soul collages

When I got to our Tucson house and settled at my computer to scan over one of my eBooks for improving the editing, redo a cover on another because of complaints that it just didn't do the book justice, and keep up on the MOA forums (two I follow with interest), I looked up at the collage above my desk and saw something I hadn't put together before.

It goes back to 2001, when I was 58 and going through a LOT of changes in terms of who I was and what I wanted. I was entering the gateway to old age. Changes were ahead whichever way I was going to take them. It was then that I read about a tool to center yourself toward your deepest goals-- creating soul collages.

There were classes and books on how to do this, even making soul cards this way [soul collage book]. I ordered the book but never took the time to read it as I already had a feel for how I wanted to do it. I didn't want to make the cards as I used Tarot by that time which worked fine for my off and on needs. What I wanted was to create a soul collage for the wall that I could look at.

So, I went through my western and art magazines, cutting out images that spoke to me.  It turned out to be a mix of art, people and scenery. The instructions are then to glue them to a board, which can be foam board, poster board, anything heavy enough to hold them, in a pleasing pattern to you.


The one above my desk here in Tucson was my second and created in 2002 during a four month period where I was staying here, often alone, as my husband would fly in and out for his consulting business while keeping up the cattle and sheep operation in Oregon. I had time to hike by myself, create a lot of clay sculptures (many still in this house) and think.

I did my last collage in 2003 back in Oregon. By 2004, it just didn't seem something that I needed to do; but I also hadn't seen how they had changed much to do the three I had. But you know often what we think is not speaking to us is doing more than we know.

Last week, when I looked up at the Tucson one I had to laugh. I saw my romance novels. What I had no idea back then was that I was pointing myself in the direction I would go. Although I was always writing I hadn't seen the connection between the collages I had done and the books. I see it now. The energy of all my romance novels is in those collages. I can't say the collages pointed me toward them but they sure do reveal them.

These images represent my innermost soul, but also the women I write about, the men they love and the energy of what I hope for in everyone of my stories. As I think about it, the two I have in Oregon do the same thing. All that was in me, wanting to come out, was in those collages. I didn't need to make more of them because they were there; and when I looked up at this one, I thought, yeah, it was a better tool than I knew.

So if you haven't found your own energy, this is a tool I much recommend. If you don't have the right magazines, head for a used store and pick up some that most interest you for the images. You might be like me and not understand how much it has revealed, but I think it helps even if is subliminally. Thinking about it now, I know they can serve as reminders each time I start a new book of what I hope will be in it for me to reveal and readers someday to discover.

into the new year

It's hard sometimes to settle down and write blogs. My mind is on so many other things; and when I get back here, I am torn on what to cover.

Well a new cover is one of them. From out of nowhere I decided to redo the cover for Evening Star. This book came to my attention because I began January with a -1 on my Amazon page showing sales. It happened because this business of taking my books and asking for refunds bought Evening Star struck again. December 27 or 28th the book was bought... The refund request must have come within the 7 days and just as the new year began. It made me laugh as what a beginning to a year. Fortunately sales soon erased it.

The cover had had a man on it with a rather dreamy expression in his eyes. It did fit the hero. The story of Evening Star is not told from his perspective. It's the only full length novel where the point of view stays with the heroine and villain (yes, the villain). You see the hero only through their eyes; but it is sooooo much about him.

Wanting a change for the book that had come out early in 2012, I looked through the images I had purchased. The above one seemed to do the job best in showing the doubts each of them have for this relationship into which they have entered.  I set the backdrop as the city of Portland along with the evening star (actually Venus) and a crescent moon.

Incidentally, I have read it's good to change covers now and again, but I won't do it for that reason. I do it because I've come up with a better way to showcase the story.

That's when I got into something I also hadn't expected. When I knew I'd be resubmitting the book to get the new cover, I thought I should look at the text. This is something a non-writer probably won't understand but a painter would. I didn't see mistakes in the book or places I goofed up but rather where I could upgrade my story by cutting words or rephrasing.

When I am writing a lot, as I have been in the last few years (I have gone through spurts where sculpture was more to me or painting but always writing is there), I am constantly getting better. I am a better writer today than two years ago and will be better yet in two more years. It is how it is and it's also why I tell those who want to write-- do it. Do it and more will come.

So I began to look at the text and yes, I saw places I could sharpen it. Since I was resubmitting anyway, I went through the whole book. There would be long sections where nothing could be improved. When I saw where it could be, I did before sending it off to Amazon.

In the last two months I have looked through two of my books (both published early in 2012) for that kind of upgrading. For anybody who doesn't like it that eBooks are organic that way, they probably also don't understand how a painter can look at their painting on the wall, and think-- that corner bothers me and set out to change it. It is the creative process which is also organic at least in my experience. (The only time I can't do it is with my fired clay sculptures. I'll still though look at an arm and wish I'd made it shorter but there is no tweaking them).

For anyone who bought this book before January, you can go to your manage your Kindle and request an update. I doubt you will see much difference as the changes are not to the basic story or really even major ones.

I am so into this being 2014 with new opportunities. Always there are chances to learn, to take new challenges. I am happy to find this is still true at 70 :)

our Tucson backyard looking toward Pusch Ridge

Settling in

 gila woodpecker at Casa Espiritu (our Tucson house)

Traveling a lot, starting the day after Christmas, has gotten me off my game with posting here. I am back though with high speed internet (which took some hassle to get working again) and hopefully will have my usual schedule of Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday postings-- until we have to leave toward the end of January.

In heading south, we spent four nights out rather than the usual two because we had our two cats (who hate traveling) and were pulling our vacation trailer. It wasn't so much that the trailer slowed us down (it did have those moments) but more that it was nicer at night than in a motel room-- hence we were more willing to only drive 7 hours instead of the usual +12 that used to have us ready to collapse whenever we finally got to our destination.

RV and state parks are interesting for how people are more prone to interact with each other than happens in most hotels or motels-- at least in my experience. I won't say you become bosom buddies, but you often learn more about why they are on the road. Seeing their rigs (and often dogs) tells you more about the people than you'd see just carrying bags into a motel room. Also the trailers have windows on all sides; so you see more of what's around you. I liked it a lot and spending more hours in it at night was fun. Most RV parks now have wireless. Many also offer cable TV but we haven't set that up and don't watch much TV other than our own DVDs at night. What made it great was feeling like each night we were re-entering our cottage.

 you see the pop out which is popped in as we sure don't want unwelcome guests 

while here to be using it and I do mean the kind that fly and crawl.

 So our trailer is parked at the back of our Tucson property and we're settled comfortably with some things to get fixed (okay quite a few of those), but time to do them right. I've been working on assorted writing projects. More about those on Sunday. For today, below are the two fur kids. They look more relaxed than the oldest one actually is. Every morning he hides under one of the beds thinking we're going again. By the time he figures out we are not, it will be time we will...