An Invitation: How Are You?

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Reblogged from Mirth and Motivation:

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“When we surrender, when we do not fight with life when it calls upon us, we are lifted and the strength to do what needs to be done finds us.” Oriah Mountain Dreamer

An Invitation: How Are You?

The Invitation by Oriah It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for…

Read more… 1,061 more words

How are you? I am tired, sleep-deprived, and joyous about the time I spend with my granddaughter. I am also feeling so hopelessly behind on everything else, like keeping up my blog and getting any writing done. I haven't given up though and I thank anyone who still cares enough to read my blathering. Until I can get my own writing done, please enjoy this piece from a lady whom I have come to respect deeply.

Still Here, Really! And A Couple More Book Reviews

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Yes, I’m still out here! My darling granddaughter has presented me with more challenges than I expected. I have had to confront such things as arthritic bones that I don’t remember being quite so stiff, the effects of not having had to be on the floor a lot, and the impending horror of a mobile infant in my overstuffed abode. Ah, well, these things will work out, I’m sure, especially because I am totally entranced by the child.

I’m sure you can see why!

One thing I can do is read. A lot. After all, a cranky baby can sleep in my arms and still allow me to turn pages. As a result, I have a couple of books to recommend to you.

Book Reviews

The Wandering Gene and The Indian Princess: Race, Religion, and DNA
by Jeff Wheelwright

Mr. Wheelwright explores the path of a gene for breast cancer most often found in Jewish women to a small group of Hispano women in southern Colorado. He traces this bit of DNA through the wanderings of the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews up through the Spanish Inquisition and the forced conversions, attributing the gene’s emergence in the San Luis Valley to known or unknown Jewish ancestry.

The scope of the book is breathtaking. Wheelwright explores vast amounts of history, documents the history of genetic science and some current arguments among the scientists, and follows the personal tragedy of a family, all in the same book. Although the sheer volume of information is occasionally overwhelming, the story he weaves kept me reading. By including the story of Shonnie Medina and her family, he made the urgency of genetic research personal and immediate. Reconstructing her personality from her family’s recollections, he paints a picture of a woman the reader would have liked to meet, doomed by her DNA and, possibly, her religious beliefs. Much of the book is, by necessity, given over to broad overviews of history, religions, and past racial beliefs. The Medinas’ story brings all of it down to a pinpoint focus. Wheelwright makes a subject that I would not ordinarily care about, genetic research, interesting by placing it in a human context. I recommend this book, even though you may not care about the purported subject matter. It’s about so much more than just genetics.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

It’s 1946, in post-war London. Author Juliet Ashton, having had a wildly successful book, is casting about for a subject for her next book while living immersed in the dismal ruins of a bombed city. She receives a letter from a man she has never met, asking for information about Charles Lamb. Thus begins a correspondence leading her to discover the saga of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands between England and France, which was cut off from England and occupied by the Nazis. She ends up traveling to Guernsey to discover the stories of the people there and tell them to the world. What she finds changes everything for her.

This delightful book is written in the form of letters and telegrams between Juliet and others, including her publisher Sidney, her best friend Sophie, and the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The Society was created on the spur of the moment to save some people out after the Nazi-imposed curfew. As the book progresses, Juliet and the reader find themselves immersed in the society of Guernsey as the people begin rebuilding their world after the War. I had never known about the fate of the Channel Islands. The English, barely able to muster a defense for the mainland, let them fall to the Nazis without any resistance. The people on the island were expected to provide for the  soldiers, feeding themselves on what was left over. By the end of the war, both they and the Nazis were starving. The letters in this book describe the conditions the people in Guernsey experienced in the language of recovery and returning to normal. Juliet herself, depressed by the rubble of London, finds healing and calm in Guernsey. If ever you wanted to read a story of the triumph of the human spirit, this is one of the nicest I have ever read.

So there you have it. Eventually, I’ll have to review something I don’t like. I usually don’t waste too much time on lousy books, though. There are too many good ones out there to bother with sludge.

Have a wonderful, miraculous Monday! And go find something yummy to read!

Book Review: Santa Olivia and Saints Astray

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I’m writing this quickly as my granddaughter sleeps. Amazing how easily we forget how much work babies are! She likes playing kissy games with Grandma when she’s awake and not grumpy, though. That makes up for a lot!

