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Category Archives: Writing

Deep waters chapter 2

28 Saturday Mar 2020

Posted by Floreva in Creating, Writing

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Tags

confinement, Deep waters, dystopia, novel, submarine

 

The light above my head was too bright, but I could neither open my eyes to see it nor close my eyelids tighter to escape it. A vague murmur found its way to my ears, that I identified as two voices whispering in an unknown language. I could not place those voices, they were too low for me to recognize them. I think someone touched my head or my neck, but I could not tell exactly, then put a cold, metallic object on my chest. One voice felt somewhat familiar and the other one was somehow a voice I had heard before. A pinch in my arm, the sensation of a cold fluid running in my vein, a little pain, then everything dissolved again. 

Trying to open my eyes later, as I felt I was awakening from a dreamless sleep, I found my eyelids to be heavier than lead. How long has it been since I got this strange injection in my arm? Lying flat on my back, I felt a slight stiffness in the lumbar region, so my brain commanded that I moved but to my great surprise I could not even lift my little finger. I vigorously protested my disappointment, only to understand that I could not speak. I thought I was shouting, but my lips remained sealed and my face, still as marble. In the silence surrounding me, walled up within my body, I felt cold and lonely, and scared. I noticed that the light was dim, and that it was soothing, in a way. I tried to evaluate if the temperature was warm or cool but it was impossible to determine that. 

I think I was covered with a blanket, because I did not feel any kind of slight breeze or draft. Yet the air seemed clean, but not too cleansed or saturated with antiseptic like in a hospital. Very muffled, and sporadically, a sound like a purr was noticeable when I listened attentively. Where was I then? Why was it impossible to move, even my eyelids, or the corners of my mouth? Why was I able to smell? I tried to swallow only to discover I could not. I could not even sense my tongue. And my mouth had no particular taste, not bitter like after too much alcohol, nor sweet like after a chocolate binge or after my morning honey tea. 

Nothing. 

So, two of my senses were impaired : touch and taste. 

As for my sight, I could not tell, because I could not open my eyes. But I could hear, or at least, last time I was awake, I could. But was it a dream or was I really awake? The light became brighter on the other side of my eyelids. So yes, I decided to list sight as not impaired. 

I heard again the voices and their strange language. I focused hard to analyze them : one had a calm, soothing, neutral tone ; the other was a little more feminine, perhaps? But definitely a voice commanding respect nonetheless. 

Objects clanged beside me, that I could not identify.

A metallic voice announced above my head over PA : “COB to crew : port remains on target. Prepare. COB to CPO of the watch. Assemble lookouts.”

Another metallic voice answered : “CPO of the watch to COB. Lookouts in the control room.”

The strange conversation continued, sounding like Chinese to me, which is not a language I am familiar with.

“COB. Lookouts to the bridge.” 

“Port clear.”

“Land, two-thuh-ee, ten thousands…”

Those words made no sense to me, I just had figured we would be entering a port soon, so we were at sea…

“Radar, make an automatic sweep on PPI. Use a five thousand yard scale.”

“Radar, two contacts…”

Icy fingers on my arm, smell of rubbing alcohol.

“Captain to Navigator, for communication with the base. Captain to IDC, get to the bridge…”  The rest faded away.

I felt the cold fluid under my skin again, invading my system, stripping me of my consciousness and drowning me into an artificial sleep. 

“You are being taken care of, you had an accident, fear not.” 

I recognized the language, this time. I had a brief sensation of fingertips slightly touching my arm, just where the needle had entered my flesh, a little pressure that may have lasted less than three seconds. 

Then the obscurity swallowed me just as I wondered, what accident were they talking about…?

(Deep Waters copyright Florence Vitel 2016-2020)

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Deep Waters chapter 1

18 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by Floreva in Creating, Writing

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Tags

climate change, Deep waters, dystopian novel, pulmonary infection, renegades, submarine

(A novel   – copyright Florence Vitel 2016-2020 for NaNoWriMo 2016)

Chapter One 

Trees. 

Trees, one after another stretching their height before my tired eyes and vanishing as quickly as they had appeared on the sides of the road. 

Trees, neatly aligned, regular pillars of civilization, perfect embodiment of man’s domination over nature. 

Trees that we fail to see if we are not observing them. I surprised myself and thought of how beautiful they were, like adornments on this long boring road.

The yellow and copper leaves, with their pinkish seams, bore an element of enchantment, as they swirled graciously in the cold breeze. From time to time, a drone passed by swiftly, discreet patrols appearing from nowhere supposedly to help with any accident or unusual incident. Everybody knew they were continuously on the watch and recording, and not just to report mechanical problems or environmental incidents.

The clouds over the flatland had become oppressive, with their woolly and leaden shapes. Scarce rays of light pierced the sky like an ancient god’s fingers, and reminded me of a particular painting by Turner, or maybe it was Johan Christian Dahl. Those trees at that moment, it occurred to my suddenly puzzled mind, were the exact expression of my own enslavement to said civilization and progress. How long has it been since I went in a forest for a walk or a hike? When was the last time I had wandered in open fields, let my senses harvest the beauty of nature, rolled my feet onto polished pebbles on a shore? Or watched the clouds passing above me with their tails of cotton ribbons coloured by a sunset, flat on my back in the grass?

Inadvertently I sighed. Arietta and Osten sitting in the front seats of the car did not hear me, for they were engulfed in an intense conversation on a subject I could not remember. I only noticed that Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony subtly filled the air. My thoughts drifted more. After a little break, in two weeks’ time, I would head to my parents’ country house, to celebrate our birthdays, my sister and I, as we did every year. We never often gathered, and we had chosen long ago to jointly celebrate our birthdays. And after that, well… After that, a new page could be written for me. 

I also reflected on the past days. We had just left, my two colleagues and I, a 5-day training course on Ocean Acidification near Viborg, or shall I say NewViborg, in NewDenmark, and just a few days before that, we had attended an international symposium on Isotope Hydrology in NewVienna. There we were, worker ants of a bigger colony, rambling from one place to another to learn things, to gather information, to exchange crucial data and like ants, working together to support the colony in an hostile environment, with only this narrow empty road in the middle of central Jutland to link us to our earthly nature. The landscape showed the glowing hues of a continental autumn despite the looming storm. We had chosen to spend three days together in NewCopenhagen before the flight back to NewVienna, to rest a bit, to visit the town and to detach ourselves from the sad reality of changing seawater chemistry, and its subsequent further endangerment of wildlife. As if there was not enough  to fear, along those lines. 

The Symposium in Vienna–I could never brought myself to call this city NewVienna, as I had been living there several years after I completed my phD, and I did see its change of name, but never fully acknowledged it ; for me Vienna will always be Vienna, New Ecoregional League or not, but I do not bother for the cities I have never lived in to call them by their new designation– had been as informative and also as much worry-inducing. For now, all I needed was a break. My work as a nuclear physicist kept me long hours confined in a lab, bent on my notes or plunged up to my neck in experimentation in a thick walled underground facility. Or attending symposia on subjects related closely or less closely to the world of nuclear physics and their numerous applications. 

So, trees, I did not see much of them in my everyday life and these leaves waving in a faded sunset brutally told me how disconnected I had become from this nature I used to study when at the Uni and lately only been scrutinizing under my quantic microscope. Focused all the time on the extremely tiny had brought me to forget the normal-sized rest of my world. 

I distractedly toyed several minutes the idea of quitting my job to become a beekeeper… a dream I had when I was a child. But now, bees were controlled and bred by the Ministry of Designed Wildlife ; old-school beekeepers were considered renegades and as such, publicly chastised and heavily fined. A die-hard rumor said that despite this rule, they had organized themselves in secret societies to bring back the bees in the country. 

I looked at my radio-control watch. In roughly twenty minutes from now, we should arrive at NewArhus, the port where we would get a ferry to cross the Kattegat, the sound between Sweden and NewDenmark, to reach NewCopenhagen via route 21. 

