When you read this, I will be in Washington, D.C., at the Romance Writers of America National Conference. I’ll have flown here on the red-eye on Tuesday night. Hopefully, this blog entry will get posted when I requested it to.
I noted that this week starts the inaugural flights of Pet Airways. I’ve seen some features on TV, and it looks like a good way to send pets from one of the cities it services to another. The animals are stacked in separate crates, so I hope they’re safe in turbulence. But in addition to the pilot, there is a special attendant just for the animals. Humans are not intended to travel along, but presumably you can send your pet to the place you’re going and pick him or her up when you and your pet have both arrived.
I’ll be interested to hear people’s opinions about how the airline works in actuality. People apparently think it’ll be great, since I heard they’re already booked up 2 months in advance.
I’d love to hear what you think about traveling with your pets--but I don’t think I’ll have Internet access this trip and won’t be able to respond for a while.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
A Weekend in Morris, MN
All the changes I’ve been making to Buttons and Bones at last had me confused about what was and what was not still in the book. So I finally had to stop writing forward and go back to do a chapter-by-chapter synopsis. These synopses are aggravating because they take up quite a bit of writing time, but in this case it was absolutely necessary. Already I can see my way forward much more clearly. I guess that’s a helpful hint for when you’re trying to write a novel and get stuck. Go back and do a chapter-by-chapter, just a few sentences on each chapter. It just may clear your vision amazingly and prepare you to go forward.
We had a great time in Morris, MN, last weekend. They were holding their 25th annual Prairie Pioneer Days and had pulled out all the country town stops: parade, talent competition, arts and crafts fair, kiddie inflatable fun, art show, fireworks, BBQ dinner – and me. The least understandable part of that was me, as the only connection I have with Morris is that my husband graduated from high school there. I came as Monica Ferris, needlework mystery author, not Mrs. Kuhfeld. On the other hand, I had a great time. Everyone was kind and friendly, I did two appearances, one at the little gem of a museum made out of the old Carnegie Library, the other at the new library. I brought books to sell and sold a lot of them, and read from the Prologue to Blackwork, the book coming out this fall. At the new library the audience and I had a great conversation done in Q&A. They asked good, solid questions.
In honor of Pioneer Prairie Days, the museum had mounted an exhibit of artifacts dating to those good old days, including the wreck of a covered wagon, photographs of local one-room schoolhouses, Indian beadwork, and an actual buffalo hide coat that covered its wearer from neck to ankle. The fur itself was so coarse and itchy that around the neck and wrists another, softer fur was substituted – a little detail that, for someone writing about that time, could make the story sing with authenticity. You’re welcome.
I was surprised at the variety and quality of the amateur talent show, from a young man who played something very esoteric and difficult on a bass guitar to a Native American pipe player to a set of belly dancers. A young man performed "Folsom Prison Blues," and as as he did a train came through town blowing its lonesome whistle as if specially ordered for the occasion.
An old high school chum of my husband’s was charming and funny. Brent told great stories. One of them went something like this. He and his grandsons were traveling out west and saw a Hells Angels biker pushing his Harley Davidson motorcycle into a service station. Down the street was a group of Hells Angels at another service station. Brent pulled into the second station to get gas. The attendent came out to ask, "Is th-th-th-there anything I-I can d-d-d-do for you?" Brent said no, thanks and started a casual conversation with the bikers. He was surprised to learn how civil and ordinary they seemed to be. About then the lone biker rode his now-repaired (or gassed) bike in to join his companions. "What the hey?" asked Brent. "How come you left to go on your own to that other station?" The biker replied, "I d-d-didn’t want him to th-th-think I was mo-mocking him." You find nice people in the most surprising places!
We had a great time in Morris, MN, last weekend. They were holding their 25th annual Prairie Pioneer Days and had pulled out all the country town stops: parade, talent competition, arts and crafts fair, kiddie inflatable fun, art show, fireworks, BBQ dinner – and me. The least understandable part of that was me, as the only connection I have with Morris is that my husband graduated from high school there. I came as Monica Ferris, needlework mystery author, not Mrs. Kuhfeld. On the other hand, I had a great time. Everyone was kind and friendly, I did two appearances, one at the little gem of a museum made out of the old Carnegie Library, the other at the new library. I brought books to sell and sold a lot of them, and read from the Prologue to Blackwork, the book coming out this fall. At the new library the audience and I had a great conversation done in Q&A. They asked good, solid questions.
