Cynthia Hamilton's Blog: Reading and Writing, page 2
June 13, 2021
Where does inspiration come from?
Inspiration is a gift. I don’t know where it comes from, or why it comes to us, but it’s hard to imagine what our world would look like without it. I feel very fortunate to have received flashes of inspiration that have led to several books, including two series, one of which is waiting not-so-patiently to written. These ideas have come to me in a flash, without warning, a little mind-interruptus that lights me up on the inside and makes me forget what I was trying to accomplish.
One such flash has been beckoning me to follow it down to New Orleans, where a man by the name of John has stories we wants to share with me. So far, he’s told me about his Creole cottage on Burgundy Street in the French Quarter, where he lived with his beautiful, dark-haired French-Canadian wife until she slipped into a coma. How she became comatose I have yet to find out. John visits her regularly, a melancholy routine that keeps him bound to a time that has come to a standstill.
When John’s not at Isabelle’s bedside, he’s at the mercy of those who feel it’s not right for him to be alone, therefore, there’s always someone turning up on his doorstep.
When he’s not at his wife’s bedside or being rousted out of his home by dubious do-gooders, John fills his time solving puzzles, the kind that make the news. He’s so good at it, he’s often called on by the NOPD to help them with cases that run short on clues. He’s usually aided by his coterie of oddball friends, including Calliope St. James, who has tried unsuccessfully to add John to her list of conquests. To Calli, there’s nothing quite as tempting as the unattainable.
A lot of the action takes place at The Foregone Conclusion Bar, a watering hole in the Faubourg Marigny, just outside the French Quarter, where puzzles are solved and intrigue lurks.
I’ve kept this flash of inspiration tucked away, waiting for the time when I can sit down and put all the pieces in motion. But just knowing this adventure awaits me and that I won’t have to go in search of a story when the Madeline adventures are all told makes me feel like I have a great treat in store for me, one just waiting for someone to take dictation.
In the meantime, I’ll keep following Madeline as she sorts out “Other People’s Money” in the 7th book in the series, which was also a gift from the inspiration gods.
Until next time,
I wish you all happy reading!
Cynthia
One such flash has been beckoning me to follow it down to New Orleans, where a man by the name of John has stories we wants to share with me. So far, he’s told me about his Creole cottage on Burgundy Street in the French Quarter, where he lived with his beautiful, dark-haired French-Canadian wife until she slipped into a coma. How she became comatose I have yet to find out. John visits her regularly, a melancholy routine that keeps him bound to a time that has come to a standstill.
When John’s not at Isabelle’s bedside, he’s at the mercy of those who feel it’s not right for him to be alone, therefore, there’s always someone turning up on his doorstep.
When he’s not at his wife’s bedside or being rousted out of his home by dubious do-gooders, John fills his time solving puzzles, the kind that make the news. He’s so good at it, he’s often called on by the NOPD to help them with cases that run short on clues. He’s usually aided by his coterie of oddball friends, including Calliope St. James, who has tried unsuccessfully to add John to her list of conquests. To Calli, there’s nothing quite as tempting as the unattainable.
A lot of the action takes place at The Foregone Conclusion Bar, a watering hole in the Faubourg Marigny, just outside the French Quarter, where puzzles are solved and intrigue lurks.
I’ve kept this flash of inspiration tucked away, waiting for the time when I can sit down and put all the pieces in motion. But just knowing this adventure awaits me and that I won’t have to go in search of a story when the Madeline adventures are all told makes me feel like I have a great treat in store for me, one just waiting for someone to take dictation.
In the meantime, I’ll keep following Madeline as she sorts out “Other People’s Money” in the 7th book in the series, which was also a gift from the inspiration gods.
Until next time,
I wish you all happy reading!
Cynthia
May 30, 2021
Where does inspiration come from? Kenneth Harmon's Guest Post
From the first paragraph of “In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow” by Kenneth Harmon, I was sucked into the story, reading as fast as I could, anxious to find out what happened to the American pilot whose aircraft is shot down over Hiroshima.
The world Kenneth took me through was completely foreign to me. But his obvious familiarity with the land, the customs and the period right before all hell broke loose was so vivid and so believable, I felt I was right there watching the story unfold before my eyes.
The fate of the pilot was just the beginning of a saga that encompasses several compelling dramas, both big and small, and crosses over from the living world into the afterlife and back again. It’s as magical as it is realistic, and the realism is as magical as the great beyond is real. All of it meshes together into a seamless story I will never forget.
As soon as I finished reading “Ash and Sorrow” I asked the Kenneth if he would share where his boundless inspiration comes from. He kindly agreed. Here is his story behind his stories, which in itself is inspiring:
During a recent walk with my wife, Monika, the subject of writing came up. I told Monika that I don’t like to give myself a lot of credit for my writing because I believe whatever talent I possess was a God-given gift, and it was up to me to develop that gift, which I have done over many years of studying the craft, reading, attending critique groups, and a whole lot of practice. I sometimes believe that a divine force could also be involved in the process of inspiring my work. For example; one night, as I was walking through the master bathroom, I stopped in front of the mirror as the idea for a novel popped into my mind. Everything I needed to write this book came to me in the blink of an eye; the setting (India), characters, and the plot. How did this happen? I wasn’t even thinking about writing at the time.
Several years earlier, I was writing scary stories for my niece and nephew. One evening, I sat on the couch with a notebook and within 20 minutes, had come up with the plot for over 30 stories. Another time, while in the shower, I thought up plots for over 40 stories. However, not all stories come to me as quickly. My last novel, In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow, started with the vision of a man falling through the sky. Why was he falling? Where was he falling? I remembered that I had done some research on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima for another book, and so I decided to set the story during the closing months of World War 2 in Hiroshima. My protagonist, Micah Lund, would be a B-29 bombardier who is falling without a parachute. The rest of the plot evolved more slowly, some of it through the research I had to do. I compiled over 9,000 pages of research for In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow. I came across a map of Hiroshima from the time of the bombing, with all the buildings labeled in Japanese. I spent over a week translating the name on each building. Anything and everything to make the book authentic.
For my current work-in-progress, I had to go back to brainstorming. My newly acquired agent, Lindsay Guzzardo, asked me to put together a list of plot ideas for a novel. Since it would be the follow-up to In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow, she thought the book should similar elements. I sat down on a Saturday and came up with a list of 8 novel plots.
The plot we finally settled on did come to me in an instant, much like the India novel had inside my bathroom. In a matter of seconds I had; World War 2, nurses, sisters, Okinawa, South Dakota, Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, PTSD. And from these flashes of inspiration, I formed the plot for As the Light Lies: two Lakota sisters from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota join the US Army Nursing Corps in World War 2. While serving on Okinawa, the protagonist meets and falls in love with an officer from Texas working as a historian for the Army. Events on Okinawa leave the protagonist with a serious case of battle fatigue, or what is now called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. She returns home to the Pine Ridge Reservation suffering from PTSD and must find a way to overcome her depression if she wants to have some semblance of a normal life.
