Kathy L. Salt's Blog, page 3
April 2, 2020
F/F Crossword challenge!
Hi everyone!
These are strange times indeed.
I am however happy to announce that one of my novels is up on Jae’s F/F Crossword Challenge – toaster oven edition.
You can find the Crossword Puzzle and the rules here.
It comes with the chance to win one of these books:
The Goodmans by Clare Ashton
Uncommon Emotions by Lynn Galli
No Strings Attached by Harper Bliss
You’ll also be entered into the drawing for the grand prize at the end of the year, with a chance to win a book package, plus an autograph book full of autographs of popular WLW & lesbian fiction authors.
Exciting, right?
Happy playing!
February 17, 2020
Working on the Hellmouth
As everyone else left, I stayed. I stayed loyal to my employer. To my students. To the parents of my students. I stayed loyal to myself and to the legacy I have built within these 92 walls. My home outside home. My place of no regrets. The place I found my role as a teacher.
My friends have all left, finding rescue and relief at other schools. There are just a few fools left. I’m one of them. Stuck in this place where I need an inhaler at least once per lesson to stay inside this sick, sick building.
In every disaster movie there is always one person who doesn’t want the rescue. Who stands on top of the exploding mountain and wants to see how it ends. I am that person. I am on top of that mountain. It’s exploding underneath me and I can’t breathe.
Literally. I used my inhaler twice today while the kids had lunch.
We have wheezing kids too. Kids with runny eyes. Kids with rashes so severe they’re bleeding.
We have coworkers who have had to go to the doctor with symptoms they experience nowhere else except at work.
When they came last week, the construction workers asked us “are there people working here? Are you still in these buildings? Haven’t you got another school yet?”
No we haven’t.
They have forgotten about us.
Blåbetång we call it. It’s poisonous. It’s making us sick. Radon. Radiation. It’s spread to the walls, the mold, the moist. Do people know that over 300 children and adults work here?
It doesn’t seem like.
Author note: I have blogged about my place of work before but during this past six months it has been worse. We have appeared in all the local papers and the environment is so bad some children have had to change buildings because they couldn’t breathe indoors. We’re hoping they’ll close the school, we can’t live like this anymore. It’s hard enough just being a teacher; a VERY bad work environment isn’t acceptable.
Thanks for reading!
January 1, 2020
The F/F Fiction Crossword Challenge
The F/F Fiction Crossword Challenge is a year-long event for readers of WLW and lesbian books. Each month, I’ll post three book-themed crossword puzzles on this blog. All of the crossword clues will be from books featuring female characters who identify as lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, trans, asexual, demisexual, queer, or questioning—so basically anything other than heterosexual.
Sounds awesome right?
What makes it even more awesome is that my books and I are participating!
Head over to Jae’s blog to find out more:
The F/F Fiction Crossword Challenge
Happy First of January
In the similar spirit as I had at the end of 2017 and 2016 and 2015, I welcome 2020 with open arms. I love January 1. Full stop. This also marks the end of my hiatus. I’m back. And I have loads of plans. My winter project sadly didn’t lead to anything but I’m going to use the extra time to be an author. I had plans to take a night class but I just decided no. I don’t want to. I just want to go to work, come home, write. Write short stories. Write novels. Edit novels. Blog. Taking hiatus was good because now I’m fizzing with creative energy and as we watched the countdown on TV last night I planned a short story in my head. That I’m going to start writing the moment I finish this blog post.
New Years goals for 2020:
Publish “I Love You Nora Whispered”. It’s in the final stages and I will continue working on that today thanks to my amazing beta readers!
Write and hopefully publish a novel that is currently called “Frozen Symphony”. It’s sort of, kind of, contemporary romance with a supernatural twist.
Write more short stories. I miss writing short stories, especially erotic ones. No promises but I will try.
I don’t really know where I want to take my blog. I do posts when I have ideas and I feel like 2019 was a year of ideas. I want to do more reviews. I love doing lists. I love talking about being a lesbian. I do like talking about writing but sometimes I feel too experienced to do that even though I’m about to publish my fifth novel. I want to, as silly as it sounds, “keep it real”. I don’t want to pretend or write posts that contain nothing to get readers or something.
I always, always, always want to be better at marketing and getting my books out there, boosting my sale or whatever you say. I still suck at that. I even took an online class and I still suck. A bit unsure what to do there.
What I do know is that I don’t want to continue my hiatus. Kathy is back!
What goals do you guys have for the year?
November 25, 2019
October 27, 2019
I Love You Nora Whispered Character Presentation – minor characters
Author note: As a celebration of finishing my fifth novel I’m going to once a week for the next five weeks do presentations of characters from my newest novel “I Love You Nora Whispered”. It’s a story set in England during the 1940s.
