Autumn is probably the best season weather wise in New England. Mild days and cool, crisp nights. And there’s no shortage of fall-like activities to keep the whole family busy. What’s your favorite thing to do this time of year?
Category: Nature (Page 10 of 20)
Okay, some blog tour stuff first (because I know you all are dying to hear more about my blog tour–hey, quit the groaning!). I’m over at the blog of Stuart R. West (who you all met last month when he guest blogged about Females in YA and his Tex, The Witch Boy books) offering some sage (I hope!) advice about book openings, including my favorite ones.
Now for the actual intended blatherings of today’s post…staying grounded. Earlier this summer I embarked on a mission to ground myself every day. No, not I-stayed-out-past-my-curfew-and-got-grounded kind of grounded. A more literal kind of grounded, as in putting my feet on the earth kind of grounding.
The hubby and I getting grounded in St. Lucia.
There seems to be some legitimate(?) health benefits to this and certain techniques that are supposed to work (here’s one article about grounding techniques and another with some supposed health benefits). It’s all bit new agey for my sensibilities, but try to stay with me here because I think it might be working.
I’m not doing anything crazy, but simply going outside and touching my feet to the actual earth (grass, dirt, sand, etc…) for a few seconds every day. (Admittedly I’ve already missed a day here or there, but it’s more the spirit of the idea than being super strict about it.) I’m going to try and do this for a whole year. That’s it!
And you know what? I have been feeling a bit more grounded lately. Less stressed, more even-keeled, even with a lot going on in my professional life, a toddler to take care of, renovations on our attic, and my allergies going a bit wonky with the change in weather.
If I think about some of the most relaxed people I have ever come across, I go back to Tahiti or St. Lucia and the people of islands. You know what they do? They walk around barefoot a lot (granted they also live in a less stressed environment in general)!
So the only problem is I live in New England. The weather is still pretty nice right now, so it’s not hard to get out there barefoot. But I’m a warm-weather kind of girl…some years I barely make it through the winter without falling into that sun-deprived kind of depression. I like to be warm and get cold pretty easily. So I’m not making any promises come January when the temperatures drop into the 20’s and snow is on the ground.
Though my husband (who has been oddly enthusiastic about this whole thing…probably because he’s not the one putting his bare feet on the grass everyday) says he won’t let me get away with NOT doing it this winter. He’s even offered to keep a little spot of grass in the yard free of snow this winter (how generous of him…notice he hasn’t offered to do this grounding thing with me!). I’m committed but not crazy, so we’ll see how it goes.
What’s the strangest, craziest, weirdest thing you’ve committed yourself to?
Where did the week go? Where is the summer going? Spent a good part of the week offline, and boy, did I need that. In an effort not to be too neglectful of my dear blog readers, here’s a post in pictures.
One of the reasons I’ve been so busy is I’ve been preparing for the paperback release of Elixir Bound this fall, including this massive blog tour! Stay tuned for more specific details on this. I have a feeling you all will be sick of me by the time September ends! 🙂
And now for some fun summer pics!
What have you been up to this summer?
Please welcome back Priscilla Brown, author of the contemporary romances Anna and the Soap Opera (see my Goodreads review here) and Nothing But Love. Alpacas play an important role in Anna and the Soap Opera, and when I found out Priscilla actually owned alpacas, I just had to learn more about these adorable creatures. Welcome, Priscilla!
I didn’t know I was looking for a story idea when I saw a newspaper advertisement for a seminar on alpaca farming. But as I read the information, a plot began to form in my head: he owns an alpaca stud and the local council wants his land for development of some kind.
Attending the seminar sparked my interest in these charming animals; the next stop was the alpaca exhibition at a country show. There, I fell in love. She was young, pretty, friendly, with fine black fleece, and she was for sale. My suburban backyard being no place for an alpaca, I negotiated agistment with the owner. Deal done, this excited writer turned alpaca owner began a new journey.
I bought a second young female, and through my visits to my huggable investments, my interest and knowledge increased. These animals are intelligent and curious, with individual personalities and mostly nice natures. My girls (they are referred to as girls and boys) let me hug them; they are soft and warm. I helped at shearing by collecting and separating the shorn fleeces, which taught me about quality. My two alpacas matured, were mated, and had crias; my small herd expanded.
