Are you a curmudgeon? by J.C. Kavanagh

 

To purchase your copy of the award-winning Twisted Climb series,
including the audio version, click here:
https://www.bookswelove.net/kavanagh-j-c/

I've been delving into the infinite realm of human personalities these past couple of weeks. Yes, somewhat existential, I know, but when creating characters for a novel, the author needs to pin down unique personalities so they are credibly defined to the reader. A successful author creates a kinship, so to speak, between the reader and the characters on the page.

Having said that, and without putting yourself into an iron-clad character 'cage,' if you could place yourself or people you know into a personality category, would you/they be one of the:

• Good ones
• Not-so-good ones
• Fence sitters
• Ass-hats
• Fragile ones
• Arrogant ones
• Kind ones
• Power-driven ones
• Opinionated 'swordsmen/women' who use words as daggers
• None of the above, or,
• A combination of some of the above traits

How about a curmudgeon? Are you one? Do you even know what that means? 

Here's the Webster's Dictionary definition: Curmudgeon: (noun) a bad-tempered, churlish person.

And the Oxford Canadian Dictionary definition: Curmudgeon: (noun) a bad-tempered person.

And then there's my definition: Curmudgeon: (noun) an altruistic person hiding behind a gruff exterior; a person reluctant to display his/her true character in public.

My former boss, I'll call him 'Mr. White,' was a true curmudgeon - my definition. His stern disposition was on full display at work. The fact that he was an expert in his field and in tune with the demands of the company he represented, put him on a pedestal of sorts. Colleagues appreciated the knowledge he willingly, albeit gruffly, shared. Despite this outward disposition, he was greatly respected by his peers and the owners of the companies he dealt with.

Years ago, I began writing an article about Mr. White and his long and successful career with the company. I wanted to refer to him as an 'old curmudgeon' in the article. When I asked him permission to do so, and without informing him that 'my' definition of the word curmudgeon would be included, he gazed at me intently for what seemed like minutes.

Finally, in a begrudging tone, he said "Yes." When staff and customers eventually read the article, all heads nodded in agreement. Mr. White was indeed an 'old curmudgeon.' I don't know what my old boss is up to now, but I do hope he's fulfilling all of his retirement dreams.

In my Twisted Climb trilogy, there are no 'curmudgeons.' You will find some good characters, some not-so-good, a couple of ass-hats, a drama queen and many more unique individuals. Some characters you'll love, others, not so much. However, in my upcoming paranormal novel, entitled "The Deepest Divide," I would definitely describe one of the main characters, Jimmy McQuat, as an old curmudgeon. My definition of course. And in case you're wondering how to pronounce this Scottish surname, it's Ma-koo-et.

Until next time, stay safe and don't forget to tell the ones you love that you love them.

J.C. Kavanagh, author of
The Twisted Climb - A Bright Darkness (Book 3) Best YA Book FINALIST at Critters Readers Poll 2022
AND
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
Instagram @authorjckavanagh

Hello music lovers- by Lance Chalmers

 

https://bwlpublishing.ca/chalmers-lance/

Your old school beat maker here. Just about to track drums for a friend. He’s going to use the drum track as a backing track for a performing duo. Why would I endeavour to create such a thing you ask? Am I not taking away the potential for a live drummer to play the part? Maybe. I’ve known this friend for 42 years. We played together in a cover band. Given the state of the current music scene, I’m thrilled he’s once again making an effort to get out there and play. Whether it be a duo, full band or solo act. He’s capable of all three. And more. Where he lives, has been subject to the same venue availability as I. Music has taken on a more disposable position with most people. A duo, will be viewed as more a pleasant distraction, akin to that hockey game on the screens everywhere in the venue, or that text conversation people have on their phones sitting right in front of the band, complaining about volume. He’s doing what every smart musician can only do these days. Adapt. My playing these days is split. I track drums from home, and gig just about as much. Which is pale in comparison to pre covid days that saw me gigging every weekend. I could lament? But what for. It’s the past. Time to move on fellas. I still have the drive. Even if it costs more for fuel. I have two gigs this weekend with two different bands. The way I see it? Keeps my chops up for sessions. Or air drumming on my steering wheel driving to work. Teaching drums and guitar. Have a great holiday weekend!

Unearthing Mary: The Research Behind Dancing Mary- by Jay Lang

 

https://bwlpublishing.ca/lang-jay/

When I first heard the story of “Dancing Mary,” it came as little more than a whispered local legend—just another ghost story, one of many that echo around the misty corners of British Columbia’s Comox Valley. But there was something about her tale that wouldn’t let me go. Maybe it was the image of the glowing blue orb seen drifting across Comox Road. Maybe it was the sorrow I felt beneath the surface of the legend—a grief that felt startlingly human.

