Beth Camp's Blog, page 5

Walk in the woods . . . and a psychological thriller . . .

Yesterday we spent nearly an hour, strolling through the Milner Gardens, just about a 30 minute drive away from where we're staying on Vancouver Island. Billed as "an ancient forest and garden oasis by the sea," I can agree. Even royalty has sipped tea here. We took in the views and admired the hidden fountains and rhododendron shrubs so large, their gnarled branches looked like trees.Old growth

A Writer's Drought?

 We are staying the month on Vancouver Island, near Nanoose Bay. This picture shows the cove just a 6-minute walk down the hill. Despite daily news of wildfires all through Canada, and the aftermath of the devastating fires in Hawaii, here, the air is clear blue and the temperatures are averaging about 70F. So, of course, I feel a mix of guilty and gratefulness as I watch the deer come down out

Write...Edit...Publish: A Summer Taste of Chocolate . . .

 Just in time, here is my flash fiction post for the August prompt from Write...Edit...Publish:ChocolatI sat on the somewhat lumpy swinging chair on the veranda,hoping no one would find me. Ever since Wanda Jane began the tradition ofafternoon tea, I wanted to hide. If you didn’t want to drink any of the teasshe provided, from mint to ginger to green, she did offer hot cocoa. But thatwas

Vacation . . .

 Here's the view from our temporary apartment at The Swan's Pond on Vancouver Island. I don't think I've ever simply sat on a swinging settee to simply enjoy the view without a round of tasks prompting me to work. The morning quiet was marred only by the trickle of water at a nearby pond and an occasional passing flock of Canada geese. So far this morning, I've seen three young deer scampering

IWSG August 2: Conflicted over Writing?

This month's Challenge Question from the Insecure Writer's Support Group had me thinking about where my stories come from. August 2 question: Have you ever written something that afterwards you felt conflicted about? If so, did you let it stay how it was, take it out, or rewrite it? This month, I'm co-presenting at our local author's group on how cultural diversity (our own and that of others)

Marketing for Indie Writers? Take a Leap of Faith . . .

Today has certainly been exciting! And you can take advantage of some 150 writers offering (with no strings at all) their cozy mystery books for free in three categories: Contemporary, paranormal, and historical -- including my own art crime mystery, The Seventh Tapestry.What are you waiting for? You can go to Amazon direct for The Seventh Tapestry OR jump onto the Cozy Mystery Book Club Book

Everything's Heating Up . . .

 Today's high is 81F, and tomorrow, we head into the 90s. My sister lives in Tucson, too close to Phoenix and those record-breaking heat blasts. Sigh. Surprisingly, I find myself missing the snow, just a little!What I'm reading. Just now, I'm reading Olga Godim's delightful Squirrel of Magic: Short Stories. And I want to learn much more of this young witch. Olga has that ability to bring

IWSG July 5: Writing Inspiration? In your dreams . . .

 This month's Challenge Question from the Insecure Writer's Support Group had me smiling:July 5 question - 99% of my story ideas come from dreams.Where do yours predominantly come from?The very first historical fiction novel I wrote, Standing Stones, came from a dream about mermaids off the coast of Northern Scotland  and morphed into a four-book family saga in the mid-1840s. My next series,

A Doggone Mystery . . .

 Today, temps are heading toward 93F, and I'm deep in a new project. Not that I've given up on other projects . . . yet . . . but I found myself wanting to write something just for fun. I woke up dreaming about a woman on the run (Caterina) and the dog (Max) who befriends her. What's the first step? Making a 'maybe' cover and drafting that story outline and character back stories. So, what do you

June 23: And summer . . .

This week truly begins summer. School's out. Temperatures are heating up. The grandkids began swim lessons. Maybe a bit of normalcy? We're home after attending a joyful college graduation and visiting friends in Oregon. OK, we're exhausted, still recovering from a nasty cold, I haven't written anything in 7 days, and all I can think of is where are the lounge chairs?Image from digitalmomTime to