ZETSUDAI



Zetsudai no doryoku osuru

These Japanese words express an honorable action, "to make a supreme effort."

Everyone who joined the April 2011 A to Z Blog Challenge chose to make a supreme effort. Those who posted articles, anywhere from A to Z, succeeded.

Omedetoo Gozaimasu! Congratulations.

YARDARM

This was a difficult letter of the alphabet for me to settle on a topic.

I like:
--the color YELLOW, especially the shades of saffron rice, fresh lemons, and golden peppers.
--cooked YAMS mashed into brown sugar and gooey, melted butter.
--deviled eggs made with the YOLK of hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, a dab of mustard, and a sprinkling of Hungarian paprika.

But I finally settled on the unlikely word YARDARM, and here’s why.

When I saw the word yardarm, I pictured a ship (naturally.) Then images of pirates popped into my head, which led to specific scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean. That got me thinking about Johnny Depp. (Talk about being in my happy place!)

I’ll admit there are probably only three words in my well-worn New Merriam-Webster pocket dictionary that wouldn't lead me to thoughts about JD, but YARDARM did the trick, so I ran with it. A yardarm, by the way, is either end of the yard of a square-rigged ship. In case you were wondering.

Quiz: What is the last sentence Johnny Depp utters to his crew in Pirates of the Caribbean-The Curse of the Black Pearl, as his ship sails toward the sunset?
...
...
...
...

Now, bring me that horizon.

XENOPHOBIA

Xenophobia is a fear of strangers or foreigners.

Hawaii is one of the great melting pots of the world, and probably not the best choice for a visit if you suffer from xenophobia. Then again, maybe it's the perfect place to overcome this fear.

As an outspoken main character in my mystery novel For Every Action, Ursula Allen describes a piece of artwork she is viewing as, " ... an attempt to demonstrate racial tolerance. I'd just call it anti-xenophobia.

TSUNAMI

The tragedy of a natural disaster has hit home for all of us at one time or another. When something good arises from a devastating event, such as a child found alive in the rubble, cheers reach epic proportions. Everyone needs this encouragement to believe life will move forward.

On March 11, 2011, after the earthquake hit Japan, sirens blared in Hawaii. It’s not the first time residents have packed up, ready to move to higher ground under the threat of a tsunami. In an effort to avoid creating traffic jams and tourist anxiety, residents and hotel guests in Waikiki are no longer evacuated, only moved to higher floors.

Though the Hawaiian Islands faired well, with only sporadic damage and no loss of human life, thousands of seabirds died at Midway in the tsunami generated. Many albatrosses drowned or were buried beneath debris. However, a 60-year-old Laysan named Wisdom, believed to be the oldest known wild bird in the United States, was aloft with her mate when the wave struck. And the nest with their chick was spared from high waves due to the higher elevations of Midway’s Sand Island.

Good news amidst disaster.

SUCCESSFUL PARADIGM



While trying to determine how I could implement Donald Trump’s advice for success, to “Be Everywhere,” I developed an interesting plan.

First, let’s look at Diamond Head, from April 5’s “D” day, again. Diamond Head is the extinct volcano anchoring the southeast corner of Waikiki. People remember this sight because of its visibility from almost every point of the island. Every point of O’ahu. Yes, O’ahu. It is not visible from any of the other Hawaiian Islands, nor is it visible from the Philippines or Alaska.

EVERYWHERE doesn’t necessarily mean everywhere at once.

Before the Sandwich Islands were discovered by Captain Cook, only Polynesians were aware of Diamond Head. Over time, knowledge of its existence spread, first by Polynesians in canoes taking the news to their families, then sailors on ships telling their buddies, and later travelers in airplanes sharing the tale. Then radio, and television, and internet, oh my.

My plan is to use this paradigm of recognition to market my novel.

First, I’ll “tell the tale of my novel’s existence” to family and close friends. They will help me spread the word by telling their friends. Then, by expanding my marketing territory over a period of time, my goal is to reach the edges of the boundaries I’ve set for myself. After covering the four points of my home territory, I’ll reach across the state, and then the country. After that, who knows, maybe the whole wide world.

What successful marketing stratagies have you implemented?

QUALITY -vs- QUANTITY

Q is for ...

Which is better, I wonder, a quality sale or a quantity of sales? Is the marketing idea behind the sale of e-books sound?

