Mary Alice Monroe's Blog, page 21

MEET THE CHARACTERS

I realize that I’m known for my commitment to the natural world through literature, which I love.  Thank you Pat Conroy for your recent flattering quote, "Mary Alice Monroe is the premiere nature writer among southern novelists”.  My home here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina is my inspiration.  Sea turtles, sweetgrass, birds of prey, monarchs, and now dolphins—each species played an integral part in several of my novels.  Yet, it’s important to note that while nature is the source of my inspiration for the novel, when I write a story, it’s always—first and foremost—about the characters.  Their lives, struggles, successes, failures, and epiphanies. 
Allow me to introduce you to the main characters--the Muir family--in my upcoming novel, THE SUMMER GIRLS.  The Muirs are a colorful bunch, descendants from a pirate!  It's the first book of THE LOWCOUNTRY SUMMER TRILOGY and in each book, a different woman will be focused on.  As an added fun tidbit, I've matched each character with the actor I envisioned as I wrote the book!
In stores June 25. Pre-order today.Marietta ‘Mamaw’ Muir:  A grand dame in the Charlestonsociety and a dowager, she moved from her home on EastBay in Charlestonto live full-time at the family’s longtime Sullivan’s Islandhome, Sea Breeze.  If you are a Downton Abbey television series fan, like I am, Mamaw is a Maggie Smith kind of character.  She’s a bit haughty and makes pithy statements that everyone loves to hear!  Yet Mamaw is strong, even fearless, when it comes to her granddaughters--Eudora, Carson, and Harper--her "summer girls."  Mamaw has lived long enough to realize that she failed her only child, Parker, by enabling him.  Now, she strives not to manipulate her granddaughters. Rather, her desire is to restore the shattered ties among the three young women.  After all, they are her only remaining family.   Mamaw fears that when it's her turn to join the majority, the Muir family bonds will fray.
*Actress:  Maggie Smith in personality, but I see Ellen Burstyn.
Carson:  Considered Mamaw’s favorite by her other sisters, Carson is an athletic, beautiful, dark haired woman working in Los Angeles as a stills photographer for a TV series.  To her sisters, she appears to have it all.  Little do they know she'd survived a hand-to-mouth existence with their alcoholic father.  Her traumatic childhood caused attachment difficulties.  At the story's opening, Carson has no job and hardly two coins to rub together.  Carson was born to be on the water.  Her life is changed after an encounter with a charismatic wild dolphin.  A miraculous bond is formed between Carson and the dolphin, which she names Delphine.
* Actress:  Megan Fox
Eudora:  Better known as ‘Dora’, this once southern belle has been overwhelmed by her son’s needs and demands as a child with autism.   Dora has let herself go—neglecting her looks, personal needs, interests, and her marriage.   She is lost and bitter at the way her life has turned out after following all "the rules." With a divorce pending, Dora is forced to sell her home and start over.  All that Dora feels she has left in this world is her one and only child, Nate, and she clings to him.
*Actress:  A heavier Wendy McLendon-Covey
Harper:  The youngest and most petite of the sisters, Harper is reserved, even aloof--except when she drinks!  Harper grew up in New Yorkand lived a privileged lifestyle. Yet she was emotionally neglected by her successful British mother, Georgiana.  At 28, Harper still lives at home and works as an assistant to her mother, an executive editor at a major New Yorkpublishing company.  Harper describes her mother as the Meryl Streep character in the film ‘Devil Wears Prada.’   Harper does not engage with humans. Rather, she is connected to the internet.  She's always on her smartphone, tablet or computer.   Nicknamed "the mouse" as a child, she still prefers to sit in a corner and watch the world from a safe distance.
*Actress:  Amanda Seyfried
Nate:  Diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, nine year old Nate has an inability to communicate and connect with others, especially his mother Dora.  Nate is a very bright child whose world is opened up upon his first encounter with Delphine, the wild dolphin. 
Parker:  Deceased son of Mamaw, her only child, was handsome, debonair, and witty.  Yet in the end, the golden child was a disappointment in every department—relationships, fatherhood and career.  A wannabe writer, Parker rested on the laurels of his successful ancestors and depended on the handouts from his parents.  Parker named his daughters after successful writers--Carson McCullers, Eudora Welty and Harper Lee.  His alcoholism eventually led to his untimely death. 
Lucille:  First hired as the Muir’s family maid fifty years ago, Lucille is more a companion to Marietta Muir than a maid.  “Compact and stout as a well-fed marsh hen”, she is a trusted confidante of Marietta and unquestionably loyal in return.  Lucille is the one person who knows everything about the family, maybe even too much.  She’s a “call ‘em as I see ‘em” kind of person, honest, witty and wise, and always ready with a wry comment.
Blake: He’s a lifelong Lowcountry boy, devoted nature lover who knows the rivers and winding creeks as well as he knows himself.  His job as a biologist with NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, sparks the attention of Carson.  Blake befriends Carson through the promise of kiteboarding lessons and eventually opens her up to the world of wild dolphins. And here’s a fun tidbit for fans of my novel SWIMMING LESSONS—Blake is the cousin of Ethan Legare who works at the South Carolina Aquarium and is the character who falls in love with the book’s protagonist, Toy Sooner.  The pair makes an appearance in THE SUMMER GIRLS, and in chapter 13 you’ll see what these characters are up to today!
Want to know more about the characters? Watch this video. And visit my YouTube Channel to see more.



