Over at LibraryThing, I was selected to be an Early Reviewer for George Stratford's novel, Buried Pasts. Below is my review posted to LibraryThing:
In this historical fiction novel, the reader is taken back to WWII and the Berlin bombing raids of 1944. Mike Stafford, a Canadian pilot with the RAF, leads a crew on a dangerous night mission. After a harrowing flight to Berlin and home, the plane is crippled and the rear tail gunner, Geordi, is badly injured. Faced with a landing that is fraught with danger, Stafford makes the decision to order the crew to parachute out to safety while he lands the plane alone. The decision proves fatal to one crew member - which haunts Stafford for the next 20 years. In Berlin, a young woman watches as her city is bombed. Siggi is forever changed as well on that night as her mother dies in the basement of their destroyed home. In Chapter 4, we jump forward into the 1960s and see how this one fateful night played out in the lives of the surviving crew members and Siggi, the young German woman. The plot was interesting, with plenty of twists and turns. The author clearly did his homework on the research. However, the story would have greatly benefited from a strong editor. The overly thick prose distracted from an otherwise enjoyable story. Also, at times, there seemed to be a lack of focus - too many characters with too many backstories vie for the readers' attention. Finally, in an effort to tie up many loose ends all very neatly, the ending felt contrived and forced. ( )
I spent 3 weeks in a panic, from mid-July until August 4.
Months ago, the pony club (of which I am the leader) made a $500 deposit to
Daniel Stewart based on the early enthusiasm within the club and area to bring in a top notch clinician. But as the date approached, that early
interest had galloped away. We could accommodate 12 riders each day. And I had
firm commitments from exactly . . 6, and one of those was iffy. The balance due
Daniel was $1800, plus I needed to provide lunch and dinner, copying costs and
we’d agreed to split profits with the host location. I had to laugh,
profits? We were going to lose our shirts and I knew no one was going to offer to
split the losses. The club would have a tough time absorbing it and I was
losing sleep trying to think how we’d deal with this horrible decision.
Daniel was unworried. When I called him to give him the bad
news, he shrugged it off (easy for him to do – he was getting paid either way).
“I’ll just do a really great clinic on the first day and everyone will want to
come back the next.”
I cringed inwardly. He had no idea how hard I had worked to
find those few pitiful riders for the first day. Yea, right, he’d just wow them
and my clinic would be full and we’d stay financially solvent and those lawyers
from Kentucky that I’d heard stories about wouldn’t be knocking at my door. And
pigs might fly.
So after a long night of nail biting (and pasta cooking –
because I had to save money somehow and a freshly cooked midnight pasta salad
was cheaper than buying anything from the Stop & Shop deli the next day) my
daughter and I put her pony on the trailer and headed down to the clinic.
Early. And you don’t know what early is
until you become a Pony Club mom.
Daniel spent 45 minutes pumping up our little contingent of
riders and auditors. He talked about the importance of the “mental” game, of
developing strength and purpose and habits that lead to success. He peppered
his presentation with Olympic anecdotes and duck stories. When the first group
went to tack up, one of my auditors pulled me aside and asked if she could go
home, load up her sister’s horse, and ride in the later session. Her sister was
at camp. The horse was idle. I agreed.
Daniel did as he said. He had everybody in that arena
smiling and excited. People were riding in ways they couldn’t imagine doing.
Our mental game was sharpening. We couldn’t stop talking about the things he’d
taught us.
Other parents asked me if their kids could return, another
auditor decided she had to ride, and suddenly, my clinic was full.
We finished the 2 day clinic at a profit – even after paying
for copying costs and a platter of cold cuts.
One of Daniel’s key messages was the importance of music –
of creating a playlist of songs with motivational messages. That we should play
our best, most inspiring music 5 or 6 days before an event. That we should
inspire our selves and use music to help us achieve our dreams.
Since August 4, I’ve been listening, gathering and creating
playlists that inspire me. The first song I play, when I need to face a
challenge, when I can’t sleep, when the words fail me, is Brave by Sarah
Barailles. I hope you enjoy it, too.
This was a 10 minute writing exercise - Using Repetition for Effect.
She heard the gentle tap tapping on the kitchen door. So quiet it would never be heard out in the main ballroom. Out there where laughter and forks scraped against china. Out there, the people carried on, they'd paid for the evening, the food, the entertainment. In here, the kitchen staff prepared to feed. In here, those who didn't belong ate alone, quietly, hiding from those out there. A young girl opened the door to the musician. She was fourteen, the daughter of the head cook and restaurant manager. She waited tables out there and washed dishes in here. Out there they'd never know what was happening in here. The musician smiled a clumsy, awkward byt charming grin, all bright white teeth in a perfectly round face. He would eat well in here. She and her mother would see to that. Then he would go out there and shake the house down with that famous jazz trumpet.
In case you haven't heard - WriteOnCon starts tomorrow (well, to be precise - 12:01 am) - a mere 16 hours away.
I'd never heard of WriteOnCon before Sunday morning - but it has quickly become a new obsession for me. It is totally free and completely online. And can anyone really pass up an opportunity to be reviewed by a Ninja Agent? Not me certainly.
