Gracious stars and garters has it been quite a stressful time, but things are looking up as I have embarked on an awesome new adventure. One that excites me as an author and reader.
Astor County Library with branch manager Jonathan Dolce
Many of you know I am a strong supporter of public libraries. Our local libraries are our favorite hangouts. Now I have a new way to support my local library, the Astor County Library. I've started working there as a Library Page! Yes, they really let me behind the circulation desk :)
I've been there about 3 weeks now and I LOVE IT! We might be tiny but we are a huge part of this community. Being behind the big desk you can see all the hard work that goes into making sure this area has all the resources it needs.
I can't wait to learn more and work on some programs of my own for our folks. As a matter of fact I just got the go ahead to hold a Camp NaNo program this April for our patrons. The program is open to all but we're going to focus on our kids that come and hang out on Tuesday nights. Who knows we might just inspire the next Hemmingway or Jane Austin.
Being surrounded by books and talking with patrons about their favorite stories has inspired me to be
Proof! They let me behind the big desk! :)
more diligent in my own writing. I have several manuscripts saying finish me, finish me! It's time to get to it and get another book out on the shelves. That means making some goals. So...
GOALS THIS WEEK
1. Finish the next chapter in Outlaw Born
2. Start putting together some ideas for Camp NaNo
3. Start putting ideas together for Blogging from A to Z Challenge
Now that I've landed a dream job how about you? What is your dream job or what in your job inspires your stories?
She slathered more grease on the actuating arms and a few of the more rusted teeth of the gears. "I'm not sure this is going to help. This piece of junk has sat far too long without any care."
She closed the cover of the mammoth war machine and stepped back. "Punch it Louis!"
He turned his cap backward and pumped diesel through the veins of this metal creature. When Louis pressed the ignition switch the gears and plates trembled before breaking their bond of rust and years of dirt.The armored suit took one step then another.
She let out a yell and raised her grease smeared arms in victory. If they can revive a few more of these beasts, the allies may yet have a chance.
OneWord.com is a website for getting the muse warmed up. Each day you get one word and sixty seconds in which to write what it inspires.This is my entry for today's One Word. What's yours? For more of my past One Word entries, check out my One Word Profile EliseV. Your turn, 60 seconds. Go!
The historical fiction novel, The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt steps into the gladiatorial arena today to take on the gladiators of Gladiators Pen. Let’s begin with an introduction…
About the book:
In July 1940, eleven-year-old Lydia escapes life as a child evacuee in Wales. She arrives home to her English village, gas mask in tow, only to find it abandoned. Her family's house is shuttered and empty. Lydia settles in though, determined to wait out the war.
Later that night he arrives: a wounded soldier, gun-wielding, heralding a full-blown German invasion. He says he won't hurt Lydia, but she cannot leave the house.
The unlikely pair coexists in their claustrophobic confines, becoming dependent on each other for survival. Lydia soon realizes that the soldier knows more than he should about her family--and that he's plotting something for them both.
Review
The book was a little slow to start but you quickly become engulfed by the plight of a little girl in the middle of war-torn England. Lydia and her brother are sent away to safety but the foolish yet brave girl runs away from the shelter back home. Only to find the entire village has evacuated. She thought she was alone until a wounded German soldier shows up.
Though enemies, the two begin to depend on each other to survive their ordeal and begin to form a kind of bond. From fear to laughter to tears at different times and the reader joins them. The book richly portrays the era and brings the characters vividly to life.
This book is historical fiction but reads as though these could be true events. The gladiators recommend this read to any fans of the genre, WWII era, and stories that touch the heart.
Snow blew in flurries, the cloak whipped back from her
shoulders. With a gasp, she clutched it back close around her body. This was no
day for a woman to be out, much less a country to be at war.
The weather made her job harder as blood stained snow
crunched under her feet. The wind howled drowning out some of the faint cries
of the men who needed her aid. A chill ran up her body as an icy hand clutched
at her ankle under her skirt.
She looked down and swallowed softly, the young face half torn
and bloodied by his enemy. His coat was blue a Union soldier. She was told to
pass them by, they only had time for their own today.
Sarah pulled her foot from his loose grasp and started to
move on.
The Yankee attempted to rise as he reached that trembling
hand out. “Please…”
The plea tore at her soul as her mind replayed the doctor. His arthritic finger shaking in her face at dawn this morning with warning
their supplies were dwindling. “To hell
with that ole sawbones.”
