Poem: Blue

Many people don’t like the idea of “jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.” But, as my dad once said in reference to his paratrooper days, “There’s no such thing as a perfectly good airplane.”

Personally, I have a fear of heights, but I’m also a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I enjoy high ropes courses and rock climbing, and I’ve even been parasailing and paragliding. Perhaps one day, I’ll get the chance to go skydiving. But it is not this day!

Once again, I borrowed this prompt from Julia Garcia’s blog Drops of Inspira. This time, I borrowed the prompt “the color blue” from February.

 

Blue

I’d almost forgotten
the sky was that color
                        once

back when I was a child
somersaulting in the grass
wondering what it would be like
                        to fall up

until I couldn’t take the thought anymore
and wandered to where
a servicemember stood
                        in his uniform

Do you know which one
is my dad?
I asked, watching the parachutes
drift down
                        like helicopter seeds

Kid, I wear glasses,

not binoculars.                

He had a point.
I shuffled back to the
bleachers and sat by Mom
until the last of the parachutes
                        deflated

now I wonder
if we’ll ever get a break
from this popcorn ceiling of gray
and what it must be like
                        to touch the blue

one day, perhaps,
I’ll find a clear day
to strap on a chute and board
a plane with the sole purpose
                        to find out

 

***

 

Let’s chat! What did you think of the poem? If you had the chance to go skydiving, would you?

Similar poems: Gold, Pine Trees, and Goodbye Again

Self Publishing Poetry: A Glimpse into the Making of Dandelion Symphony

Hello, dear readers!

It’s been almost two months since Dandelion Symphony came out, and I’m here today to tell you more about my actual publishing journey. I talked a bit about it in my interview with Alicia Canet on her blog, Midgard’s Writers, but today I’m going to go more into the finer details.

A Poetry Collection vs. Novelettes

As you may know, I’ve self-published two books by this point. I started off with a mini fantasy series, Last of the Memory Keepers, and my latest book is my poetry collection, Dandelion Symphony.

What is the difference between the two? Target audience for one. I wrote the LMK series to be a fast-paced adventure for readers who don’t have a lot of reading time on their hands. DS, on the other hand, is nonfiction and isn’t meant to be read in one sitting, though it’s short enough that it could be.

Another difference: format. You can buy both books in e-book and print form. Only, the LMK series comes in individual e-books and a print collection, whereas DS is an individual book in print and digital.

Last but not least is experience. This time around, I know what to expect from sales and how to market better. I incorporated a lot more feedback than before (thanks again to my beta readers, editor, and proofreaders!), and I had a ton of fun with my blog tour. Now, I’ve even set it up so purchasing signed copies is super easy. All you have to do is use Square. When shipping, I’ve even learned to use media mail (which is cheaper!) and to add insurance.

 

Audio and Visuals

Did you know poetry was originally meant to be read aloud? Sometimes, it still is. When it came to reviewing my poems, I read them aloud to some of my beta readers, which helped me figure out what sounded right and what didn’t. Though you can enjoy the book while reading silently, each poem has been sound good too. At some point, I think it would be fun to put together an audiobook, but I’d have to do more research first.

When it comes to the visuals for DS, I had a lot of fun! First, I changed the format of some of my poems, which is always fun to play with. Then, I commissioned an artist to do some sketches based on some of my favorite places in Europe. I seriously wish I could have commissioned each and every one of my favorite places, but then I’d be broke. The ones I did select correlate with the seasons and themes of their sections.

Commissions

Speaking of commissions, this time around, I had an easier time of figuring out how to find the right people. First, I asked on Twitter if anybody knew where to find some great artists for interior sketches. While I received a ton of offers from artists directly, I also got recommended to check out Fiverr, which I ultimately utilized for both my interior artist and cover designer.

I really like the way the site made it easy to search for artists and the plethora of options. I actually had a hard time choosing between two interior artists, but I ultimately went with the one who’s style I liked the best. Though the site had some minor glitches, posting details for my commission was relatively easy to work with.

Fiverr itself takes a small portion of the commission fee to keep up the website, but creating a profile and browsing is free. At the end, after I approved the final submission, I had the option to tip the artist, which I did and highly recommend. If you like the work you receive, leave a tip! Then, both the buyer (myself) and the seller leave reviews of each other, which is awesome. Though I’ve never sold anything on it, from what I gather, the site is both buyer and seller friendly.

 

Formatting and Publishing

Last but not least came the dreaded formatting. Dreaded for me anyway. I don’t know why I hate it so much. Maybe because it seems like I’d spend five minutes fixing one problem, upload the manuscript to double-check it, wait for it to load, get up, grab some tea, maybe a snack, come back. It’s still loading. Open Pinterest. It’s finally loaded. Check to see if the mistake is fixed. It is! Then I find five more.

