Allan Hudson's Blog, page 13

The Story Behind the Story with Author Rebecca MacFarlane of New Brunswick, Canada

 

Let’s welcome Rebecca to the Scribbler.

We met at the Greater Moncton Riverview & Dieppe Book fair inApril. We had a lot of fun that day.

I extended an invitation to be my guest this week and Rebecca kindlyagreed so, read on my friends.

 

 

Rebecca MacFarlane is a lifelong reader and writer of dark tales.  Her first novella, originally published in2015, was later transformed into her first self-published novel.  She is currently working on more stories,including Winterhaven, the companion book to her well-received post-apocalypticnovel, Dying Season.  Rebecca currentlyresides in New Brunswick with her partner, her two children and two cats. 

 

 

Title: When It Rains AtNight

 

 

Synopsis: Aself-proclaimed lone wolf, Spencer is a drifter who lives life by his ownrules. When he crosses paths with a young girl walking alone on the highway,his gut tells him to keep walking. He nearly passes her by, but there’ssomething familiar about her that he just can’t ignore.
Paige claims to have lost her memory, and Spencer finds himself drawn into astranger's bizarre predicament. Against his better judgement, the pair set offon an unexpected journey to uncover Paige’s identity. When a jittery truckerand a roadside café prompt some terrifying memories, the truth of who Paigereally is unfolds into a mind-bending nightmare.

 

 

The Story behind the Story: I started writing When It Rains At Night over 15 years ago.  I had a vision in my mind of Spencer,hitchhiking on a dark road with no particular destination.   I knew a little of his character, that he’ssmart, fiercely independent, and has a very troubled past, and I knew what Iwanted the mood of the story to  be.  I knew that Spencer would meet Paige and havea very immediate sense of Deja Vu. Somehow they have met before, but I couldn’t figure out the how, or thewhy, to turn it into a really interesting story.  I did finish a first draft about seven oreight years ago with an entirely different ending, but I really wasn’t happywith it. Something was missing, so I set it aside again.  Finally last year I figured out what themissing pieces were.  Mostly, it was moreof Spencer.  His backstory hit me oneday. I had uncovered the real Spencer; he’s very much a lone wolf with a skewedmoral compass.  He’s temperamental anddangerous.  A great friend beta-read thestory and after the first couple chapters, messaged me and said, ‘I don’t knowwhat to think of Spencer. He seems like an opportunistic predator.  That’s when I knew I had it right. I alsodecided to be bold and incorporate a concept that I absolutely love – the ideaof multiple universes, and multiple timelines. I don’t know if I believe in those theories in real life, but one can’ttotally dismiss them, either I think. Either way, I really wanted to make a story out of that, and I knew WhenIt Rains At Night had the potential to bear it out.  In addition to being a bit of a wild ride, Ido hope that the story is thought-provoking and bittersweet, but that’s up tothe readers to decide.

 

 

Website: https://www.rebeccamacfarlane.net/

A question before you go, Rebecca:

Can you tell us about the perfect setting you have, ordesire, for your writing? Music or quiet? Coffee or tequila?  Neat or notes everywhere?

 

As long as I have music and a good cup of tea, I’m ready towrite.  Time is a hot commodity in ourhouse since the kids are always keeping us busy, and some people ask me ‘how doI find the time?’. While it’s true that I’m always (and I do mean always) busy,I don’t feel finding the time is really a struggle, because even when I’m notin that perfect place with my laptop and a hot mug of tea, I’m alwayswriting.  My brain is always working. Itake the characters with me in the car, to work, to the grocery store. Theylive with me 24/7.  As for notes, I veryrarely make notes. If I do, I usually forget or misplace them. To me, if theidea is good enough, it’ll stick in my brain until I get it down.

 

 

Rebecca is sharing an excerpt from her novel for yourenjoyment.

 

Spencer regretted taking all of this on. If not for Paige,he might be asleep behind the restaurant they’d just left behind, or perhapseven in one of the booths inside.  Instead he was stuck in the cab of atransport with this nervy girl stuck to his arm, sandwiched between her and thedriver, who reminded Spencer of a rat.  He looked like one, and he keptsniffing and twitching his long nose.

The walk had worn him out more thanhe had expected, and the coffee was not doing much to keep him alert, but hewas keenly aware that he needed to stay on guard. If anything, Paige’s fingers,stabbing into his forearm like blunt daggers made it impossible for him to slipinto complacency. 

He’d put his backpack down betweenhis feet and had one strap clenched in his fist.  The backpack containedeverything he owned; a few clothes, a considerable amount of cash folded intofour tight bundles tucked deep down in the inside zippered pocket, and the SigSauer he had recently bought off of a shady strip club bouncer back inEdenfield.

“What did you say your name was?”Jay asked, looking over again to Paige, ignoring Spencer, as most people werewont to do.  

For a moment, Spencer thought thatshe wasn’t going to remember her fake name.  She appeared to have becomeeven more anxious than before. 

“Anna?” she said atlast.  

“Right,” said the driver, like herfake name confused him somehow.  He thrummed his fingers on the wheel.“Anna.” 

Thankfully, the ride back to Paige’scar was short. Jay pulled over onto the shoulder of the highway, and Paigeshoved the door open before the truck had come to a fullstop.   

Her legs were not long enough toreach the step underneath the door. She sat there for a second, half in andhalf out of the cab, and cast a despairing look over her shoulder. Spencer sighed impatiently.  He had never met anyone so ill prepared inhis life.  She looked past him at Jay for just a half second, snapped herhead around, and tossed her handbag down to the ground.  Paige jumped andlanded awkwardly, the heel of her boot hitting the ground at an angle. Spencerwinced, but Paige didn’t make a sound, not even a whimper. If she had been wearinga ballet costume as opposed to her denim skirt and half of a shirt, he wouldhave guessed that she’d planned on landing that way. 

He got out and helped Paige to herfeet. Her left knee was scraped and bleeding. She held out her hands and he sawthat her palms were chaffed. 

