Why Have Animals As Characters? by Victoria Chatham

 

AVAILABLE HERE

I love all animals. Even little critters, like frogs. They give me the creeps, but I find them fascinating. By far my favourite animals are horses and dogs, and more recently, cats. Animals have long had their place in literature.

Think Bolingbroke’s horse Barbary from Shakespeare’s King Richard II or grey Capilet in Twelfth Night. There is, of course, the ubiquitous Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, Don Quixote’s Rocinante, and Marguerite Henry’s Sham from her book King of the Wind. Zane Grey named many of the horses in his western novels, as did Louis L’Amour. Smoky, Ginger, Merrylegs, Artax, The Black, Joey are names that I have known and love from the stories in which they appeared.

Who can forget Buck from Call of the Wild, or Bulls Eye, Bill Sikes’ dog from Oliver Twist, and didn’t we all love Perdita and Pongo, the Dalmatians from 101 Dalmatians? Stephen King’s Cujo might have given some of us nightmares, as did The Hound of the Baskervilles, but I don’t mind betting cute little Peg from Lady and the Tramp had you smiling again. Cats, albeit to a lesser degree, also have their place in literature, such as Crookshanks from the Harry Potter tales, Tab from Watership Down and all those marvellous cat characters from T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Old Deuteronomy, Rumpleteazer, Rum Tum Tugger all appeared in the musical Cats.

Lennard

I write historical and contemporary western romance novels, so it's almost impossible for me not to include animal characters. In my cozy mystery series, my amateur sleuth, Winnie Hatherall, has a lovable big mixed-breed dog named Lennard. How did my Regency Lord get from his London residence to his country estate? He either drove his team himself or was driven by his coachman. A team of four horses, plus a couple of park hacks in town and hunters in the country, added up to a minimum of a stable of eight horses. The better those horses were kept, the longer they were of service, so would all have been named and known as individuals.

What I try to bring to my pages when I write horses into my novels is how that particular animal impacts my hero or heroine. They usually have a part to play in showing off my characters’ skills, as they do for Emmaline in His Dark Enchantress. In Shell Shocked, set at the end of World War 1, the dog, Bella, helps her master recuperate from his experiences at the front. In my contemporary western romances, what cowboy does not have a horse, and often a dog, both for work and company?

Animals, real or imagined, help ground us humans with their sense of immediacy, of being in the here and now. Animals add so much to my life, and I want that for my characters, too.

Victoria Chatham

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Did a cop write this story? by Dean Hovey

By now, I hope everyone knows D.L. Dixen's resumé includes experience in the criminal justice system bringing added depth to my nerdy science background. She suggested the book's title and many of the scenes and characters are seasoned by her life experiences. She shared a recent discussion she'd had with a law enforcement officer who heard the book's title and asked, "Did a cop write this?" The title sounds like something one officer would say to another when discussing a death scene with no obvious cause of death.That's exactly where this book starts. Our Pine County investigators are called to "The Dusty Muskie Bar and Event Center" where one of the previous Night's customers decided he was too intoxicated to drive home so he slept on a cot in the back room. When the owner tried to wake him the next morning, he was unresponsive. When CJ, Pam. and Floyd arrive they determine that "sleeping beauty" woke up dead. The Medical Examiner's initial assessment shows no foul play. As Pam and CJ dig deeper, they become suspicious of that determination.The story twists on from there as we throw in check washing, a bank robbery, a drug deal gone wrong, and a suspicious dysfunctional family with two sons on probation. CJ and Pam's personal lives intrude on the investigation when Pam's husband wins the (equine) grand prize in a 4-H raffle. There are a few laughs, a bit of cursing, a few tears, and a few tense moments as the investigation takes unexpected turns.Check it out on Amazon, of join us for one of our summer book events in Askov, Milaca, Moose Lake, Cambridge, White Bear Lake, Sandstone and more! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228640520 Print https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dean-L.-Hovey/author/B00J78JMLY

The Mystery of Old Economy Village, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

A young adult haunted house story. Five stars from Long and Short Reviews! They were thrilled by the novella.

To purchase, click HERE

Today's post is about a visit I took with my husband and best friend to Old Economy Village, an historic site near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I hope you find it interesting.

The village was founded by German Lutheran separates in the 19th century. A sect that formed to create a utopian society, waiting for the second coming of the Messiah. 

Visitors can explore several historic buildings, original artifacts, and learn about their culture.

George Rapp led the group. He began preaching in his native Germany. When he split from the Lutheran Church he was banned from preaching. He called himself a prophet and defied the church. His subsequent persecution forced him to flee to the United States with his followers in 1803.

