tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73253002741152651172024-03-14T01:38:12.192-06:00Raima Larter - AuthorRaimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.comBlogger358125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-10886072461404915812024-02-27T06:00:00.001-07:002024-02-27T06:00:00.165-07:00Happy Book Birthday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfWKtf5kgV5h_wWgTssDOnW3aLCGiYTA5ENGHGKZxiZnDqtB_lPGB7hFMS0ecAv4sUnQC_RenxB9yw8JgXeXAgGRIHPWqa7xB6LccInDX65K8tYPS2QrkMHjPxK-_SOyq9dCNZUX8q4JIedWtQyKt0rCsg0aMg-D1vVa_P7m_0YbvjmFaYsKPpS80C0M/s1162/Front%20Cover%20jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="809" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfWKtf5kgV5h_wWgTssDOnW3aLCGiYTA5ENGHGKZxiZnDqtB_lPGB7hFMS0ecAv4sUnQC_RenxB9yw8JgXeXAgGRIHPWqa7xB6LccInDX65K8tYPS2QrkMHjPxK-_SOyq9dCNZUX8q4JIedWtQyKt0rCsg0aMg-D1vVa_P7m_0YbvjmFaYsKPpS80C0M/s320/Front%20Cover%20jpg.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>Five years ago today, my first novel was published, and things have not been the same since! Although <i>Fearless</i> was the first to be published, it wasn't the first novel I'd ever written. In fact, it was the third. The second one (<i>Belle o' the Waters</i>) came out a few months after <i>Fearless</i>, and as to the first? Well, let's just say it is STILL a work in progress. Maybe some day!<p></p><p>You can still buy <i>Fearless</i> directly from the publisher, <i><a href="https://www.newmeridianarts.com/fearless" target="_blank">New Meridian Arts</a></i>. Another way to purchase it is through <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/96121/9780999461761" target="_blank">Bookshop.org</a>, which allows buyers to designate their own local bookstore to receive a portion of the funds. It's a great deal and helps support both independent publishers and independent bookstores. <i>Fearless</i> is also available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/-/Raima-Larter/dp/0999461761/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fearless-raima-larter/1130758647?ean=9780999461761" target="_blank">B&N</a>. </p><p>And, yes, I can send you a signed copy if you'd like. Find those <a href="https://raima-larter-books.square.site/s/shop" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /></p><p>Finally, to celebrate this milestone, I'm excited to announce that my latest book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09T77T7BJ" target="_blank"><i>Motherhood and Other Magical Realms</i></a>, is available as a free Kindle e-book all this week! From Feb. 27 - March 2, you can download this collection of sometimes weird stories for no money at all. Someone once asked me if the collection is "memoir," and I had to laugh -- because, no, it isn't, but yes, it IS in a way! All of these stories came from my life, even the ones that some might feel are impossible (like the one about humans who live on the moon). </p><p>Thanks for all your support through the years and happy reading!<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-37846059100461899142024-01-30T10:03:00.002-07:002024-01-30T10:03:52.688-07:00A Return to Reading<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipahGhnpqnwhwKFP_OdEzLWt8WhXbwUGzLXFP2PBIfzu-bVTuLrrG2jawWGMTTPrlF0vm4i8X4SbO9YTsTj9zqeUGiwSRW6f5ITY9tyRNzLXAsZlgFJFdW5_yO-F6pjHZxTQz_CNy8e7846XLjstfLo5LP3HDc1y5hstgPgnf8vuUTvo3Sz9Q2mmSElqg/s1120/Goodreads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="678" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipahGhnpqnwhwKFP_OdEzLWt8WhXbwUGzLXFP2PBIfzu-bVTuLrrG2jawWGMTTPrlF0vm4i8X4SbO9YTsTj9zqeUGiwSRW6f5ITY9tyRNzLXAsZlgFJFdW5_yO-F6pjHZxTQz_CNy8e7846XLjstfLo5LP3HDc1y5hstgPgnf8vuUTvo3Sz9Q2mmSElqg/w242-h400/Goodreads.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><p></p><p>I have always been a big reader. I zipped through books as a kid like I was drinking water, and although my interests evolved over time, I really never stopped reading. Until I did.</p><p>The Covid pandemic brought a halt to my ability to read a book. In recent years, I've logged my reading on Goodreads and, as can be seen in the above screenshot, my reading took a nosedive just as Covid surged. I suspect it wasn't just the pandemic that caused this, but everything happening in the world - I couldn't let go of reality long enough to lose myself in a book, and it shows in my reading challenge statistics.</p><p>The low point occurred in 2021, with only 3 books read. Two of these were books written by friends; the third is a book of poetry that I don't even remember reading. It distressed me that I wasn't reading, but not enough to do anything about it. </p><p>And then I was asked to write a selection for the <i>Washington Independent Review of Books</i> column Bedtime Stories, where authors write about what they're reading. Panic! What could I do....but be honest. So, I was, and talked about how I couldn't focus on books anymore, but fondly remembered books I'd read in the past. It's still <a href="https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/bedtime-stories-august-2021" target="_blank">posted here</a>, if you're interested in reading my rambles.<br /></p><p>In 2022, I decided I needed to at least try. I started with another book by a writer I personally know: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58321201-the-other-ones" target="_blank">"The Other Ones," by Dave Housley</a>. This turned out to be a great read, but I still couldn't get into novels. The next book I tried was nonfiction: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55298402-american-republics" target="_blank">"American Republics," by Alan Taylor</a>. This fascinating history of the US and Canada in the period before the US Civil War kept my attention all the way through, and I was able to read the whole thing.</p><p>I tried a few more novels after that, and really enjoyed <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25817493-news-of-the-world" target="_blank">"News of the World," by Paulette Jiles</a>. I'd never heard of this author, but found this short novel in a Little Library in my neighborhood. The short length helped me finish, but the story and the writing were both fantastic. That year, I also enjoyed <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57771216-sleepwalk" target="_blank">"Sleepwalk," by Dan Chaon</a>, a bizarre but totally compelling thriller about a near-future world much like our own.</p><p>I still felt like I was not reading, though, and months would go by without me picking up a single book. I decided enough was enough; I needed to approach this the way I do my running. I needed to go back into training - put myself on a schedule and read at least one book each month. It worked!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTt71LAyYl5_yQUnFExYXuO7iuy8gR1QIDsp78qrGkO5dZPG_bIAu8C9ker21RlqBAoUCyMz1JL_Wz_REccMNOpK0QC3vqecADhfbBiKMIbdoFuSsAHeBMMtz5SG8z3LTCZLWPAFD0SpzIqEn6zwyCZybmvghjYU5FPupgQeDDRxMS3FGbGeifUvkm2Ug/s866/Goodreads%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="656" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTt71LAyYl5_yQUnFExYXuO7iuy8gR1QIDsp78qrGkO5dZPG_bIAu8C9ker21RlqBAoUCyMz1JL_Wz_REccMNOpK0QC3vqecADhfbBiKMIbdoFuSsAHeBMMtz5SG8z3LTCZLWPAFD0SpzIqEn6zwyCZybmvghjYU5FPupgQeDDRxMS3FGbGeifUvkm2Ug/s320/Goodreads%202.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><br /><p>Last year, I exceeded my Goodreads goal of one book a month, and I have kept the momentum going. I am currently on my fifth book of the year in 2024, so have gone back to my goal of 25 books per year, a goal I never had trouble reaching before the near-end of my reading life. </p><p>There are no shortage of books to read, after all. One favorite among the five I've read so far this year is <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624825-old-crimes" target="_blank">Jill McCorkle's new book, "Old Crimes: and Other Stories,"</a> which I found on the "New Books" shelf at the library. I've become a regular at the local branch of my public library. This is the way it should be. This is who I am: a reader.