Will this dysfunctional family be able to heal old wounds and bond together?  Will these disparate sisters rediscover that unabashed love they once shared as children? Can a single wild dolphin be the catalyst needed to help them all communicate?  Or will Mamaw’s ultimatum of one entire summer together at Sea Breeze be too much, too late? 
Find out June 25th.
  

Why Dolphins, Why Now

Me and Jax at Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, FL
I get asked that a lot.  It’s a great question, considering that every novel I’ve published in the last decade is rooted in the natural environment of my surroundings, which we here in Charleston, South Carolina call the Lowcountry.  Sea turtles, birds of prey, butterflies, wild shrimp—the list goes on.  These natural elements aren’t the story themselves, but the inspiration.  I draw my story themes from what I learn from my volunteering.  My story world is authentic and the animals are so interwoven with my characters’ lives that they themselves become characters.  By the end of the book, you find yourself rooting for them—for their survival in both the story world and the real world.  


I’ve always loved dolphins.  Who doesn’t?  It must be that beguiling smile! Of all the species I’ve ever worked with—and I’ve worked with many—no other animal is self-aware or as intelligent as the dolphin.  If you are fortunate to get close enough to look a dolphin in the eye, you know you’re being just as closely regarded, even studied.   Because I live by the Atlantic Ocean, I'm fortunate to see dolphins leap from the waves, swim in pods on the creeks, and chase boats near the harbor.  I had been yearning to write a novel about a dolphin for quite some time. I have many species I want to write about, a long list.  I wait for some sign from the universe, some tapping on my intuition, a whispering that tells me "choose this one now." 

One day, during a special meeting for the board members of the South Carolina Aquarium, I got ‘the sign’ when guest Philippe Cousteau urged me to write a book set against the issues threatening dolphins today.  I had just seen the film, The Cove, and Dr. Pat Fair from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) had informed us that almost half of the dolphins living in Charleston's estuarine waters were sick.   Shocking!  So I cannonballed off that proverbial dock into the world of wild dolphins and after three years of research surfaced with not one story but three! 

This was a first for me—intentionally writing a trilogy.  The Beach House series was written over a span of years as my work with the sea turtles expanded.  I jokingly say it was a trilogy ten years in the making.   In The Lowcountry Summer Trilogy, I am setting out to write a trilogy of books in which all of my characters are touched by the harrowing journey of one charismatic dolphin, Delphine.  It's the story of three granddaughters, one seaside summer, and one dolphin.   Sweet Delphine is the thread that connects all the books.  The first installment—THE SUMMER GIRLS—comes out June 25th.  

In THE SUMMER GIRLS, the behavior of the dolphin and the interactions shared between Delphine and the women were inspired from my work with dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida and research with NOAA in Charleston, South Carolina.  What the women do, out of love for the dolphin, is in fact dangerous to the species’ well-being. 

I've always felt that the signs and TV ads that inform the public DO NOT FEED THE DOLPHINS don't amount to a hill of beans when one is staring at that beguiling face in a boat or from the dock.  Everyone thinks, "Aw, I want to make contact.  I want to share a moment with this creature.  What harm can one fish, or sandwich, this one small somethingdo?"  Now, imagine thousands of people thinking this...  This is my character, Carson's journey.  Through her eyes, I bring you to that very real moment and allow you to experience with her the natural consequences.  It's so much more powerful to experience the raw emotions and passions.  As a storyteller, I rely on the old adage: Show don't tell.

My hope is that when you finish the final page of THE SUMMER GIRLS, you’ll find yourself excited to see what will happen next to the sisters—Carson, Eudora and Harper--and to Delphine.  And through the characters’ intimate andWant more?  Watch this brief interview about what compelled me to write about dolphins. 


You can also read an excerpt of THE SUMMER GIRLS at www.maryalicemonroe.com or my Author Facebook Page.  

