On My Way To A Technical Writer Certificate!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

I am starting my journey towards getting my Technical Writer Certificate!  My first course starts on September 12th and I’m very excited.  In my full time job I work in the technical field where I already write up a lot of documentation. The department has been going through big changes and some of my new responsibilities will be:

Create test documents
Document system functionality, particularly related to new enhancements
Document analysis and defects
Prepare and review recommendations and other project initiation documents
Prepare and review end user and operations documentation, training materials, and timelines

Not only did I request to take this program to become more efficient in my job, creating clear and informative documents but it has been a personal interest for some time.

I can’t wait to start.


How Can You Not Love This?

Thursday, August 30, 2012
Here's something while you procrastinate. Maybe it will give you some writing inspiration.

I'm In The Author Spotlight!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012
I was interviewed by the Ink Babes on the Bleeding Ink blog for my poem YOU ARE NOT MY CHILD in the Bleeding Ink Anthology. (That's a lot of bleeding and a lot of ink)

Check out the interview at bleedinginkanthology.wordpress.com
/2012/08/21/bleeding-ink-author-spotlight-madeline-barr/


Thank you Ink Babes!

You can purchase a copy of the Bleeding Ink Anthology at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/178855

WriteOnCon - Online Children’s Writers Conference

Monday, August 13, 2012
Guess what I am attending over the next 2 days? WriteOnCon!

I found it last year just as is ended and I was very disappointed. Well, this year I've made sure I'm there and I'm very excited.

WriteOnCon has all the events of a writer's conference done online and free! All the events are scheduled around working hours.

Hopefully a "ninja agent" finds the picture book manuscripts I posted and provides some helpful feedback. Maybe I will randomly be selected to receive feed back from Corey Rosen Schwartz and Tiffany Strelitz Haber on the stanza I submitted from my rhyming PB manuscript. Or perhaps I will submit a query for review. The events are not just for picture books but all kidlit including MG and YA.

To find out more information about WriteOnCon visit http://writeoncon.com/about/what-is-writeoncon/

Are you attending WriteOnCon and want to critique my work? Two of my picture book stories can be found are....

Can't wait to see you there!

My 2012 Horrorku Is Now Available in Scifaikuest - 10th Anniversary issue

Sunday, August 12, 2012
I'm excited to announce that the 10th Anniversary issue of Scifaikuest is now available at http://sdpbookstore.com/scifaikuest.htm

Along with the featured poet Albert W. Grohmann, you will find my 2012 horrorku in the print edition. This is my second appearance in this magazine. I had my scifi tanka, BRAIN SPIDERS, published in the November 2009 print edition issue.

I can't wait to have my copy of the print edition arrive in the mail any day now.

Feel free to leave a comment or email me if you have any questions or comments.
CHEERS!

My Bleeding Ink Bio Explained

Saturday, July 14, 2012
Did you see my bio in Bleeding Ink - A Collection of Dark Tales? If so, you probably have some questions about it. Bios are suppose to be true. Well, let me explain.

"Madeline Barr haunts Southern Ontario"Yes, I'm in Southern Ontario, alive. I don't think I need to expand on that.

"...the keeper of critters..."I have a pet guinea pig name Beanie and a leopard gecko named Amigo. I love my critters. Sorry, no gremlin or demons.

"and the breaker of bones."Um ya, this one takes a little explaining. You could see it as I break wishbones, as most of us have. I've also broken a few of my bones....and....I broke someone else's bone. Ok wait, let me explain. He was a friend..oh, I guess that didn't help. It was an innocent accident. We were teenagers pushing each other into the snow banks and when I shoved him he slipped on some ice and broke his arm. He was our school's drummer and he was unable to play at the Christmas concert. He never blamed me and he forgave me. Though I did get razzed about it for years.

"...When possessed, she writes articles about lizards or ghosts..."
Writing is not my full time job. I have a day job and when the feeling strikes, I write. I like to write. I had a children's non-fiction article about Amigo, my lizard, published in WeeOnes magazine and one article I wrote about ghosts for the Perspective newsletter was recognized by local news paper.

"...conjure up the occasional sci-fi poem..."
Bleeding Ink was not the first sci-fi poem I've had published. I've had one previously published in Scifaikuest in November 2009 and another will be published again in Scifaikuest in August 2012.

So there you have it. My creepy bio broken down into not so freaky facts. Don't be too disappointed, I do have a mysterious dark side that very few know about. Hang around, you'll see it when I feel possessed to reveal it.

I am so excited to announce ...

Thursday, July 5, 2012
Bleeding Ink - A Collection of Dark Tales (Ink Babes Press) was released in ebook format through Smashwords on July 3, 2012.

There are nearly 40 contributors to this anthology. Look for my ghostly poem titled, YOU ARE NOT MY CHILD.

If you're interested in dark and creepy stories and poems I'm sure you will find this book gruesomely satisfying with a hellishly low price.

The ebook can be purchased on Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/178855

The official press release for the ebook can be found at http://bleedinginkanthology.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/press-release-for-bleeding-ink-now-available-at-smashwords/#comment-243

Grim Reaper Image made in Photoshop

Wednesday, June 27, 2012
I enjoy working with Photoshop so during my lunch hours sometime I try to teach myself something new. Based on this tutorial http://photoshoptutorials.ws/photoshop-tutorials/photo-manipulation/how-to-create-a-grim-reaper-scene-artwork-in-photoshop.html I created the image below. Most of the images in the compilation came from stock.xchng


Helmet-cam: Peregrine Falcon Chicks Banded in Hamilton

Friday, June 1, 2012
Yesterday, Bryan Thomas got the unique job of belaying down the side of the Sheraton Hotel in Hamilton, Ontario to retrieve 3 Peregrine Falcon chicks from a ledge nearly twenty stories up. And if that wasn't difficult enough, he had to defend himself from repeatedly being dive bombed by the chicks' mother, Madame X.



See the retrieval from Bryan's point of view
Video Via: The Hamilton Spectator 


Once the chicks were safely retrieved they were weighed and banded by Anne Yagi, MNR management biologist. Madame X and her partner, Surge, were proud parents of 3 baby boys - Beckett (682 g), Felker   (671 g) and Tiffany (641 g) - named after 3 of the many waterfalls in Hamilton.

After their exams and some media attention, the chicks were returned to their nest.

After the ordeal it was confirmed all 4 boys were in good health - Beckett, Felker, Tiffany and Bryan Thomas, who escaped the wrath of Madame X with some holes in his shirt and a scratch.
Credit: Hamilton Community Peregrine Project and Falcon Watch site
http://falcons.hamiltonnature.org/