tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52434041636397275222024-02-20T13:17:59.476-08:00Inkwell BlogReading and Writing the PastAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-47022784249296546442017-09-07T14:53:00.000-07:002017-09-08T17:37:31.630-07:00Heap Bueno Papoose<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s nothing better than finding a treasure. While cleaning out an old house on our ranch
gold surfaced. It was the book:
“Southern Colorado, Historical and descriptive of Fremont and Custer Counties
with their principal towns. Canon City,
and other towns, Fremont County Rosita, Silber Cliff, ULA and wet mountain
valley, Custer County. With a description of the IMMENSE (caps mine) Mineral
Regions of Fremont and Custer Counties.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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ILLUSTRATED!
(Exclamation point, mine.) Whew.
I’m not sure where the title stops and the subtitle(s) begin. It was published in Canon City in 1879 by
Binckley and Hartwell.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Definitely a treasure.<br />
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I’ve been perusing this book and have found a few familiar
stories, like one about the bloody Espinosas and their demise and also an account of
the first discovery of dinosaur bones in Fremont county which they called Bones
of the Monsters. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6xf6zPPQ-64FXCWFYPImtgPCOF8s3kvAWGJ2Nn70rkNJOnmRWULhz5kJwgBFLiXWJjkSYWEFSLr8zHvL4qeEse56qbcdWHbQGUjB4ohcDYloJO_zB7tQVEm7H9vzcufVOcaCO2pO8lU/s1600/2017-08-17+16.30.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6xf6zPPQ-64FXCWFYPImtgPCOF8s3kvAWGJ2Nn70rkNJOnmRWULhz5kJwgBFLiXWJjkSYWEFSLr8zHvL4qeEse56qbcdWHbQGUjB4ohcDYloJO_zB7tQVEm7H9vzcufVOcaCO2pO8lU/s320/2017-08-17+16.30.54.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bones of the Monsters show on the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There was also history
about the founders of Canon City, how
the town got its name, and sections on thieves and train robbers.<br />
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However, it was the section labeled, “Reminiscences, Anecdotes,
etc.” that caught my eye. As I was skimming and
scanning, one entry brought me to a full
stop. It was titled, “Heap Bueno
Papoose!” (exclamation point NOT mine.)<br />
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<span id="goog_1246930560"></span><span id="goog_1246930561"></span>This half a page story told about a group of peaceable Sioux
on their way to get their annuities who stopped at a camp of travelers west of
Fort Kearney. One of the members of the
party was Mrs. Thos. Macon, the wife of one of Canon City’s founders. After the Indians had milled through the
camp, made trades, and finally departed, Mrs. Macon discovered her baby
missing. She immediately set out, at the front of a search party and
they caught up with the Sioux about a mile down the trail. Not wasting any time, Mrs. Macon found the
Sioux woman who was hiding the boy under a blanket. Mrs. Macon took her child back, and according
to the story, the only explanation given by the Sioux about the
kidnapping was, “Heap Bueno Papoose.”<br />
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This is exactly why this book was such a treasure. Fiction writers love this kind of gold. A whole imaginary story unfolded—possibly an
entire book. And my author's mind shouted, “What if?!” What if the Sioux woman
hadn’t given the child up? What if the
settlers had gone to the Sioux camp and not been able to find the baby? What if the Sioux had already traded the baby along the trail?<br />
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The most fascinating thing of all was the Sioux’s
explanation for the kidnapping: “Heap Bueno Papoose”—the mix of Spanish, Anglo,
and the word “Heap” that in my own experience comes from Tonto and the Lone
Ranger. (Heap big trouble coming, chief.)
Somewhere before the Lone Ranger, this word was actually used on the
Plains…before 1879 to be exact.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is why I love writing historical fiction. The gold is in the details of real people who
lived real lives somewhere back in time. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-15194408397710833922016-11-01T11:27:00.001-07:002016-11-01T11:27:15.652-07:00Bodacious Book Covers<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The cover of a book is like a handshake with the reader and makes a lasting first impression. Too limp and lifeless, it's ignored, and if it's painfully strong--ouch! In other words, the cover speaks volumes before the first word is read. The title and artwork combine and create an invitation to read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegvi18fu-IuXEn4PYEYuGudxXxgS6wzNcrhk54uDUMCLt41iP5-YidnE__QI3bJ5QDzPqTN_cMdo8OxIVN8eDJ1LbTlIJG9xf_pMyypjGIMdn42MWiFxd-4AmniFFer522ke2nCc3oRE/s1600/DUP+Thumb+v1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegvi18fu-IuXEn4PYEYuGudxXxgS6wzNcrhk54uDUMCLt41iP5-YidnE__QI3bJ5QDzPqTN_cMdo8OxIVN8eDJ1LbTlIJG9xf_pMyypjGIMdn42MWiFxd-4AmniFFer522ke2nCc3oRE/s320/DUP+Thumb+v1.