It's That Time of Year ... Again

What were those lyrics the Righteous Brothers and The Platters (?) used to sing about time going by so slowly? You can't prove it by me. This year seems to have fled, quicker than 2014 did. Time may be a relative thing, but even younger people agree it seems to be passing us by even quicker.

I looked back on my blog to refresh my memory and found, to my dismay, that my January blog held forth lots of potential but turned out to be little substance. In all fairness life loves to throw out curve balls, just to see what you might do under the circumstances that do present themselves. Then there's Murphy, who likes nothing better than to move in with his target and raise havoc. I think he found a summer place in my home.

My one success was in the single submission I sent in. There were a couple new ideas that got filed as well. I'd love to work on them but there are older files that need tending before they end up with long gray whiskers or are relegated to "retirement" homes for ideas that never quite made it.

Which brings me to the point where I make a list of goals for 2016. I'm carrying forward most of the goals I had for this year but didn't achieve. All those short stories I wanted to finish and get ready for submission. They're getting in a queue, complaining about seniority and who should be given attention first. And you thought football fans were bad when it comes to confrontations. I wouldn't want to get in the way of a story that demands it can't wait. That could get pretty ugly.

So it comes to plotting some and finishing others. There are three or four month-long writing challenges to keep in mind as well. Anyone who has taken part in those knows the boost it can give you, both in getting a first draft done and boosting your self-confidence. Believe me, my self-confidence could use a double shot, mega-sized boost.

And that poor quilt is still waiting to be sewn together. In my defense I have to say it's hard to get a sewing project done when you don't have sufficient working space. I am determined to get it done, if I have to hang the sewing machine from the ceiling. The pattern is easy enough, tumbling blocks  but I'm doing it a bit differently. If you've seen the movie, think Floating Mountains of Pandora, in Avatar.

Hopefully the coming year will be more conducive to meeting goals and 2016 won't fly past any quicker than did 2015. If it goes any faster, it'll whizz past us. What are some of your goals for the new year? Love to hear from you.

Where, Oh Where Has My Little Muse Gone?

Back in August, my muse went on vacation. I didn't mind since everyone needs a break now and again to recharge their batteries. The problem is, she never came back. I thought something might have happened  and even considered posting "Have You Seen..." notices. That would have been a tough move.

Did I work her too hard?  Not likely. The first part of the year was spent self-editing and polishing a story for submission which finally was sent in late spring. During that period, her time was pretty much her own. She had little to offer and eventually didn't have much to say. Maybe I didn't give her enough attention. Sometimes it's hard to say what's not enough or too much. I guess I never found a good balance.

She's had a bad habit of not seeing things through, leaving me with a backlog of unfinished stories and no direction in which to take them. Her beginnings and endings are great. The middles?  Not so good. She might come up with a vague idea to move the story forward but it isn't enough to plot around. So the begin/end of the potential story ends up languishing in a folder waiting for attention. That could be my fault.

I thought she'd be back after Labor Day, ready to toss out some ideas. After all, the best ideas seem to appear when you least expect them, from the most unusual places.

Maybe she's decided that I haven't given her enough credit for what she's done. When we, as authors are interviewed and asked about where our ideas come from, we never say, "My muse came up with that plot. She's quite clever."

 I don't know if that's what she's been thinking and decided it was a good enough reason not to return after her vacation. If it is her reason and she's found a new home, I can honestly say I'm disappointed and I wish her well with her new challenges. I do know it's been a struggle for the last three months to come up with some decent ideas on my own, either to start something new or finish what's been sitting around for who knows how long. (Without her attention to detail, I've lost track of many things).

What I'm not looking forward to is interviewing new applicants for the position. But, I suppose it will have to be done if I expect to finish anything. I admit that too late, I've learned not to under-valuate the worth of a muse. By the beginning of the year, I hope to find one willing to take a chance on a sometimes scatter-brained human.

I've come to the conclusion that muses come and go without notice. Few stay a long while. Maybe there's a muse somewhere out there who is willing to accept on-the-job training, not only in coming up with writing plots but offering suggestions in other projects that have little or nothing to do with writing. We can grow together and share other aspects of creativity.  When it comes to a multi-faceted life, like everything else, you get what you put into it.

Please... don't make me put up those posters.

In Over My Head

I'm like the majority of writers, always busy. When I'm not writing, I'm involved in some craft or other and making all sorts of things. I've been knitting and crocheting all my adult life and every now and again, I decide it's about time to learn a new craft skill.

It started several years ago when I found out the community I live in holds a Chinese auction every spring. I started making afghans. At first I made them for single beds, but eventually downsized them to lap afghans.  During the winter I can get three or four done. At least one of them has to be a new stitch pattern, something I haven't done before. I don't get into fancy stuff because it would take up too much time and goals wouldn't be met. A couple one pound skeins usually works out well for each one.

Last year I started a new project of making pet blankets. Twice a year I make 6-10 of them. They're not very big but the local pet shelter says they're the perfect size for washing. I took a guess at two super saver skeins per blanket and it turned out just right. Generally the yarn is left over from a bigger project and I might have to get an extra skein of a particular color to make a full blanket. Multi-colored yarn is the best for this. A simple crochet stitch and watch the colors form a pattern. Some of them are wild and others look like lego bricks stuck together.

