Ryshia Kennie's Blog, page 37

Ladybugs, Voles and the CIA

One moment I'm watching another vole scurry across the easement, there's an influx this year, and the next I'm reading up on the CIA - or what information I can get my hands on.  Gardening and writing/research - kind of hand in glove or maybe keyboard in wheelbarrow.

It's odd how a day can unfold or maybe that's unravel.  I plan to do one thing and the next thing I know I'm doing battle with an influx of ladybugs.  There's been more this year of almost everything it appears; snow, voles, ladybugs.  I like one out of three - not too bad.  Although, even though they're not the one out of three, I must say the voles are kind of cute as long as they'd keep their numbers down and stay far away my yard and from any trees or shrubs I may hold dear.

But the CIA, yes back to that - spies and crime and good old romantic suspense.  The research varies depending on the threat the characters might face.  Often there's no intelligence operative at all, just a romance, a villain or two, and some fast thinking on the part of the characters.  But it's these things I think about today as I dig weeds and brush off ladybugs.  And in case you think this is a daily routine - not.  Some days my thoughts are on more mundane things like what's for supper.  Apparently today, supper didn't quite work out - it's takeout lasagna and a coupon that wasn't quite the deal it seemed to present. 

Is real life stranger than fiction?  I think so.  Even though sometimes it feels like the twist in the latest plot might be a bit too much and sometimes it is and there's a rewrite.  But other times I take a break and check the news. Most days things are pretty calm out there on our little planet.  But some days the news is one step short of unbelievable.  And sometimes it's just plain coincidental.

Today, for example, my story has strayed from threat of the human kind and moved to one of a different sort and sure enough there's a real life, similar story.  Hey, I had the idea first!  I can't help it if Mother Nature had to jump in.  Not that it matters, my story will take it's own spin on things.

And speaking of a spin on things.  Do you take the news to heart or do you always have a spin of your own?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Romance - Wills and Kate Style

Wills and Kate, a royal romance that landed, as the Brits might say, on my tellie.  

I almost got up at 2:00 a.m. to watch the coverage of the royal wedding.  Almost... 

Instead I taped it and watched the event mid-stream at shortly after 6:00 a.m.  Still, a crazy hour to get up but it was a crazy event.  As they say, the event of the century. It was amazing the crowd that gathered - the crowd physically there and the crowd that gathered at a distance around the world.  This wasn't the usual media event.  Not at least what I'm used to hearing.  It seems to be mayhem of all kinds that attracts media attention lately, wars and civil unrest or natural disasters exploding in all corners of the globe.  Sometimes I think there is no good news out there.  And then this....


A future monarch gets married.  The breaking of ancient rules of blood and pomp and circumstance.  Or was it just a beautiful romance?


It was plain old-fashioned romance in high style and we all tuned in.  Okay, not all of us but you know where I'm going - many, many.   So many manies as to mean that whole networks in a variety of countries have been aflutter with the event for most of the week leading up to it and much of the hours after. 
  
Not to repeat myself - never mind, I will.  It was all about romance and I loved it.  Although I have to admit that as a romantic suspense author I was also fascinated by the security issues right down to securing the sewer caps - but that's another story.  Believe me, security is a many faceted endeavor.  As I learned from a monarch visit to the prairies, it's amazing what security personnel can hear with their listening devices!  Again, another story... 


But back to the wedding, loved the simplicity of the dress, the beauty of the choir, the Bishop of London's words to the couple, and who couldn't love the setting in the history steeped elegance of Westminster Abbey?  But what I was disappointed with...  the kiss on the balcony.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those that expects the bend her over his arm sort of go for it Hollywood kiss.  And I wasn't one of the ones waiting for "the kiss".   Because really, I didn't expect it to be much more than staged.  And I don't say that in a bad way.  But after all, this was a kiss that occurred eight years into a relationship, in front of millions of people, and over an hour after the completion of the nuptials.  The kiss wasn't spontaneous.  It was expected.  So as a staged event - I expected a smidgen of drama - where was the drama?  Just a wee tiny bit, maybe a kiss just a little longer than it was, something.  I know that sounds contradictory but somewhere between one brief kiss and the dip...  Sigh.  

