Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 49

Snowy Days? A Good Book and Hot Cocoa #mfrwauthor

Welcome to Week 2 of the MFRW 52-week challenge. The topic is "What do you do on snowy days?"
Thankfully snow is scarce and light in my current neck of the woods. Businesses and schools don't close. A quick swipe clears the dusting of snow off of cars.

The prompt brought back memories so I'll focus on snow days from my youth. The answer to what do you do on snowy days is short and simple. Shovel...warm up... shovel...repeat. Even though a tractor-pulled sledge helped clear a path down the lane (or around the largest snow drifts) there were places that had to be shoveled for the tractor to bull its way through.

Once the main road was reached meant more shovelling. The car that had been left at the end of the lane had to be cleared, but the hardest work was around the mailbox and across the end of the lane. Besides drifted snow, the several foot high pile of snow-ice-frozen slush pushed up by snow plows had to be moved. Once access was gained to the outside world, we walked back to the house, changed into clothes warmed by the fire, had some hot cocoa, and collapsed on the coach with a good book.

One storm presented a challenge when wind-driven snow piled into drifts more than six feet high along the lane, and even higher in the fields. During one such storm, the local National Guard tank used for emergency transport rolled across the top of the drifts without breaking through.

More recent memories of snow days were not as dramatic. Although throwing snow onto a pile that towers above your head gets old very quickly. The day went thus.
Clear a path from the back door to the cars, Clear the car and business vanShovel a car width path to where the snowplow went down the street (The plow didn't always go curb to curb, but one swipe down the middle.) Remove the huge frozen pile of snow/ice the snowplow pushed up (This usually has to be done at least twice. One day I was so tired that when the plow came down the street the fourth time that morning and pushed all the snow into our drive, I stood at the end of the driveway. )Shovel the front steps and create a path from the plowed zone to the mailboxClear a path from the street to the elderly neighbors' front door so ambulance and EMS can get in if need beDrive to the next town and clear parents' sidewalk, steps, driveway and carReturn home and if sun hasn't melted snow off the slate sidewalk, clear itCollapse for a few hoursCook dinner? I don't think so. There's just enough energy to walk down the block to the local diner.
To all those still living up north, faced with piles of snow, think of warm sunny days of summer, have a hot cocoa, and open a good book.
~till next time, Helen
I forgot to signup for last week so there won't be the detailed list of participants. You can find them here.

2019 - The Challenge

When the 2019 challenge started, I knew I wasn't going to do 52 posts. I finished 2017 and 2018 list of topics, but tackling another year seemed an insurmountable task. And I had a release to plan and had already committed to the AtoZ in April Challenge. Then there were the subjects that were more personal than I care to reveal. I admit to being old school enough that I don't post my entire life on whatever is the social media site du jour. Experience with stalkers and identity theft also adds discretion to my reveals.
Altogether 25 out of the 52 topics were posted. Fair warning, several of the topics have been noted for future blog posts.
Links to the 2019 posts by alphabetic topic are below. Again, congratulations to the other authors who participated. And to our readers I hope you enjoyed our revelations whether they be personal or about the writing life.
~till next time, Helen



Advice, Been There...Done That (Giving and Taking Advice)
Beginning and Endings (Getting the Call)
Bucket Lists - Too Depressing
Contests - Crickets and $$$
Creativity Trigger

Dinner Guests (Who You Would Kill Or Die to Have Dinner With)
Dream Wedding
Dressing Up
Epilogues - Helpful or Hurtful
Gardening, Hard on the Knees
Gifts (Words, the best personal gift)

Real or Fantasy Holidays? (Headaches and Joys of Family Get Togethers)
Journalling
Does Life Exist Outside of Writing
NanoWriMo (Craziness and Tired Fingers)

Nightmare of a Perfect Day
Passing On Bad News (What Would You Pay Not To Do)

Recipe Favorite (Heritage and Food)
Research (If the Police Searched My Computer)
Resolved.. To Fall in Love With Writing, Again
Ritual Or a Routine - It Works
Social Media, Friend or Foe? 
Temptation (Resistance is Futile)
Writing Yourself in the Story (Maybe a Cameo)

Holiday Traditions and a #giveaway

The holidays are a time of visiting with friends. I'm sharing about my holiday traditions, some old, some new. And there is a huge giveaway. It's a fun way to end the year and hope you'll stop by. Click on one of the graphics to join the party.

