Catherine Astolfo's Blog, page 5
January 28, 2016
Route 66
Get your kicks, you're on Route 66.
I know those aren't the exact words, but these ones work for me. I am now sixty-six. Six Six. No longer a junior senior. I'm edging toward sincerely senior.
I still don't believe, inside, that I have reached this age. Not that I don't suffer from creaks and groans in the knee or the neck, but I usually slough them off like buzzing mosquitoes. Generally my body is very sturdy and functional, even though I often don't treat it as well as I should. It's never been thin, or narrow waisted, or long-legged, but it used to look pretty good.
I was a classic yo-yo dieter. I probably invented it.
Nowadays there are parts of my body that I don't like at all. Turns out it all has to do with that yo-yo.
I remember reading Nora Ephron's book, "I feel bad about my neck," and, while I laughed, I didn't really get it. Now I do. I have a turkey neck.
The other day I googled "how to get rid of your turkey neck" and the articles told me to consistently maintain a healthy body weight. Too late, so I practised suggested exercises instead.
I sat up straight in my chair and looked up at the ceiling. I closed my mouth and made a chewing motion. While I did that, my turkey neck disappeared. When I opened my mouth again, it came back.
The next exercise was a lot of fun. I had to hang my head off the edge of my bed. The cat jumped on my stomach and began to knead the flesh, but I figured this might be good exercise too. I had to lift my head up until it was in line with the rest of my body. Then hold for 10 seconds. Why is 10 seconds so damn long when 66 years have whizzed past?
Next I took a nap.
I did teach my friends Janet Bolin and Melodie Campbell about the trick for photos. Put your hand (though Mel likes the scarf method) under your chin when anyone snaps a picture. Voila!
Janet Bolin, Melodie Campbell, Me (Catherine Astolfo)
The other thing I dislike are the spare tires around my middle. I know, I know, I can do something about those, and I am. After thirty years I rejoined Weight Watchers. So far, so good.
Last but not least are the wrinkles all over my face. "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been," said Mark Twain. Meanwhile, he covered his own with hair. I tried that, but my hairs just grew long instead of abundant.
When my mother was elderly, I leaned over to kiss her and she said, "Oh my god, you have a lot of wrinkles on your face."
I answered, "Well I am 60." (Which is was.)
She looked absolutely horrified. "If you're sixty, then how old am I?"
You see, it's a family tradition to forget how old you are.
I've had several lives and I do mean that sincerely. Along with several husbands. There was my flower girl hippy life, my typical mom/housewife phase, my gay divorcée stages, my head-of-the-Union life, my esteemed educator phase, and now, my author life (which also incorporates my grandma stage).
This last life (probably) is my favorite. I'm retired, I've had a long happy marriage, I'm a grandmother. Plus I get to do my most favorite thing all day if I want to, and that is, I get to write.
"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, your creativity, that you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you have truly defeated age." Sophia Loren
The only thing that worries me is: how long do writers write? Do we get too old for it? For inspiration I looked up authors who wrote until they were severely senior.
Millard Kaufman died when he was 92. He was a screenwriter as a younger man, but he wrote and published his first novel at 90. His second was published after he died. I am impressed.
Laura Ingalls Wilder didn't get her first book published until she was 65. She lived until 90 and, although she seems to have given up writing in her 80's, she wrote so many great letters that they formed a book posthumously. I like that.
Agatha Christie is probably the most famous severely senior author. She wrote books right up until her death at 86. Tons of books and plays too. I don't know if I can get my hair to go like that, but I'll try. What an inspiration!
I should try honey and baking soda on my face. According to the ancient Egyptians, the wrinkles will disappear. Combine that with sandalwood, antioxidants, detoxing, healthy food, exercise, crossword puzzles, and plenty of sleep, I will be writing until I'm 100.
George Burns said, "You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old."
"You grow old if you stop laughing," Maurice Chevalier apparently warned.
Therefore, as I embark on Route 66, I resolve to laugh, eat healthy, keep writing, exercise, and sneak in wine whenever possible. That's how I'll get my kicks.
Cathy
Catherine Astolfo
www.catherineastolfo.com
I know those aren't the exact words, but these ones work for me. I am now sixty-six. Six Six. No longer a junior senior. I'm edging toward sincerely senior.
I still don't believe, inside, that I have reached this age. Not that I don't suffer from creaks and groans in the knee or the neck, but I usually slough them off like buzzing mosquitoes. Generally my body is very sturdy and functional, even though I often don't treat it as well as I should. It's never been thin, or narrow waisted, or long-legged, but it used to look pretty good.
I was a classic yo-yo dieter. I probably invented it.
Nowadays there are parts of my body that I don't like at all. Turns out it all has to do with that yo-yo.
I remember reading Nora Ephron's book, "I feel bad about my neck," and, while I laughed, I didn't really get it. Now I do. I have a turkey neck.
The other day I googled "how to get rid of your turkey neck" and the articles told me to consistently maintain a healthy body weight. Too late, so I practised suggested exercises instead.I sat up straight in my chair and looked up at the ceiling. I closed my mouth and made a chewing motion. While I did that, my turkey neck disappeared. When I opened my mouth again, it came back.
The next exercise was a lot of fun. I had to hang my head off the edge of my bed. The cat jumped on my stomach and began to knead the flesh, but I figured this might be good exercise too. I had to lift my head up until it was in line with the rest of my body. Then hold for 10 seconds. Why is 10 seconds so damn long when 66 years have whizzed past?
