lotus rose journal

free MachoPoni ebook!

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:59:58 GMT

Hey all, I've made an ebook version of Machoponi: A Prance with Death over at smashwords.com At this time, it is free! I'm not sure how long that will last. Maybe a long time, maybe not! In any case, here's your chance to read it if you haven't, or to turn someone else onto the book. Yes, tell all your friends!

I had to fiddle around with the format, so the ebook doesn't have as many illustrations, but it does have the main chapter pictures. Please let me know of any glitches or errors. I hope I did everything right! Also, I plan to put a kindle version up soon. However, amazon.com won't let me make it free, so I'll set it at 99 cents over there. Finally, after you read the book, if you are able to post at amazon.com, please won't you hop on over to the book's amazon.com page and post a customer review? Or click some tags or give it a rating? It all helps, and I'd be so grateful! (If you post a customer review, please don't mention smashwords. I don't think amazon would appreciate it.) Also, there is a real actual paper version of the book too! It would make a great gift for yourself or someone else.

here's the link to the smashwords page:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11292

new Corruption cover

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:55:00 GMT

I played around with the old cover of The Corruption of Innocence, and put in a better picture of the corruptagram to create a new cover for the kindle version of the book. The paper version still has the old cover, though. Anyway, I've updated the kindle version, but as of this writing, they will take a few days before they approve it. The new version of the cover has the same lettering as the old cover, but I also tried using a different font and stuff, as you can see here...

I think the first picture looks better, but who knows? What do y'all think? Is the second one better? I mean, I could always change the cover again! That's the beauty of ebooks: they're easy to alter.

So, if anyone is interested in the kindle version, you can check out its amazon page here:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Corruption-of-Innocence-ebook/dp/B002JCSCXE/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

oh, and i actually own a kindle by the way, which helped me when i was formatting the kindle book.

That's all for now,
lotus

interior MachoPoni illustrations

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:21:12 GMT

Well, I've decided to start releasing the interior black and white drawings from the MachoPoni book. I intend to release one per week on the MachoPoni myspace page.

So, let's get to the first drawing! Here we can see MachoPoni having a disagreement with a cuddlebear…

These lovely drawings were created by the same artist who did the cover. You can find her online at

http://honeykitten.deviantart.com/

and the MachoPoni myspace page is at

http://www.myspace.com/machoponi

Take care, all.
--lotey r.

p.s. here's a recent fan art picture, created by Christa Courson. it's also at the myspace page

finished rough draft of faerie book

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:11:26 GMT

Well, I just finished the rough draft of Faerie Brace-Face. It came in at just a little over 200 pages, or 50,000 words. It's still a far way off from being complete, though. I need to edit it and polish it. But I will be going back to my day job soon, so I won't have a whole lot of free time. So I don't know when the book will be readable. I may take some time off from it and do some work on my website. By the way, if you haven't seen my website lately, I've been improving the homepage with widgets and stuff, to make it much more useful, so I'd love for you to check it out! Also, yesterday, I put a funny sparklefied picture of Machoponi there, which I found amusing.

http://www.loteyrose.com

bye bye,
lotey r, cupcake musher

i want this for the cover of Faerie Brace-Face!

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:15:28 GMT

i was searching for faerie artwork on deviantart.com and came across this awesome piece:

i thought it would make a really good cover for Faerie Brace-Face. i've even written some scenes to fit more closely with the picture. but here's the thing. i haven't actually contacted the artist about using it. i felt it would be premature, since i haven't even finished the rough draft. (but i will finish next week) Also, the artist says that the piece is a commission, which could mean that the artist does not control the copyright (despite what the copyright notice might say) Copyright stuff can get tricky sometimes. I may have to get permission from the person who got the artist to do the painting. Yep, tricky.

But anyway, i think the pic would make a wonderful cover for Faerie Brace-Face. But if i can't get permission, there are other fairy pictures i could use. i've collected a few in my deviantart account. someone's bound to give me permission to use their artwork.

here's my deviantart profile:
http://lotusrosewriter.deviantart.com/

here's the profile for Anne Stokes, the artist
http://ironshod.deviantart.com/

Take care, all.
--lotey

my Johnny Depp poem

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:39:11 GMT

i wrote this poem a while ago, but thought i'd post it here

i've issues i tell you (they say I look like johnny depp)

by

Lotus Rose

Hello, my name is Lotus. I'm a bit of a bore.
Walking ahead of you, I'd open the door.
I wouldn't insult you, or stab you, or worse,
Nor hiss like a serpent, nor would I curse.

