the highest point - not really

My brother-in-law and his wife came up Thursday night to spend the weekend. We had a good time, were able to visit and get caught up on life, and took them for a ride to the highest point in our state. Too bad my accomplishments for the week weren't at the highest point. 

(It will be beautiful up there once the leaves change colors in a few weeks)

Even with all of that, I should have gotten more done on this list. Instead it was one of those weeks where I sat down today and thought, “why am I even posting this? I accomplished nothing on this list.”

Yet, here I am, willing to share with you what a failure I am, because, in the words of Scarlett O’Hara, “tomorrow is another day”.

Here's what I had hoped to get done this week and what actually happened. Green highlight is goal accomplished, yellow highlight is worked on and red lettering is a failure.

1)    My novel, “The Truth Beyond the River.”

a.     Post a blog about it once this week. Nope.

b.     Market it in some way. Pretty sure I didn’t.

2)    My newest novel.

a.     First, I need to think hard about a better title, even if it is still a working title, it has to be better than “Save Our School”. Nope. Maybe it’s just too soon though. Maybe I need to write some more on it to get a handle on it. On both my previous novels, I changed the working titles several times before settling on the final ones.

b.     Write three chapters. Nope.

c.      Do an evening of research for it. I actually did spend an hour or two watching YouTube videos about the Civil War.  

3)    Other writing.

a.     Finish updating my website. Yes! Finally! This has needed to be done for a long time. Click here to check it out.

b.     Write two posts on my other blog, “The Dino Chronicles”. Nope, didn’t even do this. That is kind of my barometer of a bad writing week. I ALWAYS post to “The Dino Chronicles” twice.

4)    Other stuff.

a.     Continue working on getting the kittens to be friends with the dog and our old cat. The kittens are totally okay with the dog now. The old cat? Haven’t worked on that yet.

b.     Take our company somewhere, showing them some of the sites around our town. Yes.

c.      Go out to my mom’s property. Nope, still haven’t gone out there.

I’m not going to despair, though. I will just keep retyping these goals (or more like copying and pasting them), until I see all green.  

1) My novel, “The Truth Beyond the River.”

a. Post a blog about it once this week.

b. Market it in some way.

2) My newest novel.

a. First, I need to think hard about a better title, even if it is still a working title, it has to be better than “Save Our School”.

b. Write three chapters.

c. Do an evening of research for it.

3) Other writing.

a. Write an entry in my Covert Corona Chronicles. I’ve been trying to write something once a week; I need to remind myself to keep on that.

b. Write two posts on my other blog, “The Dino Chronicles”.

4) Other stuff.

a. Work on getting the kittens to be friends with our old cat.

b. Go out to my mom’s property.

c. Work on one of my several quilt projects. I have a co-worker who can make a quilt – start to finish – in one week. Me? I’ve got three started – one from about three years ago. I guess it’s like my writing – it’s so hard for me to stick with one thing and finish it.

With the Labor Day weekend coming up, I feel like I will have more time to get things done. We’ll see how that works out for me.

Have a great week.  Chris

Getting Back to It

It hasn’t been by leaps and bounds, but I have started getting back at it. I’m realizing, once again, that this writing thing may always be just a hobby. Sure, I write a book and publish it, never coming out ahead financially, but if I enjoy doing it, why not continue moving along.

Here are my goals from last week and whether or not I was successful with them. Green highlight is goal accomplished, yellow highlight is worked on and red lettering is a failure.

      1)    My novel, “The Truth Beyond the River”.

a.     Blog about it again on Friday. Done.

b.     Marketing. I feel I’ve done all the marketing I can, but I’ll keep thinking on it. I won’t give up on it. Umm, surely I did some marketing. . . .

     2)    My newest novel, “Save Our School” (working title only, and a dumb one).

a.     Write three chapters. Wrote two chapters and 2,436 words.

b.     Do another night of research. Not really, but I did start reading “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, as my book begins in that same time period.

     3)    Other writing.

a.     Post about the last day of our camping trip on my other blog. Done.

b.     Finish redoing my website. Worked on it, but not finished yet.

     4)    Other stuff.

a.     Finish washing the last of the windows in my house. Yes, done. What a chore that is.

b.     Go out to my mom’s property. Nope, didn’t make it.

c.      Spend lots of time playing with the kittens, especially acclimating them to our old cat and the dog. Yes, of course.  

The best news of all, though, is that just as I came back in my office to start finishing this, I looked out and saw my big ol’ doe going through the backyard. I haven’t seen her in a few months. I wasn’t worried about her; there’s enough in the woods to eat. But I did miss her and the last time I had seen her, she spent an hour in the shade of our pine tree. I hadn’t seen her fawn all spring (Hubby saw it once.), so I was sure the fawn had met its demise. But there he was, following Mama along the trail. Sorry the pictures aren’t the greatest; it was starting to get dark in the trees. I’m so happy to see them!