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Preliminary Sketches before the title was finalized.</span></h3>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My experience with titles is mixed. While I’m drafting, I use a</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">working title which, so far, has never been used on the final cover.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And for nearly every project, I have long lists of possible titles</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">that</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> for one reason or another don’t measure up. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUW3u30y4oW7WC-teGBuEdNJIjRgdpGywVu_BETrPLuioocBb0ZyPkK4RGAQ2mY0w45Mu8FYX4ok3JUh6fWA8MuFYxKTygOHECOBLKs_kZgvVq1sMQrBkF-d_puaVI20YZuv0b2pnrus/s1600/DUP+Thumb+v2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUW3u30y4oW7WC-teGBuEdNJIjRgdpGywVu_BETrPLuioocBb0ZyPkK4RGAQ2mY0w45Mu8FYX4ok3JUh6fWA8MuFYxKTygOHECOBLKs_kZgvVq1sMQrBkF-d_puaVI20YZuv0b2pnrus/s320/DUP+Thumb+v2.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> I loved Sketch number 5, but because it didn't represent the story as well as others, we decided against it. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes I come up with the final title, and sometimes it's a collaboration. But often the publisher comes up with a title that fits perfectly. The title for my new book is an example of this. I had a couple of working titles that were OK, but when Doris Baker, of Filter </span>Press<span style="font-family: inherit;"> suggested<b> </b></span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Trouble Returns</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> for the third Ruby and Maude Adventure, I didn't hesitate to agree. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNi1ebcwqATCiBRQOlkKyZufGwdYw7O2BKsayb899Jhmgxh5KuTr3_GSsxsFF7TfHQhoDaj43Mzd5jDfEvjrLMbkDfXiHlWG-tfu1pbHXu_guc-oHyrLorVCbfKQMGRHk8YJ5umPZnhak/s1600/thumbnail+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNi1ebcwqATCiBRQOlkKyZufGwdYw7O2BKsayb899Jhmgxh5KuTr3_GSsxsFF7TfHQhoDaj43Mzd5jDfEvjrLMbkDfXiHlWG-tfu1pbHXu_guc-oHyrLorVCbfKQMGRHk8YJ5umPZnhak/s320/thumbnail+7.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There is a lot more suffering surrounding the choice of cover art. I suspect Doris Baker and the artist, <a href="http://jamiestroud.com/" target="_blank">Jamie Stroud</a>, are sorry they ever asked my opinion! I try hard to make mind pictures for my readers when I write, but no one visualizes the characters and setting the same way as I do.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1iqbtl4NBOIzn_ppH9nxmpu7HpDWr6x5qof4wrkbS7SzjAWPKxLHXja6pWg2Ik_Dr9a6n8IdJxtaGswSMTAzHKhnnZEcgaf6JNm-0S-jTTlrsM3DxDpfQD4RjHqlyfsC2hQdR-4dmepg/s1600/TR+fullcover+jeans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1iqbtl4NBOIzn_ppH9nxmpu7HpDWr6x5qof4wrkbS7SzjAWPKxLHXja6pWg2Ik_Dr9a6n8IdJxtaGswSMTAzHKhnnZEcgaf6JNm-0S-jTTlrsM3DxDpfQD4RjHqlyfsC2hQdR-4dmepg/s320/TR+fullcover+jeans.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I understand this, but I'm still like a spoiled child when it comes to the cover illustration. I want the cover characters to look exactly the way they are in my mind. "After all, they ARE my characters!” I spend more time with them than I do my best friends and lay claim to the mental images created from hours of historical research, time spent sifting through historical photos, newspaper archives, museum visits, and travel for the purpose of depicting the story as accurately as possible.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8GWq4vOdFUNwDTuUJzz_HKEs01DNtGBnxMAVImGpENCXHc6uGUCFPHI8Rkds-SlqO4Y5ZNTqPnjQfEmFi1PdVfYuJcZNg7GKKL4tLRtBkFdgIx_16r_TflwUF0ENcziSUBg9S6yw0is/s1600/Cover+art+FINAL_low+res.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8GWq4vOdFUNwDTuUJzz_HKEs01DNtGBnxMAVImGpENCXHc6uGUCFPHI8Rkds-SlqO4Y5ZNTqPnjQfEmFi1PdVfYuJcZNg7GKKL4tLRtBkFdgIx_16r_TflwUF0ENcziSUBg9S6yw0is/s320/Cover+art+FINAL_low+res.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When I first see the cover sketches, I agonize over every detail and wish for an artist clone who can mind meld with me and reproduce the contents of my brain. In the end, I'm thankful no clone exists. Recently, I shared the above image for <i><b>Trouble Returns</b> </i>with a friend, and she blurted, “I love it!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And that has been my experience with the many readers who comment on the covers for my books and give them high praise. The cover artists have done wonderful work. Fr</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">om </span>Cathy </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Morrison, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://cathymorrison.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">http://cathymorrison.blogspot.com/</span></a><b style="color: blue;"> </b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">cover illustrator for the book<b> </b></span><i><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Hard Face Moon</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">...