It's A Snow Day by Victoria Chatham

 

AVAILABLE ON THESE PLATFORMS

We knew our long, hot summer would not last forever. For the past week, I’ve been watching the weather forecast, mindful of the falling temperatures and gathering cloud cover.

Yesterday was one last brave hurrah of sunshine and mellowness, this morning we woke up to a winter wonderland with snow ten inches deep sitting on top of the cars. It doesn’t matter that what is falling now is a mix of snow and rain, today is the demarcation line between seasons.

My children, who all live in England, do not understand how their mother, who is so not a winter person, ended up in a country where there is so much of it. All I can say is that I make the most of it. On clear days I’m happy to go snowshoeing, but mostly I’m with the bears – hibernation sounds good.

I like to have a stack of books to read, titles by my fellow Books We Love authors, or thrillers by numerous authors like Lee Child, Anthony Horowitz, or Ken Follet.. I’ll compile a list of movies I’d like to watch, oldies but goodies (Casablanca, anyone?) as well as more recent heartwarming romances. Hot chocolate and a cozy fire add to the ambience, and on days when it really is too miserable to venture out of doors, it is time to get down to writing.

My next book, a contemporary western romance, is already underway, so being indoors writing will take up much of my time. Before I know it, the release date of September 1^st, 2023, will roll around, and I will have another title under my belt. I have to say, I love the writing life, whatever the season. How will you prepare for and deal with winter?

Victoria Chatham

  AT BOOKS WE LOVE

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Connecting with a reader

 In "Deadly Mixture", the spouse of a character is presented with a breast cancer diagnosis. I'd hoped it would balance the somewhat dark plot, with the reality and compassion of the medical situation. I spent A LOT of time researching the breast cancer diagnostic process, treatment, and the psychology of the patient and her family. After the book went into print, I mentally set aside that subplot and the work that went into creating it. 

Until a book signing last week.

After discussing the writing process and offering a preview of the follow-up Pine County mystery "Fatal Business", I asked if the attendees had any comments or questions. A gentleman I recognized from a previous talk raised his hand. He'd enjoyed "Deadly Mixture" and wondered if I realized how close to reality the breast cancer subplot was. Before I could answer, he added that his daughter had been diagnosed with breast cancer shortly before "Deadly Mixture" was released. After reading it, he passed his copy of the book to her, hoping she'd enjoy the story. 

With tears in his eyes, he went on, explaining that his daughter breezed through the book, then called him. "Dad, who wrote this book? Do you realize how exactly the author described the pain of the diagnosis, the cycle of surprise, denial, dread, and fear I am going through?"

I know the reader thanked me for my genuine representation of the character's experience with breast cancer, and her psychological response to the diagnosis and treatment. Beyond that, I was left speechless by the depth and sincerity of his comments. I hope I provided adequate thanks for his comments and praise, but to be honest, I was somewhat in shock and don't remember how I responded.

In the days following the book event, I reflected on the man's comments. What had inspired me to include the breast cancer subplot? Obviously, the hours I spent researching the details of the medical treatment and psychology were well spent. But what inspired me to delve into it?

A woman approached me after a different book event sponsored by a local church. She'd read all my books, across all three series, and told me that God must be inspiring me. I believe my response was flippant, joking that I was reasonably certain that God didn't care what happened to my fictional Jill and Doug Fletcher characters.

Now I wonder why I'm drawn from my bed with the characters swirling in my brain, screaming at me to get onto the computer and capture their words before they're lost. Why spend the effort and time to research an obscure plot twist to make sure it's absolutely correct? 

Perhaps the answer is in the words of that reader's comments about "Deadly Mixture". I/we do it because our words have meaning. They're fiction, but there are times when we touch our readers. Sometimes we hope to make them laugh. Other times our words bring tears. Either way, it's become
a humbling responsibility.

Check out "Deadly Mixture" at Hovey, Dean - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)

The Ghosts of Brittany France by Diane Scott Lewis

 

 Isabelle is likable heroine, and I enjoyed watching her make the best of a bad situation. Anyone who enjoys historical romance with a paranormal twist might want to check it (A Savage Exile) out.
~ Long and Short Reviews

Could vampires have roamed the island of Napoleon's final exile? Will a young maid discover the truth, or become a victim?

