Quote by verbal
Good news! I just got nominated for a Pushcart Prize for my memoir in Split Lip Magazine. It’s a small press award, and since every small press gets to nominate up to six stories, there are a lot of nominees. Still, it’s very cool - never happened to me before.

Woo hoo! Split Lip clearly saw something in your story if they made you one of their six. Crossing fingers.

Still above 0C here, cloudy with showers. Or that was the forecast. I just went out to pick up some lunch and it was so bright, I almost put on my suns.

A recent favourite of mine is Vancouver band Spiritbox. With two Juno awards and two Grammy noms under their belt, they are becoming the face of an eclectic school of metal that pulls in elements from many genres, even from outside metal, to a metalcore base. This is the second single from their upcoming second album, Tsunami Sea.

X-rays at (yawn) 8am this morning so no perky singing today 😊. Got this weird thing on my foot so doc wants a closer look. Seems to be a growth on the bone.

Good morning, folks. How's things?

Ape has some dark roast Nicaraguan coffee brewed. For teas, we have Cream of Earl Grey and Red Rose. Hot water is on if you desire one of our other fine teas or maybe some hot chocolate.

Actually got in walks the past two days. Weather is pretty good for November, just a bit chilly. Now we're into showers for the rest of the week so no more walking. Gets dark too early anyhow to do walks on days when I'm in the office.

No real writing happening, just toying with ideas that seem to fizzle out rather than develop. Part of that is lots of distractions and part is just me being in a slump.

Later, alligators.

singing

Dance and spin and swing and twirl

Welcome to the new week, world!

stops singing

Good morning, everyone!

How about a spot of tea? We have Assam Organic and Peach White.

What? You're a coffee drinker? Hmm. Well, we have a pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain for you.

Something cold? Well, there's a wonderful assortment of juices and sodas in the fridge.

None of the above? There's always hot water ready so you can pick a bag from our assortment of fine teas or make some hot chocolate.

So welcome to Inspirations. Hope you find some, well, Inspiration! 😊

(So was that too perky or what?)

Quote by verbal
I have a good friend who is moving to Ireland. She can’t live here any more. Makes me sad.

I am hearing more and more stories about Americans wanting to "get out". It is sad. I love your country even if I love mine more and if I ever was to live in a country other than Canada, it would be the USA*. I've come close a couple times, too, due to my wife's career.

*Well, some parts thereof. I would not, for instance, be a very good fit for the Deep South, much as I enjoy visiting parts of it.

Quote by AndyMonroe

Been listening to Bryson Tiller's album 'TRAPSOUL' and trying to navigate this site lol.

Welcome, Andy. You can ask questions in the Site Announcements/Member Feedback forum or pop into the "Inspirations" thread, which is our friendly cafe for casual chat. Just be warned, a bear has been sighted in there. He's mostly friendly, though.

And, yeah, it was love (for her voice) at first listen when I heard Emily on Emptiness Machine. I've been listening to Dead Sara, her own band, recently, too. Different from Linkin Park but also quite enjoyable.

At the dawn of 2024, I don't think anyone except maybe the band themselves had "new Linkin Park LP" on their bingo card. But here it is and it is wonderful. No one is going to ever forget the late Chester Bennington, but new lead singer Emily Armstrong steps up with some magnificent vocal work on the album. This visualizer came out today with the album.

Good morning, O Inspired Ones!!

Bit grey here but not totally terrible. How's things out your way?

For coffee, let's see. Dark roast from Colombia should be good.

Tea? Hmm. Canadian Breakfast and Vinyl Cafe, both original Canuck blends from my local shop.

Hot water is there for those wanting some other teas or hot chocolate.

And here's some snacks, both healthy and less so.

Quote by gillianleeza
Cool dreary day here, but hopefully the predicted rain will materialize. We haven't had any rain in over a month.

We had a fairly dry October but have had wet weather this past Sunday and again today. Drove almost 3 hours in rain and mist on Sunday.

"Cardinal Fang, bring the comfy chair!"

looks around Inspirations

"Which one? There's so many."

Anyhow, good morning, folks. We have some Tobermory Flowerpot Island in the coffee pot. For teas, there's English Breakfast and Sencha. Hot water, sodas, ya da ya da.

How's your day going?

War of the Worlds (pick a version)

Down the river we float.

Quote by verbal
I will walk today too, even though it won’t get above 50 degrees.

Pfft. Wimp. 😊 Any temp above 32 (0 in the real system) is warm.

Two terrific German metal bands team up and rock out. Sounds like fun and, behold, it is. Not only have they released this joint single, but they are touring together for a few German dates next year.

Woo hoo, it's Hump Day! (No camels were harmed in the making of this post. Or ridden for that matter.)

For coffee, let's go with good old Deathwish Dark Roast.

Teas? Hmmm. Assam Organic and Coconut Cream White.

Hot water is on for those wanting other teas or a cup of hot chocolate (marshmallows provided).

And there's a magical assortment of sodas for those needing something cold and fizzy. ("magical" meaning whatever soda you want just happens to be there).

Writing is kind of on pause. Too much else happening in my life right now. Might have time going forward. We shall see.

