The lady of Embracing a Wounded Soul honored me with this award. I had never heard of it before now, but I think I like it. I don’t know if I would call myself brave but I do have a heart. So I’ll take half credit for it. The lady deserves it for sure.
Tell us a little bit about your blog. Who designed it? The Theme is a free one from WordPress and I have put together the look and feel of it to match the place I was in at the time I began the blog. I’ve thought of changing it a little but each time something seems to make the look appropriate. I’ve done a bit of experimenting with the various aspects available to come up with something a little different here and there.
What is the title and description of your blog? RonovanWrites. Author of MG/YA/NA/A Fiction through the eyes of a Lost Mind.
Who is your intended audience? Whoever happens to wander through. I want to be a place people can come for a little variety, enjoyment, and understanding.
How did you come up with the title of your blog? My name is Ronovan and I write . . . anything and everything. If people are wondering about the Lost Mind part, well, that has to do with amnesia.
Give us an interesting fun fact about your blog. It will be 3 months old on July 17 and I put out at least 3 pieces of content each day. Why? I’m nuts.
What other blogs do you own and what makes them alike? I have some in the thought process but not sure if I will actually do anything. I do have an actual website that isn’t hosted, why, money. It’s ronovan.com, very original, huh?
Do you have any unique talents or hobbies? Talents? Hmm, I can teach little girls to drive golf carts. Actually I don’t know of any. Hobbies? I write. Unique ones? I love people. Actually maybe one talent is the ability to listen and just be open to actually listening to what others have to say and putting aside my own feelings in order to try and help them to get to where they need to be.
What can we expect from you in the future? I need to, as they say down in my part of the country, hunker down . . . and get to work on revising my YA novel. I just this week started three Haiku Challenges and have Author, Cross Culture and Blogger Interviews on the way. But in truth, I want to get back to more of the writing, although I am learning a great deal about writing in everything I do. I have found the more you write, no matter the kind of writing, you learn, you learn your voice, and you learn your art. Oh, and I also have a second book in a romance novel trilogy that I was writing that I actually want to do possibly as a stand alone book instead. It’s a bit of a unique take on romance I think. I’ve found my writer’s voice now, I think I can do something more with it.
Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers/bloggers? I like to say that tips from me are like chastity and relationship tips from the Kardashians, not worth much. But I suppose for writing . . . keep writing, read a lot, and not just books, but anything you can get your hands on. I read blogs of other writers and learn what does and does not work. For Bloggers . . . just don’t stop. Proofread what you put out, preview before you publish, take advice from other bloggers, engage with your those who comment on your articles and posts, and do not argue with an internet troll. Don’t feed the trolls. Also don’t be afraid to experiment with your blog early on. Also always be honest. A reader can smell a fake a mile away and won’t come back.
Before you go, could you share a snippet from your blog? I will share a post I wrote once. “I don’t write poetry, I write micro chapters of my life.”
I would like to nominate the following blogs for the Braveheart Award:
To be honest I don’t know what constitutes a brave heart for this award. We all have them. We all live each day and don’t give up. Perhaps those who are willing to give of their hearts even when they know it won’t turn out well for themselves or perhaps follow their hearts when it won’t make loved ones happy.
I suppose Kate of DazzlingWhimsy comes to mind as she raises her daughters by working so hard. I don’t know how she does it all, but she does. I’m not sure her girls even realize what all she does yet, but they will someday. Moms don’t come better than this one.
I think Cielo of Ways of Life for loving as she does and showing fun on her website. A brave front and brave face to go with a bravery to follow her brave heart. I read her site and see these funny articles and all of her fascination with makeup and I know there is more behind it. She’s helped me understand there is a lot more to people sometimes than you think. She’s a good one folks. Just don’t tell her I said that.
Hannah of Inked Roses comes to mind for bravery to throw herself out and into her writing in spite of her tendency to hold back. I want that brave heart to break a lot of walls down.
I think the rules are to answer the above questions, post the award, link back to who gave it to you and nominate others.
I normally don’t like to group awards together but things are getting a little rough for the old Lost Mind of late. He’s starting to struggle a bit. The flames are beginning to be felt.
I recently was nominated for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by TWO wonderful and talented ladies.
First to arrive was Hilary of The Joy of Writing. I was pleased with this award coming from a fellow educator and one with a “Master’s degree in Secondary Education with a specialization in English”. (Please no proofreading, Hilary.) Hilary has the tips we all need. If you come to my site to be a better writer, I should have a header photo sign saying go to Hilary’s site instead. We met through The Blogging U Writing 101 June Class.
Then Hannah from Inked Roses arrived. A lovely young lady who I greatly admire in many ways. We met through The Blogging U Writing 101 June Class and my admiration has grown all the more since. I wait eagerly for each of her new works to arrive.
Here are the rules for accepting the award:
Thank and link to the amazing person who nominated you.
List the rules and display the award.
Share seven facts about yourself.
Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated.
Proudly display the award logo on your blog and follow the blogger who nominated you.
Seven Facts that I haven’t Revealed so Far?
1. I have attempted to go Vegetarian but it’s a bit difficult without a little bit of support from the Grocery Shoppers when one cannot get out often.
2. I enjoy writing poetry as a visual art in that I once I finish a piece I look and see if there is some form to it that with a slight wonder change can give an artistic shape to it, or I space the lines and stanzas out among photographs to act as accents or frames for my words.
3. My writing seems to be supportive of women in their individuality, equality and my adoration for them as an amazing creation above all other creations.
4. I dislike people who like to hear themselves talk or type when they actually have nothing to say at all.
5. I once won a speed skating contest in my younger days.
6. The more I write the more I discover that there is more I don’t know about writing and the more things I wish to write about.