Purchase HERE

In writing a WWII novel set in Brittany, France, I learned more about their culture. Since October is the time of ghosts, I wondered how the Breton's felt about the otherworld. The most shocking revelation was, they believe the dead are always with them: two worlds in perpetual relation to one another. If the dead rustled the fallen leaves, this was expected, not surprising.

Also, they believe the dead are doomed to return to the land of the living up to three times--though the souls of the damned were usually lost forever. In rare cases, a damned soul might return to scold a loved one, warning them to change their ways before it's too late. People who died violent deaths were forced to linger between life and death until the natural course of their life would be over. These poor souls wandered the seashores and hedgerows awaiting Divine Judgement.

It was once thought the dead didn't immediately enter the Otherworld, but remained near their families for nine generations.

People were warned not to be out at night, and especially not to whistle. This attracted demons and the dead. One man in Northern Brittany was traveling home after dark and whistled to keep up his spirits. Then he heard an echo of his whistle, but this one was clearer and sharper than his. The whistler came closer and the man quickly realized the Devil was on his tail.

Working outside after dark was also a dangerous task. One farmer in Northern Brittany continued to sow his buckwheat after the setting sun. When he heard the cry "leave the night to whom it belongs," he stopped and hurried into his house.

In Southern Brittany, anyone who gazed too long on a will-o'-the-wisp, would go blind. And never look upon the ghostly white clad girls who carried blessed candles in the woods, doomed for using them in a profane manner.

In earlier times people carried rosaries and lanterns if they had to be out after dark. Or they could challenge the dead: "If you came from God, tell me your desire. If you came from the Devil, go on your way as I go mine." 

Information provided by Bon Repos Gites; Ghosts and Revenants of Brittany

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

To find out more about her and her books:  DianeScottLewis 

Beyond Excited...by Sheila Claydon

 Find my books here

Anyone who reads my books will know that children feature in a great many of them. Not as main characters but as a strong supporting cast, adding depth and normality to a sometimes taut situation. Mostly they add humour too. In Double Fault, however, the two year old twins are the story. Without them their parents wouldn't be struggling to come to terms with the past or to walk the tightrope that is their future. 

My 3 granddaughters, now aged between 8 and 21, have always provided inspiration as I have watched their antics, listened to them and played with them. And this brings me to the fact that I am beyond excited! 

My two eldest granddaughters live close by so the lockdowns of Covid19 didn't affect us too much, especially as one of them has a horse that has to be tended every day. This meant we could meet up outdoors and chat as we filled hay nets, mixed feed or hacked a short distance into the country to keep the horse's muscles supple. My youngest granddaughter lives in Hong Kong, however, so Covid has been a real problem, especially as previously we spent so much time with her both in the UK, Hong Kong and in Australia (where she was born) The only positive was that Covid quarantine, which was dreadful and prolonged in Hong Kong, meant her parents gave her a very early induction into managing Skype by herself, so we have been able to maintain a bi-weekly Internet relationship for nearly 3 years, reading stories online, drawing, playing games. Now, however, she is coming to the UK and the thought of actually seeing her and hugging her is wonderful.

She and her Dad will be with us for 3 months, including Christmas. Her whole UK family can hardly wait and nor can she. On Skype she beams from ear to ear as she counts down the days. Her Mum won't be joining us because of a job change and yet another country change, to Singapore this time, whereas our son works online so can transfer to the UK without too much of a problem! She is, however, a fab daughter-in-law, who thinks Astrid will benefit far more from being with her extended family than being caught up in the chaos of the move, and we agree. What a change it will make to our daily routine though.

No more leisurely starts to the day over coffee and the daily news because she has a full online school schedule from 9 a.m. No more increasingly flexible mealtimes as she apparently has the appetite of a horse! No more quiet evenings because her bedtime is later than it used to be. No more shared crosswords or reading a book as we eat our lunch because table manners must be honoured! 

There's the house too. My older granddaughters saved their toys for their small cousin's visits, so now my daughter's loft is empty and my spare bedroom is full. Lego of every shape and size, Cindy dolls, Barbie dolls, baby dolls, a walking/talking doll plus piles of clothes for all of them, boxes of games, jigsaws, a doll house, Smurfs, the list goes on and on, and I have to find storage room for all of it. Then there are the two shelves of children's books, the baskets of drawing paper, pens, paints, pencils, craft materials, glue, scissors. The hope is, of course, that with so much to do she will be very happily busy for most of the day. And when she isn't, well there is the horse to visit, tennis, baking, music, a walk to the beach, looking for squirrels in the pine woods....