<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-39629638651411939172023-12-21T10:06:00.001-07:002023-12-21T10:06:55.935-07:00Annual Writing Report - 2023<p> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGohNEWlqiuJr9uRJtrxWOhk-Lw4F5HlTJCR7Ct2xBKzRV1XcDqhBYFen7aWun-WEyw7bEyoMu3jVu929PoWwF19R8mQeumAx2FKfXNDXnQBE1_ouyMmCHcgp1w8c0X6M7H5AT_Ok6Yp8OuUbSrUZ650JoSeKyx8YkNGC7c1DSWHC07M0iWSkX-ClhWw/s362/Submission%20by%20Year%20jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="362" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGohNEWlqiuJr9uRJtrxWOhk-Lw4F5HlTJCR7Ct2xBKzRV1XcDqhBYFen7aWun-WEyw7bEyoMu3jVu929PoWwF19R8mQeumAx2FKfXNDXnQBE1_ouyMmCHcgp1w8c0X6M7H5AT_Ok6Yp8OuUbSrUZ650JoSeKyx8YkNGC7c1DSWHC07M0iWSkX-ClhWw/w400-h241/Submission%20by%20Year%20jpeg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>For months, I've been feeling as if my writing was not going well, either in terms of submitting things or even spending time doing it. It was both a vague feeling, as well as a fact based in evidence. I'm the sort of person who keeps track of things, and I could look at data such as pieces submitted, hours spent on writing, etc, and see that things were bad.</p><p>The first thing I noticed was that I just haven't submitted very much this year. I have finished a few pieces and sent them out, but only 24 times so far in 2023. This is much lower than my submission rates in recent years, as shown in the above graph. The lowest number of submissions in recent years is for 2019, when I was battling breast cancer. There's at least an explanation for that! This year is lower than even 2019, so I needed to dig a little deeper to understand what's going on.</p><p>In addition to keeping track of submissions, I also log my writing time. Despite having totaled these hours up each week, I really didn't have a good sense about how much I was writing, since I never looked at monthly or yearly totals, much less at any trends.</p><p>So, last week, I started adding up entries in my little writing log book. When I saw that I'd written for a grand total of three and a half hours in the entire month of April and only 45 minutes (total!) in September, I knew this was going to be a bad year. I kept on tallying things, calculating the total hours spent writing for each month, then averaging over the months of the year. I did this all the way back to 2017, the year after I received my MFA, and was shocked to see the result:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCi8I4PHuZujWiujlvtxIMdiyxZNrs1bCYPaQN9EmM5lOLKde-9swVXR42pc9na55CKVaNbv5MARlskRKYN6uLuiz0EB05xUtfSOyvHDpXurVB7Tro0qhFHjwNivvH-GO9IccuGiG30KG3Mqeh0VLABdnqiI_8VMk43J4jm-swQUP0UEjn45oBl8mOIQ/s362/Writing%20Time%20Chart%20jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="362" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCi8I4PHuZujWiujlvtxIMdiyxZNrs1bCYPaQN9EmM5lOLKde-9swVXR42pc9na55CKVaNbv5MARlskRKYN6uLuiz0EB05xUtfSOyvHDpXurVB7Tro0qhFHjwNivvH-GO9IccuGiG30KG3Mqeh0VLABdnqiI_8VMk43J4jm-swQUP0UEjn45oBl8mOIQ/w400-h241/Writing%20Time%20Chart%20jpeg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> That first year is probably an anomaly, since I had so much work in the pipeline from my master's program and the writing just poured out. The next year is low, but I don't trust that number since I apparently did not keep track of any writing for most of the year. 2019 is, again, the year I was battling illness, but then things get back on track.</p><p>Until they don't. There is a clear and obvious decline, year by year, in the amount of time I spend actually writing. If one were to lay a ruler on the above graph for the last four years and ask where this is headed, it looks like one would predict that Raima will stop writing completely in two years time.</p><p>And I don't want that. Not by a long shot! So, something needs to change. I've already set a rule for myself that I will write for at least 15 minutes every morning Monday - Friday, and so far I've had a pretty good initial week. This is a slightly early new year's resolution, and my plan is to continue doing this into the new year. </p><p>Last year at about this time I announced that I was starting a new position as Assistant Fiction Editor for <a href="https://www.utopiasciencefiction.com/about" target="_blank">Utopia Science Fiction Magazine</a>. I have done that for over a year now, and was elevated to Nonfiction Editor several months ago. We are still going strong, and it's been a real pleasure to work with the other editors and staff of this great scifi publication. Although it's been a lot of work, I can't really blame my lack of productivity (summarized above) on this volunteer position, since I've been reading for literary journals of one sort or another for several years. This type of work has been, and continues to be, a real joy and I have no intention of giving it up.</p><p>In addition to the distressing data shown above, I had a some good news in my writing life this year. My flash fiction piece, <a href="https://flashfictionmagazine.com/blog/2023/01/11/maudes-place/" target="_blank">Maude's Place</a>, was published by Flash Fiction Magazine back in January. This was the only new piece I had published this year, but <a href="https://utopiasciencefiction.medium.com/big-blue-marble-by-raima-larter-e01496c048e1" target="_blank">Big Blue Marble</a> was reprinted as part of the <a href="https://mixam.com/print-on-demand/6567f26f4202025535c13109" target="_blank">5th year anniversary anthology for Utopia Science Fiction</a>. Perhaps with some of the new year's resolutions noted above, I can improve on these statistics next year. I'll keep on keeping track and will report back in a year. </p><p>Wishing everyone the best in the coming year!<br /></p><p><br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-5183051167168232592023-12-11T06:00:00.007-07:002023-12-11T06:00:00.141-07:00Fifteen Years!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfuLz6n4nqP3huos4OdLd1PEIwsA6k1SK2vioSbzMwA1ti7XzAAlxq7pC6WH2XHCd_SQJhdiHvR4U6x04Ei0ZoCvBQ9GycrBPU4kkLP4W5JXBeDd2C40sM8P171K4e71NwVJoVmGWeSMUVcCqy-a1JOMeyYpb6KVplITM-0Y0qldhcDck3xu0P7SyX2w/s465/Fifteen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="465" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfuLz6n4nqP3huos4OdLd1PEIwsA6k1SK2vioSbzMwA1ti7XzAAlxq7pC6WH2XHCd_SQJhdiHvR4U6x04Ei0ZoCvBQ9GycrBPU4kkLP4W5JXBeDd2C40sM8P171K4e71NwVJoVmGWeSMUVcCqy-a1JOMeyYpb6KVplITM-0Y0qldhcDck3xu0P7SyX2w/w400-h301/Fifteen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Today marks the fifteenth anniversary of my blog! I never expected when I started this blog way back in 2008 that it would still be going strong 15 years later. But here we are.<br /><p></p><p>I've had some ups and downs in publishing frequency, and have sometimes not posted for several months at a time, but have never missed an entire year - although 2015 looks a little bleak, with only 4 posts, all published in December of that year. Since I was in the midst of an MFA program at the time, it's probably understandable that I didn't have a lot of time to blog that year. And although I've been determined to do better in 2023, I've sometimes only been able to write and publish once a month. As usual, I vow to do better next year!</p><p>I remember the night when I decided to try my hand at blogging. I was working on an early draft of a book, <i>Spiritual Insights from the New Science</i>, which was eventually published many years later. I wanted to try out a few ideas for this book with short blog posts, but didn't know how to get those posts in front of interested readers.