Discreetly, I unlocked a secret compartment lodged on the back of my watch and checked its content. The ultraslim flash drive was securely tucked in, sealed in a tiny waterproof pouch made of noctonium and lined with palladium. 

Undetectable. 

I smiled. This flash drive contained data I intended to exchange for an unlimited wealth and liberty of choice. This amount of data was the fruit of years of research, mine and analysis I did about the works of others, who failed to see the connections stemming from our various works, yet closely related somehow. But I had been the one connecting the dots, for I had compiled those informations, experiments, research results and data during after hours work, following an intuition I was close to prove right. The analytics were too precious to be wasted, misused, discarded or wrongly credited to someone else and I did not want to hand them to the owner of my lab.  You see, my doubts about my lab not being entirely free of “foreign and dubious” influence had been recently confirmed, and although I am not big on politics and feel mostly unconcerned by that, I still have ethics and a moral sense of values. 

The lab I willingly slaved away my youth for and devoted my best neuronal activity to was on the verge of being  phagocytized by a bigger consortium I had found out to be quite corrupted and which showed an excessive willingness to serve an ultra-radicalised groupuscule of the government (in opposition, but powerful still) I did not want to acknowledge as legitimate, nor as a just, honest, or eager to do the right thing institution. 

This little flash drive was the sesame to my freedom. I would pursue my research elsewhere, which was my only real worry, and if I could work without having to question my consciousness, then all the better. It’s not that I have particularly iron-clad views on politics, or supremely high moral standards, but my basic needs to be met. And radicalisation, racist or totalitarian ideologies are not compatible with my threshold of indifference. Besides, alongside the growing disgust I felt for my current lab, and the disappearance of a colleague of good repute, and a rampant atmosphere of defiance, it has been easy to take the leap. I knew that with my profile, the field I was in, my eagerness to achieve and my impeccable records, it would never be a difficulty for me to find a new sponsor. My decision was to set sail for another future, brighter, during this very trip, and let myself board that ferry and never to disembark from said ferry. Maybe I should have warned my parents that I would probably not be able to join them for the birthday party… The wind rustled in the copper leaves, my thoughts twirled under the clouds like those lonely leaves did in this fading afternoon.

The half-track car, the newest PaxTrakx model of TrakxFast Company, with its pads and caterpillar chain-tracks seemed to float above the Teflon-coated asphalt, like eagles on a hot current of air. 

The last colours of the day absorbed by darker clouds, Mozart still powerful in my ears, I felt somewhat melancholic and at some point heard myself scream : “Stop!” 

The driver slammed on the brakes, and even though the half-track car came noiselessly to a halt thanks to the electromagnetic system, we all jolted towards the windshield, held by our seat belts. 

Osten glanced sulkily at me but his irritated voice managed to stay calm  : “Something the matter?” 

Arietta stared at me shyly. Osten and Arietta were old colleagues of mine, we had worked together and in separate teams during our careers, occasionally reunited when projects brought us on the same subject, or because we had convergent interests. Arietta had specialized in nuclear fission. I had met her during a master’s degree I did on the topic, thirteen years ago. Osten is the ultimate specialist, in my opinion, of nuclear fusion by magnetic confinement of plasma utilizing the Stellerator design. Yet I did not understand why they were both so keen on having me enrolled in a conference about Ocean acidification and another one about Hydrology. I did not see any connection to our field of research. But then again, they had convinced me that I might benefit sooner or later, in my work, from these scientific presentations, as I had grown heavily interested in finding new ways, particularly in water, to source deuterium and tritium, those atomic elements of hydrogen necessary to achieve nuclear fusion. 

I stared at them blankly, a little confused, because it had just become clear that these training sessions could simply not be related to my work. Or theirs. 

“None of you should have been there”  repeated the little voice in my head. There was something else, “something is not right”, the voice subsided again. Besides, Osten had displayed signs of nervousness all day long, which is unusual for him, as he is a tower of self-control most of the time. Little mouse uncomfortable at the moment, glancing in my direction from time to time, for whatever reason, Arietta had shrunk on her seat.

Osten asked again why I screamed. I had no reasonable answer to offer, so I clumsily pleaded an urgent need to make a “technical pause”, virtually impossible to resist, and the absence in the car (and I am sorry to say things as prosaic and trivial as this) of a Travel Pissotière, this device one can buy at any port, airport, or carport. A travel pissotière is a box capped with a tube (for men), or a cone (for women) or an oval ball (for unspecified gender), that is lined with a sponge full of chemicals, which releases a scent of eucalyptus once used, and that can be cleaned, dried and reuse almost ad vitam aeternam for the traveler, very discreetly. Hence the name.  

Osten slowly pulled over and I got out of the PaxTrakx. 

The field on this side of the road was open and wide, lined with thorny edges and glowing wind turbines. A drone approached, circling for a minute or so around us. I knew it was scanning our faces and pattern of movements to identify a potential road incident. Osten pushed a button near the steering wheel to signal that everything was ok, so the little drone resumed its patrolling. 

I put  rubber pads on (every vehicle of this kind carries four pairs of pads like these), secured them on my shoes with straps, in order not to fall on the slippery Teflon. 

In the past decade, every road in NewEurope had been coated with this polymer, in order to ease the transition from fossil fueled vehicles to new bio-masse or alternative energy propelled ones, combined with the adequate gliding material. Yet, some proto-countries had chosen to not transition to this new technology, like Sweden or some federative states of the Great Phocean Combinate in the Mediterranean Region, due to their geography or their environmentalist policy. But I am not here to explore the  geopolitics or ideology thereof…

I gingerly crossed the road to get to the other side, where I would enjoy a little more privacy, and disappeared behind a bush. But instead of stopping to do what I was supposed to do, I continued to walk. 

Predictably, the air was cold and salty, I spotted the distant fire of an automated lighthouse, uneven yellow strips of light on the clouds. I took off the pads, my shoes and my socks, despite the cooler temperature. A tickle ran along my legs as my bare feet touched the cold ground. A thin dew had lined the blades of grass, and the sphagnums full of water made an unmistakable sound as I stepped on them, the long-forgotten but yet still somewhat familiar “sploosh” as the water was expunged. 

In the distance, I saw the vehicle and its TFC logo shine in the last rays of the daylight. I spotted another drone patrolling near Osten and Arietta.  

There I stood, barefoot and ankle-deep in the watery marsh, shivering, my lungs filled with as much fresh air as possible, faintly light-headed with each inhalation I took, a little dizzy too by an overflow of irrepressible yet inexplicable joy. I laughed gently, unable to control this wave of well-being that had arisen in me. The scent of the approaching night burst in my nostrils, a mix of humid hay, freshly turned soil, iodine and this strange thing, the cool particles constituent of the nocturnal air, which is different from the air full of light we breathe during the day. I laughed more loudly, blissfully. 

It’s always felt like a respite to me, this kind of air. When I leave my lab, or any place I might find myself in, if I can, I like to breathe deeply at night in my lungs. Maybe because I work until too late so often, it’s like a breath of freedom after a long day. It felt no different that night. My old companion the night, always eager to catch me before I get home, winter or summer, day in, day out. Married to my work, like many of my colleagues and unlike my parents, instead of a loving or at least a matching-enough partner ; reluctant to leave my world of science to dwell into the world of humans, burying myself in the former probably to escape the latter. I had just made a plan to change that and enable myself to be free to do whatever I wanted. 

Lost in my thoughts, I forgot the marsh, the cold water, the night falling on me. 

I was happy to stand in the middle of this countryside, reconnecting with my earthly nature, my mind filled with all the opportunities that lay before me. Nuke science, of course. But on my terms. 

Yet something was slightly different, and not everything was about to go according to said plan, for it was the last time I would breathe this air.

———————————————————————————————

copyrighted work all rights reserved Florence Vitel 2016-2020

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Teen fiction – My daughter’s first book

25 Tuesday Apr 2017

Posted by Floreva in Books, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

There she was, a little shy (public speaking) and determined (achieved NaNoWriMo challenge 2016 and turned it into a full book) at the same time, ready to sign the piles of books neatly stacked before her on the table.