He preached celibacy to keep the group pure as they waited for the Messiah. They didn't believe in procreation, and that was their downfall. Pretty soon they died out.

Rapp died in the village in 1847

Here is my husband talking to our guide

The society was self-sufficient. A sawmill, tannery, distillery. We even took part in rope making. I can't find the picture I took of that.

They nurtured beautiful gardens and grew their own food.

Harmonist church-another society in Harmony, PA, founded by Rapp

They were nonviolent pacifists who refused to serve in the military. Following the literal teachings of the New Testament, as interpreted by Rapp, they believed Jesus would come again and a thousand years of peace would ensue. Their experiment failed.

Rapp was sometimes called a tyrant and was sued by former members for compensation, so not everything was peaceful.

The village is mostly intact and welcomes visitors. A fascinating excursion.

A recent storm sent a tree onto one of the buildings, crushing it. Sorry to hear that.

Find out more about me and my books

                                         

Diane lives in western Pennsylvania with one naughty Dachshund

A time before ready meals...by Sheila Claydon

 

Find my books here

This is the cover for my new book, due to be published in May. As usual, BWL has come up with a great cover. The four leaf clover features throughout the story in one way or another, so it really is a case of 'it does what it says on the tin.' The cover is the easy bit though. Editing it has been an altogether different matter.

The first half of the book is set in 1979. The second half, six years later. Also, to confuse matters further, I wrote it some time in the 1980s, which was, as the introduction says; 'a time before ready meals, before takeaway coffees. A time when a microwave oven was considered the latest in technology. A time when we used maps to navigate, reference books for research, and learned phone numbers off by heart.'

I discovered the manuscript, which I had never tried to have published, when I was clearing our loft space. I immediately sat down to read it, ignoring all the dust and spider webs as it took me back in time to when I was a young mother, at home all day, looking after small children. The further I read, the more I identified with Joanne, the heroine, even though her life was very different from mine. She, too, dialled numbers on a phone that was attached by cable to a land line. She travelled by bus. If she was late home then the meal her mother had cooked her was dried out in the oven. Teashops were more usual than coffee shops. Sunday lunch was sacrosanct, and holidays were never in hotels but in guest houses in seaside towns. I remembered, too, what it was like to meet someone more sophisticated and not want to lose face, which is something that happens to Joanne.

Her life and relationships are certainly not mine, but it was clear that in those far off days my observations and early memories had shaped the story. 

Trying to re-write it for the present day would not have worked. Life and how people handled relationships were so different then. With no cell phones or Internet, people had to meet up to talk. And they had to rely on physical clues...will she let me kiss her....does that mean she wants me to leave...why is he looking at me like that? No dating apps. No texting. No sexting. And interestingly, far more freedom to risk a kiss than is possible in today's 'me too' world.

So instead of attempting a re-write, I began to edit and polish what would be a retro book. By the time I sent it off to the editor I was feeling quite pleased with myself. It was a good story wrapped up in an unintended history lesson. Then it came back and the editor's criticisms and suggestions made me look at it anew with a much more critical eye. She was right. I did need to change the tense in quite a few places. I did need to tighten up the dialogue. And where she got it wrong I needed to revisit to see why, and then rephrase. 

It's been an interesting exercise. I have not only learned to read an older manuscript much more critically, especially one that I had forgotten about, but I have also realised how much better a writer I have become over the years. My later books get few editorial comments. My writing is tighter, and my characters leap straight from my imagination onto the page instead of me having to work at developing them. 

So now all I have to do is decide whether to write a new story, or whether to defy the spiders and go hunting in that loft space again.

Blood by Bonny Beswick

 https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0228634733?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tpbk_0&storeType=ebooks&qid=1 753570492&sr=1-1 

Finding killers is Calgary Police Detective Janice Maidstone’s job, for now, but her parents want her back on the  short-grass prairie in southern Saskatchewan to take over the ranch. Janice must choose between the police service  in a job she loves, or the life as a rancher to carry on the family legacy. 

The decision hangs over her head while she and her partner investigate their latest case involving a pregnancy, a  playboy fiancé, a greedy business partner, and a jealous bride. 

BLOOD 

Before I get to the main topic of my blog this month, I’m going to start again with our  nearest space neighbour. Here’s some late breaking news about the moon (and no, it’s  not about the Artemis mission). Chris DeWeese, Senior Editorial Writer for The Weather  Channel wrote this: 

“Thanks to new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), NASA  announced that the moon will be spared from what could have been a very  explosive run-in with a “city-killer” asteroid in 2032. This new data suggests that,  instead, asteroid 2024 YR4 will pass 13,200 miles from the lunar surface. The  agency had previously given this asteroid a 4% chance of hitting the moon, which  might not sound like much, but is actually pretty high stakes, so far as these things  go.  

