As I previously mentioned, when I was 11 years old, I was on a quest - I had to find all the volumes of the Trixie Belden Mystery Series. Even back then, I realized the importance of reading an entire series, and I was hungry to read all of this particular series. Though I haven’t read one in years, I still look back at that series with fondness. While the Nancy Drew series was good, somehow the Trixie Belden series appealed to me more. Trixie wasn’t polished - as a matter of fact, she was known to be quite the tomboy. Also, she was younger than Nancy, came from an upper middle class family that didn’t have a lot of discretionary income and was just generally speaking, someone I could more readily identify with. I’ll get back to those books someday - just to re-read and see what I think of them as an adult. There were 39 of those books, and I did manage to collect them all eventually… and after one rather harrowing experience.
During the same trip to Lexington, Kentucky during which my Mom called and asked the largest book store in the state if they sold books, my older cousin (18 and had a car, thank you very much) was gracious and kind enough to take me to one of the downtown used bookstores that had copies of a few of the volumes I was missing. I don’t remember exactly which bookstore this was, though I suspect it may have been Glover’s, but it was very close to (if not on) the UK campus. Though it was the middle of summer, classes were in session and parking was at a premium. For that reason, we had to park (as best I remember) something like 11 blocks away from the bookstore. Did I mention that it was summer? And that it was nearly 100 degrees outside? Uh-huh.
The walk to the bookstore was great - I was excited, and we went in, got my books, made me a happy, happy girl. The walk back to the car? Not so great. My cousin, God bless him, didn’t think about making sure I stayed hydrated or cooled down, and by the time we got back to his car, I was literally on the verge of heat exhaustion. My aunt’s house was probably 15 minutes from downtown, and I was still gray and horribly nauseated by the time we got back there. He rushed me inside and turned me over to his mom and mine, and I assume they got me something cold and slowly cooled me down, as I survived . It had to have scared him to death, poor kid - he was just a teenager, after all.
So what is the answer to the question of how far an 11-year-old will go to get books she wants? To the point of having heat exhaustion, or 11 blocks in 98 degree weather without water or air conditioning. Another important question - was it worth it? Hmmm… looking back as an adult I would say absolutely not. I still have trouble tolerating heat to this day, possibly because of that episode. (No, I don’t blame my cousin - he didn’t know any better than I did.) However, at the time I shrugged off the heat exhaustion as part of the price I paid for getting some good books. It was an experience, for sure, and a fond (believe it or not) memory. I absolutely wouldn’t do it again, but I surely did enjoy those books. Of course, these days I have the internet, so I would probably just order the books, and that is likely what most folks would do these days. I have to wonder, though, if they’ll have that same fondness when they look back years from now?
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
How Far Would You Go For A Good Book?
Once upon a time when I was about 11 years old, I was obsessed with the Trixie Belden mystery series. They are books written for young adults, similar to the original Nancy Drew mysteries and contemporaries of same. Now, while these books were still in print at the time, I lived in little ol’ Hazard, Kentucky, and there were no bookstores in that town save the Christian bookstore that only sold - wait for it - Christian books. No heathen, hell-bound teeny bopper fiction there, no sirree! However, all hope was not lost as I had an aunt who lived in Lexington, Kentucky, where they not only had a bookstore, they had several bookstores. Large bookstores, small ones, used, eclectic - ah, the joys of a large college town.
When summer approached, I headed down the Mountain Parkway with my Mom, on our way to visit my aunt. I was so very, very excited. As soon as we got there, I grabbed the monstrously huge Lexington phone book and sat down to make a list of all the bookstores. Now, in order for you to understand how ‘huge’ the Lexington, Kentucky phone book was, consider that the Hazard, Kentucky phone book is the size (or was at the time) of a Reader’s Digest. No, seriously. They’re that small. Lexington’s phone book at the time was about the size of the Louisville Yellow Pages.
