Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 118

1 May 2019 - The Eagle and Child Pub in Oxford - Favourite pub for famous authors

The Eagle and Child Pub in Oxford - Favourite pub for famous authors -
G'day folks,J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and other "Inklings" met at this Oxford pub to discuss the now legendary fantasy stories they were writing.     During the 1930s, a small, unofficial club was formed in the intellectual hub of Oxford University. Every week, a group gathered to drink a few beers and discuss the latest adventures in worlds inhabited by lions, wizards, and hobbits, which were slowly materializing from the fertile imaginations of its most famous members: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.     The group, called the Inklings, consisted of professors, thinkers, and writers who lived around the university town. Warren Lewis, C.S Lewis’s older brother and also a writer and an Inkling, wrote that, “Properly speaking, it was neither a club nor a literary society, though it partook of the nature of both. There were no rules, officers, agendas, or formal elections.”     Beginning in the 1930s, formal meetings were organized every Thursday evening at Lewis’s university rooms and more casual lunches were held at different local pubs, most frequently The Eagle and Child. Most Mondays or Tuesdays, the group gathered in the backroom of the pub they referred to as the “The Bird and the Baby,” to discuss their own writing and other matters of the day. At this time, Lewis was crafting his Space trilogy, comprising Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength, and Tolkien was writing the Lord of the Rings series.   The pub now sports pictures and prints related to these hugely popular books and a plaque records the role it played in their creation. 

Clancy's comment: A cool place for authors to meet and drink. How civilized, eh?I'm ...

30 April 2019 - CUTE PHOTOGRAPHS OF KIDS FROM YESTERYEAR

CUTE PHOTOGRAPHS OF KIDS FROM YESTERYEAR
G'day folks,
Welcome to some great shots of kids, taken in the days when kids played outdoors, took risks, made their own fun ... And, especially before mobile phones became an obsession.























Clancy's comment: Ah ... The good old days when kids experienced real life on a daily basis.
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29 April 2019 - BEAUTIFUL SINKHOLE IN MEXICO - Cenote Xkeken

BEAUTIFUL SINKHOLE IN MEXICO - Cenote Xkeken -G'day folks,Welcome to some details about another sinkhole in Mexo, where the azure waters were thought to lead to the Mayan Underworld.
  Instead of accessing the Underworld through a dirty backdoor in a cantina, pre-colonial Mayan tradition believed the gates to the beyond lay in cenotes.




Just a few kilometers from Valladolid in the Yucatan Peninsula, the landscape is dotted with natural sinkholes, leading straight down into the earth. Unlike their unsightly name, the sinkholes are beautiful and filled with crystal clear, blue-green water. They are easily accessible and have become a tourist hot spot due to their proximity to spring break destinations like Cancun.




 Despite their obvious aesthetic attraction, the Cenotes in the region have a fascinating history, dating back to the Mayans who inhabited the Yucatan before colonialism. 

Since the Mayans believed the holes led to the afterlife, they would often drop important objects into the cenotes. Some legends also state they were used in human sacrifice, an oft-debated part of Mayan history.




Since most cenotes in the region were explored and studied by archeologists in the early 20th century, you are unlikely to be swimming with the remains of a Mayan sacrifice. You are more likely to simply enjoy a relaxing dip among the stalactites and radiant beams of sunlight from the outside world.

Clancy's comment: Wow. What a beautiful place, eh?I'm ...

28 April 2019 - RARE PHOTOGRAPHS OF WAR IN EUROPE

 RARE PHOTOGRAPHS OF WAR IN EUROPE
G'day folks,
Welcome to some very rare photographs of war in Europe.



























Clancy's comment: I'm not sure I could have survived the cold. Did you notice the soldier with the dog in a trench? He looks like Adolf Hitler.
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27 April 2019 - WEIRD AND WACKY STUFF

 WEIRD AND WACKY STUFF
G'day folks,
I like posting weird stuff. Check out these rippers, taken by top photographers.
















Clancy's comment: Top photography, eh? I loved the ducklings. Very cute.
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26 April 2019 - GREAT QUOTES WORTH READING

GREAT QUOTES WORTH READING
G'day folks,
Well, here are some quotes to make the old grey matter move. 




















Clancy's comment: Mm ... Bjork's comment is pretty accurate.
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25 April 2019 - Earliest Evidence of Humans Living on the Australian Coast

Earliest Evidence of Humans  Living on the Australian CoastG'day folks,
An island on the Australian coast has held artifacts from 50,000 years ago.

 FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS AGO, Barrow Island, one of the largest islands in Western Australia, wasn’t an island at all. Back then, when this part of Australia was connected to the mainland by a stretch of earth that’s now underwater, hunter-gatherers found a remote cave on the coast and used it as a hunting shelter, a team of archeologists report.



In Boodie cave, the team discovered charcoal, animal remains, and artifacts that date back 50,000 years, they report in Quaternary Science Reviews. That date pushes back human occupation of this coastal three thousands years further into past and makes this some of the oldest evidence for human habitation in Australia.



About 10,000 years ago, the team found, humans moved into the cave more permanently. But after a few thousand years, as sea levels rose, the island was cut off from the mainland and the cave was abandoned.


Clancy's comment: Wow, that's a hell of a long time ago.
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24 April 2019 - THE ALFRED JEWEL - OXFORD

THE ALFRED JEWEL - OXFORD
G'day folks,

One of Oxford's greatest treasures likely belonged to the legendary King Alfred the Great. 
 In the darkened galleries of the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, you’ll find an archeological treasure that, despite its diminutive size, is of priceless value to Englandand its history.
The mysterious crystal likeness of a man can be seen in a teardrop shape enclosed within a golden dragon-headed frame. The pale figure stares at the viewer from under his mop of golden hair and clutches what appear to be two long-stemmed plants in his hands.



The intricately carved golden dragon has a long and tapering scaled snout and the corners of its snarling mouth reveal a fanged maw. Indeed, it appears the dragon may have even been included to symbolically protect the human figure it encircles like some kind of monstrous Dark Age guard dog.

 This fascinating archeological treasure is known as “the Alfred Jewel” due to the lettering that runs along its sides. The inscription reads “Aelfred mec heht gewyrcan,” which translates from Old English to “Alfred ordered me to be made.” These words leave little doubt that its creation was commissioned by a legendary figure in English history, King Alfred the Great.




As a young man King Alfred took the throne of Wessex after the death of his brother Aethelred in 871. As such, he also took on the daunting task of leading his people through incessant Viking invasions at a time when all of the Saxon kingdoms except Wessex had fallen under the control of the Nordic invaders.

 For many years the young Alfred’s life was spent on the run. During this period he lived under conditions of constant  travel, never able to stay for too long at any location and being sheltered by the charity of his followers.  Danger was an ever present reality with assassination attempts , spies and ambushes never too far away. Considering such pressures, it’s a wonder that Alfred never gave up.




But as resistance against the invaders grew among the Saxons, Alfred and his forces began to wage guerrilla warfare from the marshes and Fenlands harrying the Vikings at every turn.  By 878, he had begun to win against his enemies, and was victorious at the battle of Edington. His troops slaughtered the Vikings and pursued the survivors to their camp in Chippenham, where they were starved out of their fortress and made to surrender.




 Alfred made the Viking leader Guthrum sign a treaty and convert to Christianity, which resulted in a system demarcating the borders of England (present-day Southern England) and the Viking territory in the North of the country, which was to be known as the Danelaw. He then strengthened his army further and built a series of fortresses across the country to defend against future attacks.

Alfred was also a man with a deep respect for education. In his late 30s, he learned Latin and helped translate of books into the Anglo-Saxon language and organized educational programs for his people.




The jewel probably played a role in this education, as it is believed to have been the handle for a pointing stick used to follow words when reading and teaching. The chronicles record that Alfred distributed such jewels across his kingdom.

It’s said that the jewel inspired some of the amulets depicted in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as J.R.R. Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon studies at the University of Oxford.





Clancy's comment:  A nice piece considering its age, eh?

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23 April 2019 - 'OLD DRAGON'S HEAD' - WHERE THE GREAT WALL of CHINA MEETS THE SEA

OLD DRAGON'S HEAD - WHERE THE GREAT WALL of CHINA MEETS THE SEA -
G'day folks,The “10,000-mile-long wall”  (万里长城), or the Great Wall of China as we know it, is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Every year, thousands of tourists flock to climb the stone stairs at Badaling, just outside of Beijing, with the more adventurous ones going for hikes along the ”wild” wall sections like Chenjiapu or Qinglongqiao.



The views from those hikes are beautiful indeed. But as you stand atop a 600-year-old wall fortress, contemplating the serpentine white lines that stretch for miles along mountain ridges, the question inevitably pops up: Does the Great Wall of China have a starting point? If so, where?









