Tales from the Raven

Certain places sing to the soul, just as is true of books, music and art.  You could say these places are God’s artistic gifts, made just for me.  Or, you.  Which places do the singing depend on who is listening.

One of my places is the North Carolina outerbanks, and–I know this is gonna sound crazy–but I like the banks of a hundred years ago even better.  But, since I can’t visit them physically, I’ve decided to do it vicariously through my characters.  The banks of those days were untamed, filled with sun and sea and a hefty dose of danger.  What more could a writer want?

Well, how about a dash of steampunk, an apocolypse, seven girls marked by fate, and a pirate or two?  For those of you who follow this blog, you know what that means–I’m back to work on my Seven Seals books, and loving it!  Right now it’s mostly research.  I’ve picked up a few books on place:

• The Pirates of North Carolina
• The Outer Banks of North Carolina
• Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony
• The Inner Islands
• The Coasts of Carolina

Plus three books on Ocracoke I’ve already read.  I’ve also got a smattering of books to help with the time period and general mood I’m going for:

• Sherlock Holmes
• The Temple and the Lodge
• Secret Societies
• Victorian Days
• Queen Victoria

Plus of course, any steampunk novels I can get my hands on!  Today I picked up Gail Carriger’s Soulless from the library.  I had to put in a hold for it and wait a couple weeks, so I’m excited for my reading feast tonight!  Clearly I’ve got enough books lined up to keep me busy for at least a day or two, but if you have any suggestions of nonfiction, period fiction or steampunk I should pick up, give me a yell in the comments!

Those of you who know what a night owl I am are probably choking on you coffee or OJ.

Sorry.  I’ll give you a minute.

But I’m actually discovering a few morning joys…and it’s nice!  First, there’s the sunrise thing–did you guys know the sun comes up all big and pretty in the morning?  That it does the whole pink and gold gig TWICE a day?  I mean, look at that–it’s gorgeous!

Who knew?

But in addition to the sunrise, there’s also quiet times in the morning.  For example, there are long walks around the pond with Zeke, our dog.  Best of all, when I get home and collapse from the dog-induced speed walk, I’ve already done my exercise for the day.  And it’s not even 8:30am!

I have to tell you, this morning thing is really wooing me.  Life has a nice sense of rhythm to it when the day begins while it’s still clearly morning and there’s no brunch in sight.  It sets me up for a day of productivity, peace–and that great joy in life called an afternoon nap.

You should give it a try!

I hear there are people out there who don’t like animals, or have no desire to keep a pet.  I’m even related to a few.  While I’m sure it must be difficult to sleep at night knowing they haven’t got any pitter-pattering or chicken-scratching feet around their home, I’m here to tell them they can rest easy.  We’re looking after their share.

Our latest addition to the animal brood is four gerbil sisters, adopted just shy of a week ago.  We’re calling them the Spice Sisters.

Salt, Pepper, Ginger and Curry.  You can tell it’s Ginger and not Curry because she has the white on her tummy.  If you can’t tell Salt and Pepper apart, you need more help than I can give you.

We’ve been planning and scheming in this direction since the middle of December, and talked about a rabbit, hamster, guinea pig (for some reason, our guinea fowl nixed that one–afraid of the competition, if you ask me) and penguins.  Of course we had to veto that last one, as we haven’t been officially declared a zoo.

When we settled on gerbils, we planned to bring home three if they were boys, two if they were girls.  That’s what the books recommended, and it sounded good to us.  Somehow that multiplied into four girls…which may be why one proposed set of names for them was One, Two, Three, and Five.  Cause that’s they way we do math.

The first day we set up the tank, their new home looked like this:

It’s got a wheel, food dish (buried), water bottle, house, and a few toys.  Not bad, for their first day home.

Less than a week later, their pad looks like this:

It’s got all of the above, plus a new and improved chewable house and two extra levels with a hammock, rolly house, sand dish, bottle cave, and more toys.

Remember what I said about our kind of math?  Well, I think it applies to English, too.  We now have an official new term for the kind of expansion you see in the second picture.  It’s called gerbling.

