Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep - Coming Soon to Theatres Near You!

Just kidding. No movie being made yet, ladies and gentlemen. HOWEVER, this week is the week we launch the newest Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep book! Some of you may have already had a sneak peek, but I can't wait until Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep Visits the Apiary is out on the shelves! Stay tuned.

This Thursday, I will be doing a pre-launch presentation at the Howard Public Library in Howard, NY (6:30PM--be there or be square!) and I will have pre-release copies of the book available to purchase.

Then, on Friday............ THE LAUNCH! Keep your eyes peeled for hourly updates, jokes and pictures, and get ready to get your Rutherford fix! All sale options will go live on Friday so get ready to grab your copy as soon as you can!

Finally (I know--so many announcements!) my beautiful parents are hosting the Honey Harvest Open House on Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM, and we will be doing a Rutherford Launch Party at the same time! Come see me talk about my books at 12:00 PM and buy a book or two or ten. I hope to see you there!

PS There will continue to be a dearth of blog posts for the next couple of weeks, as I slowly begin to lose my mind with busyness. 

In the mean time, to thrill those of you that love Rutherford, here is a sneak peek at some images from the NEXT book, Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep Goes to the Walnut Skunk Family Thanksgiving (title still in progress).

Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep eats a salad.

Rutherford speaks with Willow.

The Walnut Skunks chat casually.

The Walnut Skunks and Rutherford wait to see what the main course is this year!

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Beekeeping Things: A Hive on a House

There are two basic strategies for bee removal. The first is cutting a hole in the house or barn or building in question and taking the bees out. In today's Beekeeping Things video, Dad explains the second strategy, "The Funnel Method." 

The Funnel Method is a standard practice which allows the beekeeper to avoid any construction-related activities, however, it does take at least a month to complete successfully.

The beekeeper takes a funnel and put its in front of the entrance to the hive, making it so that the bees can get out, but they can't get back in. The funnel is a cone made from window screen. The bees crawl out through the funnel, and when they return, they attempt to go back in the hole at the base of the cone, rather than flying into the wide end. 

Next to the funnel, the beekeeper places a beehive. Eventually, the worker bees will decide to move into the beehive next to the funnel. The hive should have brood comb in it and will make a new queen for themselves.

After a few weeks, the beekeeper will come and remove the funnel. Then the worker bees will go steal the honey from the old hive. The old queen is probably dead at this point.

What you can't see in this video, is that Dad placed a funnel on the porch roof of the house where the hive was located, so that the confused worker bees will have a new place to call home. Voila! 

As Dad said, "Keep your hive tool sharp and enjoy the bees!"

And stay tuned for news on Rutherford's newest adventure: Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep Visits the Apiary!

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Sagittan Chronicles: An Inside Look

I don't write an awfully lot about my scifi novels on my blog, although I probably should. They are my babies--I spent long, hard, laborious hours bringing them into being, and I love them. The truth is, the stories actually only tell part of the story.

If you've read them, you've met my main characters (John and Quin) and a bunch of their friends, you have an idea for how my technology works (Doors that transport you to other places in the universe in a single bound!), and  you've gotten a taste of my writing style (hopefully cheerful, light, winding, and getting better with each progressive book).

But the world behind the books is far bigger than that. In my house, I keep binders filled with drawings I've done, character sketches, and more, that depict the various elements of my world. Some of the ideas I've used, and some I haven't, but today I am going to give you a little taste of the other ways in which I "write" my novels. 

Writing isn't all about writing, although the actually writing part is probably the most crucial to the process. Writing is also about building ideas, turning something that is not real into something that is real in a sense, and finding away to connect your own heart and mind with your imaginary characters and your imaginary world.

All of the strategies I use to build up my universe also serve as an excellent way to combat writer's block. By drawing or sketching or finding images that represent my world, or by fleshing out details that I wouldn't have thought about within the context of the story, I can often redirect the story I am working on to be more interesting, more detailed, or more fun. It also gives me something to go back to later, when I can't think of an interesting detail or want to flesh out a scene a bit more.

The first thing I like to do are character sketches. I go online and find images of models or random people on the internet, and use them to help me visualize characters. Normally I wouldn't share these with readers (because I want you to imagine each of my characters the way you think they should look), but I will put a couple examples here. These are John and Quin's pages. They don't have a lot of content on them (other characters are filled with writing from top to bottom) because I have a pretty good idea of their personalities and didn't feel like going to the effort to write it all down. 

Character sketches help in two ways: they help me flesh out a character, but also help me keep that character consistent across projects.

Another strategy I use is to sketch places. I'm not by any means a brilliant artist, and plenty of sketches have found their way into the trash can, but the goal is to give a general sense of a place. I want my settings to have as much personality as my character, as much as possible.

Here, for example, is Pomegranate City. It is drawn from a description I had written for an old, old draft of The Wounded World. As you can see, the Globe and Ty Gwydr (which has not appeared in a book yet--it's a biodome/greenhouse on the outskirts of the city) are featured prominently in the skyline.