Of course, the plot is much deeper than this, but the directive from Lindsay started everything in motion. Ultimately, what’s more important than inspiration, is what a writer does with that inspiration. It is my responsibility to create stories that will entertain, and hopefully inspire, readers.
The world Kenneth took me through was completely foreign to me. But his obvious familiarity with the land, the customs and the period right before all hell broke loose was so vivid and so believable, I felt I was right there watching the story unfold before my eyes.
The fate of the pilot was just the beginning of a saga that encompasses several compelling dramas, both big and small, and crosses over from the living world into the afterlife and back again. It’s as magical as it is realistic, and the realism is as magical as the great beyond is real. All of it meshes together into a seamless story I will never forget.
As soon as I finished reading “Ash and Sorrow” I asked the Kenneth if he would share where his boundless inspiration comes from. He kindly agreed. Here is his story behind his stories, which in itself is inspiring:
During a recent walk with my wife, Monika, the subject of writing came up. I told Monika that I don’t like to give myself a lot of credit for my writing because I believe whatever talent I possess was a God-given gift, and it was up to me to develop that gift, which I have done over many years of studying the craft, reading, attending critique groups, and a whole lot of practice. I sometimes believe that a divine force could also be involved in the process of inspiring my work. For example; one night, as I was walking through the master bathroom, I stopped in front of the mirror as the idea for a novel popped into my mind. Everything I needed to write this book came to me in the blink of an eye; the setting (India), characters, and the plot. How did this happen? I wasn’t even thinking about writing at the time.
Several years earlier, I was writing scary stories for my niece and nephew. One evening, I sat on the couch with a notebook and within 20 minutes, had come up with the plot for over 30 stories. Another time, while in the shower, I thought up plots for over 40 stories. However, not all stories come to me as quickly. My last novel, In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow, started with the vision of a man falling through the sky. Why was he falling? Where was he falling? I remembered that I had done some research on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima for another book, and so I decided to set the story during the closing months of World War 2 in Hiroshima. My protagonist, Micah Lund, would be a B-29 bombardier who is falling without a parachute. The rest of the plot evolved more slowly, some of it through the research I had to do. I compiled over 9,000 pages of research for In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow. I came across a map of Hiroshima from the time of the bombing, with all the buildings labeled in Japanese. I spent over a week translating the name on each building. Anything and everything to make the book authentic.
For my current work-in-progress, I had to go back to brainstorming. My newly acquired agent, Lindsay Guzzardo, asked me to put together a list of plot ideas for a novel. Since it would be the follow-up to In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow, she thought the book should similar elements. I sat down on a Saturday and came up with a list of 8 novel plots.
The plot we finally settled on did come to me in an instant, much like the India novel had inside my bathroom. In a matter of seconds I had; World War 2, nurses, sisters, Okinawa, South Dakota, Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, PTSD. And from these flashes of inspiration, I formed the plot for As the Light Lies: two Lakota sisters from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota join the US Army Nursing Corps in World War 2. While serving on Okinawa, the protagonist meets and falls in love with an officer from Texas working as a historian for the Army. Events on Okinawa leave the protagonist with a serious case of battle fatigue, or what is now called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. She returns home to the Pine Ridge Reservation suffering from PTSD and must find a way to overcome her depression if she wants to have some semblance of a normal life.
Of course, the plot is much deeper than this, but the directive from Lindsay started everything in motion. Ultimately, what’s more important than inspiration, is what a writer does with that inspiration. It is my responsibility to create stories that will entertain, and hopefully inspire, readers.
May 16, 2021
Where does inspiration come from: Caleb Pirtle
I don’t personally know any writer as prolific as Caleb Pirtle. His mind is just bursting with inspiration, most of which he derives from his own life experiences. I’ve read several books by him and have been completely captivated by the characters and the settings. They feel so authentic because Caleb has been around the folks of East Texas all his life. He distills their traits and personalities down and creates characters who spring to life on the page, full of quirks, foibles and luck of both varieties. He stirs in mystery, ulterior motives, life-threatening situations, murder and a generous helping of luck, both good and bad.
In addition to having penned over two dozen books, Caleb started his writing career as a newspaper reporter, which led to being the travel editor for Southern Living Magazine. He’s also written a film script and a mini-series. The man’s creativity knows no bounds!
When I asked Caleb to share what inspires him to write these indelible stories, I learned he was literally born into his role as astute observer. The hard scrabble of indifferent Texas terrain became the foundation on which his stories grew into larger than life characters that seem so real, you feel like you know them.
It’s my pleasure to share his inspiration for those stories:
I grew up in the East Texas oil patch. The first sound I remember was the creaking and the groaning of overworked pump jacks coaxing black gold from deep within Woodbine sand. The first images I remember were those derricks climbing into the night sky, silhouetted against the distant rumble of thunder and flashes of jagged lightning as storms pounded the piney woods.
I sat for years and listened to oilmen tell the story as they pieced together those years when the Great Depression threatened to turn Kilgore into a ghost town and cotton fields into a wasteland The town survived because of one man who searched for oil and one woman who dare to let him drill his well on her land.
Dad Joiner rode into East Texas by train, quoting the Bible as passionately as any brush arbor evangelist, promising to drill for oil and vowing he would tap into a “treasure trove that all the kings of the earth might covet.” He had forty-five dollars in his pocket, and he was quietly buying up oil leases from hungry farmers and homesteaders who thought that a dollar an acre was big money. After all, a dollar an acre separated the poor from the dirt poor, and maybe a tired old man with slumped shoulders actually did have the ability to find enough oil to lighten their load and wash away the harsh times.
Dad Joiner sat down with Daisy Bradford and, with as much poetry as his old heart could muster, explained how fortunes made from oil could greatly benefit the impoverished region that was suffering from the curse of the Great Depression.
His words painted vivid portraits of new schools, new hospitals, new museums. Hunger would have to pack up and go somewhere else because tables would be full for a change, he said. There would be jobs for men and groceries for babies.
Dad Joiner could make it happen, he said. All he needed was leases on her land. The old wildcatter could drill anywhere he wanted in East Texas, but it was her land that sheltered the oil. Her land could make a difference.
Daisy Bradford was a good and Christian woman, and his plea suddenly gave her a new purpose in life. She and Dad read the Bible together and breathed a silent prayer as they watched the sun drop down behind the pines. Daisy Bradford leased him 925.5 acres for fifty cents an acre. It was the least she could do to chase away the misery and poverty that had settled down like vermin around the farmsteads of her neighbors. Now all Dad Joiner had to do was find $462.75 to pay her.
The story has stayed bottled up inside me for years. I finally summoned up enough nerve to tell it in my Boomtown mystery series: Back Side of a Blue Moon, Bad Side of a Wicked Moon and Lost Side of an Orphan’s Moon.
