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Happy New Year! Enjoy Some Free Poetry! 

Welcome to 2025! 

I cut my social media usage way down last year. I still occasionally check Instagram, X, or Facebook (okay it's REALLY occasional with Facebook) but I keep it to a minimum. I just couldn't handle all the division and negativity last year, especially given that I am friends with all sorts of people with all sorts of beliefs. 

I haven't been writing my own updates very often and so one of my goals is to be more consistent about updating this blog. I also haven't had as much to say about my author journey as I've been working on the same novel for three to four years. I need one more round of micro-revisions to polish it up before I start querying literary agents so I'll be sure to post updates about that. Although all of my books are currently published independently, I want to pursue the traditional publishing route with this one first as it's general fiction as opposed to genre fiction (like fantasy or science fiction) and that tends to be a better path for those books.

I was recently updating some of my ebooks, and I was reading through my book of poems from 2021 called Slip Away. It's a book of poems about loss and the process of grief. I know that sounds like a bummer but by the end, I discovered loss is an illusion. It's real on the human level, but on a deeper, spiritual level, we can never lose anyone as we are all one. It was a good time for me to revisit this collection.

So as a gift for the new year, my box set ebook with three collections of poems--Coiled and Swallowed, Driving Downtown to the Show, and Slip Away--will be free from Monday, January 6th through Friday, January 10th. And you can read all three books for free indefinitely on Kindle Unlimited. 

Coiled and Swallowed is a collection of personal poems that weave together a collage of moments--from an ode to carpet to a fantastical friendship with a vampire to chronicles of a first love now broken. And Driving Downtown to the Show is an eclectic collection of poems that captures the essence of a young musician's life--from a pantoum about an overdose to odes to mix CDs to moments spent daydreaming at the coffee shop. Every poem in this collection features the name of a band that played in Atlanta venues in 2011, and a profound love of music is captured throughout.

Check out the free box set ebook here.

I also miss seeing the positive updates from everyone--whether it's friends from college or grad school, people who go to my Unity church, or even people I only met once or twice at a writing or music event. I miss seeing your wins, your successes. I miss seeing pictures of your pets or hearing about awards your kids have won. 

I don't really do New Year resolutions, but I would say I have “intentions” for the year (which are maybe just a different word for resolutions?). One intention that I have is to connect with more people beyond the comments and likes. So really if you want to reach out to me via email or DM on Facebook, Instagram, or X (I even made a Bluesky when that was trending a while ago though I'm already having to remind myself to update it!) and just send me a picture of your dog or share a random piece of news or just share your thoughts about that new album you love, I would honestly love that. Sometimes it might take me a minute to respond, but I always will eventually! 

So Happy New Year! Enjoy some poetry! (And I mean that for everyone, no matter who you voted for.)

End of 2024 Update 

A blank open journal with a pen on top of a wooden surface

 

Long time, no see right?

Ever since I started working for Unity World Headquarters about two years ago, I haven't been putting much effort into my artistic projects. Well, not marketing them anyway. I have been writing--although it has been slow going.

I'm still working on the novel I was talking about in 2021 on the Find Creative Expression podcast. Most of my previous novels have not taken me nearly as long, but I did completely rewrite the book. So it's almost like I wrote two books! 

I'm spending the rest of the year polishing it up, and then the plan is to start querying literary agents in January. I am an indie author, yes, but this is an adult contemporary novel that would just be shelved in the generic “fiction” section at the bookstore. So I want to pursue the traditional route with this book first. 

Hopefully, I will have more information about this one soon! It's about a Broadway performer who loses her balance due to spinocerebellar ataxia (a rare neurologic condition that I have) and has to move back in with her parents (who she hasn't spoken to in eight years) in Atlanta and find a new career. 

Don't worry, that's not the ACTUAL elevator pitch, but I just wanted to give y'all the update.