In this post I want to focus on minor characters, the families that Katherine and Nora come from.
The Waterhouse Family
Simon Waterhouse had done what he could to not be drafted but as a young able-bodied man he didn’t have much choice. He was stationed in the German Colonies in North Africa during the World War One and on his deployments between Europe and Africa he stopped in Italy, being absolutely besotted with a young Italian waitress called Sandrine. During the last trip, he took her with him back home.
Sandrine had never dreamt of living anywhere other than Italy but she fell in love with the British countryside. He was an equestrian and moved them into a house next to the stable. Sandrine never learned to ride, having too much respect for horses but she encouraged the different vocation that let her husband work from home.
They had two children, Leonard and just two years later Katherine. When Leonard and Katherine were teenagers both Simon and Leonard were drafted into the World War Two. Simon had managed well in the first war but was badly injured in the second leading him useless on horseback, his career was over. Leonard was never interested in horses and after the war he simply didn’t come back. He found a British girl at the end of the war and eloped with her.
Simon is happy on the surface, training and sponsoring young riders not to mention running the stud farm. He had placed all hope in Leonard to take over the farm and his love of horses but that didn’t happen. All that is left is Katherine and while Simon loves her, it’s not what he had expected.
Sandrine is genuinely happy; she enjoys being a high society wife and she has enjoyed being a mother good enough. She reads feminist literature even though she is, deep at heart, rather traditional.
—————————————————————————————————————————-
The Lakes Family
Ma and Pa (Eleanore and Thomas Senior) Lakes are busy and poor but with a lot of love. They have 11 children at the beginning of the book and even though Nora’s parents should have shown a bit of restraint, they love each of their children. The main income for the family comes from Eleanore’s washhouse that she owns and runs with the help of the children.
Speaking of the children:
Thomas, aged 27, lives with a family of his own in another part of London. He doesn’t have much contact with his family, fought in WW2 and wasn’t the same after.
Mary, aged 25, lives with her husband and her baby Benjamin. She misses her sisters a lot and love when they come to visit.
Edward, dead at the age of 20. He died during WW2.
Martha, aged 23.
Nora, aged 19.
John, aged 16. Awkward and shy. Doesn’t talk much. Keeps his head down and works hard. His father’s pride.
Emily, aged 14. Wild and uncontrollable. Loves make up and wants a boyfriend more than anything.
Rose, aged 12. Wants to be like Emily more than anything. Sometimes Emily is her best friend; sometimes her enemy.
Robert, aged 9. Whiny and insecure. His oldest sister bully him.
Eunice, aged 6. A little tomboy. Hangs after Robert even though he wishes she didn’t.
Anne, aged 4. Inquisitive and caring. She loves Nora a lot and they spend a lot of time together.
I Love You Nora Whispered Character Representation – minor characters
Author note: As a celebration of finishing my fifth novel I’m going to once a week for the next five weeks do presentations of characters from my newest novel “I Love You Nora Whispered”. It’s a story set in England during the 1940s.
In this post I want to focus on minor characters, the families that Katherine and Nora come from.
The Waterhouse Family
Simon Waterhouse had done what he could to not be drafted but as a young able-bodied man he didn’t have much choice. He was stationed in the German Colonies in North Africa during the World War One and on his deployments between Europe and Africa he stopped in Italy, being absolutely besotted with a young Italian waitress called Sandrine. During the last trip, he took her with him back home.
Sandrine had never dreamt of living anywhere other than Italy but she fell in love with the British countryside. He was an equestrian and moved them into a house next to the stable. Sandrine never learned to ride, having too much respect for horses but she encouraged the different vocation that let her husband work from home.
They had two children, Leonard and just two years later Katherine. When Leonard and Katherine were teenagers both Simon and Leonard were drafted into the World War Two. Simon had managed well in the first war but was badly injured in the second leading him useless on horseback, his career was over. Leonard was never interested in horses and after the war he simply didn’t come back. He found a British girl at the end of the war and eloped with her.
Simon is happy on the surface, training and sponsoring young riders not to mention running the stud farm. He had placed all hope in Leonard to take over the farm and his love of horses but that didn’t happen. All that is left is Katherine and while Simon loves her, it’s not what he had expected.
Sandrine is genuinely happy; she enjoys being a high society wife and she has enjoyed being a mother good enough. She reads feminist literature even though she is, deep at heart, rather traditional.
—————————————————————————————————————————-
The Lakes Family
Ma and Pa (Eleanore and Thomas Senior) Lakes are busy and poor but with a lot of love. They have 11 children at the beginning of the book and even though Nora’s parents should have shown a bit of restraint, they love each of their children. The main income for the family comes from Eleanore’s washhouse that she owns and runs with the help of the children.
