G.G. Collins's Blog, page 6
October 26, 2020
Native American Environmental Mystery
[image error]“When all the trees have been cut down, When all the animals have been hunted, When all the waters are polluted, When all the air is unsafe to breathe, Only then will you discover you cannot eat money …”
— Cree Prophecy
Rachel must travel to the Land of the Dead to discover how to stop the Blue Star Kachina from destroying Earth. There she speaks with Másaw, the Skeleton Man, Hopi Lord of the Dead in this environmental thriller.
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C99TGDH?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
Review: “Exciting, tension filled and a must read.”
October 18, 2020
NATIONAL ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE MONTH – November 2020
by G G Collins Copyright 2020[image error]
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When my incredibly smart and talented friend told me she had early onset dementia, I didn’t know what to think except I was suddenly very afraid for her and wanted to protect her. In her gentle way, she tried to tell me it would be okay. Okay?! How could anything this devastating be okay?
She methodically told me what was going to happen in a detached way as though she were talking about someone else. The disease would first take her memory and then turn her into a combative, maybe violent sick person. She had already lost interest in using her computer and cell phone. And worse, she had been fired for messing up a work project.
This was the last time I would see her because she had to give up driving, having gotten lost several times already, and she wanted me to remember her as she is now. But she told me she would love me for eternity even if she didn’t remember me. I’m sitting there listening in horror and wondering how this could happen to my vibrant, loving friend who could do anything.[image error]
As someone who works with words for a living, I tried to come up with words to reassure her, reassure me, stop this from happening. But there are no words for anything so horrible. And how do you change the subject from this to how pretty the fall foliage is? She tried and I tried, but I couldn’t think of anything else but I was losing my friend forever. She had absorbed some of the implications already while I was staggering around thinking of the unfairness and the loss that was coming, was already here. And then we hugged for the last time and said, “See you later,” knowing it wasn’t true.
She went home to ride out the gathering storm and I drove home fighting tears, already grieving her impending loss.
For more information: https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers/younger-early-onset
These books are helpful:
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When Your Friend Tells You She Has Dementia
by G G Collins Copyright 2020[image error]
[image error]When my incredibly smart and talented friend told me she had early onset dementia, I didn’t know what to think except I was suddenly very afraid for her and wanted to protect her. In her gentle way, she tried to tell me it would be okay. Okay?! How could anything this devastating be okay?
She methodically told me what was going to happen in a detached way as though she were talking about someone else. The disease would first take her memory and then turn her into a combative, maybe violent sick person. She had already lost interest in using her computer and cell phone. And worst, she had been fired for messing up a work project.[image error]
This was the last time I would see her because she had to give up driving, having gotten lost several times already. But she told me she would love me for eternity even if she didn’t remember me. I’m sitting there listening in horror and wondering how this could happen to my vibrant, loving friend who could do anything.
As someone who works with words for a living, I’m trying to come up with some to reassure her, reassure me, stop this from happening. But there are no words for anything so horrible. And how do you change the subject from this to how pretty the fall foliage is? She tried and I tried, but I couldn’t think of anything else. She had absorbed some of the implications already while I was staggering around thinking of the unfairness and the loss that was coming, was already there. And then we hugged for the last time and said, “See you later,”knowing it wasn’t true.
She went home to ride out the coming storm and I went home to begin grieving.
September 20, 2020
Building Worlds in Fiction–Guest Post by G G Collins
https://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2020/09/19/building-worlds-in-fiction-guest-post-by-g-g-collins/
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Now in Paperback
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Thank you Chris of the Story Reading Ape
Sometimes writers don’t realize it, but they’ve been building worlds all along. Mostly thought of as a skill for authors of sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal stories; we all do it. Every time you describe a room or what your heroine is wearing, you’re creating a reality in your reader’s head, subject to their interpretation.
