I Can Do Hard Things

    I can do hard things. I know this. I've seen it on posters, memes, TV commercials, so it must be true. Right? I can do hard things. 

    I can make a lemon meringue pie with my grandmother's 1950s Sunbeam stand mixer with the offset bowl and beaters I've licked a thousand times (Yes, cookie dough and cake mix with uncooked eggs. Gasp!) Grandma's hot pink fingernail polish on the front still marks the beater you're supposed to put in first. Although once in a while, just to tempt fate, I put that beater in second, and somehow things still turn out fine.

    I can clean a chicken coop that is loooong past due, ripe to the very core. By the time I get it all spruced up, I'm covered head to toe in chicken dust. My hair turns a lovely shade of gray, and I won't mention what the contents of my Kleenex look like when I blow my nose later at night. Did you know each chicken poops 50 times a day? Yep. They sure do. I have 20. 

    I can spend a fall weekend up North at the hunting shack with sketchy cell service, non-existent internet,  and running water that comes from a pump in the neighbor's yard. I do this so I can cook for and clean up after the guys, who would otherwise eat nothing but meat sticks, drink beer, and then trip over their power tools.

    I can stand in front of a room full of 13 and 14-year-olds with a lesson that I pictured would be the greatest lesson ever dreamed up, prepared, and practiced by any teacher for any student EVER. It's a lesson that is sure to get me a fast-track ticket to the Teacher Hall of Fame (There is a Teacher Hall of Fame, isn't there? Somewhere?) and probably change all my students' lives in some meaningful, magical way. Then, somewhere around the middle of class, I end up pretty sure no one is actually listening and realize they're probably just wondering what's for lunch or if I forgot to comb my hair that day.

    I can pour my heart, head, and soul into writing a memoir for someone who is very important to me. I can wake up in the middle of the night over and over thinking "Oh! I should write about this next!" or  "That's how that sentence should go!" then roll over in the darkness to tap the fleeting idea into the notes on my iPhone 5. I can worry and fret (and maybe, at times when no one's looking, cry a little) over whether I'm doing the story justice. I can check my email and texts for replies from interviewees so many times that I develop a tick. I can run the timeline through my brain like credits at the end of a movie, then check and re-check my pages and pages of notes just to make sure I've got it right. I can second guess my knowledge of grammar and commas and dashes and conjunctions and fragments and citations, and … oy, where's the Tylenol?

    I can do all these things because they are important to me. It really is just that simple. It's all so darned important to me. So, I'm going to keep working, trying, failing, then trying again as I continue - as I hope you do too - to remind myself that I can indeed do hard things. 

 Coming Soon!

A hero's welcome by donalee Moulton

 

I was recently asked to talk about heroes and how they evolve in my writing. Here’s some of the questions posed to me. They aren’t easy to answer.

 

Order Conflagration! here.

Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write?

I like it when good wins out over evil, so I tend to embrace heroes and heroines. I can sympathize with the villain, even understand their impulses, but in the end, I want the victory to go those with purer hearts.

That said, I am not a fan of what I call the hero at all costs. The person who disobeys the rules because they are morally above them, the champion who charges in because they know best, the defender who goes to the ends of the earth to solve an injustice and to the detriment of their friends and family. Excess does not appeal to me.

Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

For me, heroes (and in the case of a few short stories anti-heroes) do not have the same origin story. Riel Brava, the main character in Hung Out to Die, started with a bath. I’m a big believer in bubbles, candles, scrubs, essential oils, and music with birds chirping in the background. One night immersed in a lavender cloud I realized it was time to begin writing my mystery. Get off the pot kind of thing. That led me to a litany of possible characters and crimes. Through the mist Riel emerged. Not fully formed but outlined enough that I wrote down my ideas before I even moisturized.

My second book, Conflagration!, was a different book and a different process. The book is a historical mystery and follows the trial of an enslaved Black women accused of arson in Montreal in 1734. This book is part of BWL’s Canadian Historical Mysteries series. I discovered the level of detail in court transcripts and the timelines set by the trial process meant I had a detailed blueprint for the book before I even began. My fictional character, court reporter Philippe Archambeau, had to fit into this world.

Order Hung Out to Die here.

Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

I have just finished the second of two new books that feature three main characters, all women – my first heroines. They meet at a yoga studio and the crime unravels mid-downward dog. Like all my characters, these women started as ideas and blurry images. They became more well-defined – and more real – as the stories unfolded. I am always amazed at the unexpected direction characters take me in. I am acutely aware at times that I am not in control of the writing.

Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?

      Three-dimensional characters are important. They’re more challenging to write, but they are also more realistic. I usually start with motive. If I can understand why someone would commit this crime or act in this way, then I can begin to understand the person I want the character to be.

What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain?

     My newest book is a historical mystery, Conflagration! It’s set in 1734 and follows the trial of Marie-Joseph Angélique, an enslaved Black woman accused of burning down Montreal’s entire merchants’ quarter – 45 homes and one convent-hospital. My main character is a court clerk assigned to follow the trial and ensure no stone is left unturned in the search for evidence.

