Deep River, Ducks, and Downtown Motels

After paying for a room at the beautiful downtown Atlanta budget motel (which shall remained unnamed), using all my airline miles as well as my husband's, and packing my bags - oops! No I mean bag (singular) since they charge per bag these days - I was on my way to the International Christian Retail Show. This was an adventure as I had no idea what it was nor why I was going. Deep River Books, my publisher, invited me. My first night in the cockroach-free motel was fine.

 

Sunday I enjoyed the Mass at the Basilica within easy walking distance. The security guard out in front did cause me some concern. We definitely don't need one at my little Holy Rosary Church in the Cascade foothills. Sunday evening I enjoyed a wonderful dinner with the Deep River Books group. I then walked back to my to my cut-rate motel with some other Deep River authors, although the last one of them deserted me at the Hilton as I continued a block to my haven. It was fine until about 5:00 am when some noisy people woke me up. I assumed they were rude guests checking out early. I tried to sleep but by about 5:30 realized there was violent yelling now accompanied by stomping on the floor above me. After several phone calls to the front desk and pounding on the ceiling to try to save someone's life, I heard a different pounding and a voice, "This is the police. Open up!"  I tiptoed out my door and up the stairs just far enough to peek in the third floor hallway and see a police officer. This was only one of the disturbing events. Next time, the Hilton!

Monday morning I figured out how to take the shuttle bus to the Georgia World Congress Center. I arrived early to be there for the opening ceremonies. Apparently no one else thought that was important. I watched them set up and put tape on the carpeting to keep the crowds back from the red-ribbon to be ceremoniously cut. With no competition for a good spot, I stood with my toes on the line. About 6 other people were there. Once the prayer started the crowd swelled to about 30 people. This was amazing to me considering the opening prayer was given by Phil Robertson and a message by his son, Alan. Their TV show, Duck Dynasty, is the most-watched reality show on cable.

 

I checked in at the Deep River booth, and asked what I was supposed to do. They suggested I "make contacts."  My only appointment was a book signing on Tuesday for 45 minutes. That left me three full days of what? I wandered aimlessly looking at other booths with books, wall plaques, Christmas decorations, and toys. I checked back in at our booth about every half hour still befuddled as to why I was there.

I went back to my room, dropped off my warmer clothes, and returned to the Show. I checked in at the booth again and confirmed that I was to mingle and meet people.

They informed me the goal was to  get rid of all 57 of  my books that we had brought - hopefully into the hands of bookstore owners. It finally happened. I ended up meeting many bookstore owners, book and magazine publishers, and other authors. I collected free books at author signings - even from the Robertsons and Shirley Dobson. My signing was incredibly successful - running out of books in 30 minutes.

I came home with a pile of business cards from contacts and a suitcase full of free books.  I pondered leaving some clothes there, but just sat on my one bag and bounced until I got it zipped shut. All in all, it was a very successful trip.  I made some friendships which I will treasure for years to come.

Barbara with Shirley Dobson

World Blog Tour

A very exciting adventure for me, since I entered the world of authors, is getting to know other authors. I have been amazed at how generous they are with their time and advice in helping newbie authors like myself. One such author is William Burt. We "met" through a mutual librarian friend. Although I have not met him in person yet, he has given me great encouragement. I am honored that he chose me to be part of this blog tour. I hope this tour will expose readers everywhere to authors and bloggers worthy of more attention. Hopefully, through this tour, you will also discover some great books to enjoy during the summer reading season!

I would like to begin by sharing with you a little about William Burt. Having spent most of his teenage years vicariously adventuring in Middle Earth, Bill is an avid fantasy fan. His first allegorical fantasy title, The King of the Trees, came out in 1998 (WinePress).   Bowing to reader demand, he has expanded the series to include a total of seven titles to date, with more to follow. Burt holds a B.S. in English from Lewis and Clark College and an M.S. from Western Oregon University in Deaf Education. In addition to writing books, he works as an RID-certified American Sign Language interpreter with over thirty years' experience. His interests include reading, foreign languages and mycology. He is married with two grown children. Check him out at http://www.greencloaks.com  You can scroll down to the bottom of his page and link to his blog.  There you will find the names of the authors he recommended in his World Blog Tour post. In this way you can link to many authors and books you may otherwise never find.

