BOXED SETS RELEASED BY BOOKS WE LOVE THIS MONTH
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Who said never work with children or animals? ... by Sheila Claydon
The legend is that it was the comedian W.C. Fields but this is frequently disputed. It is generally accepted, however, that working with either children or animals on stage always carries risk. A child may steal the whole show or, instead, behave in an entirely unpredictable way, either of which is a challenge for the other actors. This is only too well illustrated by this TV clip from 1969. Admittedly the presenters were probably asking for it as they don't seem very prepared for what might go wrong on a live recording, but what did go wrong remains a favorite memory for everyone who saw it. Over forty years later it's still shown on British TV from time to time, and it still makes everyone laugh.
Using animals and children in books though it's an entirely different matter. They can be the focus of the story or act as a link between the main protagonists. They can inject humor, fear or pathos into the narrative or just provide a colourful background. They can also be used to give individual characters status. After all if a writer wants her hero to be a father, then he must have a child. The trick for the author is to decide how much of the story should be given over to the children.
I've just finished reading those great imaginary essays on history, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel and she uses children brilliantly. There are many of them woven into the epic story of the court of Henry VIII and yet none of them have a star part. What they do instead is, by their behaviour, show the reader who the adults are. Thomas Cromwell, for instance, reported by history to be many things from great statesman to cold-blooded opportunist, is, in Mantel's books, a loving father and uncle. His house is full of children and when his own daughters die of the sweating sickness that was so prevalent in London at the time, he doesn't forget his responsibilities to his dead sister's children, but makes a home for them even though they can never replace his own. Yet despite this, none of the children are more than shadowy background figures. What they do, however, is remind the reader that whatever else he was, Cromwell was a man full of human warmth who was kind to those he loved. He also loved dogs and in the books is never without one and from time to time he has the sort of conversation with his dog that all pet owners will understand.
In the same books, Mary Tudor, only daughter of Henry and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, is portrayed through the eyes of the many adults who surround her. She rarely appears herself even though she is integral to the story. Instead, the reader learns much about her and about how cruelly she is manipulated while she is still a child through the words and sniggers of the courtiers. As a consequence of this clever narrative much is learned about Mary's royal parents, Anne Boleyn her stepmother, and also about Cromwell himself. Whether any of it is true is a matter for conjecture, but as a story telling technique it is masterful, as is the reference to Anne Boleyn's small dog whose untimely death supposedly caused her more grief than the loss of her own infant baby.
Ruminating on this after I read the last page, I thought about my own books. Slight they may be compared with the epic histories of Mantel, but I realised that in some of them I have used the same technique. In Mending Jodie's Heart I've gone even further. Without the children, the dog, the birds and the horses, there would be no story. The children's likes and dislikes, their hopes and ambitions are the things that fuel it. Without the children and the animals the reader would never have learned about the hero and the heroine's flaws and their strength. The children and the animals were also the reason I had to turn what was meant to be one book into a trilogy. I had to know what happened to them. Whether I managed to use them skilfully enough to show the true characters of the adults in their lives is for the reader to decide.
My books are available at http://bookswelove.net/authors/claydon-sheila/ and also at Amazon. I'm also at:
Monday, April 13, 2015
Dragon Boating by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey
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I belong to a breast cancer survivor
dragon boat race team. I have been to an international festival in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada, one in Caloundra, Queensland, Australia, and one in
Sarasota, Florida, USA. About one hundred teams gather from around the world at each of these events and it is amazing to see the thousands of women dressed in pink.
Each team has twenty paddlers in the
boat, plus one drummer and one steersperson. The drummer, who sits at the front
with a drum and baton, pounds the drum to keep us paddling in rhythm while the
steersperson in the back keeps us on course. Both of them watch our
paddling technique. The boat is narrow at both ends and bulges in the middle,
making it a tight fit for the paddlers at the front and back. There are two paddlers per seat and the person beside you is your partner.