In honor of Pioneer Prairie Days, the museum had mounted an exhibit of artifacts dating to those good old days, including the wreck of a covered wagon, photographs of local one-room schoolhouses, Indian beadwork, and an actual buffalo hide coat that covered its wearer from neck to ankle. The fur itself was so coarse and itchy that around the neck and wrists another, softer fur was substituted – a little detail that, for someone writing about that time, could make the story sing with authenticity. You’re welcome.
I was surprised at the variety and quality of the amateur talent show, from a young man who played something very esoteric and difficult on a bass guitar to a Native American pipe player to a set of belly dancers. A young man performed "Folsom Prison Blues," and as as he did a train came through town blowing its lonesome whistle as if specially ordered for the occasion.
An old high school chum of my husband’s was charming and funny. Brent told great stories. One of them went something like this. He and his grandsons were traveling out west and saw a Hells Angels biker pushing his Harley Davidson motorcycle into a service station. Down the street was a group of Hells Angels at another service station. Brent pulled into the second station to get gas. The attendent came out to ask, "Is th-th-th-there anything I-I can d-d-d-do for you?" Brent said no, thanks and started a casual conversation with the bikers. He was surprised to learn how civil and ordinary they seemed to be. About then the lone biker rode his now-repaired (or gassed) bike in to join his companions. "What the hey?" asked Brent. "How come you left to go on your own to that other station?" The biker replied, "I d-d-didn’t want him to th-th-think I was mo-mocking him." You find nice people in the most surprising places!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Decibels
I'm just back from a trip to Manhattan with three friends. It was very relaxing – for five days we were out the door of our Times Square hotel by eight in morning, and home by two the next morning, 18 hours later.
Under the welcoming banners of Little Italy
In between: the Metropolitan Museum, the Neue Gallery, the Guggenheim, cheesecake at the Roxy deli, the NY Philharmonic (Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff); Angela Lansbury (!) in Blythe Spirit; afternoon tea at the Ritz on Central Park South; the magnificent NYPL; Little Italy; Bloomies; the Iridium jazz club; and, oh yes, Borders at Columbus Circle where (while I lurked behind a bookcase) my friends suggested that they reorder all my books. We ended the week with a late night show in the Lincoln Center theater: Woody Allen's new "Whatever Works." Not brilliant, we decided, but so much fun to see it in New York, where the audience claps when his name appears!
Art on the roof of the MET
We all bought shoes at Orva on Lex.
At one point as we waited to cross a busy street, one of my friends cupped her ears. It turned out she'd been bothered all week by the noise.
"What noise?" I asked.
She meant the soothing sounds of taxis; buses; industrial motors, generators, and fans; crowds of people; alarms. All music to my ears. As opposed to the quiet suburbs where silence is broken only by the occasional ear-splitting pickup truck stereo system.
What's noise and what's soothing background?
It goes back to childhood, I believe. My bedroom window growing up was about 3 feet from a bar/pizza parlor. I fell asleep to the sounds of the jukebox. Later, I had a nearly 2-hour commute to college in Boston (3 transfers on public transportation vehicles). For 4 years, I did my calculus homework on the famous MTA, often with one arm slung around a pole.
For me, noise provides stimulus to write and a reassuring background to sleep. If it's too quiet, I can't relax, neither to write nor to rest. Where is everyone? I wonder. Maybe I should get up and make sure everything's OK.
How many decibels does it take for you to feel comfortable?
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Embrace the Tension
Last week I listened to an interview with a St. Louis property developer, who has bought up a lot of real estate with the hope he can use tax funding to finance his project. The interviewer kept asking him, "Isn't this risky? What if if fails? Other people have tried similar things, and they didn't work. Won't you lose all your money?"
The developer kept answering these questions with an optimistic view. Finally, the developer said that he had a little sign over his desk, something to the effect that "Success happens when you are willing to embrace the tension."
I pulled off the road and scribbled down that thought.
Currently, my life is in chaos. My mother has terminal lung cancer, so I'm traveling to Florida frequently to see her and help with her medical needs.
My husband is expanding his business to add a new location--Washington DC.
Our house is for sale. Each time an agent calls, I race around to pick up any stray articles, turn on all the lights, grab the dogs and leave for an hour so the house can be shown..
I'm writing this from a hotel in Tysons Corners, outside of DC. David and I have been looking at houses for the past four days.
My son and husband are flying to my son's college town next week to secure housing for Michael. He decided not to live in a dorm, so he, too, needs somewhere to live.
Book #3 in my series has been accepted, but I need to get cracking on Book #4. I'm trying to attend and plan for as many events as possible to help promote Cut, Crop & Die, but I also need to be flexible in case my family needs me.
Once in a while, David will look over at me and ask, "Are we nuts?"
