Category Archives: Mind_body_spirit

Looking Forward to Seeing You!

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On Christmas Eve, 2020, I was in surgery for the removal of pancreatic cancer. It’s been a long haul since then, but I’ve managed to finish two manuscripts. I finally feel like I can join the human race again, and am super excited to go to Left Coast Crime in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in April. I’m bringing with me AERDON MANOR MURDERS, the first book of my new, second series, LISI PENDLETON MYSTERIES.

My first series, CALI MAY MYSTERIES, will also have a new book, GHOSTS IN PARADISE. This will be the 7th book in this series. So many of my favorite authors have written new books, and I expect to come home with huge TBR pile. But I am most excited to see everyone, participate in the panels, and host a table at the banquet. Let’s hope we’re all able to attend in person! I hope all of you are safe and healthy. ~ Wendy

Past, Present and Future Events

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Left Coat Crime 2019, Vancouver, Canada Memories

My March trip to Vancouver, BC, Canada was filled with great, and not-so-great experiences. Meeting writers, new readers, and fans is always the high point for me, and this conference was no exception. I enjoyed greeting those I knew, like Catriona McPherson, Simon Wood, Anne Cleeland, and Susanna Caulkins, and introducing myself again to those I met on Facebook or admired from a distance like James Ziskin, Carola Dunn, Lori Rader-Day, and Dru Ann Love. I also met my encouraging and supportive co-panelists Dale Berry, Margaret Dumas and Laura Andersen on my very first panel.

My friend, writer, and mentor Margaret Morse, and I, hosted a Banquet table and met an amazing group of readers. It was wonderful to hear how each of our guests related to our books.

On the downside, I caught a cold while I was there, which escalated into Bronchitis after I got home, and possibly the flu. It didn’t make me feel any better to discover I wasn’t the only one!

Malice Domestic 31, May 3-5, 2019

I will be attending my first Malice Domestic Conference in Bethesda, MD in less than two weeks. Luckily I’m beginning to feel human again, and expect to have a wonderful time. I won’t be traveling with Margaret this time and may just sit back and enjoy the hubbub. But please don’t hesitate to introduce yourself! I’ll be participating in my second-ever panel:

What Was That?: Paranormal Mysteries

Sunday, May 5, 10-10:50 a.m

Judy Cater — Moderator
Margaret Dumas – Author of Murder at the Palace, featuring “classic movies, ghostly mayhem, and a murder or two.”
Wendy Fallon – Author of the series, Cali May Mysteries. Cali’s fourth and most recent adventure, Evil in the Water, is scheduled for publishing April 30. Cali travels to Florida to visit a newly discovered cousin and trips over a body on the beach, is accosted by a 400 year-old spirit, threatened by man-eating alligators, and uncovers murder.
Molly MacRae – Author of the Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery Series, featuring Kath Rutledge and shop ghost Geneva.
Clea Simon – Author of the series Witch Cats of Cambridge. The first book, A Spell of Murder, features three cats with magic powers and their human, Becca.

Cali’s Most Recent Adventure, Evil in the Water, Coming April 30, 2019

Evil in the Water SM2

 

Distracted Focus: Getting it DONE!

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Backyard Mesquite (C) Wendy Fallon

Backyard Mesquite (C) Wendy Fallon

If what I do best is my passion and creative outlet, shouldn’t that be what I focus my life’s energy on? Shouldn’t it be EASY to give in to what I enjoy? It turns out that life is a balancing act, between what I want to do and what I need to do to support my life (work) and the endless interruptions and distractions. . . that IS (ARE?) Life.

I’ve been reading on the Web about the common characteristics of highly creative people. Not all of it is positive and some of it I reject, but enough of what I’ve read makes sense to me to know that I fall somewhere in the spectrum. (I believe EVERYONE falls somewhere on the creativity spectrum!)

Take one characteristic, that of being easily distracted and quickly bored because the brain is firing faster than the body can act. I believe we all suffer from this occasionally, due to a variety of factors. One cause might be the overstimulation from too much social or electronic media. Another could be today’s habit of multitasking. Either of these could disrupt the concentration of even the most dedicated thinker.

If you are a writer, an artist, or the master of your own specialty, how do you focus your best thoughts on creating something new or unique?

My own approach to this scatter-brained dilemma is as follows. What is yours?

  1. I commit to finishing my project on or within a deadline. Example: I will finish writing and illustrating my next workbook by the end of 2015.
  2. I consciously set aside recurring blocks of time, as consistently as possible, to writing and making art.*
  3. During these times I do not allow myself to read fascinating work by other writers. I am a voracious reader and can spend entire weekends reading a good book. I try to use this addiction to reward myself after I’ve completed a block of my own project.
  4. I turn off the TV and stay off social media (FaceBook, to which I am also addicted.)
  5. I do allow myself downtime in the form of meditation, walking or even short naps. This helps whatever ideas I have tumbling around in my brain to come together, make connections and mature.

*I often ‘show up’ to write or draw, only to find my mind is blank. Doodling or free writing helps me get started. I may struggle to get even the worst results down on paper, but often return later to find my efforts are not as bad as I thought. Even if I only retain a few words, or discard it entirely, it eventually moves the project forward and unblocks my thoughts.

HOW DO YOU FOCUS ON YOUR CREATIVITY?
How have you arranged your life to allow you to work at what you enjoy? Are you working at what you love? If not, how do you divide your time between work and ‘play?’ I’d love to hear from you, and would like to include your name and idea in a future book, or on my website.
~ Wendy

 

See you at the WriteNow! 2015 Writers Conference

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When: August 14-15, 2015
Where: Scottsdale, AZ
Details: http://desertsleuths.com/conference

I’m thrilled to be attending the Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths WriteNow! 2015 Writers Conference. I’ll be there with examples of my own work, and expect to come home with the very best writing tips from several talented speakers!

PROJECT UPDATES

Using ME diagrams for plotting

Using ME diagrams for plotting

~ Using ME Diagrams for Plotting ~

I thrive on learning new things, and I am currently applying my creative process, introduced in my book My Six-Year-Old Inner Artist, Everybody has one! to writing my first novel. As an artist, I find anything I can design visually, works best. Using a variation on bubble diagrams, I’ve been developing my plot, characters, relationships and action arc with ME diagrams.

~ Death on Devil’s Mountain ~

An American Southwest paranormal murder mystery ~ California May, recently retired and widowed, is searching for anything to help her feel strong, confident, or even relevant again. During one of the worst monsoons of the season, she experiences the inexplicable – a horrifying yet pleading manifestation of the brooding desert mountain behind her house. Just as she begins to think her overwhelming grief and feelings of obsolescence have pushed her over the edge of sanity, she awakes one morning to a dead body, washed up on the concrete shore of the dark ribbon of water in the canal adjacent to her property.

New Release: A Companion Workbook

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I am so excited to announce my newest book!

Your Six-Year-Old Inner Artist Dream Journal, a Companion Workbook

by Wendy Wickham Fallon

journal_book_image_thb

Now available on Amazon.com

This 8 1/2 X 11″, 76 page workbook is designed as a companion to my first book,
My Six-Year-Old Inner Artist, Everybody has one!
It includes 12 expanded Play & Learns from the original book with
plenty of room for thoughts and ideas. Each exercise provides you with tools
and references for moving forward in your life with confidence and optimism.

FREE ALERT!
Anyone who signs up for my mailing list will receive a
free PDF copy of the Dream Journal
as a personal thank you from me.

Offer good until May 31, 2015

(…and this is a perfect example of why you should join my mailing list! These announcement may not always be included on my web site.)