Us or our better selves? by Sheila Claydon

Do you ever read a book and become irritated with one of the characters? I know I do. For example I might read about how a woman deals with her husband's affair, her mother's dementia, her child's tantrums, and think why on earth did she react like that?  I might find her weak or vain, unimaginative or cruel, unfeeling or a whole host of other things, while another reader might identify with and approve of her actions and really enjoy the book.

None of this is very surprising because we all have different tastes and attitudes, but what I find fascinating is how a character in a book can generate real feelings of dislike and irritation, and I'm not talking about the anti-hero here. We are meant to be upset by him or her. No I'm talking about the main characters, the people who are pivotal to the story.

Some writers put a lot of thought into the development of their characters. With others it is more instinctive. Whichever method is used however, the writer is still responsible for their behaviour,  and this is where life and fiction overlap.

Can a writer ever make the main characters do things they disapprove of? Will they let them behave in a way that is contrary to their own moral code? Are their heroes and heroines truly separate entities or are they who the writer is, or who she/he wants to be? And do I sometimes find a character irritating because their take on a problem isn't mine? It happens in real life, so why not in fiction? From time to time we all disagree with our friends and family,  and we disagree even more vociferously with the behaviour of celebrities and politicians as reported in the Media, so when I dislike a character am I actually disliking the author's own views?

When I write is my heroine reacting as I would in such a situation, or is she behaving how I would like to behave but know I could never manage?

To better answer myself I've been revisiting the characters in some of my books and discovered that my heroines are hardworking, ambitious and feisty, and never ever prepared to accept second best. Are they me dressed in camouflage? I wish!! The truth is, they are my better self. They are the people I would like to be, and maybe that's fine. Better to recognise that than to never think about it at all.

In Mending Jodie's Heart: Book 1 of my When Paths Meet trilogy, Jodie is pint sized, braver than almost anyone I've ever met, and has a heart that puts everyone else first. She is the heroine I most admire. I'm proud of Jodie. She is who I would like to be.

Extract from Mending Jodie's Heart

The tall man in the wool beanie was leaning on the top bar of the gate on the third morning Jodie rode by.  He was gazing into the straggle of woodland while a very old black Labrador sat patiently beside him. The man in the yellow fluorescent jacket, the man who had secured the padlock in the first place, was just getting into a van that was idling at the curb. With a twitch of the reins she pulled Buckmaster to a halt as he drove away.

“What did he tell you?” she demanded.

The man in the beanie hat swung around and stared up at her, a look of puzzlement on his face.  He had very blue eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Did he say how long it would be before they start building?  Did he say how long it will be before Mr. Marcus…I can do exactly as I like because I have a lot of money and this is my land…Lewis, turns up? No he didn’t, did he? I can see from the look on your face that you’ve no idea what’s going on. I bet he didn’t even tell you when they’re going to start cutting down the trees.”

Without giving him time to answer, she slid down from Buckmaster’s back and walked across to the gate to stand beside him. Her head barely reached his shoulder. Together they surveyed the tangle of undergrowth, and then Jodie turned towards him, her body taut with impatience.

“Didn’t he tell you anything?”

“Not about the bridleway, no,” Marcus Lewis shook his head.  He was torn between irritation, amusement, and just a little admiration. She was certainly passionate about her damned bridleway that was for sure. Courageous too. He could still remember what she had said about chaining herself to the gatepost. 

“Why is this bridleway so important anyway?” he asked. “There must be others.”

“There are,” she conceded, looking up at him. “But we have to negotiate a lot of traffic to get to them.  This is the only one that takes us straight down to the beach.”

“We?”

“The children who use my riding school.”

 “You work in a riding school?”

She nodded dispiritedly.  “For what it’s worth I’m the manager, so I’ve a vested interest in keeping my riders safe.”

His gaze slid over her.  It didn’t compute.  She wasn’t much more than a teenager.  As if she knew what he was thinking she suddenly grinned at him. It totally transformed her face, changing her expression from angry to something altogether different.  He found himself responding with a smile of his own as he wondered if the hair hidden under her riding hat was as dark as her eyes.

