Remnants of Pryr Infographic by Tobias Robbins

I wanted to create a resource that would not only help keep all the characters sorted but also give a bit of an unofficial preview of the world they live in. I felt like doing just a character list would be boring. And besides, it's not as if they exist within a vacuum. They all interact or overlap so I needed it to be more visual. The nature of the storytelling device I use for the book has each chapter written by a different person, in a different setting. Since the whole plot takes place over a few thousand years, some of them even write about each other. This resource, Genially, I use in my 7th grade Social Studies class to help visualize concepts in history. It's fun because it is interactive and by clicking on the elements on the image you can get more info. 

  

Bookstores at Christmas

 

                                            Find my BWL books here!

     Is there any place more magical than a bookstore at Christmas? I am so lucky to live in Vermont, where independent bookstores abound. I can walk to a wonderful one in my town -- Village Square Booksellers. Yes, it's straight out of a Hallmark movie, as you can see!  It's presided over by the wonderful Myles, a local young man who recently purchased the store after working there with the previous owners, Alan and Pat, who are heading into a busy, community-serving retirement.

A bounty of holiday gift ideas

A great place to shop for children and grandchildren

Our bookstore supports local authors!

On a recent visit I found a perfect book of poetry and illustrations, and a short story collection of New England ghost tales for my sons, some travel-ready easy reading chapter books for my grandchild to read to me on our upcoming car ride to Lego Land, and some delicious Christmas Tea for our visiting guests as we gather around the fireplace.

What books will you be gifting to loved ones?

Blessings of the Season of Light, dear readers, and a joyous year ahead for you and yours. 

Christmas Celebrations - Mexico-style!

 

                                          Please click this link for book and author information

My husband Will and I have developed the habit of spending part of November and/or December in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. During our visits these past four years, we've noticed that as soon as the Day of Dead (Nov 1-2) celebrations are over Christmas decorations appear on buildings and streets. We northerners find it a bit jarring to see Santa Clauses in snowsuits and boots, reindeer, and our traditional Christmas trees juxtaposed with palm trees and swimsuits.  

A lucky girl rides the burro pictured below

Real burro stands beside restaurant Santa Claus and burro

No doubt Mexicans dress up their streets, restaurants, and hotels partly for snowbird tourists, but the locals seem to enjoy the festivity. Our hotel desk clerk was pleased when I admired the suggestion box she'd creatively decorated. 

Perhaps part of the appeal is that the traditional red, green, and white Christmas colours happen to be the colours of the Mexican flag. 

The Mexican flag flies above a beachfront cafe

Most Christmas decorations sold in stores are similar to ones available at Canada Walmart, although occasional stores displayed Mexican piñatas. Unfortunately, they were too bulky and fragile for us to bring home in our suitcases to add a Mexican flair to our own Christmas decor.  

 

Mexico is a predominately Roman Catholic country and Christmas is ultimately a religious celebration. From December 1-12 about 400 processions wind through the streets of Puerto Vallarta and culminate at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. These parades commemorate the appearance of

the Virgin Mary to the peasant Juan Diego on December 12, 1531. Our Hotel Los Arcos organized a procession for staff members and invited hotel guests to attend. They asked us to wear white although the procession's dancers appeared in colourful costumes. 

Waiting for the procession to start

            

According to Google translate, this sign at the start of the procession says: Virgin of Guadalupe here are your children of Corporative Los Arcos thanking you for all the favors received and asking you to preserve our work and Directives.

The candlelight processions include both Aztec and Christian costumes and motifs, mariachi bands, and singing by all participants (the organizers gave us song sheets). Food stalls filled the park in front of the destination, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.     

We found it a beautiful way to welcome the Christmas season. With luck we'll continue our Mexico habit next year. 

Happy Holidays to you!

When Land Lines Were King, by Karla Stover

 

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

By the same author BWL Publishing:  A Line to Murder (a Tacoma, WA. book.)

                                                              Murder: When One Isn't Enough (murder on Hood Canal.)

                                                              Wynter's Way (gothic at its best.)  

                                                              Parlor Girls (the life and times of the famed Everleigh sisters.) 

                                          When Land Lines Were King,  by Karla Stover

    "What language was that?" Asked a puzzled senior citizen.

    "High school Spanish and proud of it," said a telephone volunteer, hanging up the phone and laughing.

    "My brother hasn't talked to me in 15 years, and he still won't," muttered a man punching the elevator button.

    "I talked to four families in Germany," said an excited elderly woman. "They all went to one one house and hooked upon a speaker phone.

    And so it went on Merrill Lynch's annual Holiday Senior Call Day.

