Hey, hey, My Fantastical Readers—
Why don’t eclipses ever win at hide and seek?
Because they always get caught hiding in the shadows! Lol
From my writing sanctuary: Exciting news is on the horizon! This year, I decided to branch out and use my background in Recreational Therapy and love for writing to give back to the community that has supported me. Medina Library has done a great job organizing writing workshops/conferences supporting all writers of varying degrees. So, this year, in June, I’ll be a guest speaker discussing Time Management Strategies for Author Success in Completing a Novel. Also, I’ll be working with another library, helping to head up several teen workshops. Some things we will discuss include Fantasy, Myths, and Magic, world-building, and character-building. I plan to share some world-building ideas and how I came up with The Therans series. I’m pleased to share that I’ll work with WriteHive as a panelist at their 2024 writing conference.
Ultimately, my goal is to inspire fellow authors to write stories that capture their thoughts and put them on paper—or, should I say, put them into the computer. Lol. When I started writing, I used paper—and please don’t ask my age. Now, enough about me. 😊
A few weeks ago, we saw the eclipse. It was such a spectacular sight. There’s so much information surrounding the phenomenon in the newspapers, news, and varying articles. Eclipses have captured the imaginations of cultures worldwide. There are legends, superstitions, and symbolism behind these celestial events that swing from one extreme to another.
Greeks considered the eclipses to be a warning from their gods. They believed their gods were angry and that humans did something displeasing. It’s even been said that Christians believe eclipses are a sign of God’s judgment. The Bible contains many references to the sun and moon; some think the eclipse is a sign of the savior’s imminent return. Ancient Chinese cultures thought of the eclipse as a sign of doom. There is even a Chinese Moon Festival, celebrating moon gazing and indulging in a delicious treat: mooncakes. Interestingly, moon cakes became a symbol during dark times. Secret messages were hidden in the treats, eventually leading to the downfall of the Mongol rule. Another myth is that ancient Chinese believed that solar eclipses occurred when a dragon attacked and devoured the sun.
On a positive note, some Australian cultures viewed them as romantic events, and native Americans also had different perspectives. They saw it as a time of spiritual respect. There have been 15 total eclipse events over the past 150 years, and in the 21st century, only two total solar eclipses have been visible from the United States.
I do not know whether the eclipse is a prophecy or warning, as much as a natural occurrence. I only write fiction and have learned never to debate biblical prophecy. So, let’s leave the imaginative tales throughout history, from the amusing to the downright bizarre. Whether it’s from dragons swallowing the sun to celestial rabbits making mooncakes, these bizarre tales add a humorous twist to legends.
I hope you took the time to appreciate the scientific wonders of the celestial event and the whimsical stories surrounding it. After all, laughter is the best way to eclipse any shadow of doubt.
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There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes of writing a book, and I love sharing my writing journey with you. Here’s a glimpse into the hard work of season author Thomas Gondolfi, a contributor to Legends, Myths & Lies Newsletter.
The Tale of the Table
Ever seen an author selling his books at a convention, a book fair, or even a farmer’s market? Whether you are intrigued with his titles, his cover, his manner, or not, the effort to bring him there is far more than you could imagine. Writing the book alone is a daunting process for most, but to get that book in front of you is far beyond even that. I’m here to share with you all of the blood, sweat, and tears of that brave author.
I’ll start with the obvious. The author you see has to have to have the ability and craft to write a book. Let’s take an established author who writes three thousand words per day (roughly seven pages). Assuming a five-day workweek he’ll finish in six to eight weeks. But that’s just the first draft. There will be at least two rewrite passes for another two months. This author has already invested three to four months of his/her full-time effort into the manuscript. And note, this is for someone who already knows what they are doing. For someone new, it is more like an order of magnitude longer—think three years or more.
Going on the assumption that this is an independent author, he/she has to take those words and make them into a physical book. They need cover art, cover design, manuscript editing (because you can’t edit your own work), manuscript typeset, and then get it printed. Again, assume someone is familiar with the process and all of the above steps take circa another month of effort AND close to two thousand dollars in outlay plus about $5 per book.
Wahhooo… the author has a book in hand. Now what? He has to get it in front of you, the public. The old adage of “Build a better mousetrap and they will beat a path to your door” is utter rubbish. One of the primary marketing tools is to go to conventions and interact with the public in person.
Our author has to find a convention and then apply, hoping that they are in time for the cutoff for vendors AND there is space for them. Oh, and did I mention, outlay another say average of $200. Oh, have to have accommodations at the show. Book a hotel room for another maybe $200 per night. And that is just the start. How will they travel to the show?
The writer has to get their books from where they are to the show (in the right quantities) paying shipping at maybe fifty cents per book.
How much will they charge per book? How do they display their works (and how to get them to the show)? How will they draw attention to themselves and their books? What will they say when a customer approaches them?
Again, let’s say this person already has all of this figured out. The convention weekend arrives. In order to set up, they arrive two hours before you are allowed to enter. They leave half an hour after the doors are closed to restock and make the booth pretty again. During this long day, they are stuck in that booth like a songbird in a cage, with about as much ability to do anything. While you are enjoying the panels, the games, the masquerade, they sit there fully on display the entire time—smiling and interacting more than any introvert ever should. Not to mention the boring hours of doing nothing.
Don’t forget the aftermath. Oh, and just because the show is over, doesn’t mean the work is. After the vendor room shuts down on the last day, they must spend another two hours taking everything down. After they return home, there is restocking/storage, recording show data, accounting, girding their loins for the next show, and the dread taxes.
I know I’ve been a long time getting here… so what is my point to all of this?
I’d like you, as the attendee of the convention, to realize three things: 1) It took a lot of effort and money to get that book there, and the $10, $15, $20, or even more is not overpriced. 2) Vendors are often bored sitting there. Even if you aren’t interested in their books, talking to them costs you effectively nothing. You might find you learn something or even make a friend. 3) No writer is going to get rich doing this. Instead, they thrive on the occasional crumb of praise. Tell them what you liked. Give them a review. Buy a book instead of one of those POP! dolls!
Authors give so much and ask for so little. Encourage them.
Thomas Gondolfi, author and owner of TANSTAAFL Press
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If you’d ever like to reach out and chat, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at cyndibrec7
Air Hugs!
Cyndi Brec
Author Cyndi Brec (inkerspen.com)
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Cyndi Brec 