I wanted to write Dancing Mary. I wanted to understand her.

What began as simple curiosity turned into months of deep, often emotional research. I pored through old newspaper clippings, dug into settler records, and read the fragmented, colonial accounts of the early days in the Comox Valley. Most haunting were the silences—what wasn’t recorded. Mary, a young K’ómoks First Nation woman, had been betrayed and murdered, yet the details of her life had been mostly erased, overshadowed by the sensationalism of her ghost.

So I listened—to local stories, to Indigenous voices, and, I hope, to Mary herself.

Woven into this research was my own personal journey. As I explored Mary’s story, I found myself reflecting on themes of grief, family, and the invisible threads that connect us to place and memory. Writing Dancing Mary became a way of honoring both historical truth and personal healing.

Because Mary wasn’t just a ghost. She was a girl. And she mattered.

To Save or Not To Save

                                                                   find my books here

May is Historic Preservation Month. It is a time for businesses, historical societies, and other organizations to highlight places that have played an important role in our past. Here in Vermont, most of us believe that old homes and neighborhoods embody America’s living history and should be celebrated.

What is it like where you live? Is there a focus on elevating awareness of old homes?  Do your communities rally around them?

On a personal level, I assisted a recently widowed neighbor to move to a new, smaller home after the sudden death of her husband. Oh, the trouble she had culling through her treasured mementoes of a fifty year marriage with her beloved! You may have heard the expression that Vermonters don’t throw anything out? Well, Bill certainly didn’t! From an old train set that he built with a nephew to trunks of costumes from their community theater days, to CD and cassette collections and many ways to play them. And the couple seemed to have at least three sets of every kitchen gadget known to Man— from coffee makers to toasters to ladles!

What did my friend treasure most? Her Bill’s writings…letters, stories, articles. 

What would make your list if you could only keep, say…three precious possessions in your home right now?

May Day Celebrations

                                         Please Click this link for author and book information

On Saturday, May 3, I celebrated May Day with back-to-back-to-back activities. The day began with sunshine, warmth, and my morning Heritage Walk in Calgary's Tuxedo Park -- my first time leading a Jane's Walk. Forty-three people turned up at our meeting spot in Balmoral Circus Park, which conveniently provided chairs for half of the attendees. 

After my introduction and a discussion of the intersection's history and recent transformation into a park, we set off to explore the other historical sites in the neighbourhood that I had chosen for the setting of my mystery novel, A Killer Whisky. 

The whole walk took 1.5 hours. Highlights included unexpected contributions by walk participants. A woman who grew up in the neighbourhood recalled that the house in the above photo used to be a Scout Hall. She rang the home's doorbell to see if the owners could confirm this. They said they were newcomers but would contact the previous owners and send her more information. 

At our next stop, a surprise for me was a "Sold" sign in front of the blue house in this picture. 

A few weeks earlier, when I'd researched the walk, no sign was there. I had imagined this 1912 house as the residence of my novel's protagonist. A woman in the walking group Googled the real estate listing and found the description boasted that the home was featured in a Jane's Walk. During my research trip, I'd dropped a flyer in the mailbox advising the owners about the upcoming walk. Evidently their real estate agent viewed this as a selling point. 

Between my morning and afternoon walks, I grabbed a burger and fries at a nearby local landmark, Peter's Drive In. After lunch, I repeated my Jane's Walk for 40 new participants. The afternoon walk featured three guest speakers. 

The first speaker was planned. In front of the 1912 commercial building that once housed a branch of the Calgary Public Library, author and literary historian Shaun Hunter spoke about Elaine Catley, a Canadian writer who lived in Tuxedo Park in the 1920s. 

The two other speakers were spontaneous additions. When we discovered an urban planner from the City of Calgary was in the audience, we asked her explain about Heritage Protection laws, which I wasn't familiar with.  

Asia Walker, Urban Planner, and Shaun Hunter added interest and expertise   

Later, a woman who'd gone to Balmoral Bungalow School shared her memories of attending the school that was built to temporarily house students during Calgary's periods of rapid school enrollment. The school is boarded up now, although an application has been made to make it a daycare centre.  

Balmoral Bungalow School 

From the walk, I drove to the Austrian Canadian Cultural Centre for a dinner/dance to celebrate May Day and the Centre's 70th anniversary. May Day, the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, welcomes the summer growing season with the traditional Maypole dance. 

During the day, groups from Western Canada had gathered at the Centre for workshops on Schuhplattler dancing. My sister's German dance club came from Victoria and dressed in dirndl and Lederhosen for the occasion.  

After the workshop presentations, the band continued with polkas. I was tired from my busy day, but couldn't resist hitting the dance floor when the band segued to Elvis' "Blue Suede Shoes." By midnight, I was ready to crash in our hotel room. 