I've issues, I tell you. I've issues for sure!
My greatest disgrace, is that my motives are pure!
I try to be "dangerous," a badboi, a whore!
But I still must admit, I'm a bit of a bore.

I've issues, I tell you. Mental issues, no doubt.
As I'm sitting here typing, I'm wearing a pout.
I'm thinking of Johnny--that great Johnny Depp.
I wanna be like Johnny, and not just some schlep!

They say I look just like him, been saying that forever.
So I remembered that one movie: "The Pirates of the, uh, whatever."
I smeared on the eyeliner, just like my favorite star.
I slipped on a cheap old eyepatch, and screamed right out loud, "ARRRRRRR!!!!"

So I look kinda cool, but poserly is how I feel.
Cuz both my eyes are working, so it's not really real.
But wait, I'll scoop out my eye with the sherbet scoop over there!
Please, just wait a moment. Stay there. Don't go nowhere!

Okay, so I just did it! I scooped out my left eye!
It's bleeding quite profusely. I think I just might die!
But I'm feeling pretty good. Not like a poser piece of shit.
And I'm gonna look up pictures, so I can bask in it.
(The feeling, that is.)

So I'm typing "pirates," "Keira," and of course, "Johnny Depp."
Wait. What the hell!??? Mother fuck! Look at Johnny Depp!
He doesn't wear an eyepatch in this film. Hey! I AM a schlep!

Damn it! Poem over!
I've got to get to the emergency room!
I have issues, I tell you! Issues from hell!
I scooped out my eye and I don't feel that well.

SinEaster cover mockup

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 13:47:19 GMT

A while ago, I made this mockup of my idea for the cover for SinEaster. I'm not the best artist, so I searched the web for pictures that looked sort of what I had in mind. The picture of the girl was originally topless, so I had to cover her up. I drew the ears on as you can see, on a printout, then scanned it, so it lost some quality. I put the name Lotey the Cupcake Musher, well just because I was being silly. I want someone to draw that basic scene but make it more cartoonish and the girl is supposed to be blond. So if anyone is interested in drawing it, get in touch with me. But i have an artist in mind that i have been in touch with. But we'll see how it goes. Well, that's all for now.

genre talk

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:20:11 GMT

Well, lately i've been reading anthologies. i like the "best of the year" type anthologies. such as, best science fiction, best horror, etc. it exposes me to a lot of different writers and styles, and helps me understand a little better what's currently happening in the various genres. but i discovered that there are other anthologies that deal with subgenres, which have interested me. there's for example, the "New Weird" anthology, which many people are skeptical is actually real. Because what happened to the "old weird"? it reminds me of New Wave music. New Wave is pretty old. anyway, there's also a Slipstream anthology, a Post-cyberpunk anthology. I haven't gotten to reading them all, and am not sure i ever will. right now, i just started a science fiction anthology called, Year's Best SF 14. I'm drawn to science fiction because i like interesting ideas and concepts. well, that was genre talk. well, maybe it was more like anthology talk, but anyway. happy new year.

another Machoponi review

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:11:24 GMT

i thought i'd post another person's review of Machoponi, one that people would otherwise not run across. it's a pretty cool review i think, by Emory Pueschel. Here's a link. I can't promise it'll work, but I'll cut and paste the review.

http://apps.facebook.com/facebookshelf/people/1700785016

Spunk Goblin Press is a fabulous idea. Weird books for children. What could go wrong? Dr. Seuss did it. Roald Dahl did it. Well, while it may be true that many children's books are weird, Machoponi is most certainly NOT for children. I say this not as a negative, but more as a warning to parents who may not be comfortable exposing their children to more mature themes carefully woven into a VERY entertaining story. Lotus Rose crafted a nice nostalgic hodgepodge of cultural references from the 25 to 35 year old demographic's collective childhood, ran it through a sausage grinder, and served it with some fine cheese and wine. THE STORY IS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. The dichotomy of life and death, the malaise of being unable to do what you love, the pain of getting too close to others and the classic theme of love lost are all presented in a fun, humorous, and wholly worthwhile read. Machoponi will leave you in tears of joy or deep sadness, one way or the other.

