I found this one word meme over at Jean's blog and because it is cold out and raining a bit too much to finish planting out my bedding plants--and I'm bored--I thought I'd play along. Join in if you'd like, and leave a comment so we can come see. (Tina already played, I see!)
1. Where is your cell phone?
charging
2. Relationship?
committed
3. Your hair?
combed!
4. Work?
busy
5. Your sister?
Which?
6. Your favorite thing?
books
7. Your dream last night?
undreamt
8. Your favorite drink?
mocha
9. Your dream car?
Rav-Four
10. The room you’re in?
living
11. Your shoes?
slippers
12. Your fears?
forgotten
13. What do you want to be in 10 years?
fit
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend?
hubby
15. What you’re not good at?
tact
16. Muffin?
banana
17. One of your wish list items?
publication
18. Where you grew up?
Manitoba
19. The last thing you did?
garden
20. What are you wearing?
jeans
21. What aren’t you wearing?
jewelry
22. Your pet
meow
23. Your computer?
humming
24. Your life?
stressed
25. Your mood?
waiting
26. Missing?
hubby
27. What are you thinking about right now?
questions :P
28. Your car?
away
29. Your kitchen?
disaster
30. Your summer?
coming
31. Your favorite color?
green
32. When is the last time you laughed?
yesterday
33. Last time you cried?
yesterday
34. School?
kids
35. Love
woo-hoo!
Monday, May 21, 2007
Website Tour -- The Sword Review
Those who have hung out with me for awhile may recall that I'm not generally fond of either poetry or short stories. I won't even try to defend my lack of enjoyment in poetry, but I know why I don't read many shorts. My reading preferences run to fantasy and science fiction, and it's hard to fit world-building into a short story without it being overwhelming. I don't like to guess too much how stuff fits together; though I'm up for the ride during the tale, I'd like a clear picture by the end. If I enjoy the short story, I nearly always want a longer, more leisurely peek into that world. And if I don't enjoy the short, then even the amount of time I've already put in seems wasted!
So when this month's blog tour target was announced, I was less than thrilled. I do see that an ezine devoted to speculative fiction from a Christian perspective has a place, but I don't see it as a place that I expect to hang out very often. Still, I know that not everyone shares my taste, so with that in mind, I'd like to introduce you to an ezine The Sword Review that is designed to fit that niche. For the purposes of this blog post I read one story: A Wine, Red Silence by George L. Duncan. The title threw me for a loop straight off. What is the comma doing in there? Are there two items? Wine AND red silence? Or is the word wine a descriptor of the adjective red? Should it not then be a hyphen? And what is a wine-red silence? I decided to read the story and set aside my misgivings about the title's punctuation.
There are quite a few characters in this story, but the main character is easy to keep track of being as the tale is told in first person. Jerico (known as Jerry) is a private investigator in a future Florida. He has been hired to find out who killed a biographer...and why. It explores the idea of morals and the conflict that comes when they collide. It is a fairly well-written story, though I didn't find it riveting. There were a few typos but nothing too horrendous. I never did quite figure out what the title had to do with the story, though.
If I have time, I'll have a look at another story tomorrow.
Maybe some of the other folks on the blog tour list enjoy short stories more than I do! If you'd like a second (or tenth) opinion, check around through some of these links: Jim Black, Amy Browning, Jackie Castle, Karri Compton, Frank Creed, CSFF Blog Tour, Gene Curtis, D. G. D. Davidson, Chris Deanne, April Erwin, Kameron M. Franklin, Linda Gilmore, Beth Goddard, Marcus Goodyear, Andrea Graham, Jill Hart, Katie Hart, Sherrie Hibbs, Heather R. Hunt, Becca Johnson, Jason Joyner, Kait, Karen, Dawn King, Tina Kulesa, Lost Genre Guild, Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium, Terri Main, Rachel Marks, Rebecca LuElla Miller, Eve Nielsen, John W. Otte, John Ottinger, Robin Parrish , Cheryl Russel, Hanna Sandvig, Chawna Schroeder, Mirtika Schultz, Steve Trower, Speculative Faith, Daniel I. Weaver, Russell Griffith, Jason Waguespac, Holly, Brandon Barr
So when this month's blog tour target was announced, I was less than thrilled. I do see that an ezine devoted to speculative fiction from a Christian perspective has a place, but I don't see it as a place that I expect to hang out very often. Still, I know that not everyone shares my taste, so with that in mind, I'd like to introduce you to an ezine The Sword Review that is designed to fit that niche. For the purposes of this blog post I read one story: A Wine, Red Silence by George L. Duncan. The title threw me for a loop straight off. What is the comma doing in there? Are there two items? Wine AND red silence? Or is the word wine a descriptor of the adjective red? Should it not then be a hyphen? And what is a wine-red silence? I decided to read the story and set aside my misgivings about the title's punctuation.
There are quite a few characters in this story, but the main character is easy to keep track of being as the tale is told in first person. Jerico (known as Jerry) is a private investigator in a future Florida. He has been hired to find out who killed a biographer...and why. It explores the idea of morals and the conflict that comes when they collide. It is a fairly well-written story, though I didn't find it riveting. There were a few typos but nothing too horrendous. I never did quite figure out what the title had to do with the story, though.
If I have time, I'll have a look at another story tomorrow.
Maybe some of the other folks on the blog tour list enjoy short stories more than I do! If you'd like a second (or tenth) opinion, check around through some of these links: Jim Black, Amy Browning, Jackie Castle, Karri Compton, Frank Creed, CSFF Blog Tour, Gene Curtis, D. G. D. Davidson, Chris Deanne, April Erwin, Kameron M. Franklin, Linda Gilmore, Beth Goddard, Marcus Goodyear, Andrea Graham, Jill Hart, Katie Hart, Sherrie Hibbs, Heather R. Hunt, Becca Johnson, Jason Joyner, Kait, Karen, Dawn King, Tina Kulesa, Lost Genre Guild, Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium, Terri Main, Rachel Marks, Rebecca LuElla Miller, Eve Nielsen, John W. Otte, John Ottinger, Robin Parrish , Cheryl Russel, Hanna Sandvig, Chawna Schroeder, Mirtika Schultz, Steve Trower, Speculative Faith, Daniel I. Weaver, Russell Griffith, Jason Waguespac, Holly, Brandon Barr
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
a spark
Once upon a time a long time ago now, my friend Random Walk Writer was copyediting a travel guide to Ireland and passed along some links from it that amused her about the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival. Something began playing at the back of my mind, but only a few random ideas emerged, then refused to play nicely together. Then they went away and wouldn't play at all. Which was okay.
Today, however, I was pestering Maripat about her character Mia. I teased her that I could see Mia running past in slow motion. Then I said, 'wait, that isn't Mia.' She wondered if it was Taifa (from Marks), but it definitely didn't look like her. Or anyone else currently on my roster of stories.
Her hair was long and blond and sort of curly and quite messy, like she'd been running for awhile. In the few seconds I saw her, she glanced back over her shoulder and stumbled. Her skirt was tiered and flowing, and I think she had on a peasant-style blouse with the top tie undone. The only color in the image was green. Kind of a green misty background (out of focus trees?), and greenish clothes, but I'm wondering if it was more a colored filter than actual color.
I began to wonder if she was the girl from Matchmaker, whose name I suddenly realized was Kaesa. And now I'm back to wandering the web looking for cool sites on matchmaking traditions. And maybe I should watch Fiddler on the Roof.
Here's the Wikipedia link about Lisdoonvarna. Here is a little info about the history. There's apparently a movie about this tradition: Lisdoonvarna: Lourdes of Love. Anyone seen it?
And hey, the official matchmaker has his very own website!
I do hope Kaesa wants to make some plans now. I need a light at the end of the tunnel. Something jitteringly ready to write when this round of Marks is done.
Today, however, I was pestering Maripat about her character Mia. I teased her that I could see Mia running past in slow motion. Then I said, 'wait, that isn't Mia.' She wondered if it was Taifa (from Marks), but it definitely didn't look like her. Or anyone else currently on my roster of stories.
Her hair was long and blond and sort of curly and quite messy, like she'd been running for awhile. In the few seconds I saw her, she glanced back over her shoulder and stumbled. Her skirt was tiered and flowing, and I think she had on a peasant-style blouse with the top tie undone. The only color in the image was green. Kind of a green misty background (out of focus trees?), and greenish clothes, but I'm wondering if it was more a colored filter than actual color.
I began to wonder if she was the girl from Matchmaker, whose name I suddenly realized was Kaesa. And now I'm back to wandering the web looking for cool sites on matchmaking traditions. And maybe I should watch Fiddler on the Roof.
Here's the Wikipedia link about Lisdoonvarna. Here is a little info about the history. There's apparently a movie about this tradition: Lisdoonvarna: Lourdes of Love. Anyone seen it?
And hey, the official matchmaker has his very own website!
I do hope Kaesa wants to make some plans now. I need a light at the end of the tunnel. Something jitteringly ready to write when this round of Marks is done.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Back to writing
Well, I've been slogging away at my flooring job in between all the family medical stuff, but my brain simply froze up when considering doing any work on Marks of Repentance. As you may recall, I started working on third round revisions in January in anticipation of entering the first 25 pages in a contest. While I love the story, the past few months have really tested my patience with the whole process. I did enter the contest at the end of March (just as the crisis season began) and hadn't opened the files since.
Yesterday I tried to figure out where I'd left off. I'd rewritten the opening chapters so many times it was hard to figure out. There were far too many files in the folder, because instead of deleting a previous version, I'd just open a clean document and start over again with my newest idea of how to introduce the darn thing. So the last modified dates were a big help in tracking myself, but it wasn't the only issue. Some versions had made it further into the novel than others, and had later parts I wanted to keep even though I liked a newer opening better.
Sigh.
Yes, that took awhile. I finally made a new sub-folder to store all the rejects in, at least until I'm certain I gleaned all the right bits. Now there is only one version stored in the main sub-folder, so I shouldn't have to go through all that again.
Today I actually made progress. One scene. Probably no more than a thousand words, mostly copy-pasted. But still, it IS progress. The next scene needs more than a minor buffing, though. It needs dynamite. Thankfully its fairly short so I should be able to rewrite it from scratch tomorrow. Today seems to have had enough progress already!
Yesterday I tried to figure out where I'd left off. I'd rewritten the opening chapters so many times it was hard to figure out. There were far too many files in the folder, because instead of deleting a previous version, I'd just open a clean document and start over again with my newest idea of how to introduce the darn thing. So the last modified dates were a big help in tracking myself, but it wasn't the only issue. Some versions had made it further into the novel than others, and had later parts I wanted to keep even though I liked a newer opening better.
Sigh.
Yes, that took awhile. I finally made a new sub-folder to store all the rejects in, at least until I'm certain I gleaned all the right bits. Now there is only one version stored in the main sub-folder, so I shouldn't have to go through all that again.
Today I actually made progress. One scene. Probably no more than a thousand words, mostly copy-pasted. But still, it IS progress. The next scene needs more than a minor buffing, though. It needs dynamite. Thankfully its fairly short so I should be able to rewrite it from scratch tomorrow. Today seems to have had enough progress already!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
It's Mother's Day
It's going to be a rather odd day for me this year, three weeks after my mom's stroke. I spent some time with her on Friday and on Saturday, but today I'm at home. One of the things that makes me sad is that she won't notice I'm not there. For once in my mom's life, she isn't worrying about anything but is living in the moment. That's not all bad, I guess. Her future is taken care of (she's a follower of Jesus and knows she will spend eternity with him), her past cannot be changed. All that's left is the present. And that is where she lives, her face usually clear of worry lines, though still a little sad.
Hanna was home for Friday and Saturday and is currently on the bus headed back to her home. Her daddy is at work. I think it will be a long day. If the sky clears later, I may do some yard work after church. My yard has been woefully neglected this spring, as I've done absolutely nothing outside. This is the first day I've been off work and at home in weeks.
There are very few photos of just my mom and me from any point in my life, but here's one I like from my first Christmas. I'm the youngest of five girls and there are way more photos of my sisters and I than any of us with Mom! She was never overly photogenic so I'm certain she stayed away from the camera on purpose.