She gave him another woeful look,and it felt to him for a moment as if they were acting out a play that they hadnever rehearsed, and while Jay was the only one in the audience, it wasimportant that they pulled off a winning performance.  He wanted Jay toget moving.  The guy really gave him the creeps.  He didn’t want togive the impression that they needed any more help, and it was obvious thatPaige wanted the same.  Spencer gave Paige her purse. She took it and hetook her arm without thinking. She was about to pull away and then their eyesmet again.  She eased up a little and let him act like it was totallynormal for him to be touching her, like he had touched her a thousand timesbefore.

Spencer glanced up and found that hewas looking up into the cab at a rotting corpse. The driver‘s rat-like face wasdecaying, patches of skin were missing or hanging loose from his skull intatters. The unpleasant lemony bleach undertone of the cab had turnedrank.  Sweat and smoke and death wafted out into the night. The driver’scorpse had no eyes, just two empty sockets. A skeletal hand reached out, andthen whatever he had seen, or thought he had seen, was gone.  It was onlythe Rat Man’s face looking down at him again, his ugly mug still not all thatpleasant, but alive.

“Take care now.” he said, and hepulled the door closed.

The air brakes hissed.  Spencerand Paige stood close together, like two stage players waiting for the finalcurtain-fall, watching silently as the truck pulled away.

Spencer looked to Paige and foundshe looked a little bit ghoulish herself.  She was staring after the truckwith eyes that seemed to have grown too large for her face. She didn’t appearto be breathing.  Spencer waited for her to move or speak or give somesign of life.  Finally, when the truck had disappeared into the darkness,she fell back against the hood of her car and let out a low, raggedbreath. 

A part of him that didn’t want toknow what was wrong with her. He didn’t want to ask, didn’t want to care. Hisgood deed was done, but for reasons he couldn’t understand,, he found that hedid care.

Damn.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for being our guest, Rebecca. Wishing you continued successon your writing journey. Hope to see you at the Next Book Fair.

 

 

And a big thank you to all our readers and visitors.

The Story Behind the Story with Ronda Wicks Eller of Ontario, Canada.

 

 

 

Please welcome Ronda to theScribbler.

She is an award winning author/poetand we are happy to have her visit this week and tell us about her latest work.

Read on, my friends.

 

 

 

 

Ronda Wicks Eller was born in Toronto in 1965, raised in Woodstock andnow lives near Stratford, Ontario. She is a poet with exposure in Canadian andInternational forums with six published collections, a collaborative one, andmany individual poems in newsletters, journals and anthologies online and inprint; two of which were nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize. Herworks have received recognition through numerous awards. Ronda served for eightyears as National Media Coordinator for the Canadian Poetry Association, threeyears as a Consul for the Canadian Poets' Guild and she was an Associate Memberwith the League of Canadian Poets in 2008/9. She is currently the Mitchell andMidwestern Region Branch Manager for The Ontario Poetry Society and theirPublication Layout Designer, while also being a Member-at-Largeon their Executive. In another capacity Ronda is a consulting Editor for the New Generation Beat Poets Canada. She owns SkyWing Press, a poetry micro-press that iscurrently on hiatus due to her otherwise busy schedule. She does contractediting and is also a novelist. Her first four novels, ahistorical-mystery-family-romance fiction set in 1855 England is contained in asingle manuscript, with the working title “ForAdam’s Sake”, and is in the submission phase with publishers now.

 

Working Title: “Salmagundi – an omnium gatherum” by Ronda Wicks Eller

2023,Poetry Friendly Press, Toronto, ON.

Limited 1st edition – 50 copies, $25 CAD (includesshipping inside Canada), purchase from the author only.

 

 

Synopsis: “Salmagundi” is an East Indian word for “tossed salad”, thelarge assortment of food choices that offer the diner a wide variety offlavours, textures and aromatic bouquets on a plate intended to provide adelightfully well-rounded feast for the senses. It is derived from the rootsalmagondis, meaning “a hodgepodge or mix of widely disparate things”, whilethe latin “omnium gatherum” means “great collection”.

          The book “Salmagundi” is just that. Itis laid out in sections organized chronologically according to each of mypreviously published books, with select poems from each, and concludes with asection of ‘Poems New and Old’. There are 52 poems in this section that wereeither 1) published singly in other media or 2) didn’t make the cut for otherbooks although they were no less worthy. This way the reader can followapproximately forty years of writing development and the use of a variety ofsub-genre (rhyme schemes, free verse, minimalist, haiku, senryu, haikai, sufi/rumistyle, et al) expressing a broad palate of themes.

 

 

The Story behind the Story: Putting Salmagundi together beganwith a desire to keep early publications alive— ones that have been out ofprint for decades. It became the largest collection I’ve ever offered (242pages) owing to a few factors:

1)  I felt some poems from the later books deserved more outreach

2)  poems from early books link to later poems like a chain-workof thought building one on the other, and

3)  by incorporating poems from each book the reader gets abetter sense of what each one contains in case they want to get the fullversion. For example, Hoofprints on the Moon (SkyWing Press 2019) and Ashram ofLove (River Bones Press, 2019) are available online as P.O.D. publications.They are always available (until officially retired) but previews are morelimited for Ashram than what I’ve given in ‘Salmagundi’ and non-existent forHoofprints, to protect the 31 pieces of sketch art contained in it.

Inmy early twenties I had a dear friend and neighbour, Marjorie, who enjoyedlistening to me read my poems—she also went as far as to drag me out to meet myfirst publisher, who was in town launching one of his own books. Through this,I fell into the arms of the C.P.A. and the greater poetic adventures that havefollowed, but here’s the crux of my story: Marjorie often commented on how Iwrote so much like W.B. Yeats and I’d given little mind to it, having only avague remembrance of his name from high school English classes. At that time Ialso worried that reading other poets might result in a sort of plagiarism so Iavoided it (I have since realized that my own voice comes through regardless).After Marjorie died, in reflecting over her contributions to my life, I finallydecided to read some Yeats and my prolific juices began to flood torrentially.She was right about her comparison—I not only used the same imagery andsymbolism but I understood his particular use of those devices instinctively.“Salmagundi” includes poems from ‘Whale Songs in the Aurora Borealis’ and “theLion and the Golden Calf’ with definitive Yeatsian context.