The discovery of the East Texas field was the stuff of fiction. The series is pure fiction, a great deal of it is based on stories, gossip, and rumors I heard as a boy. I took the facts, re-shuffled them, and came up with my own stories. But there are a lot of Kilgore and Henderson stuffed inside those words.
There was never a hint of romance between Dad Joiner and Daisy Bradford. He was too old. She was too religious. In Blue Moon, however, Doc Bannister comes to town searching for oil, and he is the genuine con artist and flimflam man that everyone in East Texas believed Dad Joiner to be.
Eudora Durant owns the land. She’s poor. The land’s poor. Her abusive husband is missing. The whole town of Ashland believes she killed him. It’s a story perfect for love.
We meet Eudora this way:
EUDORA DURANT KNEW there must be a hundred or more good ways of dying, some better than others, some worse, and she wondered why she had insisted on taking the slowest path possible to the grave. She couldn’t blame anyone for her lot in life. All she had to do was look in the cracked mirror beside her bed from time to time, and she knew where the blame fell, and it landed squarely on her shoulders. Eudora possessed a winsome smile as warm as mid-day in August. Feel bad? Feel blue? Feeling sorry for yourself? Just wait ‘til Eudora comes walking by and smiles at you. You’ll be cured between good and morning.
Here is the way Doc entered the story:
DOC BANNISTER WAS an illusion. Waskom Brown had him pegged a long time ago. But then, Waskom Brown was the only daddy Doc ever had, and Doc was twenty-five years old before he crossed paths with old Waskom in a Hot Springs house of ill repute, and Doc would be dead as hell if Waskom hadn’t come along when he did. Doc was on the run, traveling from one con to the next scam, and the back roads could run out pretty fast for a man during the patchwork years of the 1930s.
Back Side of a Blue Moon is the story of two people fighting the odds, hoping to survive heartache and hard times. Will they find oil? Maybe. Will they find love? That’s the only reason the novel was written. I didn’t know one way or another until the last sentence had been hammered into place.
In addition to having penned over two dozen books, Caleb started his writing career as a newspaper reporter, which led to being the travel editor for Southern Living Magazine. He’s also written a film script and a mini-series. The man’s creativity knows no bounds!
When I asked Caleb to share what inspires him to write these indelible stories, I learned he was literally born into his role as astute observer. The hard scrabble of indifferent Texas terrain became the foundation on which his stories grew into larger than life characters that seem so real, you feel like you know them.
It’s my pleasure to share his inspiration for those stories:
I grew up in the East Texas oil patch. The first sound I remember was the creaking and the groaning of overworked pump jacks coaxing black gold from deep within Woodbine sand. The first images I remember were those derricks climbing into the night sky, silhouetted against the distant rumble of thunder and flashes of jagged lightning as storms pounded the piney woods.
I sat for years and listened to oilmen tell the story as they pieced together those years when the Great Depression threatened to turn Kilgore into a ghost town and cotton fields into a wasteland The town survived because of one man who searched for oil and one woman who dare to let him drill his well on her land.
Dad Joiner rode into East Texas by train, quoting the Bible as passionately as any brush arbor evangelist, promising to drill for oil and vowing he would tap into a “treasure trove that all the kings of the earth might covet.” He had forty-five dollars in his pocket, and he was quietly buying up oil leases from hungry farmers and homesteaders who thought that a dollar an acre was big money. After all, a dollar an acre separated the poor from the dirt poor, and maybe a tired old man with slumped shoulders actually did have the ability to find enough oil to lighten their load and wash away the harsh times.
Dad Joiner sat down with Daisy Bradford and, with as much poetry as his old heart could muster, explained how fortunes made from oil could greatly benefit the impoverished region that was suffering from the curse of the Great Depression.
His words painted vivid portraits of new schools, new hospitals, new museums. Hunger would have to pack up and go somewhere else because tables would be full for a change, he said. There would be jobs for men and groceries for babies.
Dad Joiner could make it happen, he said. All he needed was leases on her land. The old wildcatter could drill anywhere he wanted in East Texas, but it was her land that sheltered the oil. Her land could make a difference.
Daisy Bradford was a good and Christian woman, and his plea suddenly gave her a new purpose in life. She and Dad read the Bible together and breathed a silent prayer as they watched the sun drop down behind the pines. Daisy Bradford leased him 925.5 acres for fifty cents an acre. It was the least she could do to chase away the misery and poverty that had settled down like vermin around the farmsteads of her neighbors. Now all Dad Joiner had to do was find $462.75 to pay her.
The story has stayed bottled up inside me for years. I finally summoned up enough nerve to tell it in my Boomtown mystery series: Back Side of a Blue Moon, Bad Side of a Wicked Moon and Lost Side of an Orphan’s Moon.
The discovery of the East Texas field was the stuff of fiction. The series is pure fiction, a great deal of it is based on stories, gossip, and rumors I heard as a boy. I took the facts, re-shuffled them, and came up with my own stories. But there are a lot of Kilgore and Henderson stuffed inside those words.
There was never a hint of romance between Dad Joiner and Daisy Bradford. He was too old. She was too religious. In Blue Moon, however, Doc Bannister comes to town searching for oil, and he is the genuine con artist and flimflam man that everyone in East Texas believed Dad Joiner to be.
Eudora Durant owns the land. She’s poor. The land’s poor. Her abusive husband is missing. The whole town of Ashland believes she killed him. It’s a story perfect for love.
We meet Eudora this way:
EUDORA DURANT KNEW there must be a hundred or more good ways of dying, some better than others, some worse, and she wondered why she had insisted on taking the slowest path possible to the grave. She couldn’t blame anyone for her lot in life. All she had to do was look in the cracked mirror beside her bed from time to time, and she knew where the blame fell, and it landed squarely on her shoulders. Eudora possessed a winsome smile as warm as mid-day in August. Feel bad? Feel blue? Feeling sorry for yourself? Just wait ‘til Eudora comes walking by and smiles at you. You’ll be cured between good and morning.
Here is the way Doc entered the story:
DOC BANNISTER WAS an illusion. Waskom Brown had him pegged a long time ago. But then, Waskom Brown was the only daddy Doc ever had, and Doc was twenty-five years old before he crossed paths with old Waskom in a Hot Springs house of ill repute, and Doc would be dead as hell if Waskom hadn’t come along when he did. Doc was on the run, traveling from one con to the next scam, and the back roads could run out pretty fast for a man during the patchwork years of the 1930s.
Back Side of a Blue Moon is the story of two people fighting the odds, hoping to survive heartache and hard times. Will they find oil? Maybe. Will they find love? That’s the only reason the novel was written. I didn’t know one way or another until the last sentence had been hammered into place.
