Tag Archive for: Writers

April is National Poetry Month FYI by Juliana Aragón Fatula

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My first manuscript was published while I was graduating from CSU Pueblo in 2008. The publisher was Ghost Road Press in Denver, CO. My editor was the fabulous Sonya who was an angel sent from my ancestors to restore my confidence and shine a light on my poetic voice. I adore her and Caleb Seeling at Conundrum Press who along with Sonya sent me a new contract to republish my first book of poetry, Crazy Chicana in Catholic City under a new book cover and ISBN but with the same contents. I of course said, yes.

One day at dinner in Denver with my publisher, Caleb, he asked me if I had another manuscript and I whipped my second poetry collection, Red Canyon Falling on Churches, out of my briefcase sitting at my feet. He published my second book with an exquisite book cover with a photo by Tracy Harmon, the prize-winning investigative journalist and Nationally renowned photojournalist, and my bff of 35 years, since we were college mates. She also does my headshots, promotional videos, etc. She is a goddess and a good human being.

In the meantime, I’m publishing poems, essays, and non-fiction pieces in anthologies and small presses. I am a published writer with a following of fans who think I’m kinda fascinating. I write about my ancestors, my dysfunctional family, my political activism, and my spirituality, my voice is strong, honest, shocking, and hilarious. I’m not bragging, I’m explaining who I am and what I write about. I write the truth even though it hurts it also heals. I’m a healer of sorts. A Chingona Corn Mother, ordained by the Universal Church, a mentor, a mom, wife, pet parent, liberal, radical feminist, and spiritual leader of my community. My community consists of members of the LGBTQ+ and the marginalized people of color, especially the immigrants asking for our help, the writing community, the social activists and hippies, the lesbian lovers, and the Pittsburgh Heroes, the indigenous ancestors who survived and gave me their survival skills. These are my people. I’m a poet.

I’ve workshopped in San Antonio, TX with Sandra Cisneros’ Annual Macondo Writers’ Workshop, with Denise Chavez in Las Cruces, New Mexico, with Francisco Aragón in Salt Lake City, UT, for the Smithsonian Our America: the Latino Presence in American Art, and in sunny Dillon Beach, CA for the first annual Chingona Writers’ Workshop.
My performances have included libraries, universities, bookstores, coffee shops, and cultural art centers in Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Pueblo, Salida, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Alamosa, and for the Department of Defense in Los Azores, Sicily, Kuwait, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Diego Garcia Archipelagos Islands.
My dream of being an author in the library in my hometown came true. The Rawlings Library in Pueblo has my books on the shelf between Rudolfo Anaya and Sandra Cisneros! I almost lost my shit when I realized I am a poet.

One more braggadocio statement if you will indulge me, it is amazing and I’m proud that I’ve won awards for my poetry but also that I’ve met and befriended so many generous writers in my journeys. Some of these amazing writers are professors at universities and have asked permission to read my poems in their poetry classes with their students. And the Albuquerque Poet Laureate, Jessica Helen Lopez. asked if she could read my poem, the Hat, in a performance. I was honored of course.

My life has changed in the last three decades since I became sober and I have to give credit to my husband for sticking with me through all the craziness.

Finally, I’d like to share the story of meeting the international icon, Sandra Cisneros. She was at the Rawlings Library in Pueblo doing a speaking tour. I met her and she shook hands with me and everyone in the room. I never thought she’d come back to the cheap seats but she did with a big smile on her face. I was impressed and a huge fan. I handed her my first book of poetry, Crazy Chicana in Catholic City. She asked me to sign it. I did. I forgot to breathe and almost passed out.

The next day at her reading she mentioned my book to the audience and talked about me for five minutes! Everyone with me in the front row, my friends and professors from CSU Pueblo stared at me with their mouths open. They cheered for me when Sandra told the audience they should buy my book. She asked if I had any copies with me. I said I had a box in my trunk in the parking lot. My BFF, Leslie the librarian extraordinaire, jumped up and shouted, I’ll fetch them. And off she ran.

I sold books beside Sandra. I had a shorter line. Afterward, she told me I want to give you an author blurb to sell more books. She said, your writing makes me want to write poetry. She also asked me to apply to her Macondo Foundation writer’s workshop. She said it’s competitive so keep applying until you get in. I applied twice and the second year was accepted.

