Author: Marina Skynnar

I love writing even with writers' block, lack of time, lack of focus, lack of motivation. After reading that previous sentence, why would I even try to scribe. Seriously, I love the craft, the way the characters come to life in my brain. They give me direction and let me know when I'm mucking up the story.

Decluttering

Cleaning house, in more ways than one.

Had some good cleansing conversations. I came to a few conclusions about my own behavior with certain things.

Read a really awesome urban fantasy genre book… damn, I can’t remember her last name…. Fatima is her first name. Character is Aisha Bone.

Awesome awesome tale. Cannot wait for the second book.

Went through a pile of crap in the corner of my closet and have three bags of clothes for the thrift store.

Watched Jett Lawrence take back the red plate from his brother. Watched Eli dominate the track… Go Jett and Eli!!

It was a great weekend.

How about yours?

m

A Bit of a Ponder

So I’m at a small crossroads. I have to decide how this investigation of the explosion is going to move forward.

There are two issues at hand, one is the being that escaped during the explosion- could be catastrophic for Earth and who cast the spell that resulted in the explosion in the first place.

It was bad juju there, that much has been decided. I also decided to halt on the Dani potential romantic interest. Someone is interested, but he decided it wasn’t the time or place with everything going on. However, he also decided that he was going to keep himself up front and center just to annoy her.

Sounds like the second grade.

In some ways it is. Dani is a badass. Her mother is too, but way more of the law and order type. Dani is more renegade, but she’s damned lethal in all worlds.

She’ll have her tests, but for now I think she’s just going to roll her eyes and any potential romance. That will come out more in book two.

Book one, is almost more of a prequel. Bert told me she’s tired and once the end of this book happens she is going to take a back seat and focus on other priorities.

Of course she and I know the priorities, but no-one else does yet.

Book two, not sure of any others yet, will hop into the first person, whereas I’m in the third person right now, but I think it works for this cast of characters and how it’s setting itself up for prequel.

The person, the tone, the language, the sex (or lack thereof) will become more prominent.

What can I say, I like writing about sex. (insert smirk here)

Making Progress

I’m a couple pages closer to my 200 mark. A lot of dialog going on and I tripped myself up a bit and had to regroup. I think it’ll be okay though, the tripped up part can fit in perfectly in a couple of days.

Now I have to take a creature, give them life and give them a purpose and well basically figure out a way to capture them.

I guess that maybe I still tripped myself up haha. Nah, it’s all good. Just trying to find the time to get some energy to be creative. Not feelin’ it these days.

Life… gotta love it, but dang some times it just gets in the way of some good vibin’.

cheers!

m

This Side Up

Still feeling funky-ish.

Got four pages done over the weekend, but I still haven’t hit the 200 page mark yet. Soooo close, but yet so far.

I also need to connect with my partner extraordinaire Mr. Bederwehl. We have been mia for longer than we usually are.

I need to start unpacking this stress and take a deep breath. I can get this done, I will get this done. We are nearly at the half way mark of the year, I am at the half way part of my book…

Let’s see if I can get the second half timing right!

Cheers!

m

A Tank Full of Gas

I love road trips. Sometimes I’ll have a destination, sometimes not.

Growing up in New England, a road trip could mean an entire day and at least hitting all of the six borders that constitute New England.

Being out west? Well it takes half a work hour day just to hit a neighboring state. A tank full of gas is all it takes.

If you ever feel the need for a road trip, yeah, I got you. Cali, New Mexico, Nevada… only a gas tank away.

I

got

you

m

Paying it Forward

I am not one of the affluent of society, but we are comfortable.

It wasn’t always like that. As a young mother I used welfare, and food stamps. I didn’t use WIC in those first years. I had two pregnancies almost back to back. Divorced. Never a penny received in child support.

Tried it again, had three more children. We had no money then either. I worked full time, but this time I used WIC. It was what got me through. That one didn’t work either. Divorced.

Solo parent with 5 kids. I scrimped, I scraped, I lost my home. Relocated (with the help of family because I didn’t have two extra pennies to scrape together).

Didn’t get a dime of support from that one either.

Moved, landed a great job. We didn’t have a lot of extra with all those mouths, but I had enough. We got by. We were happy.

There are plenty of days when I wonder how the heck I made it through. I’m still not sure, but we did.

Now the kids are grown, and they are all successful human beings. I’m so proud of each and every one of them.

Anyway, that’s the backstory.

Saw a post on social media this week. A friend was in a bind and sent a prayer out to the universe. I was in a position to answer that prayer.

My daughter was in tears the other day, why isn’t important- but it was a financial issue and I was able to help.

It felt so freaking good to pay it forward. Just a simple here. No expectation to return or payback.

Sometimes you just have to help for the sake of helping.

m

Little Did I know

When I captured the beauty of that sunset last night (the reflection of the sun was a total mistake lol), that I would wake up to such a change in the US.

It’s not about pro this or pro that. It’s a protection once available to all women, that will now only be available to those that can afford it. Plain and simple.

Everything is sooo polarized. There is no middle any longer. I am one of those middles.

I read through an elections guide today. I thoroughly read through the statements of each and every candidate. I was amazed at the language. Absolutely NOTHING besides fear mongering for things that aren’t, didn’t, won’t happen.

It makes me sad to see, read, hear. It’s such a shame that so much air time is being given to new legislation that (regardless of whether you think it’s needed or not) came from both sides of the aisle. THAT is the headline.

Both sides of the aisle.

We need to vote these asses from both sides of the aisle out. They don’t work for the people. They haven’t in a very long time.

m

Note to Self

It’s okay to miss a blog post. Regardless of that little pop up you get on your phone to say that you’re streak is in jeopardy.

It. Is. Okay. Really, I promise.

The only gamification going on is in your head, but that’s how the anxiety starts. I alluded to the writing is rote in another blog. Yesterday I did know I should be writing a blog. I purposely, and with purpose, did NOT pick up my phone to write a few words.

I had to prove, yet again it seems, that it is okay to miss a day, a few days, a week. Well okay not a week, that seems to be pretty extreme, but even so… it is okay.

I’ve also been reading a lot more on imposter syndrome, and how real it is. I am a voracious reader. I will read almost any fiction I can get my hands on. I finally finished the Dresden Files. What a fantastic series. I couldn’t get enough.

I made the ultimate mistake though.

I said to myself- I can never compare to this.

Actually in retrospect that was pretty presumptuous, even thinking that I was in the same league (insert scoff here).

Thing is, I’ll never be competing with the big power players, but too is okay. I just need to stop competing with my very own self

m