Today I’m reviewing Saints Astray by Jacqueline Carey. It’s a continuation of the story she started in Santa Olivia, which I highly recommend. In fact, I might as well review both of them. I should warn you, there may be spoilers here.

In Santa Olivia, Carey constructs a very believable near-present-day situation. A plague has gone around the world and wiped out large portions of humanity. When it was at its worst, the US government built a wall against the Mexican border and surrounded some small border towns, isolating them and declaring their inhabitants not only not citizens, but nonexistent. The people were encouraged to stay to provide services for the military. No services are provided for the people. The society in the town degenerates quickly into a gang-run government supported by the military because it provides a single point of contact with the community. Even the name of the towns taken over this way is eliminated; they become Outposts. The story takes place in Outpost #12, previously known as Santa Olivia after the town’s patron saint.

The main character, Loup Garron, was fathered by a soldier genetically modified by the government who planned to marry Loup’s mother. Unfortunately, he had to leave before Loup was born. The general in charge of Outpost #12 has promised any citizen who succeeds in winning a boxing match with the best boxer among the soldiers two tickets out of Outpost #12. Loup’s brother trains long and hard to win the tickets for himself and Loup, but is killed in the ring by accident. Loup, now orphaned, takes the guise of Santa Olivia to avenge the townspeople, knowing that she will lose her freedom and maybe her life if she is caught.

From the beginning, Santa Olivia is written with humor and compassion. Loup Garron is an engaging character who easily finds a place in the reader’s heart. She never views herself as a victim, willingly using her inherited abilities to retaliate against the military for their abuse of people who no longer have any rights or even legal existence. The theme of the book is justice for the underdog, including Loup at the end. I really enjoyed this book, often laughing out loud and crying occasionally. If I were rating this book on a five-star system. I would give it six.

Saints Astray,starts where Santa Olivia ends. Loup and her girlfriend Pilar have escaped Santa Olivia and are headed for a town in Mexico populated by other children of the genetically manipulated soldiers. The original men have died, but their children are very much alive. For the first time in her life, Loup is accepted for what she is. She and Pilar take jobs with a security company whose primary interest is in Loup. The company provides high-priced bodyguards for numerous international celebrities, who are always interested in something new. Pilar accompanies Loup on her bodyguard assignments, being billed as a high-powered administrator and organizer

Back in the US, an investigation of the Outposts has begun, with Miguel Garza, the other Outpost #12 citizen who Loup helped get to the outside world, as a major witness. When he disappears, Loup decides she has to rescue him, even though she is an outlaw in the US. If she is captured, she will be imprisoned with no possible escape. She is determined to go ahead, because no one else will fight for the freedom of the people in Santa Olivia.

If anything, Saints Astray is an even better book than Santa Olivia. Loup finds acceptance in the world for the first time but chooses to capitalize on her difference to bring attention to the Outposts. She chooses to help Miguel even though she is risking her freedom to do so. Over and over again, Loup chooses the greater good over her own because it’s the right thing to do. While this book could have been preachy and serious, Carey again employs humor and hope while never downplaying what Loup is up against. Saints Astray is about the triumph of the individual over the impersonal evil of government gone overboard.

As a side note, the reactions of Loup and Pilar when they discover how much technology exists in the world outside Outpost #12 are hilarious. It’s nice to see technology as something that allows people to exceed their reach rather than a dehumanizing influence.

As you can tell, I enjoyed both these books immensely and could not recommend them more highly. I hope you find them as much fun as I did.

What’s Wrong With Me?

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I woke up this morning and my “Little Voice” started in on me, telling me everything I’m not doing and making sure I know something’s wrong with me. Since one of the things It included was posting to my blog, I’m at least going to take that part of the discussion on and post about the voice.

Joy

Ever notice that you cannot win a discussion with that infernal internal voice? I certainly have. I am now posting to my blog, one of the (many) things It has been complaining about. Unfortunately, It is now mentioning that I ought to be vacuuming, cleaning the bunny cage, sanitizing the bathroom, doing the dishes, blah, blah, blah. The little voice does a great job of paralyzing me by making every darn thing that needs doing huge and unmanageable.