Unlike William Burt, I have not settled into a specific genre yet. My only published book is historical fiction. This is what I like to read, so this is what I wrote. I am not a deliberate writer. I did not plan to nor ever desire to be an author. Like so many great adventures in my life, it just seemed to happen. Definitely assuring me that The Almighty is guiding my path. My first book was just a story I made up one night to entertain myself. It grew - seeming to take on a life of its own. My publisher would love for me to write in one genre, but I write for myself, not my public. So I write what interests me at the time. I do hope to write more historical fiction soon.

When I wrote The Seamstress of Jamestown, I worked for 4 to 8 hours a day. Since I demanded that it be very historically accurate, much of that time was spent in research. I have great respect for authors of old. How did they do research without the internet? When I wrote a chapter, it only took about 3 hours. I just let the book within me flow out. The characters developed on their own. They are based upon many people I have known. Surely, a first book must be the easiest. Emma, my heroine, is a combination of my mother, my friends, and myself. My book differs from other historical fiction because it has my life in it. Surely no one else wrote about Sr. Erminold and her method of teaching piano and dance. It's the real characters that I have known that bring a fresh and unique air to The Seamstress of Jamestown. My voice is pure as I have taken no writing classes. The most common comment I receive about The Seamstress is that it is easy to read and my characters seem real.

My second book, which I am working on now, is easy. My mother wrote it. She wrote about her life several times - just a handwritten page about some incident (the neighbors house burning down or sewing methods in the large dressmaking houses of NYC). She also kept her rough drafts of letters that she wrote to relatives. Then, in her last year of life, she recorded her memories. I have simply transcribed and combined these and am putting them together with family photos. That hardly counts as writing a book, but it will surely be my favorite.

Next, will be the hardest project - the story of my grandmother's life. For this, I will have to do much research. Her life is one of those that is stranger than fiction. Much is what I uncovered with genealogy research, but much is also from the one day she poured out her heart to me and told me her life story. I promptly went to my car and wrote it down in the back of my Daytimer. There will be a true theme, not just a story. How did she and her sister live to be 102 and 91 respectively when their ancestors died much younger? From whence came their strength of character? These questions will be answered in easily flowing story form.

Please check out three of the authors I have discovered. Robert Mulkey wrote a memoir, This Is My Lemonade, which I enjoyed reading and helped me understand the intense search some people have to find home. Rose Marie Dunphy wrote Orange Peels and Cobblestones. It is not only an interesting fiction novel about a young woman who is torn from her loving family in Italy and brought to America but also an immersion course in Italian culture and food. Terry Madden has dabbled in screenplays and historical fiction, and is currently working on several science fiction and fantasy pieces, both short and novel length. When she is not writing, she teaches high school chemistry and astronomy. They will be posting for the World Blog Tour on June 2. Be sure to follow them and their recommended authors!

  Adopted by an Oregon family as an infant, Robert Mulkey was eighteen years old when he first learned the details of his birth family - including the brother he always dreamed of having. This is My Lemonade, An Adoption Story chronicles the amazing story of his thirty-four-year quest to know his birth family, learn of his roots, and find his identity, traveling first to British Columbia and eventually to the ancestral family home near Ascoli Piceno in central Italy.  It is a journey filled with transcendent moments and agonizing heartbreak, leading finally to acceptance, understanding, and the genuine love of family.

http://thisismylemonade.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/my-inner-southern-californian/

Rose Marie Dunphy lived in Italy and now resides in New York.  With a Master’s Degree from Stony Brook University, she taught Science for 10 years, co-authored That First Bite – Chance or Choice, a self-help book about eating disorders using the 12 Step Program.  Her second book, a novel, Orange Peels and Cobblestones, is based on a true event in her life.  How does a mother give away her own child? It has themes of adoption, the immigrant experience, and love and forgiveness.  Her third book is Ciottoli e Bucce D’Arancia, the Italian version of Orange Peels and Cobblestones, which the author translated herself.  In addition, Rose Marie has written numerous essays and short stories that have appeared in The New York Times, Newsday and other publications.  She is now writing a cookbook of Italian recipes and a sequel to Orange Peels and Cobblestones. Dunphy is available as a public speaker and has done Book Talk/Signings in libraries, colleges, book clubs and organizations across Long Island, Albany, NY and the Palm Beach areas of Florida.  Copies of her books can be found and purchased on Amazon, Kindle, Barnesandnobles.com and in New York City and Long Island  bookstores.  For signed copies, contact the author at orangepeelsandcobblestones@gmail.com  or visit her blog at http://rosemariedunphy.blogspot.com.  