May 1, 2021
Where Does Inspiration Come From? Author Nina Romano
When I asked author Nina Romano to share with us her inspiration for her latest novel “Dark Eyes”—a thriller set in 1950’s Soviet Union, scheduled for release this fall—she doubled the pleasure by sharing what sparked her imagination on her two latest projects. If you’ve ever read anything by this gifted writer, you know how vibrant and alive her characters and their stories are. Ideas often come to her from old song lyrics that set just the right tone and atmosphere for her novels.
It’s my great pleasure to let Nina explain her creative process in her own words:
The novel, Dark Eyes, forthcoming in the fall from a new publisher, is a first for me in the category of Historical/Thriller. It’s set in Soviet Russia. The second novel—I hesitate to mention the working title as yet because it hasn’t been submitted yet—is a sequel to The Girl Who Loved Cayo Bradley.
The inspiration for the first book came from two trips. I travelled to Russia twice and was thoroughly enraptured by the city of St. Petersburg. So it was easy for me to envision the city, its waterways, beautiful architecture, etc. Since I love history, I decided to set the story back in time in 1956 when the city was called Leningrad during the Soviet period.
I have never written a mystery or a thriller but since I was writing about Soviet times, thought it would be a good idea to try my hand at something a little different. Where did the inspiration for my novel come from? Here are some of the things I enjoy: Russian literature, ballet, history, geography, languages. I didn’t have to look far to incorporate all of these into a novel. However, I must admit it was one of the most difficult novels I’ve written. Why? I believe it’s because I don’t know and didn’t want to learn or be informed by the conventions for writing mystery, thriller, or suspense novels.
So, what does a writer like me do who doesn’t know these things and refuses to study the “HOW TO” books? She/me concentrates on building strong characters in sticky situations. Basically, that’s how the book got written. The title, Dark Eyes, comes from an old Russian ballad that my father loved.
For the sequel to The Girl Who Loved Cayo Bradley, I thought I knew where the story was going to go, because the inspiration was to write a follow-up book. But lo and behold, the novel had other ideas and practically wrote itself. It took me with it in a whole different direction than I originally thought it was going to go. There are many new characters and none of the rough and tumble cowboy scenes that are in the first book. I hope eventually this will turn into a trilogy, even though it is lacking the attention to detail about Native American life that was found in Book 1.
But every day when I hit the keys, some new idea or pathway opened up and I merely followed it. I must say that when I wasn’t busy writing, I would hum or sing many old country and western songs and folk songs I was familiar with when I was young. When these came to mind, I’d think about them—the poignant lyrics and the narrative behind them. While I was writing, I believe these songs somehow influenced the exposition of the story and most especially the scenes comprised of action and dialogue. I wrote some ideas from these tunes as memories for the characters. I noticed throughout the writing that some of the lyrics reverberated over and over in my brain, so much so, they became the under-story. I was able to incorporate these in my own work.
The title from this book came from lyrics of an old, dearly loved melody. I guess I’d have to say that for both of the latest novels, music and songs played a great deal of importance and was definitely an inspiration for me. The funny thing is that I write in absolute silence except for the clicking of the keys, and never ever listen to music!
It’s my great pleasure to let Nina explain her creative process in her own words:
The novel, Dark Eyes, forthcoming in the fall from a new publisher, is a first for me in the category of Historical/Thriller. It’s set in Soviet Russia. The second novel—I hesitate to mention the working title as yet because it hasn’t been submitted yet—is a sequel to The Girl Who Loved Cayo Bradley.
The inspiration for the first book came from two trips. I travelled to Russia twice and was thoroughly enraptured by the city of St. Petersburg. So it was easy for me to envision the city, its waterways, beautiful architecture, etc. Since I love history, I decided to set the story back in time in 1956 when the city was called Leningrad during the Soviet period.
I have never written a mystery or a thriller but since I was writing about Soviet times, thought it would be a good idea to try my hand at something a little different. Where did the inspiration for my novel come from? Here are some of the things I enjoy: Russian literature, ballet, history, geography, languages. I didn’t have to look far to incorporate all of these into a novel. However, I must admit it was one of the most difficult novels I’ve written. Why? I believe it’s because I don’t know and didn’t want to learn or be informed by the conventions for writing mystery, thriller, or suspense novels.
So, what does a writer like me do who doesn’t know these things and refuses to study the “HOW TO” books? She/me concentrates on building strong characters in sticky situations. Basically, that’s how the book got written. The title, Dark Eyes, comes from an old Russian ballad that my father loved.
For the sequel to The Girl Who Loved Cayo Bradley, I thought I knew where the story was going to go, because the inspiration was to write a follow-up book. But lo and behold, the novel had other ideas and practically wrote itself. It took me with it in a whole different direction than I originally thought it was going to go. There are many new characters and none of the rough and tumble cowboy scenes that are in the first book. I hope eventually this will turn into a trilogy, even though it is lacking the attention to detail about Native American life that was found in Book 1.
But every day when I hit the keys, some new idea or pathway opened up and I merely followed it. I must say that when I wasn’t busy writing, I would hum or sing many old country and western songs and folk songs I was familiar with when I was young. When these came to mind, I’d think about them—the poignant lyrics and the narrative behind them. While I was writing, I believe these songs somehow influenced the exposition of the story and most especially the scenes comprised of action and dialogue. I wrote some ideas from these tunes as memories for the characters. I noticed throughout the writing that some of the lyrics reverberated over and over in my brain, so much so, they became the under-story. I was able to incorporate these in my own work.
The title from this book came from lyrics of an old, dearly loved melody. I guess I’d have to say that for both of the latest novels, music and songs played a great deal of importance and was definitely an inspiration for me. The funny thing is that I write in absolute silence except for the clicking of the keys, and never ever listen to music!
April 18, 2021
Where Does Inspiration Come From? S.S. Bazinet
I have read several books by author S.S. Bazinet since I first became connected with her on Twitter. She is one of those people who make the world a better place to live. She’s kind and has a generous spirit and unlimited imagination. She’s also a very talented, prolific writer.
When I asked her to write a post for my Goodreads blog a few years ago, she shared her writing journey. At the time, Goodreads had a metric that showed how many people veiwed our author blogposts, something I found very gratifying. It’s a writer’s fate that most of the time we have no idea who’s reading what we write, so I was thrilled to have that kind of feedback. When I posted Sandy’s piece, I was floored to see that over 5,000 Goodreads members had read her post. It made me feel so happy that her story was shared so many times!
When that metric was removed, I lost interest in writing blog posts and recruiting my writing friends. But I’m back now, with the topic of inspiration, something all us readers can appreciate.
It’s my pleasure to give you once again S.S. Bazinet and her insights on inspiration:
I don’t know where my inspiration comes from. I only know that when I sit down and begin a story, I let go. I surrender to my creative spirit. My intention is to have fun writing no matter what direction the story takes. In my receptive state, I don’t try to come up with a theme or anything concrete. I’m confident that a story will present itself.