7. I am always about 3 minutes away from burnout in blogging but without it I am lost.
My nominations for this award will be brief:
Jennifer of THE THINGS I YELL AT MY TELEVISION. “I got tired of going hoarse screaming at the television, computer monitor, and radio, so I decided to start a blog to share my illuminating thoughts and reflections on life in the modern world with all of you, or with my mom, because I think she might be the only one who ever sees this.” Look at the name of the blog. Do I really need to do anything or say anything to get you to click that? Didn’t think so.
Christine of The Journeyman’s Moments. “I am a dreamer who dreams of perfection but to say that would be to relinquish most of my imperfections too. Quite impossible, I have my own weaknesses. We all have. But I pursue where I do good and not the other way around.”
Sarah of The Lit Bear “Before she ever learned her first words (which took little time), her old Choctaw grandfather bestowed upon her a second name: Bear.” Poetry and Fiction and she says she can really pull of the short hair look, and that it makes her feel like a real bad . . . well you use what word you wish.
Justine of Eclectic odds n sods. “The above picture kind of sums me up and the ‘feeling’ predominantly filtering through most of this blog. No I am not a troll, but doesn’t he have the look of being a ‘right little ole cheeky monkey?’” And that is what you get from Justine. I need humor in my life and this is one place I go to find it. I never know what to expect and at times that’s just what you want. She’s a wedge of her life type of writer. (I have become disenchanted with typing slice of life, although I know that fits, well sometimes hers is a wedge.)
Linda of STUDY GOD’S WORD. “Often, as I study, I hear my dad’s words in my memory as well as those of other great men and women of the Word that it has been my privilege to hear over the years.” If I need to explain what her blog is about . . . well okay. Visit her to Study the Bible. She shares the message. I may write anything and everything within reason but I always try to remain a decent person. I had even thought of doing my own Bible related blog at one point, but my ministry is elsewhere.
Hugh of Hugh’s Views & News. “Based in Hove, East Sussex, in the United Kingdom, I write about all kinds of everyday life and what it brings to us all. Nothing too serious, most of the time just about the little things in life and how important they can be to all of us. Some of my blogs will be humorous, while others may bring a tear to the eye.” Fiction, life, photography. He keeps things varied. I seem to really enjoy is photography and I also appreciate his comments on my articles. That seems to be something those on the list so far have in common. It seems those that are inspiring seem to be the ones that do reach out and connect with others. I appreciate Hugh for that as well as everyone else. Hugh actually commented recently and made me rethink a way of writing articles. He doesn’t know it, but perhaps I will notice what it is someday.
Mikhaeyla of [w]rite of passage. A writer with a nice way with words. Vague enough? Visit the site. I’ve put in quotes from the About pages so far, but this time I have only seven words to say. Pearl Jam and To Kill A Mockingbird.
Florence of Meanings and Musings. “I embody these – ‘child of the Universe’, counselor, daughter, educator, friend, lawyer, lover, mother, psychotherapist, sister, wife – and many more. What do they reflect, I wonder. 🙂 ”
I am not sure how many nominees that was. To those I didn’t nominate, I know I should have, I apologize, I will do so in time when the names I can attach to faces. When you don’t know what day it is, it’s can be a bit difficult to remember a few other things at times.
Again I am honored by the nominations. I hope that I at some point live up to deserving the award.
I first want to thank DazzlingWhimsy for creating this badge for the challenge.
Welcome to the first Weekly Wordless Haiku Challenge.
The rules are simple: For how to write a Haiku in English and using the 5/7/5 syllable pattern click here.
No words or numbers of any kind can appear in the images you use. This includes sign language . . . of any kind.
This is an example of one I created last week.
The Haiku was:
Moon Shadow Dancers
Heartbeats Stumble, falling in
Love Infinity
I know, not the best but it was better then the first one I posted.
Here’s the challenge; You created your own wordless Haiku for Wednesday or any day really, then either post a link in the comments here for everyone that visits to go see and/or ping back (or copy the URL for this post into your Haiku post) to this post in your Haiku post.
I will read it and comment on it. Once I comment come get the badge.
If some of you would like a theme to prompt you what to begin thinking of let me know in the comments and I will begin including one for those who would like it. Perhaps this week it could be Soccer and Defeat in honor of the World Cup championship.
People can remember events in their lives or recall specific details of life associated with an event even decades later. The odd thing is, they don’t even know the relevance of what that detail is.
Just imagine all the beautiful sounding songs you’ve ever heard and then think of some of the lyrics to them. You can’t right of the top of your head probably. It’s one of those “If you hadn’t asked me I could’ve named a dozen of them” kind of things.
One song that is incredibly simple, sweet, and beautiful has said to be one of the top 10 most covered songs ever. Some cover it because it’s beautiful. Some, though, realize there is a message there.
Blackbird written by Paul McCartney was recorded in 1968 and appeared on the Beatles ‘White Album’. Do you know the message? It’s 1968, an Englishman looks at America and sees what is happening. He thinks of the people in America and thinks of a girl, a bird.
Blackbird is born. McCartney writes about Civil Rights. Normally I would explain a little more and then give you the song followed by the lyrics. But there is a reason Paul’s song has been covered so many times. He’s an author more than a song writer. I call poetry micro chapters of my autobiography. Paul writes micro chapters of history.
It’s 1968. America.
April 1968 Martin Luther King Jr has been assassinated.
June 1968 Paul McCartney enters the studio and records,
“Blackbird”
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
You love the song from the moment the first chord is struck. The music and the voice harmonizes and you get lost before you even know what the song is about. You just know you love the song. Then one day you listen to the words and there it is. You but the year and the song together and you get it.
