A SAD AND TRAGIC PRELUDE TO 2013

I'm sure you are saddened by the tragic and senseless massacre of the innocents at the Sandy Hill Elementery School. This has definitely put a damper on the holiday season, and blackened the lives of all those who lost loved ones on that fateful day. It has also blackened our lives, and we are dumbstruck as to why a young man could conceivably take his vengeance out on 26 strangers, and most of them little children.  It is my hope that we can all stand together and vow that this will never happen again. Impossible?  Probably, but perhaps if we fine tune our senses to those around us who exhibit strange behavior, and voice our thoughts when we feel sonething is amiss, that we can prevent even the slightest horrid act against humanity ever occuring. My Tanglewood Plantation title is listed under the 'Horror' genre, but I could never (and would never) ever create or even think for a moment, of writing a story as horrible as the true life story that occurred at Sandy Hill Elementary this past Friday.

My apologies. In my last posting I wrote the subtitle of Tanglewood Plantation II, as 'Cherry in the Everglades'. The REAL subtitle is 'Adventure in the Everglades'. Lost my head in the excitement, folks. Tanglewood Plantation II is now available in paperback at my e-store https://www.createspace.com/4043088 In a few days it will be available at www.amazon.com, and in a couple weeks, it will be available in Kindle format at www.amazon.com. I do hope you enjoy Tanglewood Plantation II, as much as you enjoyed Tanglewood Plantation !

JUST HOURS AWAY FROM PUBLICATION!

GET READY...GET SET! TANGLEWOOD PLANTATION II, CHERRY IN THE EVERGLADES, is nearly ready in paperback! What a process, my friends. Just when you think the editing is done...it's not; there is always a little typo, a forgotten quote, punctuation that was accidently deleted, a margin that had its own mind. Well, that list could go on forever, but that's not the point of this post. The POINT OF THIS POST is that TANGLEWOOD PLANTATION II, in paperback format, will be available today or tomorrow!  Kindle version will take a couple weeks, but alas, the finish line is in view! 

TANGLEWOOD PLANTATION II, DONE!

'Tanglewood Plantation II, Adventure in the Everglades', is now ready for publication!  It will be a few weeks yet, as the publishing process takes a while, but I'm excited!  I love the story; it's quite an adventure, and for those of you out there who also love historical adventures, get ready for the ride!

What's next? Izzy Pratt, 17, a disheveled, uneducated street urchin from Liverpool, England, who finds herself hijacked on a ship bound for the early tobacco farms of Chesapeake Bay...the fun is just beginning....

I'M SO EXCITED...I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT!

***THANKS to Crypmaster Chiller Chuckie (Charles Rosenay) of the Horror Happenings Examiner,  for the nice article on  'Tanglewood Plantation'.  http://www.examiner.com/article/a-dilapidated-antebellum-plantation-full-of-ghosts

Charles F. Rosenay aka Cryptmaster Chiller Chucky

TANGLEWOOD PLANTATION II

Oh, joy! "Tanglewood Plantation II, Adventure in the Everglade"s now has a book cover, and is nearly completed in the editing department. Won't be long before it's up on Amazon in paperback, and shortly afterward, in Kindle.

Hmmm, already I'm pondering the next book. What's an author to do?  I have 2 novels in the works that need completion. Those poor characters have been on hiatus for a few years just waiting their turn,and here I sit, conjuring up another story.

Novel writing is hard work; fun, but difficult. Especially those days when absolutely nothing comes to mind; the days when the characters just sit like bumps on a log doing nothing. Good time to go do the laundry, go out to lunch, run to Walmart? Maybe the characters are tired and need a break too? Then there are the days when the characters have their running shoes on, and I have trouble keeping up with them. Lots of typos on those days!

For now, the focus is on getting Tanglewood II out to my readers. I so enjoyed writing it, as it's always an adventure for me, too, when those guys have their running shoes on and we run in sync, together, enjoying the ride.

It's also time to focus on Sanibel, FL. Time to load up the Florida-mobile with Yorkies, parrots, and what-have-you, and head for the warmer weather. I love those darn swamps and everglades, and it's a story from there that is soaking up my creative juices. Those two unfinished novels may have to sit a while longer since this writer has a Florida story on her mind....

GET SET...GET READY...TANGLEWOOD II ON ITS WAY!!!

First, my apologies for letting so much time go by between writings. There were a few things needing to be done after the two-week voyage to the north countries. It was necessary to hunt the Gettysburg ghosts with my Ghost Gals crew (great fun!). Then, as you well know, Hurricane Sandy blew through with a vengeance.  We are basically unscathed aside from a few trees falling over.  The east coast suffered devastating damage, and for them, we hope that clean-up is quick, homes rebuilt, and lives put back together. It must be awfully difficult to  figure out where to begin when you view the damage on TV...unimaginable!