Anyway, I've been so deeply involved with my day job over the past two years, I haven't worked much on the artistic stuff. I absolutely love my job, and I'm so grateful to have a job helping to spread the message of Unity. I'm actually studying to become a Licensed Unity Teacher right now, and the classes I am taking for that have been so incredibly rewarding.

But I have missed all the artistic projects. I actually re-strung my guitar the other day and I've slowly been trying to get back into playing music (something I haven't done since my August 2020 acoustic show I livestreamed from my living room.) 

I also miss having an outlet to talk to other artists like with the Find Creative Expression podcast or even a place to talk about music, books, TV, and films I really love like on my YouTube Channel. So I may be starting the YouTube Channel back up soon. 

In such a divisive time where tensions seem to be so high, I really love talking about one thing we all have in common: the love of art/entertainment and creativity. I loved knowing that all the artists I used to talk to on my podcast had VASTLY different beliefs and opinions, but I connected with all of them regarding their creative process. It was such an inspirational and uplifting time for me! So I would love to make videos again talking about my own creative process, what albums or books I'm obsessing over, and maybe some tips for other creatives.

So I just wanted to give y'all the update and tell you about what's been going on with me. Feel free to check out my books, THE MUSE CHRONICLES, TIME AFTER TIME, and INTO THE SHADOWS. (My goal is to get back to the Shadow Vampires and put out book 2 sometime in 2025 by the way!) I also have a free writing craft book, THE 30-DAY WRITING CHALLENGE: BEGIN OR ENHANCE YOUR DAILY WRITING HABIT, and three books of poems, COILED AND SWALLOWED, DRIVING DOWNTOWN TO THE SHOW, and SLIP AWAY. 

And in case any of you are interested, here are some of my favorite articles I have written for Unity World Headquarters.

Thank you for staying up-to-date with what's going on with me! I hope to have some artistic news for you soon!

Poetry Books Released Today! 

My poetry books are out today!

You can download Coiled and Swallowed, Driving Downtown to the Show, Slip Away, or a bundle of all three ebooks on all major retailers. (They may not be up on Apple yet but should be by the end of the day.) You can also download any of these here on the website. 

The print versions should also be available by the end of the week, and stay tuned for information about the audio versions!

Also, I will be doing a brief reading mainly featuring poems from my new collection, Slip Away, tonight at 7:00 PM EST on my Facebook page. I hope to see you there!

Coiled and Swallowed, Driving Downtown to the Show, and Slip Away 

I'd like to announce that on March 23, 2021, I will be releasing Slip Away, my new book of poems.

At the same time, I will also be re-releasing my book of poems, Coiled and Swallowed (2010) as well as my book of poems, Driving Downtown to the Show (2012) with these new covers.

All three books will be available in ebook and print on all book retailers. I will also be recording audiobooks though those won't come out until later this year.

A few weeks ago, I had to put my cat, Frank, to sleep. I was devastated, and the only thing that helped was writing poetry. The idea for Slip Away was born. It is a collection of poems about loss. Actual loss through death, yes, but also the loss of relationships, the loss of childhood, the loss of dreams. 

I've been writing like crazy since then, and now I have a first draft of the entire collection. 

I know what you're thinking. "Wow, that sounds depressing, Sara." But actually, if you stick with me until the end of the collection, it has an uplifting message by the end. 

These poems are all very personal to me, and sharing them is giving everyone a peek into my soul, more so than my fiction or plays have.

For those of you wondering what's going on with my vampire trilogy, I've decided to shelf Until the Night Falls for the time being. I will definitely return to the trilogy at a later date, but my heart just isn't in it right now. Right now is not the time for me to write about vampires. 

The ebook versions of my poetry books will all be $1.99, or there will be a $2.99 bundle with all three books. (The print versions will be $4.99.) 

I am so excited to share these poems--both the old and the new--with you.

