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As the Sands of Time...

11/28/2016

drift through the hourglass much too quickly. another Thanksgiving is in the scrapbooks. At the beginning it always seems like there will be plenty of time to visit with everyone but at the end, I always want to say "Wait! I hardly talked to--" and leave with almost as many unanswered questions as when I came. I think it's a function of the ages of our grandchildren--so many changes and milestones. We ended the week with an exciting announcement: grandson Ty and his long time girlfriend Alma Avila got engaged Friday night! We are all thrilled to have her join us.

But before that, on Wednesday some of us trekked up to Wakulla Springs State Park and took the wonderful wildlife boat ride. The manatees were especially busy that day. Others went shopping or played at the beach.

Wednesday night, Jessi, assisted by her parents, cooked us baked chicken and the fixings, followed by birthday cake for Gretchen's birthday day. Entertainment was provided by Bob and Ken on their guitars, and included an introduction to Andy's song "A Fish on your Car" sang by Sophie. His masterpiece from two years ago, "Yard Sale Undies,' was not in evidence.

Thursday, there was surf soccer on the beach while various seafood dishes were being prepared. There was shrimp boil, Cullen Skink soup, smoked fish and numerous sides. Elliot survived not having turkey although he may have been tempted to crash another dinner along the beach. After dinner we took team pictures on the beach. It was probably the biggest challenge of the week to get everyone lined up in one place at one time.

Friday, I made a triple batch of corn fritters in the morning, there was more beach time and shopping, and we gathered for supper at the Blue Parrot. Afterwards, we wound up the week with our White Elephant gift exchange.

Everyone else is home--we are still in transit. We stopped the first night in Huntsville, Alabama, and yesterday made Springfield Illinois about 4:30, debating whether to continue on home. The message board above the interstate read "Accidents Ahead! Take alternate routes!" That, and my sore back decided it. We landed at a Drury Inn and were delighted that the room included not only breakfast but also a light buffet supper--especially appreciated because it started to rain immediately after our arrival and we didn't have to go back out. I know the rain is much needed.

So, home today and back to exercise and better eating routines. There's also fall decorations to remove and Christmas to put up. (And I vow I will thin those out and get rid of a lot this year!) Friday, I will be selling books at the annual ACT craft fair. Eye, dentist, and doctor appointments will fill up the rest of the week. I think I'm getting too old for this.

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Family Fun and Fabulous Weather

11/23/2016

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I'm sure some would like it warmer but it hasn't rained on our parade so that's something. We've spent quite a bit of time on the beach and the kids have braved the water. Kate brought an inflatable boat that provided some entertainment yesterday.

The food, per usual has been fabulous. Monday Ken smoked pork loins and I provided some marginal scalloped potatoes plus green beans, broccoli and fruit salad. The pork was excellent. Last night was Taco Tuesday, hosted by Gretchen and Bob and Nat and Terry. It was amazing and there wasn't much left.

The crowd is growing with Nat and Terry's arrival yesterday, as well as Jessi from Tuscaloosa. Scott, Ty, and Alma will hopefully show up some time tonight. The competition is heating up too, with the Starfish taking honors in golf yesterday, and the Stinrays squeaking out a victory in Jessi's "Fishbowl" game last night.

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On the Beach

11/21/2016

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It's time for our biennial Thanksgiving family gathering and for the first time we have returned to the scene of a crime. Six years ago we were at St. George Island on the panhandle of Florida, and this year we decided to try it again.The first wave arrived Saturday and settled in one of our two rental houses. The smaller one, on the beach is a cute 70s era cottage. The only issue is that two of the bedrooms are lofts and open to the living room so privacy and quiet is a bit of a problem. The other house, across the street, is three stories and sleeps 14.

We assign families to the cooking chores most nights but Saturday we just ordered pizza. Sunday night, Kate and Ron and Andy and Stacy produced Chicken Alfredo and an excellent Tuscan soup. Today Ken will smoke two pork loins which we will have tonight with scalloped potatoes, broccoli, green beans, and fruit salad.

We are big board and table games fans. Saturday night we had a lot of tears of laughter with "Telestrations" and last night with a new game "Speak Out" Although the temps this week will be about ten degrees cooler than the last time we were here--high 60s and low 70s--it's still great on the beach. More family will join us tomorrow and Wednesday, at which time we will have 22.

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Write Direction, Part II

11/15/2016

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Continuing my review of books by the authors who took part in our workshop, I'd like to introduce you to the work of Roger Hileman and Dave Hoing. Roger and I worked together at ACT and when he told me they were getting ready to publish their book Hammon Falls, I was green with envy and full of admiration. I was even more so after reading Hammon Falls, a wonderful piece of historical fiction based on Waterloo, Iowa and Roger's ancestors. Roger introduced me to the ongoing changes in publishing, including print on demand (POD).

Roger and Dave have just released a new book, A Killing Snow. I was lucky enough to do a beat read for them and write an early review.

It's hard to beat a good pioneer story. You have people who are somewhat—or maybe completely—isolated by choice, facing a climate more harsh than any they had seen before, and still dealing with the challenges of being human in the development of family and community. The Killing Snow is a wonderful addition to pioneer literature. The characters are flawed—like other humans. In the very small community of Goss Valley, Dakota Territory, people are often thrown together with others they wouldn't have associated with back East, and either have to make the best of it, or not. Both courses have consequences.