 And what about the coming week? My brother-in-law and his wife are coming up later in the week to stay for a few days. That will be so nice, as they haven’t been here since Christmas, due to COVID19 and we’ve missed getting together. It may put a damper on some of my progress, but it will be well worth it.

1)    My novel, “The Truth Beyond the River.”

a.     Post a blog about it once this week.

b.     Market it in some way.

2)    My newest novel.

a.     First, I need to think hard about a better title, even if it is still a working title, it has to be better than “Save Our School”.

b.     Write three chapters.

c.      Do an evening of research for it.

3)    Other writing.

a.     Finish updating my website.

b.     Write two posts on my other blog, “The Dino Chronicles”.

4)    Other stuff.

a.     Continue working on getting the kittens to be friends with the dog and our old cat.

b.     Take our company somewhere, showing them some of the sites around our town.

c.      Go out to my mom’s property.

That sounds like enough. Summer is definitely winding down. As much as I like the Fall, I hate it because it means that Winter is coming next. Uck! But it can’t be worse than the eight months of 2020 we have slogged through already.

Have a great week.  Chris

The Truth Beyond Tommy

Tommy studied Bill’s still face, gazing into his lifeless eyes.

Tommy felt a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, buddy, it’s time to go.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I’m sorry Tommy, but you’ve seen men die before. Heck, you’ll probably see more before you get home.”

“I think I am done here.”

“Don’t we all want to believe that?” The sergeant patted Tommy’s shoulder. “We all want this war to end, for the fighting to end, but I—” he choked on his words. “We gotta go.”

“This is not my war. Next time I fight, it will be at home where I belong, where my people are, where I can fight a war and win.”

           

Since publishing “The Truth Beyond the River” last month, I’ve been sharing excerpts focusing on some of the main characters. I’ve been holding out on writing more about Tommy.

Twice in the book, he is referred to as a “troubled man”. And not through any fault of his own; life has not been kind to him. His father was killed while drunk driving, and his mother raised Tommy and his sisters on her own, with help from friends and neighbors, all of them living in poverty on the reservation. Fighting in the Vietnam War only added to his burdens. He came home suffering from PTSD, which in the mid-1970s had yet to be diagnosed. He’d always been somewhat short-tempered, but the trauma of the war made him volatile at times.

As he dove under the water and resurfaced several times, he thought about the months he slogged through Vietnam without so much as a clean change of clothes. His feet, along with those of most of his platoon, seemed to rot inside their army-issue boots. Nothing ever got dry. On those rare days when he got a shower, within minutes of toweling off sweat seeped from his pores. The humidity was unrelenting. He didn’t feel clean until his feet were dry and back on American soil.

Even then, though the filth came off his body, his mind remained poisoned.

Somehow, though, Tommy retains a kind and caring side. He is committed to not only winning a new war at home, but also to caring for his nephew Jericho. In fact, he is fighting this battle to better the lives of all of the children in his tribe.

Six men, two women, and a boy had gathered in the large kitchen, which was equipped with industrial grade appliances and the space to accommodate them. The small boy wore jeans a size too big and a t-shirt a size too small. His tennis shoes had holes in the toes and it was hard to tell what color they had originally been. His black hair hung straight down just to his shoulders, and his face was smudged. His lips were set in a straight line, but it was obvious he was having difficulty suppressing a grin.

“Jericho.” Tommy squatted down and pulled the boy into his arms. “How is my little corporal?”

The boy snuggled his head into his uncle’s neck.

In some ways, Tommy is the most complicated of the characters in my book. In others, he is the most straight forward. Though I created him in my head with no one in particular in mind, he is the easiest for me to picture. Perhaps because of that, though, I had the hardest time finding a photo of my own which reminds me of him

My sister Pat at a waterfalls up north in 1981.
I can imagine Tommy drawing strength from the rushing water in the same way. 

If you’ve already purchased a copy of "The Truth Beyond the River", thank you from the bottom of my heart. If not, click on the link to get yours. Or let me know and I will get you one of my copies. Thanks for all of your support and have a great weekend. Chris

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Stay-cation

Last Sunday evening’s blog post presented quite a gloomy outlook. But as mentioned then, it was brought on by the usual letdown which occurs every time I publish another book.

I never know when I will be able to get back in the saddle again, yet, surprisingly another horse showed up at my house last Monday all ready to be ridden. So what was I to do, except to start writing a new novel, even though I had already started one two years ago and was 14 chapters and 16,000 words into it.

I really never saw myself as someone with attention deficit disorder, yet here I am, with my head in sixteen different places, wondering why I can’t get anything done!