My life has never been the same since I met Sandra. She is my angel on earth who lifts me when doubting my skills. She has introduced me to editors who have helped me improve my writing.

Denise Chavez won my heart at the Rawlings Library. I met her and she drew me into her magical world of literature. I’ve become an improved writer and human being because of my friendship with these writers. Linda Rodriguez introduced herself to me at AWP one year in Denver and invited me to join the Stiletto Gang after a few years of being friends on Facebook and emailing. She saved me hundreds of times because she had faith in me, I began to believe I could be a writer and not just a poet but a mystery writer.

I’m still revising my completed manuscript, The Colorado Sisters, but because I don’t want to write a good book, I want to write a great book, I haven’t sent it out to be published yet. It needs a good tweaking or two and then when my editor tells me it’s ready I’ll submit but not till it’s ready.

It’s not easy writing a great murder mystery. I might end up publishing it as a short story or screenplay. But wouldn’t it be great to have my first novel be a prize winner? Oohwee! I’d have a hootenanny and celebrate because I’ll have finished my first mystery and it can sit on the shelf with Rudolfo Anaya, Linda Rodriguez, Maria Melendez Kelson, Lucha Corpi, Katherine, Manuel Ramos, Mario Acevedo, and Stephen King!

Clicking Our Heels: Thanksgiving – Our Special Memories

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Clicking Our Heels: Thanksgiving – Our Special Memories

Thanksgiving holds special memories for each member of The Stiletto Gang. Some are personal memories of family, some of food, and some … well you be the judge.

 Donnell Ann Bell – Sweet potatoes. It’s the only time I make them because my husband doesn’t like them.

Lynn McPherson – Mashed potatoes. And butter. That’s all.

Saralyn Richard – My husband’s Uncle Hank was a master turkey-carver. He could get every speck of turkey from the bone without hacking the meat into shreds. He also prepared sweet potato casserole that was heavenly. Many have tried, but failed to replicate his Thanksgiving gifts.
Debra Sennefelder – I love Thanksgiving side dishes. Stuffing is my favorite!

Barbara J. Eikmeier – My mother-in-law always made a fresh cranberry salad with grapes, grated cranberries, marshmallows, and dream whip. It’s sour and sweet and oh so dreamy.

Linda Rodriguez – I am not a huge fan of the United States Thanksgiving holiday, since it originated in Pilgrims celebrating a massacre of a Native tribe that had helped them, but I just consider my Thanksgiving Day a continuation of the Cherokee traditional New Year which takes place normally in late September/early October.

Debra H. Goldstein – The only Jell-O mold I like. Between the nuts, cream cheese (?), candied fruit, cranberries, and other goodies stuffed into it, the texture and the color changed so I never remembered I was eating Jell-O.

Lois Winston – I’m a sucker for great turkey stuffing with gravy, but the stuffing has to cook inside the bird for optimal taste.

Dru Ann Love – When we were younger, we would go to my aunt’s house for T-day, but the best day was having Thanksgiving on the next day with my immediate family.

Shari Randall/Meri Allen – My mother’s family is Italian so the holiday feast has always included an antipasti platter and lasagna in addition to turkey and all the fixings. I remember the first time my husband had Thanksgiving with my family – the surprise on his face when he saw the lasagna! He quickly became a convert and all these years later, I wouldn’t dream of a holiday without lasagna, too.

Mary Lee Ashford – In our family, Thanksgiving is the big family get-together with all of the immediate family. My brothers and their wives, their children, and grandchildren. When I was younger, I was the only one still at home as my brothers were much older than me. Because of that, I was much involved in the preparations for Thanksgiving and I have great memories of time spent with my mom making the pumpkin pies, mashing the potatoes, and stuffing the turkey. Because there are so many of us, we now do more of a buffet style Thanksgiving dinner with everyone bringing a dish to share.

Kathryn Lane – I’m a little non-traditional about Thanksgiving food – lamb roast is my favorite.

T.K. Thorne – A childhood memory—Tasked with bringing the Thanksgiving dessert from the downstairs refrigerator at Thanksgiving, I ended up with two chocolate pies flipped upside down on the floor. In tears, I told my mother I had ruined Thanksgiving. I will never forget her response. She plucked up a spatula like an Amazon grabbing her spear, marched downstairs and carefully scooped up the chocolate pies, (leaving the layer that touched the floor to clean later).  Upstairs, she arranged the pie mess into rough wedges on separate plates and covered each generously with whipped cream.  Nobody knew the difference.  So now, when a crisis threatens to overwhelm me, I try to channel Mom’s “warrior” mode.

