Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Mexican Celebrations
Sunday, December 10, 2023
Where Did the Year Go? - Barbara Baker
The ski season started. The Christmas tree is up. Outside decorations are hung. I'd like to say the shopping, baking and meal planning are under control or complete, but I'd be lying. It's never under control, let alone close to completion.
I can't believe there's only 21 days left before we start 2024. We went from a winter which got almost too cold to ski, wearing jackets in March to hike in Arizona, the smokiest Alberta summer in history followed by a stunning fall, to now - winter. The season we adapt to because it can last six months and, this year, winter is full of surprises.
Three golf courses were open in Calgary on December 5th. Tee times were all booked. We saw a rainbow in the Crowsnest Pass on December 6th when southern Alberta received rain. The ski hills struggle to make and/or keep their precious snow. What a year.
Throughout 2023, I hammered away at Book 3 of Jillian's last story. Until September, hammered away might be an exaggeration. Peck is probably a better word to describe my progress. When my manuscript didn't even show up in Word's most recent files, I realized I needed motivation and fewer distractions to finish it.
So, I made a commitment. I made myself accountable to 'sit my butt in the chair' and finish writing the novel. I set a goal to have the first draft completed by the end of the year. And so far, it's working. My solution - I set the alarm clock for 5 AM. When it goes off, I head to my office to write. Trust me, my husband loves the alarm clock idea especially if I wake up before it rings and sneak out of the bedroom without turning it off.
For two solid hours, without interruptions, I write. I don't open Facebook, Gmail, LinkedIn or Instagram. I start by reading the last few paragraphs of the previous days writing. Then I check the Notes option on my iPhone and the slips of paper in my tray which have scribbled 'must add comments', 'snappy dialogue' or 'scenes the story can't live without.' I add them if they're appropriate for where I'm at in the story or put them back in the tray.
And, it's working!
But now with all the baking and shopping staring me in the face, the clock ticking and the year's end creeping closer, I feel myself faltering. Sharing my goal with people makes me accountable. I hate to fail. I'm competitive. But I also procrastinate and hit snooze.
If just one person asks me on January 1st, 'Is your draft done?', I can't imagine letting them down. Or me. So wish me luck as I attempt to schuss through the finish line and get to The End.
All the very best of wishes for 2024. May the holidays and Mother Nature be kind to us all.
You can contact me at: bbaker.write@gmail.com
Summer of Lies: Baker, Barbara: 9780228615774: Books - Amazon.ca
What About Me?: Sequel to Summer of Lies by Baker, Barbara (amazon.ca)
Friday, December 8, 2023
Seeing Woody's in Halifax by Vanessa C. Hawkins
Languages by J. S. Marlo
My European ancestors arrived to Canada in the early 1600s, and some found romance with Native women. Since then, thirteen generations have passed, and I don't have more than a few diluted drops of Native blood left in my veins. Still, I grew up in Quebec speaking the same language as my European ancestors. French.
They say 'Necessity is the mother of invention'. Well, in my twenties after my husband was posted to Nova Scotia, necessity became the driving force behind me learning English, mostly thanks to my very patient friends & neighbours.
Today, I fluently speak English with a French accent, and according to my relative back in Quebec, I speak French with a slight English accent.
I wish I knew more than French & English, but unless you speak a language regularly, you tend to forget it. Interestingly, there are over 7,000 different languages spoken in the world.
Which language is the most spoken on earth? Mandarin Chinese. Spoken by 1.1 billion people, it's the official language of mainland China.
What is the second most spoken language? Spanish. Spoken by 400 millions people, it is an official language in 20 countries.
The third most spoken is the one I learned as a second language. English. Spoken by nearly 360 millions people, it's an official language in more than 80 countries and is also the international business language.
Are there any dead languages? Yes, many. A dead language is defined as a language no longer spoken as first or second language, such as Latin or Old Norse. Interestingly enough, I had two years of compulsory Latin in high school.
What are the hardest and easiest languages to learn for English speakers?
According to Berlitz, Hungarian is the hardest, but according to Babbel, it's Mandarin Chinese. Berlitz lists Frisia (second official language in the Netherlands) then Dutch as the easiest to learn, but according to Babbel, it's... Norwegian (I didn't see that one coming).
Happy Holiday Season! Joyeux Temps des Fêtes!
J. S.
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
If Wishes Were Magic -- Holiday Romance Especially for You
My Christmas books are 50% off at Amazon.com! |
Recently I purchased a creative writing book titled “642 Things to Write About”. Some were full pages to write on, some pages were divided into quarters for small comments, or even pictures. The prompts were everything from a single word to a sentence suggestion and most were very thought provoking. Since it wasn’t set up to write from page 1, I flipped through it and jotted things throughout the book as a particular suggestion triggered a thought. Until I came to this one:
“You are a fifty-three year old woman living in Chicago. Write a letter to Santa.”
My thoughts were along very different lines. You see, I had actually written that story; the one sentence writing prompt could be the tag line for my book. So my question is—did someone make that up or did they submit the suggestion after reading my book, “If Wishes were Magic”?
“If Wishes were Magic” was a fun book to write, with lots of ‘feel good’ scenarios such as rescue dogs and cats, volunteerism, connecting with parents in the Service and best of all—making kids’ Christmas wishes come true. Add all that to a developing romantic relationship between my two main characters and you have my kind of story – happily ever after! Here is a little more about this story:
In Chicago, Chantilly Morrison is set to launch Chantilly Frost, a new cosmetics line, by holding a “Dear Santa” contest to make women’s fantasies come true. But because of an error in the ad copy, she’s inundated with letters from children, whose scribbled wishes tug at her heart. She hires an investigator to find the letter writers so she can throw a huge Christmas party and make the children’s fantasies come true.
AJ Anderson can find the unfindable, whether it’s lost artifacts or people, and he’s very good at his job. But when Chanti dumps hundreds of letters in his lap with the directive to find the children-- before Christmas Eve-- he knows the request is impossible, but the woman is irresistible. Should he use his skills to make her Christmas wish come true, or can he use the countdown to Christmas to find the key that unlocks the lady’s heart?
You can purchase this fun Christmas book at your favorite online bookstore by clicking this link: https://books2read.com/If-Wishes-Were-Magic.
If you’re looking for more Christmas magic, I have also written “Always Believe”
https://books2read.com/Always-Believe,
Barb
http://www.authorsden.com/barbarajbaldwin
https://bookswelove.net/baldwin-barbara/
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