To view the original post, click on the link: Chris the Story Reading Ape Blog
September 17, 2020
Author Interview With Willow Croft
Horror writer Willow Croft joins us today. Her short stories have appeared in Mad Scientist Journal, Rock N’ Roll Horror Zine, Speculative 66 Online Journal and Sirens Call eZine. She is represented in three horror anthologies. If you haven’t, take A Poetic Voyage Through Time and Space in Quantum Singularity. Add it to your reading list. Willow’s life is currently in redevelopment, but no doubt it will inspire her to write about the horrors of moving. Stay tuned.
As a horror writer, who inspired you? Have you read the books and stories of Shirley Jackson and Daphne de Maurier? Or someone more recent? What TV shows/movies did you like as a child?
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Daphne de Maurier was among the writers/books I read as part of especially intense literary experience back when I was around ten or eleven and through most of my middle school. My immersion in books back then was incredibly vivid and three-dimensional. To this day, the line “Last night I returned to Manderley” still steals all the breath out of my chest. And the blood-red, tangled rhododendron thicket on either side as Maxim and the new Mrs. De Winter went up the drive to Manderley—it’s something that I can still see in my mind’s eye to this day. I have quite a few of de Maurier’s books still, including one of my favourites, Vanishing Cornwall. The day I got to visit Cornwall was among my top travel experiences on my journey abroad.
Even though I was reading Stephen King (The Dead Zone and Thinner remain all-time favs) and Clive Barker’s Books of Blood back then as well, I would claim Audre Lorde, Ntozake Shange (Sassafras, Cypress, and Indigo) Victoria Holt and V.C. Andrews as my early main influences. And the Cure, as they are not only both magical and mystical, but also have literary influences in many of their songs. As for TV/Movies, I’ll just quote the young C.G.B. Spender from the X-Files: “I’d rather read the worst book ever written then see the best movie ever made.” But, if I had to pick one movie, I’d say the black-and-white film Carnival of Souls.
Is your preference psychological horror or do you go straight to gore? Something in between?
I love it all. I’m excited to delve more into splatterpunk and even bizarro horror (which I have recently discovered thanks to a new writerly connection with Ben Fitts https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18261823.Ben_Fitts). No amount of gore in books and even in movies phases me much. Horror is sometimes my version of comedy. For example, I thought the first Ginger Snaps movie was hilarious!
You moderate a Goodreads group called Fear-minists: Women Horror Writers Around the Globe for writers and readers of horror and suspense. What are your goals?
Well, sadly, the lack of internet has put that on hold for the moment, but I would love to connect with more women writers, horror writers, and women horror writers. I’m an introvert, so I don’t have a lot of companions in day-to-day life, intentionally. I love my privacy and personal space. But I would like to have some more online friends. I miss the days of IRC/mIRC, that virtual WorldChat thingy back in the day, and even the “Lipstick Traces” chat board on the old Cure website. I would even love to have some “snail mail” penpals like I used to.
Your work tackles environmental issues. Why do you think it important to include these issues?
Oh, jeez, am I going to get on my activist soapbox, now! I love trees. Again, as an introvert, trees and animals are my best friends. I hate to see a tree cut down. I absolutely despise the sounds (and resultant tree and plant agony) of chainsaws and weedwhackers. I’ve attended “March Against Monsanto “protests back in my home town, and I feel very strongly that pesticides and Roundup should be universally banned, as well as GMO-based foods. Even though I routinely murder plants and vegetables on a regular basis for my diet (I’ve been vegetarian since 1992), I still cannot fathom eating an animal instead. And don’t get me started on the clearing of the Amazon rainforest and factory farms. I was just reading an article, too, in the Smithsonian magazine, about how a large portion of the fish that are eaten today come from pirates and illegal fishing practices. Horrifying article—things like that are the stuff of my nightmares–but a must-read all the same.
Someday, I hope I can buy lots of land and return it back to nature. Or as close as it might have originally been. At least let it go wild and tangled and free!
I notice your great love for animals. Do you believe organizations like Best Friends and the country can reach “No Kill” status by 2025?