Well, I laugh and think back to when we moved to England for a year. We lived in a Holiday Inn until we could sign for a rental house. Then we toured Europe for six weeks. David thoughts we'd follow the dictates of Rick Steves' grand tour of Europe. (Eventually our watchword became, "We're going to find Rick Steves and slap him up the side of the head with this book." My advice? Uh, ignore Rick's lodging suggestions unless you have a fondness for GROSS.) My husband did not purchase a map. But I did. We flew into Amsterdam, and headed for a little town without lodgings, driving our rental car with all our luggage and our son. For the next six weeks, David would go online each night and make reservations for the next day. The result? Oh, there were a few melt-downs and teary moments. But what a wonderful adventure it was! To this day, we look back and marvel.
We embraced the tension then. I can do this. I can do it again. The rewards will come. The experience will be unforgettable. And we will have unqualified success.
I just need to know that this is part of the process, this feeling of discomfort. Like a trapeze artist, I am turning loose of one bar, flying through the air with both hands open to grab the next bar coming toward me. I can only be successful if I stay focused and trusting.
It's both exhilerating and scary. I have to admit...it's really hard not to look down!
The developer kept answering these questions with an optimistic view. Finally, the developer said that he had a little sign over his desk, something to the effect that "Success happens when you are willing to embrace the tension."
I pulled off the road and scribbled down that thought.
Currently, my life is in chaos. My mother has terminal lung cancer, so I'm traveling to Florida frequently to see her and help with her medical needs.
My husband is expanding his business to add a new location--Washington DC.
Our house is for sale. Each time an agent calls, I race around to pick up any stray articles, turn on all the lights, grab the dogs and leave for an hour so the house can be shown..
I'm writing this from a hotel in Tysons Corners, outside of DC. David and I have been looking at houses for the past four days.
My son and husband are flying to my son's college town next week to secure housing for Michael. He decided not to live in a dorm, so he, too, needs somewhere to live.
Book #3 in my series has been accepted, but I need to get cracking on Book #4. I'm trying to attend and plan for as many events as possible to help promote Cut, Crop & Die, but I also need to be flexible in case my family needs me.
Once in a while, David will look over at me and ask, "Are we nuts?"
Well, I laugh and think back to when we moved to England for a year. We lived in a Holiday Inn until we could sign for a rental house. Then we toured Europe for six weeks. David thoughts we'd follow the dictates of Rick Steves' grand tour of Europe. (Eventually our watchword became, "We're going to find Rick Steves and slap him up the side of the head with this book." My advice? Uh, ignore Rick's lodging suggestions unless you have a fondness for GROSS.) My husband did not purchase a map. But I did. We flew into Amsterdam, and headed for a little town without lodgings, driving our rental car with all our luggage and our son. For the next six weeks, David would go online each night and make reservations for the next day. The result? Oh, there were a few melt-downs and teary moments. But what a wonderful adventure it was! To this day, we look back and marvel.
We embraced the tension then. I can do this. I can do it again. The rewards will come. The experience will be unforgettable. And we will have unqualified success.
I just need to know that this is part of the process, this feeling of discomfort. Like a trapeze artist, I am turning loose of one bar, flying through the air with both hands open to grab the next bar coming toward me. I can only be successful if I stay focused and trusting.
It's both exhilerating and scary. I have to admit...it's really hard not to look down!
News and Appearances
The Killer Hobbies crew continues to write about your favorite characters, at home and on the road.
Monday’s author, Joanna Campbell Slan , will be appearing at the Sachs Library in Chesterfield MO on Tuesday, July 15, to speak to their book club. She'll also be attending a crop on Thursday, July 17, at the Webster Groves Library in Webster Groves MO. On Staruday, July 25, she'll be speaking to the Saturday Writers group. (To learn more about Saturday Writers, google them.)
Tuesday’s author, Camille Minichino (Margaret Grace) is still searching for the prize winners for her "Twist Family" quandry: SHEL for the tornado reference and ANNE for the Twist Family link! (An independent panel of judges was used.) Shel and Anne please send your address for prizes to me at camille@minichino.com
Also, my dollhousemysteries.com website has been updated. Check out my new bookmarks link on the home page and I'll send you some!
Wednesday's author, Monica Ferris, is probably busy traveling or needlepointing.
Thursday's author, Linda O. Johnston has a quiet week of writing and being ordered around by her dogs planned, but stay tuned for future appearances!
Friday's author, Terri Thayer, is probably quilting.
Saturday's author, Betty Hechtman is working on her crocheting.