And of course we need to introduce her to some local children too. There are twin girls who live nearby, and friends' grandchildren, and the junior section of the local tennis club. It will all be fine I tell myself as I wonder if my energy levels will hold up. They probably will and her Dad will take up the slack when he's not working...and when she leaves I might even have an idea for another book...one with a child in it!

In my Mapleby Memories trilogy Remembering Rose (Book 1) was inspired by a 6 month stint in Australia looking after Astrid. Loving Ellen (Book 2) is a follow on. 

Music Changes Us by Helen Henderson

Fire and Amulet by Helen Henderson
Click the cover for purchase information

I’ve been recently reminded that life is not always conducive to writing. To get back into the swing of things I’ve resorted to an old tool, music. Music has been the topic of several of my blog posts, usually to present the playlist associated with a given work. This post takes things into a slightly different direction and shares some thoughts on the affects of music.

Music stimulates the part of the brain that produces the dopamine hormone, which affects emotional behavior and mood. Research has shown that music may help improve mental health, reduce depression, enhance mood, and give strength to cope with problems. Research has shown that music can help you sleep better and elevate your mood while driving. Some studies indicate that music can even help you eat less.

The ability of music to jump start creativity has proven an aid an author. It allows us to feel all the emotions that we experience in our lives. Even without lyrics, a tune can evoke emotions that we capture with our own words. I admit I don't always listen to music when writing. Jotting notes in a doctor's office while waiting for your appointment or typing on a tablet in the wee hours of the morning isn't conducive to playing tunes. But that doesn't mean that music is not part of my writing life. Although each book tends to have its own playlist, certain songs trigger a mood or emotion so that the tunes transfer from book to book.

Music is an important part of some character’s lives. Ellspeth of the Windmaster Novels favorite relaxing pastime is composing music on her wooden recorder or silver flute. The theme continued in Windmaster Legend where both Iol and Pelra were skilled musicians. 

Bagpipes playing the lilting tune of “Garryowen” creates the image of a cavalcade of horses in a prancing, synchronized parade step. Even the same instrument can pull forth different emotions. Instead of claps accompanying the horses, the echoes of “Amazing Grace” played by a lone piper in a cemetery brings forth tears.

 For Fire and Amulet, an old standby, Celtic music where the lilting voices, flute and harp send my mind to a fantasy world where magic rules and dragon fly. On the player now is "Celtic Twilight" by Gabrielle Angelique. Music for a quest, hopelessness, and loneliness is conveyed by the haunting piano solo played at the end of each episode of The Incredible Hulk. "Twelve O'Clock High" the theme from the television series of the same name brings with it a vision of flight. Not of the B-17 bombers of World War II, but of a rust-colored dragon soaring in the clouds.

Sometimes a scene requires more than one song. Surviving a tornado was just the beginning. Deneas survives unhurt, but Trelleir suffers several broken bones. He cannot travel and Deneas cannot stay. At first I thought only one song fit the bill, Roger Whitaker's "The Last Farewell." Then I heard a few chords of "Unchained Melody" and that also resonated.  In the end, the two songs alternated on the spindle.

Whether you use music to boost your creativity as an author or to evoke emotions in your readers, understanding the music is important to a writer.

To purchase Fire and Amulet: BWL

 ~Until next month, stay safe and read.  

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. 

Transitions by Nancy M Bell

 

To learn more about Nancy's work click on the cover.

The shoulder seasons of the year, spring and fall. Times of transition. Now in the autumn of the year the trees burn gold against the blaze of Alberta blue sky, the fields glow buckskin under the skies dotted with round bales where summer is wrapped up for winter feed. The nights draw in as the light slowly but surely loses its battle with the dark. The moon flares silver in the sable sky while the constellations march across the heavens. Orion leads his hounds and the Pleiades dance to song of star fire. 

Here on the Canadian prairies the sweep of night is wide and deep, often the moon lingers in the morning sky, a white wisp against the strengthening blue, while the sun breaks free of the eastern horizon to flood the landscape with pure gold light, pushing back the last vestiges of the night.