Gerbling [gerb-ling]  The act of sitting before a gerbil tank, watching the gerbils.  Also, adding to the gerbil tank, planning new gerbil items, or creating new gerbil toys.

We’ve also found that gerbling can be addictive, and needs a regular ‘fix.’  Should I be concerned?

I’ve decided to forgo posting my goals for this year, since so many of them are really just a continuation of past year’s goals with the added caveat: No Excuses.

Instead, I’m sending out a happy birthday note to a man who has been my friend these many long years, J. R. R. Tolkien.  Many of my warmest memories from childhood come from sitting in a patch of sunshine while my mom read aloud from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.  As a young teen as my family structure began to unravel and my world tipped sideways, I read the books on my own and found reason and hope in the reading.  I came back to the trilogy again during my pregnancy with our son, and was able to escape the discomforts of a body fighting preeclampsia.  I took our daughter to see the first of the movies release just one week before she was born, and have read the books with my kids as they’ve grown.  When my brother was killed in a car accident a couple years ago, I once again immersed myself in Tolkien’s world.  There have been many other books I’ve loved through the years, but none so well as these.

My thanks to the man who created them!

I know how Tolkien felt about biographies, but I’m thinking of picking one up.  I’ve read On Fairy Stories and his other essays, and would enjoy learning about the particulars of his life I haven’t yet heard.  I’m thinking of Carpenter’s ‘authorized’ biography.  Anybody read it, and can you recommend?

All my life I’ve had wanderlust–and I’m not talking about going to see the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota.  Wonderous as that sight may be, many of the places I long to visit are a little further from home.  I want to breathe the spray of Angel Falls, spend a night at the South Pole Station, take a swim in Hang Son Doong (one of Vietnam’s most massive caves), and of course, do a bit of shopping in every big city bazaar or festival around the world.

While I’m waiting on that particular wishing star to deliver, here are a few pics of beautiful creches collected from around the world.  They can tie me over.

Japan

Kenya

Denmark

Bangladesh

Russia

Budapest Hungary

I know, that’s a lot of them but I couldn’t narrow it down any more!  I just love how unique they are, and without being an expert I imagine that they reflect the distinct characteristics of each country.  I’m grateful I don’t have to pick a favorite.  I’ll just plan to someday collect them all!  Kind of a cheat, I know.   Which do you like best?

I’ll be stopping by to chat in the comments, and would love to hear about any dream travel spots of your own, but I won’t be putting up another blog post until early January.  In the meantime, Happy Holidays!

And any other people on your list who fit that most impossible of all personality types–writer.  Of course, maybe you’re way ahead of the game and have all your holiday shopping bagged, boxed, and under the tree.  But if your situation is a little more like mine and this tree could be your tree–

Then here, as my gift to you, is a list of my most beloved books on the craft of writing!

The life-alteringly good books:

• Who Dares Wins by Bob Mayer–this was one of those books that really blows the mind wide open.  The Green Beret/Warrior approach to writing really worked for me, and the exercises were great.  This book helped me delve deeper into my psyche, then clean up on the inhibitions lurking there.  What power my writing has must be credited at least in part to the tools taught in this book.
• Character and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card–the first time I read this book I whipped through it, nodded thoughtfully, and passed it on to a writing friend.  The second time I went slowly and highlighted.  The third time my study was guided by Scott while I was in attendance at his literary bootcamp, and believe it or not, I still found unexplored gems.  I’m looking forward to the fourth time.
• Save the Cat by Blake Snyder–I tend to write at a break-neck speed, and my plots reflect that.  I knew I needed to provide some structural support to hold up all that adrenaline, but it wasn’t ’til I read Save the Cat that I could find a structure book that made sense to me.  I imagine this was the kind of how doctors felt when they discovered x-ray machines.  Suddenly, no one had to be cut open when you wanted to look at the skeleton!