I know - two kisses have to count for something.  Either way - it looks to me like a love match. 

And you - wasn't it romantic or....?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

The Ferret Was Legendary

In a life that has been dotted with pets, the ferret seems to stand out.  Now I'm a little more conventional, at least in the pet department.  One dog, currently snoring on the couch.

But back to the purpose of this post and really, it's not the ferret.  But if you give me time I'll get there.  First off, the ferret has been gone for quite a few years.  He lived a good life before going off to ferret heaven.  So when he became the topic of conversation when a good friend came to town and I went for coffee with her and her daughter it was rather a surprise.  Especially when my friend's daughter told me that the ferret was legendary.  That made me stop.  This young lady had never met the ferret but she'd heard stories of his exploits - legendary stories.

http://www.freeclipartnow.com/Now I have to admit that Scooter (yes, he was not blessed with an original name) had some unique qualities.  One, he loved red licorice - absolutely manic for it, two he loved sleeping beneath the cushions of a hide-a-bed we had at the time.  When company would come he would emerge, sneak up on them and nip their ankles.  Then he'd dance backwards and chatter in a manner that couldn't be anything but ferret laughter.  No one forgot Scooter. 

But what makes something legendary?  And specifically what makes a story legendary?

We all know those stories.  The ones we will never forget.  Sometimes one author is blessed with every book they write and sometimes it's just one particular story.  I find of all the legendary stories that stick with me, many were ones read in my childhood; L.M. Montgomery's Jane of Lantern Hill, Johanna Spyri's Heidi, Jack London's The Call of the Wild - just to name a few.  Most recently I was impressed with Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy.  They're stories I won't forget.  Of course there's others - Stephen King's The Stand, almost anything LaVryle Spencer wrote, Ken Follett's Fall of Giants.  I could go on but my feet are going numb - yes I'm still sitting on my feet in front of my tiny retro coffee table that now functions as slash office.  But I digress - legendary stories - they all have the ability to draw you into a world that you will remember long after you turn the last page.  They're stories whose bindings once became worn with wear and who now I often load onto my kindle so I can reread them without ruining my paper copy.  Yes - another reason I'm glad the e-book exists.

Have you read anything legendary recently?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
 

Poetry and Critics

Dreaming of summer...And just because it's National Poetry Month another quote selected by Saskatchewan's Poet Laureate Don Kerr.  
 

 "All that the critic can do for the reader is to focus his gaze or attention."                                                                                                                                        ~ Ezra Pound  Ryshia Kenniewww.ryshiakennie.com 

I Wouldn't Fight Sharks But...

Some days I consider what bizarre genes I inherited that drive me to get up at ridiculous hours to punch letters on a keyboard and fill a blank screen with stories that evolve from, as my mother has asked, where exactly?  Renovations have taken over the house.  Considering the fact that my office is now off limits until painting is finished - shouldn't I take a break?  Wouldn't any sane human being?

Temporary - repeat - temporary officeApparently not.  Even with my office reduced to an old style end table that is three steps from the dust bin and is barely wider than my laptop when the kitchen table is in use - I write.  Yes, the life of the displaced and apparently insanely determined writer.  Currently, I'm sitting on the floor with my feet tucked under me - guaranteed to cause circulation stoppage at some point.  A little pile of research books are teetering on the upper shelf of the retro piece of furniture that's now my desk.  I really should do something about them before they topple.

What drives one forward to write no matter what the conditions?  Even through all the frustrations and confusion of today's publishing industry.  I muddle through posts of self-publishing as opposed to mainstream publishing, the shelf life of paper books as opposed to e-reads and my head spins.  When I've determined one path there are others trumpeting another.  Some days it's easier to write than to step onto the constantly changing field that we now call the publishing industry.  But that's another post.

Publishing is frustrating.  There, I said it.  Published or not - getting published isn't easy.  Carving a career isn't easy.  A sane person would give up.  Wait, yes I did mention that sanity factor - a hereditary thing that I blame on some distant relative.  Possibly the miserable looking great great great something or other whose picture indicates that she might have fought sharks single-handedly to get to America.  The story goes that she was a United Empire Loyalist and that's what brought her to Canada.  I tend to think, from the look on her face, that the States might have thrown her out.  Any way you look at it - that woman's determined.  Maybe I get it from her. 

