college degree, he is smarter than a bullwhip.  The things he comes up with just blows my mind and I have to think, there’s a story to be told there.  Chester and me go a long way.  I’ve been working for him for ten years now and there have bee...

Reading   Tortured Minds   by Sue Mydliak reminds me how fortunate I am to watch this author progress from the beginning of her writing career. And progress she has. She has made great strides writing stories, a novella, a sequel in progress, and now this collection of twisted tales - amoong others. Reading her work from the beginning shows me that she diligently practices her craft, but she has had writing ability from the beginning. Usually when reading a collection, it's tempting to try to choose one favorite among them all. I could not do that with Tortured Minds. Each story has its own unexpected ending that creeps up, sometimes slowly and unsuspecting, sometimes hard and fast. Each ending left me with a Wow! feeling; made me stop and think, and then want more. Tortured Minds by Sue Mydliak contains short and quick stories and I couldn't help moving right into reading the next one to learn what else this author might produce. I was never disappointed. I look forward...

Summer had come with a vengeance.  I woke in the morning with the sheets clinging to my legs. “Great.” Normally I love summer, but when it gets hotter than a pancake grilling on the pan, I just melt, literally.  I was sitting at my table drinking my morning coffee and reading the newspaper when someone knocked at my back door.  I peeked around the corner as I walked and saw that it was my neighbor Willodean Farris. “Hey girl, what brings you here this hot morning?  Come on in, can I get you anything to drink?” Willodean was my closest and dearest friend.   Her hair was strawberry blonde, blue eyes and a body that was pleasing to the eye.  She was a beaut.   My brother Dean always wanted to go out with her, but being the chicken that he was, he’d drool from a distance and dream.  I can imagine what they were like, but that would be a little bit disgusting, not to mention creepy. “If you got lemonade I’d love some, if not, I’ll be ju...

Autograph copy of Tortured Minds Autographs are hard to come by, especially when it comes in Kindle Format.  Well, not anymore, if you buy my book, Tortured Minds, you can also request an autograph copy of it by clicking on the link above.  That's right!! Amazing right?  Finally, authors whose books are on Kindle through Amazon can send autograph copies. So give it a go and get your copy today!

After much work, edits, and all that other great stuff we authors go through, my book, Tortured Minds is published!!!   I couldn't of done this accomplishment if it wasn't for Stacey Turner and Rebecca Treadway they were awesome to work with.  Thank you ladies! It is available on Kindle on Tortured Minds  through Amazon and Smashwords  Tortured Minds .  These are 13 of my best horror stories that I have written, published now to share with you.  The neat thing about these horror stories is that they don't start out scary, in fact, even in the middle the story still seems docile. What happens is that what you read isn't at all what it seems, its the way I end the stories that'll be your surprise. So, buy your copy today, you will be surprised in more ways than one.

I found this article written by Victoria, who I sought help when I got into big issues with Trestle Press.  Do not do any kind of business with them or DIP Publishing.  Here is what she had to say and it rings so true. Posted by Victoria Strauss for  Writer Beware When Writer Beware was founded in 1998, it was vanishingly rare for publishers (or agents) to contact aspiring writers to express interest in their work--so rare, in fact, that any sort of unsolicited publisher or agent contact was almost certain to be a scam or a pay-to-play arrangement. For instance,  Dorrance Publishing Company --a venerable vanity publisher--regularly solicited writers using copyright registration information (a practice it still follows).  The march of technology has changed things to some degree. With blogs and online writing venues and social media, it's no longer so unlikely that a reputable editor or agent might get a glimpse of an aspiring writer's work and contact them dir...

A friend of mine, author, whose book was published by DIP Publishing has cancelled her contract with them because of no royalties forth with.  So, naturally being sad for her, and having been through this with Trestle Press (grrrr), I did some of my own research.   Seems that some people have been receiving invitations from them, just out of the blue  (red flag).  Goes like this: "Greetings to you, My name is Sophia and I represent DIP Publishing House. I would like to discuss a potential publishing opportunity with you. This opportunity is not for Self-Publishing, although our company currently offers those services... This is an aggressive marketing strategy targeting anyone.   If you, yourself, did not seek them firstly I would be a bit leary.  To me that is a big red flag.  Always, always, research, I say this out of experience. http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2011/08/solicitation-alerts-justfiction-edition.html   (Article on D...

You’d think that a small town down south would have nothing interesting happening in it…you’re dead wrong. Tommy and I were best friends, had been for years and years, only now things were changing, we were changing.   It was Freshman year at Richmond Valley High and being eighth graders were King of the crop, or so we thought.  First period was swimming, nothing like going through the rest of the day with wet, stringy hair, black eyes from the mascara that wasn’t water proof, and smelling like clorine.  That’ll attract any boy that comes your way. I hurried down the stairs to the locker room I slipped.  Down on my butt I went and slid to the landing.  Laughter from those around me, upperclassmen who started throwing pennies on my head.   So, this is how it’s gonna be, you make a fool out of yourself, not on purpose mind you and you get pennies thrown at you.  Charming. I got up with what little dignity I had left and marched into...