The first time I tried out this method, a series of images prompted me to start writing a story that turned out to be Michael’s Blood, the first book of The Vampire Reclamation Project Series. Before I sat down to write, I had no intention of writing about an angel trying to help a man who thought himself a vampire. The idea was a complete surprise. After that day, the story continued to reveal itself. In a year, I’d written almost six books and 570,876 words.
Since I’ve continued to use this method, my stories haven’t followed any pattern as far as genres. I’ve written love stories, a metaphysical series, a werewolf thriller, a dystopian series, humorous fantasies, a self-help book, and a couple of Christmas stories. The inspiration that takes hold of me doesn’t seem to limit itself when it comes to subject matter or setting. For me, I love the ever-changing way inspiration works. It keeps the stories fresh and exciting. I never know what’s coming, just that I enjoy the process.
The consistency I’ve noticed is that many of my original stories are told from numerous points of view. However, more recently, a number are told from a first person POV. All of the stories center around the growth of the characters. Faced with fears and challenges, they journey towards understanding, healing and love.
Once I’ve completed a book, I follow many of the steps that most authors follow. I often rewrite a story numerous times, I observe the rules of grammar, and I make sure the book is properly edited. For me, these are all absolutely necessary components of a book I want to present to the public.
Thank you, Sandy! If you’ve never read anything by this author, be sure to check her out. I can guarantee you she has something for almost any reading taste!
Website: https://www.ssbazinet.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SSBazinet/
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/SSBazinet
Until next time, I wish you all happy reading!
Cynthia
When I asked her to write a post for my Goodreads blog a few years ago, she shared her writing journey. At the time, Goodreads had a metric that showed how many people veiwed our author blogposts, something I found very gratifying. It’s a writer’s fate that most of the time we have no idea who’s reading what we write, so I was thrilled to have that kind of feedback. When I posted Sandy’s piece, I was floored to see that over 5,000 Goodreads members had read her post. It made me feel so happy that her story was shared so many times!
When that metric was removed, I lost interest in writing blog posts and recruiting my writing friends. But I’m back now, with the topic of inspiration, something all us readers can appreciate.
It’s my pleasure to give you once again S.S. Bazinet and her insights on inspiration:
I don’t know where my inspiration comes from. I only know that when I sit down and begin a story, I let go. I surrender to my creative spirit. My intention is to have fun writing no matter what direction the story takes. In my receptive state, I don’t try to come up with a theme or anything concrete. I’m confident that a story will present itself.
The first time I tried out this method, a series of images prompted me to start writing a story that turned out to be Michael’s Blood, the first book of The Vampire Reclamation Project Series. Before I sat down to write, I had no intention of writing about an angel trying to help a man who thought himself a vampire. The idea was a complete surprise. After that day, the story continued to reveal itself. In a year, I’d written almost six books and 570,876 words.
Since I’ve continued to use this method, my stories haven’t followed any pattern as far as genres. I’ve written love stories, a metaphysical series, a werewolf thriller, a dystopian series, humorous fantasies, a self-help book, and a couple of Christmas stories. The inspiration that takes hold of me doesn’t seem to limit itself when it comes to subject matter or setting. For me, I love the ever-changing way inspiration works. It keeps the stories fresh and exciting. I never know what’s coming, just that I enjoy the process.
The consistency I’ve noticed is that many of my original stories are told from numerous points of view. However, more recently, a number are told from a first person POV. All of the stories center around the growth of the characters. Faced with fears and challenges, they journey towards understanding, healing and love.
Once I’ve completed a book, I follow many of the steps that most authors follow. I often rewrite a story numerous times, I observe the rules of grammar, and I make sure the book is properly edited. For me, these are all absolutely necessary components of a book I want to present to the public.
Thank you, Sandy! If you’ve never read anything by this author, be sure to check her out. I can guarantee you she has something for almost any reading taste!
Website: https://www.ssbazinet.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SSBazinet/
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/SSBazinet
Until next time, I wish you all happy reading!
Cynthia
April 2, 2021
Where does inspiration come from?
I was a complete zombie when I finished my 13th and final read-through of the latest Madeline adventure, Houses of Deception, due out in August. I can honestly say I’ve never worked so hard or fast to make a deadline, mainly because I never had a publisher before. When I finally hit the send button, I felt certifiably brain-dead.
So, you can imagine how surprised I was when my bombed-out mind suddenly lit up with villainous possibilities as my husband shared a disturbing story of embezzlement with me. It got me thinking about those folks who come across as having unimpeachable moral character, placed in positions of overseeing large sums of other people’s money. Hmm… So much potential there! Immediately, characters and a storyline bloomed in my beleaguered brain, completely wiping out my mental exhaustion.
But that’s the thing about inspiration: It’s a gift, and it always comes to me when I least expect it, leading me down paths I never considered before. I just jump right in, never knowing where I’m headed, fingers crossed that I won’t hit a wall I can’t scale over. In the writing world, this is known as flying by the seat of one’s pants, which makes me a lifetime member of the frequent flyer club.
I can’t help but wonder why I get these bolts of inspiration. Am I just more susceptible than others? Do I have too much imagination to start with, which makes me ideally suited to writing fiction? Do I have nothing better to do? Ha ha!
When Madeline first popped into my head years ago, I had been silently grousing about how difficult it is to get noticed in a sea full of books. I wagered if I wrote a detective series about a female P.I. with loose morals, it would be an instant success. Since I couldn’t really see myself writing trashy novels, the pitchman in my head cleaned her up, making her a pillar of Santa Barbara society until she knocked down her husband’s house of cards.
In Houses of Deception, the past calls in a debt, and Madeline must do everything in her power to find the son of the man who lost his life while trying to protect hers. Meanwhile, an anniversary party put on by Current Affairs leads to a missing wife and lots of murky questions. I can thank the inspiration gods for these scenarios, both of which get a little crazy as they play out.
I’ll be asking some of my writer friends to share what inspires them in coming weeks. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this question: what inspires you?
So, you can imagine how surprised I was when my bombed-out mind suddenly lit up with villainous possibilities as my husband shared a disturbing story of embezzlement with me. It got me thinking about those folks who come across as having unimpeachable moral character, placed in positions of overseeing large sums of other people’s money. Hmm… So much potential there! Immediately, characters and a storyline bloomed in my beleaguered brain, completely wiping out my mental exhaustion.
But that’s the thing about inspiration: It’s a gift, and it always comes to me when I least expect it, leading me down paths I never considered before. I just jump right in, never knowing where I’m headed, fingers crossed that I won’t hit a wall I can’t scale over. In the writing world, this is known as flying by the seat of one’s pants, which makes me a lifetime member of the frequent flyer club.
I can’t help but wonder why I get these bolts of inspiration. Am I just more susceptible than others? Do I have too much imagination to start with, which makes me ideally suited to writing fiction? Do I have nothing better to do? Ha ha!
