Weekend Musings: IN NEED OF HEROES

FYI: I will be taking vacation days the first week of July. 

We can’t deny that our economic situation is precarious to say the least. There are so many things out of our power to control in today’s world. The truth of the matter is we don’t like the feeling of being powerless. 

My husband and I were discussing some of the movies we’ve watched over the past year. What drew us to those particular movies? Those who know me also know I love kick-ass movies. While I do watch some romantic comedies, or drama, I prefer action adventure. 

• Captain America, which was a blend of old fashion values of a bygone age and a hero who could beat the odds. Win the day. A hero you liked and could respect.

• Fast Five because while this crew was considered criminals they had heart and values. Plus they outsmarted a really nasty bad guy. That I loved. It highlighted the point that a family isn’t always blood but can be comrades. Plus Vin Diesel and the Rock weren’t bad to look at. I loved the precision driving, hot cars, and danger.

• Abduction, because sometimes ordinary people become heroes in extraordinary circumstances, especially when their life is on the line (there are several movies I could add here that I've seen and fit that description).

• Sherlock Holmes harks back to an older time, which is part of the appeal, but a time on the edge of so many new technological advancements. It’s the feeling of optimism and hope that draws me as well as intellect. Naturally there is plenty of action to satisfy me. And Jude Law and Robert Downey are fine specimens of manhood, lol!

• Tower Heist gave me something to laugh over while and rooting for the little guy, the ones without a lot of power and influence. But they did have brains and used them to win. 

• The feel good movies: We Bought a Zoo, Friends With Benefits, Bridesmaids, Real Steel, and War Horse. 

• The safety valve and laughter movies: Bad Bosses, Bad Teacher, and The Hangover (Hubs and son and they also love horror movies).

Art by Joe Jusko

I look down my list and see a lot of heroes. I think in tough times people need heroes to save the day. It’s not surprising to find out that Batman (gotta love a guy named after a Scottish hero and inspired by Sherlock Holmes and The Shadow) and Superman (superhuman abilities and a strong moral values) were born in the 1930’s in the middle of the depression. The Phantom (one of my all time favorites) is another hero that was born in the 1930’s no superhero abilities but like Batman, a strong sense of justice, the ability to use intellect and strength to accomplish victory in their battles. Captain America was born at the beginning of WWII.

Heroes give us hope and something to cheer on to victory. They accomplish things we can’t but heroes like Sherlock Holmes, Batman (the dark knight), The Phantom (the gray knight) are very human. They merely use their brains and strength to effect changes in their world and win the day and that offers hope to a very human population. 

It tells us that individuals can make a difference if we stand for what’s right. We can win if we act.

zzzz

A few things:

Over Coffee will be on vacation the first week in July. I'll be rerunning some articles and I will do a Insecure Writers article. Hubs is off for training for a month starting the second week of July.

A few of my favorite heroes:

1 Those wondering when Anita Clenny is coming out with a new book--later this fall and it will be a new series, Guardians of Stone (you can read a brief excerpt) yay! And she will be releasing the third in current series, Unleash The Highland Warrior (hope to have a date for you soon). I've been missing her books.

Amazon, B&N, 

Amazon, B&N

• DONNA GRANT has a new book released in her Dark Warrior Series. The cool thing is, they're back to back releases. 
• Last month it was Midnight's Master (Logan) excerpt and just released, Midnight's Lover (Ian) excerpt.
• AND if that wasn't enough to look forward to she is also starting a new series, Dark Kings which will be released as a special ebook novellas July, August,and September. These two series will have overlap stories, which I think will be very cool.  

  

SUMMERTIME AND THE LIVING IS...?

Well busy, hot, and sweaty. I swear there are times there isn’t enough hours in the day to get what has to be done finished. At least the hay is cut. The garden is alive, despite the lack of normal rain and relatively weed free. I have a list of things to do and have enjoyed ticking off the completed items.

But the sad truth is we tend to focus on the things we have to do. Those are the things that weigh on a person. We’re adults and we have responsibilities. But summer isn’t just about the must do things. Isn’t also about fun? We need to take time to find the fun and joy of being.

Being a person who needs balance in my life, I realize I also need fun things to do. Things I enjoy. The quiet time sitting outside of a morning with a fresh cup of coffee and listening to the birds sing up the sun. The quiet chuckle over silly hummingbirds arguing over who owns the feeder—or the flowers. I have a pair of nesting swallows that have a nest every year in the eaves of my breezeway/patio. It’s always fun to watch them raise up their babies. My horses, cats, and Danes—all give me joy and I do spend a lot of time with them.