UK amazon customer review of MachoPoni

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:17:07 GMT

a while ago, someone posted a customer review of Machoponi at the UK version of amazon.com. since many americans may not have seen it, i decided to repost it here

here's the link if you want to go directly to the source
http://www.amazon.co.uk/MachoPoni-Lotus-Rose/dp/1933929790/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260637744&sr=1-1

By de Selby (Eire) - See all my reviews
This is a bizarro take on subject matter that should be close to the heart of anyone who grew up in the 1980s. All those old cartoon franchises that were merely excuses for merchandising get a make over in this crafty little tale.
A "poni" (read as "My Little...") sets out to save the love of his life in this story, referencing all the money grubbing subsidiaries of the "My Little..." franchise along the way, as well as taking pot shots at the Care Bears and the Kool-Aid guy from American culture. Cleverly alluding to adult themes (for "chocolate mints" read "drugs", for example) as well as straight out gore for those of us who wondered why cartoon characters never REALLY got hurt, this book is all wrapped up in a book binding and excellent cover art designed to make it look like an atypical cash-in book.
Joyously readable, this seems to be a book at the vanguard (along with the likes of "Machine & the Mind Candy Factory" by Roald McDahl) of a new style of fiction, the "re-invented for adults" childrens book.
Now, as for He-Man...?

expanding my website?

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 11:51:26 GMT

well, i'm seriously considering adding a new section. i'm always seeking ways to increase traffic and entertain people. so i thought i'd add a new subsection to my website dealing with Faeries, Alice in Wonderland and Ponies! It's a trifecta! I wanted to make a nice acronym to make it easier to remember. Unfortunately that acronym is FAP. But who knows, maybe that would be a good thing. The only alternative is PAF, and well, i think that sucks. right now, i don't want to take the time away from working on my faerie book, but maybe after i finish the book, or when i'm too busy at my day job to want to write, i'll work on my website.

possible title for my faerie book

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:48:07 GMT

well, i've been working on my faerie book, about a faerie girl who is forced to have braces on her teeth, and the boy Darren who accompanies her on her journey. i'm at around page 103 of the rough draft. i'm not sure how long it will end up. maybe around 150 pages? anyway, i never really had a title. i thought of The Faerie with Braces, which is a nice enough title, but the problem is that it starts with the word "The" which is a problem because a lot of stupid programs alphabetize titles that start with "The" under the letter "T". So i thought some more and came up with the title, Faerie Brace-Face. that's my working title. for a while i toyed with the alternative spelling, "Faerie Braece-Faece," but i didn't think people would really get it. yep, so now i think i have a title. now i just gotta write the rest of the book, edit it, get cover art, etc. sigh.

--lotey

flair and bumper stickers

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:08:22 GMT

so, about a week ago, i started looking into the whole flair and bumper sticker apps thing on myspace. up to this point, i haven't added any apps, because i thought they might be a trick or that i might turn into a person who adds every single app. what can i say, i'm a suspicious person. but the flair and bumper stickers seem okay. so i made some. i like how it all gets put into the system and if someone really likes a piece of flair or a picture, they can then tell their friends about it. on bumper stickers, they even have a whole star rating system and a place to comment on the pictures. so, okay. if you're on myspace and like the flair and bumper sticker apps, i'd love for you to use the ones i made. i also made some for facebook. and, my machoponi myspace is at

http://www.myspace.com/machoponi

that's all for now
--lotus

the "Juice Poem"

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:23:56 GMT

i just finished this poem for my faerie book. it makes more sense, in the book. the poem contemplates the nature of juice, before the characters enter the "juice cave." i'd love to read y'alls thoughts. again, the poem really does make more sense in the book.

Like cookies crisp, we are, when born,
Seeking to swim in mother's juice.
But later, from that milk we're torn!
And so the curse of time's set loose!
And cookies crumble, cups transform,
And juices too, refuse to conform,
Or even change into a food,
Or FORSAKE their cups, or alter mood.

Long gone's the juice as babes, we sipped,
With mature juice, we're now equipped.

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 10:50:16 GMT

Hey all, my latest book, MachoPoni: A Prance with Death is now available at amazon! I'd love for you all to read it!

Click the picture to go to its amazon page.