</span></b></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-gWtpm4dNMlAEyaZ_oCyv5QfDTgIn6Tn8k-VrJSTgCv8H8KFpEnZLwZE35xMC7o-cxBtadpHHmCYIvJ-uyuI5y7w3_CRyGRlmuPYLwYFqzBtBqGYJELZ9JJtiRCvTDXaHDh1umG6a_k/s1600/hard_moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-gWtpm4dNMlAEyaZ_oCyv5QfDTgIn6Tn8k-VrJSTgCv8H8KFpEnZLwZE35xMC7o-cxBtadpHHmCYIvJ-uyuI5y7w3_CRyGRlmuPYLwYFqzBtBqGYJELZ9JJtiRCvTDXaHDh1umG6a_k/s200/hard_moon.jpg" width="130" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt3SEXrhawfv0yv5OtiQM4gh6zV4CVdkdnb3Eel0j6xaMutaPvxf19-aArR-G34dJ3EXhdfy6e36dgur6ZW6NI-g65AizwZiFZ3Tl_zTX45FzUNyuDy8iWHn3knR5ZJSkdtC37lVXMj4/s1600/CoverFront+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: center;"></span> <span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span> <span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span> <span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span> <span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span> <span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span> <span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span> <span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> ...to my Cousin Shannon Chandler <a href="https://www.facebook.com/scchandl/about" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/scchandl/about</a> who illustrated the cover for <b><i>Insects in the Infield.</i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YZy9Cq3wPr-cZT0cTQd-r3FcrpL2W1bZ0Kjk_8hr9yzuKVYsZQ2EsD78y3OPemhlH_wiuRpKqdcBpTN3HBpAaYFR4PKzrT5QXK7wpqG7U9dH1SqaEyj-F2MxmJY-hjzW_43DKhdjHFk/s1600/CoverFront+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YZy9Cq3wPr-cZT0cTQd-r3FcrpL2W1bZ0Kjk_8hr9yzuKVYsZQ2EsD78y3OPemhlH_wiuRpKqdcBpTN3HBpAaYFR4PKzrT5QXK7wpqG7U9dH1SqaEyj-F2MxmJY-hjzW_43DKhdjHFk/s200/CoverFront+-+Copy.jpg" width="130" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And most recently Jamie Stroud </span><a href="http://jamiestroud.com/children.html" style="font-family: inherit;">http://jamiestroud.com/children.html</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> the artist for <i style="font-weight: bold;">Trouble Returns </i>and all the other Ruby and Maude Adventure covers. Thank you, </span><a href="http://jamiestroud.com/children.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Jamie</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, for letting me share your thumbnail sketches, and for your vision and artwork on behalf of Ruby and Maude.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-16910986352578799962016-07-23T10:51:00.001-07:002016-07-23T11:05:14.468-07:00Survivor<div class="MsoNormal">
Yesterday marked the two week anniversary of the Hayden Pass
Fire. This fire was the
second one for us in the past 5 years. In
2011, the Duckett Fire raged up the Sangre de Cristos from the south. I could write a thesis on how we delayed
moving our herd of goats down the mountains until we saw flames moving towards
their mountain pasture, and how at dawn, with the help of neighbors, we tossed the kids
in a trailer one by one, to transport them to safety, but that’s a story for a different day.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimswAw1jYcL8OHZN3iX02whkkTxTsKzlvReI0emGtccq-95aUluStOxP7WjjFGRWT6WYKjVSUcV-jx3Aa-Cg95noS5COSEYsHrinEW8Qxf4-jSXxomYAUQeUzxSIP81FUGEDrXTU5dHqw/s1600/IMG_0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimswAw1jYcL8OHZN3iX02whkkTxTsKzlvReI0emGtccq-95aUluStOxP7WjjFGRWT6WYKjVSUcV-jx3Aa-Cg95noS5COSEYsHrinEW8Qxf4-jSXxomYAUQeUzxSIP81FUGEDrXTU5dHqw/s320/IMG_0869.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duckett Fire in June of 2011</td></tr>
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During both fires, we stayed put as our house is surrounded by open space--sub-irrigated meadows to the east, and plenty of grassland between us and the upper end of our family ranch which shares a fence with the National Forest as well as BLM acreage. </div>
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Up near the forest, we have a rustic two room cabin. It’s not valuable in itself,
but has a memorable history. First, it used to
be the bedroom of our old house, but long before that, sometime in the early 1900's, it was moved from the site of the 1882-1884 <a href="http://www.arkansasrivertours.com/cotopaxi-history/" target="_blank">Cotopaxi Jewish Colony</a> and spliced on to existing house to add more rooms. We lived in that house until about 1994 then dismantled it, board by board. All except for the bedroom section that we hauled back up the forest to use as a hunter’s cabin. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMCspTVbWn_b05VYsy3CKxksVjR7AhR8gUpdF8MYeKnSxx6hiSXwwLnEfq8To6tUXSHE2XPieCIv00ayAu_DqACgEbyLvXrODasuPU6GH7VwTT5vSiJ9FwUIjfUNd1oftrizkPNp-ukI/s1600/2013-01-01+Hayden+Pass+Fire+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMCspTVbWn_b05VYsy3CKxksVjR7AhR8gUpdF8MYeKnSxx6hiSXwwLnEfq8To6tUXSHE2XPieCIv00ayAu_DqACgEbyLvXrODasuPU6GH7VwTT5vSiJ9FwUIjfUNd1oftrizkPNp-ukI/s320/2013-01-01+Hayden+Pass+Fire+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hayden Pass Fire July 2016</td></tr>
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During the Duckett Fire, a hot shot fire team miraculously saved the cabin.