As paddlers we have one hand on the
handle of the paddle and the other on the shaft near the blade. We raise the paddle
and lean out over the side of the boat so that the paddle is vertical and both hands are over the water. We
rotate our upper bodies which puts the blade of the paddle beside the hip of
the person in front of us. This is our reach. We jab the blade into the water
and pull it back until it is near our own thigh then lift it out. That is our
stroke. All the twenty paddlers have to do this in unison, called timing, in
order for the boat to go forward. The faster we stroke the faster the boat
goes.
I find that Facebook is a wonderful
tool for connecting with family and friends around the world. Each day there
are many funny videos and thoughtful sayings shared on it. The following is a
list of orders given to dragon boat paddlers by their steersperson or drummer
that was shared on Facebook. I have heard them all either during practice or in
a race. However, taken out of context they may be considered a little off
colour. I have added a few to the list as well.
Do you mind stroking for us?
Do you have any wax for my shaft?
We'll do a wet start.
Give me two more inches.
Lower your hand on the shaft.
Pull out sooner, you're getting me
wet.
It's really tight back here.
You're holding the shaft too tight,
relax your grip.
Dig it deep and feel the glide.
Open up and show your partner your
chest.
Don't bob your head.
We are a bit front heavy.
Give it to me.
Don't pull out too soon.
Give it all you got.
Close your eyes and feel the rhythm.
Pull it out at the same time as the
person in front of you.
I have a blister on my butt.
Lift your butt cheek when you reach,
it helps you thrust more.
You're pulling out too soon and it's
splashing me.
Deeper, harder, stronger, faster.
Dig, dig.
Keep it long.
Long and strong.
Harder, harder.
Faster, faster.
Power finish now.
You have this, you have this.
http://www.facebook.com/writingsbyjoan
Gold Fever
Books of The Travelling Detective
Series boxed set:
Illegally Dead
The Only Shadow In The House
Whistler's Murder
I was born in New Westminster B.C. and raised in Edmonton.I have worked as a bartender, cashier, bank teller, bookkkeeper, printing press operator, meat wrapper, gold prospector, house renovator, and nursing attendant. I have had numerous travel and historical articles published and wrote seven travel books on Alberta, B.C. and the Yukon and Alaska that were published through Lone Pine Publishing in Edmonton.
One of my favourite pasttimes is reading especially mystery novels and I have now turned my writing skills to fiction. However, I have not ventured far from my writing roots. The main character in my Travelling Detective Series is a travel writer who somehow manages to get drawn into solving mysteries while she is researching her articles for travel magazines. This way, the reader is able to take the book on holidays and solve a mystery at the same time.
Illegally Dead is the first novel of the series and The Only Shadow In The House is the second. The third Whistler's Murder came out in August 2011 as an e-book through Books We Love. It can be purchased as an e-book and a paperback through Amazon.
i live on a small acreage in the Alberni Valley on Vancouver Island.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
PROCRASTINATION - WHAT'S THAT? by Rita Karnopp
Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the
week. What a
great line for all those people who say, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” And as we know,
most times tomorrow
never comes.
Why is it there are so many things we need
to do or get done and we just don’t have the time to do it all? Or are we just procrastinating?
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We are busy – yes! But we also delay . . . put-off . . . dawdle . . . and just plain feel lazy sometimes. It seems easier to get busy and so something else because the project we are facing just seems too mammoth to tackle.
Let’s be honest – whatever the project –we
all could use some helpful tips on how to stop making excuses – and get those
tasks done today!
1. Stop for a moment and ask - Why are you putting this project off? You know there has to be a reason. Is
it boring? Is it too big a job and just the thought of starting is enough to
make you run in the other direction? Maybe the project will surface emotions
you don’t wish to face? People
procrastinate for various reasons. Do you know your reasons? Understanding why – just might create the
solution and stop you from procrastinating.
2. Some people never tackle a
project because it’s truly not that big of a deal.
Maybe you really don’t need to tackle a project – because it’s not import to
finish. Then you might ask yourself, instead of stressing over the incomplete project
– should it be done in the first place. Get rid of it and cross it off your
to-do list.
