A Few Changes...

Hello everyone,

As you might have noticed, I have been much less active on Vocal lately. Since several of you were kind enough to ask why, I wanted to explain myself.

First of all, I have been extremely busy with Auroras & Blossoms.

• We released three beautiful volumes in our Haiku Anthology series.
• Our PoArtMo Anthology: Volume 4 will also be out on October 31, 2023.
• Finally, the first issue of our magazine should be available in a few weeks. The works of several Vocal Creators are featured: Kristen Balyeat, Mackenzie Davis, Jazzy Goncalves, Ashley Lima, and Maureen Y. Palmer.

I am also the co-founder of another platform called A Warm Mug of Cozy, which celebrates the cozy mystery genre.

In September, we released a wonderful anthology titled A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology: Volume 1. Caitlin McColl, another Vocal Creator, was part of the adventure...

When it comes to book projects, my time has also been taken up with my upcoming new book, The Meaning. I have no intention of boring you with marketing details, but if you want specific information about the book, you can read the Vocal story below.

Now, those projects are not the only reason why I have decided to take a break from Vocal.

Those who have known me for a while, have heard me say over and over again how important owning your platform is. If you are serious about your work, you will not just post it on third-party websites like Vocal or Medium. You will remember to store it on your digital property—your website/blog.

If you think I have tunnel vision, the story below might change your mind...

While I built my first website in 2003, I only started blogging two years later, shortly after writing my first poem. I have never looked back since.

I love writing on Vocal because the community is wonderful. I have made great friends! So, even if I do not renew my Vocal+ membership, I have no intention of leaving.

I will continue posting content occasionally, especially my essays in the Writing and Self-empowerment Series that Mackenzie Davis and I started recently. We have many ideas to explore and this platform is a perfect venue for it.

With that said, nothing replaces the experience of blogging on my own platform. Here is a short list of reasons:

• I can design my blog / website to look the way I want;
• I have options to really format my posts;
• I can write about anything I want;
• There is no review process in place;
• There is no minimum word limit for my stories to qualify for publication;
• I do not have to beg the Vocal team to implement essential features;
• I do not have to deal with AI-generated content; and
• I can prevent trolls and spammers from reaching my comment sections.

I can even have guest bloggers!

Now, what is my blog about?

If you enjoy my content here, you will feel at home on my blog. On the menu: poetry, photography, paintings, ramblings, occasional tips, and more. You can expect a post a day, most days of the week. My content is usually short.

I would be delighted if you considered visiting my blog and subscribing to it. And of course, reading your comments would make my day too.

In the meantime, I look forward to continuing to read your stories here and elsewhere. 😃

That's it for today! Thank you for reading.

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Cendrine Marrouat is a writer, photographer, podcaster, blogger, anthology editor, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms and A Warm Cup of Cozy. She has authored and co-authored more than 40 books, including The Train: A Short Story (2023), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020), Walks: A Collection of Haiku (2019-2020), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018).

Cendrine's work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.