Loving, living, writing, art, family, friends, music, and books. Us and our small corner of the world. Because, as we all know, the world is square. For only a square world has corners.
Showing posts with label werewolf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label werewolf. Show all posts
Congratulations to Renee!
It was a great contest, and I want to thank everyone for their participation. This was a lot of fun for me. I loved the friendly competitive banter and the overall good-sport attitude.
The Werewolf Poetry Contest winners are as follows:
Changing by Renee Miller-Johnston
Bio: Children's author and aspiring horror writer and Mom. Slightly crazy, taking my meds. Writing has always been a passion, but only recently have I tried to do more than dabble. Now I am an addict, can't go a day without writing something. The darker, the better.
Check out her blog here.
Bio: Joseph Gergis is a musician in the Dayton, Ohio area. His primary focus is the electronic genre, and his first CD release, The Darker Light, illustrates the fusion of his classical training with his passion for analog synthesis. And sometimes he writes bad werewolf poetry upon request.
Second Prize -
Of Werewolves and Authors by J. Gergis
Bio: Joseph Gergis is a musician in the Dayton, Ohio area. His primary focus is the electronic genre, and his first CD release, The Darker Light, illustrates the fusion of his classical training with his passion for analog synthesis. And sometimes he writes bad werewolf poetry upon request.
Check out some of his music here.
Bio: Lauren Stone is an accomplished musical theater actor who is transitioning back into a writer. Already a published poet, she has recently decided to go back to school to hone her skills as a fiction writer. To learn more about Lauren go to www.laurenstone.info.
Bio: I have always wanted to write since I was a little girl making up stories in my head. I mainly write poetry but I am beginning to attempt to write my first novel which happens to be about werewolves and vampires. Lets hope its a good one. You can read her poetry on her blog.
Runner Ups -
Wishes by Lauren Stone
Bio: Lauren Stone is an accomplished musical theater actor who is transitioning back into a writer. Already a published poet, she has recently decided to go back to school to hone her skills as a fiction writer. To learn more about Lauren go to www.laurenstone.info.
Run with the Wolves by Jessica Lynn Wright
Bio: I have always wanted to write since I was a little girl making up stories in my head. I mainly write poetry but I am beginning to attempt to write my first novel which happens to be about werewolves and vampires. Lets hope its a good one. You can read her poetry on her blog.
You can read the poems of the finalists here.
Werewolf Poetry Contestants - Let the voting begin!
You can vote by leaving a comment with the contestant number.
Contestant #1
Wishes
by Lauren Stone
It’s so peaceful here.
I wish I could feel like this all the time.
I wish I could lay naked in the cool wet grass forever.
To bathe in the moonlight
With no one to disturb me.
I wish I could be this free in the day time.
To run wild with no one telling me it’s wrong
No one telling me what to do
With no one to please
And no one to disappoint.
I wish I could just stay hidden in the forest.
But this is dangerous to.
I’m not safe in this world.
And I’m not safe in theirs.
If someone learned my secret
It would destroy me.
I wouldn’t be allowed to spend my days with people
And my nights here in the forest.
This is the one place where I feel like I can slip away
And be myself.
I’m just afraid that I won’t be able to find my way back
If I lose my humanity
I will be no better than a stray dog
Discarded and put to sleep.
I don’t think I was made to feel this way.
I was given all this power
Yet I am still so weak.
So susceptible
So confused
I don’t know what I’m supposed to be.
I don’t know how I am supposed to be.
How to juggle these two worlds
Without losing myself
Or compromising to one of them.
Sometimes I wish I was normal
So things wouldn’t be so hard.
I want to run away
Find a place where I can just be alone
And lay naked in the grass
Under the moonlight
With no one to bother me
But that’s no way to live.
Contestant #2
Changing
by Renee Miller-Johnston
Running, panting, it howls in the night.
Shivers tingle down your spine.
Gaining ground, it has you in sight,
You escape to the safety of the pines.
Snarl, sniff, it has your scent.
You can’t shake it from your trail.
It smiles at the blood you’ve already spent.
Your skin grows cold and pale.
“Come to me,” it growls through the trees.
No, you won’t, you can’t.
“It is done.” It says, “Can’t you see?”
Then you see your hands.
Fur, claws, they begin to grow.