That’s enough rambling. Here is what I did this past week, during my staycation.

     1)    My novel, “The Truth Beyond the River”.

a.     Blogged about it on Friday.  

b.     Reminded pretty much everyone I talked to to write reviews of it.

c.      Got the four copies in the mail to those who had helped with it and heard back from all four of them that they had received their copy and were so pleased.

d.     Sold one copy and have cold hard cash to show for it.

     2)    Other writing.

a.     Blogged about our camping trip.

b.     Wrote three chapters and 1700 words in my newest novel.  

c.      Did research for the newest novel.   

d.     Started redoing my website.

     3)    Other stuff.

a.     Cleaned the shelves under the basement stairs. What a horrendous mess that was!

b.     Cleaned three drawers in the kitchen and three night stand drawers.   

c.      Picked and froze beans every other night.

d.     Washed half the windows in the house.

e.     Took a walk at a park in town and took lots of pictures.

f.       Met my brother-in-law and his wife halfway between our town and theirs for a picnic lunch.

g.     Picked up the two new additions to our family! 

Emma, in the carrier on the way home. She is so adorable and such a cuddler. 

Gizmo. He was supposed to be a girl, but oh well. He is a little dickens though.
He looks so big in this picture, but he's really only a little taller than she is. 

I’m thinking, as always, how wonderful it would be to be retired so that every week could be like this one. But, no, it’s back to work tomorrow. And after work each night, what am I going to get done?

     1)    My novel, “The Truth Beyond the River”.

a.     Blog about it again on Friday.  

b.     That might be it. I feel I’ve done all the marketing I can, but I’ll keep thinking about it. I won’t give up on it.

     2)    My newest novel, “Save Our School” (working title only, and a dumb one).

a.     Write three chapters.

b.     Do another night of research. Half of it takes place during the late 1850s and up through the Civil War. The other half takes place ten years from now, it’s kind of dystopian. This will take a fair amount of research.

     3)    Other writing.

a.     Post about the last day of our camping trip on my other blog.

b.     Finish redoing my website.

     4)    Other stuff.

a.     Finish washing the last of the windows in my house.

b.     Go out to my mom’s property, because I’ve been going to do that all summer and here it is almost the end of August!

c.      Spend lots of time playing with the kittens, oh, and especially acclimating them to our old cat and the dog.  

Emma and Dino actually get along pretty well already. 

Gizmo and Dino? Not so much. 

That’s about it. Wish me luck. And here’s hoping you have a good week as well. Chris

The Truth Beyond Beth

“Don’t,” Beth hissed, as the two officers reached for the gun on the table. “We told you no weapons. This is your fault.”

“Our fault?” Bradley jeered back.

“Children, please.” Brother Andrew fought to regain the peace. “Please, everyone, sit down.” His two partners and the two women obeyed, but Ed and the officers remained standing, glowering at each other. “Let’s take a moment to just relax, take a few breaths, say a prayer.”

“You and your prayers. That’s what started this.” Ed blurted out.

“Ed, stop,” Beth laid a hand on his arm. “The old monk is just trying to help us.”

Andrew tried not to smile at her words of endearment. “Beth, young lady, can you tell us what that was all about?”

She swallowed and straightened in her chair. “Ever since Tommy got back from Vietnam, sudden noises freak him out. He heard the bird in the rafters and his instincts took over. He’s not the only one. I know other men who came back from the war jumpy too.”

“It’s called shell shock.” Andrew had heard of it before and knew that the psychiatric community was just beginning to study it in earnest. “It’s not his fault.”

Her face was emotionless, but her jaw was set. She had to be in just as much pain as Tommy was.

“You should go to him. Make sure he’s okay,” Andrew told her. “We’ll try to negotiate another day.”

I’ve been telling you about the various characters in my latest novel, “The Truth Beyond the River”. The inspiration for this strong woman was easy. Hands down, Beth is modeled after my sister Pat.

Sorry this old photo didn't scan so well, but this is Pat with a rare serious look,
dressed as Beth would have been. 

Beth is tough as nails, doesn’t take crap from anyone, is smart and relentless. But for all her determination, she still has a soft side and cares deeply for the children around her as well as for the cause they are all fighting for.

Cecil studied Beth’s face. She seemed so strong, so invincible. But what a heavy weight she must be carrying inside of her, being the diplomatic one compared to Tommy’s dictatorship. Cecil wondered what their relationship was but knew it was none of his business. Of all the people he had encountered in the last few days, even including the reporter, Beth was the one who stole his heart.

My sister Pat, too, had the admiration of pretty much anyone who knew her well. She fought a tremendous battle as well. And like Beth’s battle, it wasn’t won in the way anyone had hoped for. But I think the noblest fights are won the way God wanted them to be. 

