|
Table of
Contents
Lifestyle
Begin Something Great
Living the Gypsy Life
The
Second Half of my Life
From the Quill
In The Beginning
Turkey Talk
Teriyaki Style!
Fiction
Is
This Seat Taken?
Bits & Pieces
Featured Websites
A Word From Our
Sponsors
Editors
J.C. Wilder,
Managing Editor
Anne Cain
Ciar Cullen
Lauren Dane
Carolan Ivey
John Karr
Isabo Kelly
J.L. Langley
TJ Michaels
Ashleigh
Raine
Beth
Williamson
From The Editors
 
 |
|
 |
Letter from the
Editor
Welcome to the first issue of The Samhellion, a
newsletter for readers and writers of every genre. Please excuse
the "under construction" appearance of the newsletter,
we're still ironing out the format and it takes
a lot of time to accomplish. That said, we decided
this issue was too good to wait any longer. :)
The idea for
this special newsletter came up during a
conversation between a group of Samhain authors (aka.
the Samhellions). It seems like everyone is doing a
newsletter these days and we wanted something
different. A newsletter that explored one of our most
favorite things in the world - good books, but also included
other fun bits of anything under the sun. |
And The Samhellion was born.
This, our first edition,
focuses on Great Beginnings and we have some fabulous
articles to share with you. Ciar Cullen starts us off with
Begin Something Great, an article about taking that first
terrifying step of changing your life. Isabo Kelly brings
us a glimpse into her Gypsy Lifestyle and Beth Williamson
shares her thoughts in The Second Half Of My Life.
From the
Quill, I've included an article for writers on getting
your novel started off right. In Turkey Talk, T.J.
Michaels shares an interview and a fabulous recipe.
Finally we have
a fun short story from Ashleigh Raine entitled Is This
Seat Taken?.
October's topic
will be all things spooky and sexy, "Things that go
Bump and Grind in the Night", and I can tell you from
experience it's shaping up to be one hot month!
We are always
looking for story ideas so if you have a topic you'd like to
see us discuss, please drop any of the editors a note.
If you'd like to submit an article that you've written,
please send those to
me. While we don't pay anything for
articles, you will bask in the eternal thanks and pounds of
virtual chocolates from the editors.
We sincerely hope you enjoy the September issue of The Samhellion and
that you will recommend it to your friends.
Until Next Time, J.C. Wilder
|
"It doesn't take much to see that
the problems of three little people doesn't add up
to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday
you'll understand that. Now, now... Here's looking
at you kid." - Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca |
|
Begin
Something Great by Ciar Cullen
Quick, fill in
the blank: I always wanted to try ______________. Your
answer might be a secret desire you’ve never shared, or
something your relatives are tired of hearing about. Perhaps
you won’t even give yourself permission to fill in the
blank. After all, you’re too old, too busy, don’t have the
talent or the background, right? Wrong.
Okay, perhaps
it’s a little late to become an astronaut or a brain
surgeon. Here are a few of the more common dreams I hear
from romance readers when they read my biography, which
includes martial arts, archaeology and writing. “I always
wanted to try martial arts, but I’m too old now.” “I always
wanted to be an archaeologist.” “I’d love to write a book.”
Those are just three examples, of course. Perhaps you’d like
to lose weight, quit smoking, learn a language, start a
savings account, learn to draw, or learn to fly! The
possibilities are endless, and there are no wrong answers.
|
 |
So, given that
this is your life, what are you waiting for? As a
martial arts instructor, I heard it all. “I’m not young, and
it’s difficult.” So? When I mentioned my age as a hindrance
to my mom, I said I would be 45 by the time I got my black
belt. And she responded, “How old will you be in eight years
if you don’t take karate?” Think about it. Nothing will pay
you back in energy and health like physical activity.
Classes are offered for wheelchair bound people.
