Carol Cox's Blog, page 4
September 13, 2012
Getting into Character
I love making on-site visits to a book’s location while I’m writing. It’s exhilarating to walk in the steps of my characters and experience the sights and sounds they would have encountered, even if getting inside their heads sometimes means getting odd looks from the people around me . . . and occasionally from my family.
Sometimes an actual town works perfectly for a story. At other times, creating a fictional setting serves the story best. That was the case when I wrote Love in Disguise. While exploring the back roads of southern Arizona with my husband and daughter, we came upon the site of an old ghost town. Its location near the banks of the San Pedro River was made to order for what I had in mind, and so the town of Pickford was born.
Once I’d settled on the town’s location, I needed to plan its layout. We were using Tombstone as our headquarters during that trip, and while we walked from our hotel to a restaurant for dinner one evening, it occurred to me that the way Tombstone’s streets are laid out was exactly what I needed for Pickford.
I picked up a local street map and spent the evening locating the points where different scenes would take in the book and marking them on the map. The church, the stage depot, the telegraph office . . . eventually I’d chosen places for them all. It was like creating my own little SimCity!
The next day we set out for the corner where my heroine’s house was situated. My breath caught when I realized I’d been given a perfect opportunity to experience what Ellie would as she went from one spot to another around Pickford.
“Let’s walk to the Grand Hotel.”
My husband and daughter peered over my shoulder as I pointed it out on my revised street plan. “The Grand Hotel . . . which is actually The Bird Cage Theater?”
I nodded happily. It made perfect sense to me, and by now they’ve learned to recognize the signs when I start to slip from the real world into an alternate reality.
I heard sighs of resignation as they looked at each other. “Okay, let’s go.”
In no time at all, I felt as completely immersed in my role as Ellie was when she took on the roles of Lavinia Stewart and Jessie Monroe in her job as an undercover Pinkerton operative. Every step that echoed along the boardwalk seemed to anchor me more firmly in that earlier time as I strode along, nodding to the passersby.
My daughter nudged me. “Why are you holding your camera like that?”
I looked down at the camera, dangling by its strap from my wrist in front of my waist. “It isn’t a camera anymore. It’s my reticule.”
Was that a faint whimper I heard? I thought about reaching out to give her a comforting pat on the arm, but my other hand was busy holding up an imaginary parasol to protect my delicate complexion from the harsh Arizona sun.
As we passed the Pickford stage depot (or in Tombstone, the site of the Longhorn Restaurant), I stepped down off the boardwalk to cross the street, ready to investigate the Pickford Bakery.
A sharp yank on my arm jolted me from my reverie as my husband pulled me to a halt. I blinked and tried to get my bearings. Had the dear man just saved me from being trampled by a runaway horse?
Not exactly. A car was pulling up to the stop sign on the cross street, and he wanted to keep me from stepping out into its path. The realization brought me back to the 21st century with a thud.
That research trip turned out to be one of the most enjoyable I’ve had to date, and I hope I managed to make Pickford seem as real to my readers as it did to me . . . minus the runaway horses and oncoming cars.
Until next time . . .
September 5, 2012
Home, Home on the Range
When I tell people I live near a small town, the first question they ask—after the initial pitying glance—is, “How small is it?” Let’s put it this way:
It’s small enough that one of the favorite pastimes of the kids in town is standing on street corners yelling, “Wrong way!” at out-of-towners who don’t read the One Way signs. Small enough that a traffic jam consists of drivers stopping in the middle of the road to visit with friends traveling in the opposite direction. Small enough that mugging is something our kids do in front of a camera.
Our property is located a short distance from town, on open range. My dictionary defines “open range” as a large area of grazing land without fences or other barriers, but around here it means you’d better put up a fence if you don’t want cattle grazing in your front yard. So technically, I really do have a home on the range.
It isn’t quite like the old Western song, though. We don’t have any buffalo roaming nearby (although there are three of them penned up at a truck stop along I-40). On the other hand, there’s that line about the deer and the antelope playing . . .