Last Saturday, we hosted a book signing party in a cultural center for my daughter, for her to present her first book. She had finished it before her 14th birthday.

All our friends and her friends and families gathered around her to celebrate her achievement, teachers, colleagues, close friends, dear friends  too.

I am so happy for her.

I remember how at her exact same age, I had decided I wanted to be a writer and a playwright (the latter in order to act in my own plays). Unfortunately, my parents were not as supportive of my talent / dream as I chose (even before her birth) to be for my child.

Sure I wrote things, marketing strategies or communication campaigns in corporate jobs, and texts and poetry for me on the side. I think things would have been quite different if I had received support and encouragement, not jut the odd “whoa, you write so well” from friends, classmates, teachers and weirdly too, my parents.

I think I was born in a time when people around me had this strange idea that you have to get a “proper” job and were oblivious that one can work a “proper” ( as in decent money and occupation I gather) AND still set time aside to write, and be supported to give a try at publishers or poetry magazines. Not once did my family tell me I should continue to write on a larger scale, and finally put that book of poetry together (for starters). Don’t get me wrong, I am not angered or bitter , because I eventually went on to write and publish 4 books (5th novel in the pipes and a book of poetry  about World War 1 on its way).

I am extremely happy that I created such an opportunity for my daughter, first by encouraging her to sign up for the literary challenge, that I did and finished myself, too.

I am so happy that she could experience at such a young age what it is like to see one’s dream come true, an experience she can reap the spiritual and personal benefices on long after the event has taken place.

I bought a giant 2017 grad card and asked every visitor to put a word in it for her. So that she can carry this reminder as a keepsake for the rest of her life, and at any given time draw from it strength, pride, self-esteem and the assurance that she can achieve anything, if need be.

Friends told me ” you must be proud of her’, well, I cannot be proud for something I did not do, can I? But I can be super happy for her and rejoice in her success, and bask in the fact that she is happy, knowing that she put efforts to achieve it. I salute her determination, and her success, and THAT makes me feeling happy for her.

SHE can be proud of herself, yeah, that is hers totally.

 

Ok, now, I must finish to polish my sci-fi book written during NaNoWriMo 2016…

 

Wishing you a great success folks in all your endeavours,

love,

Floreva

“The Hidden Hero”. by HM Storm  on amazon.

Not everyone wants to be a superhero, and not everyone is meant to be one. But sometimes, you don’t have much of a choice, especially if you are the world’s last hope… For four young teenagers, having that kind of responsibility is much harder than they expected it to be, particularly when one of them ends up having more power than anyone could ever imagine. 12 years old Nicolas Hunter doesn’t know how special he is until he accidentally meets four superheroes. Nicolas never wanted the power, but when his only friends get captured by those they tried to stop, what other choice does he have but to save them and everyone else? When the whole world rests on your shoulders, what choice do you have but to save it

Hiddden Hero_

 

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The nutjob extraordinaire and other stories

25 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by Floreva in Theater, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

David Burland Poetry Prize, Poetry, Theatre

Hello dear readers (hope you are well, if not, quote : you can grab the chocolate bar by the paper . You can do anything. Unquote)

Soooo it’s been as usual ( you must resent me for letting you down so often on this blog thingie in between posts, really, really, please, it’s my entire fault) too long since I last posted something. I can only try to plead a formidable busyness and developments in both my projects and the country I am legally alien (ated?)  And a massive lack of subjects  I thought could be of  interest for you. But since I am such an uncurable ——– (fill in the blank), I thought I might inflict my somber thoughts on you no matter what.

Let’s start with the good : last September, UK once more honored me (I plead guilty your Honor, but I loooove  that) with a prize for a poem called Liberty , written in 2012 -so not on purpose, right? (about withstanding oppression and this little nugget labelled freedom and soon to be out of sight here in the States). (that was my me-time moment)

Yet, after the election of Mr Trumpkopf the First (German variation around Dumkopf, a word  for, how can I put it nicely? ah, yes, d*ckhead), and thinking about it a posteriori, it feelsit was the right thing to submit back then in May and so now, my fellow legal aliens and myself are entering in résistance. Or at least, we think we are. On our small expat level. Maybe just in our heads. First things first.

In that perspective, I am putting together a collection of texts and poems about the trenches, WWI and the absurdity of war , with various angles (like the flowers in the trenches, the Xmas truce, etc), mainly to finish the job started with the Poem “20 years old in 1914” , which won the Burland Prize too in 2014. Anyway. It’s been a project of mine for several years. To be released/published in November 2018.

I have also teamed up with a fellow theatre lover (well, she is the stage director , I am the writer and provider of creative/crazy/are-you-sure-we-can-do-this-on-stage/no way, José ideas. We want to create and produce a play about the many pacifist soldiers that were shot as an example, and were left  unsung, almost forgotten by the Grande Muette /the Great Silent  (this is how the French called the Ministry of War at the time and later, all the Army). We intend to intertwine the spoken text  with either poems, or images, a bouquet of mixed media or multimedia certainly and invite audience from all nationalities to join in the tribute. Because com’on, soldiers shot as  example were not just given this dreadful judgement in France, but also in all belligerent armies…

More news?

Ok, I got my first techno-thriller out on Amazon in November  and as a publisher, I published a collection of texts by 4 expat authors .

Then a bit of ski in Colorado with friends around Xmas (fab weather, 6o inches of gorgeous powder, an absolute winter dream, no one on the slopes, minus 20*C, sun and laughter).

Then back to work, putting together the last chapters (2) of a Sci-Fi novel (well, actually the novel I wrote in November during the NaNoWriMo challenge aiming at writing 50.000 or more words in 30 days or less, which I finished, one day earlier and with more that 50.ooo words (so proud of myself, yep). Said novel is a kinda “cross-fertilization” between 20.000 leagues under the Seas x Indepence day x 1984 (forgive me, it’s my first attempt at Sci-Fi, I have big standards).

Half-good news : Sherlock is back, after 2 years. Honestly, 2 years for that? Sherlock and CO might as well extended their attempt at taking Hollywood, because it was not up to expectations. And this ridiculous idea of the hidden-evil-but smarter sister… Not to mention Moriarty (I wanted him back from the dead or with a devious scheme to resurrect somehow and haunt the peaceful streets of London and Team Sherlock’s sleep) the toy of said sister, willingly and wrongfully scripted, and , last but not least, the disappearing chemistry between the Baker Boys. Nope, no more the wonderful and wondrous connection , the heavy subtext, and the tingling queerbaiting that we, Johnlock shippers loved to decipher. Nada, niet, nothing, nichts…SOOOoOOOOOO disappointing. Still, it’s visible. But the thrill has faded and waned and dissolved (that a lot for one sole thing).

(Nothing left to hold on to help tackle the big event of Jan 20th.)

And then…

Then it was blackout time when the final US election polls were revealed. An era of gloom and doom befell us.

I mean, Brexit had been quite a shock, and all (well, most of, rather) Brits here or there -namely in  Peru in June, in the middle of nowhere on the Altiplano ( I did not expect to stumble upon a journalist and several millenials traveling for fun alone between two jobs, but life is more fun that way) and striking a convo about how dreadful the announce of Brexiters’ victory had been. And so, painfully  and barely recovered from Brexit (BBC had been my endless supplier of prognostics and analysis since March as far as I am concern), BAM!  The Tsunami Trumpkopf hit us.  I fear only the worse can happen in May in France, now.

Trumpkopf has a very nasty way of making his decisions and political moves resembling more and more those of a certain man with a silly little dangerous moustache… America Great again? Dangerously similar to the slogans that reverberated throughout Europe; 80 years ago, in the form of “Making Germany great again”, innit?

And what shall we think of “America First”? Hum? Why not America über alles? Because, that’s what is sounds like and what it seems to derived from…

On a lighter note, I propose we create a Ministry of Silly Jokes and Impossible to put in Operation Ideas served by Utterly incompetent Secretaries..

What? It exists already? How is it called?