Next I took a nap.
I did teach my friends Janet Bolin and Melodie Campbell about the trick for photos. Put your hand (though Mel likes the scarf method) under your chin when anyone snaps a picture. Voila!
Janet Bolin, Melodie Campbell, Me (Catherine Astolfo)The other thing I dislike are the spare tires around my middle. I know, I know, I can do something about those, and I am. After thirty years I rejoined Weight Watchers. So far, so good.
Last but not least are the wrinkles all over my face. "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been," said Mark Twain. Meanwhile, he covered his own with hair. I tried that, but my hairs just grew long instead of abundant.
When my mother was elderly, I leaned over to kiss her and she said, "Oh my god, you have a lot of wrinkles on your face."
I answered, "Well I am 60." (Which is was.)
She looked absolutely horrified. "If you're sixty, then how old am I?"
You see, it's a family tradition to forget how old you are.
I've had several lives and I do mean that sincerely. Along with several husbands. There was my flower girl hippy life, my typical mom/housewife phase, my gay divorcée stages, my head-of-the-Union life, my esteemed educator phase, and now, my author life (which also incorporates my grandma stage).
This last life (probably) is my favorite. I'm retired, I've had a long happy marriage, I'm a grandmother. Plus I get to do my most favorite thing all day if I want to, and that is, I get to write.
"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, your creativity, that you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you have truly defeated age." Sophia Loren
The only thing that worries me is: how long do writers write? Do we get too old for it? For inspiration I looked up authors who wrote until they were severely senior.
Millard Kaufman died when he was 92. He was a screenwriter as a younger man, but he wrote and published his first novel at 90. His second was published after he died. I am impressed.
Laura Ingalls Wilder didn't get her first book published until she was 65. She lived until 90 and, although she seems to have given up writing in her 80's, she wrote so many great letters that they formed a book posthumously. I like that.
Agatha Christie is probably the most famous severely senior author. She wrote books right up until her death at 86. Tons of books and plays too. I don't know if I can get my hair to go like that, but I'll try. What an inspiration!
I should try honey and baking soda on my face. According to the ancient Egyptians, the wrinkles will disappear. Combine that with sandalwood, antioxidants, detoxing, healthy food, exercise, crossword puzzles, and plenty of sleep, I will be writing until I'm 100.
George Burns said, "You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old."
"You grow old if you stop laughing," Maurice Chevalier apparently warned.
Therefore, as I embark on Route 66, I resolve to laugh, eat healthy, keep writing, exercise, and sneak in wine whenever possible. That's how I'll get my kicks.
Cathy
Catherine Astolfo
www.catherineastolfo.com
January 13, 2016
On the Death of David Bowie
There are two David Bowies missing from the world now, though only a few would have noticed the first one who went away too soon. The thing they had in common, and that I have in common with the Davids, is that we were/are all Boomers and thus part of the '60's and '70's culture.
I grew up in a very small town in southern Ontario, Canada. Toronto was close by, though in the '50's and '60's it took a long time to get to the "big city." My parents were survivors of sorts. They were among those who suffered badly during the Depression. Hungry throughout their childhoods, my father had to beg for food and my mother ate rhubarb from the garden for weeks at a time. Both my mother and father had to quit school after Grade 8 because their families needed financial support.
As a teenager, my mom made $8 a week working 6 days times 8 hours a day. She walked several miles to and from the factory. My dad wandered around getting jobs here and there, picking produce in the summer and fall. He lied about his age and signed up for the Air Force in order to get a good-paying position.
Although trained as a pilot, my father never went overseas. He told his daughters that Hitler quit when he heard Dad was about to enter the war. When we were little, we believed him. A family full of daughters had a hero at home.
My parents pretty much celebrated continuously after the war, though they also worked hard and took parenting seriously. They went back to school. They drank heavily and partied well. Our extended families were close.
One thing they never talked about was sex. There was an air of secrecy, of "don't let the neighbours hear you." I learned about anatomy, "that ketchup thing that girls get", sexual fun and differences, mostly from my cousins, both female and male.
Maybe it was the silence - the gap of information - that allowed the culture of the '60's and '70's to influence my thinking. People like David Bowie, who embodied the intelligence of acknowledging and embracing differences.
I became a sort-of hippy, in the philosophy of acceptance and optimism. I have always believed in accepting creatures great and small, different lifestyles, sex among consenting adults, same sex marriage. My main motto was, and still is, "Do anything you want as long as you don't hurt anybody."
Of course, I have added a few corollaries and betrayals to my motto along the way, such as you can be anything you want as long as you work hard for it, etc. Plus I have acquired a lot of things, despite myself.
At any rate, I believed in free love, caring for the environment, giving to others, the banality of acquiring things. I believed the hippy movement, the Boomers, would change the world for the better.
As the famous David Bowie leaves us, my optimism struggles very hard to survive. I cling to the fact that, in many countries, including my own, same sex relationships and LBGDQ communities have reached a fairly positive level of acceptance. I cling to the belief that we're on the right track toward being better inhabitants who don't destroy our time on this magnificent earth. I cling to statistics that declare we are slightly more peaceful than in previous generations. I cling to hope for all creatures great and small.
I must admit, though, some days I am clinging by my fingernails.