My parents raised me in a solid home where we always knew we were loved, even if not always understood! She was a good mom for a young girl, always willing to encourage me in homework, read to me, and play games with me. She had a hard time dealing with adolescents, though. I think she hoped that if she ignored my hormones and my crushes, they would just go away. Ha! As a result, and also because I spent my high school years in boarding school, my mom and I drifted apart.
Even though I wasn't a BAD teenager, I knew she didn't really approve of everything I did. She never asked a lot of questions, and I didn't volunteer information. It took me a lot of years to understand that this was a basic character difference between us. She didn't want to pry, and believed that if there was something important I wanted to tell her, I would do so. Unfortunately, that didn't happen because I thought if she was interested, she'd ask. That led to a lack of communication that lasted for a long time.
This second photo was taken four years ago, at my daughter's wedding. It's the last time Mom came to our home, actually. Our adult relationship still had a lot of rocky bits in it because I wasn't the daughter that would phone her every day. My life is too scattered to try to commit to that kind of structure, and I'm naturally rebellious besides. In recent years when her only social life was on the phone, I know she would have liked me to call much oftener than I did. I can't guilt myself too much over that, even now when I know that I will never talk to her on the phone again. I tried to be the best daughter I could be...and still be me.
It's hard visiting Mom now. There is usually a flash of recognition when I go in her hospital room. I can help her with her meals when I'm there. I know how to fix the coffee that comes on her meal tray. I know which foods there is no point in offering her. I know that her favorite part of every meal is dessert, giving a whole new angle on the old saying, 'Life is uncertain; eat dessert first.' I can pray with her and read to her, and when she had a private room for the first couple weeks, I'd sometimes sing for her. (If you knew how well I could carry a tune, you'd be amazed I was brave enough even in a private room, but I sing better than Mom and I know many of her old favorites!)
Beyond those things, it's pretty quiet at her bedside. She can't formulate sentences anymore and usually doesn't bother trying. She sleeps a lot. It's not likely that she is long for this world, and I have mixed feelings about that. I know that her job here is done and that she longs to go Home. It's still hard to let go.
She's my mommy, and she always will be.
Hanna was home for Friday and Saturday and is currently on the bus headed back to her home. Her daddy is at work. I think it will be a long day. If the sky clears later, I may do some yard work after church. My yard has been woefully neglected this spring, as I've done absolutely nothing outside. This is the first day I've been off work and at home in weeks.
There are very few photos of just my mom and me from any point in my life, but here's one I like from my first Christmas. I'm the youngest of five girls and there are way more photos of my sisters and I than any of us with Mom! She was never overly photogenic so I'm certain she stayed away from the camera on purpose.My parents raised me in a solid home where we always knew we were loved, even if not always understood! She was a good mom for a young girl, always willing to encourage me in homework, read to me, and play games with me. She had a hard time dealing with adolescents, though. I think she hoped that if she ignored my hormones and my crushes, they would just go away. Ha! As a result, and also because I spent my high school years in boarding school, my mom and I drifted apart.
Even though I wasn't a BAD teenager, I knew she didn't really approve of everything I did. She never asked a lot of questions, and I didn't volunteer information. It took me a lot of years to understand that this was a basic character difference between us. She didn't want to pry, and believed that if there was something important I wanted to tell her, I would do so. Unfortunately, that didn't happen because I thought if she was interested, she'd ask. That led to a lack of communication that lasted for a long time.
This second photo was taken four years ago, at my daughter's wedding. It's the last time Mom came to our home, actually. Our adult relationship still had a lot of rocky bits in it because I wasn't the daughter that would phone her every day. My life is too scattered to try to commit to that kind of structure, and I'm naturally rebellious besides. In recent years when her only social life was on the phone, I know she would have liked me to call much oftener than I did. I can't guilt myself too much over that, even now when I know that I will never talk to her on the phone again. I tried to be the best daughter I could be...and still be me.It's hard visiting Mom now. There is usually a flash of recognition when I go in her hospital room. I can help her with her meals when I'm there. I know how to fix the coffee that comes on her meal tray. I know which foods there is no point in offering her. I know that her favorite part of every meal is dessert, giving a whole new angle on the old saying, 'Life is uncertain; eat dessert first.' I can pray with her and read to her, and when she had a private room for the first couple weeks, I'd sometimes sing for her. (If you knew how well I could carry a tune, you'd be amazed I was brave enough even in a private room, but I sing better than Mom and I know many of her old favorites!)
Beyond those things, it's pretty quiet at her bedside. She can't formulate sentences anymore and usually doesn't bother trying. She sleeps a lot. It's not likely that she is long for this world, and I have mixed feelings about that. I know that her job here is done and that she longs to go Home. It's still hard to let go.
She's my mommy, and she always will be.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Okay, REALLY done now.
I just *thought* I was done upgrading the other day. **shakes head** But I hadn't done THIS blog. Silly me. Anyway, here is today's version. I kinda like it. I might keep it for awhile. No, I have no definition for *awhile*. :P
The instructions for the calendar widget I found here. They actually work! **boggles** It's so easy even YOU can do it. Trust me on that.
It took me longer to figure out how to get the CFBA blog roll on the side bar. Add new page element, html/ java script. Yeah, sure, I can do that.
Now to go widget hunting for more cool stuff. Any ideas? :D
Back with more: If you have a Flickr account, click on my Flickr widget and the directions for creating your own are right there.
And I bet Hanna would like the Label Cloud Widget! But I don't think I want one. Must contemplate.
Oh look: a weather widget!
WooHoo!!!!
The instructions for the calendar widget I found here. They actually work! **boggles** It's so easy even YOU can do it. Trust me on that.
It took me longer to figure out how to get the CFBA blog roll on the side bar. Add new page element, html/ java script. Yeah, sure, I can do that.
Now to go widget hunting for more cool stuff. Any ideas? :D
Back with more: If you have a Flickr account, click on my Flickr widget and the directions for creating your own are right there.
And I bet Hanna would like the Label Cloud Widget! But I don't think I want one. Must contemplate.
Oh look: a weather widget!
WooHoo!!!!
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
8 Random Facts about me
Being as I have nothing specific to blog about--meaning I'm not accomplishing anything writing-wise and my mom's health is stable/sliding slightly--I thought I'd jump on the current meme wagon even though I haven't officially been tagged. I first saw this meme at Rebecca Miller's blog and have also seen reports by: Mirtika Schultz, Karen Hancock, Sharon Hinck, and probably others I just can't remember at the moment. Anyway, without further ado, here are the rules:
My odd facts?
1. My mother didn't teach me how to cook, so it's a good thing my sister taught me how to read.
2. I've been to at least six developed hot springs: Ainsworth, Nakusp, Harrison, Canyon, Fairmont, Radium and three undeveloped ones.
3. Besides hot springs, my area of BC is common for ferries. There are five free ferries that I've been on quite often, one of which is the longest free ferry ride in Canada (about 35 minutes).
4. I attended boarding school for grades 9-12.
5. As the youngest of five girls, I grew up mostly an only child due to age differences.
6. (This is harder than it looks! Most of you know quite a bit about my current life, so I need to delve deeper...) Okay, here goes: I met my husband when we were both in tenth grade.
7. Two of my closest friends are my daughter and my daughter-in-law.
8. In the 27 years that I've been married, we've moved 14 times. We've been in our current one for 7. And before that we'd managed 4.5 years in the same place three times. What does that tell you about the rest of those years? :P
Whew. That's 8. Now I'm curious about YOU and your random, obscure facts! I'd like to tag: Hanna, Jen, Karen, Tina, EJ, Jean, Maripat, and Debbie. (And I'm off the hook blogging for a few days again :P)
1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.
My odd facts?
1. My mother didn't teach me how to cook, so it's a good thing my sister taught me how to read.
2. I've been to at least six developed hot springs: Ainsworth, Nakusp, Harrison, Canyon, Fairmont, Radium and three undeveloped ones.
3. Besides hot springs, my area of BC is common for ferries. There are five free ferries that I've been on quite often, one of which is the longest free ferry ride in Canada (about 35 minutes).
4. I attended boarding school for grades 9-12.
5. As the youngest of five girls, I grew up mostly an only child due to age differences.
6. (This is harder than it looks! Most of you know quite a bit about my current life, so I need to delve deeper...) Okay, here goes: I met my husband when we were both in tenth grade.
7. Two of my closest friends are my daughter and my daughter-in-law.
8. In the 27 years that I've been married, we've moved 14 times. We've been in our current one for 7. And before that we'd managed 4.5 years in the same place three times. What does that tell you about the rest of those years? :P
Whew. That's 8. Now I'm curious about YOU and your random, obscure facts! I'd like to tag: Hanna, Jen, Karen, Tina, EJ, Jean, Maripat, and Debbie. (And I'm off the hook blogging for a few days again :P)
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Blogger Update
While I switched to New Blogger a few months ago, I couldn't quite see how to keep my photo headers current in the new format. So I'd only half switched over, I guess. Yesterday I spent awhile mucking around with the layouts and while I'm still not thrilled with all the options, I did figure out the photo thing so I completed the switch.
Yes, I know the daisy is blurry. I have to admit I like the artistic blurriness of it! Should be a bit easier to update things now, though. Maybe I'll have a layout for every month of the year! (I love redecorating...)
Yes, I know the daisy is blurry. I have to admit I like the artistic blurriness of it! Should be a bit easier to update things now, though. Maybe I'll have a layout for every month of the year! (I love redecorating...)
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Book Tour - Tribulation House
I remember when Chris Well sold his first novel, Forgiving Solomon Long. We were both hanging out at the Faith in Fiction forums and I was eager to review his book when it came out. We've both been members of the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance since its inception.What I discovered was a whole new genre...and one I wasn't sure I was fond of. I posted my mixed feelings about Chris' first book here. When his second novel came out, the premise didn't grab me and I passed on receiving a copy. However, when I read the hook for his third book, Tribulation House, I decided to give Chris Well another try. And I'm very glad I did.
Tribulation House is an interesting blend of drama, comedy, pop culture, theology and gangsters. While Chris' basic style has not changed, may I dare suggest he's gotten better at it? 93 chapters in 253 pages in 6 (or so) points-of-view still seems over-the-top, but I convinced my brain to consider the chapters to be numbered scene breaks instead. Certainly the characters are all unique enough to keep separate.While there is a lot of slap-stick style comedy and enough drama to become melodrama, the plot moves along with logical cause and effect. And in between, while you are thinking How could anyone be that stupid? you are catching glimpses of deeper nuggets of truth. Recommended.
IT’S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD—WHICH COULD BE A PROBLEM...
Mark Hogan has it all. The job. The family. A position on the board at church. All he’s missing is a boat. Not just any boat—a 2008 Bayliner 192.
When Reverend Daniel Glory announces that the Rapture is taking place on October 17 at 5:51am, Hogan realizes his boat–buying days are numbered. So he does what any man in his situation would do—he borrows a load of money from the mob.
Not that there’s any risk involved: After all, when the Rapture comes, Hogan will be long gone. The mob will never find him.
But when Jesus fails to come back on schedule, Mark Hogan finds the mob is in no mood to discuss the finer points of end–times theology...
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Steven's home!
He is home at last, sleeping in his own bed. He still needs his antibiotics by IV three times a day, but they've got that worked out. The first thing he wanted to do? Take off his footwear and walk barefoot in the grass!
Looks like finishing his grade twelve won't be a problem. He'll be doing some coursework at home for the provincially examinable courses. He has enough credits to graduate. It's a good thing he's been an honors student! Helps a lot just now.
Thank God he's home.
Looks like finishing his grade twelve won't be a problem. He'll be doing some coursework at home for the provincially examinable courses. He has enough credits to graduate. It's a good thing he's been an honors student! Helps a lot just now.
Thank God he's home.
Monday, April 30, 2007
New update
Wow. I'm hoping to soon start thinking about revising novels again. Maybe as soon as tomorrow. The last few weeks have been something else!
Steve is recovering more rapidly than had been expected at the outset. He was transfered to our local hospital on Saturday and his mom is trying to get him released as he isn't hooked up to anything and she figures it will go faster at home. So he is really, truly, officially on the mend.
I spent the weekend with my sisters. All three of the sisses from far away were there, plus the local sis and I. It was enough to make the nurses think we needed name tags! Not only that, but several from the next generation came as well. And my one nephew brought his wife and 11 month old son along, neither of whom had met the extended family before. So now my mom has seen all of her great-grandkids. It was good to have the sisters together as we made huge headway into dismantling Mom's apartment. Certainly there have been tears as we realize that phase of life is over and another, difficult, one is in front of us. Mom's name is on the extended care list for a nursing home bed. In the meanwhile, she will remain in hospital until one comes available. She's been told about the extent of her stroke and the outlook for her, but she doesn't retain it all every day.
On Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day a little early being as it was the only time all the sisters would be together before they start heading back from whence they came. My nephew picked up enough Buster Bars from Dairy Queen (Mom's favorite treat) for the whole family--16 of us that day, I think--and we gathered in the hospital cafeteria with Mom in a wheelchair. It seemed like she enjoyed the outting, but apparently today she's forgotten it happened. Oh well. We tried, and she did smile yesterday.
In 1991 when we were all together (my sisters have lived overseas for most of their lives, so *getting together* doesn't happen often) my mom asked us to talk about what we wanted to inherit when the time should come. There are not many treasures as my parents did not have a materialistic mindset, but there were a few things from our grandmother, and some items such as serving bowls that had been our parents' wedding gifts in 1943. So at that time we made a list and wrote our names.
My nieces and I spent much of the weekend sorting out the apartment, starting with that list made in '91. A few times a sister would say, "I said I wanted that???? Why would I say that?" So there was a bit of trading going on but it went smoothly. My nieces and I also identified other items that had value--sentimental or otherwise--and laid them out to be picked over. We also shredded a lot of paper! My parents collected a lot of bits of poetry and jokes and short stories, etc, over the years. Our other task was to deal with the obvious garbage and recyclable material. In theory, what would be left at the other end would be items for a garage sale.
Working with my nieces brightened the task a great deal for me. Being members of the family, they had sentimental attachment to stuff, but being another generation removed also gave them more objectivity. And they enjoyed finding cards and treasures they'd given Grandma years before as well!
So the bulk of that sorting has now been done. We have until the end of May to have the place completely emptied, and the local sis and I expect to have a *garage sale* right in the apartment that last weekend to try to sell the furniture, kitchen stuff, lamps, etc, that the family has no need of. The apartment has been in the family for 22 years, so the building's owners plan to repaint and redo floors when we're done so we can have the sale inside no matter the weather. (Each unit has an outside entrance of its own.) So when we get over there with a vehicle some time this month we'll bring back the stuff I have set aside.
Emotionally, it's been a roller coaster. There were a lot of tough moments but also good times with family. Sisters and their kids are starting to trickle back away from BC and the excitement will be over, at least for awhile. Probably. We don't know the future, but God does.
Steve is recovering more rapidly than had been expected at the outset. He was transfered to our local hospital on Saturday and his mom is trying to get him released as he isn't hooked up to anything and she figures it will go faster at home. So he is really, truly, officially on the mend.
I spent the weekend with my sisters. All three of the sisses from far away were there, plus the local sis and I. It was enough to make the nurses think we needed name tags! Not only that, but several from the next generation came as well. And my one nephew brought his wife and 11 month old son along, neither of whom had met the extended family before. So now my mom has seen all of her great-grandkids. It was good to have the sisters together as we made huge headway into dismantling Mom's apartment. Certainly there have been tears as we realize that phase of life is over and another, difficult, one is in front of us. Mom's name is on the extended care list for a nursing home bed. In the meanwhile, she will remain in hospital until one comes available. She's been told about the extent of her stroke and the outlook for her, but she doesn't retain it all every day.
On Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day a little early being as it was the only time all the sisters would be together before they start heading back from whence they came. My nephew picked up enough Buster Bars from Dairy Queen (Mom's favorite treat) for the whole family--16 of us that day, I think--and we gathered in the hospital cafeteria with Mom in a wheelchair. It seemed like she enjoyed the outting, but apparently today she's forgotten it happened. Oh well. We tried, and she did smile yesterday.
In 1991 when we were all together (my sisters have lived overseas for most of their lives, so *getting together* doesn't happen often) my mom asked us to talk about what we wanted to inherit when the time should come. There are not many treasures as my parents did not have a materialistic mindset, but there were a few things from our grandmother, and some items such as serving bowls that had been our parents' wedding gifts in 1943. So at that time we made a list and wrote our names.
My nieces and I spent much of the weekend sorting out the apartment, starting with that list made in '91. A few times a sister would say, "I said I wanted that???? Why would I say that?" So there was a bit of trading going on but it went smoothly. My nieces and I also identified other items that had value--sentimental or otherwise--and laid them out to be picked over. We also shredded a lot of paper! My parents collected a lot of bits of poetry and jokes and short stories, etc, over the years. Our other task was to deal with the obvious garbage and recyclable material. In theory, what would be left at the other end would be items for a garage sale.
Working with my nieces brightened the task a great deal for me. Being members of the family, they had sentimental attachment to stuff, but being another generation removed also gave them more objectivity. And they enjoyed finding cards and treasures they'd given Grandma years before as well!
So the bulk of that sorting has now been done. We have until the end of May to have the place completely emptied, and the local sis and I expect to have a *garage sale* right in the apartment that last weekend to try to sell the furniture, kitchen stuff, lamps, etc, that the family has no need of. The apartment has been in the family for 22 years, so the building's owners plan to repaint and redo floors when we're done so we can have the sale inside no matter the weather. (Each unit has an outside entrance of its own.) So when we get over there with a vehicle some time this month we'll bring back the stuff I have set aside.
Emotionally, it's been a roller coaster. There were a lot of tough moments but also good times with family. Sisters and their kids are starting to trickle back away from BC and the excitement will be over, at least for awhile. Probably. We don't know the future, but God does.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Family Updates
In the past few days Steven has continued to improve. They removed him from the ventilator on Tuesday (if I remember right; the days are running together around here) and from ICU yesterday, Wednesday. So now he is on a *regular* ward but still in the Calgary hospital. They've started taking him for walks. He's quite enjoying real food even in the form of clear broths and I think ESPECIALLY being able to talk! They expect to keep him there for another week or two but the sun does seem to be shining on Calgary after the darkness of the past couple weeks. You cannot begin to imagine the relief and the prayers of thanksgiving that are being sent heaven-ward.
Of course those aren't our only prayers. I snuck a day off work yesterday to spend with my sisters and my mom at the hospital where she is. She's less alert, less talkative, and less cooperative. About the only thing she was emphatic about was refusing her dinner after only two bites. (She let me feed her the dessert, though--strawberries.)
My niece Karen is on her way, as are her parents who are missionaries in Bolivia. They all expect to arrive late this afternoon. My nephew from California arrived Tuesday night and returns home Saturday. Mom's recognition is approaching iffy and her interest in her visitors seems minor most of the time. Other times she hangs onto my hand (or whoever's) as though her life depends on it. Maybe it does.
Unless the phone rings meanwhile, I plan to go over on the weekend and stay a few days. My sis gave notice on Mom's apartment for the end of May so at least while the sisters are gathered we have something for everyone to do (sort and pack) besides visit at Mom's bedside (with each other as Mom isn't participating.) Of the five of us girls, all but one will be here. The last was here for a couple weeks in February and is trying to decide when to come back. It's hard to know. Mom could hang on for quite awhile, but it looks to me like she's giving up and just waiting for the last goodbyes. I don't know. I could be SO wrong. But that's where it's at.
Of course those aren't our only prayers. I snuck a day off work yesterday to spend with my sisters and my mom at the hospital where she is. She's less alert, less talkative, and less cooperative. About the only thing she was emphatic about was refusing her dinner after only two bites. (She let me feed her the dessert, though--strawberries.)
My niece Karen is on her way, as are her parents who are missionaries in Bolivia. They all expect to arrive late this afternoon. My nephew from California arrived Tuesday night and returns home Saturday. Mom's recognition is approaching iffy and her interest in her visitors seems minor most of the time. Other times she hangs onto my hand (or whoever's) as though her life depends on it. Maybe it does.
Unless the phone rings meanwhile, I plan to go over on the weekend and stay a few days. My sis gave notice on Mom's apartment for the end of May so at least while the sisters are gathered we have something for everyone to do (sort and pack) besides visit at Mom's bedside (with each other as Mom isn't participating.) Of the five of us girls, all but one will be here. The last was here for a couple weeks in February and is trying to decide when to come back. It's hard to know. Mom could hang on for quite awhile, but it looks to me like she's giving up and just waiting for the last goodbyes. I don't know. I could be SO wrong. But that's where it's at.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Health stuff...and other stuff
First off--Steven. He is doing very well, though the road from my last post to this one hasn't been smooth. He managed to yank out his respirator tube on Thursday so they had to re-do it and kept his sedation lower again for a day or two. Now, however, he is unsedated and understands to leave the darn thing alone. They are planning to remove it today and if things go well with that, he'll be out of ICU soon. Recovery will still be a long process, but his fevers are down and the antibiotics are doing their job. So that is a HUGE answer to prayer and I thank you very much. Steven will too! And I know his folks and grandparents are in awe of how many people have been praying for Steve.
Meanwhile my mom had a stroke so my focus has swung in that direction. Jim and I drove over Friday afternoon (she landed in hospital 90 miles away Friday morning). She'd been sent to the regional hospital for a CT scan and had just arrived back when we got there. The scan showed that she has bleeds on both sides of her brain. Just to complicate things, she also has a clot. This means they cannot treat either condition as it will speed up the opposite one. I'm thinking it must be unusual to have both kinds of pressure building in the same head. She's been on coumadin for a long time which is a blood thinner. It's supposed to prevent clots if I remember right. So it hasn't done that, and she has bleeds so they've had to discontinue it. Right now it is anybody's guess how long it will take for her to have another stroke...and which kind it will be.
The official words are things like *fairly significant stroke* and *the prognosis is poor*.
She can speak, but easily loses where she was going with a sentence. Then she gets frustrated while she tries to figure it out. Then she'll move her hand, her face will clear, and she'll say, "Never mind, it doesn't matter." Her right side is fairly paralyzed: she can lift her arm if asked to but not move her fingers, for example. Her right leg is equally uncooperative. Her left side has also been affected, but less so. Watching her left hand try to hold a fork and chase food around her plate is difficult, but she is shocked if asked if she needs help--and refuses it. The one time I did hold her knife up to the edge of her plate so she at least had something to run her fork up against. She glared at me but made use of it and the meal went better after that.
Every day it seems to be news that she is in the hospital, that she had a stroke, that she spent hours in the regional hospital Friday waiting for the ambulance to be free to return her to the local hospital. She knows us but is surprised that family is starting to gather from a distance. I believe she knows why, but then forgets.
Her doctor is on the hunt for a local extended care or nursing home bed for her as it is clear she cannot return to her apartment. She's managed the past few weeks (since I was there in March) with a live-in caregiver but that day seems to be passed. And of course we don't know how long this stage will last either. Could be a day...or a month. It isn't likely to be much longer.
Should we feel sorry for my mom? No. We should pray that God will take her quickly. My dad died almost 9 years ago now, she is 84, she has loved God and followed him for most of her life. It has been her biggest fear that she would lose her mind and waste away in a nursing home. She is ready to go. It would be a mercy if God took her soon.
The journey is hard, even knowing that heaven awaits her. It's been an emotionally wrenching couple of weeks around here and I appreciate your continued prayers for Steve, for my mom...and for me and my family. I'm home (and at work) at the moment but I know the phone could ring at any time and end this little lull I'm in. If all things stay even I plan to go over Thursday for a few days. I'd like to see Mom again...and also the clan is trickling in and I haven't seen some of them in a few years. It is silly to even try to make plans but hey, I'm human.
So, Chris asked why I was having company (in comments). Here's what happened about that. The company was my nephew (my mom's grandson) and his young family who are missionaries in Mozambique. Because of mom's stroke and us going over there, we visited with my nephew there instead of at home, which also gave him more visits with his grandma. We popped in to see her one last time Sunday morning at 8 o'clock before leaving for our place, where my nephew preached in the main church service. I took them out for lunch (remember the disaster in my kitchen!), then went over to friends' from the church who had offered to host a casual time for folks who wanted to visit my nephew's family. From there they left for Spokane.
Thus I managed to avoid having overnight company and even avoided having anyone over for a meal. While Jim and I were over seeing my mom, my in-laws moved the gas line and reinstalled my gas stove so that is a huge blessing for me. (My FIL was a gas-fitter before his retirement.)