When Madeline first popped into my head years ago, I had been silently grousing about how difficult it is to get noticed in a sea full of books. I wagered if I wrote a detective series about a female P.I. with loose morals, it would be an instant success. Since I couldn’t really see myself writing trashy novels, the pitchman in my head cleaned her up, making her a pillar of Santa Barbara society until she knocked down her husband’s house of cards.
In Houses of Deception, the past calls in a debt, and Madeline must do everything in her power to find the son of the man who lost his life while trying to protect hers. Meanwhile, an anniversary party put on by Current Affairs leads to a missing wife and lots of murky questions. I can thank the inspiration gods for these scenarios, both of which get a little crazy as they play out.
I’ll be asking some of my writer friends to share what inspires them in coming weeks. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this question: what inspires you?
Where does inspiration come from?
I was a complete zombie when I finished my 13th and final read-through of the latest Madeline adventure, Houses of Deception, due out in August. I can honestly say I’ve never worked so hard or fast to make a deadline, mainly because I never had a publisher before. When I finally hit the send button, I felt certifiably brain-dead.
So, you can imagine how surprised I was when my bombed-out mind suddenly lit up with villainous possibilities as my husband shared a disturbing story of embezzlement with me. It got me thinking about those folks who come across as having unimpeachable moral character, placed in positions of overseeing large sums of other people’s money. Hmm… So much potential there! Immediately, characters and a storyline bloomed in my beleaguered brain, completely wiping out my mental exhaustion.
But that’s the thing about inspiration: It’s a gift, and it always comes to me when I least expect it, leading me down paths I never considered before. I just jump right in, never knowing where I’m headed, fingers crossed that I won’t hit a wall I can’t scale over. In the writing world, this is known as flying by the seat of one’s pants, which makes me a lifetime member of the frequent flyer club.
I can’t help but wonder why I get these bolts of inspirations. Am I just more susceptible than others? Do I have too much imagination to start with, which makes me ideally suited to writing fiction? Do I have nothing better to do? Ha ha!
When Madeline first popped into my head, I had been silently grousing about how difficult it is to get noticed in a sea full of books. I wagered if I wrote a detective series about a female P.I. with loose morals, it would be an instant success. Since I couldn’t really see myself writing trashy novels, the pitchman in my head cleaned her up, making her a pillar of Santa Barbara society until she knocked down her husband’s house of cards.
In Houses of Deception, the past calls in a debt, and Madeline must do everything in her power to find the son of the man who lost his life while trying to protect hers. Meanwhile, an anniversary party put on by Current Affairs leads to a missing wife and lots of murky questions. I can thank the inspiration gods for these scenarios, both of which get a little crazy as they play out.
I’ll be asking some of my writer friends to share what inspires them in coming weeks. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this question: what inspires you?
So, you can imagine how surprised I was when my bombed-out mind suddenly lit up with villainous possibilities as my husband shared a disturbing story of embezzlement with me. It got me thinking about those folks who come across as having unimpeachable moral character, placed in positions of overseeing large sums of other people’s money. Hmm… So much potential there! Immediately, characters and a storyline bloomed in my beleaguered brain, completely wiping out my mental exhaustion.
But that’s the thing about inspiration: It’s a gift, and it always comes to me when I least expect it, leading me down paths I never considered before. I just jump right in, never knowing where I’m headed, fingers crossed that I won’t hit a wall I can’t scale over. In the writing world, this is known as flying by the seat of one’s pants, which makes me a lifetime member of the frequent flyer club.
I can’t help but wonder why I get these bolts of inspirations. Am I just more susceptible than others? Do I have too much imagination to start with, which makes me ideally suited to writing fiction? Do I have nothing better to do? Ha ha!
When Madeline first popped into my head, I had been silently grousing about how difficult it is to get noticed in a sea full of books. I wagered if I wrote a detective series about a female P.I. with loose morals, it would be an instant success. Since I couldn’t really see myself writing trashy novels, the pitchman in my head cleaned her up, making her a pillar of Santa Barbara society until she knocked down her husband’s house of cards.
In Houses of Deception, the past calls in a debt, and Madeline must do everything in her power to find the son of the man who lost his life while trying to protect hers. Meanwhile, an anniversary party put on by Current Affairs leads to a missing wife and lots of murky questions. I can thank the inspiration gods for these scenarios, both of which get a little crazy as they play out.
I’ll be asking some of my writer friends to share what inspires them in coming weeks. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this question: what inspires you?
June 27, 2020
The Magic of Writing
I’ll be the first one to admit I have little to do with the stories I write. By that I mean another side of me emerges when I sit down at the computer, a side I never even knew existed until I was searching for something I could do from bed, if that’s where my mystery illness was heading.
From the first day of writing in secret, an inner voice took control. I’ve since realized my job is simply to keep up, typing as quickly as I can to catch it all before the muse gets irritated with my slow progress and becomes distracted.
Since I’m basically just along for the ride, you can imagine my surprise when I was in the middle of writing Spouse Trap and that voice in my head pulled a switcharoo on me as Madeline made a phone call to an old friend down in Los Angeles. Instead of reaching a petite flight attendant named Shannon as planned, a 6”3’ long-haired surfer dude named Mike Delaney answered the phone.
I remember how the scene flashed before my eyes as if I were watching it on TV. And with the visuals came the backstory as Mike ribs Madeline for calling him out of the blue, giving her not so subtle digs for breaking his heart and marrying Steven Ridley 12 years earlier. I remember Mike was dressed in surf trunks and an old T-shirt, holding the bottle of orange soda he had been chugging when the phone rang.
Why the orange soda? I remember thinking. Because he’s a recovering alcoholic, came the reply.
Then all the backstory unfolded: Madeline coercing Mike into rehab five years earlier; Mike’s father leaving him a tidy fortune in the form of two classic apartment complexes in Hollywood; his father’s ’64 Mercedes coupe, a guaranteed babe magnet that Mike drives with style and dignity as he tools around L.A.
Once Mike arrived on the scene, I realized I had to just go with the flow. Whatever control I thought I had over the creative process had been ceded to the unknown entity lurking inside my brain. And I can say that as I work on book 6 in the series, I’ve come to realize my part in the creative process is minimal. My job is to simply capture the words as they speed through my brain.
And to everyone out there who feels as I once did about my utter lack of writing talent, I say none of us ever really know what we’re capable of until we’re pushed.
From the first day of writing in secret, an inner voice took control. I’ve since realized my job is simply to keep up, typing as quickly as I can to catch it all before the muse gets irritated with my slow progress and becomes distracted.
Since I’m basically just along for the ride, you can imagine my surprise when I was in the middle of writing Spouse Trap and that voice in my head pulled a switcharoo on me as Madeline made a phone call to an old friend down in Los Angeles. Instead of reaching a petite flight attendant named Shannon as planned, a 6”3’ long-haired surfer dude named Mike Delaney answered the phone.
