Autumn Reminiscences by Helen Henderson

 

Windmaster Golem
Click the cover for purchase information

Last month's post presented a memory from the archmage, Lord Dal's past and how it affected his actions. This month, the reminiscing will be more personal and include memories of the season. Since I've already covered the most emotional of my autumn memories, those associated with 9-11, I decided to focus on other ones.

The warm days and cool nights of autumn signal not only the upcoming winter season, but also harvest time. First the wheat or whatever grain planted earlier in the year had to be cut, the grasses crimped, turned, baked in the sun until dry, and then the fun began. Baling took the entire family. My father drove the tractor. The rest of us rode the hay wagon, pulled the bales off the chute, dragged and stacked them. All of which required long sleeves to minimize scratches and clambering around the rows of hay bales. The full wagon would be pulled to the barn where the reverse loading took place. Front to back, top to bottom, bales were moved onto the conveyor and taken to the upper floor of the barn were we once again repeated the snatch, drag, and stack.

Another memory of autumn was the annual putting up the garden with the pickling, preserving, and making ketchup. Sometimes the work was done under the direction of the older clanswomen. Our reward for this work was not just the food preserved for the upcoming winter, but also the treat of grandmother's heritage dishes. Of course, workers got first pick at the butter-drenched lokse, onion-accented pierogies, and sugared fried dough fresh from the pan.

The boat, gas tank and hot water
heater are at the top of a bridge.

As to the teaser image from last month? Halloween is not always remembered for pumpkins and neighborhood children in costume trick-or-treating. A hurricane that became a post-tropical cyclone a frankenstorm, and then after she cut across New Jersey, became the infamous Superstorm Sandy. 

Whole flotillas of boats where removed from the water or lifted off trailers or storage racks to be scattered onto roads, bridges, or into fields in my area. Wind, rain, and tidal surges disrupted electricity service from parts of Quebec to North Carolina and as far west as Indiana and Illinois.

 

The remnants of the local history museum.
Many artifacts were washed out to sea.
Others were recovered by walking miles of shoreline.

Besides the images of the displaced boats, a more personal memory was being one of the 8.5 million people without power for what seemed like unending days. We were fortunate in that our electric company did a controlled shut down, minimizing damage to substations. When our electricity was restored, my husband and I took in his mother and sister until the lines of poles were replaced and wires restrung in their town. 

 

Most of the homes in my town didn't suffer much damage but we lost several businesses including the history museum. Although two senior high-rise apartment buildings had to be evacuated. An adjoining town was not so lucky. The entire town was submerged. My home renovation experience came in handy during volunteer tours removing sheetrock and plaster. My last stint was taping and spackling. I might not as been as fast as the professional I worked alongside, but I was pleased he didn't have to redo any of my seams.

 ~Until next month, stay safe and read. 

To purchase the Windmaster Novels: BWL

Find out more about me and my novels at Journey to Worlds of Imagination.
Follow me online at Facebook, Goodreads or Twitter .

Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky who have adopted her as one the pack. 

Nancy M. Bell - BWL Author Profile

Nancy M Bell is a proud Albertan and Canadian. She lives near Balzac, Alberta with her husband and various critters. She works with and fosters rescue animals. Nancy is a member of The Writers Union of Canada and the Writers Guild of Alberta. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. For the past three years she has been invited to read her poetry at the Stephan G Stephansson House event Poetry at Stephan’s House.

 

 https://bookswelove.net/bell-nancy/

 

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Kayla Dunbarton is in Las Vegas at the National Finals Rodeo for the sole purpose of promoting the sport of Dressage. She has no intention of getting mixed up with champion bull rider Rob Chetwynd. But circumstances conspire to throw them together and the sexy cowboy’s mix of ruggedness and vulnerability combine to slide past her carefully constructed defenses. Still smarting from a broken romance with a well to do fellow competitor, Kayla wants no part of a romantic entanglement with a rodeo man she’s never going to see after Las Vegas.