What is it about dolphins that you love so much?  Share your story in the comments section.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day To all mothers, grandmothers and daughters   

I've written many mother characters in my novels-- Mama June in Sweetgrass, Lovie in Beach House, Toy in Swimming Lessons, Mamaw in The Summer Girls--each of them with their own strengths and weaknesses and yet all of them similar in their devotion to their families and their burning desire to keep their families close.  Especially in these modern times of families living far apart, it is a challenge for mothers everywhere to maintain tight family bonds.  From the moment of birth, our children are poised for leaving.  Our glory as mothers is to help our children grow and mature, from holding their chubby hands as they take their first steps, to letting go and waving as they walk their own paths. 

For all the mother characters I've created, I've never written about what I love most as a mother myself...and as "Mambo" to my grandbabies. I'm sure I'll never be able to fully tap that vein of emotion, but here's a stream of consciousness.

When my own children were young, especially as I also had a birthday in May which made it a double-whammy gift month and tough on their pocketbooks, I'd made a rule that the children not buy me a present. I asked instead that the gift be hand-made.  Really, what better gift, right?   So I've received (and still have!) countless primitive dawings and paintings of me and the family. These include the stick figures with oversized eyes, hair sticking out of the round head and feet with "heels" on them. These drawings may not have been as professional as a Mary Whyte portrait, but I love them!  I have received flowers for my garden, special gifts and poems made at school, hand prints in a mold, (love these) and lots of coupons for things they promised to do for me. 

As my three children grew older, they broke the rule and bought gifts or chipped in together to get "something big."  Yet until they moved out, the one thing that never changed was breakfast in bed. I'd lie in bed on Mother's Day waiting to hear the noise of them finally awakening and rumbling in the kitchen. (Sometimes, when they were teens, I had to sneak out to the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee or I'd have died waiting till they awoke!)  They'd come in with breakfast on a tray, the newspaper, and their gifts, then flop on my mattress and we'd spend the next hour opening presents, laughing, talking, and just being together. Good times.

Now the children are gone and it's just Markus and me at home.  Dear man that he is, he still rises early and serves me breakfast.  Today it was my favorite--lox, cream cheese and bagels.  He'll make dinner, too.  My mama passed so I sent a prayer to her, and I had a phone call with Nana and each of my children and a SKYPE visit with my grandchildren. Though not the same as a face to face visit, it's been lovely.

And this year, I once again received hand drawn pictures from my eldest grandson, Jack, five years old.  One was a drawing of the family (it had marvelous stick figures with big eyes, huge smiles and big hands and feet) and one of flowers growing in my garden. Being a grandmother is deja-vu!  I feel so blessed.

As a writer, I don't ever write about a member of my family or even someone I know.  Characters are spawned in my imagination and they have a job to do in the novel.  Yet, no writer lives in a vacuum.  I glean insights from all my experiences and relationships and they inspire my writing.  Thus, I give you Mama June, Lovie, Toy, Mamaw and all the mothers in books I haven written and will write in the future.  As I nod my head to honor each of you-- mothers, grandmothers, and daughters--and sons!

Happy Mother's Day!   

Our Siblings in the Sea

Who can look at the beguiling smile and twinkling eyes of a dolphin and not melt?  Dolphins are social, smart, and beautiful.  They seem to invite interaction, don't they?  We want to get up close and personal with them.  To feel a connection with our siblings in the sea.  After all, they're mammals like us, right?

I feel this way, certainly. Yet I've learned a very important lesson in the past few years that I've been working closely with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.  There is a BIG difference in how we humans should interact with dolphins in the WILD and with dolphins IN HUMAN CARE.

Watching a dolphin in the wild is thrilling.  Their ability to canvas great areas of the sea while still maintaining family and community bonds is impressive.  They use a series of whistles (including a "name" whistle), clicks, and of course their unique echolocation, a sonar like ability.  They are fast swimmers, great hunters, able to hunt using group strategies, and form bonds that last a lifetime.  Smitten, we are tempted to reach out to wild dolphins, to jump in the sea and swim with them, to feed them a fish or two in the boat, (or candy, a sandwich, etc), or to lure them to the dock to communicate.  We think, "Oh, what harm can this one tidbit do?"  Well, multiply that tidbit times 1000  and you get the picture. Feeding wild dolphins encourages begging.  Think of the bears at Yosemeti Park. Yes, sad, isn't it? 

If you want that up close and personal experience, like me in the picture here, you can have that at an in-care facility where dolphins are accustomed to human interaction. Here, these social animals do not need to hunt in the wild for three squares a day. They welcome your interaction.

I returned to the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, FL last week to volunteer in the Pathways Program, a unique therapy program for children with special needs to interact with dolphins. Every morning I began my day with a visit to the female group of mothers, calves and "aunties" in the front lagoon. I can't explain why, but when you say hello to a dolphin your voice goes up and your feel filled with joy. I'm sure I look silly, but I don't care!

