Amy Lignor's Blog: Lover of Books, page 13
October 3, 2011
One Author Has Uncovered the Most Unbelievable Secret of All Time!
Just came out in Zimbio magazine - an article regarding the ultimate libraries and their connection with the story!!
_________________________________________
When readers and historians go back in time to discover the monumental secrets that were stored inside the greatest hiding places of all time, they will be amazed to learn that the most ‘treasured secrets’ were stored in the depths of a library.
For a very long time, libraries have been at the center of some of the most unexplainable ‘finds’ ever uncovered. Discoveries made inside these ‘institutes of learning’ that housed some of the greatest minds this world will ever know, have sent the present-day world in a totally new direction. And there’s one author who was able to put the pieces of some very ‘large’ puzzles together to create a new work of fiction that is the ultimate ride of your life!
Tallent & Lowery: 13 is the first in a series of books that actually finds a way to grab the audience and not let go, by leading readers down a path of secrets and lies, unveiling treasures and mysteries that were placed inside various locations by some pretty famous people throughout the centuries. And it all begins on the steps of one of the most famous buildings the world will ever know - The New York Public Library.
Between the beloved figures of Patience and Fortitude, who seem to look over at each other as if sharing some monumental secret that the world can never find out about, is where the main character of 13 works each and every day. And readers quickly understand that libraries are not only the ‘houses’ for wisdom and information - but they also house a great deal more that scientists and archaeologists have been searching for.
Andrew Carnegie was certainly a large part of making the New York Public Library come to life. His millions were given freely for the construction of that amazing building, yet no one knows a great deal about the architects and creators of the library; nor do they know the significance of what the famous lions actually stand for. And they definitely have yet to discover what Andrew Carnegie already knew when the building began to take shape; that there was something very important buried inside the cornerstone of the New York Public Library. A treasure that was never supposed to be found.
The NYPL is not the only library that housed its secrets. When asked about the world of books, the Royal Library at Alexandria always comes up, as well. In Alexandria, Egypt, this building was truly the ‘great library of the ancient world.’ The patrons who worked and flocked through the doors had super-intelligence that flourished under the Ptolemaic dynasty, and was the most amazing building that anyone had ever seen.
There are many who still argue about the fact that the library was either created during the reign of Ptolemy I or his son, Ptolemy II, but a fact they have no idea about is that one of those men spent a great deal of time in the library - finding a secret that existed in the stars. From his desk inside the mammoth structure, Ptolemy created many very important works, but there was one that literally changed the worlds of science, religion, and medicine all at the same time; a work that would one day have the Pope, himself, ban this particular writing from the Vatican.
The Library at Alexandria was charged with collecting all the world’s knowledge, and it did so through extremely aggressive undertakings. Because Alexandria was located between the mainland and Pharos Island (which had Pharos Lighthouse sitting upon it that also held a secret that no one would dare to believe), Alexandria was the international hub for trade, as well as the leading producer of papyrus.
From their soldiers pulling books off ships to include in the library’s collection, to playing host to some of the world’s most intelligent scholars, the library had its share of hidden secrets, meetings, and objects that even the Romans would never find when the library was burned. Think about that fact. By royal decree of Ptolemy, every single visitor to the city was required to surrender all books and scrolls, as well as any form of written media in any language in their possession. Official scribes either copied these writings or simply kept the originals for the library, creating a wealth of ‘works’ and treasures that no one even knew were there.
It was not only the books that made Alexandria a mystery, but the people. Hypatia of Alexandria - the last and only female librarian - had her own secrets. She was not only the most intelligent of all the librarians, but she was also head of the Platonist school, where she imparted the knowledge of Plato and Aristotle from manuscripts that she alone owned. Her contributions to science were also many, including the charting of celestial bodies - a subject that she and Ptolemy knew quite a bit about. And this charting - this scientific work - would one day find itself to be a subject of a monumental puzzle that readers are discovering in the book, Tallent & Lowery: 13.
The already well-told story of the Vatican’s Secret Library and archives is not the only tale regarding hidden treasures that only librarians knew anything about. But there are many that are sincerely grateful to Dan Brown and others for taking any focus off them.
Carrere and Hastings are the names of two other men with a significant role in the NYPL’s hidden treasure. In fact, they were the unknown architectural firm that built the NYPL…hired by Carnegie. All of these men were immigrants who seemed to know something about some sort of artifact, and used to meet at Carnegie Hall in a room on a floor that no longer exists. Here, many men - immigrants and millionaires all - would come together to discuss a ‘book’ that no one in the world was allowed to read. Within those meetings came ‘good’ folk in the form of Rudolf Steiner, and ‘evil’ in the form of Aleister Crowley: two men who would be asked to hide the secret of 13.
Odd things happened after this particular library was built, including the early death of Carrere when a streetcar somehow collided with his taxi; and Hastings, in 1929, from complications due to a simple appendectomy.
There were also other ‘odd’ factors when it came to these meetings of an organization they liked to refer to as, The Council of Masters. Carnegie’s particular philosophy was to distance himself from religion, preferring to believe in scientific terms. He even once stated that: “Not only had I got rid of the theology and the supernatural, but I had found the truth of evolution.” By inviting Aleister Crowley - the self-proclaimed Devil - and Steiner, who was opening his own school and had his own beliefs, made for a strange group meeting. Here, this council believed and disbelieved in all things equally - except where to hide the secret that no one was ever supposed to know.
Who found out? A woman who practically lived in the New York Public Library and wanted nothing more than to be left alone among the book stacks. Here, is where Leah Tallent ran into Gareth Lowery - a man on a very odd mission - and went on a thrilling journey to unveil the power and the secret of 13 - a secret that the reader will be thrilled to find out about.
The author links very real people and very real locations in this amazing first book of a seven-book series. Each are stand-alone novels that take at least four historical locations and link them together with one amazing mystery that readers will literally not be able to put down! And, trust, me, you will be on Google all night long after reading this book - just looking up the amazing puzzles this author has ‘discovered.’
Was she right? DO Aleister Crowley, the New York Public Library, Whitechapel, the haunted Winchester Mansion in San Jose, California, Glastonbury, and Loch Ness have anything in common? Oh, yes…and it all begins with 13.
This book in a movie version would be absolutely phenomenal!
Watch the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3rMIT...
Read the reviews!
http://featheredquill.blogspot.com/20...
Hear the interview:
http://wisdom--radio.com/2011/09/cwr-...
But most of all…buy this book ASAP:
http://www.amazon.com/Tallent-Lowery-...
I’m telling you everyone, you have GOT to see this!!!
_________________________________________
When readers and historians go back in time to discover the monumental secrets that were stored inside the greatest hiding places of all time, they will be amazed to learn that the most ‘treasured secrets’ were stored in the depths of a library.
For a very long time, libraries have been at the center of some of the most unexplainable ‘finds’ ever uncovered. Discoveries made inside these ‘institutes of learning’ that housed some of the greatest minds this world will ever know, have sent the present-day world in a totally new direction. And there’s one author who was able to put the pieces of some very ‘large’ puzzles together to create a new work of fiction that is the ultimate ride of your life!
Tallent & Lowery: 13 is the first in a series of books that actually finds a way to grab the audience and not let go, by leading readers down a path of secrets and lies, unveiling treasures and mysteries that were placed inside various locations by some pretty famous people throughout the centuries. And it all begins on the steps of one of the most famous buildings the world will ever know - The New York Public Library.
Between the beloved figures of Patience and Fortitude, who seem to look over at each other as if sharing some monumental secret that the world can never find out about, is where the main character of 13 works each and every day. And readers quickly understand that libraries are not only the ‘houses’ for wisdom and information - but they also house a great deal more that scientists and archaeologists have been searching for.
Andrew Carnegie was certainly a large part of making the New York Public Library come to life. His millions were given freely for the construction of that amazing building, yet no one knows a great deal about the architects and creators of the library; nor do they know the significance of what the famous lions actually stand for. And they definitely have yet to discover what Andrew Carnegie already knew when the building began to take shape; that there was something very important buried inside the cornerstone of the New York Public Library. A treasure that was never supposed to be found.
The NYPL is not the only library that housed its secrets. When asked about the world of books, the Royal Library at Alexandria always comes up, as well. In Alexandria, Egypt, this building was truly the ‘great library of the ancient world.’ The patrons who worked and flocked through the doors had super-intelligence that flourished under the Ptolemaic dynasty, and was the most amazing building that anyone had ever seen.