I can throw a stone from the burned trees to the small clearing where the cabin
sits, and I am still amazed at how
the fire crew managed to protect this structure amidst strong winds and shooting flames. </div>
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The Hayden Pass Fires was no less intense. The fire roared in from
the northwest thundering down valleys and over ridges until it crossed
through the same area as the Duckett Fire. This time all our livestock was down on the meadows surrounding our house. But looking west at the mountainside covered in smoke and flames, I held out little hope for the cabin being saved a second time. I mourned its loss, not for the monetary value,
but for the loss of a piece of history.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSp4T4qJzj_yi9eCbp2eTgCP7f-gq5f8KN6YhazBBlH-IaKj6LDqTicRI19OFP-skoixkN6qYp8DhJBW12v7oRFIBHTmrter4EN_MGrfWDHm_XywDUrmPD2Ej9BPipifmhYWAD2YGVx8M/s1600/2013-01-01+Hayden+Fire+7-19-16+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSp4T4qJzj_yi9eCbp2eTgCP7f-gq5f8KN6YhazBBlH-IaKj6LDqTicRI19OFP-skoixkN6qYp8DhJBW12v7oRFIBHTmrter4EN_MGrfWDHm_XywDUrmPD2Ej9BPipifmhYWAD2YGVx8M/s320/2013-01-01+Hayden+Fire+7-19-16+016.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recent photo taken after the Hayden Pass Fire</td></tr>
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Along with the other fire personnel traveling through our yard to access the forest, crews came through for the specific purpose of checking on spot fires in the vicinity of the cabin. We were told the cabin was still standing.<br />
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Finally we were able to drive up to take a look, While the first fire had burned within 50
feet of the cabin to the south, the second fire had burned within shouting
distance of the cabin to the west.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwB3VVJDX3dQIFBNr6x3vc6Nm6mflFoE3mGS_5Jv-_hh1Ds4QP2j1eK2OEqqYDVU62iBcbTGli6xe9HLqSdl4LdV-SJePeMLJ0ekGrMIejz7S6iGJhsqW6HyQKZ4Kk1ftOkNw9zfj8Dg/s1600/2013-01-01+Hayden+Fire+7-19-16+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwB3VVJDX3dQIFBNr6x3vc6Nm6mflFoE3mGS_5Jv-_hh1Ds4QP2j1eK2OEqqYDVU62iBcbTGli6xe9HLqSdl4LdV-SJePeMLJ0ekGrMIejz7S6iGJhsqW6HyQKZ4Kk1ftOkNw9zfj8Dg/s320/2013-01-01+Hayden+Fire+7-19-16+017.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabin seen through the standing dead trees of the Duckett Fire</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_AQsWjL45tGPYzYtdaDd_Dc1WgP3Nq0Lr4_8bP3BO3J6RpU_hvhdcAYmNA8iGaU3naZQH9AAZS6uhXEPu9KJd0gtx6VCMovzkg18BnvWR-4PZjZBowkd1pGh8op7dGwk5Dp2wnGtkK4/s1600/2013-01-01+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_AQsWjL45tGPYzYtdaDd_Dc1WgP3Nq0Lr4_8bP3BO3J6RpU_hvhdcAYmNA8iGaU3naZQH9AAZS6uhXEPu9KJd0gtx6VCMovzkg18BnvWR-4PZjZBowkd1pGh8op7dGwk5Dp2wnGtkK4/s320/2013-01-01+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chimney and hearth from original house<br />
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</tbody></table>
Seeing the cabin was like greeting a long lost friend. I’m grateful this piece of history survived, and
more than grateful for the firefighter’s skill and fearlessness in protecting
this humble building.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.arkansasrivertours.com/cotopaxi-history/" target="_blank">Cotopaxi Jewish Colony</a><br />
<br />
More about the Cotopaxi Jewish Colony, click on the above link, visit <a href="http://cotopaxi-colony.com/%C2%A0" target="_blank">http://cotopaxi-colony.com/ </a><br />
<br />
or visit the Cotopaxi Colony FB page.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-11527592798513823942014-03-16T11:40:00.000-07:002014-03-16T13:07:21.952-07:00Mail Delivery Babies<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOMbkLOxjzG3ckslXFvjKuRPwbGtcQBIhBt1ru272MNEu_8fSUDasjH-H-VyK6SE4mt4tLG1f9j_kTXXJT9BWqpthhEDMAkVZkGxbOx13SKSkzXfcWz7EqX05RgiRCyyCSCnJFhp1KS4/s1600/blog+baby+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOMbkLOxjzG3ckslXFvjKuRPwbGtcQBIhBt1ru272MNEu_8fSUDasjH-H-VyK6SE4mt4tLG1f9j_kTXXJT9BWqpthhEDMAkVZkGxbOx13SKSkzXfcWz7EqX05RgiRCyyCSCnJFhp1KS4/s1600/blog+baby+3.jpg" height="271" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span id="goog_1875903324"></span><span id="goog_1875903325"></span><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recent FB photo showing the cute "babies" poking their heads out of mail bags peaked my interest to learn more about this piece of mail delivery history. A quick Google search led me to the following
US Government info site: <a href="http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/consumerawareness/fl/When-it-was-Legal-to-Mail-a-Baby.htm"><span style="color: blue;">http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/consumerawareness/fl/When-it-was-Legal-to-Mail-a-Baby.htm</span></a>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sure enough, it happened in 1913, the same year the US
Post Office began delivering packages. In 1914 Postal regulations
changed to prohibit the mail delivery of humans, but the practice didn’t stop
completely until 1915.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first boy to be delivered by mail went only a mile to
his grandmother’s house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It cost 15
cents, but he was insured for $50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other
children reportedly went for a dime up to 53 cents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One six year old girl traveled by mail train and
reports show she was just under the 50 pound limit. The 721 mile trip from Florida to Virginia
cost 15 cents.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Usually the child mail deliveries were made by a trusted
family friend and there were regulations created for this “special delivery”
service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the US Gov site,
there were “<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">no heartbreaking
cases of a baby being stamped “Return to Sender” on record.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">When I
first saw these photos, my historical fiction writing mind leapt into high gear
imagining what stories could be told from the child or parent’s point of
view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And “what if” question made
for both intrigue and drama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> What if the baby were delivered to the wrong place? What if no one were there to receive the parcel?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Then my “mom” persona kicked in with thoughts about trust and safety. One FB friend pointed out
that we have our own version of sending children today when we turn them over
to airline companies for long flights across the country. We wouldn’t do that
