R.H. Snow's Blog

My Typos show I am real.

And then I drew a picture because, sure, why not?

So, Ark Press was having a prize contest and after a whole year of knowing about this thing, I realised I had to enter, like, RIGHT NOW.

I was sitting around on the 28th of Sept and I was just starting at my pile of laundry when suddenly a story idea came to me like a Donut from Heaven and VOILA it fit in with the Ark Press Submission Prize theme. And I was all like, “But Baby Jesus, I need to keep writing WATCHER of the DAMNED because we are about to be in a knife fight…”

But Baby Jesus was super insistent that I do this thing. He was pretty serious, to be honest, but it was closing on the October 7th deadline.

So naturally I’m all like “oh sure why not, I’ve done stupider things” - and while this is TECHNICALLY true, “having done stupider things” is not a good reason for doing anything.

But “not having a good reason” has never stopped me before.

I tried writing an outline, but I really couldn’t get any farther that “somebody did something and it was awesome” , so I ate some snacks. Then I played Minecraft and then took care of some Family crises and maybe actually did some laundry.

The next day I determined to actually write. But I didn’t know what I was going to write-

and not knowing what I was going to write has never stopped me before.

But the first line just fell onto to the page with such a satisfying smack, I had to write an entire page. I could literally hear this character speaking to me, as if Mike Hammer was a Ditsy Blonde. So I wrote it, but it was first person and I’ve never written a first person story in my life, as in, a fiction novel, so I wrote two versions of the opening paragraph then called in my son to beta read for me -

and while he was doing that I played some Stardew Valley because the Calico Festival is happening and I’m all about those Calico eggs.

Now, my son actually took the great literature courses at University . He is super smart and I am but a wee bug crawling upon his tree of knowledge and he was all like “Go with the 1st person” and I was like “okay. “

So first things first. I have no computer. I have an mini iPad, a funky portable keyboard and a couch. I do not have a desk, unless you call a crochet pillow a desk. HOWEVER I do have a degenerative eye condition and that means I have to be within 18” of the display or we are all gonna die.

Surely this will turn out well.

So I asked myself “What Would Edgar Allen Poe Do?” and the answer was “Go get wasted” but that is not the appropriate answer for a MeeMee, even if she is an Author - so instead, I decided to just start writing.

THE RULES:

NO AI - that also means no spellcheck

WRITE STUFF - do it.

Okay, let’s get started.

Now, I have five dogs and one cat that thinks it is a dog living in this house, and that means they all have lots to time to demand to go outside, then immediate be let back in; goats are trying to invade my yard and I’m pretty sure there’s some kind of plague going around, as now I’ve got it.

Bonnie is helping.

But I already have the first like 3K words written and now I’m invested in this story. It’s a standalone prequel set in the WATCHER of the DAMNED Universe, so worldbuilding is already done.

So as soon as this ditsy dame started talking I knew I would have NO CLUE what she was going to do next - some characters just do you that way. I only knew what the opening lines were...

welp, I started writing.

Now, Days 1-4 are pretty much of a blur, The cat deleted some words, and I was starting to get a sneaking suspicion that this was a taller order than I had anticipated, as my keyboard gave up the ghost -

I was going to have to finish out a 50,000 word novel by doing hunt-n-peck on a virtual keyboard.

By Day 5, people on my socials wondered if I was dead. By Day 6 I had family members stare at me with those tragic eyes, like watching a turtle when it’s upside down; and by Day 7, I realised I had been up for 48 hours straight writing -

the last 24 hours, I had 25,000 words to write to meet the word count of 50,000.

So I decided to do it. No outline, just stream of consciousness writing coming from sweet Baby Jesus, Diet Dr. Pepper and a Bag of Takis that was starting to talk to me.

My Husband fed me, because he was afraid I would wither into nothingness. There was a lovely sammich, made with Bacon and Tomato, or perhaps I was just hallucinating but that sammich was really good.

The last ten hours before the deadline consisted of me listening to the ten hour loop of the Halo Warthog theme, set to go off by deadline.

I really like that music.

About hour 7, I still had 10,000 words to go. I was struggling just to type; and then the most wonderful scene came to me, and if you read the book, you will know EXACTLY where I was in the process. I was running, running for home - and my family was cheering me on.

The Halo music timer went off - I literally ripped SHADOWBAND out of my imaginary typewriter and woohooed at it, then popped it in-

aaaaaaaaaaand it wouldn’t go through on the submission form.