Jim did go to work for his night shifts this weekend and is on his way home now. The cows have wrecked part of the fence so he does have to concentrate on fixing that before he goes back to work on the kitchen. His folks (and I) are tired of herding them back in! Of course, all our plans are dependent on what happens with my mom.
Writing? What's that?
Meanwhile my mom had a stroke so my focus has swung in that direction. Jim and I drove over Friday afternoon (she landed in hospital 90 miles away Friday morning). She'd been sent to the regional hospital for a CT scan and had just arrived back when we got there. The scan showed that she has bleeds on both sides of her brain. Just to complicate things, she also has a clot. This means they cannot treat either condition as it will speed up the opposite one. I'm thinking it must be unusual to have both kinds of pressure building in the same head. She's been on coumadin for a long time which is a blood thinner. It's supposed to prevent clots if I remember right. So it hasn't done that, and she has bleeds so they've had to discontinue it. Right now it is anybody's guess how long it will take for her to have another stroke...and which kind it will be.
The official words are things like *fairly significant stroke* and *the prognosis is poor*.
She can speak, but easily loses where she was going with a sentence. Then she gets frustrated while she tries to figure it out. Then she'll move her hand, her face will clear, and she'll say, "Never mind, it doesn't matter." Her right side is fairly paralyzed: she can lift her arm if asked to but not move her fingers, for example. Her right leg is equally uncooperative. Her left side has also been affected, but less so. Watching her left hand try to hold a fork and chase food around her plate is difficult, but she is shocked if asked if she needs help--and refuses it. The one time I did hold her knife up to the edge of her plate so she at least had something to run her fork up against. She glared at me but made use of it and the meal went better after that.
Every day it seems to be news that she is in the hospital, that she had a stroke, that she spent hours in the regional hospital Friday waiting for the ambulance to be free to return her to the local hospital. She knows us but is surprised that family is starting to gather from a distance. I believe she knows why, but then forgets.
Her doctor is on the hunt for a local extended care or nursing home bed for her as it is clear she cannot return to her apartment. She's managed the past few weeks (since I was there in March) with a live-in caregiver but that day seems to be passed. And of course we don't know how long this stage will last either. Could be a day...or a month. It isn't likely to be much longer.
Should we feel sorry for my mom? No. We should pray that God will take her quickly. My dad died almost 9 years ago now, she is 84, she has loved God and followed him for most of her life. It has been her biggest fear that she would lose her mind and waste away in a nursing home. She is ready to go. It would be a mercy if God took her soon.
The journey is hard, even knowing that heaven awaits her. It's been an emotionally wrenching couple of weeks around here and I appreciate your continued prayers for Steve, for my mom...and for me and my family. I'm home (and at work) at the moment but I know the phone could ring at any time and end this little lull I'm in. If all things stay even I plan to go over Thursday for a few days. I'd like to see Mom again...and also the clan is trickling in and I haven't seen some of them in a few years. It is silly to even try to make plans but hey, I'm human.
So, Chris asked why I was having company (in comments). Here's what happened about that. The company was my nephew (my mom's grandson) and his young family who are missionaries in Mozambique. Because of mom's stroke and us going over there, we visited with my nephew there instead of at home, which also gave him more visits with his grandma. We popped in to see her one last time Sunday morning at 8 o'clock before leaving for our place, where my nephew preached in the main church service. I took them out for lunch (remember the disaster in my kitchen!), then went over to friends' from the church who had offered to host a casual time for folks who wanted to visit my nephew's family. From there they left for Spokane.
Thus I managed to avoid having overnight company and even avoided having anyone over for a meal. While Jim and I were over seeing my mom, my in-laws moved the gas line and reinstalled my gas stove so that is a huge blessing for me. (My FIL was a gas-fitter before his retirement.)
Jim did go to work for his night shifts this weekend and is on his way home now. The cows have wrecked part of the fence so he does have to concentrate on fixing that before he goes back to work on the kitchen. His folks (and I) are tired of herding them back in! Of course, all our plans are dependent on what happens with my mom.
Writing? What's that?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
New Blog in Blog-Land
For the writers in our midst: If you haven't seen Randall Ingermanson's website, his plotting method called The Snowflake, signed up to receive his free writing ezine Advanced Fiction Writing or his newer ezine on marketing for writers called Mad Genius Writer or read any of his books (which you should have!) ...here's a chance to check out his new blog full of tips for writers: Advanced Fiction Writing Blog.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Oh yeah...and the kitchen
Just because there is nothing else to think about these days, my entire house is a disaster. Jim is frantically working on moving the gas range today and putting in at least the sink countertop and sink. More countertops would be nice but I'm trying not to be picky!
Every single room of our house--which is barely over 1000 square feet anyway--has stuff stacked all over. And there is a fine layer of sawdust overtop of all the boxes and junk. We're eating out way too much but trying to make even something basic like fruit salad and toast takes forever because nothing at all lives where it ought to and I can't remember where it is. Because it changes every time I DO find it to use it. Because there's never any place to put it back down! And because, if I don't get a sink hooked up today I'm gonna have to take a whack of dishes over to my mother-in-law's house and wash them, because there isn't even room to put out my camping wash basins any more. And a stove would be nice.
Did I mention I'm getting company on Saturday? My nephew Phil, his wife, and two kids ages 7 and 4. So yeah, I need to find the spare bedroom, too. Guess what I'm doing evenings this week? Racing the clock...and the calendar.
Every single room of our house--which is barely over 1000 square feet anyway--has stuff stacked all over. And there is a fine layer of sawdust overtop of all the boxes and junk. We're eating out way too much but trying to make even something basic like fruit salad and toast takes forever because nothing at all lives where it ought to and I can't remember where it is. Because it changes every time I DO find it to use it. Because there's never any place to put it back down! And because, if I don't get a sink hooked up today I'm gonna have to take a whack of dishes over to my mother-in-law's house and wash them, because there isn't even room to put out my camping wash basins any more. And a stove would be nice.
Did I mention I'm getting company on Saturday? My nephew Phil, his wife, and two kids ages 7 and 4. So yeah, I need to find the spare bedroom, too. Guess what I'm doing evenings this week? Racing the clock...and the calendar.
Update on Steven
Steven's Tuesday had its ups and downs as well. Although the doctors believe he could now breathe on his own, they are keeping him on the ventilator (and therefore sedated) because of his recurring fevers. They'd rather leave the tubes in a day or two longer than have to put him through REintubating him. The main prayer request today is for the fevers to abate. And stay there.
They're having to drain fluid from around his heart and lungs via a chest shunt, and they've had to run his IV through his neck because of how swollen his body is. Still, there is no sign of infection and that is good.
The odds of getting this bacteria are like one in a million. We always knew Steven was special! Foothills Hospital in Calgary has never seen this disease before, and only about 40 cases are reported annually worldwide.
Thanks for your kind words and prayers.
They're having to drain fluid from around his heart and lungs via a chest shunt, and they've had to run his IV through his neck because of how swollen his body is. Still, there is no sign of infection and that is good.
The odds of getting this bacteria are like one in a million. We always knew Steven was special! Foothills Hospital in Calgary has never seen this disease before, and only about 40 cases are reported annually worldwide.
Thanks for your kind words and prayers.
Book Tour - Return of the Guardian King Day 2
I'm frustrated that I just don't have the time or the brain power to put together the kind of post that I feel Return of the Guardian King deserves. Well, the whole series, really, because I'm still at 2/3 of the way through book 3 and haven't read the final installment. Karen Hancock is a wonderful writer and I'm enjoying the journey through Kiriath on Abramm's shoulder.
I hopped through a lot of blogs on the list yesterday. Usually when I do that I keep notes of ones to draw to your attention. I completely forgot to. I'm functioning on less than a full brain here these days and this is a way it shows, I guess. But if you go to my niece Karen's blog you'll find she did a bit of a round-up herself.
Karen Hancock is contracted for two more books from Bethany House. I'm looking forward to reading them as well. I'm sorry, Karen, that I wasn't able to do justice to this tour. I wanted to!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
My nephew--please pray
A few of you keep track of my daughter's blog and may have noticed her post a couple of days ago asking for prayer for her cousin Steven.
Steven is an honors student in his final year of high school: a bright, musical and fun fellow. Last Monday evening he had a bit of a fever. His mom (my husband's sister and my close friend) had him into emergency here in our small town three times over the course of the next couple days. When he didn't respond to the antibiotics and continued to get sicker, they airlifted him to Calgary Thursday evening. His mom and grandma (my mother-in-law from Been Farmin' Long left immediately by car for the six hour drive. A niece lives in Calgary right across the street from Foothills Hospital and was able to be there to meet Steven when he arrived. Steve's mom, K, arrived about 2 a.m. By 5 a.m. they had Steve in ICU and on a ventilator.
Meanwhile we were on our way to Calgary for Jim's Irlen appointment. In keeping in touch with K, we decided to go to Jim's appointment first and then to Foothills. (We were completely willing to ditch the appointment if she needed us; we could always re-make it for a month or two down the road.) Jim's appointment went well. A couple of things really surprised me about it. One was how much more clearly he can read aloud with the colored lenses in front of his eyes. I guess it is hard to inflect a sentence correctly if you need to focus on one word at a time! There was much more fluidity (is that a word?) to his reading which was very cool. Also, his verbal spelling was faster and more accurate. Don't ask me how that could be; it doesn't make a speck of sense to MY brain. But I guess when given a word to spell, he gets a picture of the object or action in his mind plus a picture of the word--then he spells it. With the lenses in front of his eyes, he skips the step of getting the picture of the object. That is so weird I can hardly stand it! It's not like he's reading--it's all in his head! We expect to get his new tinted glasses in a few weeks and are quite excited about it. Of course, this has been somewhat eclipsed by concern over our nephew's condition.
After Jim's appointment we headed for Foothills Hospital to see K. We spent a couple hours with her. Her husband and their other son (age 16) arrived shortly after we did. We were in and out of the ICU waiting room so much over the next two days that it began to feel like home. Things have been very touch-and-go for Steven. If he hadn't been airlifted to Calgary he is unlikely to have survived thus far. Friday was a very bad day. They ran a lot of tests (some of the results are still coming in) and he almost didn't make it through the day. Saturday and Sunday were days of minor (but real) improvement. We had to leave Saturday evening (back to Hanna's) and home Monday.
Saturday they provided a general diagnosis of a Gram Negative Bug--a super bug of some sort--with the complication of sepsis. Today it looks like they've narrowed down the specific bug to Fusobacterium necrophorum. CT scans show clouding in Steve's lungs which improved slightly on Saturday and worsened again Monday. Most of his vital signs have stablized and his oxygen mix has been reduced from 60% to 30% (about 20% is normal air).
However, there were significant setbacks on Monday. Steve has an adenovirus which normally wouldn't be much of a problem, but in his weakened condition, it is complicating things and he is in isolation. His fever has been up and down along with the rest of his symptoms.
He is in critical condition. While there is reason to hope, the situation could still go either way. You know...any of us could die at any time, but we don't feel vulnerable most of the time. To see my 18 year old nephew struggling for his life has really reminded me of what we all take for granted most every day.
If you are able, please remember Steven and his family in prayer. This is what is sustaining them during this dark hour. God is real and He is holding them up.
Steven is an honors student in his final year of high school: a bright, musical and fun fellow. Last Monday evening he had a bit of a fever. His mom (my husband's sister and my close friend) had him into emergency here in our small town three times over the course of the next couple days. When he didn't respond to the antibiotics and continued to get sicker, they airlifted him to Calgary Thursday evening. His mom and grandma (my mother-in-law from Been Farmin' Long left immediately by car for the six hour drive. A niece lives in Calgary right across the street from Foothills Hospital and was able to be there to meet Steven when he arrived. Steve's mom, K, arrived about 2 a.m. By 5 a.m. they had Steve in ICU and on a ventilator.
Meanwhile we were on our way to Calgary for Jim's Irlen appointment. In keeping in touch with K, we decided to go to Jim's appointment first and then to Foothills. (We were completely willing to ditch the appointment if she needed us; we could always re-make it for a month or two down the road.) Jim's appointment went well. A couple of things really surprised me about it. One was how much more clearly he can read aloud with the colored lenses in front of his eyes. I guess it is hard to inflect a sentence correctly if you need to focus on one word at a time! There was much more fluidity (is that a word?) to his reading which was very cool. Also, his verbal spelling was faster and more accurate. Don't ask me how that could be; it doesn't make a speck of sense to MY brain. But I guess when given a word to spell, he gets a picture of the object or action in his mind plus a picture of the word--then he spells it. With the lenses in front of his eyes, he skips the step of getting the picture of the object. That is so weird I can hardly stand it! It's not like he's reading--it's all in his head! We expect to get his new tinted glasses in a few weeks and are quite excited about it. Of course, this has been somewhat eclipsed by concern over our nephew's condition.