Fastforward to 2012 and an evening when I’m re-watching a DVD of “The FavoriteGame” (based on Leonard Cohen’s 1963 novel). I’d been taking comfort in hismusic after a recent break-up but I’d given little attention to the poetry Iknew he wrote. I felt the urge to read about him online and learned that Yeatswas a favourite of his too… and then I began reading his poems and song lyrics.I felt a soul connection to him, perhaps he was destined to become another musefor me (?), as my foci easily merged with his. Then, on his birthday in 2015,not knowing the day it was for him, a poem seemed to write itself (no revisionrequired). It is in “Salmagundi” under the title ‘Sweet Refrain’:     Let me be your sweet refrain/ the onethat brings you back again./ Let me be the song you sing/ that fills the voidin everything/ you left unsung and left unheard/ because you couldn’t find thewords./ Let me be your sweet refrain. It became the theme for my book“Hoofprints on the Moon”, also contained in part in “Salmagundi”. It ispredominantly Cohenesque in flavour.

Yeatsand Cohen reflect through so much of “Salmagundi” it might be difficult tountangle them even from the earliest works like in the “My Harmonic Perfection”section, my earliest chapbook reprinted in its entirety—poems from before Ifelt any kinship of a kind to either of them.

Onthe whole, “Salmagundi” really offers my readers a potpourri through which theycan savour and meet with me where I’ve been at in each stage of life and itscreative expression so far. I invite them to claim their own translation forthe lines within as they relate from their own perspectives!

 

Website: https://rwicksellercwg.wixsite.com/home/books

 

 

Aquestion before you go Ronda:

Can you tell us about the perfect setting you have, or desire,for your writing? Music or quiet? Coffee or tequila?  Neat or notes everywhere?

 

Ha! My notes are scattered everywhere from actual pieces of paper andnotepads to napkins and paper towels, the inside covers of Sudoku and CrosswordPuzzle books, the back of store receipts et al… on whatever I have handy when acatchy line or thought crosses my busy little brain. Most often, if I’mdrinking a beverage, it’s coffee or cola and, for music, it’s classical, celticor other type of elevator music that uplifts the writing flow… except Cohen.When I want to write Cohen he’s usually singing to me in the background. Irarely write in silence. I can’t really say there’s a perfect setting for mebecause I’m either in a prolific phase where my words spill out anywhere andeverywhere or I’ve hit a writer’s block and nothing moves. That said, I oftenenvision myself living in a small cottage in the woods with a little creek orriver close by and a small community not too far away. This is a place where Icould access the internet at will or sit by the creek to write or sketch.

 

 

 

Thank you for being our guest thisweek, Ronda. Wishing you continued success with your writing.

 

 

Abd a special thank you to our visitorsand readers.

The Story Behind the Story with Bill Arnott of Vancouver, BC, Canada.

 

The Scribbler is happy to welcomeBill back to tell us the SBTS for his newest novel.

He’s been here before and if youmissed his visit, please go here.

Bill is a friendly chap and does alot to support his author friends. I’ve read his work and he’s a finestoryteller.

Read on my friends.

 

 

Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of the GoneViking travel memoirs (Gone Viking: A Travel Saga, Gone Viking II: BeyondBoundaries, Gone Viking III: The Holy Grail) and A Season on Vancouver Island.He’s been awarded by the Whistler Book Awards, ABF International Book Awards,Firebird Book Awards, The Miramichi Reader’s Very Best Book Awards, and for hisexpeditions received a Fellowship at London’s Royal Geographical Society. Whennot trekking the globe with a small pack and journal, Bill can be found onCanada’s west coast, where he lives near mountains and sea onMusqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh land.

 Bill sailing a historical pilot cutter in the North Atlantic

Title: Gone Viking III: The Holy Grail (publication date: Oct 3, 2023).

 

 

Synopsis: “Witty, well-read, and effortlessly entertaining,Arnott may be the perfect travel companion,” Thomas Lundy, CanadianGeographic Magazine.

Join bestselling author Bill Arnott on this epic adventure, trekking theancient world to unearth Viking secrets and reveal history’s most elusivetreasure, the Holy Grail. Granted a fellowship at London’s Royal GeographicalSociety for his previous Gone Viking expeditions, Arnott takes readerson a remarkable new excursion following legendary explorers: Scandinavians,Celts, and Arthurian knights, across Europe and into the Arctic. With insightand humour, let this award-winning traveller be a companion and guide on theultimate quest, with firsthand discoveries in Viking Greenland, Iceland, Norway,Sweden, Denmark, Britain, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy,Greece, Turkey, Poland, and Jerusalem.

 Bill in Greenland by Erik the Red's farmstead

 

The Story behind the Story: Gone VikingIII: The Holy Grail is the final book in the Gone Viking travelogueseries. Following the success of the first book, my publishing team at RMBooks andI felt a trilogy made sense, and that “the story,” or in this case my travelexpeditions, could be completed and effectively communicated in this manner.Each book is distinct, yet builds upon its predecessor. The inspiration forthis came at a Viking Ship museum in Denmark, where I gazed at a stylized mapon the wall, sweeping arrows in red showing where Scandinavian explorers hadtravelled. It looked like the entire planet! At that moment I believed I could gothere – follow it all – and turn that into a remarkable odyssey. To my delight,now, many years later, I’ve completed that epic series of treks, which I sharein real time with readers in each of the Gone Viking books.

 Bill in Iceland at the Saga Museum

Website: BillArnott author page at RMBooks.

 

Aquestion before you go, Bill:

 

Canyou tell us about the perfect setting you have, or desire, for your writing?Music or quiet? Coffee or tequila?  Neator notes everywhere?