Our lives follow the seasons in a much slower manner. Childhood and spring, youth and prime of life and summer, the slow mellow aging and autumn and then the final dark of the final transition and winter. Leaving this turn of the wheel to walk the starlit skies, the winter skies, the summer stars, our feet sure on the path of the Milky Way. Perhaps that is fanciful, but I truly feel the rhythms and the stages and rightness of it. Everything in its time. In my case, maiden, mother, crone, all in their own time and with their own lessons. Part of a chain that reaches into the far distant past and into the future.

Children carrying the blood of our past and our heritage just as I do and the ones who came before me.

Transitions, always changing, always moving. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow...but always moving. Carrying us with them.

Until next month, stay well,stay happy.    

Coming to the End of a Series by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #fantasy #Series #moon Rising

 

In December Book five of this series Seppal will arrive. I finished this book around the tenth of the month and to my surprise, I began planning the sixth and final book of the series, I usually don't write this way but one doesn't fight with the idea factory. I usually alternate genres. The interesting thing is that I have the book planned and have already rough drafted the first chapter. Now, rough draft are just that, rough. I'm not sure how other people write. Each of us finds our own way. Sometimes I envy those whose idea factory stays with a single genre, That's not my usual way.

Seppal tells the story from two points of view, a bit different from the others in this series but that's the way the story came to me. As always, there are the Three and Three and their talismans, a sword , a staff and a wand. Was interesting to take this story just with two characters. Not to worry. There will be six viewpoint characters in Keltoi but the format is a bit different too.

Does your idea factory make you change your pattern of writing? I find this happens seldom but I always listen. 

Can't wait to see Seppal on line and the cover for this series Moon Rising are always interesting. Must get back to work. Chapter 1 is written but I must type it in, along with little comments as to where I need to explain or make slight changes.

 

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A Bright Darkness, by J.C. Kavanagh

 

A Bright Darkness
Book 3 of the award-winning Twisted Climb series

Next month, the final book in The Twisted Climb series will be published. I have to tell you that writing and researching this book has been an epic journey. When I was in school, Native Indian history was largely ignored. What a shame. It's my hope that A Bright Darkness will provide the reader with a glimpse into their phenomenal energies. 

A Bright Darkness speaks to the history of the Ojibwe people and their long tradition of balance and respect for all things - human, animal, nature. The book also describes the Seven Fires Prophecies which were foretold thousands of years ago. Details of these prophecies were reverently intertwined into A Bright Darkness and I applied creative interpretation to justify the characters' involvement in fulfilling the Sixth Fire Prophecy. 

Also included in A Bright Darkness is The Seven Grandfather Teachings, a code that the Ojibwe/Anishinaabe Elders instilled in their children. Like the 10 Commandments, the Grandfather Teachings were espoused as basic principles in life:

Love

Wisdom

Respect

Honesty

Courage

Humility

Truth

Below is an excerpt... Enjoy!

And make sure to order your copy from your favourite retailer.

Chapter 1

Patty pressed her body against the dream world’s cold rock wall, her hands searching for outcroppings and niches. She was close to the top. The ghostly rays from the moon illuminated more footholds on the rock wall above her and she climbed higher. Though the cliff wall was about 40 metres tall, the many ledges and footholds made it an easy climb. Within moments, Patty’s fingers touched the smooth flat surface at the top and she peered cautiously over the edge. It has to be a surprise attack.

There they were – her teenaged daughter, Jayden; the handsome dark-haired fellow; the carrot-haired guy, and a young child. They were at the opposite edge but close – just a stone’s throw away. The flat rock surface at the top of the cliff spanned a mere five metres across to the other side. Beyond that, a yawning blackness dropped into a steam-filled volcano vent.

Ah, and there... there was the boy she followed so relentlessly. “Dick” they called him. The boy with the thick red scar etched across the top of his sickly, bald head. She was going to get rid of Dick once and for all. She lowered her head slowly, remaining out of sight.

It was almost time.

She waited, panting with excitement, hands and feet braced, heart racing.

Now. Patty slowly raised her head and then gasped in astonishment. The carrot-haired boy and the child were gone. Had they jumped into the volcano? Dick was standing at the edge, his long, scarecrow-like arms dangling by his sides. At his feet lay the cable cutters that he carried as his personal weapon. Maybe he pushed the kids into the abyss?

