C.E. Lemieux Jr.'s Blog, page 4
July 23, 2011
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
"A picture is worth a thousand words." Really? We've heard that one time and again, but is it true? Of course in many ways a picture can convey things which would otherwise take many words to describe, but then again there is an immense amount of power in words or even in a single word. If I offered the word "frigid" what images would it conjure within your mind? Perhaps your imagination would take over and leave you with an image of snow being whipped by a winter wind. Maybe your mind pictures a large, cold block of ice. In some cases, one might suddenly see the profile of a particularly uppity individual? Possibly it would send chills through your body and cause you to imagine sitting inside near the fire while that previously mentioned snowstorm rages outside your living room window. One word that can send so many different messages to your brain; amazing isn't it?
Not long ago I attempted to enter the Twitter age. As I'm not big conversationalist, I spend more time reading the tweets of others than I do sending my own tweets out into the world. As I checked Twitter, I saw a tweet from Karen DeLabar. Karen is one of many people I follow on Twitter. Along with Susan Borath, Karen runs a site called Writing on the Rocks. Karen and Susan have combined their talents and their love for books in starting Writing on the Rocks as a book review site. Their main point of focus is helping indie books reach an audience. You can check it out at http://writingontherocks.com.
Karen's tweet was: "What would you do-oo-ooo for a Klondike bar?" Pretty simple, huh? We've all heard the jingle thousands of times. The next thing I know, I've got that jingle on my mind for hours. I find myself whistling it at work. Soon others have the same jingle on their minds. You know how it goes; you play it over in your mind until it actually begins to aggravate you that you can't get it off your mind. After hours of trying to remove it from my thoughts, I had to tweet Karen back and thank her for offering this tidbit which played in my mind like a loop-feed of the weather radar.
But later on, I started to think about that jingle. Karen didn't hum it for me. She didn't send me a YouTube video of someone jumping up and down on a busy street to get a Klondike bar. She merely tweeted a few simple words and the music immediately started playing in my head. That's the power of words. They can bring to mind sounds, tastes, emotions, scents, or textures. Writers use words to paint beautiful pictures, convey the feelings of their characters, or transport you to places you've never been. The writer of that jingle used words to bring attention to the product. You might think of a cool, creamy dessert or a polar bear like the one on the package. You might think of people doing outrageous things to earn one of those tasty treats.
Words move us; they motivate us and they touch us. They make us laugh out loud at stupid elephant jokes. They bring a lump to our throats or tears to our eyes as they convey heartbreak. They may cause our heart to race as we remember that first tender, touch of a kiss. Words fill us with apprehension as the villain sneaks up on the hero. Those words, along with the imaginative power of the human mind, allow us to experience and re-experience.
The mind is a powerful instrument, and it can take something as simple as a word and create images or trigger memories. In my book, Loving Deacon, Emily's words are powerful enough to change a man's feelings and perspective. By reminding Deacon of his role in the relationship; by helping him bring to the surface old memories; she leads him towards the discovery of the treasure which had remained elusive throughout their life together.
"What a marvelous thing exists in the human mind? It has the ability to block out entire segments of time, moments of pain which could otherwise torture the soul of an individual. It compiles and retains intricate pieces of information, and can recall them in their entirety… to the most infinite detail… triggering warm feelings which overwhelm the senses. Its information processing can involve the other senses in a way we can remember the sounds of a moment, the smells of an event, or the images of a person. When all other material or physical reminders are lost to us, we rely on our minds to bring them back again." – Loving Deacon
Our words impact others; whether it is in a creative work such as a book or a poem or in our personal conversations. Tone and context change how a word is perceived. We have the ability to make people feel good or bad with our words. We can brighten a day with something as simple as "Hello." Use the power of your words to make a difference. Say something silly or enlightening. Bring a truth to light. Tell a tale. Remember that one word could be worth a thousand pictures, a million images, a multitude of sensations, or a myriad of emotions.
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July 1, 2011
The Impact of a Gentle Brook
In my new book Loving Deacon, Andrew Jordan (Deacon) is on a search for purpose. He recognizes purpose can be illusive. The story touches on a number of elements, but the one I'd like to talk about today is the impact of one life upon another. Specifically how one person or even a number of people can affect the purpose, goals, and the actual path of another.
In 1970, I was in the second grade. I had a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Newburn (I paid tribute to her by using her last name in Whispers in the Wind). She made learning fun and enjoyable. I liked her so much that when she told our class she would be moving to another school at the end of the school year, I got together with a friend of mine and came up with the idea to contact President Nixon to see if he could help make sure she would be able to stay at our school. Of course, President Nixon had plenty of problems of his own, so when he wrote back he assured me that, although he appreciated how much I liked my teacher, he was sure I would find another teacher I like just as much.