 

A spiteful move by another dressage competitor who is sponsored by the same group as Kayla throws a wrench into things. One ill-advised action, captured on film, threatens to ruin Kayla’s reputation, and could result in the loss of her sponsorship. Rob Chetwynd provides the answer to her dilemma, but is it a risk she’s willing to take with her heart?

 https://bookswelove.net/bell-nancy/

  THE ALBERTA ADVENTURES

Set in the south country of Alberta, Laurel Rowan and her friends become embroiled in some dangerous events. Laurel’s passion for the wild horses of Alberta are featured in Wild Horse Rescue, while in Dead Dogs Talk she stumbles into the world of illegal dog fighting. In this last book of the series, Chance Cullen, Laurel’s childhood friend who has been straying from the straight and narrow must come to terms with the demons that haunt him. He must also come to a resolution about his feelings for Laurel, and hers for him.

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Chance Cullen has screwed up royally, and he knows it. He’s alienated his mother and sister, and the girl he’s been in love with his whole life, Laurel Rowan. The lure of alcohol calls him, and in the past, he’s found solace there…for a time. But life keeps blowing up in his face.

Chance desperately wants to be a top bull rider, but he needs a sponsor, and he needs to come to terms with taking responsibility and turning his life around. His abusive dad is in prison for a number of offences, including masterminding a dog fighting ring. Chance’s narrow escape from both the law and the unsavoury characters he got involved with through his father, have left him shaken. In his mind, his greatest crime was putting Laurel Rowan in danger.

He knows she doesn’t feel the same way about him as he does about her, but maybe, just maybe, he can win back her friendship. It won’t be an easy road, but Chance is determined to fight his demons. A cowboy needs to know when to cowboy up and Chance figures this is his time.

 

 

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 Little did Laurel Rowan know where the discovery of an injured dog would lead her. The dark world of dog fighting rings and the unsavoury characters who surround them are a stark awakening for the Alberta teen. Volunteering at a local animal rescue helps her come to terms with some of the things, but Laurel won’t stop until she’s done all she can to rescue those animals in danger. She’s horrified to find out her childhood friend Chance is involved up to his neck in the mess, but now he’s trying to get out and help Laurel all he can. Trouble is lurking around each corner.

 

 

 

 

 

Dragon - a few of the collection by Janet Lane Walters BWLAuthor #BWLAuthor #dragons #Fyre #Amber Dragon

 

I have a collection of Dragons, probably fifty or so and they're of many kinds. Four of my stories have dragons featured. Dragons of Fyre, Wizards of Fyre and Children of Fyre are part of a series. Only the first of the series has no dragons. Then there is my favorite dragon, the Amber Dragon found in the collection . The Amber Chronicles. Sort of based on the Princess and the Frog but the princess is the one enchanted. She becomes a small, fat amber dragon. She must find a prince to kiss her to break the spell. A fun story to write.

I decided I'd show a few of my collection here.

This dragon is really a light and is the largest one in my collection. It's several feet tall and wide.

One of my critique group found this stapler and couldn't resist adding this to my collection.

Here is one my granddaughter bought me for my birthday two years ago. The large light was also a birthday gift from her. The restaurant was going out of business and she boughtit there.

This is a lamp that sits near my computer.

This is a clock and sits above my computer. This I found in some magazine that arrived at the house and I couldn't resist.

The final dragon I'm showing today was also a birthday present from Kathy Attalla, who woter for BWL and was one of my best ever friends,

That's all but i hope you all have dragons or something to inspire your writing. Now I must return to my work in progress and whip it into shape. No dragons in this one,

It's below the Dream World, by J.C. Kavanagh

  

The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends 

Book 2 of the award-winning Twisted Climb series

It's been many months in the writing, but the final book in The Twisted Climb award-winning series will soon be published. Titled, A Bright Darkness, the story begins immediately after the conclusion of Book 2, weaving more action, more suspense and even stranger paranormal activities in a new place: the Un-World. 

Be prepared for more twists, turns and numbing revelations in A Bright Darkness. Read below for the back-cover blurb.