Then there's the king-size quilt, the embroidery and cross-stitch, red work (black, blue, or green) that's just waiting to be needled. The toughest part of it all is not having sufficient space for supply storage or to get the work done. It's a constant challenge to reorganize and find more room, especially when the dimensions of the room itself are a constant.

I may be in over my head with all the projects I have lined up. No matter how many there are in the queue, I'm always looking for new challenges. If the project is simple and the work repetitive, then part of my brain likes to move on to other things. Like working out plot problems or fixing some dialogue I don't like. There's nothing conscious about it, no thinking, "Okay, I can do this in my sleep so let me think about writing." It just happens. And that's when I come up with the brilliant ideas to fix or advance my story.  Or maybe I found something for the heroine to do.

The newest projects were started early in the summer when I got interested in beading.  Some of the beads are small enough they don't want to go onto the beading needle. With them I might as well be playing Tiddlie Winks. Hit the beads just right and they go flying. With dark gray carpeting, they're hard to find, until you step on them. They don't hurt, you just know you've found them, and fortunately, they've all been recovered.

Time is the biggest enemy. There are only so many hours in a day to accomplish what you want to do. Unless you're willing to give up, say... eating or sleeping. Having chatted with others, (some aren't writers) there's one thing we all have in common. We can't wait to get to the next craft project, try out the new pattern or experiment with materials we've never tried before. The biggest challenge waiting for me is learning to knit lace. I have yet to do it right. I've got the right yarn, the knitting needles and the books. All I need is a sufficient block of time to concentrate on it.

So maybe I am in over my head and a lot of what I'd like to do will never get done while the list of future projects gets longer. It might be crazy but it keeps the creative juices flowing.

What keeps your creative juices flowing? Leave a comment and share your favorite interests.

When Knighthood Was In Flower

Every now and again someone comes up with an unusual question that piques your interest. About a month ago the friend of a friend asked an interesting question. My friend Angela, knowing my interest in English/Scottish history, thought I might like to tackle this one. On hearing the question I immediately formed a theory. Couldn't help it since the answer, at least to me seemed obvious. Just the same, I thought I'd do some research and see if I was right.

The question is:
 Why were some writers given knighthood, way back when and why not today?

So I did some research. Mind you, there was probably more I could have done but since I'm writing a blog and not a college thesis, I limited the information I looked up.

I went back to the time of Queen Elizabeth I since more attention was paid to writers at that time, as well as in her father's, ( Henry VIII ) day.

Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542) was one of those who hung around Henry's court. If he'd found somewhere else to go he might have avoided trouble. In his favor, he was ambassador to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles II of Spain. Working with the Earl of Surry, the two men were the first ones to introduce sonnets into English. Wyatt, himself didn't see any of his own works published during his lifetime. He received a knighthood in 1535 but trouble arrived in the form of Anne Boleyn when he was accused of being her lover, or one of them. He was held in the Bell Tower where he witnessed Anne's execution on May 15, 1536.

Sir Edmond Dyer (1543-1607) was employed in missions to the Netherlands in 1554 and Denmark in 1589. He was knighted in 1596.

Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618) was named captain of Elizabeth's guard and was known as an explorer. He established a colony near Roanoke Island. His journals kept the queen informed of his accomplishments. He was knighted in 1585.

Sir Phillip Sydney (1554-1586) had a little more going for him, being the nephew of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Dudley was a confidant and favorite of Elizabeth's. There were also rumors about their closeness.  Anyway, Sydney often served in the diplomatic service as a political liason between the queen and the Protestant faction.  Sydney was knighted in 1583, under rather odd circumstances. His friend Prince Casimir was to be admitted to the Order of the Garter but couldn't attend the ceremony so he asked Sydney to stand in for him. The only way Sydney could qualify to do the favor was to be knighted. Once again, politics intervened.

William Shakespeare's works have been around for centuries. The problem with his background is  his mysterious childhood. No one knows his real date of birth. For that matter, there are questions about whether or not he really existed. He's thought to be a blend of several writers, in the same way that King Arthur and Robin Hood are, in theory, blends of several people of their times. There's really no definitive documents to say otherwise.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) helped found the Romantic Movement in English Literature. He also became Poet Laureate in 1843 and kept the title for the rest of his life. He had no political ties.

During the Regency period, George Gordon Byron (1788-1824) was a titled lord by right of birth and had no need of a knighthood. 

Alfred, Lord Tennyson had a middle class birth but he could claim noble/royal ancestry. He became Poet Laureate after the death of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Prime Minister Disraeli twice offered Tennyson a baronetcy which he declined. In 1883 he finally accepted a peerage title of baron from Prime Minister Gladstone. That gave him the privilege of sitting in the House of Lords in 1884.

Apparently writers like Charles Dickens whose works have survived and still are enjoyed for over a hundred years didn't have the proper connections to allow them to achieve knighthood.

