Mike Jastrzebski's Blog, page 30

Key West Writers Bloc Book Signing

Liz Young, executive director of the Arts Council and Michael Haskins at the book signing.

Here are some photos from the Dec. 7, Key West Writers Bloc book signing at the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, in Key West. Thirty-four writers and more than 200 people walked by in the three hours of the signing. Charlie Bauer, managing partner of the saloon had breakfast with us on the 8th and asked if we could do it again in April. Hooked on Books Bookstore owner asked us to put on a small signing at her store in Islamorada the first weekend of April.

Authors mugging it up for the camera lady!

 

Michael Haskins & Shirrel Rhoades, founders of the KW Writers Bloc & organizers of the group signing.

Authors met a lot of readers and some connected!

Authors lined up on both side of the patio at the saloon.

34 authors filled the courtyard of the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon in Key West!

Sandy Balzo, left, Jerry Healy and Rod Philbrick meet Cathy Keller, owner of Hooked on Books in Islamorada.

Two ladies one from one end of book tables to the other end and, luckily there was a bar at both ends waiting for them. Only in Key West!

Books, beer and cigars during the book signing, good weather too!

Sherril Rhoades with a few of the books he publishes.

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The worst thing about cruising?

By Mike Jastrzebski

As we’re getting the boat ready for our next trip to the islands Mary and I were talking about one of the down sides of cruising–saying goodbye to friends and family. Christine is taking off on another trip and will be gone over the holidays. Tim and Joann, who are docked next to us here at Harbortown, are taking off this week for the Bahamas. Our friends Scott and Susan who we met last summer at the marina and ran into in the Bahamas when we were there this year have sold their boat and dropped out of the cruising life. And these are just the people who have moved on in one way or the other this month.

There are half-a-dozen others that we’ve lost touch with over the past year, and of course there are those we left behind when we left Minneapolis, Mobile, Key West, and Ft. Lauderdale. And as we get ready to head out again we’ll be waving aloha to many other friends.

Of course the upside of this is that had we not been cruising we never would have met many of these friends. In fact, one of the things we’re looking forward to on this next trip is meeting other cruisers along the way. It’s one of the reasons that we decided not to sell the boat this past summer when we returned from the Abacos.

When we returned to the States this past June we were determined to sell the boat and become dirt-dwellers. We started looking at RVs, condos and manufactured homes, but after awhile we decided that we’re not quite ready to make the move. Maybe next year or the year after we’ll be ready, but not today. There’s just something about boats, boaters, and cruising that’s addictive. Maybe that’s why we’ve been doing it for ten years.

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What’s next?

by Christine Kling

Last Friday I emailed off the final edited version of my new novel Dragon’s Triangle, and I could really say, “It’s finished.” And oddly enough, for the past week I’ve felt rudderless and adrift. I have several little boat projects I’ve half started and not finished, but I’m feeling like one of those clueless Thai monkeys running across the road. I’m moving around making motions, but not really getting anywhere.

It’s such a strange feeling to finish a project that you have been working on for more than a year. Every day when you woke up, you knew exactly what you would be doing. It feels so weird to wake up one morning and ask yourself, “What’s next?”

My dog Barney has benefitted from my state of suspended dedication as he has been getting many more and longer walks. I’d like to think these long dreamy walks have just been the result of a writer searching for her muse, or simply blowing off steam after all those months of hard work. But in fact, it’s something more insidious. It’s the P-word raising its ugly head. Procrastination.

Getting ideas, writing them down and attempting to mold them into something others will enjoy reading is hard work. There are other authors who make it look easy and fun, but not me. My son recommended an article to me on the Fast Company site called Creativity is Really Just Persistence and Science Can Prove It.  According to the article, “the slow, disciplined effort of concentration helps” the muse in her work. “You’ve got a finite amount of attention stuff–and the way you invest it kinda decides your life.”

It’s that last line there that really hit home with me. In a few months I’m going to turn 60 years old. This birthday is feeling like a big one — I usually don’t pay that much attention to these numbers. But that word “finite” is speaking to me these days. There is so much more that I want to do, so many more books to write.

So it’s time to switch P-words and get back to the trait that has so far allowed me to finish six novels — persistence. I’ll never be a fast writer, but with the butt in the chair (or on the settee as the case may be), I do eventually make my way to the golden words, THE END.

 Fair winds!

Christine

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Christmas Stories

As December 25th approaches, it’s up to us traditionalists to rise above the wave of commercialism to recognize the true meaning of Christmas — I am speaking, of course, about the story of Santa Claus.

Yes, yes, I know about The Nativity and the baby in the manger. We’ll get to that later in this post, but let’s first shed some light on Good Old Saint Nick.