I grew up in a very small town in southern Ontario, Canada. Toronto was close by, though in the '50's and '60's it took a long time to get to the "big city." My parents were survivors of sorts. They were among those who suffered badly during the Depression. Hungry throughout their childhoods, my father had to beg for food and my mother ate rhubarb from the garden for weeks at a time. Both my mother and father had to quit school after Grade 8 because their families needed financial support.As a teenager, my mom made $8 a week working 6 days times 8 hours a day. She walked several miles to and from the factory. My dad wandered around getting jobs here and there, picking produce in the summer and fall. He lied about his age and signed up for the Air Force in order to get a good-paying position.
Although trained as a pilot, my father never went overseas. He told his daughters that Hitler quit when he heard Dad was about to enter the war. When we were little, we believed him. A family full of daughters had a hero at home.My parents pretty much celebrated continuously after the war, though they also worked hard and took parenting seriously. They went back to school. They drank heavily and partied well. Our extended families were close.
One thing they never talked about was sex. There was an air of secrecy, of "don't let the neighbours hear you." I learned about anatomy, "that ketchup thing that girls get", sexual fun and differences, mostly from my cousins, both female and male.
Maybe it was the silence - the gap of information - that allowed the culture of the '60's and '70's to influence my thinking. People like David Bowie, who embodied the intelligence of acknowledging and embracing differences.
I became a sort-of hippy, in the philosophy of acceptance and optimism. I have always believed in accepting creatures great and small, different lifestyles, sex among consenting adults, same sex marriage. My main motto was, and still is, "Do anything you want as long as you don't hurt anybody."
Of course, I have added a few corollaries and betrayals to my motto along the way, such as you can be anything you want as long as you work hard for it, etc. Plus I have acquired a lot of things, despite myself.
At any rate, I believed in free love, caring for the environment, giving to others, the banality of acquiring things. I believed the hippy movement, the Boomers, would change the world for the better.
As the famous David Bowie leaves us, my optimism struggles very hard to survive. I cling to the fact that, in many countries, including my own, same sex relationships and LBGDQ communities have reached a fairly positive level of acceptance. I cling to the belief that we're on the right track toward being better inhabitants who don't destroy our time on this magnificent earth. I cling to statistics that declare we are slightly more peaceful than in previous generations. I cling to hope for all creatures great and small.I must admit, though, some days I am clinging by my fingernails.
December 5, 2015
How it Feels to Complete a Trilogy by Jesse Giles Christiansen
Jesse is one of those people who has become a friend even though we have never met face to face. But we have shared, discussed, debated, and supported one another through our writing journeys. You'll also see why I love his lyrical, poetic style. If you haven't started Jesse's trilogy, check out Imajin Book's big Christmas sale and get them all (one way or the other: on sale or perhaps as a prize!). www.imajinbooks.comI am born, I live, and I die.
I am born as a Sea Eagle, beautiful and bold yet shy to face a new, white, blinding world. I live in a universe that my readers and I have created, a place where memories become as real as our own, a destination we can always visit upon a wink like a dear hometown. I die as the loops loop themselves, as the t’s cross and remember, and as the dots above the i’s lighthouse a literary frontier.
I may never write another trilogy again, because my writer’s life became a beautiful prisoner to a manufactured world that has not moved the real world enough. Please don’t misconstrue me, I have the most complete faith in my work, but if I’ve learned anything as an author, it is that the retail reality of books is composed of lines of readers waiting along a blinking thoroughfare of restaurants. And all too often the dining rooms of the most innovative chefs are forlornly deserted simply because the other restaurants had lines and theirs did not.
As authors, perhaps we start at the wrong end. Trilogies, if ever written, should come of great stories chained together, and only when the starry-eyed, dog-eared writer has won a long line of bookish followers, should they come to fruition.
I am a literary chef, standing in front of his restaurant with the few tattered tables populated by wide-eyed diners smiling eagerly at passersby, beckoning to them to leave the lines of the conformists. I am holding a platter up high that hurls the most fantastic, unique fumes at you, cuisine to which I’ve dedicated my entire life to creating. And the sign above my little restaurant reads, TIRED OF THE SAME OLD NOVELS?
Yours in literature,J.G.C.
Beware of what the tide may bring…Ethan Hodges is deeply unsettled when thousands of decomposed starfish inexplicably wash up along the shore of Pelican Bay. As the ominous sea epidemic spreads to other marine life, he continues to see a suspicious-looking man loitering on the beach.
To solve the mystery, Ethan seeks help from longtime friend, Sheriff Dansby, and Reagan Langsley, a beautiful marine biologist from Lighthouse Point. Spurred by curiosity and jealousy, Ethan’s estranged wife, Morgan, joins them in the investigation.
When the elusive outsider is finally arrested, an enigmatic relationship develops between Ethan and the man. With cautious prodding, Ethan learns that the fate of the world appears to rest in the hands of the tall stranger named…Mr. DM.
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Captain-Shelby-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B017Y41K4Y/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/m88VaeFPmo0
All About Jesse #1 bestselling author in sea adventures, Jesse Giles Christiansen is an American author whose page-turning fiction weaves the real with the surreal, while also speaking to the human condition. He was hailed by New York Times bestselling author, William R. Forstchen, as "leaving readers so tantalized by the story lines, they think the events actually happened—a demonstration of skill surely to launch this author into the big leagues."
Jesse was born in Miami, FL, playing on beaches as a boy, the sky bronzing him forever and the sea turning his heart lyrical. After spending a summer in Alaska before graduating from Florida State University with a degree in literature and philosophy, he wrote his first novel, Journey into the Mystic.