Laughter is one of life’s joys.

I've also had a chance to go to the theater and see some good movies. So far my favorite has been The Avengers. Visits to my family are always something I enjoy and in the summer I try to get down to visit every other week. Two weeks ago I took a day and just visited family. My mom and I had a great time laughing and joking and sharing life’s moments. My great uncle Buddy sent my mom a small book he put together of the fox ranch my grandfather had back in the 40’s and he raised mink in the 50’s. She grew up in the Hayward area of Wisconsin and the ranch was at Lands End. Very remote and still is.  Lots of pictures of the house he built for my grandmother, pictures of my mother as a girl, my great uncles and aunt. Some pictures I hadn’t seen of my great-grandmother and grandfather Adams. Weddings, holidays, and family parties. He did it in story form and my mom loves it. He’s a published author and a retired (well mostly) wildlife biologist. He written and co-authored quite a few non-fiction books on the subject.

Later that afternoon I spent time with my brothers sharing a few beers around the pool and talking kids, jobs, and the vagaries of life after forty. Damn those body parts anyway.

I’ve visited with a nearby friend; I call her the goddess of the woods. She’s full of laughter and fun. She is a fascinating conversationalist and natural healing practitioner. 

And I’ve read quite a bit. Currently I’m reading a really good thriller called 72 Hours by William Casey Moreton (and will be reading more of his work). Other excellent books I’ve enjoyed; I Own The Dawn The Night Stalkers, ML Buchman, The Flower Reader, Elizabeth Loupas, Midnight’s Master, Donna Grant. A non-fiction, You Are A Writer (So Start Acting Like One) Jeff Goins. I’ve read other good books but these are in the excellent category for me.

And writing. I’m having fun with my current story and characters. I’m writing slower than I normally do but it’s steady progress.

• What have you done to balance out all the Must Do things? 
• What are some things you enjoy doing away from the computer and internet?
• Any fun vacation plans?

Making a living is not the same as making a life.

MONDAY MUSING—In Need Of Brakes or Is It Breaks?

Has anyone seen my brakes? The one that slows down life to a manageable trot rather than a mad sprint to collapse?  Whoever has them give ‘em back, dammit.

Last summer wasn’t this crazy, but then I wasn’t terribly healthy at the time and didn’t notice stuff and what I did notice was a case of Pfft, who cares? This summer I’m totally present and pulling out my hair in the race to beat summer to the fall with all the accumulated chores of the past couple of years. They gotta get done before winter and snow and ice—I say that with temps over 90 degrees outside. I’m desperately striving for organizing chaos and feeling one step behind everything. Some days are middling, others fair (as in fair to middling), but some days are spot on. There is hope. 

But all this does underline the fact I’m not as present online as I have been. No offense to anyone or their writing or their blogs. I’m allotting the alphabet designations for the TO DO list, x-amount of time for online, y-amount for my writing, and zzzzz.

On to breaks and Guest blogging.

Something I don’t get asked to do very much is be a guest on someone’s blog. At least not as much as I did a few years ago. But Jo thought a break was in store for me so that’s where I’ll be *Musing* today.

JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS, AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE   My topic is, GEMSTONES—A POWER FOR HEALING? Can they be a force to heal or is it an old wives tale?

What are your thoughts on using gems as a means to heal? Stop by Jo's and share your thoughts on the matter.

THE FIRE AND PASSION FOR GENRE FICTION

Coffee is fresh and hot! Grab a cup.

My guest today is award winning paranormal romance writer, Tamara Hogan. She found her path to writing genre fiction by way of being a "good little" English major in college and a case of knowing what she didn't want to write. And talks about how she found her way to writing paranormal romance served with a twist of sci-fi on the side. 

I'm one of those writers who came out of a university creative writing program feeling more beat up than energized. I knew, even way back then, that I wanted to write genre fiction instead of literary fiction.  But like a good little English major who wanted a good grade, I spent my university years writing poetry (which I loved, and was pretty good at), reading literature (which I loved as well), but writing the type of fiction that met professors’ and classmates’ expectations rather than had any sense of real passion or authenticity. When I graduated, I felt like a poser. My enthusiasm was dampened, my voice felt compromised, and I needed to take a serious break from writing.

I never dreamed that the break would be over twenty years long.

That's totally on me. Life got in the way, as it often does. I built a technology career, got married and divorced, got sick, fell in love again. Over the years, I took the occasional writing class to keep my hand in—finishing nothing, but rediscovering my love of genre writing. Taking workshops for pleasure rather than for a grade, and from working writers, was an utterly liberating experience for me. Over the years, I'd also gained enough confidence to simply not care what other people thought about what I liked to read or write.