Driving Downtown to the Show - a new book of poems coming spring 2012 

 

Driving Downtown to the Show is a book of poems that came out of a grad school poetry workshop I took in spring 2011. Our professor had us come up with a poetry writing procedure, which would consist of ―rules that we would set for ourselves which would determine our writing schedules and content. We were to decide on a title before writing any poems, and the goal was to have a cohesive collection of poems by the time the semester was over. Because I was taking this class at a time when my main creative focus was my music career, I decided to use music as an inspiration for my procedure, particularly the Atlanta music scene.

Being in a local Atlanta band myself, with a long history of performing and enjoying many local shows in Atlanta’s many wonderful and unique music venues, I was greatly inspired and I wanted to harness that energy. Our city has such a wide variety of musicians and performers, and on any given night, there are at least three or four excellent local shows to go see. I wanted to do a collection of poems that celebrated the musician and celebrated the entire metro Atlanta area.

I scheduled my writing time for after band practice, and I decided each poem must contain a band name. When I sat down to write a poem, I would look up the bands that were playing at some of my favorite Atlanta music venues, The Earl, the Drunken Unicorn, and the Star Bar, and I would incorporate one of those band names into my poem. I also would put my iPod on random, and whichever song played would determine the length of the poem based on how many lines the lyrics had or how long the song was if it was an instrumental song. (I also decided, just for fun, to slip in all of the band names of bands I’ve been in.)

I will be self-publishing this book in the spring. Stay tuned for news of a book release/reading event! 


For now, enjoy one of the poems from my collection. In this poem, the band name I used was Wild Nothing. (They are not at Atlanta band, but they happened to be playing at the Drunken Unicorn the day I wrote this poem.)

Driving Mixy #1: The 'Songs That Actually Mention Driving' Mixy

That night, you got into
a shopping cart,
and I pushed you
around the Pizza
Hut where we worked –
in the rain - laughing - we were
wild. Nothing
ever stood in between
you and I and adventure.

We'd sneak out of our slumber
party bedroom windows
to hop in my white Chevy Malibu,
alternating drivers, drinking
vanilla coke,
bitching about the boys
who dumped us both at the same time
("Those fuckers!"),
listening to the Driving Mixy –
     All I want to do is to thank you
     even though I don't know who you are
     you let me change lanes
     when I was driving in my car

Accelerating without a care
through the strip malls and chain restaurants
in the town
where we once covered
the church playground in sidewalk chalk –
happy faces and song lyrics –
until the cops caught us
and told us to go home,
but we were.







Pocket the Moon, Driving Downtown to the Show, upcoming projects, and five things I'm diggin' 

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've updated. I've got quite a few things going on right now, so I thought I'd let you know about them!



First of all, I just finished a new book of poems called Driving Downtown to the Show for a poetry writing workshop I was taking for grad school. As you may recall, this is the project where I had to use the name of a band playing at The Earl, the Star Bar, or the Drunken Unicorn in each poem. I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and I'm planning on going the self-publishing route with this one and releasing it sometime in August or September. So stay on the look out for that!



Also, my band, Pocket the Moon, has been super busy. We are hard at work getting ready to release our debut self-titled 10-track album. We also have a couple of really cool shows/events coming up that I hope you will join us for:
  • Pocket the Moon Benefit Show at Kavarna - All proceeds go towards the American Red Cross and Tornado/Disaster relief - Saturday, May 28th -Come join us for this great night of music! Pocket the Moon, Divine Isis, and additional artists will be playing! It's only 5 bucks to get in, the money goes to a great cause, and we will be having a raffle with some really great prizes!
     
  • Pocket the Moon CD RELEASE SHOW at Drunken Unicorn! - 5 bucks - 21+ Come out and support us as we release our debut album!!
We are also continuing to book shows for our August 2011 tour! A complete list of tour dates will be announced soon!

And stay tuned to the website for more of my YouTube cover series and the Poem of the Week, both of which are returning next week!

I'll leave you now with:

Five Things I'm Diggin'



The new album from Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun - W I L D F I R E - Definitely check it out!!