He was right. The following fall, I was in the third grade and JP Pickard was just the kind of teacher to peak my interest in reading and writing stories. She encouraged us to write our own stories after reading stories in magazines and books. I ate it up and, although it wasn't required, I insisted that my mother type them for me before I turned them in. I created my own stories complete with pictures and illustrations.
In 1972, we moved from Florida to Virginia. It was a devastating blow, but I soon found myself with a group of kids who liked to create stories as much as I did. We wrote our own version of The Wizard of Oz and our teacher, Mrs. Johnson, allowed us to perform it for the rest of the school.
In 1974, our family made the trek from the East Coast to the Panhandle of Oklahoma. Talk about culture shock; no beach, no trees; Forgan even had dirt roads as streets at that time. But I once again found myself in the presence of an educator who knew just how to tap into the creative heart of his students. Mr. Kirkendall read to us, encouraged us to read, challenged us to be good citizens and taught us how to show our parents we were responsible.
My freshman year, I was under the direction of Mrs. Hinkle. She recognized something in my writing when I turned in a short story and she challenged me to expand my short story into several stories. I took the challenge and wrote my first book, The Adventures of the Bionic Frog. Although, it was never published, the dream was clearly established.
Mr. Scott was one of the most unconventional teachers I ever had. You never knew what you were going to learn in his class and there was as much time spent talking about life in general as there was in actually studying. He always told us he was trying to prepare us for life outside of high school. And in many ways, he did.
As I look back on these individuals, I realize the impact they had upon me, just one of their students. How many other individuals must they have touched along the way? It is that touch, that influence, that gentle brush of care and concern which may unknowingly affect the path of another.
Of course, I am shaped by more than these individuals. I had the love and care of my parents, grandparents, and family to influence my core. But who would I be without these influences? Who would you be if you had not come across others to impact your thoughts, your beliefs, and your character? The bigger question is who are we affecting? Whose life have we touched, however unknowingly? Our impact need not be massive to change the course of a life.
It is this quest, this search for what his life has meant which is at the core of Loving Deacon, and very possibly passes through the thoughts of each one of us. How do we find our purpose? How do we realize our impact? Perhaps it is in simply recognizing that our presence here touched another life or showed another soul that someone cares. As Deacon would put it, "I am a gentle brook which slowly changes the landscape as it passes along the surface of the earth."
Your email:
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June 29, 2011
Loving Deacon
Good News! Loving Deacon has been released. It is currently available from the publisher at:
https://www.createspace.com/3458763
It will be available on Amazon in five to seven days. They build the page in stages, so it may appear earlier with just the cover and title. The description and author information will be added later. After that it will make its way through the distribution process and become available to other booksellers in six to eight weeks. I won't have any books available locally for a little while. As soon as I can order books they will be available through the Jones and Plummer Trail Museum in Beaver. We lost our main outlet in Liberal with the closing of the Hastings store there. So as you can tell we'll be depending upon online sales for the most part.
If you do purchase the book online, I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to leave a review. I know people probably get tired of hearing me say that, but the reviews make a huge difference to people who have never heard of the book and it also helps the rankings for the book on the site from which it is ordered. Even negative reviews can help the rank, so if you don't like it feel free to say so. Whispers in the Wind received only one review on Kindle and it makes it difficult to convince someone to buy it if there are no reviews, even harder when the only review is not so favorable.
Whispers in the Wind is On Sale for both Nook and Kindle book readers. It can be downloaded for 99 cents. If you're looking for a summer read or you know someone who is, it is at the lowest price Amazon will allow it to go. If you don't have a Kindle or Nook, both can be downloaded to your PC or to your Blackberry, Android, or Iphone.
My next project is to finish the screenplay for Whispers in the Wind. That is more of a personal goal than anything. I started it and I feel the need to finish it. It's possible it will never see the light of day, but at least I'll know it is finished. I have begun to review The Ladder Climber and even uploaded a cover, but it's still a long way from publishing. I have several other projects I'm going back and forth on, most of which I have mentioned here on the blog or on Facebook. I'd like to have the next novel ready in six to eight months rather than the year it has taken to get Loving Deacon out there. I've always wanted a Christmas novel, so who knows?
Well, that's the latest news from the Lemieux household. I hope you're enjoying your summer. I also hope you enjoy the book and find some value in what I have written. Until later, happy reading.
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June 12, 2011
The Time Has Come
After a long process, the time has come. Loving Deacon is now available for Kindle. As soon as I can approve a final proof, the printed version will be released. As with Whispers in the Wind, Loving Deacon will be available only on Amazon for the first six to eight weeks. It will then go into expanded distribution and be available through other booksellers.
I think I've come much closer to solving the format problems which plagued me in the Kindle version of Whispers in the Wind. In fact, I will probably re-publish the Kindle version of Whispers in the Wind once I can find the time to make the changes it needs.