There are many ways to interact with dolphins here.  Above you can see the picture of dock time with my pal, JAX, an amazing survivor of a shark attach when he was just a calf.  See, that's the point. The dolphins here were either resecued and were not medically releasable or they were born here.  This is their home, where their family lives. Next week I'm signing up for an in-water experience.  I come to the DRC for that personal dolphin connection in a safe environment-- safe for the dolphins and for me.  Remember, please, that wild dolphins are just that--wild.  And big!  At over 500 pounds, they can bite and break bones with a slap of their tail.   In human care, dolphins are trained to interact and they are accustomed to humans.  I believe that the experience is pleasurable for both dolphins and humans. I wouldn't do it if I did not.

Are some dolphin care facilities better than others?  I believe so.  I'm not going to point fingers here, but any place that holds dolphins in small, cement pens should seriously rethink their position on animal care.  Places like Dolphin Research Center that provide dolphins with a natural environment, put the aninmals' welfare over that of the visitor, respect animal choices, and provide a secure and loving permanent home for the dolphins have my full support.  I join the legion of voices that condemn capturing wild dolphins for any purpose-- display in zoos, aquariums, or swim with dolphins facilities, or research.  I also urge all of us resist the selfish temptation to feed wild dolphins or lure them to your boat or dock. Why is it selfish? Because doing so puts the dolphins lives in jeapordy.

Instead, I encourage you to visit the Dolphin Research Center and places like this for your own dolphin connection. These dolphins are the ambassadors for their species.  Your experience with dolphins will be rich with memories and once you share it, you will join the rest of us who appreciate all that is being done to support injured and rescued dolphins. And you'll raise your voice to protect the majesty and wonder of dolphins in the wild

I've been so moved by this incredible species that I'm writing The Lowcountry Summer Trilogy. Set on Sullivan's Island, SC. it tells the stories of three sisters--Eudora, Carson, and Harper--and their fiery grandmother, "Mamaw."   One dolphin, Delphine, is the thread that ties the books together.  Through this family and Delphine, I will take you to the authentic worlds of dolphins in the wild off SC coast to the Dolphin Research Center in Florida. I'll share with you all that I've learned from the dolphins through themes of communication, healing, and discovering one's true self.

The first book of the trilogy, THE SUMMER GIRLS, will be a June release. In May, you can go to my website (www.maryalicemonroe.com) and to my Author Page on Facebook to read Chapter One, contests, my appearance schedule, and more.

I hope these books will bring you up close to the world I share with dolphins--in the wild and in human care.  And that you'll join me and countless others celebrating our siblings--on land and in the sea!

HELP BRING BACK THE MONARCHS! It is March and the f...

HELP BRING BACK THE MONARCHS! 
It is March and the first faded, beleaguered monarch butterflies are arriving in Texas from their wintering grounds in Michoacán, Mexico. But there are far fewer arriving. The National Wildlife Fund reported that this year saw the smallest population in recorded history.

The migration saga is a powerful one, unique to the monarch. Like a bird or a whale, the monarch flies on fragile wings thousands of miles across three nations--Canada, the USA and Mexico, to reach the giant Oyamel fir trees of central Mexico for their winter stay. Unlike the bird or whale, however, it is not the same monarch that makes the round trip. It is the 4th or final generation monarch (the Methuselah generation) that goes into diapause, does not mate, and triggered by light and temperature change and diminishing food source, migrates to Mexico. The journey is a miracle of genetic memory.

This migration is a phenomenon that only happens in North America. And it is this phenomenon of migration that is threatened. Millions of monarchs make the journey, which seems like a huge number. But in fact, that number is greatly diminished. This year the butterflies occupied a mere 2.93 acres (1.19 hectares), a 59% drop, down from 7.14 acres (2.89 hectares) last year and the lowest population since record keeping began 20 years ago. During the 1990s, the amount of forest typically occupied by Monarch butterflies averaged more than 20 acres. The population is twenty times lower today than in 1997. This drop, while stunning, should not come as a surprise.

Last fall I, like so many others, witnessed the already dwindling migration numbers of butterflies face a hell of drought, wildfires, and persistent pesticides on their journey south. Texas, a critical state in migration, remains in a serious drought. Thus, the butterflies arrived at the sanctuaries thinner than they needed to be to survive the winter. In addition, continued illegal logging of the precious Oyamel firs within the sanctuaries in Mexico added to the perfect storm. If you're like me, you can't imagine a world without monarch butterflies. You want to help this beleaguered and beloved butterfly. And you can.

