Kate Collins's Blog, page 216

It's not all a fantasy for me ...

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

Earlier this year, I published two sort-of fantasy novels.  I say sort of because ... I don't know how else to label them.  Kind of like you can't really call Star Trek science fiction, ya know?  (Its creator, Gene Roddenberry, described it as "Wagon Train in space.")

I've been telling people that the Tales of Telenia series books are adventure-fantasy, because I've had to face the fact that I'm not a real fan of fantasy.  For years--many, many times--I've tried to get into the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Could not do it. As a last ditch effort, I even tried watching the first movie with Mr. L.  After about an hour we both looked at each other and said, "I'd rather go to bed and dream something extraordinary than watch any more than this."  : (

I'm not saying that the LOTR trilogy (and The Hobbit) are not good stories, it's just that I can't appreciate them in the same way real fans of fantasy can.

When I first watched Star Trek (way back before I wasn't even a twinkle in my Dad's eye), I tried to read traditional Science Fiction and I found that ... hello, I didn't know what the heck they were talking about.  There were a few gems in the anthology 50 Short Science Fiction Tales that I asked my Mom to buy me, and that I still remember (although NOT ONE OF THEM WAS WRITTEN BY A WOMAN!!!!!) , but for the most part ...

Zzzzzzzzzz ...

So my foray into fantasy is more like Star Trek.  Plunking my heroine (Amanda Shelton) down onto a world she doesn't know or understand, and telling a story that makes sense to her ... but maybe not the fantasy (readers) world in general.

Here's the blurb (which my pal Doranna Durgin, who writes wonderful fantasy novels) helped me craft:   Amanda Shelton is clever, adventurous, and tough--and she'll have to be, because she's crash landed on a world where her saviors might well be her enemies. It takes fierce determination to keep the people of this frightening and unfamiliar place from stealing her shuttle technology, or imprisoning her while they do it. Yet what she knows could save countless innocent lives--including those who keep this world safe. Facing this test of spirit will take everything Amanda has...if she survives at all.


I guess the bottom line is:  if you enjoy the characters I've written in my Booktown, Victoria Square, and Jeff Renick Mysteries, you might just enjoy Amanda's journey, too.  I hope you'll give Amanda's stories a try.

My new toy

by Julie

And with this happy little device, I've stepped into the 21st Century!




I can't believe how far we've come from those first boxy bag phones! My parents had one -- back when they were called "Car phones" and came in giant leather carry pouches. My parents tended to be early adopters when it came to technology and they got one for emergencies. I remember thinking how cool it was. And how amazing that people could talk on the phone away from home!

My husband and I came later to the party and we tend to hold onto our phones for years beyond our contracts before turning them in. Same with the kids. In fact, it wasn't until recently that we started to realize that flip-phones are passe. Who knew?

Our eldest daughter and her boyfriend convinced me to try a Mac when I was in the market for a new laptop a few years ago. Loved it. When my PC desktop fried, I replaced it with a Mac desktop. I've since acquired an iPad for travel, and now I have this iPhone to replace my almost-smart android phone. It's been less than 24 hours since I got it, but I'm loving this little device already.

What I'm most excited about is that I can share information between my devices now, pretty easily. What I'm also excited about is that I can now email pictures! I'd been able to take them with my old phone, but the link to emailing never worked. And the final thing I'm thrilled about is that I can even use this phone to access Facebook. I know - I know - time waster! But I do like to keep in touch.

My old  phone originally had FB, but I had to disconnect it because it stole someone else's FB photo and inserted it as my face in phone-generated-emails. Don't ask me to explain it - I can't. All I know is that there was no way to change the photo so I had to resort to eliminating FB from my phone. As of right now, it looks like this iPhone is handling all my tasks well. Fingers crossed!

Is there any technology that you're particularly thrilled to have? Anything that's surprised you?

The Choice is Ours

by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed



In some things we have no choice.

We don’t get to pick our parents. Or the color of our skin. Or whether we are left-handed or right-handed. Those things are out of our control. They are part of the package that makes us who we are.

But in other things, we get to choose.

Like how we deal with the hand we’ve been dealt. How we complete the package.

It’s all about attitude. We have a choice.

Pessimism is one option. It breeds Distrust. Anger. Hatred. Resentment. Jealousy. Fear.

The other option is optimism. Trust. Belief. Hope. Gratitude.

Which have you decided on for today?