I remember how the scene flashed before my eyes as if I were watching it on TV. And with the visuals came the backstory as Mike ribs Madeline for calling him out of the blue, giving her not so subtle digs for breaking his heart and marrying Steven Ridley 12 years earlier. I remember Mike was dressed in surf trunks and an old T-shirt, holding the bottle of orange soda he had been chugging when the phone rang.
Why the orange soda? I remember thinking. Because he’s a recovering alcoholic, came the reply.
Then all the backstory unfolded: Madeline coercing Mike into rehab five years earlier; Mike’s father leaving him a tidy fortune in the form of two classic apartment complexes in Hollywood; his father’s ’64 Mercedes coupe, a guaranteed babe magnet that Mike drives with style and dignity as he tools around L.A.
Once Mike arrived on the scene, I realized I had to just go with the flow. Whatever control I thought I had over the creative process had been ceded to the unknown entity lurking inside my brain. And I can say that as I work on book 6 in the series, I’ve come to realize my part in the creative process is minimal. My job is to simply capture the words as they speed through my brain.
And to everyone out there who feels as I once did about my utter lack of writing talent, I say none of us ever really know what we’re capable of until we’re pushed.
June 2, 2020
The Story Behind the Story: Anxiety and Writing
Sorry for the long delay between posts again! But this time I have a valid excuse. In late April, I was approached by Severn River Publishing regarding my Madeline Dawkins Mystery Series. I was gratified and intrigued that a self-published writer managed to come up on their radar. That in itself made me feel good. The offer they presented made me feel even better.
My Madeline series is now under the SRP umbrella and I’ve a contract for 3 more adventures, making a total of at least 8 in the series. Excited? You bet! Busy? Like I’ve never been before!
While getting SRP everything they needed to get me up and running and on with the series, my wonderful writing friends sent me contributions for my Goodreads blog series, “The Story Behind the Story.” They have accumulated in my inbox, where they’ve waited patiently to be shared.
It's my great pleasure to share S.S. Bazinet’s enlightening thoughts on writing and anxiety/fears. Sandy has taken a deep look at the relationship and her insights are fascinating. And what she says about the therapeutic benefits of writing can certainly apply to reading as well.
Enjoy!
I remember chatting with my mom about writing. She claimed that even writing a letter was a chore. Since then I’ve learned that we don’t have to be able to pen a letter to get real benefits from writing. Writing can be a therapeutic tool.
Before we ask about writing’s benefits, perhaps the next question is why any of us need therapy in the first place. The answer is a simple one. Anxiety has become the number one mental health issue in North America. It's estimated that one third of the North American adult population experiences anxiety unwellness issues.
Those statistics led me to ask about the cause of anxiety, and I thought about an event that involved my fourteen-pound poodle, Winnie. We were taking a walk when a Rottweiler came rushing at her from across the street. Winnie immediately fell back against some bushes. The Rottweiler’s owner called the dog back to its house a moment later, and my little poodle got up from where she lay. She shook herself off, and we took our normal walk. I never noticed any anxiety on my poodle’s part. She trotted along as it nothing had happened.
I was a different case. The event kept replaying in my mind. Movies and books about vicious animals and news stories about scary dogs added to my fears. Using those facts, a mental “story” formed around what I’d personally experienced. It was all about dogs being dangerous, and how the Rottweiler could have killed my sweet Winnie. Years later, with my little Winnie long gone from natural causes, the story could still replay in my mind. The anxiety could still be there even though the actual event was very short and happened a long time ago.
What I find so interesting is that my poodle’s reaction and my reaction were so dissimilar. I decided that dogs and people process things differently. Dogs don’t tell stories. People do. So perhaps, it’s the stories that have something to do with our anxiety. If that’s so, can writing help us to diffuse those stories? Can writing help me to be more relaxed when I take a walk all these years later after the incident with the Rottweiler?
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.” ~ Viktor Frankl
I think we’d all like to know more about that space Frankl talks about, and Dr. David Hanscom says that writing creates an awareness of your thoughts, positive or negative, and separates you from them.
Dr. Hanscom knows all about suffering and finding help. He began having panic attacks that eventually developed into severe chronic pain that lasted for 15 years. After trying many approaches to recovery, he concluded that, “Writing begins your path to healing.” It’s also worked with many of his patients.
But Dr. Hanscom isn’t talking about writing a novel. He’s talking about sitting down and simply putting your thoughts on paper. He explains that, “Thoughts are only connections between neurons within your brain. There is no substance to them – none.” However, the body doesn’t know the difference between a thought and reality. Maybe that’s why my dog, Winnie, didn’t have anxiety issues over the Rottweiler. She shook off the event and went on without a story attached to it. Nature seems to work that way. The gazelle gets chased by a lion, escapes and goes back to eating.
When we put our thoughts on paper, it gives the mind a place to express all its anxieties. Once those thoughts are out in the open, we can look at what we’re thinking. Staying in a neutral place of nonjudgment, we can check out what’s really the truth and what we only “think” is true. With investigation and awareness, we’re able to deal with reality more effectively. We can help our minds like we help a child who’s scared. After all, many of our thoughts and beliefs were formed when we were young children. By examining the thoughts that are running in our minds, we can help our minds to update old information that no longer serves us.
“A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It’s not our thoughts, but our attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering. Attaching to a thought means believing that it’s true, without inquiring. A belief is a thought that we’ve been attaching to, often for years.” ~ Byron Katie
Writing down our thoughts and seeing what our mind is up to could be a journey that’s well worth taking. And who knows, someone might enjoy writing so much that they take another journey and begin to write novels.
My Madeline series is now under the SRP umbrella and I’ve a contract for 3 more adventures, making a total of at least 8 in the series. Excited? You bet! Busy? Like I’ve never been before!
While getting SRP everything they needed to get me up and running and on with the series, my wonderful writing friends sent me contributions for my Goodreads blog series, “The Story Behind the Story.” They have accumulated in my inbox, where they’ve waited patiently to be shared.
It's my great pleasure to share S.S. Bazinet’s enlightening thoughts on writing and anxiety/fears. Sandy has taken a deep look at the relationship and her insights are fascinating. And what she says about the therapeutic benefits of writing can certainly apply to reading as well.
Enjoy!
I remember chatting with my mom about writing. She claimed that even writing a letter was a chore. Since then I’ve learned that we don’t have to be able to pen a letter to get real benefits from writing. Writing can be a therapeutic tool.
Before we ask about writing’s benefits, perhaps the next question is why any of us need therapy in the first place. The answer is a simple one. Anxiety has become the number one mental health issue in North America. It's estimated that one third of the North American adult population experiences anxiety unwellness issues.
Those statistics led me to ask about the cause of anxiety, and I thought about an event that involved my fourteen-pound poodle, Winnie. We were taking a walk when a Rottweiler came rushing at her from across the street. Winnie immediately fell back against some bushes. The Rottweiler’s owner called the dog back to its house a moment later, and my little poodle got up from where she lay. She shook herself off, and we took our normal walk. I never noticed any anxiety on my poodle’s part. She trotted along as it nothing had happened.