The dream world hides something deeper

The terrifying adventures continue in this final chapter of The Twisted Climb series. Georgia has been saved, and Dick, too. Or so they thought. Jayden, Connor and Max are once again summoned to the dream world – only to discover that there is another world below it. A world that un-does all the rules of the dream world. A world where climbing gets you nowhere and thousand-year-old legends dwell. A world with secrets to be uncovered and unimaginable terrors to confront.

Jayden, Connor and Max must conquer each bizarre challenge in their hazardous journey, because only one of them holds the key to its epic conclusion.

The cover of A Bright Darkness,
Book 3 of The Twisted Climb series, 
available soon!

Until then, stay safe.

 

J.C. Kavanagh, author of 
The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2) voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll and Best YA Book FINALIST at The Word Guild, Canada 

AND 

The Twisted Climb, 

voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll 

Voted Best Local Author, Simcoe County, Ontario, 2021 

Novels for teens, young adults and adults young at heart 

Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com 

www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh 

www.amazon.com/author/jckavanagh 

Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh) 

Instagram @authorjckavanagh

Explaining my Writing Style by Paul Doucette

 

For details and links visit my BWL Author Page

Hello again,

I have been asked on occasion to discuss and explain my writing style. Perhaps many of you would like to know what motivates a writer to commit something/anything to paper. I can only convey what drives me to write.

The first point I believe ought to be that as a writer or potential writer, you would have something to say; to share. This axiom applies to any subject being written about. In the area of fiction, I believe the writer MUST have a story to tell regardless of the genre, i.e., mystery, suspense, espionage, intrigue and so on.

A second point I believe to be of paramount importance is to find your own specific voice. In my case, this was discovered by reading many authors with many varied voices. I refer to such writers as Stuart Kaminsky, Robert B. Parker, Arthur Cohen Doyle, Edgar Allen Poe, just to name a few. These writers adopted writing styles from using a narrative voice to using characters to convey their voice through the use of dialogue. In my case, I opted for dialogue, mostly because of my love of spoken language with its intonations, dialects, and nuances.

The third point about my writing is to heed the sense of place and history in story-telling, These ought to be treated as silent ‘characters’ by the writer. After all, the story takes place somewhere and at some point in time. I use as a guiding principle the following view that we are products of the environments we live in. Therefore how your characters act and interact is to varying degrees a consequence or a reaction to where you have placed them.

The points I offer can be seen at work in my John Robichaud Mysteries which are set in war-time Halifax between 1939 and 1946.

I hope the foregoing will be helpful to you in your own writing or in understanding the stories I have written. I will leave you with something my English Professor once told us:

 “Write what you know.”

 

Animal Friends in Life and Literature By BC Deeks, Paranormal Mystery Fiction Author

 

Growing up my favorite fluffy toy was a purple bunny, but we only had stray cats as pets. I was well into adulthood before I realized how much I love animals of all sizes.

It wasn't until I transitioned to a writing career that our lifestyle could provide a stable home for a pet. We went to visit a breeder, and instantly fell in love with a 12-week-old Bichon Shih Tzu named Kipper (aka my little dead fish). We later adopted a 3 1/2-year-old Bichon rescue named Benny, who quickly became known as The Knickernapper. Benny and Kipper have since passed away two years apart, both having reached the ripe old age of 14.

When I began writing books, my love of animals seeped into that aspect of my life as well. Buddy, a stray dog, showed up during a raging blizzard to be rescued by the heroine, Police Officer Joey Frost, in Chapter 1 of The Holly & The Ivy in the Frost Family & Friends series. This loveable canine brings moments of tears and joy to the holiday tale that can only come from the relationship between people and their pets.