So I repeat the process all over again. Or maybe the problem isn’t fixed, and I spend the next half hour tweaking the same thing over and over until I get it right. Most of the tweaking was adding a space or a tab to get the poems’ shapes right. Writing poetry is fun. Formatting poetry for publication? Not so much.

Yeah, it’s a little painful, especially since I don’t have an actual formatting software. Microsoft Word isn’t exactly known for its e-book capabilities. I actually had to call up one of my friends who worked in graphic design to try to figure out how to get some of my pictures to show up in the actual e-book.

In the end, I got it all worked out before my self-imposed deadline, and the final book looks great, if I may say so myself. I had a lot of help along the way, and I couldn’t be more grateful. The best part of self-publishing? Holding the final copy in your hands and smelling it.

To wrap up, if you’re ever considering self-publishing your own book, here are just a few roles I’d recommend looking into. Some of the roles you can fill yourself, but some require a second pair of eyes:

• critique partners (mandatory)
• beta readers (mandatory)
• sensitivity readers (depends on the topic)
• interior artist (optional)
• interior designer (optional)
• cover designer (optional)
• editor (mandatory)
• proofreader (mandatory)
• marketer (optional)
• book bloggers (optional)

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed reading about my self-publishing journey. If you haven’t already grabbed your copy of Dandelion Symphony, you can do so now!

 

Barnes & Noble (e-book)

Amazon (e-book and print)

Signed copy (US only)

 

***

 

Let’s chat! Any other indie authors out there? What’s your favorite part of the publishing process? Have you read Dandelion Symphony yet? If so, what did you think?

Similar posts: Dandelion Symphony Release Day!, Dandelion Symphony Blog Tour, and 3 Types of Writers You Should Know

Poem: Pine Trees

I had a hard time picking a poem for this month. I haven’t been doing a lot of creative writing lately and nearly ran out of original poetry. Then I remembered some of my favorite poems from my undergrad writing class.

This one in particular is loosely inspired by some of my childhood memories of Washington, aka the evergreen state. I spent seven years of my life there, a pretty long time for a military brat. Of course, when I say loosely inspired, I mean loose. My dad did deploy to Afghanistan, but the rest of the family and I were living in North Carolina at the time. After a year, my dad came home.

Here’s to the soldiers deployed this Christmas season. Here’s to the spouses and children waiting for their return. Here’s to the families living overseas.

You are not alone.

Pine Trees

In green they mock fall’s bright red-orange décor

to show off leaves where small squirrels abide

with naught but cones for life on forest floor.

My friends and I, we’d build small forts to hide

pretending tales were life with every stride.

Like sweets, the sap did cling to child’s small hands

and time blew through the trees with open fronds.

The evergreens wore their cold cloak of snow

among the dead bushes from which we picked

berries until he left. Would that I knew

safety was guaranteed, but stars were pricked

by tall toothpicks. For pines, the world’s not strict.

For one long year where trees upward did press,

I stood beneath the boughs now fatherless.

Then pines sang songs of lights and frailty—

One snap. One ax for Christmas time all ‘round.

Soft smell, strong hearts for God and our country,

like stumps uprooted from their ground,

he left a hole. Still there, old wound,

the pines, they stand in mist shrouded from sight,

empty patches sinking into the night.

***

Don’t forget to vote on your favorite poems on Word Storm from 2018.

Create your own user feedback survey

Let’s chat! What are your thoughts on the poem? Any fellow military brats out there? What’s the longest you’ve lived in one place?

Similar poems: Goodbye Again, Dandelion Seeds, and Cathedral

Poem: Goodbye Again

I recently discovered where my first poems ran off to. For some reason, when I got my new laptop, they’d vanished. When revisiting my old (really slow) laptop to clear it off, I found the poems I wrote for my Creative Writing class back when I attended Evangel.

My main question when posting one here: how much do I edit it?

After four years, my writing style has certainly changed, for my stories and for my poetry. Would editing it now change the meaning I had intended when I submitted the poems, first for my class and later for my writing portfolio? Would editing now reflect my current style more than my former?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Either way, I’ve decided to leave the poems, at least the one I’m sharing here, untouched. Don’t worry, though. I edited it multiple times back in uni. The following work is dedicated to the members of the armed forces and their family members. Thank you for your sacrifice to protect the United States and her allies.