So how do I deal with It? If I choose to listen to It, soon I am a gibbering, depressed idiot sitting on the closet floor doing nothing. Ick. Icky. Yuck! Maybe It should not be in charge here. How to escape that voice, though? It always shows up and It always says nasty things, doesn’t it? Didn’t It just say, “No, I don’t”?

In fact, It probably also said something like “It’s for your own good.” How do I know this? I live with It, just like you, and It pretty much says the same sort of stuff to everybody. It’s never nice (“Yes, I am) and It’s solutions generally don’t work (Yes, they do). It’s job is to keep you from jeopardizing yourself in any way. It’s most successful ploy is to remind you of past failures and fear of the unknown future. Gloom and fear are It’s major tools.

Worst of all, It generally tells the truth. You have failed in the past. The future holds the possibility of more failure. What does that say about the present?

Nothing.

The past happened. Whatever occurred is over and it can’t be changed. The future lies ahead and nothing can be done about it, either. All you have is the present. If It runs the show, the past is all you have in the present and all you have to look forward to in the future. What a lovely thought that is!

How do you get away from It? Really, no joy comes from the Voice, does it? Why let it run your life. You do have a choice, just like I do.

As far as I know, the cheapest and fastest way to shut the Voice up is doing The Landmark Forum. On Sunday, there is always a moment when the Voice shuts off and you experience a moment of blessed peace. When It picks up again, you know you have a choice as to whether It runs your life or not. There are other ways to do this, such as years of meditating and studying, but I’m not that patient.

Getting back to the title of this post, I can now tell you exactly what’s wrong with me:

Nothing.

I’m still that being who wants to contribute and make a difference in the world. Just like you are. Letting It take over does not support my stand in life. Given that I now have taken the reins of my life back, how am I going to accomplish what I need to do?

  • Make a list of what I want. My beloved aunt wrote a book, Lists for Muddle Management,  about lists and provides forms to help. By the way, I didn’t write this post just to promote her book. I find the lists very helpful myself.
  • Break big stuff down into little steps. I know how to do this, I promise. The lists will help.
  • Remember who’s really in charge. It doesn’t have to be. You have to be.

The most important thing to remember is this:

Nothing is wrong here.

Nothing is wrong with me.

Nothing is wrong with you.

Get off the closet floor and go have some fun, would you? I’m going to. Have a splendid Saturday and look for miracles!

Adventures In Babysitting; Art Update

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Well, I have survived my first two day providing daycare for my five-week-old granddaughter.

Picture of my granddaughterI’m sure you notice that she is so lovely, super models all over the world are weeping, to say nothing of the brilliant intellect behind those gorgeous gray eyes. No, I’m not a doting grandmother; why would you even think such a thing?

My children went to daycare moms because neither of their fathers paid child support in the beginning. I never appreciated just how long those moms’ days were! My daughter drops Hailey off at 6:45 AM and doesn’t pick her up until 8:00 PM. Today, my little darling went to bowling league with me. Since I bowl with a bunch of ladies my age and older, we played Pass The Baby until she went to sleep. We all bowled better once she was out, I might add. When she and I got home, we got a clean diaper, a bottle, and passed out together in grandma’s recliner. No wonder we have children when we’re young; this is a lot of work!

Art

Needless to say, art and writing take a back seat to baby tending. I’m hoping this will get better as we get used to each other. I have managed a little work on the faux stained glass piece and the stitched piece I am working. Here is the stained glass piece:

Stained glass birdI’ve added hangers and neatened edges a little. Just need to bake the final time and add a glaze to be finished. I learned a lot while doing this project and I can hardly wait to try some more!

I also found a minute to do some stitching. I think I explained I’m doing a group correspondence course with several friends in Embroiderer’s Guild of America. This particular piece is a pulled thread sampler, where several rectangles of different pulled thread stitches will be stitched around a floral motif in the center. I got started on one of the rectangles after basting the outside of the project:

Start of needlework pieceOnce I finish all the Scotch stitches, I’ll put four-sided stitches in the boxes created by the Scotch stitched tiles.

Well, that’s what I’ve managed to get done thus far. Later this week I will review Jacqueline Carey‘s Santa Olivia and Saints Astray.