For those seeking historical accuracy, the first incarnation of the Santa we know today occurred sometime after the birth of Christ. More exactly, it was one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three years after the birth of Christ.

The date was December 23, 1823 and the poem “A Visit from St Nicholas” was published anonymously in the Troy, New York Sentinel. Later, the poem would be attributed to Clement C. Moore. The story, also known as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” would work its way into popular culture by way of literature and music, eventually expanding into television and film, as well as a whole lot of product placement for Santa, Rudolph, and the other reindeer.

One can imagine the royalty and copyright bonanza this poem would have unleashed had it been written in more modern times. Consider what would have occurred if it had been written by Walter Elias Disney. Orlando would still be a quiet little hamlet and we’d be inundated by Rudolph World, the Santa Cruise Line, and countless theme park rides involving descents down chimneys.

Interestingly, there was, even back in the early 1800s, an intellectual property fracas over the poem’s origins. Some say Moore wrote the poem. Others say another New Yorker, Major Henry Livingston, Jr., authored the work. The moral, I suppose, is: put your name on the byline.

Yet, despite questions of authorship, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” demonstrates the power of the written word.

And speaking of the written word, this past year I took an unexpected literary side road and read Dodie Smith’s 101 Dalmatians. It was a quick, enjoyable read. Cruella de Vil, Pongo, CadPig, Twilight Barking. And at the end of the story I was surprised to find a subtle Christmas message.

The story of 101 Dalmations ends on Christmas Day. One of the reunited Dalmatians, Cadpig, recalls the building they slept in when they fled Cruella de Vil. Cadpig has no knowledge that the building was a church, but in her thoughts she knows that whoever owns that building is “someone very kind, she was sure.”

It’s the lasting power of the pen. Even that other Christmas story, the one about Joseph and Mary, and the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Yeah, that one’s still going along pretty well. Two-thousand years and counting. Not bad. Not bad at all.

John Urban

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Time gets away

Last week I missed my post here on Write on the Water. Not because I didn’t have internet service or because we were in transit with the boat, but because I plain old forgot to write a blog.

In order to make some of my books a better value for readers I’ve been busy formatting The Storm Killer and Mind Demons (A Psychological Thriller)into a two book compilation titled A Deadly Two-Fer. This has been time consuming, and the entire time I’ve been working on this my mind has been on all of the work we still need to do before we can take the boat over to the Bahamas again.

I’m back to work on plumbing and wiring the water maker and hope to have that job completed in the next few days. I still need to buy and install a new auto-pilot, put in a transducer for our chart plotter, and do a bottom job, not to mention stocking a boat that will never hold all of the supplies we want to take along with us.

If all of this isn’t enough of an excuse for forgetting to write my blog last week, then I guess I’ll have to fall back on my old stand-by for all of my problems these days–I’m just getting older. You know what I mean. My memory just isn’t what it used to be. My body isn’t what it used to be. Hell even the damn boat isn’t what it used to be.

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Barney’s Christmas List

by Christine Kling

1. Puppy Tweets - Make sure your best friend has his own place in the Twitterverse! What kind of dog owner are you if you don’t let your pooch on Twitter? Now, you can buy Fido this dog tag and your canine companion can tweet to his heart’s content.

2. Whistle – Fuelband type sensors aren’t just for people anymore. Whistle is the on-collar activity monitor that will let you check in with your pet via your smart phone. How far has he walked today? Is he staying fit? With the Whistle activity monitor you’ll know if your best friend is getting enough play time.

3. Dognition – You know your dog is just about the smartest dog on the planet, right? Well, now you can prove it. With Dognition, you can find the genius in your dog and get the data to prove it!

4. Dog DNA test – Every dog owner should know his dog’s ancestry – for all you know he might be a royal hound!

5. GPS Dog Tracker – GPS is not just for your boat anymore! Worried about your pup running into the brush on that Bahamian island and getting lost? Don’t you want to know which little neighborhood bitch your boy is visiting when he digs under the fence? Here’s your answer.

6. Bake-a-Bone – For all you dog owners who agree that you cannot own enough small appliances, here is a treat for you and your pooch. Make your own mouth-watering treats in minutes, and the package includes recipes for organic and gluten-free treats too!

7. Dog Pacer – Just because you can’t get out to go for a walk shouldn’t mean that your best friend is deprived from adequate exercise. With this doggy treadmill, you can make sure your best friend gets plenty of exercise while you kick back and watch TV.

8. Traditional Teak Thai Pet House –  Want your dog to have the most zen digs in your neighborhood? Get him one of these and you’ll soon realize that his house has more teak than your boat.

Barney wants to know if you have your lists ready for Santa?

Fair winds!