The books that plugged in my lightbulb:

• Finding Your Voice by Les Edgerton–this one I’m still working through, but it’s already had quite the impact.  Voice tends to be one of the most poorly explained writing subjects, and yet is of utmost importance for a writer to master.  This book does the best of any I’ve found at explaining voice so you feel enlightened after the explanation.
• Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies by Leslie Wainger–I know, I know, you’ve heard (or said) that ‘romance novels are trash.  It doesn’t take skill to write a romance.’  Well, that’s nonsense of course, and every writer will benefit from exploring the trade secrets employed by bestselling romance writers.
• 20 Master Plots by Ronald Tobias–back in the yonder years when I first wrote a novel, I had no idea plot was even needed.  You just started off with a story idea, and wandered around til it went somewhere or died, right?  Uhm, no.  At least, not if you have 20 Master Plots on your bookshelf.  For the beginning writer out there still trying to get the story past chapter four or five, this book will feel like a life preserver.
• On Writing by Stephen King–sometimes we need a little nudge, or a cheer, to get us of on the path to bravery.  This book was that nudge for me.  It’s a fascinating look into Stephen King’s life, but most importantly it demonstrates that a writer’s personal demons can be put to work earning the writer’s bread.
• Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell–did I mention I’ve had a bit of a structure problem?  Well, sometimes it takes a second book to get the message across.  Sometimes it takes three!  This was my first book on structure, and can take a large chunk of credit that I ever finished my first novel.

The books that I’m reading now (besides the voice book, mentioned above):

• Description by Monica Wood
• Beginnings, Middles, and Ends by Nancy Kress
• Conflict, Action and Suspense by William Noble
• Scene and Structure by Jack Bickham

You’ll notice that out of these last four, three are books from the Element of Fiction Writing series, as is Character and Viewpoint, mentioned above.  This isn’t a fluke.  If you’re heading to the bookstore to buy yourself or your dear one a writing book and somehow commit the gross oversight of leaving home my list, go with this series and odds are good the book will hit the spot.

After setting aside the books I’ve listed above, I still have seventeen writing books beside me.  Plus more I couldn’t lay my hands on right now.  That’s a lot of books!  I think, come January, I’ll report on on the writing books I’m reading now and also list the books I have on freelancing as a writer.  Just in case any of y’all are broke from buying writing books and looking to earn some cash!

I think this may be the longest I’ve ever neglected my blog–nearly two weeks!  But, at least I have a really, really good excuse.  I got an— !!!

No, I can’t say it.  Not even as a joke.  Somebody would be sure to believe me and then word would spread and pretty soon everyone would hate me for having been nonsensical about that which is clearly not a joking matter.  So, no agent.  But, I did get some requests over the break and I’ve also decided to excercise greater patience about the fulls still out.  This despite the fact that it’s nearly Christmas and what I’d really like Santa to bring me is an agent!  :P

In the meantime and as a most excellent distraction, we visited friends in northern Virginia over Thanksgiving, and even managed to fight our way through the crowds to see the Smithsonian museums on Thanksgiving day.  Back when we used to live in the DC ‘burbs, I’d take the kids to the museums whenever I could and we discovered years ago that Thanksgiving day was a fantastic time to hit the museums.  Everything was peaceful, parking was plentiful, and the museums were ours for the taking.

Well, somebody must have let that particular secret out of the bag in the intervening years.  It wasn’t quite so bad as the summer time rush but it was still pretty busy.  On the up side, the train and fairyland exhibit opened just in time for us to see it while we were in town.  All the buildings that went up with the train exhibit (including mini-monuments, fairy houses, and presidential homes) are made from natural material and collected bits of plants. Further proof that the Botanical Gardens rock!

Take a look at these pics, and tell me they don’t make you wish you were half an inch tall!  Here we have a fairy mansion, with just a glimpse of the magically inspired decor inside.

A close up of a different room comes complete with a tiny organ.  Can you hear the music?  I can!

And finally we have a porcupine house and a giraffe house.

Can you tell which is which?

Aren’t they just the most lovely things you’ve ever seen?  You know, in the same way that all lovely and creative things get a ‘most’ categorization?  They remind me of my pine cone people, who inhabit a special garden of wild magic in 13 Demon Days.  So much fun!