The deer were being coy the day I took that photo, but the antelope were out in force. Scenes like these are some of my favorite parts of country living. As a writer, I love sitting on my front porch with my laptop, watching a mama quail lead her babies across the drive while I’m typing the next chapter of my novel.
Or drawing inspiration from one of our 360-degree sunsets.
Or enjoying the view of the Black-Eyed Susans I’ve spent years coaxing into bloom.
Living in a rural area does mean there are some tradeoffs. It’s seventeen miles to the nearest supermarket, and fifty miles (one way) to the nearest Wal-Mart, movie theater, or mall. But since we make the drive through some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable, it’s hard to see that as a disadvantage.
City dwellers talk a lot about things like traffic snarls and the current crime rate, but I have stories of my own. Like the one about the killer pumpkin vine.
Or the morning the javelina appeared in our back yard.
Or the time we found a skunk in our sunroom.
And then there’s the day I got locked inside a chicken coop.
Sometimes I feel a little sorry for the city folks. It’s hard to compete with stories like that. And while they’re stuck in traffic amidst the concrete canyons, I’ll be sitting on my front porch staring at the wide, sapphire sky.
Unlike the song, I can’t say that these skies are “not cloudy all day,” but I’d rather look at those puffy cotton balls scudding across a field of blue than sit behind a diesel-belching semi any day.
Home on the range—gotta love it!
Until next time . . .
August 30, 2012
Recipe for a Masterpiece
Start with a handful of clay. Mix in sandstone, mud, and volcanic ash. Add water.
I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like anything that has been concocted in my kitchen . . . at least not since my kids outgrew their mud pie phase. But in the hands of the Master Designer, that’s the recipe behind one of the most stunning sights in northern Arizona—the Painted Desert.
This wonder of nature stretches out in a crescent over 160 miles long, where the terrain consists of a very soft layer of earth. The torrential rains that come during our summer monsoon season create erosion that produces fantastic formations like these. Is it just me, or do some of them remind you of a multicolored layer cake?
The drive through the Petrified Forest National Park (where some of the more scenic spots of the Painted Desert are located) leads through miles of badlands, hills, buttes, and mesas. Along the way, numerous pullouts offer the opportunity to take time to savor each new vista.
Centuries ago, ancient tribes inhabited this beautiful, yet desolate, area. That white line snaking through the photo above is now a dusty wash, but at one time it carried water that supported the community of pueblo dwellers who lived here and left behind these petroglyphs—stories in stone for those who would come after.
Farther along our route, we finally reach the Petrified Forest the park is named for. Last week I bemoaned the lack of beaches in Arizona, but that wasn’t always the case. Long before the pueblo people made their homes here, water covered the land. Floodwaters carried trees along, burying them in the mud. Volcanic ash, sent into the air by the active volcanoes that once dotted the area, settled into the water. The silica in the ash dissolved and permeated the logs, where it crystallized as quartz.
The first time I saw the Petrified Forest at age nine, I was sorely disappointed. I’d expected . . . well, a forest! You know–trees standing erect, frozen in time, not a scattered mass of fossilized trunks lying on the ground. But now I can appreciate the series of events that went into creating the rainbow of colors that delineate every detail of these logs.
Mud, clay, ash, and water. It doesn’t sound like a recipe with much chance of success, does it? But God can take the least likely ingredients and turn them into a thing of beauty. And that shouldn’t come as any surprise. After all, the Bible tells us that God formed man out of the dust of the ground. In the hands of the Master, the most humble elements can be transformed into a masterpiece.
Would you like to see one of His masterpieces right now? Go take a look in the mirror. Each one of us is a unique creation, fashioned by the Master’s loving hands.
May you rejoice today in knowing you’re one of His works of art!
Until next time,
August 21, 2012
Beachfront Property in Arizona?
Arizona has it all . . . well, nearly all. Scenic vistas galore? Check.
Glorious, 360-degree sunsets? Check.
Landscapes ranging from blazing deserts to snow-capped mountains? Check.