When I sold VHS movies for a small, privately owned company in Minnesota years ago, I dealt with retailers who haggled on the price of a movie. My boss would grin and say, “Don’t worry, whatever money we lose on individual sales, we'll make up for in bulk sales.” The joke, of course, was that if one movie sold for 99 cents and lost money, selling one hundred movies for 99 cents each would still generate no profit.

Granted, selling an e-book for $.99 will get a book into the hands of a reader, but will the reader be inclined to read the book without additional motivation such as advertisements or word-of-mouth recommendations?

Hence the question: Is a quality sale better than a quantity of sales - or -  is a quantity of sales actually a quality sale?

ODE to ORIGINATION

Ad Photo in This Week Oahu
for Aloha General Store

(TONGUE-IN-CHEEK)
ODE TO ORIGINATION
.........by Gail M Baugniet

One day in the 60s
The day he was born
O'ahu or Kenya
Has citizens torn

The hospital 's name is
Kapiolani
Though some folks will swear his
Birth cert is funny

Regardless the mascot
Gecko or Llama
His title's still President.
Barack Obama
.
.
.

Nightmarchers in Hawaii



N is for ...

So many tales abound about encounters with Nightmarchers in Hawaii that it is difficult not to believe spirits continue to travel the same paths they once walked in their full-bodied lives.

 
Whether Hawaiian or Chinese, nightmarchers do not take detours. They stay the course, moving through cars and buildings, and even through living beings.
Who are they and what is their destination? Some are dead chiefs with their retinues, headed to a reunion at a heiau (see April 6th, Exploring Heiaus). Others are spirits returning to their cemetery after a late night march to who-knows-where. Wherever they're going or coming from, they won't be deterred.

At midnight, when you feel the beat of a drum or hear ghostly chants, it might be best to move off to the side, cast your gaze downward, and wait for the marchers to pass. According to Glenn Grant, that's what the locals do. He is the local expert who writes about and gives ghost tours in Hawaii so if he says "gaze downward" it's good advise to follow . . . whether or not  you believe in ghosts. 

MYSTERY SUB-GENRE

A to Z Challenge
M is for ...

While reading The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, I came across an interesting comment made by protagonist Mma Ramotswe concerning the success of a certain factory. According to her, the bolt business focused on manufacturing only a single sort of bolt. She then explained why making only one type of bolt was a good idea.
That got me thinking about the definition of the mystery genre. I've always understood that a story in the mystery told of an unsolved murder that someone was required to solve. The mysteries I write contain no mention of werewolves and offer no broomstick travel options (admittedly, to my detriment.) Within the narrative, there are neither longing glances nor tangled limbs glistening with sated passion. I have never had a character make use of a semi-automatic rifle, and my protagonist has never mastered the art of breaking down an AK-47 while blindfolded. There isn't one mention of a Robert Rodriguez or Bruce Willis-inspired disaster. My mysteries aren't historical sci-fi mysteries or supernatural high-concept-techno-thriller mysteries.

While those genres have an enviable number of loyal followers, I only write about unsolved murders that someone is required to solve. That's my sub-genre, and I’m sticking to it.

Charlene A. Wilson gives a good breakdown of the genres in her G is for Genre post on April 8:
http://charleneawilsonblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/z-blog-challenge-g.html

LI HING MUI #AtoZChallenge

Large jars of Li Hing Mui at
Crack Seed Center

For the A to Z Challenge today, the letter "L" is for Li Hing Mui.
Huh?
Well, the description is no more confusing than a discussion about "seeds."

Li Hing is a red powder that is often sprinkled on food, more specifically, on fruits. Originally from China, li hing mui means traveling plum. Mui is also a Hawai'ian word meaning assembled, gathered together. So Li Hing Mui dried mango could be described as the assembly of dried fruit and plum powder. Wikipedia offers a thorough description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_hing_mui

This is a local advertisement for Li Hing Mui:

It is not just nostalgia that keeps sending customers back for more. The Crack Seed Center, one of Hawaii's most popular crack seed retailers for over 40 years, has created new products, expanding its traditional Li Hing Mui offerings to include Li Hing Mui Mangoes (wet), Li Hing Mui Mango (Dry), Li Hing Mui Guava, Li Hing Mui Gummy Bears ...

... well, you get the picture. 

I'm certainly not paid to advertise for them, but the owner of Crack Seed Center at Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu did allow me to take photographs inside his store!