(More,
More!)
|
“There is a woman at the beginning of all great
things.” - Alphonse de Lamartine, French Poet,
Writer and Statesman (1790-1869) |
Living the Gypsy Lifestyle by Isabo Kelly
I can’t quite
call myself a real gypsy. I like stability too much. And to
be honest, I have too much junk to want to pack it all up
more often than every couple of years. But I do feel the
need to live in new places, to travel and experience
different cultures. And starting fresh in interesting cities
and countries keeps me energized
|
But this gypsy-ish
lifestyle isn’t for everyone. I’ve known a lot of people who
are still living in the same town they were born in. I could
never have managed that. Mainly because I was born in
Tucson, Arizona and moved away at the age of one, never to
return again. Hard to remain in your birthplace if you only
lived there a year. |
 |
I did, however,
grow up in one place. Las Vegas, Nevada. Yes, people do live
there. And though I do know people who love Las Vegas—and I
highly recommend it for a holiday because there’s no place
else like it in the world—I hated it. Which made adopting
the gypsy lifestyle a little bit easier. I had no intentions
of living in Vegas for my entire life.
So why do I keep
moving? Why do I insist on starting over ever 2-7 years?
(More, More!)
|
"No
river can return to its source, yet all rivers must
have a beginning” - Native American Proverb |
The
Second Half of My Life By Beth Williamson
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about
where I am in my life, including what I’ve done, where I’ve
been, and what I haven’t done. Why? Because I’m going to
turn 40 in less than four months. *sigh* The average
lifespan of a woman like me is 78-83 so that means I’m just
about halfway there right? Should I break out the Ben-Gay
and Depends soon?
|
 |
Not hardly.
You see, when I turned 30, I decided to
change my life. I’d done nothing with my college degree, I
was working as a secretary and I’d already had two kids.
Life was busier than hell and I was getting nowhere with any
of my dreams. I’d lost me somewhere along the way.
So what did I do? I started the second
half of my life.
To begin with, I changed careers
and became a technical writer and hell’s bells, I am damn
good at it. Good enough that ten years later, I’ve more than
doubled my salary and am in line for a manager’s job. I’ve
got a beautiful four bedroom house and over an acre of land. |
That, however, wasn’t enough. I wanted
more. I wanted to truly spread my wings and fly.
(More,
More!)
|
"Few can foresee whither their
road will lead them, till they come to its end."
J.R.R. Tolkien |
In The Beginning
By J.C. Wilder
For me, there is nothing more intimidating than a blank
computer screen and if I could, I would pay someone to start
my novels for me. Since that isn't going to happen, I'd
better start from the beginning - literally.
|
For
many writers, the first thing that happens in the
creative process is characters suddenly intrude into
your daily life. Fully formed, walking and talking -
you see and hear them as easily as your best friend.
Excited over their arrival, you listen to the story
of their lives before sitting down to write
and…nothing happens. Or what you end up writing is
nothing like you'd imagined. |
 |
So why is that?
The universal truth among writers is that there will ALWAYS
be a gap between your imagination and what appears on your
page. Imagine the story-writing process as an onion. With
the addition of each
layer (rewriting, editing, adding description) the onion,
like your story, will be fuller and rounder. But, before we
get to that point, we have to write the beginning.
(More, More!)
|
"Cherish
forever what makes you unique, ‘cuz you're really a
yawn if it goes." Bette Midler |
|
 |
Turkey Talk…Teriyaki
Style! By TJ Michaels
Since we're talking about great beginnings, even if you've
never been much of a cook, now's a fabulous time to start.
Now this is a bit of a twist for me because I was born and
raised in San Francisco, had my children in California, have
been a tech geek for almost twenty years...and now I'm a
Japanophile.
|
We've always been kick-butt cooks in my family. My grandma,
from Louisiana, taught us to make gumbo, shrimp Creole (oh,
my favorite) and all manner of Cajun food. My dad, from
Georgia, brought us up on grits, greens n' cornbread, beans
and rice, and good ole' Southern food. My mom, also from
Louisiana, launched us into everything else, from quiche to
lasagna and everything in between. That is, everything
except—you guessed it—Japanese food.
Some of you may be thinking, "What the heck made a sistah
from San Francisco start learning to speak Japanese and
embrace all things Japan at almost forty years old?" The
answer: My kids! My daughter in particular.
(More,
More!)
"It is easier
to live through someone else than to become complete
yourself." Betty Friedan, from The Feminine Mystique
|