What you can do to help.
1. Plant Milkweed
Many of you planted the free milkweed seeds I gave out when I released THE BUTTERFLY'S DAUGHTER. Thank you all! I've received many letters and photographs showing your gardens with monarchs and loved seeing them all. In light of the historic low numbers of monarchs, we need to redouble our efforts and get more milkweed out there. The spring planting season is upon us. Here's how you can plant milkweed in your garden.
      a. Seeds: Time's a-waistin'! For seeds you'll have to plant seeds indoors now. You can get free milkweed seeds at www.livemonarch.com. This site also provides growing instructions!
     b. Plants: You can also jump start the season by purchasing plants. Get starters from www.livemonarch.org at a reasonable price. Due to demand, however, the site is currently not taking new orders on starter plants. Check often.
       Large plants: Of course, you can purchase larger, established plants from your local nursery. Be sure to ask if the plant has been sprayed with pesticides, either by them or from the nursery of origin. Check this website as a source to find milkweed: http://www.monarchjointventure.org/Milkweed/Default.aspx

2. Do not use pesticides.
Pesticides kill monarchs at all stages of the life cycle. Don't worry about pesky aphids (yes, they do love milkweed.) Hose them off...

3. Plant nectar plants that will feed the butterflies.

4. Support local conservation efforts. (Below thanks to Journey North at www.learner.org A great website!) Protect Breeding Habitat Look for conservation opportunities at the landscape level in your local community, region, state or province. Understand the facts. Identify the decision-makers. Communicate about the issues. Get involved in the process of land management.
Mowing of milkweed Talk to your local farmers, road crews, railway managers and highway department about ways to reduce or eliminate mowing, especially in late summer when the migratory generation is developing. If you must mow, pay attention to the timing of monarch generations and implement a regimen of alternate cuttings, so that new milkweed is continually available and generations have time to develop. Pesticide use Milkweed often grows along railroad, power line and road right-of-ways where pesticides can be reduced or restricted.Agricultural practices Follow current research. Participate in efforts that foster understanding of the effect of genetically modified crops and other agricultural practices on the ecosystem. As a consumer, find ways to reduce your effect
Build it and they will come!

Enjoy the journey of learning about and getting involved with the world of the magnificent monarch! Build a butterfly garden and the butterflies will come to flutter among your flowers, lay their eggs, and bring you hours of joy, even as you know that you are supporting the monarch population--and the population of other species of butterflies. Be the "butterfly lady" of your family, your neighborhood! It doesn't have to be a huge undertaking. Planting one milkweed plant in a single pot helps.

I hope you'll share with me your experiences, photos of your garden, and comments. I, too, will continue to share with you. I welcome you all to visit my website: www.maryalicemonroe.com at the Conservation page where I list all my favorite sites. I realize that not everyone can be a "turtle lady" or sea turtle volunteer, or you cannot rehabilitate a bird of prey or a dolphin, but everyone can be a hero in their own back yard!

January 3 Today is the birthday of...

    January 3 Today is the birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien born 1892. One day, while grading exams, he discovered that a student had left one whole page in his examination booklet blank. Tolkien, for reasons unknown even to him, wrote on the page, "In a hole ...in the ground there lived a hobbit." This single line turned into a bedtime story that he told his children, and from there, a book: The Hobbit (1937). The original cover is shown here.

I remember discovering The Hobbit when I was around 16.   I can't remember how I got the book. I was a voracious reader andI devoured it, my mouth agape, having never read anything quite like it before. When I finished, I read it again.  Hungry for more, I read Lord of the Rings.  People often talked about how great LOTR was, but I always preferred Bilbo Baggins's adventures in The Hobbit. I haven't seen Peter Jackson's film on The Hobbit yet, but I will.  I thrilled to the Ring trilogy.  Peter Jackson clearly is passionate about the book and all its vivid imagry.  I think ol' Tolkein would have approved of Jackson's fiilms.

Interesting that both the author, Tolkein, and the filmmaker who brought the story to life on screen, Jackson, were transfixed by their vision of the story. Yet both approached the story with very different backgrounds. Tolkein studied classics, language, and literature at Oxford. When Jackson was 16 years old, he left school and began working full-time as a photo-engraver for the local newspaper. For the 7 years he worked there, Jackson lived at home with his parents so he could save as much money as possible to spend on film equipment.

Makes one wonder if genius comes as a spark in life from some outer source, or if one is simply born with it? Do we need formal training to develop ideas, or do we need instead to be disciplined enough to allow the creativity to flow out?  

Holiday Traditions

Traditions are important touchstones in families.  They connect us to family values, morals, beliefs.  They keep us attuned to our ancestors.  When it becomes our turn to pass the torch, it is heartwarming to witness the tradition continue in the next generation.  But have you ever found that some of the old traditions no longer carry as much meaning in a modern world? Or they're just no longer practical?  Imagine trying to light real candles on our trees, as my father had done. Call me scandalous, but I like to tweak old traditions for my own family. Or even create new ones!