 

 

 

 

 

Superstitions: The Nutty Ties that Bind Writers and Actors

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by Barbara Kyle

 


Shakespeare was an actor. So was Dickens.

 

In a way every writer is, because when
we create stories we play all the roles inside our heads. It’s part of the joy
of writing.

 

Before becoming an author I enjoyed a twenty-year
acting career (here I’m with Bruce Gray when we starred in the TV series High Hopes) and I’ve found many commonalities between the two arts. 

 

 

One of the most interesting commonalities is superstitions. 

 

Actors are obsessively superstitious
about many things, and one in particular: the name of a certain play by
Shakespeare, the one in which a certain Highland lady can’t get blood off her
hands. 

 

Actors won’t say the name of this play
inside a theater. Instead, they call it “The Scottish Play.” Why? Because
it carries a curse.

 

– At
its first performance in 1606 the actor who was going to portray Lady Macbeth
(a boy in those days) died suddenly and Shakespeare was forced to replace him.

 

– In
1957 actor Harold Norman, playing the lead role, died after his stage battle with
swords became a little too realistic.

 

– During
a performance starring the famous Sir Laurence Olivier a stage weight crashed
down from above, missing him by inches.

 

And what if an unsuspecting soul makes
the error of uttering the name of this play inside a theater? Is there a spell
to remove the curse?

 

Yes, there is. You leave the theater,
spin around three times, spit over your left shoulder, and either recite a line
from Shakespeare or spout a profanity. Got it?

 

Writers have superstitions too and they’re
just as weird. Here are three that many writers hold:

 

– No
chapter can be 13 pages long because that number brings bad luck. Any chapter
that ends on page 13 must be revised to make it 12 or 14. (By the way, there’s
a name for the fear of the number 13: triskaidekaphobia. Try saying that three
times fast!)

 

– Many
writers can’t write unless they’re wearing a particular “lucky” piece of
clothing, like a certain sweater or a pair of slippers or a hat.

 

– Some
writers won’t give characters the same initials as friends — otherwise, the
person might suddenly have bad luck.

 

 

Some famous writers had their own pet
superstitions:

 

– Alexander
Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers, had to write all of his fiction
on blue paper, his poetry on yellow paper, and his articles on pink paper. No
exceptions.

 

– Charles
Dickens had to place the ornaments on his desk in a specific order before
beginning to write.

 

– Truman
Capote refused to begin or end a piece of writing on a Friday.

 

– J.K.
Rowling’s superstition is to hold off titling a piece until it is complete. She
said on Twitter: “I only type the title page of a novel once the book is
finished.”

 

If you’re thinking actors and writers are
a bit nuts, you’re not far wrong. After all, we spend our days with imaginary people.
As John Gardner said, “One must be a little crazy to write a good novel.” 

 

But it’s a happy madness. One meets such
interesting (imaginary) people!

 

So now I’ll cross my fingers, touch
wood, toss grains of salt over my left shoulder, and get back to work on my
new book.

 

Wish me luck.

 

Barbara Kyle

 

Barbara Kyle is the author of the bestselling Thornleigh
Saga series of historical novels (“Riveting Tudor drama” – USA
Today) and of acclaimed thrillers. Over half a million copies of her books have
been sold. Her latest is The Man from Spirit Creek, a novel of suspense.
Barbara has taught hundreds of writers in her online classes and many have
become award-winning authors. Page-Turner, her popular how-to book for
writers, is available in print, e-book, and audiobook. Visit Barbara at www.BarbaraKyle.com 

   

 

The Man from Spirit Creek

 
When Liv Gardner arrives in the rural town of Spirit Creek, Alberta, she
has nothing but her old car and a temporary job as paralegal with the
local attorney. But Liv’s down-market persona is a ruse. She is actually
in-house counsel of Falcon Oil, a small oil and gas company she co-owns
with her fiancé, CEO Mickey Havelock – and they are facing financial
ruin.