unless we had faith that they would arrive at their destinations safely, would
we? </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Still, a
baby looking innocently out from a mail carrier’s bag pulls on the heart
strings in a different way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It opens up
a vast number of questions about the history of the times and the life style of
the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the child deliveries
were rural and the distance of travel less than 50 miles. Fifty miles was a lot farther in 1913 than it is today. In a mail bag, that
might have been an eternity for a small child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">However,
it might also be that in those days a willingness to trust others was more
prevalent. Today newscasts and other media fuel our fears and eclipse our faith in the good will of others.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The landscape
and life-style of the past are gone, but we can incorporate lessons of
simplicity into our daily lives. Mail bag or jet, we continue to be human. We can choose trust over fear and faith over skepticism. And we still need to rely on others. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the complete story about this unique piece of history
read “Very Special Deliveries” by Nancy Pope, Historian and Curator of the
Smithsonian National Postal Museum</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://usgovinfo.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=usgovinfo&cdn=newsissues&tm=440&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=65&bt=5&bts=5&zu=http%3A//postalmuseumblog.si.edu/2013/02/very-special-deliveries.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://usgovinfo.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=usgovinfo&cdn=newsissues&tm=440&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=65&bt=5&bts=5&zu=http%3A//postalmuseumblog.si.edu/2013/02/very-special-deliveries.html</span></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://usgovinfo.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=usgovinfo&cdn=newsissues&tm=440&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=65&bt=5&bts=5&zu=http%3A//postalmuseumblog.si.edu/2013/02/very-special-deliveries.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">a</span></a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-9438847235335057862014-02-13T14:37:00.000-08:002014-02-15T11:19:00.432-08:00This Little Piggy Went to Market<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a class="irc_ftl" data-query="cute pigs images" data-ved="0CBQQsCUoBg" href="https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdesignyoutrust.com%2F2013%2F07%2Fcute-miniature-pigs%2F&h=0&w=0&sz=1&tbnid=dvqvW808ylLfzM&tbnh=186&tbnw=271&zoom=1&docid=S7dna-4sOfv6CM&ei=yDr9UoyCCdGWqAHQlYH4CA&ved=0CBQQsCUoBg" jsaction="mouseover:isr.hmov;mouseout:isr.hmou" style="height: 170px; left: 0px; width: 225px;"><img src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTf3PKWhaQ2oqEf-H-UUxzYznk499fiwaKXj5heNpCfA48PZOdqWcnFCnam" style="height: 170px; margin-left: -12px; margin-right: -11px; margin-top: 0px; width: 248px;" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m a little embarrassed that I haven’t written a blog since
just after Insects in the Infield came out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A good deal of it has been procrastinating; some of it has been spent doing edits for a new book; then there was the Christmas holidays... <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> B</span>ut since it’s now past Valentines Day, that’s
not going to work for an excuse. In my defense, a good share of time has been
spent marketing--fattening the pig, so to speak.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not sure if this makes me hungry or tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But like many writers, trying to break the
marketing code is a constant, never-ending task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many of the marketing "to dos" are standard. A typical list would look a little like
this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Social Media blurbs, ordering or
creating book marks or postcards, getting information to the local newspapers,
line up book signings… </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For my traditionally published books, I had help, but this self-published pig squealed for more. I needed to work
harder for exposure and to get the word out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A big question for me was who does reviews for independently
published books? I spent one full day (at least) combing the internet for review sites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are plenty out
there, but I was specifically interested in children’s book reviewers--a niche of its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most reviewers I contacted required an email request.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of them asked for a synopsis, ISBN,
cover photo, or other specific information, but it varied, so it took time to customize each email. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Out of my "queries" I received two positive responses. One
reviewer from Long and Short Reviews did a lovely post on the site with permission for me to
clip and re-post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s the link: </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.longandshortreviews.com/book-reviews/insects-in-the-infield-by-nancy-oswald/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.longandshortreviews.com/book-reviews/insects-in-the-infield-by-nancy-oswald/</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This
may not seem like a great result for hours spent on an internet search, but I
was thrilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only was it a good
review, but I mined a great line from the review: “Insects in the Infield is Animal Planet meets
ESPN.” A phrase I’ve repeated often and used as a pitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It definitely fattened the pig. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next I spent some time thinking about niche markets for my book. Both baseball and nature came to mind. After an internet search for nature-related museums in Colorado, I phoned and/or sent emails to the gift shop managers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Butterfly
Pavilion in Denver-- </span><a href="http://www.butterflies.org/?gclid=CJjAk6P9ybwCFQsSMwod7w4A1g"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.butterflies.org/?gclid=CJjAk6P9ybwCFQsSMwod7w4A1g</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
