tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22400229222547336672024-03-13T20:14:51.287-10:00Gail M Baugniet - Author Mystery & Aloha, Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Eclectic PoetryGail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.comBlogger486125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-23889411895011122152023-10-13T01:00:00.001-10:002023-10-14T12:45:31.206-10:00Book Review: Lights on the Sea by Miquel Reina<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Have you ever enjoyed a book enough to read it again? Although I don't often revisit a novel, after first reading <i>Lights on the Sea</i>, I knew this was a book I would read again. A recent second reading allowed me to more fully appreciate the struggles of both main characters as they slowly dealt with their tragic past.</span></p><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Review of <i>Lights on the Sea</i> by Miquel Reina</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_NT5N7GcFTA/YNAbgf4rUPI/AAAAAAAAGec/B_ARTaO3FNwYZFSVBPrdx9VaunIeHyaOgCNcBGAsYHQ/s346/Lights%2Bon%2Bthe%2BSea%2Bcover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_NT5N7GcFTA/YNAbgf4rUPI/AAAAAAAAGec/B_ARTaO3FNwYZFSVBPrdx9VaunIeHyaOgCNcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Lights%2Bon%2Bthe%2BSea%2Bcover.jpg" width="133" /></a></span></div><p></p>The house of Mr. and Mrs.
Grapes, which overlooks a vast ocean, lays precariously close to the edge of
Death’s Cliff. Due to extensive erosion of the cliff’s porous volcanic rock, Harold
and Mary Rose Grapes are being forced to move from the home where they continue to
mourn the loss of their son thirty-five years ago. The night before the move, a
fierce storm sends the house and its two sleeping occupants down the cliff and sailing
off into the ocean.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">To even begin the healing
process of thirty-five years of stagnation and regret requires a violent
uprooting. As Harold and Mary Rose drift at the mercy of the ocean tides, the many
death-threatening struggles they encounter slowly bring awareness to the futility
of blame and lack of forgiveness.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some suspension of disbelief
was required to immerse myself in their physical journey. Their emotional
journey, however, was immediately all too real. Allegorical in nature, the
author’s tale explores the consequences of placing blame and refusing to move
forward after tragedy strikes.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Lights on the Sea</span></i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is a translation of Miquel Reina’s Spanish edition <i>Lucus en el Mar</i>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">*****</span></p><p><br /></p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-90524826993796141802023-10-06T04:01:00.001-10:002023-10-08T10:17:14.251-10:00DOMESTIC DISPUTES and ABUSE: Novel Research<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rqN6ZgH-zAw/TWLrJu6Ly1I/AAAAAAAAALg/33JBm9RQU6c/s1600/furious+man.jpg" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" j6="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rqN6ZgH-zAw/TWLrJu6Ly1I/AAAAAAAAALg/33JBm9RQU6c/s200/furious+man.jpg" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Domestic Abuse Affects Everyone <br />
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</tbody></table>
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<div>
A scene within <i>FOR EVERY ACTION</i>, my Pepper Bibeau mystery novel, involves an arraignment for an assault case. The judge decides the case is a civil matter between the two parties and, at the request of the defendant's lawyer, he dismisses the case. The situation does not represent a domestic dispute, but the judge interprets it as such, just another complaint to be handled in civil court.</div><div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">An arraignment, in the law of the United States, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">is the bringing of a person who has been formally </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">accused of a crime before the court to answer </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">the accusations against the person. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">After the accused is identified and the indictment </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">is read, the defendant is called upon to answer </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">the charge by pleading not guilty, guilty, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">or nolo contendere (no contest). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">Before pleading, the defendant may file a </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">formal document, known as a motion, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">asking the court to dismiss the case. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">A judge can dismiss the charges if, for example, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">he or she determines that the conduct charged </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">does not constitute a crime.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>In 1968, domestic disputes were considered a family matter.</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>****************************</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>By the 1980's, such charges were taken more seriously.</em></span></div>
<br />
<div>
For further information on domestic abuse:<br />
<a href="http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Domestic+dispute"><span style="color: black;">http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Domestic+dispute</span></a></div>
<br />
<em>If you want to help someone who suffers from domestic abuse or violence, access this site: </em><br />
<a href="http://www.thehotline.org/"><span style="color: red;">http://www.thehotline.org/</span></a><br />
<br /></div>
Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-24954914813797027852023-09-29T01:00:00.000-10:002023-10-08T11:03:04.496-10:00HONOLULU and HAWAII'S STORY Reviews #FridayReads <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x19fnxRHJKE/Vqg5RjYjJ9I/AAAAAAAADzU/mpvH-6qB7_k/s1600/Honolulu.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x19fnxRHJKE/Vqg5RjYjJ9I/AAAAAAAADzU/mpvH-6qB7_k/s200/Honolulu.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>HONOLULU</i>
by Alan Brennert</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This
second novel of Mr. Brennert’s Hawai‘i stories begins in Korea, where a young
girl, the story’s protagonist, is raised. Her rural village is Pojogae. As
girls are not so important, the names they are saddled with are often less than
flattering. This girl is named “Regret” which tells its own story.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A
staple of the family diet, served at all meals, is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kimchi</i>. This is a spicy side dish made from fermented cabbage,
garlic, and red peppers. New brides kowtow to every whim of their
mother-in-law. A <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chogak po</i> is a
patchwork cloth (quilt), which I found to be a metaphor for life within the
story. These are a few of the interesting facts about Korean history and
tradition that I learned from reading HONOLULU. I also enjoyed learning how
these traditions translated to life in Hawai‘i.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When
Regret’s father discovers she has learned to read, he becomes furious and
spouts a Korean saying: “A woman without ability is virtuous!” (You know a
woman who can reach, and is challenged by such a statement, will not go quietly
into the night! In this case, she sails to Hawai‘i.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Within
the novel, the author seamlessly weaves fact with fiction for an entertaining
read. As with his novel, Moloka‘i, he maintains a high level of tension which
held me captive throughout.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">**********</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>HAWAII'S STORY</i> Story by Hawaii’s Queen</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">written by Queen Liliuokalani<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YjniXx69f2k/Vqg6lzFNLJI/AAAAAAAADzc/RgFII5W7v68/s1600/DSC02687.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YjniXx69f2k/Vqg6lzFNLJI/AAAAAAAADzc/RgFII5W7v68/s200/DSC02687.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This
book was first published in 1898, written in the first person narrative of
Queen Liliuokalani: “In my school days . . .” “I especially recall a trip . .
.” “my brother,” (King David Kalakaua). She, as the last reigning queen of the
Hawaiian Islands, was looking for justice after the overthrow of the Hawaiian
Monarchy. During her school days, she already experienced the differences
between Polynesian and Western values. After her marriage in Honolulu to a prominent
Caucasian male, she (a descendant of royalty) suffered the hostility of her
Caucasian mother-in-law’s disapproval of interracial marriage.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Still,
Liliuokalani did have many good times in her life, music being a top enjoyment
for her. She played many musical instruments, including the organ, zither, and
ukulele. She composed Hawai‘i’s national anthem and the noted love song, “Aloha
‘Oe.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Of
especial interest to me are the several genealogical charts included at the
back of the book that begin generations before the birth of King Kamehameha I.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">**********</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Mr.
Brennert’s novel covers the hardships and losses of a Korean woman raised in
the foreign land of Honolulu, Hawai‘i. This true story of Liliuokalani tells of
a woman raised in the land of her ancestors, who suffered the greatest of
losses, the ultimate loss by herself and her people of their land; and the loss
of her freedom. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hawaii’s Story</i> is
also the story of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hawaii’s Queen
Liliuokalani.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">**********</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></div>
Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-56831110723387385642023-09-15T06:00:00.000-10:002023-10-08T10:59:18.588-10:00Author Arti Jain's "and all the SEASONS in between" - Book Review<p>Every so often a book comes along that leaves you with a smile and a feeling of peace. One such book for me is "<i>and all the SEASONS in between</i>" by Arti Jain. She has written a remarkable fairy-like tale woven through with delightful childhood memories.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MLC98PrZQ-o/YRncNoFO7pI/AAAAAAAAGm0/xkwGXgUBw28R5vduOaN--SrVueOhWZOMgCNcBGAsYHQ/s499/and%2Ball%2Bthe%2BSEASONS%2Bin%2Bbetween%2Bby%2BArti%2BJain%2Bbook%2Bcover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MLC98PrZQ-o/YRncNoFO7pI/AAAAAAAAGm0/xkwGXgUBw28R5vduOaN--SrVueOhWZOMgCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/and%2Ball%2Bthe%2BSEASONS%2Bin%2Bbetween%2Bby%2BArti%2BJain%2Bbook%2Bcover.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><p>A novel for all ages, toddlers to the ageless young-of-heart, this is an uplifting narrative of sunny days in India spent under the tutelage of loving grandparents and an uninhibited imagination. Every sentence and phrase is exceptionally well-written prose, which at times feels almost poetic in style.</p><p>Artemis, a young girl living in a valley surrounded by hills and Himalayan mountains, divides her days between a fairy world of imagination and real life with a loving family. In an early scene, she spends time with her grandfather, Papaji: "I planted myself on the cool soil next to him; my face turned up towards the lush vines watching the sun dabble with its leaves -- a dapple of bright here, a dash of dark there." Each setting is made vivid with unique descriptions, whether referring to dragonflies or radishes or yoghurt baths.</p><p>What has me most enamored of the book, along with the pleasing book cover and writing style, is Arti's reading of the final chapter,<i> "He carried dirt under his fingernails".</i></p><p style="text-align: center;">*** </p><p>Visit Arti at her web site: <a href="https://artismoments.blogspot.com/">My Ordinary Moments (artismoments.blogspot.com)</a></p><p>Check out her book at Amazon.com in ebook and paperback formats.</p><p>Listen to Arti's reading from the book: <a href="https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=(1048)+he+carried+dirt+under+his+fingernails+%7c+arti+jain+%7c+english+spoken+word+-+youtube&refig=b47c9c3ca98a4275b4d450ecafd126b2&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3d%25281048%2529%2bhe%2bcarried%2bdirt%2bunder%2bhis%2bfingernails%2b%257C%2barti%2bjain%2b%257C%2benglish%2bspoken%2bword%2b-%2byoutube%26form%3dANNTH1%26refig%3db47c9c3ca98a4275b4d450ecafd126b2&view=detail&mmscn=vwrc&mid=7D8222AD340844A688BD7D8222AD340844A688BD&FORM=WRVORC">He Carried Dirt Under His Fingernails | Arti Jain | English Spoken Word - Bing video</a></p><p style="text-align: center;">*****</p><p><br /></p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-21432401907109372172023-09-08T00:00:00.002-10:002023-10-08T10:56:13.861-10:00What's in an Irish Name: Novel Research<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Interviews and blog posts for “Novel Research</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">” are focused on</span></span></b></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><i><b>interesting topics that participants have researched before or while</b></i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><i><b>composing </b></i></span></span><i style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"><b>a written work - whether fact, fiction, or family history.</b></i></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><i><b>*****</b></i></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px; text-align: left;">My ancestors from Tipperary, Ireland have the name McKeough. The family, including my gggrandmother Margaret, emigrated from Ireland to Canada and later settled in eastern Wisconsin. Generations later, I heard my relatives pronounce the name as "McKey". While delving into the Irish branch of my family tree, I researched the purpose of beginning a name with the prefix Mac, Mc, or O, I learned the following:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif">In ancient Ireland the population was much smaller than it is today and the mass movement of people was uncommon. Therefore, for a person to be known only by one name was usual. This single name system began to break down during the eleventh century as the population grew and there was a need for a further means of identification. The solution was to adopt a prefix such as Mac (Mc is an abbreviation) or Ó.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><i><span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif"></span> </i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif"><em>Mac means "son of" whilst Ó means "grandson of".</em></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif"><em><br /></em></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nQ2Cp9Ai8hs/YO5Ic-rJBeI/AAAAAAAAGkc/XdSpmYax0S8CG65HxR7-IeJmPu_57E04ACNcBGAsYHQ/s435/farmland%2Bin%2BIreland%2Bcrop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="435" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nQ2Cp9Ai8hs/YO5Ic-rJBeI/AAAAAAAAGkc/XdSpmYax0S8CG65HxR7-IeJmPu_57E04ACNcBGAsYHQ/s320/farmland%2Bin%2BIreland%2Bcrop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">Idyllic Irish Farmland</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-size: 14.85px; text-align: left;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the years before my ancestors left Ireland, many rural families in Ireland lived in single-room cabins made of mud and without windows or chimneys. People often lived together in communal clusters called <i>clachans</i> (a small settlement or hamlet) spread out among the beautiful countryside. Up to a dozen persons might occupy a cabin, sleeping in straw on the bare ground, sharing space with the family's pig and chickens.</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the 1840s, my ancestors moved from Ireland to Lower Canada, later known as Quebec. No records of movement for free emigrants to Canada were required until 1865. (The USA required these records since 1773.)</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Engaging in genealogical research and then writing a novel based on the information garnered from the research - <i>SHARDS OF MEMORY Oral History in a Heartbeat</i> - is my idea of an exciting pastime. It's not climbing Mount Everest, or kiteboarding on O'ahu (no, that's not me on the water!) but the "high" is still there.<br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WLvNHUNDEHk/YO5EaOT6S5I/AAAAAAAAGkM/dLbJbLQaKJAfzktgwwp6ICTOP0H7cq4FACNcBGAsYHQ/s600/kiteboarding%2BKailua%2Bcrop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WLvNHUNDEHk/YO5EaOT6S5I/AAAAAAAAGkM/dLbJbLQaKJAfzktgwwp6ICTOP0H7cq4FACNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h200/kiteboarding%2BKailua%2Bcrop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiteboarding (or kitesurfing) with Mōkapu Peninsula in background</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;">*****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #5e5e5e; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">What names of relatives or locations have you researched in your family tree?