tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83520819919095201202024-03-13T00:27:20.517-04:00J.E. Seanachaí<br><br><br>Author of <i><b>Dead Bird in the Weeds</b></i> and <i><b>Haunted Voices from My Past</b></i><br><br><br>J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-43095356100533519232017-10-10T10:03:00.001-04:002017-10-10T11:32:10.982-04:00Long Time, No See?
IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER, you've undoubtedly seen my daily tweets about a book signing, and you're asking yourself: What is she talking about? Is she really making an appearance? It's WHERE again? Where has she been ALL this time, anyway, and what has she been doing?
Let me put your mind at ease.
Yes, I really will be making an appearance. I will be signing books, J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-24480945529232062472011-07-20T09:52:00.002-04:002011-07-20T09:52:59.336-04:00A Long Haul
YES, I know I've been uncharacteristically quiet these past few months. I assure you, though, it's been with good reason . . .
I've been writing like mad!
(Big surprise, I know!)
So, now that I have that cleared up, I'd like to announce the publication of my third book, Nonessential: The Expansion Paradox. Yes, you heard me right! My thought-provoking sci-fi is now available to J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-17408748264048013642011-03-06T01:33:00.000-05:002011-03-06T01:33:25.632-05:00Finding the Passion
OF LATE, I’ve been doubting my writing, my career, and my life. Then I had the following conversation last week with a new friend of mine:
NEW FRIEND: So, you write and design books for yourself, as well as for others?
ME: Uh-huh.
NEW FRIEND: That’s cool.
ME: Well, I don’t know if anyone else would think it’s cool. . . .
NEW FRIEND: Are you passionate about it?
ME: Yes.
NEW FRIEND: Then whatJ.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-8829070034657810432011-02-27T08:59:00.000-05:002011-02-27T08:59:40.925-05:00Seanachaí's News
ON THE LAST SUNDAY of each month, I compile "Seanachaí's News," a status report that assesses my work during the current month and also formulates my plans for the upcoming months. It will also give you a peek at my works in progress.
My Work During the Current Month
"Chances Are" I'm back for good. Lucky you. LOL!
My Plans for the Upcoming Months
My latest novel, J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-26207749831462097322011-02-13T12:26:00.001-05:002011-02-13T12:33:47.125-05:00Chances AreCHANCES ARE if you enjoy reading poetry, you’ll believe you understand how to write it. Chances are if you try writing it, you’ll realize you have no idea what you’re doing. Chances are if you respect yourself, as well as others, you’ll hide it in the desk drawer. That’s the reason I stopped writing haiku last September. That’s the reason you’re not reading the poem I’ve been sweating over theJ.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-43672186807658771462010-11-07T11:04:00.000-05:002010-11-07T11:04:21.492-05:00Hal Is Dead
Hal Is Dead
YES, IT'S TRUE. My computer took a train to Cincinnati or Happy Dale or wherever it is that computers go when they decide to part from their masters.
Although I can't begin to tell you how upset I am—Hal and I had a stimulating, four-year relationship—I do want to share a few things I learned this week while being "unplugged."
The Internet is nothing more than a distraction. GrantedJ.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-82797510999257160702010-10-31T10:48:00.000-04:002010-10-31T10:48:50.856-04:00Seanachaí's News
ON THE LAST SUNDAY of each month, I compile "Seanachaí's News," a status report that assesses my work during the current month and also formulates my plans for the upcoming months. It will also give you a peek at my works in progress.
My Work During the Current Month
Have you lost your motivation? Get it back with "The Golden Flower of Inspiration."
"Striving for Greatness" is all about the J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-81886336567037290362010-10-24T09:26:00.000-04:002010-10-24T09:26:12.358-04:00Unplug the Robots
I'M DROWNING in my latest WIP, so I'm going to make this brief.