Resolution - Fall in love with writing...Again #MFRWauthor

 
Welcome to the final week of the 2019 challenge. And it has been a challenge. We've revealed something about ourselves, both personal and professional. Some posts were easy (and had a number of us thinking on the same lines) others... let's just say they required quite a bit of introspection before putting fingers to keyboard.

Recently I saw award-winning Jacqueline Seewald's blog post on New Year's Resolution. The title was perfect, "Let's Start the New Year Right."

But how to do that. The older I get the worst each year becomes. Whether due to money, lack of opportunities, family responsibilities, or just life, the plan to go to a party on New Year's Eve and dance until dawn never happens. The optimism with which we are supposed to greet the new year vanishes before the stroke of midnight.

To close out the challenge, instead of rehashing the year (a summary of the challenge itself will appear in the new year), or coming up with a depressing list that I know will not last past January, I'm going to recycle a thought that for me as a writer is the best New Year's resolution and one I hope to adopt for the upcoming year.

So with acknowledgement to Linda S. Clare who voiced the original and whose post is worth revisiting: 

Resolved, to fall in love with writing again.



And to all my writer friends, that is my wish for you. To all the lovers of books in whatever their format, my wish is for you to find a new favorite author and to enjoy your old ones."

~till next time, Happy New Year. In the upcoming days,


May your troubles be less,
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness 
Come through your door.

And be sure to visit the resolutions of the other authors in the challenge and congratulate those who made it though all 52 weeks.

Seasons Greetings

Seasons greetings from the dragshi and their dragon soul twins. Wishing everyone Happy Holidays, a great turn’s end, and a New Year with all your hopes and dreams fulfilled!



The Dragshi Chronicles

Weekend Writing Warriors, My Master Lives? Windmaster Legacy #SnippetSunday, #WeWriWa

 
Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Visit the other participants on the list and read, and comment on their 8sunday posts.



From ​Windmaster Legacy, Book 2 of the fantasy romance series, The Windmaster Novels. To set the scene, Lord Dal and his mount, the gray falaire stallion, Tairneach, were being herded to the edge of the plateau. We pick up with his apprentice's reaction when he saw his master go over the edge. And now the SundaySnippet.

* * * *

Karora beat Murdo to Barris’s side by a handspan. The boy’s repeated, “No…no…no,” and pale face triggered a battle response. Her sword filled her hand even as she waited for an attack. The youth remained crouched over his scrying stone. Although she knew she would see no vision in the blue gem, Karora still squatted alongside Barris and looked over his shoulder.

“Barris, look at me,” Karora ordered. When the youth did not respond, she repeated the command. “We’re safe,” she comforted. Her hand dropped to his shoulder to reinforce her words.

Mumbling rose from the handful of Eilidh’s kin who stood in the doorway to the hut. Karora sent a silencing glare when she heard “Nothing there,” and “Seeing things.” At “Hysterical boy,” she started to rise. However, Aranin’s silhouette between Barris and those outside ended Karora’s action. The threat in the warrior’s quiet, “Do not speak of what you know nothing about,” silenced the comments.

* * * *

I hope you like the snippet I shared for Dal. Be sure to read the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and the #SnippetSunday authors for more great reads.

~till next time, Helen

And special news -- Why not give yourself a holiday gift. Windmaster Legacy is on sale for 99 cents. But only until December 26th so act NOW.

In these markets only:
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1M7S9Y/
UK - http://amzn.eu/bY7XYKi/

It's A $$%##@# Nightmare #MFRWAuthor

Only one more post in the 2019 challenge. The topic is one I have had quite a bit of experience with over the past few years. When the perfect day becomes a nightmare.
So how to answer the question? I could go waking up to no pain and feeling good, only to have to make an unexpected emergency room run. Or the year when we missed almost every single event we had planned on going to. A craft fair or river walk isn't feasible in continuous, heavy rains. Even if the crafts people are under tents you still have to drive through flooded roads to get there and then dash between them in downpours that soak you to the bone within a few steps. Dashing through thick, wet grass isn't something you do pushing a wheelchair. A 110 degree heat index meant abandoning plans to go to the regional fair. The free admission wasn't worth heat stroke, or worse, for either the person pushing the wheelchair or the elderly woman being pushed. So, personal is out.
That leave professional. You've just had a perfect day of writing. The words flowed smoothly and quickly, so much so that you forget to hit SAVE. Then your computer dies. Words worthy of a dockworker or mercenary from my fantasy novels flow. After the anger, you pray. Then maybe a few more rounds of each. Finally, you gather up the courage to turn the computer back on. Crossing fingers, you click to the word processor program. It offers you the option to restore the last auto-saved version. Only the last couple hundred words was lost. YAY! Or for the paranoid among us, the file being worked on was connected to the internet. A review showed the document wasn't corrupted when the power surge hit, and prayers answered, nothing was lost.
What to me was a major nightmare was the day the Twin Towers fell. Those who follow my posts might remember that at the time I lived in a town with a view of lower Manhattan and that I had several personal connections to the World Trade Center. The perfect part of the day was that the weather was a beautiful autumn day and I had made progress on a local work. The #$%$% part? It was a history of a town that lost several people that day. Another chapter had to be added to the book I was writing on the town's history to reflect their lives. At each event promoting the book in person there was always a reliving of the nightmare, albeit fleetingly, when those looking at the book were warned about that final chapter. Even today there are those to whom references are too painful and I gave the warning so that my work would not serve as a trigger.