Trumpkopf administration?

Damned.

We are doomed.

My kingdom for a horse (and make it not a dead one, please)!

 

 

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AHHHH

10 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by Floreva in Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Absolutely Fabulous, online friends

Hi folks

long time no talk but today just had the great empowering online meeting with kindred spirits and fellows writers and you know what?

It feels good, oh yes, does it feel right and good…

yes it feels good to see that just a simple chat about our experiences can boost our morale and our stamina and help us want to blog again, because as you’ve noticed I’ve been rather silent lately…. And many things have occurred in between.

Ok , talk to you soon dear fellow odd-jobbers

have a FABULOUS day

Floreva2f86f9ebe2acc2814a461b7db52533b6

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Busy busy, London and a poetry prize

27 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by Floreva in Creating, This world we live in, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

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Aquashard, book, David Burland Poetry Prize, London, Monty Python, Poetry Prize, writing.

Hi folks

well, it’s been a long pause, not only because of summertime.

The time between the last post and this one saw many changes in me, for me and those around me, long story short : all areas are impacted : friends, family, health, work, personal and less personal, adjustments and all along with me in this adventure : the emotional roller coaster (not just me, but the ones close to me too).  

To stay afloat and remain “zen” one solution >> meditation and deep breathing. Even moved houses >> paint job ongoing!

Good news is I focused more on writing and career and reached the final sentence of 2nd book (drama novel), on which I had been working for more than 3 years and a half. Sent to publisher, there will be some editing, but the baby has safely been delivered.

Secondly, personal growth (always good I should say) and greater clarity about career path, and side tracks, new ideas and new friends (kindred spirits,  who cannot like that?) and business partnership taking shape (oh Joy).

Thirdly, glorious time in London (work, research, friendships and a bit of craziness with sister >>>delightful). In LDN I met incredible people, went to incredible venues and parties and even was invited to the ceremony of lawyers being called to the bar in one of the 4 Inns, it was fantastic, saw old friends, made new ones and got to make new acquaintances, went for a drink at the Aquashard  and had dinner at the Oxo Brasserie with lil sis. Went to Chichester theater Fest, attended talks and strolled the hills of the Heath. Even went to see the last live show of the Monty Python gang! Such fun! Monty Pythoned since an early age, I could not miss it.

20140720_193435

Oh the glorious, glorious time!

20140731_142429                 20140731_141921

And lastly, my poem  “Vingt ans en Quatorze” (Twenty years old in 1914) received the 1st Prize, category French, from the David Burland Poetry Prize, based in the UK. Great honor and deep joy.

Happy? More than that!

Adios, Pharrell Williams ! You can stay in your room, because I M HAPPY and I am the one who set fire to the dancefloor  this 18th of August when the results were published!

My mind is bursting with ideas, I am finishing another story (ebook maybe?) and a set of short stories for lit comps.

Developing a certain project also,  that has nothing to do with the written word and it make me feel good too,  I am a bit tired but am bursting with energy on a creative level.

Hope you are feeling energised too, and supremely so!

So long folks! Be successful, stay safe, create and nurture well your body, spirit, and mind.

F  

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Upcoming Film Festivals deadlines, call for entries.

09 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by Floreva in Film Festivals, Movies, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Cinema, movies, screenwriting

Hello Fellow oddjobbers,

 

whether you’re a young or experienced director, screenwriter, DoP, sound master, cameraman, creating doc, experimental, vid, music vid, short, feat. film or just a lover of cinema for the magic produced on screen,

194bd5951b789df300e43e3c8a0249db

 

please find hereafter some other FFest you might be interested in, to submit your work to or to attend, check their website for more info :

Enjoy and good luck!

Floreva

 

MANHATTAN
FILM FESTIVAL
New York, New York – USA
June 19 to July 3, 2014

DL for entries : 18 March 2014 (late DL)

CATALINA
FILM FESTIVAL
Avalon , California – USA
September 24 to 28, 2014

Reg DL : 20 March 2014

Unmissable Stops:
– Palm Springs International ShortFest
– Nantucket Film Festival & Screenplay Competition
– Revelation Perth International Film Festival
Calling All Screenwriters:
– Slamdance Screenplay Competition
– CineStory Foundation Screenwriting Awards
– The First Look Project
Quickly Closing Opps:
– London Independent Film Festival
– Brooklyn Film Festival
– San Antonio Film Festival
– VISIONFEST
The Good Story Competition: Change the World in Four Minutes
Filmmakers everywhere: The Good Story Competition is challenging you to tell the stories of everyday people in Asia doing good to improve the lives of others, and tell it in the most compelling and engaging way possible. All in under four minutes. It’s also a chance to snag cash prizes not just for yourself but for the people you feature in your video. You get to show off your creativity and help make a difference, all at the same time. Register now and submit your video by March 21, 2104 directly at http://www.ourbetterworld.org/goodstoryasia
Final Extended Deadlines – Exclusive to Withoutabox:
Submit today!
CineStory Foundation Screenwriting Awards, Los Angeles, California, USA
March 5, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Derby Film Festival, Derby, United Kingdom
March 5, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
VISIONFEST, Brooklyn, New York, USA
March 5, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Albuquerque Film & Media Experience, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
March 7, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Milledgeville Film Festival, Milledgville, Georgia, USA
March 7, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
On Screen/In Person, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
March 7, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes, Cannes, France
March 8, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
The Classic City International Film Festival, Snellville, Georgia, USA
March 9, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
The Los Angeles International Student Film Festival, Pasadena, California, USA
March 9, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
International Moustache Film Festival, Portland, Maine, USA
March 10, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
The Los Angeles New Wave International Film Festival, Sherman Oaks, California, USA
March 11, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Rainier Independent Film Festival, Ashford, Washington, USA
March 12, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Brooklyn Film Festival, Brooklyn, New York, USA
March 14, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Hill Country Film Festival, Fredericksburg, Texas, USA
March 14, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
London Independent Film Festival, London, United Kingdom
March 14, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
SAFILM – San Antonio Film Festival, San Antonio, Texas, USA
March 14, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Big Deadlines Approaching Fast:
Submit today!
Filmbox Movie Award Competition, London, United Kingdom
Rolling Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Los Angeles Film and Script Festival, Los Angeles, California, USA
March 5, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Meeting Rimini Film Festival, Rimini, Italy
March 5, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
New York Los Angeles International Film Festival (NYLA), Encino, California, USA
March 5, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Revelation Perth International Film Festival, Hawthorn East, Australia
March 5, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
West Field Screenwriting Awards, Averill Park, New York, USA
March 5, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Workers Unite Film Festival, New York, New York, USA
March 5, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Breaking Walls Thriller Screenplay Competition, Lewes, Delaware, USA
March 7, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Brooklyn Film Festival, Brooklyn, New York, USA
March 7, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
CINE Golden Eagle Awards, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
March 7, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
FILM-COM Financing & Distribution Market – Features, Television, Docs, Video-Gaming, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
March 7, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Family Resources Film Festival Gala, Davenport, Iowa, USA
March 7, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
International Moustache Film Festival, Portland, Maine, USA
March 7, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
London Independent Film Festival, London, United Kingdom
March 7, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Real to Reel International Film Festival, Shelby, North Carolina, USA
March 7, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Santa Monica Teen Film Festival, Santa Monica, California, USA
March 7, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Glen Rose Neo-Relix Film Festival, Glen Rose, Texas, USA
March 8, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
The Harvard College Film Festival, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
March 8, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
BolderLife Festival, Boulder, Colorado, USA
March 9, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Motor City Nightmares Film Festival, Milford, Michigan, USA
March 10, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Nantucket Film Festival & Screenplay Competition, Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA
March 10, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Northside DIY Film Competition, Brooklyn, New York, USA
March 10, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Palm Springs International ShortFest, Palm Springs, California, USA
March 10, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival, Los Angeles, California, USA
March 10, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Sacramento Horror Film Festival, Sacramento, California, USA
March 10, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Studio City Film Festival, Studio City, California, USA
March 10, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
COMEDY NINJA Film and Screenplay Festival, Los Angeles, California, USA
March 11, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Oaxaca FilmFest, Oaxaca, Mexico
March 12, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood (Spring), Los Angeles, California, USA
March 12, 2014 – WAB Extended Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Los Angeles Movie Awards – Summer Session, Los Angeles, California, USA
March 12, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Los Angeles Reel Film Festival, Los Angeles, California, USA
March 12, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Port Townsend Film Festival, Port Townsend, Washington, USA
March 13, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
OREGON Independent Film Festival, Eugene, Oregon, USA
March 14, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Colourfest Film Festival, Parramatta, Australia
March 14, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Prescott Film Festival, Prescott, Arizona, USA
March 14, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Santa Monica Teen Film Festival, Santa Monica, California, USA
March 14, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Short Sharp Film Festival, Coffs Harbour, Australia
March 14, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Southampton International Film Festival, Eastleigh, United Kingdom
March 14, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, Brooklyn, New York, USA
March 14, 2014 – Late Deadline