It's "My Little Pony" ... BIZARRO style! A long time ago Poniworld was split in two. On one side of the Jagged Line is the Pastel Kingdom, a magical land of music, parties, and positivity. On the other side of the Jagged Line is the Dark Kingdom inhabited by an army of undead ponies. Every pastel poni knows never to cross the Jagged Line into the Dark Kingdom. For if a pastel poni crosses that line, its colorful skin and hair will fade to a lifeless gray. It will lose its passion for singing and dancing. It will become one of the undead ponies. But one pastel poni has no choice but to enter the Dark Kingdom. His name is Machoponi-the wildest, friendliest, purplest, and, of course, the most macho of all the ponies. He must travel through the Dark Kingdom in order to rescue Dust, the poni he loves, from the dark princess's castle. Along the way, he must use wit, creativity and his bouncy blue ball to survive the Village of the Cuddlebears (who have porcupine quills and are not very cuddly), the Valley of the Flutterfly Ponies (winged ponies who have forgotten how to fly and bounce on a giant trampoline), and the Territory of the Chill-Aid Man (a giant anthropomorphic pitcher of red liquid who has the desperate need to punch through walls). A twisted parody of My Little Pony, The Care Bears, and other '80s childhood staples.

info on the book is at its myspace

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:43:07 GMT

the Machoponi book will be out soon!

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:47:54 GMT

Hey, all. I hope to have the Machoponi book available soon! It has a cover and a bunch of black and white drawings. It now needs a little more artwork. Trust me, the wait will be worth it!

Meanwhile, I created a myspace specially for the Machoponi character, for all you need to know about the book, and also as a place to post fan art! So check it out, and Machoponi loves friends!

Here's the link:

http://myspace.com/machoponi

the Machoponi cover art!

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 16:51:44 GMT

Here's the front cover artwork for Machoponi. Isn't it great?

Here's the artist's deviantart page:
http://honeykitten.deviantart.com/

She did a great job. I got the original basic concept from an old Frank Frazetta Conan cover. I thought it would be cool to sort of make Machoponi look like a barbarian.

The artist is also working on interior black and white drawings for the book.

There is still space on the back cover, so if you work fast, I just might possibly be able to put another drawing there. If you're interested, contact me for possible ideas and details. But I could use a picture of an undead pony with a mohawk. This is a limited time offer, since I want to get the book into print soon.

As soon as the artwork is done, my publisher can go to work and the book can be made available to all who want one! I'm so excited to have this book finally in print!

Take care, everyone, and I'd love to read your thoughts on the cover!

and for my next book...fairies!

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:02:35 GMT

©Jasmine Becket-Griffith http://www.strangeling.com

Well, I finished writing SinEaster, so now I have to get started on a new book. So, next, I'd like to write something having to do with fairies, because fairies are cool! There are a lot of cool pictures of them, but it seems, not a whole lot of fiction. (But maybe I just haven't heard of it.) Of course, my take on fairies will probably be pretty strange. But it oughta be pretty interesting! I'm still in the development stage of the book. I'm reading a lot about fairies and writing down ideas. I'm thinking of making an open-ended series. I want to be able to revisit this messed up fairy world I'm gonna create and hope that readers will enjoy the ride! I think it would be great to have a lot of cool artwork for the series, so if anyone is interested in possibly drawing a cover or doing artwork, let me know!

So what are my ideas so far? Well, I have a vague idea of a fairy girl with braces on her teeth and a poem-writing boy who loves her, and a world that seems confusing, but the reader gradually learns why things are the way they are.

Well, I'm gonna work on it, and hope y'all like!

SinEaster book completed

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:31:40 GMT

Hey all.

I've pretty much finished my novel, SinEaster. I'm taking a week off of it, then I'm gonna spend a week just randomly editing to see if I can pick up some errors. Then I'll send it in to my publisher. It's about 200 typewritten pages. I don't know when it'll be out. My next book coming out is actually Machoponi.

So, I wrote some blurbs for SinEaster.

What do you think?

Here's the one sentence blurb:

SinEaster is like a bawdy Easter version of The Nightmare Before Christmas mixed with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Here's a longer blurb:

Don't let her habit of constantly wearing bunny ears fool you. Charlee hates Easter. And she has good reason to. So, on the day before her 18th birthday, she wasn't expecting to meet the Easter Bunny, a person-sized gummi egg, and a large toad. But that's what happens when she and two other teenagers are transported to Easter Land. Charlee ponders the teenage girl made out of gummi with huge boobs, and the teenage boy in a wheelchair with an overdeveloped upper body.