After Jim's appointment we headed for Foothills Hospital to see K. We spent a couple hours with her. Her husband and their other son (age 16) arrived shortly after we did. We were in and out of the ICU waiting room so much over the next two days that it began to feel like home. Things have been very touch-and-go for Steven. If he hadn't been airlifted to Calgary he is unlikely to have survived thus far. Friday was a very bad day. They ran a lot of tests (some of the results are still coming in) and he almost didn't make it through the day. Saturday and Sunday were days of minor (but real) improvement. We had to leave Saturday evening (back to Hanna's) and home Monday.
Saturday they provided a general diagnosis of a Gram Negative Bug--a super bug of some sort--with the complication of sepsis. Today it looks like they've narrowed down the specific bug to Fusobacterium necrophorum. CT scans show clouding in Steve's lungs which improved slightly on Saturday and worsened again Monday. Most of his vital signs have stablized and his oxygen mix has been reduced from 60% to 30% (about 20% is normal air).
However, there were significant setbacks on Monday. Steve has an adenovirus which normally wouldn't be much of a problem, but in his weakened condition, it is complicating things and he is in isolation. His fever has been up and down along with the rest of his symptoms.
He is in critical condition. While there is reason to hope, the situation could still go either way. You know...any of us could die at any time, but we don't feel vulnerable most of the time. To see my 18 year old nephew struggling for his life has really reminded me of what we all take for granted most every day.
If you are able, please remember Steven and his family in prayer. This is what is sustaining them during this dark hour. God is real and He is holding them up.
Book Tour - Return of the Guardian King
Sorry I'm late jumping in on this month's Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy tour. I have reasons, but I think I'll pop them into a separate post.
Return of the Guardian King is book four in a series by Karen Hancock. She's received awards for all the books so far. Return of the Guardian King could well continue that trend!
I first learned of Karen Hancock a couple of years ago and inter-library loaned the first book of this series The Light of Eidon and Arena (a stand alone in a different universe.) When Return of the Guardian King, which came out April first, became slated for this month's tour, I decided to put my money where my mouth was and to order the first three books from Amazon. Which I did. I am currently about 2/3 of the way through the third book and am finding many strengths to this series. I'd intended to have the third book, Shadow over Kiriath done in time to leave it with Hanna before we left on Sunday (I'd left The Light of Eidon and The Shadow Within for her to read.) However, my weekend did not go as planned, so Hanna has to wait for book three.
One of the things that I struggle with as a writer is how to make a fantasy setting come alive within a Christian worldview, especially in having a *fake* religion that supports Christianity but isn't it. Karen Hancock does a good job of this, I think. In fact, she so impressed me with her abilities that I emailed her when I was doing the worldbuilding for Marks of Repentance and asked her about it. She helped me to think through some of the aspects to consider. Thanks, Karen!
Have a look at what some of these other bloggers have to say about Karen and her books: Nissa Annakindt, Wayne Thomas Batson, Jim Black, Jackie Castle, Karri Compton, Frank Creed, CSFF Blog Tour, Gene Curtis, D. G. D. Davidson, Chris Deanne, Janey DeMeo, April Erwin, Kameron M. Franklin, Linda Gilmore, Beth Goddard, Marcus Goodyear, Andrea Graham, Katie Hart, Sherrie Hibbs, Sharon Hinck, Christopher Hopper, Heather R. Hunt, Becca Johnson, Jason Joyner, Karen, Tina Kulesa, Lost Genre Guild, Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium, Rachel Marks, Rebecca LuElla Miller, Shannon McNear, Caleb Newell, Nicole, Eve Nielsen, John W. Otte, Robin Parrish, Rachelle, Cheryl Russel, Hanna Sandvig, Chawna Schroeder, Mirtika Schultz, James Somers, Tsaba House Authors,
Steve Trower, Speculative Faith, Daniel I. Weaver, Dawn King, Rebecca Grabill , Jill Hart.
Return of the Guardian King is book four in a series by Karen Hancock. She's received awards for all the books so far. Return of the Guardian King could well continue that trend!
I first learned of Karen Hancock a couple of years ago and inter-library loaned the first book of this series The Light of Eidon and Arena (a stand alone in a different universe.) When Return of the Guardian King, which came out April first, became slated for this month's tour, I decided to put my money where my mouth was and to order the first three books from Amazon. Which I did. I am currently about 2/3 of the way through the third book and am finding many strengths to this series. I'd intended to have the third book, Shadow over Kiriath done in time to leave it with Hanna before we left on Sunday (I'd left The Light of Eidon and The Shadow Within for her to read.) However, my weekend did not go as planned, so Hanna has to wait for book three.
One of the things that I struggle with as a writer is how to make a fantasy setting come alive within a Christian worldview, especially in having a *fake* religion that supports Christianity but isn't it. Karen Hancock does a good job of this, I think. In fact, she so impressed me with her abilities that I emailed her when I was doing the worldbuilding for Marks of Repentance and asked her about it. She helped me to think through some of the aspects to consider. Thanks, Karen!
Have a look at what some of these other bloggers have to say about Karen and her books: Nissa Annakindt, Wayne Thomas Batson, Jim Black, Jackie Castle, Karri Compton, Frank Creed, CSFF Blog Tour, Gene Curtis, D. G. D. Davidson, Chris Deanne, Janey DeMeo, April Erwin, Kameron M. Franklin, Linda Gilmore, Beth Goddard, Marcus Goodyear, Andrea Graham, Katie Hart, Sherrie Hibbs, Sharon Hinck, Christopher Hopper, Heather R. Hunt, Becca Johnson, Jason Joyner, Karen, Tina Kulesa, Lost Genre Guild, Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium, Rachel Marks, Rebecca LuElla Miller, Shannon McNear, Caleb Newell, Nicole, Eve Nielsen, John W. Otte, Robin Parrish, Rachelle, Cheryl Russel, Hanna Sandvig, Chawna Schroeder, Mirtika Schultz, James Somers, Tsaba House Authors,
Steve Trower, Speculative Faith, Daniel I. Weaver, Dawn King, Rebecca Grabill , Jill Hart.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
And an early renovation photo:
So here is a photo that shows a bit what the new cabinetry looks like and the new lino. Of course the toe-kicks aren't in place yet. It occurs to me that I never mentioned on the blog that we changed our mind about which cabinetry we were buying. The price of the Home Depot hickory cabinetry that we wanted came in at nearly double these alder cabinets. I decided I liked the alder ones pretty well after all! They're built to very nearly the same standards--and we're not a household with 8 kids who slam cupboard doors so I expect these will stand up just fine for as long as we care. The main thing we like about these is the rustic graining which was also a draw on the hickory ones. Of course the grain in alder is different than hickory, but that's okay. We just don't like the fancy select-and-better wood with boring grain. And we're totally NOT an oak household.Today we're headed out of town for a few days: Jim has his appointment with an Irlen specialist in Calgary Friday morning. We also expect to do the rest of the shopping for the kitchen: the dishwasher, range hood, combo microwave/ toaster oven/ convection oven, drawer pulls, sink and faucet, lighting, etc. The countertop arborite should arrive here while we're gone.
So, in theory, when we get home Monday we should have everything we need to install the countertops, sink and faucets, and then run the new gas line to move the range. Have a good weekend!
Book Tour - Coral Moon Day 2
In keeping with the posts I did on novel openings last week, I'd like to pretend that chapter 2 is the opener of Coral Moon and show you how Brandilyn Collins presents the character and setting. (The first short chapter is from the villain's pov, and we don't learn a lot about him: specifically, just enough to set the stage for the conflict.)
In this opening page we get a sense of Leslie's surroundings, both her home and what makes her community tick. (Kanner Lake is practically a character in its own right.) And we see what drives Leslie. This also contains about all of the back story from the first book that is needed to get on with book 2. Does the back story feel dumped to you? Is it a good, bad, or indifferent way to hook us into the story?
Yeah, I know...I'm ignoring the real chapter one, which starts with the words Kill tonight--or die. So in this book the hook is in chapter one (2 pages), but the line and sinker are in chapter two. Confusing way to start, but it seems to work.
Leslie Brymes woke to a promising day of argument and scorn.
She stretched, groggy eyes roving the master bedroom suite of her newly rented house. Sunlight seeped through her pink curtains, casting the walls and carpet a hazy mauve. Her flannel sheets were soft and warm, coaxing her back toward slumber...
She resisted.
As sleep morphed into awareness, her mind began to pop with names and workday duties. Eleven a.m.--interview Bud Grayson by phone. Two p.m.--Myra Hodgkid at her house. Leslie smiled, imagining the arguments of these opponents and the article she would write. Nothing like a little controversy to sell newspapers.
She slid out of bed and made her way to the bathroom, interview questions trooping through her head. Mr. Grayson, how much did publicity from the country's fascination with the Edna San murder have to do with your decision to build a hotel in Kanner Lake? Ms. Hodgkid, why do you oppose the hotel when it promises new tax revenue for the town? As hot water in the shower hissed and pounded, Leslie considered others she might talk to, the word count she would need. Above all, how to push her story from the Kanner Lake Times pages into bigger newspapers and onto TV. The national-interest hook might still have some life in it, especially with the recent airing of her interview about the Edna San case on Crime America.
For that, she had to give her roommate a lot of credit. Paige hadn't wanted a thing to do with any public appearances, yet didn't try to stop Leslie from being on the show. Paige knew how much Leslie wanted it to boost her career.
The twenty-five thousand dollars hadn't been bad either.
Leslie stepped out of the shower, anticipation zinging through her veins. She donned a bathrobe and towel-turbaned her wet hair, then parked herself in front of the closet, considering what to wear. She pulled out jeans with sequins and little pearls on the thighs, laid them on the bed, then eyed them critically.
Perfect for the sweater.
In this opening page we get a sense of Leslie's surroundings, both her home and what makes her community tick. (Kanner Lake is practically a character in its own right.) And we see what drives Leslie. This also contains about all of the back story from the first book that is needed to get on with book 2. Does the back story feel dumped to you? Is it a good, bad, or indifferent way to hook us into the story?
Yeah, I know...I'm ignoring the real chapter one, which starts with the words Kill tonight--or die. So in this book the hook is in chapter one (2 pages), but the line and sinker are in chapter two. Confusing way to start, but it seems to work.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Book Tour - Coral Moon
So...last year I read (and talked about) the first book in the Kanner Lake Series called Violet Dawn. (That was the novel that opened with the main character discovering a dead body in her hot tub at night.) Brandilyn Collins has thought of more nasty things to befall the poor citizens of Kanner Lake in this second book, Coral Moon.
Yes, more bodies...but the first one is discovered in the passenger seat of the town's young newspaper reporter (no hot tubs in this story!). Once again Collins takes the reader on a ride with multiple pov characters as we all try to hang on for the twisty ride and figure out whodunit. This is the third book that I've read by Collins. Even though her signature style of Seatbelt Suspense isn't how I'd brand myself as a reader, I do like how she writes and will doubtless continue to read the Kanner Lake series at least. An innovative marketing (and community building) idea that she's had is the creation of Scenes and Bean, a blog written by readers who auditioned to play the part of Kanner Lake residents.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Half a Kitchen!
Of course the new kitchen isn't far along enough to post photos yet, but Jim and I spent most of the weekend completing the rip-out of the old kitchen (the sink cabinet and the gas range had remained to the end). We laid a sheet of thin plywood over the kitchen area and began installing the new base cabinets. The ones that can be are already leveled and bolted to the wall. This morning one of my boss guys came to install the new lino, which he and Jim both assure me looks wonderful...I've been at work and haven't seen it yet.
Jim leaves tonight for his job. The status is: base cabinets all in place. No countertops. No kitchen sink. No range. However, I'll join him for a weekend away on Thursday and when we get home Monday, we expect to get those 'minor' details taken care of before his next round of workdays (next week he leaves Wednesday evening). Then we'll have company for the weekend, so I'm sincerely hoping to have an operational kitchen!