There are many who still argue about the fact that the library was either created during the reign of Ptolemy I or his son, Ptolemy II, but a fact they have no idea about is that one of those men spent a great deal of time in the library - finding a secret that existed in the stars. From his desk inside the mammoth structure, Ptolemy created many very important works, but there was one that literally changed the worlds of science, religion, and medicine all at the same time; a work that would one day have the Pope, himself, ban this particular writing from the Vatican.
The Library at Alexandria was charged with collecting all the world’s knowledge, and it did so through extremely aggressive undertakings. Because Alexandria was located between the mainland and Pharos Island (which had Pharos Lighthouse sitting upon it that also held a secret that no one would dare to believe), Alexandria was the international hub for trade, as well as the leading producer of papyrus.
From their soldiers pulling books off ships to include in the library’s collection, to playing host to some of the world’s most intelligent scholars, the library had its share of hidden secrets, meetings, and objects that even the Romans would never find when the library was burned. Think about that fact. By royal decree of Ptolemy, every single visitor to the city was required to surrender all books and scrolls, as well as any form of written media in any language in their possession. Official scribes either copied these writings or simply kept the originals for the library, creating a wealth of ‘works’ and treasures that no one even knew were there.
It was not only the books that made Alexandria a mystery, but the people. Hypatia of Alexandria - the last and only female librarian - had her own secrets. She was not only the most intelligent of all the librarians, but she was also head of the Platonist school, where she imparted the knowledge of Plato and Aristotle from manuscripts that she alone owned. Her contributions to science were also many, including the charting of celestial bodies - a subject that she and Ptolemy knew quite a bit about. And this charting - this scientific work - would one day find itself to be a subject of a monumental puzzle that readers are discovering in the book, Tallent & Lowery: 13.
The already well-told story of the Vatican’s Secret Library and archives is not the only tale regarding hidden treasures that only librarians knew anything about. But there are many that are sincerely grateful to Dan Brown and others for taking any focus off them.
Carrere and Hastings are the names of two other men with a significant role in the NYPL’s hidden treasure. In fact, they were the unknown architectural firm that built the NYPL…hired by Carnegie. All of these men were immigrants who seemed to know something about some sort of artifact, and used to meet at Carnegie Hall in a room on a floor that no longer exists. Here, many men - immigrants and millionaires all - would come together to discuss a ‘book’ that no one in the world was allowed to read. Within those meetings came ‘good’ folk in the form of Rudolf Steiner, and ‘evil’ in the form of Aleister Crowley: two men who would be asked to hide the secret of 13.
Odd things happened after this particular library was built, including the early death of Carrere when a streetcar somehow collided with his taxi; and Hastings, in 1929, from complications due to a simple appendectomy.
There were also other ‘odd’ factors when it came to these meetings of an organization they liked to refer to as, The Council of Masters. Carnegie’s particular philosophy was to distance himself from religion, preferring to believe in scientific terms. He even once stated that: “Not only had I got rid of the theology and the supernatural, but I had found the truth of evolution.” By inviting Aleister Crowley - the self-proclaimed Devil - and Steiner, who was opening his own school and had his own beliefs, made for a strange group meeting. Here, this council believed and disbelieved in all things equally - except where to hide the secret that no one was ever supposed to know.
Who found out? A woman who practically lived in the New York Public Library and wanted nothing more than to be left alone among the book stacks. Here, is where Leah Tallent ran into Gareth Lowery - a man on a very odd mission - and went on a thrilling journey to unveil the power and the secret of 13 - a secret that the reader will be thrilled to find out about.
The author links very real people and very real locations in this amazing first book of a seven-book series. Each are stand-alone novels that take at least four historical locations and link them together with one amazing mystery that readers will literally not be able to put down! And, trust, me, you will be on Google all night long after reading this book - just looking up the amazing puzzles this author has ‘discovered.’
Was she right? DO Aleister Crowley, the New York Public Library, Whitechapel, the haunted Winchester Mansion in San Jose, California, Glastonbury, and Loch Ness have anything in common? Oh, yes…and it all begins with 13.
This book in a movie version would be absolutely phenomenal!
Watch the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3rMIT...
Read the reviews!
http://featheredquill.blogspot.com/20...
Hear the interview:
http://wisdom--radio.com/2011/09/cwr-...
But most of all…buy this book ASAP:
http://www.amazon.com/Tallent-Lowery-...
I’m telling you everyone, you have GOT to see this!!!
September 27, 2011
On The Radio!
Hey everyone - thre is a new radio interview about 13! Enjoy!!
http://wisdom--radio.com/2011/09/cwr-...
AND an interview for debut authors who want to have their voice heard by the masses! Good advice here!
http://wisdom--radio.com/2011/09/cwr-...
http://wisdom--radio.com/2011/09/cwr-...
AND an interview for debut authors who want to have their voice heard by the masses! Good advice here!
http://wisdom--radio.com/2011/09/cwr-...
A New Series For Everyone's Favorite Vampire to Star In?
Now that the beloved Edward is fading, perhaps it's time for Robert Pattinson to don a more Indiana Jones-esque role? His appeal certainly does extend to females over the age of eighteen, and many have asked if he could play Gareth Lowery? With a little 'tweak' of the script, he sure could! He may not have to go against werewolves and vampires, but he would be up against other monsters of a real-life variety.
A new article to preview!
http://www.zimbio.com/Books/articles/...
A new article to preview!
http://www.zimbio.com/Books/articles/...
13 Just SCORED the Cover of The Feathered Quill
Hey there. Jsut so excited. The Feathered Quill just gave Tallent & Lowery: 13 the biggest rave imaginable. On their front page, no less! www.thefeatheredquill.com. I hope you can all check it out!!!
September 25, 2011
We Can NOT Lose Authors!
I wanted to write this for two reasons: 1) to tell readers that THEY are the ones authors are completely humbled by; and, 2), so that all authors will see the reason NOT to give up on their dream.
I don’t believe that readers and book lovers ever get the thank you that they sincerely deserve. Agents and publishers, quite frankly, are ‘bottom-line’ guys and gals who are looking at the money of already established authors and not giving debut authors the shot that they deserve. Therefore, it is always so unbelievably refreshing for an author to receive respect, kindness, and the ‘boost’ they need in order to continue.
I want to start out with the fact that I am a very vocal being who is tired of losing great authors because of ‘form rejection letters’ sent by people who simply do not care. Reading articles lately - like the one posted in Vanity Fair - allows me to truly see that the only agents and publishers doing the ‘right’ thing for book lovers everywhere (their customers) are the ‘newbies.’ These new agents and publishers are ‘fresh’ and they are the ones who still love to read; they still want to bring out books by authors that will instill, inspire and add a world that the literary industry has been missing. In fact, in some of these articles I’ve read agents - themselves - admitted to the fact that they no longer read a high percentage of query letters. They simply have an intern delete them when they begin overflowing the email, or they simply just hit the form letter key. But authors on the other end take this all very seriously, and they are more than disheartened by the fact that they now believe their book is simply not good enough. And…some walk away forever.
I can not imagine what it would’ve been like if J.K. Rowling or Stephen King had walked away after receiving their tenth or twentieth rejection letter. (And, by both accounts, they received far more than twenty.) IF these authors had believed the answers they received from people sitting in an office obviously NOT listening to the public - who are buying commercial fiction left and right, not the horrific stories of child abuse, war, divorce, and every other depressing subject that seems to be coming out on a daily basis. Can you imagine? No Harry Potter - No Christine - nothing. The world would certainly be a much more depressing place than it already is.
I wanted to write this to all authors who are fed up, or depressed. DO NOT GIVE UP! DO NOT listen to someone you have never met tell you that they know what’s best for you and your book. A year ago I received a rejection letter saying that they loved my story and would publish it in a minute, but my main character, Sue, just wasn‘t someone they liked. (My main character’s name was nowhere near Sue). When I wrote back, because I’m a cynical ‘meanie’ at times, the agent sent back a smiley face with the word ‘oops’ and said: Well…I don’t have time to read them all.
But then a reader will come along and say something like this (example that I received today about my editing company):
You are correctly cast as an author, editor, publisher and 'the write companion'. A person doing what you do is very difficult/impossible to find. Myself and others like me need your services and need you to continue doing what you do.