Paying Attention

by Maggie Sefton


I'm using my post today to second fellow Cozy Chick Kate's post on nutrition last week.  We all need to pay attention to the food we're buying, whether it be from a large local supermarket chain or an independent grocer or a neighborhood coop.  We have to read labels, check stickers on produce, and ask questions.  Over the past several years, changes have occurred in the planting, growing, and harvesting of our food supply.  Whether it's growing in the ground, growing on a tree or bush, or walking about on two or four feet---changes have happened.  LOTS of changes.  And we all have to pay attention.

The biggest changes have occurred in the production of grains---wheat, soy, and corn, particularly.  If your daily diet includes these grains, I urge you---all of you---to educate yourselves on the genetically modified grains that have moved into our food supply and into our grocers and supermarkets and ultimately---into our bodies.   If you are a vegan or vegetarian, it is IMPERATIVE that you learn how our nation's food supply has changed over these last few years---often without our even being aware.

I don't mean to sound alarmist, but this is a very important subject.  Please run some Google searches on GMNO and genetically modified foods.  Read the information yourself.  There's a lot of it, because it is a very serious subject---and it affects us all.  If we consume food, we're affected.  If you want to see a very well-done PBS documentary on the subject, you can check your TV lists or call your local PBS station and ask when they will be showing the documentary---"Seeds of Death."   I promise you, listening to the various scientists discuss this subject will hold your attention.  I know it did mine.

Over the last few years, I had already eliminated some of these troublesome foods from my daily diet.  But this past summer, I eliminated all seven.  And I was amazed at the difference those changes brought forth.  I started losing weight more easily.  There were those stubborn eight to ten pounds (vanity pounds) I wanted gone.  Even with my daily cardio exercise, those pounds didn't want to leave----until I dropped those seven foods.  Pounds started to come off the first week, and the next, and the next, until I finally got back down to college weight.  No kidding.  I saw numbers on the scale  I hadn't seen in thirty years.

What were the foods I eliminated?

1---Wheat/ Gluten.   This isn't as hard as it sounds because so many people have Gluten-intolerance, food companies have responded with several types of Gluten-free breads that taste good.  Honest;  2---Soy;   3---Corn;  4---Sugar, sucrose, and artificial sweeteners except Stevia.   I know----this is a biggie and it's hard to avoid.  That's why we all have to READ LABELS;  5---Dairy products;   6---Eggs;     7---Peanuts.

Believe it or not, eliminating these foods is easier than you think.  I kicked cow milk 7 years ago and went to soy milk, and 5 years ago I switched to coconut milk and almond milk.  Once I tasted those two, I never looked back.  And lots of "boutique" coffee shops offer almond & coconut milk for lattes.  Yay!  After dropping the foods and seeing success, you can experiment by re-introducing one of the seven back into your daily diet.  Watch what happens.  Your body will always tell you.  My body gave me a strong signal three years ago that the meatless substitutes that I'd adopted were not good for me.  My cast iron gastrointestinal (GI) system which NEVER reacted to foods---no heartburn, acid indigestion, reflux ever---let me know loud and clear that it did not tolerate the meatless substitutes.  My cast iron GI system kept up its warnings until I finally eliminated all meatless substitutes and returned to meat, poultry, & fish.  The return to GI normalcy was immediate.  Clearly, my body did not tolerate those foods.  That was 3 years ago before we knew how our food supply was being affected by GMNOs.  Now. . .I realize my body was obviously reacting to those altered products that were used to make the meatless substitutes.

This summer, I've also made changes to my protein sources.  I buy grass-fed beef, cage-free chicken, and wild-caught fish.  I also eat a TON of leafy green veggies, even more than usual, wonderful olive and sesame oils, and all kinds of nuts.  Three times a day I have nuts for a snack.  They contain healthy oils and are an excellent protein source.

You don't have to take my word for it.  Educate yourself and make up your own mind.   Good health is worth the effort.

The Right Way to Say No

By Kate Collins

Do you have a hard time saying No to people? I’m a natural born helper so I say Yes a lot. In fact, sometimes I say Yes so much that I end up with too much on my plate, which stresses me out. Sound familiar?

So should you "just say no" as the saying goes?  In a word, No! At least not according to research published in the Journal of Consumer Research.  When most people say no, they feel obliged to explain their response and usually begin with “I can’t because…”  But that’s a bad idea,say researchers. Saying “I can’t” indicates that you’re forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do.

What should you say instead? Try "I don't." This works better because when you say ‘I don’t,’ you’re giving yourself control and power over the situation.

Also saying “I can’t” invites the other person to counter with, “Sure you can. I’ll help.” And then you’re stuck. Not so if you say "I don't."