So far we've left up the one main upper cabinet and don't plan to take it down until after the company has been and gone. Then in go the uppers and the electrical (which I assure you is fun with concrete block walls!) I'm hoping there's light at the end of the tunnel. At the moment, the entire house is a disaster and the cat is seriously annoyed with us. And I'm tired.
Jim leaves tonight for his job. The status is: base cabinets all in place. No countertops. No kitchen sink. No range. However, I'll join him for a weekend away on Thursday and when we get home Monday, we expect to get those 'minor' details taken care of before his next round of workdays (next week he leaves Wednesday evening). Then we'll have company for the weekend, so I'm sincerely hoping to have an operational kitchen!
So far we've left up the one main upper cabinet and don't plan to take it down until after the company has been and gone. Then in go the uppers and the electrical (which I assure you is fun with concrete block walls!) I'm hoping there's light at the end of the tunnel. At the moment, the entire house is a disaster and the cat is seriously annoyed with us. And I'm tired.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Novel Openings - In Legend Born
Well, it looks like I'm playing this game mostly by myself, but that's okay. By forcing myself to slow down and look at some of these openings--slowing down enough to type them out--I've gotten a few ideas. I don't know if I'm successfully emulating the techniques or not, but my contest entry is about as done as it's going to get and will be on its way within the hour.
Here's one last opening from a novel that's a little bit older than the others I've posted: In Legend Born, the first fantasy novel by Laura Resnick (Tor 1998). (She'd written romance under a different name.) Anyone wanting to watch complex and compelling worldbuilding in action can find it in In Legend Born and the novels following it. Superb.
Anyone besides me want to offer any opinions on this opening? :P
Here's one last opening from a novel that's a little bit older than the others I've posted: In Legend Born, the first fantasy novel by Laura Resnick (Tor 1998). (She'd written romance under a different name.) Anyone wanting to watch complex and compelling worldbuilding in action can find it in In Legend Born and the novels following it. Superb.
The Outlookers arrested him less than an hour after his boat docked in Casavar, the westernmost port of Sileria. It was a poor welcome home after nine years in exile, but Tansen supposed he should have counted on it. Despite his Moorlander clothes and his Kintish swords, he still bore the unmistakable signs of a shallah--and bore them proudly: the long mane of dark hair, the cross-cut scars on his palms, and a jashar, the intricately woven and knotted belt which declared his name and history.
Under Valdani law, which had ruled Sileria for more than two centuries, shallaheen were forbidden to bear weapons. And so the two slender Kintish swords Tansen wore aroused considerable interest; indeed, judging by the spee with which the Outlookers had singled him out, alarm would not be too strong a word. Realizing the Outlookers were after him, Tansen ruthlessly suppressed the fear which pricked him at the sight of those fair-skinned Valdani in their anonymously gray tunics following him through the crwded, narrow streets of Casavar. He was no longer a helpless, ignorant boy, and he would not act like one by racing through back alleys and over rooftops with a pack of clumsy Outlookers in hot pursuit, destroying the fragile peace and abusing innocent city-dwellers.
Perhaps he should have hidden his swords, but he really couldn't afford to have them out of reach. There was no telling when the attack he expected would actually occur; he only knew that he must be prepared for his enemies at all times now that he was on Silerian soil if a Society assassin came for him, he wouldn't have time to fumble through concealing folds of cloth for his swords. He needed to be as ready as he had ever been in his life.
Now however, he'd have to do something about these Outlookers. The long years of his exile, the skills he had acquired, and the battles he had won now stiffened his spine and gave weight to his voice as he halted on the rough cobblestones and turned to confront one of the men he'd spotted out of the corner of his eye.
"Did you want something?" he asked blandly. Valdan, the official language of Sileria for over two hundred years, rolled smoothly off his tongue.
Momentarily caught off guard, the Outlooker now swaggered forward. "Hand over your weapons," he ordered.
Tansen arched one brow. "No," he said simply.
Anyone besides me want to offer any opinions on this opening? :P
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Novel Openings - Shivering World
I recently picked up Shivering World by Kathy Tyers (Bethany 2004). I'd read and loved her Firebird Trilogy so was eager to check out her newest book when I finally came across it. Here is how she handled the novel's opening:
The science fiction feel comes through strongly from the first, and conflicts regarding Graysha's illness and her fear of the *open air* planet are obvious. We see a little less of what Graysha looks like, but there are a few hints. Enough for a reader like me, who likes freedom for the imagination to roam. If you like more character description, do you have ideas for ways it could be woven in? Does anything already in the story feel data dumped...or merely necessary to set the stage?
The ten-passenger landing craft's hatchway admitted a swirl of foul, rigid air. Wrinkling her nose, Graysha Brady-Phillips gripped her seat's armrests and stared out a tiny viewport. Yellowish-tan crater walls curved upward close by, like the monstrous rib cavity of some prehistoric beast that had swallowed the lander whole.
So this was Goddard, humanity's newest habitable world.
Habitable being a relative term, of course.
A tall figure stepped on board--a woman, Graysha decided after comparing shoulder and hip widths. Swathed in a belted brown coat that hung almost to her knees, the woman dangled a second hooded coat by its shoulders.
In that instant, everything Graysha had heard about planetary surfaces became real. There was no climate control out there. The very thought made her head pound...or was it just due to hunger?
Under the stranger's quilted parka hood, brown eyes gleamed over a proud, firm nose. "I assume you're Dr. Brady-Phillips." She had a throaty feminine voice. "I'm Ari MaiJidda, with a capital J. Colonial Vice-Chair." Raising her arm, she let the extra coat slide onto Graysha's lap.
Startled by the woman's abruptness and chilled by the blast of outdoor air, Graysha stood up and eased into the parka. She took special care to settle it gently on her shoulders. Her legs trembled, which she attributed partly to the mandatory three-day landing fast to prevent acceleration/ deceleration sickness. That made it especially hazardous to someone in her medical condition. But even more than the fasting, she attributed her trembling to sheer dread. Panic gripped her when she thought about standing on an unenclosed planet.
This was 2134. Born in a comfortable, enclosed space-city habitat, Graysha had never visited open air.
No wonder Gaea Terraforming Consortium offered triple frontier-duty pay to scientists and technical experts. Orbital habs provided greater opportunities and better air than any of the three established planets--dying Earth, sulfurous Venus, or not-quite-terraformed Mars.
And now Goddard...
"Are you feeling all right?" MaiJidda broke into her thoughts. "I heard you're terminally ill."
Annoyed, Graysha looked up from fastening her parka. All travelers arrived hungry! "All I need is to break my landing fast, Vice-Chair MaiJidda. Spending three days without solids leaves everyone looking a little peaked. And my complexion is fair, even under normal conditions." She had tied back her blond hair. Rare among the increasingly interracial settlers of space, it usually attracted compliments.
The science fiction feel comes through strongly from the first, and conflicts regarding Graysha's illness and her fear of the *open air* planet are obvious. We see a little less of what Graysha looks like, but there are a few hints. Enough for a reader like me, who likes freedom for the imagination to roam. If you like more character description, do you have ideas for ways it could be woven in? Does anything already in the story feel data dumped...or merely necessary to set the stage?
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Novel Openings - Talyn
I thought I'd take a look today at how a first person POV novel supports the same elements of introducing setting, characters, and conflict (preferably without data dump). Here's a sample from Talyn by Holly Lisle (Tor 2005). I happen to count this as one of my favorite fantasy books and have read it twice. First I bullied my library into buying the hardcover, then read it, and when the paperback came out I bought it and read it again. But...I hadn't analyzed the opening before, and I'm curious what you think:
Some authors can't find a decent way for the first person character to talk about how they look, but I think Holly pulls it off fine with Talyn (not that we know her name yet--that's still to come). Even in a tight third person pov it's hard to work in a character description unless the character is quite vain and thinks constantly about every hair being in place. These folks are more common in chick-lit than in fantasy, where the emphasis is generally much less on fashion. Come to think on it, that might be one reason un-fashionable me likes fantasy better!
From Holly's opening page, we get a solid feeling for the setting and quite a bit about how the main character thinks (mostly by comparison to her companion, Pada). And there are hints of conflict to come. I've already admitted to this being a favored book of mine, so I guess it's obvious I don't think the data was dumped, but I'm curious what you think--and whether or not you've read Talyn.
Pada and I stepped out of the Shields building at twenty past the Dog on the last day of Madrigas to find shreds of the moon peering out from behind scattered clouds offering the only light on the dock. The air bit into me--my light uniform had been enough when I went in, but while I worked, early spring had given way to tenacious winter, and I was not more than three steps away from the warmth of Shields when I wished I had my cloak.
"Lamplighters are late again," Pada said. Pada has a great gift for stating the obvious. Conversations with her include such statements as "Ah, the tide is high" and "Well, the streets are certainly crowded today," which makes her wearing company to keep.
The whores who clustered by the front door late at night, hoping for safer custom than from sailors in port, gave us good even, and we nodded acknowledgment. We in Shields guard all the taak, and the lands beyond, and we thus represent all.
Beneath our feet, the ancient boards of the dock creaked and shuddered. Beyltaak has no money for renovation, but I wonder every time I step out the door of Shields, if this will be the time the boards concede defeat and dump me into the icy bay. To our right lay the warehouses--looming hulks of black against black, since the lamplighters had not been through. To our left, the ships--and I couldn't help but notice how few rose and fell against the wharf, their wooden hulls bumping softly at their moorings, their furled sails flapping in the wind off the bay. Poor business, and in spite of that, the inescapable stink of fish.
When we were past the whores, Pada picked up the thread of her previous narrative in midsentence. "...and then he said, "I would that you would, with me, just once, for I dream even when waking of knowing the pleasure of you.'" Pada rolled her eyes. "And then he offered me whole bolts of fine ribbed velvet in red and purple, as if I was some street tart who'd flop on my back for his bedamned rags."
I watched Pada from the corner of my eye. Even in the dark, I could see her fury. She's prettier than me--delicate and blond and fair, with huge blue eyes and the features that gather men's glances like flowers attract bees. She takes all such adulation as her birthright--as her due. But she thinks men should just admire her from afar, and give her things. "If you don't want him to make such offers, stop leading him around by the nose."
Pada stopped dead on the dock and stared at me as if I'd slapped her. I was watching the whores behind us, and the dark cluster of bones players before us, and movement at the mouth of the alley just beyond that, and I thought perhaps, whether we were in uniform or not, we might keep moving. None of those on the dock at that moment were the best of company. But no, Pada would have her dramatic piece.
"I?! Leading him around by his nose?! He clings to me like a motherless calf. And for this, I should take his cloth and bed him?!"
I decided to get moving again; unlike Pada, I do not trust the Shielder uniform to keep away all evil, any more than I trust my looks to turn all men to pudding. I'm tall, with nice eyes and features that people call either strong or angular--or sometimes handsome. My mother was a great beauty in her day, but all I got from her was good thick auburn hair. The rest of me is a female version of my father. It's a look that works much better for my brothers.
Some authors can't find a decent way for the first person character to talk about how they look, but I think Holly pulls it off fine with Talyn (not that we know her name yet--that's still to come). Even in a tight third person pov it's hard to work in a character description unless the character is quite vain and thinks constantly about every hair being in place. These folks are more common in chick-lit than in fantasy, where the emphasis is generally much less on fashion. Come to think on it, that might be one reason un-fashionable me likes fantasy better!
From Holly's opening page, we get a solid feeling for the setting and quite a bit about how the main character thinks (mostly by comparison to her companion, Pada). And there are hints of conflict to come. I've already admitted to this being a favored book of mine, so I guess it's obvious I don't think the data was dumped, but I'm curious what you think--and whether or not you've read Talyn.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Novel Openings - Daughter of Exile
This opening from Daughter of Exile is a completely different style than the one I posted Friday. I believe this is the first novel by Isabel Glass (Tor 2004) and it seems to break many rules. The voice of the entire novel is similar to this opening snippet (so at least it is consistent!) but it does evoke a lot of TELLING.
The things I see here are a solid setting and character descriptions. The reader certainly gets a hint of possible conflicts, but to me it did feel like a lot of data. Still, I read the book because it was recommended to me. Once I accepted that this was the book's voice, I was okay with it, although it didn't keep me riveted to the seat or up till three in the morning.
