Emilie Richards's Blog, page 121

Sunday Poetry: The Unrestrained Innocence of Your Intentions

Welcome to Sunday Poetry.   If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here.

From my Facebook page, some of you know I had surgery this week on a recalcitrant knee and am now in full recovery mode.  For fun I decided to see if I could find a relevant poem, but poems about knees are few and far between.

Thank goodness.

I did, however, find this truly lovely poem about hands, to share with you today.  Ode to My Hands by Tim Seibles comes from poets.org.  As always, if you wonder why I don’t print the poems right here on the blog?  It’s all about respecting copyright.  I only link to sites that have permission to post the poems, and I want you to enjoy them there and perhaps, do a little scouting on your own while you do.

Remember, we read poetry together here for the pure pleasure of the experience.  There are no quizzes, no right ways to read or contemplate the poem we share.  Absolutely no dissecting allowed.  Just come along for the “read.”  What line, word or thought will you carry with you this week?  If you’d like to tell us where the poem took you?  We’ll listen.

Lists: Mysteries That Haunt Me

Life is just filled with unanswered questions, isn’t it? Some people see the world as one big mystery.  They might be content the’ve found part of an explanation, but they are always certain a complete answer is hovering just outside their reach. “Sure, after careful research I built my house out of stone, but now I wonder how my impact resistant glass windows will hold up to the Big Bad Wolf’s lung power.”

Others ask few questions, certain they have been given all the answers that matter using common sense, or finding them in the pages of holy scripture, family wisdom, or the slogans of their favorite politician.  ”Sure, I built my house out of straw.  Straw was good enough for Mama and Papa Pig, and they lived long enough to have us three little piglets, didn’t they?”

Most of us can be found somewhere in between.  We know there’s more to the world than meets the eye, so we search for answers in a variety of places without becoming obsessed.

If you’re like me, though, there are mysteries that haunt you, things you must know but can’t find out.  This is your chance to tell us what they are.  Share at least one in a comment here and you will be entered in May’s List’s giveaway. Let’s avoid politics and religion, okay?  If you have no unanswered questions, you can tell us that, too, and still be entered.

Random.org will choose a winner next month from all May’s List commenters.  The prize is an autographed novel, my choice since it will depend on what is not yet packed.

Mysteries That Haunt Me:

1: Was Lee Harvey Oswald really a lone assassin?

2: Is the Loch Ness monster a myth, wishful thinking, or a leftover from prehistoric times?

3: What did Billie Joe McAllister throw off the Tallahatchie Bridge?

4: In December 1941, how did the Japanese get so close to Pearl Harbor without being spotted?

5: Will Hollywood ever again find inspiration from any source other than comic books and video games?

Now it’s your turn.  Comment any time this month to be entered in the giveaway.

And speaking of giveaways and winners?  Congratulations to Mollie Cox Bryan, who won last month’s Lists giveaway with the following comment:  ”I agree with a lot of what’s already been written here. For me, a little politics and religion goes a long way. I don’t mind either one, really, if I feel like it’s an integral part of the story and if it’s done well. But so many times these days it feels like fiction has an agenda. That’s what I don’t like.”

The Write Way: The Secret Writing Life of Author Diane Chamberlain

A warm welcome to Diane Chamberlain and many thanks for her willingness to share writing tips today.

I’ve interviewed Diane at Southern Exposure before, but today Diane has agreed to talk more specifically about the way she writes.  Her newest book

The Good Father just arrived at bookstores, so I thought it would be fun to ask her how that story grew and changed, and what she did to nudge it along.

I’ve been a writer nearly . . . well, never mind, but I’m still fascinated by the way that my colleagues work. As I’ve said here before, we’re all

different. Translated that means: There is no right way to write a book, only the way that works best for each individual author. So let’s see what works for Diane.

Diane, I know you’ve been asked a million times where you find your ideas.  Can you share where the specific idea for The Good Father originated?  