Heidi Grant Halvorson, the director of the Motivation Science Center at Columbia University, explains why:

“'I don’t' is experienced as a choice, so it feels empowering. It’s an affirmation of your determination and willpower. ‘I can’t’ isn’t a choice. It’s a restriction; it’s being imposed upon you. So thinking ‘I can’t’ undermines your sense of power and personal agency.”

Some examples:

I can’t be on the committee -- becomes  -- I don’t schedule things during family times.

I can’t talk during the day – becomes – I don’t answer the phone until after 5 pm.

I can’t skip my workout – becomes – I don’t skip workouts.

See how empowering and strong that makes you feel?  You can take it a step further and make your response positive:

I can’t talk during the day – becomes – I am only available to talk on the phone after 5 p.m.

I think it makes perfect sense.  In fact, I’m going to put that into practice this week.

Are you a person who can’t say no?  If not, do you have your own technique?

It's Welcome To Night Vale Time

by Leann

Do you know what a podcast is? If you grew up enjoying radio, as I did, you might want to explore podcasts. They can be downloaded from itunes for free and there is one, Welcome to Night Vale, that I find highly entertaining--partly because I am closely related to one of its creators, my son-in-law Jeffrey Cranor. I've written often about my talented daughter, who is a performance artist in NYC, so now it's time to share about Jeffrey.

He writes the twice-monthly episodes with Joseph Fink and though I may be prejudiced, there's a little genius going on here. You can also go to Youtube to listen and here's a link to all 33 episodes created in the last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4Tf8vwgBSA&list=PLNFb9tJmiDYZzcniV5RYQa81r0FEtqNI-

The podcasts have gone globally viral--bouncing between the #1 and #2 spot in the U.S. with This American Life. Pretty nice company. But they are also in the top ten in places like Australia, the UK, New Zealand ... the list goes on. There will be a book in the future and the creators and Cecil have done interviews on PBS. Their first "live show" in NYC sold out in about thirty seconds. Yup. That's viral. But what is it? Well, that's a good question.

The narrator is Cecil Baldwin, radio announcer in a small Southwest desert town, who reports on events in Night Vale with his calm-yet-scare-you-to- death voice. (He's brilliant, in other words.) Cecil reports on community news, weather, gives the sheriff reports--everything you might listen to if you were taking a road trip and tuned in to a small local radio station. But even a weather report can go horribly "off." You'll hear Cecil talk about the "glow cloud" or the dog park where no dogs are allowed. Yes, it's different.Their latest T-shirt (there is plenty of merchandise and fan art) sold out before I could buy one. Drat. Love it.

If you enjoyed The Twilight Zone or the offbeat, the weird, the mysterious or the paranormal, Night Vale is for you. But really, it's for anyone who loves words and how they can transport us to places we may or may not want to visit.

And yes, there's a website: http://commonplacebooks.com/welcome-to-night-vale/

Check it out, friends. It's fun to catch a virus like this one.

Bugged Out

By Heather
Have you heard about the stink bug invasion? It’s all over the news. The media has picked up on this creepy-crawly assault, and is spreading the word of it far and wide.
Ordinarily, I’d roll my eyes at such an over-hyped news piece, but this week I've had the (dis)pleasure of being up close and personal to these little critters, and I’m ready to believe the press.  Ew, ew, and more ew.Every last stinking bit of it.
Okay, so my house isn't really under a full-fledged attack. Not yet at least, but I've seen more stink bugs in the past week than I ever have before in my whole life. They try to blend in with their speckled little camouflaged bodies, but they stick out on the light garage walls. I had to “relocate” three of them just today. Trust me, you don’t want to squish them (they have the name "stink bug" for a reason).
The most popular way to get rid of the bugs is to vacuum them up and relocate them, and the other idea I've seen mentioned a couple of times is using a mixture of Dawn and water to spray on them—it suffocates the little suckers or something (but can apparently be messy). Not much else works (that I know of--do you have ideas?).
For now I'm okay with relocating the buggers and not issuing death sentences. But all bets are off if they start migrating into the house.

Have stink bugs invaded your area?

Revisiting the past

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

I'm sure I'm not the only person out there who's haunted by events in her past.