I made my list and handed it to Mom, who looked at me and asked what I wanted her to do with it. “Call them for me,” I said. “See if they have the books I need.” I had been very fortunate in being able to find the first 12-14 or so at the Perry County Library. One of the ladies who worked there, Rhonda, owned the books and wanted to get rid of them. Those came home with me, yes indeedy. However, there were several more volumes in the series that I didn’t have and was determined to get, thus one of our goals on this visit to my aunt’s. Finally convincing Mom to make the call after much wheedling, cajoling and flat out whining, I stood by anxiously with pen and paper in hand while she made the call. I was simply too shy, too afraid they would laugh at me if I called, so Mom was relegated to do the deed. First on the list was Joseph-Beth Booksellers. For those of you not familiar with JB, they are the largest bookstore in the state of Kentucky. The store in Lexington was their flagship store, and now they have several other locations, but even back then in the late 1980s, they were HUGE. Mom dialed the number, waited while it rang…and then it happened. It went something like this:
“Joseph Beth,” said the person who answered the phone. (I’m guessing that is what they said, based on Mom’s response.)
“Do you sell books?” asked Mom while MORTIFIED 11-year-old daughter sank to floor, certain to die from embarrassment within moments or years, whichever was more tortuous. My mother had just asked the BIGGEST bookstore in the ENTIRE STATE of Kentucky if they sold books. Of course, 11-year-old logic dictated that they would know exactly who we were. Uh-huh. Caller ID hadn’t been invented yet. They were psychics, wink, wink, nod, nod.
Pause on other end of line. “Yes, ma’am, we do sell books,” says confused sales person. I managed to pull myself together long enough to give Mom the list of books I was looking for, and she checked off the ones they had, asking them to hold them for us. (Okay, guess they did find out who the odd lady was that had called, after all.)
Unfortunately for me, they didn’t have all the books I wanted, so more bookstores had to be called. Want to hazard a guess at how quickly I grabbed that list and did the task myself? I didn’t think so at the time, but that has become one of my fondest memories. I am sure that she got a big kick out of it, and though she swore up and down that she didn’t do it on purpose, I have to wonder…
Stayed tuned for part II of “How Far….” and I’ll let you know just how far an 11-year-old will really go for a good book.
When summer approached, I headed down the Mountain Parkway with my Mom, on our way to visit my aunt. I was so very, very excited. As soon as we got there, I grabbed the monstrously huge Lexington phone book and sat down to make a list of all the bookstores. Now, in order for you to understand how ‘huge’ the Lexington, Kentucky phone book was, consider that the Hazard, Kentucky phone book is the size (or was at the time) of a Reader’s Digest. No, seriously. They’re that small. Lexington’s phone book at the time was about the size of the Louisville Yellow Pages.
I made my list and handed it to Mom, who looked at me and asked what I wanted her to do with it. “Call them for me,” I said. “See if they have the books I need.” I had been very fortunate in being able to find the first 12-14 or so at the Perry County Library. One of the ladies who worked there, Rhonda, owned the books and wanted to get rid of them. Those came home with me, yes indeedy. However, there were several more volumes in the series that I didn’t have and was determined to get, thus one of our goals on this visit to my aunt’s. Finally convincing Mom to make the call after much wheedling, cajoling and flat out whining, I stood by anxiously with pen and paper in hand while she made the call. I was simply too shy, too afraid they would laugh at me if I called, so Mom was relegated to do the deed. First on the list was Joseph-Beth Booksellers. For those of you not familiar with JB, they are the largest bookstore in the state of Kentucky. The store in Lexington was their flagship store, and now they have several other locations, but even back then in the late 1980s, they were HUGE. Mom dialed the number, waited while it rang…and then it happened. It went something like this:
“Joseph Beth,” said the person who answered the phone. (I’m guessing that is what they said, based on Mom’s response.)
“Do you sell books?” asked Mom while MORTIFIED 11-year-old daughter sank to floor, certain to die from embarrassment within moments or years, whichever was more tortuous. My mother had just asked the BIGGEST bookstore in the ENTIRE STATE of Kentucky if they sold books. Of course, 11-year-old logic dictated that they would know exactly who we were. Uh-huh. Caller ID hadn’t been invented yet. They were psychics, wink, wink, nod, nod.