 

Great question! I’ve had the most enjoyment (and productivity) in acouple of places. One being a rented apartment, not far from our home, with awood-burning fireplace and an excellent bakery/café nearby. The weather was miserable,and I made a fire every day for four months. It was a proper cocoon, and Iloved it. Another memorable setting was a month on a small island off British Columbia’ssouth coast. For that stay, the weather was brilliant. I pulled a tableoutside, had a view of the sea, and listened to ravens flap by through the day.In both locales I’d occasionally play white noise through earbuds (ocean waves),the sensory soundtrack affecting my writing in a visceral manner, which, I believe,comes through rather well in the work. I hope readers feel the same way and enjoythe new Gone Viking excursion as much as our previous adventures together.

 

Allan, thanks very much for having me back to the Scribbler, and congratulationsto you as well on your wonderful books!

Cheers,

Bill.

 

It’s my pleasure Bill. Thanks fortaking the time to be our guest this week. Wishing you continued success withyour writing. 

 

 

Thanks to all you visitors and readers.

The Story Behind the Story with MJ LaBeff of Arizona.

 

 

 

Goodnews!

MJLaBeff has a new Rachel Hood thriller and everybody’s talking about it.

MJis a popular guest on the Scribbler and we’re happy she’s back to tell us theSBTS.

She’sbeen here before and if you missed the last post, take a look here.

Readon, my friends.

 

 

 

 

MJ LaBeff isan American author best described as the girl-next-door with a dark side. MJgrew up in northeastern Ohio but traded snow for sunshine and moved to southernArizona where she lives with her husband and two dogs. She’s drawn to writingsuspense novels, featuring complicated characters and twisted plot lines thatwill keep readers turning page after page. When she’s not writing or plottingher next novel, MJ enjoys reading, running, lifting weights, and volunteeringfor the American Cancer Society.

Working Title: Murdered Last Summer is book #5 of my Last Cold Case andwas released in April this year. 

Synopsis: I’m not invisible…
Someone is killing the most vulnerable residents of Snug Harbor, Ohio. Overdoses and murders plague the city. A serial killer prowls the streets in search of drug addicts. There are three victims in one week—a drug addiction specialist, a down-on-her-luck former teacher, a recovering drug addict. All of them are missing their eyes. Does the signature have meaning? That’s what Homicide Detective Rachel Hood, a psychic empath and FBI agent Nick Draven, an occult crimes specialist need to find out before more people die.
You look…
The killer sends a string of messages. An envelope addressed HOOD contains a picture of two boys. A detective working undercover has gone silent. Another woman is murdered.
But you don’t see me…
The last victim haunts Homicide Detective Rachel Hood. The woman’s spirit seeks forgiveness, but all she conveys to Rachel are these two words: See Me. Rachel suffers through this unidentified woman’s pain putting her through the rigors of the addict’s hell on earth that eventually led to her death.

Like so many families experiencingvarious addiction crises, I have a family member who struggled with drugaddiction. When I set out to write a thriller around the subject, it wasoriginally intended as a single title, stand-alone, but I soon realized thiswas a Last Cold Case story and featured a crime that only Homicide detectiveRachel Hood and FBI agent Nick Draven could solve. 

Theoriginal story changed a lot at that point. Perhaps it happened because of tworeasons: the first, because I had set out to write this fictional tale manyyears ago with an attempt at literary fiction (I think I’d been reading a lotby Mitch Albom at the moment); the second, because I wasn’t ready to tell it;the story was too close to home and too personal.

Therewere a couple of real-life incidences that inspired Murdered Last Summer. Manyyears ago a grade school teacher relayed a story to me about how a studentbrought drug paraphernalia to show and tell. I was aghast. The student was eitherfirst or second grade and had no idea what he’d brought into the classroom.Several years ago, I was watching the local news and there was a piece about asmall child who ingested drugs and was removed from the home by childprotective services. Like any writer, my mind began spinning with “what if”.Those two stories inspired my fictional characters Dylan and Harley and thedysfunctional Zenyatta family, including the subplot. And that’s the storybehind the story!

 

 

Website: www.mjlabeff.com

 

 

Aquestion before you go, MJ.

 

Can you tell us about the perfect setting you have, or desire, foryour writing? Music or quiet? Coffee or tequila?  Neat or notes everywhere?

After years of writing at the kitchen table and then at a small desklocated in our master-bedroom, we moved a few years ago and I finally have alovely home office which we call the library, with a wall of built-in-bookcasesand a view of the Catalina Mountains and desert. I tend to keep a neat deskwith a file folder of notes and a notebook all about my work-in-progress; thefile folder has quite an array of notes. Hey, when inspiration strikes I’llmake a note on darn near anything! At least, I keep a pen in my purse, gym bag,and tote bag. Music tends to distract me; I’ll wanna get up and dance or sing!I either write in total silence or with the TV on but the volume is low. Don’task me about what I’m viewing because I’m not paying attention. It’s backgroundnoise. I usually write at night, so there’s a chance I might have had a glassof wine before my fingertips hit the keyboard, but there’s always a Tervistumbler filled with water on top of The Haunted Showboat Nancy Drew Mysterycoaster.

Thank you so much for inviting back to the Scribbler. I always enjoytelling you and your readers about my latest book adventure and the storybehind the story.

 

 

 

The pleasure is all ours, MJ. You’realways a welcome guest. 

Wishing you much success with the newbook.

 

 

Big thanks to all you visitors andreaders.

The Story Behind the Story with Poet Claire Conroy of Sanford, Maine.

 

One of our former guests, Donna Allard, introduced me to Claireand she has agreed to be our guest this week.

 Discover Claire’s world of poetry.

Read on, my friends.

 

 

 

Claire Conroy has a deep affection for words and their effects on readers. Be it quietly read in one's head from a page or launched from a stage though a microphone, she is willing and able to provide poetic prose. .

Having self-published two books of poems (“Listen” 2018 and "Silent" 2022) Claire has also been published in the following anthologies: "Poetry as a Bridge to Japan", "Remembering Jack Kerouac", "Goddess Anthology 2022", "New Generation Beats", “Ship of Poetry", " Natural Words” and “Beat Style Love Poems”. She was thrilled to have four poems from her first book translated into Hindi and published online by Devesh Path Sariya in 2019 on Sadaneera.com.