When I was young, my mother suffered from a life-threatening illness.  The three of us were farmed out with relatives, friends, and neighbors at various times, and we never knew when it was going to happen. We'd come home from school to find Mom had been wisked off in an ambulance and we'd be sleeping someplace else that night--and maybe for weeks at a time. My dad worked rotating "tricks" and couldn't take care of us.  That left me with fierce fears of abandonment that I struggled with into adulthood. Stories my older brother made up at night to help us fall asleep were a great comfort to my younger brother and me, and I've often wondered if it's one of the reasons I became a storyteller myself.

Readers are fascinated with my character Jeff Resnick's past.  Hey, I am, too.  As I was writing the first four books, I tried to understand why he did some of the (rather odd) things he did.  I was very unsure of myself as a storyteller, and a number of published writers in my local writing group were generous with their critiques.  One of them really stood out.  While reading Cheated by Death, I was asked, "How long has this man had an eating disorder?"

A what?

And then she went on to point out several areas in the book where clearly Jeff's relationship with food is at odds.  It was then I realized it was a thread through the previous books as well--something I hadn't even noticed. 

The idea fascinated me, and I wrote a short story to explore the issue.  I wrote short stories to explore other areas of his past, too.  I've told a number of readers about the stories, and they've encouraged me to publish them.

The stories are not mysteries.  They're about a boy struggling to grow up, and the very rocky relationship he has with his older brother. They help explain why the two were estranged for eighteen years, and hopefully contain the seeds of their fierce friendship to come.

Recently a reader asked me what was up with Tricia Miles of my Booktown series, and was she anorexic?  No, Tricia does not often indulge in fatty foods and is serious about exercise for a much different reason.  While it's a trait of anorexics to strive to be perfect, and that has been what Tricia struggles with, you'll notice she has no trouble eating a meal prepared by her sister.  When it comes to food, Tricia just hates to cook.

The Jeff stories are nowhere near ready to publish, and I have no idea when (or if) they'll be available, but delving into the past that haunts these men is a fascinating journey.

What about your past haunts you?

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

by Julie

My husband has come up with some great gift ideas through the years, but his most recent Christmas gift to me has the potential to rank up there as one of the best.

First a little recap: We've stopped buying a lot of "stuff" for ourselves and for the kids. We did buy them iPods a few years back, but mostly we try to come up with gifts that are more about the experience than about accumulation. My husband is the one who came up with the idea of taking them to see Wicked (also a few years back). Since then, we've done family Segway tours, gone skiing, and seen other stage performances.

Side note: I truly believe that cleaning our basement (remember that project?) has had a major impact on our buying habits. We don't want stuff here any more. You know - decorative objects that are cute but do nothing. Things that aren't consumable.

Anyway, in the interest of not bringing more tchotchkes into the house, we've had to get clever about our gift-giving. Last Christmas, my husband came up with a fun one for me: He would cook me dinner one night a month for the entire year.

Now... you have to understand that my husband doesn't cook. Even when we're grilling, I'm in charge. He's had some experience baking (his mother saw to that), but cooking is a whole new experience for him.

Here we are, in October, and I have to say that he has done a magnificent job! He'd disagree in a couple of instances, but he'd be wrong. Everything has been superb. He takes his time -- way more than I do -- he preps every ingredient before he gets started. In short, he does everything right and never cuts corners (the way I do). He makes everything from scratch.

His first dinner did take about ten hours, start to finish, but his timing's improved a lot over these months. The last dinner took barely more than three hours from start to finish, so that's a vast improvement. We've had scallops, ratatouille, ribs, lamb chops, pork chops, and more. He's made a point of using recipes that I've never tried, so that everything is new. I've since adopted a few of his dishes and added them to our regular rotation. Delicious, really.

As we approach the end of the year, I'm sorry to see this gift end. I've hinted, repeatedly, that I'd like this gift again this year, but he says maybe he'll take on the ironing instead. Not a chance!

What's been one of your favorite gifts of all time?

I'm Gonna Do Some Shooting

by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed

I'm feeling a bit ornery today, because my shooting has been terrible! No, not that kind. I kill people for a living, remember? Every day I get to pick my weapon of choice and employ it:)

But unlike Grams in my beekeeping mysteries - that dear sweetie who works miracles with her point and shoot - my camera sucks.

Just let that duck out on the river do a little paddling while I'm clicking, and I have blur. Zoom in? Fergetaboutit.

Yes, it's time to open the pocketbook and spend some bills for a decent camera. One that takes superduper pictures in spite of me. A camera with a zoom lens so I can see the nose hairs on a tail without him spotting me.

There is so much out there - Leica, Sony, Nikon, Canon, Samsung, Panasonic...... I'm sorta leaning toward a Canon.

Any suggestions?