Pause on other end of line. “Yes, ma’am, we do sell books,” says confused sales person. I managed to pull myself together long enough to give Mom the list of books I was looking for, and she checked off the ones they had, asking them to hold them for us. (Okay, guess they did find out who the odd lady was that had called, after all.)
Unfortunately for me, they didn’t have all the books I wanted, so more bookstores had to be called. Want to hazard a guess at how quickly I grabbed that list and did the task myself? I didn’t think so at the time, but that has become one of my fondest memories. I am sure that she got a big kick out of it, and though she swore up and down that she didn’t do it on purpose, I have to wonder…
Stayed tuned for part II of “How Far….” and I’ll let you know just how far an 11-year-old will really go for a good book.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
You Stab My Back, I’ll Stab Yours
Recently I’ve encountered this sort of behavior in several places, both personally and publicly, and it troubles me. No, it sickens me. Don’t we all have something better to do with our time? Here’s the public part of the story…
In one of the forums on which I regularly participate, there has been a raging debate as to whether or not there is a bias toward or against certain posters by the forum's moderators. As I have only posted on this forum for a few short months and am not entirely familiar with its history, I cannot say for certain, but I feel there probably are legitimate complaints in the mix. Here is an example of what may happen. One of the most prolific posters on the forum is a nice lady, if somewhat - well, gosh. I have to say that she's a little rabid in posting and expounding her beliefs. There is nothing wrong with defending your positions and ideals, but when you deliberately start flaming hot topics (such as that of abortion or the existence of God) with the sole purpose of entrapping a person who doesn't agree with you and then turning on them, that is a more than a little underhanded. It smacks of high school when the popular girls would pretend to be friends with the less than popular, turning against them at some pivotal, embarrassing point just to get a few laughs. I like the rabid poster, to a degree. I have corresponded with her privately, both about issues she has brought up and other things. Most of the time we are on the same side of issues, although I don’t agree with her style of debating her viewpoints. I don’t think she sees what she does as trying to start trouble, but more that she truly believes she is doing what is right. I know this because I've had other people like her turn to me after decimating someone for having a differing view and say "See, I told you. Wasn't I right?" Their righteousness is more important to them than humbling themselves to someone they have offended. They would rather know they were right than to consider there might be another opinion besides their own. If by some miracle they deign to concede they might have been wrong, they leave no doubt in the process by which they do so that they aren’t truly sorry for any damage they might have done. The person to whom the offense has been issued should have known what they meant to say in the first place, so once again, it really was all the other person’s fault. Just for the record, the lady I referenced above isn’t the only rabid poster on the forum. She is, though, the most prolific.
In any event, getting back on topic. While most of the moderators of this forum truly attempt to be neutral, some don't. The people like the rabid poster know this and take full advantage of it. They manage to slip in under the radar, phrasing their attacks just so that they don’t get warned, but still sliding that knife of betrayal into the ribs of their prey. The prey defends itself angrily and is slapped down by the biased moderators, causing the prey to defend itself in such a way that the neutral moderators have no choice but to intervene. As a result, the prey feels hammered upon without an outlet for which to voice its opinion, and the rabid poster feels triumphant, their confidence stronger that they will be able to start any topic and attack any dissenter with immunity.
Don’t get me wrong here - the prey isn’t always the innocent, injured party. Sometimes the prey is just as determined and underhanded as the rabid poster to get their jabs in, using whatever means they have at their disposal. They also play the game well, and in some cases seem to get as much a kick out of causing trouble as the rabid poster. When they could come back with a less aggressive, more tactful response, they post comments that they know will be inflammatory, and the thread is off and running, quickly devolving into a free-for-all. They do this in order to demonstrate just how biased the moderators must be, crying about unfair treatment when they accomplish exactly what they knew would happen. Brings us back to the “See, I told you so,” moment.
The end result of all this fighting is that the rabid poster and the prey both sit back from their keyboards, satisfied, gloating, happy to have caused turmoil, unable to see that they have caused possible irreparable damage to the forum. Visitors will only see that there is no respect for fellow posters, no intelligent discussion of relevant or irrelevant topics, and no reason to participate since, as their views fall along one side or another, they don’t want to be attacked personally like the others have been. The true prey, the ones who are attacked but not defended, whose voices ask for nothing more than fair treatment, are left sickened and saddened by not being defended, for being that unpopular kid whom everyone laughs at and no one comforts. They slink away to lick their wounds, coming back a little more cynical and bitter, if they come back at all.