Nearly every morning, I take my work to a local coffee shop. One morning, a young guy came in with a little girl. They looked so out of place there and my imagination kicked into high gear. Was he her father? Could he have kidnapped her? And what if he asked me to watch her for a minute while he ran out to his car and never game back? I had my story. At least I had the jumping off point. Unfortunately, that’s the easy part!

What’s the strangest way an idea occurred to you?

Well, before I got into working in coffee shops, I took my work to Taco Bell. One day, the two women sitting behind me were talking about a friend of theirs whose ex-husband was fighting for custody of their infant son. One of the women said “If that happened to me, I’d change my name and take my baby and move to another state.” I had my story. . . or half of my story. When I got home, I turned on my new laptop computer to jot down my thoughts.

The laptop was “pre-owned”, which was why the store sold it to me at such a good price. The first owner had left some intriguing documents on the computer, including a letter to a friend in which he discussed a cover-up of an very serious error that had been made in his workplace. So, I wondered, what if my character who is on the run with her baby buys a computer and discovers information that should go to the authorities, but she can’t take it to them because she’s on the run? I loved stumbling across two ideas in one day that combined so perfectly. I wish that would happen more often. (By the way, that book is The Escape Artist).

Everyone who reads this blog knows I’m an outliner.  Do you plan up front or do you sit down and let the story surprise you? 

I’m an obsessive outliner. You’re the only other author I know who outlines to the degree I do, and I think you and I have both learned how beneficial a thorough outline can be. For me, though, the first outline usually needs to be completely overhauled after I start writing, as my characters come to life and I get deeper into the research. I feel much more confident after I create that second outline, and yet I know the story is still going to surprise me. The characters are sure to do something I never expected. I love when that happens because I think if I’m surprised, my readers will be as well.

Did you see lots of changes in The Good Father as you wrote?

Oh, yes. I don’t think you can have a four-year-old girl in a book and not have lots of unexpected twists and turns.

Characters have a habit of transforming from our original vision of them to something quite different once they begin to walk and talk on the page.  Was  that true for this novel?  Can you give us a before and after?

Travis, the 22-year-old dad in The Good Father, does indeed leave his little girl with a woman in a coffee shop. I originally imagined that woman, Erin, to be middle aged (I guess I was still thinking of myself in her situation) and unfamiliar with children. But when I first “met” her in the book, she morphed into a woman in her mid-thirties, and she was sitting in the coffee shop chatting with an online grief group on her iPad because she’d recently lost her young daughter.

Yes, it all came to me that quickly. When I create a situation in a book–a man leaves his child with a stranger–I try to create characters who will have the hardest time dealing with that situation because that makes the most engaging story. And who would have a more difficult time than a woman who’d recently lost her own child? Sometimes I just want to hug my characters for showing me the path!

Your novels are complex studies of human nature, and we aren’t always meant to love your characters, but we always understand them.  How do you make  certain that even if a reader disagrees with something a character has done, she or he will still empathize with that person’s choices?  Can you give us  an example from The Good Father?

Maybe you know someone you think is a terrible person. Perhaps she’s your boss, for example. She is hard to please, mean-spirited, a task-master and she never smiles. You can’t stand her. Then you learn that when she leaves work each day, she drives to the residential school where her special needs daughter has lived for all of her ten years. Your boss spends every evening with her daughter, reading to her, talking to her, cuddling her. When she goes home, she goes through her finances, worried she won’t be able to afford the care for her daughter much longer. How do you feel about your boss now?

Few people are all good or all evil, and I try to make my characters believable and relatable by giving the good guys some flaws and the bad guys some virtues. In The Good Father, Travis does something terrible. I bet you’ll still care about him–probably a lot–because his love for his little daughter will counterbalance your disappointment in him. I can almost guarantee it.

Finally, theme is important in your stories.  Did you begin this novel with an idea of what thought/idea/quandary you wanted the reader to take away at  the end?  Or did this change as you wrote and only become clear to you when you had finished?