What a fun way to usher in summer. Happy Merry Month of May to you! 

Alphorn players

      

Quilting fast counts as aerobic exercise

https://bookswelove.net/stover-karla/

My parents were the youngest in their respective families, owned their home, and had a big basement. That meant, as various family members downsized, a lot of their I-don't-need-it-right-now items ended up in the basement. Then my parents died, followed by my brother, and that's how I inherited a signature quilt with names I can't identify.

Signature quilts, aka Autograph quilts and Album quilts have a long history.

TIMELINE:

400 BC - 300 BC:  people began making what was known as Gallnut Ink out of Oak Gallnuts (Oak Apples) and Iron Sulphate. 

3400 BCE: when it thought that stitching together of layers of padding and fabric together, may date back to. 

1101 - 1200: when historians think Crusaders introduced quilting in Europe.

1360: In Sicily when one of the earliest existing decorative works, the Tristan Quilt, was made.

The early 19th century was an enormously sentimental time: diaries, scrapbooks, poetry, and sketches, or photographs when they became available, abound. Then, in approximately 1839, the first indelible ink showed up in stationary stores and quilters turn their attention to signature quilts. While back home they often commemorated single events such as a marriage or birth of a child, based, as they were, on friendships and/or family, they became comforting reminders of home during the first western expansion (Massachusetts to Ohio). The women making these quilts sometimes stitched their political and religious beliefs. Baltimore album quilts have sayings, bible verses, and drawings inked on many of the blocks. 

One day in 1856, Adeline Harris, a seventeen-year-old Rhode Island girl, came up with a unique idea, make a quilt in the tumbling block pattern and incorporate hundreds of celebrity autographs. She mailed out small diamonds of white silk to various notables with an explanation of her project and a request that they sign the square and send it back to her signed. 

POSTAGE CHARGES IN 1856:

A Mini Vacation with Gooey Ducks - by Barbara Baker

 

Even though the crocus tried their best to bring colour to the south facing hillsides in Calgary during April, the lingering spring scenery felt drab.

Time for a quick reprieve. Off to Vancouver Island we went. But first we had to drive through the snow-covered mountains and of course wait in numerous road construction line-ups. If it’s not winter in Western Canada, it’s road construction season.

Having spent most of my life around mountains, going to the ocean is somewhat like flying to the moon for me … well, not really but you get what I mean. It’s an entirely different landscape for this mountain gal.

Trees with blossoms lined the streets, and a lazy seal soaked up the sun’s rays while we waited for the ferry. I couldn’t stop smiling.

  

Since it was off-season for tourists, we found a room right on the ocean in one of our favourite places - Parksville.

The tide chart said it starts to recede at 6 AM and is at low tide by noon. Perfect. We spent the mornings exploring forests, waterfalls and toured north on the ocean highway always cognizant that we needed to be at a beach by lunch time.

Still wearing a scarf, gloves and a parka I held fast at wearing shorts. This was a holiday and darn it all. I was going to wear them.

The beaches were covered with layers of shells that left trails of movement behind them. The gulls, herons and eagles stopped by to search through the tide pools and remains that were scattered about.

  

I squealed when I spotted my first starfish hidden among a rock crevice and the seals swam by barking encouragement as I searched for more treasures.

 

Each day, while the tide was out, we watched people carrying five gallons pails and shovels as they headed out to a sand bar. They spent hours digging. What in the world were they up to?

Curiosity won and I asked around. They were digging for gooey ducks - the world's largest burrowing clams. Geoduck (their real name) means to dig deep.

They use a syphon hose (which can be up to three feet long) to suck in water, plankton and tiny organisms. After they’ve eaten, they spit out cleaner water than they took in via another hole - such environmentally friendly creatures!

The only indication they are far below the surface is if you see a small circular hole in the sand. When you walk over or close to a gooey duck’s burrow, they spit out their water often hitting you - not intentionally of course.

Geoduck facts:      -    some live up to 168 years and often remain in one burrow

-     they can grow up to 8 inches long and weigh between 1 and 3 pounds

-     they’re full of iron, Omega 3 and protein and can be eaten raw, sliced or cooked

-     Geoducks are valued at $150 per pound in some markets and are said to be a sweet, briny, crunchy delicacy  (I cannot verify this)

During one of my beach rambles, Jillian, (the main character in my books), popped into my head. She told me she didn’t like where her new story was going. And then she mentioned she wanted to change the opening scene. Really? Of course I ignored her. Initially. Because what does she know? But she was persistent and she made some great suggestions. When she expanded on her ideas, I could feel myself smile and then I chuckled. What a cheeky character. She certainly keeps me on my toes. Does she realize how much work these changes will be?