When I searched for more current names given knighthood I really couldn't find any for writing, although the most familiar names are celebrities in the Arts and Entertainment field: Anthony Hopkins, Sean Connery, Elton John, Paul McCartney to name a few.  One man, a well-known director/producer, earned an honorary title for having doubled theater attendance in Great Britain during the 1980s.  To me, that was the oddest reason to bestow a title, even if it is honorary.

 There's also the feminine form of knighthood awarded to Maggie Smith, Judith Dench and Diana Rigg. The ladies have the privilege of adding "Dame"  in front of their names. These are off the top of my head and I'm sure there are others I've missed. No offense meant to any of them.

My impulsive theory proved true for the most part. While the works of Elizabethan, Regency and Victorian writers have pretty much survived down to our day, these men achieved their knighthoods, not through their writings but through their relationships with nobility and/or their political activities.

Most of us have little political influence and we aren't related to royalty. We might not have titles to reach for but we can hope to achieve success and a sense of accomplishment by entertaining our readers.

Trials of Patchwork Writing

Every writer has their way of writing. Many can start from the beginning of their story and take it straight through to the end. That's something I've only been able to do once or twice in all the stories I've written. I can get so far into a story then I have no idea what comes next. My hero or heroine might have a problem or be caught in a jam and I have a difficult time getting them out of it. And they don't always care to help.

I'm a patchwork writer. When I get a story idea I can write the beginning and ending. That's the completed quilt top and backing.  I know what the gist of the story is going to be, the over all pattern. The rest of the quilt is done in blocks. Every block or scene represents a single idea that has to be assembled just right so it forms an interesting pattern. Some patterns end up being more complex than others, have more pieces to them. Some blocks have missing pieces and I end up having to go back a few times until I find the right threads to use to finish the block. How many blocks I make depends on the size of the quilt I want. A lap quilt is great for a short story. I can usually come up with enough to create a twin size, not too small, not too big. So far I haven't been able to manage a king size quilt. That takes a lot of room, material and imagination to complete.

Once the blocks are designed and ready to be assembled it's time to figure out the logical order. If one block is out or order, it can ruin the whole pattern. It's like playing a game of solitaire. If you don't notice that one misplaced card you don't get to properly finish the game.

Next comes stitching all the pieces together so they form one cohesive unit. The colors blend  together,  the small design pieces work to form a larger design. Sometimes in the sewing, the edges are slightly off and I have to go back and figure out the best way to solve the problem. If the bridges that join the blocks are off, even slightly, there's no getting from one scene to another without getting wet. Nobody wants to get wet like that.

Sometimes, when everything is put together in the right places I find the pattern is a bit smaller than I wanted. Then it's a matter of how to fix that problem. The easiest way is to make a few more blocks in the direction you need to go. With written blocks, it's not so hard to expand the scenes I have in order to make the story longer. Sometimes I come up with a whole new block to add in. It either clarifies something that's already going on or it's a new idea that takes the plot a bit further. When I figure I've got a completed story then I just dress it up with a border, then bind it off. Once the quilt stitching is completed, then the story, for better or worse is finally done.

I'm sure there are easier ways to do it but I never could see my way through other methods. My brain and imagination have always functioned on a more complicated level. Believe me, sometimes that can be frustrating. On the other hand it's allowed me to come up with late-in-the-story twists that I didn't see coming. It's more fun that way.

Would I change my method if I could? Probably not. As long as there are folks who like the results then it's worth sticking with.

That's the way I work. It's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Updated Words.... New words... Really?

Okay.  This has been bothering me for some time now and as a retired editor, I decided I had to finally say something. Keep in mind I'm only expressing my opinion on the subject matter, so Please, no torches.

I'm an avid reader. I admit, in the last couple years I haven't been reading as much since other things have made claims on my time. (They say when you retire you'll have more time to do the things you love. Know any more jokes?) There have been a few subtle changes in grammar that apparently no one has seen fit to question, at least no one I've heard from.

When we learned basic grammar in school, we learned about the tenses of words: present, past, future, etc.  I can remember being given a list of words for homework and having to write those words in all their forms. It was fun and challenging. It gave us a start to putting words together and making sense of them. I know. We're talking in sentences before we even go off to school. But learning about sentences and the parts of speech that go into the making of them help us to understand how language is used, created, or just exists. Watching the slow deterioration of language makes me wonder what is being taught now, if anything. There are aspects of language that are no longer deemed important, what with the advent of social media, texting, spelling and sentence structure is going the way of the dodo.

So getting to the heart of the matter. At first I figured, typo, a writing error that wasn't caught. Typos can happen in the printing process, then it's kind of too late to do anything about them. Nobody's perfect. Or it could be a mistake on the part of the writer where something isn't caught and continues to linger in future books. The bad part is when those errors (I'd like to believe that's how they started out) become the norm.

Lighted?  Shined?  Drug???  Are they for real?  ex.: Mary lighted the candles on the birthday cake. It doesn't even sound right, more like a child that has yet to learn about grammar. What happened to ... Mary lit the candles...

Or how about, John shined the flashlight around the room. Shined is meant for shoes, not sources of light. While the right way to say the same might be, John shone the flashlight around the room. I admit it's a bit awkward even though it's the proper form. It might be better as John directed the flashlight beam into the corner of the room.