A black-clad princess informs them that they must compete to decide which of the three creatures will be the future egg deliverer. But a mysterious man tied to a dark holiday known as SinEaster is also aware of the teens' arrival.

Some say that in the days of prophesy, SinEaster will destroy Easter. Will Easter go on as usual, or will it be cancelled this year?

Do they grab you and shake you? Well, never shake a baby. Hey, everyone, feel free to write your own blurbs about SinEaster. It doesn't matter that you don't know anything about the book--that just makes it funnier!

So what will I write next? I'm thinking of writing a romanticy-fantasy type book with fairy girls and a poetic boy character. Whaddya think?

hope to have SinEaster finished soon

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:28:22 GMT

Well, I've been plugging away at my novel, SinEaster for the past several weeks. It is now about 200 pages long. The whole story is there. I'm just going through and fixing things and editing. I may be able to finish it up in a few weeks if I really focus on it. Then maybe I should set it aside and look at it again after a couple weeks. I heard that's the thing to do, although I've never done that before. I also want to start a movement to amend the constitution to have SinEaster recognized as an official national holiday.

Take care, everyone.

--lotus

gonna start working on SinEaster again

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:10:28 GMT

okay, i recently attained a lot of free time, as i'm "between jobs" right now, so I need to take this time to finish my next novel, SinEaster. i wanted to write this thing because there aren't enough Easter-oriented books and movies. i find Easter fascinating. so yeah, it's hard for me to estimate things, but I have the ruff draft of SinEaster done. perhaps if i really focus on it, i can get the thing fully-finished in two months. i make this announcement because it helps me to get to work if i make a public announcement, because then i feel guilty if i don't follow through. my next planned project has to do with a poet boy in a valley of fairy girls. it will be uber romantic. but let's not get ahead of ourselves. happy summer, everyone.

by the way, my book Machoponi is scheduled for release in december from Eraserhead Press.

Learn more about Eraserhead Press and the bizarro genre at

bizarrocentral.com

SinEaster rough draft completed

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:22:30 GMT

Hey everyone, I completed the rough draft of my novel, SinEaster. It's about 180 pages long. Now I have to go through the long, painful process of editing and rewriting. Don't know how long that will take.

What's the novel about? Well, there is a girl named Charlee. One day she is transported into a magical land where Easter comes from. She has to compete in a contest to decide who will be the future egg-deliverer for Easter. There is also a giant toad and a large anthropomorphic gummi-egg who would like to deliver the eggs. Where does SinEaster come in? Well, I don't want to give that away.

It's a fantastical, quirky and funny tale--it will crack you up. That was supposed to be an egg joke.

--lotus

Machoponi book completed

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:06:07 GMT

Well, two days ago, I finished writing my book, entitled, "Machoponi: Prance with Death." It's 135 typed, double-spaced pages long. I sent it off to a book publisher who expressed interest and, hopefully, the book will be in print sometime in the foreseeable future!

I'm proud of the book. Its style is kind of a combination of Alice in Wonderland, cartoons, and a heroic fantasy, with a dark twist. It's about a male poni named Machoponi, who has a magical blue ball. He sets out to rescue a girl poni named Dust. I think it would make a good Tim Burton movie. Johnny Depp could play the voice of Machoponi!

intro poem to Poni Novel

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 16:59:25 GMT

Okay, well i've been working on and off on the machoponi novel. Here is introductory poem. it makes more sense if you read the whole novel after it:

The Legend of Machoponi

O, hear the tale of Machoponi,
Who longed to call fair Dust his "lovely."
But she would never look his way,
And by his side she would not stay.

A hero with blue ball was he,
'Cross Jagged Line he pranced bravely,
With tender scowl and broken heart,
The torn two halves so far apart.

Like licking ice cream gives such pain,
With throbbing hurting of the brain.
So, pain can come upon fate's breeze,
To punish lust, just like brain freeze.

And Beauty draws his lovesick gaze.
He stares at Dust with heart ablaze!
Like sprinkles atop ice cream surprise,
Bring cold that causes your demise,
Dust gets in your eyes.