Then, an hour later, I received a letter from a fan about my book:
I broke down and bought a Kindle, and your story certainly was worth the effort: Leah Tallent and Gareth Lowery have become like family to me, which is no surprise since your first story about Billy the Kid had me adding him to my Christmas gift list. You have a rare talent; writing a story dense with historical references, page turning suspense, and huge heart. Your natural empathy comes out in your writing, as does your eye for telling detail and gift for beautifully flowing sentences. This story is, among so many other things, a globetrotter’s delight. I can't wait for the next in the series.
This is not an article written as an ‘ode to me,’ I just want every writer out there who is on the verge of saying, “I’ve had enough,” to stop and KNOW that there are people out there who believe that YOU can do it and that your book IS a masterpiece. These are the people to write for, not the impersonal keyboard-clickers sitting in an office that, quite frankly, has no idea what they just missed out on!
The world needs authors! And book lovers who truly give writers the boost they need to keep going. Readers and writers make an incredible team!
I don’t believe that readers and book lovers ever get the thank you that they sincerely deserve. Agents and publishers, quite frankly, are ‘bottom-line’ guys and gals who are looking at the money of already established authors and not giving debut authors the shot that they deserve. Therefore, it is always so unbelievably refreshing for an author to receive respect, kindness, and the ‘boost’ they need in order to continue.
I want to start out with the fact that I am a very vocal being who is tired of losing great authors because of ‘form rejection letters’ sent by people who simply do not care. Reading articles lately - like the one posted in Vanity Fair - allows me to truly see that the only agents and publishers doing the ‘right’ thing for book lovers everywhere (their customers) are the ‘newbies.’ These new agents and publishers are ‘fresh’ and they are the ones who still love to read; they still want to bring out books by authors that will instill, inspire and add a world that the literary industry has been missing. In fact, in some of these articles I’ve read agents - themselves - admitted to the fact that they no longer read a high percentage of query letters. They simply have an intern delete them when they begin overflowing the email, or they simply just hit the form letter key. But authors on the other end take this all very seriously, and they are more than disheartened by the fact that they now believe their book is simply not good enough. And…some walk away forever.
I can not imagine what it would’ve been like if J.K. Rowling or Stephen King had walked away after receiving their tenth or twentieth rejection letter. (And, by both accounts, they received far more than twenty.) IF these authors had believed the answers they received from people sitting in an office obviously NOT listening to the public - who are buying commercial fiction left and right, not the horrific stories of child abuse, war, divorce, and every other depressing subject that seems to be coming out on a daily basis. Can you imagine? No Harry Potter - No Christine - nothing. The world would certainly be a much more depressing place than it already is.
I wanted to write this to all authors who are fed up, or depressed. DO NOT GIVE UP! DO NOT listen to someone you have never met tell you that they know what’s best for you and your book. A year ago I received a rejection letter saying that they loved my story and would publish it in a minute, but my main character, Sue, just wasn‘t someone they liked. (My main character’s name was nowhere near Sue). When I wrote back, because I’m a cynical ‘meanie’ at times, the agent sent back a smiley face with the word ‘oops’ and said: Well…I don’t have time to read them all.
But then a reader will come along and say something like this (example that I received today about my editing company):
You are correctly cast as an author, editor, publisher and 'the write companion'. A person doing what you do is very difficult/impossible to find. Myself and others like me need your services and need you to continue doing what you do.
Then, an hour later, I received a letter from a fan about my book:
I broke down and bought a Kindle, and your story certainly was worth the effort: Leah Tallent and Gareth Lowery have become like family to me, which is no surprise since your first story about Billy the Kid had me adding him to my Christmas gift list. You have a rare talent; writing a story dense with historical references, page turning suspense, and huge heart. Your natural empathy comes out in your writing, as does your eye for telling detail and gift for beautifully flowing sentences. This story is, among so many other things, a globetrotter’s delight. I can't wait for the next in the series.
This is not an article written as an ‘ode to me,’ I just want every writer out there who is on the verge of saying, “I’ve had enough,” to stop and KNOW that there are people out there who believe that YOU can do it and that your book IS a masterpiece. These are the people to write for, not the impersonal keyboard-clickers sitting in an office that, quite frankly, has no idea what they just missed out on!
The world needs authors! And book lovers who truly give writers the boost they need to keep going. Readers and writers make an incredible team!
The Ultimate 'Real' Bad Guy!
It has been a long time since the name Aleister Crowley has been brought up in the fiction world, but once a person reads even a ‘snippet’ of who and what Aleister Crowley was, they will head directly to Google, or their local library, to try and find out exactly what he was doing down on earth in the first place.
Crowley has been called a genius by some and a monster by others; and Leah Tallent, the fictional Head Research Librarian of the New York Public Library, who is the ultimate star of the widely acclaimed book - 13 - finds herself following a mystery. The mystery is unbelievably written by author, Amy Lignor, and immediately grabs readers and brings them into a ‘puzzle’ left behind by a group of men in 1902 - a group of men led by Andrew Carnegie.
Aleister Crowley is a big part of the puzzle as Tallent & Lowery - 13 leads readers from one amazing location to another, as Leah Tallent and Gareth Lowery hunt down artifacts that - when brought together - can literally change the world. Aleister Crowley was the man who was in charge of hiding half of the twelve mysterious keys that Tallent & Lowery are searching for. In fact, Crowley represented the ultimate ‘evil’ in the world, and was thus given the job to bury objects that could never again see the light of day.
Leah Tallent, in the first of seven adventures, knows all about this man who was once referred to as “The Great Beast.” She also knows that, at the beginning of his ‘reign’ he was very much revered by many. Aleister Crowley was an influential Englishman who became an occultist, astrologer, mystic, and ceremonial magician. He was responsible for founding his very own religious philosophy called, Thelema, and was also very into the rules of chess and the world of poetry, losing himself in the words of…Poe. (Two other puzzle pieces that make this book impossible to put down!)
Crowley was born into pure and utter wealth, and was initiated into the Golden Dawn (a Masonic Order) in 1898 by the group’s leader. The strange ceremony took place at Mark Masons Hall in London, where Crowley accepted his ‘Masonic’ motto and magical name of Fater Perdurabo, which meant, “I shall endure to the end.” And that is exactly what some people believe Crowley has done. Crowley developed many personal feuds with some of the Golden Dawn’s members, especially the poet, Yeats (who is also placed into this remarkable book as a piece of the ultimate puzzle). Yeats had been one of the rebels, because Yeats had not been particularly favorable towards one of Crowley’s poems.
But because of his background in the Order, and Crowley seeing himself as a prophet, he was said to have been contacted by his Holy Guardian Angel, while in Egypt in 1904 - RIGHT after he had returned from his mission for Andrew Carnegie.
As time went on, Crowley became known as a hideous spirit. Some even believed that he could be next in line for Lucifer’s job, because of the odd things that seemed to happen all around him. But, as all crazy men do, Crowley was able to draw thousands of followers to his side and embark on a mystery that is still unknown today.
As readers race through the first Tallent & Lowery adventure they stay by Leah’s side as a mystery unravels that is beyond heart-stopping. Readers can barely take a breath when Leah Tallent finds herself on the shores of Loch Ness, because the fabled ‘monster’ that supposedly swims in the Loch is not the fearsome entity Leah’s worried about going up against. In fact, even when the readers get a “look” at Leah’s destination - Boleskine House, an estate once owned by the Beast, himself - readers know that they’re about to be enveloped n yet another fantastic scene.
You see, Boleskine was renowned at the start of the 20th century as being “a centre of black magic, evil and sorcery” because the building was owned by none other than Aleister Crowley. Once known as the “Beast of Boleskine,” Crowley walked the floors of the strange and eerie house while attempting to coax out the forces of evil. As Leah Tallent soon finds out, it may not have been that difficult for Crowley to do so, seeing as that a “key” that Tallent & Lowery didn’t even know existed resides on that estate - a key that will change the whole course of the thrilling adventure.
The best part? All of these locales and back-stories are absolutely true. All around the estate, horrific things have happened over the years when Crowley was owner. From deaths, to disappearances, to a church on the property being burned down with the whole congregation trapped inside - magic rituals were said to have taken place there that supposedly invoked the four princes of evil.
It was Crowley, himself, who first wrote about the strange and eerie homestead:
“The demons and evil forces had congregated round me so thickly that they were shutting off the light. It was a comforting situation. There could be no more doubt of the efficiency of the operation.” This was one of Crowley’s magical experiments done at the estate. Do What Thou Wilt was a motto of Crowley’s - he believed in free will and not the laws of man or God - and the mysteries he left behind (many of them documented) still engage the interest of historians, archaeologists, and readers on every level.