I was a different case. The event kept replaying in my mind. Movies and books about vicious animals and news stories about scary dogs added to my fears. Using those facts, a mental “story” formed around what I’d personally experienced. It was all about dogs being dangerous, and how the Rottweiler could have killed my sweet Winnie. Years later, with my little Winnie long gone from natural causes, the story could still replay in my mind. The anxiety could still be there even though the actual event was very short and happened a long time ago.
What I find so interesting is that my poodle’s reaction and my reaction were so dissimilar. I decided that dogs and people process things differently. Dogs don’t tell stories. People do. So perhaps, it’s the stories that have something to do with our anxiety. If that’s so, can writing help us to diffuse those stories? Can writing help me to be more relaxed when I take a walk all these years later after the incident with the Rottweiler?
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.” ~ Viktor Frankl
I think we’d all like to know more about that space Frankl talks about, and Dr. David Hanscom says that writing creates an awareness of your thoughts, positive or negative, and separates you from them.
Dr. Hanscom knows all about suffering and finding help. He began having panic attacks that eventually developed into severe chronic pain that lasted for 15 years. After trying many approaches to recovery, he concluded that, “Writing begins your path to healing.” It’s also worked with many of his patients.
But Dr. Hanscom isn’t talking about writing a novel. He’s talking about sitting down and simply putting your thoughts on paper. He explains that, “Thoughts are only connections between neurons within your brain. There is no substance to them – none.” However, the body doesn’t know the difference between a thought and reality. Maybe that’s why my dog, Winnie, didn’t have anxiety issues over the Rottweiler. She shook off the event and went on without a story attached to it. Nature seems to work that way. The gazelle gets chased by a lion, escapes and goes back to eating.
When we put our thoughts on paper, it gives the mind a place to express all its anxieties. Once those thoughts are out in the open, we can look at what we’re thinking. Staying in a neutral place of nonjudgment, we can check out what’s really the truth and what we only “think” is true. With investigation and awareness, we’re able to deal with reality more effectively. We can help our minds like we help a child who’s scared. After all, many of our thoughts and beliefs were formed when we were young children. By examining the thoughts that are running in our minds, we can help our minds to update old information that no longer serves us.
“A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It’s not our thoughts, but our attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering. Attaching to a thought means believing that it’s true, without inquiring. A belief is a thought that we’ve been attaching to, often for years.” ~ Byron Katie
Writing down our thoughts and seeing what our mind is up to could be a journey that’s well worth taking. And who knows, someone might enjoy writing so much that they take another journey and begin to write novels.
April 18, 2020
The Patience of Karma
Little did I realize when I wrote a blog post in April 2019 that it would be a whole year before I wrote another one. There is a certain amount of defeat in that realization, since I’d been pretty regular about checking in, sharing books I’d written or read by other authors whose work I had read and really enjoyed. Two things happened that stalled me out. The first one came when Goodreads stopped tracking the number of views per post, which made me feel like I was suddenly all alone, babbling on without a clue if anyone was still out there reading what I and other writers had to say. The second punch came from an upheaval in my living situation, which put my daily routine and any writing-related activities in limbo.
So, here I am, a year later, having just handed the fifth book in the Madeline Dawkins Mystery Series off to my editor. I’ve got a two-week hiatus before the manuscript comes back to me, so I’m trying to reestablish contact with my reader friends on social media and figure out how to take my career to the next level. Once I figure out what that next level looks like, I’m going to make a run for it!
But in the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to Madeline and Mike’s latest adventures. In “The Patience of Karma” the MDPI team is tasked with unraveling three cases, all of them with dire consequences if Madeline, Mike and Samir can’t resolve the mysteries. Below is the cover blurb:
A Florida man desperate to save his niece’s life seeks out MDPI’s help in locating a nephew he hasn’t seen in five years, a drifter who was presumed dead after a tragic boating accident took the lives of his two friends. A photo Web Burnhart found online proves Daniel is alive and well, and was in Santa Barbara after his friends succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning off the coast of San Diego. As Web’s niece slips closer to death each day, Daniel has become her last hope for receiving a compatible kidney.
Award-winning composer Evan Picard is referred to MDPI when he suspects his much-younger wife may be seeking attention elsewhere whenever work takes him down to Los Angeles. Madeline is able to put his suspicions to rest after she witnesses a “communication” between Bella and her deceased sister, only to have the case take off in a completely different and disturbing direction.
Daphne Pillsbury tracks Mike down, hoping he will be the key to solving a mystery that could give her the peace of mind she needs, while quite possibly blowing his blissful marriage to smithereens.
I will keep you posted on the release date for “The Patience of Karma”. I will also be sharing some of my recent favorite reads and their authors’ inspirations. In the meantime, I look forward to reconnecting with my Goodreads friends and seeing what books everyone is enjoying now. It feels good to be back!
Until next time—and definitely not a year from now—I wish you all happy reading!
Cynthia
Goodreads Blog Post: Upcoming release The Patience of Karma
So, here I am, a year later, having just handed the fifth book in the Madeline Dawkins Mystery Series off to my editor. I’ve got a two-week hiatus before the manuscript comes back to me, so I’m trying to reestablish contact with my reader friends on social media and figure out how to take my career to the next level. Once I figure out what that next level looks like, I’m going to make a run for it!
But in the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to Madeline and Mike’s latest adventures. In “The Patience of Karma” the MDPI team is tasked with unraveling three cases, all of them with dire consequences if Madeline, Mike and Samir can’t resolve the mysteries. Below is the cover blurb:
A Florida man desperate to save his niece’s life seeks out MDPI’s help in locating a nephew he hasn’t seen in five years, a drifter who was presumed dead after a tragic boating accident took the lives of his two friends. A photo Web Burnhart found online proves Daniel is alive and well, and was in Santa Barbara after his friends succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning off the coast of San Diego. As Web’s niece slips closer to death each day, Daniel has become her last hope for receiving a compatible kidney.
Award-winning composer Evan Picard is referred to MDPI when he suspects his much-younger wife may be seeking attention elsewhere whenever work takes him down to Los Angeles. Madeline is able to put his suspicions to rest after she witnesses a “communication” between Bella and her deceased sister, only to have the case take off in a completely different and disturbing direction.
Daphne Pillsbury tracks Mike down, hoping he will be the key to solving a mystery that could give her the peace of mind she needs, while quite possibly blowing his blissful marriage to smithereens.
I will keep you posted on the release date for “The Patience of Karma”. I will also be sharing some of my recent favorite reads and their authors’ inspirations. In the meantime, I look forward to reconnecting with my Goodreads friends and seeing what books everyone is enjoying now. It feels good to be back!
Until next time—and definitely not a year from now—I wish you all happy reading!
Cynthia
Goodreads Blog Post: Upcoming release The Patience of Karma