I’m a Southern man. Many may automatically think all Southern men have racial issues. I know of attitudes that are like that now. You can see it in the news today where something happens and they write it off as ‘well that’s the south for you’. Take a closer look at the news. It’s not just the South or mostly the South.
I’m a Southern man and I love all people. I love this song. I love the message. As a historian I am amazed at what it says. Paul McCartney, historian, author, singer, songwriter.
For those who say the Beatles weren’t something special . . . keep your Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber.
Cyber Bullying, Internet Bullying, Cyber Bullies, Trolls. You know where this is going. Did you know that if you share your thoughts on the internet that you might get attacked or that people like to use those things to try and make you feel weak and bad? No? It happens, even to the nicest people, INCLUDING adults. Cyber Bullying isn’t just about teenagers or younger any longer or in truth has never just been about those ages. Some call it discussing, commenting or debating. To me once you cross a line it becomes something else. This isn’t about something that’s happened to me. It’s happened to my FRIENDS.
Internet Cyber Bullies: Not just for the young.
by: Ronovan
Why do bloggers blog? Is it because we want attention? For some that may be the case, but I would say for most it is to share their thoughts and their creations. There are those who do it as a hobby of sorts or even as a way to make money. I need to look into how to do that last one. I’m not sure anyone would pay me to write what I write. I’m just too random.
If you are a paid columnist for a major publication I am sure you expect some attacks or fallout from certain pieces published. For those who simply share personal experiences in order for others to find a person to connect with and heal with, I expect an attack comes as a shock. It’s a sucker punch, a low blow, basically a jerk thing to do.
Have I been personally attacked? No, but I have seen my friends attacked. I hold my tongue and bite my fingers while I’m at it. Sure, I may write something in response either on their blog or even in an article myself but it is always more toward the support of the friend than against the attacker. I like to support the positive and not encourage the negative.
I’m a peacemaker. It’s what some call a spiritual gift. When I see strife it tears at me. When it involves one of my friends, especially a woman, I become . . . not happy. Society needs to realize that Cyber Bullying is not just limited to school aged kids. It happens to adults too. Sometimes it’s even by another blogger who is just so self centered they can’t see past their ego bubble to notice they have a problem.
And if what is called a ‘troll’ can find you and your weakness they are going to pick at that weakness until it bleeds and you crack. Yes, ‘troll’ is just another word for cyber bully. But people apply it to adult on adult bullying because we as adults are supposed to be able to handle ourselves.
Really? Give a try sometime and see how you like it. Not everyone is the same. Not everyone’s history is the same. I wrote an interview recently that showed me how different people really can be. That in part sparked this article. That, and a few other incidents.
‘Troll’ alert: I’m good. I’m better adjusted than my site content may suggest. I’ve been mentally attacked by the best and I’m still standing.
No matter what a blogger says the ‘troll’ will take the opposite view or spin words to create chaos, even if the blogger agrees at some point, the ‘troll’ will just change their words to keep an argument going.
‘Trolls’ want to argue and hurt people. Some ‘trolls’ don’t even know they’re ‘trolls’. However, they do know what they are doing. They find that person they think is weak, discover things about them, and then when the opportunity arises they strike. Or perhaps they don’t realize that’s what they are doing, I mean some of them. They just ended up mentally conditioned to prey upon others. I’m not giving them a free pass for it. Big boy, put on the big boy panties and act like a big boy or girl.
So how do you handle a ‘troll’? If you are a blogger you can block them from posting. Or better is just to ignore them and ask your reader Friends to not reply to their comments. ‘Trolls’ want attention. Don’t give it to them and some day they will go away.
But that isn’t the answer for some bloggers. There are some situations that can’t be ignored. That’s when you do have to block them or even report them to whoever you have your blog with. I would just make sure to reply to a comment telling the ‘troll’ not to comment on any more of your blog posts or any other social network or media you are involved with. Copy it, screenshot it, keep it, and if it continues, it’s harassment.
Will this article bring the ‘trolls’ my way? Perhaps, but if they disrupt my Friends enjoyment of my creations they will be blocked. And in truth, they would just give me more things to write about. Perhaps my next article would be Cyber Bully Booger Blues. So sad.
“It is the end of fall in the kingdom of Alymphia. Princess Aria and Prince Hob are readying themselves for yet another Fall Passing Festival. But unbeknownst to them, change is coming to the kingdom. Change brought on by dark forces and events that occurred generations prior. And those changes will unfold over their lives like a flood that nothing can stop.
In another place and another time, a mysterious prince walks the world, trusted steel at his belt and a mystical stone imbued with magic at his neck. He is looking for a word that has never been said; a word that would save his love from the grip of an ancient beast.
The WorldMight is a fantasy imbued with romance and mysticism. It is a classic tale of love truer than time, a spiritual journey in a world heavy with secrets and magic. Despite spanning generations and more, it is also a very personal story of devotion, jealousy, and redemption.”
Interview with Cyril Bussiere Author of The WorldMight
One of the very talented people I have come to know since starting up this site is Cyril Bussiere a Poet, Musician, Intellectual, and Author of The WorldMight, all of which I am jealous of. Renaissance man perhaps? We’ll go with that. Oh, and did I happen to mention Photographer as one of his gifts as well?
Yes, I hate on him sometimes, because he’s just so good at everything. It doesn’t help that he is also French and so does that cool French accent thing. If I didn’t like the guy so much I might just throw myself under a bus, but then I would miss out on what next creation he came up with.
