G.G. Collins's Blog, page 5
April 20, 2021
GG Collins Added to Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore
Delighted to welcome G G Collins to the Cafe and Bookstore with her books and I am featuring her fourth book in her paranormal series, the Psychic Thriller – Anasazi Medium (Rachel Blackstone Paranormal Mysteries Book 4)
March 8, 2021
Book Review: Reluctant Medium
My thanks to Willow for her fun and unique take on reviewing. Due to a lengthy winter storm, this is making a late appearance. And yes, I too know the carousel at Santa Fe Place is long gone, but it was still circling when I wrote the book.
Read the rest of the review at Willow Croft’s Bringer of Nightmares and Storms: https://willowcroft.blog/2021/02/17/riding-the-carousel-round-and-round-and-round-again/
January 19, 2021
Author Ally Shields Hosts Rachel Blackstone
Rachel Blackstone has been busy off the page. The Reluctant Medium stepped out and told all. Read it here at author Ally Shields’ “Coffee Chat.”
And check out Ally’s books while you are there. https://allyshields.com/index.html
My thanks to Ally for giving Rachel free rein and for the author boost.
January 7, 2021
2020 Pandemic Living in America
By G G Collins Copyright 2021 
What Went Wrong?
As I watched the events unfolding yesterday at the US Capitol, I am reminded that the past year has been one of tumult, chaos and fear.
The year began fairly normally, although there were already reports in late 2019 of a pneumonia in China that wasn’t responding to protocol treatments. By February, it was apparent that we would need to find ways to cope with an impending pandemic. We could see it coming from the horrible losses in China, Italy and other European countries.
In the beginning it was met with uplifting song, improvised music and appreciative applause for healthcare workers. But in the US, it has been reported that desperately sick people are cursing hospital staff as they try to treat them, yelling “It’s only the flu!”
A New Reality
The early months of the pandemic dissolved into physical scraps in grocery stores over toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Empty shelves mocked hopeful shoppers. It was nearly impossible to buy or steal a mask. Fortunately Etsy and other indie platforms stepped up. Restaurants, bars, churches, offices closed. Instead of “working from home offices” it became “remote working.”
Although we’ve have always considered firefighters, police, EMTs and hospital staff to be frontline workers, the designation took on new meaning. Grocery store, pharmacy and meat packing plant employees were drafted into duty as frontline workers.
Suddenly, going to the grocer or picking up a prescription became a red line to step over; a threat to be weighed. Do I really need that loaf of bread? Do I risk my life for a carton of milk? Should I keep my yearly physical or dental appointment? Is it safe?
Is Anything Right With the World?
I’m lucky. I can work remotely; have for years. But that doesn’t make me immune from stress and COVID-19. Unable to do anything about the pandemic, but report on it, I began looking for small things to uplift my spirit and remind me that some things were still going along as expected.
My neighbor has the old-fashioned idea that laundry should be hung outside to dry. She enjoys the crunchy feel of a sunshine-drenched sheet. I began looking for her hanging laundry, because it was a normal occurrence BP (Before Pandemic). Having a garden has been a lifesaver. Not only can I get outside, but watching things grow is therapeutic.
It’s not over, in fact, the worst of the pandemic may still await us, even as the vaccine parade forms. We have to get through it; there isn’t a way around it. We can’t beg or bribe our way out of a pandemic; but must abide.
There is no choice but to continue the year of living dangerously.
December 12, 2020
Happy Holidays From Reluctant Medium
There are more than 29 religious holidays observed by at least seven major world religions. Whichever you honor, may it give you comfort in a year of pain and fear.
La Fonda in Santa Fe, NM
November 20, 2020
Supernatural Finale: A Sad Adieu
By G G Collins Copyright 2020[image error]
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Image Source: The CW
The end of the road came too quickly and was heartbreaking. What is it about a TV show that lasts 15 years? That’s a lot of time to become invested in characters and story line. As I’ve said before, Supernatural was more than a horror show about two brothers killing monsters. It was about honor, duty and family. As Jensen Ackles said, “The family we choose.”
In the end “the boys” had a large family, mostly chosen: Bobby Singer, Castiel, Ellen and Jo, Jodi, Jack, their parents. It was a team of people in the “family business” striving to make the world a safer place.[image error]
The final episode began with Dean’s love of pie and concluded with everyone dead. While dispatching a nest of vamps, Dean is shoved into a post and impaled. Watching him die was unexpected and agonizing. But he died as he lived. Like all survivors, Sam went on with life. He turned off the lights in the bunker and never returned. He married, had a child named Dean, grew old and died with his son at his side.
I didn’t get the ending I’d hoped for. I wanted to know they were out there still fighting for us, protecting us from the monsters, because they do exist if only in our heads. Some fans were furious about the finale, but after some thought, I’ve come to an uneasy peace with how it ended. Sam and Dean did get the afterlife they deserved. No more killing; tranquility for eternity—wayward sons no more.