As for Tanglewood Plantation II, Adventure in the Everglades (Official Title!), I am nearly finished with my edit before it goes off for more official editing. After reading it through again, I'm hooked and hope you will be too! And don't worry, I will plaster its publication date at the top of this page!

BACK TO WORK!

This writer is back in the saddle after over two weeks of foreign travel. It was a wonderful journey at sea; Denmark, Norway, Faeroe Islands, Shetland Islands, Iceland, Scotland and Dublin, Ireland. Wonderful, aside from the fact that I became sick toward the last leg of the journey. But now home and recovering, I'm very anxious to begin (and have already started) doing the final once-over before sending my manuscript for editing.  I'm excited, and hope you are too, to take another journey with Summer Woodfield and Cherry. As I've previously mentioned, Cherry has been kidnapped by a defecting Yankee soldier and forced on a treacherous journey into the Everglades of Florida. Summer, now haunted by Cherry and a horrible stranger, is now compelled to search for Cherry's whereabouts in the year 1864.  The problem is, how to travel back in time; where is the portal to the past?

Stay tuned, readers...the adventure will begin soon!

FINISH LINE!

Time to celebrate!  The sequel to Tanglewood Plantation has reached The End. Of course, the hard part comes now, cleaning it up for publication. I'm very excited about this story.  Summer and Cherry have stepped away from the plantation and find themselves in the strange land of the Everglades, fighting for their lives. The Civil War still rages around them; blockage runners, war deserters, the Seminole  and plain old Mother Nature abound in this highly adventurous sequel in Summer's return to the past. The past, as always, resolves the mysteries of the future--such as Cherry's fate-- but, sometimes, the past lingers in the shadows waiting to latch on, waiting to resolve unfinished business, as Summer discovers when she falls under the spell of a Spanish blockade runner....

SAILING ALONG WITH CHERRY

Wow, it's going on mid-August already! Since Romania, I've been back to work with some of my favorite characters, Summer Woodfield and Cherry of Magnolia.  We're gaining speed on making that finish line. Cherry's on quite the adventure, and of course, Summer is tagging along for the ride (and me too!). I'm shooting for a publication date sometime around Thanksgiving and can't wait to share this exciting addition to Tanglewood Plantation with you! Stick around!

Also, back in the deep caverns of creativity, the wheels are turning for the continuation of a story I began a couple years ago entitled "REVIVED." Oh yes, it's time-travel again, but folks, I just love historical time-travel!  Not  the silly time-travel novels that involve Scottish castles and dashing Scotsmen in kilts, but time-travel that truly has a story-line; not just romance and sex.  I like real stories, gritty women who manage to survive the worst deprivations and challenges.

Never thought I'd be writing a horror novel, but I do have one of those up my sleeves, too. Can't give away the story-line...sorry!  I'm never bored folks, never.

ROMANIA ZANY----AH!

Oh my that was a fabulous trip! No, folks, it was not entirely campy.  In fact, we only had one campy night with lots and lots of fun at Dracula Castle Hotel up in the beautiful Romanian mountains. The Romanian history was fascinating, if not complicated.  The countryside was not only gorgeous, but in some cases, a step back in time. Loved the horse-drawn hay-wagons, and especially loved seeing the gypsy's!  Yes, they still do travel in gypsy wagons pulled by horses!

I returned refreshed (after 3 nights of sleep in my own bed) and ready to rock and roll on Tanglewood II.  My fingers did lots of walking yesterday, through the pages of Summer & Cherry's new adventure in the swamps of Florida. STAY TUNED!

DOES ADVERTISING ATTRACT READERS?

It's no lie, we're sizzling on the Eastern Shore, but I think it's just about the same everywhere. Good time to stay indoors and write! How about a poll?  Not the North Pole (though that does sound good about now), but a poll requiring a question and answer(s) from my readers.  Here goes:

Question: DOES ADVERTISING NOVELS ATTRACT READERS?

My dad was a commercial artist so naturally advertising is 'in my blood'. I'm a firm believer in advertising my books. After all, how will anyone ever know that Tanglewood Plantation is a fun and exciting story? How will anyone ever know that Hannah McCade, my heroine in Broken Chords, can overcome extreme adversity and get happy? How can an author reach readers from the Eastern Shore of Maryland to the north, south, east, west of these United States, if  there is no advertisement?

Let me re-word that question: If you see an advertisement in a magazine or newspaper for a best selling novel in a genre that you like, would you check it out?

If you have a moment, please leave a comment; this inquiring mind would like to know!

OUR FUZZY-HEADED BABY SWALLOWS

 

WEARING THE HOOP

Oh yes, it was wonderful to step into the past and especially into my favorite time period. What did I learn from prancing around in a hooped Civil War era evening gown at our local Historical Society fashion show? That 19th century women of class had to (very carefully) choose their fabrics for dresses! Mine weighed a ton, or so it felt. None-the-less, a hoop is a lovely, airy and lightweight undergarment, not to mention the beautiful vision it creates!