I want to take a few minutes to talk about what took so long to bring this book from the computer to the printed page. As an author, it is my job to promote my book, steer away from the negatives, and accentuate the positives. However, I am also a realist who can recognize that I can't please everyone all the time. I want to offer something you will enjoy, but I also have to write the story which is in my mind or on my heart.
Obviously, I'd like Loving Deacon to be a book which appeals to a wide audience in the same way Whispers in the Wind was received, but that doesn't happen all the time. Loving Deacon is considerably different from Whispers in the Wind, both in style and in subject matter. While Whispers in the Wind dealt with life from youth, Loving Deacon is a story which focuses upon life at the end of life. It spans a huge amount of time and involves a significant amount of history.
The characters in Loving Deacon are members of what has been called "the last great generation;" people who have lived through two world wars, a depression, and the dust bowl. Younger readers may not connect with them in the same way they connected with Abby. Loving Deacon is a sad story with a positive message.
When I first started writing one of the biggest questions I had was: How do you know when you are done? There always seems to be something you could change or improve. Loving Deacon has brought me much closer to understanding the answer to that question. I simply had to reach a point at which I felt I'd done all I could to the story. From there the story has to stand on its own.
So, just as the time has come for Loving Deacon to be judged by the reader, the time has come for me to move on to another story. With a total of seven novels in various states of development, I have to move on down the road and leave Loving Deacon with you because as long as there is someone to read them, there's always another story to tell. Whether you like Loving Deacon or you don't, please feel free to leave a review of the book. I welcome and encourage your comments.
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June 6, 2011
The South Dakota Experience
So, I'm gonna take a break for editing Loving Deacon to tell you a little about the trip to South Dakota and what it has to do with writing.
A number of years ago, I was earnestly searching for information on my family tree. My great-grandfather, Alois Dhaenens, was an immigrant from Belgium in the early 1900′s. Since he was a direct immigrant, I kept running into roadblocks in my research. I eventually got so frustrated at the roadblocks, I decided I was going to create a story for him. I started a story called Dhaenens Land. It chronicles the journey of a Belgium immigrant to the United States in search of a land to call his own.
This story was going to be my longest story and it would tell of his struggles to reach America. It would follow him as he followed his dream. Of course, it would involve a lot of research and to be honest, the research is sometimes the part I tend to move away from. I like to read about it, but then trying to weave the facts into the story gets frustrating. I feel most comfortable when I can just write what comes naturally. So, the story took a back burner to other stories.
The trip to South Dakota was multi-purposed. It was part genealogical, part book research, and part fun. We traveled a large area of the west side of the state in a period of four days. Stops to the Courthouse in Murdo, trekking the back roads of Jones County, and exploring the countryside gave me an enormous amount of information to use in Dhaenens Land. Having seen the land, I can see why immigrants flocked into the country to make a go of it.
In addition to Jones County, we went to the Black Hills, Deadwood, Sturgis, the National Cemetery (to see the graves of my Grandfather and Grandmother Lemieux), the Badlands, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Draper (where my Great Grandpa and Grandma Dhaenens are both buried), and Pierre (by the way, Pierre is a gorgeous city). It was fun, but it was a whirlwind trip. I'd love to go back and visit when I had more time to spend.
I have to thank Wes for putting the bug in my ear to go. We had a great time, but I think we both regretted not taking the fishing poles. And of course, I have to thank my wife and family for allowing me the time. Thanks also to Jeanette and Aunt Cecilia for having supper with us and filling in some gaps with reminiscence.
I placed some pictures on the pictures page. They are the ones most relevant to the story. Be sure to checkout the captions for a hint of what is to come in Dhaenens Land.
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June 3, 2011
Now wait just a minute
After a considerable amount of thought and consideration, I've decided to postpone the release of Loving Deacon. I've had a number of issues weighing on me about the story. Anyone who has read the Facebook Discussions is aware of the fact that I feel the story is slower than Whispers in the Wind. I've really made no secret of that issue. Part of the pace of the story comes from the type of format I am using to deliver it. The book contains a collection of writings from the two main characters.
It is important to me that the story propels itself. It needs to lead the reader forward (that "I just couldn't put it down" characteristic). So I have wrestled with myself, the thought that the story isn't moving as quickly as I would like hanging around in the back of my mind. There are some people who have read the story for me (to whom I owe a great deal of appreciation) and from those people the response has been favorable. However, I only have one shot at releasing it. Once it's out there, it's out there. So, I really want it to be right. That's not to say it will be perfect; there are always things which slip by, but it at least needs to be something with which I can be satisfied. I also realize I won't make every reader happy, but I need to make me happy.
I intend to take another pass through the book to see if there are any additional changes I want to make. This may take a little longer than the time I was giving myself, so for now the only date I can give is Coming Soon. I'm sorry for what may seem to be indecisiveness, but I think it is for the best right now.