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #5e5e5e; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #5e5e5e; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">SHARDS OF MEMORY</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #5e5e5e; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Oral History In A Heartbeat</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #5e5e5e; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">is available at Amazon.com in print and ebook</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #5e5e5e; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #5e5e5e; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">*****</span></div></div>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-19116028008307730742021-09-01T08:00:00.002-10:002021-09-01T08:00:00.226-10:00Once Upon a Time in Real Life<p>Once upon a time, I believed in fairy tales, and in an end to the pandemic. I still believe in fairy tales.</p><p>Yesterday's daily evening half-hour walk extended to over an hour as I rediscovered the wonders of nature along two separate paths. With the sun lowered behind high rises, the temperature had cooled a bit, making for a more leisurely outing. Birds along the parkway playfully zoomed overhead - no internet required for their informal gathering. In the canal, several ducks paddled in the wake of a slow moving motor boat while others congregated along the bank. All was quiet in a town often filled with sounds of police and ambulance sirens, revving motor bikes, and never-ending traffic.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H0sT5WU3CaQ/YS-5imYzEiI/AAAAAAAAGnY/wZIXnBM-gi4QpalG1jCYVu3zDpxObxAZACNcBGAsYHQ/s400/scene%2Bfrom%2Bwalk%2Bback%2BKaimuki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="400" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H0sT5WU3CaQ/YS-5imYzEiI/AAAAAAAAGnY/wZIXnBM-gi4QpalG1jCYVu3zDpxObxAZACNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h228/scene%2Bfrom%2Bwalk%2Bback%2BKaimuki.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Long ago, I blocked out most daily street noises and prefer the bustle of active life. But lockdowns and extended stay-at-home orders have now become a way of life that requires imagination and patience to navigate. Keeping busy is not an issue, but rather taking time to relax and enjoy small pleasures is what needs reminding - every day.</p><p style="text-align: center;">*****</p><p> .</p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-15777885182613962702021-08-25T06:00:00.134-10:002021-08-25T06:00:00.200-10:00MYSTERY AUTHORS TURNING to YA #WriterWednesday<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLUccg_ULgU/YSXTeaMoo8I/AAAAAAAAGnQ/Y3HYvKURlcoEHVYEj9jCYmcXQoHckopigCNcBGAsYHQ/s331/a%2Bto%2Bz%2Bitems%2Bphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="189" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLUccg_ULgU/YSXTeaMoo8I/AAAAAAAAGnQ/Y3HYvKURlcoEHVYEj9jCYmcXQoHckopigCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/a%2Bto%2Bz%2Bitems%2Bphoto.jpg" width="183" /></a></div>One of my projects has been to explore and experiment in the craft of writing stories in various genres and topics. An example is the 26 short stories I wrote in an eclectic assortment of genres for an April </span><span style="font-family: arial;">AtoZ Blogging Challenge</span><span style="font-family: arial;">. The research, reading, and writing involved were all beneficial learning experiences for me. (The master plan is to include the stories in a wider project.) </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Many writers focus on one particular genre. Mystery writers can choose from a plethora of subgenres: Cozy Mystery, Police Procedural, Hard-Boiled Detective, Soft-boiled Mystery, and Thriller, for starters. Sub-sub genres can include vampires or fairies or science fiction characters that meld with cops and robbers. But even with all these choices, mystery writers sometimes decide to branch out into a totally different genre, such as Young Adult fiction.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Stories in every genre hold a mystery, and mysteries remain at the top of my list for reading and writing. Yet all genres have unique appeal, with young adult fiction ranking high. Some of the articles concerning YA fiction writing are timeless in their information or advice. Much has changed in the marketing industry, but when writing novels for a specific genre the rules, guidelines, and writing process remain fairly solid. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As has my addiction to dark chocolate.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2kevDPjDvgk/YSXNjWwaNvI/AAAAAAAAGnI/T8ENWhZPJZQvr9CwxZ1FOAXE1V4ruEBRQCNcBGAsYHQ/s346/dark%2Bchocolate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="346" height="151" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2kevDPjDvgk/YSXNjWwaNvI/AAAAAAAAGnI/T8ENWhZPJZQvr9CwxZ1FOAXE1V4ruEBRQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/dark%2Bchocolate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">
Of course, YA and Mystery aren't necessarily exclusive genres, but writing for adults and for young adults can feel like writing for two completely different worlds.<br />
<br />For those of you interested in or toying with the idea of writing YA, several timeless blog posts I've found interesting offer excellent advice for writing in the Young Adult fiction genre.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Links are included below.</span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*****</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Cherie Colyer wrote an article, <i>Writing for a young adult audience</i>, that gets right down to basics of audience, character development, and protagonist backstory.<br />
<a href="http://cheriecolyer.blogspot.com/2016/07/writing-for-young-adults-audience.html">http://cheriecolyer.blogspot.com/2016/07/writing-for-young-adults-audience.html</a><br />
<br />
This is an interview of author Stacy Juba by author/interviewer Judy Penz Sheluk:<br />
<a href="http://www.judypenzsheluk.com/2015/07/24/interview-with-an-author-stacy-juba/">http://www.judypenzsheluk.com/2015/07/24/interview-with-an-author-stacy-juba/</a><br />
plus: 10 YA Sports Novels for Teens and Tweens:<br />
<a href="http://stacyjuba.com/blog/2015/07/20/ya-sports-novels/">http://stacyjuba.com/blog/2015/07/20/ya-sports-novels/</a><br />
<br />
Brian Klems welcomed teenaged writer Jamie S. Margolin to his blog site, The Writer's Dig, to discuss What NOT To Do When Writing YA Books:<br />
<a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/what-not-to-do-when-writing-ya-books-advice-from-a-teen-writer">http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/what-not-to-do-when-writing-ya-books-advice-from-a-teen-writer</a><br />
<br />This is a post about the " Top 5 Dos of Writing YA Lit" on the WiseInkBlog (actually 4 with a "don't" included):<br />
<a href="http://www.wiseinkblog.com/self-publishing-2/the-top-5-dos-of-writing-ya-lit/">http://www.wiseinkblog.com/self-publishing-2/the-top-5-dos-of-writing-ya-lit/</a><br />
<br />And here are some writing tips from editors concerning authenticity, subject matter, and trends when writing YA:<br />
<a href="https://blog.reedsy.com/editors-tips-write-young-adult-novel">https://blog.reedsy.com/editors-tips-write-young-adult-novel</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*****</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>With this information at my fingertips, I may decide to write a young adult mystery of my own. Of course, this will require a whole new mindset and a willingness to take myself back to the days of my youth. Maybe I'll begin by stocking up on chocolate - and rereading a good YA novel by a fellow mystery writer to get me in the mood:</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DOW8IQcvocU/WIvvVUTKaAI/AAAAAAAAFEM/5sfFIOlhL-s2mL0DY8mkjiU5kLVcAMiyQCLcB/s1600/The%2BRainbow%2BConnection.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DOW8IQcvocU/WIvvVUTKaAI/AAAAAAAAFEM/5sfFIOlhL-s2mL0DY8mkjiU5kLVcAMiyQCLcB/s200/The%2BRainbow%2BConnection.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>THE RAINBOW CONNECTION by Laurie Hanan</div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
Review comments: <br />
The character development is awesome<br />
Wonderfully interwoven twists and turns</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 5pt 0.25in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rainbow-Connection-Laurie-Hanan-ebook/dp/B01MTX1DAB/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8#customerReviews">THE
RAINBOW COLLECTION on Amazon</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">*****</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<br /></div></div></div>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-78712982016329239422021-08-11T06:00:00.013-10:002021-08-11T06:00:00.219-10:00Switching Genres: Interview with Author Laurie Hanan #NovelResearch<p>Following is an interview with author Laurie Hanan from 2018 in which she discusses the process of switching genres, from writing mysteries to young adult (YA) fiction. Laurie is a charter member of Sisters in Crime/Hawai'i <span style="background-color: white;">and we have shared many writing experiences during our friendship over the years.</span> After a career with the Honolulu Post Office, she took up writing full time. You can read her interesting biography and more here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Laurie-Hanan/e/B005OMJ2Q2%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share">Amazon.com: Laurie Hanan: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle</a></p><p style="text-align: center;">*****</p><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bg-23QVrJ4Y/Tw5HtmCzoFI/AAAAAAAAAm0/tGkalwBVc_cpAsKsbW7fmM-yrvOjA3FvgCPcB/s1600/Laurie%2BHanan%2Bauthor%2Bpic.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bg-23QVrJ4Y/Tw5HtmCzoFI/AAAAAAAAAm0/tGkalwBVc_cpAsKsbW7fmM-yrvOjA3FvgCPcB/s200/Laurie%2BHanan%2Bauthor%2Bpic.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Author Laurie Hanan joins us today to discuss her most recent novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rainbow Connection</i>, a YA novel set in Hawai‘i. Laurie has a successful mystery series, also set in Hawai‘i, <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">featuring</span></span> mail carrier Louise Golden who gets tangled in mysterious situations she uncovers on her mail route. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: black;">With <span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">four</span> </span>Louise</span> Golden novels published, Laurie took a break to write a young adult novel.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></span></span></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">*****</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">From a synopsis of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rainbow Connection</i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">by Laurie Hanan:<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">With graduation looming, Emmy’s only friend in her new school goes missing. Brett’s run off before. Her mother and even the cops figure she’s done it again. But Emmy is convinced Brett can’t wait to begin college in the fall, and she would never ditch her super-hot boyfriend. Something bad must have happened to her. Emmy is determined to find out what.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">*****</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Gail: Thank you, Laurie, for sharing some of your thoughts today on your latest book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rainbow Connection.</i> After writing mysteries for so many years, did that discipline allow for an easy transition into writing a young adult story?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Laurie Hanan</strong>: Mahalo, Gail, for inviting me to your blog!<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know if <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“easy” is a word I’d use for transitioning to the Young Adult genre. It’s been a long time since I was seventeen, and of course teens today live in a totally different world from the one I grew up in. Developing an authentic voice for Emmy’s character took trial and a lot of error before I felt I was even close. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;">My teen years were painful. Imagining my own seventeen-year-old self in the same tough situations Emmy faces, re-experiencing the raw emotions, and sorting through what my thought processes might have been at that age, gave me more than a few sleepless nights. </span>I also paid close attention to my teenage daughter and her friends, taking notes on their mannerisms and quickly jotting down samples of their lingo.<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;"> </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was a natural and enjoyable transition to take a peripheral character who I love in my Louise Golden series, develop her personality even more, and give her a mystery of her own to solve.</span><br /> </div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d_1pz2xrADQ/WKuSGg2XacI/AAAAAAAAFFQ/9e0EuEvn2-A-1uhY21ku4NBKIlttFqgFgCLcB/s1600/The%2BRainbow%2BConnection%2Bkindle__%2B%2Bcover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d_1pz2xrADQ/WKuSGg2XacI/AAAAAAAAFFQ/9e0EuEvn2-A-1uhY21ku4NBKIlttFqgFgCLcB/s320/The%2BRainbow%2BConnection%2Bkindle__%2B%2Bcover.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">*****</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span class="st"></span></span> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Her search leads to a secretive religious group. Emmy suspects there is more to the group’s simple lifestyle and ecstatic dance rituals than the peace and harmony they preach.</span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></i> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">*****</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;">Gail: Your comments about re-experiencing raw emotions of teen years and sleepless nights reminded me of the Ernest Hemingway quote <span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span class="st">— 'There is nothing to <em><strong>writing</strong></em>. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.'</span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"> In <em>The Rainbow Connection</em>, protagonist Emmy’s maturity has developed through an array of responsibilities within the family, at school, and on the job. Can some of her more questionable decisions that draw her into precarious situations, such as the isolated meeting with Byron at a retreat for a secretive religious group, be attributed to the still-developing reasoning of a teenager?</span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Laurie Hanan</strong>: Absolutely. Science shows us that a teen’s brain is not fully developed. They</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> tend to act on impulse, misjudge precarious situations, and misread social cues and the emotions of others.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;">Emmy is impulsive, prone to exaggeration, at times irrational, and makes choices that are downright dangerous. Being a teen necessarily makes her an unreliable narrator. The reader is given insights into the missing girl only through Emmy’s skewed remembrances of her, adding another layer of questions about her disappearance.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;">Gail: You have taken </span><span style="color: red; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: black;">the</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"> characters Emmy and her brother from your mystery series and created a new storyline for them in the YA genre. What, if any, details from their backstories play a role in or contribute to the plotline of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rainbow Connection</i>? How important is it for a writer to develop a character’s backstory, in a series or a stand-alone novel?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Laurie Hanan</strong>: I will answer your questions out of order. When writing a series of stand-alone novels, there can be a fine line between including enough backstory to help readers understand the character, and throwing in so much backstory it confuses the reader and bogs down the flow of events in the new mystery. While each of my novels stands alone, reading the series in order does offer a broader view of the characters’ development over the years.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my fourth Louise Golden mystery, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stairway to Heaven</i>, seventeen-year-old<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emmy makes some misguided decisions, resulting in her being kidnapped and held for ransom on a small sailboat during a hurricane. Twelve-year-old Jackie is pulled into the rescue efforts and ends up killing a man to save his sister. While these events play no role in the plotline of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rainbow Connection</i>, the experiences do bring about dramatic changes in both Emmy and Jackie, and permanently alter the dynamics between brother and sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I originally included some of this backstory in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rainbow Connection</i>, but my editor felt it “belonged in a different book.” I reluctantly agreed. So, I am currently working on a novella-length recreation of the kidnapping and rescue from the perspectives of Emmy and Jackie. I hope this will shed more light on how the traumatic events affected the two kids.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;">Gail: This coming of age story has a missing person at its center, supporting the idea that stories in all genres involve a mystery. Having written mysteries, and now YA, did you develop a specific preference in genre for future works, or will you continue with the YA series while adding to your Louise Golden series?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Laurie Hanan</strong>: A big part of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i> I write is to make my readers happy. Louise fans are clamoring for more time with Louise, while Emmy’s new fans are pleading for the next Emmy Hanlin YA novel. My hope is to continue writing more in both series. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m currently working on another spinoff from the Louise Golden series, a humorous, classic whodunit starring Louise’s eighty-something-year-old stepmother and her geriatric neighborhood watch group.