</p><p>And then I learned about Twitter. This was in 2008, so a very different social media era than we are in now--and to be honest, I didn't really understand why someone would want to use something like Twitter. However, when I learned that it was possible to post links as part of a tweet, I saw at least one use for it. I could write a longer post about a topic I was interested in, post a link to it on a tweet, and try to connect with people who might have an interest in that topic.</p><p>It actually worked - until Twitter started to change and became something called X and is now a place I never want to use again. In those early days, I found thousands of people who were interested in the things I was interested in, and Twitter (and, eventually, FaceBook as well) became the portals through which I could bring people to my blog and, in turn, to information about other things I might be publishing (like stories and books). </p><p>The social media landscape is in a state of flux, though, and I've found ways to get the word out about my blog posts and to connect with readers. We will see if I'm still writing blog posts in another 15 years. I hope so! <br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-72305305913902436642023-11-30T07:23:00.000-07:002023-11-30T07:23:03.934-07:00Another One Bites the Dust? No<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcipRrPeHPKs3FTy35tTfC4RA78RJ8vC_K1-fg8j-65OzUCtnHMXDerz-STro5TUfkOkoRDzrmP5wOC895jQYx6GPzgGizTy4pavBqCR1Qnk9fbzUgGUvZdl90IFzm6ji6fGEkc50snyhYodhHy0x1PJq2tYHgC5F3Alq-0ok63ULR49Utfk9wDas6LJU/s710/Nano%20Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="710" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcipRrPeHPKs3FTy35tTfC4RA78RJ8vC_K1-fg8j-65OzUCtnHMXDerz-STro5TUfkOkoRDzrmP5wOC895jQYx6GPzgGizTy4pavBqCR1Qnk9fbzUgGUvZdl90IFzm6ji6fGEkc50snyhYodhHy0x1PJq2tYHgC5F3Alq-0ok63ULR49Utfk9wDas6LJU/s320/Nano%20Final.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Although the month started off with great plans for writing a full 50,000 words to finish a draft of the novel I started during last year's NaNoWriMo challenge, you can see from this word count graph what happened: I made it to 10,000 words and stalled.<p></p><p>The problem, in hindsight, was that I didn't know what the ending of the novel was going to be, so I spent a lot of time brainstorming after the first couple of weeks. This did not result in an increased word count, but it did increase my sense of clarity about this book and where it's going. And I started writing again yesterday...two days before the month ends!</p><p>So, consider this the beginning of December's personal writing challenge: to finish a draft of this novel before the new year. I suppose I could consider this year's NaNoWriMo a failure, but I don't. I have a lot more words than I had in October, as well as a much better idea of the story I'm trying to tell. </p><p>On to December! <br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-50108091186369837742023-10-25T16:50:00.002-06:002023-10-25T16:50:32.554-06:00Almost November <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTgjNMGWFds-ktRcaqtSp3RF3sDUhad0q0JQ6EvfBdLJkJvOKos8bArM3QtYsU7DrXOBNNUqZm2YAZloWlTXIhl0kzUO1EcjiRBvqmV3DcITK7Cl1bBf-bxSaixCn_OduEO6tgJQEFEzbS7lBFAumy2hMG_9gDm7nN6P-jWVJo57pehE4ydZ8bTyq504/s1069/nanowrimo-writer-badge-2023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1069" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTgjNMGWFds-ktRcaqtSp3RF3sDUhad0q0JQ6EvfBdLJkJvOKos8bArM3QtYsU7DrXOBNNUqZm2YAZloWlTXIhl0kzUO1EcjiRBvqmV3DcITK7Cl1bBf-bxSaixCn_OduEO6tgJQEFEzbS7lBFAumy2hMG_9gDm7nN6P-jWVJo57pehE4ydZ8bTyq504/s320/nanowrimo-writer-badge-2023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Only one week to go before November arrives, and with it the annual <a href="https://nanowrimo.org" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo</a> event, which I plan to take part in again. This will be my thirteenth time participating and I sure hope that doesn't mean it will be an unlucky attempt. <p></p><p>I fully intend to write 50,000 words next month, and I even have an idea of what I'm going to write! This is not always the case, although sometimes it is. I've started several novels using the NaNoWriMo event to get a bunch of words on paper that I can revise and edit. And I've even published one of those! </p><p><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/fearless-raima-larter/10055232?ean=9780999461761" target="_blank">Fearless</a>, my first novel, started as a NaNoWriMo project. Actually two projects, since I wrote the first half one year, and the second half a couple of years later. </p><p>This year's project is also the second half of a novel that I started in a previous NaNoWriMo year - my first year, in fact. So, it's been jostling around in my brain for quite awhile, and I think it's time to finish this thing.</p><br /><p><br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-19368021389746084112023-08-28T13:16:00.000-06:002023-08-28T13:16:44.161-06:00How to Support Indie Bookstores<p>As so many have pointed out, Amazon has been a devastating force in the bookshop world, and many local and independent bookstores have gone out of business as a result. Some have managed to survive, however, and many of us try to buy books through our local bookshops as often as we can to keep our favorite haunts alive.<br /></p><p>I have been a huge fan of the organization <a href="http://Bookshop.org">Bookshop.org</a> ever since they first began operating. This website allows buyers to order books online, as easily as one can do through Amazon, but with an important difference: buyers are allowed to choose their local bookstore to share part of the proceeds with. Even if you don't choose a particular bookstore, the Bookshop folks will still share part of the proceeds with independent bookstores everywhere.<br /></p><p>I have tried to encourage readers of my books to order them through the Bookshop website. The organization is now making it even easier to do that through its Affiliates program that brings Independent Authors into the fold. I've applied for and been approved as a Bookshop Affiliate, and am happy to announce that I have a small "online bookstore" through the Bookshop.org website. You can find my little shop <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/RaimaLarter" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>Each of my books have been published in different ways: one with a traditional publisher, one with an independent small press, another with a hybrid publisher, and even a couple that are self-published. Despite this variety of publishing models, Bookshop.org carries <a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/books-by-me-1d71640b-4bde-4abe-9cd2-48cf35d950b0" target="_blank">all my books</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKUEV1Vrt4PbLUWnwBJFz3-m9Czrva-CdroC2xhIIvZQiGUGG3RGN1uBhqx7nMlQNgfOv0kcnDj1qHht38eczNBwL0i5tnV-KZtnnxiVDobwQFyo_h5WtPLaKVrXYzP7JJOG_ca587K6-dYZX5wfr578dcjJ9j7TKAAUVXZNatA6OfMJyw6M5FggwgUo/s1736/Books%20By%20Me%20from%20Bookshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="1736" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKUEV1Vrt4PbLUWnwBJFz3-m9Czrva-CdroC2xhIIvZQiGUGG3RGN1uBhqx7nMlQNgfOv0kcnDj1qHht38eczNBwL0i5tnV-KZtnnxiVDobwQFyo_h5WtPLaKVrXYzP7JJOG_ca587K6-dYZX5wfr578dcjJ9j7TKAAUVXZNatA6OfMJyw6M5FggwgUo/w400-h176/Books%20By%20Me%20from%20Bookshop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>In addition to listing my own books, I also have <a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/books-i-recommend-6976f1c1-a1b1-4ac4-9771-34b220264bb0" target="_blank">a list of books I've read and recommend</a>. Some of these are by my writing friends and colleagues, whereas others are just books I've read and really liked. You can think of this as the "recommended by staff" tags you might see at your local bricks-and-mortar shop. I fully expect this part of my little shop to grow, since I don't seem to be able to stop reading books.