Aricadan Launch Party

We had a lovely time last Sunday at the Aricedian Launch party.  The theme of the decorations was a still room – drawing on the story “Blackfoil” which was read following the dinner.  A few weeks ago I raided the P-patch were I have a garden and gathered a collection of herbs to hang against the wall: rosemary, thyme, mint, lemon balm, fever-few, parsley and red spray roses which I bought since there not blooming up here in the Pacific NW yet.  The day before I bought more roses and some ivory stock and made posies with all sorts of things from the P-patch and my neighborhood, including calendula, miniature daffodils, mustard and broccoli flowers, fava bean shoots, clover, mints and feverfew, fennel sprigs and a few things I wasn't sure what they were besides pretty!  I thought the overall effect was quite lovely and the guests agreed.

The guests were the usual suspects with a new addition: Baby Ellie!  Last launch party was the day before she was born – I think I wrote then that it was astonishing to see pictures of her at the hospital and to realize that she had been at the Tav’urisk party the night before still in utero.  She was a great guest for Ariceda – she even dressed up in her grandmother’s white linen baby dress for the occasion.

We had a rustic springtime menu that included pasties with herbs and mushrooms; greens, beets and peppered chevre; lettuce tansie; a salad of greens, radishes, cucumbers and herbs with violets and calendula petals; delicious Struen bread from Grateful Bread and Ladysmith cheese with chives from SamishBay Cheese; and a strawberry-rhubarb galette with honeyed cream – which was really delicious if I say so myself.  

Endings... and Beginnings

It’s almost the end of the quarter and the beginning of the holiday break.  I am in that state of mind where I would rather be doing almost anything than the things I have put on my to-do list. Of particular interest are stories I am not working on, holiday plans which don’t need to be made quite yet and curling up with books and movies that are not related to either my dissertation or my writing.  Yet, despite the lure of the irrelevant I have been getting things done.  I put together my costume for the Tav’urisk party next week – and promptly misplaced part of it.  I have finished the menu, made shopping lists and have a final list of decretive elements to obtain. 

The writing on the religion, Daletha, is nearing a completed draft and I have finished drafts of the 12 Saints Tales.  Of all the entries I have completed for the Encyclopedia of Idhua I have the most doubts about the religion.  Oddly, as I noted as I began this project, it seems more strange and silly to create an invented religion and try to write about it, than it has to do so with invented countries and history.  Perhaps because I want to maintain the mystery at the center of things within my work and religions often try to explain that mystery – particularly in their written texts.  If I ever write a tale that is dealing heavily with the religion I will have to go back, but I have a slightly fleshed out outline – and an idea of the major historical periods and movements.

I will be glad to return to country building and short story writing in January.  I am going to work on the country of Orin next.  It is the country immediately south of Ariceda and settled early on by the same Seldue tribes that lived in Arcieda and southern Fjallind.  I have already written one short story set in Orin – Catkin – which is the one I submitted several weeks ago; however it is not a world-building or cultural exploration.  Orin was a convenient place for the physical requirements of the story.

Amber Grimoire

The current issue of the Amber Grimoire, titled "The Wild Wood" is ready! The short story I put in there was an exercise to write a little tale in the style of an Arthurian romance - the retelling, not medieval verse.  The country of Ariceda in Idhua has a legendary queen, Aeslthed, and the cycle of seven tales about her are a keystone of Aricedan legendary history.  This tale is the fourth in the cycle and tells of her unexpected marriage.  If anyone is interested in submitting to the Amber Grimoire the next issue's theme is "Dreams."  The submission deadline and other information is posted here.

Progress Report

Idhua is progressing apace!  I now have five countries done, in first draft form at least.  The latest that I finished over the summer is Ariceda, neighbor to Lendhlay and Fjallind.  I have decided that instead of doing a country this fall, I am going to work on the religion as I am getting to the point where the details of that are very important as I figure out cultures.  I have The Penguin Handbook of the World’s Living Religions to help me consider what elements and practices I need to look into including to build a religion.  I think a book on medieval Catholicism will be in order too.  At any rate, here is the current map of Idhua and the countries that are finished:

Organizing!

I just moved last week.  Moving is always an exhausting process – but I am excited about this one.  Our new apartment is full of light, and has lovely large double-glazed windows.  I am still living with my sister N and our housemate M, but our other housemate S, is now in a studio of her own, a mile or so away.  My new room is tiny compared to my old one…but I really like it.  It has south and west facing windows, one of which overlooks the balcony where all my potted herbs are living.

I took the opportunity of moving to organize my writing-self:  I have a file box dedicated to writing and three wall pockets for manuscripts in various stages.  My notebooks have a place to live – that is not just a stack – and I even have a spot to put my computer case.  Now all I need is the internet to be hooked up and I will be set.
I also discovered a coffee shop in my neighborhood – in my search for WiFi – which is my new favorite coffee shop.  It is under an apartment building and is long and thin, with a coffee counter on one end and fireplace on the other.  The whole north wall is windows and there is a pair of comfy chairs that I can sink deeply into.  I haven’t liked a coffee shop this much since The Dragonfly in Portland, OR.  Check it out if you are ever out that way.

Lovely inside too!

In writing, my next country is coming along.  I spent a while yesterday designing a flag for it.  It is called “the oak and stars.”  The country is Ariceda, which is the setting for the novel I have in very rough draft form.  I know that manuscript needs a lot of work – if for no other reason than I have done a massive amount of world-building since I wrote it.  The short story I am working on for Ariceda is a sort of prequel tale for the novel and will, I hope, flesh out some of the secondary characters.
 

Despite being worn out from the move, I have been full of energy for writing.  I am plugging my way though editing and am collecting places to submit some of the more polished pieces too.  I hope I will be announcing some sort of publication in the next year or so.