And the worst of the three. Harry drugged the body away from the door. Drugged??? Did Harry cause the body to take on a chemical stupor? Sounds ridiculous. In this case Harry dragged the body away from the door. It's dead weight figuratively and literally and dragging is about the only way to move it. Granted, these are mild compared to one other item I was made aware of.

Some powers that be might be more concerned with finding ways to remain relevant in a world gone tech crazy. Not only are they accepting senseless forms of words, but they also accept new words that are inconsiderate to say the least as well as downright insulting. Recently, a new word was accepted by a particular dictionary as acceptable. It's one that is aimed at a specific group of people. I won't mention the word here, it's that nasty.  Is this what we are degenerating into with the push to make changes in our language? I know words change in meaning and other words are created to better explain the world around us, but there's such a thing as taking it too far.

As members of a vocation that uses one of the greatest forms of communication, it's up to authors and editors, more than anyone else in the industry, to make sure we present the language, both written and spoken,  at its best.

Electronic vs. Print: The Best of Both Worlds

                                                                                 

For quite a few years now, electronic books have found and pretty much settled into their niche in the reading world. When they first came out the big publishing houses said it wouldn't last. It was the beginning of a war between print and downloads.

Like anything else, the idea of electronic books needed time to grow out of its infancy and become an entity worthy of providing competition. The technology was there... It was a matter of learning how to use it to best advantage. That grew by leaps and bounds. Electronic publishers began to pop up on the internet. Some, unfortunately, saw it as a way to make a quick buck then disappear, sometimes to reappear under another name. These antics made it hard for the honest ones to earn credibility, but earn it they did.

Today, electronic publishing is a thriving industry and sooner or later, all hopeful writers gravitate to them to find a start. Not so long ago, there were lots of big house publishers that a hopeful writer could submit to. With so many merges having taken place over the years, that number is down to five major houses. To add to that problem, they won't look at a manuscript unless it's agented. In a way you can't blame them. In turn, agents are becoming harder to get. You can't make a name for yourself as an author if you don't have an agent. And you can't get a agent if you don't have a name.  By the time you do make a name and all those great sales (we should all be so lucky) you don't really need an agent.  But I digress.

Electronic publishers, or e-pubs as they're affectionately called, proved to the industry that they're here to stay. Since their infancy they've proved to the big houses that there's room for both print and electronic books. So what are the pros and cons?

On average it takes up to a year to see a book on a website, (unless you're going independent publishing which takes a lot less time). It goes through all the same phases as print but in a much shorter time. Like print, more and more of the responsibility of getting your name known, of doing all the promotion, is falling to the author. If an author chooses to go independent, or "indie" then they have more work to do but they can reap more benefits.

 Through the years, the big houses have admitted that electronic books are here to stay and have acquired their own e-pubs. As the saying goes, "If you can't beat them, join them." And that's exactly what they've done. The compromise also pretty much put to rest the debate of e-books putting print out of business. That will never happen.

Now, there's the reader's point of view, print vs. download. 

Older readers are more apt to stay with print. We love the feel of a book in our hands, the heft of it when it's a big book, (like War and Peace or Gabaldon's Outlander series. (Love all that detail)). We love to peruse the bindings on a shelf to decide what we're in the mood to read. When you visit someone you know likes to read, what's the first thing you do?  Check out their library of course.  It's a definite compliment to them.

What happens when you have limited space? You might try to find some way to squeeze in more book shelves or stack books on any available flat surface. Either you start donating older books to places that might appreciate them, libraries, rest homes, rehab centers, etc. or you don't buy any more.  If you're a bookaholic, not buying books is like trying to stop drinking or smoking. It's very difficult and nearly impossible.

So I compromised.  I've been reading some books and automatically putting them aside for the local library. I know I won't read them again. I have a lot of history books dealing mainly with the Tudor and Plantagenet dynasties. Some are straight history, others are historical fiction and they all make good reference books. Then there are books that belong to a series, like Gabaldon's Outlander series. It doesn't make sense to have that partly in print, partly electronic, so I stay with the print.

Books I want strictly for the pleasure of reading, are electronic. For years I didn't go anywhere without a book in my bag. Now I can take a hundred books with me and pick one out depending on my mood. There's no added weight, no unnecessary space taken up. And... The e-reader has its own bookmark. No dog-eared pages, no strange bookmarks (like a fried egg) one librarian wrote about. Just don't forget to charge up the reader as needed.

Everyone who reads has their own preferences, e-books or prints.  And as long as both industries are willing to compromise, we have the best of both worlds. Who says we have to make a choice?

Fixing POVs That Get Out of Hand

Every writer looks for someone knowledgeable to critique their work. While that's going on, we're on pins and needles waiting for the criticism we're either going to love or hate, or maybe both.

I guess the worse thing to hear is "You're head-hopping." Depending on how bad it is, it could ring the death knell on your project. At least it feels like it. I know that every time I hear it, I feel frustrated and a bit depressed. It'll take me a few days to get into the mindset to make repairs before I actually look at the work.