Beaches? Um . . . no. And that makes me a little sad. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a state where water is at a premium that I love beaches so much.
Any beach will do. I’ve walked along sandy stretches beside the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Caribbean, and they’ve all suited me just fine. As long as I can dig my toes in the wet sand, listen to the waves, and breathe in the scent of sea air, I feel like I’ve found my own little slice of heaven.
Over the years, we’ve tried to incorporate as many beach visits as possible into our family travel plans, but this year a summer vacation just wasn’t on the calendar. And I was okay with the idea of staying home . . . until I realized it meant I wouldn’t get my beach fix.
Or would I? Like one of those moments when a light bulb goes off over a cartoon character’s head, I jumped up and headed straight for the desk in my office.
What does an old rolltop desk have to do with sugar-fine sand and crashing waves? I’m glad you asked. ☺ On top of my desk is a shelf that holds treasures I’ve acquired over the years. The collection may not seem exciting to anyone else, but for me each object holds a special meaning.
There’s the china egg given to me by a dear friend shortly before she passed away . . . the small glass bowl filled with dried rose petals, a reminder of a special Mother’s Day bouquet from my son . . . the certificate with information about a star a friend named for me. And an assortment of beaches. Really.
Years ago, a friend who lived in our small town used to travel extensively through different parts of the country. Like me, she loved the ocean and visited beaches whenever she could. One year she came back from a trip with this little bottle of white sand topped off by a tiny chunk of driftwood.
My own little beach! I turned on a CD of ocean sounds (yes, I have several of those–I haven’t quite decided whether that’s whimsical or pathetic) and in a moment, I could almost smell the ocean breezes. Seeing how much I enjoyed her gift, my friend started bringing back a new “beach” for my collection whenever she made another trip.
Each time, she made the keepsake a little more elaborate than the one before.
Different containers, different sand, different shells–each one unique in its own way. But the same love and caring went into creating them.
Is holding one of my little beaches the same thing as actually standing on the seashore? Well, no. But there’s something about them that’s even more special than a visit to the coast. These aren’t just tokens of a setting I love, they’re a reminder of someone who loved me. Someone who took the time to collect all those items and create a gift I will always treasure.
Has anyone ever done something special like this to share their friendship with you? Or have you been the one to do that sharing in a creative way?
Sometimes it’s the little things that mean the most. Thank you, Cheryl J, for your friendship–and for giving me years of beach enjoyment right here in Arizona!
Until next time,
August 19, 2012
Cruisin’ Arizona – Winslow’s La Posada Hotel
I’ve always been fascinated by stories of the Harvey Houses, the brainchild of Fred Harvey, whose restaurants, souvenir shops, and hotels helped bring civility to the Wild West in the late 1800s. When an opportunity came up to visit La Posada, one of the last of the Harvey Houses, I couldn’t resist . . . not that I tried very hard. ☺
The chance to tour Winslow and the surrounding area came at the perfect time to celebrate turning in my edits for next June’s release. My daughter and I packed our bags, and a few hours later we were standin’ on the corner in Winslow, Arizona. I love this photo op the town’s boosters erected at the corner of Second Street and Kinsley to commemorate the old Eagles song.
La Posada is only a few blocks away, an easy walk down Second Street.
Renowned architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter was hired to design the hotel and considered La Posada her masterpiece. Mary Colter created a theme for each of her buildings and used that as her inspiration to tell a story through its design. She envisioned La Posada as the home of a fabulously wealthy family of Spanish descent who acquired artwork and other treasures during their world travels. It’s easy to see that story played out in the eclectic blend of Spanish architecture and bits of memorabilia from around the globe.
The list of guests who stayed in La Posada during its heyday reads like a Hollywood Who’s Who of days gone by—names like: Bob Hope, Howard Hughes, Roddy McDowell, Shirley Temple, Will Rogers, and Jimmy Stewart. Amelia Earhart stayed here too. So did Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.