There is also a non-coloured version:

At some point, I will create a map as well, so I can have some consistency in where my characters go and how they move about the city, but it that will require a re-read of all of my novels, so will have to wait until the long, dark, winter.

View fullsize

The Globe, as those of you who have read my novels know, plays a large role in The Lonely Whelk, and makes an appearance in all of my other novels (including the unannounced The Trouble With Tangerines.) The Globe is a government facility that not only monitors and restricts all Door travel and access to new locations, but serves as the home base for technological innovation in their world. The building is huge, and contains everything from boring offices, to interplanetary archaeological storage, to research labs, to an observatory.

This image I actually drew on my wall, back when I had more space. I put up a huge piece of paper that covered the entire wall and did everything from working out confusing plot lines to sketching buildings and faces. When I moved, I cut everything out and put it into my binder. 

Magic.

Here are a few more examples of more places. William Oliphant, bookseller, featured prominently in The Clock Winked. Quin's house shows up in most books, but Meriym's house (or the Square house which does not look quite so square in my picture [it's evolved!]) shows up in The Wounded World.

There is a lot of other stuff in my binders. I have everything from scene lists to character lists to sketches of plots that don't really make any sense. I put together a weird fashion show that supposedly happened ("Blowing In The Wind" where all the dresses were built to look like they were perpetually blowing in the wind) and included sketches of all the clothes. There are post-it notes of things to remember, quotes that I think are somehow applicable to characters, situations, and scenes, and even chunks of my novels that will never again see the light of day.

Writer's block sucks, but don't let it get you down! There are other ways to interact with your world--whether it is building a Minecraft/Sims version, drawing things by hand, writing short character sketches or excepts that have nothing to do with your main project, or painting murals of your characters all over your house--that can help you beat it!

After all...

:)

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The Mac and Cheese Sonnet

This bear looks insanely happy. Like he just ate an entire mountain of mac and cheese. Jealous.

For the past year or so I have been collecting royalty-free stock photos that are clever, funny, or just look awesome. Stock images can be pricey, and collecting a library of free ones is a good (long-term) strategy for always being able to find what you need. There are several places you can get these (Death to the Stock Photo and Picjumbo, for example), and they are great for building websites, including images on your blog, using on social media, etc. Just remember to read their licensing agreement so you don't violate any copyright laws.

But there is another great reason for collecting these photos: ideas.

The whole concept of Pinterest is to allow people to collect ideas in a visual way in one place, and using visuals to inspire writing is a great strategy--but you can do this on your own so that you never have to wonder: "where did I see that awesome photo?" or not be able to access it when you lack the internet.

Stock photos offer images that you might never have considered, from angles you might never have seen from, of things you might not have thought to search for. Some days, I just scroll through my stock photos and look for an idea or a thought or a place or a person to help inspire whatever project I am working on. 

Take this for example: 

I don't know what it is about this image, but it always makes me want to write. It's something about the combination of colours, the docks in the background, the seagulls and swans...??? It's intriguing and interesting and I love it.

Or take this image:

Fun fact about Ariele: I'm a bench connoisseur. I love all benches, but am very judgmental about how they look, feel, etc. 

That poor bench, sitting there all alone right next to the edge of the universe. But no seriously, what is happening? What is behind that mist? Or fog? Or wall of nothingness? Is it the ocean? A lake? A portal into another dimension?

THE LITERAL END OF THE UNIVERSE?
It seems fitting that there would be one lone bench on the edge of the universe.

Images like this make my brain spin with ideas and thoughts and questions. And the best place to start when you're writing something is with a question.

What kind of questions? you ask.

This is actually some type of elephant-sized ground sloth, as I learned when I googled it.

Here is an example of a question: what the heck is this? An alien? A dinosaur? A perfectly reasonable-looking skeleton of some kind of mammal? Is it a lizard? Is it a panda bear? Is it a fake? Is it a creature from the future?

Remember Primeval? The creature from the future? That's what this reminds me of. And it's amazing.

Plus, the hand-drawn sketch with the handwriting, the figure number, the science text-book look combined with the alien feel of this creature's skeleton... a perfect combination of visuals for a creative fiction idea.

I love stock images (obviously), and I frequently turn to my stock images folder when I am having trouble with a description or just need a little inspirational juice. I only have a few hundred photos so far, but one day... I will have THEM ALL.

In celebration of the wonder of stock photos, and to demonstrate the idea-power found within, I have decided to put together a stock photo sonnet, or more accurately, The Mac and Cheese Sonnet.

The Mac and Cheese Sonnet

The greatest food of all is mac and cheese
With scrumptious taste and shiny golden curls.
All day and night I'd eat it, if you please;
I'd rather have this dish than priceless pearls.

It's not that other food is not as good,
But mac and cheese is just so much finer.
Without my mac and cheese I'll eat oak wood--
Those who differ will earn a big shiner.