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;">Gail: Mahalo for sharing so much personal insight into your writing style and character development, Laurie. The information about backstory is especially educational. I look forward to reading your YA novella and the humorous geriatric mystery. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;">Laurie Hanan's Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lauriehanan">https://www.facebook.com/lauriehanan</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zBguO0HW7EQ/WKuaS-mz2PI/AAAAAAAAFFk/KfWXrfyw_ssu5znhUCdyY38UDbHj5STCQCLcB/s1600/4%2Bbooks%2BLouise%2BGolden%2Bseries.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zBguO0HW7EQ/WKuaS-mz2PI/AAAAAAAAFFk/KfWXrfyw_ssu5znhUCdyY38UDbHj5STCQCLcB/s200/4%2Bbooks%2BLouise%2BGolden%2Bseries.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify;"> </div><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;">Laurie's books are available at Amazon.com in trade and e-book formats: <span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 5pt 0.25in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%20style=" imes="" new="" quot="" roman="" serif=""></a><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=Laurie+Hanan&search-alias=books&field-author=Laurie+Hanan&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-underline: none;">https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=Laurie+Hanan&search-alias=books&field-author=Laurie+Hanan&sort=relevancerank</span></a></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 5pt 0.25in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 5pt 0.25in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 5pt 0.25in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;">*****</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 5pt 0.25in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;">*****</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-82258996566062906572021-08-02T17:00:00.005-10:002021-08-02T17:00:00.240-10:00Reviewing the Practice of Reviewing Books<p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Today's review is not a book review but rather a review of the practice and art of reviewing books in general. I will focus not on professional reviewers but bloggers such as myself and the myriad readers (including me) who offer reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and BookBub.</span></span></p><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XEVJmW47vFk/YQikJciy9WI/AAAAAAAAGms/pmgOxG_kzn8RFCEHEoTSuYqBKTAVYgI_wCNcBGAsYHQ/s360/book%2Bshop%2Bfacade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="360" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XEVJmW47vFk/YQikJciy9WI/AAAAAAAAGms/pmgOxG_kzn8RFCEHEoTSuYqBKTAVYgI_wCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/book%2Bshop%2Bfacade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Shopping venue in the "good ol' days"</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In certain instances, a book review requires a star rating; a short synopsis of the book; and a narrative of likes and dislikes. The point of this review is to give potential readers information upon which to base their decision to read or not to read a particular book.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The star rating may be influenced by any number of factors and categories, including<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. book cover attraction<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. genre faithfulness<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. character development<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. plot progression, and<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5. editing level<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">First, some hypothetical questions about this list:<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A. How often have you heard that a cover design can make or break a sale? But also that you can't judge a book by its cover?<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">B. Should a genre book stick to just one category: Mystery. Romance. Sci-fi? Or is a mixed genre story more appealing?<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">C. Can characters make or break a story if the novel is character driven? Must they all be likable protagonists and despicable villains? If the story is plot driven, must the action be non-stop?<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">D. Editing level - this, now, is the impetus for my post: a novel I read yesterday. What if a book doesn't conform to standard punctuation rules - of which there are many? Should the book then be avoided? After all, life is short. The world is filled with an abundance of classics and best sellers and award-winning tomes.</span><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M68cqry5wLc/YQidEkaVvyI/AAAAAAAAGmk/YVsPObV2axQevC23BnWCNLX98Tj1Tg2VgCNcBGAsYHQ/s627/classics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="627" height="153" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M68cqry5wLc/YQidEkaVvyI/AAAAAAAAGmk/YVsPObV2axQevC23BnWCNLX98Tj1Tg2VgCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h153/classics.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Austen, Lee, Orwell, Brontë, Hemingway, Melville, Lewis, London, Woolf, Shelley, Marquez, Stowe,<br />Tolkien, Twain, Dickens, Steinbeck, Dostoyevsky, Stoker, Hugo, Dumas, Stevenson, Doyle, Fitzgerald, Poe <b>. . .</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Why waste time on a rule-breaking story that doesn't conform to an acceptable level of editing? I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to proofreading, but for me, the answer is easy.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because.<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because, if the story/plot line appeals to me, I will read the book for its entertainment value, regardless of missing punctuation such as end quotes or the Oxford comma (don't get me started); skipped words; and unique sentence structure or dialogue format. And my review will reflect the high points of the book that held my interest. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because there are many diamonds-in-the-rough with interesting story value that receive discouraging reviews for reasons unrelated to story content when, to me, the story is what reading is all about. (Besides, can you even hear that Oxford comma on an audio book?)<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some believe it is important to let other readers know what foibles or foul-ness they may encounter in a book </span><span style="font-family: arial;">so they don't enter into a reading experience unequipped for the situation. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But isn't reading meant as an adventure best experienced "through one's own eyes"?</span><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1k2ybpa-oCw/YQicqvAzPBI/AAAAAAAAGmc/u3Asm7Up1wAQjucm0A4G3kQ1Nv_mVXrdQCNcBGAsYHQ/s360/bigger%2Bflight%2Bof%2Bfancy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="360" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1k2ybpa-oCw/YQicqvAzPBI/AAAAAAAAGmc/u3Asm7Up1wAQjucm0A4G3kQ1Nv_mVXrdQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/bigger%2Bflight%2Bof%2Bfancy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What is your criteria for choosing a book to read, and whether to submit a review?</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-84771294671882235052021-07-28T00:00:00.001-10:002021-07-28T00:00:00.203-10:00Developing Traits For a Novel Character<p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After years of gradually-increasing issues with my right hip, and a slow progression from osteopenia to osteoporosis, I had a total hip replacement in 2018. My years-long experience (often referred to as "aging"😉) was the catalyst for the through-line of my genealogical novel, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">SHARDS OF MEMORY - Oral History In A Heartbeat</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53Z5iEjPFcA/YQEjBEZSD2I/AAAAAAAAGmE/Yg5-1de8APIbZfFJ9mQewRwvzjAs2RxOgCNcBGAsYHQ/s3636/DSC03094%2B%2Bcrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2402" data-original-width="3636" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53Z5iEjPFcA/YQEjBEZSD2I/AAAAAAAAGmE/Yg5-1de8APIbZfFJ9mQewRwvzjAs2RxOgCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/DSC03094%2B%2Bcrop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even flowers have personality traits</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">In my case, adjustments prior to surgery included a lessened pace in activities and a shift in diet. This may have slowed the pace of loss, but whether as much or more than medication would have I don't know. The ultimate result was surgery.</span></span></div><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-trO1U0z0fD0/YP9knjtlGVI/AAAAAAAAGlc/H_R6_HSgBI8bc9dh20s3L9A9x2wEKrHdQCNcBGAsYHQ/s450/boy%2Bwith%2Bright%2Bleg%2Bbrace.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-trO1U0z0fD0/YP9knjtlGVI/AAAAAAAAGlc/H_R6_HSgBI8bc9dh20s3L9A9x2wEKrHdQCNcBGAsYHQ/w213-h320/boy%2Bwith%2Bright%2Bleg%2Bbrace.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>The novel's character, a young child injured in a car accident, experiences prolonged hardships due to a damaged leg. Noticeable </span><span style="font-family: arial;">public traits of the child include a sensitive nature, shyness, reticence, and quiet demeanor. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The </span><span style="font-family: arial;">through-line of the story illustrates an emotional growth as the child adjusts to adverse circumstances. Assisting with this growth are the four grandparents who entertain the child with ongoing tales of ancestors' lives in their homelands and their immigration to America.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My situation was temporary, and dissimilar in cause to that of the novel's character - </span><span style="font-family: arial;">ageing verses accident.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> The condition did, however, give me insight into the emotional impact of a long-term physical disability. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The standard advice for authors working on novels is to "write what you know." In this case, I wrote about what I knew and then embellished accordingly.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>Excerpt from SHARDS OF MEMORY: </i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>Art’s
thoughts of late drifted to stories about ancestral lands he heard as a kid. According
to his mother, tales about the old country provided a bridge of acceptance for new
generations. But Art’s interest in past events paled in light of concern for his
grandchildren’s future. This proved especially true of Gahlen who suffered physical
and emotional scars of present day.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>The
accident had occurred several months after the child’s third birthday. Acute
pain in the mangled right leg faded over time, to everyone’s relief. And
Gahlen’s sunny disposition encouraged others to accept the tragedy as the will
of a higher power.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJcz-SWkOiE/YQEelKOXl3I/AAAAAAAAGls/-LChHLgqCREtUWJNGooazJilkotWiuD1gCNcBGAsYHQ/s240/SOM%2Bebook%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="160" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJcz-SWkOiE/YQEelKOXl3I/AAAAAAAAGls/-LChHLgqCREtUWJNGooazJilkotWiuD1gCNcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/SOM%2Bebook%2Bcover.jpg" width="133" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>*****</i></span></p></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What personal experience have you used to flesh out a character in your writing?</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></div>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-50501753814023781252021-07-07T00:30:00.000-10:002021-07-07T00:30:00.215-10:00Novel Research Interview with Tara Tyler<p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: times;">Aside from a possible trip to a
land of paternal ancestors, and a tropical cruise if opportunity allows, my
traveling days to other countries are mostly behind me. But a journey via literary
access is always a possibility - and far less expensive. I recently took on just
such an excursion within the pages of <i>Pop Travel,</i> a sci-fi historical novel by
author Tara Tyler. Eager to learn more about Tara and her unique research topic
of sci-fi technology, I asked her to participate in the Novel Research project.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: times;">*****</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; text-align: left;"> </span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Gail:</span></b><span style="color: black;">
Welcome Tara, and thanks for participating in this Novel Research interview today.
I recently read your intriguing and well-written novel, <i>Pop Travel</i>, the first book in </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">The Cooper Chronicles.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Is
writing novels your main career?</span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EZEYOdPM-1c/YNpGlgwp_FI/AAAAAAAAGf4/rw8ESgz5eUwqvB9N9afmYtAM3-t90a7TgCNcBGAsYHQ/s400/Tara%2BTyler.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="400" height="166" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EZEYOdPM-1c/YNpGlgwp_FI/AAAAAAAAGf4/rw8ESgz5eUwqvB9N9afmYtAM3-t90a7TgCNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h166/Tara%2BTyler.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Tara Tyler:</b> Thank you so much for
this opportunity! I'm actually a math
teacher by trade—to prove it’s not so bad and anyone can do it! I’ve also had a
hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering over the years.</span><p></p><p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’ve
lived up and down the Eastern US and traveled worldwide, gaining diverse
perspectives. Now I live and teach math in Ohio, but still travel to see my
three active boys with my Coach Husband. The city of Atlanta holds a special
place for me—it’s where I got my first teaching job, went on adventures, and
got married. All of which have inspired many of my stories.</span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Gail:
</span></b><span style="color: black;">Your eclectic employment background suggests you seldom have idle
down time. Is there anything else you do in your “spare time”?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Tara
Tyler: </span></b><span style="color: black;">Yes, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I also
write screenplays and am in the process of writing a musical!</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Gail:
</span></b><span style="color: black;">Then I imagine you can envision <i>Pop Travel </i>as a movie someday
and have researched accordingly. What is your favorite research method?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Tara
Tyler: </span></b><span style="color: black;">The internet of course! But
I’m also inspired by reading similar novels, getting advice from my friends,
other writers and readers, and my husband. My own curiosity and love for
mapping things out helps me know what to research. And my research is a
never-ending journey: I’m always wondering “what if…” and writing things down
to improve a current manuscript or include in a future novel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Gail:
</span></b><span style="color: black;">And what interesting details can you share today about technology in the future?</span></span></p><p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p_chMktQ42w/YOTghWLK8EI/AAAAAAAAGj0/ekgDjh1MBqEp2PRTsEmsFYM789SqOJolQCNcBGAsYHQ/s514/tara%2Btyler%2Bphoto%2B1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p_chMktQ42w/YOTghWLK8EI/AAAAAAAAGj0/ekgDjh1MBqEp2PRTsEmsFYM789SqOJolQCNcBGAsYHQ/w156-h200/tara%2Btyler%2Bphoto%2B1.jpg" width="156" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Tara Tyler:</b> The Cooper Chronicles, or Pop Travel series is a near future detective thriller. Technology is at the center of it—and we all know
how glitches and nefarious hackers can turn our lives upside-down. My favorite
sci fi writer, Michael Crichton inspired me to write it. I love his style and
it can be seen in some of my writing, though his medical and scientific
expertise far outreaches mine. He was a true genius.</span><p></p><p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Since no
one knows what the future holds for us, it’s easy to invent gadgets </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">we’d like
to see </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>developed. But the gadgets and technology need to be plausible, so I
research possibilities and embellish. For </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial;">example, NOVA had a tempting </span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial;"><span><a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/education/physics/tangled-up-in-teleportation.html" target="_blank"><span>video about teleportation</span></a></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial;"> possibilities for Pop Travel which is pop
teleportation used by everyone in the future instead of planes. I read some
articles about quark technology—the internet may soon be overtaken by the
quark-net for faster speed in transmitting overwhelming amounts of data,
especially when we use my invention of 3D imaging on our wrists: holographic
smart watches called QVs (Qnet Viewers). I made some "prototypes" to
give away with my books.</span></p><p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Since <i>Pop
Travel</i> takes place in settings all over the world, I had to research places
like Sydney, Australia and Mumbai, India. With a good portion of action in
India, I relied on my neighbor who is from there to get details about specific
locations. She also gave me some key Hindi phrases to use. And one of my
favorite parts of research is finding layouts and maps and adapting them.