The theme did change, and that surprised me. I went into it thinking the theme would be “What makes a good parent?” and indeed, that’s part of the take-away of the story. But a much stronger theme that emerged is the importance of connections between people. That theme is repeated over and over again in different ways in The Good Father. It was unconscious on my part, and when I realized how strongly that theme comes through, I loved it. I’m a big believer in the power of community, which is why I love the Internet so much.

Many thanks to Diane for sharing her writing journey with us. Reading The Good Father will be even more fun now with this introduction.

Thanks so much for letting me chat with your blog readers, Emilie.

As a plus, Diane is offering a copy of Keeper of the Light, the first novel in the Kiss River trilogy, to one reader who comments here by May 15th.  Random.org will make the selection from all commenters.

You can find The Good Father at: Indiebound, Amazon, B&N, and best yet, at your favorite local bookstore.

Sunday Poetry: One Woman Trusts Herself with Treasure

Welcome to Sunday Poetry.   If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here.

Today’s poem, Her Head, by poet Joan Murray, celebrates the courage and strength of women.  Since I’m presently reading Cutting for Stone, set in Ethiopia, this had particular resonance for me. It’s a reminder that women throughout the world are performing small miracles to ensure the survival of their families.  That they should have to is worth universal consideration.

Remember there are no quizzes, no right ways to read or contemplate the poem we share.  Absolutely no dissecting allowed.  Just come along for the “read.”  What line, word or thought will you carry with you this week?  If you’d like to tell us where the poem took you?  We’ll listen.

Contests and Giveaways: Bonuses for Readers

I’m back from two weeks of searching for a new place to live.  We “think” we may have found the right spot, but so far, no house, so no announcement. Having the freedom to move anywhere we can afford is daunting and exhilarating at the same time. All those options!

Meantime, my wonderful friends are busily publishing books.  And many of them are giving away copies to lucky readers.  So for fun I thought I’d list a few giveaways to tantalize you.  What better way to find a new author to love?

First, right here on this blog, Joanna Campbell Slan gave a wonderful interview and you still have until midnight to comment on that particular post to win one of two paper copies of Paper, Scissors, Death or one of Joanna’s Kindle short stories.

Next, if you haven’t commented on any of my List posts for the month of April, then by all means, do.  I’ll draw a winner for an autographed book at month’s end.  There were two different lists to choose from: All Those Things I Don’t Want to Read About and Forever and Always.  By the way, I was amazed at the number of you who don’t like paranormal elements in your novels.  (Just a side note.)

Have you tried the website Fresh Fiction?  Right now they have a massive number of giveaways in progress.  I’ve given away cool things there myself, and the only thing you should know is that by entering, you’re signed up for the newsletter of the author giving away his/her book and assorted goodies.

Bookreporter gives away advance copies of upcoming books, and has a wonderful newsletter to boot.  Remember Serena Miller, who I interviewed here?  Through Bookreporter her publisher is giving away 50 copies of her new book to lucky readers–and you will be lucky if you get one, since I’ve read it and it’s wonderful.

Last but not least, Book Trib is doing a smash-up scavenger hunt for my buddy Diane Chamberlain, with giveaways and all kinds of fun.  This is one promo event you don’t want to miss.  Meantime tune in next Tuesday for a Write Way blog with Diane, who’s going to tell us a little about the new book, The Good Father, and the way she writes.

That should keep you busy, right?  Good luck and have fun.  Remember, you can’t have too many good books to read.  It’s scientifically impossible.

Author Sandra Dallas and True Sisters

Today as a special treat I’m delighted to introduce my friend Sandra Dallas.  Sandra and I met at the Houston International Quilt Show where both of us were signing books for a wonderful vendor, Linne Lindquist of Craftman’s Touch, who was always happy to have us back.  Sandra and I spent several Novembers chatting and signing together, and I still feel that meeting her and becoming friends was one of the best parts of that marvelous experience.