I can't imagine my upcoming series Beyond the Magic without Busby—the mysterious, but loyal and loveable canine Familiar. In my fictional world, an animal Familiar spontaneously appears to a witch who needs help or protection and is believed to be sent by a more powerful witch or spirit. Busby is the Familiar for my heroine, Avalon [Avy] Gwynn, a young woman whose parents have been murdered and who doesn't know she's an extraordinary hereditary witch. Busby is one of the main story characters and shows up even before my hero, a powerful warlock (Marcus Egan). I modeled Busby's behavior on Kipper and Benny, but he developed his own personality. He and Marcus have a funny dynamic to their relationship that I had nothing to do with; they just acted that way whenever they were together in Witch Unbound. I can't say more without spoiling it for readers, though. Keep an eye out for Beyond the Magic books beginning in October 2022.

When my hubby and I moved to Canada's cowboy country, Alberta, in 1997 we spent many weekends learning to ride and exploring the backcountry of the Rocky Mountains on horseback. These mountain-bred horses allowed me to see area that I never could have accessed on my own. There was one instance when we needed to descend a steep shale slope. Our guide told us we had two options; slide down on our behinds or stay on our mounts but let them have their head (meaning let go of the reins, lean back on their rump, and trust them to take you down safely). Most of the group opted for the bum option. Not me! I decided the horse was much more sure-footed than I, so I lay back across Ginger's rump and closed my eyes. It was like floating on a cloud. The guide told me later that Ginger was nicknamed 'The Babysitter' because she was so conscious of her charges that she never let one fall off her back. Who knows, maybe my next Familiar will be a horse!

I've also worked for my local municipal department that oversees the city zoo, and that allowed me special access to the exotic animals on occasion. I've hand fed elephants, petted camels, snuggled jaguar cubs and had a sleepover with the hippos - no cuddling with those guys let me tell you. We don’t have a pet at home right now, but I am registered as a foster parent for dogs with the #CalgaryHumaneSociety.

I believe that illustrating the special relationship between humans and animals in my stories adds a significant dimension that is just as important as the interactions between the rest of the characters.

I write heartwarming stories of mystery and magic. To learn more about my upcoming Beyond the Magic series or my author life, please find me on my website at www.bcdeeks.com or on Facebook.

Show and Tell

 

                                            Find my books here

Our stories show and tell. When to use which? As a reader I prefer stories strong on SHOWING. So I try to craft my books that way.

“Telling” states facts or observations. “Showing” invites much deeper understanding.

Showing Prefers the Specific to the General.

WHEN SHOWing....

1. Use dialogue

2. Use sensory language

Readers need to be able to see, hear, taste, smell and touch the world around them. 

3. Be descriptive

Carefully choose the right words and using them sparingly to convey your meaning.

 

But sometimes a nice clean info dump can be more reader-friendly, and take up less time and space... 

Situations where telling might be a better idea. 

1. if you're dropping your readers in, "in media res," and you need to focus your reader's attention as fast as possible.

2. You have too much backstory.

3. You can think of a more entertaining way to tell than to show.

(Telling can be a form of texture in the same way that physical description can. They can both be fun and entertaining, or dreary and tiresome.)

It’s perfectly acceptable to TELL the minor details that add up to the point you want to SHOW. 

Both showing and telling can be done badly, and you have to decide which one gives your story the maximum amount of oomph. 

Happy writing, and reading!

--Eileen

Back to Work

Please click this link for author and book information 

Yesterday I flew home from a trip to Minneapolis. On November 12th I leave for a three-week holiday in Mexico. This gives me a two-month window to write draft # 3 of my novel-in-progress. I have to complete this work to make the deadline for the novel's scheduled release in September 2023. 

It's a challenge for me to think of my writing as work, since I don't come close to making a living from it. But I have to do this in order to finish a long project like a novel. Otherwise I'll let other activities completely consume my time. I wrapped up the first draft of this novel in late May and have given the book little thought since then. A break of almost four months should be good for returning to the story with fresh eyes. I don't regret my travels to Ireland and Ontario and warm summer days spent hiking, biking and hanging out with family and friends, when I could have been writing.        