I asked Cyril if he would be willing to do an interview and he kindly and generously said yes. I won’t waste much more of your time now. I’m just glad this isn’t in sound so I don’t have to hear the cool accent compared with my slow Southern accent, y’all.
RW: Okay, Cyril, first thing first, where do we get a copy of your book, The WorldMight?
CYRIL: At this moment it’s available at Amazon for Kindle.
RW: Now that everyone has left the interview to buy your book I will ask a few questions. You were born and raised in France (yes he speaks French-for real, I was not just saying that earlier) and then came to the United States to continue your University studies, why? Why Utah and then Texas? Those are three very different environments I would think.
CYRIL: This is a good question and worthy of a long answer. Right after high school I joined the University of Medicine in my home town.
During Christmas that year I read On the Heights of Despair by Emile Cioran and it sent me into a rather deep spiritual and existential crisis in the light of which life, let alone school, became irrelevant.
RW: I think we all get like that sometimes. But you came out of it, obviously.
CYRIL: After a few difficult months, I gathered the tools to fend off the dark doubts and uncertainties that plagued me. My mother nonetheless decided a change of scenery was in order for me. One of my best friends from high school was already studying in upstate NY and so at the end of that year I joined him and enrolled in the small community college there.
RW: That is seriously a loving Mom there. But that is New York, where does the Utah stop come in?
CYRIL: What was supposed to be a one year stay turned into more. I transferred to Alabama where I attended the University of South Alabama in Mobile, a proper university but still not too expensive -my family was already making great financial sacrifices for me to be in the US, (it’s crazy expensive here compared to France where it’s almost free -Med school was $300 a year.)
A year later, it was decided that if I was to graduate, it might as well be from as good a school as possible. That’s when I moved to Salk Lake City, Utah, where I finished my B.S. in Biology at the University of Utah. After that I worked for a year at UC Davis as a lab tech (my old lab from U of U had moved there right before I graduated).
In the meantime, I applied to grad school, mostly randomly, to places that had good funding for research. At the end of my year in California, I took a 4 months break and traveled South East Asia solo. I was in Bangkok when I got the news that I was accepted at UT Austin. I spent the next seven years there, getting my Ph.D. in microbiology.
So to sum it up, it was mostly through chance that got me where I am. I knew almost nothing about all the places I moved to throughout the years and it’s all been great.
RW: I’ll have to talk to you about South East Asia another time. That must have been amazing. But for not in regards to your writing, coming from more of a biological/medical background to now writing novels, are there medical aspects in your work, your literary creations?
CYRIL: Not at all. My research was not medical, it was more basic science, how-does-this-work type of stuff. Although I’ve done a lot of scientific writing in my time, science has not influenced my creative writing. I do have a few ideas for potential novels that involve scientific aspects, but that’s in the ‘if and maybe’ realm.
RW: Your parents were obviously great encouragers and supporters in your education, did they encourage your writing as well or perhaps a teacher saw something? Where does the writing influence come from?
CYRIL: I’m not sure where it comes from. As far as I can remember I always wrote, though mostly short form and poetry. My parents always read a lot and I guess they passed it on to me, and that in turn inspired me to write. I think it comes down to a need for creative expression.
RW: How would you describe your style of writing? You write poetry and have most of your writing life, now you write a novel, how different and challenging did you find it?
CYRIL: My writing can change drastically from day to day, and that makes it difficult to assign it a style. For example my first novel, The WorldMight is a very poetic work, while the book I’m currently working on has a very crude and raw style.
Going from poetry to novel was a daunting prospect I had shied away from all my life. The WorldMight was not planned as a novel. Initially, it just wrote the prologue one morning, it came to be on its own, and could have been just a longish fiction blog post. It came from a ‘free his love’ idea that I had almost two years prior and mostly everything else in these paragraphs was improvised. Somehow I kept on writing after it, and everything I created past that point, the world, its magical rules and the overarching plot flowed from these first words and ideas.
RW: With the ‘daunting prospect’ and the ‘plot flowed’ comments being a bit at odds, how long did it take you to finish The WorldMight? I know the idea was probably daunting but apparently you flowed well once starting.
CYRIL: It took about 14 months to write the first draft. A couple of months after I finished it, my wife and I took a nine months break to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail and do volunteer work in Nepal, so I didn’t touch it during that time. When we got back home at the end of last year, I got started on the editing process and that took another four months.
RW: That is great to know. A lot of the ‘experts’ say you need to walk away from your manuscript for a period of time to then come back to it fresh.
You mentioned a new project that is very different form The WorldMight. What is it that you are working on now and when can we expect it in our hands?
CYRIL: Right now, I am working on a novel, BLUR. The story takes place in Austin, TX, and follows Barrett, a scientist and wannabe writer, and, Pete, the protagonist of Barrett’s first novel. In it I explore love, lust, and the effect childhood experiences have on intimate relationships. It’s a raw, sometimes graphic work, that’s very different from my first novel. I’m six chapters short of being done, so I hope to have it out by beginning 2015.
RW: Very different idea from The WorldMight. But I’ve read some on your site, especially the short story series you have going called Vamp, which I have to say is very unique take on the Vampire idea, so I know there is a different side of your writing and that you like to break out and expose your different ideas.
Now, Cyril, You wrote a novel for 14 months, what did you learn about yourself while writing The WorldMight?
CYRIL: First thing would be that I can write a novel. That was not something I was sure of until the epilogue was finished.
Second, that I don’t have much control over the writing process. It happens more than I make it happen. It’s both engrossing when it flows and utterly frustrating when it doesn’t.