Although I’ve yet to read True Sisters, I am especially looking forward to this one since I’ve always particularly enjoyed Mormon history.  Besides, I just listened to and loved The Bride’s House, set in Georgetown, Colorado in a house Sandra has just–in real life–renovated.  The fascinating story of the renovation is here, and definitely worth reading, along with the book itself.  And after “hearing” The Bride’s House on Audible, I’m ready for another Sandra fix.

Without further introduction, here’s the interview Sandra graciously gave me for your enjoyment.  I ought to add that she also gave me something else very precious, a quote for my upcoming novel One Mountain Away.  You’ll find it on the back cover.

1–What led you to write a novel based on the Mormon handcart journey from Iowa City to Salt Lake? What was ‘special’ about this particular piece of history that called to you?

As a high school student in Salt Lake City, I was intrigued by the handcart expedition, especially the stories of the women who participated in what was the worst Overland Trail disaster in U.S. history. More than one in four of the 575 members of the Martin Handcart Company (one of five handcart companies that made the 1,300 mile trek in 1856) died from exposure or starvation. Several years ago I read David Roberts’ critical history of the handcart expedition, Devil’s Gate, and realized what a wonderful novel the women’s stories would make. The Mormon women, wrote Wallace Stegner, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of western history, “were incredible.” And so they were. Their faith and courage inspire me

2–I am always so impressed with your research. You have a way of setting your reader right into the middle of an era. I particularly love your use of language in vogue at the time, both slang and phrasing. Can you tell us a little about the research process for you?

Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons) kept journals or wrote narratives of their journeys to Utah. The LDS Church once restricted access to these sources but in recent years has not only made them available, but made them available online. In addition to researching the handcart expedition and the LDS church, I visited many of the sites in the book, including the Mormon encampment near Iowa City, Ft. Laramie, and Devil’s Gate, where so many emigrants died. I could feel the sacredness of that place. As for language, much of it comes from Mormon journals and accounts. I read Scottish books to get dialect and read Charles Dickens to capture language that would have been used by English converts. My characters don’t speak exactly the way people spoke in the mid-19th century. Readers couldn’t get through a book written that way. But I use enough of the language to give a feel of the period.

3–Mormonism is an important part of the Western historical experience, but writing about someone else’s faith can be a harrowing, humbling experience. Did you find ways to approach this peek into Mormon history that made the writing and plotting less stressful?

I wondered if, as a Presbyterian, I would be presumptuous writing about someone else’s religion. But the handcart story goes beyond religious history. It is western history, American history. These are the women who settled the west, and that’s my heritage. Moreover, as a nonMormon, I felt I would be less tempted to write a faith-promoting book, that I could be more objective.

4–Other novels you’ve written have followed the intertwined lives of women, including The Bride’s House, which was your last novel and followed three generations living in a wonderful Georgetown, Colorado Victorian home (which just happens to be based on a house you actually own.) What is it about relationships among women that makes a book come to life for you?

I wish I could answer that. Writing is lonely work, and I have a limited circle of women friends. A friend once said I write about relationships among women not because I have them but because I admire them.

5–You’re known as a quilt author, based for the most part on your second novel The Persian Pickle Club–one of my all time favorites. You’ve also done a fabulous non-fiction book, The Quilt that Walked to Golden, with your photographer daughter. What is it about quilts and quilters that has spoken to you through your writing career?

As you know yourself, Emilie, it’s the friendship that develops around the quilt frame that is so appealing. Quilting draws women together. As they work, they share their stories. In addition, quilting is women’s art. At a time when few women were encouraged to pursue the fine arts, they put their creativity into quilts. They could have made quilts of big patches of fabric. Such quilts would have kept the family warm. But instead, they chose to piece the quilt tops in intricate designs. I’m not much of a quilter myself—the quilt I made for my sister as a wedding present weighted 25 pounds. But I love to collect them.

6–And last, but never least, please tell us what we have to look forward to in the future. Did I hear something about a book for children?