Another big part of the story takes place on a renovated plantation which
includes details from the historic South and the Underground Railroad. It’s a
blend of history and science fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;">*****</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="yiv62366491271" style="color: #5e5e5e;">You can visit Tara at any of her</span><span style="color: #5e5e5e;"> social media sites</span></span></p><p class="yiv4781927229msonormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.7pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5e5e5e;"><span style="font-family: times;">and check out her books at Amazon.com:</span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1699660026" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Pop Travel</a> , <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D516KS9" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Simulation</a> , <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSez0oZBRXTysJ78fl-XJ_O6UcREJTxx1zG14G4a7b8e85UMVw/viewform?usp=sf_link" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Disposal</a> - POP TRAVEL series, The Cooper Chronicles<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1652725873" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Broken Branch Falls</a> , <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084QKYG6T/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Cradle Rock</a> , <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SYM9LTL" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Windy Hollow</a> - BEAST WORLD fantasy series</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://twitter.com/taratylertalks" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">@TaraTylerTalks</a> <=> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TaraTylerAuthor" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">TaraTylerAuthor on FB</a> <=> <a href="http://www.taratylertalks.blogspot.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Tara Tyler Talks</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCybPmS63Y7oNit0qvykRw0Q" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">YouTube Channel</a> <span><=> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7143899.Tara_Tyler" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></span> </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFsRZ5Xp0VE/YNpJfJISDWI/AAAAAAAAGgQ/D97fHY0mUC4osorvDQ5RH91QDMT_YT1uQCNcBGAsYHQ/s533/POP%2BTRAVEL%2Bbook%2Bcover%2BTara%2BTyler.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFsRZ5Xp0VE/YNpJfJISDWI/AAAAAAAAGgQ/D97fHY0mUC4osorvDQ5RH91QDMT_YT1uQCNcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/POP%2BTRAVEL%2Bbook%2Bcover%2BTara%2BTyler.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Read Monday's Pop Travel book review here:</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com/2021/07/book-review-pop-travel-by-tara-tyler.html" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Book Review: Pop Travel by Tara Tyler (gail-baugniet.blogspot.com</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">*****</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">If Pop Travel, the sci fi technology of teleportation, were available for humans to travel long distances in</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">short periods of time, would you choose this as your main mode of transportation,</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">or do you prefer to have a longer travel time to acclimate yourself to changes in destinations?</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">***** *****</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">. </div></div>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-65723106476656674332021-07-05T01:00:00.103-10:002021-07-05T01:00:00.284-10:00Book Review: Pop Travel by Tara Tyler<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">A majority of the
books I have read could be classified as murder mysteries, with subgenre
categories of soft-boiled, hard-boiled, thrillers, and cozies. But I have
always contended that every good story, regardless of genre, has a mystery
embedded within the plot. In that regard, Tara Tyler's “Pop Travel” is no
exception; more specifically, it is a murder mystery wrapped in a science fiction
technological thriller.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">At one time, in my mind the
term “science fiction” for a literary work conjured up thoughts of space
travel and light sabers ala Star Wars. But recently, I’ve read several sci-fi
novels that have lifted the genre to a new level of entertainment for me. “Pop Travel” is one of
those novels.</span></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">"POP TRAVEL" by Tara Tyler</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g99bYVpcUVY/YOJCDwPo5RI/AAAAAAAAGjU/B5Di86-CRWwzyNjr9NLZ0D5n0PafghbSQCNcBGAsYHQ/s450/pop%2Btravel%2Bred%2Bborder.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g99bYVpcUVY/YOJCDwPo5RI/AAAAAAAAGjU/B5Di86-CRWwzyNjr9NLZ0D5n0PafghbSQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/pop%2Btravel%2Bred%2Bborder.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The characters
that populate Tyler’s story are well-developed normal human beings, living in a
very near future, with a logical amount of technology developed on the shoulders
of research beginning with physicist Albert Einstein. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Teleportation, pop travel, is an imaginable probability. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Unscrupulous business owners are also imaginable and, where money is concerned,
problems with technology are often swept under the carpet while improvements
are being considered (if not actually implemented.) Death caused by lax morals,
even in a near future, is still murder. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If Jameson Cooper,
private detective, doesn’t want to face such a fate, he must first face the
inevitable need to “pop travel”, a perceived danger he has avoided out of
well-placed fear. During an attempt to prevent unnecessary deaths, he becomes attracted to
Geri, a modern day femme fatale possibly even more dangerous to Cooper’s success
in meeting his objective. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The entertainment
value of this novel is well-worth the time invested in dwelling within Tyler’s
near-future world of active teleportation and the resulting consequence of human greed that tends to teleport itself throughout millenniums of history.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">*****</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Upcoming post - Wednesday July 7: “Pop Travel” interview with Tara Tyler. Get to know more about the author and her process of weaving a well-researched tale about teleportation.</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*****</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">"POP TRAVEL" is available at: Amazon.com: </span></span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088ZGV8WX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0" style="background-color: transparent; text-align: left;">Pop Travel - Kindle edition by Tyler, Tara. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><br /></p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-54260873098879572762021-06-30T01:00:00.126-10:002021-06-30T01:00:00.269-10:00Novel Research Topics: Pareos and Telegrams <p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8CPIa3ta1c/YNvSsDn7YoI/AAAAAAAAGiU/6_HqH6VcG-IY8QgpV5ipL_Zll-OpM7tdACNcBGAsYHQ/s450/Hawaiian%2Bstyle%2Bpareos.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8CPIa3ta1c/YNvSsDn7YoI/AAAAAAAAGiU/6_HqH6VcG-IY8QgpV5ipL_Zll-OpM7tdACNcBGAsYHQ/w266-h400/Hawaiian%2Bstyle%2Bpareos.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>The
Tahitian word for a wraparound skirt is pareu or pareo. Currently, the word is
applied to any piece of cloth worn wrapped around the body, by both men and
women. The pareo is related to the Malay sarong, Filipino tapis, and Samoan
lavalava. All are garments of the Pacific Islands such as the Marquesas Islands, New
Zealand, Fiji, and the Hawaiian Islands.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">When
I included the use of a pareo in one of my novels, it took no research effort
as I had been wearing pareos at home for many years and took them for granted.
But I did research the word when I first started buying them for their colorful
patterns and comfort. Ubiquitous in Hawai'i, the pareo</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> can be seen on the beach, poolside, and always around the
home. The local ABC stores have an array of delightful patterns on display, the
complementary hues so tantalizing that I have a small collection to choose from
for after showering or just staying cool until the evening temperature drops.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Although
I was already familiar with pareos, the mention of a telegram in the novel did
require a bit more research. I have never received a telegram. But while my father was
in the Army, he received one from his mother announcing the information
of my birth.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Not the telegram displayed here.)</span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> He was granted leave as WWII had been declared ended months
earlier.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3-UPFNqfrQ/YNvVgDtpmCI/AAAAAAAAGic/VxPHa5eeqjUdxDfLCwmfPuQBNnkvX4GSgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1497/Telegram_from_President_Woodrow_Wilson_to_Governor_Albert_H_Roberts.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="1497" height="305" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3-UPFNqfrQ/YNvVgDtpmCI/AAAAAAAAGic/VxPHa5eeqjUdxDfLCwmfPuQBNnkvX4GSgCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h305/Telegram_from_President_Woodrow_Wilson_to_Governor_Albert_H_Roberts.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Telegram from 1920</td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Not
all telegrams were welcome, though. Samuel Morse had created the telegraph
because when his wife died he didn’t receive notice until weeks later. The
telegram became known for reporting world-shattering events. Telegrams were
used to announce the start of WWI. And during WWII, the War Department sent
notification through Western Union to advise families of the death of their
loved ones serving in the military.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">*****<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Excerpt from Island Cruise Homicide</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMA-hmD5F3g/YNvY6eWcElI/AAAAAAAAGik/cTodCiZARbk_RXkIpw_jznu-bEQ3Q21eACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/ICH%2Be%2Bcover%2B12.4.2020%2B1148.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1344" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMA-hmD5F3g/YNvY6eWcElI/AAAAAAAAGik/cTodCiZARbk_RXkIpw_jznu-bEQ3Q21eACNcBGAsYHQ/w210-h320/ICH%2Be%2Bcover%2B12.4.2020%2B1148.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Back at the Seaside Motel, I took a
leisurely shower and washed my hair. Once the cruise got underway, such luxuries would be less accessible. Wrapped in a colorful rayon <i>pareo</i>, I stretched across the bed to glance
through a magazine article about life on other planets. Since our successful
moon landing eight years ago, the news included multiple reports aimed at
intensifying exploration of outer space. Yet, in a lifetime, no single
individual could experience all that our own planet had to offer.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A knock came at the door. Expecting
Rick, my husband of two years and the father of my teenaged son, I waited for
him to use his key. But a second knock followed, accompanied by a short
pronouncement. “Telegram for Pepper Bibeau.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Securing the <i>pareo</i> a bit tighter around myself, I moved toward the door. Rick’s
voice played in my head, “No good news ever comes by telegram.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">*****<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">Telegrams still exist, but with the proliferation of cell phones and the internet they are no longer in common use. Have you ever sent or received a telegram? </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.3in;"> </span></p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-60153152891430898452021-06-23T01:00:00.025-10:002021-06-23T01:00:00.255-10:00Novel Topic: Accept All Things You Choose to Blame<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">By example, my parents taught
their children that moving on from tragedy and struggles was the best path to a fulfilling life. This influenced me to include a chapter in my
genealogical novel, </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">SHARDS OF MEMORY - Oral
History in a Heartbeat,</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> that deals with “blame”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In Miquel Reina’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lights on the Sea</i> (see Monday’s posted book review</span><a href="https://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com/2021/06/book-review-lights-on-sea-by-miquel.html">)</a> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Mr. and Mrs. Grapes held on to their blame and anguish for thirty-five long
years. The grandparents in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shards of
Memory</i> (Art, Charlie, Jewel, and Ida), however, each chose a unique way to deal with blame.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gWZmaydzRl0/YNA1E00ibUI/AAAAAAAAGes/2CbkO1r6fEwXx8olvEeclW0WDw7bLKi5gCNcBGAsYHQ/s600/Acceptance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gWZmaydzRl0/YNA1E00ibUI/AAAAAAAAGes/2CbkO1r6fEwXx8olvEeclW0WDw7bLKi5gCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Acceptance.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Chapter Sixteen (excerpt)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“How did you reconcile your feelings after the accident,
Charlie?” Art asked, reviving the stalled conversation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Everyone else had already opened up about dealing with
the guilt, or the blame. Art had admitted he blamed the accident on fate. He
dealt with most things that way, especially the bad stuff. Some folks
attributed his laid-back attitude to his Irish heritage, as though he and all
of Ireland’s population were lazy. He disagreed. Years ago, he had figured out
that brushing off irritants and moving on gave him more time to feel good about
himself and those around him. Hanging the bad stuff on fate helped move things
along that much faster.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Ida shifted in the chair, allowing for a better view of
her husband. Charlie hadn’t yet answered Art’s question. She knew he would mull
over the answer endlessly before sharing his thoughts. Her answer had followed Art’s,
with no hesitation on her part.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">After the accident, Ida had lost her faith in God. Not in
His existence, but in the concept of an all-forgiving being that watched over
everyone. She continued to attend Sunday mass, and recite her rosary. But
something inside her had broken, and Ida blamed God for that feeling.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Charlie cleared his throat as though to make an attempt
at answering Art’s question. Then he turned toward the window facing the back
yard. His gaze froze on the cherry tree that held center stage in the garden
area. He remained quiet.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Jewel looked from her husband over to Ida, and then to
Charlie. There were times she wished Art wouldn’t talk so much. But Charlie’s
silences bothered her more. Once Art and Ida had shared their thoughts about
dealing with the built-up guilt over the accident, Jewel thought Charlie should
have gone next. But when he only shook his head, she had taken her turn.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">To deal with the guilt, Jewel blamed everyone else for
anything and everything. Expressing anger over personal slights gave her the
release she needed from the constant tension. Feeling anger rising now over
Charlie’s inability to answer Art’s question, she decided to relieve some of
the tension they all must be feeling.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“Charlie,” she said, none too patiently, “let’s hear your
answer. It’s time to put all this to bed.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Appearing to snap out of some sort of reverie, Charlie
looked around the table, stopping to search each face. No one offered a word of
encouragement. This was his one-man show.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“You blamed fate, isn’t that right, Art?” When Charlie
received a silent nod to his question, he continued. “And Jewel, you blamed
everyone else for everything, while Ida chose to blame God.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Again, his words were met with silence. No one attempted
to contradict his statements or justify their own thinking. Charlie took this
as confirmation that everyone was here in good faith, not to judge but to
support one another.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“Those are all valid and understandable reasons; everyone
grieves or deals with loss in different ways.” Charlie turned to Ida who
offered a quick smile of encouragement for him to continue. “That also states
my problem. I don’t believe strongly enough in fate to place blame there. It is
not in my nature to blame others, so Jewel’s solution wouldn’t work for me,
either. And I have no doubt that fear keeps me from ever blaming God. So you
see my dilemma?”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Art didn’t think much of psychology. Getting into
people’s heads the way Freud and Jong liked to do held no interest for him.
