The Wordsmith's Forge

Last night we discovered that my book Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers is listed as the #4 Bestseller in the Wiccan/Magick category on the New Page Books site. Look on the lefthand side of the page and scroll down to find the entry.

SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!

*bounce bounce frisk caper grin bounce bounce bounce*

Last night we discovered that my book Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers is listed as the #4 Bestseller in the Wiccan/Magick category on the New Page Books site. Look on the lefthand side of the page and scroll down to find the entry.

SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!

*bounce bounce frisk caper grin bounce bounce bounce*

Here is a summary of my wordsmithing accomplishments during the year of 2007…

Poems Written: 202+
Poems Published: 46

Stories Written: 5 (including a novelette)
Stories Submitted to Market: 15
Stories Sold: 2

Nonfiction Pieces Written: 55+
Nonfiction Pieces Published: 53+

Book Proposals Written: 1
Book Proposals Submitted to Market: 1
Books Written: 0
Books Sold: 0

The big news, of course, is the publication of my first book: Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers (New Page Books, July 2007). It introduces many tools and techniques forwriting, and describes different types of magical and spiritual writing.

I met my 2007 goal of having poems published in 100 markets; Coyote Wild became #100 with "What You Should Call Us."

My poem "Beach Climbing" was nominated for the Rhysling Award.
My poem "One Ship Tall" won the 2007 Science Fiction Poetry Association contest.
My poem "Her Sheltering Wings" and story "Ngati and the Listeners" have been selected for A Time To...Vol. II: The Best of The Lorelei Signal 2007 anthology.
My story "Frustration" appeared in Cicada magazine. I know, nobody's bookstore stocked it.

I was named "Teacher of the Year" at the Grey School of Wizardry. It seems that my educational approach is working.

I started this blog in May 2007. The account upgrade was a late birthday present from janetmiles. I've gotten a lot of use out of it!

I also started a freelance editing business with a friend of mine. If you've been wishing that you could get professional feedback and polishing for your writing, but couldn't find a source -- well, here's one.

It's funny how I never realize how much I've accomplished until I pile it all up to tell somebody about it. This always happens at the end of the year. I think I've been falling behind, and then I look at the summary and ... holy cow. That's quite a lot of stuff. So if you've noticed that I tag a majority of these posts with "Mood = Busy" ... I'm not kidding.

Here is a summary of my wordsmithing accomplishments during the year of 2007…

Poems Written: 202+
Poems Published: 46

Stories Written: 5 (including a novelette)
Stories Submitted to Market: 15
Stories Sold: 2

Nonfiction Pieces Written: 55+
Nonfiction Pieces Published: 53+

Book Proposals Written: 1
Book Proposals Submitted to Market: 1
Books Written: 0
Books Sold: 0

The big news, of course, is the publication of my first book: Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers (New Page Books, July 2007). It introduces many tools and techniques forwriting, and describes different types of magical and spiritual writing.

I met my 2007 goal of having poems published in 100 markets; Coyote Wild became #100 with "What You Should Call Us."

My poem "Beach Climbing" was nominated for the Rhysling Award.
My poem "One Ship Tall" won the 2007 Science Fiction Poetry Association contest.
My poem "Her Sheltering Wings" and story "Ngati and the Listeners" have been selected for A Time To...Vol. II: The Best of The Lorelei Signal 2007 anthology.
My story "Frustration" appeared in Cicada magazine. I know, nobody's bookstore stocked it.

I was named "Teacher of the Year" at the Grey School of Wizardry. It seems that my educational approach is working.

I started this blog in May 2007. The account upgrade was a late birthday present from janetmiles. I've gotten a lot of use out of it!

I also started a freelance editing business with a friend of mine. If you've been wishing that you could get professional feedback and polishing for your writing, but couldn't find a source -- well, here's one.

It's funny how I never realize how much I've accomplished until I pile it all up to tell somebody about it. This always happens at the end of the year. I think I've been falling behind, and then I look at the summary and ... holy cow. That's quite a lot of stuff. So if you've noticed that I tag a majority of these posts with "Mood = Busy" ... I'm not kidding.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

My book Composing Magic has a chapter on prayers, which includes a section about "Thanksgiving Prayers" (pp.167-8), also called "gratitudes." (If you're working your way through that book, today is the ideal time to do that part.) Surely the gods get tired of hearing "gimme gimme" all the time. So, it's important to make some prayers all about giving thanks for the things we appreciate. If you aren't a religious person, substitute "meditation" or "positive affirmation" for "prayer." What you say is more important than where you direct it. So take some time today to count your blessings. Find some friends or family members and tell them that you love them; tell them how much you appreciate the place they hold in your life that makes them special to you. Take note of your talents, pleasures, and the richnesses in your life. Share them today with people you care about.

