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After a week of set up and putting the call out to get enough "likes" so I could acquire a proper username instead of a string of random numbers, it's finally up, working as I envisioned.
I'm surprisingly pleased with the look of it and the connection it provides to people I haven't talked to in a long while. It's a pretty cool networking tool.
Shereen's Facebook Page
Shereen
- Mood:
surprised
I have a very odd way of coming up with story ideas - it's a structured and prescriptive process that helps me to tap into that well of creativity everyone has.
First, I decide on the genre (fantasy, romance, mystery, etc) and story size (short or novel length) and then pick three random words from a dictionary.
Second, I sit someplace peaceful and start writing (by hand), with the intention that the story idea must incorporate those three words.
Third, I work that idea into the 5 stages of a story: New Beginning; Change of Plans; No Turning Back; Major Setback; Resolution).
Fourth and final step, I take these backbones of a story to the computer and start to write.
So, starting a story from a real live person isn't my usual MO (Modus Operendi). Surprisingly, that's exactly what happened with my fantasy short story, Aloha Moon, which is included in the anthology Ride The Moon.
At the publisher's site, I wrote a short piece on who this mysterious person was who inspired Aloha Moon's heroine:
http://tychebooks.com/2012/aloha-moon/
Sometimes the universe has plans for our work that circumvents our well-laid plans.
Shereen
- Mood:
thoughtful
I’ll start by saying, I love fairy tales!
I also went into this movie having heard that it was very silly (in a good way).
So, my expectations were low. That’s a good place to start with this one because, from there, my enjoyment of this film went up and up and ended with a laugh out loud dance number during the credits.
I don’t need to tell you about the Snow White story, 'nough said that all the elements were here.
As a lover of fairy tales, it reminded me of a version of not this fairy tale, but a version of Cinderella that I so miss not being able to see any longer – a 1973 Czechoslovakia version (with English subtitles) called Three Nuts for Cinderella.
Mirror Mirror gave to me the romance from Three Nuts (the way the lead characters get to see each other from different points of view each time they meet – very romantic) and the campy fun of Princess Bride (the dwarf fights with the prince and the heroine’s dance with the prince were priceless).
So, for taking me back to two of my favorite films, I’m giving Mirror Mirror 3 out of 5 fairy godmother wands.
Shereen, looking forward to seeing Snow White and The Huntsman next
- Mood:
amused
My contemporary urban fantasy, Aloha Moon, (about a sea dragon) is in this anthology. This fantasy short story is set in beautiful Vancouver Island, BC.ANTHOLOGY BLURB:
For thousands of years, the Moon has inspired stories and legends about heroic animals, violent deities, and criminal humans. In modern times, those tales have been overshadowed by vampires and werewolves. It's time for the Moon and her denizens to take back the night.
Follow us down a twisting path of fantasy and science fiction and rediscover the magic of the Moon. From Mermaids that collect souls to lunar colonies on the brink of disaster, inside these pages you will find out which lunar gods still walk among us and what new breed of monster you should be fearful of.
AVAILABLE FOR PUCHASE HERE:
Tyche Books
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Love that cover!
Shereen Vedam
- Mood:
excited
I recently accepted a contract from ImaJinn Books for four of my paranormal historical romances.
To my mind, though the first begins as a light paranormal, the last three books move progressively toward fantasy and culminate in an all out magical confrontation.
Each book is set in the ever popular regency (Jane Austen) period and are loosely based on a familiar fairytale, but with a new twist.
The first book is tentativley titled The Ghost and Lady Lilly and plays with elements of the Beauty And The Beast tale. One of the twists to this fairytale would be that there are two "beasts" - the terrifying ghost haunting the manor house, and his son, whom the villagers secretly call "Lord Terror."
All in all, 2012 is turning out to be a great water dragon year.
Shereen
www.shereenvedam.com
- Mood: excited
Surprising to announce another short story sale so soon after the last one, but there you have it. It's been an interesting year.
This sale is to an anthology called Ride The Moon, by Tyche Books. Release Date: February 29, 2012. The anthology sounds like a fun collection of short stories - this is from the publisher's site:"For thousands of years, the Moon has inspired stories and legends about heroic animals, violent deities, and criminal humans. In modern times, those tales have been overshadowed by werewolves. It’s time for the Moon and her denizens to take back the night."
