Eclipse, a Powerball of sorts.

And now the eclipse of the 23rd. I gotta tell ya, I have heard all kinds of extreme happenings lately, all eclipsian type things..surprises no one would want, and some that they would. Writers and Editors I know have come to some pretty cataclysmic conculsions, like leaving the business, switching hats, bailing on titles they've bought and going to Europe instead. I have heard of 3 titles being canceled in the last week..not mine thank god. I love how publishers gush and fawn over a title, then it gets canceled. Oyvey what a business..if indeed it is one.

So, my friends and fellow astrology fiends, look for no end to the surprises. If you are going to Book Expo, have fun and try and do some business. A lot of people go there just for " funny business", that is, to eat and drink and sleep around. Since we are in eclipsian mode, might I caution you all that rules are not for breaking in this energy.

All for now. See you after this trip to NY I am taking as of tomorrow. I going to try and find good editors who aren't in this just for the paycheck.
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Add now the eclipse of the 9th. Eclipses are releases of supressed energies. Whatever you've had the lid on, will be released. (Or what someone else in your life has had the lid on.)

It's most enlightenting for Taurus and Scorpio "signatures". Does your chart have either one? Moon, Rising, loaded 2nd and or 8th houses? Having your chart done tells all. Give it a whirl. Hillagent@aol.com. cheap. accurate.
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People and projects will die. And some will be born anew. Pluto takes you out, and then after your suffer enough, gives you this new fresh idea or stroke of luck. For those of you are are woo-woo people( metaphysical, spiritual types) its Big Karma time, both paying and cashing in. No room for Mr. In-between.

So say bye-bye to the old characters both real and not, and say welcome home to new dudes and dudesses, new jobs, new homes, new writing elements, new styles of expression.

Since Neptune is in the 12th House of this New Moon, I'd say inventiveness is best had in altered states. I meant sleep, not anything less than legal.

And please try not to fight with anyone. Pluto can deal lifelong injuries to your reputation as well as your physical self.

Other than that, enjoy what Pluto gives and know that the takeaways will only sting for a little while.
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4/1/12: Update: A GREAT WEEK. Especially for Aries, Gemini, Libra and Taurus. All systems go. Let hidden talents emerge. Go on, take a risk!!!!!

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Comets are a non-ongoing element, rushing through the sky and through one's life every once in awhile. For writers, comets represent someone in your life that intrudes on your peace and clarity. Who is in your life that you'd like gone? Or are YOU someone's uninvited guest? Think about it.

A comet also suggests to not return the calls of people who are not in your best interests. It's like dating...a non-returned call actually has meaning and message. It's not just an oversight, by you or by others. It has import.

Above all, do not drink and dial.

Mercury, though now direct, is still " in the shadow" until April 5. This means that Merc Rx can still be present, bungling your plans. It can mean you left your golf clubs in the car that is in the shop, or it can mean your cohorts have no idea what you are talking about, or it can mean that some total stranger shows up to mess with your life. Hard to define just which aggravant it is from where I stand, but don't be shocked if little things, or " small" people, muck up your chill.

The Sun is now in Aries, a time when one wants to charge forward. Write, but do not contact new people. Edit, edit, edit. And
pul-eeeeeeze don't contact new editors or agents until after the shadow stuff is over. Chances are you won't be ready, as in not having a polished product, to proffer anyway. Aries makes you WANT to do stuff, even if the landscape is not perfect. Hold off, sit on your hands, stifle yourself from leaping.

When the Sun is in Taurus, after April 21, things will be calmer.

Again, only answer the phone if you look at Caller ID first, and do not return the calls of " friends" who are wasting your energy. Everybody has at least one of those. I know I do.

May the Comet bring you only fresh ideas and generous writing people.

Oh, the Comet's name is Pantarrh, in case you are interested.
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Now is the time to conceive of new characters, plots, heroines, and marketing plans. Anything photographic has great aspects too. Beauty times 1000, tho there might be some confusion about the goal of all this creation. If you are a Pisces, tho your life has a few thorns, the rest is inspired and you will look back on this time period as memorable. Decide what means the most to you of all the options you have and try to focus on those. Your dream life should be vivid..follow that inspiration.

Aries, Aquarius, Virgo, Capricorn all have the wind at their backs right now. Weather permitting, seeking inspiration in Nature is a wonderful way to spend the days.