Her gaze shot over to Jayden and the handsome guy. Jayden was whispering and emphatically gesturing toward Dick. Before Patty could pull herself over the top, her daughter and the young man clasped hands. She watched as they sprinted forward and picked up the scarred boy in an arm-tackle manoeuvre, much like the ‘red-rover’ game she used to play as a child. Dick struggled but he was helpless to untangle himself from their grasp. The duo leapt off the cliff, taking Dick with them.

Patty scrambled onto the rock surface. All was quiet. White wisps of steam floated up from the hot volcano vent. She was alone.

“Fools!”

Walking to where the kids had jumped, she picked up the long-handled cable cutters. Holding the tool up to the light of the full moon, she shook it angrily. A primal howl erupted from deep within her, the high pitch gaining intensity until she could hold it no more. Before she could take another breath, a pack of wolves began a matching chorus of howls. Their voices echoed eerily across the valley.

Patty smiled – a cold, soul-less, unholy display of emotion. She manifested neither joy nor love, not even sadness for the fate that must have befallen her daughter and the others. Instead, her green eyes were dark and malignant, their gaze excreting a menacing hatred. She slapped the cutters across the palm of one hand and stepped toward the volcano’s edge. Steam and an orange glow came from below. She peered into the depths and the pupils of her eyes reflected the hellish glow swirling beneath.

“Fools!” she repeated. “Dick was mine to destroy.”

* * * 

Ancient depiction of Mishibeshu,
the mythological Sea Monster / Underwater Panther
of the Anishinaabe tribes.
Photo from the National Museum of the American Indian.

The mythological Thunderbird, 
crest of the Anishinaabe tribes

Until next time, stay safe everyone :)

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, 2022 

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

 

If there’s MAGIC, is it still a MYSTERY? By BC Deeks, Paranormal Mystery Fiction Author

 

From the time I read my first Nancy Drew Mystery, I was hooked on the puzzles that are at the root of every mystery book. From Nancy, I moved on to my brothers’ stack of The Hardy Boys, dived into my best friend’s collection of Agatha Christies, and the rest is history. Now I’m a career author, and my stories always have a mystery at their core, but I don’t stop there. 

Mysteries form the PLOT, but what about CHARACTER and SETTING. There’s nothing that says I can’t add more layers to my story through the other elements while staying true to the bones of a good mystery. Why can’t I let my imagination run wild and weave in magical spells, alternate universes, and portal magic? …As long as I still follow the rules of a good mystery!

Mysteries are stories that have, as their base, a crime (most likely a murder) and someone who strives to solve the crime or catch the killer.  I’m not the only author running amok with the genre fiction. Today's mystery and suspense writer can go literally in any direction, genre, and sub-genre.  Romance, Science Fiction, Paranormal, and Mainstream novels routinely tap into the elements of mystery fiction. This has opened the doors to some new and exciting direction like the cozy paranormal mystery series from authors like Mary Stanton or Heather Blackwell. That doesn’t mean that you can throw out the traditional bones of a mystery. The tried-and-true formula still applies along with many of the other fundamentals we’ve relied on for decades.

Mysteries must meet the expectations of its audience, but are its components really so different from other genres?

· Strong Mystery PLOT

· Depth of CHARACTERS

· Multiple sources of CONFLICT

· Strategic Placement of CLUES

·Creative use of RED HERRINGS

With the exception of the last two, not so much.

The mystery form is not as rigid as in the past, although you need to observe some accepted boundaries or readers tend to get upset with you. The crime must be serious enough for the reader to want it solved, and there must be a penalty for NOT solving the murder. There must be detection--a crime cannot solve itself. You must play fair with the reader. Every clue discovered by the detective/sleuth must be available to the reader somewhere in the book and clues and red herrings must eventually lead to solving the crime. If it is a whodunnit there must be several suspects and the murderer must be among them. If is a whydunnit, you will know the murderer and the question becomes which of the motives is the reason the crime was committed.

In my paranormal mystery, WITCH UNBOUND, two murders bring Marcus Egan, a magically powerful Guardian Warlock to the mortal realm. The daughter of the murder victims, Avalon Gwynn, is an untrained hereditary witch who is a danger to herself, and both the mortal and supernatural realms, without his help. Together they battle dark forces while trying to find her parents’ murderer. It’s a traditional whodunnit wrapped in magic and romance that I hope readers will enjoy.