View Listing

Calls for Entry Just Announced:
Submit today!
Fester: The Mindf*#k Festival, Los Angeles, California, USA
Event Dates: January 1 to December 31, 2014
Rolling Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Brainwash Movie Festival, Oakland, California, USA
Event Dates: July 18 to 26, 2014
March 15, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
La Costa Film Festival, Carlsbad, California, USA
Event Dates: September 18 to 21, 2014
March 31, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Fargo-Moorhead LGBT Film Festival, Moorhead, Minnesota, USA
Event Dates: September 12 to 13, 2014
March 31, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline, No Entry Fee

View Listing

Submit today!
Ojai Film Festival, Oak View, California, USA
Event Dates: November 6 to 13, 2014
April 1, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Indie Memphis Film Festival, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Event Dates: October 30 to November 2, 2014
April 2, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Slamdance Screenplay Competition, Los Angeles, California, USA
Event Dates: January 23 to 29, 2015
April 8, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Script Pipeline Great Idea Contests, Santa Monica, California, USA
Event Dates: July 15, 2014
April 15, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
FilmQuest, Provo, Utah, USA
Event Dates: June 30 to July 5, 2014
April 15, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
SaMo Indie – The Santa Monica Independent Film Festival, Santa Monica, California, USA
Event Dates: September 18 to 21, 2014
April 15, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Louisville’s International Festival of Film, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Event Dates: October 9 to 12, 2014
May 1, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Boston Jewish Film Festival, West Newton, Massachusetts, USA
Event Dates: November 5 to 17, 2014
May 1, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Imagine Science Film Festival, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Event Dates: October 17 to 24, 2014
May 1, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Shriekfest, the Los Angeles Horror/SciFi Film Festival, Lake Mary, Florida, USA
Event Dates: October 2 to 5, 2014
May 1, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Mill Valley Film Festival, San Rafael, California, USA
Event Dates: October 2 to 12, 2014
May 16, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Nine Worlds Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival, London, United Kingdom
Event Dates: August 7 to 10, 2014
May 23, 2014 – Regular Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Shore Scripts, London, United Kingdom
Event Dates: November 1, 2014
May 31, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Event Dates: November 7 to 23, 2014
June 1, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Flagler Film Festival, Palm Coast, Florida, USA
Event Dates: January 9 to 11, 2015
June 1, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
HERO FEST – MY HERO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Laguna Beach, California, USA
Event Dates: November 21 to 23, 2014
June 1, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
The First Look Project, presented by Script Pipeline, Santa Monica, California, USA
Event Dates: February 15, 2015
June 15, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Big Apple Film Festival (New York), New York, New York, USA
Event Dates: November 5 to 9, 2014
June 30, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

Submit today!
Beaufort International Film Festival, Beaufort, South Carolina, USA
Event Dates: February 11 to 15, 2015
July 31, 2014 – Earlybird Deadline

View Listing

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Film Festivals call for entries

04 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by Floreva in Creating, Movies, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Hi fellow oddjobbers,

 

please find hereafter some interesting FF to submit your work to (vid, script, feature, short, sound). Click on links below

Great Opps for Rising Talents:
– Nantucket Film Festival & Screenplay Competition
– Provincetown International Film Festival
– Indianapolis International Film Festival
– Brooklyn Film Festival
Ones Not to be Missed:
– Edinburgh International Film Festival
– Moscow International Film Festival
– Hamptons International Film Festival
– DOC NYC
Unique Circuit Opps:
– NewFilmmakers Los Angeles
– Dragon*Con Independent Short Film Festival
– Lunafest Film Festival
– American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes
The Good Story Competition: Change the World in Four Minutes
Filmmakers everywhere: The Good Story Competition is challenging you to tell the stories of everyday people in Asia doing good to improve the lives of others, and tell it in the most compelling and engaging way possible. All in under four minutes. It’s also a chance to snag cash prizes not just for yourself but for the people you feature in your video. You get to show off your creativity and help make a difference, all at the same time. Register now and submit your video by March 21, 2104 directly at http://www.ourbetterworld.org/goodstoryasia

 

 

ZERO FILM
FESTIVAL – LONDON
London, England – United Kingdom 
July 11 to 13, 2014

Reg DL : March 15, 2014

COMMFFEST GLOBAL
COMMUNITY FILM FESTIVAL
Toronto, Ontario – Canada 
September 11 to 20, 2014

Reg DL March 15, 2014

International Film AWARDS BERLIN 
Berlin – Germany 
September 3 to 7, 2014
 
Upcoming Deadline: March 15, 2014 
Name Film Festival   Name Film Festival   Name Film Festival   Name Film Festival
 
OREGON INDEPENDENT 
FILM FESTIVAL 
Portland, Oregon – USA 
September 9 to 29, 2014
 
Upcoming Deadline: March 14, 2014 

HELL’S HALF-MILE 
FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL 
Bay City, Michigan – USA 
September 25 to 28, 2014
 
Upcoming Deadline: March 15, 2014 

First-time submitters get reimbursed their submission fee and become alumni, which allows them fee waivers for life. A $1,000 USD cash prize awaits the winner of the HHM Jury Award, and numerous other prizes are on hand to ensure an unforgettable (and potentially lucrative) four days of networking, partying, and increased industry visibility. Some HHM filmmakers will even be granted complimentary travel and accommodations. 

Good luck everyone.

       

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Image

Book Signing

02 Sunday Mar 2014

Tags

book, book signing, short stories

Hi Folks

It’s been a while, working on the translation of the book and submitting to contests.

I wanted to share with you the exhilarating journey of the signing, in pix.

Signing Flo books Signing Bookmark FloSigning Flo 7

All copies of The ‘Balding Club’ have gone in the blink of an eye, ebook/kindle version soon available on amazon and FNAC.fr

2nd printing has been launched.

Please find hereafter  an excerpt , enjoy!

” The Balding Club

My best friend Gary and I were like butter and toast, chips and vinegar, Saturday night and hangover… We shared the same humour, a candid philosophy of life, simple pleasures, a passionate yet doomed love for Mrs. Atkinson (Kindergarten time) and, later, a flat. At school, we started the first Star Trek club, went to all possible conventions together (and met our girlfriends there). He knew when I had a bad day at work; I could tell when he and his associate had a row. He had set me up with this fantastic redheaded “Tomb raider” player, after I parted with Cassie. (Well, actually, after she had dumped me like an old sock…) He did so to prevent me from a potentially too sugary- and-potato-chips-loaded painful aftermath, and it worked. Equally to return the favor, when his soul became swollen with grief, due to a continuous series of heartbreaks with Tracy, I dragged him to a vintage fair. Even if he was reluctant in the first place, he quickly became his old self. We’d almost collapsed with laughter and joy in an unprecedented orgy of candy floss and popcorn (and believe me, we know how to orgy with food).

