Real Life Characters or Special People

Welcome to our monthly group blog. I love this special group of people and the chance to group blog with them.

Have you ever met a real-life character? Someone who was just bigger than life, or an eccentric? When we decided to blog on this I had to stop and think. Did I know anyone like that?

I’ve known several people who were important in my life; my grandfather, my brother and a few people with whom I’ve worked, but there was someone whose lifestyle was very different and one of the nicest people I’ve known. One person who was very different and did influence my life was a friend who was a psychic, and a witch. I’d never actually known a witch before. I found her fascinating. She always knew when people had problems and sent emails, or notes or even phoned. She also used her psychic abilities professionally to help other people. I learned a lot from her and try to emulate the kindness she radiates to everyone she comes in contact with. I’m so glad we met. She influenced my thinking, my writing and in many ways how I try to lead my life. I only wish I could be as a gentle and thoughtful as she is, but I’m working on it. I have taken classes on witchcraft, not from her, but to understand more about the lifestyle. I have also studied psychic abilities.

I have never used her as a fictional character, but information drawn from her and from classes I’ve taken, have been used to craft some of my characters.  I’m not sure she’s bigger than life, but she’s definitely a fascinating person that I have been very lucky to know.

What about you? Is there someone in your life who was bigger than life, or an eccentric? Maybe someone who was special and influenced who you are today, or what you? If there is I’d love to hear about them.

Now I’m going to pass you on to Billie Williams. Enjoy her blog and please check out all the others. I know I will. http://printedwords.blogspot.com 

George Clooney

If you had a chance to see George Clooney, would you take it?

George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, (from House) and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are all in the very small town of Enderby, British Columbia. They are there to film Walt Disney Pictures new film, Tomorrowland. Apparently this is a film similar to “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.)

I’m Canadian and live less than an hour south of Enderby. My girlfriend came to visit and I asked what she wanted to do. She didn’t have any specific requests so I said “We could drive up and  check out George Clooney.”  

She gave me one of those ‘are you nuts’ looks and said, “I don’t think so.”

She just left and I still haven’t driven up to Enderby, population of about 3000. The chances of spotting any of the actors up there are pretty good.

So, I’m curious, would you drive about an hour, to a town with a population of 3000 or less, to see George Clooney or maybe Hugh Laurie?

SUMMER VACATIONS

What Are You Doing This Summer?

Summer holidays are a tradition. When I was young, okay, a very long time ago, we went to a cabin on a lake for two weeks. Actually it was near a lake and we went with another lady and her two children. It was great fun.

With my children we went camping every summer. They were about 6 years and 4 years and we bought a bright orange Volkswagen van. Remember them? We camped for two weeks every year. And when we got the Great Pyrenees dog we still went camping. My daughter slept up top on the little canvas bed. My son slept on the canvas bed over the front seats and the dog slept on the floor in the front. There was lots of room for everyone, although people did stare at us when we piled out in the morning.

I have lots of great memories about summer vacations. How about you? What are you doing this year? What do you do with your family in the summer? Do you have traditions?

I’d love to hear what everyone else does?

WHAT DO I DO TO GET MENTALLY RELAXED

Thanks for coming over to my blog from Billie's. I love being part of this great Round Robin blog.
I found this an interesting topic. I looked at it as short term. If you're stressed for any reason: long day at work, writing, fight with the boss or family member, whatever. What do you do to relax and get rid of all that stress? Personally I listen to classic music or something from a spa tape, or do few yoga stretches to music, or take my dogs for a walk as long as the weather is good.
I asked a few friends what they did and and they said they did crossword puzzles, sodoku, petted their cat, cloud watched and one cooked. She finds it relaxing.
So what do you do to mentally relax? I'd love to hear from you.
The next stop on the tour is http://wwwrhobinleecourtright.com/

COME HELL OR HIGH WATER

I know I’m late blogging, I thought I’d talk about Calgary and the surrounding cities today, but especially Calgary.