 

Lake Erie beach with family and friends

While it's hard to drag myself back to the computer, I know from numerous past experiences that once I start I'll soon be into the writing groove again. This helps me avoid procrastination and plunge in, as I would into cold water. Once I'm swimming in the story, I'll need to avoid distractions and limit them to important matters like family, friends, exercise, and volunteer work. Turning off my instant email notification will be essential. I've taken on a commitment to co-chair Calgary's committee to host the Bouchercon mystery convention in 2026. It will be tempting to get sidetracked into concrete organizing tasks that can feel easier than pulling characters out of the air and resolving plot glitches.  

I did use my summer time for some research relevant to the novel. The first draft unexpectedly veered into areas outside my knowledge zone. One of these was the opioid crisis. Drug dealer killings appear frequently in current mystery novels, but I'd thought the subject wouldn't interest me. I prefer to write about ordinary people who kill for personal, social, or psychological reasons; people who might be me or a friend driven by a particular situation. But people like this are the drug dealers in my novel-in-progress. They operate a low-key business out of a bicycle store. During the summer, I read two excellent books on Canada's opioid crisis and now feel capable of handling the topic in a novel.

 

Shopping for e-bikes inspired my novel's storyline

This new book also gets more into police work than the first three novels in my Paula Savard Mystery Series because I made two police officers point of view narrators. This fall I hope to fit in a research visit to Calgary police headquarters and will look for a beta reader or consultant knowledgeable in police work, without letting this research distract me from writing. 

For my last two novels, I discovered a useful trick - those mornings that I wake up early, rather than lie in bed drifting in and out of consciousness, I force myself up, make coffee, turn on my computer, and write while the sun rises outside my window. I'm amazed by how much I can accomplish before the day's usual activities get started.   

In short, I find the key to writing novels is to treat them like work. Don't wait for mood and inspiration. Grab your time at your writing desk, sit down, and do it.  

 

Me not working this summer

      

     

 

NEW RELEASE - What About Me? / by Barbara Baker

 

What About Me is a sequel to Summer of Lies and follows Jillian as she starts grade 10 in Banff a month after the semester begins. Being the new kid is always hard. Being the new kid in a small town, at a small school where everyone knows her business is the worst.

She loves her Opa but moving from Toronto to help Aunt Steph take care of him was not Jillian’s idea. As she navigates unfamiliar hallways and attempts to fit into her new surroundings, Jillian makes choices which impact her relationships and a potential boyfriend. Will the last choice she makes be the right one?

*****

If you’re familiar with Banff, you may recognize the sites Jillian sees. If you’ve hiked in the area, you may have walked the trails she takes. And, if you went to high school there, the formaldehyde smell will lead you right to the biology room.

Whether or not you’ve been to Banff, enjoy the landscapes through Jillian’s eyes.

*****

Banff attracts tourists from all over the world. They browse through the shops, take selfies with the dramatic Rocky Mountain backdrop or simply stroll the streets and take in the sites.

Since COVID, only pedestrian traffic is allowed on Banff Avenue during the summer holiday season. People amble about without dodging cars.

If crowds and shopping are not your thing, go a few streets west and access the wide walking trail which parallels the Bow River. Stroll out to Vermillion Lakes for post card views of Mt. Rundle.

Or go in the opposite direction and view the Bow Falls.

Elk, deer, or coyotes  may keep you company along the way but do not approach them. They’re wild animals. Attempting to get a selfie with an elk could be detrimental. To the elk. If it charges or hurts you, the elk will pay the price. It will be removed. Not you. Admire them from a distance.

If you want a great x-country bike ride, head past the Banff Springs Hotel and follow the Spray Lakes trail – the same road Jillian mountain biked. 

Within minutes, you’ll leave the busyness of town behind. The trail follows the Spray River and winds through the forest valley, flanked by mountain ranges on both sides. But DON’T forget your pepper spray in case you encounter a bear. The canister won’t do any good if you leave it in the car. Jillian is reminded often to be sure she has hers with her.

A couple days after the release of What About Me? I got a picture and text from a reader who went to one of the spots Jillian visits. 