Farmer Tom Wainwright, convinced that lethal “sour” gas
killed his wife, is sabotaging Falcon’s rigs. But Wainwright is clever
at hiding his tracks and the police have no evidence to charge him. With
the sabotage forcing Falcon toward bankruptcy, Liv has come undercover
to befriend Wainwright – and entrap him.

But Liv never dreamed
she’d become torn between saving the company she and Mickey built and
her feelings for the very man whose sabotage is ruining them.

On a
rain-swept night, Spirit Creek is stunned when one of their own is
murdered. The evidence does more than point to Tom Wainwright . . . it
shatters Liv’s world.

 

The Man from Spirit Creek is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. 

 

__________________________________________________________________________

Clicking Our Heels – Promotional Tools – What’s Best?

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Promotional Tools – What’s Best?

What is the best promotional tool for
branding? Selling books? Getting readers? Here are some of the opinions of
different Stiletto Gang members.

Shari Randall – This is the eternal question! I think that
when these three aspects work together – writing a great book that gets proper
branding and support and connects with readers – that’s the magic. But how to
do that? I’m still working on it. As a writer, the only thing I can do is try
to write the best book I can.

Dru Ann Love
– I remember authors better once I’ve met them face to face. So branding
yourself whether on social media or with tangible items is key for exposure.
But you have to be consistent. Don’t show me a *fake* you on social
media and when a face-to-face encounters happen, you’re not real.

Judy Penz
Sheluk
– Despite all the recent negativity, I still find Facebook to be a good tool.
And you have to have matching bookmarks for your books. I also love going to
book club meetings, either in person or by an online meeting.

Kay Kendall
– Authors can communicate easily with potential readers by using the
online tools available today. I believe a writer should pick the one (or two)
that she understands and enjoys and then develop a presence on it. Even if
someone is published by one of the big book companies, one still has to do
one’s own publicity. Speaking at nearby bookstores and libraries is useful too,
although few today can afford to do the old-fashioned book tours of old. Social
media covers for that. Using it is a must.

J.M. Phillippe – I think I am still trying to figure this
one out 😛 Sadly, it’s not just “write a book!”

Bethany
Maines
– I think one of the most powerful tools are reader reviews help because they add legitimacy as
well as exposing the book/author to a wider audience. Book bloggers can also be useful for reviews and audience. In terms of branding myself as an author… Of course, since my day job is graphic design, I care about this. My graphics and promo materials all have a consistent graphic look and quality, which I think is important.  But I would say that the author in me who likes to write ALL THE GENRES (ok, maybe not all) rebels against being type cast and overly branded. 

Lynn McPherson – This is a tough question! I’ll be looking
to see what my fellow Stiletto Gang members have to say about this because it’s
something I could use some help with 🙂

Linda
Rodriguez – I’m not really concerned with branding. That may be because I
write in several different genres. As far as the best tool for selling books
goes, tell me what it is and I’ll grab it. Word-of-mouth will do it, and we all
do all kinds of things to try to build that word-of-mouth, but I’m not sure
anyone knows how to actually do it. I think I will settle on simply writing the
very best books I know how to write and then trying to get the word out in any
way I can that I have these books out there.

T.K.
Thorne –  am all over the genre map in what I write, so
I love brave readers who are willing to try wherever I go

A.B.
Plum – I like my monthly newsletter to get and maintain connection
with readers.

Mary Lee
Ashford (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – Wow, I
hope someone knows the answer to this question, because I sure don’t! I’m never
sure what works and what doesn’t. However, I can say that the promotional tool
I like the best is meeting readers. Whether in person at a book signing or
conference, or online through a chat or other social media, the opportunity to
meet readers and talk about books is always simply the best!

Debra H. Goldstein
– My social media choice depends on the work I’m trying to promote and the age
of the audience I’m trying to reach, but my best promotional tool if word of
mouth after meeting readers.

Where Do We Get Our Ideas?

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by Sparkle Abbey

People often ask authors where their ideas for particular books come from. And though it’s quite different from author to author, one thing we’ve discovered from hanging out with other authors is that most have no problem coming up with ideas for stories. In fact, most of us have far more ideas than we’ll ever have the time to write. Story ideas are everywhere.