Claire collaborated with the dance troupe Sisters Phoenix and her cousin Erich Kenison on guitar for the book launch of her second book “Silent”, combining music, dance and poetry.

She’s a proud board member of the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program and active in many open mic poetry readings. Claire is also involved with the National and International Beat Poetry Foundation and the Portland Poets Society. You might find her at a coffee shop twisting words around while high on caffeine.

Working Title: Of my next book?  Well,with my first two books, the titles have something in common.  “Listen” and “Silent” are anagrams!  They share the same letters!  Words are fun.  So my next book might be titled “Inlets” or“Tinsel”.  I did compose a chapbook inJanuary of this year that is titled “Rumors From Dead Lips”.

 

 

Synopsis: My first two books are random, free form poetry.  Many different themes throughout both.  The chapbook is about Goddesses visitingwhile we sleep to tell us the secrets of life, told in Haiku form.  My next book will have a focus on formatpoetry, which I love.

 

 

The Story Behind the Story: Alright. Although it’s no secret. Poetry is my therapy.  It’s my safe space to share the things in myhead.  I needed an artistic outlet toexplore my feelings in my late 30’s and came back to my childhood/adolescentpassion for writing.  Now I can’t stop.

 

Website: Facebook

 

 

From "Earthly Delights in the Dirt", in my first book "Listen".

 

Perfect setting for writing?

Mostcommon is all set up in bed, surrounded by cats.  Sometimes I will sit at a desk.  I also enjoy taking a hike w/a notepad tosee what happens.  Very much enjoystealing a spot in a favorite coffee shop for hours and feeding off the vibe ofpeople, sights, sounds, smells.  Let mysenses take the keyboard.

 

Music or quiet? I’ll often have a documentary about the topic I am writing onin the background.  I really enjoywriting while listening to jazz.  But Ican appreciate the quiet of the woods or the sound and smell of water while Icreate.

 

Coffee or Tequila? Water, coffee, tea, wine…in that order.  I do enjoy a vodka drink.  Tequila in moderation (so usually no).  I like port, but that’s a treat to celebratecompletion of a project or publishing.  Ilove cannabis.

 

Neat or notes everywhere? I would have to say notes everywhere.  But I almost always write on my laptop, so my“mess” is having far too many open tabs. Often followed by a traveling thoughts notebook nearby.  Maybe a few notebooks.  A few loose leaves from an older notebookgetting further crumpled and marked.

WhenI am formatting my books, that’s a paper nightmare.  I spread out all my poems all over the floorand slowly put them in the order it decides to become.  I get frustrated, step away, cry, blast someaggressive music.  Perform acts of divinationfor the love of my cats.  Play in thedirt.  Rinse off and make food.  Try it again.

That’sall we can do, right?

 

 

 

Thank you for being our guest thisweek, Claire. Wishing you continued success with your writing.

 

 

And another BIGthank you to all our visitors and readers.

The Story Behind the Story with Tawnya Torres of the Pacific Northwest.

 

Tawnya is no stranger to theScribbler.  We're glad to have her return.

She’s excited about her new book and kindly agreed to share theSBTS with us.

If you missed her first visit, pleasego HERE.

Read on, my friends.

 

 

 

Tawnya Torres lives in the Pacific Northwest near the ocean. The endlessrain and evergreen forests influence the dark romantic mood of her stories. Ifshe's not at her desk surrounded by angel wing begonias you can find her by thebeach or on a hike with her beloved little black dog.

 

 

Working Title: The Heart of the Machine

 

 

Synopsis: After earth was invaded by aliens, notorious billionaire scientist Adam Krim isolated his family in his luxurious lab inside Mount Ontake. He slowly lost his mind to his creation, a human-robot hybrid. Designed for war–extraterrestrials were not fathomed at the time but the machine is capable of killing anything, and everything. His son Bellamy is tasked with the difficult job of waking, teaching, and taming the Ex Machina named Gwen. Living within the confines of the lab for twenty-two years has dulled Bellamy’s social skills. As he attempts to train the machine for her purpose Bellamy begins to understand his father, bringing up past traumas not yet fully explored. While Gwen tests her abilities, killing the vicious Mantodea plaguing earth, Bellamy is forced to test himself. A player in her game, he tries to win but acknowledges his strategy is futile. Bound by something unseen, the two fall for each other, risking the world’s safety. Bellamy’s team expects productivity, they demand a solution to the ongoing battle against the violent aliens, yet he can’t control the machine his father made. She has a mind of her own.

 

The Story behind the Story: I wrote The Heart of the Machine during the secondlockdown for covid. I thought about isolation a lot and was greatly influencedby Grimes’ music at the time. Science fiction is one of my favorite genres andI wanted to try writing my own story. I thought I’d be a horror or suspenseauthor but it turns out I truly love romances. The Heart of the Machine isdark, futuristic, and romantic.

 

Website: www.instagram.com/tawnye_westwriter

 

Aquestion before you go, Tawnya:

Canyou tell us about the perfect setting you have, or desire, for your writing? Music or quiet? Coffee or tequila?  Neat or noteseverywhere?

I like to be alone. I can’t write in a coffee shop or if people arearound. I usually write in silence while drinking an au lait with an organizedmess waiting for me.

 

 

Thanks for sharing the story with us,Tanya. Good luck and happy writing.

And...

 ...to all you visitors and readers. 

Don’t be shy, leave us a comment.

The Story Behind the Story with Tawnya Torres of the Pacific Nortwest.

 

Tawnya is no stranger to theScribbler.  We're glad to have her return.

She’s excited about her new book and kindly agreed to share theSBTS with us.

If you missed her first visit, pleasego HERE.

Read on, my friends.

 

 

 

Tawnya Torres lives in the Pacific Northwest near the ocean. The endlessrain and evergreen forests influence the dark romantic mood of her stories. Ifshe's not at her desk surrounded by angel wing begonias you can find her by thebeach or on a hike with her beloved little black dog.

