Blog

Black Swamp Radio

If you weren’t able to listen to my interview last night on Black Swamp Radio’s Swamp Gas program, you may stream it or download it today, thanks to my host Paul, aka Arizona Tramp.

Go here.

One of my favorite parts of the show and the interview was hearing Paul’s 2005 recording of my live performance of “In the House of Mama Dragon”. I couldn’t stop grinning! Check out the interview link above to hear it. Paul plays the track pretty early on in the show.

I’m happy to announce that Black Swamp Radio has a huge chunk of my discography in their regular rotation now, so give them a listen and a stream when you’re in a position to do so! You’ll hear a whole lot of good, new music to fire up your own creativity, I am sure.

Big Healthy Update part one

Hi, everyone! Happy March full moon and happy spring equinox! I hope your allergies are frolicking a lot less than mine!

First let me say that my heart is in my throat at this week’s news, as ever. The bombings in Nigeria, Turkey, and Belgium are devastating.
Any of you who were directly affected, or have friends and family whose lives have been directly affected by these tragedies, know that I wish I could turn back the clock with my own strength, and in so doing, keep you all safe. If there is any comfort I may offer to you as an artist, I will do my best to give it, always.

Secondly, thank you all for your enthusiasm and kind words over my birthday song release, “Snow Moon”. March’s full moon was high in the sky last night, and so I’m already inspired to write more full moon songs for release in the future. If you want regular sneak peeks into what I’m working on as it develops, and new songs before I release them to the rest of the world, think about signing up to be one of my monthly or yearly subscribers! More info on that here.

CONCERTS ARE COMING!

I’ll be performing this Saturday evening at a free event in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and I want to make sure that you all know about it.
The Fayetteville Underground Art Gallery in Fayetteville Square has long hosted Last Saturday, a monthly showcase of local poetry and music.
This Saturday, March 26th, Last Saturday presents Dougapalooza, a free benefit show in support of Last Saturday’s friend and mine, poet Doug Shields.
I met Doug in 1997 when we were both barely legal. Doug has always been supportive of other’s works and acts of expression, and he’s recently recovered from a pretty gnarly bicycle accident. I’m joining the Last Saturday crew at their request, to help collect donations to go toward Doug’s remaining hospital bills and expenses.
Many of you know that I had my own unexpected hospital stay in late 2008/early 2009. I couldn’t say no to this, having been exactly where Doug is now.
If you’re in town, I hope you’ll join us.
Both Last Saturday and the Gallery bar will collect as much money for Doug as we can. There is no cover charge, but all donations collected will go back to Doug.

March 26, 2016 @ 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
LAST SATURDAY DOUGAPALOOZA BENEFIT!
Fayetteville Underground Art Gallery, Fayetteville Square

101 W Mountain St
Fayetteville, AR 72701

After Dougapalooza closes down, I’ll hop over to hear my friend Jori Costello DJ a dance at the Goddess Festival! You can find more info about that event on Facebook.

I’ll be back in Fayetteville next month for THE AMAZON WOMEN’S MUSIC FESTIVAL, and I hope you’ll join us! Everyone is welcome. Grab tickets here!

ONLINE SHOW APRIL 11TH!

I get to visit the lovely Bekah Kelso next month down in Texas, and while we’re together, we’ll do a streamed concert online together! That’ll be Monday, April 11th, at 7PM CST, on Bekah’s Concert Window Channel. We’ll be LIVE FROM THE LIVING ROOM! Click here for all the details.  

I HAVE NEW PUBLISHED STUFF!

Did you know that my husband Ryan and I have our first co-written published story together in the Mage: the Ascension fiction anthology, Truth Beyond Paradox? Check it out here!

THE ANGELS OF THE MEANWHILE ANTHOLOGY drops on April 1st, no foolin’! Name your own price for this monster-friendly e-book of secrets, and help out our sister Elizabeth McClellan (aka Pope Lizbet) in the process! Check out that impressive table of contents, and click here to order!

FUNDRAISER ROUNDUP!

So many of my friends and fans are kicking butt, crowdfunding to change their lives and get their projects off the ground. Here are the crowdfunding projects I’m currently aware of that are being run by or on behalf of good friends of mine:

–Philly-area Friend of Fandom Hugh Casey is going through surgery (and all that goes with it) as he battles cancer.

–Coyote Ward is in search of the best possible packmate as she battles cancer.