Writers are innately curious and so a news story, a magazine article, even an obituary can spark a thought that turns into a possibility. The writer imagination is off and running and wondering what if. The news of the day may be a big fire at a local business. It could have been faulty electrical wiring, but the writer wonders what if it wasn’t. What if there’s more to the story? What if the fire was actually a cover-up?

Also writers are by nature observers. Yes, that’s us sitting quietly in the corner of the room or the park. That couple holding hands while their body language says there’s something else going on. What’s their story? The three girls in a whispered conversation whose foreheads are almost touching. What secrets are they sharing? The elderly woman with her purse clutched tightly on her lap who keeps checking her watch. Who is she waiting for? And the guy in a dark suit that looks oddly out of place. He’s too quiet. Is he an undercover cop? Perhaps a spy?

Or wait maybe the elderly woman is the spy. Would that be a great twist? The guy in the dark suit could be headed to a job interview. We imagine the three teen-aged girls in ten years. Will they still be friends? Still sharing secrets? What if they lose touch with each other? What if they don’t?

See how it works? There is drama everywhere, and secrets, and stories. As writers we are sponges for the bit and pieces that are story sparks. We get to bring those stories to life and give them twists and change them around. Ideas are everywhere. 

Now that you know how it works, the only thing to remember is when you’re having a conversation with a writer, and they get that far-away look, that there is a good chance they have spotted a potential story across the room and they’re already coming up with ideas. Or the other possibility is that something you’ve said has been the spark, and you’re the story idea.

Writers, is this how it works for you? Have you come across an interesting story spark that you’ve yet to write? Readers, how about you? Have you come across an idea that you thought would make a great story?

Do tell…


Sparkle
Abbey is actually two people, Mary Lee Woods aka Mary Lee Ashford and Anita Carter, who write
the national best-selling Pampered Pets cozy mystery series. They are friends
as well as neighbors so they often get together and plot ways to commit murder.
(But don’t tell the neighbors.) They love to hear from readers and can be found
on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, their favorite social media sites. 


Their most recent book is The Dogfather, the tenth book in the Pampered Pets series.


Also, if you want to make sure you
get updates, sign up for their newsletter via the SparkleAbbey.com website.

The Times They Are A’Changin’ for The Stiletto Gang

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The Times They Are A’Changin’
for The Stiletto Gang
by Debra H. Goldstein

The times they are a’changin’
is both a song refrain and an accurate description of The Stiletto Gang. Happily,
all the changes are for the good.

Today is both a beginning
and an end for me and the Gang in that instead of personally posting twice a
month and being responsible for Clicking Our Heels, I will only be handling
Clicking Our Heels and the second Friday of the month post. Not a big change
for me or for Linda Rodriguez, who now will only post on the first Friday of
the month, but a positive change for you in that you’ll have the opportunity of
getting to know Shari Randall and Teresa Thorne on the third and fourth Fridays
of each month.  (don’t forget our other
newbies, Judy Penz Sheluk and Diane Staresinic-Deane). In fact, mark your calendars for this enhanced line-up:

Judy
Penz Sheluk- 1st Monday
Julie Mulhern – 2nd Monday

Paula Gail Benson – 3rd Monday
Dru Ann Love – Every other 4th Monday
Short story writers – Every other 4th Monday
J.M. Phillippe – 1st & 3rd Tuesdays
AB Plum – 2nd Tuesday
Diana Staresinic-Deane – 4th Tuesday
Clicking Our Heels (group post) – 1st Wednesday                           

Bethany Maines – 2nd & 4th Wednesdays


Kay Kendall – 3rd Wednesday
Sparkle Abbey – 1st Thursday
Juliana Aragon Fatula – 2nd & 4th Thursdays
Cathy Perkins – 3rd Thursday
Linda Rodriguez – 1st Friday
Debra H. Goldstein – 2nd Friday
Shari Randall -3rd Friday
T.K. Thorne – 4th Friday

I’m proud we’re such a diverse gang. For me, the
members of this blog are so impressive

that I am constantly challenged to write
at the highest level possible because they all do. For you, it means exposure
to different thoughts, cultures, genres and writers you might not readily come
across. I hope you enjoy this mix of writers as much as I do.     Debra

Clicking Our Heels – Our Favorite Numbers and Why

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Clicking Our Heels – Our Favorite Numbers and Why 

Kimberly Jayne – My favorite number is 4.  Has been since I was a little girl.  It’s more meaningful now because I had four
kids.  It’s even and sounds good rolling
off the tongue. Four is me.