My next book is The Quilt Walk, a children’s book about a young girl who pieces a quilt as she walks from Illinois to Colorado in 1864. It’s based on a story on my Colorado quilt history, The Quilt That Walked to Golden. The children’s book, which is scheduled for publication in September, is about women’s lives in the 19th century, their lack of options (something I’ve written about in my adult novels) and what happens when they take things into their own hands.

As Sandra’s friend and a reader, I urge you to give all her wonderful novels a try.  Thank you, Sandra, for your insights and this interview.

Sunday Poetry

Sunday Poetry will be back next week. Meantime, let Emilie know if you have a poem you would like to see here. Or a favorite poet.

Angels All Around Us

I’m sitting in someone else’s home looking out at a million dollar view and thinking about how many wonderful people there are in this world.  You’ve met them, too, but just in case you’ve forgotten?  There are angels all around us.

Let me tell you about the angels I’ve met in the past 24 hours

A month ago we scheduled a trip to Florida to look for a house.  A month ago I didn’t know I would mysteriously injure my knee and be unable to do anything but hobble with a crutch and a knee brace.  Since we have no other time available for this trip, we decided to go ahead.  And that’s when my angels began to appear

At the airline counter we explained to the agent that I’d banged up my knee and couldn’t get to the gate.  No problem.  They produced a wheelchair and someone to assist me.  He was the soul of kindness.  At the gate the agent scurried around to find me a better seat on an aisle so I could stretch my leg, then told us to board first.  Angel two.

On the other end another wheelchair was waiting, and a wonderful man took two of us down to baggage claim, never complaining about managing two wheelchairs in dense airport traffic .  He deposited me right at the rental car booth.  Angel three

The next angels were familiar.  My mystery writing friend Joanna Slan had invited us to see her home and do lunch.  So she and her wonderful husband greeted us, gave us a tour and took us to their favorite restaurant.  Not only is their house wonderful, so was their company.

Then we arrived at our destination, where brand new angels offered us their home for the duration four stay, as well as sage advice and any other help we might need while we’re here.

Life’s not always like this.  We all know that.  There are days when the angels are whirling their wings somewhere out of sight.  But we all have moments like these, when we are surrounded by kindness, by extra care, by love.  Even if we have done absolutely nothing to deserve it.

I’ve learned two things from my silly knee injury.  One, to pay more

attention to people moving slowly and do whatever I can to help.  Two, to pay more attention to the kindness, the light, that surrounds us.  It’s so easy to ignore both.  I’ll be less apt to in the future.

How about you?  Want to tell us about your angels?  We’re listening.

From Hither to Yon

Just popping on to say I’m in the middle of two weeks of back to back of trips.  I just returned from one (Asheville, NC and Roanoke, VA) where I hobbled through my agenda having injured my knee just before leaving.  Luckily a friend had crutches to loan me, and we had a knee brace ready and waiting.  So hobble I did, but I managed to do research galore, a photo shoot for a new PR photo, and quite possibly a video trailer for One Mountain Away.

Plus I ate fabulous Asheville food.  Asheville’s restaurants are just plain extraordinary.

After a morning greeting old friends in Roanoke, now I’m heading out again, this time hauling crutches on an airplane.  (Will that let me bring them on?  Stay tuned.)

I’ll try to blog on Friday, but if I don’t have internet access, please stop back next week where I’ll have lots to say, starting with a wonderful interview with Sandra Dallas on the 24th about her new book, True Sisters.

Sunday Poetry: and may myself do nothing usefully

Welcome to Sunday Poetry.   If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here.

Today’s poem is 53 by E.E. cummings.  I love this one.  I love the way the poet plays with capitalization, with structure, with pronouns.  Those moments in the poem are stops along the way, places to tarry and reconsider.  And there’s much to reconsider here.

Remember there are no quizzes, no right ways to read or contemplate the poem we share.  Absolutely no dissecting allowed.  Just come along for the “read.”  What line, word or thought will you carry with you this week?  If you’d like to tell us where the poem took you?  We’ll listen.