Category: A Fantasy Life by Janet Cornelow

A Fantasy Life

By Janet Quinn Cornelow

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday. I am so far, being on vacation from my two day jobs. My sister made the wreath for me for Christmas. I started it five years ago and set it aside to make a Christmas stocking for my daughter-in-law. I stuck the wreath away and forgot I even had it. My sister reminded me before Thanksgiving and offered to finish it for me. She thought I’d gotten a bit more of it done – it was only about a quarter finished. I didn’t expect to see it until next year, but she brought it over yesterday. She had been working really hard on it and I was thrilled.

This is the time of year to look back and take stock of what was accomplished last year and then make goals for the coming year. Last Saturday, Debra Young, my critique partner, and I went to lunch and went over the goals we had set for last year, marking off those that we had accomplished. I was surprised at how much I actually had accomplished. Some of the items on the list were things that came up as the year went by. Writing can be that way sometimes. Some on the list will move forward to next year, though there are a couple I’m not sure I will accomplish, but if I take them off the list they may disappear forever and I do want to do them some day.

Goals are not so much about getting them all done, but framing your mindset for the next year so that you do your best to be successful at whatever you try. Sometimes what seems important in January is not as important come July. I like to have extra goals just in case I get in the middle of a story and have no idea where it is going or I get tired of it. Then I have other goals I can switch to. But the first goal for the coming year is to finish Sam’s story. I am sure he’ll appreciate that.

So I am wishing everyone a wonderful New Year filled with lots of energy to attack those goals. And may the muse never abandon us.

A Fantasy Life

By Janet Quinn Cornelow

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope all of you are enjoying the day with family and/or friends. This year my household is up to seven. My sister, my daughter-in-law and my youngest son’s girlfriend will be joining my sons and I. I get to cook the turkey. The two youngest cook most of the rest. I have been having holidays at my house forever and do not see someone else taking over, ever.

The picture is from my Augeas short story series. This one is titled “Berry Cake” and is part of Whiskey Shots Vol. 19 from Whiskey Creek Press. I have a new artist, so the pictures are a little different. In this picture, Lord Culain is asking the mouse for berry cake. As with all artists, she took some liberties because there wasn’t a mouse in the story, but Lord Culain did ask often for berry cake.

There has been no fantasy in my life lately. I suffered burnout judging the EPPIEs. It all seemed too much to do in such a short time with everything else in life. I laid on the couch weekend after weekend until I didn’t think I could read another word. In fact, I have hardly read anything since I finished the seven books. Reading for a contest is just not the same as reading for fun. The fact that you can’t stop because you aren’t going to get done in time, seems to make it into an ordeal. Especially when you have to read books you would never pick to read yourself. I did discover one new author that I will find her other books. As Linda Mac said, “Thank goodness for cable TV.” Now I find myself laying on the couch watching TV. It takes so little effort.

After Thanksgiving is over, I will have to force myself back into the chair and into the writing. Poor Sam is still in bed with Jubilee, though I haven’t heard any complaints from them.

Art work by Loki – http://loki-rei.deviantart.com

A Fantasy Life

By Janet Quinn Cornelow

This is Myna from “Weaving a Dream”, part of Whiskey Shots Vol. 17. Though she lives in Augeas, she has no magical powers and is struggling to feed herself and her two children. However, the ghost of Amunador or maybe the spirits of those hiding there, speak to her and welcome her into their city.

I have been spending all my non-other job time judging the EPPIE’s. This is the big contest for electronic published books. Like judging any contest, it takes a large amount of time, so all I have been doing is reading and if I keep reading every spare moment, I should get all the books done in time. I had to get a new ebook reader since my old one decided not to come on.

Of course, this means I have had no time to write. I have abandoned Sam again, though at least this time he is in bed with Jubilee instead of running from the slave hunters. I am sure he is much happier with me.

Reality seems to have interfered with fantasy lately. I can’t even find the time to think about writing, let alone do it.

Art work by Jasmine Tanner – http://veildandy.deviantart.com

A Fantasy Life

by Janet Quinn Cornelow

Yesterday I went to plot group and we were discussing where ideas for stories come from. I mentioned that Rayna in “Revenge of the Lady’s Guard” had been sitting on that porch with the old lady for four or five years waiting for me to write her story. I always thought it was a western historical. I knew she wasn’t a contemporary character. Then Whiskey Creek Press started their Whiskey Shots short stories. Rayna was yelling from the porch, “That’s me. That’s me.” And it was her. She was a warrior taking care of an aging Ancient One ready to die.

So where do these characters come from? They invade our minds, disrupt our sleep and complain to us while we are writing. They have minds of their own and don’t always do what we want them to do. They stand up and say, “Are you nuts? I would never do that.” Or, they get snippy and refuse to talk at all. Carter, in The Lucky Lady, tried to tell me his life history while I was driving down the 5 freeway. I told him to shut up and he wouldn’t talk to me for weeks.

Since I really like writing fantasy, my thoughts went in that direction. Maybe they are real people who live in another dimension and they are channeling their lives to us across the breaks between the dimensions. On the other side, maybe we are channeling our lives to them across the same breaks. Of course, I would have to feel sorry for the person who channeled my story. My life is so boring.

Okay, I am plotting a book where the hero ends up in another dimension. I really like the idea of telling stories about people from a different plain. Then, we all do write fantasy of a sort and maybe are just a bit more fanciful than the rest of humanity.

On a real note, I have receive three 5 reviews on Betrayals, my first romantic suspense novel. That made me very happy. Coffee Time Romance normally gives me a three.