One night, watching Motley Crue with a friend, inspiration hit. I was watching all of these middle-aged women lifting their shirts, flashing their middle-aged boobs at drummer Tommy Lee. I remember thinking to myself, "Why are these women behaving this way? Is he half incubus, or what?” (Incubi are mythological sex demons.)

What if he was?

That sole thought set my imagination on fire, and led to the creation of the world that I built for the Underbelly Chronicles series. Screw the rules, I wrote a book I wanted to read: a love story with mystery and science fiction elements, with naughty language and love scenes and a (gulp) rather sympathetic villain. I reveled in the writing, rediscovered my joy—especially when the manuscript was named a 2009 Golden Heart finalist and a Daphne du Maurier paranormal winner, and sold in a three-book deal to Sourcebooks.

I tell myself that things happen for a reason, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have regrets. I grieve for that young writer, for books not written, for the career that might have been. But what would that career have looked like had I embarked upon it right out of school? Would there have been any fire, any authenticity, in my work whatsoever? Any spark at all? And coincidentally, during those years I didn't write, when my energy was going toward other things, look what happened to the romance genre, particularly in the paranormal realm. I couldn't have written these books twenty five years ago, and there certainly wasn’t a market for them.

So…maybe I lost some time, but I'm trying like hell to make up for it now. Maybe things do happen for a reason. ;-)

CHASE ME BY TAMARA HOGAN – IN STORES JUNE 2012

(Amz | BN | Sourcebooks | Powell’s
| BAM | Sony | Kobo)

THE SECRETS SHE'S UNCOVERING WILL BE HIS TO KEEP...

Centuries ago, when their ship crashed to Earth, paranormals of all types settled secretly into our world, quietly going about their business with humans none the wiser. Self–ruling and careful to stay below the radar, all is threatened when Valkyrie archaeologist Lorin Schlessinger and her werewolf geologist partner Gabe Lupinsky inadvertently draw evil attention to Earth and its treasured natural resources.

As the threat intensifies, Lorin and Gabe struggle to contain the chaos they've unleashed, and to resist their explosive mutual attraction...Read an excerpt here.

“Hogan’s sharp, funny dialogue and strong but subtle character development elevate both the story and the fierce chemistry between insecure, bespectacled Gabe and lusty, aggressive Lorin. Paranormal fans will enjoy this fresh take on the genre.” — Publishers Weekly

Tamara Hogan loathes cold and snow, but nonetheless lives near Minneapolis with her partner Mark and two naughty cats. When she's not telecommuting as a quality and process engineer for a global networking company, she enjoys writing edgy urban fantasy romance with a sci-fi twist. A feral reader with an unapologetic television addiction, Tammy is forever on the lookout for the perfect black boots. Her debut, Taste Me, was a 2009 Daphne Paranormal Winner and 2009 Golden Heart Finalist.  For more information, please visit  www.TamaraHogan.com or follow her on Twitter, @TamaraHogan1.

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GIRDING THE LOINS

               

My guest today is debut historical author, Jayne Fresina. Her topic is timely for writers. When you write for yourself it's different than the courage needed to share that writing with others. Jayne calls it girding her loins.  


An appropriate term, if an old fashioned one, because the loins are vulnerable to injury. Taking on a physical task or going to war, one girded, or wore a protective belt to protect the loin area and sword. Or in the case of the biblical use, meant tying (or belting) up your loose clothes for ease of movement and generally meant preparing to use all resources for a difficult task. I would say a writer preparing for having their work published would qualify.

I started writing stories in my head when I was a girl walking to school each day. I vividly remember foggy autumn mornings, dawdling along, crunching fallen berries under my shoes. Often I stopped to collect beautiful gold and burgundy leaves that would not look half so impressive by the end of the school day, crushed into my satchel with the balsa wood airplane I made in woodwork, or my sweaty socks from hockey.

Unlike the fallen berries and dry leaves, my stories lived on. Each day I wrote a new chapter.

In the beginning I kept those stories in my head, because I feared other people would laugh at me. Certainly, I never had thoughts of becoming a published writer or letting anyone else know about the stories I thought up. It wasn't until I became an adult, that I started writing them down—in a notebook at first and then on a computer. Even then, I wrote them for my own satisfaction, not planning to share them with anyone else. Ever.

But one day I got up the courage to show a friend. I had mentioned to her, quite by chance, that I'd been working on a book. Immediately she was curious —as in What on earth are you doing writing a book? It must have been a surprise to a lot of people, since I'd kept my passion secret all those years. For some weeks I put her off, changed the subject, politely evaded talking about the book I was writing. It became a bit of a joke to some people. Oh, Jayne's writing a book, poor thing.