He feels he is haunted by Hemingway's ghost, not just by the poster in his writing studio that stares at him, saying, "What else you got?" but also by having a café called Hemingway's in the small European city where he writes. Finally, Hemingway became his neighbor on Amazon when his novel, Pelican Bay, outsold Old Man and the Sea.
He currently lives in Lüneburg, Germany, with his wife and their precocious White Siamese cat.
To learn more about Jesse, visit him at www.jessegileschristiansen.com.
Blog: www.jgchristiansen.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JesseGilesChris
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jesse.gileschristiansen.7
December 1, 2015
December
It's December 1! We now seriously enter the season of holidays and presents. In my area of North America the stores are already stocked with potential gifts, are decorated outlandishly, and play traditional Christian Christmas songs ad nauseum.
During the season, here are a few of the celebrations that occur:
Hanukkah (Jewish)Mawlid al-Nabi Christmas Day (Christian)Kwanzaa (African American)Omisoka (Japanese)Yule (Pagan)
What I'd love to hear this year is "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" or "Joyous Mawlid" or simply, "Be happy." You can say, "May love surround you" or "Let hope fill your heart." Just "Happy Holidays" will suffice. Anything that evokes peace, friendship, humanity, hope and good will. Say it wrapped in whatever expression you like.
Words are energy and energy can create, move, and change things. We can literally breathe hope and charity to one another by speaking in a positive way. We can model respect and caring. We could generate a force of positive energy that, carried by sound, could fill the whole world.
You might not believe it's that easy. That's okay. Try it anyway. Even if the energy doesn't go very far, at least it will surround you and your loved ones. Maybe your smile and sentiment will help someone who is lonely and stressed. Perhaps give strength to a neighbor. Maybe help that person think life is worth living after all.
Help yourself out by reading a lot of positive news. There are literally millions of great deeds being carried out all around the world. Despite all the problems, there are solutions being discovered. Love, kindness, generosity and courage exist everywhere. Go find it!
May love surround you every day all year long.
During the season, here are a few of the celebrations that occur:
Hanukkah (Jewish)Mawlid al-Nabi Christmas Day (Christian)Kwanzaa (African American)Omisoka (Japanese)Yule (Pagan)
What I'd love to hear this year is "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" or "Joyous Mawlid" or simply, "Be happy." You can say, "May love surround you" or "Let hope fill your heart." Just "Happy Holidays" will suffice. Anything that evokes peace, friendship, humanity, hope and good will. Say it wrapped in whatever expression you like.
Words are energy and energy can create, move, and change things. We can literally breathe hope and charity to one another by speaking in a positive way. We can model respect and caring. We could generate a force of positive energy that, carried by sound, could fill the whole world.
You might not believe it's that easy. That's okay. Try it anyway. Even if the energy doesn't go very far, at least it will surround you and your loved ones. Maybe your smile and sentiment will help someone who is lonely and stressed. Perhaps give strength to a neighbor. Maybe help that person think life is worth living after all.
Help yourself out by reading a lot of positive news. There are literally millions of great deeds being carried out all around the world. Despite all the problems, there are solutions being discovered. Love, kindness, generosity and courage exist everywhere. Go find it!
May love surround you every day all year long.
November 27, 2015
Alison Bruce is Back!
This is my friend Ali and me. This looks like us too.
Alison Bruce and I met through Crime Writers of Canada a few years ago and immediately became friends. That's the way I remember it, anyway.
Her "Deadly Legacy" character, Kate Garrett, is one of my favourite heroines, kick-ass but down-to-earth realistic female who lives slightly in the future.
Now she's back in Deadly Legacy
The InterviewMe: Tell us what this book is about.
Ali: It’s about 111 pages long… Sorry I couldn’t resist.
(You're so funny, Ali. - Me)
In Deadly Legacy Kate lost her father. Now she’s dealing with the fallout. She’s accepted her first case as a private investigator and is looking for a cat killer. At the office, she has to walk on eggs around her new business partner. In her off-time, she is packing up her father’s apartment where she comes across his last case as a police detective. Life is an emotional mine field and yet, Kate manages to solve her current case and a decade old one in the same neighbourhood.
Me: If you could only use one word to describe this book, what would it be?
Ali: Whodunit.
Me: What do you do for fun?
Ali: Reading and writing are both fun and professional activities. Just for fun? I draw cartoon versions of people… like the one of me and you.
(And I LOVE it! - Me)
Me: How would you describe your writing style?
Ali: Funny but not comedy. Adventurous but not super heroic. Romantic but not sappy. I aspire to write like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance. They make it look easy, but it’s not.
Me: When you begin to write your books, do you know how it ends or is it decided by the actual process of writing?
Ali: I always know how my books are going to start and end. I almost always end up starting at a different point than I intended and end up somewhere slightly different than I planned.
Me: What is your favorite thing about writing?
Ali: Everything when it flows. Nothing when it doesn’t.
Me: If we were to meet for lunch and talk books, where would we go (money is no object)?
Ali: Let’s do Paris. There is (or was) a lovely trattoria on Boulevard Saint Germain in the Latin Quarter. There’s an English book store in the same block. That way, we have a place to shop afterwards. If the weather is nice, we can sit outside and watch the students and tourists go by.
Me: How has your upbringing influenced your writing?
Ali: My parents read…a lot. My mother had a huge collection of mystery novels. I grew up with Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers and that’s just scratching the surface.