I write heartwarming stories of mystery and magic. WITCH UNBOUND is the first book in my paranormal mystery series Beyond the Magic and is available OCTOBER 1. To learn more about my Beyond the Magic series or my author life, please find me on my website at www.bcdeeks.com or on Facebook.

Walk In Beauty

 Find my BWL books here

Dine Woman, 1905

In beauty I walk

With beauty before me I walk
With beauty behind me I walk
With beauty above me I walk
With beauty around me I walk
It has become beauty again
It has become beauty again
It has become beauty again
It has become beauty again

Hózhóogo naasháa doo
Shitsijí’ hózhóogo naasháa doo
Shikéédéé hózhóogo naasháa doo
Shideigi hózhóogo naasháa doo
T’áá altso shinaagóó hózhóogo naasháa doo
Hózhó náhásdlíí’
Hózhó náhásdlíí’
Hózhó náhásdlíí’
Hózhó náhásdlíí’

Here in the US, Columbus Day has ben replaced by Indigenous Peoples' Day, celebrating the first peoples of lands throughout the globe.

I am so grateful to my Huron and Chippewa grandmothers and all the native people who have welcomed me into their lives and shared their culture. I could not have written these novels without their guidance and encouragement. 

Deep gratitude and a hail and farewell  to our precious John Wisdomkeeper who has been such a friend to all of us here at BWL publishing.  He walks in beauty.

Ageism in Writing

 

Please click this link for author and book information

Some years ago, I read an award-winning novel about intergenerational family relationships. Every character in the story over age fifty was physically or mentally decrepit, and often both. The author was in her thirties. This was a comic novel and I realized she was exaggerating the characters for laughs. As an official senior citizen, I didn't find it funny. 

Physical and mental problems do tend to creep in with age. Aching joints, dementia, type two diabetes, high blood pressure, clogged arteries, and a host of cancers strike seniors in large numbers. I know several seventy-year-olds who have broken bones from a simple fall. In their youths, they'd have escaped with a scratch, which healed quickly. I find recovery from injuries and medical procedures takes longer now and my body parts don't always completely return to their former normal. "You're only as old as you feel" would be nice, but it isn't quite true. Portraying seniors as no different from fit twenty-somethings only works in science fiction and fantasy -- my fantasy, in particular. 

But I also have many friends over age seventy-five who regularly spend full days hiking up steep hills, over rocky and rooted terrain. And don't try to put something over on my ninety-year-old uncle. He's as sharp as many people decades younger, although he needs a wheelchair.  

Look closely to see a group of seniors hiking - they're specs on the landscape

I think one trick for writing realistic older people is balance. For each character brought down by the trials of advanced age, show another senior in peak form. I wouldn't have minded that award-winning humour novel as much if one character over fifty, and preferably over seventy or eighty or ninety, climbed a mountain, clobbered a skilled opponent in chess, or published a successful humour book. 

It's not easy to avoid ageism in writing. A friend, who is a few years older than I am, once admonished me for a having character in her mid-fifties struggle to rise from sitting on the floor. I'd thought this was realistic, since most people in my seniors' gym glass hoist themselves up awkwardly from the mats. Kudos to my friend for being able to leap to her feet.  

   

My Aunt Edith mastered the internet in her nineties

The Problems of Having a Genius in the Family, by Karla Stover

 

Visit Karla Stover's BWL Author Page to purchase Parlor Girls

     "Ineffectual," "Inept," "A consistent failure." This are just a few of the ways Ernest Hemingway described his brother, Leicester. Harsh comments from a bullying brother, so what could Leicester do to make his mark on history? How about work hard and create and become president of a foreign country--a made-man country built on a platform in the Caribbean Sea six miles off the island of Jamaica which he called New Atlantis.

It's hard to know how serious Hemingway was about his enterprise but perhaps very serious. He used his own money, money earned from the proceeds of his book, My Brother, Ernest Hemingway, and waited for three years after his famous brother's death before launching  the kingdom.

