All Hallows Eve

We decided to do something a little, light-hearted and fun for the holiday, and before we decide to bust out a battle on y’all. So, we hope you enjoy our silliness. XOXOX

Twas the night before Halloween, when all through the house,

All the creatures were stirring, the bats, rats and deadly clowns.

The pumpkins were carved on the porches long steps,

With promises of candles, stuffed amidst their scooped heads.

The caramel apples, lay cooling aside,

Made complete with the candies, and razor-blades inside.

The orange and black lights, strung around the house frame,

Gave a luster to Samhain, and to all of the ordained.

There were witches, and goblins, and pirates and ghosts,

But the Frankenstein clad host, was what I liked the most.

We played jack-o-lantern pass, and pin the tail on Hell’s hound,

Then the bobbing for apples, supplied a wolf that nearly drowned.

The party erupted, while the doorbell called out with a ring,

As we heard it creak open, and the trick-or-treaters sing.

The vampire danced to it’s beat while the host passed out sweets.

Then the vamp sunk his teeth into the sugar-addicted beasts.

Once midnight rolled in, we began to shout out,

That the tombstones were empty, and the dead walked about.

Then a sharp, piercing beep filled the television screen,

As the newscaster read, of the zombie disease.

We laughed and began to ask how she arranged,

Such elaborate details involving the escape of the deranged.

When out of the blue, we heard a loud thud,

So we snuck out of the party, as the screams rose above.

“Was that those poor children? What’s happened to them?”

“Perhaps, it’s the zombies, who’ve made feasts of their heads?”

We laughed insanely at the thought of the spoof,

When the black night gave way to a crowd of real goofs.

They we’re dressed in the best, as they marched like lost souls.

And they’re skin was infested with soars and oozing holes.

We stood there applauding the spectacle of fright,

When the living dead reached us and groaned with each bite.

They lunged so determined, while gnashing our flesh,

As the screams and the pleads, fell on the ears of the dead.

They consumed all they could, till the humans were gone,

Then the gluttonous zombies, sauntered back home.

And I heard them groan, as they limped out of sight,

“Happy Halloween to all and to all a good fright.”

*Happy Halloween*

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A Call To Battle

A few days ago, I found my way to a wonderful blog where a gentleman has dedicated his life to writing and his posts to inspire creativity in authors and artists. Patrick Ross is not only a writer, he’s also a writing instructor with The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and his blog is listed in the top ten writer’s blog.

I thoroughly enjoyed his post, “The Balance Between Authenticity and Creativity” and felt that it spoke to me and my daughter. I commented, or really, purged at two in the morning, regarding an argument I keep having with my writing partner, Inion, about marketability versus nonconformity.

Not only did he reply, he said our dilemma inspired a post, and so he wrote another fantastic one: “

Wrestling with Art vs. the Market”. If you haven’t had a chance to visit, trust me when I say, you should swing by and take a look at Patrick’s posts, which are completely brilliant.

Now, back to my dilemma. When you create something, does it hurt you if the market doesn’t call for it? Well, what’s a writer to do? Do you sell out a little and start writing what the market deems worthy material. And, if you do allow the market, literary agents, publishers, to dictate what you write, is that selling out?

Well, of course, it is! I’m no fool, if you submit to the market, it’s going to quell your creative juices and hurt your craft. Not to mention, by the time your done with your “market friendly” piece, the rules have changed and your concept is no longer in the now.

My daughter, who has known from the age of five (no joke), that she wanted to be a writer is a passionate soul that believes the story existed long before the writer and we’re merely tools the story uses to tell itself. (check out her post: https://inionnmathair.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/let-the-story-tell-itself/). And, though I believe that to some degree, I also have the years behind me to know that if you’re not willing to bend a little, you’ll perish.

Let the beating commence.

I realize that writers are readying to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at me over that remark. I wouldn’t expect anything different from fellow artists, people that rely on their hearts to create, and pour everything into their creations. Ah, creative expression. Such a lovely word with such a broad meaning.

It is important to know that when you write with someone else, you have an open mind. You’re unable to demand things go a certain way, because the creation is not your own. When my daughter approached me about forming a writing team six years ago, I was hesitant because of that very fact.

I always have had a wonderful relationship with my daughter, and we’ve counted each other as our best friend. I can’t help, but take a little credit for raising her with a strong sense of family, among many other things… things I try to remember when I’m at the verge of strangling her.

I taught her, at a very young age, that she should never stop following her dreams and never allow someone to sway her in her values. So, in the end, I created the monster. Which she reminds me, every time we have one of our disputes.

I argue that we have to be willing to be current and follow trends, especially because we write Young Adult novels.

She retorts with, “I’m not going to bend to make some literary agent happy and start carving our babies, so I can sell them out to the highest bidder.”

I close my eyes and let out a huff, as I feel her ever present glare, then the resounding, “My mother taught me to fight for what I believe in. You want to be upset, take it up with her.”