Working hard on Tanglewood II, Cherry's story. Some writers write fast and never look back until 'The End'.  Not this one. The first 100 pages of TP II will now be scrutinized by these eyes, and seriously tweaked. This is how I weave my story; reading, editing and re-reading until the words rolls from the lips like melted butter...smooth.

GET SUMMER ROLLIN'!

Those lazy, hazy crazy days...yep, summer has arrived. The highways are clogged with folks headed to the beach. Even here on the Delmarva, Fridays bring bumper to bumper traffic from the DC/Baltimore area to Ocean City, MD. Pack up the babies, the little old ladies... (anyone remember that song?) and don't forget your Kindle!

This author will be living a dream at the end of this week and will be sure to post a photo!  Our local Historical Society is presenting a period clothing fashion show, and, as luck would have it, I just happen to fit into a Civil War era ballgown! Ye gads, how did I get so lucky? My favorite time period, as my Tanglewood Plantation readers know, is the era of hooped skirts. I will hoop-de-doop around in my velvet ball gown, and think of Summer Woodfield and how she invisioned herself in one of those gliding hooped skirts worn by the ladies of the plantation.

Keep posted, readers, and take your kindle to the beach! 

THE POWER OF A BAD REVIEW

Years ago I wrote my first novel, Broken Chords, the story of a dysfunctional Appalachian family at the turn of the 20th century. For me, it was a special story, because it was written not only from the heart, but because it was a true story of two women, a mother and daughter, whose lives separate and come together again after a decade of adversity; each fighting their own battles to find tranquility in their lives. The matriarch deserts her family in mid-life to travel the west, eventually homesteading alone in Wyoming; the daughter struggles with the wild side of her nature and her disastrous love for a rascal mountain boy.

This is a lovely, fun, and exciting story of  the resurrection of a broken family. The mountain dialect is carried throughout the book to lend authenticity to its characters.

"Four people saw an elephant four different ways".  I live by this. Everyone has their own specific tastes and preferences; this is what makes us unique.  However, the power of a scathing review is showing its ugly head in reference to Broken Chords. I could say "three people saw an elephant three different ways," as there are, sadly, only three Amazon reviews for this wonderful story: two likes, and one very serious dislike. The very serious dislike, may sink the sailing of Broken Chords, and unfortunately, that is the power of a bad review.

The top photo is the matriarch and her husband in happier days. The bottom photo is the tar-paper shack where she lived for 22 years on the lonely Wyoming prairie.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS

Ah yes, we have had rain on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Rose bushes are ready to bloom, azaleas are spectacular, veggies are growing, as well as the new flower garden I planted in the veggie garden -- fenced in to keep them from the deer. Even the strawberry patches are covered in screen-tents this year; hopefully we will get the ripe strawberries before the critters do. Not that I mind feeding the wildlife, as I am a great animal advocate, but please guys, leave some for us! Last summer a turtle enjoyed taking bites out of all the strawberries. It was a mystery until the fellow appeared next to me while I weeded. He didn't mind one bit that I was there to witness his feast!

TANGLEWOOD PLANTATION II: We have a family wedding coming up this month as well as the completion of construction at our home. This writer, needless to say, is very busy  not writing.  I have, however, managed to continue Cherry's story on my off moments. Many twists and turns coming up, my friends. Cherry and Summer's new journey is exciting, to say the least, and I am thrilled to be part of it.  Stay tuned!

Spring has sprung, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland; new beginnings in the world of nature. We, too, are creations of nature, and so we spring anew in this glorious season!

Tanglewood Plantation II is progressing nicely inch by inch. The plot thickens, as they say, and as my fingers fly across the keyboard the story opens out before me, the characters whisper in my ear,  telling me what awaits them around the next bend in the river...behind the next tuft of cord-grass in the swamps of Florida.

I love adventure and the twists, turns and surprises of life. Tanglewood II is more than a ghost story; it's a lesson of learning what may have befallen our ancestors in the long-gone past; what adversities they faced and most of all, how they survived. We must remember that because of them, we live in this modern age of technology.  Without them, we would not exist. Summer Woodfield is lucky, indeed, to experience the past, and return to the future!

For those of you have read my novel 'Broken Chords', I will pass on to you that it is based on a true story. The courage and stamina of women of other eras is another favorite topic of mine. That a middle-aged woman in 1904 could disappear in the night, leave behind her family and all that she has known, and set off to begin a new life in a new land, is mind-boggling; especially during a time when women's rights were extremely limited.

Thank you all for sharing my adventuresome journeys with me!

ON THE MERRY-GO-ROUND!