I'm re-reading my first 250 words, polishing the first 5 pages, dusting off the query (abandoned last May when school let out and my days disappeared). My user name is "FictionaLynn" and I hope to find a few friends over at the WriteOnCon Forums.
Writers! This looks like a fabulous event - click any of my links and see what you are missing!
In the course of just two days, I've been reminded twice of the importance of using music to motivate, inspire and "get in the zone" where I can be most productive.
I was incredibly fortunate to be at a sports psychology seminar with Daniel Stewart - former coach of the U.S. Equestrian Team (and one of the most energetic and up-beat people I've ever met). The first thing he discussed was the importance of using music to improve performance. He recommends developing playlists with motivating messages and that you start listening to that playlist the Monday or Tuesday before a competition.
Today, Writer Unboxed has a post that asks, Does Music Put You In The Mood? For me, the answer is clearly Yes! My favorite type of music for writing involves female voices and a jazzy sound - Madeleine Peyroux, Joan Osborne, Diane Schurr - I can write all day when they are singing.
For some reason, I'd forgotten how important music is to me - both to spark creativity and to motivate. As the summer draws to a close and I begin to reclaim my day for writing (rather than playing the role of chauffeur), I will remind myself to also take the time to update my playlists and turn on the music.
As I sat here thinking about what to put in a blog post - after weeks of traveling, reading, and horses (but not much writing), I saw this pic I took at the USPC East Coast Champs a couple of weeks ago. I love the focus of the kid, the moving pony, the reach for the mug - but mostly, I love how it reminds me that we do these things because they are fun and we love doing them.
I love to write, although I don't always remember that I love to write because it is fun. As we get older, we do so much because we have to, need to, are expected to, yada yada. It's almost unbecoming to admit that you do the things you do because you love them and find them fun.
So here's hoping you find the fun in your daily job, whatever it might be. If you have to do these things, why not make them fun, too?
When the temperatures start to break some records there's only a couple things worth doing - turn up the air-conditioning and write (or in my case, head to some coffee shop with cold air) OR go swimming. I'm incredibly lucky to be able to do both this week. I'm swimming out on the end of Long Island this week, at the lovely home of family friends, and picking back up on my Work In Progress (WIP).
It's tough getting restarted after a long delay from my writing. But I figure this is the perfect time to get cracking on it (eek - where did that cliche come from?). No distractions and beautiful surroundings. I'll be home tomorrow and then I'll be unpacking, cleaning, doing laundry, and re-packing for the trip to Pony Club Champs East, in Lexington, VA.
My goal is to get some momentum this week and maintain the pace when I return home.
I'm having a lot of fun reading the entries in Janet Reid's contest over at her blog. I had more fun writing the 100 words. You have a few hours left until the contest closes tomorrow morning (Thursday, June 27) at 9 am.
The rules are simple - 100 words or less. Write a story. Use these five words at least once: kill, Kari, dell, sheep, and codswallop.
I've been snorting and chortling over many of the entries and can't wait to see who is deemed the winner. (pick me! pick me!)
Despite the long (and growing) list of books already spilling off my shelves; despite the stack of partially read books piled next to the bed, over-flowing the end tables in the family room, and collecting in the corners of most of the rooms in my house, I still feel like I haven't found the perfect beach read. I'd like to take something good with me this weekend. With two days of milling about in the fields of Kent, CT, I need something quick to read.
The fields of Kent are not well-armed for the 21st Century. There are bugs, too much sun, no wifi, and no guaranteed power source. So I need a paperback book - one that doesn't require being plugged in, one that I can read even if the sun is glaring and bright, one that won't fry if the inevitable rains of Kent, CT should fall.
I've started Hosseini's new novel - And The Mountains Echoed - but I don't think it is quite right for Kent. For one thing, it's hard cover (too heavy for carrying all day) and for another, I fear it will be too intense, too hard to set down if I need to pay attention to the goings on the rally (which IS the reason I'm there after all).
I've also got Hilary Mantel's Bring Up The Bodies - but that also doesn't feel right for Kent. Mantel would be perfect for a longer vacation, or a stretch of rainy weather. Mantel requires a lot of focus and I tend to be tired and scattered at Kent.
I started a cozy - Hounding the Pavement - but am repelled by the talking dogs. Yes, talking dogs. At least in Rita Mae Brown's books - the animals can only talk to each other. . . . this dog walker with a mental connection to dogs is just too weird. And the writing is weak, so I've set that aside.
10 Days since my last post. And much has happened and much has not. Stenciled a jump, ran a horse show in the rain, spent a day in Boston. But, I've written nothing. 10 days of no writing feels like an eternity and I'm eager to get back to it. It's another rainy day in Connecticut, so it's perfect to write (as well as to nap).
Although it is a Friday - and generally Fridays are not the start of a work week (especially not the Friday before a long weekend). But so what? When does the calendar control my ability to be productive? That is the beautiful thing about writing - the Friday before Memorial Day weekend is a great time to start a new project.
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