As I spent time with them, the alpaca stud story developed. I sat in the paddocks absorbing the ambience of the peacefully grazing animals, making notes and jotting down possible scenarios. Much of this did not get into the final narrative, as I reminded myself this story was a romance, not a treatise on alpacas. There were two occurrences which I was particularly fortunate to witness; while they did not fit into the plot, they did feed into my overall experience. The first was a birth; she was a first-time mother, and while naturally protective of the cria (baby), she appeared completely relaxed. The second took place in a paddock with mothers and young crias; the girls organized the youngsters together with one mother sitting with them, while the other mothers grazed undisturbed. Alpaca child care.
The fictitious farm needed a problem, and I didn’t want to write about the use of agricultural land for anything but agribusiness. And why ‘he’? I had no mind picture of a male farmer.
But suddenly ‘he’ became ‘she’; her image, backstory and current difficulties arrived neatly packaged. My fictitious alpaca breeder Anna had a house, a position as mayor of her small country town and huge financial problems dating from her backstory. These were not sufficient to provide sustainable conflict, and the male protagonist was missing. Then at a party on a blistering hot day, one of the men joked about doing the full monty—they didn’t. But Kyle did—enter into the story a sexy television entrepreneur with designs on Anna, her farm and her town, appearing on page one in the full monty. He was nothing to do with my personal alpaca experiences, but as the ‘soap opera’ progressed, he fitted into it well.
This story is an example of what writers are sometimes advised—‘write about what you know’. By the time I felt ready to start on it, I had picked up a quantity of information concerning alpaca husbandry, but there were still points which I researched to confirm and expand my knowledge. I loved writing about these appealing animals, making them the four-legged stars in the romance between Anna and Kyle.
Anna and the Soap Opera blurb:
Excited that television producer Kyle Kinross wants to shoot his blockbuster drama not only in her struggling country town but on her cash-strapped alpaca farm, Mayor Anna Marshall sees his company’s fee as a solution to financial predicaments. But can she survive accusations of payola? Is this sexy younger man buying her influence against community opposition, or could he possibly want her for the generous loving nature masked by her business suit?
Anna and the Soap Opera is available at the MuseItUp bookstore, Amazon, and other ebook retailers. Nothing But Love is also available at the MuseItUp bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other ebook retailers.
About the Author:
Since coming first in English in Primary School, Priscilla resolved language would be her future. She majored in Literary Studies and added a Diploma in Migrant Teaching (English as a Second Language). Creative writing always beckoned, and, over time, she collected a box full of story ideas: a notebook crammed with fragments of dialog mostly garnered from eavesdropping in cafes; observations of people again from cafes and also public transport; pictures from magazines of potential characters and settings; possible names and titles. Moving house proved the catalyst for turning this hoard into “proper” stories. Packing, she spent too much time browsing through the box, and as soon as her new desk was organized, she embarked on a fiction writing career. Priscilla lives in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, where she does much listening, observing and writing over coffees in the many cafes.
A big thanks to everyone who voted for Elixir Bound in the You Gotta Read June cover contest…it took second place (and earned two months of free advertising)! While I’m off celebrating, please welcome Jo Marshall, author of the gorgeous Twig Stories and fellow puzzle enthusiast, as she shares some great tips on research.
Thanks, Katie, for inviting me to talk about research strategies and tips. It’s a kick to be on your blog, especially since we have something in common besides writing books for kids. You once edited a puzzle magazine. Working puzzles happens to be my passion! Finding the right puzzle piece is like doing research to find that perfect fact, which fits a scene in your book. Once you do, your puzzle fits together brilliantly! With that in mind, here’s a few of my researching tips.
First, if I might describe the puzzle box for my stories. I write eco-literary, fantasy novels called Twig Stories for young readers, ages 8 to 12. Twigs are impish, amusing, stick creatures, and live in a land of jagged, volcanic peaks, serene glacial lakes, moss-draped rainforests, and windswept prairies similar to where I live in Snohomish, Washington in the Pacific Northwest. Devastating climate change events are impacting this region.
First tip ~ Assemble the frame of your puzzle first.
Although Twigs are pure fantasy, climate change is real. Due to an overabundance of information, I continually research climate shift in the Pacific Northwest. I decide which pieces of the climate crisis puzzle will sweep young readers into the thrilling, fantastic world of Twigs, and at the same time increase their concern for nature. Only those pieces which make Twig Stories entertaining, yet are actual ecological facts form the frame. Endangered animals like the spirit bear, horned lark, and salamanders fit the criteria easily, and of course, scary climatic events like glacial outburst floods and dying forests caused by bark beetles fit, too.