Third, that I pour a lot of who I am in my characters. They might be very different from me, but there’s always a crucial aspect about them that is a reflection of an aspect of my own persona. Sometimes, I don’t see it right away and it’s only on the umpteenth reread that it jumps at me, but it’s always there.
RW: I share the same opinion. No matter how much you want to go in one direction it just goes where it wants to. Now, what did you learn about the writing while working on The WorldMight?
CYRIL: That it’s hard. It’s like the blank page is my foe and we’re doing some kind of dance of seduction of the to-the-death kind and half the time I win and she bends to my will, and the rest of the time, I try and try but end up deleting hours of bad writing.
But in the end, you just have to keep on going at it, keep the floodgates open, until something decent comes out. I find that often the good stuff is inspired by the crap that came before it.
RW: Ah, when the floodgates don’t open what is your escape from writing when you are waiting for them to open again?
CYRIL: Something mindless. Right now I’m getting back into classical guitar after a five year hiatus, so I do a lot of that. I’m also involved with Big Brother Big Sister and my little lent me Grand Theft Auto V so I’m playing that too.
RW: Obviously the floodgates opened, you revised, what was the most challenging part of getting your book to the public?
CYRIL: The editing process was tough, especially cutting down 10% of it. It took me a while to come to term with the fact that I just had to, that great phrases that bog down the flow of a paragraph have to be axed without remorse, however beautiful they might be.
RW: What advice would you give a first time novelist venturing into publishing a book?
CYRIL: If in the writing stages, just do it. The confidence you’ll get from having written a book, whatever the quality, is utterly satisfying.
If you have written the book, do your research and figure out who your public is, how to reach it and what your options are.
RW: For me when I write I find lighting in my room influences how I write. You write songs, do you listen to certain kinds of music to help you write various scenes?
CYRIL: I don’t usually listen to music while I write. I find it distracts more than anything else. However, I do listen in my head to the sounds and music, if there is some playing, of the scene. It helps me soak up the atmosphere of the moment and write the character’s reactions more naturally in the given context.
RW: Writing does take time away from other aspects of life. What did your wife think of the time you had to spend writing The WorldMight?
CYRIL: I’m a morning person and my wife is not. I wrote in the mornings, 5-7am, while she was still asleep, so it didn’t really impact her.
RW: That works out great. Finally, what is your go to beverage while writing?
CYRIL: A light beer like a Shiner or a Blue Moon. But they don’t last long.
RW: I know you are currently unsigned by a literary agency, if you could hand pick one what qualities in an agent would you want?
CYRIL: Since I enjoy writing in various styles and in different genres, flexibility would be important in an agent. Also, given my attachment to well written sentences, one who is ruthless when it comes to editing would be a definite plus. And of course someone who would know how to get my work in the right hands both publisher-wise and to reader-wise.
I thank Cyril for agreeing to this interview. I must say he really agreed to help me out by doing so. My Friends here at RonovanWrites deserve to see the inside workings of getting to a goal and that real people write their dreams into reality.
If you are a fan of Cyril’s poetry then you MUST get this book. Just read the reviews at Amazon and the excerpts as well and you will see mention of his poetic style.
I ask everyone to make sure to visit Cyril at his site, cyrilbussiere.wordpress.com . You can also reach him by email at cyril.buissiere@gmail.com and of course as the whole of the world has a Twitter account, you can find Cyril there as well at @cyrilbussiere. Of course he and I are Twitter friends, and I also Follow his blog, so I’m not asking you to do anything that I don’t.
First of all, a big THANK YOU to DazzlingWhimsy for creating creating the badge for this weekly challenge!
RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Prompt Challenge #1
The rules are simple.
Take the two words and write a Haiku. I use Haiku in English as my style, but you can use what you like.
The two words can be used as you like. Words have different definitions and you can use the definitions you like. You can even use a synonym word as long as it does not change the meaning.
Copy a link to your finished haiku in a comment so we can all go and visit your site to see what you have done. I will comment on your site. You can do a pink back, put a link back to the prompt page, if you like within your post, as long as it does not take away from your haiku. I would do it at the very bottom near where one normally puts the copyright. But I am not encouraging anyone to do that. This is just permission to do so. This is simply a prompt and challenge to encourage people to try Haiku and give some a prompt and a place to share in comments so we can find each other.
You may copy the badge appearing in this post and place it on your site if you wish. I am not saying you need to, but if you would like to do so then go ahead. It is simply my way of saying thank you for participating.
The Challenge Words! Finally!
Silent
Loud
My example:
You bring silence out,
Over the noise of the world’s moans,
Cacophonous dins ring.
As you can see I changed the words but kept their meanings. Enjoy the challenge and I look forward to seeing your Haiku.
page that explains each challenge and displays the badge for each one. The badges were kindly created by DazzlingWhimsy.
THREE HAIKU CHALLENGES
The goal of the Challenges is to encourage creativity and fun. Also they are a way to give those with websites another idea for content when they are just in the burnout mode that we all go through.
A few things to know. If you participate, you get a badge, but please make it an honest attempt. Even the Decipher one you can copy the badge for trying.
There will be categories coming soon as the Challenges continue to help me choose who gets selected to be in the three differently Challenges’ weekly wrap ups. Those that are chosen are noted in a post and links are included back to their sites.
How do men like it on their women, up or down, long or short?
You ask 100 men and you won’t get a unanimous agreement. Even if you asked 10 you might not get it. Let me say one thing up front; it doesn’t matter what men like, ladies. As long as you like it and it makes you feel happy and beautiful then go with it. You feel beautiful then that beauty will shine through.