Today is St. Nicholas Day--celebrated in Germany and other European countries, as well as many American cities with German roots. My father was born and raised in his early years in Germany.  thus my family has always treasured this holiday. When I was little, my ten brothers and sisters and I polished our shoes in anticipation.  Picture a hoard of children kneeling on newspapers spread out on the kitchen floor, covered in polish as we shined our shoes. Delightful mayhem. That night we set them outside our bedroom door and when we woke in the morning we discovered St. Nicholas had come and found candy in them! Sure, my parents missed a few years.  There's nothing worse than waking up on December 6th and realizing, oops--I missed it. But the good years....those are the ones we remember.

Years later, when I had three children of my own, I changed it up a bit.  I told Claire, Gretta, and Zack that the reason St. Nicholas came on the night of the 5th was to check on how well they took care of their toys.  If he'd found them in bad shape, uh oh. Santa wouldn't be happy.  The best part about being a parent at Christmas is that you can relish telling your children the classic Santa warnings-- and they believe them.  Just this year, my son in law, John, and I told 4 year old Jack that he had to be good because Santa was watching.  How if he was bad, he'd get a rock or coal in his stocking.  Even today, in this age of computers, tv, and instant gratification, his eyes were as round as saucers!  They want to believe.

So it was that my children utterly believed my warning about St. Nicholas and scurried off.  The girls brushed the hair of their dolls while my son labored with chubby fingers to put all the pieces of his scattered toys back together. Then, when it was time to put something outside their bedroom door, I had to punt. They couldn't put all their toys out.  I told them to put their favorite outside their door. In the morning, when they rushed to see what St. Nicholas has left them, they found a bit of candy or a stuffed animal, and an ornament for the tree. A little something to get them in the Christmas spirit.

Now my own children are grown but each child has special ornaments that hold memories to put on the trees in their own homes.  Today I wonder...will they continue this tradition in their families?  Did their children find treats in their shoes this morning? I can't wait to find out.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

Horses, Spas, and Inner PeaceWhen I think of a spa, I thi...

Horses, Spas, and Inner Peace


When I think of a spa, I think massages, facials, cucumber on the eyes.... Now the Miraval Spa and Resort is incorporating "inner peace" treatments with equine therapy.  Makes me think of my character Mariposa's journey in my novel The Butterfly's Daughter.  Though Mariposa, broke and broken, could never afford to check into the luxury Miraval Spa. 
I am intrigued by this.  I love horses.  I find them elegant, noble creatures. As a young girl, a favorite book was Black Beauty.  And who doesn't love horse films?  I love them all: Seabiscuit, War Horse, Into the West, Black Beauty, and my all time favorite, The Black Stallion. 
BUT I confess I'm a little afraid of horses. A lot afraid, actually.  I do not enjoy horseback riding.  When I was a little girl, I had the traumatic experience of a horse--an enormous horse named Big Jack-- running away with me off into a field.  This enormous beast tried to get rid of the skinny 8 year old like a pesky fly, rubbing against a tree and a barbed wire fence! I was finally rescued, too scared to even cry, holding tight to the horse's mane.  My parents insisted all their children learn how to ride so every week I had to take English riding lessons.  I got sick to my stomach every time we drove into the stable.  Even though they always gave me the "gentlest horse" (which usually meant the oldest one that could barely walk) I cringed when they said to me, "Don't show them you're afraid."  Really?  The minute I got on a horse and put my boots in the stirrups that horse would swing its head around and I could see the big eye giving me the once over.  It would then turn away with a snort and my heart sank because I knew that horse had my number.  In truth, my favorite part of riding lessons was getting dressed in the clothing.  I loved the jodhpurs, long black leather boots, and that adorable helmet. 
My father once purchased a gorgeous, chestnut brown horse, a thoroughbred, he called Renrew (the reverse of his name, Werner).  The horse was nuts. Really wild.  Only my father could ride him.  Now I ask you...  What compelled a man with ten children, a pediatrician, to purchase a high strung ex-race horse?  I was afraid to even go near Renrew's stall.  One day Renrew escaped from  his stall and went charging out of the stable and raced down the interstate.  I heard tales of how he bucked and farted for miles along I 95.  Miraculously he didn't get hit and Daddy sold Renrew shortly afterward.
That era was the last time I rode a horse.  Today I still love the idea of riding a horse.  There is nothing is more majestic than watching a horse run across a field or a beach (which is probably why I love the movie The Black Stallion so much.  The film was low on dialogue but high on beautiful, emotional viewing.)
So I'm wondering if I shouldn't book myself into the Miravel Spa and try some Equine Therapy.  The instructor, Wyatt Webb, uses horses to teach people how to break out of negative patterns and to live instead in “present moment time.” 
I studied Equine Therapy when I wrote The Butterfly's Daughter.  It is an effective, unique treatment program that provides the opportunity to care for and work closely with horses.  In doing so, it addresses issues of trust, commitment, self confidence and more necessary for recovery.  A person, especially a manipulative one like Mariposa, might be able to fool another human, but she can't fool a horse.  They're tuned in to our energy.  A trust must be established and it is this deep connection that is often a first step toward the patient's emotional growth and recovery.  Equine Therapy's been around for a long while and has proven helpful for those suffering substance abuse, eating disorders, mood disorders and other psychiatric and addictive issues.  The therapy proved powerful in the context of my novel. 
Yet I'd never considered the benefits of equine therapy for my fear of horses.  Now I wonder if perhaps I can overcome the trauma caused by Big Jack and Renrew? Maybe I should check into the Miraval Spa so that at last I can ride a horse and get in touch with my inner peace?  I sincerely want to try.
And if it doesn't work for me, I am, after all, at the luxurious Miraval Spa. I can still get that massage.