Another author had it even worse. Imagine after months of work, you finally typed "The End" to look up and see the news just before the television goes blank. I could just imagine the sad look as the person ripped the paper out of the typewriter, crumbled it up and threw it in the trash. The action is understandable when you're told the storyline of the just finished novel was about an airplane crashing into a skyscraper.
~till next time, be sure to visit the other authors in the challenge.

*¨*★☆ Windmaster Legacy - 99 cents ★☆¸.•*¨*For 7 days ...

*¨*★☆ Windmaster Legacy - 99 cents ★☆¸.•*¨*
For 7 days only
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1M7S9Y/
UK - http://amzn.eu/bY7XYKi

Weekend Writing Warriors, Boarded, Windmaster , #WeWriWa, #SnippitSunday

​ 
Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Visit the other participants on the list and read, and comment on their 8sunday posts.


​Today's excerpt is from Windmaster, the first book of the fantasy, romance series, the Windmaster Novels. To set, the scene, Sea Falcon is becalmed and a pirate flag sighted.  And now the SundaySnippet.

* * * *
 
​Mage light flared into being. It burned up the fog an arm’s length around Dal to reveal dark objects that were men. The green glow hovered over Dal’s head and glinted off the wizard’s sword. He swung the heavy weapon in great arcs, cutting through not only the obscuring air, but through flesh and bone. Each move severed an attacker’s limb or blocked a sword thrust. The press of a dozen halberd-wielding men forced the wizard back. With each step, the circle of the invader’s weapons tightened.

A flick of Ellspeth’s wrist sent a stiletto into a pirate’s back. She started toward Dal. Two men climbed the steps to the quarterdeck, blocking her way to the wizard. Her flashing swords discouraged their advance.

* * * *

Available in Ebook or Paperback at Amazon or Amazon.uk. (Be sure to check out the series while its on sale for the holidays.)

​I hope you like the snippet I shared for Ellspeth this week. Be sure to read the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and the #SnippetSunday authors for more great reads. ~till next time, Helen

Resistance is Futile #MFRWauthor

In order to answer the question whether temptation helps or hurts, both the personal and the temptation itself need to be considered. There are some people that are more prone, whether through their personalities or a physical response, to whom giving in even a little can put them on a downward spiral. Just one XXX (fill in the blank, food, drug, experience, drink, personal temptation) leads to more and more until the desire has become a driving need.

Give in, it helps.  Psychological studies have show that sometimes giving in to a small temptation can help reduce or control the desire. In this case that one bite of chocolate helps you control the cravings for that entire bag of candy. There is a corollary. That the longer something is desired, the harder it is to resist. I think this is something many romance authors know instinctively because of the way we make our characters wait for their HEA.


Hurt - physical, emotional
Maybe that one bite of forbidden food won't physically hurt you. A diabetic whose glucose levels are well controlled might be able to give in to temptation and eat an occasional cookie. It would not be wise to allow temptation to rule and have a large piece of apple pie a la mode washed down with non-diet soda and then have a piece of cake a few minutes later for a snack. And if you are allergic to something and that is your temptation, the hurt can be physical and quick. Even if the cheese is scraped off that cheeseburger it can still trigger a reaction. And if allergic to nuts, no how matter how strong the lure, a peanut-butter /marshmallow creme sandwich would definitely not be a good idea.

An additional hurt is if you allow the fact that you gave into temptation to psychologically set the tone for the rest of your days, temptation definitely hurts. It might take you several years to get that one-year coin, but you will never get it if you quit resisting temptation.

I personally wish I had more will power. Or that temptation wasn't so strong.

~till next time, be sure to visit the other authors in the challenge.