What he saw is what he accepted in others. “So, what are you saying Charlie?”
he asked. “You couldn’t find someone to blame, so you decided to forget about
it?”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Ida gasped and attempted to comment, but Jewel patted her
hand. “Let them work this one out,” she whispered. Both women sat back, arms
crossed in repose, and waited.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“There was nothing and no one for me to blame,” Charlie
said. “And with nowhere to place that blame, I had to own it. I blamed myself
for everything.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“All these years you did that?” Art asked.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Charlie worked to hold back a smile over Art’s penchant
for wearing his emotions on his sleeve. At times, Charlie longed for the
ability to express himself openly. But, as Ida was fond of saying, he always
had to think and rethink everything to death.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“For quite a while, every time I saw Gahlen, the guilt
clawed its way out of my gut and waved its flag in my face. Once I got better
control of myself, things quieted down. But it took something extraordinary for
me to stop blaming myself.” He glanced around the table to see if anyone was
even listening; everyone was. “Remember how we all decided to help Gahlen
through the rough times by telling family stories?”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“Sure, that was a great idea,” Art said. Ida and Jewel
both nodded their assent.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“Well, as it turns out, Gahlen is the one who helped me
through the rough times. The child accepts whatever life has to offer, never
playing the blame game regardless how tough things get. I’ve never heard one
complaint about missing out on sports, or growing tired of doctor’s
appointments.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“What about not having a driver’s license?” Art asked,
thinking of Gahlen’s many complaints over not being able to drive. Everyone
laughed, slicing through the tension in the room.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“You see,” Charlie said, “Gahlen taught me that placing
blame is not a lasting solution.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“So what is?” Jewel asked, amazed that Charlie was
talking so much.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">“Acceptance,” Charlie said. “Acceptance of all the things
we choose to blame. Fate. God. Other people. Ourselves. Of all our solutions, I
think Art made the best choice. At least by blaming fate, he really wasn’t
blaming anyone else.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">*****<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-46725557541444600012021-06-20T00:00:00.105-10:002021-06-20T00:00:00.190-10:00A Daughter's Gratitude on FATHER'S DAY<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiisdli0b1E/TeBUOx_ad4I/AAAAAAAAAP4/sUfekf-vkAw/s1600/1+Dad+w.3+kids+September+1945.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wiisdli0b1E/TeBUOx_ad4I/AAAAAAAAAP4/sUfekf-vkAw/s320/1+Dad+w.3+kids+September+1945.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">September 1945<br />
Dad on leave in Wisconsin<br />posing with his three children </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: arial;">Daniel F. Baugniet served in the military during WWII. Though he never saw combat, Daniel fully realized what was expected of soldiers, and the likelihood of his being shipped to a warfront. His first cousin had joined the Army in 1941, and received the Purple Heart after being seriously wounded.<br />
<br />
While my father served in the military, my mother accepted the responsibility of maintaining a normal home life. Once the war ended, Dad arrived home safely. He was prepared once again to support and care for his family, which had increased to four children upon my birth in late 1945. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CwwjBOQWOxQ/TeBWW-HqtyI/AAAAAAAAAQA/dJ8z4cMwzxo/s1600/1947+Dad+w.+1+kid+Lake+Michigan+1947.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CwwjBOQWOxQ/TeBWW-HqtyI/AAAAAAAAAQA/dJ8z4cMwzxo/s200/1947+Dad+w.+1+kid+Lake+Michigan+1947.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">Dad holding Gail while wading <br />
in the cold water of Lake Michigan<br />
1947 </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although soft-spoken, Dad's
infectious laughter sent a wave of smiles around the room at any gathering.
Throughout his life, he was affectionately known to family and friends as
Danny. He was from "the old school" where part-time side businesses
supplemented the salary of a 40-hour a week job; and wildlife, fresh fish,
and home-raised chickens complemented grocery store purchases.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><span style="font-family: arial;">His family never experienced hunger - or a lack of desserts. Dad loved to finish off meals with something sweet. We didn't know we were "spoiled" with daily helpings of ice cream, homemade pies, and bakery goods. Sunday morning breakfast meant bacon and eggs, topped off with frosted coffee cake with raisins.<br />
<br />
If he wasn't working or fishing, Dad spent his time maintaining or fixing things around the house. Then he started building and selling residential homes on property we had called "the back yard" most of our lives. <span style="background-color: white;">Friday night was one of the few times he relaxed in front of the
television. He enjoyed watching boxing (Rocky Marciano and Sonny Liston come to
mind), some wrestling, and Gunsmoke. He and Mom had several card clubs that
filled their Saturday evenings, late into the night with midnight
"snacks" - served to counter the brandy old-fashioneds.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-120Moj8F4Jg/V2dcKVc0YKI/AAAAAAAAEfA/a1dpctmqiL8ZzjRGvfJv0Ee7CzUogA2rQCLcB/s1600/Dan%2BEv%2B50th%2BAnniversary.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-120Moj8F4Jg/V2dcKVc0YKI/AAAAAAAAEfA/a1dpctmqiL8ZzjRGvfJv0Ee7CzUogA2rQCLcB/s320/Dan%2BEv%2B50th%2BAnniversary.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">50th Wedding Anniversary <br />celebration at Fox Hills in Wisconsin</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><span style="font-family: arial;">
Dad died in 2004. I am extremely grateful that I was granted the opportunity to know my father and enjoy his love and quiet sense of humor for almost sixty years.</span><div><br /></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;"><b>HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, Dad, and Aloha</b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: arial;">to all fathers on this Sunday of
celebration!</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">*****</span></b></p><div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-12501288985458206182021-06-16T00:00:00.022-10:002021-06-16T00:00:00.212-10:00Cam Lang - Author: "Novel Research" Interview<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">After posting a series of 26 articles for
April’s AtoZ Blog Challenge focused on personal research topics, I was eager to
read about the topics other writers had researched for their own projects. This
resulted in a Novel Research project </span><i style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">(“novel”
meaning interesting, different, unusual)</i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">, which will focus on topics researched
for various reasons, such as for a book, an essay, a blog post, or family
genealogy.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">To this end, I am inviting other writers to
participate in the project by sharing information about their “novel” research
into a specific topic. Each is given free rein to write from any angle, and all
are welcome to sprinkle the article with personal experiences and/or anecdotes
relevant to the research topic.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*****<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;">Gail:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"> Today's guest, Cam Lang, had his first novel published in
December, 2020. His research efforts, however, stretch throughout his career. I’ve
asked Cam to first share his bio, including one new or previously undisclosed
detail about himself.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Cam:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Hi Gail, thanks so
much for the invitation to participate in this interview.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lJ4C2CPoX1Q/YMlzsoKy77I/AAAAAAAAGdA/bkmnSFeng1cLLeOGxTuBlOswSuR3vie6ACNcBGAsYHQ/s582/Cam%2BLang%2Bheadshot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="495" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lJ4C2CPoX1Q/YMlzsoKy77I/AAAAAAAAGdA/bkmnSFeng1cLLeOGxTuBlOswSuR3vie6ACNcBGAsYHQ/w170-h200/Cam%2BLang%2Bheadshot.jpg" width="170" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m an urban planner, designer, and development
manager in my day job, which entails writing incredibly technical and boring
memos, reports, and briefs. You can never inject humor into these (I always
have to bite my tongue) so I’ve always chosen emails to friends as an outlet to
unleash my sardonic wit and creativity.<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A few years ago, a friend suggested I should do
more creative writing. So when the pandemic hit, I decided to write a novel
about the erosion of a historic small town. I’m an avid runner and cyclist and
believe that planning our cities and towns around the automobile is unsustainable
(spoiler alert!).</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; color: #5e5e5e;">~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Gail:<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">As
an avid runner and cyclist, you would have a vested interest in your town’s
development of pedestrian and biking trails. And for the development of your
novel, which of the various methods of research did you use?</span><b><o:p> </o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="yiv7601012710ydp6ce169bbmsonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cam: </b>Most of the information in my novel comes from first-hand
knowledge. But I did interview various specialists (grape growers, winery
owners, lawyers, politicians) to get a better handle on some of the issues and
angles I was writing about in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Concrete Vineyard</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv7601012710ydp6ce169bbmsonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="yiv7601012710ydp6ce169bbmsonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My novel
is also a political thriller so I interviewed a former town councilor to get
more insight</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J1uByXpe2fc/YMl07eg1AfI/AAAAAAAAGdY/_wn91kI2Wh4X6fI66tXG9HHjDDcEsL_EQCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/photo%2Bfor%2BCam%2BLang%2Binterview.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1153" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J1uByXpe2fc/YMl07eg1AfI/AAAAAAAAGdY/_wn91kI2Wh4X6fI66tXG9HHjDDcEsL_EQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/photo%2Bfor%2BCam%2BLang%2Binterview.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brock Monument<br />photo by author</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">into the dynamics of how small town councils function and operate.