What's In A Name-- Or Signature?

                                                               MAM at Book Signing


Many people comment on my "beautiful handwriting" while I sign books. I always thank them, and it's heartfelt.  Yet, each time I hear that, I look at my handwriting, both amazed and amused, remembering how the nuns hounded me as a child to perfect the "Palmer Method" of  handwriting.  I always thought I had a chicken scrawl compared to my mother's gorgeous script!
Mama used to doodle on paper as she read the Sunday paper, watched television, or was lost in thought.  She'd often write her name, Elayne, with calligraphy-like swirls.  I remember how I watched, enchanted, sure I'd never be able to achieve such glory.
Daddy was born and schooled in the early years in Germany.  His handwriting was the fine, European slant that I never even aspired to.  Werner was a pediatrician back in the day of house calls.  He was always in a hurry, always scribbling in the small, leather notebook, a new one for each month, that he kept in his vest pocket.  (Yes, remember the vests? So handsome. I wish they'd come back into style for men.) Whenever I peeked into it, curious what he was always writing about, it was almost a shorthand of words and prescriptions.  I couldn't read a word.
When I was a young girl, I used to follow Mama's example and write my name over and over again, testing a hundred different ways to loop the capital M or the A of my name, how to dot my i, or how to stylize that final e on Alice with a flourish.  Even then I dreamed of being an author and wondered what it would be like to sign my name on a book I'd written, all by myself.  It seemed so big a dream, yet so very real I felt I had to practice for it.
Is there something to the debate as to whether handwriting is tied to genetics or observation/training?  Certainly hand shape, how one holds a pen, etc. is hereditary, but what is inherited and what is learned?  From my own personal experience of my family--I am one of ten siblings and thus a large sampling-- I have to believe it is, in some part, hereditary.  I've observed that there are two distinct styles of writing in my family, and both males and females fall into one or the other.  I get a kick out of seeing the individual signatures and discovering which "camp" he or she falls into. Now I can see a division occurring in my own adult children as well.  One daughter has a script similar to one of the styles of my family--but interestingly, not mine!  The second daughter and son both have the odd, tight penmanship of my husband. 
It's rather sad how penmanship is almost passé today.  How often do we receive letters from family members?  Even Christmas and birthday cards are fewer and fewer as internet cards and invitations increase in popularity.  With emails and texts, it seems handwriting, even signatures, are scarce or considered obtuse. 
Like most things concerned with nature or nurture, the answer is that our handwriting probably comes from a bit of both genes and education.  Regardless, I believe our signatures reveal a peek into our history.  Do you write more like your mother, father, sister or brother?   Did you have to study penmanship?  And, do you think you have beautiful penmanship?  If so, who do you credit?
While the nuns may have hounded me to get the angle of my pen correct, I maintain that it was my mama, Elayne, and my awe at her gorgeous doodling, that influenced me the most.  Here's a poem you'll enjoy on the subject:


Handwriting Analysis
by Katrina Vandenberg
On the first day of fourth grade, Mrs. Hunter
collected our penmanship samples to save

until June; by then, she said, we'd write
in the handwriting we would have all our lives.

Though she probably read that in a book
on child development, I was so excited

I could hardly stand it. In nine months
my adult self would be born, she would

send me a letter; in the ways she swooped,
careened, and crossed her t's, I could

read everything I would need to know.
We were writing ourselves into the future.