Greetings from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Our Florida stay is over and I must say there is no place like home! I want to thank my readers for their wonderful comments regarding Tanglewood Plantation. It was a very fun story to write and the good thing about writing historical novels is that so much is learned during the research! (This from the girl who used to nod off in high school during history class). Oh my, I certainly did miss a lot in those days but I do hope I have caught up and reinstated myself.

Tanglewood II is temporarily on hold due to massive construction at our home here on the bay, and the wedding of our youngest daughter.  But, Tanglewood II is never far from my mind; like a dream, it weaves itself through my subconscious day and night, and when I finally have the time to sit down and create the story on paper, it will be another fabulous journey for me, and hopefully for you, too! Please stay tuned!

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING THERE

As mentioned prior, this author was headed for the Everglades for that 'in person' research that is so important in destination writing.When I think of 'Everglades', I think of grasses and gators, swamps and snakes, men in flat-bottomed boats poling their way through tall grasses, risking their lives through gator infested waters, the call of exotic birds echoing through the Spanish moss-draped pines and cypress...oh what a vision I held in my imagination! 

Mind you, my friends, I have read extensively of the true tales of the early settlers of the islands, hardscrabble men who fought nature and each other, men who decimated the exotic birds for plumes to decorates ladies hats, men who massacred the mighty gator for hide to make purses and shoes for the women of the civilized world. I had the perfect way to view this life of times gone by --- a private boat! Certainly a private boat and captain would be the only way to experience my vision!

 Never did I expect the Ten-Thousand Islands to be just that...hundreds of thickly grown mangrove islands sitting sporadically in the (then) calm inner-waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  My vision evaporated as we sped through the gulf waters, each island a replica of the other. No gators; my exotic birds were flocks of white pelicans, the grasses were nil as was the Spanish moss and swamps. I must admit, my disappointment was great when I realized that my vision, my research, was not flying across the smooth waters of the Gulf of Mexico, but inland, behind me, in the land of the Seminole, where the grit and gut of my story must take place.

 It was a wrong turn. It was beautiful, but it was not the heart and soul of my story. There was no adversity; there was no challenge. My story lay behind me in the tall grasses, In the mangrove tunnels (above), the home of the gator, the cypress knees and swamps, the place where the exotic birds call through the tall trees of the mysterious forests of my Everglades.
 

 

EVERGLADES RESEARCH ADVENTURE COMING RIGHT UP!

Great excitement for me, folks, and all part of historical research for Tanglewood II.  By the way, there will be a new title for Tanglewood Plantation when the time comes, but for now I refer to it as Tanglewood II.

This week we will travel the 10,000 Islands of the Everglades on a private skiff. Not only is this a fabulous photo opportunity, but also will give me the feel for what life was like for the homesteaders who lived on many of those islands at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Weather looks good, the camera batteries are charged, the mind is totally psyched, eyeballs focused; gators, take your places!

WEAVING HISTORY INTO FICTION

Writing historical fiction is like going back to high school and having to remember all those dates in ages past that you simply could not remember at test time, and didn't understand why in the world  you had to remember them in the first place; Paul Revere's ride, Gettysburg Address, Emancipation, Civil War, American Revolution, Boston Tea Party...and on...and on...and on..... How ironic, friends, that now I not only know many of the dates, but dates within those dates that are important turning points in my stories!

Back then, I was much more worried about whether my slip was showing (oh yes, we wore them), how my hair looked (most important!), and if I would be asked to the prom. I certainly wasn't worried about the Declaration of Independence and memorizing who signed it and where. What a silly twerp I was, and how ironic that now, at this time in my life, historical fact plays a huge part in my life; I eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner and find it fascinating.

The most fun of all with historical fact is weaving it into my stories, having my characters experience these facts first hand and from their eyes, I experience it as well. Life is good.

The Seminole of Florida will play a part in the sequel to Tanglewood Plantation, Cherry's Story.
FACT:  Did you know that the Seminole tribe is actually made of many different tribes of Native Americans who migrated to Florida in the 18th and 19th centuries?

TANGLEWOOD PLANTATION II, ON THE MOVE!

Tanglewood Plantation II, Cherry's Story, is moving along, literally right down the Savannah River! Cherry has been kidnapped by a Yankee deserter and, unbeknownst to her, she is headed for a life in  post Civil War Seminole territory. The mystical Florida Everglades are a wonderful backdrop for the continuation of this exciting story. The look, the feel, the smell, the mystery of the Everglades and its abundant and diverse (not to mention dangerous) wildlife, draws me like a magnet. Therefore, my friends, we will have many adventures with Cherry and Summer Woodfield in this upcoming new and exciting story.

In the meantime in this scary and dangerous world, take the time to enjoy the beauty around you. Life is fragile yet simultaneously tenacious; full of wonders for us to enjoy if we will just take the time.