Given the historic setting of my story (the first capital of Upper Canada), I
also included a lot of information on the War of 1812; references to soldier's
uniforms, dates of battles, etc. Even though I grew up in this place, I needed
to ensure my references were accurate by consulting reputable books.</span><p></p><p class="yiv7601012710ydp6ce169bbmsonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="yiv7601012710ydp6ce169bbmsonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I do use
the internet for research but never use it as a single reliable source; its
information must be verified. You can’t get your information wrong, even in a
fiction novel. You’ll lose your credibility.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv7601012710ydp6ce169bbmsonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="yiv7601012710ydp6ce169bbmsonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I found
the research I was conducting to be an iterative process. Although most of my
research took place before my first draft, I was constantly adding and revising
plotlines so it was necessary to keep digging for and validating information,
even into the editing process. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; color: #5e5e5e;">~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="yiv7601012710ydp6ce169bbmsonormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Gail: </span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">And what "novel" research topic have
you chosen for today?</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Cam: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Urban planning. The
saying goes, ‘write what you know’, so that’s exactly what I did. I started
writing a non-fiction book about growth and development issues affecting my
historic hometown of Niagara-on-the-Lake and quickly realized that nobody would
read it. Very few people find urban planning interesting so I needed to spice
it up.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That’s when I decided to kill someone (not
literally) and turn my non-fiction book into a ‘whodunit’ murder mystery. When
people ask me what books are similar to mine, I can't provide a good answer
because I haven't come across them. My novel is like that rare house or
property that has no comparables in real estate (another spoiler alert!). </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; color: #5e5e5e;">~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldWtB2A2FiA/YMl0bAtVvuI/AAAAAAAAGdQ/UX1FV6I_0OUVN3EogpFLZVuGygkyNEScwCNcBGAsYHQ/s346/The%2BConcrete%2BVineyard%2Bcover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="221" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldWtB2A2FiA/YMl0bAtVvuI/AAAAAAAAGdQ/UX1FV6I_0OUVN3EogpFLZVuGygkyNEScwCNcBGAsYHQ/w127-h200/The%2BConcrete%2BVineyard%2Bcover.jpg" width="127" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">You
can visit Cam at his social media sites:</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Twitter:<b> </b></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/CamLangAuthor" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/CamLangAuthor</a></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Facebook: </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/people/Cam-Lang-Author/100060001244953/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/people/Cam-Lang-Author/100060001244953/</a></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">And check out his book, <i>The Concrete Vineyard</i>,
at: </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PJB3D6W">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PJB3D6W</a></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> *****</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Reading
detailed information about urban planning, especially growth and development
issues, may sound dry. But it attracts heightened interest when personally impacting the
lives of a community’s families and individuals.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How has a controversial planning project impacted daily life in your area?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">* * * * *</span></span></p><br /><p></p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-88202169145173499722021-06-14T00:00:00.217-10:002021-06-14T00:00:00.254-10:00Book Review: The Concrete Vineyard by Cam Lang<p><span style="font-family: arial;">When choosing the next book to read, my range of genres expands with each month's new selections. The choices range from classics to beginning-of-series to newly published (Self-Indie-Big5). Mysteries are always my first go-to choice for a relaxing read on a lazy afternoon. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But the list of genres is endless, especially now that each has at least one sub-genre. The Thriller/Suspense genre alone comes in a number of sub-genres including espionage, political, legal, eco-terror, disaster, treasure, medical, and sci-fi. Think Ian Fleming, Kathy Reichs, Clive Cussler . . . another list that goes on endlessly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">With so many sub-genres in mind, one would think there is nothing new in the world to write about, no new genre to discover. Yet, innovative writers find themselves scrambling to label their new novel to fit within the confines of an ever-widening range of definitions.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One such writer is Cam Lang, whose new novel defies neat classification in the thriller genre. In my review, I classify the novel as a mystery. (In my own defense, I believe every story contains a mystery to hook the reader.) But better you decide the genre for yourself.</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"THE CONCRETE VINEYARD" by Cam Lang</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JkLXnLQYAL0/YMaX5Puo5UI/AAAAAAAAGcs/EDUXo2YVOV8ExaJFO-MEsJYrVO6xU-04ACNcBGAsYHQ/s450/The%2BConcrete%2BVineyard%2Bcover%2Bw.border.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JkLXnLQYAL0/YMaX5Puo5UI/AAAAAAAAGcs/EDUXo2YVOV8ExaJFO-MEsJYrVO6xU-04ACNcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/The%2BConcrete%2BVineyard%2Bcover%2Bw.border.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">This intricately plotted mystery, set in Ontario, first
drew my attention because of a decades-long genealogical interest in Canadian
history. The novel’s protagonist, Urban Planner Kris Gage arranges a month’s
vacation to relax in his hometown of </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Niagara-on-the-Lake, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">only
to quickly have his plans go off the rails. He is asked to help gain project
approval for a friend's winery in the small town, and to assist in solving the
murder of a highly prestigious 90-year old neighbor.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The police detective assigned to the homicide investigation,
a boyhood friend of Gage who is not emotionally well-suited to the job, asks
for his support in solving the case. And Gage isn't one to say "no"
to such a request. Besides, it is still considered ‘being on vacation’ if the
work involves someone else’s job, right?</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Soon historical subplots and shady real estate dealings
become entangled in the homicide investigation, leading to disturbing revelations
and more than a few comical interactions among a cast of eccentric characters
who all earn their time in the spotlight.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Detailed history of Canada's military involvement in the
War of 1812 helps to drive the plot and plays into the mystery's satisfying
resolution. Gage's suggested possibilities for successful urban renewal offer
hope for a safer environment in this small town scarred by past tragedies.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Excellent command of first and third person point of
view keep the story flowing without disruption. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The author's career experience in urban planning and his attention to
detail lend authenticity to the story line and make <i>The Concrete Vineyard</i> an enjoyable and educational reading experience.</span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*****</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Upcoming post - Wednesday June 16: “Novel Research” interview with Cam Lang. Get to know more about the author and his process of weaving fact and fiction into a satisfying tale.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*****</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">"THE CONCRETE VINEYARD" is available at: Amazon.com </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PJB3D6W" style="text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PJB3D6W</a></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p></p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-83533478039222830312021-06-09T00:00:00.264-10:002021-06-09T00:00:00.207-10:00Novel Research Interview with J.A. Schneider<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white;">Interviews with writers for the Novel
Research project ("novel" meaning </span><i style="background-color: white;">interesting, different,
unusual</i><span style="background-color: white;">,) f</span><span style="background-color: white;">ocus on a variety of research topics, whether for a book,
an essay, blog post, or the gathering of family genealogy records. In April,
2021, I posted 26 short articles about topics researched over the years for
mystery novels, poetry, and genealogical records (which culminated in</span><span style="background-color: white;"> a historical
novel.) Eager to learn of wider ranging research experiences, I have invited other
writers to participate in the project by sharing information about their "novel" research topics.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">*****</span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Gail:</b> Today's guest, author J.A. Schneider, is a prolific writer with much research under her belt. I have asked Joyce to first share her bio, including one new or previously undisclosed detail about herself<span style="font-size: 10pt;">.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Joyce:</b> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Thanks so much for inviting me! I am honored to
participate. </span>I’</span><span style="font-family: arial;">m
a former writer at</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DnLrFoEeiIQ/YL2C43ukMfI/AAAAAAAAGb0/_YmtM6N-r4EAKb4jY1_kCQWytARmG8_lwCNcBGAsYHQ/s671/Joyce%2BSchneider%2Bheadshot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="671" height="149" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DnLrFoEeiIQ/YL2C43ukMfI/AAAAAAAAGb0/_YmtM6N-r4EAKb4jY1_kCQWytARmG8_lwCNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h149/Joyce%2BSchneider%2Bheadshot.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Newsweek who grew up with a passion for books and reading.
I’ve written 14 books so far: the 6-book EMBRYO medical thriller series, the
4-book police/psychological thrillers featuring NYPD Detective Kerri Blasco,
and the standalone thrillers <i>Into the Dark</i>, <i>Girl Watching You</i>, <i>What You’ve
Done</i>, and the just-released <i>Cry to Me</i>.</span><p></p>
<p class="yiv6236649127msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What
led me to writing for Newsweek was previous – and sometimes wild – experience
studying in Paris at the Sorbonne, then being an exchange student in the Soviet
Union where I promptly got arrested for spreading anti-Soviet propaganda
- <span class="yiv62366491271"><span style="background: white; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">ha! Caught
with friends laughing at their pea-green-colored drinking water; that was the
offense; four of us arrested. Let go after a day, guess they decided we weren't
worth an international incident. Then weeks later I landed in a Soviet hospital
because I fell down a ravine during a hike in the Caucasus mountains near
Sochi. It wasn't bad. Docs in Sochi were nice, but I think </span></span>the
Soviets were glad to see me leave.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="yiv6236649127msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="yiv6236649127msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="yiv62366491271"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">Now things are calmer, if you call
writing suspense thrillers calmer. When not writing I’m usually thinking about
writing and dreaming up new stories, and can rarely be seen without my trusty
laptop. I live with my family in Connecticut, love gardening, and am working on
my WIP which will be a departure, still a romantic suspense crime thriller, but
a surprise.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="yiv62366491271"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Gail:</b> Your early experiences have me wavering between cautious laughter and fright. Knowing that research practices evolve over the years, what is your go-to method now? </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Joyce</u>:</b> </span><span class="yiv62366491271" style="font-family: arial;">I use the Internet a LOT for research,
definitely during the first draft. Saves time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="yiv62366491271"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Gail:</b> And what "novel" research topic have you chosen for today?</span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Joyce:</b> A hurricane! <span class="yiv62366491271">I wrote CRY TO ME (</span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://getbook.at/CryToMe" target="_blank">getbook.at/CryToMe</a></span><span class="yiv62366491271">)
by battery lamp in a hurricane, about scared people using battery lamps in a
hurricane. The raging wind outside - wowza - affected the intensity of the
story. Add a bloodied crime scene and a cold case to the howling storm,
the fear of trees falling outside, and that beats any “research” I’ve ever done
for a novel.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xRhOCyvM8Xs/YL2Dn76TGhI/AAAAAAAAGb8/eUoCpL6spU8JvuNLaCT9qt0791RXaEoUQCNcBGAsYHQ/s524/picture%2Bof%2Bdowned%2Btrees%2B-%2Bview%2Bof%2Bneighborhood.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="524" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xRhOCyvM8Xs/YL2Dn76TGhI/AAAAAAAAGb8/eUoCpL6spU8JvuNLaCT9qt0791RXaEoUQCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h280/picture%2Bof%2Bdowned%2Btrees%2B-%2Bview%2Bof%2Bneighborhood.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by author</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The
hurricane was Isaias, which hit Florida in late August of 2020 and plowed its
way up to our Connecticut Coast (whole swaths of woods knocked down; roofs
plowed in; cars under water, highways washed out. It was something.)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6kbbRuikRec/YL2EU9NBIGI/AAAAAAAAGcE/HIupMpRjGrUiUgtLvnDrmRau-HWkGMoSgCNcBGAsYHQ/s218/Cry%2BTo%2BMe%2Bcover.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="145" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6kbbRuikRec/YL2EU9NBIGI/AAAAAAAAGcE/HIupMpRjGrUiUgtLvnDrmRau-HWkGMoSgCNcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Cry%2BTo%2BMe%2Bcover.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">What’s
crazy is, I had planned this novel <i>before </i>I knew a hurricane
was coming! It was a coincidence. It’s what informed my first draft, anyway.
Subsequent drafts were aided by the months-long sound of chain saws fixing
destruction all around our town.</span></p><p></p>
<p class="yiv6236649127" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="yiv62366491271"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">That
experience beat any research I’ve ever done. Whew, when I think of it!!</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="yiv6236649127" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;">~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</span></p><p class="yiv6236649127" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="yiv62366491271"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">You can visit Joyce at her</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> social
media site: </span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joyce.schneider.142?fref=ts" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/joyce.schneider.142?fref=ts</a></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="yiv6236649127" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="yiv62366491271">And check out her books on her </span><span class="yiv62366491271">Amazon page: </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/J-A-Schneider/e/B008BOPMN2/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/J-A-Schneider/e/B008BOPMN2/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1</a></span></span></p><p class="yiv6236649127" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*****</span></p><p class="yiv6236649127" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">Isaias swept through Connecticut, causing crippling damage </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">as it uprooted trees, severed power lines, and littered roads
with </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">water-soaked debris, leaving more than 700,000 residents
without power.</span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What effects of a hurricane have you experienced?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">* * * * *</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6236649127" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><o:p></o:p></p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-1546406092650509412021-06-07T00:00:00.016-10:002021-06-07T00:00:00.186-10:00Book Review: Cry To Me by J.A. Schneider<p><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Welcome to Book Review Monday. According to
an encouraging adage for writers, “Successful writing includes the side
component of reading.” As testament to this adage, reading keeps me grounded,
informed, aware, and alive. Novels entertain me. News reports and essays tie me
to a teeming, ever-growing and changing society of ideas. Non-fiction
stimulates my mind, allowing me to transform my own thoughts into written
words.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The list of books I’ve read
and reviewed over the past year isn’t genre-specific, only slightly tilted
toward suspenseful mysteries. But to my way of thinking, every story contains a
mystery, with suspense of one sort or another to hold the reader’s interest.