It took me a few months to understand POV (point of view) until one day the lightbulb clicked on. Until that happened my mentor/teacher used to send an occasional 'virtual' "Gibbs" before it became popular. But then there are some things that take me forever to get a handle on. Since that time I've been able to put a simple explanation to the problem. If you don't want to change the POV going on, then don't let other characters think. This is about as close as you can get to writing in first person without writing in first person. Consider this...

Two women, Mary and Jane are having a discussion about an upcoming local election in which one of the husbands is running for office. Jane is proud of her husband's accomplishments and has thoughts of him running circles around the competition. She's thinking about him moving up in a political career. The POV is hers for the moment. Then Mary starts thinking Jane's husband is an idiot to think he could win.  Now the reader is wondering why Mary is thinking that, which changes the focus on the characters, and changes the POV.

Another way to change point of view is to have the scene move on... different people, different place. Or it could still be the same two people under different circumstances. The main thing is to be careful with who is thinking what. Thoughts are the focus...not dialogue and not action. Those things move the scene along, while thinking sort of holds it up a bit and grabs the reader's attention.

At some point, in fixing the edits in your work you learn to be creative. Too much head-hopping often means deleting bits and pieces of the story. And we all hate to do that. In a story I completed recently I was told there was too much head-hopping. I couldn't afford to delete any of the work, which meant looking for some creative ways to fix the problem. One way was to have the character with the POV watching the other(s) and thinking about what they see. After a while it can get rather boring. It's more telling than showing (another no-no) Then I realized the simplest way to avoid changing the focus was to put the second person's thoughts into dialogue. Let them think aloud. Since it then becomes part of the conversation, the POV will stay where it belongs until you find the proper place and time to change it.

It's unfortunate that big-name authors don't have to follow the same rules we lesser or unknown authors have to follow. Some of them have been known for their head-hopping, jumping back and forth with the point of view until you have no idea who's running with it.

The rest of us have no choice but to abide by the rules if we expect to get anywhere. But that's okay. By sticking to the rules we eventually learn how to bend, not break them. In the long run, we'll be better off for it.

So it boils down to "He who thinks, controls the POV"  

I wish you success in your battle with handling points of view.

When First Person Needs a Different Outlook

I don't particularly care for stories written in first person. I admit I keep trying them, looking for something that might be different but most of the time I'm disappointed and can't get into the story. To me, writing in first person reveals some serious character flaws. This person is telling the story but their view is very limited. It has to be because they can't describe anything that doesn't affect their own senses.

There's always an exception. They always have that same narrow focus but the difference is in how it's presented. Most first person characters deal with "I see", or "I think" but Diana Gabaldon's Claire Fraser is able to tell about her surroundings, people dealing with other people, without interjecting herself into every situation. And when Claire is directly involved, she isn't always the focus of the scene. I like it so much better that way. It doesn't sound so 'self-absorbed'.

But I have found another use for first person. Sometimes when I'm working on a scene I find it difficult to get the feeling of things just right. So one day I tried putting myself in the particular situation my character was unsuccessfully facing. Raven's young son (about two years old) had disappeared and Raven spent her days riding the length and breadth of the highlands searching for him.

To bring out the emotions Raven needed to experience, I got under her skin, became her and interjected what I might have felt under those circumstances. The anger, the worry, the disregarding of anyone else who tried to stop her or make her see reason. I was able to delve into Raven's psyche and bring out all she was feeling. Working from this angle makes it so much easier to interject the necessary emotional trauma that fits the scene.

In my first book, the heroine never knew her parents and believed she'd been unwanted by them. So naturally there was no love lost on her part. Late in the story she finds a letter from her mother where the truth is revealed and gives the heroine new insight to her situation. Again, I put myself in her head and felt the things she needed to deal with. Both scenes were written in first person.

When I'd finished writing both of them, I read them carefully and changed "I" to the heroine's name, changed verbs and anything else that would take the scenes out of first person. What I didn't touch was the emotional quality of the scene. What I ended up with turned out to be some of my best writing.

I suppose it's an odd way to use first person but you use what tools you have to create what you want.  And those tools aren't always used as they were meant to be used. Would that fall under necessity being the mother of invention, where just about everything can have more than its intended function? I imagine it could be. As they say, you need to know the rules before you can bend them. (You don't want to break the rules. That's a whole other can of worms that should remain tightly sealed.) Using first person this way is probably bending the rules of writing but whatever helps can't hurt.

So when you get stuck on a scene, consider a different way to approach it to get the results you're looking for. Who knows, you just might come up with a winning story.

A Trip to Medieval England

Discovering "new to me" authors is always an adventure in itself. Not long ago I found Elizabeth Chadwick and her wonderful historical fiction set in the Plantagenet era. It'll take me a while to make my way through her list of work but that's half the fun. Of course that's what all readers like to do. It's part of the whole reading experience.

Shortly after discovering Chadwick I found another author, James Forrester. That's the pen name (and middle names) of historian Dr. Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England. As it turned out I already have the guide on my bookshelf. I admit it, due to past reading experience, I'm not a big fan of male authors (sorry, guys). But I decided to give this one a shot based on the genre. I'm glad I did.