3. Did you ever think of asking for help?
You love helping others when they need help – right? Don’t you think
others might like to help you, too? If a
project on your list is just too big to handle alone ask a family member or a
good friend to help. It’ll be a lot of fun to share the time with someone – and
you’re making good memories. A comment here and there and you’ll be laughing up
a storm together - plus the project will be done before you know it.
4. I call it baby
steps. When a
large project needs just your attention – starting can be daunting . . . or
let’s face it downright frightening. Consider this, begin using baby steps.
Don’t think you have to tackle every part of your project all at once. Heck I’d be running in the other direction,
too. Give yourself thirty minutes at the end of Monday through Friday. (Reward
yourself with the weekend off.)
Give yourself a good
direction what you will want to finish in that thirty minutes. Getting started
is the hardest decision of any to-do project. There will be days when you’ll
feel like doing even more than the thirty minutes because it’s going so well.
It’s getting started and committing the time to do it that counts.
5.
Now
comes the hard part for so many of us. Focus that
commitment to the end. Visualize what it will look like when you’re
done. How will you feel? Think of a reward to give yourself when the project is
completed – that will motivate you! Just know that when you are done – you’ll
be so proud of yourself.
6. We’re done talking about it.
You have a plan. You’ve made the commitment. Remember, getting started will
take will take the most effort.
a. Ask why you are putting the
project off – and decide if your project needs doing.
c. Make a commitment.
d. Start with baby steps.
e. Visualize the completed
project
f. Ask for help if you need it.
g. Focus until the end.
h. Reward yourself for a job
well done!
There’s
nothing to it. After you tackle the first item on your ‘to-do list’ . . . head
straight to the list and enjoy a rewarding check-mark in the ‘completed’
box. Now you’re ready to start all over
and tackle the next item on the list.
Procrastination? What’s that??
I would say writing is my passion . . . I see a story in just about every situation. I love Native American history and all the lessons it has to offer.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Remainder Me at Hay-on-Wye by Karla Stover
Remainder Me at Hay-on-Way
I miss book catalogues. I used to look
forward to those from Barnes & Noble, Bas Bleu, and A Common Reader—especially
A Common Reader. A Common Reader was in the book mail order business for twenty
years—from 1986 to 2006 and introduced me to Alexander McCall Smith, among
others. I saved the last one I received and, even now, find books I’d like to
read. Bas Bleu published (and paid me
for) a couple books reviews—books I recommended, but now I’m off that list,
too. Which leaves the Edward R. Hamilton bargain books catalogue; I get my dad’s
when he’s done with them.
I go through Edward H. cover to cover and
mark books to read. However, I also see patterns. For example, a lot of women write
Amish fiction. I read some, but the Amish lifestyle is so restricted the
stories are a bit repetitive. I also see that a number of people have hopped on
the Sherlock Holmes bandwagon. Wouldn’t most authors want to create their own
characters?
After I graduated from college and all the
reading I had to do for classes, I could no longer read cozies. My current two
Edward H’s are full of them: Aunt Dimity, Agatha Raisen, and Laura Childs books
and a few. Which offers up the question: is it better to be published but have
many of your books end up with Edward H or not to have published at all? I vote
for being published but I prefer to be remaindered at Hay-on-Wye.
In 1979, the United States
Supreme Court, in an unrelated case, passed a law on the adverse effects of the
keeping inventories for several years. The result was that books in the United
States have been remaindered much earlier and in greater quantities than prior
to the decision.
Hay-on-Wye,
or “Hay” to those who love it, is in Powys, Wales, close to the English border.
Often described as "the town of books", the little market town, with
a population of 1,900 has 23 bookstores, sometimes more. In 1961 Richard Booth opened Hay’s first
secondhand bookshop in the town’s old fire station. Four years later
he bought the local movie house and turned it into a bookshop, too.
They gave birth to the official town of books. (Kindles are banned).