 

 

Working Title: The Heart of the Machine

 

 

Synopsis: After earth was invaded by aliens, notorious billionaire scientist Adam Krim isolated his family in his luxurious lab inside Mount Ontake. He slowly lost his mind to his creation, a human-robot hybrid. Designed for war–extraterrestrials were not fathomed at the time but the machine is capable of killing anything, and everything. His son Bellamy is tasked with the difficult job of waking, teaching, and taming the Ex Machina named Gwen. Living within the confines of the lab for twenty-two years has dulled Bellamy’s social skills. As he attempts to train the machine for her purpose Bellamy begins to understand his father, bringing up past traumas not yet fully explored. While Gwen tests her abilities, killing the vicious Mantodea plaguing earth, Bellamy is forced to test himself. A player in her game, he tries to win but acknowledges his strategy is futile. Bound by something unseen, the two fall for each other, risking the world’s safety. Bellamy’s team expects productivity, they demand a solution to the ongoing battle against the violent aliens, yet he can’t control the machine his father made. She has a mind of her own.

 

The Story behind the Story: I wrote The Heart of the Machine during the secondlockdown for covid. I thought about isolation a lot and was greatly influencedby Grimes’ music at the time. Science fiction is one of my favorite genres andI wanted to try writing my own story. I thought I’d be a horror or suspenseauthor but it turns out I truly love romances. The Heart of the Machine isdark, futuristic, and romantic.

 

Website: www.instagram.com/tawnye_westwriter

 

Aquestion before you go, Tawnya:

Canyou tell us about the perfect setting you have, or desire, for your writing? Music or quiet? Coffee or tequila?  Neat or noteseverywhere?

I like to be alone. I can’t write in a coffee shop or if people arearound. I usually write in silence while drinking an au lait with an organizedmess waiting for me.

 

 

Thanks for sharing the story with us,Tanya. Good luck and happy writing.

And...

 ...to all you visitors and readers. 

Don’t be shy, leave us a comment.

The Story Behind the Story. The Alexanders. Vol 2 1921 - 1925.

 

This week on the Scribbler, I'm happy to share

 my own SBTS of my soon-to-be-released 

Vol. 2 of The Alexanders.

June 30, 2023.

Please watch for more details.

Growing up in South Branch, Allan Hudson was encouraged to read from an early age by his mother who was a schoolteacher. He lives in Dieppe, NB, with his wife Gloria. He has enjoyed a lifetime of adventure, travel and uses the many experiences as ideas for his writing. He is an author of action/adventure novels, historical fiction and a short story collection. His short stories – The Ship Breakers & In the Abyss – received Honourable Mention in the New Brunswick Writer’s Federation competition.

He has stories published on commuterlit.com, The Golden Ratio and here - South Branch Scribbler.

 

 

 

 

Working Title: The Alexanders. Volume 2. 1921 - 1925

 

 

Synopsis:

Dominic has his ups and downs as lifecontinues in his new country. His business is growing. His wife is expectingtheir first child. He often wonders of the woman he saw in Halifax. The Roaring20’s bring speakeasys, jazz, flappers, a booming stock market, disregard forprohibition. Everyone who can is investing in the future. Europe is rebuildingafter the war and supplies from North America are in high demand. Will Dominicget involved with the investing frenzy or will caution prevail? The words ofhis late Uncle Duff ring loudly in his mind. “Watch those pennies, lad. Don’twaste your money on foolish things.”

Will Dominic’s decisions keep thebusiness intact?

 

 

The Story Behind the Story: The idea of a young boy, maybe elevenor twelve and big for his age, being removed from his family due to poverty andhis father’s demise. This was the spark which created Volume 1 of TheAlexanders.

“LucretiaAlexander is about to abandon her middle child, Dominic. Poised on the widefront stoop of her brother-in-law's house, she is draped in sorrow. Her fatherwaits in the cairt, which he has pulled to the side of the street. Her hand israised to rap on the faded wooden door, but she hesitates. Looking at hereleven-year-old son by her side, almost as tall as her, she sees theuncertainty in his eyes. Like her heart, her will is almost broken. She yearnsto hold him, to cling to him, to carry him away from the sadness they bothfeel. Biting her lower lip, her need for him to survive strengthens herresolve. She knocks firmly upon the door.”

 

 

Thestory evolved from there. Forced to support himself and learn a trade. No friendsin his new home. Both his bachelor uncle and he trying to adapt to the changes.Other than his loneliness for his siblings, he fares well, learns his uncle’strade and helps part time with his uncle’s buddy who is a carpenter. The warlooms in Europe. Dominic is eager to serve but an accident has left him with alimp and he’s rejected. Unfortunate events change the course of Dominic’s life.Deciding to emigrate to Canada, a new life begins.

Volume1 ends in 1920. The war is over. The economy is on the rebound.

 

Volume2 begins in 1921.

June 30th. Available on all digital platforms. Paperback on Amazon. 
July 31st - Chapters Moncton. Partridge Island Publishing Store in Saint John.

Thanks for putting up with a bit of my self promotion. I appreciate all my readers and visitors. You are all important to me.

Thank you for visiting.

The Story Behind the Story with Author Francene Cosman of Nova Scotia, Canada.

 

This week we have Francene sharingthe Story Behind the Story regarding her book – Nurse! A Memoir.  She  is also sharing an excerpt for your readingpleasure.

Francene writes from experience andfrom the heart.

Read on my friends.