The book I've just finished is the first in a trilogy and is titled Sacred Treason. The story takes place during the reign of Elizabeth I. For several years, Henry Machyn has been keeping a journal that no one but a select few has seen. Once word has gone out that the book could be holding information of a treasonous plot, the manhunt begins. It isn't enough that Elizabeth has her people (Sir Cecil and Francis Walsingham to name a couple) persecuting Catholics and trying to restore Protestants and the state church (which was just the opposite of what her sister "Bloody" Mary did during her reign).

The journal or chronicle in question has been left to William Harley, Clarenceux King of Armes, who has no idea what the chronicle is about, nor does he know what it's for. He has to figure it out and get it to the right person. In the meantime, anyone found to have possession or knowledge of the book or knows of its whereabouts ends up as a "guest" of Walsingham. Is the book treasonous? If so, what treason does it hold?

This story is more about the characters than action but that doesn't make it any less intriguing. There are a couple close escapes and some one-on-one combat. Forrester gives us a clear picture of what life was like at that time, the mid-sixteenth century -- not just living conditions but how, to some extent, the law worked. It wasn't pretty.

Sacred Treason has been informative as well as entertaining and has opened new avenues of reading for me. Next book?  I'm looking forward to reading Book 2: The Roots of Betrayal.

They Did What? Again?

I am NOT a happy camper. Last night I switched the TV channel to watch my favorite Monday night shows.

They were bounced.

Again.

 This time it was for the NCAA championship. For the last 2 weeks March Madness pretty much took over the airwaves. Almost every night there was a basketball game on, sometimes followed by a second game. With the college games done, pro basketball playoffs with take over, along with hockey.

I just looked through the listings for a major cable company and found a minimum of 9 channels devoted to sports. Nine!  I know there are more hiding in there. So why do they have to take over network channels as well??? Basketball and hockey are now competing with baseball, which just opened its season yesterday. (I don't need to watch every game that's played. I'm happy to get the final score on Sports Wrap-up segments on the nightly news)

Come August we'll have football to contend with. I admit I do watch that sport, but only when my favorite team is playing. This sport has the shortest season of all of them...sixteen weeks followed by three weeks of playoffs and the Super Bowl. I don't mind when football or golf run a bit overtime. I'll watch the last half hour of a golf tournament if I'm waiting for the next program. At least I know I still get to see my favorite shows afterward. Better late than not at all.

Then there's the programs the networks decide they don't like for whatever reason and they start moving them around during the regular season. Fans don't know where to look and the show suffers from a drop in viewership. When it drops, the show gets cancelled.  oops.

The fall season begins anywhere from late September to mid-October. By Thanksgiving everything is going into holiday reruns. In a way I can see that because people are paying more attention to the holiday season. Then from late December to sometime in April, the airwaves are bombarded with award shows. Country Music Awards. Grammy Awards. Peoples Choice Awards...(the only one viewers have any influence with) Oscars, Emmys, SAG, MTV, AM...something or other, and lots more. The second half of the season is made up more of reruns and specials than it is new episodes.

It seems the same programs get knocked off every time for all these TV specials. One special was on twice and knocked off the same program both times. The third time it was on it bumped another show. This well-known company had to have its special shown later in the evening because of its "adult" content.

Just for the heck of it, next season I fully intend to create a chart that will keep track of when the new episodes of my favorite shows are broadcast, when reruns are thrown in and when the programs are pre-empted for specials, or another hiatus.

Sometimes I get an idea for a story from a character's comment, a story setting... you never know.
Maybe I should give some thought to writing a thriller where Network execs are disappearing because of their over-enthusiastic programming manipulation. You think they'd get the hint?

Something to think about.

A Review of Elizabeth Chadwick

For the last few months I've been finding my tastes in reading material slowly changing. I generally like reading some paranormal, historical romance, romantic suspense, and my all-time favorite, time  travel. Lately, the plots of many of the books I've read all seem to be too similar. More often than not, several books would be released about the same time, by different authors, but the plots would be so alike I felt as if after reading one, I'd read them all. So I began web surfing for something different.

In my casual search I came across Elizabeth Chadwick. She writes historical fiction and the time is one that has always fascinated me. I read The Winter Mantle. This story begins in 1067 when William the Conqueror takes as hostages the sons of English nobility as an incentive for their good behavior. This was a means the kings used to ensure the nobles didn't rise up against them. If they did rebel, it meant the death of their heirs.

The first part of this story focuses on several hostages, and one in particular, Waltheof of Huntingdon. He is a young man who is a little too easy going and that trait occasionally gets him into trouble. While he means well, he's often too easily swayed to join the wrong cause. Even his marriage to William's niece doesn't always keep him on a straight path.

Personally, I find reading history books or bits of historical facts a bit daunting and boring. I want to be there, experience events through the eyes of the characters and Chadwick does a great job of this. The Winter Mantle is rich in detail and I often felt, while reading, as if I could have been an observer of the events as they occurred. The characters came alive and drew me into their problems. I wanted to cheer them on or, as in the case of Waltheof, give them a "Gibbs" and tell them to 'shape up and fly right.'  A couple times I found myself in tears at what was going on. To me, that's the mark of a fantastic writer.