Eventually it was done, I felt an immense sense of pride and achievement and suddenly I wanted to show someone. Suddenly I was unaccountably vain. I was so proud, so in love with my characters. I wanted other readers to enjoy them as much as I did. It takes a pretty swelled head to take a manuscript that's never been professionally edited and give it to a friend to read. How did I ever get to that point? I laugh about it now, the hours I sweated over my decision to show other people what I'd written. I was taking a huge chance. They might never stop laughing at me.

Well, I'd better pull up my big girl panties or - as my heroine Sophie Valentine would say, I'd better learn how to Gird my Loins.

Looking back, I suppose that was the point when writing changed from hobby to purpose. My friend showed the manuscript to her husband and then to other friends. Soon I was being persuaded to try publication. Before I really knew what had happened, writing became not just a pleasant past-time but a driving need. Every morning I got up a few hours early just to write before leaving for work. At night I sat up in bed reading books for research or making notes on the pages I'd printed out. At that point I knew I had to find a way to get published. Whatever it took, no matter how many rejections from agents and publishers—and there were hundreds of those!

Sometimes I stop and look back. I wonder what I would have done with all those hours if writing had not become such an all consuming passion. What would I have found to do? Occasionally, when I finish another book and I'm about to release it out into the world to be judged, I think back to that first time I ever showed another human being my work. And I wonder how I got so brave.

No, the fear never goes away, never fades.

I write stories that I would like to read. It's all I know how to do. It's all I want to do. That is, after all, why I started, as a schoolgirl, trampling berries and fallen leaves on her way to class. It still feels incredibly good to know there are folk out there who get as much pleasure from reading these stories as I get from writing them.

Frankly, it amazes me that the stories coming out of my head can entertain other people, because inside I'm still the same girl with scabby knees, a lot of geekiness, hair that will never lay flat and a very, very good imagination.

And a great deal of fear as I send my precious characters off into the world for the first time. 

Like Sophie Valentine I had to learn how to "gird my loins" and take a leap of faith.

• What has had you girding your loins and taking a leap of faith?

THE MOST IMPROPER MISS SOPHIE VALENTINE BY JAYNE FRESINA – IN STORES JUNE 2012

"Wanted: one husband, not too particular. Small dowry, several books, sundry furnishings, and elderly aunt included. Idlers, time-wasters, and gentleman without other attachments need not apply."

—Miss Sophie Valentine

AMAZON, B&N, B.A.M

A SCANDALOUS LADY…

Sophie Valentine knew placing an ad for a husband in the Farmers Gazette would bring her trouble-and she was right. When the darkly handsome, arrogantly charming Lazarus Kane shows up on her doorstep, the nosy residents of Sydney Dovedale are thrown into a gossiping tizzy. After all, it's common knowledge that Sophie is a young lady In Need of Firmer Direction. But even Sophie isn't so scandalous as to marry a complete stranger…is she?

SEEKS HANDSOME STRANGER…

Lazarus Kane has been searching for Sophie half of his life. She may not remember him, but he could never forget her. But the past is a dangerous thing, and it's best if his remains secret if he wants to tempt Sophie with...

A MOST IMPROPER PROPOSAL…

Excerpt

~*~*~*~

Jayne Fresina sprouted up in England, the youngest in a family of four girls.  Entertained by her father’s colorful tales of growing up in the countryside, and surrounded by opinionated sisters— all with far more exciting lives than hers— she’s always had inspiration for her beleaguered heroes and unstoppable heroines. Visit www.jaynefresina.com for more information. 

MONDAY MUSINGS: The Art Of Relaxing

Coffee on the porch

It was a quiet day around the McKye homestead for Father’s day. Hubs had the early morning to do edits on his manuscript and I got to sleep in. Not that this was hard to do since I had stayed up late the night before doing my own writing and keeping an eye out on progress of the thunderstorm. Just in case.

A bit later we had a chance to sit around and drink some coffee outside and catch up on our week before it got too hot and muggy. Chatted about all sorts of things and, of course, the latest changes in stories and publishing. He deplores the need these days of stories having to be nonstop action from the get-go. God forbid that the reader might have to wade through any narrative before someone dies or is kidnapped or some danger rears its head. The need to grab your audience but still do a good set up of a suspense story is a fine balance, I agree. He does make a good point about Michael Crichton, Patterson, Dan Brown, and even Robert B Parker’s books. There is a lot of descriptive narrative, but the point I made was these authors were established long before this new style came into play. I bet if they were debut authors submitting, there would be chunks of that narrative cut. But because these authors are well-established moneymakers who’s going to tell them they can’t? They’re bestsellers. Their name alone sells books.