The large asteroid, estimated to stretch between 174 and 220 feet in diameter, was  first discovered in 2024, and scientists have been closely tracking it ever since. Early  concerns were that it could potentially hit Earth; if an asteroid this size did hit our 

planet, it could wipe out a city, carrying the equivalent force of 500 atomic bombs.  The good news? We don’t have to worry about that happening, either to us or to  our cold, silent satellite. 

So now that we can heave a sigh of relief about avoiding a catastrophe on our doorstep that we didn’t even know about, let’s get on to what I had planned to write about this  month! 

Blood. 

As a writer of Police Procedural Murder Mysteries, you might think I’m going to write  about gory crime scenes. Salacious suspense. Fictional femme fatales. Sorry. This month,  it’s all nonfiction. 

Blood makes up about 7-8% of our body weight. From high school biology, we know that  it’s made up of red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes), platelets, and  a liquid portion (plasma). This straw-coloured fluid accounts for about 60% of total blood  volume, while erythrocytes make up roughly 40%, along with leukocytes and platelets.  (Physiology, Blood Volume Ragav Sharma , Sandeep Sharma) 

I’ve always been a regular donor at Canadian Blood Services (formerly the Canadian Red  Cross). Mom and Dad set the example early, and as soon as I turned 18, I made a point to  attend the travelling clinics. I think the first place I donated was in Pincher Creek, Alberta  in 1973. For many years, I gave whole blood. They didn’t even start accepting plasma  donations until 1998, when they became the Canadian Blood Services. 

Throughout those years, I was fortunate to have employers who were accommodating  and never questioned the two hours I took to trek across the city, donate and return to  work. At the time, I made the effort because it felt good, in a remote sort of way. 

But in August 2013, I became one of the approximately 52% of Canadians (they, or a family  member) who needed blood (or blood products), when I broke my leg, requiring a two week hospital stay and two surgeries. I ended up getting two units of whole blood and  suddenly the value of commitments made by volunteers to give blood became personal.  

After receiving the blood product, I had to wait a number of months before donating  again. After the deferral period was over, I never got back into the habit. Life got in the  way and I only went occasionally and even returned to donating whole blood instead of  plasma. 

Last week, a Facebook ad popped up reporting that most of the plasma used in Canada  comes from the United States. Plasma Donation in Canada - Canada.ca What?? The idea  that we are dependant on another country to maintain our blood supply, especially since 

so much of that blood is not given by volunteers, but by people who are paid to give,  doesn’t sit well with me. Although I’ve seen no statistics to the contrary, I can’t help but  think volunteers IN GENERAL would be healthier than those who give because they are  being paid. 

With that in mind, I’ve decided to make donating a priority again. In fact, I’ve made a  specific goal. Over the next 12-month period, I plan to donate 25 times. Since Canadian  Blood Services allows plasma donations every six days (weekly), it should be easy to roll  up my sleeve twice a month. 

But is that healthy? 

At each donation, haemoglobin levels and in the case of plasma, blood protein levels are tested. If I fail, even a tiny bit, to meet the standards, I’ll be deferred for several months,  and have to do a walk of shame out of the clinic (just kidding, they’re very nice about it and even let you stop and partake of the snacks before you go).  

Other common reasons for deferral include out-of-country travel, illness, surgery,  vaccinations, and tattoos. 

Recently, the news reported that two people died after giving plasma at a for-profit  Winnipeg collection centre. To date, no causal link between their donations and their  death has been established. 2 people die after giving plasma at for-profit Winnipeg  collection centres: Health Canada | CBC News. Over the course of my plasma donations  (well over 200), I’ve never experienced a negative reaction, nor has anyone that I know  who donates. 

But why is it so important to donate plasma? 

• Plasma is used for transfusion in hospitals for someone who needs more blood  volume because of burns, shock, trauma, or other medical emergencies.  

• It is used to help develop new medications 

• Clotting proteins found in plasma are used to help control bleeding (critical for  those suffering from clotting disorders) 

• The immune proteins contained in plasma assists in cancer many treatments,  chicken pox, measles, tetanus, immunodeficiencies, kidney disease, hepatitis B,  brain disorders and bone marrow transplants. 

While many people cannot donate (due to medical conditions or proximity to donation  centres), many more can, but never do. If you’re one of those that don’t, I encourage you  to do it. Take a friend. Who knows, you, or someone you love, may need it.

Fun Fact: Frozen plasma has a shelf life of one year. Some references: 

Plasma 

What Is Plasma in Blood?