The words below still have meaning. Achieving focus is what you are after, therefore you still are under the command to weed, taking the lesser subjects off the table.

Weeding literally is a vedic exercise that has parallels in your real life. Sounds wierd perhaps, but removing trash and weeds physically from your surroundings works on the energy for creating constructive goals. Goals come closer to realization if one works all the angles available to you.
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THE NEED TO WEED

The best indicator of communication is Mercury, which has decided to " go retrograde" on the 23rd. Retros mean there is static in the air. Keep your communications short and positive, and ride this out for the next month.
( Note here that if you have a retro Mercury in your birthchart, these times can be quite the opposite..that is, positive, beneficial, idea rich.)

ALSO we are currently experiencing Saturn being frozen in the sky. This too can make things harder than one expects them to be. Surprises normally are not good. Men and figures in positions of power and control cannot be counted on to be gracious. Exceptions? Always. But please do not think your star is so polished that nothing crummy can happen to you.

What does all this have to do with writing? Well....Mercury is the writing planet, and when it backs up, alot of what happens with words and word people needs redoing. One good thing is that old ground that "needed to be weeded" gets taken care of. All of us would rather be in forward motion at all times, but alas, forward is not what late Feb and most of March are all about. But you get the kinks out, ultimately, and you'll be glad that some stones in the road can be eliminated. Stones unforeseen mostly.

If you are (or have significant signatures in) Pisces or Virgo, you'll need to put on the charm to not have confrontive conversations. If you are negotiating anything, you'll be tough, but not flexible. Remember that the road to agreement requires compromise. Be generous and get the deal done. Or you can hire attorneys and be a jerk. Your choice. Gemini and Sadge have this too, but with the benefit of lucky Jupiter. You'll fight, but you'll have less rancor.

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Aquarius and Aquarius Risings, some notes about Editors

Aquarians: Decisions are hard, circumstances forcing you into them may be even harder. Do not bend or break any rules, which I gurantee will come back to bite you. Pluto in your Solar 12th, with a tense aspect to crazy Uranus, is ruthless, so don't be.

Imperiousness is one of your shortcomings, and it will get you in BIG trouble.

It's best not to focus too much on money now, but the art of your work. Venus and Jupiter are Trine..good news for Gemini and a slight break for Aquarians. A few weeks and just Gemini will get the goodies. Good news for Writers and Editors all this year as most writers and editors have a Mercury long suit.

I must admit, it is hard to tell the charts of writers from editors. I have seen some of the best editors' charts, and they could be writers themselves without the slightest push.
Trouble may be that they see the pitfalls and want a steadier paycheck. Sometimes, they are just waiting for the market to show that their personal ideas will sell.

Editing is such a hard job. Love your Editor today. Send candy on the 14th. They'll remember your thoughtfulness for years to come.
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Time to begin something new? Almost. New Moon in Capricorn on Friday is normally the time for new starts in the sky, but Venus and Uranus are acting up, so I'd wait until post-Saturday to conceive of and put out new projects.

Speaking of Venus/ Uranus, my 2013 Forecast seems to have slipped into nowhere. Hope you caught it before it disappeared.

Note to Taurus: let go, let go, let go. Aquarius and Leo too. 2013 is more for goodbye than hello.
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old posts, but still worth taking in:

Few writers like to hear this, but writing for your entire living happens to very few. You'd think with the time and dedication it takes to write something publishable, the money to pay the rent would follow. But many are called and few are chosen, and even the chosen have times when they have to take in a boarder.

It's very much like being an actor or a musician. Unsteady, sometimes richly rewarding, but sometimes " between gigs". At least agents and publishers have the steady stream of many authors, so if one is " between gigs", others are producing income.

Grim pic? Well, best to know that having more than just books to feed you is the best idea. Writing for Yahoo, Google, and even print media can be great supplements if doing something non-writing for your bread and butter seems just too much.

Of course you can always marry money. With Jupiter in Taurus, some of you will do just that. Earth signs( Taurus Virgo Capricorn) have the best chance of buddying up with someone else's funds, tho Water
( Pisces, Scorpio, Cancer) can talk their way into being someone else's fiscal responsibility too. Aries..it could happen..but it is more likely that you'll make your own windfall without help.

Quitting the whole publishing idea is best suited to Libra. Other air signs
( Gemini and Aquarius) are so busy flitting from place to place that making a living doing anything is a total bother. They just want to be free.