You know, I even replaced him for his annual medical visit he had to undergo. He was so sick he could barely stick a foot out of bed. The night prior he had unsuccessfully tried to drown his sorrow in an unreasonably amount of alcohol to get over the definitive break-up with Tracy, witnessed by me and Mr. “TeddyBeer”. Tracy loved to nickname herself “Tastylips”. But eventually, since none of her features were even close to the adjective “gorgeous”, except maybe her way of making sandwiches, it only made her ridiculous. Well, from my point of view and Mr. TeddyBeer’s, that is.

She had left Gary (for good, this time) for Nigel Wart, a Star Wars nerd, thereby “transgeeking” herself into a Star Wars fruitcake. Weird. (FYI, Nigel Star Wart, nothing beats Star Trek, you freak!). So I had to fill in for him that morning for the medical thing. I had a blast, that day, while he was a wreck, poor sod.

Ah, yes, my dear friend Gary…He always showed great enthusiasm for new ideas, such as when we decided to become Sunday fishing aficionados, or when we tried to invent the no-fuss-portable-kitchen-BBQ-grill with the toaster. We were the best flatmates too. I notice those little things, you know, a jacket button in need of mending, no more navy shoe polish, broken padlock for his bike, hair disappearing from his forehead…I had bought the polish, a new padlock and a revolutionary hair-loss lotion. He used to notice little things, too: my changing weight because of too-much midnight snacking or how one day I ran out of metallic paint for my little lead soldiers. He had me enrolled on a weight-loss program and offered me an assortment of new paints.

It was a brotherly friendship, in a way.

You see: since pre-K, there’s been no secret between us.

No secret, until that October. It occurred two years ago. Suddenly, every 3 weeks, our Wednesday activity became impossible for him to practice.

Now, Wednesdays were sacred. Always have been. Since 1983, we’ve been playing the Star Trek Game with the boys. Doug even refused a promotion abroad to remain in town. We wear Dr Spock’s ears, Star Trek t-shirt adorned with our Starfleet command badges, and we eat pizza cut with the Starfleet command pizza cutter. At some point, Gary joined us a little later than usual. But I have to admit that his disinterest grew alarmingly rapidly. Various suggestions emerged to hide his lack of interest: he asked to postpone, to reschedule, and then, offered to quit. He even stopped wearing his Captain Kirk t-shirt on Saturdays (birthday present from me). As he was reluctant to tell the reason, I investigated.

Anonymously, and discreetly.

I found out (because I followed him) that he had been to dinners on the London Eye, had danced in a private bus touring around the town all night long (cost me a fortune in taxi fares!), had attended a chocolate-body-painting party at the British Museum (Egyptian section), had cycled through Whitechapel dressed as the Ripper (at a point, I got a flat tire), and had enjoyed a White Candlelit Supper on a roof (for that, I was pissed when he recognised me in the crowd watching him).

I know, because I also downloaded photographs from his laptop.

And he had done many other things. Oddly enough, it was always with the same group of people. Some were anonymous, and some were minor celebrities or life coach gurus, mind you.

A woman stood out prominently, with stunning hairdos. Strangely, as I scrolled down in his pictures folder labeled “Top secret, for my eyes only”, I noticed that they were all bald, or at various stages of baldness. Or what we called mockingly, “eggheads”. But the worse is that they seemed to enjoy themselves tremendously, from what I sneaked in his photo album hidden under his bed. I also found, neatly tucked in his wallet, pictures of him and the wigged lady, very close to one another, apparently. The wallet concealed pictures taken in some customised photo booth at one of those fancy parties.

The earth opened under my feet. This discovery shook my beliefs and my faith in our friendship.

I felt jealous, and betrayed, and left behind.

And the lady was incredinsanely pretty. So, I decided to confront him. I waited for the right moment. I wanted to take him by surprise, unprepared. I did so while he was fixing the no-fuss-toaster-turned-kitchen-BBQ-grill, ready to make “minute- mayonaised” T-bones.

I crossed my arms, frowning.

– I know what you do.

He jolted and dropped the screwdriver. The shadow of fear froze his features. His eyes became perfect round shapes.

– You do?

– Yes. And I want to do it too.

His eyeballs almost jumped out of their orbits. He bit his lip.

– You can’t!

I frowned harder, and crossed my arms tighter.

– Why?

– Because…I can’t tell. It’s a secret. Cross my heart.

He crossed the screwdriver on his chest. Now, I know how to handle things like that, I am subtle.

– Cross mine! A secret? You keep secrets from me, your best friend? BTW, we signed up for a joint grave, remember?

The post-mortem deal. Who can resist this? It weakened his defense.

[…]

‘The Balding Club and other short stories’, © 2013 Editions Ramses 6

Drop me a line!

Floreva

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Posted by Floreva | Filed under Writing

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Sante Fe Film Festival and upcoming film fest deadlines

04 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by Floreva in Movies, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

film, screenwriting, Script

Hello oddjobbers

new year means new set of resolutions and goals, excellence to strive for and schedules to be followed.

Image

Last year, I had the great opportunity (I worked  wisely to make it happen, though) to go to the Santa Fe film fest and I met several people, and discussed various topics related to filming, low/zero budget short films planning, production and so forth. I was invited to the wrap-up party and to date, this event is one of the most memorable events I’ve been too since I’m a US resident. Like many fellow harmony seekers, I have decided to set out a bunch of new resolutions (because health, work, achievements, personal bliss and family and friend  happiness are obvious resolutions to stick to, I don’t even mention that), and keep them in mind everyday during 2014 to follow through.

Since I’ve submitted script material to film fests, as a member, I happen to receive an update on every forthcoming film related events, fest, contests, etc. I’d like to post more about the subject, and I want to submit more material that I did last year.

I’ve gathered also information on a nearby Community Center to possibly enter a film-making program, whose founder and lead teacher  had his students qualify for Cannes film fest in 202 (and win!). I need my transcript and then I can proceed with the enrollment.

Ok ,so now that I’ve shared that with you there’s no turning back…

Here some film fest some of you might interested in, either to submit a doc, a short, a feature, a script.

Enjoy and best wishes!

ATHENS INTERNATIONAL (oscar qualifying)
FILM + VIDEO FESTIVAL
Athens, Ohio – USA
April 11 to 17, 2014

THE IRON MULE SHORT
COMEDY SCREENING SERIES
New York, New York – USA
Monthly Screening Series
Circuit Biggies and Oscar Opps:
– Los Angeles Film Festival
– Seattle International Film Festival
– Nashville Film Festival
– Aspen Shortsfest
– Bermuda International Film Festival
Regional Favorites:
– Sonoma International Film Festival
– Maui Film Festival
– Chicago Underground Film Festival
– Sarasota Film Festival
And More to Explore:
– The European Independent Film Festival
– Chicago International Movies and Music Festival
– Script Pipeline Great Idea Contests
– Rainier Independent Film Festival
Please click on each link to land on the film fest website.
Enjoy and good work!
F; inspired.

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My book : final phase

13 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by Floreva in Books, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

book, publishing, Short story, Xmas

Hello everyone!

It’s Xmas already in every shop and store and I grow tired of “Rudolf” and Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole singing oldies goldies non stop.

dd404a081ecbc43603834fe0be1c8f2e

 

(Picture : pinterest)

 

It’s been pretty hectic here those past 2 weeks, I have been editing the short stories in the final draft of the book.

The publisher had sent me the final lay out for approval , along with the covers. It was the final review.

Minor changes here and there, one typo to correct  and off we go!

The 1rst copy is currently being printed (yeeeeah) and once received by the publisher for final review, it’s a GO!

So I haven’t been musing around the blogosphere much, plus it’s Xmas time, so everyone is pretty much busy and social life is bursting with events of all kind.

Nevertheless, I have laid out the marketing plan, played with various ideas that I hope to be creative (how about a signing in a French café? ), friends have been supportive and already eager to order their copy and everything is about to set sail. I have planned a session with a professional photographer (ooooh), to stock some pictures in various locations (mainly in my study).

I’ve been speed reading 1001 ways to market your book, got a huge headache and have swallowed unreasonable amount of dark chocolate lately to fuel my energy.