Now, Leah Tallent knows (this librarian is so cool, she knows everything), that Aleister Crowley had spoken a great deal about his infamous house, including giving out the information that, “…this ends in a “lodge” where the spirits may congregate. And, sure enough, as Leah Tallent and Gareth Lowery walk this frightening property, they see the Gate Lodge - a separate building that Crowley had used that holds the power they need.
People, you may ask yourself how on earth the author was able to fit together locales like Whitechapel, the haunted Winchester Mansion in San Jose, California, Boleskine House, and the site of the Last Supper. But Tallent & Lowery is such a fantastic read, that it seems as if the author simply knew from the beginning that this “puzzle” actually existed.
Tallent & Lowery - 13 is the first in a seven-book series that will take readers from the shores of Loch Ness to the Palace at Knossos, to Cleopatra’s Mines, and to some of the most amazing (and sometimes, little known) places across the globe, as these two fantastically intriguing characters solve mysteries, uncover treasures, and find themselves drawn to each other with a power and passion that neither has ever experienced before.
It is about time there came a “DaVinci Code” that appeals to absolutely everyone! And boot up you computers, because you will be Google-‘ing’ all night long to find out even more information about the locales and people that cross this amazing librarian’s path.
The ‘Ultimate Bad Guy’ has re-surfaced in this exciting new series, and the time to uncover the true secret of Loch Ness is finally here!
Tallent & Lowery: 13 is available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Tallent-Lowery-...
Crowley has been called a genius by some and a monster by others; and Leah Tallent, the fictional Head Research Librarian of the New York Public Library, who is the ultimate star of the widely acclaimed book - 13 - finds herself following a mystery. The mystery is unbelievably written by author, Amy Lignor, and immediately grabs readers and brings them into a ‘puzzle’ left behind by a group of men in 1902 - a group of men led by Andrew Carnegie.
Aleister Crowley is a big part of the puzzle as Tallent & Lowery - 13 leads readers from one amazing location to another, as Leah Tallent and Gareth Lowery hunt down artifacts that - when brought together - can literally change the world. Aleister Crowley was the man who was in charge of hiding half of the twelve mysterious keys that Tallent & Lowery are searching for. In fact, Crowley represented the ultimate ‘evil’ in the world, and was thus given the job to bury objects that could never again see the light of day.
Leah Tallent, in the first of seven adventures, knows all about this man who was once referred to as “The Great Beast.” She also knows that, at the beginning of his ‘reign’ he was very much revered by many. Aleister Crowley was an influential Englishman who became an occultist, astrologer, mystic, and ceremonial magician. He was responsible for founding his very own religious philosophy called, Thelema, and was also very into the rules of chess and the world of poetry, losing himself in the words of…Poe. (Two other puzzle pieces that make this book impossible to put down!)
Crowley was born into pure and utter wealth, and was initiated into the Golden Dawn (a Masonic Order) in 1898 by the group’s leader. The strange ceremony took place at Mark Masons Hall in London, where Crowley accepted his ‘Masonic’ motto and magical name of Fater Perdurabo, which meant, “I shall endure to the end.” And that is exactly what some people believe Crowley has done. Crowley developed many personal feuds with some of the Golden Dawn’s members, especially the poet, Yeats (who is also placed into this remarkable book as a piece of the ultimate puzzle). Yeats had been one of the rebels, because Yeats had not been particularly favorable towards one of Crowley’s poems.
But because of his background in the Order, and Crowley seeing himself as a prophet, he was said to have been contacted by his Holy Guardian Angel, while in Egypt in 1904 - RIGHT after he had returned from his mission for Andrew Carnegie.
As time went on, Crowley became known as a hideous spirit. Some even believed that he could be next in line for Lucifer’s job, because of the odd things that seemed to happen all around him. But, as all crazy men do, Crowley was able to draw thousands of followers to his side and embark on a mystery that is still unknown today.
As readers race through the first Tallent & Lowery adventure they stay by Leah’s side as a mystery unravels that is beyond heart-stopping. Readers can barely take a breath when Leah Tallent finds herself on the shores of Loch Ness, because the fabled ‘monster’ that supposedly swims in the Loch is not the fearsome entity Leah’s worried about going up against. In fact, even when the readers get a “look” at Leah’s destination - Boleskine House, an estate once owned by the Beast, himself - readers know that they’re about to be enveloped n yet another fantastic scene.
You see, Boleskine was renowned at the start of the 20th century as being “a centre of black magic, evil and sorcery” because the building was owned by none other than Aleister Crowley. Once known as the “Beast of Boleskine,” Crowley walked the floors of the strange and eerie house while attempting to coax out the forces of evil. As Leah Tallent soon finds out, it may not have been that difficult for Crowley to do so, seeing as that a “key” that Tallent & Lowery didn’t even know existed resides on that estate - a key that will change the whole course of the thrilling adventure.
The best part? All of these locales and back-stories are absolutely true. All around the estate, horrific things have happened over the years when Crowley was owner. From deaths, to disappearances, to a church on the property being burned down with the whole congregation trapped inside - magic rituals were said to have taken place there that supposedly invoked the four princes of evil.
It was Crowley, himself, who first wrote about the strange and eerie homestead:
“The demons and evil forces had congregated round me so thickly that they were shutting off the light. It was a comforting situation. There could be no more doubt of the efficiency of the operation.” This was one of Crowley’s magical experiments done at the estate. Do What Thou Wilt was a motto of Crowley’s - he believed in free will and not the laws of man or God - and the mysteries he left behind (many of them documented) still engage the interest of historians, archaeologists, and readers on every level.
Now, Leah Tallent knows (this librarian is so cool, she knows everything), that Aleister Crowley had spoken a great deal about his infamous house, including giving out the information that, “…this ends in a “lodge” where the spirits may congregate. And, sure enough, as Leah Tallent and Gareth Lowery walk this frightening property, they see the Gate Lodge - a separate building that Crowley had used that holds the power they need.
People, you may ask yourself how on earth the author was able to fit together locales like Whitechapel, the haunted Winchester Mansion in San Jose, California, Boleskine House, and the site of the Last Supper. But Tallent & Lowery is such a fantastic read, that it seems as if the author simply knew from the beginning that this “puzzle” actually existed.
Tallent & Lowery - 13 is the first in a seven-book series that will take readers from the shores of Loch Ness to the Palace at Knossos, to Cleopatra’s Mines, and to some of the most amazing (and sometimes, little known) places across the globe, as these two fantastically intriguing characters solve mysteries, uncover treasures, and find themselves drawn to each other with a power and passion that neither has ever experienced before.
It is about time there came a “DaVinci Code” that appeals to absolutely everyone! And boot up you computers, because you will be Google-‘ing’ all night long to find out even more information about the locales and people that cross this amazing librarian’s path.
The ‘Ultimate Bad Guy’ has re-surfaced in this exciting new series, and the time to uncover the true secret of Loch Ness is finally here!
Tallent & Lowery: 13 is available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Tallent-Lowery-...
September 24, 2011
The Number 13
Is the Number ‘13’ a Bad Omen, or a Story Left Behind for Readers to be Enthralled By?
In a remarkable new book that has just been released, Leah Tallent & Gareth Lowery have become the most talked about characters in the world of fiction sine Edward and Bella arrived on the scene. These two people, who have begun the first of their seven-series adventure, are taking readers through a puzzle of monumental proportions in: Tallent & Lowery - 13. From the steps of the New York Public Library to the haunted halls of the Winchester Mansion in San Jose, California, this puzzle is one of epic proportions. And the next step in their path to expose the secret that was buried in 1902, takes place on a rather famous street.
*****
(Excerpt from 13:)
Leah stood up and began to pace back and forth across the carpet. She crossed her arms over her chest and bit into her lower lip, as the card catalogue opened inside her mind. “What are you trying to tell us, Al?” she mumbled, trying to dissect the clue. “What does a top hat have to do with a miller? Court…church…a church owned by a miller? A judge who sent a miller to jail?” She could feel Gareth’s gaze burn into the back of her skull as she tried to piece the puzzle together.
“Let’s take the clues separately,” said Gareth, trying to help. “The biggest drawing is a church. Maybe…like the Winchester House, there’s a chapel located somewhere with thirteen steeples?”
“Chapel…wait.” Leah sucked in her breath. She could feel the shot of electricity spark inside her brain.