</p><p>Finally, I've updated all the links to my own books on my website so they default to the <a href="http://Bookshop.org">Bookshop.org</a> website, rather than to Amazon. The Amazon links are still there, since I understand some people prefer to buy books that way...but the Amazon listing is now secondary.</p><p>If you are an author with books to sell, I encourage you to look at what Bookshop.org can do for authors. They've posted more info <a href="https://bookshop.org/info/for-authors" target="_blank">here</a>. Happy reading!<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-24744857469366438452023-07-27T13:07:00.003-06:002023-07-27T13:07:39.141-06:00Where to Submit Your Stuff<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2MlN9G9Gb1-3DIMPkQu-zFYJdst8ZmaFFwB4zz_bE3nQt6yjEmVE6YerL9J6AKEElKjfmRwsVIOctM4SGrOlw8BfVFgQP4TN0lYzji2XtyIQZ6DosDLsZF5U9mOfK0eC1amvYlB4GgknMM528SUeufFRihNi7jFXUKT9tWdIdZcf5Ha0dAbMsfY4HeQ/s2000/pen-photo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1330" data-original-width="2000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2MlN9G9Gb1-3DIMPkQu-zFYJdst8ZmaFFwB4zz_bE3nQt6yjEmVE6YerL9J6AKEElKjfmRwsVIOctM4SGrOlw8BfVFgQP4TN0lYzji2XtyIQZ6DosDLsZF5U9mOfK0eC1amvYlB4GgknMM528SUeufFRihNi7jFXUKT9tWdIdZcf5Ha0dAbMsfY4HeQ/w400-h266/pen-photo.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>I have not been submitting my short stories this year, and I really need to rectify that. I <i>have</i> been writing some things, but they sit on my desk rather than on some editor's desk, and that's not going to get them to any readers. <p></p><p>I may not be alone in this, but I've heard from other writers (particularly those new to the process) that they don't know how to find places to submit their work to. This is not my problem, since I know of lots of places to look for possible submission opportunities--and I thought, maybe, I should share these.</p><p>This, of course, means, I'm spending my time writing a blog post instead of submitting...! But, writing some words of some kind is probably good. So, here goes.</p><p>First up: <a href="https://duotrope.com/" target="_blank">Duotrope</a> is a great resource and very helpful for both searching for new places to submit as well as keeping track of your own submissions. There is a fee for this service (about $50 a year) which is a better use of your funds, in my opinion, than paying for a contest. They do have a free trial period, though, so you don't need to commit until you're sure you like it.</p><p>A free option that is similar, but newer, is <a href="https://www.chillsubs.com/" target="_blank">Chill Subs</a>. They have a database of 3000+ literary magazines which you can search using a variety of filters. I have not used this yet, since they were very new when I first heard about them, but other writers seem to like them a lot.</p><p>There is also a "Discovery" option in <a href="https://www.submittable.com/" target="_blank">Submittable</a>, which lists deadlines, opening and closing of submissions, and the like. All writers should get an account on Submittable anyway (it's free) since many journals require submissions be made through their portal. <br /></p><p>Another searchable database that is devoted exclusively to speculative fiction is the <a href="https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/" target="_blank">Submission Grinder</a>. This is run and managed by the litmag Diabolical Plots, so check that out as well.</p><p>I can also recommend two ranked listings of markets that are more focused on literary fiction, although neither is restricted to that. These two are maintained by fellow writers who have each developed a ranking method that is unique to them. </p><p>First is <a href="https://cliffordgarstang.com/2023-literary-magazine-rankings-overview/" target="_blank">Cliff Garstang's list</a>; he ranks markets for fiction, poetry and nonfiction by the number of Pushcart prizes awarded to that journal. I have used Cliff's list many times, and it was especially helpful when I was a new writer and didn't know a thing about which journals were more respected than others. Many of us are very grateful to Cliff for maintaining this list for years now!<br /></p><p>Another option is a ranked list maintained by <a href="http://www.erikakrousewriter.com/erika-krouses-ocd-ranking-of-483-literary-magazines-for-short-fiction/#ranking" target="_blank">Erika Krouse</a>, who divides her list into tiers. She labels the top tier Career Making (this includes the New Yorker, the Atlantic, and Harper's). This somewhat impossible tier is followed by nearly 500 other magazines divided into these tiers: Elite, Highly Respected, Respected, and Very Good, and another listing for respected genre magazines (such as science fiction, fantasy, and mystery). Like Cliff's list, Erika uses prizes to rank journals, but includes the O. Henry awards and Best American Short stories. She also includes factors such as circulation, payment for writers, and generally good citizenship in the lit world.</p><p>I hope this gives you some ideas about where to start. Now go send something out! The truth is that your chances of getting published are ZERO if you never submit. And, yes, I'm talking to myself here!<br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-86599199304500149612023-05-24T08:41:00.002-06:002023-05-24T08:41:34.965-06:00Nearly Wordless Wednesday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-k6xolPvXzIt-K0-L6sqfLnLZGDTUZi-u_8Mx9U3dwuZMzrsiEAMj8Kgmk7nIZZKgwokOJRmLz8xMVcFC1k8Zuw4XzgawjOVjuClupAr3TjHp_xKj3pcdzeijIbwuj4BBl571crMW7lak1hyNwodtaGKULEQyF62ZKO1RuiFkG9V1LScOZexnRBf/s4032/IMG_2992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-k6xolPvXzIt-K0-L6sqfLnLZGDTUZi-u_8Mx9U3dwuZMzrsiEAMj8Kgmk7nIZZKgwokOJRmLz8xMVcFC1k8Zuw4XzgawjOVjuClupAr3TjHp_xKj3pcdzeijIbwuj4BBl571crMW7lak1hyNwodtaGKULEQyF62ZKO1RuiFkG9V1LScOZexnRBf/w480-h640/IMG_2992.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Morning Run</span></b></p><p>For more Wordless Wednesday, see the <a href="https://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">main site</a>.</p><p>For more of my photos, see <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/raimalarter/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-35458800466831968042023-04-27T16:04:00.000-06:002023-04-27T16:04:07.231-06:00Coming Soon! <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLlyxZ1-ZZAnhF4T_KVRB295qgiEJcj2NWWzEY-XAEC_UuR6WwLJUDOxAyZ8V4c0cSfPdowN7Y4ooa02FExycrFp5JM5JqnzL0bDKtOfw8b8Kd_DlcDHKm-RbyeDiKiZ8NXnCNTvJrQo6j-0C2PRP4W2q-IF835_ZPD4Wcigpl7ZXokTMiefF-XvF/s2048/Utopia%20April%202023%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1426" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLlyxZ1-ZZAnhF4T_KVRB295qgiEJcj2NWWzEY-XAEC_UuR6WwLJUDOxAyZ8V4c0cSfPdowN7Y4ooa02FExycrFp5JM5JqnzL0bDKtOfw8b8Kd_DlcDHKm-RbyeDiKiZ8NXnCNTvJrQo6j-0C2PRP4W2q-IF835_ZPD4Wcigpl7ZXokTMiefF-XvF/s320/Utopia%20April%202023%20cover.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><p></p><p>We have been hard at work on our next issue of Utopia Science Fiction Magazine and I have a sneak preview of the cover for you (see above!) and a list of this month's contributors, including J.S. Johnson, Nadine Aurora Tabing, Ray Daley, and others.<br /></p><p>We are very excited by this issue, which focuses on "Retro SciFi" -- classic science fiction, but without the racism, sexism, or colonialism. This issue will publish soon, on April 30!<br /></p><p>You can <a href="https://www.utopiasciencefiction.com/support" target="_blank">subscribe here</a> or check the <a href="https://www.utopiasciencefiction.com/" target="_blank">website </a>anytime after the issue is published to buy a single print or digital copy. </p><p>If you are interested in writing for us, <a href="https://www.utopiasciencefiction.com/submit" target="_blank">submission guidelines are here</a>. We are looking for fiction and poetry, but are also very much interested in short nonfiction pieces about cool science. We're open to queries about the latter if you have something in mind. You can contact us through the form at the bottom of <a href="https://www.utopiasciencefiction.com/about" target="_blank">this page</a> or submit a finished piece using the link to submission guidelines above.