--said they’d buy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a small step
for an insect, and a giant leap for a pig. Although the payment I will receive via this market is small, the opportunity to get the book in front of hundreds of museum visitors is priceless. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last
but not least, I stepped out of my comfort zone and did a book launch at a
local community center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fun this
event provided far out-weighed the angst of organizing and setting it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was wonderful to see friends and community
members, share cake, punch and conversations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>AND it served as a healthy reminder that while reaching out for reviews,
markets, and exposure in the world at large, the love and support from those
close to home cannot be replaced or appreciated more. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span id="goog_8509163"></span><span id="goog_8509164"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsfEHdNbDYpdVJUehVfsBsn9YnJbOjutGOTQQ-mHjI8qGXjfspX_bFqc6gSd_mPh5_KLEcI9NQhRAMQ5QCtMLyOpMdlxZga4ZFIAGtmsgFIHUDlfeevxNTt881bEOcs0BfhcKd-oThw0/s1600/BL19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsfEHdNbDYpdVJUehVfsBsn9YnJbOjutGOTQQ-mHjI8qGXjfspX_bFqc6gSd_mPh5_KLEcI9NQhRAMQ5QCtMLyOpMdlxZga4ZFIAGtmsgFIHUDlfeevxNTt881bEOcs0BfhcKd-oThw0/s1600/BL19.jpg" height="154" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I'm sure I haven't exhausted all the marketing possibilities that exist, but I'm not the pig that "had none" and so far I haven't started crying. </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><img class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRwHBrK35lEM8lMHOAiunQMACcz18jeImAT0qFyeiHpXnZ7JTkDoQ" data-sz="f" name="uDGL8xvs6DbBGM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRwHBrK35lEM8lMHOAiunQMACcz18jeImAT0qFyeiHpXnZ7JTkDoQ" style="height: 179px; margin-left: -6px; margin-right: -6px; margin-top: 0px; width: 282px;" /></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-74843928898062852472013-10-26T10:29:00.002-07:002013-10-26T10:29:53.210-07:00Eating Stale Bread<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2Y9wCU72V28XVBa4c_V5r1Fbh0Loo54BQ1ptaMugB_6OMeglrE3Sw-hwNIXsFQMm4Wo1hl56YdqF7Anfrwqmsj60R8pBOcqMb5sOUuQHT93yK_temU-9HXWJhNYECwvyerzNcW8sbLk/s200/Inspiration+14.jpg" width="156" /></div>
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If you heard a long and loud primal scream last Tuesday at about 5 PM, it was me opening to the first chapter of the hard copy Proof for my Create Space book. Two errors on the first page. No, not huge, not life-threatening, but there they were. Capital letters on the word math. Twice! Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!<br />
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I do know my grammar rules. (Mostly.) And I'd given due diligence to choosing my two last minute cold readers, and I had total faith that my manuscript was error-free when I pushed submit. But there they were, two errors on the first page. And I knew better because I'd already changed a few "Math" to "math" in other parts of the manuscript. I thought I had them all corrected. </div>
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I proceeded to whine. Is it that bad? Wouldn't they just be overlooked by a "normal" reader? (Apparently they had been.) Aren't a few mistakes OK? Itsy bitsy ones????</div>
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Even though I was anxious to get this project done, my gut told me the answer. Nope. No way.</div>
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Would I have considered leaving the upper case "M's" if they'd been buried in the manuscript? After all, the reader would be so "rapt" up in the story by then, they wouldn't care if it was a Math book or a math book, right?</div>
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Maybe it's like leaving the restroom with your skirt flipped up and tucked into the top of your panty hose. Everything's OK, la la la, until you notice. And once you notice, there is no reversing the embarrassment--even if you somehow managed to get the skirt flipped down before anyone saw it. </div>
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Up until I jumped into this self-publishing project, I've made it a policy never to read my books in their entirety once they're out in the world. Probably for the same reason as what I just explained with this proof. Some ugly error would rear up and bite me. Also, by the time I've read a story, book, novel, poem over and over and over through all the early revisions and edits, it's like eating stale bread to read it again.</div>
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But after finding those two errors, I decided I'd better eat the stale bread one more time. This was a proof, and changes could still be made. (for a fee) I called Create Space the next morning. (Have I mentioned how wonderfully responsive they have been on the phone?) I asked about costs of changes, and for 1-10 small corrections, it was only $35.00. Whew, I could afford that. After all, it was half the price of an hour session with a psychiatrist. </div>
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A deal. And my husband was right when he said,"You'll feel better in the long run."</div>
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So the long run means, another seven day wait for Create Space to turn it back around to me. Aggravating, but I'm still alive and breathing. </div>
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And, once I wrapped my mind around the fact that stale bread was on the menu, I settled in to read the rest of the book one more time. </div>
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Here's what I found: a missed word, "the" and a repeated word: "a". I also found two missing commas before the "and" in a compound sentence. We can argue about this necessity, but I decided if I was fixing things, I put them in. I also found a quotation mark turned the wrong way, and a place in a quotation where I needed the punctuation inside the mark. (It's the British and American thing that sometimes throws me because on some things the Brits make more sense.)</div>