“Maybe a miller went mad and built a haven in the middle of nowhere and…what? Sacrificed bodies?” Gareth continued grasping at straws. “That would account for the ‘Body and Blood’ angle. Then maybe he went to court for his crimes? Maybe–”
“Jesus.” Leah saw the well-known grainy photograph of the horrific location coming into focus, streaming through her head like a black-and-white banner. Chapel…Body…Blood. She turned around and stared into Gareth’s confused face. “It’s ‘The Ripper.’”
*****
Leah Tallent, the fictional Head Research Librarian of the New York Public Library, finds herself embroiled in a mystery of epic proportions. Readers have been grabbed instantly as they walk by her side through some of he most amazing locations across the globe.
One of the clues left behind by the ‘madman’ Leah & Gareth are chasing, is a clue that leads directly to another locale that is steeped in the bad omen of 13. The address is 13 Miller’s Court, and was built on a street that was once beholden to a predator who was both vicious…and intelligent. So intelligent, in fact, that he would go down in history as the most famous killer never caught by the law.
In the East End of London, in 1888, there was an area known as Dorset or “Dossen Street” because of the large number of doss-houses (flophouses) it contained. This short, narrow street was once considered the most “dangerous street in the world.” And on November 9th, 1888, it lived up to that very title.
In the mid-nineteenth century a man named John Miller built some cottages in the back gardens of his properties at 26 and 27 Dorset Street which became known as Kelly’s lodgings. The actual address was No. 13, Miller's Court which was entered through a tiny, dark passageway that sat between his Dorset Street homes. This was an area that boasted of an attempted murder on an average of once a month. Policemen used to patrol the street in pairs in order to protect one another from what they knew they would find - seeing as that criminals roamed on a daily basis, prowling the alleyways to see what they could steal…or kill.
There was a woman named Mary Jane Kelly who frequented Dorset Street. Even though Mary had come from ‘well-to-do’ people, her life had taken many different paths and she ended up in the hovel that was No. 13 Miller’s Court, working as a paid “escort” for others in the area. She was known as “Fair Emma,” although it was never known whether this applied to her hair color, her skin color, her beauty, or whatever other qualities she may have possessed. She had gravitated toward the poorer East End of London because of certain relationships and poor choices that Mary had made.
Her love at the time was a man named, Joseph Barnett, who had told police that Mary was twenty-five years old and had been born in Limerick, Ireland. Barnett and others often commented that Kelly could always be heard singing Irish songs in her very drunken states, which had earned her the other nickname of Dark Mary. Barnett first met Kelly in April of 1887, and they agreed to live together. In early 1888 they both moved into 13 Miller’s Court - a single twelve-foot square room with a bed, three tables and a chair.
On the historical evening of November 8th, Barnett saw Mary for the last time between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m.. He had found her in the company of Maria Harvey, a friend of hers, and Harvey and Barnett exited Mary’s company at around the same time.
Placing Mary in various locations that evening was a trial for the policemen, considering that everyone on Dorset Street seemed to have something to add to the case. Fellow Miller’s Court resident and “paid escort,” Mary Ann Cox, reported seeing Kelly returning home drunk in the company of a ginger-haired man wearing a bowler hat at about 11:45 p.m. At that time, supposedly Cox and Kelly wished each other goodnight, as Kelly went into her room with the man and then started singing. She was still singing when Cox went out at midnight, and when she returned an hour later at 1:00, the singing had stopped.
However, a local laborer, George Hutchinson, reported that Kelly had met him at about 2:00 a.m. and asked him for a loan. He claimed to be broke and, as Kelly went on her way, she was approached by a man. He reported that he’d overheard them talking in the street opposite the 13 Miller’s Court where Kelly was living; Kelly complained of losing her handkerchief and the man gave her a red one of his own. Hutchinson claimed that Kelly and the man headed for her room and never saw either one of them again.
On the morning of November 9th, 1888, Mary’s landlord had sent his assistant, an ex-soldier by the name of Thomas Bowyer, to collect the rent. Kelly was six weeks behind on her payments. Shortly after 10:45 a.m., Bowyer knocked on her door but received no response, so he reached through a cracked window, pushed aside a curtain, and peered inside. What he saw was one of the most hideous sites that the world has ever seen. The discovery of, what most assume, was The Ripper’s final victim.
Extensive house-to-house inquiries and searches were conducted by the police, and Mary’s murder was soon linked with the four previous ones, saying that the killer of all was the same man. The government offered a pardon for, “any accomplice, not being the person who contrived or actually committed the murder, who shall give such information and evidence as shall lead to the discovery and conviction of the murderer or murderers.” But, despite the offer - and a massive police investigation - The Ripper was never found.
The Mary Kelly was the most savage of the Whitechapel murders, most likely because the murderer had more time to commit his atrocities in a private room rather than out in the street.
Leah Tallent & Gareth Lowery must figure out exactly what was left behind by ‘The Ripper,’ and whether he was, in fact, part of the extraordinary puzzle that 13 is all about.
“The DaVinci Code with Heart” is the word being spread about this incredible book that has readers racing to their computers in order to Google the real truth behind the locales and people that made the puzzle of 13 come to life!
You do NOT want to miss this read!
Tallent & Lowery: 13 is NOW available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Tallent-Lowery-...
In a remarkable new book that has just been released, Leah Tallent & Gareth Lowery have become the most talked about characters in the world of fiction sine Edward and Bella arrived on the scene. These two people, who have begun the first of their seven-series adventure, are taking readers through a puzzle of monumental proportions in: Tallent & Lowery - 13. From the steps of the New York Public Library to the haunted halls of the Winchester Mansion in San Jose, California, this puzzle is one of epic proportions. And the next step in their path to expose the secret that was buried in 1902, takes place on a rather famous street.
*****
(Excerpt from 13:)
Leah stood up and began to pace back and forth across the carpet. She crossed her arms over her chest and bit into her lower lip, as the card catalogue opened inside her mind. “What are you trying to tell us, Al?” she mumbled, trying to dissect the clue. “What does a top hat have to do with a miller? Court…church…a church owned by a miller? A judge who sent a miller to jail?” She could feel Gareth’s gaze burn into the back of her skull as she tried to piece the puzzle together.
“Let’s take the clues separately,” said Gareth, trying to help. “The biggest drawing is a church. Maybe…like the Winchester House, there’s a chapel located somewhere with thirteen steeples?”
“Chapel…wait.” Leah sucked in her breath. She could feel the shot of electricity spark inside her brain.
“Maybe a miller went mad and built a haven in the middle of nowhere and…what? Sacrificed bodies?” Gareth continued grasping at straws. “That would account for the ‘Body and Blood’ angle. Then maybe he went to court for his crimes? Maybe–”
“Jesus.” Leah saw the well-known grainy photograph of the horrific location coming into focus, streaming through her head like a black-and-white banner. Chapel…Body…Blood. She turned around and stared into Gareth’s confused face. “It’s ‘The Ripper.’”
*****
Leah Tallent, the fictional Head Research Librarian of the New York Public Library, finds herself embroiled in a mystery of epic proportions. Readers have been grabbed instantly as they walk by her side through some of he most amazing locations across the globe.
One of the clues left behind by the ‘madman’ Leah & Gareth are chasing, is a clue that leads directly to another locale that is steeped in the bad omen of 13. The address is 13 Miller’s Court, and was built on a street that was once beholden to a predator who was both vicious…and intelligent. So intelligent, in fact, that he would go down in history as the most famous killer never caught by the law.
In the East End of London, in 1888, there was an area known as Dorset or “Dossen Street” because of the large number of doss-houses (flophouses) it contained. This short, narrow street was once considered the most “dangerous street in the world.” And on November 9th, 1888, it lived up to that very title.
In the mid-nineteenth century a man named John Miller built some cottages in the back gardens of his properties at 26 and 27 Dorset Street which became known as Kelly’s lodgings. The actual address was No. 13, Miller's Court which was entered through a tiny, dark passageway that sat between his Dorset Street homes. This was an area that boasted of an attempted murder on an average of once a month. Policemen used to patrol the street in pairs in order to protect one another from what they knew they would find - seeing as that criminals roamed on a daily basis, prowling the alleyways to see what they could steal…or kill.