Soon I ‘ll share with you a bit more about my “bundle of joy”.

Keep you posted, folks.

F.

Deck the halls….falalalalala…

 

 

 

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Daily assignment and bonus

05 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by Floreva in Creating, Writing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

writer, writing.

Hello All, dear fellow oddjobbers and readers,

Just a quick reminder for us all (and me particularly) : do not quit, tackle the task with renewed energy and trust that completion is just there, within reach.

(I know it, I just finished another short story yesterday,  I just need to CLING to the idea that I can do MORE).

I have to write more, edit faster, and harness this reflex of sitting at my desk no matter what with an increased will power.

Discipline, I love you, come visit me more often.

Because I am  a                      Image

(image : Pinterest)

(For the bonus, see at the bottom : it’s a poem I wrote a while back)

So here’s the deal I made with myself : write 5 pages a day. In English,  in French, in German, in gibberish. I have segmented it : ideally it should be like that  : one page for a short story, one page for this novel I begun a while, one page for poetry, and the two remaining pages to whatever feels good or easy to write. Because sometimes, when you are engulfed in one project, an idea belonging to another project is nagging, and won’t let you be in peace until you have acknowledged it, and taken time to do something about it.

I have become more abstemious about the time I allow to writing. I do much preparation while driving, or shower (how cliché is that?), at the doctor’s or while at the grocer’s (this is a screenwriter’s tips : take your characters with you, it gives good insight an indications about their psychology).Thus leading to higher efficiency, probably. Anyway.

Image

           (source Pinterest &Katy Jeffords)

All that to say that this assignment to produce 5 pages a day is harder than I thought, yet I will not give in.

Mind you, 5 p/day x 360 ( I allow 5 days to call in sick and to be exempted) =1.800 p/ year.

Average pages/ fiction book : 200.

So 5 p/day equals 9 books per year,  Or 15 scripts of 120 p (= 120 min), or 32 TV screenplays of 55 min. Or 300 short stories of 6 pages each. (Whoah, I wish I can produce 300 short stories within  a year!)

Makes a girl think.

And write.

Well, I think I need a secretary to type all that, now…..;-D

Flo, not caffeinated enough this morning.

PS : What have you been writing lately?

BONUS 

It’s been a long time since I said I write many things, if you are interested, please find below a poem written in English.

Let me know if you liked it! (If not, then, please keep it for you, thank you) . And do not worry, I’m deeply in love with life.

Life’s a bitch  ©FloreVaVF

Sometimes, I don’t like Life

And need to think of an exit

Surely from an obliging knife

I could borrow a way to quit.

But I guess I love you too much, bitch

So I’ll just grab you by the throat

To get it steady when you twitch

And change the chapters you ghostwrote.

Many times, I’ve carried my fate

Heavy as a burden, whereas your stupid minions

Display disgusting luck like a cheap bait

For others to feed on like ravens.

I guess we love you too much, bitch

So we grab you by the throat,

To get satisfaction before we ditch

In their mouth a symbolic banknote

All this time, I wanted you, Life

To explain how you chose my path

Why you throw at me constant strife

As you demand respect instead of wrath.

Let me guess, you’ve loved me, bitch

And you’ve grabbed me by the throat

At birth, so in my poor heart you would stitch

This endless hope that I will stay afloat

This endless hope gets me to think we’ll stay afloat

This endless hope gets me to think we’ll stay afloat

 

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London; the long hot summer; 1st Prize David Burland Poetry Contest and book coming out in Fall…

12 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by Floreva in Life in style, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

1st Prize, Award, David Burland International Poetry Contest 2013, London, Poetry

Dear all,

The summer has been fantastic in many aspects.

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It has also put a huge strain on me, emotionnally speaking, (family in a large scale and  parents, you know?),  leading to more and a new  form of self-empowerment, expanding self-knowledge and compassion (self-healing, see?).

A wedding (lil’ bro), visas renewal process gone stressful, family (upper story) with an hidden agenda. I won’t develop. Let’s say it’ sbeen a loong hot summer with long stressful days transforming into long insomnias and very little restful sleep.

And now, it’s over, let’s focus on positive energy!!

It was a time to seek and find closure and in some way, I did.

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I was also a time to ENJOY life as it came, while I stayed 12 days in London, doing some research for my solitary and poorly redeeimng work (being a writer! now, really, how wants to be a writer?), and guiltlessly slipping into delicious “me-time” (an expression I had never heard and therefore never practised before moving in the USA).20130708_144730

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The weather was fantastic, I had a great time, chatted with various people, made some friends, wrote a lot, soaked in the beauty and the incredible energetic city, step into an advertsing event in Victoria station  with Rowntree new fruity Chews (Chewsday, that’s brilliant!), stumbled upon various film set, went to the theater, drank incredible cocktails and champagne, enjoyed Hampstead, savoured the most palatable Benedict Eggs, among other delicious things…

A bartender even invented a cocktail bearing my name : Florence. Yep. I’m so proud of it! 20130720_170240

I treated myself with lovely coaktails and afternoon teas in amazing venues. And I loved it.

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As the quote says : I wish to “go to London and stay there forever” (I’m working on it).

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Then, some time on a lake in South Carolina (near a city called Florence!) here in the States, to cure the jetlag (no internetaccess, it felt awkward and liberating, it’s like frustrating and freeing in the same time, weird). So when I came back and checked my mail, I was over the moon to see that I have received the 1st Prize of the david Burland International Poetry Contest, category French!

The David Burland team is based in the UK, my poem has been published on their website, and £200 is attached to this award. To say that I am happy is largely below how I felt then and still am feeling.

It’s a encouraging, it’s empowering, it’s what I wanted to achieve, it’s the goal I had set personnally to reach. It’s a major step!

From now on, I am a published author, I am and award-winner aauthor, and my peers have recognised my talent (ok, I’be said it, I take full responsability) and thought it was worth  chosing my writing to bear this award.

Please visit : http://www.davidburlandpoetryprize.com/winners.html

The poem is in French, I’ll post a translation in English soon.

It’s called “Rose de Matink” (Rose of Martinique Island)

It’s about how the slaves deported from Africa to the French Carribean islands to work (drudge) in the cane sugar fields. The name of the ship would become  their new names. This poem was inspired by a friend’s ancestor’s story. It was moving to write it and (apparently) moving to read it, anyway it’s a very inspirationnal story. I am supremely grateful to have been awarded teh 1st Prize for this poem. We celebrated of course, with this dear friend of mine and other friends too. I received many congrats from friends and they liked thh poem as well, some were so moved they wrote me a beautiful message to tell me how much they liked it. I only put my heart in this poem and my emotion (my guts?) as my friend had told me this powerful story.

 

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Now you know why I love the Brits. They’re the first to give me an award, and I intend to win many more! This boosts me so greatly!

And 2nd good news : my publisher is only eager to have my book being out in Fall (and so am I!!!)

Keep you posted, folks!

For all my fellow oddjobbers : produce, produce, write , bleed and get your guts into your work, let it out in the world, participate into contests, and get those awards too!

Wishing you best of luck and looking forward to hearing your success stories!

Florence (aka Floreva)

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Writing and the Barbell strength.

02 Thursday May 2013

Posted by Floreva in Writing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

building writing habits, writing.

Hello y’all,

I’m sorry it’s been an awful long time since I last posted something. I drafted, but haven’t  published yet, a post regarding Sherlock again, and another one regarding this gem of a radioplay that I discovered recently (3 weeks ago, actually), named “Cabin pressure”, by and with John Finnemore, with the übertalented Benedict Cumberbatch as Cpt Crief. And yesterday I happened to share my enthusiasm with a talented blogger who writes plays and scripts in France (latetearire.canalblog.com   in French).

I felt a bit , huh… disengaged or disconnected with the blog, engulfed that I was in the strange thought that I needed maybe to change the main topic of my blog, allowing my fed-up self to rename it “Rawfoodista with a serious TV addiction”, because I’ve just been trapped by the alluring charms of Raw Food, while still most evenings being glued on my screen, watching MI-5 (old, I know, but this is the Netflix magic, or NorthSquare, or Silk, and To the Ends of the Earth, and Michael Palin’s series, and Breaking bad, etc), sparing just enough time to write and still being able to deserve  the label “author”.