My father, on the other hand, loved westerns and thrillers. So I also read Louis L’Amour, Zane Grey, Jack Higgins and Alistair MacLean. He also introduced me to Stephen Leacock Award winners Donald Jack and Farley Mowatt (also to Stephen Leacock for that matter).
I don’t think I appreciated how much these authors influenced me until recently. But maybe the biggest influence was all the travelling we did when I was young. I devoured books in hotel rooms and nights in our ugly family camper, but I couldn’t read in a moving vehicle. Instead, I made up stories in my head. Sometimes my sister and I would play act them, but mostly I had a head stuffed with plots and characters.
Me: How important do you think villains are to a crime story?
Ali: “Your enemy is never a villain in his own eyes. Keep this in mind; it may offer a way to make him your friend. If not, you can kill him without hate — and quickly.”
Robert Heinlein said that in The Notebooks of Lazarus Long. I try to keep that in mind at all times… not just when I’m writing. I do my best not to write villains, only enemies. That being said, “A hero is only as good as his villain.”
Me: If you could be anyone else in the world (living), who would you be?
Ali: That’s tough. If I was anyone else, I wouldn’t have my kids, my family and friends. That wouldn’t do at all. In another universe, there is an Alison Bruce that didn’t chicken out of submitting her work when she was in her twenties. If other parts of her life worked out close enough for me still to have Kit and Sam as my kids, I’d be her.
DEADLY SEASON
An Imajin Qwickies™ Mystery/Crime Novella A Carmedy & Garrett Mini-Mystery #1
By Alison Bruce
Imajin Books
November 2015
Last month Kate Garrett was a Police Detective. Now she’s a Pet P.I.?
Kate recently inherited half her father’s private investigation company and a partner who is as irritating as he is attractive. Kate has been avoiding Jake Carmedy for years, but now her life might depend on him.
Kate and Jake are on the hunt for a serial cat killer who has mysterious connections to her father’s last police case. Kate’s father had been forced to retire when he was shot investigating a domestic disturbance. Is the shooter back for revenge? And is Kate or Jake next?
Available at:
www.amazon.com/Deadly-Season-Carmedy-Garrett-Mini-Mystery-book/dp/B017AFRN02
store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/deadly-season
play.google.com/store/books/details/Alison_Bruce_Deadly_Season?id=SzvSCgAAQBAJ
www.smashwords.com/books/view/588711
Alison Bruce has had many careers and writing has always been one of them. Copywriter, editor and graphic designer since 1992, Alison has also been a comic store manager, small press publisher, webmaster and arithmetically challenged bookkeeper. She is the author of mystery, romantic suspense and historical western romance novels. Three of her novels have been finalists for genre awards.
http://www.alisonbruce.ca
(author and business website)
https://www.facebook.com/alisonbruce.books
(author page)
http://alisonebruce.blogspot.ca
(author blog)
https://twitter.com/alisonebruce
November 13, 2015
October 20, 2015
On Fire! Kristina Stanley on Researching Arson
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Thank you for being here! I am always happy to host a hot writer.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Pardon?</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I mean, a writer who's hot. You know, popular.</i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-imL572MOuxM..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-imL572MOuxM..." width="320" /></a></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Oh. Okay.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Also, it was a little play on words...you know, your research on fire...hot...right?</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Oh, I see. You're funny.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Is that funny ha ha or funny strange...? </i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Kristina actually only said that first sentence. The rest I made up. Surprise! Seriously, I am THRILLED to have Kristina Stanley do a return post on research for her second novel. The scenarios are so different, from snow and cold to fire and heat. Her first novel was terrific! I'm looking forward to reading the second.</i><br /><br /><i>She also gives a little teaser for her third novel and by the sounds of it, we'll all want to hear about THAT research too! </i><br /><br /><i> Now, here's the real Kristina Stanley.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Every novel has a unique subject, giving an author an opportunity to research and learn about something new. I write the Stone Mountain Mystery series that takes place in the remote mountains of British Columbia. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For DESCENT (1<sup>st</sup> in the series), the majority of my research focused on ski racing and ski tuning. For BLAZE (2<sup>nd</sup> in the series), arson is the crime, so fire fighting was the research topic. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The idea for BLAZE came to me while I was the director of security at a ski resort. Late one night, my phone rang. A set of condos was on fire. My role for the night was to manage the scene surrounding the fire. This included calling for ambulance and RCMP backup, finding rooms for guests who had been displaced, arranging crowd control, and ensuring the firefighters had food and water during the night. The firefighters did all the hard work and saved many condos from burning to the ground.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">By morning, I had an idea for a story and had just been given first hand research.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">By being on the site of a major fire, my senses and thoughts were filled with:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Smell and sounds. Alarms, floors crashing, commands being shouted, burning debris…</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Water, water everywhere. This is where I learned how much water damage occurs while trying to put out a fire.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Fear of people being hurt. I knew many of the firefighters personally, and watching them inside a burning building is stressful.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Worry about pets. Luckily no pets were hurt.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Desperation of a person whose home is burning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Standing beside some who is losing their home fills one with a variety of emotions.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">These senses and emotions were incorporated into BLAZE. The trick was to turn the experience into a story. With my imagination triggered, I decided arson was the crime, Kalin Thompson was the suspected victim, and I needed to add a forest fire to heighten the danger.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The next step in the research process was to interview firefighters.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>This was more valuable than reading about events. A firefighter can tell you what they would wear for different fires. I learned about gear for a forest fire versus a structural fire, what a man-down alarm sounds like, and what a firefighter would think and feel while working in a burning building.