Which makes me wonder what it is with tiny people we find so fascinating.  I’ve never understood that.  I mean, sure, I feel it too.  But, why, I wonder?  Any thoughts?

Most of you are doing this:

Or, some variation thereof.  After all, Thanksgiving is next week and there are menus to write, food to cook, and guests/travel to plan for.

I, on the other hand, have been doing this,

and this,

which is me setting up my winter village and making winter/Christmas crafts.  As I mentioned on FB, we celebrated Thanksgiving early his year and have moved on to Christmas.  And you know what?  It feels way too liberating!  I must have a rebel streak a mile wide.  Except, you know, inverted into a tightly wound helix that’s NOT a mile wide, cause I haven’t even had any holiday treats yet and can still fit into my skinny jeans!

So, here’s me gloating over all of you while I listen to my Christmas music, but there’s a chance for you to get me back.  The Cabinet (which just posted a hilarious note from Becca Fitzpatrick which will make your travel packing seem a dream) is taking me hostage on Tuesday and hooking me up to a lie detector test for their interview.  Leave your questions here, or stop by Tuesday, and maybe you’ll get the skinny on my deepest darkest secrets.  Then you can gloat.

When people talk about Veterans Day, the image that comes to mind is often something like this:

And that’s a beautiful example and a fine tribute.  Today, however, my thoughts are a little closer to home as I think of my Grandpa and my brother, Jake.  I see each of them standing tall and proud in their uniforms, one Air Force and the other Army.  The picture of Grandpa is an old black and white photo, while my brother’s is in color and has a glossy sheen.  Overlaid across the pictures and scribbled around the images are memories.

Grandpa and me, walking down that dirt road from his house to the farm, carrying milk buckets and looking at the stars.  He’d tell me about the constellations, and I’d mix them up, but I’d remember the sense of discovery and wonder in his voice, and the knowledge that he loved me. 

My brother, fresh home from his second tour, showing me pictures of buddies in uniform, the little cat they adopted, the desert and sand and something burning in the night.  Holding other pictures back, knowing they were too raw, too violent.  His understanding that I couldn’t look at them even though he lived them.

Grandpa, his voice a little gravely as he reads us a story he’s written.  It’s about a little mountain goat and though it hasn’t got any spaceships or magic, I feel myself go still as I listen.

My brother, back when we were kids and I was the big sister he could always sucker into reading stories.  I loved the way he listened, the thrill of bringing the story to life with my voice.  We always took time for ‘just one more.’

Thank you to veterans, and to their families, and thank you to my veterans.  Your choice to protect this country is woven up in my story, and in my ability to tell stories.  I am grateful today–and every day.

I’m going to be trying something new on the blog–sharing projects we do around our little farm and garden.  Let me know if you like it, or if you’re bored to tears.  Preferably in the comments section, though I suppose lobbing a rotten pumpkin my way will also get the message across!

This latest project I’m particularly proud of, since we didn’t buy a thing to make it.  Kind of appropriate for a compost bin, don’t you think?  We started with a section of wire fencing that we no longer needed, a leftover garden stake, and empty bags of layer pellets.

Mmm, layer pellets.  The chickens have convinced our cats that layer pellets are the yummiest thing around, and are working on convincing us.  When they’ve finished their campaign, they plan to feed us and the cats their layer pellets and dine exclusively on cat food and table scraps.

But, I digress.  The empty bags were slit open, then used to line the wire fencing so our precious chicken poop won’t fall out.  I cut notches in the top and stapled the bags to themselves, to keep them in place.

When it was finished, we filled the bottom inch or two with leaves and closed the ‘door’.

Now it’s ready for–

Okay, maybe not the chicken, but that essential ingredient to compost she’s kind enough to supply–her poop!  Our thanks to Ember, shown above.  She’s a lovely little bantam Cochin who’s a great layer, has a sweet disposition, and is always happy to do her part in helping our vegetables grow!