Today, the rooms are named for these famous guests. Here’s a photo of the Anne Morrow Lindbergh room, where we stayed.
Airy and spacious, it looks out over the hotel’s sunken garden, a perfect spot for a bit of quiet reflection.
The attention to detail provided a feast for the eyes everywhere we went. Wandering through the building and out around the grounds, we never knew what to expect next. We might come across a hallway filled with sculpture, or a blue grand piano in a cozy corner of the former ballroom. These unexpected treasures were just as plentiful outside—a gate leading to a charming garden . . . or a whimsical donkey tucked away in a little nook.
The beautiful Turquoise Room is considered the finest restaurant in the Four Corners Region.
I fully intended to take a photo of the Smoked Salmon Carpacchio Salad I had for lunch, but it was so tempting that I completely forgot to pull out my camera until I was nearly finished eating. Hmm . . . maybe I’ll have to go back again, just so I can have a picture to share!
La Posada was closed to the public in 1957. Later it was gutted and used by the Santa Fe Railway for office space. By the 1990s, it had fallen into a state of disrepair and was put on the endangered list of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. If not for Allan Affeldt, who saw the building’s true worth and decide to save it for posterity, that bit of Southwest history might have been lost forever.
It took someone with vision to rescue La Posada. Someone who could see beyond the disrepair and envision the potential beauty that restoration could bring.
Isn’t it good to know that God is in the business of restoring people? No matter how shabby or useless we may appear on the outside, He looks beyond the surface and sees the possibilities that lie within.
My visit to La Posada is one that I’ll long remember. If you’ve ever been to a Harvey House, I’d love to know which one you visited! Any stories you’d like to share?
One more thing before I sign off—a huge thanks to all of you who helped spread the word about the free download of Love in Disguise on August 6th. By the end of the day, it had climbed to the #2 spot in the Top 100 Free books in the Kindle store, and the TOP spot in the Fiction category!! What a great way to spread the word about my latest release . . . and it would never have happened without you. I appreciate you all so much!
Until next time,
August 4, 2012
Drum Roll, Please!
Last week, I offered the chance to win one of the Love in Disguise mirrors pictured below to people who commented on my blog. Each of these lovely, heart-shaped mirrors has a shimmering, pebbled finish on the front, a picture of Love in Disguise on the back, and a handy little mirror on the inside to help with cosmetic touch-ups (or stealthy, over-your-shoulder sleuthing).
And now, a drum roll, please! The winners are:
Micheal Dale Grim
Ouida Stokes
Margaret King
Joretta Foster
Becca Z
Eva Daniell
Jenny Ham
Laurel Cagle
bn100
Melanie Blanco
Congratulations to all of you!!
I just sent an e-mail to each of the winners, asking for their mailing addresses, and the prizes will go out in the mail in the next few days.
Many thanks to everyone who stopped by to leave a comment. I love hearing from you!!
I’ve spent the last few days finishing up the revisions for my next book, and I’ve been swamped! (No pun intended in connection with the post on “The Swamper’s Tale.” Well, maybe a little ☺) I’ll try to catch up over the weekend and respond to the comments and questions you left.
Check back next week, when I’ll be posting more tidbits from my travels around Arizona. You never know when something you see here will pop up in one of my books!
Until next time,
July 28, 2012
The Swamper’s Tale, or How to Clean Up in More Ways Than One
Have I mentioned how much I love doing research? Some view that task as drudgery, but for me it’s pure joy. Digging through old books in hopes of unearthing forgotten stories, or traveling to a book’s setting to experience the location firsthand—these are things that set my senses tingling. You just never know what tiny nugget of information might surface that will find its way into a story.
My visit to Big Nose Kate’s Saloon in Tombstone while doing onsite research for Love in Disguise turned up a nugget (in more ways than one!) that did just that.
In case you’re wondering, let me say that frequenting saloons is not high on my list of normal activities. Despite its name, Big Nose Kate’s (named for the girlfriend of Doc Holliday) is more a Western-style restaurant than a watering hole for weary cowboys eager to slake the trail dust from their throats.
