Launch in T minus 10, 9, 8......

Had my first launch party last week compliments of the AWCS here in Calgary who selflessly published the Freshwater Pearls Anthology with Recliner Books.

 

They accepted a short story of mine that I wrote ten years ago and have edited several times, but never really sent anywhere for publication as I always fancied myself a novelist first. Apparently I'm a published short story writer first.

 

I didn't expect much, but the gathering was 50+ strong with free food and a cash bar, a musical quartet and readings. I sat with Lori Hahnel, a local novelist. My story sits alongside numerous oft published and award winning poets, novelists and short story writers.

 

Two comrades of the pen from my writing group attended in what they termed a 'show of solidarity'. I received one contributor copy of the anthology and even a cheque for my efforts, not to mention a discount on other copies that I will foist upon unsuspecting family members.

 

I enjoyed the readings and the tribute to the longest standing volunteer for the AWCS. The wine wasn't half-bad either.

 

As we left, some of us with kids took the leftover sandwiches and sweets from the trays that would go to waste. I carried my books to my car and thought, wow I just launched and boy do I like the view!

 

Headlines/Heartlines

I have a dilemma. I can't read the news some days, since so much of it is bad. There are hockey players killing themselves, accidentally or purposefully, plus those falling out of the sky. There are tenth anniversaries of terrorist attacks and strangers that kidnap children in the middle of the night. But, there are also stories of strangers bringing children back.

I spend parts of every day perusing the news, looking for financial information to use in my day job, and then there is my fascination with why people do the things they do and how these actions affect us all.

If I can read the news, even the negative bits then I can feed that information into my intellectual and emotional processor. It all fuels my curiosity and makes me want to write because isn't fiction a way to try to understand the world around us?

According to the Globe & Mail good fiction, and not just genre page-turners, makes us more empathetic.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/why-fiction-is-good-for-you/article2159339/page2/

So, I'll continue to read the news daily and take some of my story ideas from the headlines, if just to try to get closer to the emotional heart of the matter, the deeper and wider dimension behind the facts.