<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-69084563179243105832023-02-25T16:33:00.000-07:002023-02-25T16:33:58.772-07:00The Importance of Fiction<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLzGdsnFohR6RzoN7YFHjhub1SrhEtD1-QWf-BY9aywjnVrfKOWTp8WG1oSdMRZERmolxhyQ-KFhBl2g9OIphfJsKUcd9-wOI04rXJ87a0eji2kqTkFW7Mc180ldk78RYZM7js0XxPZSHoigeTyK1wYgAJvwVdG8Om6ieawz4IF5QtYjkUAKM2m15/s518/Mushroom%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="368" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLzGdsnFohR6RzoN7YFHjhub1SrhEtD1-QWf-BY9aywjnVrfKOWTp8WG1oSdMRZERmolxhyQ-KFhBl2g9OIphfJsKUcd9-wOI04rXJ87a0eji2kqTkFW7Mc180ldk78RYZM7js0XxPZSHoigeTyK1wYgAJvwVdG8Om6ieawz4IF5QtYjkUAKM2m15/s320/Mushroom%20cover.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>When I was about ten years old, my mother gave me a book to read that she said was about "a little girl who reminds me of you." The book was Madeleine L'Engle's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wrinkle-Time-Quintet/dp/0312367546/ref=sr_1_1?crid=XX559K17V1UH&keywords=Wrinkle+in+Time&qid=1677367295&sprefix=wrinkle+in+time%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1" target="_blank">A Wrinkle in Time </a>and it was one of the first science fiction books I'd ever read. <p></p><p>Mama was right--that little girl I was became a scientist (eventually) and I've always thought that L'Engle's book, as well as classics such as <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wonderful-Flight-Mushroom-Planet/dp/0316125377/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1677367347&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet</a> by Eleanor Cameron, helped me find my way into science as a profession.</p><p>Fast forward several decades, and I am now an Assistant Fiction Editor at Utopia Science Fiction Magazine. We publish optimistic stories of a future we might want to live in one day. It is my hope that our stories will inspire kids to consider science as a career, much as the science fiction I read so many years ago inspired me.</p><p>We have been running a Kickstarter Campaign during the month of February to raise enough money to publish another year of stories. If we surpass our goal of $5000 we can raise pay rates for writers and might even be able to publish an anthology. </p><p>Please consider helping out. The campaign ends on Tuesday (two days from now!) and we need only a few hundred dollars to reach our goal. If the goal isn't reached, we won't receive any of the funds pledged so far, so your help now can truly make this project successful.</p><p><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/utopiasciencefiction/volume-v-utopia-science-fiction-magazine-kickstarter?fbclid=IwAR29GPma73ydY4FHo8TlhI_tgJ8mbD95G3qvOm42Yi24eGnttOgYRwWHcV8" target="_blank">Here's the link</a> to donate. Thanks so much for your support!<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-86355293362722577262023-02-08T09:09:00.004-07:002023-02-08T09:09:52.006-07:00Nearly Wordless Wednesday<p> <b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrqPnAYNM57chae83Rw6HPUZNLj8Ip6O461vISCl8u359BudUVSnowdO6CQpTWVjJOKrWmQJfsbmUf0O1T0LeUWn_F8quurfUT9rEAyeN6I4VY3D77rntYaEj6jKvhmdCpMd7FZAXOU29pB4GWYXaeeEycMemIj3IuhexbBfdWOJikEJObgyaUSHr/s4032/Morning%20Run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrqPnAYNM57chae83Rw6HPUZNLj8Ip6O461vISCl8u359BudUVSnowdO6CQpTWVjJOKrWmQJfsbmUf0O1T0LeUWn_F8quurfUT9rEAyeN6I4VY3D77rntYaEj6jKvhmdCpMd7FZAXOU29pB4GWYXaeeEycMemIj3IuhexbBfdWOJikEJObgyaUSHr/w400-h300/Morning%20Run.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Morning Run</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;">For more Wordless Wednesday, see the <a href="https://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">main site</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;">For more of my photos, see <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/raimalarter/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Follow me on <a href="https://writing.exchange/@raimalarter" target="_blank">Mastodon</a>!<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-63756035592726617812023-01-30T11:51:00.002-07:002023-01-30T11:51:46.660-07:00What's in a Name?<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTUlSo1ONAe0Ns0mprOhkjZBRMdBavnTf4-dYY1VI5SfJbi6jQa33VrnDe5c8m8mabS5ggyH02Kn-Nk75as76aNvmM84Ucg4Ak3M7OoXLFgmvwIb9WzRmiY4oylKMEfqTwdWwvO2ymO8hD-RE24O_iWV9Lbpy7d_VnfYf0oPCHFhOFr3kA5rBWwVB/s1600/Figure%2017b%20fern%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1064" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTUlSo1ONAe0Ns0mprOhkjZBRMdBavnTf4-dYY1VI5SfJbi6jQa33VrnDe5c8m8mabS5ggyH02Kn-Nk75as76aNvmM84Ucg4Ak3M7OoXLFgmvwIb9WzRmiY4oylKMEfqTwdWwvO2ymO8hD-RE24O_iWV9Lbpy7d_VnfYf0oPCHFhOFr3kA5rBWwVB/s320/Figure%2017b%20fern%20photo.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTUlSo1ONAe0Ns0mprOhkjZBRMdBavnTf4-dYY1VI5SfJbi6jQa33VrnDe5c8m8mabS5ggyH02Kn-Nk75as76aNvmM84Ucg4Ak3M7OoXLFgmvwIb9WzRmiY4oylKMEfqTwdWwvO2ymO8hD-RE24O_iWV9Lbpy7d_VnfYf0oPCHFhOFr3kA5rBWwVB/s1600/Figure%2017b%20fern%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">Years ago, when I first started this blog,
my goal was to explore ways in which the study of complex systems might inform
our understanding of life. That, in a nutshell, is the origin of my blog’s
name, <i>Complexity Simplified</i>. However, new readers may not have seen my
early posts, so I thought it useful to review some of the concepts I explored years
ago when the blog was new.</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">I’ll start with some definitions: the
science of complexity is the study of complex adaptive systems. This type of science
is concerned with understanding how complex systems evolve and change,
especially when they self-organize and new behaviors and properties emerge. To
delve into this type of science, we first need to define what is meant by a
complex system. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">Complex systems are “smart.” This means
that they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">adapt</i> when conditions
change, rather than merely reacting to those changes. A thermometer is not a
complex system, since an increase in temperature merely causes liquid to rise up
the thermometer’s glass tube a certain distance in proportion to that
temperature change. The thermometer simply <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">reacts</i>
to the change. It is not smart enough to adapt to the changing temperature.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">Our bodies, of course, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are</i> smart enough to adapt—within limits.
Other complex systems can do this as well. Consider, for example, an ecological
system. This collection of plants, animals, microbes, bodies of water,
wetlands, deserts, and so on is a system in which the parts are connected and
interdependent. An ecological system <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can</i>
adapt to temperature changes. It is smarter than a thermometer. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">Every time the season changes, as
temperatures plummet at the approach of winter or soar when summer arrives, an
eco-system adapts and survives. Even if those changes become long-term or even
permanent, an ecological system has ways to adapt. Eco-systems are smart
because they can adjust to a change in climate by, for example, shifting the
mix of species. In this way, the system as a whole survives. The end result of
this adaptation could be a very different eco-system than the original, though.