You shake your head, it can’t be.
This isn’t real, it can’t be so.
It’s all a terrible dream.
Horrible pain, wrenching through your body.
You collapse on the ground, you are spent.
Your thoughts grow dim, your mind is foggy.
You try to get up but you can’t.
Above you now it peers down.
It licks your face like a lover.
This is the end, it’s done now.
Your life as you know it is over.
Slowly you rise, upon all fours.
It backs away, giving you room.
You want to feed, to fill the ache.
You feel the pull of the moon.
You follow it into the night,
Your human self is gone.
You crave the hunt, the taking of life,
At least until the dawn.
*I'LL* be your muse instead.
The Author said, aghast,
You're a Werewolf, not a muse!
How can you inspire me?
To write the words I choose?
Ask yourself this question,
How is an author like a werewolf?
Will she attack the page on a mission,
And sink in a tooth?
So the Author listened to her new muse,
And wrote throughout the night,
When finished, she made the news!
Why?
*CHOMP*
Contestant #4
Run With the Wolves
by Jessica Lynn Wright
I run with the pack
through the dead of night.
The moon calls to us all,
As we hunt for our prey and plan to attack
Wind rushes past us
We can feel the dirt beneath us
are we human, or beast
we will let you decide
Contestant #1
Wishes
by Lauren Stone
It’s so peaceful here.
I wish I could feel like this all the time.
I wish I could lay naked in the cool wet grass forever.
To bathe in the moonlight
With no one to disturb me.
I wish I could be this free in the day time.
To run wild with no one telling me it’s wrong
No one telling me what to do
With no one to please
And no one to disappoint.
I wish I could just stay hidden in the forest.
But this is dangerous to.
I’m not safe in this world.
And I’m not safe in theirs.
If someone learned my secret
It would destroy me.
I wouldn’t be allowed to spend my days with people
And my nights here in the forest.
This is the one place where I feel like I can slip away
And be myself.
I’m just afraid that I won’t be able to find my way back
If I lose my humanity
I will be no better than a stray dog
Discarded and put to sleep.
I don’t think I was made to feel this way.
I was given all this power
Yet I am still so weak.
So susceptible
So confused
I don’t know what I’m supposed to be.
I don’t know how I am supposed to be.
How to juggle these two worlds
Without losing myself
Or compromising to one of them.
Sometimes I wish I was normal
So things wouldn’t be so hard.
I want to run away
Find a place where I can just be alone
And lay naked in the grass
Under the moonlight
With no one to bother me
But that’s no way to live.
Contestant #2
Changing
by Renee Miller-Johnston
Running, panting, it howls in the night.
Shivers tingle down your spine.
Gaining ground, it has you in sight,
You escape to the safety of the pines.
Snarl, sniff, it has your scent.
You can’t shake it from your trail.
It smiles at the blood you’ve already spent.
Your skin grows cold and pale.
“Come to me,” it growls through the trees.
No, you won’t, you can’t.
“It is done.” It says, “Can’t you see?”
Then you see your hands.
Fur, claws, they begin to grow.
You shake your head, it can’t be.
This isn’t real, it can’t be so.
It’s all a terrible dream.
Horrible pain, wrenching through your body.
You collapse on the ground, you are spent.
Your thoughts grow dim, your mind is foggy.
You try to get up but you can’t.
Above you now it peers down.
It licks your face like a lover.
This is the end, it’s done now.
Your life as you know it is over.
Slowly you rise, upon all fours.
It backs away, giving you room.
You want to feed, to fill the ache.
You feel the pull of the moon.
You follow it into the night,
Your human self is gone.
You crave the hunt, the taking of life,
At least until the dawn.
Contestant #3
Of Werewolves and Authors
J. Gergis, 2009
My muse must be missing
Said the Author to her Pen
How will I write?
I don't know if I can!
The Werewolf ate it,
Said the Pen to the Author
What were ---
*CHOMP*
The Werewolf began to sing,
And dance with a spin,
The song he chose to sing:
"I've Got You Under My Skin"
So now the Pen was sad,
And asked the Werewolf to write,
But dear reader, werewolf poetry is BAD,
Such a horrible sight.
The Author began to wonder,
But what about my muse?
Where will I find inspiration?
Who will light my fuse?