Christine

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Just Sayin’…

C.E. Grundler

It’s unfortunate, but these days of high-speed, digital, texting and tweeting, eloquence is becoming a lost art. We’re more connected than any time through history, but so much of that falls short of truly communicating. Words have been reduced to a digital shorthand of letters, symbols and smileys, ideas are stuffed into 140 character snippets or sound-bites squeezed between blaring commercials and filler news items. Communication has become something that must be condensed and rushed in order to capture the audience’s fleeting and easily distracted attention. Sadly, something has been lost along the way, and that’s more unfortunate than many realize.

Effective communication is the cornerstone of all relationships, both in the business world and personal life. Communication skills play a critical role in reaching out and connecting with people, whether individually, as a group, business entity, gathering, or entire population. A vast majority of what we do in any given day involves communication, and those with weak communication skills are at a distinct disadvantage. It doesn’t matter how intelligent you might be. If you can’t present that knowledge in a way others can follow and relate to, you can’t share that information in a way that benefits others. While you may have a clear understanding of the concepts you’re trying to convey, if your audience can’t identify with what you’re  trying to say and the way you present it, it’s unlikely they’ll be receptive to your message. Misunderstandings arise, time is lost, and no one moves forward.

As writers, communication is our tool. It is our art, and one we can’t afford to lose. We work in words and concept, and it’s our job to create an entire reality within our readers’ minds. We must do that without the aid of tone or body-language, and we must do it well if we hope to retain those readers and build our audience. And in the end, it’s a tough job, but if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

Just sayin’.

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A Sliver Lining

www.michaelhaskins.net

This Saturday, Dec. 7, we are having a group book signing in Key West, with authors from all genres. Some authors are coming from South Florida to participate and some are local Key West and Florida Keys authors.

I was hanging up posters this past weekend and someone at Harpoon Harry’s asked me why a group signing. While drinking a café con leche I explained.

The Key West Literary Seminar happens each year in January. A few local people have been putting it on for years and it is very successful and expensive. In 2014, the theme is mystery writers and they have many top notch, New York Times bestselling authors in the lineup.

A few of us mystery writers from Key West, wrote to the local mucky-mucks and asked why none of us, even as a Key West token, were included. Briefly, the answers we got were that there are no mystery writers in Key West.

Obviously, we travel in different circles and have different sized bank accounts. That kind of pissed a few of us off. Now, if they had written back that they only invited bestselling, New York Times authors, I would’ve shrugged my shoulders and hoped my next book made it to that list.

I also explained that was the impetus behind the June Mystery Writers Key West Fest. There are mystery writers here in the Keys.

The problem with “those writers” and us is that they don’t mingle. Not for lack of trying on our side. I put together a group on Friday nights, the North of Havana Cigar Social Club. A few local writers show up regularly, and Tom Corcoran has even moseyed in when he’s in town. MWA writers from S. Florida have shown up. But the writers that come to Key West, claim the island for themselves in their publicity, are far from Key West writers. Hemingway and Tennessee Williams hung out here and had no problems mixing with the locals.

What did my mother say, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” The snub from the elitist on this island has led us to form Key West Writers Bloc and with that we are putting on the group signing of more than 30 writers this weekend and I cannot remember that many writers ever getting together on the island for an afternoon of signings and socializing.

And it has led to bigger things, like the Fest in June. There’s going to be a surprise guest author, yeah, a multiple NY Times Best Seller, as our featured luncheon speaker. The Fest won’t be as elitist as the Literary Seminar, but it will be welcoming to all and the cost won’t break many bank accounts.

www.keywestauthors.com & mysterywriterskeywestfest.com, for more information.

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Tech troubled turkey day

by Christine Kling

I’m settling down to write this in the guest cabin of my friends’ Mainship 390 tied to the fuel dock in Vero Beach Marina. This is a new-to-them boat they recently purchased up in Jacksonville, Florida, and they asked me to ride along with them on the trip to bring it back from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale.

I knew very well that I would be trying to do this while I was in the middle of a very tight editing schedule on Dragon’s Triangle, but I figured since I’ve managed to do that sort of thing on my own boat without problem, I should be able to do it on my friend’s boat just as easily.

I should have known better. When you take your tech for granted, that’s when the gremlins will rear their ugly heads. And I must admit, I’ve been struggling.

First off, I admit it, I am addicted to being wired. Seriously. When my brain can no longer access Google at the touch of a key, I have a difficult time getting any writing work done. Apple sold us on the idea of “Think different” but thanks to technology, I really do. If I write that a man walks into a room, I search the Power Thesaurus for another word for walk. I want to describe the room, so I look up real-estate in that neighborhood. If I say he was holding a crossbow, I hit the web and write that he was carrying a Barnett Ghost 350. I don’t retain this information – only just long enough to type it onto the page.