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">After the interviews, I expanded my knowledge with online research.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>I read news about fires.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>I watched videos – there is always a video. A little aside about researching for my novel AVALANCHE, if you want to scare yourself google “what does it feel like to be caught in an avalanche," watch one of the go pro videos of a person being buried. I did this and had to go for a walk just to calm down. Now that’s exciting research.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The final step in my research process was to have a firefighter read the fire scenes for accuracy and believability. My thought was if a firefighter believed the scene, then others would too.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Research can be an exciting part of the novel-writing adventure. Just be sure you don’t get so involved in the research that you forget to write.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My Facebook launch party for BLAZE (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/16301...) is this coming Sunday, October 25th from 4 to 6 PM EST. I would love to see you there.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For added Facebook excitement, Catherine will be giving away a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Emily-Ta..." target="_blank">LEGACY</a> at the BLAZE Facebook launch party. If you’re not familiar with a launch party, drop on by and chat with authors, maybe win a book, and socialize online. I’ve met some fun online friends this way.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Kristina’s Bio</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Kristina Stanley is the author of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stone Mountain Mystery Series</i>. Her books have garnered the attention of prestigious crime writing organizations in Canada and England. Crime Writers of Canada nominated DESCENT for the Unhanged Arthur award. The Crime Writers’ Association nominated BLAZE for the Debut Dagger. She is published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Before writing her series, Kristina was the director of security, human resources and guest services at a resort in the depths of the British Columbian mountains. The job and lifestyle captured her heart, and she decided to write mysteries about life in an isolated resort. While writing the first four novels, she spent five years living aboard a sailboat in the US and the Bahamas.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WjQ0NN9J2pM..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WjQ0NN9J2pM..." width="204" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: RobotoSlab-Light;">Instead of exchanging vows, Kalin Thompson spends her wedding day running from a forest fire near Stone Mountain Resort, and the pregnant friend trapped with her has just gone into labor. Meanwhile, Kalin’s fiancé, Ben Timlin, hangs from the rafters of a burning building, fighting for his life. Can the situation get any hotter?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: RobotoSlab-Light;">When the fire is declared as arson, finding the firebug responsible becomes Kalin’s personal mission. In the course of her investigation as Director of Security, she discovers that some people will go to extreme measures to keep her from exposing their secrets.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I love to connect with people online. I can be found at:<a href="http://www.kristinastanley.com/"... www.KristinaStanley.com</a><... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Follow me on twitter, let me know you read this blog and I’ll follow you back. @StanleyKMS</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Or comment on my Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KristinaStan... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">If you're looking for something to read and you haven’t read <a href="http://kristinastanley.com/books/the-... style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">DESCENT</span></a> yet, now is your chance before <a href="http://mybook.to/BLAZEbyKristinaStanl... style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">BLAZE</span></a> comes out. Find it at: <span style="color: #535353;"> </span></span><a href="http://mybook.to/Descent">htt... class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">And if you have read DESCENT, I’d be very excited if you pre-ordered BLAZE </span><span style="color: #17456b; mso-bidi-font-family: OpenSans;"><a href="http://mybook.to/BLAZEbyKristinaStanl... style="color: #535353; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>
October 6, 2015
Guest Post from Debra Purdy Kong: RESEARCH, WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH
I met Debra Purdy Kong through Crime Writers of Canada.Staying in touch through Facebook and other crime-related
events (no jail time involved) has allowed me to get to know her
and appreciate not only her talent but her determination. She's
one of those people who supports her colleagues and gives
thoughtful, intelligent feedback and inspiration. Here's her
insightful look at research.
For crime fiction writers, finding ideas is easy. All we have to do is turn to news sources. Research, however, is another matter, but these five strategies really help:
leg work
firsthand experience
networking
expert interviews and consultants
internet research
For me, leg work is important. When I incorporate foreign settings, I choose places I’ve been to and find something specific about them to weave into a story. In my first Casey Holland mystery, The Opposite of Dark, one of the chapters is set in Amsterdam. I mention the pricey McDonald's hamburgers and the ubiquitous dirt particles that swirled over Casey’s hair and face whenever the wind blew. These memories have stayed with me over the years.
Firsthand experience is the most time-consuming type of research, yet it's become invaluable. Employment in security added authenticity for the Holland series and my recently released Evan Dunstan novella, Dead Man Floating. I didn't set out to incorporate day jobs into short stories and novels. It just worked out that way. The security field had interested me, so I answered an ad in the paper and wound up training as a campus guard, dispatcher, and later a supervisor.
Networking in person and online is another great resource. Discussions about my work have put me in touch with IT and forensics experts, for instance. Twitter helped me connect with a bus driver who is now my consultant on a current Casey Holland mystery.
Many times, you don’t even need a referral to find an expert. Universities, organizations, and libraries have links to databases listing all sorts of people willing to answer questions. One question often leads to another and soon you're gathering knowledge to about things you hadn't known to ask. Once you’ve identified an expert, a short, polite email query often gets the ball rolling.
It might seem strange, but Google research is the resource I've used least so far. It’s probably because I've had the benefit of working in the same field as my protagonists and set most of my stories locally. But I hope to expand my horizons. I’m mulling over new work in a different genre and research needs will definitely expand. I can't wait to see where the search will take me.