The Werewolf whsipered in her ear,
With a toothy grin he said,
*I'LL* be your muse instead.
The Author said, aghast,
You're a Werewolf, not a muse!
How can you inspire me?
To write the words I choose?
Ask yourself this question,
How is an author like a werewolf?
Will she attack the page on a mission,
And sink in a tooth?
So the Author listened to her new muse,
And wrote throughout the night,
When finished, she made the news!
Why?
*CHOMP*
Contestant #4
Run With the Wolves
by Jessica Lynn Wright
I run with the pack
through the dead of night.
The moon calls to us all,
As we hunt for our prey and plan to attack
Wind rushes past us
We can feel the dirt beneath us
are we human, or beast
we will let you decide
Kat's Wolf
This was given to me by my friend Kat. I love it.
If you have any wolf pictures that you want me to share with everyone, email me at rita@ritajwebb.com
Interview with Carrie Vaughn
Urban fantasy author Carrie Vaughn has written some awesome books with thick plot and a very fun, lovable character leading the way to turmoil and trouble. Her character Kitty is a werewolf who starts a talk radio show, helping her listeners work through their supernatural problems. And nothing ever goes easy for her.
I devoured the first 5 books in a week and 2 days and paid the price with bleary eyes and grumpiness from lack of sleep for two weeks now. I haven't been that crazy about a book series since--well--Harry Potter. Not that it is anything like Harry Potter. Carrie's got her own style and a very unique story.
Quick Bio: Carrie has written over 30 short stories in science fiction and fantasy magazines, short story anthologies, and internet magazines. She has six books with two more being released early next year. In 2008, she was 20th on the New York Times best-selling list for her book Kitty and the Silver Bullet, and in 2009, she was 13th for Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand.Note: There is no hand of a dead man in the book Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand. It's a poker term.
So quickly becoming a fan, I contacted Carrie and asked her for an interview. She was such a sweetheart in her reply. I hope you enjoy reading her answers as much as I did:
I'm going to continue the Kitty series as long as I keep getting ideas. I'm already working on other projects. My first young adult novel, Voices of Dragons, will be out in March 2010, and I have a couple of stand-alone fantasy novels in the works. I want to be an author who writes lots of different things.
2. How did you find the motivation to write and find a publisher before you were a known and established author?
I wanted to get published. That was the motivation. I wrote every day, submitted stories all the time, and worked hard at making my writing better, because I wanted to get published and make a living writing. I had to do the work to reach the goal.
3. Do you argue with your characters? Who wins that fight?
I wouldn't call it arguing with my characters, and it isn't a matter of winning a fight, really. It's about making the story make sense -- it has to be the right character for the story, and the plot has to work according to what that character would do. If I start getting off track or doing something that isn't true to the character, the story starts falling apart and I need to change something, either the character or the plot. My way of writing is kind of an ongoing process of constant revision and refining, making sure all the pieces come together in a satisfying way.
You can follow Carrie on her blog Filling the Well, and you can attempt to win a copy of her 1st book by entering my Werewolf Poetry Contest by August 1st, 2009.
Got any Werewolf Art?
I drew this years ago based on two pictures: one on our living room & one in a calendar. It's actually pretty good, I think. Would you believe I have no talent and no training as an artist? Somedays, my husband looks over my shoulder when I'm doodling and gives me a bit of advice. This picture was born out of one of those times. "Don't try to make it look 3-D," he said. "You are working from a 2-D picture. Just draw what you see."
So I did.
Anybody have pictures to share? Email me at rita@ritajwebb.com and I'll post it for everybody to see.
Got Any Werewolf Short Stories?
Chatting on goodreads about my upcoming contest, I learned that Swedish author Malin Larsson wrote a werewolf short story for Hub Magazine. I've read some of Malin's work, which I have greatly enjoyed. Check it out.
If you've written any werewolf stories and have posted them online, please leave a comment below to share it with the rest of us.
If you've written any werewolf stories and have posted them online, please leave a comment below to share it with the rest of us.
Wild & Whiny, Power & Politics, Silver & Stakes
Years ago, I used to play word games with my friends/coworkers Kevin and Randy. We'd have long email conversations that consisted of nothing but rhyming lines, and one time they came up with descriptions of my evil twin MalRita. She was mal-odious and malevolent and malicious and malignant. I never knew there were so many "mal" words.