The answer lies in the small town of Shanhaiguan in Hebei province. Old Dragon’s Head is considered to be the start of the Great Wall, built during the Ming Dynasty, and it does resemble a dragon resting its weary head by the Bohai Sea. It served as a military fort, and a strategic defense from both land and sea attacks. Going down towards the sea, there are well-preserved remnants of the original wall, which was built using a mixture of glutinous rice syrup, earth, sand and lime. 


Clancy's comment: Well, there ya go. Did you know that? 
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22 April 2019 - KRIS FRANCOEUR - GUEST AUTHOR

KRIS FRANCOEUR - GUEST AUTHOR -
G'day folks,
Today, I interview an author from Vermont, U.S.A, who is surrounded by all sorts of animals.
Welcome, Kris ...

1.   TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.
My name is Kris Francoeur, and I am a public school educator and writer living in Vermont, USA. I always wrote stories, even as a child, but didn’t really think about trying to get them published until I was in my twenties. Then, our middle son Sam was born, and he would not take a nap as a baby, but he would take some quiet time each afternoon. While he rested, I would write stories, which then became novels. Over time, I started submitting them to agents and publishers, got rejected a lot, would put it aside, and eventually, I would start writing again.
In 2013, Sam died of an accidental drug (opioid) overdose. Sam was one of the biggest supporters of my writing dream, and after his death, I wanted to honor his belief in my writing. So I hired a great editor, started submitting my novels again, and eventually signed publishing contracts on three romance novels. All three novels (The Phone Call, That One Small Omissionand More Than I Can Say) have now been published by Solstice Publishing.
Following Sam’s death, I posted daily on social media about my grief journey. Over time, many people asked me to turn those posts into a book. My memoir, Of Grief, Garlic and Gratitude was signed by Morgan James Publishing, the e-book has released, and the print version will be in stores in May 2019.

2.   WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A WRITER?
My first published novel came out on October 9, 2017.

3.    WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?
It depends on what I am writing. For my novels, usually they start with either a dream, or something I see around me, and they just flow. Sometimes the characters make decisions or take paths I try to change, and they seem to have a mind of their own.
For my memoir, I mapped out the 30 month time frame covered, and built it very systematically.
In both types of writing, I work with two great editors. One can be brutal in her assessments, the other is much more gentle, but together, they push me to write as well as I can.




4.   WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
In fiction, I love seeing where the stories go. In non-fiction, I love hearing about how my work impacts other people.
5.   WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
I love writing, absolutely adore editing, but get frustrated with some of the marketing, social media, etc. that seems to be necessary to promote your works.

6.   WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?
A mother, wife, daughter, grandmother, alpaca farmer, spinner (alpaca fiber), gardener, public school teacher (Special Education and Spanish), public school assistant principal and now principal.

7.   WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
The most exciting? My first publishing contract! What makes me proudest? The reaction that Of Grief, Garlic and Gratitude has received.

8.   WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
Right now I am almost done the first draft of my fourth novel, am working on my fifth novel, have a draft of a journal for pre-teens and teens, and am working on a follow-up to Of Grief, Garlic and Gratitude.

9.   WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
My husband and children, and the love that our Sam inspired and gave to everyone he knew.
10.              WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?
Contemporary romance novels, non-fiction self-help, and memoirs.



11.              DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?
Hire a professional editor! You may have incredible family and friends, some with college degrees in writing or English, but they can’t be brutal enough if they love you. Hire someone who will be absolutely ruthless in helping you be the best writer you can be.

12.              DO YOU SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?
Never! Sometimes the words come slowly, sometimes they pour out, but when I do get “stuck” I start at the beginning of a work in progress, and start editing it, and within minutes, I am writing madly again.
13.              DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
Any time, any place. As long as I have a laptop, tablet or smart phone, I can write. I do all first drafts in google docs, so as long as I have internet, I am good to go.
For editing, I do print out a hard copy, put it in a binder, and go at it with a brightly colored pen.
14.              DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
In my chair near the woodstove, with music in the background.

15.              WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?
My greatest joys in writing are that I achieved what I set out to do in becoming a published author. The ultimate greatest joy is when someone comes up to me, or sends me a message, and says that one of my books has touched them, and has mattered to them. What more could I ask for?