Mixed genres work well to satisfy the desires of multiple preferences.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the topic of mixed genres, if
you are looking for an entertaining novel filled with suspense, thrills, and a
touch of romance to read this week, look no further than:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">“CRY TO ME: An Intense Romantic Suspense
Thriller” by J.A. Schneider</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Cry To Me” is one of Joyce’s
best novels, which says a lot because her entire Embryo series kept me well-entertained
as she pumped them out over the years.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JH2T_AeoNwc/YL1XCpJjUTI/AAAAAAAAGbY/OjeVIBZonSEhXg79O9N_jKpeKv38fs2rwCNcBGAsYHQ/s450/Cry%2BTo%2BMe%2Bbook%2Bcover%2Bw.frame.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JH2T_AeoNwc/YL1XCpJjUTI/AAAAAAAAGbY/OjeVIBZonSEhXg79O9N_jKpeKv38fs2rwCNcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/Cry%2BTo%2BMe%2Bbook%2Bcover%2Bw.frame.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>In her latest stand-alone novel, "Cry To Me", the
story’s main character and narrator Kim attends a celebration of her sister and
brother-in-law’s renovated mansion. Loud music, business connections interested
only in making money or getting revenge, and an exposed affair all lend
suspicion when the host is found dead and the hostess clings to life after both
are shot by an unknown assailant.<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A hurricane is brewing,
moving closer each day as police attempt to clear the investigation. They
quickly assume murder and attempted suicide. But Kim refuses to accept that her
sister shot her husband and then tried to kill herself. As a crime fiction
writer, Kim proceeds to use her detecting skills to dig up evidence proving her
sister’s innocence. But as the storm builds, threatening imminent power outages
and severed satellite service, the narrowing list of possible suspects has Kim,
and the reader, wavering over who is the true killer.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Simmering tension and
character development held my attention throughout the plotline’s steady
escalation. The local book club selection for May, “And Then There
Were None<i>”</i> by Agatha Christie, is described
by many as the best mystery ever written. For thrills and accuracy, I would say
“Cry To Me<i>”</i> is comparable.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">*****</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Upcoming post - Wednesday
June 9: “Novel Research” interview with J.A. Schneider. Get to know more about
the author whose novels are as addictive as Belgian chocolate truffles.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">*****</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">"Cry To
Me" is available at Amazon.com - the kindle edition on sale now for
99cents. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091ZL7XWX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0" style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">CRY
TO ME: An intense romantic suspense thriller - Kindle edition by Schneider,
J.A. . Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-47841045432881300402021-06-02T00:00:00.002-10:002021-06-02T00:00:00.212-10:00NOVEL RESEARCH From Three Authors' Perspectives<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Litera</span><span style="background-color: white;">ture is described as <span style="color: red;">the art of written work</span>.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> </span>Interviews for “Novel Research</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">” are focused on topics that participants have researched before or while composing a written work. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">As for the <i>novel</i> part of the research, t</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">he</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> description of <u>the word <i>novel</i> as a noun</u> is<b>:</b> </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">a fictitious prose narrative of book
length, typically representing character and action with some degree of realism.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white; color: red; font-size: 12pt;">But the
description for <u>the word <i>novel</i> as an adverb</u> is so much more intriguing<b>:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQVzCvju7UU/YK8F5NJDFuI/AAAAAAAAGX0/nQyNpkA2LVMo62nh5VFokFP-d9VfV0CTQCNcBGAsYHQ/s599/novel%2Bdifferent%2Bor%2Bunusual%2Bcard%2Bfor%2B6.2.2021%2Bblog%2Bpost.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="599" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQVzCvju7UU/YK8F5NJDFuI/AAAAAAAAGX0/nQyNpkA2LVMo62nh5VFokFP-d9VfV0CTQCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h316/novel%2Bdifferent%2Bor%2Bunusual%2Bcard%2Bfor%2B6.2.2021%2Bblog%2Bpost.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">And synonyms for the adverb seem
endless<b>:</b> </span><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">new, <span class="cbl">original, unfamiliar, fresh, unorthodox, unconventional,
off-center, imaginative, creative, innovative, futuristic, trailblazing, rare, unique, singular, experimental, uncommon, untested, surprising, strange, exotic, . . .</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Researching a new novel, or other projects such as essays or family genealogy, takes the author on a
journey to many new places, whether through books, movies, news articles, or
physical travel. On Wednesdays in the coming weeks, writers will share their <i>novel</i> research experiences here on a range of eclectic topics.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The boundaries for topic choices</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">are mostly defined by</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">the imagination of the author.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(Under</span> <span style="font-family: georgia;">BLOG ARCHIVE</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> in the right hand column, click on "2021" and then "April" for the list of <i>novel</i> research topics I blogged about during the April AtoZ Challenge2021).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Below are short excerpts of interviews from three popular authors who
previously shared information about research specific to their published
works.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt;"> (Might they return for a Novel Research interview to share interesting details about one of their favorite research topics?!)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;"><br />Elizabeth Wilder</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">Granite Hearts</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Egerton-Wilder/e/B004T6CIKQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1">Amazon.com: Elizabeth Egerton Wilder: Books, Biography,
Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle</a></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Egerton-Wilder/e/B004T6CIKQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></a></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D9YAa_OFgSc/YFqJquoFy_I/AAAAAAAAGB0/WgtQ76x5gnYE3BnQsU7PrIQE3uK0j8BTQCNcBGAsYHQ/s500/Granite%2BHearts%2Bcover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D9YAa_OFgSc/YFqJquoFy_I/AAAAAAAAGB0/WgtQ76x5gnYE3BnQsU7PrIQE3uK0j8BTQCNcBGAsYHQ/w129-h200/Granite%2BHearts%2Bcover.jpg" width="129" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="background: white;">Synopsis:</span></u><span style="background: white;"> One family, one journey, many paths,
all guided by the strength and wisdom of one amazing woman. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><u>Question:</u> For your second novel, <i>Granite Hearts</i>, where did your research
take you?</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">E.E. WILDER:</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> Obviously, we made trips to Fort Knox
in Prospect, Maine across the Penobscot River from Bucksport to walk the
grounds and tunnels. We drove around on one trip and found the spots to place
the Ryan and Hodge homes and I took photographs of the terrain, river and
roads. We visited museums, read archived newspapers, and chose names from mid-1800’s
genealogies. The only books I read were about Joshua Chamberlain and Civil War
battles. I have never thought of taking research from movies – I like to discover
my own information. In addition I studied antique maps and searched the areas
via satellite using MapQuest. I enjoy digging deeper and deeper into bits and
pieces on internet search engines. I love finding the occasional surprise that
works perfectly to drive the story.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">*****</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">Cheryl Lynn Martin<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">Menehunes Missing<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Menehunes-Missing-Hawaiian-Island-Detective/dp/1938388240">Amazon.com:
Menehunes Missing (Hawaiian Island Detective Club) (9781938388248): Martin,
Cheryl: Books</a></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_ViRycZAe4/YFqKcMUDFLI/AAAAAAAAGB8/Zfmj4tGz3KQXo_iAMgRdFY-3p5VeE28BQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Menehune%2BMissing.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="207" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_ViRycZAe4/YFqKcMUDFLI/AAAAAAAAGB8/Zfmj4tGz3KQXo_iAMgRdFY-3p5VeE28BQCNcBGAsYHQ/w129-h200/Menehune%2BMissing.jpg" width="129" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u>Synopsis:</u> <span style="background: white; color: #333333;">It's just a game, right? Wrong! The Menehune Hunt turns into eerie
intrigue filled with danger as The Hawaiian Island Detective Club tackles their
second genuine mystery.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><u>Question:</u> What did you most enjoy about the
research process of your novel, <i>Menehunes Missing</i>? </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">CHERYL LINN MARTIN:</span></u><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">My
research involves mostly Hawaiian things—even though I knew about The Menehune,
I still did some research to learn more. I also did research on foods, a few
Hawaii locations, and casts (Leilani gets her cast removed in this book.) I
always do a lot of observing of some very special people in my life to put
together some supporting characters—my favorite part of research and developing
characters!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">And then there was my trip to Maui to do some research on some of the areas
on the island—now that’s fun research!!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">*****</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">Sandra Nikolai<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">False Impressions<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sandra-Nikolai/e/B0087RR4XY/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>Amazon.com:
Sandra Nikolai: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle</i></span></a><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C5mUWefkpGo/YFqLHVtI5BI/AAAAAAAAGCE/TFnLdm0UqnQ-Ld2cliNf29LR5lKjdy_oQCNcBGAsYHQ/s346/False%2BImpressions.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: underline;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="231" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C5mUWefkpGo/YFqLHVtI5BI/AAAAAAAAGCE/TFnLdm0UqnQ-Ld2cliNf29LR5lKjdy_oQCNcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/False%2BImpressions.jpg" width="134" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Synopsis:</span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Montreal ghostwriter Megan Scott falls under police suspicion when her
husband and a female companion are found murdered.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u>Question:</u> Research is one of the most important aspects of a writer's work. No matter how knowledgeable the writer is, some research is inevitable. Seasoned authors such as Stephen King may delegate this task. Without the luxury of delegating, did you do your own research for scenes involving the Montreal nightlife, specifically for the strip club <span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Café Cleopatra?</span></span></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">SANDRA NIKOLAI:</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> I grew up in Montreal and am familiar
with the nightlife there. That’s not to say I frequented the strip clubs or
stood on street corners in the red light district. Heavens, I’m a wife and
mother—I have a reputation to maintain! 😊</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Kidding aside, I try to ensure that my research information is as accurate
as possible. I’ve taken a few liberties with names and places, but the police
investigation and legalities—Canadian style—were verified through reliable
sources.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">*****</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><br /></span></p></div>
Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-58892553405311452662021-05-05T07:00:00.040-10:002021-05-31T15:12:12.255-10:00NOVEL RESEARCH From the Writer's Perspective<p><span style="font-family: times;">Researching specific topics or locations for a novel has always been a form of entertainment for me. In this time of social distancing, research has also substituted for planned vacations. Browsing through photographs, taken before lockdown, replaces the activity of local excursions.</span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JC9zkzDCLk4/YE__sWMotAI/AAAAAAAAGA8/HUfqylqXIlAZz1cX8-HiDADfjvdxd485ACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1%2BPolynesian%2BCultural%2BCenter%2B3.25.2005.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JC9zkzDCLk4/YE__sWMotAI/AAAAAAAAGA8/HUfqylqXIlAZz1cX8-HiDADfjvdxd485ACNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/1%2BPolynesian%2BCultural%2BCenter%2B3.25.2005.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: times;"></span><p></p><p>In the month of June, I will begin a new blog series - NOVEL RESEARCH From the Writer's Perspective - starting with a special post featuring authors who have previously participated in an interview that included this final question:</p><p></p><p><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">Researching a new novel takes the author on a journey to many new places, whether through books, movies, newspapers, or physical travel.</span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.85px;"> What did you most enjoy about the research process of your recent novel or WIP (work-in-progress), </span><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.85px;">and where did the research take you?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Authors to be featured in the June 2nd premier post are:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Elizabeth Wilder (E.E. Wilder) <i>Granite Hearts</i></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Cheryl Lynn Martin <i>Pineapples
in Peril</i></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Sandra Nikolai <i>False
Impressions</i></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">Future Wednesday interviews will focus on the author's research of a specific topic.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">While a writer's research process can be instructive,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">details about the subject matter are often the most entertaining.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">I look forward to reading details about the novel topics authors have chosen to research for their writing projects, and expect to thoroughly enjoy wherever their research takes us.</span></div><div><br /></div><p></p><p>
</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-family: times;">*****</span></span></p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-84273517756825205022021-05-03T16:30:00.001-10:002021-05-03T16:30:00.228-10:00#AtoZChallenge Reflections 2021 <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-up0LtYyLaN0/YJCiw0v5NOI/AAAAAAAAGPA/Q6GfbtSfhjcU3O3PW_y8QLicx1AssNAMgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2930/A%2Bto%2BZ%2B2021%2Bbanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="2930" height="146" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-up0LtYyLaN0/YJCiw0v5NOI/AAAAAAAAGPA/Q6GfbtSfhjcU3O3PW_y8QLicx1AssNAMgCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h146/A%2Bto%2BZ%2B2021%2Bbanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>In 2011, I took a gamble and participated in my first AtoZChallenge with a Hawaiian theme. Because I missed the 2020 challenge, my plunge into 2021 was the 10th challenge for me. I signed up on the last day of the Theme Reveal deadline, having made my decision that morning to participate. Instead of moving forward with plans to post blog interviews of other authors' research projects, I decided to first post 26 articles about "novel" topics I had researched over the years for various reasons. Writing the first drafts was an enjoyable task. Reliving these research events by way of the AtoZChallenge made the month of April a fun way for me to reconnect with society after strict lockdown.</p><p>Even though my best laid plans included visiting every blog site listed on the official sign-up sheet, I only made it through #155 plus other blog sites I found through comments left on sites I visited. I will sign up for the "Road Trip".</p><p>Participating in The Scavenger Hunt was sort of hit and miss for me. I always forgot to look for the words while reading posts and often had to retrace my steps to find a word on the list. I did find 20 of the 26 letters, missing only cobweb, hat, leaves, scissors, velvet, and yellow. Why I couldn't find "hat" is beyond me! My list is included below.</p><p>One of my blog posts was entitled "Etymology and Envy" with photos of a worn dictionary and thesaurus. I mention this in reply to the question of whether I consulted a dictionary for my word choices. Although I did use Google to find my X-word "xylocarp".</p><p>Thank you to the AtoZ team members for the tremendous amount of work that goes into planning and executing such a wide spread and popular project. The sign-up sheet was easily accessible and simple to use. I consulted it daily to visit additional participants. Unfortunately, I was not able to visit everyone but plan to participate in the Road Trip.</p><p style="text-align: center;">*****</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">AtoZChallenge2021 Scavenger Hunt<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I chose to join the Scavenger Hunt
challenge and was pleased to see that one of my blog posts fit right in – Whale
Migration! The best part of the rules was that the word didn’t have to be in the title. I located 20 of the 26 letters. Here
are the blog sites I found with the chosen letters:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">A is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Apple </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">🍏</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-z-2021-apple-doesnt-fall-far-from-tree.html">A
- Z 2021: The Apple doesn't fall far from the Tree
(thethreegerbers.blogspot.com)</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">B is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Bear 🧸</span><a href="https://jilywily.wordpress.com/">J-Dubs Grin and Bear It – As Always,
More to Come (wordpress.com)</a> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">C is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Cobweb </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">🕸</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">D is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Dragon </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">🐲</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2021/04/atozchallenge2021-d-is-for-dragon-purple.html?spref=tw">The
Other Side blog: #AtoZChallenge2021: D is for Dragon, Purple (timsbrannan.com)</a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">E is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Evil </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">👿</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2021/03/e-is-for-eden.html">Black
and White: E is for Eden (nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com)</a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span>(<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">In Eden grows every kind of tree that is pleasant to sight
and good for food, as well as the infamous Tree of the Knowledge of Good and </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0070c0;">Evil</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">.</span>)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">F is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Flowers </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">💐</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://ajoyfulchaos.blogspot.com/2021/04/d-daffodil-selfie.html#comment-form">A
Joyful Chaos: D ~ Daffodil Selfie</a> (<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #191919;">As I lowered my phone into the </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0070c0;">flowers</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #191919;"> .