Goodbye Again

The threshold of another hollow house remembers the

months—years ago with company, smiles, and shouts. Now

filled with disinfectants, paint, and empty air, the building

stuffs Memories into the car again to

fly from the void

of singing oceans, laughing thunder, and whispering evergreens.

Another house frames our past:

handmade leis, cowboy hats, and matryoshkas.

New neighbors—family, not in blood,

but in swamp-or-desert-green garb,

fill home with guest books, new quilts, and pecan pies

as a company, we smiling and shouting.

Day—years tiptoe past.

Another house empties, chucking up its goods

like vomit. Our camo family remains behind

filling the void with “Goodbye.”

***

Let’s chat! Any other military brats out there? What sort of things in your house speak to where you’ve been? What’s the longest you’ve ever lived in one house/apartment? How long have you known your closest friends?

Similar poems: Dandelion Seeds, Cathedral, and Bury Me

Recommended Reading: Military Brat Edition

Military Brat: term commonly used to describe a child of a member of the armed forces, especially the air force, army, coast guard, marines, and navy. Doesn’t always refer to somebody under the age of 18. Typically lives in five or more houses (not to mention states/countries) and moves at least once every three to five years. Also answers to their name, sibling’s name, “military child,” or “ask me where I’m from one more time…”

Here are some works of fiction I’ve enjoyed for the military brats, their friends, and anybody who’s ever wondered what it’s like to move at least once every three years.

This post is not about books that accurately represent the lifestyle of the contemporary military brat. Rather, these books are a collection of books that I, as a military brat, have been able to relate to because of some element or another. I have yet to find a fictional book that actually describes this kind of lifestyle.

Books are listed in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name.

Ender’s Saga by Orson Scott Card (sci-fi)

Ender’s Game is good if you want to understand military tactics and psychology more, but the rest of the series is great. I actually enjoyed the later books more than the first one. The stories go on to explore the different mindsets between different cultures and what it’s like to move from place to place, actually showing different places, and how it changes family dynamics. Ender and Valentine are close as siblings, like my own sister and I are.

A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole (YA sci-fi)

With the mind of a talented scientist, Octavia wants to better understand the world in which she lives and those who lived there long before humans. I particularly like the way the story explores several generations of humankind living on the planet, which is also rather odd because I usually enjoy the whole initial discovery process. I found I could relate to Octavia as I have lived in foreign countries, though unlike her, I wasn’t born in them.

Somewhere Among by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu (MG historical fiction & novel in verse)

This book is among the few that addresses the difficulties that come with different time zones, and not just jet lag that comes with arrival but also the continual time difference that comes with living overseas. While Ema and her parents are living with her dad’s parents in Japan, they keep in touch with her mom’s parents back in the United States. As I have spent considerable time living in Europe, I have to mentally compensate for the time differences for my friends back in the States. Hint: It’s seven hours difference between Central European Time and Central (American) Time, so I typically have to wait until noon my time before any of my friends are awake.

Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton (MG historical fiction & novel in verse)

I relate to a lot of characters in novels in verse. This novel in particular explores what it is like for a family to move to a town where nobody quite understands them. As a military brat, I have no idea what it’s like to live in the same house for more than three years, but there are plenty of people who have never left their own state.

While my parents come from the same country and the same town, this book is great for those whose parents do not.

The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla (MG contemporary)

Road trip! It’s so hard to find a good road trip book. There are plenty of books that have road trips, but this one doesn’t just focus on the places, it also focuses on the characters. That and it explores the differences between sleeping at home, in a strange hotel, a stranger’s house, or in an RV. All of which I have done at one time or other on road trips of my own whenever my family moved across the country.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (fantasy)

Many fantasy novels are about journeys. But this one is among the few about an actual nomad. Kvothe was born and raised among a group of traveling bards, so he never fits in just one place. Kinda like a military brat.

This book is also an epic fantasy novel, so of course I enjoyed it!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (YA historical fiction)

This book made me cry. Later, I teared up while watching the film, not when certain characters died, but when Papa had to leave. As a military child, I know how rough it can be when a parent is deployed and not knowing whether or not they’ll come back home safely.

There you have it! I hope you enjoy the recommendations.

Let’s chat! Have any of these books made it to your To-Be-Read List yet? Have you read any of them? My fellow military brats, what books could you relate with? To all the readers, what’s the last book a friend gave you that helped you understand them better?

***

Book Reviews: A Conspiracy of Stars and Full Cicada Moon

Similar posts: 7 Reasons I Enjoy Fantasy Novels, 7 Reasons I Enjoy Sci-Fi, 7 Reasons I Enjoy Historical Fiction, and 7 Reasons I Enjoy Novels in Verse