A new book and a new blog

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Ria Loader

February 2015 saw the publication of my second story, this time a novella in three parts – Child of Time. It follows the exploits and adventures of the young Mira as she grows into her magic and finds trouble wherever she goes.

The novella came from some questions from readers of Library of Time who wanted to know more of the back story for our main character. This sequence starts at the beginning when she is five years old, and continues with tales of her life as she is nine and thirteen. There’s even a sneak peek at the next novella, where she has become a mage apprentice who is at odds with her family’s expectations. Other characters like the tricky Jin Rael are introduced for the first time.

If you enjoy stories of magic and wonder, or your children do, then Child of Time is a good young adult read as well. Having braved both ebook and print, it is perhaps time to start thinking about audio books. Child of Time is a good read-out-loud story, so perhaps I will start here. I wonder if there will be interest in the author reading her own work? We will see, or rather hear. I started a new blog last month as a place to focus on thoughts about writing. You can find it at wyrdplay.com.

It makes me so happy to learn more about the world of my characters and to learn to be a better writer. The process of writing is so much about being in the now; the world drops away and the words flow effortlessly to create something that is as new to me as it will be to the reader.

Organizing the car and enjoying the ride

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Ria Loader

I should start this post by saying that organizing is one of the things that makes me happy. It clears my head, gives my hands something to do, and I can see concrete results from the effort. I noticed recently that there seems to be a lot of stuff that accumulates in the car. I took inventory of things that needed sorted and put away. Wow, was I surprised! There was an pile of towels, umbrellas, survival gear, clothing, cans for recycling, cds and miscellaneous paperback novels. I’m not even sure what to say about the lace parasol and the bag of steampunk gears and watch parts. In addition, there were collections of things.

Jackets and wraps
I’m sure there’s a good reason for having 3 winter jackets, a summer sarong, and 3 pashminis in the hatchback section of my car. However, I feel it takes preparedness too far to add shorts, a halter top and 3 winter hats.

Shoes
Ugh boots, two pairs of sandals, one that I’d forgotten I had, and a pair of flip flops that I only wore to a gym that I haven’t had a membership in for two years.

Hardware
There were two hammers, a set of screwdrivers, a rubber mallet, and two fix-a-flat cans, a big ball of twine, 2 rolls of duct tape, bungie cords (2 sizes), and a set of tent stakes, along with a lantern and 3 flashlights.

Cups, mugs and picnic gear
I found no less than 6 travel mugs, all thankfully empty and pre-washed. That was a relief, I can tell you. A set of plastic tumblers, picnic blanket, fold up sit-on-the-ground seat with a back, folding chair and a couple of gallons of water.

At this point I feel compelled to say that I do not have kids, and was not carrying about any of this stuff for anyone else. It was simply the detritus of a year of being prepared for various eventualities that, well, didn’t. Eventuate that is. It took six bags to carry it all into the house and fully a month before it got sorted into laundry, kitchen, and other sundry piles for putting away.

Organizing the car
I got myself a couple of those cloth square baskets with flat bottoms, so at least the car and emergency stuff has it’s own place. And there’s even one with a garbage bag in it for collecting empty drink cans. When I get a chance, I’ll add a couple of totes for my shopping bags.

Am feeling so much better about the organizing I got done. There are no longer any strange sounds as unknown, and heavy, objects roll about in the back area of the car when I take a curve too fast. I no longer have the task of cleaning out the car distracting me from time to time. Now I can just enjoy the ride.

Growing the love

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Ria Loader

In the English-speaking world, we grow up with stories about true love, magical love, divine and destined love. We read about friendships that last a lifetime, and we are introduced to the idea of looking for redemption or completion through our relationships. Sometimes, we are even fortunate enough to see evidence of those relationships around us. We see examples of old couples who still appear to glow, whose faces light up when they see each other, who continue to be in love, in love forever.

Yet we see as many situations that do not play out as they do in storybooks, and we ask ourselves why? And perhaps we should be asking ourselves, why not? In a storybook, there is usually an obstacle or two to overcome, and this adds interest to the story, and makes it resonate with us. However, we seem to be a little lazy in the stories of our own lives. We expect perfection, right away. We walk away from anything that becomes uncomfortable, or challenging, and in doing so, we often walk away from the opportunity for love to grow.

A good friend of mine said something years ago that has played out to be true for me. “If you are willing to look deeply into someone, you cannot help but love them.” By this, he meant that willingness to love was the pre-requisite for love. I have come to believe we have within us the ability to cultivate love, and to also cultivate an expectation that we will see the good in people. That makes it much easier to both find love, and to keep it growing when we have found it, whether that is friendship or a deeper kind of experience.

Thankful Thursday

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Ria Loader

I cannot remember who suggested it first, back when our tribe connected on another social network, but the idea of Thankful Thursdays has stuck with me. The idea is that once a week, on a Thursday, we’d think about the things we’re grateful for in our lives. And then we’d post that for everyone to see. We didn’t do it every week, and it was likely once every month or so for each of us. It was a voluntary acknowledgement of what we were celebrating that week, something like this:

Thankful Thursday

The top 15 things I am grateful for this week

being more in love with my spice/spouse every day
friends who live around the world, and keep in touch by various means
family who support each other, and who are demonstrative, affectionate, eccentric and opinionated
that my sense of curiosity and wonder appears to be intact
our wonderful kitties, Tempus Fugit and Morpheus
a terrific house, with interesting objects and art everywhere I look
flexibility – having a body and brain that are bendy
the thousands of books that share our home
my tribes, communities, extended family and kin
having a great job where I can play with different ideas every week
always having a plan b – being prepared
embracing happiness and writing about it
making art, making love
abandoning certainty
knowing I am loved and cherished

Try your own list. Make it some random number of things like 3, 5, 7, 10 or some number that is personally meaningful. Go on. You know you want to.

Setting the stage for happiness

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Ria Loader

For me, happiness is a transitory state, much like optimism. Yet there are things I do to set the stage for it, to prepare for good fortune to enter in, and to celebrate it when it arrives. Some of that is gratitude for the good things that have gone before, and some of it is awareness that good things happen if you set your mind and will to it. One of my favorite artists, Austin Osman Spare, had a formula for setting his will in motion.

He would start with “This my will that…(specifiy exactly) …” and would end with “so mote it be!”, a formula that I’ve found very successful. It took me a while to get the specifics as, well, specific as they needed to be.

This my will that I will

get enough sleep to feel rested and refreshed for the next 3 nights
just for today, be free from worry
smile at co-workers when I see them
express appreciation to at least one person

It varies from day to day, however, the pattern is a repeated one. Over time, if I focus on the statements, and write them down, they manifest in the world.

When I set the stage for happiness by planning to manifest it in the world, it tends to arrive with satisfying repetition.

Loving happiness

Love, happiness and making

Tag Archives: happiness

A new book and a new blog

Organizing the car and enjoying the ride

Growing the love

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

Setting the stage for happiness