Joy

Well, much of my joy lately has come from being with my granddaughter. It’s so refreshing to relate with a baby. Their needs are pretty simple and Hailey is a good baby. This gives me a chance to look at the world newly. For example, this morning was her first bowling lane experience. She was interested in the bright colors. This afternoon, we spent a half hour sitting on the coffee table so she could examine the patterns of shadow and light the sun shining through my plants created. The whole world is new for her. I find it a privilege to be with her at the beginning of her journey.

The point here is there’s a lot of joy in simplicity. I’d never noticed the sunlight patterns before. Experiencing my living room through her eyes is amazing! I recommend looking at the world through a child’s eyes every now and again!

Have a wonderful Wednesday! And look for miracles!

Forgetfulness And Its Impact On Art

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I forgot I was teaching a class on beading tomorrow. I’ve spent the afternoon trying to write instructions with pictures, only to discover that what I wrote and what one’s fingers should do are different. I came to my senses, decided to cut tomorrow’s class to two projects instead of three, and chose to post to my blog instead. Doesn’t that make sense? Blogging as an escape from obligation?

Okay, not really. I’ll fix the blasted instructions tomorrow. Besides, I promised to blog several times a week, so this is an obligation as well. I can justify anything!

Art

I’ve decided to start breaking up my posts into Writing posts, Art posts, and Book Review posts. This simplifies categorizing them and leaves me more space to talk about each one. Today’s topic is art, or how I’m coming on the pieces I’ve been working on.

Remember that background for the “clay that emulates stained glass” piece? Well, here’s what happened to it:

Stained glass bird projectI still need to add a patina and add the hangers, but I like it so far. By the way, this is from a tutorial by Christi Friesen, which you can purchase here. I have to say something about imitating other artist’s work. Christi has no issue with people imitating her work, as long as we give her inspiration credit. A lot of other artists feel the same way.

And then there are those who don’t. Some artists are very careful not to allow anything that could even faintly be construed as imitation because it could infringe on their brand name. I understand that point of view and I take care to avoid using their kits or techniques on work that I show publicly. Sometimes, though, it is difficult to keep an influence from showing up in one’s own work. I would be very interested in hearing how other artists deal with this. In this piece:

Picture of necklace with seahorse and starfishChristi’s influence is undeniable. Yet, the work and the colors are my own. Where does one draw the line?

I am fortunate that Christi is one of the forgiving types because this piece will be for sale on my Etsy site as soon as I finish setting it up (so many projects, so little time). I will let you know when that happens.

As to the class I’m teaching tomorrow night, I will take pictures. I’m teaching a basic beaded bracelet and a three-bead peyote bracelet for the more adventurous. I may add peyote beaded beads, but I only have two hours and, currently, no accurate written instructions. Eek!

I’d have to say forgetfulness has definitely had an impact on my creativity and therefore my art today. Ordinarily, I can sit down and bead up a three-bead bracelet in 45 minutes or less. Today, I couldn’t even get one started because I was trying to hurry. In addition, no needlework got done and I didn’t finish my bird piece. I didn’t even sketch my other ideas for more stained glass-ish pieces. I’m feeling pressured and very nervous and creativity does not spring from that well! Now I’m working on calming down, writing my blog post, and reading a little before bed so I have a chance at sleep. Tomorrow, I will finish what written instructions I can get done and go teach.

Joy

Feeling pressured and upset does not lend itself to joyful self expression, I find. How to get back to it? What I’ve found is that I have to admit, if only to myself, my own responsibility in the matter. I did say I would teach the class and I look forward to it at the time. I then forgot about it because I haven’t set up an effective visual display of my commitments this year. That’s a fancy way of saying I need to get a wall calendar where I can write all this stuff down and look at it daily. Having admitted my responsibility, I now have a course of action to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

What about my class, though? Those folks deserve the best I can give them so tomorrow morning I will fix the instructions and build a couple of teaching pieces. I’m much calmer now, because I again have a course of action. I’m beginning to look forward to the class after all! Joy and satisfaction are showing back up, just from taking responsibility.

What do you do when you discover you’ve forgotten something you said you’d do?

Have a thrilling Thursday and don’t forget about miracles lurking around the corner!