“I’m older than I look,” she told him as she took hold of the horse’s saddle and vaulted onto its back.  “Way, way older. Plenty old enough to give Marcus Lewis a piece of my mind when he eventually turns up.  In the meantime, I’m going to start gathering protest signatures.”

“I thought you said you were going to chain yourself to the gate,” he said, squinting up at her against the early morning sun.

She laughed as she began to move away, pleased he had remembered.  “Don’t worry. I’ll be doing that too, but not until the journalists arrive. I want to inflict maximum damage to his reputation.”

For more of Sheila's books go to:

http://bwlpublishing.ca/authors/claydon-sheila-romance/

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If I Could Go Back in Time by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

If I could go back in time, where would I go? I was born and raised in Canada where our non-native history goes back almost 400 years if you look at what is now the province of Quebec or 1000 years if you count the Vikings having a settlement in what is now the province of Newfoundland.

In 2017, I travelled across Canada to the site of the Viking settlement at L’Anse Aux Meadows on the tip of Newfoundland’s Great North Peninsula. There I toured through the encampment which consisted of replicas of the timber and sod buildings constructed by the Vikings who had sailed from Greenland. I talked with the costumed interpreters who were sitting around a fire inside one of the buildings cooking their meal. It felt surreal to be there, to know that my ancestors (I have recently found out that I have Viking heritage) lived there for a few years. This is the first known evidence of European settlement in the Americas. From the camp, I walked along the rugged cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and crossed a large bog on a boardwalk. Then I toured the museum, looking at the fascinating artifacts that were found during the excavation. The site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.

 

This year I spent 66 days in Europe and one of the places I visited was the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, just outside Copenhagen, Denmark. In the museum is a permanent exhibition of parts of five original Viking ships excavated nearby in 1962. A thousand years ago these ships were deliberately scuttled (filled with rocks and sunk) in a river to stop the enemy from invading the city by water. Over the decades since they were found, the pieces have been preserved and put together on a metal frame to show how the ships would have looked. Also at the site are replicas of the Viking ships and I became a Viking for an hour. A group of us sat on the seats and rowed the ship out of the harbour using the long oars. Once on the open water we hoisted the mast and set sail. After sailing for a while we headed back to the harbour. As we neared it I had the honour of pulling on the rope that lowered the mast and sail and we glided back to our dock.

 

So if I could go back in time I would like to be a Viking Shield-Maiden. Women of the time were not called Vikings because they normally did not take part in warfare. They were called Norsewomen. However, women fought in a battle in 971AD and Freydis Eiriksdottir, Leif Erikson’s half-sister is said to have grabbed a sword, and, bare-breasted, helped scare away an attacking army. These women were called Shield-Maidens.

http://bookswelove.net/authors/donaldson-yarmey-joan/

 

Paul McCartney's Home

For more information about Susan Calder's books, or to purchase visit her Books We Love Author Page. 

A highlight of my spring trip to Liverpool, England, was a tour of Paul McCartney's home, where he spent his teenage years. The address is on the public record and there are always people outside taking pictures, but the only way to see inside is to take a tour conducted by Britain's National Trust.

The van drove us to the pleasant street in suburban Allerton. When the McCartneys moved here in 1955, these were rental council houses. Now they are owned by the residents, who must sometimes resent the influx of fans. On the other hand, it would be cool to live down the road from the former home of a Beatle, who visits the place on occasion.

The street where Paul lived

The home's curator met us in the front yard. For the next hour, she walked us through the house and shared anecdotes. She told us that only one family lived here after the McCartneys, which made it easier to renovate the home back to its state during Paul's time. The new residents had replaced the front windows, but The National Trust noticed that an identical house on the street had the original windows. They offered a trade, and the neighbours agreed to the free upgrade and installation.

Paul's house with the original-style front window

Few of the original McCartney furnishings remain in the house. Paul has the piano in one of his homes, but the curator found a replica. Part of her job is to furnish the place based on the information available, such as old photographs and recollections of people who were there. Paul's brother Mike is one of her best sources. Both brothers have homes across the Mersey from Liverpool and Mike often visits the house. Recently he unearthed photographs he took of Paul, John and George during their youths. These are now displayed in the living room. Paul also takes an active interest in the house, but Paul has many homes, the curator said, and is less available.