Well, one can always hope. The term “No Kill” is a little misleading, though. A shelter can be designated “No Kill” but still not have a zero percent euthanasia rate. But I wouldn’t blame shelters. They are trying to do their best in a difficult, no-win situation. Primarily, because people still don’t get their pets spayed/neutered, and then they even let them run free. There’s absolutely no cause for it. Free/low-cost spay/neuter programs abound. I get so angry at that. So, then, we have an overpopulation of animals in shelters and so many people want kittens and puppies that the older animals get overlooked. I, myself, wish every cat and dog and house pet had a loving home, but I also know the reality of shelter overpopulation. There was a no-kill “cat shelter” back in my hometown, and the owner of the shelter had become a hoarder. I was there on a day the sheriff’s office animal services officers were on scene. The volunteer was not letting them in. But my friend and fellow animal rights worker got access to the shelter. We later wrote affidavits for the court case. And the animals were turned over to a private shelter that a local rescue group had set up. So, it’s a tough call. I don’t want any wonderful animal euthanized but I’ve seen the result of an overpopulated shelter turned hoarding situation firsthand. And that’s not something I wish on any animal.
So, spay/neuter your pets, adopt don’t shop, and please keep your cats indoor-only, and your dogs on a leash! And don’t buy pets from a breeder or a pet store. You can search by any animal, and can even find specific breeds through Petfinder.org.
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Click on the book to buy.
And consider adopting an older animal from a shelter—they’re the greatest!
Has the isolation of COVID-19 invigorated your writing or has it made it more difficult to write?
Well, not really. I pretty much live in self-imposed quarantine as a writer and an introvert anyway. The thing that has impacted my writing and my writing career is that I cannot get reliable and fast internet in New Mexico. Where I’m at, I cannot get internet service, and barely any cell phone service. And, when the pandemic restrictions hit, most everything was closed down. But, hopefully, my looming relocation move will get me internet and cell phone service again! If you’re in Kansas, send me an email or message on Twitter! I’d love to hear from you!
Author Blog: https://willowcroft.blog
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16978140.Willow_Croft
Twitter: https://twitter.com/willowcroft1
September 4, 2020
Five Things Friday: Mini-Interview with Author G G Collins
My thanks to Willow Croft for including me in her Five Things Friday Mini-Interview.
Five Things Friday Interview with Mystery Author G G Collins!
Willow: Here in New Mexico, there’s a lot of spooky local lore. What local mysteries intrigue you and/or keep you up at night?
G G Collins: The whole city and environs seem to be occupied by spirits and there are multiple ghost tours to enjoy. The nastiest haunting may be the most recent. The worst prison riot in U.S. history took place south of Santa Fe at the Penitentiary of New Mexico (February 1980). For two days the killing and horrors continued. Thirty-three inmates were killed and 200 were injured. It is now an abandoned site used mainly for storing movie props and filming scenes. But in 1981 reports of strange noises and shadowy specters began. Corrections officers saw human-shaped shadows and heard cell doors banging. Once the prison was vacant, paranormal investigators continued to hear doors…
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August 15, 2020
Interview with the Anasazi Medium Characters – Guest Post by G G Collins…
Interview With Characters of Anasazi MediumMy thanks to Chris of the Story Reading Ape. A writer’s best friend.
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog
The Reluctant Medium characters congregate to discuss author G G Collins’ new paranormal mystery Anasazi Medium(Release: August 1, 2020). It is fourth in the Rachel Blackstone series.
The rooftop deck has been completed at the newly remodeled High Desert Country Magazine headquarters in Santa Fe, New Mexico. With a cover to keep the summer monsoon at bay, we can watch the glorious sunset as the clouds clear in the west. The margaritas are poured. They’re waiting on you.
As founder and publisher of High Desert Country, Julian Brazos will conduct the interview.
Julian: Welcome everyone. Thanks for coming in the rain whichour high desert city needs desperately.
For those of you who have never read a Rachel Blackstone Paranormal Mystery, here’s a bit to catch you up. In Reluctant Medium, Rachel tried a Hopi ritual to return the dead. She wanted to talk with…
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August 3, 2020
Anasazi Medium Native American Mystery .99 Cents August 3, 2020 Only
Native American Literature Category
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Click the Book Cover to Order or for More Info.