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Oh, one more thing. In the printed proof, there was a comma where a period should have been. I checked my manuscript, and I had a period on my copy. It was some kind of a printing fluke, I guess. I made note of it when I sent the manuscript in for the umpteenth time and hoped for the best. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcMJODzET6lsPpFujz_GTT-8JL_cIRX3AKEGBb7qXCjlwPcKWiZXbrgnuDQ0vbmFDq8FrpciOk9YD0Z5wEMYxmOh6IUCaPuBsqlOZpP-HZXNBlLW86r9KPZE5hzIjsA9cHoSajtVvK_4/s1600/CoverFront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcMJODzET6lsPpFujz_GTT-8JL_cIRX3AKEGBb7qXCjlwPcKWiZXbrgnuDQ0vbmFDq8FrpciOk9YD0Z5wEMYxmOh6IUCaPuBsqlOZpP-HZXNBlLW86r9KPZE5hzIjsA9cHoSajtVvK_4/s200/CoverFront.jpg" width="130" /></a> The moral of this blog is, "Eat your stale bread." And if you happen to read the finished copy of this book and find any more errors, don't tell me about them. Or humor me with a kind note that reads something like, "I think there was a little fluke in the printing." I swear by the example above that it <em>can</em> happen. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-67078610512409686102013-10-08T12:23:00.000-07:002013-10-08T12:23:38.960-07:00The Pudding is in the ProofI clicked the button. Submit. My hand was only a little shaky this time, and if I decide to do more self-published books with <a href="http://www.createspace.com/" target="_blank">Create Space</a> I might even get used to quivery feeling in the pit of my stomach before I click. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x1zEmzxvqB5SjXsar7j8dVs0fmiyzBDk98hDDY0jWcbKq66L-qh9uB48sSU3EwodTZa59F_qOYdezpTUQFKlnkkdnVrpPgVhglWbK-RsNWls32T2TX-yMT0g89j5ckS-FOsqcSWp0Rc/s1600/CoverFront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x1zEmzxvqB5SjXsar7j8dVs0fmiyzBDk98hDDY0jWcbKq66L-qh9uB48sSU3EwodTZa59F_qOYdezpTUQFKlnkkdnVrpPgVhglWbK-RsNWls32T2TX-yMT0g89j5ckS-FOsqcSWp0Rc/s320/CoverFront.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book Cover by Shannon Chandler Gross. <br />
Ask if you'd like contact info.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In my last blog, I mentioned that the next step after approving the mock-up was the Interior Proof stage. This is when all the samples from the mock-up are put together into a complete book with lay-out, total page count, the way it will look when it's printed. You still have an opportunity to make changes at this point, but if they are changes that greatly affect the layout, then from this point on they cost extra.<br />
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I was ready for the final read of the proof. I did mine in chunks so that I was wide awake and didn't go too fast. I caught a few mistakes that had been overlooked when I submitted my completed manuscript, but also couldn't resist making a few word choice changes. When I did this, I kept them to a minimum and made sure they didn't add lines or change formatting. If, letter for letter, I could make a replacement with a better word, I felt great. Or, as in one case, "great" became "swell." Pretty silly change, but it fit better with the time period for the book. <br />
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It was actually a surprise how many little things cropped up, and it's a testimony to the concept of how a little stress can sometimes be good. Stress and focus! I probably mentioned earlier that I opted not to hire a professional editor, so this is where the hand started trembling over the submit button. (I'd only had coffee to drink.)<br />
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I decided, at this point, a couple of cold reads would not be a bad idea. Yes, it slowed things down, but I figured it was worth it. I asked my aunt Marlene, a retired librarian and avid reader, to read for me, and another friend who'd mentioned that she was good at picking out mistakes when she reads. <br />
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True to her word, Jane found an comma after the word you're, but that was it. And my aunt made a couple of suggestions but didn't find anything that would stop a reader. This is not to say that it's perfect. My husband would say I've goofed up on a few of my comma rules, but on this, we agree to disagree. <br />
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Being queen of the project, I deemed the book finished and uploaded the revisions. It would be seven more days before the changes would be incorporated. Tick tock. <br />
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During this time I attended a writing conference, the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the SCBWI. A friend of mine,<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7463361-nancy-jurka" target="_blank"> Nancy Jurka</a>, had her self-published poetry book with her, and we compared notes. I watched her thumb through the book and talk about formatting. I kept watching her open and close the book. Blank page, title page, poems... Blank page, title page, poems...<br />
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That blank page at the beginning started niggling at me. Is that something I'd taken for granted would be added? Did I need to give instructions for it? The first page of my book started with the title page only.<br />
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What now? I went home and started looking through my previously published books and other books in the house. All of them had a blank page or a pre-title page before the "real" title page. I sent a message to the design team at Create Space asking about adding the extra page at the front. I also asked about what kind of a delay there would be, and was told that once I received the next proof, I would have to send it back again to have the blank page added. <br />
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Groan... Another seven day wait, and the next proof wouldn't arrive for a few more days.<br />
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I tried my hardest to convince myself the extra page wasn't needed and even went to a book store to peruse the shelves. Many of the books there started with just the title page. I tried to convince myself that it looked OK. But the other books looked better. The extra page at the front gave them a more professional look. <br />
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Ugh. <br />
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To shorten this story, my husband and I returned from a short trip and there was a phone message from the Create Space design team. One of the team members had seen my email message and asked if I wanted to have the blank page inserted at the beginning. Yes! Not only that, they added an image to the front of the blank page, dressing it up a little more.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qRMEtXDWgrwRmFRHNFEAnxS8sn5J2NH8XbBUKvRdB2HSXut-aBcBf-5oCxC1THR8dEL8dP42kBTBMpGp7rJ5NISSRXT_f7DOJEf0C2ioJ2fketKrvYJ2s8jq-4PFy-1JP0ztzuIR9Wo/s1600/CoverBack+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qRMEtXDWgrwRmFRHNFEAnxS8sn5J2NH8XbBUKvRdB2HSXut-aBcBf-5oCxC1THR8dEL8dP42kBTBMpGp7rJ5NISSRXT_f7DOJEf0C2ioJ2fketKrvYJ2s8jq-4PFy-1JP0ztzuIR9Wo/s320/CoverBack+%25283%2529.jpg" width="210" /></a><br />