This portrait of Paul and Mike with their mother hangs on one of the walls 

Paul's mother died a year after the family moved in. Yet Paul said he recalls his time in the house as mostly happy. This is a testament to Paul's sunny nature, but his mother's death touched him deeply.  After she died, Paul moved from the large bedroom he shared with Mike to the small room at the front of the house because needed alone time. The curator added that when John Lennon's mother was killed in a bus accident a few years later it cemented a bond between the two teenage musicians. Their shared sadness enhanced the chemistry that enabled them to write so many songs that touched the world.

Photos aren't permitted in the house, but someone snuck this shot of Paul's small bedroom and posted it on the Internet. 

We topped up our visit to Liverpool with a Hop-on-Hop-off bus ride that took us past Ringo's street, the art college that Paul, George and John attended and other Beatles sites. We stopped at Penny Lane for a photo op. The guide told us that that the real setting for that song was down the street at Smithdown Place. We rode past the barbershop and roundabout like teenage Paul did daily on his way to and from school. Presumably Paul felt the name Smithdown Place had a less melodic ring than Penny Lane.

Our tour of Beatles sites finished with the Cavern Club, a recreated venue of the place where the band made its breakthrough. A singer/guitarist, who wasn't born at that time, entertained the packed room with Beatles songs. It was both nostalgic and currently happening. This July Paul McCartney made a surprise appearance at the Cavern to promote his new album release. He played for two hours to an audience of 350, who must have felt themselves the luckiest people in the world.

The Cavern today

George, Paul & John at the original Cavern Club

         

7000 People Vote on the Scariest Stories by Karla Stover

Historical Gothic/Romance               Tacoma, Washington Murder            Hood Canal Murder

                                   bookswelove.net/authors/stover-karla-mystery-romance

  On NPR, 7000 People Vote on  the Scariest books, novellas, and short Stories (and My Opinions)

Who would have ever thought that Stephen King's novella, The Body, (made into the movie, Stand By Me) would be on a reader's list of the 100 scariest books, novellas, and short stories? It did, and that fact makes me want to read the story though I'm not a huge Stephen King fan.

However, I am sucker for lists, so when I heard someone on NPR talking about the scariest books, etc. I had to give the list a look-see.

To begin with, it's broken down into categories--my favorite being, "Scar Your Children: Horror For Beginners." Nothing there to interest me though three of the books, Goosebumps, Coraline, and The House With the Clock on its Wall resulted in movies. However, I have read three of the books under "Blood Roots: Fundamental Horror" Dracula, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Turn of the Screw. And since the list includes synopses, I learned that Carmilla, a vampire book, predated Dracula. Also, couple of things caught my attention: Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad has creepy goings-on at a boy's boarding school, and The Willows has willow trees with unusual attributes. Hogwarts and whomping willows, anyone? I might read The Willows, though, it looks interesting.

"Zombies and Vampires and Werewolves: Oh, My" books are not my cup of tea, unless I give The Hunger a try. As if the Donner Party didn't have enough trouble, something might be following them in the snow. Anne Rice shows up under this category, but I don't like her books and Brad Pitt looked awful in Interview With a Vampire.

Nothing under "The Fear in Our Stars: Cosmic Horror and Weird Fiction" was familiar or appealing but "Horrible Homes: Ghosts and Hauntings" has The Haunting of Hill House, The Shining, and The Woman in Black, all good books and movies though The Woman in Black book has a better ending than the movie. The big omission here is The Uninvited. It was published in 1942 under the title, Uneasy Freehold. The author was Irish feminist and the Irish Times wrote, "the author makes it all enjoyably eerie – and throws in a few pithy social observations as well." It's a favorite movie with the hosts on TCM, too. I might look into Wylding Hall. What's not to like about a British acid-rock group sequestered in a "remote country house?'