Since it’s release August 1, 2020, Anasazi Medium has already climbed to #21 on Amazon’s Native American Literature Category.[image error]
Based on the Fourth World of the Hopi, it explores the possibilities should the Fourth World end. Rachel Blackstone, the Reluctant Medium, is visited by an ancient Native Puebloan who warns her that Mother Earth is threatened by evil men. If they are not stopped, the world will end when the Dog Star plunges into the planet.
Anasazi Medium is the fourth in the Rachel Blackstone Paranormal Mystery Series.
Only .99 cents for 24 hours only: August 3, 2020 beginning at 8 a.m. PDT. Click on the book cover to learn more.
July 28, 2020
New Release August 1, 2020 Native American Mystery
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Pre-Order at Amazon. Click the Book Cover
Rachel Blackstone really has her work cut out for her this time.
Evil men are stealing from Mother Earth. Their actions have activated a centuries old myth–at least people thought of it as a nothing more than Native American lore. Wrong! The end of the Fourth World of the Hopi is real and the ever larger Dog Star is spiraling toward Earth. If it impacts, it’s the dinosaur apocalypse all over again.
Rachel must find those responsible and stop them. As earthquakes rattle Santa Fe[image error] and a supervolcano threatens to blow, she and her friends–both the quick and the dead–scramble to save humankind. It will lead to danger and dangerous places, even the Land of the Dead.
Friends Rachel and Chloe fight to stop the Dog Star before it stops them all.
Click on the book cover to pre-order. And thanks for reading.
July 7, 2020
Crystal Usage in Anasazi Medium
by G G Collins Copyright 2020
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Pre-Order at Amazon. Click the Book Cover
While writing Anasazi Medium I realized that Reluctant Medium, Rachel Blackstone, would have to visit the Land of the Dead. I went to friend and crystal practitioner, M J Trantham, and asked her what she thought. She said we would need not only stones to protect Rachel from the spirits, but to protect the dead from Rachel.
You can see MJ’s influence throughout my books. For instance, near the beginning of Anasazi Medium we learn that Rachel has placed a grid of Black Tourmaline and Selenite, both protective, in each corner of her office at High Desert Country in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she works as a reporter and editor. In Lemurian Medium it was Blue Lace Agates that saved the day when Rachel was threatened by the Dracs. In Atomic Medium we used Apophyllite to open a stargate, Howlite to protect against radiation in the Atomic City and Opals for invisibility.
Throughout Anasazi Medium you will notice the color blue recurring: The Blue Dog Star, Indigo children, the Blue Star Kachina, water and three carefully chosen crystals, two of which are blue.
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Credit: Maruo Cateb
https://bit.ly/2ZLlmpQ
The character of Mari-Lynn has been Rachel and Chloe’s crystal supplier. (Also Chloe’s marijuana dealer before she went legit.) For Anasazi Medium she chose Lodolite, a Shamanic dreamstone which assists with journeys not of this world and traveling to the Land of the Dead fits that description. And as an unwelcome guest in this realm it would also protect her from negative energy.
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Credit: Hannes Grobe
https://bit.ly/2ZLlmpQ
MJ also recommended Lapis Lazuli, another protective stone, that blocks psychic attacks, thus returning the hurtful energy to its source. When Rachel arrives in the Land of the Dead she is decidedly not wanted.
The final stone was Blue Quartz. It is a very powerful crystal. It not only calms, but adjusts its vibrational level to your needs. The Land of the Dead presented several challenges to Rachel
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Credit: Rob Lavinsky
https://bit.ly/2ZLlmpQ
and she needed the pyramid-shaped pendant made of these stones throughout this journey. Not only did she see frightening things, but traveled through time with her spirit wolf Kiyiya.
Kiyiya is playing a larger role as the Reluctant Medium becomes more comfortable, but still reluctant, in her own role of empath and psychic.
Anasazi Medium combines Hopi Native American culture and traditions with a paranormal mystery that endangers the entire planet. Rachel, and her friends, have their work cut out for them as they deal with bird kills, dangerous waters and evil men bent on taking what they want. In the meantime, the Dog Star is getting frighteningly close to Earth.