 

Windsor Ontario was my first home, followed by several movesto different cities and provinces as my alcoholic father lost a lot of jobsuntil he found himself sober when I was ten years old. Those were difficultformative years, but strength comes from survival in a dysfunctional family.Neither of my parents had schooling beyond grade nine, and thus I wasdetermined to go further. I escaped to books, bought with a small allowanceeach week, and a first job as a pre teen, helping to make tea and clean dustbunnies in an antique shop that also sold books. I never had any money leftover as it all was spent in the shop. I loved the Nancy Drew mysteries and theHardy Boys’ stories. The best thing that happened as a child was my father’ssobriety and a move to Renforth, NB, into our first home, and local schoolswhere I grew up with a circle of friends and a river to swim in.  I started reading Reader’s Digest condensedbooks summarized popular titles down to the bare bones, a teaser  of sorts. If I loved the shortened version, Ithen would buy the full-length book. I felt happy to see a collection of books growingon my bookshelf and knew that I was learning so much simply by reading. I donot recall either of my parents ever reading a novel of any sort.  As I grew up and had to consider further education,I wanted to study medicine, and since there was no money for university, Ientered nursing school in the Saint John General hospital. Three years laterafter graduation, I moved to Jersey City, NJ, and specialized in obstetrics forsix months. On returning to NB, I worked in the Saint John General and theVictoria Public Hospital in Fredericton.  With marriage came a move to NS, where Iworked in the Grace Maternity Hospital. Career was overtaken by motherhood withthe birth of two daughters, fifteen months apart!

Nursing was the foundation that provided me with focus andintention as I became interested in community issues. Ultimately, I traded mynursing career for a political career, becoming first a County Councillor, thenthe first Mayor of Bedford. A stint as the president of the NS advisory councilon the status of women was followed by my work as the executive director of theNS Liberal Party, then seeking elected office as an MLA. I was successful inthat and served as Deputy Speaker, then Minister of Community Services,Minister for the Civil Service, Minister responsible for the Status of Womenand the Disabled Person’s commission. I served two terms in government and thenretired. I am not sure what it means to be retired, except that all the hoursthat are suddenly free from a paid job, become the hours filled up withvolunteer commitments and the fun of being able to choose another path. Iserved for six years as a Governor on the Board of Governors of the NS artGallery, and currently am the volunteer Curator of the historic Scott ManorHouse in Bedford, as well as volunteering on the archival committee. At the ageof 82, I still have lots of ideas about other pursuits! In addition to writing,I am an amateur painter.

 

 

Working Title: Nurse! A Memoir

 

 

Synopsis: The memoir is a coming-of-age story following my footsteps inthe three-year study program in the Saint John General hospital school ofnursing. I was born to nurse but didn’t know it yet! I entered as an immature 18-year-oldgirl full of self doubt and the story follows along through the corridors of abusy general hospital as I face the challenges and learn the intricacies ofnursing. Poignant, funny, sad, challenging, every raw emotion that could befelt. Three years later I graduated with skills that carried me throughout mybusy life. The transformation from scared young woman to mature professional isdetailed and hopefully engages readers. I am told that it is a “can’t put itdown” book.

The story behind the story: I love storytelling and I lovehistory. I believe we learn from the past and I wanted to capture the slice oftime and professional training that took place over three years in training. Ilooked at Saint John and the hallmarks of my youth were gone. As I reflected onvast changes in my life, the streetscapes of my youth were obliterated, theChurch I attended was decommissioned, the church where I married was torn downand the hospital I loved was imploded. I knew I did not want the story of thehospital and its training program to simply settle into the dustbin. And so, Iwrote, at first just for fun, then finally with intent to capture the memoriesand bring them to life. Covid restrictions meant that time spent at home couldbe used productively writing my story.

As a student I walked the corridors to class and glanced atold framed photos of nurses from Victorian days. They were so prim and proper,yet no one knew who they were or why they had chosen nursing No one knew theirstory. This image is still in my mind and I know it inspired me to try tocapture my story and that of my classmates. 

The memoir has a role in generating discussion about nursingeducation today. We are in a crisis in the health care system, where there arenot enough nurses to fill the need, and where the profession no longer canretain staff because of a variety of reasons that must be addressed bygovernment to resolve the crisis. This extends beyond nursing itself, into all thefacets that supply a health care system. Shortages of doctors, and technicians,add impetus to the need to dialogue and find solutions before the breakingpoint is reached. Real change is needed and not band aid solutions. Theevolution of the nursing education model currently in use came about when therewas no crisis, simply change for change sake at the political level. Is themodel relevant today? History records what worked in the past and points theway to analyzing what could work today along with reshaping nursing education tosustain the profession. Nurses deserve Sainthood, working under exhausting short-staffed conditions that are driving them away from the profession. The statusquo is not able to sustain the needs and thus I hope that Nurse! A Memoir, canbe a directional arrow to dialogue and analysis for renewal.

 

 

Website: https://www.ocpublishing.ca/francene-cosman.html

 

 

A question for you before you go, Francene:

What is the perfect setting for your writing?

I like a quiet atmosphere without distraction, and theearlier time of day, the better for me to write. I still prefer pen in hand anduse coloured pens to write. I like a fresh notebook with spiral binding, onethat can lay flat. No words go on the page until the inspiration button turnson in my head, as I cannot force creative juices to flow. The words mustgenerate from somewhere. I keep a pen and paper handy because somewhere out ofthe blue, an inspired thought or full sentence will flow, and I can capture itand use it later. I love hunkering down in a good storm because it forces me togive up on other plans and just write. First drafts get inked out and usingdouble spaces on the page helps that process. Eventually I use the dictatebutton on my computer and read the draft into it. But hand and pen and ink arethe juice I need to be a writer. I am not neat, my office is a mess, but I canfind what I am looking for, so there must be organization underneath it all.

 

 

 

This is an excerpt from asection in the book dealing with the case room delivery in the hospital.  It chronicles my experience with a delivery:

 

Often a mother would arrive on the verge of delivery and nodoctor would be present. I did the best I could on these occasions, but Iwanted to know more in case I had to be the one doing the delivery. On amomentous day for me, this is exactly what happened. As I was about to deliverthe fetus without an intern or obstetrician, the doctor rushed ungloved throughthe door, and I looked at him expecting him to take over. “No, you're doing agreat job.” He's confident. I'm not! I could see the crown of the head ready tobirth. “Check for the cord around the baby's neck”, the doctor reminded me. Iinserted my finger gently inside to make sure there was no evidence of theumbilical cord. “There's no cord, it's OK.” Then I supported the perineum so itwould remain intact as the baby came out. I did as he instructed.  “Stop pushing now, just pant. I want the babyto come out slowly,” I instructed the mother. It seemed to take forever butonly a minute went by as the mother panted and I managed to grab a steriletowel to wrap the baby shoulders as it slid out. A baby girl in my hands. I hadno idea how slippery a newborn was in the first few seconds. God forbid that itshould land on the floor. “I did it”! I delivered her baby, and it feels soamazing to do this I hope I get a chance again, it's glorious!