I'm curious what you think. Would you turn that one more page...and then maybe one more?
It had been fourteen years since Lord Challo Hashan was banished from court, but as the years passed he did not grow resigned. Instead he turned bitter in his exile: his once-thin frame became gaunt, lines of discontent etched themselves in his face, his mouth turned downward in a permanent sneer of unhappiness. His golden hair developed strands of gray, turning it a strange rusted color, and grew unkempt to his shoulders. His beard, completely white, fell to his chest.
From court he and his four-year-old daughter, Angarred, had gone to his manor house, Hashan Hall. Once there, though, he neglected his lands, and more and more of them had to be sold off to pay his debts. He spent long hours in his study, poring over histories and genealogies, trying to understand where he had gone wrong, trying to plot a way back to power. After awhile his thoughts would stray from his books and he would remember the long candle-lit halls where he had danced, or the king's great feasts of twenty courses. As if torturing him, his mind would present each scene perfectly, the straight lines of the dancers as they bowed and curtsied toward each other on the checkered marble floor, the delicious smells of food mingling in the air.
Angarred frequently discovered him bent over one or another leather-bound tome, the fat candles guttering in the drafty air of the study. With her father distracted Angarred grew wild, roaming the fields and forests in her ragged finery. She ran with Lord Hashan's packs of dogs or swam in the lake or visited the people who lived on his lands, some of whom had been there for years without his permission, or even his knowledge. She was tall for her age, like her father, but big-boned, more substantial, with thick red-gold hair that fell in tangles down her back.
Hashan could afford only three servants, all of them hired from the village near the manor: Rushlag the housekeeper, Elenin the cook and a steward they rarely saw. Rushlag would sometimes catch Angarred before she set out and try to bind her hair in plaits or mend the holes in her clothes, but Angarred came home in the evening she would have lost the hair-ribbons and torn and dirtied the dresses, and Rushlag, catching sight of her, would moan and wring her hands.
The things I see here are a solid setting and character descriptions. The reader certainly gets a hint of possible conflicts, but to me it did feel like a lot of data. Still, I read the book because it was recommended to me. Once I accepted that this was the book's voice, I was okay with it, although it didn't keep me riveted to the seat or up till three in the morning.
I'm curious what you think. Would you turn that one more page...and then maybe one more?
Friday, March 30, 2007
Novel openings - The Light of Eidon
I've had so many crits now on the opening pages of Marks of Repentance that I'm more confused than enlightened! There are so many things that the first few paragraphs must do: catch the attention of the reader, provide a sense of setting and a sense of the character AND a sense of the conflict to be explored. But please don't data-dump it. That's the biggest no-no of all.
So what's a gal to do?
Read, of course. Pick up books published relatively recently and concentrate on the first couple of pages. Is there a catchy hook? Can I see the setting? Can I see the character? Can I feel the tension? And was this all accomplished without data dumping? I thought you might like to explore with me. Today's opener is from The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock, Bethany House, 2003:
This takes up less than a page of text. Does it work for you? What sense do you get out of this opening? What are you expecting out of the story? Can you see Eldrin, see where he is? Does anything feel data-dumped?
So what's a gal to do?
Read, of course. Pick up books published relatively recently and concentrate on the first couple of pages. Is there a catchy hook? Can I see the setting? Can I see the character? Can I feel the tension? And was this all accomplished without data dumping? I thought you might like to explore with me. Today's opener is from The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock, Bethany House, 2003:
"Why do we serve the Flames?"
"To ward the realm from Shadow."
"Why must we guard our purity?"
"To keep the Flames strong and bright."
They sat cross-legged on the barge cabin's single, narrow bunk, facing each other--Novice and discipler--their voices alternating in a steady rhythm of question and answer that had gone unbroken for nearly an hour. Since the noon prayer service they had been reviewing the six codices of the First Guardian Station, codices Eldrin must know tomorrow for the final test of his novitiate. He had long since learned them so well he could answer without hesitation, but he didn't mind the repetition. Right now it was just the sort of superficial mental occupation he needed to keep his thoughts of...other things.
"What is the source of the Shadow?" asked his discipler, one bony, ink-stained finger pressed to the page of the open catechism in his lap.
"The arrogance of Moroq conceived it," Eldrin replied. "The passions of the flesh sustain it."
"Who is Moroq?"
"The dark son of Eidon and Lord Ruler of the rhu'ema. The Adversary. No man can stand against him, save One."
"And that One is?"
"Eidon, Lord of Light, Creator of All, Defender of Man. Soon may he come, and swift be his judgment."
The rhythm ended, and the silence that filled the void after it made Eldrin's ears ring. He noticed the heat again, the sweat trickling down his chest beneath his wool tunic, the stifling mantle of his long, unbound hair weighing on his back. A fitful breeze danced through the high, open portal of the bulkhead, carrying the river's dank odor and a disharmonious chorus of voices from the crowds on its bank. Thunder rumbled out of the distance.
Anxiety, held at bay by the long recitation, came oozing back. Soon they would be docking, disembarking, and marching up to the temple to begin the long ritual that would end with his initiation as a Guardian of the Holy Flames. Or not, if things went badly.
This takes up less than a page of text. Does it work for you? What sense do you get out of this opening? What are you expecting out of the story? Can you see Eldrin, see where he is? Does anything feel data-dumped?
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
New beginnings
Opening scenes are HARD to nail. As the days tick by and the contest deadline looms closer, I poke and poke and poke some more. As was the case in February, I've had a cold this past week and thus my thinker isn't very clear. How can it be when I'm constantly blowing all my brain cells out into a soggy kleenex?
Last week (at my mom's) I did get a few hours of progress on the revision before we began disassembling the apartment and before my most recent round of crits showed up in my inbox. This version is closer, that's for sure. But it's not perfect yet. There's so much that has to go seamlessly into the first few pages it makes my head spin.
Last week (at my mom's) I did get a few hours of progress on the revision before we began disassembling the apartment and before my most recent round of crits showed up in my inbox. This version is closer, that's for sure. But it's not perfect yet. There's so much that has to go seamlessly into the first few pages it makes my head spin.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Back
Thanks for the prayers and well-wishes this past week. I got home Sunday evening from seven solid days at my mom's. I'm happy to report that she is doing better than I would have thought possible. Her health has been sliding since October or so and then they changed up a bunch of her meds a few days before Christmas. Some of these really didn't work out well and created more problems. She had a crisis in early January and then again a few weeks later in February. She's complained more of being light-headed and dizzy and I know for a fact she spent 99% of her day either laying in bed or on her sofa.
With Mom in hospital for five days after her tumble the doctors were able to finetune the meds again and I'd say this time things are much more in line. Even with all the stuff going on after she came home, she still felt better than she has in months, sitting in her rocker sometimes and even wanting to play Rummikube with me one evening. And when I say *all the stuff going on* I mean sorting out her apartment from one end to the other and clearing space in the second bedroom so that a care-giver can stay there without feeling claustrophobic. It was very disruptive and I was (am) not popular for doing it; she didn't see the need. However many things she needs on a daily basis are now much more accessible and a lot of junk (that she helped to sort) is gone out the door.
We had a long term care assessment done Thursday which had been scheduled for several weeks. At that time we'd believed that Mom needed to get into full-time care asap, but with the new meds seeming to be better balanced (all 16 of them) I think she has bought more time to live at home with some help from Home Support (such as bathing). Meanwhile a family friend is arriving today and plans to stay for a couple weeks and see how things go. (I hope she appreciates the cleaned out bedroom!) As far as the assessment went, Mom is fine mentally (which we knew) but has physical challenges. The results should be available later this week; I'm curious to see what the government will kick in for.
So I caught a doozie of a cold (again) while I was over there and of course Mom caught it too. I'm a bit worried about that but there was nothing I could do but keep going.
So. It was a long and tiring week and I'm glad to be back home. I missed my hubby (saw him Thursday evening to Friday afternoon) and my kitty. Jim hung a new front door to the house while I was gone; I'm glad that's done but some cleanup remains. And of course I came home to a mostly ripped out kitchen as well. The cabinets will be arriving in about a week.
Meanwhile at work, the guys had just locked the door for a week. As near as I can tell, there wasn't even a sign saying when we expected to re-open. So I'm having a Monday morning times ten at work.
With Mom in hospital for five days after her tumble the doctors were able to finetune the meds again and I'd say this time things are much more in line. Even with all the stuff going on after she came home, she still felt better than she has in months, sitting in her rocker sometimes and even wanting to play Rummikube with me one evening. And when I say *all the stuff going on* I mean sorting out her apartment from one end to the other and clearing space in the second bedroom so that a care-giver can stay there without feeling claustrophobic. It was very disruptive and I was (am) not popular for doing it; she didn't see the need. However many things she needs on a daily basis are now much more accessible and a lot of junk (that she helped to sort) is gone out the door.
We had a long term care assessment done Thursday which had been scheduled for several weeks. At that time we'd believed that Mom needed to get into full-time care asap, but with the new meds seeming to be better balanced (all 16 of them) I think she has bought more time to live at home with some help from Home Support (such as bathing). Meanwhile a family friend is arriving today and plans to stay for a couple weeks and see how things go. (I hope she appreciates the cleaned out bedroom!) As far as the assessment went, Mom is fine mentally (which we knew) but has physical challenges. The results should be available later this week; I'm curious to see what the government will kick in for.
So I caught a doozie of a cold (again) while I was over there and of course Mom caught it too. I'm a bit worried about that but there was nothing I could do but keep going.
So. It was a long and tiring week and I'm glad to be back home. I missed my hubby (saw him Thursday evening to Friday afternoon) and my kitty. Jim hung a new front door to the house while I was gone; I'm glad that's done but some cleanup remains. And of course I came home to a mostly ripped out kitchen as well. The cabinets will be arriving in about a week.
Meanwhile at work, the guys had just locked the door for a week. As near as I can tell, there wasn't even a sign saying when we expected to re-open. So I'm having a Monday morning times ten at work.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Family Issues AND Book Tour -- Double Vision
On Thursday my 84-year-old mother took a tumble, landed on her face, and knocked herself out. Apparently she called 911 and then hung up and forgotten she'd done so. She was quite astonished when an RCMP officer entered her apartment followed by 2 city police officers followed by an ambulance crew. They convinced her that she needed to go to the hospital where she was checked over and admitted. Jim and I went over (couple hour drive) Friday to see her. She has an impressive purple and black eye (left) as well as a bruise over the bridge of her nose and under her right eye. Her nose looked a little crooked but x-rays apparently show it was not broken. She also has a small circular bruise on her left shoulder which may be from falling against her walker handle (if the walker was against the wall and didn't budge?) It's hard to know, because she doesn't remember any of it. She's living alone in an apartment a few blocks from my sister's house and has become increasingly unstable over the past couple of months and has just consented to having the walker at all.
Now we're believing it is unsafe for her to live alone. She gets out of hospital Monday and I will stay with her for the first week. A family friend is coming after that to pinch-hit while we all work through more permanent options. So I won't have internet access and won't be blogging.
Meanwhile Monday-Wednesday of this week is the blog tour for Randall Ingermanson's book Double Vision. I'm sorry I will be missing the tour because I really enjoyed the book and wanted to point folks to Randy's site and his free writers' ezine.
I did ask Randy about some rumors I'd heard around the internet, that a person's advice is only as good as their last book and that it had been a couple of years since his last publication.
He said,
I'd hoped to follow through with more discussion with Randy but my mom's fall has taken priority in my life. I don't have the list of participants yet, so I'll just say head over to A Christian Worldview of Fiction and follow Rebecca's links.
See you all later!
Now we're believing it is unsafe for her to live alone. She gets out of hospital Monday and I will stay with her for the first week. A family friend is coming after that to pinch-hit while we all work through more permanent options. So I won't have internet access and won't be blogging.
Meanwhile Monday-Wednesday of this week is the blog tour for Randall Ingermanson's book Double Vision. I'm sorry I will be missing the tour because I really enjoyed the book and wanted to point folks to Randy's site and his free writers' ezine.
I did ask Randy about some rumors I'd heard around the internet, that a person's advice is only as good as their last book and that it had been a couple of years since his last publication.
He said,
Actually, I had two out in 2004. One of those was a Christy finalist
and the other made the BookList Top Ten Christian Novels list. So I
don't think I'm quite over the hill yet!