This is where the Angels came down and D. J. Butler actually saw my pitiful cries for help on X and for some reason sent me an email to use. The Dude literally saved me from a crying jag and a possible trip to lock up because by this point the children were coming in yelling at me to go to sleep and I would just babble at them…

Now, due to my terrible eyesight and my refusal to allow spellcheck to besmirch my lovely made up words, SHADOWBAND was absolutely rife with typos. This I consider to be proof that I wrote this book - and also the first million saves i made on the thing. I have the receipts. But due to the rush to deadline, it was absolutely a raw rough draft, without even the grace of a beta read from anyone anywhere, and I hadn’t had time to do my own read-through…

and the hardest thing I ever did was send it out on deadline, without any feedback or editing. Just…

BAM

Afterwards, I gave it to my daughter, and asked her to read it. Lovely AirForce Veteran that she is, she double clicked her blue pen and said she would make her notes.

I was absolutely wrecked waiting for that feedback. I couldn’t sleep, I was too nervous to eat and I looked like I had been on a liquor bender with Keith Richards. I waited… and waited…

I knew that I may not win the Wonderful Ark Prize; it may not be what they are need, or want. But when my Daughter came back in with tears in her eyes, she said; “This may be the best thing you’ve ever written” -

I knew I had a winner.

No, not because it’s actually true, although I hope it is. It’s because my Family were the ones that carried me over that finish line. Family is every thing…

and that’s exactly what SHADOWBAND ended up being about.

Sometimes the story we’re writing isn’t written on the page - it’s written on the heart.

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Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedYes, what you read means what you read;and what I said means what I said...But what the Readers ‘read’ or ‘read’depends on rhymes with ‘seed’ or ‘said’...So then it’s what the Author thought-and that’s a thought that means a lot!

Join us in Chat to talk about Postapocalyptic Farming, Hydroponics, Terraforming alien worlds and maybe even Bulgarian bread recipes!

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published💖DANCE WITH ME💖I've been Dancing in September for 47 years now😱 Happy Fall 2025, courtesy of Earth Wind and Fire!

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedLet these words of wisdom beborn in me eternally -souls are only truly freewhen bound by their Humanity.Loose the chains of hate and warand let the Human spirit soar, winging, sing: "Excelsior!My Soul is free forevermore!"

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedSee that Dandelionthat's growing through the crack?And though a man may mow it downthat weed is coming back...Look into your mirror - a Dandelion is there;it's more than just the skin you're in,or eyes, or size, or hair...Dandelion Spiritswill live eternallyso seize the day! Face come what may - as Dandelions, free...do what they will, they cannot killDandelion me Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

No, it has not always been this way.

Don’t let people lie to you and tell you “it’s always been like this”. No it hasn’t. I was there. We actually got along, had Thanksgivings and Christmases and if someone got in a tiff at the table, a lively round of fisticuffs usually settled the score. Then everyone would have nice toddy and sing carols and it was all over because everyone still believed in Family.

Contrary to popular opinion, back in the days, we didn’t go around celebrating murders. But thanks to the Arbiters of Everything deciding words are violence, they have chosen… violence.

Don’t fuss now; they may be listening.

Now the people who can’t even tell us what Family IS want everyone to ditch their patriarchal colonisers and head off to the local ThoughtCrimes Hall for a pleasant round of Struggles Sessions before murdering those patriarchal colonisers in their privileged beds… because the Arbiters of Everything have declared that Mom is “literally Hitler” for existing.

At first, we go through the stages of grief; surely this is a phase, surely it will all be right after a few elections - but no, it won’t be. The same lunatics that told our Family and Friends that we are Satan incarnate also persuaded them to castrate their own children and burn churches to the ground because, you know… “things”.

No one is spared. No race, no religion, no reality is beyond their ability to Hate - all that is required is for the Arbiters of Everything to tell the ravening hordes that WE are now the next lucky winner of their Hate Lottery, for whatever reason they’ve chosen this time…

Yesterday, they chose Charlie Kirk.

The vitriol and outright debauchery displayed yesterday online is at the news of Charlie Kirk’s murder is only matched by the same vitriol and debauchery they displayed last week when little children were gunned down in a Catholic School, and the week before that, and the week before that…

because, you know, the Arbiters of Everything say they deserved it.

Now the people that can’t tell us “what is Woman” want to tell us “what is Kindness”, and by kindness I mean murdering people then dancing upon their graves.

It is super important to understand that their definition of Kindness changes from day to day, but it often involves shunning, shaming, and shooting anyone who dares stray from their version of Kindness.

After all, who would dare to challenge them on the recipients of their Judgements-

and that means any who speak out against our would-be Judges.

Charlie Kirk did not deserve death for words. But the Arbiters of Everything have decided otherwise. They have raised an Assassination Nation to celebrate his murder, and anyone who speaks “Words” may suffer the same fate…

Just a word of advice: the people who are celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death may wish to rethink this strategy. When those who hate Free Speech kill all the Men of Words, they will be left with only the Men of Action -

and they will not like what comes next.