Soon, the air signs will have all the luck, AND all the money they need. After mid June, for a year hence, the gates will be unlocked. In the meantime, live scrupulously.
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The Scorpio Full Moon will be at its zenith late on the 5th, at 16 degrees of Scorpio. The fullness, as it were, of Scorpio's gifts, is insight. For Scorps, it looks like you will see a partner for who she/he really is. Sign nothing until this Full Moon is past..say like..May 9 or so. Water signs( Cancer, Pisces) will get good surprises, and Fire will continue to get aggravation( Sadge, Aries, Leo).

Taurus buffet plate continues to fill. How good can it get? Think back 12 yrs. You had to have had a great experience or gift then, and now, another memory in the making. If you are a fiction author, some new character might occur to you, one that survives the test of time and competition.

If you were born in 1964, 1976, 1988,you are having something called a JUPITER RETURN. The very least of that position is a lack of worry, but other goodies may present, and if you can get off the easy chair long enough to actually pursue something, you'll get top dollar for it, plus top treatment. This lasts until July. Push yourself. Dial friends and strangers. Leave messages. See how many people you can drum up before Jupiter moves off this magic place.

Capricorns and Virgo's get some royal favors too...say thank you, and Virgo's :don't piss people off doing it. Mars gives Virgo no tact at all now.

Pisces caveat: you are still in a tough spot for lies and deception. Sign nothing unless you've paid a professional to read it first.

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Aries: get ready for exciting breakthroughs as well, but for different reasons. The New Moon in Aries has a lotta action, and Aries cannot help but be getting friendly with a new way of being. Libra: look out for partners who don't see things your way...try and make your thoughts clearer and more emphatic and maybe you'll triumph. Mars in Virgo makes some Virgos total whackjobs. Excercise more, worry less. The cure for Mars is always to get moving. And since Mars is retrograde now, it can really be an extra annoyance. Write about anger and frustration. And get away from the computer screen at least an hour of your work day.

Taurus still has GREAT WONDERFUL INCREDIBLE luck. What your dreams have promised comes true now. Scorpio gets some of that too. If you( Scorpio) are agent shopping, you could score.

But you cannot know more than your Sun Sign without getting your chart done. Email me, get all the pertinent info to getting your work rewarded.
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You may have looked at the sky and seen 2 planets near each other, bright as bright can be. Venus and Jupiter are together, and very close to the earth, and this means LOVE MONEY and GOOD publishing times, especially for Sadge, Taurus and Libra. If you have these signs and planets well aspected in your chart, it means you too! (Of course you've had to have your chart done to know if this means you.)

Probably the good offers will come from someone in your past..not a new colleague. Knock on those previous doors and see what comes to you. Ask for what you want and then a little more...push a bit..don't hold back...

I had SRO at my presentations at the Tucson Festival of Books this past weekend. 125,000 people attended the Festival, making it the fourth largest in the country. Seems alot of people are interested in how Astrology can help a writing career. How about you?

Hillagent@aol.com. Be fascinated. Take care of your career. Email me for details!

and oh---if you are a Gemini,your great year is on the horizon, literally. June is the dawning of your paydays, but now is the time of preparation and inspiration. Write now, get paid well soon.

Virgo: Drive Carefully and watch your mouth. Tactless does not even cover it.
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The Full Moon on the 8th has some very staid energy. Staid meaning "if you just push yourself a little your work will have lasting value." Whatever you force yourself to do this week should pay off. So turn off the TV and get off the political sites, and do some real writing and promoting. More books sell at the Full Moon than any other lunar phase.

It is kinda funny that Super Tuesday is near such a heavily aspected Full Moon. Pisces natives( Mitt Romney, e.g.) will have a boatload of energy coming at them. Virgos too. Haven't looked up Santorum and others but may if I push myself....

more: santorum is a taurus..predictable. ron paul a leo. likes to spread joy. really?)
gingrich a gemini..smart but all over the place.
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I have had a couple of authors recently who wanted a planetary map of their future, which turned out to be very helpful for them. Yes this is what I do, and it works. Or as Michael Lutin(michaellutin.com) says " This Sh*T Works".

One author has had a novel in circulation for over a year. He's a Libra, and tho some interest has been generated, no one has offered the high amounts he is used to. I told him that as long as Saturn was in Libra and Scorpio, his revenues would be thin, tho the work would have lasting value. Saturn has endurance, but not excitement. And that is exactly how the journey has gone.