Over the past several months, you folks have become part of my online kingroup. So, here are some things I'm grateful for:

* Smart, lively friends who are eager to teach me new things. This helps keep my mind flexible, it's fun, and I probably wouldn't have been able to start this LJ without some help from more experienced bloggers.

* Smart, lively people in my audience. You-all made yesterday's Poetry Fishbowl a thrill, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.

* A large yard full of wildlife. I enjoy watching birds and other critters, but also, I love the sense that I can provide a valuable sanctuary for them. They flatter me with their presence: I've found pheasant tracks right up on my patio. Right now the sparrows are turning the suet cage outside my window into a solid ball of feathers.

* A thriving magical/Pagan community in central Illinois. We've had some truly memorable rituals, and regular coffeehouse companionship.

* My magical talents. The nascent technomagical aspect is ... new and startling ... but welcome.

* Inspiration. The Universe provides me with a generous supply.

* My family. It's good to have warm and supportive people around.

* The size of my library. Rooms full of books make me happy -- not just because I love reading them and I use them for research, but because I enjoy sharing them with other people.

* Work that I enjoy. I've got some very fulfilling wordsmithing gigs.

* The fact that most of the people I care the most about are good at expressing their affection, in one way or another. They know I love them; they know what I love about them; they know why they're important to me -- and I know those things about them.

* Leaning over a creative artifact with friends and enjoying it together. I've done this before with artist-friends who brought out their sketchbook. Last weekend we brought some friends over to my parents' place for supper, and they wound up with a lapful of the poetry scrapbook I made for my parents. That was cozy.

* Family recipes. Mom has been collecting ours in a book for me, and I love being able to share them.

* The way a house feels when food is cooking, and the smell fills the air, and there are happy people milling around working in the kitchen and getting hungry.

So, what are some things that you-all are thankful for ...?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

My book Composing Magic has a chapter on prayers, which includes a section about "Thanksgiving Prayers" (pp.167-8), also called "gratitudes." (If you're working your way through that book, today is the ideal time to do that part.) Surely the gods get tired of hearing "gimme gimme" all the time. So, it's important to make some prayers all about giving thanks for the things we appreciate. If you aren't a religious person, substitute "meditation" or "positive affirmation" for "prayer." What you say is more important than where you direct it. So take some time today to count your blessings. Find some friends or family members and tell them that you love them; tell them how much you appreciate the place they hold in your life that makes them special to you. Take note of your talents, pleasures, and the richnesses in your life. Share them today with people you care about.

Over the past several months, you folks have become part of my online kingroup. So, here are some things I'm grateful for:

* Smart, lively friends who are eager to teach me new things. This helps keep my mind flexible, it's fun, and I probably wouldn't have been able to start this LJ without some help from more experienced bloggers.

* Smart, lively people in my audience. You-all made yesterday's Poetry Fishbowl a thrill, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.

* A large yard full of wildlife. I enjoy watching birds and other critters, but also, I love the sense that I can provide a valuable sanctuary for them. They flatter me with their presence: I've found pheasant tracks right up on my patio. Right now the sparrows are turning the suet cage outside my window into a solid ball of feathers.

* A thriving magical/Pagan community in central Illinois. We've had some truly memorable rituals, and regular coffeehouse companionship.

* My magical talents. The nascent technomagical aspect is ... new and startling ... but welcome.

* Inspiration. The Universe provides me with a generous supply.

* My family. It's good to have warm and supportive people around.

* The size of my library. Rooms full of books make me happy -- not just because I love reading them and I use them for research, but because I enjoy sharing them with other people.

* Work that I enjoy. I've got some very fulfilling wordsmithing gigs.

* The fact that most of the people I care the most about are good at expressing their affection, in one way or another. They know I love them; they know what I love about them; they know why they're important to me -- and I know those things about them.

* Leaning over a creative artifact with friends and enjoying it together. I've done this before with artist-friends who brought out their sketchbook. Last weekend we brought some friends over to my parents' place for supper, and they wound up with a lapful of the poetry scrapbook I made for my parents. That was cozy.

* Family recipes. Mom has been collecting ours in a book for me, and I love being able to share them.

* The way a house feels when food is cooking, and the smell fills the air, and there are happy people milling around working in the kitchen and getting hungry.