Oh how I love thee, mac and cheese, I do--
As without you my life would be the worst,
Eating things like pork and chickpea stew,
And liver, eyeballs, brains, and cold bratwurst.

Mac and cheese: it is the food of kings.
With mac and cheese, all else--I need nothing.
 

Ugh, now I'm hungry.

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International Middle Child Day

For those of you that didn't know, I, Ariele Joy Sieling the First, am a middle child. Now, I don't think this condition is noteworthy enough for an international holiday, but for some reason Facebook and Twitter disagree. Thus #InternationalMiddleChildDay was born. And it is today. Apparently.

People say lots of things about middle children. They say we are bitter, resentful, unmotivated, and feel like we don't belong. They say we are great team players, cooperative, trusting, and make good friends.

But whatever. Who cares what they say? I prefer to think of myself as an independent human being who is not defined or influenced by my brothers.

Of course, this is not true in the slightest.

I grew up with a genius for an older brother and a genius for a little brother.

Thanksgiving, 2013.

Gary was good at math and science and computers. I took Chemistry because he said it was the easiest science (this is a decision I have regretted ever since). Gary tried to teach me limits when I was in 7th grade, but I always ended up drawing pictures on his graph paper instead of learning anything. My (non-English) teachers always emitted a vague sense of disappointment when I turned out not to be mini-Gary (my English teachers were delighted). He was at the top of his class (3rd, and deliberately not 2nd, so the legend goes), President of the Chess Club, and often found teaching himself computer programming in his spare time.

Evan was a brilliant musician, always with his hands on a guitar or a drumset or whatever instrument he could find. Even though I played a bunch of instruments too, people always wanted him in their band or orchestra, and rarely me. I stuck myself into whatever band or group I could, but even with the disadvantage of being 2 years younger, he still sailed way past me in skill and talent with every instrument he touched. He learned drums, guitar, bass, banjo, baritone, and harmonica before he was even a senior in high school, and was regularly asked to play for churches and schools.

I think that if you have siblings (regardless of how many) there is always a sense of competition. As a middle child, no matter how skilled I became in my area of expertise, I always had this nagging sense that I wasn't as good as my siblings, even though in any other relationship it would be irrelevant.

For example, I always thought that I wasn't as smart as Gary (this is false) because I didn't understand math. I passed with As, yes, but I didn't really get it. Never mind that he read Calculus textbooks during his summer vacation.

Or, I always thought I wasn't as smart as  Evan (also false) because reading and playing music took so much more effort for me than for him. Never mind that he practiced 28 hours a day and I practiced maybe 1 (if that).

Instead of doing math and playing music, I spent my free time drawing pictures, writing, playing pretend, and making up stories in my head. And guess what? Telling stories is what I'm good at now.

This vague sense of self-disappointment is (in my opinion) the middle child's biggest challenge, because, in the long run, none of it really matters. What matters is what you're good at, not what they're good at. What matters are what your goals are, not what their goals are.

Good siblings will help you out, prop you up, and drag you along to help you reach your goals. And if you're a good sibling, you will help them out, prop them up, and help them reach their goals. At very least, they will be your cheerleader and you will be theirs.

I have to say that I have two excellent siblings. Whatever else they may excel at, they definitely excel at being brothers. Gary has patiently dragged me, kicking and screaming, into a world filled with computers and programming. I can now build my own website with minimal effort, and even do basic coding when necessary. Evan has got my back in the creative realm--he designed my logo (at the top of my website), has written music for a couple of different projects, and starred in my wonderful book trailer for The Wounded World.

These days, I do my freelance writing thing, Evan is an awesome music producer in Nashville (check out my fav song!), and Gary programs stuff in who knows what languages, and has married a kick-ass stained glass window-er. We all have our own passions, we all have our own goals, and we all are willing to help each other out when push comes to shove.

We're not kids anymore, and while that vague sense of competition still exists somewhere in my head, it's now only a motivator. I'm good at writing. Gary's good at programming. Evan's good at music. (Actually, we're all writers in a sense--I write words, Gary writes code, Evan writes music! I know, crazy.)

But there is no way I can honestly say, "I am an independent human being who is not defined or influenced by my brothers." I may, in fact, be an independent human being, but I have no qualms about admitting that my brothers have had a huge influence on me and have helped define who I have become.

And I wouldn't change that for the world.

Happy #InternationalMiddleChildDay!

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A Christmas photo from oh so long ago. I love Evan's sweater.

Me and Evan at Evan's graduation! :)

This is me and Melissa, my super great sister-in-law.

This is at the bottom of Mt. Washington.

Me and Evan, chilling in Boston.

This is that time Evan fell asleep on my shoulder and snored. It was hilarious.

This me and Gary chilling with a Bostonian tree.

This is after my first year of college and my dad was pretending to be a monkey in the background.

Me and Evan and a zucchini.

This is at the top of Mt Washington.

Me and Gary, being awesome. Also, road cones.

And here we all are, definitely not at our most attractive, but certainly at our most fun.