Individual animals or plants, or even entire species within that system may not
make it, but the system as a whole will likely survive. It has adapted.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">This is not to say that climate change is
“okay.” In order for an eco-system to adjust to something as severe as the
warming of the entire planet, it is highly likely that some species will go
extinct. One of those species could be our own. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">Our immune system is another example of a
smart, complex system. It will adapt by ramping up to an activated state when a
virus or bacterium enters our body. All systems in the body are adaptable and,
thus, complex. Social systems are also considered to be complex systems, since
they have the ability to adapt to changing conditions. In fact, social systems,
in many ways, act more like a living organism than like a machine. All of these
complex systems have one characteristic in common: they are capable of adapting
to change, sometimes in creative and unexpected ways.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">***</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">This post is an excerpt from the
Introduction to my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Insights-New-Science-Complex/dp/9811233829/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1607358804&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><i>Spiritual Insights from the New Science: ComplexSystems and Life</i></a>. I hope to provide additional excerpts in future blog
posts. Get your copy anywhere books or sold, or directly from the publisher,
<a href="https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12158#t=aboutBook" target="_blank">World Scientific Publishing</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-81810287496696600702023-01-25T09:00:00.002-07:002023-01-25T09:10:20.615-07:00Nearly Wordless Wednesday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5b16uxuK8AjPfTePQxZfAGZiFlQbEa6NEpgrZ0AsDjXjrXZg62-TSM_XO5EvaYI84ypx7YDsmcCbqx8hNncdVOq1mzhymKiCGJpp3kA-nJJjAxTIutsmlFVven4ytSQu3Ze402KlzWjbJoHey5S0wYlqkD6lv_DIECUrz8LXCrQauDP6HrByQ6wxb/s2016/IMG_2688.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5b16uxuK8AjPfTePQxZfAGZiFlQbEa6NEpgrZ0AsDjXjrXZg62-TSM_XO5EvaYI84ypx7YDsmcCbqx8hNncdVOq1mzhymKiCGJpp3kA-nJJjAxTIutsmlFVven4ytSQu3Ze402KlzWjbJoHey5S0wYlqkD6lv_DIECUrz8LXCrQauDP6HrByQ6wxb/w480-h640/IMG_2688.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Snowy Morning in Colorado</b></p><p>For more Wordless Wednesday, see the <a href="https://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">main site</a>.</p><p>For more of my photos, see <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/raimalarter/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-2447123876833172142023-01-11T11:47:00.000-07:002023-01-11T11:47:19.999-07:00First Story of 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BLLjc4MDnCf2fX6lbI9a3FEqOBjkkFR94XVXmI89STOSEf0E2ZACgC0yXFymaWpGHkKv5uKOPdWuYf7BkU_64Q-0nVZYay94qoEOh4gNTcPw-yQrMK0qV6O3yF3vXABHvpGIO5thJ-XK0XG2tW5VoQLN3aZNLbNC48ZuBkkrL155inEEWS379pFv/s958/Last%20House%20Holland%20Island%20Maryland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="958" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BLLjc4MDnCf2fX6lbI9a3FEqOBjkkFR94XVXmI89STOSEf0E2ZACgC0yXFymaWpGHkKv5uKOPdWuYf7BkU_64Q-0nVZYay94qoEOh4gNTcPw-yQrMK0qV6O3yF3vXABHvpGIO5thJ-XK0XG2tW5VoQLN3aZNLbNC48ZuBkkrL155inEEWS379pFv/w400-h269/Last%20House%20Holland%20Island%20Maryland.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The last house on Holland Island in the Chesapeake Bay as it appeared in 2009. The house is now gone; it fell into the bay in October, 2010. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_Island#/media/File:Holland_Island_house.jpg" target="_blank">Posted on Wikipedia and reproduced with attribution to the original</a>.<p></p><p>My first story of 2023 was just published! It is entitled "Maude's Place," and was inspired by this photo. You can <a href="https://flashfictionmagazine.com/blog/2023/01/11/maudes-place/" target="_blank">read it here.</a> </p><p>I'm grateful to Flash Fiction Magazine for their support of my work. Please note that you are welcome to leave comments on the story itself and are free to share it. Thanks!<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-36120577194118804142023-01-05T11:41:00.000-07:002023-01-05T11:41:51.980-07:00Blogging Tips<p>I've started blogging again. And I'm noticing that many people are doing the same, but calling their posts "newsletters" or "long form reads" or some other thing, but we are all attempting to do the same thing: write something that exceeds the character limit on whatever micro-blogging platform we use.</p><p>I started this blog late in 2008 and very enthusiastically started posting, sometimes several times a week. You can see from this graph that the early enthusiasm lasted only a few months, when I fell back to a posting schedule that was more like once a week: <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQX2zT9jyvTnOqb9XwyEdJVIsNu-1JcIDihMYzNb751wzfKFmvWFkjWqqZvU3M1UkBmyhQXEhLM4mCcJzKOpoxMPik7lnweoalPWXBJpsnuG53UvcNSdIWCuWO-0lNd8fLInya7ZamcLe1s0fc9FSyOhz06ha_DpqEOpDxIh1nuMfJCvDousPxDV7b/s728/Blog%20statistics%20graph.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="728" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQX2zT9jyvTnOqb9XwyEdJVIsNu-1JcIDihMYzNb751wzfKFmvWFkjWqqZvU3M1UkBmyhQXEhLM4mCcJzKOpoxMPik7lnweoalPWXBJpsnuG53UvcNSdIWCuWO-0lNd8fLInya7ZamcLe1s0fc9FSyOhz06ha_DpqEOpDxIh1nuMfJCvDousPxDV7b/w640-h382/Blog%20statistics%20graph.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>That continued for a few years until I started writing books...and you can see what happened then. The year 2015 was especially bad, but 2021 wasn't much better.</p><p>I learned a few things in my early blogging years that some people who are new to this may wish to heed: keep those posts short! People don't want to read anything longer than 500 words. 300 words is better. (This post is 220 words.)<br /></p><p>And use visual images: photos, graphs (as here!), anything to illustrate the words you are writing.</p><p>I've set some goals for 2023 and one of them is this: post more on my blog. I'm hoping for once a week. This is the first installment of the year. More to come!<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-51708506267521311722022-12-26T09:42:00.007-07:002022-12-26T09:55:34.902-07:00Annual Writing Report - 2022<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRDkSHybSqa8FcYlQaiIHd72KYaiwlHA1Zj1gJ-A4MtQJv8ThxGlFXH0XWRfLz1O4TqZJ6MscDltj_QbbJlIAFSWdlawiNPfNvCiKrnDZCOBH2h7vr02ZKTjXlR3_GSlguKw3LTebU13AC26tI-N6pOGlcKG4mMVM7Dx6G9FGKUoJbp_HtbJXqhUh/s2487/coffee%20cup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2487" data-original-width="1765" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRDkSHybSqa8FcYlQaiIHd72KYaiwlHA1Zj1gJ-A4MtQJv8ThxGlFXH0XWRfLz1O4TqZJ6MscDltj_QbbJlIAFSWdlawiNPfNvCiKrnDZCOBH2h7vr02ZKTjXlR3_GSlguKw3LTebU13AC26tI-N6pOGlcKG4mMVM7Dx6G9FGKUoJbp_HtbJXqhUh/s320/coffee%20cup.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>Another year and I'm still writing! Much of this activity has been fueled by this stuff (*coffee*) and supported by lots of long walks and runs, which is where I get a great deal of my writing and thinking-about-writing done.<p></p><p>This year I published four short pieces (two flash fiction stories, one poem, and one creative nonfiction piece) as well as a book. In that sense, it was a very good year, but the publication list is only that: a list of the things that were finished and made it out into the world. </p><p>It doesn't include the many pages of things I'm still in the process of writing: one novel, for which I have a finished draft, another novel, for which I have an unfinished (!) draft, and about two dozen short stories and poems. At least. There may be more than two dozen, but this count is an ephemeral one, since the number of items changes each day.