     Heroes and villains are often on the same spectrum. I’m not sure there are any clear demarcations in my latest book, except perhaps for the system of justice itself.

 

New Releases for BWL Publishing Inc. For Oct 2024

 New Releases for BWL Publishing Inc. For Oct 2024

BWL Author's Page

An unruly Valkyrie on a flying tiger, a stern angel in love with the rules, and evil pounding at the gate… What could go wrong?

Riddled with survivor’s guilt after Ragnarök, Valka wanders the universe as a bounty hunter. But when hired by angels to recruit warriors for the final battle against evil, she welcomes a chance at redemption.

General Konrad Lagarde, First Mate of the angel ship Blue Phantom, strongly rejects Valka’s methods. A stickler for discipline, he also considers this fascinating woman hazardous to his sanity, as she could make him forget all the rules.

Evil from another universe has infiltrated a secret society of former dictators hungry for power. Having massacred all the angels in his former world, the evil one wants to do the same here. The angels of this universe face their greatest challenge yet… destroy the evil one and avenge their fallen brethren… or the bringer of darkness will enslave us all.

Unusual Vacation Rentals by Eden Monroe

 

Click link for more on Eden Monroe's books 

https://bookswelove.net/monroe-eden/

As the title suggests in the romantic suspense novel, Dangerous Getaway, a stay in a vacation rental property, no matter how great the anticipation, doesn’t always turn out as expected. Such was the case for Rhone Alexander and Grace Upton with Birch Shadow:

“You think there was another woman down here, trapped?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Now look at whose imagination is being over-active,” she whispered in undertones, her flesh beginning to crawl. “What makes you say something like that?”

“Because while you were sleeping I found a woman’s shoe down back.”

While dramatically disappointing vacation rental experiences are definitely possible, most fails seem to fall into the categories of annoying to downright uncomfortable. Here are three such experiences as set out in Buzzfeednews.com:

"When I was about 10, my family rented a small house in Cape Cod for a week. It was really nice until I woke up in the middle of the first night and screamed when I saw little black dots all over the ceiling — it was like the ceiling was painted a different color. The house was infested with gnats (they're like tiny mosquitoes). They were insanely hard to kill and bit us everywhere. They were on the walls, the furniture, etc. Hundreds of them just everywhere. We spent an absurd amount of money on products said to kill them, but nothing worked. We basically stayed out of the house as much as possible and one night I slept in the yard because honestly there were more bugs inside than outside. It was miserable, like an actual horror movie. We all had hundreds of bites that ended up getting infected. I remember my mom trying to get our money back. All the owner said was, 'It's gnat season, sorry,' and didn't reimburse us. Worst family vacation ever."

And the second vacation rental experience: "The house was filled with clowns. Clowns everywhere. Little figurines and blankets and paintings. It was a nightmare and half."

And thirdly: "My now-fiancé and I went on a trip together to Philly a few months into our relationship. When we arrived, our host came down in her pajamas and slippers holding a small poodle... It became clear she wasn’t going anywhere and that the 'entire place' listing was incorrect. When we reached the room we’d be staying in, the host pointed out the erotic photos decorating the walls, saying this would 'set the mood' for our trip. She also let us know she would be in the room 'right next door,' working on a pending lawsuit she was filing. Throughout the trip, she would knock on our bedroom wall and speak to us through it. It also became clear through our stay that her dog, who she told us was a service dog, was never let out to use the bathroom but rather stayed in the house. We found dog poop and pee in various locations in the home, including in our room!"

In Dangerous Getaway, Birch Shadow is nestled deep in the hills of Elgin, New Brunswick, in beautiful Eastern Canada. Sandwiched between two heavily-treed slopes that stretch lazily toward a cloudless sky, this idyllic 19^th century inspired cottage features sumptuous grounds surrounded by spectacular scenery. It seemed to be the perfect choice … at first glance.

In real life, some vacation renters aren’t quite so fortunate in finding a rental property that’s inviting even at first glance, again according to Buzzfeednews.com:

"We had just travelled seven hours from England to Scotland expecting to rest after a long journey in the house we had rented on the internet, only to find that the house didn't exist. So we were stranded in a strange country at 12 a.m. in the pouring rain."

In another situation travellers encountered less than stellar living conditions, including a unique shower situation where a “garden hose ran from outside through a window and taped to the ceiling” although there was apparently an ample supply of hot water.

And then there was the downright creepy (Buzzfeednews.com):

“Pictures online had been taken about 10 years prior. The whole house had fallen into disrepair, with windows that had been boarded up, overgrown shrubbery, and the front door hanging off its hinge. The owner was an elderly man with one eye that swiveled independently like a chameleon's. There were dozens of feral kittens, which he warned us not to let inside the house. On the desk in the foyer alongside the guest book was a dish of dead butterflies and a list of people who were born and died in the house. I spent the whole night wondering if I was in a Stephen King novel."