Link to Dead Man Floating: http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Floating-Evan-Dunstan-Mystery-ebook/dp/B014K0UY1A
EXCERPT FROM DEAD MAN FLOATING:
Propping the kickstand, Evan removed the small flashlight attached to his belt then stepped nearer the water. Oh shit! It was a hand! A freakin’ hand! And legs! He moved the flashlight up the body until he spotted the grey fringe circling a bald head that glowed like a moon. Evan shivered. Was the guy alive? He wouldn’t have to perform CPR, would he? That first-aid course last year didn’t go so well after he broke that manikin.
DEBRA’S BIO:
Author of six full-length mysteries and over fifty short stories, Debra has won numerous awards for her work. She conducts workshops, is an administrative assistant at Simon Fraser University, and also works as a substitute facilitator for the creative writing program with Port Moody Parks & Recreation.
More information about Debra’s books and her blog can be found at www.debrapurdykong.com
Also visit her FB Author Page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mystery-Author-Debra-Purdy-Kong/139005706175139
Or find her on Twitter @DebraPurdyKong
September 6, 2015
Guest Post: Andy Peloquin - Why Research Matters for Fiction
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Before you read his article on research, he suggests you should know 10 things about him.</span></span><style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style></h3><h3>10 Things You Need to Know About Andy Peloquin:</h3><h3></h3><ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Hot wings, ALWAYS!</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">I never forget a face, but rarely remember a name.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">I'm a head taller than the average person (I'm 6' 6")</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Marvel > DC</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">I was born in Japan, and lived there until the age of 14.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Selena Gomez and Five Finger Death Punch are both in my playlist.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Aliens are real, but it's self-centered of us to believe that they would come to visit Earth.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Watching sports: suck. Playing sports: EPIC!</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">I earned a purple belt in Karate/Hapkido/Taekwondo.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">I dislike most Christmas music, aside from Trans-Siberian Orchestra.</li></ol><br /><style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} h2 {mso-style-priority:9; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-link:"Heading 2 Char"; mso-style-next:Normal; margin-top:10.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan lines-together; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:2; font-size:13.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#4F81BD;} span.Heading2Char {mso-style-name:"Heading 2 Char"; mso-style-priority:9; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-locked:yes; mso-style-link:"Heading 2"; mso-ansi-font-size:13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; color:#4F81BD; font-weight:bold;} span.BlockChar {mso-style-name:"Block Char"; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-locked:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-style-link:Block; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.Block, li.Block, div.Block {mso-style-name:Block; mso-style-update:auto; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-link:"Block Char"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --</style><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Why Research Matters for Fiction by Andy Peloquin</b></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">When you read a blog post, a news article, or a piece of content on a website, you expect that it has been thoroughly researched, its facts checked, and the sources verified. For fiction, however, that is not always the case.</div><div class="MsoNormal">How many works of fiction have you read? Did you know that 36.7% of them have not been thoroughly researched? Did you know that I made that last statistic up? No you didn’t, because you didn't check your facts! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--VuZdCfvju0..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--VuZdCfvju0..." width="247" /></a>A lot of fiction writers believe that doing research isn't important for their work. This is not usually the case with works of fiction set in historical times (history buffs can be pretty harsh critics!). I have noticed that a lot of mystery and thriller writers will do one of two things:</div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Get VERY specific with certain details (street names, landmarks, etc.) </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Leave details specifically vague</li></ul><div class="MsoNormal">Both of these things are an overcompensation for their lack of research into the cities or towns where their novels are set.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The main weakness, however, is often in fantasy and science fiction novels! </div><div class="MsoNormal">For science fiction, it's a bit beyond reason to expect that every writer has a degree in physics or chemistry. Sometimes, a simple explanation of "futuristic" technology (such as light sabers) is the simplest way to go. However, with the increasing tech-savviness of the modern reader, the "oversimplified" science may no longer fly.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have found that fantasy writers tend to have the hardest time keeping their works accurate or realistic. For example, I just read a novel where a prolonged battle (for a month or two) took no serious toll on the castle defending itself. The attacking force didn't use any sort of siege equipment, either. At a number of times, there were "heroes" and "villains" having their fights in the middle of the battles, when everyone around them simply stopped and watched? And what's worse, the heroes became experts with their swords and got "perfect" bodies in just a few months. Doesn't seem realistic, right?</div><div class="MsoNormal">This shows a lack of understanding of proper battle tactics, how high the casualties can be, and how battle actually happens. Don't get me started on a familiarization with the fatigue of constant battle, the amount of time it takes to master a weapon or reach peak physical fitness.</div><div class="MsoNormal">How many stories have you read where a city has no proper sewage disposal/drainage system? How many had a realistic structure of governance? You'll find that fantasy writers are sometimes (not always, but a lot more often than you might think) the laziest when it comes to research.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yes, it's hard to research a world that you have created. After all, there are no history books for your fictitious world, so there's nowhere to check how your civilization has evolved over time. That's no excuse for not doing at least some research into how life really was in the Roman Era/Dark Ages/Middle Ages/Renaissance/whatever period your novel is set. That research helps to make the novel as realistic as possible.</div><div class="MsoNormal">There will be a lot of readers who enjoy the book for its own sake, but you will always encounter readers who put down your book because it just isn't realistic. Why would you be okay with losing a reader? All it takes is a few minutes/hours of research, and you could keep those readers hooked on your book! </div><div class="MsoNormal">For all authors, research is HIGHLY important, but more so for fantasy authors. You're already giving readers an "unrealistic" enough world in which to spend their time--you have to make it as realistic and accurate as possible!