Li Hing Mui dried plums have gained popularity in bars where locals drop the dried fruit into their mugs of foaming beer. Whichever product you try, I'm sure you'll delight in the experience of its tangy, sweet, and sour flavor. Have you experienced a similar product?

JACKIE WHO?

There are many people with the name Jackie that I find interesting. But the person I chose to write about is also mentioned briefly in my first novel.

First, I'll list a few of the others I considered. There's Jackie from That 70's Show, the on-screen girl friend of Kelso - Ashton Kutcher, BDM-before Demi Moore. After the show ended, Mila Kunas took on less comedic roles in movies such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Black Swan.

Another Jackie, a child star from the same era as Mickey Rooney, Shirley Temple and Elizabeth Taylor, is Jackie Cooper, one of the ruffians in the Our Gang movies. He also directed episodes of TV's M*A*S*H and played editor Perry White in the Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve. 

One of my favorite people called Jackie is the opera singer, Jackie Chan. Ah, bet not everyone knew this martial arts superstar sang so well. I had the opportunity to hear him sing at a benefit he held in Honolulu some years ago. Along with everyone else in the audience, I enjoyed his musical side. He also wrote and sang the title song for his first serious acting role in the movie, Police Story.

But the Jackie I chose for this article is Jackie O, aka Mrs. John F. Kennedy, the only Jackie on my list who didn't appear in a movie. Though I'd always admired Jackie's elegance and quiet determination, I respected the staunch independence she demonstrated when she chose to work as a book editor in 1975.

A beautifully written article entitled Jackie O, Working Girl, appears in the January 2011 edition of Vanity Fair. Included in the story is this quote: If you produce one book, you will have done something wonderful in your life. --Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

IOLANI PALACE:

'Iolani Palace is one of three royal residences in Hawaii. It became the home of King Kamehameha V after the originally commisioned Ali'iolani Hale across the street proved too small.

'Io is a Hawaiian hawk, endemic to the Big Island of Hawaii. Lani means sky, heaven; and heavenly, spiritual.

The last king to reside in 'Iolani Palace was King David Kalakaua, with his wife Queen Kapiolani. After King Kalakaua's death, his sister Lydia Kamaka'eha Liliuokalani became the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Islands before the overthrow of the government in 1893.

Queen Liliuokalani was an accomplished musician and played many instruments, including piano, ukulele, and zither. Among the songs she composed are Hawaii's national anthem and the popular love song, Aloha 'Oe. After the takeover, she was tried for treason against the Republic of Hawaii in 1895 and imprisoned in a small room within 'Iolani Palace.

HAPPY AS A LARK #SundayHaiku



Happy Hibiscus Haiku

Happy as a Lark

Happy-Go-Lucky, Carefree

Happiness is Gold

A major goal of humankind is to be happy. Is it possible for people to set goals that will measure up when they’ve reached their happy place?

 
Maybe something like, I’ll be happy when I:

A. Accumulate a million dollars.

B. Sell 100,000 novels or 100 residential homes.

C. Drop to 110 lbs.; Fit into a size-10 dress;

D. Get the kids through college.

After all these years, I’ve finally discovered something worth it’s weight in gold. I am happy when I’m writing and firing on all pistons; when the Hawaiian sun is shining; when I find my coffee cup - and the Kona coffee in it is still hot. Little, everyday things that make me smile are always welcome in my happy place.

It is my belief that, as the expression goes: happiness is the journey, not the destination.

What smile-inspiring events reside in your happy place?

 

FOR EVERY ACTION There Are Consequences



 

SYNOPSIS:
Pepper Bibeau's insurance investigations for a Wisconsin-based company sometimes involve a murder, but she never thought she would cause one.

Days before the 1968 Democratic Convention, Pepper arrives in Chicago to settle questionable medical claims from an elusive doctor. Her assignment also includes a background check on a life insurance beneficiary who admits to stabbing his wife.

When a close friend is killed, and Pepper is hospitalized after an unprovoked attack, a homicide detective decides someone wants to put a stop to her investigations. For her safety, he suggests Pepper return to Wisconsin, but she is determined to learn why her insurance investigation has stirred up a tragic chain of events.

What she discovers are the devastating consequences of one person's greed that she must expose before someone stops her, permanently.

Available in Trade Book and Kindle format: http://amzn.to/fyjTsV
The book is also available in trade book format at my online e-store.
https://www.createspace.com/3536116