The Supernatural cast and crew thanked fans at the conclusion of the last episode. It was a class act.
It’s difficult to say to Supernatural but, “It’s okay; you can go.”
November 19, 2020
Read Freely (readfree.ly) Promotion
November 24 -30, 2020
[image error]Ancient peoples enlighten contemporary humankind in a mystery as old as time. Rachel Blackstone[image error] is recruited by the spirit world to prevent a cataclysm: the end of the Fourth World of the Hopi. As earthquakes rumble and a supervolcano threatens to blow, it becomes imperative she discover the root of all evil. Can she stop the greedy men intent on plundering Mother Earth and killing those who would stop them? The survival of an unaware civilization depends on Rachel getting it right.
November 13, 2020
Book Review: Quantum Singularity by Willow Croft
By G G Collins Copyright 2020[image error]
Quantum Singularity: A Poetic Voyage Through Time and Space is unlike any book of poetry I’ve read. Each section or phase is summed up with a physics term. From accretion to event horizon, there are nuggets of truth, disappointment, everywoman knowledge and a sprinkling of felines.
In “Treasure Hunt,” Croft talks about “the luxury of sorrow” using colors that “cast no shadows.” Appropriate for the season is “A Letter to My Something More.” In it, she discusses how the media models our expected behavior, “’Tis the season to be thankful even if it’s artificial.” But, is that what the verse is really about? You decide.
Much as in life, there is pain and revulsion. “Evolution” is a powerful piece: “… the thousand hands/grabbing my ass/a pretty dress worn why?” Most women have experienced this trauma and wondered why they even bothered to be pretty. What was the point? “Wish List” expands on disappointment, “Draw me a map to a better life … Because dreams and hopes are not enough.”
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Public Domain
See if you recognize your life in these pages. Like all good writers, Croft takes us places we haven’t been and brings meaning where we didn’t expect it.
To purchase, click on the book cover or: https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Singularity-Poetic-Voyage-Through-ebook/dp/B073S8PXN5/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Quantum+Singularity+Willow+Croft&qid=1605300148&s=books&sr=1-1
November 9, 2020
November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Month
by G G Collins Copyright 2020 [image error]
For regular readers of my blog, you know a friend was diagnosed with early onset dementia. She wanted to cope with this as best she could on her own terms, and that’s how it should always be. Even if you can’t see your family member or friend, you can still keep in touch through letters, however one-sided the communication is.
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Public Domain Image
It’s one of those things where simple is better. Use a larger font to facilitate reading and tell straightforward stories. As dementia progresses, a patient’s interest in reading lags and eventually letters have to be read aloud by a family member or nursing staff. Photos are extremely useful. It’s best if you move in close and concentrate on one object or person.
Laurence Aëgerter, a French visual artist in Amsterdam developed the “Photographic Treatment.” She discovered that images could evoke memories that may go back as far as the teenage years. Earlier memories seem to be easier to recall. She made the photos available without charge so that everyone could use them. Here is an example.
These vertical black and white photos with similar images can lead to memories and invite conversation.
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In one encounter, Aëgerter showed a patient a photo of a cat and kitten. Up until this time, he had been silent, but something about this picture elicited a response. For five minutes it was as if he didn’t have dementia. For more reading on this:
A photographic treatment for people with dementia
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/20/health/photographic-treatment-dementia-photos/index.html
With this in mind, choose photos of your loved one, places you’ve been together. As time goes on the photos need to grow larger and more focused on the subject as having other objects in the picture can be confusing. An album of the patient’s life can also provide for stimulation of memories.
Perhaps the most important observation Aëgerter discovered in her research and interaction with patients: “I realized we should never underestimate people who are sick.” That’s important. We should resist infantilization. While someone may not be able to speak, they may understand more than we realize.
For other ways to use photos:
10 Ways to Use the Power of Photos for Dementia Care
http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/2015/08/10-ways-to-use-power-of-photos-for.html
November 4, 2020
#CountdownDeal
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Click on the book to buy.
A friend disappears into a painting at a posh Santa Fe art gallery. Rachel Blackstone witnesses the paranormal kidnapping, but is helpless to stop it. She isn’t prepared for the reality of where her friend has been taken. In this strange ancient world, it’s difficult to know who to trust. But somehow, she must avoid the Mesoamerican deity who dines on humans and rescue her friend before the catastrophic event occurs that will take the island continent to the sea floor.[image error]
November 6 – 8, 2020
Amazon Reviewer: “The Lemurian Medium gives us a little bit of everything: paranormal, clairvoyance, astral projection and time travel. All this with descriptive prose that paints New Mexico as a travel mecca. Be sure you can sit back and relax for a time as you journey into the search for a different lost Atlantis because you won’t want to set the book down.”