My short story is titled Aloha Moon, a contemporary urban fantasy. Yet another departure for me since:
- This short story was to be no longer than 4,000 words (my usual for short stories is between 10-15,000) - so this was quite a challenge to write that tight, every word counted and I brought it in at exactly 4,000 words for the submission, lol.
- It is set on Vancovuer Island in Canada, which is my backyard, and I normally write about places that don't exist or existed centuries ago.
- It isn't a romance, yikes! - this one was a contemporary urban fantasy and incredibly fun to write (I suspect because #2 above).
Since 2012 is the year of the water dragon, which begins February 2, 2012, having this anthology released in February 2012 seems entirely appropriate .
Of course, I had to google what 2012 would be like under the water dragon sign.
One site - Chinese Zodiak, suggests the following:
"Water calms the Dragon’s fire. Water Dragons are able to see things from other points of view. They don’t have the need to always be right. Their decisions, if well-researched, are usually better since they allow other’s to become involved."
Lets hope that means the word of the year for 2012 is "compromise."
By the way, Tyche Books is a brand new Canadian SF publishing house that opened its doors on November 2011. Their website says they are currently open to submission and are looking for "bold science fiction and fantasy novellas and novels (60,000 words minimum; 120,000 words maximum)."
Shereen
- Mood:
cheerful
The Misspelled Charm
Release Date: May 9th.
Blurb:The battle against magic is easily won, but not even magic can truly control love . . .
To Kord, witches are a necessary evil. They cast charms for good weather and crops, but otherwise they're best avoided. But when Kord succumbs to a love spell and starts yearning for a woman he's never met, he refuses to let magic control his destiny. He tracks down the witch responsible-only to discover she is the irresistible woman of his dreams.
Like her mother and grandmother before her, Charmaine casts charms for a living. As a witch, she spends her life helping others, not being helped. So when her spells begin misfiring, she has nowhere to turn. Until a handsome farmer arrives demanding she break a love spell, and Charmaine realizes he holds the key to her misspells. But what if solving his problem comes at the cost of her heart's desire?
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Personal Note:
This sto
ry has a ginger cat that plays a pivotal role. Allow me to present Justin...looking as adorable as I pictured him.Shereen
- Mood: pleased
It was a lot more fun to write than I expected, especially when I discovered the steps to "cast a spell" seemed to perfectly mirror aspects for writing well.
Shereen
- Mood: thoughtful
I finally connected with my high school friend. It was great. She has an awesome family and home. That visit turned out to be one of many highlights on this trip.
Seeing Jon Stewart, however, didn't work out. A friend of mine and I stood in line for hours, got our number but didn't get in. Sigh.
I did see the Statue of Liberty, climbed up to the pedestal and that was priceless. It's amazing how gigantic she is and how tiny I felt standing beside her. None of the pictures compare to being there in person, partly because she's not so much just a statue as the history and meaning she stands for. I would highly recommend anyone who goes to New York to take the time to visit this island.
Saw lots of sights, including the empire state building at night. I came to the conclusion that New York isn't a place, it's an experience. Loved the subways.
The RWA National writing conference was fun too. Made some great contacts. What capped off the entire week was the final night, when my critique partner (Sharon Ashwood) won the Rita (which for romance writers is like getting an Oscar), and all but one of our critique group was there to cheer her on.
Shereen, chalking another one up as an unforgettable memory
- Mood: pleased
First the bad news...
I didn't win the Terry Pratchett contest prize...bummer!
There were two winners out of us six semi-finalists. The announcement can be found here, though the news doesn't seem to be on Terry Pratchett's website yet.
A friend of mine, Jo Beverley, went to the event and said she met one of the winners (David Logan) and his wife, and that they were a great couple.
I wish both winners lots of sales :-) This is a tough business and every good wish is needed by all authors everywhere.
Now for my good news...
I've got tickets for the taping of the Jon Stewart 's The Daily Show in New York at the end of June!!!
I was going to be there that week anyway for the RWA writers' conference and this totally makes the trip awesome.
About two weeks worth of dates at over 300 tickets each day were put up about noon yesterday, and by 6pm, all the tickets were gone. But 4 of them are mine! How sweet it is.
Also my three-year-old grape vine looks like it's finally going to have grapes this year.
All in all, could have been a great week but instead turned out to be pretty cool instead.
Shereen
- Mood: bouncy