The video for Verge of Bliss's "Dreaming on the Eve" - this is one of my favorite songs that they do



Decoupage! I took an old acoustic that I had just laying around and made it a Pocket the Moon guitar! I'm planning on giving it away in the raffle at the 5/28 American Red Cross Benefit Show!



The fact that Avenue Q is playing at Horizon Theatre starting tomorrow, May 20th! Check it out everyone!



Carolina Wallin Perez - Anyone who has known me for longer than a year probably knows about my obsession with Swedish band, Kent. I just discovered this artist who has AN ENTIRE CD OF KENT COVERS which are AMAZING. And that makes me excited :)

A poetry project - Driving Downtown to The Show 



Atlanta by jkelley1 on deviantart

As many of you know, I've always been one of those artists who must be doing multiple things at once. Writing plays, writing songs, playing music, sometimes acting, writing screenplays, sometimes film making, writing poems, decoupaging tables...there's really nothing I won't at least try when it comes to art. I've decided lately, though, to kind of put everything on the back burner and focus on music, specifically Pocket the Moon. I spend most of my time promoting, booking, writing music, practicing, recording, etc. (Well, Geoff's really doing most of the work on recordings. I just show up and play/sing. He's the one who makes it sound badass.)

I am still doing my grad school program, though. I'm pursuing my MFA in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Playwriting. And while I'm sort of taking a break from writing plays specifically to really concentrate on Pocket the Moon, I am still working on poetry for my poetry writing workshop.

My professor in this class, though, wanted us to come up with these incredibly elaborate procedures. We are basically writing enough poems over the course of the semester to have a chapbook of poems at the end, and he wanted us to come up with "rules" that decide the content, length, and writing schedule. He also wanted us to come up with a title for our books.

I decided that since I am focusing so much on music right now, not just my own music, but also being a part of the Atlanta music scene that my procedure (and my book title) would incorporate this theme.

Here’s my procedure:

Writing schedule: Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, I will write a poem after band practice.

Content: I will look up the bands on the bill of a certain music venue, and in my poem I will have to use one of those band names in the first five lines of my poem. (Tuesdays - The Earl, Thursdays - Star Bar, Sundays - Drunken Unicorn - because those are probably my favorite venues.)

Length: When I sit down to write, I will put my iPod on shuffle. Whatever song plays, I will look up the lines of lyrics and that is how many lines my poem will be. If it is an instrumental song, the length will determine my line count. (i.e. a song that’s 4:57 would be 57 lines in 4 stanzas.)

Title: Driving Downtown to the Show

This is obviously not how I usually write poems. I might start with a particular form in mind or even a writing prompt, but never something as elaborate as this. But so far, I am really loving the work that is coming out of it. And having to write three poems a week after coming out of a period where I haven’t written any poems for at least two years was definitely a challenge at first. But now, I’m right back into the swing of things.

These are some of the band names I’ve used so far:
Hip to Death
Wild Nothing
How I Became the Bomb
Dead Rabbits
Quiet Life
The Future of Airports

Another reason I'm loving this project is because it further reinforces the idea that all of the artistic projects I am involved in are connected. I can never just be a poet, playwright, musician. I am always all of the above. My poetry is greatly influenced by music, my music is greatly influenced by theatre, my plays are greatly influenced by poetry, it's all connected!

I’ll leave you with one of the poems I’ve written for this project. The band name I had to use that day was Siberia My Sweet (which is also one of my favorite local bands ironically.)


Frozen Tundra

Last August, when the salty, suffocating air
nearly strangled us

as we crept through the Deep South
you took my hand and said,

"Let's travel to Siberia, my sweet
and become one with the frozen tundra.

We can become snowmen with
little black hats, and at least we'll

know that we'll never melt away,
our hands frozen together

in miles of ice and snow." You smiled
at me and kissed my cheek.

I untangled my fingers from yours
and kissed the night air of the Deep South.