Smart Bitches and Lion Cubs

The first thing I saw this morning was a lovely wee video shared by a friend and posted on Smart Bitches and Trashy Books. It's a Scottish zookeeper hugging his wee, lovely lion cubs. Since I've just finished writing my lion keeper WIP, and there is now nothing left but the beta reading and editing, I thought I'd celebrate with another look. Join me, won't you. Thank you Smart Bitches!

And speaking of smart bitches, here are a few I call friends. You might want to check out their websites. You'll find books, reviews, blogs, and all kinds of fun. So, take a peek at Andi Lea, Jordan Castillo Price, West Thornhill, Amanda Young, Gayle's Book Nook, Korthy Alexander, and Cherie Noel. These amazing women have all been very good to me. Thanks, ladies!

And, if you are looking for a fantastic adventure and a great free read, as always, you can swing by The Ravens Crossing for some young adult sci-fi and fantasy. There's a diverse cast of characters, and a little something for everyone. I hope you enjoy!

Brainstorming and Blog Hops!

I'm off to shininigans and all kinds of brainstorming with The Ravens Crossing Team today. I love hump day any more. Every Wednesday we all meet in person to work on the collaborative parts of the stories and to come up with all kinds of new ideas for how we will add interactive fun to the process as we go. Each week, crazy amazing things happen. It's really unbelievable to see what can happen when friends come together for a cause they believe in. Everybody is so motivated on this thing, even after volunteering an insane amount of hours on it each week. It's just so worth the effort, and it doesn't feel like work most of the time. 

Anyway, today starts the Leap into Indy Blog Hop to promote Indie Authors. So head on over to The Ravens Crossing. Leave a comment on one of the stories, and you are entered to win a $15 gift certificate at Amazon with us. Then, there is a handy little button on the sidebar you can push to find twenty other blogs. Enter to win something at each of them, and have fun reading about all their cool YA projects. 

Have a fantastic day!

Checking in with Creative Antics

February has been a little wild and joyfully crazy on the Creative Antics front. The new YA project, The Ravens Crossing,  continues to exceed my expectations. Partnerships are being created, new additions continue to appear on the website, and the stories continue to grow and evolve. Many in the community have reached out to offer their support. It's beautiful to see so many people coming together to help us make a difference for LGBTQIA youth. Thanks to all of you. You know who you are. And thanks, specifically, to Team TRC, Andi Lea, West Thornhill, Jess Samuel, Poet Rae, and JD for all the long hours and the unwavering dedication to this dream we continue to build together. I often find myself working these days with a giddy smile on my face, and it's thanks to all of you!

In other updates, the La Playa Blanca story many of you read here is getting some reworking. It has come to my attention from a fantastic editor whom I trust implicitly that perhaps it could use a more linear narrative, and more scenes taking place in the current location of the story. So, edits and rethinking have started. The other ongoing projects continue to progress steadily, as well.

I also got a wild hair the other day and picked one of the prompts for the Goodreads M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" anthology. Hence, the image of the wild haired lions above. It is the prompt picture I chose, along with a prompt from Deanna about a zookeeper and the new vet. This I can do. In case you haven't already read the bio, I was a zookeeper for twenty years once upon a time. I even took care of lions. I'm stoked about writing this story. So, thanks Deanna. I am happily building the characters and working on an outline. All of the stories from this event will be published in an anthology. Ah, another deadline. I live for them. 

So, I'm off to write late into the night. I have a pot of coffee brewing, the cell phone and my collaborators at the touch of a button, and my dog curled up asleep at my feet. She has already given in to the inevitable. 

For the Ones Who Are Questioning.

Tetsuya is a high school student struggling with the Q label. He is one of the many teens who are quietly questioning their sexual orientation. In case you don't know, this is what one of the Qs stands for in LGBTQIA. Of course, Tetsuya is a fictional character, a figment of West Thornhill's fertile imagination, who's wonderful story has posted today, along with Raiden & Hemp, over at The Raven's Crossing. Today, I blog in his honor, but I also blog for all of the very real people who are questioning.

Questions of sexual orientation can happen for many people at different stages of their lives. For those who begin to question during their teenage years, however, it can be an even more confusing and frightening time. One that can prove to be very dangerous. I know. I was a teen questioning my own sexuality while attending a very small high school in an extremely conservative farming community.

I don't wish this on anyone. In fact, I am adamant that no teens should have to feel alone and afraid to talk to others about their sexuality. It's vitally important that teens have people they can come to, people who are open to their questions and concerns. People who won't hit them with the pat, knee-jerk reaction that they are "too young to know or question these things." Dr. Jeffrey Fishberger of the Trevor Project often reminds adults that they don't react in this manner when teens come home talking about attractions to people of the opposite sex. It is important to take our questioning youth seriously, to treat them fairly and without judgement and bias. 

Luckily, for teens today, there are a wide variety of organizations that provide safe places with 24 hour help, places where people of all ages can go to ask important questions and find support. Please, if you find yourself questioning your sexuality, no matter what letter of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, or Ally (LGTBQIA) alphabet you wonder about, don't go through this process alone. You don't need to! You can contact The Trevor Lifeline and Trevorchat or the GLBT National Youth Talkline. Parents, guardians, teachers, friends, you also need to know how to best navigate questions from your teenagers regarding sexuality. Know that you are not alone, either. Please visit PFLAG to get support.

Again, we welcome everyone at The Ravens Crossing. Come join the fun, read about LGBTQIA characters you might identify with, leave comments, meet the staff, find friends, link to resources. But, most importantly, know that there is a huge community of people out in the world who support and love you no matter what questions you have, not matter what answers you find. 

The One for Kazuki & Quinn

In case you are wondering WTF is going on here at Creative Antics, I've been blogging the last few days in honor of all of the fabulous characters over at The Ravens Crossing. I thought it might be fun to give you a little insight into the lives of each of the characters, showing you some of the real life things they are inspired by, perhaps the very things that inspired the three authors, Andi Lea, West Thornhill, and myself, to write them.

If you haven't been keeping up with the flash fiction stories posting in a round robin over at TRC, don't fret. There are easy-to-find archives, and we have now completed the First Time Here page to help new users navigate the Wildwood neighborhood. 

Today, West Thornhill's boys, Kazuki & Quinn, attend the Valentine's Dance. If you check out their bio page, you will learn that Quinn has been secretly crushing on Kaz for a long time. Ever since watching him compete in a Kum Do competition. This got me to wondering. Just exactly what is Kum Do? So I searched through a whole bunch of videos, mostly with Idu titles. I loved this vid because of the girl. She seriously rocks. So, this one's for Kaz and Quinn and for the cool Kum Do girl, too! Enjoy!

Then, go read. It's Free. Take ten minutes to escape during a break or on your lunch! It's a good time! Then invite your friends to The Ravens Crossing. Everyone is welcome in Wildwood!