So, if my books have to be remaindered someday, well, let
it be in Hay-on-Wye. Since I have some Welsh blood in me, they’ll be right at
home.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Magical Creatures by Cheryl Wright
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All kids love magical and mystical creatures. Even as adults we love them.
I recently discovered (via a cardmaking magazine) a wonderful stamp set called "Critters Ever After" by Lawn Fawn.
Unfortunately it's a couple of years since its release, so it was a little difficult to find in Australia. (Believe me when I say it's difficult to find a lot of craft supplies in Australia, let alone something released two years ago!)
But find it I did, along with the matching die set to cut it out much easier.
I have been playing around with the set, and because I know these will make much loved cards for soldier's children, I've been colouring. It can be quite time consuming to colour these sorts of images, so I've been doing them in snatches of time.
Above is a sheet of images I'm working on at the moment. If I'm feeling stressed, or simply need a short break, I can colour another creature or two.
They don't look much in the above photo, but the finished results can be spectacular. The card below was made for my youngest grandaughter. Her birthday is in June, but I wanted to play around with my new set!
It's hard to see here, but this card is an easel card, also sometimes known as a step-card. Because it has layers, it gives the cards a more 3D look and feel. Unfortunately I can't do these to send to our soldiers because we are asked to send cards with little to no bulk. (Because of them being sent through the mail.)
I hope you've enjoyed this card. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!
Links:
My website: www.cheryl-wright.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherylwrightauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/writercheryl
BWL website: http://bookswelove.net/authors/wright-cheryl/
Multi-published author, Cheryl Wright, former secretary, debt collector, account manager, writing instructor, and shopping tour hostess, loves reading. She writes romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and the occasional comedy.
She lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is married with two adult children and has six grandchildren. When she’s not writing, she can be found in her craft room making greeting cards.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Not granny panties!
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17 yr old daughter and I recently spent a little mother/daughter time shopping in the big city. We cranked the tunes on the 2 hr drive to our nearest big city, sang and took pictures as we drove. It was great to connect with her. We hit a number of stores, you know the usual, Wallmart, groceries, a few mom and pop stores to drop off some copies of my latest paperback, lunch, the equine supply shop and then my daughter spied the LeSenza store. I’m only 40 but touring a ‘bra’ store with my daughter was… well… not the experience I’d like to repeat in the near future. Don’t get me wrong, there were lots of pretty bras, water filled ones, gel ones, padded ones, lift ones and strapless wonders, but what sent a chill down my spine were the underwear. I’m talking about the panties. Yes, lacy little confections in pretty colors are nice and all but… there were tables and tables of tiny triangles held together with a string. Bright neon colors, straps that were little more than strings and tiny bits of lace that were designed to cover, well, nothing really.
Ok, I am not a prude,
far from it, my kids can wear whatever they want as long as they don’t look
like the neighbourhood hooker, heck my one son even sported an orange Mohawk
when he was in grade 4, but really? Underwear are supposed to cover, well, you
know, that region mom’s don’t want boys to be ogling on their teenage
daughters… am I right here? And the prices? I usually pay $8 for a 6 pack of
what my daughter calls ‘granny panties’. Yes, smart serviceable cotton briefs that cover what God intended they cover.
Anyway, after paying $60 for 9 pairs of
panties… um lace postage stamps, I got thinking about how different under
garments are from the regency and Georgian periods I write most of my romances
in. Underwear back then was basically short pants and a thin chemise with a bit
of a boost for those lovely ‘puppies’ used to lure a prospective husband, and
let’s not forget those wonderful torture devices the corsets. It seems as the
centuries accumulated the clothing thinned. That’s progress I guess. Have
underwear become more comfortable? Well, the lack of corsets sure help, but
honestly, I did try a G-string once and that little piece of string between my
butt cheeks drove me crazy! I thought it was horribly uncomfortable and I will
never get over that practically naked feeling. I’ll stick to my comfortable
cotton ‘granny panties’ thank you! What do you think about the underwear of
today compared to the regency period?
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