Still,  my resolve faltered a few times as the household turmoil continued. Then it happened!

I had a wow moment.  It came completely unexpectedly, as these things tend to do.  Someone acknowledged what I do every day - in a big way.  More on that later.  I was left with what I call the wow factor.  In fact, that's the only word that came to mind.  It certainly killed the 5:00 a.m. writing habit for 24 hours or so.  After all, there's only so many times you can write wow!

What keeps you going through life's distractions?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

National Poetry Month

 
It's National Poetry month and our provincial Poet Laureate, Don Kerr has been providing the Saskatchewan Writers Guild with daily snippets of poetry.  It's been refreshing to look forward to those lines of verse that can be anything from inspirational to just plain humorous.  

From a man who has perfected the art of setting poetry to music:

"My friends are gone and my hair is grey
 I ache in the places where I used to play"                                                                                                          ~Leonard Cohen, "The Tower of Song" In SK it's still looking a little too much like this.
And yesterday's verse - another quick laugh to take you through the remainder of the day:
"You made us weep without suffering"                        

                                                ~Pablo Neruda,Ode to the Onion





Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

The Romance Studio - Stay At Home Party

If you haven't heard - The Romance Studio is hosting a Stay At Home Party.  If you're not one of the lucky ones going to Los Angelas than head over to The Romance Studio for your book fix.  There's authors, readers, books and prizes.  One of the prime prizes - a Nook, I heard rumour of two, not sure if that's true or not, you'll have to check that fact out for yourself.  The party dates are today and heading through the 10th with the exception of April 7.

A party that begins on hump day, Wednesday - not a bad bridge for mid-week. 
So check it out:  April 6, and April 8-10
http://theromancestudio.com/party
You can start off if you want with my post today:  Books or Snow?  Or a Little of Both...  Or skip on ahead to the main party site.  Either way hop in, make a comment or two that enters you for a chance to win some great prizes and in the process maybe discover a new author or two.
 


Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Bring It

 Originally published scheduled to post April 1 - how appropriate that it posted to other venues and not the blog - after all it was April Fool's Day.  So without further ado....
 
Margaritas on the table, supper a few hours away and the snow is beginning to slowly drain away.  What more can someone ask for?

In the lull between cocktails and supper - Chinese if anyone cared, my two fave cooks, hubbie and a good friend, are scouring a new online site on herbs.  I, having been relegated to the kitchen out of necessity, is relieved to finally release those duties to someone with a talent for culinary pursuits.  And listening to the exchange revolving around Vietnamese cinnamon and black sesame,  I can hear the passion in the possibilities.
Rourke's passion - stuffed animals and apparently, eyeshadow.    Insert shrug here.

Passion.  That gut wrenching, must do emotion that drives one forward and perseveres even through every obstacle, major or minor.  It's the reason you'll steal time anywhere you can even if five o'clock a.m. becomes a regular visual on the bedside alarm.  It's similar in every endeavor.  Passion is what drives us.

For me it's words.  But sometimes through the long hours of getting that first draft onto paper, something gets lost in the translation.  Whether you lose direction or suffer from verbiage - the result is a story needing an overhaul. 

An overwritten first draft is rather like an over-spiced dish.  Except, according to my resident chefs, maybe a tad easier to fix.  At least with a story you can scale back and strip it down to the bones to find the guts that first drove the idea into life.

The reality is that passion easily settles into the day to day mundane and ideas get lost in word counts and line edits.  But you would never have begun it in the first place if there hadn't been special in those first words.  There have been many words written in the history of mankind and many words to come.  Only twenty-six letters in the English alphabet and still the possibilities are endless.

As Randy says on American Idol - Bring It!  Be your best - show the exceptional that only you can bring.  And always that's what you have to do whether it takes one draft of twenty.  Remember the passion and the excitement that was the inception of the idea?  What made it special?  Go there even if you, and you probably will, have to edit your way back to that wonderful beginning.

Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony is playing in the background.  Now there was a master at passion - he brings it with every note.  Listening to that provides a whole lot of inspiration.

How are you planning to bring it this week?
 
Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie

Disaster Ahead - Take a Break

My life is a disaster.   Not on every level, just from a writing perspective.  My physical space is in turmoil.  In fact last weekend I didn't write at all.  A break - now that should be a refreshing change.  But there's something about living amidst a disaster that takes the refreshing right out of the break.

So what is said disaster?  Renovations have caused an office disaster.
The basement is being renovated and that's where my office is.  So the refreshing break became a chance to haul nail pocked boards to the garage for future disposal, sweep sawdust, tear out nails and rip up carpet.

A contractor I'm not.  Agile - maybe.  At least so I thought as I dangled from two by fours and removed nails.  That was until I reached the two by four that was held up by only one nail.  Of course, I learned that after the fact.  It was a slow dance from ground to floor as I hung in mid-air before maneuvering around obstacles and safely jumping off before it hit the ground.  Not bad all things considered, no injuries or broken tools - and hey, I still had my hammer in hand. 

My basement is full of electric tools and I'm comfortable with none of them.  I'm sure some of them may have featured in a horror movie or two.   And my dislike of them all was justified when the nailer attempted to take off someone's thumbnail.  Apparently, a dab of crazy glue fixes that!  All I know is that it was a relief to see that there was no blood. 







Welcome to my nightmare
 
I think you're gonna like it,
I think you're gonna feel
Like you belong,
A nocturnal vacation,
Unnecessary sedation,
You want to feel at home
Cause you belong,
Welcome to my nightmare.

With an office hiding behind an old sheet, I've been away from the computer more this week than I've been sitting in front of it.  Definitely not the norm.  A friend actually had to phone me after there was no response to her e-mails.  Usually e-mail is a fairly efficient way to get my attention.  Not this week. 

An old flannel sheet becomes a dust break.I learned something from being away from the computer.  The longing to write came back.  Not that I didn't want to write - but that sense of anticipation to get that line down got to be savoured more times than it was acted on.   I can no longer blithely charge to the computer especially when even getting into the basement is no longer a matter of just running down the stairs.  It's an obstacle course down there, complete with a wayward nail or two - shoes are a necessity.  So hours go by and I have to collect those fantastic lines and wonderful ideas (that's the great thing about the muse - each word screams that it's the best you ever wrote, until edits reveal otherwise) before I write anything down.  Yes, I know I have heard of pen and paper - but...give me my computer any day.  Besides, one idea always leads to a paragraph and then a page and then...  

So back to the urge to write and the break from writing.  A break is the best thing that ever happened.  It brought back the passion, the bite that makes me ache to write. 

You might ask why I didn't just move my computer upstairs.  But hey, behind the flannel sheet, my office is still intact and the place I want to be - for now.   So now with projects calling, it's time to get to work.  I miss my routine and me and the hammer, despite spending time together, will always be reluctant partners.

Anything different in your week?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Self Help Blogs

Novice Monks, Cambodia
Have blogs become the 21st centuries version of the self-help book?  No matter what the subject there's a blog ready to give advise.  I'm sure there's even a blog available to point out problems to those who may perceive that they have none.

Some blogs are just ones that are fun to follow or people who I enjoy their style of writing.  Light, easy blogs that are a break in a busy day.  There's the travel blogs I follow that give me a taste of the world through anothers eyes.  No self help there.  No - wait, didn't I read in a number of blogs that travel as opposed to tourism is the best self help of all?  And then there's the blogs who advocate leaving it all behind.  As in selling it all and carrying your possessions on your back and travelling the globe.  I love the concept but I can't get my head around leaving the beer fridge, never mind my electric piano, behind and I haven't even reached the bookshelf.  Hmmm, a topic for another blog. 

But onward, there's the zen blog, and the daily brainstorm which exactly like it says storms your brain with bits of motivational rah rah.  And of course there's the writing blogs.  Everything from industry news to the trials and tribulations of other authors.  Nothing like reading the trials of others followed by a story of success or two to make everything feel right with the world.  There's even yoga blogs where I mistakenly thought I'd learn meditation.  Apparently that is a physical art.  One where I actually have to get out of my writing chair and practice.  So I moved on.  There's only so much self-help a girl can take.  

Blogs - how do you look at them?  Fun or a little support along the way?


Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
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