Another author, a Scorpio, has had offer after offer, and I told her to hold out as Jupiter was marching on through her House of Partners and more would join the bandwagon. Sure enough, her auction is underway.

Another author, a Gemini, wondered if he should lean totally on his writing for income, and I told him to diversify, but that writing would always be a steady identity as well as income source, though not his only one. He has taken an online teaching job that pays him handsomely, fills his need to be near a computer most of the day, and rewards his vast knowledge. ( Geminis like to be experts, and most are, at more than one subject area).

So have your chart done. Find out if you are spinning wheels or if you are born to be a Hemingway, Hawking, or Fe

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2013 Forecast and New Moon in Friday

I am leaving the 2013 forecast up, but know that Venus and Uranus are making faces at one another this weekend. So even tho we have a charming New Moon in Capricorn on Friday, I'd wait until Sunday to take advantage. For those of you who need to know, New Moons are usually the time to begin new adventures. Sunday and beyond..hold on until then. Earth Signs will benefit the most from this New Moon Energy
( Cap, Virgo, Taurus).

Gemini and Sagittariushave the luckiest 2013. Taurus can also have bigger checks than normally accrue because of Jupiter's position in their Second House of Personal Income. Taurus can also be more creative and more inventive than ever before.

Aries and Libra, also Capricorn and Cancer, have stressful aspects, but tough times can reveal new dimensions of one's talents. Being discouraged by setbacks is normal, but after the shock wears off, push yourselves to try new things. New talents come forth. New strengths take over.

Leo and Aquarius find new frontiers and new support. Job offers and new supporters come out of the woodwork. Say yes to all interviews and all invitations. Meet as many people as you can. One more writing group, and more speaking engagements, are yours for the taking.

Virgo is also bolstered by the position of Jupiter. Large advances, serialing one's existing book, increasing distribution, are all on the table. Ask questions of everyone who handles your work....can more be done? Could you meet more sales and marketing people within and outside your publisher? Are foreign sales being totally explored?
Non-domestic sales could boom now.

Scorpio feels the most responsibility of anyone in 2013. Work takes the front seat. When Jupiter moves to Cancer the end of June, new offers will be the most tempting. Until then, work out the kinks of whatever arises. It's all about being very adult now.

Pisces will really flourish come summer.
Innovative ideas abound, but the $ for them will be bigger if you can wait. Do look into new types of e-formats for your work. It's a brave new digital world. The only kink I see is keeping track of royalties since digital offerings have different prices on different days. How does one keep a publisher honest? Good question. Most are, but then it's also about who that person is in acct'g keeping track of what costs what when. Tricky biz.
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The eclipse favors surprises, as do all eclipses. But this one may be as subtle as a shift in sentiment, attitude. You get to surprise yourself that you feel differently about some important matter than you did, say, a week ago. Note that eclipses ahve a 6 day window usually, 3 days on either side of the event. So don't expect an instant shift. It could take until Dec. 1 or 2.

This is a good time to throw out an agent who has been more of an irritant than a champion.
Good time to throw out characters that aren't getting good reviews from your writing group. I'd say it's a good time to ask for a change of editor too--but that's not easy. Who bought you, gets you, for the most part.

The eclipse is in Gemini, so Gems are the most likely to feel this one, tho Sadge, Virgo and Pisces may also feel its shift in a marked manner.

It's arm in arm with Jupiter, who magnifies everything, SO THIS COULD BE A BIG CHANGE OF HEART. For Taurus, it's in your House of Personal Finances. And for Scorpio, it's in your House of Shared Resources. So expect a change --maybe not of your own doing in those areas.

Cannot wait to see who wins Powerball. I'm not much of a gambler, even a $2 ticket seems foolish to me. Still, cannot wait to see who wins some big dollars. I hope it is a Scorp..they need a boost emotionally if not financially, and the the eclipse could spell a windfall for them.
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Storms of all sorts are sweeping through the writing biz. The proposed merger of Penguin and Random House may engender a " take it or leave it" climate of offers to agents and writers, once P and RH function as one entity. Their desire, it would seem, is to be stronger against Amazon, who is dominating the writing world, whether we like it or not. Jeff Bezos has a vision that the written word is only a small part of, but his power, no, dominion over writing and books may be the wave of the present and the future.