I had a book that was due out in 2005, but I pushed it back a year so
I could deal with my anxiety disorder. Then it was cancelled
completely, but if you ask the editors why, they'll tell you it had
nothing to do with quality. In 2006 I was relocating with my family,
selling a house, and buying a new one. It wasn't a good time to be
trying to write and sell books. I'll publish more books when my life
gets back to normal. But I can assure you that my lack of new books
out in the last two years has nothing to do with quality. As Arnie
Schwartzenegger once said, "I'll be back!"
I have two proposals circulating right now and hope to sell both of
them this year. And my plan for 2007 is to write another novel.
The last two years were an anomaly, due to disruptions in my life.
I'd hoped to follow through with more discussion with Randy but my mom's fall has taken priority in my life. I don't have the list of participants yet, so I'll just say head over to A Christian Worldview of Fiction and follow Rebecca's links.
See you all later!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Book Tour -- The Reliance
The Reliance appears to be the second book in a series of three by MaryLu Tyndall 
As life would have it, my copy of the book showed up this morning so of course I've only had the chance to glance through it yet. About the book:
So...a CBA book about pirates in 1668. Interesting premise. Hopefully I'll get a chance to at least start the book yet this week and give you a bit more information.
As life would have it, my copy of the book showed up this morning so of course I've only had the chance to glance through it yet. About the book:
A YOUNG BRIDE separated from her husband just as a child has been conceived...
A GRIEVING HUSBAND tempted to take his anger out through the vices of his past...
A MARRIAGE AND A SHIP threatenend to be split apart by villainous Caribbean pirates...
In THE RELIANCE, Edmund Merrick tormented by the apparent demise of his pregnant wife Charlisse, sails away to drown his sorrows. He turns his back on God and reverts to a life of villainy, joining forces with the demented French pirate Collier. When his mind clears from its rum-induced haze, will Edmund find the will to escape?
Seemingly abandoned by her new husband, Charlisse battles her own insecurities as she is thrown into the clutches of the vengeful pirate Kent, who holds her and Lady Isabel captive.
Will she be swept away by the undertow of treachery and despair? Can Edmund and Charlisse battle the tempests that threaten to tear them apart and steer their way to the faith-filled haven they so desperately seek? Or will they ultimately lose their love and lives to the whirlpool of treachery and deceit?
So...a CBA book about pirates in 1668. Interesting premise. Hopefully I'll get a chance to at least start the book yet this week and give you a bit more information.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Revised Word Count Goes Up
Marks of Repentance now sits at 8986 words revised, and the first 5K is off to critiquers. Again. The good thing about THAT is it renders more polishing of those first two chapters pointless for now. The only direction left is forward. At least, that's the only direction worth considering. :P
A few weeks ago when I received back my last round of crits, I came to the conclusion that I needed to eliminate Shanh's point of view from the first few chapters. I had a short scene from his pov in each chapter alongside longer ones from Taifa's. Now everything is from her eyes until they actually physically meet. She's seen him already, decided what kind of person he must be, and just realized she has no decision but to join her fate with his. Tomorrow will be the first scene from Shanh and I think it will be fun to revise. Because in the original the reader has already met him, I have a few areas to flesh out in this new first scene, but I do believe he is coming out with a more rounded personality this way. Strange but true.
In other news, I pulled out an idea for a hen-lit last night that I've played with on and off for the past couple months. I found that the Palm and its keyboard fit nicely on a hardcover and that the typing height and angle works well in my recliner! So I spent awhile *interviewing* my new main character Dorothea, commonly known as Dottie. The working title will be Connect the Dot. Not sure when I'll start writing. I'm not actually in any hurry, as most of my brain cells are occupied with Marks for now, and I don't want to rush that. I just need something new to turn over and now I've found her.
Poor Dottie. She doesn't know what she's in for.
A few weeks ago when I received back my last round of crits, I came to the conclusion that I needed to eliminate Shanh's point of view from the first few chapters. I had a short scene from his pov in each chapter alongside longer ones from Taifa's. Now everything is from her eyes until they actually physically meet. She's seen him already, decided what kind of person he must be, and just realized she has no decision but to join her fate with his. Tomorrow will be the first scene from Shanh and I think it will be fun to revise. Because in the original the reader has already met him, I have a few areas to flesh out in this new first scene, but I do believe he is coming out with a more rounded personality this way. Strange but true.
In other news, I pulled out an idea for a hen-lit last night that I've played with on and off for the past couple months. I found that the Palm and its keyboard fit nicely on a hardcover and that the typing height and angle works well in my recliner! So I spent awhile *interviewing* my new main character Dorothea, commonly known as Dottie. The working title will be Connect the Dot. Not sure when I'll start writing. I'm not actually in any hurry, as most of my brain cells are occupied with Marks for now, and I don't want to rush that. I just need something new to turn over and now I've found her.
Poor Dottie. She doesn't know what she's in for.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Writing update
I'm back to 5K on the Marks of Repentance revision. 2 chapters, 25 pages. Again. Have we covered this ground before? Oh. My. Yes.
In fact, a month ago I was all the way to 13K. Now, not so much. But it's better; it's tighter; it's stronger.
I think.
In fact, a month ago I was all the way to 13K. Now, not so much. But it's better; it's tighter; it's stronger.
I think.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Welcome to Blog Land!
Many of you have *met* my daughter Hanna online at Hanna's Life is Cool.
A couple of months ago, my daughter-in-law began blogging at Inside a Student's Head. If you are curious what goes on at the University of Victoria--and what an environmentally and politically aware student thinks of it all--pop on over and say hi to Jen.
Recently my mother-in-law started a blog for the purpose of joining the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. Yesterday's blogging lesson included filling in a meme and learning to comment on other people's blogs (look out Hanna and Jen, I've turned Gramma loose!). Please visit Dea at Been Farmin' Long? and say hello.
A couple of months ago, my daughter-in-law began blogging at Inside a Student's Head. If you are curious what goes on at the University of Victoria--and what an environmentally and politically aware student thinks of it all--pop on over and say hi to Jen.
Recently my mother-in-law started a blog for the purpose of joining the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. Yesterday's blogging lesson included filling in a meme and learning to comment on other people's blogs (look out Hanna and Jen, I've turned Gramma loose!). Please visit Dea at Been Farmin' Long? and say hello.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Irlen Syndrome
Have you ever wondered if you were dyslexic?
Our doctor is the kind of guy that remembers his people and would gladly stop on the street corner to chat. So when I went in to see him about my sleep issues a couple weeks ago he asked how hubby was doing and how the out-of-town job was going. I said pretty well, that he'd been taking his Industrial First Aid course and in fact was taking his final exam at that exact moment. Doc was interested and assured me hubby would do fine. I said, well, he's a bit concerned because he's a bit dyslexic. Doc had just been leaving the examining room but turned on his heel.
"Have you ever heard of Irlen Syndrome?"
Um, no. I hadn't. He recommended looking it up and gave me the name of a woman in a nearby town who is a licensed screener for Irlen's. When hubby got home the next day (with high passing marks, thank you very much!) we looked Irlen Syndrome up on the web. Just glancing through the basic info caught hubby's attention, so we printed off the five page test. Hubby scored fairly high on this test (not as positive a thing as scoring high on the first aid test!) and spent the next couple hours testing his parents and then pacing the floor talking about the possibilities and what it might mean to him if the Irlen lenses really worked. It was obvious that we needed to pull this to the next level.
Yesterday he had a two-hour consultation with the screener. Then he continued on his drive to work while telling me all about it on the phone. He's EXTREMELY excited about this possibility so (you guessed it) we're moving on to the next level, in which a professional from Toronto comes to Calgary every couple of months to go through the testing in greater depth and figure out which color lenses will make the biggest difference. This will be sometime in April; we expect to get a call next week with an appointment date.
This doesn't seem to be covered by our health insurance (though hubby's gonna double-check). The screening cost us $150. His next appointment (including the glasses) will run about $800. It's a lot of money, but if it makes the words stand still on the page for hubby, if the numbers don't keep jiggling into different columns (or becoming different numbers altogether, such as 6s and 9s), if more than one word is visible at a time--isn't that worth it? We think so.
Is it a scam? No. Hubby was tested with around 50 colored lenses and as soon as the blues rolled around, he relaxed. Suddenly he saw things clearly for the first time EVER. At his next appointment they will finetune the color; he expects about 700 colored lenses that day.
He has terrific eyesight; this has nothing to do with that. This just allows those bothersome little words and numbers to hold still to be analyzed and read. He reads a lot of fiction, but I think he kinda skips across the surface of the words, if that makes sense. And he sees the action happening rather than the words marching. Non-fiction--technical--is much harder for him. At any rate, I'll let you know what develops.
If you've ever wished you could see the world through rose-colored glasses--check it out. It may not be a bad idea!
Our doctor is the kind of guy that remembers his people and would gladly stop on the street corner to chat. So when I went in to see him about my sleep issues a couple weeks ago he asked how hubby was doing and how the out-of-town job was going. I said pretty well, that he'd been taking his Industrial First Aid course and in fact was taking his final exam at that exact moment. Doc was interested and assured me hubby would do fine. I said, well, he's a bit concerned because he's a bit dyslexic. Doc had just been leaving the examining room but turned on his heel.
"Have you ever heard of Irlen Syndrome?"
Um, no. I hadn't. He recommended looking it up and gave me the name of a woman in a nearby town who is a licensed screener for Irlen's. When hubby got home the next day (with high passing marks, thank you very much!) we looked Irlen Syndrome up on the web. Just glancing through the basic info caught hubby's attention, so we printed off the five page test. Hubby scored fairly high on this test (not as positive a thing as scoring high on the first aid test!) and spent the next couple hours testing his parents and then pacing the floor talking about the possibilities and what it might mean to him if the Irlen lenses really worked. It was obvious that we needed to pull this to the next level.
Yesterday he had a two-hour consultation with the screener. Then he continued on his drive to work while telling me all about it on the phone. He's EXTREMELY excited about this possibility so (you guessed it) we're moving on to the next level, in which a professional from Toronto comes to Calgary every couple of months to go through the testing in greater depth and figure out which color lenses will make the biggest difference. This will be sometime in April; we expect to get a call next week with an appointment date.
This doesn't seem to be covered by our health insurance (though hubby's gonna double-check). The screening cost us $150. His next appointment (including the glasses) will run about $800. It's a lot of money, but if it makes the words stand still on the page for hubby, if the numbers don't keep jiggling into different columns (or becoming different numbers altogether, such as 6s and 9s), if more than one word is visible at a time--isn't that worth it? We think so.
Is it a scam? No. Hubby was tested with around 50 colored lenses and as soon as the blues rolled around, he relaxed. Suddenly he saw things clearly for the first time EVER. At his next appointment they will finetune the color; he expects about 700 colored lenses that day.
He has terrific eyesight; this has nothing to do with that. This just allows those bothersome little words and numbers to hold still to be analyzed and read. He reads a lot of fiction, but I think he kinda skips across the surface of the words, if that makes sense. And he sees the action happening rather than the words marching. Non-fiction--technical--is much harder for him. At any rate, I'll let you know what develops.
If you've ever wished you could see the world through rose-colored glasses--check it out. It may not be a bad idea!
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Clarity
Clarity requires sleep, which thankfully I've had a bit of the past three nights. I think there are stages in writing where you can make progress even if you're extra tired. However, when you run into a brick wall and start deleting entire scenes, even whole chapters, change up point-of-view characters--that requires brain cells that actually bump into each other. That's basically where I was a month ago when I stopped sleeping, so working on the Marks of Repentance revisions has been close to non-existent in the meanwhile. I've opened (yet another) new file this week and am writing the first chapter from scratch (again). I know the information that needs to be in it but there were parts of the previous setting that interfered with moving ahead. We're now set in a marketplace (instead of at the city wharf) and it seems to be pulling tighter together. It took me three days to write about 1700 words and there are definitely horrible parts in there. It's hard to look at this as first draft when I've revised the entire novel a couple times and this chapter something like 8 times. However, first draft it is and needs to be treated as such. Treated how? Like something that just needs to be WRITTEN already--so I can fix it. It's difficult to fix something I haven't written yet.
I think it's a solid start. Now I just need to get some momentum going.
I think it's a solid start. Now I just need to get some momentum going.
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