If the topics on this forum were discussed in the “real world”, probably 75% of what gets said and the way it is said would never make it past a thought. Most of the posters, rabid and prey alike, would never approach strangers in public or private and attack their beliefs the way they do on the forum. It is one of the most freeing aspects of an internet-based community, and also one of the saddest.
The back-stabbing behavior does not stop at the borders of the community forum. No, it extends to social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and the like, perhaps allowing people to be more honest than they normally would be, not fully realizing that making their comments could hold repercussions. They either don’t expect the people they discuss to find out about their comments, or they don’t care. The internet has stripped away a layer of civility that most people didn’t realize was there - for better or worse. I know it is human behavior, but my question is this - why can’t we all just get along? If you don’t like someone, fine - don’t like them. Don’t associate with them. Don’t try to deliberately bait them, make them say something you can use against them. Don’t fall to that level. Don’t we all have better things to do than run around and be petty, saying hurtful things just to see what happens?
In one of the forums on which I regularly participate, there has been a raging debate as to whether or not there is a bias toward or against certain posters by the forum's moderators. As I have only posted on this forum for a few short months and am not entirely familiar with its history, I cannot say for certain, but I feel there probably are legitimate complaints in the mix. Here is an example of what may happen. One of the most prolific posters on the forum is a nice lady, if somewhat - well, gosh. I have to say that she's a little rabid in posting and expounding her beliefs. There is nothing wrong with defending your positions and ideals, but when you deliberately start flaming hot topics (such as that of abortion or the existence of God) with the sole purpose of entrapping a person who doesn't agree with you and then turning on them, that is a more than a little underhanded. It smacks of high school when the popular girls would pretend to be friends with the less than popular, turning against them at some pivotal, embarrassing point just to get a few laughs. I like the rabid poster, to a degree. I have corresponded with her privately, both about issues she has brought up and other things. Most of the time we are on the same side of issues, although I don’t agree with her style of debating her viewpoints. I don’t think she sees what she does as trying to start trouble, but more that she truly believes she is doing what is right. I know this because I've had other people like her turn to me after decimating someone for having a differing view and say "See, I told you. Wasn't I right?" Their righteousness is more important to them than humbling themselves to someone they have offended. They would rather know they were right than to consider there might be another opinion besides their own. If by some miracle they deign to concede they might have been wrong, they leave no doubt in the process by which they do so that they aren’t truly sorry for any damage they might have done. The person to whom the offense has been issued should have known what they meant to say in the first place, so once again, it really was all the other person’s fault. Just for the record, the lady I referenced above isn’t the only rabid poster on the forum. She is, though, the most prolific.
In any event, getting back on topic. While most of the moderators of this forum truly attempt to be neutral, some don't. The people like the rabid poster know this and take full advantage of it. They manage to slip in under the radar, phrasing their attacks just so that they don’t get warned, but still sliding that knife of betrayal into the ribs of their prey. The prey defends itself angrily and is slapped down by the biased moderators, causing the prey to defend itself in such a way that the neutral moderators have no choice but to intervene. As a result, the prey feels hammered upon without an outlet for which to voice its opinion, and the rabid poster feels triumphant, their confidence stronger that they will be able to start any topic and attack any dissenter with immunity.
Don’t get me wrong here - the prey isn’t always the innocent, injured party. Sometimes the prey is just as determined and underhanded as the rabid poster to get their jabs in, using whatever means they have at their disposal. They also play the game well, and in some cases seem to get as much a kick out of causing trouble as the rabid poster. When they could come back with a less aggressive, more tactful response, they post comments that they know will be inflammatory, and the thread is off and running, quickly devolving into a free-for-all. They do this in order to demonstrate just how biased the moderators must be, crying about unfair treatment when they accomplish exactly what they knew would happen. Brings us back to the “See, I told you so,” moment.