Monday’s author, Joanna Campbell Slan , will be appearing at the Sachs Library in Chesterfield MO on Tuesday, July 15, to speak to their book club. She'll also be attending a crop on Thursday, July 17, at the Webster Groves Library in Webster Groves MO. On Staruday, July 25, she'll be speaking to the Saturday Writers group. (To learn more about Saturday Writers, google them.)
Tuesday’s author, Camille Minichino (Margaret Grace) is still searching for the prize winners for her "Twist Family" quandry: SHEL for the tornado reference and ANNE for the Twist Family link! (An independent panel of judges was used.) Shel and Anne please send your address for prizes to me at camille@minichino.com
Also, my dollhousemysteries.com website has been updated. Check out my new bookmarks link on the home page and I'll send you some!
Wednesday's author, Monica Ferris, is probably busy traveling or needlepointing.
Thursday's author, Linda O. Johnston has a quiet week of writing and being ordered around by her dogs planned, but stay tuned for future appearances!
Friday's author, Terri Thayer, is probably quilting.
Saturday's author, Betty Hechtman is working on her crocheting.
Visit us every Sunday for updates and news.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Leaving on a Jet Plane
I had hoped to be able to include a photo of the cactus I mentioned crocheting last week. It’s not quite done. I found a photograph of a crocheted cactus online, but the directions for making it were sketchy at best. The cactus part is done, complete with blossoms. It’s the pot that the problem. It is trial and error to figure out how to make it and what kind of proportions it should have to balance off the cactus. Maybe in a couple of weeks it’ll be ready to be displayed.
Now I’m doing last minute preparations for my trip to Chicago Saturday. Actually, I’m writing this Friday night, so it’s tomorrow. I have this fantasy of traveling with no luggage since I have clothes, etc there, but it never works out that way. At least the suitcase I bring is small.
I am going to be at the American Library Association convention on Monday. I’ll be signing book from Noon to 2 pm at the Sisters in Crime booth. I remember going to Book Expo America at McCormick Place (which is where the ALA is) and seeing all the authors signing books in various booths. It’s a thrill for me to be on the other side of the table.
I get caught up in deadlines and worry about how my books will do, but when I step back, I realize how I am living my dream. All I ever wanted to be was a writer.
I’m guest blogger at www.FreshFiction.com on Monday, so it’s a double big day for me. There’s a contest for a signed copy of By Hook or By Crook.
So, that’s it for this week. Even a little suitcase takes time to pack.
Now I’m doing last minute preparations for my trip to Chicago Saturday. Actually, I’m writing this Friday night, so it’s tomorrow. I have this fantasy of traveling with no luggage since I have clothes, etc there, but it never works out that way. At least the suitcase I bring is small.
I am going to be at the American Library Association convention on Monday. I’ll be signing book from Noon to 2 pm at the Sisters in Crime booth. I remember going to Book Expo America at McCormick Place (which is where the ALA is) and seeing all the authors signing books in various booths. It’s a thrill for me to be on the other side of the table.
I get caught up in deadlines and worry about how my books will do, but when I step back, I realize how I am living my dream. All I ever wanted to be was a writer.
I’m guest blogger at www.FreshFiction.com on Monday, so it’s a double big day for me. There’s a contest for a signed copy of By Hook or By Crook.
So, that’s it for this week. Even a little suitcase takes time to pack.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Comfort Quilts
Quilters are generous people. Quilts are made everyday that are meant to be given away. My guild, the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association has an active philanthropy committee. Last year the members made over a thousand items, quilts and receiving blankets, that were donated to local charities. That's a great number, and it is being matched all over the country, every day.
I bought this book this weekend and it has inspired me. It's chock full of projects suitable for people in the hospital, or nursing home, or just facing tough times.
The author, Jake Finch, tells of her own story of time spent hospitals and the comfort that comes from receiving (and making) a handmade gift for someone in pain. Her personal story is what makes this a great book.
The first thing I made out of this book is this bag that will hang over a walker, keeping treasures right at hand.
The number of charity quilts, blankets, nic unit squares made each year is astonishing. The only thing greater is the need. This book can help you starting filling that need.
I bought this book this weekend and it has inspired me. It's chock full of projects suitable for people in the hospital, or nursing home, or just facing tough times.
The author, Jake Finch, tells of her own story of time spent hospitals and the comfort that comes from receiving (and making) a handmade gift for someone in pain. Her personal story is what makes this a great book.
The first thing I made out of this book is this bag that will hang over a walker, keeping treasures right at hand.
The number of charity quilts, blankets, nic unit squares made each year is astonishing. The only thing greater is the need. This book can help you starting filling that need.
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