At a Carrie Newcomer concert, I learned about road games like Store-Keeper Bob. If store-keeper Bob was a butler, he'd be door-keeper Bob. And if store-keeper Bob was a pig farmer, he'd be boar-keeper Bob. And if store-keeper Bob worked for the Coast Guard, he'd be shore-keeper Bob...
Ah yeah, you get the picture.
So I want to play an alliteration game, comparing Vampires and Werewolves. I thought about making this a Top 10 List but decided instead to keep my list small so that you can play the game too. Here goes:
Yeah, it's corny. But you won't know how much fun it can be until you start to play. So try to finish this one and then come up with some of your own:
werewolves are controlled by the Moon, and vampires are controlled by ________
P.S. I hate listening to alliterated, three-part speeches.
At a Carrie Newcomer concert, I learned about road games like Store-Keeper Bob. If store-keeper Bob was a butler, he'd be door-keeper Bob. And if store-keeper Bob was a pig farmer, he'd be boar-keeper Bob. And if store-keeper Bob worked for the Coast Guard, he'd be shore-keeper Bob...
Ah yeah, you get the picture.
So I want to play an alliteration game, comparing Vampires and Werewolves. I thought about making this a Top 10 List but decided instead to keep my list small so that you can play the game too. Here goes:
- werewolves are Wild, and vampires are Whiny
- werewolves like Power, and vampires like Politics
- werewolves' weakness is Silver, and vampires' weakness is Stakes
- werewolves come from the Earth, and vampires go to Eternity
Yeah, it's corny. But you won't know how much fun it can be until you start to play. So try to finish this one and then come up with some of your own:
werewolves are controlled by the Moon, and vampires are controlled by ________
P.S. I hate listening to alliterated, three-part speeches.
Werewolf Poetry Contest
Wolves capture our imagination--howling in the night, running through the forest, chasing their prey, bonding with their pack, loving and living in wild abandon. Movies and art and stories attempt to capture these creatures in artistic form, and nothing grips us more than the myth of the werewolf--humans gone wild.
I'd love to be wild and beautiful and fiery like Vivian (Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause) or strong and witty and spunky like Kitty (Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn). I wonder what it would be like to change my shape for a day, slip through the woods, and howl at the moon.
I am looking for poets to have some fun with me, writing poetry about wolves or werewolves. I'm giving away prizes for the top winners and publicity for anyone with a good poem.
The Rules
1. The competition is open to poems of 45 lines or fewer (not including title of entry). Entries outside the line limitation will be disregarded.
2. The subject of the poem must be about wolves or werewolves. All entries must be in English, original, unpublished, and not submitted or accepted elsewhere at the time of submission.
3. To enter the contest, please submit the following information to rita@ritajwebb.com:
4. Entries must be submitted by Saturday, August 1, 2009.
5. I will choose several of my favorite poems and allow readers to vote to determine the winners. Voting will start Wednesday, August 5, 2009, and run to Wednesday, August 12, 2009.
6. Winners will be announced on this blog by Saturday, August 15, 2009.
7. The first-prize winner will be determined by the entry with the most votes. The winner will receive the book Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause as well as free publicity by having the winning poem and author's bio posted on my blog.
8. The second-prize winner will be determined by the entry with the second-most votes. The winner will receive the book Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn as well as free publicity by having the winning poem and author's bio posted on my blog.
9. The runner-ups will be determined by any poem that I enjoyed but did not receive the top votes. All runner-ups will have free publicity by having their poem and author's bio posted on my blog.
I'd love to be wild and beautiful and fiery like Vivian (Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause) or strong and witty and spunky like Kitty (Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn). I wonder what it would be like to change my shape for a day, slip through the woods, and howl at the moon.
I am looking for poets to have some fun with me, writing poetry about wolves or werewolves. I'm giving away prizes for the top winners and publicity for anyone with a good poem.
The Rules
1. The competition is open to poems of 45 lines or fewer (not including title of entry). Entries outside the line limitation will be disregarded.
2. The subject of the poem must be about wolves or werewolves. All entries must be in English, original, unpublished, and not submitted or accepted elsewhere at the time of submission.