The end result of all this fighting is that the rabid poster and the prey both sit back from their keyboards, satisfied, gloating, happy to have caused turmoil, unable to see that they have caused possible irreparable damage to the forum. Visitors will only see that there is no respect for fellow posters, no intelligent discussion of relevant or irrelevant topics, and no reason to participate since, as their views fall along one side or another, they don’t want to be attacked personally like the others have been. The true prey, the ones who are attacked but not defended, whose voices ask for nothing more than fair treatment, are left sickened and saddened by not being defended, for being that unpopular kid whom everyone laughs at and no one comforts. They slink away to lick their wounds, coming back a little more cynical and bitter, if they come back at all.
If the topics on this forum were discussed in the “real world”, probably 75% of what gets said and the way it is said would never make it past a thought. Most of the posters, rabid and prey alike, would never approach strangers in public or private and attack their beliefs the way they do on the forum. It is one of the most freeing aspects of an internet-based community, and also one of the saddest.
The back-stabbing behavior does not stop at the borders of the community forum. No, it extends to social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and the like, perhaps allowing people to be more honest than they normally would be, not fully realizing that making their comments could hold repercussions. They either don’t expect the people they discuss to find out about their comments, or they don’t care. The internet has stripped away a layer of civility that most people didn’t realize was there - for better or worse. I know it is human behavior, but my question is this - why can’t we all just get along? If you don’t like someone, fine - don’t like them. Don’t associate with them. Don’t try to deliberately bait them, make them say something you can use against them. Don’t fall to that level. Don’t we all have better things to do than run around and be petty, saying hurtful things just to see what happens?
Thursday, May 13, 2010
My Recent Reads...
I've always been an avid reader, reading a minimum of two books per week and an average of four per week for probably the past, well gosh, 29 years of my life! (I'm 34, if you were wondering.) Since I started writing, however, I've read less than ever, as I don't want to 'contaminate' my mind with other authors' works. There have been days when I wanted nothing more than to sit down and read a book, especially if it was one I had been waiting for from one of my favorite authors, but I used all my willpower and strength to resist until after I had reached a particular goal in my writing.
Now that I've started book two, I've had a few days here and there where I have been able to sit down and read, and I thought I would share the thoughts on what I've read recently. Here goes:
"The Girl Who Chased the Moon" Sarah Addison Allen. First off, I will read anything this woman writes. She has a true gift, the ability to make the ordinary seem magical, and the magical to seem ordinary and enchanting at the same time. This is her third book, "Garden Spells" and "The Sugar Queen" being the first two, and it did not disappoint. I would dearly love to see these books made into movies, not just because they are charming books, but because they would be suitable for families. There is romance, but it isn't vulgar. The characters aren't perfect, but their flaws enhance them instead of detract. For me it is just an added bonus that SAA is an Appalachian writer. I would recommend her books to anyone.
"Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake" by Sarah MacLean. Oh, I was disappointed to find out that this is only Ms. MacLean's second book. Her first, "The Season", was a young adult novel, and to my surprise, I enjoyed it as much as "Nine Rules". They are both Regency romance, which is my favorite romantic genre, and they are extremely well-written. My heart went out to the leading lady in "Nine Rules", and the characters were so believable. I will definitely keep an eye on this author's upcoming projects, and may even spend my allowance on her new titles when they are released. (Yes, hubby and I give each other an allowance - helps with budgeting.)
"Savor the Moment" by Nora Roberts. Let me preface this by saying that I have been a NR fan for years, and I own copies of most of the books she has written. I have liked most of her series, with the exception of the Morrigan’s Cross trilogy, and this new one - the Bride Quartet. The first book was acceptable. Not anything really special to write home about, but a decent way to spend an afternoon and not have to exercise my brain overmuch. The second book - not so good. This latest? Oh, my. Lots of style but absolutely no substance. I admit that I panned it in a review on Amazon.com, giving it only one star. I won’t go into the detail here that I did on that site, but I will say this - Nora Roberts can do better. I don’t know why she is cranking out book after book these days with no plot, but it seems to be a pattern she has fallen into. I am heartily disappointed by this, as I have always enjoyed her work prior to the last few that I’ve read. The basic premise for this book was a good one, and could have been done so much better than it was.