</p><p>It also doesn't include the finished items that I've submitted to various places for publication. These include a number of short stories and poems, but also one science fiction novel and a novella, <i>Silver Rush</i>. The latter is a companion piece to my novel, <a href="https://mascotbooks.com/mascot-marketplace/buy-books/fiction/historical-fiction/belle-o-the-waters/" target="_blank"><i>Belle o' the Waters</i></a>, and tells the story of Maggie and Silas, who are secondary characters in that earlier story. <br /></p><p>Since this is my annual writing report, though, I need to list the new publications. First, the two short stories, one of which (Solve for X) was actually a reprint of a piece that was published by a journal that went defunct:</p><p><a href="https://doublebackreview.com/issue-4-1-april-2022/r-larter-solve-for-x/" target="_blank"><i>Solve for X</i></a>, Linden Avenue Literary Journal (September, 2018); republished by <a href="https://doublebackreview.com/issue-4-1-april-2022/r-larter-solve-for-x/" target="_blank">Doubleback Review</a> (April, 2022) </p><p>The second short story is a funny take on an all-too-familiar situation that anyone who has worked for a place with an HR department will probably recognize: <br /></p><p><i><a href="https://www.intrinsick.com/stories/team-building-exercise" target="_blank">Team Building Exercise</a>, </i>Intrinsick Mag (October 2, 2022) </p><p>I was also thrilled to have a poem published by Whale Road Review. This is only my second published poem ever, which (again) shows me that I need to start submitting more of my poetry:</p><p><a href="https://www.whaleroadreview.com/larter/" target="_blank"><i>The Great Red Spot</i></a>, Whale Road Review (September 15, 2022) </p><p>Finally, I was grateful to have a piece of creative nonfiction published in the long-running literary magazine Gargoyle, now Gargoyle Online. I'm especially proud that this piece was picked up by the first place I submitted it to. That almost never happens, and to have it occur for a genre I really don't write in much, is especially nice:</p><p><a href="https://gargoylemagazine.com/raima-larter/" target="_blank"><i>Pillar of Salt</i></a>, Gargoyle Online (October, 2022)</p><p>As discussed in earlier posts, I made the decision in the spring to pull together all my published short stories as well as a handful of new ones and self-publish my second short story collection. This decision came about when I discovered that several of the literary magazines that had published my work had gone out of business, taking my stories with them, and making it impossible for readers to find my work.</p><p>The resulting book,<i> </i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YTZ6Z7D?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860" target="_blank"><i>Motherhood and Other Magical Realms</i> </a>is now available in both paperback and e-book format. You can find it online wherever books are sold (Amazon, B&N, Bookshop.org or IndieBound.org) or I can send you a signed copy for just $10. Send me an email at raima (at) raimalarter (dot) com or visit my online bookshop here: <a href="https://raima-larter-books.square.site/s/shop">https://raima-larter-books.square.site/s/shop</a>.<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-4946667409584141772022-12-21T11:10:00.000-07:002022-12-21T11:10:10.200-07:00Nearly Wordless Wednesday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0IofHRP8Qiv0P8JWt0VlZniO6YbiXqZnrZ-LfXjzsjc2VPuPGiRfsgk5a7iI9F1I4hLaGpHAQZVhjRSwvz2UbI-_VwJGVoO1fLBfGBGY5Kwdm8qca7lloRzh0WgOM10yNbne3Segsg2Iv_lbuxP4JRYoVgwiDdLGEqvC4rdsifI_YnY1M_9T7xuk/s3008/snowbush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3008" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0IofHRP8Qiv0P8JWt0VlZniO6YbiXqZnrZ-LfXjzsjc2VPuPGiRfsgk5a7iI9F1I4hLaGpHAQZVhjRSwvz2UbI-_VwJGVoO1fLBfGBGY5Kwdm8qca7lloRzh0WgOM10yNbne3Segsg2Iv_lbuxP4JRYoVgwiDdLGEqvC4rdsifI_YnY1M_9T7xuk/w426-h640/snowbush.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Happy Solstice. Welcome to Winter! </b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b> </b>For more Wordless Wednesday, see the <a href="https://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">main site</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;">For more of my photos, see <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/raimalarter/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Follow me on <a href="https://writing.exchange/@raimalarter" target="_blank">Mastodon</a>!<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b> </b><br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-62197036155426767332022-12-14T15:00:00.000-07:002022-12-14T15:00:10.624-07:00Nearly Wordless Wednesday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57dw0RPGYsLRWlqGYnTJaajZJ3jgIi8xdS_i0-EMRqkxqcvwLJt2CAt1Qr3T1efEkn38FQ4teNisfOj5ERfjGh8g43AxewmIEi23tcHRjQxEWoCdACjhvloSe7vcbMC21S43G6rJM2lkuNaTU3BXaqLF6NtzY_BV2YAewvcyk_I0_fwKU7FVZYoxO/s4017/sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2405" data-original-width="4017" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57dw0RPGYsLRWlqGYnTJaajZJ3jgIi8xdS_i0-EMRqkxqcvwLJt2CAt1Qr3T1efEkn38FQ4teNisfOj5ERfjGh8g43AxewmIEi23tcHRjQxEWoCdACjhvloSe7vcbMC21S43G6rJM2lkuNaTU3BXaqLF6NtzY_BV2YAewvcyk_I0_fwKU7FVZYoxO/w640-h384/sunrise.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Colorado Sunrise</b></p><p>For more Wordless Wednesday, see the <a href="https://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">main site</a>.</p><p>For more of my photos, see <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/raimalarter/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</p><p>Find me on <a href="https://writing.exchange/@raimalarter" target="_blank">Mastodon</a>! <br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-78847394376673509272022-12-11T11:47:00.001-07:002022-12-11T11:47:58.918-07:00Blog Anniversary<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gwzRbMSyhx46FQdI34cUcZlq-jUcfvJUKMNxJNRmtnadrBzJ9HIIoISdX3Y4NfOqxyeOZybTjJTEr-MbV9afAqC4iiPj2C8qI85Y7u7TgqMuFatdt7KLI3HmLqKYnw9crU-uA2R75Wf_AUC5hoeGj4tvJnYt9xfmvxf0LYtQWEnW7dNFRiSP8XvO/s301/number%2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="301" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gwzRbMSyhx46FQdI34cUcZlq-jUcfvJUKMNxJNRmtnadrBzJ9HIIoISdX3Y4NfOqxyeOZybTjJTEr-MbV9afAqC4iiPj2C8qI85Y7u7TgqMuFatdt7KLI3HmLqKYnw9crU-uA2R75Wf_AUC5hoeGj4tvJnYt9xfmvxf0LYtQWEnW7dNFRiSP8XvO/s1600/number%2014.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>On December 11, 2008, I started this blog, and I never would have predicted it would still be going strong fourteen years later, but here we are! <a href="https://raimalarter.blogspot.com/2008/12/welcome-to-my-new-blog-i-will-be.html" target="_blank">My first post</a> was short and sweet:<p></p><p>"Welcome to my new blog! I will be writing here about complex systems
science, aka complexity science or the theory of emergence...maybe other
names even I don't know. In the old days we called it chaos theory,
nonlinear dynamics or a bunch of other things but times have changed