<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Last Bucelarii (Book 1): Blade of the Destroyer</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Hunter of Voramis is the perfect assassin: ruthless, unrelenting, immortal. Yet he is haunted by lost memories, bonded to a cursed dagger that feeds him power yet denies him peace of mind. Within him rages an unquenchable need for blood and death.</div><div class="MsoNormal">When he accepts a contract to avenge the stolen innocence of a girl, the Hunter becomes the prey. The death of a seemingly random target sends him hurtling toward destruction, yet could his path also lead to the truth of his buried past?<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Go here to get Andy's book:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Amazon Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Destroyer... class="MsoNormal">Amazon Paperback: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Destroyer... class="MsoNormal">Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Where to Find Andy Peloquin: Lover of All Things Dark and Mysterious </b></div><div class="Block"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Andy Peloquin--a third culture kid to the core--has loved to read since before he could remember. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sherlock Holmes</i>, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phantom of the Opera</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Father Brown</i> are just a few of the books that ensnared his imagination as a child.</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="Block"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">When he discovered science fiction and fantasy through the pages of writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs, J.R.R Tolkien, and Orson Scott Card, he was immediately hooked and hasn't looked back since. </span> <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><br /><br /><div class="Block"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Andy's first attempt at writing produced <i>In the Days: A Tale of the Forgotten Continent. </i>He has learned from the mistakes he made and used the experience to produce Blade of the Destroyer, a book of which he is very proud.</span> </span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="Block"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reading—and now writing—is his favorite escape, and it provides him an outlet for his innate creativity. He is an artist; words are his palette.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">His website (<a href="http://www.andypeloquin.com/">...) is a second home for him, a place where he can post his thoughts and feelings--along with reviews of books he finds laying around the internet. </div><div class="Block">He can also be found on his social media pages, such as: </div><div class="Block"><br /></div><div class="Block">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/AndyPeloquin"... class="Block">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/andyqpeloqui... class="Block"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/andypeloqu... class="Block"><a href="https://plus.google.com/1008859946389... style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="Block"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/author/andypel... style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="Block"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/andrew.peloq... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>
August 12, 2015
Research: Guest Author Jill Downie on The Joys of Research
I am absolutely delighted to host author Jill Downie as she talks about the joys of research. Her Moretti and Falla detective series are enormously popular and have received a great deal of critical acclaim. You should check her out at http://www.jilldownie.com (I know you'll do that anyway once you read this post). On top of everything, Jill is a wonderful person.
The Joys of Research
Is there a writer anywhere who doesn’t like research? Maybe, but I have yet to meet one. Writers are like the elephant’s child in Kipling’s Just-So stories, curious by nature, and that can get them into some interesting, scary, unforgettable places in the real world and in that other real world: their imagination. I have written both fiction and non-fiction in my life as a published writer, and there are more similarities than differences between researching the two. Both are about when, what, where, why and how – and, being there. Except, if you are writing historical fiction, as I once did, being there only happens in the imagination. But you still have to get it right, or you’ll get a letter or an email to point out the error of your ways. Apart from my mysteries, the only contemporary fiction I have written is the short story, the first form of writing I ever had published. The setting was the first community I lived in when I came to Canada, and I discovered afterwards there had been a mad rush to identify actual people in my characters. Hey, everyone, it wasn’t a short-story-à-clef, I protested. But no one believed me.So, when I choose a name for the murderer, I tread carefully. Which brings me back to research.
Get this book in one click.I made a really smart move when I chose the Channel Island of Guernsey, where I once lived, as the setting for my Moretti and Falla mysteries, because it took me back to a beautiful and unique part of the world. The first visit was after a number of years, much had changed, and I spent the time reacquainting myself with the place. In spite of those changes, which incIuded the island’s transformation into a wealthy offshore tax haven, the scenery was still dazzling, the old island families with their unique names – Falla, Bisson, Le Cocq, de Sausmarez and so on – were still very much part of the landscape. So, no wicked islanders – well, not identifiable ones, anyway.
Order here! John Nettles, former star of Midsomer Murders, who lived on Jersey while making the detective series, Bergerac,has found himself persona non grata after writing a well—researched account of the wartime occupation of the Channel IsIands. Some secrets are best left secret, some bodies best left buried. Or, at least, unrecognizable.I always go on research trips with a game plan, so it doesn’t just turn into a vacation, but I remind myself to keep an open mind, and to be prepared for the unexpected to turn up. It so often does. Plots and plot twists, characters walking around corners into your life, unplanned encounters that take you into a whole new perspective are among the joys of research. I got the basic idea for the fourth Moretti and Falla while researching Blood Will Out, the third in the series.
Order right here.I used to love spending time in libraries and archives when on the hunt for a book. With the internet, my research life has been simplified, and maybe I regret that. But only a little. I have been to the Yukon in search of a nineteenth-century journalist, served coffee and port by a white-gloved valet while interviewing a duke, and these were unexpected bonuses in my writing life. Best to be open to the unexpected, I have found. So when my daughter asked, “Mom, have you ever thought of a story set in Las Vegas? I’m going on a business trip, why don’t you come?” “Yes,” I said.Being there. Nothing like it. Everything Jill Downie can be found right here: https://www.dundurn.com/authors/jill-downie 