Well, that’s what I’ve been reading, and I’ll probably do more of these types of posts in the future. Hope you all enjoy them
Now that I've started book two, I've had a few days here and there where I have been able to sit down and read, and I thought I would share the thoughts on what I've read recently. Here goes:
"The Girl Who Chased the Moon" Sarah Addison Allen. First off, I will read anything this woman writes. She has a true gift, the ability to make the ordinary seem magical, and the magical to seem ordinary and enchanting at the same time. This is her third book, "Garden Spells" and "The Sugar Queen" being the first two, and it did not disappoint. I would dearly love to see these books made into movies, not just because they are charming books, but because they would be suitable for families. There is romance, but it isn't vulgar. The characters aren't perfect, but their flaws enhance them instead of detract. For me it is just an added bonus that SAA is an Appalachian writer. I would recommend her books to anyone.
"Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake" by Sarah MacLean. Oh, I was disappointed to find out that this is only Ms. MacLean's second book. Her first, "The Season", was a young adult novel, and to my surprise, I enjoyed it as much as "Nine Rules". They are both Regency romance, which is my favorite romantic genre, and they are extremely well-written. My heart went out to the leading lady in "Nine Rules", and the characters were so believable. I will definitely keep an eye on this author's upcoming projects, and may even spend my allowance on her new titles when they are released. (Yes, hubby and I give each other an allowance - helps with budgeting.)
"Savor the Moment" by Nora Roberts. Let me preface this by saying that I have been a NR fan for years, and I own copies of most of the books she has written. I have liked most of her series, with the exception of the Morrigan’s Cross trilogy, and this new one - the Bride Quartet. The first book was acceptable. Not anything really special to write home about, but a decent way to spend an afternoon and not have to exercise my brain overmuch. The second book - not so good. This latest? Oh, my. Lots of style but absolutely no substance. I admit that I panned it in a review on Amazon.com, giving it only one star. I won’t go into the detail here that I did on that site, but I will say this - Nora Roberts can do better. I don’t know why she is cranking out book after book these days with no plot, but it seems to be a pattern she has fallen into. I am heartily disappointed by this, as I have always enjoyed her work prior to the last few that I’ve read. The basic premise for this book was a good one, and could have been done so much better than it was.
Well, that’s what I’ve been reading, and I’ll probably do more of these types of posts in the future. Hope you all enjoy them
Friday, May 7, 2010
I see dead people!!!
Okay, not really - but....
I am the kind of person who drives down the road and sees drainage ditches, woody ravines, abandoned houses, and thinks "I wonder if there's a dead body in there." I would probably never consider becoming a hiker, a utility worker or a jogger, as those folks find lots of bodies, too. I may have an obsession with true crime, but I don't want to actually experience something as gruesome as finding bodies.
Until I finally freed my inner author, I had to keep my morbid thoughts fairly tightly contained. Hubby and I would discuss these random ideas that would float through my brain, and so would some close friends. However, there have been times when I would make jokes and just get this very strange look - like when we had to replace our freezer. I go into the large home improvement box store and start looking at their freezers, and over the top of the appliances where the price and description tags are located, one of the lines of the descriptions caught my attention. The line said "one person freezer" or "two person freezer". I turned to the sales lady and asked "Does that mean I can only get one body in here?" She just looked at me for a minute and then said "I had someone else ask me that just the other day." Apparently I'm not the only morbid person in Southern Indiana, and I have to say I would loved to have met the other person who noticed that line and made the comment.
I also have to admit that I'm anxiously awaiting the first time when someone looks at me after having read one of my books and wonders where I learned to break into some place without setting off the security system, or how I learned what kind of damage a certain caliber of bullet will do to the human body. I've had a couple of people ask, so far, but no one has had that 'look' on their face, the one that says 'I don't know if I feel safe around you'. Now, how morbid am I that I look forward to that? Well, simply put, if I envoke that kind of emotion in a reader, I've done my job. Secrets in the Shadows is less likely to inspire that sort of feeling, I think, than Under the Moon's Shadow. When it comes out, I'd bet that I'll get some funny looks from people, probably those in my own family.