There was a woman named Mary Jane Kelly who frequented Dorset Street. Even though Mary had come from ‘well-to-do’ people, her life had taken many different paths and she ended up in the hovel that was No. 13 Miller’s Court, working as a paid “escort” for others in the area. She was known as “Fair Emma,” although it was never known whether this applied to her hair color, her skin color, her beauty, or whatever other qualities she may have possessed. She had gravitated toward the poorer East End of London because of certain relationships and poor choices that Mary had made.
Her love at the time was a man named, Joseph Barnett, who had told police that Mary was twenty-five years old and had been born in Limerick, Ireland. Barnett and others often commented that Kelly could always be heard singing Irish songs in her very drunken states, which had earned her the other nickname of Dark Mary. Barnett first met Kelly in April of 1887, and they agreed to live together. In early 1888 they both moved into 13 Miller’s Court - a single twelve-foot square room with a bed, three tables and a chair.
On the historical evening of November 8th, Barnett saw Mary for the last time between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m.. He had found her in the company of Maria Harvey, a friend of hers, and Harvey and Barnett exited Mary’s company at around the same time.
Placing Mary in various locations that evening was a trial for the policemen, considering that everyone on Dorset Street seemed to have something to add to the case. Fellow Miller’s Court resident and “paid escort,” Mary Ann Cox, reported seeing Kelly returning home drunk in the company of a ginger-haired man wearing a bowler hat at about 11:45 p.m. At that time, supposedly Cox and Kelly wished each other goodnight, as Kelly went into her room with the man and then started singing. She was still singing when Cox went out at midnight, and when she returned an hour later at 1:00, the singing had stopped.
However, a local laborer, George Hutchinson, reported that Kelly had met him at about 2:00 a.m. and asked him for a loan. He claimed to be broke and, as Kelly went on her way, she was approached by a man. He reported that he’d overheard them talking in the street opposite the 13 Miller’s Court where Kelly was living; Kelly complained of losing her handkerchief and the man gave her a red one of his own. Hutchinson claimed that Kelly and the man headed for her room and never saw either one of them again.
On the morning of November 9th, 1888, Mary’s landlord had sent his assistant, an ex-soldier by the name of Thomas Bowyer, to collect the rent. Kelly was six weeks behind on her payments. Shortly after 10:45 a.m., Bowyer knocked on her door but received no response, so he reached through a cracked window, pushed aside a curtain, and peered inside. What he saw was one of the most hideous sites that the world has ever seen. The discovery of, what most assume, was The Ripper’s final victim.
Extensive house-to-house inquiries and searches were conducted by the police, and Mary’s murder was soon linked with the four previous ones, saying that the killer of all was the same man. The government offered a pardon for, “any accomplice, not being the person who contrived or actually committed the murder, who shall give such information and evidence as shall lead to the discovery and conviction of the murderer or murderers.” But, despite the offer - and a massive police investigation - The Ripper was never found.
The Mary Kelly was the most savage of the Whitechapel murders, most likely because the murderer had more time to commit his atrocities in a private room rather than out in the street.
Leah Tallent & Gareth Lowery must figure out exactly what was left behind by ‘The Ripper,’ and whether he was, in fact, part of the extraordinary puzzle that 13 is all about.
“The DaVinci Code with Heart” is the word being spread about this incredible book that has readers racing to their computers in order to Google the real truth behind the locales and people that made the puzzle of 13 come to life!
You do NOT want to miss this read!
Tallent & Lowery: 13 is NOW available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Tallent-Lowery-...
September 23, 2011
The Dream
As a heavy metal ‘hair-band’ fan, who hit the dreaded teenage years in the eighties, this will seem a surprising series for me to write. I was used to the “shouting at the devil” of Motley Crue; the colored scarves around Steven Tyler’s neck, Jon Bon Jovi’s immaculate (and big) hair…these were things that made sense to me. But as time has gone forward, I have come to love many different types of music. But I heard one song recently that hit me like a brick in the head.
Now, I’ve heard Tim McGraw songs. In fact, these next three blogs are inspired by him. But recently, I heard one that has always been my favorite. “Live Like You Were Dying” hits me square in the heart, and probably not for the same reason it does for other people. Yes, this is a song about a son who sees his father’s x-rays and knows that his Dad’s passage to Heaven is near.
He asks his Father what do you do with that kind of news? For me, I always think of how amazing it would be. You know? To be able to know the moment it will be too late to do what you wanted to do. I used to travel the highways of America with my music blaring and hardly any money in my pocket, just to get to that next town, or meet that next person who had something to say. I’ve lived my life never wanting to turn around and say, “What if?” But, when you get older, and the responsibilities get harder, sometimes your idea of “freedom” is an impossible thing to attain.
Instead, you get even better things - like the love of a child. And you suddenly have a person in your life who makes you want to do everything in your power to get her to see as many sunsets and sunrises in as many places as you’ve already seen them. You want her to sit in that car beside you with the window down, and go through city after city in order to really see the country she was born in. Now, of course, there’s school…there’s a time when you stop and ‘grow roots’ in order for that wonder of your life to have a good, solid beginning.
I’m forty and, hopefully, I’m not done. And I have only said, “What if?” once. When I hear Tim sing about what his Dad did when he knew the end was drawing near, I loved the fact that he didn’t give up. He didn’t sit in a bed and wait for the end to arrive. He went: sky diving, and rocky mountain climbing, and, my favorite, he went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu. He also did what all of us should do on a daily basis. He: loved deeper and spoke sweeter; and did the one thing I haven’t yet been able to do - he gave forgiveness he’d been denying.
With Tim’s song, I can’t think about the end drawing near or the issues that brought his Dad to this place. All I see is the fact that there is a chance to live. And that chance is every day. It’s when you get up in the morning (with a headache or not), and go out to that job (that you might not like), and work solidly, while trying to figure out your finances, get home, cook (if you’re better than I am at it), talk to that beautiful child, put her to sleep with a story and a prayer, and go to bed…hoping to dream.
Dreaming is a wonderful thing…but living is better. Striving for that ultimate moment when you know you’ve done it all. Or, you at least tried. But you don’t have to dream it - you have to do it. Well, as Tim continues on, he finally read the Good Book, and took a good long hard look, at what I'd do if I could do it all again…
I hope no one ever gets there. I hope that, at the end, you’ve done absolutely everything that you wanted to do (and even some things you never dreamed you could do). Tomorrow is a gift. And, what would you do if you had an eternity to think about what you would do tomorrow? My answer - you should get up, break the rules, and just go do it - whatever it might be.
I have been lucky enough to watch the Eagle as it was flyin.’ It was one of the most beautiful, majestic sights in the world, that I wouldn’t give back or change for any amount of money, or even extra time.
The one regret? I didn’t make it in time to say goodbye to my own father. When I finally got to CT from Dallas, he was asleep. I wonder sometimes what he would’ve done differently if he had known that he was nearing the end. Would he have sat back and wondered what could’ve been if he’d chosen another path?
I’m greedy enough to say that I’m glad everything happened the way it happened for Robert Lignor. I’m glad of all the strife, pain, and struggle he had to go through when he was a young man. Why? Simple. It was because of all those things - all those bad and good days - that made him end up to be mine.
But I sure would’ve liked the chance to walk him through the gates of Graceland, or drive him over the Rocky Mountains and see the Budweiser Clydesdales roaming the fields. I would’ve liked to bring him to see the Space Needle in Seattle, or walk beside him into a stadium where we could sit together on the fifty-yard line and watch the Super Bowl play out. He would’ve loved stopping in Nashville and seeing a show at the Grand Ole Opry. And I would’ve loved to have succeeded in my dream before he passed away, so that he could be front and center when it finally happens one of these days. He could be there to walk up the stairs of the New York Public Library between Patience and Fortitude for my very first book signing.
Of course, I can feel that man so strongly by my side - even when he was here in body - that I always felt him in the car as I traveled the United States. That man’s soul is in his granddaughter now, the girl who rode in the passenger seat to all those fun places. So he did experience them all…through her eyes.
Be alive while you are alive. Don’t miss one single solitary moment of it. It goes away too soon, and there is SO much to do! When you dream, dream big! And then go out there the next day and make it all come true.
I think Tim McGraw would agree with me.
Now, I’ve heard Tim McGraw songs. In fact, these next three blogs are inspired by him. But recently, I heard one that has always been my favorite. “Live Like You Were Dying” hits me square in the heart, and probably not for the same reason it does for other people. Yes, this is a song about a son who sees his father’s x-rays and knows that his Dad’s passage to Heaven is near.