To all of you who have children, children who are unable to breathe or walk without the aid of headphones or earbuds or whatever they are and unable to speak or write without sliding their thumbs over a keyboard or keypad or whatever they are…
Please, please, PLEASE, unplug these robots from their hardware for a few hours a J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-69845585611967018872010-10-17T11:43:00.002-04:002010-10-18T15:49:11.692-04:00The "Real" You
IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER, you'll recall that earlier this week I mentioned having a life-changing discussion with a writer-friend of mine. Although the discussion had nothing to do with writing, it sparked an awareness and determination that had been missing in my life and my writing.
So, what was the discussion about? Before I go any further, I want to say this, "I'm not telling."
The J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-58684789369292073292010-10-10T02:06:00.000-04:002010-10-10T02:06:47.244-04:00Striving for Greatness
Double-spaced, left-justified, 12 pt. font, MLA style, FIVE pages!
IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN the fall of Rome in three pages, tack on an extra two pages of fluff, so you can get an A. Ten pages about Einstein's theory of relativity? You'd better cut it down to five or face Dr. So-and-so's paper shredder.
Remember writing essays like that? As a student I never had a problem with the J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-69989766802535424532010-10-03T15:42:00.005-04:002010-10-03T15:49:20.198-04:00The Golden Flower of Inspiration
THE MAPLE TREES on the farm are donning their fall colors and the garden on the edge of the south field is preparing to hibernate. Before tucking the garden in for a long winter's nap, I grabbed my gardening shears and harvested the spaghetti squash on the west end. As I plodded through a tangle of dried leaves and vines, I stumbled upon an amazing find: one large yellow squash flower.
This J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-56448014710582595612010-09-26T01:55:00.000-04:002010-09-26T01:55:00.402-04:00Seanachaí's News
On the last Sunday of each month, I compile "Seanachaí's News," a status report that assesses my work during the current month and also formulates my plans for the upcoming months. It will also give you a peek at my works in progress.
My Work During the Current Month
Do you enjoy the simplicity and beauty of haiku? Don't miss Part IV of my continuing series, "Murmuring That J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-89116355653341365492010-09-19T09:10:00.000-04:002017-10-10T11:08:15.187-04:00Five Must-Have Free Programs
How much money did you spend on that program?
None.
Huh?
None!
Many people ask me about the programs I use in my writing and artistic endeavors. As a starving artist, I generally shy away from the expensive software and utilize free programs. On the average, most are as good as or come in a close second to the big blockbuster software. Not only that, but I don't have to J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-5471361446689481942010-09-12T00:46:00.000-04:002010-09-12T00:46:53.885-04:00I Saw You
THE NONFICTION
A woman in an old blue T-shirt throws open a screen door and glares at a vulture gliding in the late afternoon sky. "There's nothing dead around here but my brain," she screeches. The door slams and the carrion eater decides to hang around for handouts of human brain and sanity.
***
As you may have guessed, the scene above did in fact happen this week. The strain of working on my J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-36058115555274638062010-09-05T02:37:00.007-04:002010-09-05T02:53:25.862-04:00Murmuring That Creeps into the Life of a Wandering Soul, Part IV
6/3/10 Actually, a spring sky . . . shhh! ;^)
Lemonade and laughter subside and the warm summer sun gives way to an amber autumn sky.
This week's feature is Part IV of my continuing series of haiku entitled "Murmuring That Creeps into the Life of a Wandering Soul."
Enjoy!
***
nothing so mournful
as a dove in the morning
silenced by motors
hear wagon wheels crunch
a J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-55552976480750967772010-08-29T00:32:00.000-04:002010-08-29T00:32:44.684-04:00Seanachaí's News On the last Sunday of each month, I compile "Seanachaí's News," a status report that assesses my work during the current month and also formulates my plans for the upcoming months. It will also give you a peek at my works in progress.
My Work During the Current Month
Starting a new work of fiction? Name the Baby discusses the importance of naming your work before it's published.
Are J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-22285425000242479742010-08-22T12:20:00.000-04:002010-08-22T12:20:55.838-04:00Stop Cheating Yourself
Do you ever have those days when you can't think clearly? I had planned to present a new short-short for this week's blog, but the words I'm writing are garbage.