There is a part of me that dreads having to put certain scenes in the books. These are the darker scenes, and I guess it is a little disconcerting to think that my inner demons are going to be exposed for the world to see, if they care to. The knowledge and fascination I have for the criminal and twisted mind, well, it could be disturbing for those who don't share it. It is a risk I'll have to take.
Until next time...
I am the kind of person who drives down the road and sees drainage ditches, woody ravines, abandoned houses, and thinks "I wonder if there's a dead body in there." I would probably never consider becoming a hiker, a utility worker or a jogger, as those folks find lots of bodies, too. I may have an obsession with true crime, but I don't want to actually experience something as gruesome as finding bodies.
Until I finally freed my inner author, I had to keep my morbid thoughts fairly tightly contained. Hubby and I would discuss these random ideas that would float through my brain, and so would some close friends. However, there have been times when I would make jokes and just get this very strange look - like when we had to replace our freezer. I go into the large home improvement box store and start looking at their freezers, and over the top of the appliances where the price and description tags are located, one of the lines of the descriptions caught my attention. The line said "one person freezer" or "two person freezer". I turned to the sales lady and asked "Does that mean I can only get one body in here?" She just looked at me for a minute and then said "I had someone else ask me that just the other day." Apparently I'm not the only morbid person in Southern Indiana, and I have to say I would loved to have met the other person who noticed that line and made the comment.
I also have to admit that I'm anxiously awaiting the first time when someone looks at me after having read one of my books and wonders where I learned to break into some place without setting off the security system, or how I learned what kind of damage a certain caliber of bullet will do to the human body. I've had a couple of people ask, so far, but no one has had that 'look' on their face, the one that says 'I don't know if I feel safe around you'. Now, how morbid am I that I look forward to that? Well, simply put, if I envoke that kind of emotion in a reader, I've done my job. Secrets in the Shadows is less likely to inspire that sort of feeling, I think, than Under the Moon's Shadow. When it comes out, I'd bet that I'll get some funny looks from people, probably those in my own family.
There is a part of me that dreads having to put certain scenes in the books. These are the darker scenes, and I guess it is a little disconcerting to think that my inner demons are going to be exposed for the world to see, if they care to. The knowledge and fascination I have for the criminal and twisted mind, well, it could be disturbing for those who don't share it. It is a risk I'll have to take.
Until next time...
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Losing a job can be a good thing...
If I hadn't lost my job, I probably would never have written my first book. Way back when, I was a medical transcriptionist. Trained for it, practiced it for almost three years total and enjoyed it. I worked (the second time around) for a company out of Massachusetts, and I worked at home. Because of the health issues I have, working at home is essential to me. Transcribing was also perfect, since I enjoy doing it, and it definitely is a meaningful job. Some jobs don't fulfill people because they can't see the end result of what they do. Transcription is not one of those jobs. It was fun and it was educational, and it paid decently, though not as much as some might think. Unfortunately, medical transcription as an industry faces several challenges, outsourcing to workers in places like India and this new trend for electronic medical records, for example. Also, there is a declining workpool and declining pay. I was happily plugging along back in the middle of June 2008 when all of a sudden the account I'd worked on for close to two years dried up. Right after the doctors opened a new practice...okey doke. I repeatedly asked my supervisor what was going on and for new work, but got the runaround. I figured the work was probably heading overseas and the company didn't want anyone to know. After struggling until September '08, sometimes only typing 7-8 lines per DAY (versus 1,500), I gave it up and moved on to another company. I hadn't been there long when the account I'd been placed on went to another transcription company and, you guessed it, no more job for me. The owners of the company I worked for were extremely nice, but nice doesn't pay the bills. The last day I transcribed was November 10th, 2008.