Paffi S. Flood – My favorite number is 13.  It’s my birthday and kids made fun of it when
it landed on Fridays, so I decided to do the opposite and adopt it.

Dru Ann Love – The number 4. 
It is an even number and my birth date.

Sparkle Abbey – We don’t really have favorite numbers.  Maybe if we played the lottery we’d have a
different answer.  Right now, our
favorite numbers are 9 and 10 because those are the numbers of the books that
we’re currently writing.

Jennae Phillippe – I am terrible at favorite, so I have a list: 3,
7, 8, 9, 13, 42.  Each of them has a
different reason behind it.  The most
obvious ones are 3 and 7, as numbers that show up in stories over and over
again; 13 because it is my lucky number, and 42 because of Douglas Adams.

Bethany Maines – 8.  Because
I kick ass at Crazy Eights.

Paula Gail Benson – 4. It’s always been lucky for me.

Kay Kendall – My favorite number is eight.  I think I love the symmetry of how it looks
as a numeral – 8.  My lucky number,
however, appears to be seven.  Those are
definitely two different things.

Debra H. Goldstein – 27.  It
has a nice ring to it and is the date my twins were born.  I had a difficult pregnancy during which this
type A person spent almost eight months counting the hours to viability.  They were born two days and seven hours after
the point at which I had been assured they would have a good chance of
surviving.

Who are you like?

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By Bethany Maines

One of the most common questions a writer hears is: Who are
you like?  In other words, what (famous,
more talented, richer, that I would have heard of) author are you like?  Of course, as authors we would always like to
respond – I am like no one! I am a unique snowflake of infinite genius!  Bow down before my staggering work of
novelistic achievement!  Possibly at this
point is where we also start investing in a parrot, flowing robes, and a pencil
thin moustache to twirl.  I’m not saying
all authors would go full Disney villain. Clearly, the eyebrows and make-up
require a more high-maintenance lifestyle than most of us are cut out for.  I’m just saying, nobody likes to think of
themselves, as “just like” somebody else. 
However, temper-tantrums and eyeliner aside, it is a useful
question.  It does let people know where
they should look for you in the library and where you fall on their reader
spectrum.  For the record, I usually
answer this question with – Janet Evanovich. 
My series Carrie Mae Mysteries is female centered spy series, with
plenty of hunks, humor, and huge action scenes. 
However, I also write in another genre – contemporary fantasy.  I write modern day fairy tales about fairies,
vampires, and what happens when a mermaid meets a SEAL. 
Writing in multiple genres used to be very “not done”
because the publishing houses found it hard to market.  The prevailing wisdom was that readers don’t
read multiple genres (uh… say what?), Self-publishing has opened the door for authors
to write whatever their unique snowflake heart’s desire, but it’s still a risk,
and a challenge for those doing the marketing, to figure out what to say to the
question – who do you write like? 

I guess for now, I’ll have to go with this answer – I write like my
fingers are fire with sheer greatness and my mascara is totally, totally on
point.
***
Bethany Maines is the author of the Carrie
Mae Mysteries, Wild Waters, Tales
from the City of Destiny and An
Unseen Current.  You can also view the Carrie Mae youtube video
or catch up with her on Twitter and Facebook.

Surviving Fitness Stuff

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SURVIVING FITNESS STUFF by Debra H. Goldstein

This month, Bethany challenged all of the members of the Stiletto Gang to think about and possibly write a post revealing our thoughts on “Author Fitness.” She specifically asked: “What do you do to keep yourself in shape for writing?  Anything physical (running, meditation, secret wrist stretches) or mental (journaling, daily free writes, writing by hand) that you do weekly or daily to keep you on your writing game.”

Because Linda has been ill with a nasty bug this past week, I’m posting for her.  I think it is a safe bet to say none of the above would be Linda’s response this week. Consequently, before I write my response, join me in wishing Linda a speedy recovery by leaving a comment.

My answer also is nothing.  It’s not that I haven’t tried.  I tried water aerobics with a trainer a few years ago.  When she said, “Raise your right arm,” I complied. Although I felt a sharp pain, I attributed it to being out of shape not to having just torn my rotator cuff. I pressed on with exercising for several weeks before an examination revealed a tear necessitating surgery.  Perhaps the morphine helped my creative thinking at that point in time.