Thank you for being our guest thus week,Francene. I’m sure this will not be your last book and we wish you continuedsuccess.

 

A big thanks toour visitors and readers.

The Story Behind the Story with Author Natalie MacLean.

 

This week you will meet AuthorNatalie MacLean. She is sharing news of her new book,

 Wine Witch on Fire.

Natalie is an accomplished author and recipient of many awards. Please check out her website below.

Read on, my friends.

 

 

 

 

Natalie MacLean, named the World's Best DrinksJournalist, has also won four James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards. She’s thebestselling author of Red, White and Drunk All Over.

Shehosts the NYT recommended podcast, Unreserved Wine Talk, and offers popularonline wine and food pairing classes at www.nataliemaclean.com.

 

Working Title: Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes ofDivorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much.  A Memoir

 

Synopsis: Wine Witch on Fire: Rising fromthe Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much is a powerful memoir about how one woman resurrects her lifeand career in the glamorous but sexist wine industry.

NatalieMacLean, a bestselling wine writer, is shocked when her husband of twentyyears, a high-powered CEO, demands a divorce. Her year gets even worse when anonline mob of rivals comes for her career.

Waveringbetween despair and determination, she must fight for her son, rebuild hercareer, and salvage her self-worth using her superpowers: heart, humour, and anuncanny ability to pair wine and food. 

Nataliequestions her insider role in the slick marketing that encourages women todrink too much while she battles the wine world’s veiled misogyny. Facing theworst vintage of her life, she reconnects with the vineyards that once broughther joy, the friends who sustain her, and her own belief in second chances. 

This true coming-of-middle-age story is about transforming your life and finding love along the way.

 

The Story Behind the Story: This is a deeply personal, revealing memoir. Wasit difficult to write with such openness and vulnerability?

I try to get everything on the page before I thinkof anyone else reading my work. I reassure myself that I’ll edit later.Otherwise, I’d never write a word. It would be like flooring the gas pedalwhile the brake is on. They’re two different mind states.

When I get to the editing phase, I do think abouthow people react, especially those mentioned in the memoir. That’s why I hadfriends and family read the book while it was still in development.

While I hope a broader audience will like thememoir, I know that’s out of my control. This is a very difficultstatement for a control freak to make .

Fortunately, most of those who’ve contacted meabout the book have been positive.

 

 

**Do you feel more exposed for having written thismemoir? You’re a wine professional in the public eye, and you write about yourown issues with drinking too much. 

Yes, I do feel more exposed. I’ve written openlynot only about the times when I drank too much in response to my divorce andonline bullying, but also about my issues with hyper-competitiveness andperfectionism.

That’s why, for the first year I spent writing thisbook, I had no intention of publishing it. It was a private exercise in makingsense of what happened that year.

I realized, though, that keeping this story tomyself was a way of not connecting fully with others, like I had done with mymother, partner and son. My life had great curb appeal because I had kept allmy imperfections hidden.

However, openness is the way to live a full, richlife. Vulnerability in this story opens a door and invites people inside mylife to show them the cracks that they might recognize in their own lives.

Extending that openness to them is how I connectwith readers, letting them into my story. In turn, they’ve let me into theirlives with stories that have moved me deeply.

Putting my story — and my flaws — out in public isalso a way of holding myself to higher standard of accountability. Now if Islip up, it’s no longer in private. But that’s actually reassuring as I havemore people supporting me than when I was going it alone.

 

 

**Why did you change your mind about publishing thebook? 

Many memoirists say they publish their stories sothat others feel less alone. I believe them, but what does that mean? How do mywords comfort someone when our situations can be so different?

As parents, we help our children to find the wordsthey need to articulate their feelings. We ask them if they’re hungry, tired,sad, etc. Naming the emotion and talking about it gives them another way todeal with feelings beyond crying and tantrums.

As adults, many of us lose touch with our emotionsor we haven’t developed the vocabulary for more complex feelings. Dr. BrenéBrown says we can usually name just three — happy, sad, and ticked off — butthere are actually more than 87 that she explores in her book Atlas of theHeart.

Just as a doctor must diagnose symptoms to treat adisease, I believe we need to identify our feelings so we can deal with them.Otherwise, they roam inside us like unnamed ghosts.

The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote that,“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” He believed if wecan’t describe something, it doesn’t exist for us. I believe that, too.

The specifics of my story are different fromothers’ experiences, but the feelings are universal, as is the need forhealing.

 

Website: www.WineWitchonFire.com

 

A question before you go, Natalie:

Canyou tell us about the perfect setting you have, or desire, for your writing?Music or quiet? Coffee or tequila?  Neator notes everywhere?

 

I write from my home office overlooking a wide-open field and beyondthat, a river. It’s peaceful to rest my eyes on this pastoral landscape whenI’m weary from the computer screen.

I prefer quiet, but if I have music on while writing, it’s slow jazz orclassical with no lyrics. I have a large pot of decaffeinated green teaconstantly steeping. Caffeine would have me climbing the ceilingSpiderwoman-style.

My desk is bare except for the large screen computer, keyboard and a mugof steaming green tea. Early mornings are when I get the best writing donebefore the froth of emails and phone calls washes me out to a sea of dailyactivity.

Get the free wine guide that suggests tips on organizing an informal wine tasting with friends and wines to pair with this book and other books at: www.WineWitchonFire.com/Guide

Indigo/Chapters just named it one of the "Most Anticipated Books of the Season" and it has hit #1 on Amazon.

"Funny, zesty, edgy, intense, a page turner." - Frances Mayes, #1 New York Times bestseller of Under the Tuscan Sun

 

 

Thank you for being our guest thisweek, Natalie. Wishing you continued success on your writing journey.

 

And a special thank you to all our Visitorsand Readers. We do it all for you….