Amethysts are part of many legends from Greece and Italy, but also from South America where the largest and finest deposits are now being found
on the Uruguay/Brazil border. In case you didn’t know, amethyst geodes are hollow rocks with crystals inside, in this case, amethyst crystals. How amethyst
became purple is a lovely fable. Stay tuned.
Flight attendants have the wonderful experience to visit places they never would have chosen to visit on their own. As a ‘Senior’ flight attendant for Northwest’s regional
airline, Mesaba, later to become Endeavor for Delta, I had the pleasure of sightseeing in many unfamiliar places, and as a writer, searching for those unknown nuggets of
information that many tourists might miss. One such place was Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Since it’s a very small town, many of the other, usually younger,
flight attendants elected to stay in their room, watch movies, talk on the phone or just sleep. But I saw things differently. For me, it was a chance to explore and luckily find
some illusive fact that I had to include in my Casey Click mystery series. As an example, Thunder Bay is the amethyst capital of the world. Who Knew?
I have outlined 30 mysteries that I plan to write in the next years. It’s a long story and I won’t try to explain right now. However, it definitely keeps me away from my blog. I’m going to try to make time for my blog at least three times a week. Since a year ago May I have finished the first draft for five books, all mysteries. Some are in the Casey Click series, some in a new series I just started. Now for editing, re-formatting, expanding on some points and diminishing others. BETA reading is already complete on all five. Some obviously need some work, but I’m pleased with the completed research. What interesting doors open that you never anticipate when you start a project. At least for me.
You guessed it, my blog updated and I didn’t know how to use it. I still don’t know how to add pictures, but stay tuned, that will follow. In the meantime, a catchup. I’m happy to report that sixteen of my
books are now available on the Libby Library App. Plus I have five new books to add to the Souls Onboard series that will be published soon, as well as an addition to my Lucy Ruediger series and another book completed that will begin the Raney Carlson series, both in the mystery genre.
My Souls Onboard series about a senior flight attendant who perpetually lands, pun intended, in a mystery; a layover location that lays the groundwork for a her next whodunit. If any blog readers have a good location for a mystery, I’m all ears, as long as it has an airport of any size, small or large. If you suggest a location and want your name used as a character, I’d be happy to do that as a thank you. Of course, you may choose if you’re the bad guy, the victim or some other character. In my next blog, I’ll explain about locations.
Agents have very precise guidelines for submitting work for their review. If you fall down on one, say margins or page numbers or typos, the entire submission is trashed, it appears. So, in striving to meet agent requirements, not only do I strive to meet all the guidelines, but I also review what writers the agent represents, and then I read a few of those authors. I’m currently reading a very interesting mystery, however the book is fraught with mistakes and typos. This agent who requires such precision, does not require it from herself when guiding the publishing of her client’s book. I’m not mentioning any names, but do your own research before allowing an agent to represent your work. I know one I’ve taken off my list.
Yesterday, I talked to an old friend who mentioned something that her son and my son had done together when they were in their very early teens. We lived about a half-mile to a mile from a house that had a front room converted to a candy store. It was called Dolly’s. The friend reminded me that our boys would ride their bikes there, quarter in hand, to buy candy. I got to thinking what a wonderful memory and then thought about the kids today. How few have the freedom to freely ride their bike to a candy store, if such a place even exists today. When I was a child, we had a similar place called Matt’s store, where we would buy candy to sell at our backyard circus. Buy it for a penny, sell it for two. Once again, a freedom that few children have today; much less the imagination to create a neighborhood circus. I must say, I’m grateful for my childhood and the childhood of my children, that was much the same. Technology can never replace the wonder of those years.
I have the most amazing Beta readers. Not only do they find errors after 8 rounds of editing; but they also offer insights into the research behind the story. The most enjoyable part is the relationship some of them have made with one or two characters, giving humorous anecdotes regarding their position in the story, their habits, and their tastes. I used to have a thin skin about any reader’s comments, now I relish them all. Sometimes I don’t agree, but I love honest opinions. Thanks to all my Beta readers.
I’ve recently finished my latest Casey Click mystery (working title “Race For It”) but find I need more motorcycle action. I’ve watched numerous races, primarily in the location used in the book, the Isle of Man, but it’s hard to watch as a spectator and represent on paper the actual feelings of racing. I’ve interviewed one racer, but I’m not sure I’m willing to climb aboard to get a sense of those breakneck speeds. Any suggestions?
I invited my good friend Amy to visit our cabin. She was 98. After my husband went to bed, she and I sat on the screened porch and talked. She said she wanted to tell me a story, and boy did she. I had known her for at least 20 years and never knew so much about her. I started writing the book but it’s been a tough road. It’s hard to relate to so many different aspects of her life, and even more difficult to describe in writing. I’m sad to say I did not complete the book before she passed at the age of 102, but I will continue, working from the many notes of our conversations. I miss you, Amy.