Sarah turned back and knelt beside the young blue coat.
“Easy, now. I’ll do what I can.”
He lay back in the snow, soft white mixed with blood, soot,
and gunpowder. Carefully she tried to find his wound. By the way his face
squinched and scrunched as he moved there was something far worse than the cuts
and scrapes on the side of his face.
The poor boy was already blue enough to match his coat in
the winter air. She tried not to open his coat too wide and lose what little
warmth he had. His body shivered hard as she found the cause of his great
discomfort.
She drew her fingers back from the wound and saw the
blackened blood. Her heart sank lower. This ‘man’ couldn’t be more than sixteen,
too young for wars against brothers. Far too young to die.
Sarah ad seen the cantankerous physician diagnose many
soldiers with a wound like this one. The blood stained black meant the
Federal’s internals had been damaged. All they could do was make comforts, take
his last words.
Heaviness filled her for not the first time today. Sarah buttoned
his coat back and gave the young man a gentle smile.
His eyes held the knowledge of his future. His hand
trembled, flakes of ice fell from the digits as they wrapped around hers.
“Write my mother, tell her I was brave.”
Sarah nodded once as the snow began to fall again. “What is
your name, where does she live?”
He blinked snowflakes from his eyes as he took a ragged
breath. “Thomas Lee Brunell. My parents live in Boston,
George…..” He had to pause as his body heaved and coughed speckling his lips
with dots of red.
Sarah smoothed back his hair and tried to calm him. “Shh, be
still now. I’m sure your ma and pa are most proud of their brave son.”
Thomas gave her a smile, for a moment it softened those
frightened hazel eyes. “I was, I fought well. I have one regret, I never kissed
a girl.”
She smiled softly at the surprise in his pained expression.
Many men have made confessions and requests as she tended them. None were so
innocent as young Thomas. “Do you have a girl you’d like to kiss?”
Thomas gave her a slight nod, and tapped his watch. She
opened and held it up for him to see the photo inside the lid. “She’s lovely,
Thomas.”
“Her name is Sarah.” He paused to gather strength. “She’s waitin,
for me.” It was plain in his expression he realized he wasn’t going to get that
kiss with the pretty girl in the picture. His regret.
Her heart clenched for the young man. She brushed his cheek
gently with her fingers. “My name is Sarah.” She pressed a soft kiss to his
lips and felt him smile with the delight.
His grip tightened for a moment then the fingers uncurled
from her hand. Sarah looked down at him, “Don’t leave me, Thomas.”
The hazel eyes were still, but there was a sweet grin on his
face. Her breath caught as she placed his hands on across his chest. Sarah
stood and gathered her meager bag of medical supplies. Sarah moved to the next
call for help.
Now and then, she would glance over as the snow covered the
young Federal, he had passed with no regrets. If she survived this war, Sarah swore
to live without regret. The memory of a bittersweet kiss to remind her.
Writing 50,000 words in 30 days might seem daunting. There will be days mid-November it feels that way.
A writer questions their sanity level on accepting such a wild notion of writing an entire novel rough draft in a month. It can be done if the writer is determined.
It takes a special kind of dedication to the craft of word spinning to stick to daily goals and make the novel a priority. This becomes hard when life happens and shakes up a writer’s daily routine. That is where making goals for your writing and novel become important.
Sure, the goal is to write 50,000 words in 30 crazed days. However, that’s the big picture and the thought of the number 50,000 can make the head spin. (no pea soup, just head spinning) To ease the panic of “OMG I’m behind on my word count!” Make realistic NaNo goals that will fit your average day.
Have a word count goal for each day. NaNo suggests at least 1,667 words per day. Maybe you work long hours and can write each day but not that much. That’s okay. Your realistic goal might be 800 words on a workday and 3,000 on days off. Don’t be afraid of falling behind. Most everyone is going to fall behind at some point.
That’s where that determination comes in. If you fall behind don’t panic or give up on winning. You can do it. Just adjust those daily goals, brew a pot of coffee and challenge yourself a bit more to grab time to write those words.
We can do it; we just need realistic daily writing goals, a strong determination, and a bottomless pot of hot coffee. (Preferably a Mocha Peppermint or Red Velvet Latte heavy on the whip cream. Yum!)
I’ll see you in the winner’s circle. I’ll probably be a lil tipsy on the caffeine: D If you would like to add me as a NaNo Buddy: flsandcastle
Hello readers! It’s great you could join us today. Today’s feature is a guest post by children’s and inspirational author Rhonda Walker. She’ll be talking about her upcoming release Wesley Out West and her reading and writing journey.