So, what are some things that you-all are thankful for ...?

One of the folks at New Page Books just sent me a review of Composing Magic that appeared in New Age Retailer. NAR is the premier tradezine for Pagan/New Age stores and has been for over 20 years. I'm especially pleased to get a review there because they published a couple of my articles several years ago.

Here is the review:

Composing Magic:
How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers
Elizabeth Barrette
$14.99 QP, 9781564149350, 240 pages, 5.25" x 8.25",
New Page Books, 800/227-3371,
www.newpagebooks.com

Although this book is clearly designed and written for people who are interested in writing for magical purposes, it is also a thorough and easy-to-read foundation course for writing in general. Unlike some of the currently popular motivational books, which paint with broad strokes and leave us to figure out the details, this book has step-by-step instructions. Chapters like the one outlining the basics of poetry will be worthwhile for a wide range of readers. Those who are primarily interested in magic (and perhaps less so in the intricacies of literature) may want to start with chapter six, “Spinning Special Spells.”

Clearly Elizabeth Barrette believes in the power of the well-used word. “Magic lives in the will, but moves through the word.” She also believes in every individual’s ability to tap into the energy flowing through her or his world. “Designing your own compositions gives them more power and meaning for you. You don’t need to be an experienced writer to get satisfying results.” Though writing from a Pagan point of view, she is not only inclusive of non-Pagans, but also invites them to use her techniques to connect with the divinity or divinities in their own traditions.

For those interested in learning more about Pagan tradition and ritual, she recommends The Spiral Dance by Starhawk and People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out by Ellen Evert Hopman and Lawrence Bond.

The cover design is lively and inviting and would work well in a display with interesting journals and special pens.

Anna Jedrziewski, Spirit Connection New York, New York, N.Y.

If anyone from NAR is reading this post -- thanks, folks. You run a lovely magazine and I'm delighted to appear there in a new capacity. I hope your readers have fun compiling their displays.

One of the folks at New Page Books just sent me a review of Composing Magic that appeared in New Age Retailer. NAR is the premier tradezine for Pagan/New Age stores and has been for over 20 years. I'm especially pleased to get a review there because they published a couple of my articles several years ago.

Here is the review:

Composing Magic:
How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers
Elizabeth Barrette
$14.99 QP, 9781564149350, 240 pages, 5.25" x 8.25",
New Page Books, 800/227-3371,
www.newpagebooks.com

Although this book is clearly designed and written for people who are interested in writing for magical purposes, it is also a thorough and easy-to-read foundation course for writing in general. Unlike some of the currently popular motivational books, which paint with broad strokes and leave us to figure out the details, this book has step-by-step instructions. Chapters like the one outlining the basics of poetry will be worthwhile for a wide range of readers. Those who are primarily interested in magic (and perhaps less so in the intricacies of literature) may want to start with chapter six, “Spinning Special Spells.”

Clearly Elizabeth Barrette believes in the power of the well-used word. “Magic lives in the will, but moves through the word.” She also believes in every individual’s ability to tap into the energy flowing through her or his world. “Designing your own compositions gives them more power and meaning for you. You don’t need to be an experienced writer to get satisfying results.” Though writing from a Pagan point of view, she is not only inclusive of non-Pagans, but also invites them to use her techniques to connect with the divinity or divinities in their own traditions.

For those interested in learning more about Pagan tradition and ritual, she recommends The Spiral Dance by Starhawk and People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out by Ellen Evert Hopman and Lawrence Bond.

The cover design is lively and inviting and would work well in a display with interesting journals and special pens.

Anna Jedrziewski, Spirit Connection New York, New York, N.Y.

If anyone from NAR is reading this post -- thanks, folks. You run a lovely magazine and I'm delighted to appear there in a new capacity. I hope your readers have fun compiling their displays.

Today I discovered the WorldCat site that lets you search for a book in libraries around the world. It reveals how many libraries a book is in and where they are located. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, not only is my book Composing Magic listed, but it is available in 18 libraries. Most are in the Midwest, but a handful are down south and a few are out in California. There are no reviews attached to it yet, though, so if anyone here has a WorldCat account, that would be a helpful addition.

Today I discovered the WorldCat site that lets you search for a book in libraries around the world. It reveals how many libraries a book is in and where they are located. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, not only is my book Composing Magic listed, but it is available in 18 libraries. Most are in the Midwest, but a handful are down south and a few are out in California. There are no reviews attached to it yet, though, so if anyone here has a WorldCat account, that would be a helpful addition.