I even did not visit some of the blogs I like most, that I follow and enjoy reading. Or maybe it’s because I have to come to terms with this perfectionism of mine, leading me to edit again and again, and again, and, yes… again (to be sure that I chose the right words, you know). Fortunately, the contests I participated to require to shut up the  perfectionistic chatter and get going, delivering texts or scripts on time! So, Hoorray for contests, harsh on   our oddjobber’s ego and wonderful on our capacity of commit ourselves to give the best and go the extramile for excellence. I also started to attend yoga classes and to hit the gym on a more regular basis, too. I discovered this horrible thing : barbell, and strengthening  the core.

So lately, while focusing on my sore muscles buried deep down under this belly fat I decided to get rid of  (some people have chocolate tablet abs, mine are MELTED  choc tablet abs, if you must know, yeah, you can say it : Nutellalike), I thought that I might as well build a writing strength. Yeah! And the core, in writing, is the decision to start, sit at the table and ink those pages, type on the laptop and see the amount of pages being numbered increasing, at the bottom of your document.

While on the treadmill or on the whateveritsname machine, as I see the distance I’ve just run becoming bigger, I focus more specifically on my decision to achieve a particular goal : today I write one COMPLETE chapter, or today, I achieve a character bio, but so thoroughly, it looks like a FBI file, digging as deep as the colour of its first pair of sneakers !

And so as I sweat and breathe (“breath in  peace in mind motivation”-“breath out negative vibes procrastination”), my attention gains in strength (because of the focus) and I can switch my thoughts onto what I need to get written. I can plug useful steps in my routine, like “another 1/4 mile on how to raise the stakes, another 1/2 mile on developing the subplot, another 1/4 mile on figuring out why she is dissatisfied with her life and how in 5 words I can describe her?”

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Pinterest. feat. Fitnessmagazine.com

My  feet firmly on the ground, I imagine how good it feels like, to go home in a moment, my head full of useful ideas and knots being untied, my body feeling lighter and energized and my thoughts being refreshed both by the exercise and by the strength I put on my work (and in my workout).

I do not allow my thoughts to be distracted by any other fancy idea (coffee with friends later today? oh, the bookshop’s not so far, I need new shoes for this wedding I attend in June…).

I stay focused, I take steps, I climb into my own schedule of work and get things done, I ink those blank pages and I go on. And I do it again. And in the end, I win. Just as I finish my workout program (5 miles on the tread after one hour yoga), I finish my writing goal : having written one chapter.

I build strength, I build discipline and I build habits, healthy habits and I get things done.

As simple as that.

Super bonus : I get a toned body.

And I relaxed my mind….

So, folks, today it’s : Hooray for barbell strengthening the writing habits!

How do you build strong healthy habits?

Drop me a line, I always love to hear from you.

Floreva, stronger and (hopefully) wiser 😉

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Santa Fe Film Festival 2012 DREAM AWAKE

12 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by Floreva in Creating, Entertainemt, Movies, Places, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Brightwood, Georgia O'Keeffe museum, Nothing without you, SANTA FE Film Festival, short film

Last Friday, I flew to New Mexico with a friend to the SANTA FE Film Festival (SFFF).

The theme was : Dream awake. What a good motto, what a wonderful idea.

Santa Fe and the SFFF : Such a marvelously energetic city, such a great event. Films, shorts, Q&A with directors, actors, producers, composers. Meeting passionate people, sharing their work and their art and their thoughts about it  with a genuine simplicity. It sounds obvious, of course. And yet, the authenticity feels so unspoilt in a festival like that one,  that you leave the event boosted, and fulfilled, especially if you are  an oddjobber like those who flocked in there.

SFFFpass

Being in Santa Fe again, in (almost) Winter time, with cold air filling the bright blue sky saturated with sun beams, it felt so good.

This city has really something about itself and in itself that you just can’t miss to experiment. The air seems to be rustling with extra positive vibrations.

The nearby mountains (visible from nearly every corner, unlike Houston, flat as my palm) anchor your looks into that beautiful Nature. You can’t escape beauty : architecture, settings, landscapes, buildings, the most creative human activity (painters, writers, potters, craftsmen, filmmakers, even  festivals to celebrate all that!!), a true osmosis between our natural environment and our humanity.

Georgia O’Keeffe sensed that earthy energy and savage beauty as she transcripted on the canvas or on the paper those vibes. Her paintings are as peaceful and quietness inducing as the vision of the surrounding scenery.

No wonder a film festival set in this city would attract talented and tactful professionals.

Our stay was blessed and punctuated with the most exquisite and nice encounters, some probable, others completely impromtu, absolutely unexpected. Saturday early morning, we came in the CCA to retrieve my friend’s ticket, and we ended up in the nearby venue, chatting with the person in charge that day, and visiting the Military Museum of the NM National Guard. very interesting.

 

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Then we went downtown Old Santa Fe, for a visit before the screening of the film that lay at the core of this trip. We visited the Georgia O’Keeffe museum.  We chatted with I can’t remember how many persons. (It is me or it this city is triggering people into conversations?).

And then, the FILM. “NOTHING WITHOUT YOU”. Just as it was about to begin, we met the director, Xackery Irving whom we greeted and he was so kind as to take some time to talk to us, and thanked us for coming from so far, Houston.

The film deserves the prize it won at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this year.

Emily Fradenburgh is a lovely actress, impossibly talented and natural in her way of playing,  and her character is so appealing. We adhere to her motivation without the slightest reluctance. And we are thrilled, of course, because her life is at stake.

The script is well balanced, with drama and humour, thrilling moments and suspense.

And it has what most of us revere  : a twist end. But not a sloppy one, a well constructed, well defined and precisely chiseled one.

All in all the film is extremely good, finely crafted and structured. And the music is a pure moment of happiness.

The Q&A was a great moment, with The score composer, the producer, the director, the actress and another actor. The Qs showed that the audience is mainly composed of professional (talking about angles in shooting and stuff of the kind). And it was pleasant to learn as much by listening carefully to the As as we did for the Qs.

We went to the party held for the fest. And it was a blast, again, because you meet there all the people who make the fest! I talked with some of the crew of NWY, and they were forgiving to the enthusiast that I am. It felt like I was a child with a sugar tooth locked in a candy store! I also talked with the producer and the scriptwriter of the short we would watch the next day, “Brightwood”, winner of several prizes too. Amazing short, gorgeous sets, lovely child actress, the director of photography did an amazing job and it deserves its awards.

I feel so blessed and lucky to have been able to go to Santa Fe. And I wish all those talented people success, luck, and more creativity and extremely good connections to craft other good works and masterpieces for their audience to enjoy.

Thanks Emily, Victoria, Dorie, Xackery, Gabriel, Rick, Jacob, Keith, Ruth, Nani, Scott, and all of you who make all that possible.

I came back in Texas full of energy, a will to quickly achieve my writing projects – and particularly this road movie script. I am boosted, energized, more balanced, and I know that even ZERO budget films get shot. So, all is possible, you see.

It took a decade for the director Xackery Irving to achieve his script (it went through many re-writings and editings, as he told the audience), but at last, he made it. It must have been though, and depressing maybe sometimes, but it has a shape, a name and a prize to acknowledge its quality. Think hard and confidently enough that you can do it, and you’ll do it, and even better that you originally thought.

SO….

more caffeine and ….

FADE IN….

Good night, fellow oddjobbers.

Floreva, still enjoying  the light of Santa Fe….

 

“Nothing without you”, written & directed  by Xackery Irving, 95 min, genre : Psychological Thriller, Narrative feature

nothingwithoutyoufilm.com

facebook.com/nothingwithoutyoufilm

“Brightwood”, written by LaDora Sella, directed by L.Gabriel Gonda, 18min.

Brightwoodmovie.com

 

 

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