Speaking of the children:
Thomas, aged 27, lives with a family of his own in another part of London. He doesn’t have much contact with his family, fought in WW2 and wasn’t the same after.
Mary, aged 25, lives with her husband and her baby Benjamin. She misses her sisters a lot and love when they come to visit.
Edward, dead at the age of 20. He died during WW2.
Martha, aged 23.
Nora, aged 19.
John, aged 16. Awkward and shy. Doesn’t talk much. Keeps his head down and works hard. His father’s pride.
Emily, aged 14. Wild and uncontrollable. Loves make up and wants a boyfriend more than anything.
Rose, aged 12. Wants to be like Emily more than anything. Sometimes Emily is her best friend; sometimes her enemy.
Robert, aged 9. Whiny and insecure. His oldest sister bully him.
Eunice, aged 6. A little tomboy. Hangs after Robert even though he wishes she didn’t.
Anne, aged 4. Inquisitive and caring. She loves Nora a lot and they spend a lot of time together.
October 21, 2019
I Love You Nora Whispered Character Presentation – Martha
Author note: As a celebration of finishing my fifth novel I’m going to once a week for the next five weeks do presentations of characters from my newest novel “I Love You Nora Whispered”. It’s a story set in England during the 1940s.
Now let’s get to know Martha Lakes
Last week I told you about Nora lakes and how she has 10 sisters and brothers. One of these sisters is Martha. Martha Lakes is child number three and also the most independent and strong-willed child in the Lakes family. She is also very good at talking and talking fast, but that’s a common trait among the Lakes women.
Martha fell in love with the British countryside while evacuated with other London children during the second world war. After experiencing clear air, horses and other animals, London had never been the same to her and she had as soon as she didn’t have to go to school anymore, taken the odd stable job here and there.
She doesn’t want what her little sisters want. A husband. A home. Lots of babies. The same life as their ma. Martha doesn’t know what she wants, she just knows what she doesn’t want.
It’s still the 1940s and even though women in Britain are enjoying more rights than ever before, there aren’t a lot of jobs being offered to a young woman. But Martha is tough and tenacious and she does alright for herself.
…and that’s how she finds herself working for Mr Waterhouse at Waterhouse Acre Stable.
I Love You Nora Whispered Character Representation – Martha
Author note: As a celebration of finishing my fifth novel I’m going to once a week for the next five weeks do presentations of characters from my newest novel “I Love You Nora Whispered”. It’s a story set in England during the 1940s.
Now let’s get to know Martha Lakes
Last week I told you about Nora lakes and how she has 10 sisters and brothers. One of these sisters is Martha. Martha Lakes is child number three and also the most independent and strong-willed child in the Lakes family. She is also very good at talking and talking fast, but that’s a common trait among the Lakes women.
Martha fell in love with the British countryside while evacuated with other London children during the second world war. After experiencing clear air, horses and other animals, London had never been the same to her and she had as soon as she didn’t have to go to school anymore, taken the odd stable job here and there.
She doesn’t want what her little sisters want. A husband. A home. Lots of babies. The same life as their ma. Martha doesn’t know what she wants, she just knows what she doesn’t want.
It’s still the 1940s and even though women in Britain are enjoying more rights than ever before, there aren’t a lot of jobs being offered to a young woman. But Martha is tough and tenacious and she does alright for herself.
…and that’s how she finds herself working for Mr Waterhouse at Waterhouse Acre Stable.
October 14, 2019
I Love You Nora Whispered Character Presentation – Nora
Author note: As a celebration of finishing my fifth novel I’m going to once a week for the next five weeks do presentations of characters from my newest novel “I Love You Nora Whispered”. It’s a story set in England during the 1940s.
Last week I talked about Katherine Waterhouse. Now it’s Nora Lakes turn.
Oh Nora. I have a soft spot for her. She started up as minor character and I had already planned all of the novel when I realized that I hated the entire thing, scrapped the entire thing and started from the beginning. Nora is the one who saved it all. Without her, there wouldn’t be a story.
Nora Lakes was born in the late 1920s as the fifth child in a family of eleven not counting the parents. She was normal as a child, very kind and inquisitive but as a small girl she contracted polio and even though she survived it (along with the siblings who got it) she was never the same after that. She has post-polio syndrome where she experiences weakness, shortness of breath, inflammation in the joints and muscle atrophy among other things.
In the beginning of the story, her ailment is almost like a part of her personality and it colors how she views the world. She is convinced everyone in her family dislikes her and most of the time they don’t prove her wrong. Who would marry an invalid like her? Who would employ a cripple like her? Nora, dear, sweet Nora, sees herself like people see her.
…that is, until she moves to Waterhouse Acre Stable and meets Katherine.
Next week it’s time to meet Martha Lakes, Nora’s sister and best friend.