–Shell Snell Johnson, one of the mothers of my heart, is raising funds to help herself and her husband Larry make their home more accessible, and for training for long-term care, since they both recently survived a whole pile of medical hardships.

–Lyra Madrona is starting her own fiber arts business

–Amira Sara Pelfrey is traveling to Turkey to learn all that she can, and to do all the good she can possibly do for Syrian refugees and others.

–Charles Becker is raising funds to rescue his fiancee from what may be a very, VERY bad situation. (TW for those of you who’ve survived the Troubled Teen Industry.)

–The world-class Nathaniel Johnstone Band is gearing up to create their next album, The Mother Matrix!

–A group of Tennessee pagans who’ve known me and supported me since my very early indie touring days are raising money for their own worship & educational center, which will be open to all people and all faiths!

Coloring Book Review!

Coloring Book review: Animal Totem Mandala Coloring Book, Art Nouveau Creatures and Reflections for Relaxation, words by Natalie Zaman, art by Wendy Martin.

Understand that I am by no means an expert of the new trends in coloring or in coloring books. What I am is a person who never believed that you could be too grown up to enjoy coloring. When I received Wendy Martin and Natalie Zaman’s coloring book to review, I was thrilled. I’ve waited until I had time enough to actually color a full page, and now I can share with you what I think!

First of all, this paperback collection of mandalas is gorgeously done. The thirty illustrations themselves, all uncolored, made me smile right away. Zaman’s text is chosen with a bit of alliteration in mind, which serves to keep things lighthearted.

To begin my coloring experience, I chose the last coloring page in the book, not for any particular reason or habit, but because it was the one that drew me in most immediately: the fox page.

^my work in progress. 🙂

If you love having little details and repeating patterns in your coloring, you’ll love this book. It’s not the most intricate that I’ve seen, but that’s all right. The designs created by illustrator Wendy Martin are by turns whimsical and real, leaving a realm of coloring and shading possibilities open to the eye and the mind. Natalie Zaman’s accompanying text only broadens potential inspiration, insight and thought. I love the selection of animals here, and I hope that the authors will consider creating a second, even a third coloring book of animal mandalas in the future. I might request that future books be published in a slightly larger format, to allow for even more ease of coloring without losing the level of mandala detail.

An animal coloring book is a natural choice for Wendy Martin, whose colorful animal interpretations have been seen before in children’s books. These animal mandalas, in Art Nouveau style, are another world entirely, and are very cleverly done. I am less familiar with Natalie Zaman’s work, but the choices she makes with her text here make me want to learn more about her. I hope that you’ll feel the same!

I will say that you’ll want your pencil or crayon sharpener handy for the coloring pages in this book, if you’re like me, and want to make a mark exactly where you aim. This may not be the best coloring book for the under 5 set, as some amount of motor control comes in handy. I wore out my right thumb at one point because I got really into what I was doing, and I’m a lifelong student of fingerstyle guitar with quite strong hands. Likewise, this is probably not the best book for passing the time on bumpy bus rides, unless you’re the type to work in a perceived mistake, letting it take you where it will, potholes be damned.

So far I’ve carried this book in my backpack on road trips across five US states, and all over the beach in Cozumel. It’s none the worse for wear, and I think it won’t be dropping pages on me as I continue to travel North America this year. Although I do hope for a companion or sequel book of animal mandalas by this duo, I love this one’s size and square format for travel. It fits snugly into my medium-sized backpack.

You may grab your own copy if you like by clicking here, and I hope that you do!

New tune on YouTube!

This new song prompted perhaps the best fan review of a new tune that I’ve ever received. John Knecht says “it’s like a homicidal romp through a field of daisies.” Tee hee!

There is a small part of me hoping this goes viral, if only so that Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin and the rest of the Deadpool movie cast might see it and grin really big. Just about 700 views in one night ain’t half bad!

Cartoons and Service Dogs

One of my LHS Pirate Lads has posted his fanimation of “Wendy On Board!” I can haz cartoon mustache! Well done, Jasper!

And a friend of mine who’s currently battling cancer like a boss is on a quest to find and fund a new pack mate who can help her on her quest. I strongly believe that pack mates need pack mates, too. Check out Coyote’s fundraiser for service dog training, please. All of our help adds up. Speaking as someone who found herself the recipient of a ton of love, care, and crowdfunded miracles when she was hospitalized seven years ago, I can tell you that it really does add up.

Upcoming Project the Umpteenth

Another of my new songs is about to sprout wings!