Still, without a doubt, my very favorite picture of Pat. 

 If you’ve already purchased a copy of the book, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If not, click here to get yours. Also, last time I looked, I only had one review. ☹ Why don’t you add yours as soon as you finish the book so you don’t forget. Thanks again and have a great weekend.

When I have nothing

When I started this blog back in 2012, my plan was always to post a list of my goals here on Sundays (it started out on Wednesday also, but it didn’t take me long to realize that was unrealistic). I’ve had weeks where nothin’ was happening or where too much was happening, there were weeks when I was out of the country or out of my mind. But I always came back. And I probably always will.

That being said, I missed last Sunday because I just didn’t have it in me. This happens every time I publish a book and maybe it happens to others as well. All the hoopla and hard work, the excitement and the energy. And then the huge letdown, when there aren’t any sales, there aren’t any reviews, there’s no income, when I’m convinced everyone hates my writing. And I wonder if any of it was worth it. So, I take a break, sometimes for a week or so, sometimes for an extended period of time. I get in a funk and swear I am never going to write again. Then one of my characters pokes me in the side and says, “What about me? You are my only chance for my story to be told.”

I rally and put all my disappointments out on the burn pile. I vent a little, ramble a little, get back on the horse and try again.

There you have it. As all the classical writers have done, I’ve bared my soul to the world (or at least to the six people reading this blog)

I can’t say what I accomplished as far as goals over the last two weeks, and I’ll be honest – I have no idea what I might get done in the next week. But I will continue to string some words together and answer the call when those characters poke at me.

Have a good week. Chris  

I did a deep clean of my writing space yesterday. Maybe that will help. 

The Truth Beyond Teresa

Teresa turned the white sedan onto another highway, this one heading due north. She’d made it out of Chicago and across the border into Wisconsin. Once she got through all the toll booths, it had been smooth sailing.

            'How am I going to do this?’ She asked herself over and over again. ‘What was I thinking by even thinking I could be a journalist?’

She knew why.

She had just started high school—a thin, shy girl with long, black braids trying to fit in at another school. As a migrant worker, her mother moved the family frequently, keeping up with what crops were being harvested. Teresa had lost track of the schools she attended, the towns they had lived in. Most of the children of the migrant workers didn’t go to school at all, but Teresa’s mother insisted she get an education and make something of herself. At fifteen years old, she had no idea how she was going to make that happen.

She was in English class when the principal came over the PA system. In a shaky voice, he announced that the president had just been assassinated in Dallas. Shock flowed through the silent classroom like a wave on a calm beach. The English teacher started to cry. Several female students followed suit.

How could President Kennedy, so young and dashing, with two small children, be dead? Who would do such a thing?

Teresa looked at the clock.

Class would be out in a few minutes. It was a Friday afternoon. Dallas was only thirty-five minutes away. Maybe somehow, with someone, she could get a ride.

It had never crossed her mind before. In that one instant, Teresa felt as if her life was laid out before her. Her dream had always been to join the Peace Corps, but she had no desire to go into the medical field or teaching. But suddenly she had the answer. She would become a journalist for a big-city newspaper and cover big news—assassinations, wars, riots. She could make something of herself and help to make something of others.

As it turned out, she didn’t make it to Dallas that November day. A few years later though, she found herself in the big city attending college on a scholarship.

Teresa, the young and inexperienced journalist in my newest novel, “The Truth Beyond the River”, most likely, I suppose takes after me. I, too, had dreamed of joining the Peace Corps, and like Teresa, I had no idea as a high schooler what work I would do there. I never wanted to be a journalist, per se, but always wanted to be a writer. Fiction seemed so much more interesting than journalism.

Like me, she is shy and insecure, but has her inner strengths and sometimes blurts out things without thinking them through. Teresa also has a strong sense of right and wrong, is passionate for the underdog, and refuses to sit by while injustices occur. She is a gentle spirit.

One thing she learns through the experiences we read about in the book is that as a journalist her job is to get to the truth and to share it with her readers. I hadn’t thought of it as I was writing the book, but isn’t that what many of our news reporters are lacking in these current crazy times?

I don’t know where I came up with her first name, but Teresa’s last name, Estrada, was the last name of a writer friend of mine who moved away over twenty years ago and we lost touch. I did a web search of her a few years ago and found her obituary. It about broke my heart. Life is short; another lesson learned in my novel. 

On the day of my high school graduation, full of dreams of the future.
Or just hating to get my picture taken. 

 If you’ve already purchased a copy of the book, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If not, click on the link to get yours. Also, I’m still looking for reviews. And in case you are wondering, even negative reviews are welcome. Remember, the theme of the book is about sharing the truth.