 Baker, Barbara - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)

 

Junk Art

 

Have I mentioned I have too many hobbies? These are just a few of the weird and whimsical creations I've put together from scraps piling up around our farm. Wood destined for the bonfire, scrap metal from some ancient tractor project my husband regrets starting, and random pieces broken off of said tractor projects or found in the field and ditches. 

Sure, Pinterest ("the tool of the devil created by women" - as my husband refers to it) helps inspire me, but in the end, when the glue hits the metal, I am the one who makes the final call. Some are not great, others turn out better than I imagined. 

As with most of my artsy, fartsy creative outlets, it's a lot like writing. Regardless of the inspiration, the process, or the outcome, when it's all said and done, my stamp is on it. A little piece of me. One of a kind.

It calls to mind a very brutal yet crucial critique I received from a trusted beta reader. I had tried so hard to polish up the segment I was sending her. I used Grammarly to its fullest. No red lines. No gold lines. No squiggly lines whatsoever. A grammatically edited masterpiece! So the feedback I got was wholly unexpected. 

When my reader said, "It's good, Julie. It's fine," something didn't feel good or fine at all. After a little prodding on my part and a lot of humming and hawing on hers, she finally busted out and spilled what was bugging her. "It's written very well, Julie. But ... it just doesn't sound like you anymore. It's like someone else wrote it." 

Mind blown. Heart crushed. Thoughts whirling. Defenses at the ready.

It took me some time to figure it out. Like weeks. But I could not let it go. Finally, at some point, I got sick of looking all the auto-grammar lines and prompts to upgrade. It was just creating too much screen noise for my already buzzing brain. So I shut it off. I shut it all off. I quit letting it boss me around. 

And guess what. I found my voice again. Just sitting there like a patient friend who'd been sidelined. It never left. Just waited for me to come back. And come back I did, with open arms. Sometimes, it's not perfect. Just like me. Sometimes, it's clever and odd. Just like me. But just like my junk art, it's got MY stamp all over it. 

Oh, not to worry, Grammarly still has a place and a purpose, but it's not the driver. I'll shove it in the backseat and let it visit with me from there. 

Lima beans, furballs, and being a lethal weapon by donalee Moulton

  

I was recently featured on Heather Weidner’s blog This or That. Thought I’d share some of my answers – and my personal quirks – with you. Simply scroll down.

ORDER HERE

 1.        Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Absolutely nothing

        The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Vacuuming

 2.        Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: 

        A lovely drink like a decaf mocha and a treat like warm chocolate chip cookies    

       Things that distract you from writing: Usually the doorbell and my husband

 3.        Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing 

        Easiest thing about being a writer: Not writing

 4.        Things you will run to the store for at midnight: Mango ice cream    

        Things you never put on your shopping list: Lima beans

 5.        Favorite snacks: Chester’s corn twists and most anything chocolate    

        Things that make you want to gag: Snails, almonds, furballs

 6.        Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: Lawyer

        Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Started my own business

 7.        Something you wish you could do: Be a lethal weapon

        Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Vacuum

 8.        Last best thing you ate: Lemon posset pudding made by my friend George 

        Last thing you regret eating: Vegan lasagna (and that was more than a year ago)

 9.        Things to say to an author: Thank you.

        Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: 

        You made a mistake. 

10.     The most exciting thing about your writing life: Holding the finished product

        The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Start earlier

 11.     The nicest thing a reader said to you: I loved it when… and then they recount a scene. 

        The craziest thing a reader said to you: There’s a typo on page 243.

 

 

BWL Publishing Inc. New Releases for May 1, 2025

 

Despite the grieving husband’s description of the event, Sergeant CJ Jensen isn't at all convinced that a farm fatality is really an accident. With the help of Pam Ryan, Floyd Swenson, and a neighbor who raises skunks, CJ’s investigation uncovers multiple mysteries as she moves forward and puts down permanent roots in Pine County.

 

EDITORIAL REVIEW by Victoria Chatham

Skidded and Skunked: Pine County mystery #12 written by Dean L. Hovey with D. L. Dixen

 

When Pine County Sergeant CJ Jensen is called to the scene of a tragic farming accident, it looks exactly that. Donna Raster is dead, apparently the victim of a malfunctioning Bobcat driven by her husband, Craig. On further investigation, the evidence doesn’t add up, and CJ, along with Pam Ryan, an investigator with the Pine County Sheriff’s Department, dig deeper into Craig and Donna Raster’s relationship.

 

Along with CJ and Pam, some well-presented characters include Marvel Erickson and her pet skunk, Stinky; Casey Satter, a dodgy realtor who unwittingly videos evidence with his drone; and CJ’s Basset hound, Bailey. Along with this cast of characters, this story has enough twists and unexpected turns to satisfy any reader.

 Click this link to purchase your copy

https://books2read.com/Skidded-and-Skunked