One function of this Uranus Pluto square( now thru 2015) is to see old form topple, and publishing giants must respond somehow to their business models being challenged.They must become more like Uranus, innovative and nimble, and Plutonian, which is phoenixlike...but the destruction comes first and then the triumphant rise. Can they do it?

Culturally, the book as artifact is also being challenged. Ebooks are bought in larger numbers and quickly deleted in favor of disk space, distraction, and lack of really caring if this book or that remains in our consciousness. Without a physical record of that book, it is more than likely forgotten. Not what writers had in mind when they chose the profession.

Did you get into the writing business to leave a legacy of your thoughts and creativity? Sadly, who survives electronic tranformation of the Old Book Publishing Biz may be the writer who can also do the video portion of our culture...tv,youtube, and their cousins. AND they must have constantly revising ideas that hook to current events and sympathies.

The developments run across all Sun Signs. Sometimes we must think collectively instead of personally.
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The eclipses last week and the 28th do not favor writers and their colleagues. If you've not made your deal by now, wait until December, unless your discussion was started some time ago. ( The charts for deals begin with the first offer, not when the contract is signed.)

Pisces, Gemini and Virgo, also Sadge, are under a bit of a cloud. Scorpio and Taurus will have lifechanging Novembers. Pisces: the truth is something you should cultivate. Look at what transpired this past month or two and see that fudging the facts just gets you in trouble. Also only doing half your job....what happened to the perfectionist everyone could rely on? Should you retire to your ( west coast)beach house like Mitt? Perhaps. In any event, you should muffle your output for awhile.

And for the record: Petraeus is a Scorpio, and The South Node
( karmic debt) is going over the most sensitive part of the chart of Israel.

Wish I had a chart for the merger announcement of Penguin and Random House, but I don't. Anyone have the announcement time?

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http://blog.beliefnet.com/thepowerofpositivedoing/2012/06/big-lessons-from-the-best-little-publishing-house-on-the-planet.html

I am quoted today in the above post by BJ Gallagher, author of 20 plus books, on Beliefnet.com. An upside happening of Venus!

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With the Sun and Mercury joined, square to Mars, we can find oursleves so busy that we make rash decisions. (But for plodders, rash is better than none.)

Aries, Virgo, Gemini, Pisces, Sadge and Scorp are the most likely to be heading into troublesome quagmires, or for Taurus, finally getting off the dime. Writers especially will have a rush, (rash?), of ideas and action. Make notes. One cannot possibly recall all the ideas one has now. Reserve space on your word program for ideas that come through the ethers, related to your current project or not. They may not make sense now, but be invaluable later.

We are still in Eclipse energy and anything can happen. Push for editorial attention and decisions. Even tho Book Expo is nigh, don't let eds and agents use that as an excuse to not give you answers, or promises of answers at the very least.

I have always found it curious that Book Expo chooses its timing during Gemini, the Busy Wordsmith and Negotiator, and adept Liar. It's also graduation season, so many of us have to duck out of Book Expo to see family in cap and gown.

Three or more days of Book Expo is a high not to be matched. Such a rush. (We all have our drug of choice!) But family obligations must be met. And often they are the better choice in the longrun, given that those grads will probably be the ones choosing our nursing home.
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AND the Sun is on the Eclipse point for a few more days, so if there are not lifeshaking events that happen to you, you must be asleep. Karmageddon for some, karmajackpotwinthelotteryfallinlove for others. If you are a Sadge, email me your events. It just had to be a realization of the largest kind.

Taurus and Scorp, money involved. Have al

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Your Lucky Year

The Great Giver of Deals, Media Attention, and Cold Hard Cash is Jupiter. This giving god of the zodiac has recenly changed signs from Aries to Taurus. Earth signs, rejoice.( Virgo, Taurus, Capricorn) Aries, you can keep partying too. Aquarius is a guest here, with lots of goodies to take home.

This glorious time lasts until June 2012.

So this is the deal: What you wish for and WORK FOR is probably what you'll get, especially if you are among the signs above. Depending on your chart of course, Jupiter will shine down on you like the Angel did on Joseph Smith, the kids at Fatima, and Sarah Palin. Even if you are unsmart about something, Jupiter will skid the wheels into successful conclusions.
Why not have your chart done so you know just where the real gold is for the next 12 months..or more? Knowledge is power.

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Julie Hill is a Literary Agent and practicing Astrologer.