"Final Girls: Horror By and About Women" has 8 suggested books, only one of which I've read, Rebecca. A good book, a good movie, what more can you say? Except Caitlin Kiernan's The Red Tree has possibilities.

Nothing under "Horribly Ever After: Fantasy and Fairy Tale Horror" looked appealing and that includes White is For Witching where a teen age girl has cravings for non-food items, such as chalk. Cab you say, pica? However, "Hell is Other People: Real World Horrors" has Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, a Dean Koontz book, and Lord of the Flies. But can someone tell me why Toni Morrison's Beloved is included? Feels either insulting or gratuitous.

I write short stories but I don't read them, so I scooted right on past "Short and Sharp: Story Anthologies" and met up with Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and the above-mentioned The Body under "The Kids Aren't All Right: Creepy Kids." But what this? The Other by former actor Thomas Tryon? Which meant, of course, that I had to google him to see if he's still alive. He isn't.

So what can we (or did I) learn from this list: First, stories from 200 or so years ago still resonate. Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown is still being read. Second, when a book such as The Lute and the Glove is in stacks at the library, no one can have the pleasure of finding it to read. Third, boarding schools are becoming an old standby and maybe a trifle overused. And, fourth, no one seems to write good psychological thrillers such as The Turn of the Screw anymore. That being said, if you know of one, please let me know. I'll squeeze it in between my preferred genre, non-fiction.

BWL September new releases and new contest

We've some exciting new releases in September.

These are live already, click the covers for buy links from your favorite retailers.

BWL SEPTEMBER RELEASES

These will be live during the month starting with September 15

Click the contest button and scroll to the bottom of the BWL website home page to enter our newest contest.  Prize features ONE EBOOK READER (EITHER A KINDLE OR A KOBO) and six ebooks from your choice of any of our BWL Publishing Authors.  Drawing will be on December 10, 2018 

http://bookswelove.net

 

STAY FOCUSED TO REACH YOUR DREAMS ~ by Rita Karnopp

When I was young I was told Native Americans believe that one day life will go full-circle and they will return to the ways of the old ones.  That got me askng how could that possibly happen ... and if it did ... could the First People find peace and harmony returning to the ways of their ancestors? 

Then, while researching for my book Leota, Dream Woman, I read, "The white berry from the Red Willow was used by the Native Americans in their food to support nutritional needs.  The white man did not find it appealing, due to it's bitter taste.

That got me to thinking ... the white berry could represent my white heroine and the Red Willow could embody the Indian Nation.  It didn't take long for the story to develop in my mind ... and this book exploded onto the pages.

White Berry on the Red Willow - As predicted in the Ghost Dance Vision, life has come full circle in 2054. The Blackfeet now control Yellowstone National Park, where the buffalo have multiplied, as have the people themselves.

Outside the Indian lands thousands are dying of Quake Fever every day. Doctor Alcina Hancock struggles to find a cure before her mother dies. Thrust into the world of the Indians, she not only discovers what it will take to save her people, but also herself.

 

STAY FOCUSED TO REACH YOUR DREAMS ~

The main reason people succeed is they usually do a half-dozen things consistently correct.  It’s not that people fail; they never give themselves the opportunity to succeed.  Winston Churchill said, “Never quit.”

So here is your opportunity to choose success.  In the Gateway to Greatness, Doran Andry taught me five reasons why people succeed and I have applied them to my writing career.

 1.   Make a real decision, take action and choose success.  What this means is you must make a real decision and cut off all other options – forcing you to forge forward and succeed.   Start with the end in mind.  Stay focused to reach your dreams.  Joseph McClinton III said, “Your imagination is the most powerful tool you possess.”  Remember, ‘more of the same produces more of the same.’  By that I mean; if you want things to change—don’t keep doing the same old things.

 

2.  Become a teachable willing student.  Again, you don’t know it all.  The only way to get better is to have an open, willing mind to grow.  Each book you write must be better than the last.  If it isn’t, ask yourself if you’re a teachable willing student.  It’s paramount to your success to write better than your wildest dream.  I read an interview with Dean Koontz and was impressed when he said, “I’m still learning the craft.”