The reason for this article was the result of a conversation recently when a lady asked what do men like and why. Me being me and Ronovan being one who Writes, I decided to write. Yes, that’s what my site title means; I write and I write anything and everything in any style. Now let’s get on with the hair tips from Mr. Van Van Man. Yeah, that’s me. Deal with it! Around the World Snap and in a Z formation! Yes, hair tips, what did you think I was talking about? I’ll turn away while that blush of yours goes away. I promise not to peek.
Oh, honey, you still blushing? Well fan yourself or something. We got to get on with this. No, stop looking at my picture it just makes it worse. Just saying.
Up Down Up Down Up Down: How do men like it?
by: Ronovan
Most men like long hair to some extent and we like the ponytail at times. Really what I want to look at today is short hair and what works. I picked two celebrities today. I have two more in mind for another day if people like this article or if I just feel so inclined to do it.
Sinead O’Connor
Let’s make it simple. It all depends on the woman and what makes her look good. Some guys say they like long hair, or at least not really short hair as in like Sinead O’Connor. Personally, the ‘Nothing Compares To You’ Sinead was beautiful. Pardon my saying this but back then I was a teenager. I waited for this video to come on MTV, back when it really was about music videos. Just think all in black, simple, and all you really see is this beautiful woman.
Here’s the honest part of this. Sinead at that point made it so you didn’t even notice her short hair. She made a statement back during a time of show what you got. She showed what she had, talent. And that combined with the focus on her facial features was a perfect combination. Even today just looking at the image you see beauty but not a model doing a photo shoot.
What would make this not work? Have her in a dress with a plunging neck line. Her face shape in this photo wouldn’t support that look. At least not in my opinion. She has a softer line to her face that I just don’t see working that way. There are photos of her elsewhere that show her face a little less soft and she could pull it off, but not for this video.
Now let’s look at Alyssa Milano.
Truth time here. She is one of my all time most beautiful women ever. I don’t like the style here. Yes she looks good with short hair but this particular picture and style doesn’t work for me. The only way she gets away with it is because of who she is. Even with her eyes, which we all know I am fond of brown eyes, it’s hard to not see the forehead here. If you go bangs that short then you need to just put some product in and style it up.
What I think is happening here is that she’s in that awkward in-between length. You can almost see that the lengths aren’t quite right for the shape of her head. She has a great face shape for short hair and bone structure. The problem could even be the earrings. They are adding length in the wrong place. Just take your fingers and cover up the earrings and see what I mean. No earrings and the hair almost works. Fact is; she is still gorgeous! Sorry, I geeked a little there.
I know some of you are saying “Ronovan, you crazy. That is hot.” Okay, she’s amazing, but that bangs thing is just making my Migraine shout at me to scroll down and type something else.
Okay, fine, here you go. See same basic length but with a bit of color change and better styling. The earrings are much simpler, great improvement. Also the smile doesn’t hurt. And it’s not just about the smile itself. By smiling she added just a touch bit of length to her face and that makes it all work perfectly together. Now she’s got me. Yeah, like she didn’t before, right? Ahem.
If the style is done right and it looks right for the woman’s bone structure, neck length, shoulders and body type, then I’m good. I could have used different people as examples but I thought Sinead was an obvious choice for short hair. Alyssa Milano was a good one here for showing how just a little change makes a difference with the short hair.
Do we like hair up or down? Yes. I had to say that because we like it either way. For me, wear it how it’s comfortable. Visually the hair can be a picture frame or an accessory for the face. Some faces may need the frame if they are wanting to look their best, some don’t so much.
Do all men think about it this way? Doubtful, but it may just be something that is a natural thing the eye and mind do without our knowing. I like art and to me a woman is art. I look and notice the details.
But truthfully if a woman feels beautiful it comes through no matter what she wears or how her hair looks.
Where are we able to find ourselves? What do we need to do? We need to remove the world from ourselves and dive in deep and look elsewhere, not in the world, but out of this world.
“Word Of God Speak”
I’m finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it’s okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say
[CHORUS]
Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You’re in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak
I’m finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice
[REPEAT CHORUS 2x]
I’m finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it’s okay
“Jude and Nina are the epitome of that whole raw, unflinching love thing that most people are jealous of. That is, until Jude dies and wakes up in The Waiting Room, surrounded by other souls who are all waiting to pass over into their next life. But unlike those souls, Jude’s name is never called by the mysterious “receptionist”. He waits, watching Nina out of giant windows. He’s waiting for her. What is this place? How long will he wait? And what will happen when and if Nina does join him? The Waiting Room is a story of not just love, but of faith, predestination, and philosophy, friendship and self-actualization, of waiting.”
Alysha Kaye Author of The Waiting Room Interview
Today I’m spotlighting newly published author Alysha Kaye. Her debut novel The Waiting Room was just released at the end of June and we are fortunate to be a part of her tour.
I immediately wanted to be involved with this tour when I saw not only the premise of Alysha’s novel but also the fact that she’s a teacher. This old man holds a fondness for the noble profession.
Alysha received her BA in Creative Writing from Texas State University and was accepted into Teach America ending up in of all places, Oahu, HI. I am still recovering from that piece of information.
But even Hawaii, where she received her Masters in Education from the University of Hawaii couldn’t keep her from the her home state where she now teaches 7th Grade in Austin.
Now for the interview!
Having read the summary of The Waiting Room, I just had to start off by asking;
RW: Where did the idea for the book come from?Was it some event or what that sparked the idea?
ALYSHA: I had a dream about waiting for my boyfriend after death. I was in a strange room that looked a lot like an airport terminal. I wound up writing him a (very cheesy) poem about it and somehow, that became an entire novel! I just couldn’t get it out of my head.