16.              WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?
For fiction, Janet Evanovich.
17.              WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
A reader recently compared my book on grief to one by C.S.Lewis, and I was so thrilled. The second biggest compliment was when a reader posted online that I was her favourite author, and told her friends to read my novels.
18.              WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?
A reader once wrote a review saying that the formatting of one of my novels (in e-book) was done poorly – the formatting was done properly, and it bothered me that the review wasn’t about my writing at all.



19.              WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
Absolutely! Alpacas show up in my novels, most of my fiction takes place in New England, where I live, and I like to mention local places. My non-fiction is completely related to my own grief journey.
20.              OTHER THAN WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
My family, my vegetable gardens, spinning, knitting, being in nature.
21.              DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK / BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?
I did! I used professional editors prior to submitting them for the final round of submissions, and then worked with the editors and proofreaders of my publishers prior to the final, final version that was published. I can’t stress enough how important I think it is to have a professional editor look at your work!

22.              DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.
My perfect day is getting up, having coffee with my husband by the woodstove or on the porch in the summer. Then we would work together in the gardens or on our land, then while he worked on his projects, I would write. Dinner would be with our children, talking about the day. Then after dinner, more time to write, edit or read, then time to watch the Boston Red Sox together.

23.              IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
My husband!
24.              WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
That as a whole, humans need to focus more on compassion and empathy, and on mental health needs.

25.              WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
I plan to continue writing both fiction and non-fiction, and broaden my speaking engagements. I would love to reach a point where I am doing some teaching of pre-service teachers and school administrators at the college level, and writing the rest of the time.

26.               WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON BOOK TRAILERS? DO THEY SELL BOOKS?
I haven’t tried doing a book trailers yet, so I don’t have an opinion on this.
27.              DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
I do see some of me in my characters. Usually it is in their favourite foods or in their hobbies.



28.              DOES THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
I have found moments of frustration with the publishing industry when I have held misconceptions about the process or the industry. For me, that frustration has been alleviated by doing research, asking clarifying questions, and talking to other published authors.

29.              DID YOU EVER THINK OF QUITTING?
Never! I worked too hard to get my first publishing contract, and I love writing too much to stop.
30.              WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
More Than I Can Saywas my novel favourite to write, as I really love the characters, and I wrote it in a much shorter period of time, so it didn’t ever get stale.

31.               HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER?
For me, it was having a publishing house offer me a contract because it meant that they (as a company) believed in my work. Hearing from readers that my books matter also makes me feel very successful!
32.              WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?
With both the fiction, and the memoir, they should walk away with the belief that love is what truly matters, and no matter what happened in your past, you can find joy and hope.
33.              WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR BOOKS MADE INTO MOVIES? EVER WRITTEN A SCREENPLAY?
I have not written a screenplay, but I would love to have any of my books made into a movie.




34.              HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?
A lot of thought goes into designing a book cover. For my most recent novel and my memoir, the drafts of the covers went back and forth until they were exactly what I wanted, and I absolutely love them.


35.              WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?
To have my writing become my primary profession, and be able to spend more time on our farm.

36.                WRITING IS ONE THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?
Both publishers recommend that I have an author’s webpage and use social media to promote my works. Overall, I like doing so, but there are times when I feel that I “have to” do a post, or tweet, etc. That can get old fast.
37.               ARE YOUR BOOKS SELF-PUBLISHED?
No.

38.              DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.
Dedicated, loyal, tenacious, loving, and creative.

39.              WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?
When people come up and say, “Oh, I was going to write a book,” like it is the easiest thing in the world. I encourage anyone to write if they want to, but don’t diminish the accomplishments of others!
40.              WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?
The Quiet Warrior, by Tom Dutta. It was the second time I read it, and I greatly recommend it!

41.               WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?
In the end, how well she loved was all that mattered.




42.               WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?
Having lost an adult child, the thing that would make me happiest is to have him come walking through the front door, looking for his favorite meal. But since I know that can’t happen, what would make me happier than I am now would be us to have more time to spend with our children and grandchildren, for my husband and I to have more time to work on our land, and more time for writing.
43.               ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?
Being a published author doesn’t happen overnight. You can try, try, try, and you will (probably) get rejected a lot. But if you keep trying, get the infrastructure in place, and believe in your work, it will happen.




WEBSITE

 Email: kfrancoeurvt@gmail.com


Clancy's comment: Thank you, and well done, Kris. You live in a nice part of the world. Keep writing.

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