 

Terry Madden is embarking on a trilogy in the magical world of speculative fiction. Her first book in that series, Three Wells of the Sea, weaves a fascinating tale of the druid Lyleth and King Nechtan connecting Celtic culture and mythology to our modern world. Her short story "Animal," about a veterinarian in the future and her fight to save the last animals on Earth, won the Writers of the Future Contest and appears in volume 30 of their anthology. Her screenplay "Passiontide" won the Hollywood Network's Screenplay Discovery Award, and she has placed in both the quarter and semi-finals of the AMPAS Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. She has an abiding interest in medieval and ancient culture and mythology, especially Celtic. Somehow, that interest seems to coexist just fine with her passion for space and worlds spinning around other stars. Book one of her heroic/contemporary fantasy series is complete, and she is at work on book two of the trilogy. Check out her blog and writings at her website http://www.threewellsofthesea.com 

The River to Atlanta

After being tossed into the river by my publisher who could no longer stay in business for reasons I will never understand, I was pulled into the lifeboat of Deep River Publishing.  I was searching for a new publisher, and I luckily discovered Deep River which happened to be in Oregon where I live.  I postponed getting a new publisher because my husband, Hubert, and I had a big trip planned.  It was a wonderful two week trek in February, which included doing a book signing at the National Hotel in Jamestown, cleaning out my parents' attic in California, and visiting our precious 19th grandchild in Phoenix.  We meandered home on back roads.  I realized we would be passing through Sisters, OR, definitely one of our favorite towns - and coincidentally, the location of Deep River Books.  I gave them a call, and we had a pleasant visit with their publisher, Bill Carmichael, at a quaint coffee shop.  Hubert, one of those down-home, country folks with good instincts, liked him.  Sold!  I had a new publisher. 

And as often happens in life, there was a surprise blessing tucked into the lifeboat - an invitation to the International Christian Retail Show in Atlanta, Georgia, June 22-25.  http://christianretailshow.com/  This is a big deal for a first time author who lives outside of cellphone range.  I am truly enjoying my excursion in the world of authordom.  It's not about how many books I've sold (good thing!), but about the fun I've had meeting other authors and learning an entirely new career at retirement age.  May you all have such adventures!

Lost in Bookland

Writing a book was so simple.  Some may find that hard to believe, but The Seamstress of Jamestown flowed from my fingertips.  The characters were compilations of the hundreds of people I've known in my many years of life.  Choosing a publisher wasn't too hard either.  But now the snag!  Winepress Publishing closed their doors on January 1, 2014, with no warning.  I don't want to speak badly of them as I enjoyed working with the Winepress staff; however, this left me in quite a predicament.  There is money from sales that I will never receive.  But, alas, that's part of the adventure one should anticipate in business, right?  This unexpected turn of events is requiring much of my time in endless phone calls, changing my ISBN number, meetings, reading emails, blogposts, Facebook posts, ad infinitum.  Don't "they" know I started working on January 6 after a two-year hiatus?  How do "they" think I have time for this?  A new, excellent publisher seems to have fallen across my path.  So, I shall muddle through this murky swamp, but this brings up some questions.  Why doesn't life go smoothly?  Why do some people let you down?  And who are "they" anyway?

So, we know the answer to two of the questions has to do with Eve and an apple.  But who are "they"?!    You have met them.  At the most unexpected time in your life they go out of business owing you money, bounce a check you were counting on, slander you before your boss, steal your best friend (or spouse), or succeed in a hostile takeover of the business you poured every penny into.  How can there be so many of "them"?  I fear the answer is because "them" is sometimes "us". 