. .</span>)<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">G is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Game </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">🎲</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/">Blogging from A to Z April Challenge
(a-to-zchallenge.com)</a> (<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">some of
my favorite online games that revolve around travel:</span>)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> H
is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Hat </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">👒</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">I is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Island </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">🏝</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://annehiga.com/2021/04/10/i-is-for-island/">I is for Island – Anne
Higa</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">J is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Jewelry </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">💍</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://www.chaptersfrommylife.com/">Chapters From My Life</a> (X is for)<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-size: 11pt;">It can be a book, a jewelry,</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">K is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Key </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">🔑</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://slogansmith.blogspot.com/2021/04/blogging-from-to-z-april-challenge-2021_13.html">Blogging
from A to Z April Challenge (2021) Alphabet "k"- and the word is
"kEYWORD" | Slogans, Catch lines and Tag lines
(slogansmith.blogspot.com)</a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Today’s letter is </span><span style="color: red;">“K”</span><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"> and the word is </span><span style="color: red;">“Key Word”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">L is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Leaves </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">🍂</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">M is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Men </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">👬</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://denster57.wordpress.com/2021/04/05/george-dixon/">George Dixon |
Tarmangani (wordpress.com)</a> (<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;">with
the 135 pound black powder spar torpedo mounted to the sub, Lt. George Dixon
ordered his </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0070c0;">men</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;"> to load up.</span>)<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">N is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Nuts 🥜 </span><a href="https://inkonapage.com/2021/04/09/a-to-z-challenge-04-09-21-indigenous-foods/">#A
to Z Challenge 04-09-21 Indigenous Foods | Words On A Page (inkonapage.com)</a>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The nuts are the size of a cantaloupe</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">O is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Orange </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif;">🍊</span> <a href="https://awriterdarkly.com/kairn-of-glen-feirnaugh-7dba142bfd5d">Kairn of
Glen Feirnaugh. “Grandpapa tell us a story.” The… | by John G Swift | Apr, 2021
| A Writer Darkly</a> (<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #292929; letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">Blazing bright orange hair shone in the
sun like her head was afire.</span>)<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">P is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Pen </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">🖊</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://doesntspeakklingon.blogspot.com/2021/04/mabel-atozchallenge-m.html">Doesn't
Speak Klingon: Mabel #AtoZChallenge M</a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span>Mabel smirked at that and picked up a pen.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Q is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Questions </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">❓</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> 1.) </span><a href="https://mollyscanopy.com/">MOLLY'S CANOPY | Growing family trees one leaf
at a time</a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #2b2b2b; padding: 0in;"> </span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #2b2b2b; padding: 0in;">Q is for
Questioning everything; 2.) </span><a href="http://jemimapett.com/blog/2021/04/20/questions-to-ask-your-characters-atozchallenge2021/">Questions
to ask your Characters #AtoZChallenge2021 ~ Jemima Pett</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;">when it rains it pours! <a href="https://auntyamo.com/2021/04/20/q-is-for/">Q is for Questions…. – Just
another Christian woman… (auntyamo.com)</a> 3. <a href="https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/2021/04/20/question/">Question |
Beth Lapin's A to Z Blog 2021 (wordpress.com)</a> Ask questions of others.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">R is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— <b>Rainbow </b> 1.) </span><a href="http://imagery77.blogspot.com/">Rainbow (imagery77.blogspot.com)</a> The
blog’s name says it all!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;">2.) <a href="https://jlennidorner.blogspot.com/2021/04/atozchallenge-r-is-for-ronel-rainbow.html">Blog
of Author J Lenni Dorner: #atozchallenge R is for Ronel, Rainbow Colors, Rook,
Room 42</a> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“Rainbow Colors” is from Usborne’s ‘Hello, Baby!’ series.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">S is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Scissors </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">✂</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">T is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Tiger </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">🐯</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> 1.) </span><a href="https://www.jinglejanglejungle.net/2021/04/80s-e-a2z.html">Jingle Jangle
Jungle: Totally Awesome 80's - E #AtoZChallenge</a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;">1982 - Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor; 2.) </span><a href="https://artismoments.blogspot.com/2021/04/q-is-for-quaffing-beer-at-quaint-bar.html">My
Ordinary Moments: Q is for Quaffing beer at a Quaint bar #AtoZChallenge
(artismoments.blogspot.com)</a><span style="background: #F9FDFD; color: #5d5d5d;">
“. . . we had decided to go to Tiger Hill<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">U is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Uniform </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">💂</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://jlennidorner.blogspot.com/2021/04/atozchallenge-u-is-for-uniquely.html">Blog
of Author J Lenni Dorner: #atozchallenge U is for Uniquely, Unicorns, Ugly,
Understanding, Unspeakable</a> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 11.5pt;">“Unicorns in Uniform” is part of a Phonics Readers series!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">V is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Velvet 🧶<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">W is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Whale </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">🐳</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><a href="https://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com/2021/04/whale-migration-between-alaska-and.html">Gail
M Baugniet - Author : Whale Migration Between Alaska and Hawaii
#AtoZChallenge2021 (gail-baugniet.blogspot.com)</a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">X is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— X-ray </span>🦴1.) <a href="https://fondles.blogspot.com/2021/04/x-is-not-for-xpectations-but-itll-have.html">Fondlers
Anonymous: X is not for Xpectations But It'll Have to Do (fondles.blogspot.com)</a>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #282828;">no clever X word here. I could
have done something about X-rated... or X-rays..(maybe a stretch, but I’ll take
what I can find!); 2.) </span><a href="https://annehiga.com/2021/04/28/x-is-for-x-rays/">X is for X-rays – Anne
Higa</a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #282828;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: list .5in; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: 0in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Y is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Yellow </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">💛</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Z is for </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">— Zipper 🤐 1.)
</span><a href="https://www.chaptersfrommylife.com/">Chapters From My Life</a> Find
your X-factor, be Xtraordinar - <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;">XYZ is also a code for zipper down 2.) </span><a href="https://quiltingpatch.blogspot.com/2021/04/z-zipper-fermeture-eclair-atozchallenge.html">Z
= Zipper / Fermeture éclair 🤐 #AtoZchallenge 2021[Quilt]
(quiltingpatch.blogspot.com)</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3pt; text-align: center;">*****</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3pt; text-align: left;">Mahalo and Aloha,</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3pt; text-align: left;">Gail</p><p> </p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-27559259591388607822021-05-02T07:00:00.001-10:002021-05-02T07:00:00.210-10:00ITS OWN PACE - Waka, a Japanese form of Poetry<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iS7vPRTbdf4/VszSf1BeHEI/AAAAAAAAD-I/LZ8UmJMNCaY/s1600/22%2BIt%2527s%2BOwn%2BPace.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iS7vPRTbdf4/VszSf1BeHEI/AAAAAAAAD-I/LZ8UmJMNCaY/s320/22%2BIt%2527s%2BOwn%2BPace.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not lilacs, in this case, but lilac-colored bougainvillea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="CSP-ChapterBodyText-FirstParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">22</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Its Own Pace</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Nine,
going on ten</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">With
three months of summer, then</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">fifth
grade at St. Luke’s</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading
assignments follow</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Math
class and Catechism</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ride
your bike home; don’t</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">dilly-dally
afterwards</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">or
you’ll miss supper</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pies
in the oven, chili</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">on
the stove, wash your hands first</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Please,
thank you, and yes.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">While
lilacs bloom and grass grows,</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">hollows
slowly fill</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Moving
forward, remember</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">your
youth, forget the deep loss.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Most of my poems only bow politely to the <i>renshi</i>
form of poetry. This poem is my attempt at the Japanese form of poetry known as
waka, which is 3 lines of 17 syllables (5-7-5; this part later known as haiku)
followed by two lines of 14 syllables (7-7).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
poem addresses a tragic situation in a young person’s life. The focus is on the
coping mechanism of moving past the pain and incomprehensible nature of an
unnatural occurrence. There are no parameters to restrict the types of
tragedies that would cause such sorrow. To a child, delineations do not exist.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
hollowness that follows deep loss must fill slowly. Debilitating ache eases
until only a dull throb persists as a reminder, often when one least expects
the memory to rise. The challenge is to remember the goodness, the healthy body
of youth, and endless possibilities of a hopeful future.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Being
told to forget the deep loss does not mean to ignore the occurrence. Instead,
allow the healing waters of time to gently flow through your mind, diluting pain
and bitter sorrow along the way. Keep in mind, though, that poems do not offer
advice. Rather, they draw from the reader’s own mind solutions already
considered. In the peaceful atmosphere of quiet reading, it is possible to see
solutions in a new light, and determine a course of action.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">*****</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-71301324253562717302021-04-30T01:00:00.039-10:002021-04-30T01:00:00.239-10:00Zealous Research: Why I Love It! #AtoZChallenge2021<p><span style="font-family: times; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Researching a new novel takes the author on a journey to many new places, whether through books, movies, news articles, or physical travel. When asked what I most enjoy about the research process of writing, I look back to my second novel because it is set in my home state.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: times; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_37yuP7XNFo/YFwlvmYOnKI/AAAAAAAAGFg/goLTOhgcaYI3ivhNbQg-CTzDTp-aecHggCNcBGAsYHQ/s2930/Alternative%2BA%2Bto%2BZ%2B2021%2Bbanner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="2930" height="146" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_37yuP7XNFo/YFwlvmYOnKI/AAAAAAAAGFg/goLTOhgcaYI3ivhNbQg-CTzDTp-aecHggCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h146/Alternative%2BA%2Bto%2BZ%2B2021%2Bbanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KawEPjIRHFU/UVvaZTYHlVI/AAAAAAAACHA/YNlFhzAhX9o/s1600/11+Packer.Rams+game+Lambeau+Field+WI+9.13-9.26.11+Pt.+1+006.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KawEPjIRHFU/UVvaZTYHlVI/AAAAAAAACHA/YNlFhzAhX9o/w320-h240/11+Packer.Rams+game+Lambeau+Field+WI+9.13-9.26.11+Pt.+1+006.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lambeau Field<br />Green Bay, Wisconsin</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">For </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DEADLY AS NATURE,</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> the second novel in my Pepper Bibeau Mystery series,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> I returned to my home state of Wisconsin and spent a couple of weeks revisiting old stomping grounds, especially restaurants like Krolls and Coaches Corner, to refresh my memory.</span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Some of the highlights of my research trip to the eastern portion of the state included meandering drives around the countryside and along the shores of Lake Michigan; a ferry boat ride from the tip of Door County Peninsula to Washington Island; a tour of an ostrich farm; the sight of a beach made up of limestone pebbles polished by millenniums of wave action; experiencing Packerland and cheese curds anew; and eating fresh perch.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9IwrRdSMTtI/YFwo_ORN7TI/AAAAAAAAGFo/qVzYNsDTNkE293Kn8aeYcsfkdljR_ZKTwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/WI%2B9.13-9.26.11%2BPt.%2B1%2B184.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9IwrRdSMTtI/YFwo_ORN7TI/AAAAAAAAGFo/qVzYNsDTNkE293Kn8aeYcsfkdljR_ZKTwCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/WI%2B9.13-9.26.11%2BPt.%2B1%2B184.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ostrich Farm on Washington Island<br />Guide is holding an ostrich egg</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WktMsQuXqMQ/YFwqBIukq1I/AAAAAAAAGFw/TmfWGt_I9QsTi93mGMRXkbb4Y80kNuegwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/WI%2B9.13-9.26.11%2BPt.%2B1%2B219.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WktMsQuXqMQ/YFwqBIukq1I/AAAAAAAAGFw/TmfWGt_I9QsTi93mGMRXkbb4Y80kNuegwCNcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/WI%2B9.13-9.26.11%2BPt.%2B1%2B219.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pebble-filled beach on Washington Island<br />(School House Beach)</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My research also included visits to local Wisconsin libraries to view past newspapers, and an interview with a Brown County Police Sergeant. My relevant reading material consisted of such eclectic topics as medical procedure, hypothermia, special breeds of dogs, a 1970 Green Bay Packers - L.A. Rams football game, roofing, roses, and rose chafers. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Is it any wonder I remain zealous about the research process of writing a novel!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">*****</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thank you for visiting today and throughout April. This year's AtoZChallenge has been another great experience and I am so happy to have met or reconnected with many wonderful bloggers. The Scavenger Hunt for designated words for each letter of the alphabet was quite a challenge within a challenge and added to the fun. I'm still short a few but will continue scavenging and will include a detailed list in a follow-up post.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium;">Aloha nui!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2240022922254733667.post-59447210135841173522021-04-29T01:00:00.021-10:002021-04-29T01:00:00.456-10:00Yawny (not Yanni) #AtoZChallenge2021<p>My word choice for today may have sparked thoughts for you of the spectacular Greek-American composer, keyboardist, pianist, and music producer, Yanni. As it did for me, and I immediately headed over to YouTube to indulge in a few of his top hits, including One Man's Dream and Santorini. And, of course, Standing in Motion.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bSAMXBh1JbY/YGuqMWtWHsI/AAAAAAAAGMc/usjS614EvzoRpEjqB5Ws83CqIG0gWV_eQCNcBGAsYHQ/s402/Yanni%2BLive%2Bsong%2Bcover.webp"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="279" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bSAMXBh1JbY/YGuqMWtWHsI/AAAAAAAAGMc/usjS614EvzoRpEjqB5Ws83CqIG0gWV_eQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Yanni%2BLive%2Bsong%2Bcover.webp" /></a></div><br /><p>So easy to relax and reenergize in the presence of genius.</p><p>Also energizing is the act of yawning. Yawny is an adjective characterized by or producing yawning. Yawning and stretching is possibly beneficial for brain temperature regulation. You may feel yawny when your body wants to wake itself up. The yawn helps stretch the lungs and allows the body to flex its muscles and joints. Blood forced to your face and brain also increase alertness. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kPn8Co2Tk1M/YGuox3yT7LI/AAAAAAAAGMU/k3xgIY-krjYnrbFFvioiDKZVPUytJaZzACNcBGAsYHQ/s360/lion%2Byawning.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kPn8Co2Tk1M/YGuox3yT7LI/AAAAAAAAGMU/k3xgIY-krjYnrbFFvioiDKZVPUytJaZzACNcBGAsYHQ/s320/lion%2Byawning.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>My research on yawning began several weeks ago, after a routine teeth cleaning appointment at my dentist's office. Near the end of the procedure, my face began to feel strange and I quickly sat up in the chair. That's when my jaw slipped out of joint. With this large ball protruding from the left side of my face, I could still talk and felt no pain. The dentist told me to gently massage the cheek, which I did, and after about a minute the jaw slipped back into place and life went on.</p><p>But now when I feel yawny, my first inclination is to stifle the urge as a precaution against opening my mouth like the lion in the above photo, none too eager to have my jaw displaced again. My research suggests this is not an unusual occurrence and once it happens, it may likely reoccur.</p><p>No one I asked has ever had this happen to them. Did you or someone you know ever experience a dislocated jaw not caused by trauma?</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eClhtAge0IY">(669) YANNI - “One Man’s Dream” (Live At The Acropolis 1993) ! 1080p Digitally Remastered & Restored HD ! - YouTube</a></p>Gail M Baugniet - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11543343067963247963noreply@blogger.com20