A lot of exciting things going on. In the past eleven months, events have produced a quick chain reaction of updates and connections.

Making Connections – Writing

Last year, after practicing my writing craft for about fifteen years, I felt 100% ready to tackle paying markets. So I decided to submit my horror short story, The Lonely Mr. Fish, to Polar Borealis Magazine. The story is now published in issue 7. The publisher also requested art for the issue 8 cover. I got paid for both.

I thought, well, that’s a good start. I’ll just keep putting my work out there, on my own, to gain more paying market credentials.

Pen Name

After a lot of thought and planning, as of last month, my pen name, Lily Blaze is a registered business. Lily Blaze (me) now has a bank account and ready to get paid, without complications.

Art Connections

A few months ago, I received an email. Congrats, nominated for best artist!

Er, what? A nomination is nice, but I had no clue what this is about. I’ve since learned. The Aurora Awards decided to nominate me for the cover art I did for Polar Borealis.

Wow.

A few days ago, I received another email. Congrats on the nomination, please send the art files to Can*Con.

What the…?

Well, based on my Aurora Awards nomination, the organizers of Can*Con invited me to submit the cover art, as well as a few samples of art that will be displayed at the convention this year. I’ve selected three samples, never seen before.

If you’re in the Ottawa area on October 18 – 20, check it out!

Screenwriting

I haven’t made any real connections yet. As a way to get started, I created a profile on Script Revolution and uploaded two short scripts.

You can see it all here.

Connecting the Dots

I’m a creative person, in case that wasn’t obvious. To me, it’s all art, whether a painting or the written word.

Since I decided to switch careers, I’ve been consistently worried. Can I connect all my skills, art, and writing? I wasn’t sure. MS prevents me from creating the kind of art I did twenty years ago, so I’ve accepted that part of my career is in the past, and I’ve moved on to writing.

But what if someone asks me to create something that I can’t physically do anymore if I promote my past visual art? What if I can’t come through? What if no one takes me seriously as a writer because of my art?

You know what I realized?

It doesn’t matter. Credentials of any kind looks good.

Lily Blaze, published author, nominated artist, with an art display at Can*Con 2019.

I couldn’t ask for anything better.

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