    In 1980 Merrill Lynch came up with the idea of making its phone lines available, at the company's expense, so less-affluent senior citizens could call family and friends for the holidays anywhere in the world. This was not as easy as it sounds. To get the word out, Merrill coordinated with the City's Human Resources Department where people there worked with the individuals, giving them a scheduled time to make their calls based on the time zone of where they were calling. Local ROTC members provided transportation if necessary, arrangements were made with local bakeries to donate cookies, and MCI representatives were invaluable in getting calls through to former east-bloc countries. And, of course, company employees were there all day long. When Call Day first began, one employee's eight-year old son manned the elevator. He couldn't help when he started college but his mother did. She closed herself in a room of phones and spent the day patching calls through for the homebound. In 1992, one of the shut-ins had died and she worked to connect the Tacoma family's with their relatives in Viet Nam so hey could convey the news.

    "Dial tones are different overseas," explained one volunteer. "People often don't know what they're hearing when you hand them the phone. Their faces really light up when someone at the other end picks up their phone and says, 'Hello.' That makes your day."

    "My husband died last year and my finances changed," one lady said. "If it hadn't been for this, I wouldn't have been able to talk to my family,"

     "This is the first time I've talked to my sister in Ireland in 40 years," one said a nun in a local cloistered community.

    The day was as varied as 250 people hoping to connect with family could make it. People got confused on Tacoma's one-way streets. Skateboarders  invaded the parking garage and played dodge-'em with the elderly. Purses and earrings were lost, and one person brought in a bag of garbage and left it under a chair for the janitors to take away later. The Pierce County Executive was a regular volunteer and sometimes a local news station came to film and interview people. In 1997, the program was honored with a Presidential Award for Private Sector Initiatives, the nation's highest honor recognizing volunteer service and community outreach programs.

    At the end of the day, the cookies that hadn't been eaten, or tucked away in pockets, were taken to the Rescue Mission. And one grateful senior summed it up saying, "I don't know who this Marilyn Lynch person is, but she's one heck of a gal."

    

Butting Heads with a Character - by Barbara Baker

 

It’s December … already. How did that happen? 2024 flew by like it was in a rush to get to 2025. What happened to those years when it took forever to get to Christmas? 

 

Please don’t blame the quick passing of time as another aspect of the aging process. Getting old gets blamed for enough crap … literally and figuratively speaking.

 

A highlight of 2024 was the release of Jillian of Banff XO on July 1^st. It’s the third book in my Summer of Lies series.

But since its release, Jillian (my main character), and I have had an on again off again relationship while I attempt to write Book 4. Yes, I know she’s not real but when it’s just me in the office staring at the screen I talk to her because I have so many questions. And sometimes she won’t tell me the answers to:

 -       Is there another story to tell?

-         If so, what's it going to be about?

-         Should it happen in Banff?

-         Do readers enjoy exploring the landscape through her eyes?

-         Or is it time to move on from all that is familiar (to me)? 

 

My progress writing the story starts off like a roller coaster - slow, steady on the uphill, gains momentum, flows well and then I have to close my eyes … because I’m stuck. When I first started writing the book, I was hell bent for getting to The End but then we had the hottest, most amazing summer in Alberta history, so I locked Jillian in my office promising her I’d be back. Soon.

But I wasn’t totally honest with her. Why? Because after such a picturesque summer we had a stunning fall, and then winter rolled in – do you see the pattern? Some refer to my behaviour as that of a squirrel, but I know they mean it in a humorous and loving way.

 

 

Through the passing of time and fabulous seasonal changes, I did stop in to check on Jillian. On numerous occasions, my fingers flew across the keyboard adding new scenes and riveting (to me) dialogue passages.

Other times, WTH? Where did Jillian go? No doubt it was her payback for me being the one to abandon her in the first place. 

 

With Jillian of Banff XO I had a solid beginning, middle and kickass ending. This time, I have a beginning I’m fond of, a new character with huge attitude, and a glimpse into new surroundings. But as of yet, I haven’t found the thread to tie the chapters together which frustrates me exponentially every time I sit down to write.

My husband stopped by my office door the other day and said, “Everything okay in here? I thought I heard snarling.”

“Some authors pump out multiple books a year,” I snapped without even looking at him. “How come I can’t even write the next ******* chapter?”

He walked away without saying a word. He is a very wise man. 

 

Now you know the status of my writing life for 2024 which might account for my 11,045 average steps per day from walking outside – often in search of Jillian.

Thank you for stopping in to read my blogs. I appreciate your notes, comments and the keen eyes who spot typos and bring them to my attention - thank you.

Have a fabulous and fun holiday season and we’ll catch up in 2025. 

 

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

Barbara Wackerle Baker | Facebook 

Barbara Wackerle Baker (@bbaker.write)