I could blame my focusing problem on the new computer chair my brother gave me for my birthday. Sitting in something other than a beat-up rocking chair is messing with my mind . . . or not.
Maybe it's because I've been busy uploading myJ.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-63665343639895537432010-08-15T10:23:00.001-04:002010-08-15T10:28:29.475-04:00Stay the Course
I've recently disembarked from a runaway train I like to call "writer's binge." Writer's what? No, believe me, you've had it, too. It's that insane burst of creativity when the words are being generated so fast your fingers can't keep up. You give up sleep, food, and common sense and write until your aching, malnourished body drags itself to the engineer—your brain—and begs to be let off at theJ.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-9536640715232671812010-08-08T02:24:00.001-04:002010-08-08T02:30:44.169-04:00Keep It Simple
A SONG SPARROW lives in the giant pines trees on our farm.
For the past six weeks it has bombarded us with a daily jumble of noisy trills and warbles beginning before six in the morning and lasting until the first star appears at twilight.
No, seriously. The constant jabber lasts from dawn to dusk. Without interruption. Without regard for etiquette and without regard for sanity.
J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-29927519973776937182010-08-01T10:34:00.001-04:002010-08-01T10:35:15.188-04:00Name the Baby
As you know, I've been busily writing my new novel and everything was going smoothly until. . . .
Hmmm . . . well, let me start from the beginning.
Part I
With the exception of Dead Bird in the Weeds, every piece of fiction I've written has had a working title before the first word hit the page. Why? A piece of fiction without a title is like a newborn baby without a name. How are you J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-58282676049892600462010-07-25T10:51:00.000-04:002010-07-25T10:51:37.687-04:00Seanachaí's News On the last Sunday of each month, I compile "Seanachaí's News," a status report that assesses my work during the current month and also formulates my plans for the upcoming months. It will also give you a peek at my works in progress.
My Work During the Current Month
The Apple Pie is in the Oven is a short piece that celebrates Independence Day using a collage of memories.
Have you ever J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-16097287395829304312010-07-18T09:11:00.000-04:002010-07-18T09:11:51.304-04:00Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?
Did you ever have to make up your mind?
I've been working--not as much as I should--on my new book this week and find myself standing at a crossroad.
Let me back up.
Before I write anything of magnitude, I compose several pages (sometimes an outline [especially with historical fiction]) that detail the direction of the piece and highlight the major goals I want to achieve. So was the caseJ.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-51657071578412401912010-07-11T16:44:00.006-04:002011-03-27T09:31:36.569-04:00Just Another Ledgewalker
I almost didn't write this blog post today.
I almost decided never to write again.
Writing has been number one in my life for the past two years but rather than giving it up, I'm assigning it a third, perhaps fourth, rank of importance.
While the reason for such a decision is unimportant, I think the "ledge" I was on made me realize that nothing in our lives should make us give up our J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-53538078191427725852010-07-04T10:05:00.000-04:002010-07-04T10:05:25.127-04:00The Apple Pie Is in the Oven
As we celebrate our independence on this hot, humid Sunday, I think of the many people who risked their homes and their lives to seize the right to be free of tyranny. I'm grateful to all of our soldiers at home and abroad, remembering the sacrifices of my grandfather and great-uncles in WWII and my own father during the Vietnam War.
I think of my own carefree childhood and recall water-gun J.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8352081991909520120.post-36272322098649441432010-06-27T08:33:00.000-04:002010-06-27T08:33:40.926-04:00Seanachaí's News On the last Sunday of each month, I compile "Seanachaí's News," a status report that assesses my work during the current month and also formulates my plans for the upcoming months. It will also give you a peek at my works in progress.
My Work During the Current Month
What does one write while cooped up in the back of a car? "Ruby June," of course.
Thinking, Planning, and Daydreaming takesJ.E. Seanachaíhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418178987361118773noreply@blogger.com0