Book Review and Work In Progress

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I have a cold so I’m mostly working on staying warm and getting well at the moment. I have noticed that creativity and stuffed-up sinuses do not go well together. I have some thoughts about why this is, but they’re a little too gross to share.

Anyway, I wrote a book review over the weekend of Mercedes Lackey‘s newest offering in her Five Hundred Kingdoms series. Ms. Lackey constantly inspires me and I have read nearly everything she has written. She favors strong female characters, but doesn’t shy away from strong men either. Her work is definitely worth studying as a writer, because she appeals to a wide audience without losing her personal integrity and commitment to quality.

Review of Beauty and The Werewolf. Cover of Beauty and The Werewolf

Beauty and The Werewolf takes place in Mercedes Lackey’s 500 Kingdoms universe. While I haven’t read the whole series, I read a short story placed in it. The setting is a medieval world where magic and paranormal events are the norm. We also have the Tradition, a force that tries to assure fairy tale endings onto people with paranormal abilities.

Bella Beauchamp is the eldest daughter in a household that includes her father, a stepmother and two stepsisters. Bella took over running the household when her mother died and simply continued doing so when her father remarried. She and her stepmother do not get along well and Bella sees her stepmother as a flighty social climber who is training her daughters to be much the same way. Resigned to being a spinster, Bella puts on a red cloak and goes to see a Granny to learn about herbs and their uses for healing and spicing. She thinks of becoming a Granny herself when the current one dies.

On her way home in the dark, Bella encounters a wolf who bites her, despite her efforts to prevent it. After the wolf disappears, she returns home. The next day, the King’s soldiers come to take her to Duke Sebastian’s house so she can be quarantined until she can prove she hasn’t been transformed into a werewolf. The wolf that bit her, you see, is actually a werewolf. During her stay, she meets the Godmother and is introduced to the idea of the Tradition, which has begun to push her in a fairy tale path. She begins studying fairy tales as well as curse, because Duke Sebastian has been cursed to be a werewolf rather than being bitten or inheriting the trait. As the book goes on, Bella increasingly has to battle the Tradition to achieve an ending that she chooses.

First let me say that I love Merceded Lackey’s Valdemar  and Elemental series. After reading Beauty and The Werewolf, I must read the rest of the 500 Kingdoms books. Bella’s fight to live her own life and not the life the Tradition tries to force her into is symbolic of the societal pressures everyone faces. Ms. Lackey masterfully employs the Tradition as a tool for espousing your own life and making your own choices. She also incorporates theme of service to others. At the beginning of the book Bella serves her family unstintingly and with few complaints except those she keeps to herself. When she is quarantined, she begins serving the Duke in the same capacity, managing his invisible servants and the household. She has a strong work ethic and hates to be idle.

The 500 Kingdom books  are written for Luna, a division of Harlequin books, so you can guess that they are romances with happy endings. Beauty and The Werewolf has a happy ending chosen by Bella and her partner, despite impediments like  a werewolf, a scheming mother, and, of course, the Tradition. This novel clearly illustrates Ms. Lackey’s commitment to people living and being responsible for their own lives. At the same time, she writes a darn good story with humor and grace. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it to you.

Art

I have made some progress on a polymer clay project that emulates stained glass. I hope to finish it today or tomorrow. Here’s what I have so far:

Background for stained glass projectSorry for the blurry picture. I shot it on my work table, which has a glass cutting board over a piece of graph paper. The camera didn’t like the light bouncing back from the flash!

Joy

It’s hard to be joyful when you don’t feel good, isn’t it? I’m definitely struggling with that today. On the other hand, I’ve had the perfect excuse to sit around the house in my jammies and play with books and blogs and the like. Now I get to spend some time at my clay table, still hanging in my bathrobe and staying warm. What’s so bad about that?

Doing what you enjoy always perks you up. Right at the moment, I mostly get to do what I enjoy most, although it isn’t bringing in any money. Still working on that part!

Have a terrific Monday, however you spend it! Don’t forget to keep an eye (and heart) open for miracles!

New Year! New Goals!

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It took me longer to get back to the blog than I had planned, which I’m committed to not set a trend for the year! My daughter, the one with the new baby, broke her wrist and needed more help than we expected, so I contribute the slowdown to an emergency!