So here’s what happened to me in the last couple of days. First, the captain said we would communicate with one another via cell phone since it’s difficult to hear much up on the top bridge. So I started keeping my iPhone in my pocket. The next thing I knew, all of the 1915 contacts on my phone had been erased. I can no longer phone, text or email anyone from my phone. Already I feel like an invalid. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice it and my phone backed itself up to the cloud after this happened, so I can’t just restore from the back-up. Simply synching the phone to the computer hasn’t worked. I’ve already spent a couple of hours trying to figure out how to get my contacts back without having to restore the phone to factory settings, and it’s not working. On the one day when I want to call family and friends and wish them a happy Thanksgiving, I don’t have any numbers in my phone. And really, who memorizes phone numbers anymore?

Then I discovered that this boat has no inverter. I had thought it would so I didn’t bring the 12V plug for my laptop. My editor does all the work using Word’s  track changes, meaning I have to open the file in Microsoft Word. I cannot really do it on the iPad. And the battery on my computer is a couple of years old and it’s not what it used to be. After a few hours of work, it’s near dead.

But it’s not just my laptop that causing me power problems. Because we don’t often have access to an open wireless network, I am accessing the Internet by using my phone as an Internet hot spot (and burning through all my Mobile Share data in the process). When in hot spot mode, the phone really uses up the battery. I keep the phone plugged into the computer so that it will remain charged and that doubles the draw on the computer’s battery and within about 3.5 hours, it is dangerously low.

So while I may not be getting the book done or staying caught up on emails or all the business side of being an author, (apologies to my cover designer and others who haven’t heard from me in days), I am having a heck of a good time on this trip. I love the ICW and the view from up on the bridge is fantastic! This morning out on the mooring field at Titusville Marina, we watched the sun rise up over the bridge. We’ve seen dozens of dolphins, whole pods of manatees and many a frozen bird fishing in the shallows. It’s really difficult to sit below with my face in front of a screen when I have such great views and wonderful company.

Last night in Titusville the temperature got down to 43 degrees! We had no heat on the boat and nights are my usual time to write. Instead, I unpacked my suitcase and piled all the clothes on top of the quilt on my bunk. I crawled in and shivered. It was a three-dog night and I sure missed the Yorkshire Terror.

During these past few days in the company of friends, I have learned something else about myself. I have grown so accustomed to working all day on my computer in solitude, I’d forgotten how much time it takes to be with other people. As a single hander and single person, I’ve really been enjoying all the conversations and camaraderie, but in the back of my mind, I’m worrying because I know the work is piling up.

So tonight for Thanksgiving dinner we hiked out of the marina and went to a fun restaurant here in Vero called Mulligan’s. After a few cold beers, I returned to the boat and now the major technical problem concerns the way the alcohol has corrupted the wire connecting my brain to my fingers. In spite of all these troubles, I know that what really matters on Thanksgiving is something I carry inside of me. I’m like Dorothy in Oz who is astonished to learn that she only has to click the heels of her shoes to make her dreams come true. I have only to look around me and really see what’s really important in my life to feel the true joy of Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Fair winds!

Christine

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Since I woke today I’ve been wandering in circles saying, among other things, “It’s Thurdsay. I need to write a post.” But the wandering in circles has been taking up much of my time, as I weave around a small kitchen filled with far too many cooks, each vying for time and space at the counter or stove. Actually, there’s only four of us here, but in this kitchen, four is a crowd. A happy crowd, but a crowd none the less. At this moment my laptop is halfway buried beneath pots and pans, and walled in by a fresh baked apple pie and a crumb cake. Today is that day when we have all day to cook one glorious feast. I know I could order a catered meal, or even go out, both of which would be far easier, but for me, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if the kitchen wasn’t overflowing with pots, people, and the aroma of so many dishes baking away. Last year I had no choice; due to the hurricane damage, cooking wasn’t an option.  And while the meal was still enjoyable, it wasn’t quite as good. Sometimes we can’t appreciate the things we take for granted until they’re not there. This year, I’m especially thankful that once again I can have Thanksgiving the way I like it.

So here’s to wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, in whatever shape or form you enjoy. May you all have a safe and wonderful holiday.

Oh, and today’s menu?

A brunch of bagels, blueberry and cranberry waffles, and thick-sliced bacon

Butternut Squash Soup

One fresh turkey, stuffed and slow roasted

Cranberry walnut stuffing, with pork and ground beef, sourdough bread, mushrooms, peppers, celery, and I’m sure a few things I’ve forgotten

Brussel Sprouts

Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

Cranberry Sauce with Apricots and Fresh Ginger

My Ever-popular German Potato Salad

Baked Yams

Lots of Gravy

…all completely from scratch. Fresh everything, from the bird to the berries. Oh, except for the Scotch. That’s got a few years on it. Thanks to a gift from a friend, today is a Blue Label kind of day.

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