Earlier this year, I signed up for a F.I.T. class.  Let me give you the entire perspective of this class.  It

was taken at a new gym that my husband and I recently had joined.  Previously, we were members at two different gyms, so we thought it would be nice to consolidate and actually go to the same place when we exercised.  Two of our friends accompanied us to the try-out afternoon.  As she and I were ambling on two of the many treadmills, my friend leaned over and whispered, “I don’t see our kind of people here.” She was right.  Everyone in our line of sight was buff, handsome, beautiful, and able to wear spandex without it clinging to their bodies.  Still, my husband and I joined and I even coughed up extra for the F.I.T. class.  When I arrived at my first session, I looked around at the other women and realized “I had found my people.” Even with their comfort and support, I washed out after a few months when I got dizzy jumping from pushups on the floor to jumping jacks and then dropping for ten more. 

Next, I tried a personal trainer.  He was kind, he was smart, and he quickly realized I wasn’t going to be one of those people who strives for a marathon or high intensity exercise level. I was assuring him my goal was merely to be healthy by losing some weight when I did a sit-up and something in my back popped.  Between epidurals, physical therapy, and plain old doctor visits, I didn’t have time (or permission) to exercise. 

Now, I’m back in the pool, but with my signing schedule for Should Have Played Poker being so crazy, who knows what calamity exercise might induce?  I’m not sure, but I’m not going to take any chances.

CLICKING OUR HEELS – Mountains or Beach?

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CLICKING OUR
HEELS – Mountains or Beach?

Cathy Perkins: 
“Both!  I live in the mountains
(yeah, I know, tough gig, someone has to do itJ) so the beach is a favorite
getaway.  I love looking out the window
every morning at a scene most people consider a vacation destination but mostly
I love the quiet that comes with living in the mountains – and the wonderful ‘neighbors’
who look out for each other.”

Sparkle Abbey: 
“Absolutely the beach!  Whether it’s
a beautiful blue California beach, or a white sand Gulf beach, or tropical
island beach, we’re there.”

Paffi Flood: 
“Definitely mountains.  I love the
idea of the beach.  I dream about it all
through winter, especially after I see ads for resorts, but after I arrive at a
beach, within minutes, I’m done with the blaring sun and the intruding sand.”

Debra H. Goldstein:  “Beach!! 
Actually, it is the water. 
Swirling waves bring out my creativity and  I don’t if
it’s raining or the sun is out, the key for me is the movement of the water.”

create a peaceful feeling
that I can’t get anywhere else.

Jennae M. Phillippe:  “I used to live in Los Angeles so I am going
to go ahead and say: both!  Because you
can go from the mountains to the beach in a single drive.  It’s a very lovely drive.”

Linda Rodriguez: 
“I’m totally a mountains person. 
I enjoy the beach, but mountains make me so happy I feel as if I could
fly, and I’m always a little homesick for them. 
Probably because I come from a long line of conquered mountain and hill
people – Cherokee, Scots Highland, and Irish.

Bethany Maines: 
“Beach!  Who doesn’t love the feel
of sand between their toes?”

Dru Ann Love: 
“Neither.  Give me a city location
and I’m there.  If I had to choose
between the two, it would be mountains as long as I’m being driven up it.”

Juliana Aragon Fatula:  “Beach. 
Dillon Beach, California.  Two
summers ago, I met my best friend there for two weeks and we workshopped on the
beach her novel and my memoirs.  It was a
learning experience and I realized how much I love writing when I can read or
write all day or night without interruptions from family/day to day chores.  It was a magical visionary time of enlightenment
with someone I love and that loves writing, too.”

Kay Kendall: 
“I must choose the beach since being hemmed in by mountains makes me
uncomfortable, claustrophobic.  That’s
because I grew up on the wide open spaces of Texas and Kansas.  When I’m at the beach, it’s not for
sunbathing.  That’s boring, and I don’t
like to be hot.  I like to walk along a
beach and look for shells.  The beaches
of Oregon are fantastic.  South Carolina
too.”

Marilyn Meredith: “I live in the foothills of the
Sierra and can see the nearby mountains from my office window.  My Tempe Crabtree series is set in a mountain
town similar to where I am.”