My wife sent me to writing camp, Reader


she hoped it would build character.	View in browser

Foote Notes - January 2022

Greetings Foote Soldiers

Happy New Year!!!

I hope the stars aligned, allowing you a safe and relaxing holiday season. The older I get, the more I realize that it’s the simple things that matter. Time with family and friends, a good meal, and making the important people in your life happy. How did your holidays go? Did Santa leave you anything in your stocking?

Speaking of gifts, I got two big ones from my wife, one better than the other. The first is a new writing desk to replace the old cutdown computer desk I’ve been using for the past couple of years. I’ve been wanting one for a while, but there’s usually is a better place for dollars to go than a desk for me. Thankfully, my loving wife thought otherwise. The other gift was a head cold that has hung on for two weeks now, and it’s also the reason my new desk is still unassembled in our den.

I do have a request if you're looking for a late gift for me (subtle right?). If you bought my debut novella last month, http://mybook.to/MoaQ I’d love a review upon the platform of your choice. A simple line or two would mean a lot.

Other than that, I’m planning my projects for 2022, more upon that soon, and doing a lot of market research (otherwise known as reading).

I wish you a happy and safe 2022!

Grump's Ground Rules for Mortals and other Non-Aggregates

Dear Grump,

I'm considering writing a story featuring--you guessed it!--a gargoyle as the main character. In order to make this character believable, though, I feel that I need to do some research, and so naturally I am coming straight to the source--a real, live, gargoyle. I mean, I think you're alive. You're alive, right? Well, of course you are, otherwise how could you answer questions like this? Silly me.

So, I do have a gargoyle friend of my own, although he's always engrossed in a book and not a whole lot of help with my current dilemma. As you can see from the attached picture, I tried to lighten up his mood a bit for the holidays, but I'm not sure he liked it. In fact, he just didn't say anything about it at all. Thus, here is my question for you. What do gargoyles like and/or dislike? Are there certain gargoyle traits I should know about in order to write a convincing gargoyle character? All right, that's two questions, but we're not counting, are we?

Hoping to write a chip off the old block,

StoneColdWriter

Dear StoneColdWriter,

Well, I can tell that you’re as sharp as a freshly forged chisel! I’ve often wondered why we don’t have more stories about gargoyles, we’re all about charm and grace, well maybe not my cousin Elmer. They carved the poor thing cross-eyed and with two left feet..

Where was I? Oh yes, the world missing out on convincing gargoyles.

What you need to understand is that gargoyles aren’t much different from soft-skinned humans. Sure, we’re better looking with our noble visages, powerful wings, and strong talons, but that’s just what you see. What you don’t see is that we have the same hopes and dreams as most mortals, in that we want to belong to something bigger than ourselves.

Popular culture often shows us gargoyles as mean or grumpy. You spend a century or two out in the weather with lichen growing on your butt and see how you feel, but you need to put it in context. Chances are you’ve never seen a young gargoyle, all the ones you’ve heard of have been around for centuries, and that can jade us. Not much different from an aging author I know.

So, when you’re scratching in your little notebook and crafting your make-believe gargoyle character and undoubtedly making him grumpy, keep in mind that they’ve likely seen countless friends and companions pass away while they have endured. A little thing like that can make the best of us cranky.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time I go visit the graves of some companions who are no longer around.

P.S. I think I recognize your gargoyle friend. If memory serves, he has a massive fine at the Bodleian Library in Oxford for overdue books. Someone might want to take care of that before there’s a knock on your door.

If YOU have a question for Grump, email peterjohnfoote@gmail.com with "Dear Grump" in the subject line.

Author Highlight:

Sherry D. Ramsey

Sherry D. Ramsey is a bestselling speculative fiction writer, editor, publisher, creativity addict and self-confessed internet geek. When she's not writing or teaching, she reads, gardens, makes stuff, and consumes far more coffee and chocolate than is likely good for her.

Sherry is published by Tyche Books for her Nearspace series; One's Aspect to the Sun, Dark Beneath the Moon, Beyond the Sentinel Stars, and a fourth volume forthcoming in 2022. She also self-publishes fiction for both young and adult readers, rpg game material, and non-fiction for aspiring writers. Every November she disappears into the strange realm of National Novel Writing Month and emerges gasping at the end, clutching something resembling a first draft.

In late 2020, Sherry set out to release a new short story every month for a year, so there's plenty of her short fiction out there for readers to nibble on.

Find out more at any of the following links.
Website: www.sherrydramsey.com

Books2Read: https://books2read.com/ap/xqLyW8/Sherry-D-Ramsey

Amazon Author Page: https://www .amazon.com/Sherry-D.-Ramsey/e/B006JMASNC

Website