3.   Consistently execute a daily writing goal.  What that means is have a plan and work that plan every day with a willing spirit.  The key is focusing on the activity long enough so you get your desired results.  Learn to master the ‘do’ part. 

4.  Take advantage of your writing mentors/groups/partners.  Find someone you know who is willing to partner in goal setting.  It’s harder to slide on goals when you know someone else is checking on whether you are meeting or exceeding your goals.  When you are struggling with insecurities, missed deadlines, or even a certain plot or chapter, that’s the time to turn to your mentor, group or writing partner.  Buy CDs or books on plot, characterization, timing, query letters, and many others out there to improve your writing and help further your career.  When the student is ready…the teacher will appear.

5.    Grow as a person.  We all might call this ‘personal development.’  Whether you’re

just starting or a seasoned writer, always be a student of personal development.  The key to sustaining being a successful writer is to grow as a person.  Buy technology, CDs, eBooks, or printed books; you have the opportunity to impact your life and grow as a person.  I urge you to be a student of personal development – it’ll pay huge dividends.  Nightingale Conant and The Pacific Institute are great sources of personal development.
 

If you implement these key five points consistently to your writing career (or career of your choice) and set a goal, I believe it will give you the opportunity to soar and succeed.  The exciting thing is when you look at someone who is highly successful, now you’ll understand the difference between the two of you is only five things.

 

 

 

 

To the Ends of the Earth, and Back by June Gadsby

Visit June Gadsby's BWL Author Page for Buy links from your favorite bookstore

Some people will go to the ends of the earth to achieve their dream. I was lucky enough to go there a few years ago with my husband on a business/pleasure trip.

 Where? That magical part of South America called Patagonia, which incorporates Argentina and Chile. It was more than just a holiday. It was one of the best experiences of my life that left me with unforgettable memories – and the inspiration to write the book: “To The Ends of the Earth”.

Although my book is set a century ago, nothing much has changed, except the slowly disappearing glaciers due to climate change and I’m so glad that I was there when they were still ice blue and beautiful. We stood on a platform, at a safe distance, and watched, breathlessly, great wedges of ice break off the main glaciers, crunching and groaning before plunging deep into the icy waters, then coming up again high into the air before joining the impressive icebergs.

The Perito Merino glacier is the most spectacular of all the glaciers and it was hard to come away from this incredible sight. But then, everything in Patagonia is breathtakingly beautiful. Such as the icebergs that form themselves into amazing shapes – one of which we named Hansel and Gretel’s house – not hard to see why. Then there are the incredibly alien Torres del Paine, towering fingers of rock pointing skywards. With every turn, we couldn’t prevent  gasps of belief.

Between stops, we travelled by coach over miles of empty green plains where, if we were lucky, we would see the odd sheep or two and guanacos grazing. We drove past a farm where their nearest neighbours were a hundred miles away. The silence was only broken by the cries of the huge Condors as they soared over our heads.

The town that claims the title “The End of the Earth” is Ushuaia, where the houses are still built on logs, ready to be moved at a moment’s notice. When you walk through the town it feels as though you are travelling back in time. And then you have the vast expanse of water that is the Beagle Channel, historically famous strait in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago at the southern tip of South America.

What writer of adventurous romance could possibly not be inspired to write a book set in such a magical place? I wrote “To the Ends of the Earth” and to this day it not only brings back wonderful memories, it is one of my own personal favourite stories. Here’s the blurb and I hope it inspires you to buy the book.

“Wild and beautiful, Gwyneth Johns is a Patagonian with a scandalous past that shocks the Victorian ladies of the small pioneering town in the Valdes Peninsula. She has sworn never to let any man get close, but her resolve is weakened by a handsome Spaniard, Miguel, who is not all he seems.

Then, new immigrants arrive from the north-east of England. Gentle giant Rob, his younger brother, Davy, and the hard-drinking, amoral Matt with his young wife. Gwyneth is called upon to teach them how to be gauchos. Reluctantly, she accepts the challenge.

Now, she risks losing her life and new-found love to the cold glaciers of the Andes…”