He asks his Father what do you do with that kind of news? For me, I always think of how amazing it would be. You know? To be able to know the moment it will be too late to do what you wanted to do. I used to travel the highways of America with my music blaring and hardly any money in my pocket, just to get to that next town, or meet that next person who had something to say. I’ve lived my life never wanting to turn around and say, “What if?” But, when you get older, and the responsibilities get harder, sometimes your idea of “freedom” is an impossible thing to attain.
Instead, you get even better things - like the love of a child. And you suddenly have a person in your life who makes you want to do everything in your power to get her to see as many sunsets and sunrises in as many places as you’ve already seen them. You want her to sit in that car beside you with the window down, and go through city after city in order to really see the country she was born in. Now, of course, there’s school…there’s a time when you stop and ‘grow roots’ in order for that wonder of your life to have a good, solid beginning.
I’m forty and, hopefully, I’m not done. And I have only said, “What if?” once. When I hear Tim sing about what his Dad did when he knew the end was drawing near, I loved the fact that he didn’t give up. He didn’t sit in a bed and wait for the end to arrive. He went: sky diving, and rocky mountain climbing, and, my favorite, he went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu. He also did what all of us should do on a daily basis. He: loved deeper and spoke sweeter; and did the one thing I haven’t yet been able to do - he gave forgiveness he’d been denying.
With Tim’s song, I can’t think about the end drawing near or the issues that brought his Dad to this place. All I see is the fact that there is a chance to live. And that chance is every day. It’s when you get up in the morning (with a headache or not), and go out to that job (that you might not like), and work solidly, while trying to figure out your finances, get home, cook (if you’re better than I am at it), talk to that beautiful child, put her to sleep with a story and a prayer, and go to bed…hoping to dream.
Dreaming is a wonderful thing…but living is better. Striving for that ultimate moment when you know you’ve done it all. Or, you at least tried. But you don’t have to dream it - you have to do it. Well, as Tim continues on, he finally read the Good Book, and took a good long hard look, at what I'd do if I could do it all again…
I hope no one ever gets there. I hope that, at the end, you’ve done absolutely everything that you wanted to do (and even some things you never dreamed you could do). Tomorrow is a gift. And, what would you do if you had an eternity to think about what you would do tomorrow? My answer - you should get up, break the rules, and just go do it - whatever it might be.
I have been lucky enough to watch the Eagle as it was flyin.’ It was one of the most beautiful, majestic sights in the world, that I wouldn’t give back or change for any amount of money, or even extra time.
The one regret? I didn’t make it in time to say goodbye to my own father. When I finally got to CT from Dallas, he was asleep. I wonder sometimes what he would’ve done differently if he had known that he was nearing the end. Would he have sat back and wondered what could’ve been if he’d chosen another path?
I’m greedy enough to say that I’m glad everything happened the way it happened for Robert Lignor. I’m glad of all the strife, pain, and struggle he had to go through when he was a young man. Why? Simple. It was because of all those things - all those bad and good days - that made him end up to be mine.
But I sure would’ve liked the chance to walk him through the gates of Graceland, or drive him over the Rocky Mountains and see the Budweiser Clydesdales roaming the fields. I would’ve liked to bring him to see the Space Needle in Seattle, or walk beside him into a stadium where we could sit together on the fifty-yard line and watch the Super Bowl play out. He would’ve loved stopping in Nashville and seeing a show at the Grand Ole Opry. And I would’ve loved to have succeeded in my dream before he passed away, so that he could be front and center when it finally happens one of these days. He could be there to walk up the stairs of the New York Public Library between Patience and Fortitude for my very first book signing.
Of course, I can feel that man so strongly by my side - even when he was here in body - that I always felt him in the car as I traveled the United States. That man’s soul is in his granddaughter now, the girl who rode in the passenger seat to all those fun places. So he did experience them all…through her eyes.
Be alive while you are alive. Don’t miss one single solitary moment of it. It goes away too soon, and there is SO much to do! When you dream, dream big! And then go out there the next day and make it all come true.
I think Tim McGraw would agree with me.
September 21, 2011
From the Mouths of Babes
“Mommy, what’s reptile dysfunction?”
“A crocodile with a limp, honey.”
From the very beginning, some of the most “interesting” words have come out of my daughter’s mouth. Even at one month old, at her baptism, the church was completely quiet as the Reverend announced, “Let us Pray.“ In that moment of pure peace, the joy of my life let go of a belch that would make Homer Simpson proud. And, that’s when the laughter began.
Ah…children. The joy of that little tyke is indescribable. Just ask any parent. And, with the joy comes that ‘unknown factor,’ which can offer a parent everything from fear to inspiration. We are raised by loving parents to hold our tongues in public (not me, apparently…and I think Lady GaGa is out.) We are taught to slip on that mask and hold in our sarcastic comments. Such as, when we sit at our desks and DON’T tell our boss that he’s an idiot yet, we DO tell our neighbors that the porcelain toilet seat holding flowers on their front lawn is art We TRY not to tell our best friend that even though her true love can fart and burp the alphabet at the same time, it doesn’t make him a Nobel Prize winner. Although, let’s face it, this talent could soon end up to be the only necessary requirement to become President.
But when we’re kids…we’re free. We’re free to say anything to anyone as long as we keep that angelic smile glued to our face. Even bitter, old hags have to pat us on the head. God was kind enough to grant me my very own angelic creation. In fact, I have a feeling He held a meeting to make sure that just the right soul was selected to be sent down for payback…answering my own beloved mother’s prayer: “I hope someday you have a child who acts JUST like you!” (I’ve tried to find that in the Bible…I KNOW it’s got to be there.)
My angelic babe is now an adult with a slightly dry, sarcastic tone - where she got that from I have no idea! But once upon a time, as she and I whisked our way across the country, she never failed to deliver the lines that almost got me killed on a number of occasions. And even though her angelic smile was always firmly in place, that glint in her deep, brown eyes led me to believe that she knew EXACTLY what she was doing. My mother’s prayer had been answered.
Location 1: Graceland. My daughter loved running around that huge hall of gift shops, and boarding that bus that led through the famous gates adorned with musical notes. We put the headphones on and the tour began, as we drove up to the lovely white home with columns out front. (I swear the person who invented headphone tours is laughing their butt off right now.) Entering into that horrific living room, my daughter began to shout: “So where is HE? Where’s Elvis?” Those around us smiled, but the look of those women dressed to the nines in high heels and short skirts - as if The King, himself, were upstairs just waiting to descend and pick one of them from the line-up - mirrored that of the Devil. It was if this child screaming was destroying their greatest fantasy. I tapped my daughter on the shoulder and told her to ‘shush.’ But it was no use. “Maybe he’s upstairs!” Bolting toward the staircase which was roped off, (Let’s face it, putting a rope in front of a child is like putting saran wrap in front of Jaws), I ran after her. She shouted over the recorders, “Well? Where IS this guy?” Mommy was hot. Mommy was tired. And, quite frankly, Mommy was an Aerosmith fan “He’s dead! He was an idiot, took drugs and killed himself! Okay!?” If the world had gone dark at that moment, or an army of policemen had raced up the driveway to arrest me for indecency, I wouldn’t have been surprised. But my daughter just smiled at me and ran in the other direction. “What’s the big deal, then? It’s just a house. What’s a peanut-butter and banana sandwich, anyway?” We raced from that building before I was shot through the neck by a flying stiletto.
Location 2: Dallas Cowboys Stadium. As a longtime football fan, it was kind of cool to see the inside of this ‘hole-in-the-roof‘ monument, even though I was venturing into enemy territory. Once again the headphones were put on and the great Tom Landry began to speak. My daughter’s strong ‘pipes’ once again interrupted the show. “But Mommy? You HATE the Cowboys! You’re a ‘Niners fan!” (This announcement was made after my team had come to the Lone Star State and wiped the floor with the Cowboys.) I have to say, even though we were in an almost land-locked state, my death by water-boarding looked like it was about to begin.
Location 3: The Living Room. I came from the bathroom after washing my hair and the phone rang. “This is 911. Are you okay, ma’am?” “Of course,” I replied. “What’s the matter?” “Well…a little girl just dialed from that house.” I looked down at Shelby who just shrugged her shoulders. “I just wanted to talk to Officer Dan.” “Who’s Officer Dan?” Shelby pointed at the TV. Sure enough, Officer Dan was hosting the Cartoon Network, letting everyone know that if they ever needed him, all they had to do was call him up at 911 for a chat. I was then given a lecture on how the number was for emergency use only and I could go to jail if we dialed for no reason. Duh! You’re the ones who are giving out his number!