RW: Alysha, I know from having been in the classroom that free time is rare, even at home. Many people don’t realize the time you have to put into teaching, unless you have a very good system in place. How do you balance teaching and writing, managing the other aspects of your life?
ALYSHA: It’s extremely hard! Teaching is exhausting, especially my lovely middle schoolers haha but I adore them. I try to get all of my lesson planning and grading done at school so that when I come home, my night is free for writing/blogging, and everything else in between.
RW: I know from reading what I’ve written things surprise me in what I learn. What did you learn about yourself while writing this book?
“It is the end of fall in the kingdom of Alymphia. Princess Aria and Prince Hob are readying themselves for yet another Fall Passing Festival. But unbeknownst to them, change is coming to the kingdom. Change brought on by dark forces and events that occurred generations prior. And those changes will unfold over their lives like a flood that nothing can stop.
In another place and another time, a mysterious prince walks the world, trusted steel at his belt and a mystical stone imbued with magic at his neck. He is looking for a word that has never been said; a word that would save his love from the grip of an ancient beast.
The WorldMight is a fantasy imbued with romance and mysticism. It is a classic tale of love truer than time, a spiritual journey in a world heavy with secrets and magic. Despite spanning generations and more, it is also a very personal story of devotion, jealousy, and redemption.”
Interview with Cyril Bussiere Author of The WorldMight
One of the very talented people I have come to know since starting up this site is Cyril Bussiere a Poet, Musician, Intellectual, and Author of The WorldMight, all of which I am jealous of. Renaissance man perhaps? We’ll go with that. Oh, and did I happen to mention Photographer as one of his gifts as well?
Yes, I hate on him sometimes, because he’s just so good at everything. It doesn’t help that he is also French and so does that cool French accent thing. If I didn’t like the guy so much I might just throw myself under a bus, but then I would miss out on what next creation he came up with.
I asked Cyril if he would be willing to do an interview and he kindly and generously said yes. I won’t waste much more of your time now. I’m just glad this isn’t in sound so I don’t have to hear the cool accent compared with my slow Southern accent, y’all.
RW: Okay, Cyril, first thing first, where do we get a copy of your book, The WorldMight?
CYRIL: At this moment it’s available at Amazon for Kindle.
RW: Now that everyone has left the interview to buy your book I will ask a few questions. You were born and raised in France (yes he speaks French-for real, I was not just saying that earlier) and then came to the United States to continue your University studies, why? Why Utah and then Texas? Those are three very different environments I would think.
CYRIL: This is a good question and worthy of a long answer. Right after high school I joined the University of Medicine in my home town.
During Christmas that year I read On the Heights of Despair by Emile Cioran and it sent me into a rather deep spiritual and existential crisis in the light of which life, let alone school, became irrelevant.
RW: I think we all get like that sometimes. But you came out of it, obviously.
CYRIL: After a few difficult months, I gathered the tools to fend off the dark doubts and uncertainties that plagued me. My mother nonetheless decided a change of scenery was in order for me. One of my best friends from high school was already studying in upstate NY and so at the end of that year I joined him and enrolled in the small community college there.
RW: That is seriously a loving Mom there. But that is New York, where does the Utah stop come in?
CYRIL: What was supposed to be a one year stay turned into more. I transferred to Alabama where I attended the University of South Alabama in Mobile, a proper university but still not too expensive -my family was already making great financial sacrifices for me to be in the US, (it’s crazy expensive here compared to France where it’s almost free -Med school was $300 a year.)
A year later, it was decided that if I was to graduate, it might as well be from as good a school as possible. That’s when I moved to Salk Lake City, Utah, where I finished my B.S. in Biology at the University of Utah. After that I worked for a year at UC Davis as a lab tech (my old lab from U of U had moved there right before I graduated).
In the meantime, I applied to grad school, mostly randomly, to places that had good funding for research. At the end of my year in California, I took a 4 months break and traveled South East Asia solo. I was in Bangkok when I got the news that I was accepted at UT Austin. I spent the next seven years there, getting my Ph.D. in microbiology.
So to sum it up, it was mostly through chance that got me where I am. I knew almost nothing about all the places I moved to throughout the years and it’s all been great.
RW: I’ll have to talk to you about South East Asia another time. That must have been amazing. But for not in regards to your writing, coming from more of a biological/medical background to now writing novels, are there medical aspects in your work, your literary creations?
CYRIL: Not at all. My research was not medical, it was more basic science, how-does-this-work type of stuff. Although I’ve done a lot of scientific writing in my time, science has not influenced my creative writing. I do have a few ideas for potential novels that involve scientific aspects, but that’s in the ‘if and maybe’ realm.
RW: Your parents were obviously great encouragers and supporters in your education, did they encourage your writing as well or perhaps a teacher saw something? Where does the writing influence come from?
CYRIL: I’m not sure where it comes from. As far as I can remember I always wrote, though mostly short form and poetry. My parents always read a lot and I guess they passed it on to me, and that in turn inspired me to write. I think it comes down to a need for creative expression.
RW: How would you describe your style of writing? You write poetry and have most of your writing life, now you write a novel, how different and challenging did you find it?
CYRIL: My writing can change drastically from day to day, and that makes it difficult to assign it a style. For example my first novel, The WorldMight is a very poetic work, while the book I’m currently working on has a very crude and raw style.
Going from poetry to novel was a daunting prospect I had shied away from all my life. The WorldMight was not planned as a novel. Initially, it just wrote the prologue one morning, it came to be on its own, and could have been just a longish fiction blog post. It came from a ‘free his love’ idea that I had almost two years prior and mostly everything else in these paragraphs was improvised. Somehow I kept on writing after it, and everything I created past that point, the world, its magical rules and the overarching plot flowed from these first words and ideas.
