PRICKLE FORREST CHRONICLES

PRICKLE FORREST CHRONICLES SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER

Prickle Forrest Chronicles

By Chrissy Hartmann

September 2020

It’s fall. The leaves are changing. Wood smoke is in the air. Cider is pressed. And pumpkins are on the rise.

Mother Nature is following her plans as usual. The nights are getting colder. Too cold for some. And the daylight is fading faster. Sweaters and light weight jackets are worn while our t-shirts and shorts are stowed away for another summer with the hopes we won’t over indulge these next few months and can where them next June.

Pumpkin spice seems to have found the taste buds of everyone. As the flavor brings excitement to the fall with a soothing aroma and a warmth to the belly as we drink it in lattes, cappuccinos, and coffees. Plus not to forget muffins, doughnuts, cookies, and pies. Oh Boy, Yum!

So pull out your sweaters, slide into some jeans, and lace up your boots. Fall is here. And while you’re at it… sit by a roaring fire and read a book. Better yet, write one!

Happy autumn!

THE TOP FIVE

Fall weather… Love the hoodies and cowboy boots. Woohoo!
Pro football season is back… now we just need the Big 10 to play.
Fair food… French fries and better yet pumpkin spice. funnel cakes. Oh boy!
CiderBoys apple pineapple hard cider. Delicious!
Vinyl records. Newest one to collection…Alabama Shakes. Love it!

WIP IT… WIP IT GOOD…

Not too much progress with the book this month. Did start to learn more on how screenwriters formulate their manuscripts. This info should be very helpful for Book 2 of Rescuing Whiskey’s Salvation series. Unfortunately, got side tracked by roof repair, which led into cleaning out the spare bedroom, which in turn caused the distraction of getting all the clutter out of the house. It’s not all out yet, but back to writing again. Did come up with a great idea for those who like to pitch their books. Looking into creating an app for this. Wrote out all the ideas for it. Ever have one of those days when nothing gets done because focusing on one thing is a complete distraction. No? Yeah, me neither. Hahaha!

QUERYING…

Wanted to send out a query letter or two, even found a few agencies and a few publishers but realized they were requesting books different from RESCUING WHISKEY’S SALVATION is written in. What a bummer! But still looking for others to submit too.

THE CRAFT

This month’s writing tip…

Use the MICE quotient to help write conflict into your story. The MICE quotient stands for

M… milieu

I… Inquiry

C… Character

E… Events

Check out the explanation on the June 20, 2020 podcast Writing Excuses (Season 15)

15.25: Using the MICE Quotient for Conflict

THE HOLIDAYS:

Not many this month. Maybe a few National days like #NationalHugAHoundogDay or something like that. Pretty tame month, but then again it is fair season around these parts and school is back in session even though it may only be for two or three days a week. Labor Day came and went with much ado about nothing. Did drink some wine with friends a couple of nights this month, but not to celebrate a holiday. Hoping next month will be better though.

MY BOOKSHELF:

The Screen Writer’s Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script by David Trottier
Revelations From The Dead: Chronicles of the Night Waster by Max Willi Fischer
Making Description Work Hard For You; Crafting Unforgettable Fiction Book 1 by Beth Yarnall

SEASONAL FAVORITES:

SEASON: Fall

SPORTS TEAM: Indians, Buckeyes, Browns… Oh my!

COLOR: Dark Brown

CAUSE: The Seeing Eye

SONG: Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden

FOOD: Sweetbread…Yummy!

HOT DRINK: French Vanilla cappuccino

FLOWER: Daisies and roses…better yet…both!

DID YOU KNOW…

Dexcom G6 is a fabulous continuous glucose monitor. No more finger pricks. This is almost like having the pancreas working on its own again. Provides a lot of freedom. One quick look at the iPhone app to see the blood sugars and you’re good to go. And if you want to dress your CGM up why not try an overlay patch from Expression Med?

Lots of great designs. Puppy paws, flowers, flags, shamrocks, etc. Check them out with the link below and get $5 off your firsts order. Hopefully you’ll love them too.

PRICKLERS OF THE MONTH…

Mail in ballots. Get out and vote people!
Anonymous writers. Makes the children’s lyric of “Liar, liar, pants on fire” come to mind.
Mask, shutdowns, social distancing… and let’s not forget the reason for it… COVID-19.
Mosquitoes. Help! Send dragonflies and mint!
Socialists and communists. American Patriots and Capitalism is the only way to go!

THEY SAID…

“You can fix anything, but a blank page.”

– Nora Roberts

HOMETOWN UPDATE:

Walmart is open until 10 pm now. But not much else. Most businesses are closing around 7 pm maybe 8 pm, but bars can serve until 10 pm and then lights out at 11 pm. It’s a blast from the past when nothing was open on Sundays and offices and shops closed up at 5 pm.
Woosterfest has already been cancelled.
Wooster High School football is only playing conference teams, which leaves us with six for the year. Only one played at home though…and we are kicking butt! Go Woo!
The renovations to Wooster’s square downtown are complete. More space to sit outside some of the businesses, like at Tulipan’s Hungarian Bakery and Coffee Shop, etc. The Farmer’s Market is still open, but only for a few more Saturdays.

INQUISITIVE MINDS…

The Muses want to know… Do you prefer reading books where the antagonist looks to rule the universe or ones who just want to rule the office? And why?

Please comment below…

GOOSING OFF…

Goosie & Gander

Busy month, believe it or not. First it started out with dressing up for the Kentucky Derby. Yes, that’s right. Kentucky Derby. No it’s not May, its September but due to the whole virus thing it got pushed back. So they dressed up for the roses. Gander took it a little too far, but he’s adorable as usual.

Plenty of apple picking this month too.

Even a romp with their pups.

And even though college football might not start until October they felt the need to get into the spirit of it all. And of course they are going to watch the Browns and they are continuing to cheer on the Indians too.