My earworm du jour, and a song that might hit my favourite songs of 2024 list, is "Something Whispered Follow Me" by Nightwish. It's a smooth, light piece by their standards, with a catchy, melodic chorus. The song could probably find a place on rock radio here with some judicious editing (at 6:40, it's a bit long for radio play except maybe AOR). The centerpiece is a killer vocal performance from the band's marvelous lead singer Floor Jansen but drummer Kai Hahto and guitarist Emppu Vuorinen get their due in this one, too. Not typical Nightwish, but terrific Nighwish.

Quote by verbal

A dumb story about fairies, since I don't know crap about fairies.

Research, my friend. Brian Froud's Faeries would be a good start. 😊

Quote by verbal
dumb fairy story

So is it a story about dumb fairies (fairies who don't talk? fairies with an abysmal IQ?)? Or a dumb story about fairies? Or a dumb story told by a fairy? There's so much to unpack in these three words. Or maybe I am overthinking?

No One Will Come Back for Us and Other Stories by Premee Mohamad. S-F and fantasy writer who is currently social media manager and associate editor for the Escape Pod podcast (which does audio s-f short stories). Very good, often kind of dark and haunting s-f/fantasy.

Hey, Gil, glad to hear you're home and things are a bit more stable. Take care of yourself, eh.

For the rest of you, how about some dark roast Jamaican Blue Mountain? Or Irish Breakfast and Buddha's Blend if you're into tea. And the hot water is there if you want some other tea or a nice steaming mug of hot chocolate.

Quite chilly here now, but still no real signs of winter yet, for which I am grateful. Had a guy out to inspect and clean the furnace yesterday so we are ready when it arrives.

Later, alligators.

Liking Tom Petty is something to be supported for sure. I met someone who didn't like Petty and told them, "Don't come around here no more." 😉🤣

Starting a literary career is never easy, and part of that battle is finding a publisher. This list, according to the writer at Authors Publish, cover publishers with a history of publishing debut works. They range from specialty presses that focus on one genre or type or writing, to more general ones. From small, relatively unknown presses to one with varying degrees of public image (e.g. Annick, the Canadian imprint that launched the career of famed children's author Robert Munsch). Got a book burning a hole in your hard drive? Have a look. Maybe your future publisher will be on here.

» The Top 44 Publishers for New Authors

Quote by AnnaMayZing
However, all that said, I would never own a dog.

I am largely the same but maybe the right dog at the right time could change my mind.

Quote by JustAnotherSapphic

Thanks, y'all.

Funny thing is, he spent about ten days sliding into my DM's before I was ready to say anything to him...and now we're two months strong and still going.

Never know about those guys who slide into your DMs, eh. Sound like you got one of the good ones, though. We didn't have DMs to slide into in my day. 😉

Good morning and Happy New Week!! Hope you're all doing well. I have been better but I'll get there. 😊

For coffee, I'll put on a pot of Nicaraguan dark roast. Teas are Yorkshire Tea and Peach White. Soda stock looks good. Hot water is ready for other teas or hot chocolate.

Quote by JustAnotherSapphic
He's down in SoCal (I'm in NorCal) but that's okay.

Better than a pair I know who met on a music site they and I are all on. One is in Virginia and the other is in Finland.

Good morning. There's some Ethiopian Yirgacheffe in the coffee pot. Sunday Tea and White Coconut teas are steeped and ready for the tea crowd.

I am actually in a hotel but heading home today. Company party last night, our first in five years, and they had it in another city that's a bit more central given we now cover the entire province of Ontario. Company footed the hotel bill.

Quote by verbal

Normally I listen to the news in the morning, but I can’t bring myself to do that today. So here’s my favorite bluegrass girl, bringing us Appalachia by way of China.

Very cool. Interesting how she's worked her time in China into her bluegrass career. Looked her up and her ties to my wife's homeland seem to run pretty deep. She lived there for a time and has both performed and taught there on multiple occasions. And she's married to Bela Fleck, which makes for one hell of a musical power couple.

Quote by verbal
Maybe try finishing it, even if you feel it sucks, and then work on a second draft? Most first drafts of anything suck.

I like what I have. Just having trouble working out where it goes. It's the one I've mentioned with the mystery woman who is a mystery even to me, apparently. I have ideas for her but none that seem to work when I try to follow them through.

Given that publishers probably invest more in marketing than in actual content, it somehow does not surprise me that there are people making money off helping people market self-published material. I keep nudging towards experimenting with the field a bit (expanding Tana's story into a novella, for instance) but then I get kind of daunted and realize I would rather be filling my writing time trying to get new material out.

My current project has stalled. My writing in general has stalled. I try but the energy just is not there. Last two nights, I have barely even touched my computer, just watched YouTube on my TV. And I am away for a chunk of the weekend, too.

Anyhow, since we got yummy peanut butter cookies, how about something to wash them down. Some Tobermory Grotto coffee is brewing. For teas, we have Scottish Breakfast and Peach White. Soda stock looks good. Hot water is on standby if you're hankering some other variety of tea or hot chocolate (mini marshmallows are in stock).

Later alligators...