RW: With the ‘daunting prospect’ and the ‘plot flowed’ comments being a bit at odds, how long did it take you to finish The WorldMight? I know the idea was probably daunting but apparently you flowed well once starting.
CYRIL: It took about 14 months to write the first draft. A couple of months after I finished it, my wife and I took a nine months break to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail and do volunteer work in Nepal, so I didn’t touch it during that time. When we got back home at the end of last year, I got started on the editing process and that took another four months.
RW: That is great to know. A lot of the ‘experts’ say you need to walk away from your manuscript for a period of time to then come back to it fresh.
You mentioned a new project that is very different form The WorldMight. What is it that you are working on now and when can we expect it in our hands?
CYRIL: Right now, I am working on a novel, BLUR. The story takes place in Austin, TX, and follows Barrett, a scientist and wannabe writer, and, Pete, the protagonist of Barrett’s first novel. In it I explore love, lust, and the effect childhood experiences have on intimate relationships. It’s a raw, sometimes graphic work, that’s very different from my first novel. I’m six chapters short of being done, so I hope to have it out by beginning 2015.
RW: Very different idea from The WorldMight. But I’ve read some on your site, especially the short story series you have going called Vamp, which I have to say is very unique take on the Vampire idea, so I know there is a different side of your writing and that you like to break out and expose your different ideas.
Now, Cyril, You wrote a novel for 14 months, what did you learn about yourself while writing The WorldMight?
CYRIL: First thing would be that I can write a novel. That was not something I was sure of until the epilogue was finished.
Second, that I don’t have much control over the writing process. It happens more than I make it happen. It’s both engrossing when it flows and utterly frustrating when it doesn’t.
Third, that I pour a lot of who I am in my characters. They might be very different from me, but there’s always a crucial aspect about them that is a reflection of an aspect of my own persona. Sometimes, I don’t see it right away and it’s only on the umpteenth reread that it jumps at me, but it’s always there.
RW: I share the same opinion. No matter how much you want to go in one direction it just goes where it wants to. Now, what did you learn about the writing while working on The WorldMight?
CYRIL: That it’s hard. It’s like the blank page is my foe and we’re doing some kind of dance of seduction of the to-the-death kind and half the time I win and she bends to my will, and the rest of the time, I try and try but end up deleting hours of bad writing.
But in the end, you just have to keep on going at it, keep the floodgates open, until something decent comes out. I find that often the good stuff is inspired by the crap that came before it.
RW: Ah, when the floodgates don’t open what is your escape from writing when you are waiting for them to open again?
CYRIL: Something mindless. Right now I’m getting back into classical guitar after a five year hiatus, so I do a lot of that. I’m also involved with Big Brother Big Sister and my little lent me Grand Theft Auto V so I’m playing that too.
RW: Obviously the floodgates opened, you revised, what was the most challenging part of getting your book to the public?
CYRIL: The editing process was tough, especially cutting down 10% of it. It took me a while to come to term with the fact that I just had to, that great phrases that bog down the flow of a paragraph have to be axed without remorse, however beautiful they might be.
RW: What advice would you give a first time novelist venturing into publishing a book?
CYRIL: If in the writing stages, just do it. The confidence you’ll get from having written a book, whatever the quality, is utterly satisfying.
If you have written the book, do your research and figure out who your public is, how to reach it and what your options are.
RW: For me when I write I find lighting in my room influences how I write. You write songs, do you listen to certain kinds of music to help you write various scenes?
CYRIL: I don’t usually listen to music while I write. I find it distracts more than anything else. However, I do listen in my head to the sounds and music, if there is some playing, of the scene. It helps me soak up the atmosphere of the moment and write the character’s reactions more naturally in the given context.
RW: Writing does take time away from other aspects of life. What did your wife think of the time you had to spend writing The WorldMight?
CYRIL: I’m a morning person and my wife is not. I wrote in the mornings, 5-7am, while she was still asleep, so it didn’t really impact her.
RW: That works out great. Finally, what is your go to beverage while writing?
CYRIL: A light beer like a Shiner or a Blue Moon. But they don’t last long.
RW: I know you are currently unsigned by a literary agency, if you could hand pick one what qualities in an agent would you want?
CYRIL: Since I enjoy writing in various styles and in different genres, flexibility would be important in an agent. Also, given my attachment to well written sentences, one who is ruthless when it comes to editing would be a definite plus. And of course someone who would know how to get my work in the right hands both publisher-wise and to reader-wise.
I thank Cyril for agreeing to this interview. I must say he really agreed to help me out by doing so. My Friends here at RonovanWrites deserve to see the inside workings of getting to a goal and that real people write their dreams into reality.
If you are a fan of Cyril’s poetry then you MUST get this book. Just read the reviews at Amazon and the excerpts as well and you will see mention of his poetic style.
I ask everyone to make sure to visit Cyril at his site, cyrilbussiere.wordpress.com . You can also reach him by email at cyril.buissiere@gmail.com and of course as the whole of the world has a Twitter account, you can find Cyril there as well at @cyrilbussiere. Of course he and I are Twitter friends, and I also Follow his blog, so I’m not asking you to do anything that I don’t.
“A real adventure, epic and fantasy melt with some romance … you wish Alymphia and all its characters to exist, the prince and his quest of love and truth the writer does play with philosophical themes beautifully I really recommend the book !”-Review at Amazon
When: Monday July 14, 2014
Where: RonovanWrites
What: Interview with Cyril Bussiere Author of The WorldMight
ronovanwrites 