I did the typical job searching thing for about six months, and talk about suffering - our finances plunged! I finally decided, given the horrendous downturn the economy was taking, that it might be time to start my own business. I had started making general notes on the first book, just dawdling around, but didn't think writing a book was a serious option for me. I mean, seriously. A flipping book??? ME??? Naw, I couldn't possibly do that. Could I? The idea started to formulate but in the meantime, ye old bank balance was dipping low, and so the idea of Streetlight Genealogy was born. I love doing genealogy - have done it since I was a child, literally. It is something I'm good at, and something there is a market for. We happen to be close to Kentucky, which is a hot bed for genealogy, and I thought it might work. I put all my cards on the table, took steps to get ready to advertise, joined societies, got business cards and the website up, and then, when I was about one week away from advertising for clients, fate intervened once again. We faced a family crisis that took me completely and totally away from genealogy.
After about a month of this intense, private, hurtful crisis, things came to a head and I pulled away from my family to lick my wounds. I withdrew, became bitter, and literally fell onto the writing of the book as a salve, a balm. I could lose myself in the book and not have to think about the hurt. Before I knew it, I was turning out good material, and the book was truly starting to come to life. I was taking the hours I needed to work on the book, come hell or high water, and it really was like work, an actual job. I treated it as such, and demanded the same respect from people around me. The closer I got to a finished manuscript, the more excitement built in my house, and believe me, after the year hubby and I had endured, we needed that excitement. When I finally typed that last period on that last page of the first draft, the sense of relief (that it was done) and accomplishment were enough to make me giddy.
Looking back now, it is a good thing that I lost my job. Hubby and I have had to face some trials because of it, but it has been well worth the loss, and in so many ways. I learned to live on a budget again, which is not a bad thing, learned how to change my diet (thanks to yet another life-altering crisis we went through), and I wrote a book. If x hadn't happened, 'x' being the job loss, then y and z would not have, either. Y and Z turned out to be good things. Additionally, there were plenty of bad things other than the job loss that occurred, but all the bad had to happen in order for all the good to happen.
Things aren't always what they seem, and sometimes blessings come in disguises. Who would think losing a job would be a blessing?
I did the typical job searching thing for about six months, and talk about suffering - our finances plunged! I finally decided, given the horrendous downturn the economy was taking, that it might be time to start my own business. I had started making general notes on the first book, just dawdling around, but didn't think writing a book was a serious option for me. I mean, seriously. A flipping book??? ME??? Naw, I couldn't possibly do that. Could I? The idea started to formulate but in the meantime, ye old bank balance was dipping low, and so the idea of Streetlight Genealogy was born. I love doing genealogy - have done it since I was a child, literally. It is something I'm good at, and something there is a market for. We happen to be close to Kentucky, which is a hot bed for genealogy, and I thought it might work. I put all my cards on the table, took steps to get ready to advertise, joined societies, got business cards and the website up, and then, when I was about one week away from advertising for clients, fate intervened once again. We faced a family crisis that took me completely and totally away from genealogy.
After about a month of this intense, private, hurtful crisis, things came to a head and I pulled away from my family to lick my wounds. I withdrew, became bitter, and literally fell onto the writing of the book as a salve, a balm. I could lose myself in the book and not have to think about the hurt. Before I knew it, I was turning out good material, and the book was truly starting to come to life. I was taking the hours I needed to work on the book, come hell or high water, and it really was like work, an actual job. I treated it as such, and demanded the same respect from people around me. The closer I got to a finished manuscript, the more excitement built in my house, and believe me, after the year hubby and I had endured, we needed that excitement. When I finally typed that last period on that last page of the first draft, the sense of relief (that it was done) and accomplishment were enough to make me giddy.
Looking back now, it is a good thing that I lost my job. Hubby and I have had to face some trials because of it, but it has been well worth the loss, and in so many ways. I learned to live on a budget again, which is not a bad thing, learned how to change my diet (thanks to yet another life-altering crisis we went through), and I wrote a book. If x hadn't happened, 'x' being the job loss, then y and z would not have, either. Y and Z turned out to be good things. Additionally, there were plenty of bad things other than the job loss that occurred, but all the bad had to happen in order for all the good to happen.
Things aren't always what they seem, and sometimes blessings come in disguises. Who would think losing a job would be a blessing?
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