3. To enter the contest, please submit the following information to rita@ritajwebb.com:
- your entry
- number of lines
- author's name
- home address
- email address
- author's bio
- website
- answer: May I contact you with future contest information?
4. Entries must be submitted by Saturday, August 1, 2009.
5. I will choose several of my favorite poems and allow readers to vote to determine the winners. Voting will start Wednesday, August 5, 2009, and run to Wednesday, August 12, 2009.
6. Winners will be announced on this blog by Saturday, August 15, 2009.
7. The first-prize winner will be determined by the entry with the most votes. The winner will receive the book Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause as well as free publicity by having the winning poem and author's bio posted on my blog.
8. The second-prize winner will be determined by the entry with the second-most votes. The winner will receive the book Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn as well as free publicity by having the winning poem and author's bio posted on my blog.
9. The runner-ups will be determined by any poem that I enjoyed but did not receive the top votes. All runner-ups will have free publicity by having their poem and author's bio posted on my blog.
Book Review: Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
I just finished reading Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn. It was a fun, easy read, full of action and mystery. I was spellbound, reading the book in just two nights. (If not for kids and work, it would've been one.) Kitty is the omega of her wolf pack, whimpering when the alpha snarls, tucking her tail between her legs, begging to be accepted and loved by a dysfunctional pack. But that all changes when she inadvertently becomes the host of a popular talk radio show--one that caters to giving advice to werewolves, vampires, and other supernatural creatures.
The world thinks it's a hoax, but Kitty and her callers--at least most of them--know differently. I like the way the author just jumps right in. No prelude. No introductions. Just "Here's Kitty and here's her world. Enjoy." I think that's a great way for an author to start a book. Give me a reason to care before you tell me all about your character's sordid past. Besides, it ruins the intrigue and mystery to tell me everything up front. Why should I keep reading if there's nothing to discover?
The book is action packed, focusing on the plot rather than the characters. In that way, it is very different than Blood and Chocolate, and for that reason, I prefer Klause to Vaughn. But at the same time, I like how Vaughn portrays the supernatural world, shows the differences between vamps and werewolves, and grips the reader with a spunky character.
I promptly picked up the next book in the series, Kitty goes to Washington, finished it in one day, and then picked up the next book, which is Kitty Takes a Holiday. I'll be finishing it tonight, and I can hardly wait. I'm just so mad at some of the characters. I'd like to throttle Kitty and give Cormac a talking to.
Yeah, I guess I'm sucked in.
Maybe tonight I'll finish in time to get to bed at a decent hour. I sure hope so because my drive to work didn't feel so safe this morning.
Book Review: Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
by Annette Curtis Klause
Flames shot high, turning the night into carnival light. Sparks took the place of stars. The century-old inn was a silhouette fronting hell, as everything Vivian knew was consumed in fire.
Talk about annoying purple prose! I don't think this author knew what plain-speaking is. Line after line of description, over colored and annoyingly full of words nobody uses today--phrases like "shivered deliciously" and "obeyed slavishly" and "tangled tawny hair." I rolled my eyes.
Especially at the beginning.
If I wasn't listening to the book on tape (on my 2 hours a day of driving to and from work), I might not have noticed how annoying the purple prose was. It was a good lesson in what not to do and why. Oh, I always try to write in plain language. I try to make my descriptions matter of fact and useful. But now I know I'll be more faithful to this endeavor.
And then the girl gets this crush on some school boy, and the romance was so melodramatic. Teeny-boppery. I rolled my eyes some more. In the movie, I had liked Aidan. In the book, I hated him. He was shallow and weak. And I just wanted to shake Vivian and tell her to wake up.
But then things began to change, and the book took on some depth that I didn't expect from the way it all started. This was no teeny-bopper romance after all. And Vivian did learn some important things about life. The kinds of things all teenagers need to learn. Like accepting who you are. Like not trying to fit into the mold. Like loyalty and love and family bond. Like what romance is really all about. Like responsibility and listening to your elders.
Hmm, now I understand what the author was doing from the beginning--setting the stage for character growth. Well done, Ms. Klause. Well done indeed.
Then when I got to the last track on the last disc and the reader said, "The End," I didn't want it to be over. Melodroma and purple prose put aside, the characters were well developed, the story well rounded, and the author had captured, not only my interest, but my heart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)