And if the prospect of enjoying a good meal in a historic building wasn’t enough to persuade me to stop by, there was the intriguing story of the Swamper’s Hole . . .
Back in the 1880s, when the building served as a hotel instead of an eatery, it seems there was an employee known as “the Swamper,” who acted as the janitor and handled odd jobs around the place.
He was given his own room, tucked away in a corner of the basement, where it can still be viewed today at the far end of the gift shop. As you can see, it wasn’t a pretentious room by any means—containing little more than a rough bunk and a cupboard.
But there was one special feature that made this room unique. Did you notice the ladder and windlass at the foot of the bed? The photo below gives a different angle, showing the way they descend into a hole far beneath the streets of Tombstone . . .
A hole the Swamper dug by hand . . .
A hole that gave him access to the network of mining tunnels that formed a maze under the town.
And so the enterprising Swamper—janitor by day, miner by night—was able to spend his off-duty hours doing a bit of prospecting, helping himself to all the ore he could dig out and haul up to his room, courtesy of Tombstone’s unsuspecting mine owners.
If you’ve read Love in Disguise, you’ll recognize the way that bit of history sparked an idea in my mind.
If you haven’t read it yet . . . be sure to keep the legend of the Swamper in mind, so you’ll be able to see the way it’s woven into the story!
While I was there, I checked the basement gift shop at Big Nose Kate’s for items that might relate to Love in Disguise, but I couldn’t find anything that connected with the story nearly as well as these beautiful pocket mirrors I found at a gift shop online.
These mirrors have a shimmering, pebbled finish on the front, a picture of Love in Disguise on the back, and a handy little mirror on the inside to help you with cosmetic touch-ups (or stealthy, over-your-shoulder sleuthing). And this week, I’m giving ten of them away to my blog readers!
To enter, leave a comment on this blog post by Friday, August 3. Please include your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you’re one of the winners. Ten names will be selected through Random.org, and the winners will be posted here on my blog on August 4.
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, filled with opportunities to recognize God’s blessings in your life!
June 14, 2012
A Sharper Focus
I braced myself against one of the guardrails along the Grand Canyon’s South Rim and snapped one photo after another. Even though I was born and raised in Arizona, and now live less than two hours from the Canyon, seeing it from different angles under the ever-changing light conditions never fails to inspire a sense of awe.
Patterns of light and shadow shifted as clouds scudded across the sky, throwing the multi-colored rock striations into sharp relief. From time to time, patches of blue sky became visible through gaps in the dark storm clouds. Ravens soared overhead, borne aloft by the updrafts along the canyon walls.
After the storm passed, I took more photos from the same spot, sure the backdrop of freshly-washed blue sky would show the scene to its best advantage.
Back at home, I downloaded the dozens of pictures I had taken that day and scrolled through them on my laptop. When I reached the final shots taken after the storm, I was surprised to find that instead of the stunning panorama I expected to see, those photos appeared flat . . . almost lifeless. But those I’d taken earlier showed a sense of vibrancy, depth, and texture, even though the landscape had been overshadowed by the storm.
Sometimes I see the same thing when I look at my life. I’d love to think that the easy times, the ones I can sail through with a smile, are the ones that show a triumphant life in Christ. But it’s often the darker moments, when those storm clouds gather overhead, that throw the Lord’s presence in my life into sharp relief and speak most clearly to those about me.
To be honest, I’d rather it didn’t work out that way. I don’t go out looking for trouble or seeking ways to invite it into my life. Far from it! I’d much prefer that all my days were serene and filled with joy. But as followers of Christ, we aren’t guaranteed that our lives will be problem-free. In fact, Jesus said that we will have trouble in this world.
When those storms come along—as they inevitably do—I don’t expect to enjoy them, but I can take comfort in knowing He’s bringing His work into sharper focus in the picture of my life.
What’s your perspective on the storms of life? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
JOIN ME ON MY BLOG TOUR!