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May 25, 2011
Mice and Men
As the book says, it doesn't always work out as planned. I've had to push the date on Loving Deacon. I just couldn't meet the deadline. With more edits to take care of, it was coming up too quickly. So now I'm pushing to make June 6th. I think it's attainable. June 6th is a good date and it actually plays a significant role in the book. I'll still have to make the edits and order another proof, but it gains me about a week. So, for anyone who was looking for the book to be available on May 31st, I'm truly sorry I couldn't make it. Hang in there; it's coming.
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May 8, 2011
In the works or how it works
With all the conversation centering on Loving Deacon, it is obviously the main focus right now. We still haven't requested the next proof, since we are still going through the last proof. We did a cover change right in the middle of things and that is causing me a little concern. I think it fits the story and gives the book the right atmosphere. The cover photo is old, so it helps support the timeline of the book. I hope you'll like it.
Even with Loving Deacon coming up, I've still been working on other projects. I have three active stories going on right now. With no immediate plans to publish them, I have the freedom to bounce back and forth between them. It sometimes actually makes it easier to have more than one project. I don't get as frustrated when I hit a wall on one story. I can just switch gears and think about something else for a while, and then when the thoughts hit me, I can go back to it. The hardest part is getting it written down while the thoughts are there. If I think something out and have a plan, but don't get it typed out, then I lose it. The frustration comes when I try to recapture those thoughts, rather than just putting them out of my mind and moving on. I generally write as long as time and thoughts allow. I know some people who make a living writing have daily goals or push to meet a word quota, but I'm not there yet, so this works for me.
For Love and Honor is my newest project, but I'd had the thoughts for a while. It started out as a screenplay, but has morphed into a manuscript. It has a military setting. While there is a love story central to overall story, there are elements of courage, honor, and duty. Actually there are two love stories within one story; the first is a traditional love story Michael McShadden and his wife Amanda; the second is between a soldier and his country.
The Chase is a story I've been thinking about for a while. It's about a guy who is stuck in the past. So far it has been fun writing the dialogue and it has a quick feel to the story. I think it will be an easy read and move quickly.
Some Kind of Life, while not nearly complete, is the closest of the three to completion. It goes back to high school. It deals with a girl who has come to believe life really doesn't matter. She isn't depressed, negative, or suicidal, she simply sees life as a biological process. The idea is that with no depth or meaning, life could be simplified into being just a biological process.
So, those are a few of the things I'm working on. Next time I'll tell you a little more about the two stories which are likely to follow Loving Deacon.
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April 27, 2011
The Joys of Spring
Today is Mother's Day. Mother's all over will be treated to breakfast in bed by little hands and hearts. Maybe not the best breakfast they ever had, but surely the kind of breakfast which will remain in their memories and bring a smile. Handmade cards will be left nearby to surprise them, again bringing smiles and warm memories. Some of those cards will be placed on a refrigerator, in a drawer, or a box for safekeeping. They will be brought out years later and pondered upon, bringing back those fond memories and wondering thoughts of just where all those years went.
If you are a mother- Happy Mother's Day.
I've been on vacation this week. Not extremely eventful, but enjoyable. I fished with Josh and Logan; fished with Meg; worked calves with some good friends, and watched my kids work hard. I'm not sure what all the rest of the week will bring, but it's nice to just not have a daily agenda. Of course, that spoils me, and makes me want to keep it that way. It makes returning to work and the constant push all that much harder.
Amazingly, I haven't watched that much baseball this week. Although, I still have some time to catch a few games.
Writing has been part of the week. I worked on For Love and Honor a little in the beginning of the week. I have to finish reviewing Loving Deacon some time this week so we can get a final proof. I guess I still have some kind of agenda, even when I'm trying to avoid one.
It is pretty quiet this morning with everyone still in bed, so I've just enjoyed a cup of coffee while putting down these thoughts. A pleasant spring morning. Things will start rolling soon enough. Have a simple Sunday.
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April 26, 2011
About
This is a new experience for me. Until recently, I've used Facebook as a way to communicate with readers. Adding a blog is a challenge. First of all, learning to navigate the control panel will be an adventure, and secondly, keeping it up to date will require time. With a family, work, and trying to find time to write, time is always a commodity. Keeping it interesting enough to capture anyone's attention is daunting.
Of course, this is about writing, communicating, and sharing. It really serves no other purposes than those. It isn't about imposing my political views, acting wiser than I am, or offering self-help information. It is just about a guy who writes and the random thoughts he stumbles upon. It's about telling those who have humbled me by believing in something I've written what is going on or coming up next. It's about finding a way to share my stories with a bigger world. Pretty simple thoughts will be the norm.
With that said, thank you for stopping by and offering me a bit of your time (which I realize is just as important as my time). I hope I can offer enough to make it worthwhile.
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