"Anything we build there is legally called 'an artificial island,'" he said of a spot in international waters. Interestingly enough, the ocean floor was only fifty feet down there, an anomaly from its normal 1,000 feet. There he put down a foundation made from used steel, iron and cables, a ship's anchor, a railroad axle, steel wheels, an old Ford motor block, and assorted other scrap metal. Attached to it was an 8 x 30-foot bamboo log platform. He claimed half for Atlantis and half for the United States government, based on the U.S. Guano Act of 1856. To quote Wikipedia, "The Act enables U.S. citizens to take possession of unclaimed islands containing guano for the U.S., and empowered the President to send in armed military to intervene. This encouraged American entrepreneurs to search and exploit new deposits on tiny islands and reefs in the Caribbean and in the Pacific."  Guano was both a fertilizer and a necessary ingredient in gunpowder. Leicester wasn't interested in guano, though. He planned to found an International Marine Research Society on the island. He hoped to raise money for further marine research, to build "a scientifically valuable aquarium in Jamaica, and to help protect Jamaican fishing."

            One of the island's stamp.

The island's flag.

The first residents were Leicester, his wife Doris and their daughters seven -year old Anne and three-year old Hilary and Lady Pamela Bird, a Brit holding two citizenships. A letter from President Lyndon Johnson addressed to Acting President and Republic of New Atlantis inadvertently gave the fledgling republic an act of formal recognition.

     None of his plans came to fruition. In 1966 a storm destroyed New Atlantis and Leicester, who was diabetic, began experiencing bad health. After two operations and fearing the loss of his legs, he committed suicide in 1982. Like his brother, he took himself  out with a shotgun.

What Happens Next? By Barbara Baker

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

After the release of What About Me? I panic. Do I need to post another ad on social media? Or have I done enough? Do stories and reels attract more viewer traffic than posts? Is Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram sufficient? Should I try Pinterest or Booktok? Don’t get me going about hashtags. There are so many to choose from. How and when do you know if any of them work? With my first novel, book trailers were in. This time round, they’re old school. It’s hard to keep up with the trends.

I don’t want people to stop following me because they’re tired of hearing about my new release, so I resist all of the above and post a picture on Facebook of a pelican coming in for a rough landing.

Even Google waffles about which is the best approach to increase sales. Have you found the right way to get your book more exposure?  And, as if advertising isn’t frustrating enough, checking views, likes and comments becomes addictive and my thumb aches from scrolling.

I move on to counting down the days until I can check my book reviews. So I don’t drive myself (and my husband) bonkers about what readers are saying, I only check reviews on the 17^th of the month. I embrace my vacuum and give the floors a good workout if I’m tempted to peek earlier than said date.

Yes, I realize readers have a life. And when they get to the end of a book, they carry on with that life. Most readers never leave reviews. If they only knew how much they meant to authors, my vacuum wouldn’t be so exhausted and I wouldn’t cringe when I ask them to post a review (the reader, not my vacuum).

When I’m done fretting about what’s next and the fact the 17^th of the month is still a week away, a different worry sneaks in. Can I write another story about Jillian and her adventures in Banff? If so, what will be the crack in her world that makes the story unfold?

As I insert a fresh cartridge in my favourite pen and grab a brand-new notebook, words from an editor replay in my head. “You need to be a more prolific writer. You need to get out of Banff and find new characters.” I look up prolific - producing much fruit or foliage or many offspring. I must have picked the wrong definition. I'm done having kids. Grandkids are way more fun.

A tarot card reader told me “Stop playing it safe. Write what you really want to write about.” What the heck does that mean? Is it a coy way of saying get out of Banff? Ditch Jillian? Who are these people and why do they insist on taking up space in my head? They certainly aren’t paying rent and they bring on a wave of imposter syndrome.

Should I even write another book?

The perfect solution to all these chaotic thoughts about writing – a colourful fall road trip. Maybe Jillian will tag along. Maybe she’ll meet someone new and start an adventure somewhere else. Or maybe she’ll only come for a mini-vacation and return to Banff after all. Regardless, road trips inspire me. And yes, I realize I’m procrastinating but is that a bad thing?

For all those celebrating Thanksgiving, have a fabulous feast and enjoy the fall colours. In Calgary we haven't had snow yet and there's none in the forecast. Although I already have my ski pass purchased, I'm loving the unseasonably warm weather. I hope you are too.

  

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

What About Me? | Universal Book Links Help You Find Books at Your Favorite Store! (books2read.com)