Writing

You know all the cool stuff I talked about in my last post as possibilities? I’m not doing any of it! I looked at what really needs to happen this year and at the projects I’m already taken on and discovered that adding two more, regardless of coolness, just didn’t make sense. Instead, here’s what I’m working on:

- Rereading and revising the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo with a plan to start marketing it in September.

- Reorganizing this blog and posting on it 2-3 time a week. Maybe more.

- Writing regular book reviews here. Since I read a little of everything, this should throw a lot of variety in your direction!

- Outlining and starting a new book. I had a great idea inspired by the Postcard Challenge, although I’m not doing the art part of it.

Art

Right now, I have two major projects to get going:

- I signed up to do an Embroiderer’s Guild of America group correspondence course, making a pulled thread sampler. Pulled thread, in this instance, refers to stitches that distort or pull the fabric to create a kind of lacy look. I will post pictures of the work in progress. It has to be complete by July 2nd, so we can mail it to the instructor to evaluate. Please let my fingers do their job!

- Setting up my Etsy store, taking good pictures of my work, and getting it up for sale. This entails quite a lot of work, some of which I don’t know how to do yet. My goal is to have it operational by the end of January, so I can post hearts for Valentine’s!

- Okay, three projects. As a stitcher, I have things hung on my wall that prove I can’t count. My third project is to ensure that I clay at least two days a week to make sure I have fresh stuff up on the Etsy site!

Joy

Making resolutions at the beginning of the year is not a path to joy. In fact, it’s more likely to be a path to guilt, upset, and failure. On the other hand, having a plan for what you’re going to accomplish this year can be a joyful experience, because you aren’t drifting through life aimlessly. The trick is figuring out what you really want to accomplish, deciding what it will take to do that, and, most importantly, building a support system and accountability. Here are a few tips:

1. Name your project, determine what the goal is, and by when you will accomplish it. “I’m going to start an exercise program and lose weight” is not going to get the job done. How about something like:

The Bikini Project

1. Lose 20 lbs. by June 1st by measuring the portions that enter my mouth, eating a low fat diet, and cutting out cookies, cake, and daily chocolate.

2. Start yoga and pilates classes at the rec center, to tone up my abs. Lose two inches around my waist, hips, and chest by June 1st.

3. Buy a teeny, weeny, yellow polka-dot bikini June 2nd and hit the beach!

That describes the what and how of of the project. Now, you need to set up some support. Tell everybody you know, even the people you know won’t believe you can do it, that you’re going to do this. Pick some friends who you know will support you, especially if they’re doing something similar, and set up accountability. Using the example above, you could join a yoga class together so you can support each other in going. You could weigh in once a week together. You could even take each other’s measurements to make sure you stay honest! And on June 2nd, you could shop for the bikini together!

All I’m saying is set up your resolutions so you’re likely to achieve them. Instead of walking away from them after two weeks and having another failure, set yourself up to win!

It’s the one best way to create miracles!

I’m Still Here: Setting Up The Next Year

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It took a while to get over the crud we caught while the family was here, but we are well and survived the holidays so far.

As promised, here is a picture of my new granddaughter. Isn’t she gorgeous? Of course, she’s grown and filled out since this was taken, like they always do! She’s two weeks and one day old today.

And there is my grandson, discovering his first birthday cake. He was so cute as he painted himself and the newspapers in frosting!

Writing

After NaNoWriMo, I gave myself a month off from The Book. The month is nearly over and it’s time to start the next part: reading and editing and deciding if it’s actually worth marketing. I’ve been looking at some support structures for this and I will probably go with ROW80. I discovered I get more done if I’m answerable to someone. The next round starts on Monday, January 2nd, with updates every Wednesday and Sunday. I’ll let you know what I’m up to on Sunday (after my football game).

By the way, you know that writers read, correct? Stephen King said it best: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Totally, totally true. You will never get better at this job if you don’t study what other people have done. At least, that’s my excuse! Anyway, since I read pretty obsessively, I’ve decided to start reviewing some of what I read here. This is mainly because I’ve just finished two really fine books and I just have to share!