Then another picture came. It makes my day to see people enjoying my story. Thanks to all you readers out there. You’re the reason I keep on writing.

I hope you enjoy What About Me? and if you’re thinking of visiting Banff and want suggestions, follow me on Facebook  Barbara Wackerle Baker | Facebook, Instagram Barbara Wackerle Baker (@bbaker.write) or send me a note bbaker.write@gmail.com.

What About Me?: Sequel to Summer of Lies : Baker, Barbara: Amazon.ca: Books

https://books2read.com/What-About-Me

Summer of Lies: Baker, Barbara:9780228615774: Books - Amazon.ca

Summer of Lies | Universal Book Links Help You Find Books at Your Favorite Store! (books2read.com)

Brace Yourself, Sweater Weather--and a New Book-- is Coming by Vanessa C. Hawkins

 

 Vanessa Hawkins Author Page

      September! It is offically spooky season! The stores are already stuffed full of Halloween goodies, and I just can't wait to jam them in all corners of my house until it resembles something haunted and is a possible candidate for Hoarders: Horror Edition. Whoot! I always get excited for this time of year, because not only are witches and warlocks about, it's also sweater and leggings season and MAN can I rock a good sweater/legging combo! 

For real tho! Pants are way overrated. I don't need that kinda stress in my life, especially with the holidays fast approaching. And as much as I love summer, I hate being so super hot that I can't go outside without slathering cream all over my face to prevent it from turning into some kind of fruit/veg hybrid! 

So leggings and sweaters! Cozy, yet fashionable enough that when someone comes for a surprise visit, you aren't hiding in the next room hoping they go away because you've been sweltering in your underwear all day. Also support. Leggings are like... the new bra. Especially for us folks who've had a baby or two or like to indulge in an extra slice of ice cream cake every now and then.

But despite sweater weather fast approaching, I can't get over the fact that Christmas decorations are already starting to show up on shelves. Is it just me? Is anyone else out there nauseated by the fact that December is like four months away and already the holly jolly face of Santa Clause is trying to pervert our thoughts with this overwhelming beast of a holiday? FOUR MONTHS! That's a third of the year that our stores are infested with this festive parasite!

It drives me nuts. I mean, I like Christmas, but I like Christmas in December! Leave September, October and November alone, Kris Kringle, we aren't ready for you yet! 

Saying that, I am excited to announce that my co author and I are about to release the second book in the Ballroom Riot series. If you didn't notice that sparkly new book cover up top, go and check it out! It would definitely make a great Christmas gift....

Bunker Blitz is set to release in October. Not sure of the exact date yet, but I can promise that it'll be out before Winds of Winter. That thing is just a lost cause by now. I mean... I really want to go watch House of Dragon but I just can't bring myself to do it until he finishes the Song of Fire and Ice series. So I guess I'll never see it... unless by some miracle he pens the book... or he dies and his publisher gets someone else to do it...

Which mean's he's basically immortal now *shrug*

 But in the meantime! Bunker Blitz! Ya know, in case you were too lazy to scroll up ;)

Resentment is brewing in the streets of Comero. Although local dragon Shad O’Rahin thought his enemies were finally eliminated, the return of an old rival threatens to shake his grip on the city’s illegal liquor trade. While he takes steps to eliminate the danger to his enterprise, Shad’s wife, Scarlet Fortune is caught in the crossfire. 

Scarlet is the last vampire left in the Comero Police Department. When blackmail begins to jeopardize her career, she launches an investigation to take care of the situation on her own. But with their first child on the way and an unexpected visit from reptilian in-laws throwing their peaceful homelife into turmoil, the situation may prove too tough to tackle alone. Especially when a pretty gold dragon starts making eyes at her husband!

Their difficulties only escalate, leading them both into danger as they peek at the rotten underbelly of Comero’s vampire blood trade. With other dragons in town vying to drive a wedge between them, can Scarlet and Shad find a way to face the threat together?

…all while picking out baby names?