        

Hubs is an early bird. He should have a lifetime supply of worms by now. The day doesn’t matter because he’s usually up by four or four-thirty a.m. everyday. Sleeping in late for him is the very rare six. Of course the poor dear generally falls asleep in his chair before nine in the evenings. I finally had to order the HD recorder because he can’t seem to stay awake for his shows, which frustrated him to no end. So now he records them. I’m telling you, that recliner is like a lullaby for him.  

I’m not, by nature, a night owl, although I did go through my phase of it many years ago. But with my blog and getting that ready tends to keep me up a bit late—especially when the stoopid formatting issues start to rear it’s ugly head. I make sure I have a good nap to handle that and those are the days I sleep in until eight, otherwise I’m up by six-thirty because that’s prime writing time for me. It's quiet, I'm fresh, and there are no distractions (the internet is off).

I treated hubs to dinner Saturday night at his favorite steak house and plied him with his preferred top shelf margaritas on the rocks with salt. He enjoyed that. Son got his dad Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and I was able to get him some of his most wanted goodies from Cabellas. I even found the perfect card, featuring a recliner type chair on it and all the sweet mushy stuff. I saw it and laughed. It suits him so well. Then I left the room and shut my office door because he wanted to watch golf. I’m a player not a watcher and televised games tend to drive me bonkers. Tonight we had a nice dinner and watched the, oh so excellent, Game of Shadows.

It was a nice relaxing weekend for the both of us as we’ve been running way too much of late—Hubs with his job as a community Outreach Coordinator for the army, and me running around doctor's offices and getting things in order for Son and college. Some how I don’t remember preparation for college being quite so onerous and time consuming. Just a few more things and we’re done. Good thing. I’m about done in after all this. Last week was hard and I was run ragged by Friday and so practicing the art of relaxation was nice.

• How did you spend Father’s day? Do anything special?

THE FLOWER READER—Review

The Flower Reader 

Elizabeth Loupas 

ISBN: 0451235819 (ISBN13: 9780451235817)

Edition language: English

Five Stars

 

Rinette Leslie of Granmuir has the ancient gift of divining the future in flowers, but her gift cannot prepare her for the turmoil that comes when the dying queen regent entrusts her with a casket full of Scotland's darkest secrets. On the very day she means to deliver it to newly crowned Mary, Queen of Scots, Rinette's husband is brutally assassinated.

Devastated, Rinette demands justice before she will surrender the casket, but she is surrounded by ruthless men who will do anything to possess it. In the end, the flowers are all she can trust-and only the flowers will lead her safely home to Granmuir.

From the author of The Second Duchess comes a rich tale of heartbreak and triumph, dangerous political intrigue, and all set in the glitter of the royal court of Mary, Queen of Scots.

The Flower Reader is absolutely a riveting story that will grab you and not let you go. This story is, at heart, a political thriller set in the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, and begins the day of her mother, Mary Guise, Queen Regent of Scotland, death.

The story is centered on the silver casket, which is given to Rinette Leslie to deliver to Mary Queen of Scots upon her arrival at Leith, Scotland. The casket has letters from Mary of Guise to her daughter but also ledgers of secrets on the lords of the land and quatrains (prophesies) by Nostradamus as to the throne of Scotland, France, and England and guide Queen Mary in her choices. (This is actually not far fetched as many notables and rulers of the day did consult with him as well as receive horoscopes from him).

Secret agents and professional assassins are dispatched to take the casket. The court of young (she is a teenager) Mary becomes a very dark and dangerous place and Rinette, a lady in waiting and the heroine, is the target because only she knows the whereabouts of the casket.

Elizabeth Loupas puts us in the court of the young queen and Rinette tells the events as she bravely fights to keep her family and manor safe and in her control. She bargains with Queen Mary—the casket for justice in the assassination of her husband. That is her focus throughout the story. Revenge for her murdered her husband.

The Flower reader is, by turns sweet and loving, harsh and dark, filled with danger and sometimes brutality. Through it all Rinette’s focus is on finding the safe path. Her bravery shines through the harshness and betrayal she has to face. She is someone this reader cheered for as both Rinette and I tried to discover who was behind it all. I cheered for her happy ending and all the more so because she deserved it, by god.

For me, this was an engrossing tale from start to finish; rich in historical detail but never let up in tension or excitement of the story.

Just excellent.