My only problem is that at 26 years old, I can’t send her to the corner for time out, or take her N’SYNC CD’s away from her. No worries, she never gets too bad. She’s a southern girl raised right, after all, and she doesn’t ever cross that line to disrespect.

Though we have our normal “three-month-fits”, a term we give to the build up of eighteen hour days without breaks, networking, cleaning, writing… you get the picture. We work pretty smoothly. And, this comes from having a deep respect for each other, not only as mother and daughter, but also as writers and business partners. Our love for our “babies” supersedes any tiffs we have and when we do start up, we walk away. She heads for a free spot outside, far away from her mother’s logical tirade, while I keep to our writing room, taking a break from her opinionated, stubborn, passionate, nonconforming… Yeah, I’ll stop there.

It takes all of three to five hours, (the longest silence was two days from an argument we had over the very first book we wrote. She had wanted our hero to be in his forties, and I said our book would sell better to the Young Adult demographic.)

My daughter is completely intrigued with older leads and has an affinity for romances with middle-aged characters. She believes you don’t reach your sexiest until you’re well past your forties. While women her age are fawning over Robert Pattinson, she loves Gary Oldman, Brian Cox, Bill Nighy.

I knew it from the time she was little and called her my old soul. During our heavy writing stints, I’ll blast Nirvana, and bop my head to Kurt’s scratchy tone, while she rolls her eyes at me, and listens to classical on her Ipod.

It’s an odd pairing, I know, but it flavors the work nicely and gives it an overall balance. We’re not so different, though. It was the similarities in our writing that prompted us to begin this venture in our lives. We belonged to a writing group, and was given an assignment. When we came back the next day, we had practically written the same story. After three or more instances like this, and our writing group telling us we should start writing together, my daughter approached me with the idea. It’s the best thing we’ve ever done, and we’ve never been happier.

Most people that we talk to assume that the relationship has more low points than high, but I have to say that we both love each other and our work so much, that we never allow pettiness to get in the way of either.

After that long-windedness, let’s get down to why I started this post. We have been given a wonderful idea by the talented, Patrick Ross. He said that it would be nice to hear the struggle that most have internally with two sides of themselves, with a writing team that has outwardly battles. So, we thought… why not. Perhaps it will allow us to vent our frustrations. Perhaps it will spawn some brilliant ideas. Perhaps you can all give us your input and decide for us, when we’ve broken even. Perhaps we’ll end up killing each other.

Whatever happens, we’re sure it will only help us grow as writers and for that we give Patrick all of the credit. We hope to have something up in the next few weeks, where we will post our conflicts on the blog. We hope it doesn’t disappoint and that you all don’t hesitate to give us your input… by choosing my side. J Don’t forget to check out http://artistsroad.wordpress.com  Thanks again, Patrick.

Favorite Time Of Year

It’s that time of year again. No, We’re not talking about the one that involves jingle bells and a fat guy dressed in red. We’re referring to the most ancient of holidays, Halloween, or Samhain. Yes, we realize that typically Christmas is collectively adored in the world, but there’s just something so enticing about this holiday. Here a few of the many reasons why Fall/Autumn/Halloween is our favorite time of year.

1). Mother Earth, herself, reacts to it, embellishing herself with rustic colors and allowing us to use her for our own decorations. Gourds, berries, leaves, dead limbs. Leaves fall, colors change, the wind cools and the crisp smell in the air, just makes us feel more at one with her. It’s almost as if the earth has traveled back to a time long ago, when things were dark and mysterious. When witches didn’t seem so fantastical, and myths of creatures that go bump in the night, weren’t legends at all.

2). Samhain is the Gaelic festival that celebrates the withering of the earth in anticipation of it’s death and rebirth. It’s been distorted, commercialized, misinterpreted, reinterpreted, but the formula never strays as it is known universally as the one day a year when the barrier between the spiritual world and our realm thins. It’s in that brief and magical moment, that the lines blur and dark possibilities become hauntingly real.

3). It’s for the kid in you. Don’t deny it! You know you dress up. Way back when, costumes, (ceremonial masks) were used to blend in with the spirits as a way to keep them at bay. It was also to celebrate the dead and rejoice in the life they once had, and the one we’re so grateful for. We always viewed it as a way to embrace the darkness, and the savagery of the earth. You can shed that humanity, break that line of reality and lose yourself. Now, whether you’re channeling zombies, werewolves, vampires, or a sexy witch, costumes are a must during Halloween. It’s a way to escape this mundane life, live in the world of make-believe, and if only for a second, escape into another world and time.

4). The food. Pumpkin pie, turkeys, cranberry sauce, stuffing. Everything that makes you feel warm and comforts your stomach and feeds your soul. It’s a homey style of food. And even the spices feel dark and earthy. Summer and spring are fresh foods and light tastes, while fall is for the heartier and richer varieties.

There are too many reasons to list, but we hope that you all see the beauty in a holiday and season that tends to get the short end of the stick. Hope you all have a safe Halloween, a wonderful Thanksgiving and a happy fall.

And do please let us know, what you love about fall and Halloween. Remember, let yourself go, think young and don’t be afraid to embrace the season.