I find it interesting that I have been on both sides of an issue several times in my life.  I have been friends with parties on both sides in churches that split.  I have had neighbors divorce and tried the impossible task of remaining friends with husband  and wife.  I have lost dear co-workers who left a company convinced the Board of Directors were evil monsters.  When one weathers these divisions, it is like standing with one foot on the wharf and the other on the boat pulling away from the dock - sometimes drifting, sometimes with oars paddling, sometimes with an outboard motor powering the dingy out to sea. 

I do see life as black and white in many situations.  Good and evil sometimes present themselves vividly.  However, in the above-mentioned experiences, it was not clear.  Each side had good and sound reasoning.  I often see clearly the truth of both sides.  It leaves me standing on the shore holding hands with the one on the dock and the one on the boat trying to overpower the force of the boat pulling away.

Alas, this is an adventure of life common to all.  Surely, we have all experienced some division that broke our hearts because both sides were good people believing they were doing the honorable thing.  The biggest battle is that over one's tongue.  If I could learn to listen to both sides and not spread the muck perhaps I could be a true connector - like a ligament holding the body of mankind together - instead of cutting friendships and relationships apart with my sharp tongue.  So, God bless Winepress and my new publisher, all those who have betrayed me, and those who simply couldn't remain united as one and had to break away.

A Great Adventure

Life is an adventure.  It can be a good, even great, adventure, if we pay attention.  Occasionally friends tell me I am wise.  I sometimes think it's just my gray hair fooling them, but maybe it's true.  I think the trick is to pay attention in life.  I wrote The Seamstress of Jamestown including many different kinds of people, life experiences, and motivations.  Where did I get those ideas?  From paying attention throughout my long life. 

My cousin recently sent me this poem which I think says it all.

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

I walk down another street.

by Portia  Nelson

Life isn't about being perfect, but about learning as we go.  If we pay attention to the holes in the sidewalk and the beautiful sunset, life will be a wonderful adventure.

She flies through the air...

When my friend, Mary, posted a photo of herself skydiving on Facebook, I knew I had to ask her to do a guest blog for me. I found there was much more meaning and depth to her floating through the air than I could have imagined. Thank you, Mary, for sharing your story with us! 

I have had the pleasure to meet and get to know Barbara Hettwer in our Women of the Word Bible Study we belong to. Barbara is truly a Proverbs 31 woman; within these verses we learn that if the virtuous woman will give herself to her God-called work, she will be successful in her efforts. Our Father God gives us women definite instructions in Proverbs 31 and describes what our rewards will be. Ultimately, He will “give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.” (Proverbs 31:31) I am honored and humbled to have been asked by Barbara to guest blog for her Life is an Adventure blog. This is a virtuous woman I am truly blessed to know.

Barbara saw this picture of me sky diving and said, “Now that’s an adventure!” My sky diving was a celebration for me of turning 40 and receiving a cancer free diagnosis. In February 2002, I was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer. I had been to see my doctor every month starting in August 2001, and we tried several treatment options for what looked to be a canker sore I was told was due to stress. In December there was a four month wait to see the Ear, Nose, & Throat (ENT) specialist and I didn’t think anything of the time wait, because the sore had stayed the same size so I could still eat; and other than having a fever and what I thought was an ear infection that wouldn’t go away, I just needed to wait for my appointment.

Within the first week of January 2002, my canker sore had erupted into a full blown open tumor that filled my mouth, and I could no longer eat. My now ex-husband came home every day to find me crying on the couch; and after a week of not being able to eat, he called the ENT specialist and told them I would not make it to my appointment scheduled in April. It was arranged for me to be seen at the doctor’s lunch time. Looking at my tongue, she immediately knew it was cancer. She arranged for me to have the biopsy the insurance company needed on Saturday that week; her day off. Within a week I had a feeding tube and port put in, and I had started Chemotherapy every Friday for eight hours and Radiation every day.