I have the privilege of being interviewed on a number of blogs over the next few weeks. Here are some of the sites I’m visiting in June. I’d love it if you’d stop by and leave a comment to let me know you were there. I’m offering giveaways at several of these stops, so be sure to check in and join the fun!
June 4, 2012
June 4, 2012
June 6, 2012
June 8, 2012
June 11, 2012
June 11, 2012
June 11, 2012
June 17, 2012
June 22, 2012
June 26, 2012
June 12, 2012
Street Scenes, Ghost Towns, and Hollywood
One of the sad truths about being an author is that our job is to make life more difficult—not easier—for our characters. And I suspect said characters don’t always appreciate our diligent efforts to complicate their lives.
I’m sure Ellie, the heroine of Love in Disguise, would have liked a little advance notice on what to expect before she arrived in Pickford, Arizona, to begin her work as an undercover Pinkerton operative. After spending her life involved in Chicago’s theater circles, imagine the poor girl’s reaction to seeing a street scene like this when she stepped off the stage . . . minus the tourist in shorts, of course.
But I wasn’t totally bent on making Ellie’s life miserable. The moment I spotted this building—which houses Tombstone’s Visitor Center—I knew it was the ideal inspiration for the Grand Hotel. See the way it sits on an intersection with windows facing out on both streets? What a perfect place for Ellie to sit in the lobby and do a bit of spying while she’s trying to spot the silver thieves!
Discovering the “Grand Hotel” was a lovely bit of serendipity. Sometimes a setting will line up so perfectly with what’s needed in a story that I just have to catch my breath and say, “Thank You, Lord!”
Another fun moment occurred when I was scouting around—with the help of my family—for the perfect location for my fictional town. During one of our forays, we discovered Fairbank, an old ghost town near the San Pedro River.
The location was promising, but the problem remained of what to call it. For one thing, I’d planned to use a fictitious town in my book. For another, Fairbank didn’t have quite the sound I was looking for.
My son, who is also a classic movie buff, came up with a suggestion: “Why don’t you call it Pickford?” It took a moment to realize he was making a playful reference to the romance and subsequent marriage of early 20th-century film stars Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and Mary Pickford.
Well, why not? Pickford had a nice ring to it, and the “pick” part of the name tied in with the mining theme of the book.
And now you know “the rest of the story” about how Pickford got its name. Maybe I should have written my son in as the mayor.
Speaking of film stars, I asked a question while chatting online with a group of readers last week, and I’d love to know your thoughts on this—
Ellie, the heroine of Love in Disguise, had three very different “looks”—her own appearance (which she considers plain and uninteresting), middle-aged Lavinia, and Lavinia’s dazzling niece, Jessie (pictured on the cover of the book.) It would take a talented actress to carry that off! If you were casting the movie version of Love in Disguise, who would you pick to play such a challenging role?
What do you think? Please chime in and let me know. Hollywood hasn’t come knocking on my door yet, but it’s always fun to dream. ☺
JOIN ME ON MY BLOG TOUR!
I have the privilege of being interviewed on a number of blogs over the next few weeks. Here are some of the sites I’m visiting in June. I’d love it if you’d stop by and leave a comment to let me know you were there. I’m offering giveaways at several of these stops, so be sure to check in and join the fun!
June 4, 2012
June 4, 2012
June 6, 2012
June 8, 2012
June 11, 2012
June 11, 2012
June 11, 2012
June 22, 2012
June 26, 2012
June 9, 2012
And the winner is . . .
Drum roll, please! Here are the names of the winners from yesterday’s Book Banter that took place on the Bethany House Publishers Facebook page:
Oliva Allman
Marie Burton
Kathy Staashelm Warth
Ken LaLonde
Katelyn Marie Whitley
Congratulations, ladies!!!
Please send your mailing address to Noelle at: noelle.buss (at) bethanyhouse (dot) com so she’ll know where to send your copy of Love in Disguise!
Many thanks to everyone who participated in the Book Banter with me. You made it an absolutely wonderful day, and I loved getting the chance to visit with you!