My longtime associate Brennan de Soto is conjuring up a new, witchy indie film project about a spooky book, a world in chaos, some messed up magic, and one poor dude trying to hold it all together. It’s called Possum Ray Bill, and it’ll be filmed in New Orleans.

Brennan has licensed an unreleased song of mine called “Bad Business” to be part of his fundraiser video for the project! I’ll post when that video goes live. For now, you can get a feel for what Brennan and Bill are up to at the project’s website – click here.

“Bad Business” was one of my prompt-inspired songs from 2015. It’s become one of my favorites from that song-a-week challenge. The prompt was “better arguments”. The song ended up being about fairy tale monsters, shape-shifting predators who can’t help their own nature, and the nature of stories themselves, kinda from the inside. It’s got some Big Bad Wolf, some Rumplestiltskin, some Nixies, and maybe a Pied Piper or a vampire or two. Check out the lyrics and you’ll see what I mean.

Spending my midnights with a shifter of shapes

and a cup of tea gone cold.

My guest has set aside that treacherous violin.

Deep in the hour of the wolf, we hunt for

better arguments and oft overlooked sins,

treading lightly near nightmares, for we know

we are not ever truly safe inside our skins.

Every huckster knows, there are times when

you’ve just got to go someplace dangerous

to find what’s worth bringing in.

Everybody knows it’s bad business

to tell the whole truth

when mystery’s your hottest thing.

Everybody knows it’s bad business

to spin out every yarn right into gold

before their eyes, and never leave them

wanting more.

One more trip to #Fairyland

I realized yesterday morning that I’ve known my beloved friend Catherynne M. Valente for ten years.

March 1st marked the release of the fifth and final novel in her Fairyland book series, The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home.

Some of you may know that I recorded an album inspired by the first book, and that I was the audiobook narrator for the second book.

Some of you also know that for a while there I was able to join forces with Cat on her book tours, and that we’ve done many a song-and-story roadshow together.

I wasn’t able to join her for this book tour, so I made a “Happy Bookday” video as quickly as I could. Watch it below, and visit Cat’s website to see if she’s coming to a bookstore near you! If you’re not familiar with the books at all, I encourage you to make them a part of your life. Do not wait! Here is book one on Amazon, and here is the music that I created to go along with it.

#theGreenAlbum website officially launches today!

#theGreenAlbum is a project I’m very proud to be part of.

Fourteen songwriters and bands are releasing new music in support of The Rainforest Trust this spring, and The Green Album is where you’ll find it all.

Our intrepid web wranglers have just launched the project’s official website! Go check it out!

Truth Beyond Paradox

Those of you who’ve ever played Mage: the Ascension will get a particular kick out of this.

Onyx Path Publishing released a new short fiction anthology this week. It includes the first published story that Ryan James Loyd and I have written together! You can get the ebook version, the book-book version, or BOTH for a great price! Click here.

Our editor Satyros Phil Brucato has been a heArt brother of mine for more than a decade. He knows his stuff, and I’m so grateful that he chose to include our story- it’s put us in some truly brilliant company. Phil told us that he wanted “stories about awesome people like us, doing magickal sh!t out in the world.” He encouraged Ryan and me, pushed us just the right amount. and here we are at the finish line with the rest of the gang. You gotta check this out.

Here’s the super sexy description of the book from the web store:

Passion. Loss. Laughter. Fear.

Truth is a paradox, especially when magick is involved. To get beyond illusions of reality, then, a person must reach beyond what we think is possible and find what’s really there.

Set in the award-winning world of Mage: The Ascension, the 17 tales featured in this collection span from the bizarre humor of “The Theogenesis Gimmick” to the aching loss of “Life,” the tangled passions of “Toxic” love, and the grim assurance that “Nothing Important Happened Today.”

Hope, betrayal, fury, lust, even the lack of feeling for another’s pain – it’s all part of a realm where magick is real, and reality is magickal.

Featuring all-new stories by:

Seanan McGuire
J.F. High
Emily Jones
S.J. Tucker & Ryan Loyd
Balogun Ojetade
Antonios Rave-N Galatis
Scott Havens
Kris Millering
Bill Bridges
Travis Legge
Stephen Michael DiPesa
Shawn Connolly
Luna Lindsey
Tina Shelton
R.S. Udell
Janine A. Southard
Sandra Damiana Buskirk

Another Snow Moon Entirely

My friend Leslie Hudson, a fellow songwriter based in Hamilton, ON has a Snow Moon song of her own, and it is absolutely lovely, as is she!