I am a non-smoker and limited social drinker; I had no reason why the medical community would be looking for any kind of oral cancer. My ENT said during this time they were seeing more and more oral cancers, and they did not understand where it was coming from. Since then a lot of hard work from researchers and the medical community have linked oral cancer to the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV16). I will not go more in-depth at this time, but here is a link if you are inclined to follow up: http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/hpv/

My plan of treatment was scheduled for a 3 month period, and then would be starting all over again with another round of Chemotherapy for 3 more months. My first round of therapy took a lot out of me due to the medication and side effects. I never made it to starting my second round; I got so sick that the doctors wanted to give me time to recover before starting again. In September 2002, my colon perforated and I ended up in Portland Providence ICU for 2 months and then a care facility for another month before going home. I now had an Ostomy, and between being bedridden and the medication I was on, my right hip deteriorated to the point it needed to be replaced. I had my Ostomy for a year and a half before it was taken down, and I had my hip replaced three months after that.

My bad health had a snowball effect with one problem leading to another. Yet through it all, because of the group of women I had around me, I knew and felt I was in God’s hands, and He would never let me go. In September 2001, my son Isaac went into kindergarten. His teacher, Gloria, invited me to join her ladies bible study group. These women studied the word of God with me, were there from the beginning, took me to appointments, held my hair back while I threw up, told me not to worry when I lost my hair, and always shared their homes with my family taking my Isaac in as one of their own.

I am not glossing over this most difficult time in my life with my head in the clouds and rosy glasses saying everything was fine and my faith was rock solid. While in the hospital I flat lined, I was depressed, I was scared from one day to the next about what was coming my way and what would happen to my Isaac. I had to make a choice; our Lord taught me through these women who were there to support me that I could choose peace or wallow in self-pity and despair. Other than giving myself a five minute crying pity party when I needed to release that negative energy, I purposely chose peace, because my peace was not dependent upon my circumstances. I truly believe our Lord Jesus guarded my heart and mind through peace that surpasses all human understanding. (See Phil. 4:7) God’s word is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God’s word will never change; perfect peace is promised, but not perfect circumstances.

A Song of Salvation in Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed in You, because he trust in You.” (Italics mine) We serve a Prince of Peace who makes a way where there seems to be no way. We can choose self-pity amongst our difficulties or look to the One who is peace. If we keep our minds on Him, He will keep us in perfect peace. Yes, I could say my sky diving was an adventure, but getting there was the adventure. Skydiving was the celebration of the way that was made for me through a very difficult time.

MaryKathleen Copeland

October 2013

German Adventure

Just getting from Oregon to Munich should be enough of an adventure, but on Iceland Air it was easy.  The adventure was Oktoberfest. Yes, at 63, I danced on the table in my dirndl (and I don't even drink). The young Germans loved it and cheered me on. We only had to step over a few drunks on the sidewalk to get back to the S-bahn. Another adventure was riding in the back seat while my daughter-in-law drove 186 km/hr on the autobahn. Now, for you Yankees, that about 116 mph.
Then there was Neuschwantstein Castle.  This can hardly be considered a unique adventure when they surmise that 60 million people have visited it.  The adventure was trekking from the bus down the hill to the castle, then up a flight of stairs in the courtyard for a good photo, back down, up 165 stairs inside and back down 181 to the kitchen, then up the hill to catch the insane bus ride down. The bus is large and the road narrow and winding. Some people got sick, claustrophobic, and refused the ride back down. Not me! I just held on and watched the 4 year old enjoying the ride "Whee!" is the same in German.

I cannot leave out the crazy search for my great grandmother's birthplace.  Now, we wouldn't just want to go to the town of Ahornberg and look for the smaller area nearby listed on her baptismal record, #23 Holzlmuhle. Oh no, I'm too smart for that. I found the latitude and longitude coordinates for Holzmuhl on line, and we used our car's navigation system to get there. A little more east! Now, try north. Oops! there's a mountain in the way! Uhhh...we're awfully close to the Czech border. When we finally found the coordinates it was a restaurant. After talking with several restaurant employees, they got an old German woman from the back room who told us how to get to Holzmuhl. When we arrived the lady there said there had never been 23 houses in their village. So, the sane way...we put Ahornberg in our navigation system, drove there, almost...right before arriving we saw a Holzlmuhle sign. Hey, that's a different spelling! It was worth the effort. The current owners of the farm were very nice, talked with us for quite a while, and let us take pictures.

Now, back to the adventure of daily life, which is quite exciting enough for me.