Open House Day 47 - Arlene Radasky

Grandma Moses. Yes, Grandma Moses, do you remember her? Anna Mary Robertson Moses started painting when she was in her seventies. I wrote my first novel, The Fox, in my fifties. Don't get me wrong; the desire has always been there. I would sit and watch people and create lives for them, stories.

I finally got the courage to do it after completing a sprint triathlon. I poked myself in the chest and said, "Self, if you can do that and all the other things you have done in this life then WHY can't you write? Or at least try?" I didn't start with something easy, I started with a novel, a story that had been sitting in my mind for years. It's a historical novel, filled with facts; just what I love to read.

After completing it, I thought about marketing, did a bit of exploring and made the decision to give it away. I knew that I would have to edit the heart out of it, to even have a slight chance for a mainline publisher to pick it up and could not do that to my characters and the story. So I chose to record it and put it into www.Podiobooks.com http://www.podiobooks.com/title/the-fox and on one other free site. This was 2008, just as the publishing world was starting to explode into an acceptance of the ebook. Some of my first readers read a PDF copy of The Fox on their computer. Now The Fox is available in many sites, downloadable to all readers for free, two being www.smashwords.com https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3039 and Free-ebook.net http://www.free-ebooks.net/. It is also available in Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Fox-Arlene-Radasky/dp/1439211752/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263160159&sr=1-1 as a paperback and Kindle download http://www.amazon.com/The-Fox-ebook/dp/B001OC5KS0/ref=tmm_kin_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1263160159&sr=1-1 and Audiblebooks.com http://www.amazon.com/The-Fox/dp/B003Y51NEA/ref=tmm_aud_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1263160159&sr=1-1 It has been translated into Farsi and is being distributed in Iran. The last count of free and paid downloads was over 31,500.

I had no idea how dark a lot of my other projects would be after I finished The Fox. I had written a very dark poem about an abused wife who couldn't escape her husband, even in death, "Forever". My fiendish friend Emerian Rich of HorrorAddicts.net http://www.horroraddicts.net/ was hosting a horror festival on Second Life and she asked me to come on to read it live. I did and had such a good time there with her that I decided to make Second Life a part of my writing experience. I have met and become friends with worldwide authors who share skills, information, poetry and short stories on Second Life. Emerian has also included" Forever" in a HorrorAddicts anthology. This picture is me, chained in Emerian Rich's coffin in her Second Life home, Quills. She records her podcast there. I host an Open Mic and anyone can read their work to others. I also teach about recording and podcasting to writers with questions in Second Life. If you are interested in coming on, let me know and I will help.


I joined Wicked Women Writers hosted by Emerian Rich and HorrorAddicts.net , the first year it was formed and our first prompt for a short story contest was how to kill our husbands. "Tired" was the result of that contest. I have been challenged by Emerian several times to write horror short stories and I find that I love it. She has challenged me again. I wrote "The Circle's End" for the Wicked Women Writers' contest this year and recorded it for her podcast. Be sure and go to http://www.horroraddicts.net/ to listen to all the entries and vote for the story you liked the best in July, 2011.

I am most impressed and frightened by psychological horror and ghosts, blood and guts not needed. I am writing my second historical novel, while I'm also having fun watching my darker side come out to play.



Bunny Guard


"Dark little bunny, dark and darting.
Why doest thou carry a weapon?"

“I pray, My Lady", he answered in a whisper,
“Not to find the need to use it.”

"But why, little bunny
Would you fear so?"

“Ah, My Lady,
‘tis the shadow of the moon.

You hear her creeping
And crawling through your thoughts.

She steals the sound of the spiders.”

"But, little bunny, I do not wish
To hear the sounds of spiders!"

“My Lady, ‘tis the whisper of spiders which warn us.
Gives us time to gird ourselves to fight.

We need the silken scream of the spiders,
To get us safely through the night.”

"But, my gun carrying little bunny,
Have you seen her in our midst?"

“No, My Lady. But the spiders were silent last night.”

It's never too late to try new things. Find out more about me and my work at www.radasky.com