So pour a cuppa and prop up your feet to enjoy the read. Make sure to enter the Rafflecopter contest at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a personalized autographed copy of Wesley Out West and a cute Wesley plushie!
Trials and joys of writing by Rhonda Walker
Willie Out West (2013, WestBow Press)was my first published children’s story. It was so well received that I am re-launching an updated version, Wesley Out West (2015, JLB Creatives Publishing) is in a smaller size and contains an educational supplement for parents and teachers. If you read Willie I know you will enjoy Wesley even more. The “Fun Facts” and photos of the real sea mammals are educational and enjoyable for children and adults alike. The book size is more comfortable for young children to hold and carry, and the response thus far is widely encouraging. Enjoy.
I always loved books. In seventh grade I walked every day to my little New Mexico town’s library, checking out the maximum number of books. I returned within a day, replacing those books with more. I also used my allowance to purchase every juvenile book of interest: the Hardy Boys and other popular series. I found Nancy Drew boring. During my eighth grade summer, Mother took me on a weekly trek (30-miles one way) from our mobile home in a New Mexico desert mining community into the town of Grants. There, I devoured all of the town library’s westerns (Kit Carson, etc.), mysteries (Ellery Queen, Perry Mason), and stories about Geronimo and other Native Americans.
I carried my love for reading to college and majored in English and elementary education. These classes opened a door to children’s literature that will never close. I read almost 300 children’s books in one semester. I thank God for blessing me with a passion for children’s literature, the desire to write children’s stories (there were so many bad books, I just knew I could write better), and the desire to develop whatever ability I possessed.
In 1976, I wrote two grammar stories which, amazingly, found their way into a textbook for first graders. However, I had little faith in my ability and gave up after one failed attempt to publish. I published two women’s inspirational articles and edited several women’s church newsletters during the succeeding years, but nothing else.
Years later I set out to discover why certain women of faith remained strong in spite of unbearable and continual trials in their lives. For two years, I interviewed women; thus was born my first book, “Beyond the Shadow is Tomorrow: Stories of Women of Faith,” published by WestBow Press in 2013. I encourage all Christian women looking for strength and encouragement to read this book. The book still brings great reviews from those seeking answers and encouragement while going through rough times, and it is still for sale through my web site or e-mail.
“Icing, Locusts & Life” is about to be released by JLB Creatives Publishing, and I am so excited. The reviews are already coming in on this inspirational book for men and women. I encourage readers to reach out and embrace the world and its wonders. Every day is icing on the cake of our lives, no matter how bad our circumstances or how hard it is raining. Every day I have a choice to make when I get out of bed (or even if I cannot get out of bed). It is how we choose the icing of our days, light or dark, which determines how we meet the locusts that visit the beautiful fields and gardens of life.
My life is challenging, fantastic, miracle filled, and troubled—sometimes all at once. There are memories of the blessings of family and friends mixed with my own success and failure. In spite of everything a long life can deliver, I find reason every day to be grateful that God provides abundant blessings. Even with the traumas of illness, embarrassing personal failures, and sadness beyond words, there is one thing that is good: I am still alive to see it dawn a better day.
I have more children’s stories on my desk, and my first novel is begun. No one knows tomorrow’s outcome, but today has been good. Tomorrow will be white icing, no matter what the day brings.
Be blessed. What color is your icing?
About Rhonda Walker
EVERY DAY IS ICING ON THE CAKE OF MY LIFE. It is challenging, fantastic, miracle filled, and troubled—sometimes all at once. There are memories of the blessings of family and friends, successes, and failure. I live daily in grateful awareness for a God who provides abundant blessings, especially during times of embarrassing failures.
I discovered my passion for reading early in life (right after the ark anchored on a mountain top.) In 1979, when my daughters were young, I returned to college. There, English and education professors taught me some needed writing basics and opened the door to children’s thinking. In truth, though, I began writing for myself in 1975, and my style was already developed. God blessed me with a passion for reading, the love of writing, and whatever ability I possess.
With training, skills, and God’s help, I fulfilled a long-held dream of writing stories for young readers. Several years ago, two of my grammar stories were published in a Scott Foresman textbook for first graders, and plans are under way to put those stories and others into a grammar-series book. I write stories to encourage enjoyment and learning through reading.