I admit, I borrowed the book from the library. I tend to do that when I'm looking into a "new to me author." (Chadwick has been around for a few years.) If I don't care for the writing, then I've lost nothing. When I do find something I like, I look to adding more books to my personal library...as if I have the shelf space to spare. Thank goodness for e-books.  I've already been to my favorite bookstore and made a list of all Chadwick's books that are still available. I'm looking forward to adding her works to my "historical fiction library."

If you enjoy historical fiction and reading about the Middle Ages, you can't go wrong with Elizabeth Chadwick's works. If you'd like to know more about her and her books, check out her official website at: www.elizabethchadwick.com

Confessions of An Avid Reader

Hello. My name is Marissa. I'm a bookaholic.  I am a member of an unofficial group, Bookaholics Anonymous (BA for short).  We don't look for help or intervention from family and friends. We like things as they are and here's my reasons why.

I read whenever I get the chance and sometimes when I shouldn't be reading.  I usually have two or three books going at the same time. I never go to sleep at night without reading for an hour or so first. Sometimes I even stay awake till after 2 am because I want to finish the book I'm reading. When I finish that one it goes right back on the shelf and another one takes its place. I don't feel comfortable unless there's at least one book on the cabinet within easy reach. Call it my security blanket of sorts.

Then there's the buying. I get all sorts of emails from book clubs advertising their new releases. Or maybe the emails are just sales coming up. Some of the sales are one day or weekends only. If I don't like what's being offered, I usually go to the website itself and see if there are any listings I've missed since my last visit. From there the fun is just getting started. I make a list of the titles that catch my interest then settle in to do some research.

Some sites carry the books at the same time. Others may not get it for a couple or three months. A book can be out for a few months before some websites offer it. That kind of hampers the research. (There is one thing I've noticed. Several book clubs exist under the umbrella of Doubleday. They offer pretty much the same books and yet the prices will vary as much as a few dollars. I've never understood that.)

 I have a membership with another bookseller that allows me free shipping on my orders. Believe me the annual fee is well worth the cost. I usually make back the fee in very short order and have the books in less time than it takes the book clubs to process and send out. Three points for the paid membership.

I was just looking back on a few orders I made last year and found one order where I saved more than twice the amount I actually paid for the five books ordered. That's what I call finding a bargain. And it's finding those bargains that keep my addiction going. The fact that I've run out of bookshelf space doesn't factor into it. One way or another, I'll find the space for them.

There are times when after I've pushed the "send" or "place order" button that I think maybe I should have waited on the purchase. But after re-examining the order I have only one thing to say... Nah.  You have to take advantage of the sales when they come along and I'm a sucker for book sales.  The only sales I don't like are the ones that are good for only one day and I don't mean twenty-four hours. Even worse are the sales that are only good for three hours. That's really pushing it. I may be addicted to books and book sales but I don't like not being able to think about it and one day or less  isn't enough...unless I've already had in mind to purchase specific titles.

Then there's the book sites that offer freebies. As an author I can see both sides of that issue. Free books mean possibly reaching new readers but also means no income. A little bit of something is better than nothing (especially if what you earn supplements your income, even a little). Free books don't do anything for a sales record and that's what counts in the long run. But we all have to do what's best for us.  Still, the site is a good place to look for new authors and something different to read.

So that's my confession. As the expression goes, "so many books, so little time." As my To Be Read (TBR stack as most of us call it) pile continues to grow, I find myself trying to dig out more time to read. I may have to steal it from household chores and errands. Hmmm.  That just gave me an idea for a t-shirt.

I am a bookaholic and I'm proud of it. I don't need or want any intervention.Are there any other bookaholics out there willing to confess? 

When Interesting Books Come Along

I always read for an hour or so before I go to sleep. Last night I started reading Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick. By 2 am, I had to force myself to put down the book and get some sleep. This morning, while I was waiting for my laptop to update a couple files, I was, again, engrossed in the book.

Just before going to sleep is the best time to get immersed in a good book since you're not likely to experience interruptions. But last night also made me realize something. This isn't the first time I've come across an  author I thought I might like to read and didn't act on it at the time. I'd seen Chadwick's books advertised before.

Years ago, I picked up a couple paperbacks by Diana Gabaldon. The time travel sounded intriguing so I put the books aside. It was a couple years before I finally got to them and when I started on Outlander I went looking for more books in the series. I think I pretty much wore out the paperback versions, they were beginning to fall apart. I was fortunate at the time to find hard copies. Since then I've kept up with her Outlander series.

I did the same with another book called When Christ and His Saints Slept. No, not a religious book. That was an expression used to describe the fight between Maude and Stephen for the English throne when Maude's father died. (He was the son of William the Conqueror) That book sat on the shelf for several years. I found another book by Sharon Kaye Penman about the Plantaganets before realizing Christ and His Saints was the first book in the series. I still haven't got to that one and have 3 more in the series I've purchased and haven't read. (now the series is up to 9 books)  I've got them in chronological order and hope to get to them soon.

