Music like this is why…

… I listen to Japanese music. I LOVE the artists. So much. The music. The voices. The lyrics. Everything. Absolutely everything.

Today I’m actually posting a teaser, so that perhaps the rest of you can lie in anxious wait along with me until the full song is released in July…

Meet SoulJa, a half-Belgian, half-Japanese hip-hop artist who just happens to also play the piano, the violin, AND the cello. Oh, and he speaks fluent English (so his songs with English lyrics actually make perfect sense). And he just happens to look incredibly handsome really no matter what he’s doing.

ANYWAY… I digress.

Here is his new collaboration with KenJi03. Listen. Then try to contain your excitement for the next month for the whole song…

http://youtu.be/g4gXwafRGGg

June #Writemotivation — Week 3 (And an Exciting Announcement!)

Goal recap:

1) Spend 30 hours working on poetry (getting ambitious here…)

3 hours and 6 minutes is where I am at for this month. Ouch. Just…. ouch. June is beating me up.

2) Finish read-through for TSB (a friend’s manuscript)

I am still halfway through Chapter 3 of 36. I am a terrible friend. Making this one a PRIORITY this week. I want to get at least the next few chapters done!

3) Get at least halfway through Cloudy (another friend’s manuscript)

Still haven’t started this yet and the way this month is going… this might be a next month goal now. (By ‘might’ read ‘most definitely’.)

4) Send my work out on submission at least twice

Yes! I mailed a submission last week! That marks SEVERAL pieces I have out now and to several locations. If I’m really lucky someone out there will like what they read!

Now to the super exciting news….

I just had my second poem published!! The end of last year saw my first publishing credit, and now I already have my second!

Back in April, the online magazine Underneath the Juniper Tree held a contest to write a short poem or story based on the word ‘dissect’. The magazine publishes dark children’s literature, and I’ve been told before to try submitting to them. I figured it was finally time to give it a try.

My poem won the poetry portion of the contest and is now published in the Spring issue! Please go check it out and leave me a comment here with your thoughts (if you’re so inclined). And don’t just read my piece, check out the whole magazine while you’re there!

Read the Spring 2013 issue here.

Note: Thanks to Rebekah for being an AWESOME inspiration. It was her prompting that led to the idea I ended up with!

June #Writemotivation — Week 2

And wow. It’s the 10th already. How?

I’m not going to try to figure it out. I’m just going to do a goal update. If I think too hard on time passing it just goes faster…

1) Spend 30 hours working on poetry (getting ambitious here…)

30 hours is a lot. It’s a crazy lot. Because I only let myself count the time that I’m NOT wandering off on the internet or otherwise distracted. This is focused time only. Why did I make this goal THAT ambitious when I’m critting a novel and a half this month too? AND still working a day job….

So far I’m at 1 hour 36 minutes. But astoundingly in that time I finished the final edits on one piece and have near final edits on another. When the good days are good, they are really really good.

2) Finish read-through for TSB (a friend’s manuscript)

I’m currently halfway through Chapter 3 of 36… gonna have to make this a priority this week methinks.

3) Get at least halfway through Cloudy (another friend’s manuscript)

Haven’t started this yet, because, well, ideally I’m finishing TSB first. Ideally.

4) Send my work out on submission at least twice

I actually have a submission due later this week, so in theory on next week’s update this goal should be half-complete! Progress is on the horizon! (Is that anything like procrastinators unite… tomorrow?)

Kiyoharu – Crow

I’ve only recently begun listening to Kiyoharu in the last 6 months or so even though he’s been an artist in the music scene for more than 20 years.

Kiyoharu
(I do not own this image.)

He has a wide variety of music, but I find his voice soothing and there are many songs from his solo work that I write to or relax to. Probably my favorite of these songs is ‘Crow’. This song almost puts me into an easy sort of trance where I feel calm and at peace.

I’m not sure what it is about Kiyo’s voice, but it’s one of those voices that gives me the sense it could transport me anywhere.

Some days we just need a moment to relax, to melt into music and be taken away. So today I share with you ‘Crow’. Enjoy. =)

SHINee’s Dream Girl

I’ve talked about SHINee before. They are one of my favorite Korean boy bands. They’re adorable with sweet lyrics, catchy music, incredible voices, and awesome dance moves.

Their most recent hit release from back in February is ‘Dream Girl’. I love EVERYTHING about this song. And I must admit, I am kind of crazily in love with the boys’ adorably awkward fashion changes too. It’s funky, colorful, and SO THEM. They make it work.

SHINee winning 1st place on Inkigayo for ‘Dream Girl’
(I do not own this image.)

I record Inkigayo (a Korean pop music program) on my television every week and that’s how I often keep up with current releases and new groups. I must admit that I usually play it in the background while I clean house. But every time I heard the opening beats of ‘Dream Girl’ I would squeal, drop everything, and run to the TV for a giddy, overly-fangirly, impromptu dance session.

LOVE THESE BOYS.

Now, enjoy ‘Dream Girl’.

 

June #Writemotivation — Week 1

Okay so it’s not really fair to have a Week 1 post only 3 days into the month… just saying.

But it’s Monday and that means UPDATE!

Started training the new guy at work today and, thank God, he’s an introvert like me. Our boss is the ultimate go-get-’em extrovert and while he is far more awesome than awful in his bosslike nature… it wears on us introverts. Despite the irony of this statement… I’m glad to have someone to band together with in our appreciation of quiet.

We’re going to make this easy today… no progress on any of my goals. But it’s only day 3! And for the sake of recap, these are the things on which I should be making progress by this time next week….

1) Spend 30 hours working on poetry (getting ambitious here…)

2) Finish read-through for TSB (a friend’s manuscript)

3) Get at least halfway through Cloudy (another friend’s manuscript)

4) Send my work out on submission at least twice

Introducing… THE FERRETS!

Today is a VERY SPECIAL DAY.

You have heard me mention many times the lovely Ferret girls who are my writing partners.

Well today our joint blog goes live!

Please, drop by today to read about the birth of the Ferrets, and stay tuned all week as the 6 of us introduce ourselves.

Then make sure to subscribe to the blog because we’ll be posting all sorts of things about writing, researching, and our travels in the weeks and months to come. We promise to not only be very informative, but also highly entertaining!!

The Ferrets!