Among the mix are the vacation rentals that turn out to be truly horrible by anyone’s estimation. The following Buzzfeednews.com experience would definitely come under the heading of nightmare, at least as far as I’m concerned. I would be in the door, and right back out again in no time flat:

"My family and I went to Hawaii and rented a house around Hilo for a couple weeks. In the kitchen pantry and all the bedroom closets there were these giant, flying cockroaches that would launch at you every time you opened the door. After day two we didn’t open the doors, but we could still hear them rattling around the rest of the trip."

Some people actually seek out highly unusual experiences, and delight in finding them. There are vacation rentals available to satisfy just about any taste - something a little bit different according to thrilllist.com. How about spending your vacation in the middle of a cemetery?

“Hudson, New York

“This 1900 building is a schoolhouse turned tool factory turned artist’s studio turned Airbnb, located inside of the Cedar Park Cemetery, which is home to thousands of burial plots and has all sorts of notable people resting in peace. This building has several lofts—this one is Chinese-inspired, meaning you’ll sleep in an authentic 18th-century opium wedding bed. Not creepy enough for you? Think about it this way: If no one is renting out the other spaces, you’ll be the only living soul for miles.”

Of course there’s also the other side of the story, injustices suffered by vacation rental hosts at the hands of undesirable guests as described in Beyndpricing.com/blog:

“On a more disgusting note, a host shared their experience of finding used Q-tips squashed into the carpet and chewed gum or candy stuck in the furniture after the guests checked out. This lack of respect for the host's property is unfortunately not uncommon.”

However, overall the vacation rental business seems to be an acceptable balance of good and not so good, as explained by an industry insider, again in Beyndpricing.com/blog:

“A host shared their experience with guests sneaking in extra people without permission, property being stolen, and a pet bird dying after windows were negligently left open.

“While these stories are certainly shocking, it's important to remember that they represent a tiny fraction of the overall Airbnb experiences. Most stays are enjoyable and trouble-free. However, these tales serve as a reminder for hosts and guests alike to exercise caution, respect, and common sense when using the platform. Happy hosting!”

 

https://www.bookswelove.com/monroe-eden/

Champlain's Dream

 

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    Distinguished historian David Hackett Fischer, tells us how Champlain, a pragmatic, thoughtful French explorer of the early 1600’s, who experienced the cultures of the North American Indians whom he encountered differently from other Europeans who were "exploring"* at the same time.  Champlain had emerged from the bloody violence of France’s religious wars with a surprisingly open mind. He made it his life’s work to induce people of diverse backgrounds to cooperate for the common good of all people. His belief in humankind, whatever their national origin or religion, allowed him to approach the Indigenous American Sauvage with an attitude of respect and understanding unusual for a 17th Century European.

    A dream - so ephemeral a thing! Here is one that Champlain experienced 400 + years ago in the forests north of the lake in what is today upstate New York which is now named for him. 

    With a war party of sixty Indians, Champlain and two other Frenchmen traveled into the forbidden and dangerous territory of the warlike Iroquois, with whom the Wendat and most of the other Algonquin speaking tribes were eternally at war.  

    The punitive force traveled at night. Every morning, as they drew closer to their enemies--those "Guardians of The Eastern Gate," the Mohawk--the Wendat warriors asked Champlain “if he had dreamed about their enemies.” For many days, “no” was his answer.  

    Then, one morning, about 11 a.m. he awoke and called the Indians to him. At last, as they’d seemed to expect, he’d dreamed!

    “I dreamed I saw men in the lake near a mountain. Our enemies, the Iroquois (were) drowning before our eyes. I wanted to rescue them, but you, my allies, told me that we should let them all die, for they were worth nothing.”

    After recounting this, Hackett Fischer adds: “The Indians recognized the place in Champlain’s dream as a site that lay just ahead, and they were much relieved…To Champlain’s Indian allies, dreams not only revealed the future. They controlled it.”

    A few days later, the Mohawk encountered European firearms in battle for the first time. Surprised by a man in armor and two sharpshooters with long-distance, deadly weapons stationed amid the enemy’s ranks, they were speedily defeated. Champlain’s dream, seen as a prophecy, had come true with a resounding victory. 

    To me it appears that Champlain, surrounded by an enormous, primeval forest and living and traveling among the people who had long inhabited it, had moved into another kind of consciousness, one which transcended his European world-view of linear time.  The chiefs were optimistic after he shared his dream with them, pleased that their new ally from Over-The-Water had dreamed so positively. Champlain, privately, may have been amazed by the effect this had had on these battle-hard warriors. 

    He must have been even more amazed by the astonishing success of the battle, which happened just a few days later. Montagnais, Huron and Algonquin, and a few Frenchmen armed with guns, met and defeated the Mohawk near the site of Fort Ticonderoga.

~~Juliet Waldron

* "Exploring" Champlain was exploring, but certainly the Wendat, Montagnais, Huron, Iroquois, Abenaki and Passamaquody etc. already knew the shape of this land. Language shapes POV.