Tag Archives: Maer Wilson

A to Z Challenge – V is for Victory

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I love victories. Little ones, big ones. Accomplishing something I’ve worked hard at or gotten something I’ve wanted for a long time. Or just doing some little thing correctly that has eluded me – like when I play online games and finally succeed at something.

Today I had one of my bigger victories. For a long time I’ve been looking to rescue a small, female toy poodle. I’ve had my friends looking, too, and it’s been a futile search. But last night I heard from the breeder where I bought Chloe. And she had a perfect little girl!

Meet Cienna (CeCe), age 4.5 months, cafe toy poodle, weighs 3.5 pounds. She is already responding to her name, and has made herself right at home. Of course, I took both Tréa and Chloe to meet her before I actually bought her. Tréa even reached over and gave her a kiss – a big deal for Tréa because she tends to ignore other dogs. The three are already friends – no territorial issues.

So this is today’s victory – a tiny, soft bundle of love named Cienna.

 

Cienna settling in

 

 

What will  tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “W” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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A to Z Challenge – U is for Unicorn


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I’ve been in love with the idea of unicorns for decades…literally. The magical aspect of this mythical creature was too much for me to resist. For years I collected unicorns and still have a small collection. Of course, this predates my love affair with dragons, but not by much.

Since the mythology on unicorns dates back even before the Greeks, it’s easy to speculate that there may have been a real animal for them to be based on. Modern unicorns are graceful horses with spiraling horns, said to have all sorts of magical properties.

The legends have varied over the years, but the attraction for these lovely creatures is still there. I hope that somewhere in some mystical, hidden valley somewhere, these graceful animals exist. For me, pretending they exist somewhere makes our world a little brighter.

 

What will  tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “V” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

 

 

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A to Z Challenge – T is for Thulukan

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Okay so another obvious one. But one of the things I remember as a kid was when our enormous family all got together for barbecues and dinners. I remember chasing fireflies with my cousins, while adults sat and chatted on the back patio, eating steak and hamburgers and watermelon. And sneaking sips of my Uncle John’s bourbon and coke. You can read more about that in my post Mint Juleps and the Time Machine.

I tried to capture that feeling with the Thulukans. La Fi’s husband is Erik Thulukan, III, but started calling himself Thulu at a young age and it stuck. While La Fi has only her grandmother, Nana Fae, Thulu has this gigantic family. One brother, two twin sisters and a large assortment of cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

Their Saturday afternoon barbecues are an important part of the family dynamics. It’s where La Fi got her nickname. It’s where she met her best friend, Ally, Thulu’s cousin and Ally’s friend Lynda-Jean, who figured so prominently in Relics. 

When I write those barbecue scenes, my own memories of summer nights out in the backyard, running and yelling with my cousins bring back the smells of fresh-cut grass and the ease of a simpler time. I wanted that for my series – a respite from the chaos that surrounds Thulu and La Fi.

 

What will  tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “U” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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A to Z Challenge – S is for Savor

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When I used to read, I’d tear through books, turning pages as fast as I could to get to the next bit. I’d often re-read books I loved with that second read much slower, savoring each and every word. One year my brother gave me a hard copy of an Anne Rice novel,  Taltos, for Christmas. A couple of weeks later he asked me how I was enjoying my book. I told him I’d read the book the day after he gave it to me.

He was in disbelief. “The whole thing? You read the whole thing already?”

I was pragmatic, “Well, of course, I did. I read it the day after you gave it to me.”

He was quite put out, letting me know that hard copy books were not cheap, and he expected me to have not finished it for a couple weeks.

I just shook my head. “Sweetie, I read 5-7 books a week, depending on how long they are. I’ve probably read 10 books since then. But I loved it. I really did!”

I felt bad, but I think he felt worse. “I’m never buying you another book. I wanted to give you something special.”

“But you did!”

And I meant that with all my heart. I really did enjoy my present. I even re-read it at some point. But I did tend to read quickly.

These days I rarely get to re-read a book so I tend to read slower the first time. I try to savor each book because I’m pretty sure I won’t be getting back to it any time soon, if ever.

I love being able to get into the story and into the characters’ minds to figure out what makes them tick. I take a lot more breaks, and think about what I’ve read more so than in days past, letting the words sink into my subconscious. Scenes and phrases stay with me longer and seem to be more vibrant than those days when I raced through. And those days when I’m tempted to just tear through a book, I remind myself that I need to slow down and savor each and every bit. Savor…such a lovely word.

 

What will tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “T” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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A to Z Challenge – R is for Reo

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One of my fave characters to write is Reo Malone, aka Brandy Malone. Reo is an empath, telepath and psychic whose abilities make for an impressive track record. Hiding in plain sight with a show at a 5 star hotel in San Francisco, Reo masquerades as the delightful chanteuse, Brandy Malone. The wildly popular show covers magic and singing, with Brandy weaving her way through the audience and those who come for help.

But one of the things I love most about Reo is that when the show is over his work just begins. Shedding his alter ego, he wanders through the seamier sides of San Francisco helping those he can. Using his abilities and his dynamic personality to help those who need it most, he makes a difference where he can.

Reo is one of the most popular characters form The Thulukan Chronicles, and I hope to one day tell more of his stories.

 

What will Monday’s word be? Come back for the letter “s” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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A to Z Challenge – Q is for Quest

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I like quests. I do a lot of them when I play MMOs (online games with other people). In fact, those gaming quests probably influenced my writing. Each book and story I’ve written has quests/mysteries to solve. But there are other influences as well.

I particularly love reading books that have group quest story lines. The Lord of the Rings hooked me on those when I was back in college. There’s just something about a bunch of diverse people banding together to accomplish a goal that appeals to me. Judging by the popularity of group quest books, I’m not alone in my love affair with them. To name every one of those books/series that I’ve read and loved would take forever. Suffice it to say there have been hundreds.

One of the more recent ones that caught my attention is Robin Hobb’s Rain Wilds Chronicles. That has the added attraction of dragons, so it’s a double win for me.

So whether I’m reading about them or actually doing them in a game, quests have a special place in my heart.

 

What will Monday’s word be? Come back for the letter “R” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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A to Z Challenge – O is for Options

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Having options in art is as important to me as having options in life. Those options take many forms. They can include which way my characters will react to whatever situation they are in or how I choose those situations to put them in.

How do I choose who they are? That one is easy. They tell me. 🙂

But what about the events will happen to them? Ah, now this one is a little more conscious. You see, when I write I don’t always have a conscious decision-making process. For me the characters are usually reacting as they should react given who they are. However, I often will get a shiny new idea of what situations to put them in and then see what they do.

Other options involve how I choose to present a story. First person? Third? What kind of story? I usually stick to Fantasy, Sci Fi, Horror. However, I also have a Biography I’m working on.

All these options, every time I sit down to write. They are part of the creative process and what make it so much fun.

 

What will tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “P” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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