Second tip ~ Sort the pieces of your story into topics or groups.
After I have a frame, I group my pieces. You might choose those parts of your story you need to understand better. For each of my four books, I chose four specific climate change impacts to research – glacial floods, dying forests, shrinking glaciers, and species adaptation. These choices immediately gave the stories focus, determined the action, offered clarity to the theme, and created resolution to the conflict. Other groups might be characters or places.
Third tip ~ Figure out where your pieces fit.
To find where your pieces go, you need to collect descriptive facts for your groups. Adequate descriptions that embrace the splendor of the Twigs forest home with all its exquisite complexity require research. For your character group you may need to know what they wear, how they shelter, where they travel, for example. Placing facts in your story immediately inspires your characterizations and plot. Nothing motivates my Twigs to reach beyond their limits more than discovering the tremendous diversity in nature. I constantly rewrite the descriptions and action (usually for the better!) to match fact. If I’m ever stumped, or wonder, “What happens next?” I often find the answer on an internet fact search. Through description, you discover where pieces fit into the story, and so the puzzle starts to come together.
Fourth tip ~ Use all your resources!
Like using 5 lamps on your puzzle table to see better, you can use every resource at your fingertips! The internet is fantastic for global fact-finding. But there are other ways to research, too. Libraries, authors, television documentaries, radio shows – whatever you can find to uncover facts for your story will work. Occasionally you grip that puzzle piece that won’t fit anywhere. It just doesn’t make sense, but it’s essential to the action. Ask the experts! I sent emails to professors and nonprofit officers asking for help. Most were amazingly generous with their guidance. All of my manuscripts were reviewed by different conservation experts in the fields of wildlife, forestry, geology, glaciology, biology, and climate change. Without their helpful suggestions, Twigs would not have such excellent adventures!
Placing the last piece in the puzzle is always a thrill. Once all the pieces, or facts, are in place, your readers will love your story and also know a little more about your world and theirs, and that is a very satisfying feeling.
Thanks again, Katie, for sharing Twig Stories with your fans and followers. I hope my puzzle perspective encourages writers of all genres to research and infuse their stories with facts. I’m sure their readers will love it!
Leaf & the Sky of Fire blurb:
Twigs live in a fragile world of old forests and magnificent glaciers threatened by climate change, yet Twigs stick together to survive! In a dying forest – infested with bark beetles – small, stick creatures called Twigs are forced to hide in a cave, or be devoured by the ravenous barkbiters! A young Twig named Leaf attempts a foolhardy rescue, but instead leads them all into even greater danger for now they are pursued by barkbiters and fire! Still, the Twigs have courageous companions. Three loyal salamanders and a fearless, misplaced chameleon guard the Twigs during their escape over a barren ridge. In their darkest moments, a spirit bear stalks them. And the barkbiters are relentless as they swarm after the Twigs. Soon the firestorm panics all the forest creatures! But there is one passage south, if only the Twigs discover it in time!
Royalties are shared with nonprofits concerned with wildlife protection, climate change research, nature conservancy, and forest preservation.
Twig Stories are beautifully illustrated by D.W. Murray, an award-winning Disney artist. His credits include Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch, Brother Bear, and Curious George. He is a recipient of the New York Society of Illustrators Gallery and the 2004 Gold Aurora Award.
Twig Stories are available in kindle ebooks and paperbacks worldwide. Check out Leaf & the Rushing Waters, Leaf & the Sky of Fire, and Leaf & the Long Ice. Leaf & Echo Peak arrives early 2014!
About the Author:
Jo volunteered as a literacy tutor for elementary school children for many years. In 1986, while living in West Berlin, she earned a B.A. in German Language and Literature from the University of Maryland, Europe. In Berlin, she worked as a liaison between the military and diplomatic communities. Jo lived in the D.C. area from 1999 to 2006, and worked in litigation for two nonprofit organizations as the legal assistant to the General Counsel. Jo enjoys mysteries, puzzles, board games, science, NPR, PBS, and Big Band era music. She is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists, Read A Book Make A Difference, and many forest and wildlife conservation nonprofits. Jo lives with her family in Snohomish, Washington. For more about Jo visit her Amazon author page.
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