The first one was Michael Connelly‘s latest book, The Drop. I’ve been a Harry Bosch fan for several years. The Drop is vintage Connelly, filled with suspense as Harry realizes a serial killer has been operating in Los Angeles for at least three decades. He’s also working a case involving the son of his nemesis, Irvin Irving. Although Harry is most concerned with the serial killer, the police department wants him to put all his energy toward solving the young man’s possible suicide. Harry manages to clear both cases with the help of an old friend. I really enjoyed this book. As always, Connelly breathes so much life into his characters that I hate closing the book, knowing I have to wait at least a year for another one! I’m considering starting a re-read of Connelly’s books, because he is really one of the best writers out there. I end up so involved in his stories that I always have to reread to see what he did to accomplish the fine storytelling. Thankfully, he also shares about his process on his website.

Venturing down a different path, I finally started the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. Why did I wait so long? George writes good books, but he kills my favorite characters. A lot, he kills my favorite characters. I understand that once a character has fulfilled his role in a story, you have to something with them, but killing them? Couldn’t you just demote them or something so they have a chance to come back and contribute some more? Exile them to some character desert island, maybe? I recognize that storytelling is the process of creating nice people who have terrible things happen to them, but hanging their heads on pikes on the castle walls? Really?

Complaining aside, what makes George’s books so powerful is his mastery of Point Of View (POV). He tells the whole story of A Game of Thrones through the voices of many of the major characters. I’m guessing he will do the same in the rest of the series. It’s a very strong way to tell a story, creating a connection with each of the characters. I haven’t watched the HBO series and don’t currently plan to do so, but I will read the rest of the series. I have to a lot to learn as a writer from George’s work. I just don’t guarantee to like the process!

By the way, I’ve met George at science fiction conventions and he is actually a nice person with a dry sense of humor, usually willing to talk to other writers about how he does what he does. If I am so lucky that he reads this, I hope he gets a good laugh out of it. And thank you, George; I always get a little better from studying your art.

Art

What with the holidays and company, I haven’t done much this month. My friend, Lori Wostl, sent me an idea for a project that I’m considering. Again, the challenge starts January 2nd, so I have a few days to make up my mind. I’ll let you know.

Joy

The holidays are all about joy and plans and family and all the best things in life, don’t you think? I know, sometimes things don’t go the way you planned and sometimes families fight and sometimes dreadful things happen. In the end, though, if we remember that we love and are loved, there’s a lot of joy to be had here. I hope your holidays have included much joy this year!

Now, go create some awesome New Year’s resolutions and have a miracle or too!

How Not To Hold A Family Reunion

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This is another quickie, still with no pictures, because I didn’t take many.

My kids, Mom, and I spent months pulling together the family reunion that was supposed to happen last week. We got my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson here just as my daughter went into labor with my beautiful granddaughter. Baby is born way early Tuesday morning, with daughter-in-law in attendance because things went too quickly for the rest of us to get there.

We visited the new mom and baby in the hospital, picked up my mom from the airport and made it back to the hospital in time for Great-Grandma to hold the baby. Everything was going well.

Then disaster struck. My husband and I came down with killer stomach flu. My daughter banished us from her house until we were better. We finally made it for my grandson’s 1st birthday and a Christmas celebration on Thursday, still not feeling great. This was good and we got to enjoy grandboy’s first cake experience. My mom brought a bunch of pictures and my father’s jewelry (he passed away a year ago) for us to share. Daughter won’t let me touch the baby.

Friday, Mom goes to visit her nephew and comes down with, you guessed it, the stomach flu. I drive son, daughter-in-law, and grandson to the airport and go home to finish getting better. Daughter refuses to let Mom back in her house for fear of getting the baby sick, particularly after discovering that baby has jaundice and is not gaining weight. We arrange for Mom to stay with nephew on the other side of Denver and give up getting to visit with her in the hope that she will get better quickly.

The end result thus far has been that I spent almost no time with my kids and grandson, have held my granddaughter about twenty minutes, made my daughter into a nut case, hurt my mom’s feelings, gotten who knows how many people sick, and totally blown what should have been a great holiday.

This is really not the way to do a family reunion. Sigh. Unfortunately, I don’t know quite where the stomach flu came from or how I could have stopped it. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get everybody back to loving each other enough to at least talk on Christmas day. Maybe next year, we’ll have better luck!

Pictures coming in the next day or two; I’m still doing laundry for my daughter to cleanse her house of our contagion.