New release and musing about inspiration
I keep lollygagging about putting up new posts. Oh, it's not for a lack of ideas. It's more an issue of energy, time, and...I dunno. I keep wondering if maintaining a website and a blog really works for me or not. Perhaps I need to fork over for a decent website. I dunno.
Then again, the issue of the cataract is a very real situation. I find that it tires me out--not so much physically but with mental fatigue because I'm coping. All to be expected--that's how disability works, after all. But it's still frustrating.
Especially since I need to be focusing on drafting short stories and getting a bunch of other stuff done. SIGH.
Anyway.
So here's the latest work. Becoming Solo had its roots in a particular anthology. In its original form, it was rejected. I put it aside, occasionally tried to market it, but otherwise didn't think much about doing anything with it until Kindle Vella happened. I looked at what I had, saw where I could turn it into a nice little short piece to put up on Vella--and here it is.
The essential conceit behind Becoming Solo is that magic in a certain part of the world--the Pacific Northwest--is managed through daemons, which are tied to a specific region. Daemon power is renewed through yearly Magic Fairs, which coincide with your everyday county fair.
So what happens to an area's magic when a Fair becomes Lost?
The inspiration for this story came from my days as a 4H Leader. The county that we lived in, with a strong tradition of being the first urban 4H program, decided to defund its 4H program. I provided a community club option for my county's 4Hers at a neighboring fair--our project areas were small animals, tech, science, plus all the home ec stuff. One of my members, who was a powerhouse at our fair, waltzed into the new fair and easily dominated a very competitive field, especially in the Style Revue sewing division (in Style Revue, one not only makes an outfit but displays it in a runway walk--and it is competitive).
I used that experience to create Shadow the Question--but it took other experience to fill out the family spell matrices, the role of the Senior Council, and more.
So far, the story hasn't really been one that I thought was big enough for a book. Oh, I could whip up a full-sized book, I suppose. As I wrote this one, other threads popped up that could make it longer. But. I couldn't necessarily do it from Yesenia's point of view. Her arc within this novella is more-or-less completed as a major character. And, as I look at possibilities, I just do not see a single character or set of characters that emerge as story leaders for anything long enough to be a book.
However, I do see possibilities in individual stories, not just about this fair but others. Shadow may have a story. So may Bright Star itself. Or other magicians. That's why I labeled it as a "Bright Star Fair Witches" story--holding space for future stories in the series.
I'll probably come back to it at some point.
But for now, here is Becoming Solo. A nice little short piece, at a reasonable price ($2.99).
Becoming Solo can be found on Amazon as well as Apple, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. Due to size, it's unlikely to come out in paper, unless I write other Bright Star Fair Witches stories.