Writing Day -Topeka, KS

I’ve been traveling the country over the past few months. I’ve gotten in a fair amount of hiking, my most recent being in Springfield, MO, where I enjoyed a 15 mile morning on the 35 mile Frisco Highline Trail. Okay-okay, so not all of that was truthful. ‘Enjoyed,’ is a bit played up. In truth, the trail tried to kill me. lol Not that is was a difficult trail, mind you. The trail is actually an old stretch of rail tracks that were repurposed. You know the phrase ‘your eyes are bigger than your stomach?’ Well, whatever the equivalent of that is for hiking…that’s me! That track was a straight line so you essentially walked down, then back again.

Now, I’ve done a few twelve-mile hikes with a Camelbak, and I’ve done a few eight-mile hikes with a weighted backpack. But I had yet to do anything that sounded remotely like ‘fifteen,’ yet I had a bit of ambition that was larger than my energy reservoir. So, I walked seven and a half miles down and back again…with a backpack. Facepalm.

All I’m trying to say is maybe don’t do the same? :)

“Okay! Focus up, JT! Remember, this check in is about writing, not hiking.”

“Good call. You see? That’s why I told you we needed to hire a thought manager. Now, stop talking to me. You know it’s weird.”

Anyways! As I was saying, I really like coffee, and I think 7 Brew is my new jam. Before you ask, no, I’m not sporting any sponsorships from them. But if you’re with 7 Brew and asking about sponsorships, well, Sagaheim has an inbox; no need to be shy! :)

Writing! Right! I’m in Topeka, KS today. After grabbing my morning 7 Brew fix—a large iced white-chocolate mocha, if you’re curious—I journeyed to the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. Bookstores and Libraries have been another target destination in my travels and this library didn’t disappoint. Honestly, I don’t even know where to start.

Entrance Rotunda

So here’s the entrance. The photo is from a second floor balcony accessed by a spiral staircase to the left of the photo’s POV. Here’s a map of the building:

Map

It’s a large building and everything’s really spread out, but it has some great areas. The various sections are well defined, so it’s easy to make your way to the map’s respective locations.

For my own visit, I stayed near the top of the map. This is actually my second trip to this library. The first day, I spent in one of the team rooms, which are the blocks labeled 1-8 on each side of ‘New Books.’ Here’s a photo of that shows the central room that provides access to the Reading room (straight ahead), the team rooms (right-side wooden doors), and the access path to the right ‘Books’ section:

New Books Room

I really don’t see why this room is labeled ‘New Books.’ Perhaps, it previously held books as well. Still, it’s a lovely space and I was really pleased by the Team Rooms. As you can imagine, they’re meant for teams. The consist of a table, five chairs, a dry erase board, and a wall mounted TV for presentations. It was really impressive and made for a lovely writing session yesterday (Tuesday).

I landed in one when I arrived, but it was reserved so I had to give it up. I don’t think they care what you use it for so long as you reserve it. Yesterday, multiple rooms were occupied by single users… sleeping. Facepalm. Yeah, that bites but what can you do?

Today, I ended up this ‘Books’ section:

‘Books’ Room

If you look on the opposite end, you can actually see me writing down there. Can you see me? You might have to zoom in.

You didn’t look, did you? I hope not. Just who do you think’s taking the picture? lol While I’m not down there, my bag and laptop are. I stepped away to take the photos to include with this update.

All in all, I was very pleased to visit this library. I’ve saved it as a place to return anytime I find myself back in Topeka. I’m not going to suggest that this is my favorite, given that there’s still more to see, but I think it might be my favorite thus far. I haven’t visited many of the larger libraries in other cities, but I think I should check them out too. Not to say there’s anything wrong with a smaller library; I happen to love them as well. It’s just that my writing requires that I have an isolated space with electricity and WiFi which is a taller order in the more rural settings.

So! Writing. Today, I’m going to work on a bit of Star Fire, and perhaps, another short story. Yesterday, I knocked out the story “Fortune Favors the Benevolent.” I haven’t added that to Sagaheim, yet, so I’ll try to do that after I post this. The story should be listed under JT’s Mixed Tape, then Heart Smiles.

As far as the Star Fire writing for today, I’m working on chapter 19. Here’s a link to the first fourteen chapters Star Fire. This story is a fantasy romance that follows three POVs—Star, Prometheus, and Sebastian. Star is intended to be the main lead, a young woman with a tragic past who flees into her playing of music. Prometheus and Sebastian also take up considerable portions of the narrative, so I’m not so sure it’s fair to consider her the main character. Prometheus aka Promo is the love interest and the leader of a rebel organization which is fighting back against oppressive city and business practices. Then, there’s Sebastian. On the surface, he’s a dragon with a telepathic connection to Star, but in actuality, he’s a cosmic force that emerges anytime humanity is on the brink of destroying itself.

So, yeah…there’s a lot going on in this story, more than I expected there to be. Truth be told, I mainly started writing this because there’s so much attention on present romance/fantasy dragon stories. And since Twilight Wolf doesn’t really have any comparable, this story is a creation meant to garner likenesses to others.

That’s not to say it will be devoid of unique Jt-isms. :) One of which can be immediately found in the POV distances used within Star Fire. You’ll no doubt notice that Sebastian uses second person, Star uses third, while Promo uses first. This isn’t by chance and you’ll see that it’s going to go some place other than where it begins. So, if that sounds interesting, check out the link. The story is posted on Inkitt.com and won’t cost you anything to read through.

Alright, I need to go work on Chapter 19. I’ve gotta go take Star through a few activities. I’m expecting it to be a fun chapter. Wish me luck!

Until next time,

Happy reading!

JT