Over the last few week Alberta, and particularly Calgary, High River and Canmore have had torrential downpours resulting in flooding. Calgary has had the worst flood ever. The downtown area flooded, the Stampede grounds flooded and the Saddledome had water up to 10 rows of seats.  So there’s a good chance hockey may not be played there this year. And the zoo flooded. Two hippopotamus’ almost escaped into the river but a retaining wall stopped their escape. They placed the animals in empty jail cells and Calgarians volunteered to help watch the cells. The animals are doing okay, except for the giraffes. The cold temperatures, the water and the stress are taking their toll. The giraffe’s are not doing well. We send up our prayers for them.

With all the disaster the Calgary Stampede will go ahead. The big acts like Tim McGraw and the Dixie Chicks who were booked in the Saddledome have been cancelled. The Coca Cola tent is still under water. The chuck wagon race track has been shortened. And since the start of the Stampede there have been two more heavy rainstorms with some more local flooding. Its Calgary’s 101st Stampede and it’s never been cancelled in all that time. They are going to hold it this year – COME HELL OR HIGH WATER. It’s their slogan and you can get a t-shirt with it on.

I’m traveling and then heading to Atlanta, but this is the one year I think I’d head to Calgary if I wasn’t.   If the Calgarians are working so darn hard to hold the event this year I’d like to be there to support them. I respect community and positive spirit. I also know that I’ve heard it’s going to take 5 billion dollars and five years to repair the damage.

I know the weather is hitting many other areas. And I’m not discussing climate change, but I know there are floods in Wisconsin and many other states. I hope all the communities are pulling together to help those affected by the weather. I’m sure it’s going to take money and time for all those areas. I’m holding positive thoughts for everyone.

Where do you live? Has the weather been affecting you? Would you attend the Stampede to support the Calgary spirit?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

 

I'm excited to be part of this Round robin Blog. You're probably here because you found the link on Ginger Simpson's Blog. Thank you for following to mine.

What I love to read and why - ghosts, murders and suspicious people. While I love to read a lot of different genres, my first love was mystery/suspense. Good old Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys started it all. People bought me Nancy Drew but I used to read the Hardy Boys books that my mother bought as gifts for her friends sons (before my mother wrapped them). Mystery and suspense continues to grab my interest. I love a book with a plot that twists and turns, keeping me  up most of the night trying to solve the crime or catch a killer. I like contemporary stories. I don't relate as well to historical or futuristic. These days I like a little romance thrown in. Yes, I know, I can see a few people’s eyes rolling. Why romance? What could it add? It takes away from the plot.

Well, let me tell you. Yes, a good mystery, suspense or thriller can grab you with the plot and pull you along to the end, keeping you turning pages and waiting for the capture or villain revealed.  But add a little romance and the plot not only grabs you and keeps you turning pages, but now you’re involved with the character. You get to know them, their likes and dislikes, their strengths and their weaknesses. You care what happens to them on their journey to solve the crime or capture the villain. You hold your breath because you know they're terrified of the dark but have to go into the cave because someone they care for is there. You want to make it to the end of the story and find the villain or stop him, but you also want to make sure the hero/heroine survive and resolve some of their own issues. Their weaknesses before fighting the villain has been challenged and maybe  overcome during the struggle to solve the crime. I don’t necessarily need a happily ever after ending, but I want a satisfying ending.

So many books - so little time. I'd love to hear what other people love to read.
The next stop to check out on the Tour is with  Joel Jurrens at http://thewritingdeputy.wordpress.com 

I'm back and this time I think I'l stay for awhile

Well, here we go again. After a very long period of time I'm about to start blogging again. As I begin my journey through the world of self-publising I decided I would also start to blog. Some posts will be about my journey from requesting my rights to my four previously published books back, through covers, editing and publishing. Hopefully some of it will prove interesting and if you've gone through the process, or are going through it, or even thinking about it, I hope you'll share some of your thoughts and experiences.
I'm also going to publish articles on good books, movies and hopefully interesting tidbits from the day. Like being Canadian - did you know we have plastic money? Maybe more about that another day.
I'm also going to do a group blog monthly, so watch for that. The first one will be June 22nd and it's on the genres we like best. So check back for that.