The descriptions are lovely, and place the reader in the Dakota territory of the late 1880s, suffering through the extremes of winter and summer and relishing the beautiful days in between. A murder of a shunned immigrant by an reviled citizen would not be expected to polarize the community or weave itself into unrelated events, but it does because of the complex relationships among the characters. Hoing and Hileman do a great job of defining and elaborating the context of the times: a couple of decades after the Civil War, the height of immigration, the beginnings of modern technology (the post office gets a telephone but it is useless for the time being because no one else has one.) A wonderful and enjoyable read.

Roger was one of several music majors in our department and besides working full-time and writing, he plays in a couple of swing and jazz bands. He lives in Iowa City with his wife Lu and has three grown daughters. Dave lives in Waterloo and is a librarian at the University of Northern Iowa. He is also a musician, as well as an artist and writer. Besides his collaboration with Roger, he has penned several books on his own.

I met Craig Hart at the Clinton Book Fair this past August. He willingly agreed to take part in our workshop. A Michigan native, Craig also lives in Iowa City and is a stay-at-home dad for his twin two-year-old sons. On my to-read list is his award-winning coming of age book, Becoming Moon.

But I did read his latest, Serenity, the start of a thriller series featuring Shelby Alexander, a retiree who just wants to get away from it all. Of course, if he could, there wouldn't be a story. Alexander moves to the small town of Serenity in Northern Michigan and gets embroiled in a murder involving a homegrown crime family and a couple of drug rings. Little cooperation is forthcoming from law enforcement so Alexander is left to deal with things on his own. Combined with concern for the safety of his girlfriend and constant calls from his formerly estranged daughter who is worried about his health and welfare, the mystery has him tied in knots. This is a page turner, has very believable characters and dialogue, as well as great descriptions of winter in northern Michigan.

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The Write Direction

11/7/2016

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A week ago, fifteen area authors gathered at our local library for our third annual Book Bums Writers' Workshop. The weather cooperated and didn't throw any early November snow storms at us like the first year. We covered topics ranging from character development to publishing and marketing. Lots of great questions were fielded by the panels and every one I talked to felt they picked up much useful information. And I picked up several books to add to my beside-the-chair stack for the winter. So I will be posting reviews of all of the authors over the next few weeks.

Mary Howard and I go way back. We went to church camp together and roomed together our junior year in college. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding. We've lost touch off and on through the years but then Mary called me and said she was going to be in Iowa City--did we want to meet for supper? Why was she going to be there? To read at Prairie Lights from her first book, Discovering the Body. I believe I was as excited as she was. It inspired me to take the plunge later into writing and publishing.

Mary's most recent book, The Girl with Wings, came out this year and was chosen the Great River Writers Retreat winner, gaining her a week at the Benet House in Rock Island, IL to work on her writing and an appearance to read from her work. This is a book with a gripping story, complex characters and relationships, and wonderful descriptions. Mary Howard has captured how our perceptions are often so limited by the constrictions of our experiences. The effects of the disappearance of a 6-week old baby on the parents, a schizophrenic grandmother, a nearing-forty woman with a first pregnancy, and several other interesting characters is so well done. Mary has a M.A. in English/Creative Writing from Iowa State, where for seventeen years she was an academic advisor in the Art and Design Department. She lives in Ames, Iowa.

Elaine Orr and I became friends after I published my first book. I noticed that it was frequently paired on its Amazon page with one called Any Port in a Storm, by Elaine Orr. Curiosity got the best of me and I downloaded it. It was actually the fourth book in Elaine's Jolie Gentil cozy mystery series. I enjoyed it immensely. The series takes place in the fictional town of Ocean Alley on the Jersey Shore where Jolie Gentil lives with her aunt Madge after a wrenching divorce. Jolie works as a house appraiser, which gets her into some dicey spots. The dialogue is great, the characters unique, and there is lots of humor. Unlike many cozy heroines, Jolie is very active in local fund raising as well. Pets are always popular in cozy mysteries, and I fell in love with Aunt Madge's two Golden Retrievers, Miss Piggy and Mr. Rogers.

After writing a review, I emailed Elaine to tell her how much I enjoyed it and we began to correspond. She was in the process of moving to Springfield, IL but had lived in Ottumwa, IA at one time. She does frequent workshop presentations so it was only natural that I invited her to our first workshop two years ago and we finally got to meet.

Elaine's latest book, From Newsprint to Footprints, is the start of a new series, the Rivers' Edge Mysteries. The locale is a fictional Des Moines River town in southern Iowa. Melanie Perkins is fired from her small town newspaper job and has to find other employment. She decides to use her gardening skills as a landscaper but "digs up" more than she planned. The murder of her former boss, Hal, puts her in prime suspect territory.

However, Melanie is not the only one Hal has clashed with, and Melanie puts her investigative reporter skills to work when she feels the law is not looking at anyone but her. It becomes stickier as she wonders who to trust and how several possible suspects are connected. Life in this small town is turned on end before the crime is solved.

Elaine also has several books out about writing.

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As the Sands of Time...

Family Fun and Fabulous Weather

On the Beach

Write Direction, Part II

The Write Direction

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