And now I'm about to start collecting Elizabeth Chadwick. (Did I mention I love to read historical fiction?) All my bookshelf space is filled but at least now I have the choice of downloading her work. The others I'll somehow manage to squeeze in the shelves somewhere since it doesn't make sense to have part of a series in print, the rest in ebooks.

 I think it's past time I checked the authors' websites to find out what books are hitting the stores and when. If you have to have "bad" habits, then collecting interesting books is mine and I have no regrets.

 I have only one thing left to say...  To paraphrase Shakespeare's Richard III...  "...My kingdom for a bookshelf!"

A Few Oops = Doh

It's nice to update your computer whenever a new program comes out but if you're like me -- and I hope you aren't -- you dread the updating. I find a lot of the programs fascinating but it's the installation that gets me.  Or is it the way files are set up?  I suppose it's a bit of both.

Much of the time I can't find what I'm looking for. When I had Windows 7 it took a while to get used to the way it got things done. Then my laptop died and the next one had Windows 8.1 installed. Needless to say, the whole thing was configured differently. I'm still trying to adjust. Sometimes I like the touch system and other times I prefer the mouse to get around, especially if I'm working on writing files. When it comes to e-mail, the print was suddenly smaller. It's either do a finger/thumb stretch to enlarge the type or find a magnifying glass.

Then you might have a smudge on the screen you're trying to clear off and whatever you're working on suddenly vanishes. I find myself staring at it wondering what it was I just did. I'm a great one for getting lost on the internet. I try to locate one thing and eventually find myself so far off track I think I'm permanently lost. And I'll be darn if I can recall where I was or what I was originally looking for. It there's a way to make a mess of something, I'm the person who should be called. I'm a pro at it. I've even tried consulting computer books to become more efficient (the more simplified the explanation the better it should be to understand)but in most cases it's still a foreign language. By the time I get used to doing something, it gets changed.

On the other hand, I can get a book on craft patterns, follow the instructions and end up with a reasonable facsimile of the project described. I admit there are some exceptions to that, but few. I can't seem to get the tension right to make anything lacy and I would love to knit a lacy shawl. But that's another problem.

My excuse?  I tell people my brain isn't wired to see things as the average person does. It's a good excuse as far as it goes. It explains why I can go off in an entirely different direction but somehow, sooner or later I will achieve the desired results. I'm not so sure that will happen where electronics are concerned. That's an altogether different ball game.

To computer programmers, I understand the need you have to update things to keep up with technology. And that can be a wonderful, amazing thing. But there are some things that don't change from one operating system to the next. So why do you hide things or take away some little program you think no one uses? Some programs shouldn't be messed with unless there are serious upgrades to implement. If you as a programmer don't use a small file, don't go getting rid of it because you think no one else uses it. You might be surprised.

There's only one thing left I can say about making changes...

 If it ain't broke...

Did I Do That?

About a year or so ago, I wrote a blog about the difference between making new year resolutions and setting goals. I'm happy to say I chose goals. Had I made resolutions I would have broken every one and proved myself to be a dismal failure. It was bad enough that 2014 was an all-around miserable year. I rarely make promises. My philosophy has always been "Don't make promises you can't keep." At least I can't be accused of breaking them even if said promises are made to myself. If I do make a promise, to myself or someone else (not gonna happen) I have to be at least 90% sure I can carry it through.

 Failure to reach a goal only means you try again.

Putting the past year behind me, I'm ready and willing to start over and try again. If you repeat your goals often enough sooner or later you have to get them right, or at least some of them. What's that saying about practice makes perfect? I've got a lot of practice over the last few years, so how come perfection is still a long way off?

My biggest goal for this year consists of many parts. That goal is to clear the boards of any or most of the incomplete projects sitting around waiting for attention. When my son said he was getting married, I told him I'd make a quilt for a wedding gift. His first anniversary has come and gone and the quilt is still in pieces. The biggest problem is the lack of sufficient space to work. I'm determined to get the quilt top sewn together and on the frame before his next visit. At least he and his wife will get to see what it's going to look like.  In my own defense, during the summer I did crochet an afghan for them and my daughter-in-law loves it. Nothing fancy but she loves the warmth. New England winters are not kind to her since she comes from a much warmer climate.

Then there's the writing. I want to try independent publishing, as well as continue work on a series I have with an electronic publisher. In every partial tale I've been stumped on the plots. There's been some factor that keeps the story from moving forward. I often feel as if the "muse" has taken an overly long vacation. Maybe it's just time to fire her or force her into retirement and see to a replacement. Hmmm, not a bad idea. At best it would mean some fresh points of view. At worst it could mean half-hearted attempts on her part to get back into my good graces. She'd have to work awfully hard to succeed. A new face, a new muse could go a long way toward accomplishing something for a change. Say... a ruggedly handsome face with a totally different perspective on things? Who says a muse has to be feminine?

Anyway, that's my new plan and outlook for 2015. A whole new vision for the coming year. Will it work?  I certainly hope so. It can't be much worse than the previous year and I surely can use a boost to get things done.

Here's hoping all your plans and goals for the New Year will be immensely successful.