because the science has changed!<br /><br />More later..."</p><p>And I <i>did</i> write more later. Lots more. I haven't written much on the blog about this topic lately, but I have written a book about it. <a href="https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12158#t=aboutBook" target="_blank"><i>Spiritual Insights from the New Science: Complex Systems and Life</i></a> has many sections that I tried out in my blog posts before attempting to pull them into a book. So, the blog served its purpose well, which was to give me a place to play with ideas I was attempting to turn into a book. <br /></p><p>Along the way, I've covered many other topics: writing, e-publishing, gardening, family events and milestones, photography, yoga...in short, anything that interests me. </p><p>Here's to a few more years! I may not be blogging 14 years from now, but there's no telling....<br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-28421376560216011652022-12-07T12:03:00.000-07:002022-12-07T12:03:27.086-07:00Nearly Wordless Wednesday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRsZprdw_dxow7KZZ6BYSt5zmgz5A4yY5_obJh0ei9q2lAnk0_D6VOxoo9Owsvu6xva23nPjmKIvErKHx6XStybbpUOzCMFbJ_Xnb4_Ax6WceytkIhiubvzVoMPFGQN6MyvdJkgUPaTToIskWmCbO4Ph2xcEeNGtRFC_vXL0w6iTMjtYJEqiAU77m/s5152/IMG_1395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRsZprdw_dxow7KZZ6BYSt5zmgz5A4yY5_obJh0ei9q2lAnk0_D6VOxoo9Owsvu6xva23nPjmKIvErKHx6XStybbpUOzCMFbJ_Xnb4_Ax6WceytkIhiubvzVoMPFGQN6MyvdJkgUPaTToIskWmCbO4Ph2xcEeNGtRFC_vXL0w6iTMjtYJEqiAU77m/w640-h480/IMG_1395.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>For more Wordless Wednesday, visit the <a href="https://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">main site</a>.</p><p>For more of my photos, see <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/raimalarter/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</p><p><a href="https://raima.substack.com/" target="_blank">Follow my blog on Substack</a>!</p><p><br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-11512487271053348572022-12-06T13:30:00.006-07:002022-12-06T13:30:44.610-07:00Author Signing a Success!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTPUwWaxWDgArF18It5NwcUGR4SBRXSGkvViBfkKA0fafi-ALT-GsE-i0MG1eGhP7WDNIdYHVKakk4kSslxv-Iuk8RTV-zmc7-LXv8hx7LP8Sx_jyMPJOhWVxOmH72VDfhPZY13kPZo3NThlrxyjGpIq86l3ADWldHE209ImnTWqXhinPNY8wPV4_/s2016/Tattered_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTPUwWaxWDgArF18It5NwcUGR4SBRXSGkvViBfkKA0fafi-ALT-GsE-i0MG1eGhP7WDNIdYHVKakk4kSslxv-Iuk8RTV-zmc7-LXv8hx7LP8Sx_jyMPJOhWVxOmH72VDfhPZY13kPZo3NThlrxyjGpIq86l3ADWldHE209ImnTWqXhinPNY8wPV4_/s320/Tattered_Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Thanks so much to everyone who came out for Colorado Local Author Day
at Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver! This is one of the few very
successful indie bookshops left and it did not disappoint. </p><p><span>Here I am with my collection of books. All of these can be ordered through </span><a href="https://www.tatteredcover.com/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Tattered Cover</a><span> or your favorite indie bookstore. Check out </span><a href="https://bookshop.org/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">bookshop.org</a><span> or </span><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">IndieBound.org</a><span>, both of which allow you to search for your favorite local store and order through them.</span></p><p><span>All of my books are also available through </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B004YXOBE0" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Amazon</a><span> or directly from the publisher in some cases. I also have a few signed copies available through </span><a href="https://raima-larter-books.square.site/s/shop" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">my online bookshop</a><span>. </span></p><p>And
even if you’ve already bought my books (thank you!!), remember that
books make great holiday gifts. Word of mouth is THE BEST WAY for books
to find their way to new readers, so thank you, as always, for your help
with spreading the word.</p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-70614134755412318432022-11-30T10:18:00.000-07:002022-11-30T10:18:29.637-07:00Nearly Wordless Wednesday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-_qSqr60VZj8h9vAvCERf9QP91ckhdZl_ALoUhwnRHUawhFrIHwG3ZDZaw87oaGKlyQCqLBPaUY1Fw5FEU0Hb2yia45NvwAaiTFycl3RvhaVuhJOrl3opUG_8em5t4CFfS34iqoN6NAY3PRqD5IBnUChmZ_UyhlQ00xJ9oyJWF2Bge-Ni1d_XeYE/s1400/Nano%20Winner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1288" data-original-width="1400" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-_qSqr60VZj8h9vAvCERf9QP91ckhdZl_ALoUhwnRHUawhFrIHwG3ZDZaw87oaGKlyQCqLBPaUY1Fw5FEU0Hb2yia45NvwAaiTFycl3RvhaVuhJOrl3opUG_8em5t4CFfS34iqoN6NAY3PRqD5IBnUChmZ_UyhlQ00xJ9oyJWF2Bge-Ni1d_XeYE/s320/Nano%20Winner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Finished! <a href="https://nanowrimo.org/participants/raima-larter" target="_blank">Final word count</a> was 50,241, although the story still has no ending. I plan to keep writing in December.</p><p>For more Wordless Wednesday posts, see <a href="https://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">the main site</a>.</p><p>Follow me on <a href="https://writing.exchange/@raimalarter" target="_blank">Mastodon! </a><br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-83409760730770403532022-11-23T11:02:00.000-07:002022-11-23T11:02:29.903-07:00Nearly Wordless Wednesday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3URiTpAPYtuuJVYp4LIiqpsp-BlRA9eZvrUa79kcmnwrV2bVPvjH20VkDdE6mlNFuT0XVPaLjzV2H952hdoAcIq8vnNRGD3Jz8706Rv33WoyKCgooSYDIdA5fF2zXu-AVlhayGWIOwopCz5zXQBlCO-5GY27y4sH3BLR5O_K7f882ljhgKBiROTeX/s960/sunset%20walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3URiTpAPYtuuJVYp4LIiqpsp-BlRA9eZvrUa79kcmnwrV2bVPvjH20VkDdE6mlNFuT0XVPaLjzV2H952hdoAcIq8vnNRGD3Jz8706Rv33WoyKCgooSYDIdA5fF2zXu-AVlhayGWIOwopCz5zXQBlCO-5GY27y4sH3BLR5O_K7f882ljhgKBiROTeX/w300-h400/sunset%20walk.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>Happy Thanksgiving! See the main <a href="https://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Wordless Wednesday site </a>for more.</p><p>Find more of my photos on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/raimalarter/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</p><p>Find me on Mastodon! New account there <a href="https://writing.exchange/@raimalarter" target="_blank">@raimalarter@writing.exchange </a><br /></p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325300274115265117.post-66678069307927523702022-11-21T09:14:00.001-07:002022-11-21T09:14:43.196-07:00Author Signing at Tattered Cover<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Srw3GzNEqQkPN6jgztWjUVbK3SnT1ztCnFZguN7yAlHQUyvc4esdfMYOmvr-gvv3aLL2k5agcqbge2_IN99Pdmkiop47pbeIOlNu2ykYc_AL6fJkZHwIowdQTboxavDFK2biecOGcMdO_wMqAEiwT0zCJNvdIH1ce0bDI0W2MxlfHOGMWpGjkxX_/s2000/pen-photo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1330" data-original-width="2000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Srw3GzNEqQkPN6jgztWjUVbK3SnT1ztCnFZguN7yAlHQUyvc4esdfMYOmvr-gvv3aLL2k5agcqbge2_IN99Pdmkiop47pbeIOlNu2ykYc_AL6fJkZHwIowdQTboxavDFK2biecOGcMdO_wMqAEiwT0zCJNvdIH1ce0bDI0W2MxlfHOGMWpGjkxX_/s320/pen-photo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span>Just a quick note to let you know that I will be signing copies of my books, including my most recent book, </span><em><a href="https://raimalarter.blogspot.com/p/books.html" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Motherhood and Other Magical Realms</a></em><span>, at </span><a href="https://www.tatteredcover.com/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Tattered Cover Bookstore</a><span> in Denver, Colorado on December 3, 2022 from 11am - 2 pm. The store is located at 2526 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80206.</span><p></p><p>If
you are in town, I would love to see you there. Other Colorado authors
will also be present and signing their books, so you may find another
favorite author if you drop by. </p><p><span>If you can’t make it to Tattered Cover, I can still send you signed copies of my books. You can order them from </span><a href="https://raima-larter-books.square.site/s/shop" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">my online store here</a><span>. And, of course, unsigned copies are available from any online retailer, including </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B004YXOBE0" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Amazon</a><span>, </span><a href="https://bookshop.org/books?keywords=Raima+Larter" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Bookshop.org</a><span> and </span><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Raima%20Larter" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Barnes & Noble</a><span>.</span></p><p>Wishing all my US readers a Happy Thanksgiving. This year, I am very grateful for all of you!</p><p> </p>Raimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13817382167424203932noreply@blogger.com1