We came closer each time we turned
the silver gears in the sharpener near the door,

the wood shavings tumbling inside,
smelling as if a house were being built

REFLECTIONS ON A TRILOGY TEN YEARS IN THE MAKING

 It was a tender moment on book tour when a reader came up and nervously asked if I would sign her old book--a copy of the original THE BEACH HOUSE. Remember the paperback with the team picture on the back?  I smiled to see it again.  I don’t have a copy!  She told me she’d never part with it.  That’s high praise from a reader and it gave me pause.
It’s been ten years since THE BEACH HOUSE was released.  Ten years!   It still staggers me how fast the years have flown by.  This book marked a pivotal change not only in the way I research and write novels and in my career, but in my life as well. I didn’t know that my interest in sea turtles would become a life long passion.
I moved full time to the Isle of Palms in 1999 after years of visits. The first thing I did was join the Island Turtle Team because I wanted to write a novel that included turtles.  My sister, Marguerite (who I dedicated BEACH HOUSE MEMORIES to) lived in Florida and told me how a loggerhead had come ashore outside her house to lay her nest. Marguerite is a painter and she described in vivid words how tears flowed down the loggerhead’s face as she laid her eggs.  I shivered when I heard this, resonating to the metaphor of one female creature connecting with another during birth. Now I know that the tears are, in fact, a salt water cleansing of the eye. But that’s not the inspiration for a book! I intuitively felt so much more.
This book began a process of novel preparation that I continue to this day.  I first do an academic approach, studying and reading and interviewing experts.  Next I volunteer.  This is critical to the process.  Only by rolling up my sleeves do I connect intimately with the story world—the animals, the setting, and the people who inhabit the world.  As a licensed “turtle lady” on Isle of Palms, I developed a passion for this ancient mariner and created characters who shared this passion with my readers. Holding my breath, I handed this "book of the heart" in to my publisher.

THE BEACH HOUSE was my first NY Times hit and green-lit my ability to continue writing stories set against an endangered species or landscape issue.  It was an important hallmark for me. I wrote books set against birds of prey and sweetgrass, and more. Rolling up my sleeves and doing volunteer work myself provides my inspiration. After five years, I returned to sea turtles when the SC Aquarium began its sea turtle hospital.  Exciting! Again I dove in and began rehabilitating sick and injured sea turtles under the guidance of director Kelly Thorvalson. This book, SWIMMING LESSONS, was the sequel to THE BEACH HOUSE and continued the stories of Toy Sooner, Cara Rutledge and Brett Beauchamps in a new arena of turtle care.
Fast forward five more years and my daughter read THE BEACH HOUSE and said she didn’t know why the character Lovie didn’t just leave her abusive husband.  I stared at her and realized, stunned, that she had no clue how different the lives of women in 1974 were from today.  A married woman living south of Broad Street in Charleston, SC in that era could not divorce her husband without a huge scandal that affected not only her, but her children and extended family. She would be ostracized and could possibly lose her children. And where would this abused woman go? There were no shelters.  I knew it was time for me to revisit this story and bring to light the issue of spousal abuse—one that continues to be a hot button today and crosses all economic and class lines. And what better way to do so than with the story of one of my most beloved characters, Olivia “Lovie” Rutledge.  With her, I could also bring to life the relaxed, quiet life on the island back in the day when the northern tip of the island was still a wild maritime forest, back when the kids were all Huck Finns and Tom Sawyers, back before DNR organized turtle teams.  Back when a woman’s path was laid out before her.
So I wrote the third book in this series. On reflection, I realized that when I wrote THE BEACH HOUSE, I had identified with Cara Rutledge, the daughter returning home after a long absence to reconcile with her mother and to minister to her health. Cara, like me, was learning how to become a “turtle lady.”  While writing the sequel SWIMMING LESSONS I identified with Toy Sooner, the young woman who was forging a new life and beginning to rehabilitate sea turtles. 

While writing BEACH HOUSE MEMORIES, I identified with Lovie Rutledge, a woman of a certain age looking back on her life. Her children were grown and she could contemplate the decisions she’d made with the equanimity of maturity and the grace of acceptance.  I could not have written this book ten years ago.  In the thirteen years I’ve been a “turtle lady,” the sea turtles have taught me many lessons, and in this novel I had the opportunity, through Lovie, to share them with my readers. It's a story of a woman's hard won validation and self respect.
While on book tour I was surprised how many fans didn't realize that BEACH HOUSE MEMORIES is the prequel to THE BEACH HOUSE.  I’ve been asked many times which book of the trilogy to read first.  My answer is that each book stands alone.  However, THE BEACH HOUSE and BEACH HOUSE MEMORIES are intimately connected because in the former, Lovie tells Cara briefly of the summer that changed her life.  BEACH HOUSE MEMORIES is the story of that fateful summer.  So I would recommend that the reader read THE BEACH HOUSE first, followed by BEACH HOUSE MEMORIES, then move to SWIMMING LESSONS.  However, if that’s not the way you are reading it, that’s good, too.
Will there be another book in this series?  I’m not sure. I am still a "turtle lady."  And in SWIMMING LESSONS, the beach house was available for rent.  Hmmm…