June Shaw's Blog, page 10
July 16, 2015
An Island Adventure Worth Writing About
by Jean Henry Mead
The Tatoosh Islands
I was invited to Tatoosh by my brother Bob, a career coast guardsman, who was in charge of the small island group collectively named for a chief of the Makah Indian nation. The three small islands are the most northwesterly point of the continental U.S. and located in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, half a mile from the coast of Neah Bay, Washington. The lighthouse, Cape Flattery, was located on Tatoosh's main island.
My...
The Tatoosh IslandsI was invited to Tatoosh by my brother Bob, a career coast guardsman, who was in charge of the small island group collectively named for a chief of the Makah Indian nation. The three small islands are the most northwesterly point of the continental U.S. and located in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, half a mile from the coast of Neah Bay, Washington. The lighthouse, Cape Flattery, was located on Tatoosh's main island.
My...
July 14, 2015
Real people--by request
by Carola
I had an interesting meeting at Art and the Vineyard (a local outdoor art & wine show) yesterday.
Several years ago, I was asked to give a character in my next book the name of the person who bid highest at an auction in aid of the Eugene Opera (disclosure: I'm a classical music fan but don't care for opera). The winning bid was $800, a woman who want her husband's name used. Turned out his name was Polish, which made for complications, but I got him into Valley of the Shadow, my...
I had an interesting meeting at Art and the Vineyard (a local outdoor art & wine show) yesterday.
Several years ago, I was asked to give a character in my next book the name of the person who bid highest at an auction in aid of the Eugene Opera (disclosure: I'm a classical music fan but don't care for opera). The winning bid was $800, a woman who want her husband's name used. Turned out his name was Polish, which made for complications, but I got him into Valley of the Shadow, my...
July 13, 2015
America the Beautiful, take two
HomeOther people’s holiday snaps are merely things which test your acting ability and your vocabulary as you search for synonyms for ‘lovely’, ‘nice’, ‘how interesting’ and so on. So the fact that I’ve already droned on about visiting the USAand here I am extending it even further is a good reason for you to stop reading now and leave a comment consisting of one or more of the synonyms.If you’re still here, I’ll make it worse by telling you that one of the evenings was spent with my eyes full...
July 11, 2015
What's In a Name?by June ShawOkay, I did not originally c...
What's In a Name?
by June Shaw
Okay, I did not originally come up with that question. Someone you know much better created it and numerous other quotes we enjoy. I believe Shakespeare's question is relevant today just like many of the situations he created.
But really, what is it about names? Shakespeare used Montague and Capulet to deepen his question and point out the fury between both families. Considering a few of the names he used throughout his plays makes me know the Bard spent quite a bi...
by June Shaw
Okay, I did not originally come up with that question. Someone you know much better created it and numerous other quotes we enjoy. I believe Shakespeare's question is relevant today just like many of the situations he created.
But really, what is it about names? Shakespeare used Montague and Capulet to deepen his question and point out the fury between both families. Considering a few of the names he used throughout his plays makes me know the Bard spent quite a bi...
July 8, 2015
I'M AT SIXES AND SEVENS--As the Brits Say
by Jackie King
I’ve been a huge Anglophile most of my life. Early in life I fell in love with that country upon discovering Agatha Christie’s delightful mysteries. One of the phrases she often used, and I particularly liked was, “ I’m at sixes and sevens...”
There was never any reason to look up this bit of colloquial vocabulary, because whenever Dame Agatha used the phrase I always knew exactly what the character meant: A state of confusion and disorder.
I’m in such a state of flux right now....
I’ve been a huge Anglophile most of my life. Early in life I fell in love with that country upon discovering Agatha Christie’s delightful mysteries. One of the phrases she often used, and I particularly liked was, “ I’m at sixes and sevens...”
There was never any reason to look up this bit of colloquial vocabulary, because whenever Dame Agatha used the phrase I always knew exactly what the character meant: A state of confusion and disorder.
I’m in such a state of flux right now....
July 2, 2015
Writing a Mystery Series
A Guest Blog by Patricia GligorWhen I decided to write my first novel, Mixed Messages, I had no intention of writing a series. The book was supposed to be a mystery/suspense standalone. But, as I was writing it, I realized there was more to the story and I needed to finish what I’d started. So, I wrote Unfinished Business and, by the time I’d finished that book, I’d become so attached to my characters there was no way I was letting them go. I had to know what wo...
June 24, 2015
A Tribute to My Beta Readers
by Jackie KingThere should be a special place in heaven for friends of writers. Especially smart friends who love to read and who volunteer to read your work. Some of these are called alpha readers and some are called beta reader.
Alpha readers are the folks in your critique group or other friends with generous hearts who will read your work as it’s produced. I have a group of these folks who support me emotionally on a regular basis: my remarkable critique group. I owe these fellow writers un...
Alpha readers are the folks in your critique group or other friends with generous hearts who will read your work as it’s produced. I have a group of these folks who support me emotionally on a regular basis: my remarkable critique group. I owe these fellow writers un...
June 22, 2015
America the Beautiful, take one.
We’ve been to the USA in all the seasons. It started back in the 70s when my wife and I were doing a revue at the Edinburgh fringe and shared a theatre with a group of students from The University of Rhode Island. They invited us to take the show over there and that was the first of many other visits when I was a visiting professor and gave courses on textual appreciation, creative writing and even writing sketches (or skits as they’re called over there). I also translated 3 one act Molière p...
June 10, 2015
Mysteries That Make Us Laugh--Guest Author: Shelley Costa
Book 1 in series--Edgar Nominated!What’s So Funny About Murder?
by Shelley CostaThe answer in the real world, of course, is nothing. So how do we mystery writers who put humor on the page get away with treating the subject lightly? In some ways, funny murder mysteries are actually about something other than, well, murder. The murder becomes a kind of springboard for writing a comical tale about a set of interesting characters flung together to investigate the crime. The...
June 8, 2015
More thoughts from below the equator – an interview with Dorothy Johnston (part two)
by Bill Kirton
Last time, Dorothy gave us her insights into the labyrinthine nature of suspense/mystery and the cultural/historical influences that bear on writers of the genre in Australia. In this second part, I’m asking her about the specifics of her own writing.
For no obvious reason, after reading The White Tower, I found myself wondering about your attitude to the paranormal. Perhaps it’s the way you linked real and virtual worlds in the book. What are your thoughts about ‘alternative rea...
Last time, Dorothy gave us her insights into the labyrinthine nature of suspense/mystery and the cultural/historical influences that bear on writers of the genre in Australia. In this second part, I’m asking her about the specifics of her own writing.For no obvious reason, after reading The White Tower, I found myself wondering about your attitude to the paranormal. Perhaps it’s the way you linked real and virtual worlds in the book. What are your thoughts about ‘alternative rea...