Location 4: Blockbuster. “Mom, can I see this movie?” I look down at the horrific cover with the scary mask and bloody axe. “No, honey. That’s a bad movie.” My daughter’s little friend asks, “What’s a bad movie?” My dear, sweet angel simply says - in as loud a voice as possible - “They say h*ll, d*mn, and sh*t.” There was a woman who looked a great deal like a nun at Blockbuster that day, and I was suddenly in the cast of Deliverance.
One day we were traveling and had to stop for gas. I was standing in line behind a tall gentleman in a nice suit, when the woman behind the counter told him they were out of gas; the trucks hadn’t arrived yet. He left and I turned to follow. The woman asked me what I needed. “Don’t worry about it,” I replied. “Just needed gas.” She rolled her eyes and started to laugh out loud with her friend. “Well, we have gas for you!” I looked down at my daughter, wondering who died and made me Queen. “Huh?” I replied. “We don’t have gas for them.” I couldn’t figure out what she meant. No gas for businessmen? She lost a lot of money in the stock market and now hated anyone wearing a suit? Then it dawned on me. My daughter and I went back to the car and drove away. We spoke about the fact that Mommy was mad. It was the 1990’s, and being turned down for service because of skin color was something that happened far before my time. But it still existed. Even now, my daughter and I see it in a brand new place.
The point is this. Even though there have been some moments where my daughter‘s words could‘ve landed me in traction, we’ve grown up together. We’ve faced morons, and seen the good and bad in life. And, luckily enough, my daughter still has the kindest heart (and VERY strong voice at VERY interesting times). We taught each other that humor was okay. That having an opinion was okay. As long as you speak the truth and aren’t just slamming others, it is definitely okay to ask questions, keep an open mind, and have a laugh or two. As long as it’s NOT at someone else’s expense!
Until Next Time...
“A crocodile with a limp, honey.”
From the very beginning, some of the most “interesting” words have come out of my daughter’s mouth. Even at one month old, at her baptism, the church was completely quiet as the Reverend announced, “Let us Pray.“ In that moment of pure peace, the joy of my life let go of a belch that would make Homer Simpson proud. And, that’s when the laughter began.
Ah…children. The joy of that little tyke is indescribable. Just ask any parent. And, with the joy comes that ‘unknown factor,’ which can offer a parent everything from fear to inspiration. We are raised by loving parents to hold our tongues in public (not me, apparently…and I think Lady GaGa is out.) We are taught to slip on that mask and hold in our sarcastic comments. Such as, when we sit at our desks and DON’T tell our boss that he’s an idiot yet, we DO tell our neighbors that the porcelain toilet seat holding flowers on their front lawn is art We TRY not to tell our best friend that even though her true love can fart and burp the alphabet at the same time, it doesn’t make him a Nobel Prize winner. Although, let’s face it, this talent could soon end up to be the only necessary requirement to become President.
But when we’re kids…we’re free. We’re free to say anything to anyone as long as we keep that angelic smile glued to our face. Even bitter, old hags have to pat us on the head. God was kind enough to grant me my very own angelic creation. In fact, I have a feeling He held a meeting to make sure that just the right soul was selected to be sent down for payback…answering my own beloved mother’s prayer: “I hope someday you have a child who acts JUST like you!” (I’ve tried to find that in the Bible…I KNOW it’s got to be there.)
My angelic babe is now an adult with a slightly dry, sarcastic tone - where she got that from I have no idea! But once upon a time, as she and I whisked our way across the country, she never failed to deliver the lines that almost got me killed on a number of occasions. And even though her angelic smile was always firmly in place, that glint in her deep, brown eyes led me to believe that she knew EXACTLY what she was doing. My mother’s prayer had been answered.
Location 1: Graceland. My daughter loved running around that huge hall of gift shops, and boarding that bus that led through the famous gates adorned with musical notes. We put the headphones on and the tour began, as we drove up to the lovely white home with columns out front. (I swear the person who invented headphone tours is laughing their butt off right now.) Entering into that horrific living room, my daughter began to shout: “So where is HE? Where’s Elvis?” Those around us smiled, but the look of those women dressed to the nines in high heels and short skirts - as if The King, himself, were upstairs just waiting to descend and pick one of them from the line-up - mirrored that of the Devil. It was if this child screaming was destroying their greatest fantasy. I tapped my daughter on the shoulder and told her to ‘shush.’ But it was no use. “Maybe he’s upstairs!” Bolting toward the staircase which was roped off, (Let’s face it, putting a rope in front of a child is like putting saran wrap in front of Jaws), I ran after her. She shouted over the recorders, “Well? Where IS this guy?” Mommy was hot. Mommy was tired. And, quite frankly, Mommy was an Aerosmith fan “He’s dead! He was an idiot, took drugs and killed himself! Okay!?” If the world had gone dark at that moment, or an army of policemen had raced up the driveway to arrest me for indecency, I wouldn’t have been surprised. But my daughter just smiled at me and ran in the other direction. “What’s the big deal, then? It’s just a house. What’s a peanut-butter and banana sandwich, anyway?” We raced from that building before I was shot through the neck by a flying stiletto.
Location 2: Dallas Cowboys Stadium. As a longtime football fan, it was kind of cool to see the inside of this ‘hole-in-the-roof‘ monument, even though I was venturing into enemy territory. Once again the headphones were put on and the great Tom Landry began to speak. My daughter’s strong ‘pipes’ once again interrupted the show. “But Mommy? You HATE the Cowboys! You’re a ‘Niners fan!” (This announcement was made after my team had come to the Lone Star State and wiped the floor with the Cowboys.) I have to say, even though we were in an almost land-locked state, my death by water-boarding looked like it was about to begin.
Location 3: The Living Room. I came from the bathroom after washing my hair and the phone rang. “This is 911. Are you okay, ma’am?” “Of course,” I replied. “What’s the matter?” “Well…a little girl just dialed from that house.” I looked down at Shelby who just shrugged her shoulders. “I just wanted to talk to Officer Dan.” “Who’s Officer Dan?” Shelby pointed at the TV. Sure enough, Officer Dan was hosting the Cartoon Network, letting everyone know that if they ever needed him, all they had to do was call him up at 911 for a chat. I was then given a lecture on how the number was for emergency use only and I could go to jail if we dialed for no reason. Duh! You’re the ones who are giving out his number!
Location 4: Blockbuster. “Mom, can I see this movie?” I look down at the horrific cover with the scary mask and bloody axe. “No, honey. That’s a bad movie.” My daughter’s little friend asks, “What’s a bad movie?” My dear, sweet angel simply says - in as loud a voice as possible - “They say h*ll, d*mn, and sh*t.” There was a woman who looked a great deal like a nun at Blockbuster that day, and I was suddenly in the cast of Deliverance.
One day we were traveling and had to stop for gas. I was standing in line behind a tall gentleman in a nice suit, when the woman behind the counter told him they were out of gas; the trucks hadn’t arrived yet. He left and I turned to follow. The woman asked me what I needed. “Don’t worry about it,” I replied. “Just needed gas.” She rolled her eyes and started to laugh out loud with her friend. “Well, we have gas for you!” I looked down at my daughter, wondering who died and made me Queen. “Huh?” I replied. “We don’t have gas for them.” I couldn’t figure out what she meant. No gas for businessmen? She lost a lot of money in the stock market and now hated anyone wearing a suit? Then it dawned on me. My daughter and I went back to the car and drove away. We spoke about the fact that Mommy was mad. It was the 1990’s, and being turned down for service because of skin color was something that happened far before my time. But it still existed. Even now, my daughter and I see it in a brand new place.
The point is this. Even though there have been some moments where my daughter‘s words could‘ve landed me in traction, we’ve grown up together. We’ve faced morons, and seen the good and bad in life. And, luckily enough, my daughter still has the kindest heart (and VERY strong voice at VERY interesting times). We taught each other that humor was okay. That having an opinion was okay. As long as you speak the truth and aren’t just slamming others, it is definitely okay to ask questions, keep an open mind, and have a laugh or two. As long as it’s NOT at someone else’s expense!
Until Next Time...
Lover of Books
As a book author, editor & reviewer, I am a kid in a candy store when it comes to almost any genre. Here I will talk about the newest, the most fun, highlight authors, offer up reviews and, of course,
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