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For the next steps, the cover will be submitted, and they'll send me my first copy. For sure any changes after this will be costly, but I'm not anticipating any. There are a few things I'd would do over from the start if I had the chance, but for now, I'm ready to go forward and see where this publishing adventure leads. I've clicked the button and my hands have stopped shaking. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-75409271492056093352013-09-11T10:14:00.000-07:002013-09-11T21:31:15.221-07:00Putting the peas in a POD<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I promised another post about my experiences with Create Space and why I made the decision to do more than a Kindle version of an out of print book. In my last blog, I mentioned getting started on the project and about some of the decisions that went into the re-writing. It was the re-writing that prompted me to begin thinking about doing more than a Kindle Version. When this book was finished, it would not be the same book that was published years ago by Scholastic Canada when we lived up north. It had a whole new thread, and the story was thoroughly re-written. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The second reason for deciding to do a POD hard copy had to do with the fact that I spend a certain amount of my "authoring" time sitting at events with my piles of books spread in front of me on a burgundy tablecloth with business cards and a little bowl of candy next to them. Why not have this book with me as well? It would increase the odds, so to speak. And I might as well be giving the readers another choice. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The final reason I opted for self-publishing was simple curiosity. The publishing world has changed vastly, and there are many over-the top successful "Independent" writers. Some of them are publishing only electronically, some of them only in hard copies, or both. For me, I wanted to see how the whole thing worked and to compare sales, marketing, and bottom line income. As they say in business, it's not what you make, it's what you keep. So after my up front expenses are met, will I need to buy pants with bigger pockets?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Those questions won't be answered for awhile. But here's where I'm at right now:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After starting in with Create Space with the intent of doing a Kindle Version, I began to read up on their other services for Print on Demand books. There were menus to choose from--everything from minimal to complete editing services, book cover designing, and interior design. I opted for the Custom Interior Design only. My cousin, my husband, and I did the editing, and I feel like between us we covered all the bases. (Appropriate for a baseball story.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This is where my real learning curve started. Create Space has a protocol for stepping through the process on their end. I've probably taken three times longer than anyone else getting the hang of this. Basically, they ask you to fill out some questionnaires, make a decision on cover size and download your word document. After that, they do a mock-up and give you time to respond and give feedback. You can take as long as you like with your feedback, but there is always a wait time of 5 to 10 days on their end until they can get back to you with their revisions. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It took me three tries to get the mock-up to what I liked. Hindsight, being what it is, now that I know the kinds of things I can ask for, I could have had this done in only one or two steps, Some things we changed were: space between each line in the text, starting the chapter on contiguous pages, and number of lines per page.... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">With that said, the design team did a wonderful job on the artistic elements and chapter heads. Warning: one thing the Create Space team DOES NOT do is read your book. I know, this is heartbreaking. But it means that being able to clearly communicate your vision is hugely important. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">The project is entirely in your hands. This is both nerve-racking and exciting at the same time. The good thing is, when I made a suggestion, they listened! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Also, the phone and email communication has been wonderful. I've used it frequently and always had timely responses. The phone support especially: real people and very little time on hold. Amazing and refreshing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As I write this, I'm currently hovering over the heli-pad waiting to land. I've given my final approval on the mock-ups (they only do a few chapter on this at first) and will have a final proof to read in a couple of weeks. At that point in time, I'll be able to make up to 200 free changes as long as they don't affect the page formatting. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKCb5FaNc6N8_hNvfZfGn86VdYU-Z9ZK_71BOtbOOm77M7VscBJKRC-x9Sz_hgxZwsn-1XIe7uYT9hYOGJUGHZSPYWMJLglRduKhL35Ysw71D1nTZwzeVUqghyRcoub-T-qvPaDE93EE/s1600/Image+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKCb5FaNc6N8_hNvfZfGn86VdYU-Z9ZK_71BOtbOOm77M7VscBJKRC-x9Sz_hgxZwsn-1XIe7uYT9hYOGJUGHZSPYWMJLglRduKhL35Ysw71D1nTZwzeVUqghyRcoub-T-qvPaDE93EE/s1600/Image+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKCb5FaNc6N8_hNvfZfGn86VdYU-Z9ZK_71BOtbOOm77M7VscBJKRC-x9Sz_hgxZwsn-1XIe7uYT9hYOGJUGHZSPYWMJLglRduKhL35Ysw71D1nTZwzeVUqghyRcoub-T-qvPaDE93EE/s320/Image+(2).jpg" width="232" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Oh horrors. I've been known to change the word "the" to "a" on a final line by line edit. Already I'm imagining myself making little tallies and agonizing over the two hundred and first change. Is one comma worth the $199 charge?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'll be sure to blog on the outcome.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycLONk2J3g_mZ8KU0j4QPddyFU88tsWkGB6QG48CMliwTKSCP82bZe5qu08e60IIHUjZQB_MuztAxIEnUtH1pqAwTJ9GXw3IL92jP2Kk4SNA3uuXk-3CTaTEtslHJ7P33_B7JDwOMTF4/s1600/Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycLONk2J3g_mZ8KU0j4QPddyFU88tsWkGB6QG48CMliwTKSCP82bZe5qu08e60IIHUjZQB_MuztAxIEnUtH1pqAwTJ9GXw3IL92jP2Kk4SNA3uuXk-3CTaTEtslHJ7P33_B7JDwOMTF4/s320/Image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't ask me why this is way down here, but this is a page from the mock-up. You can see why it took me so long to figure out Create Space. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrsz3vb2mV1ElJw1pXWlDUIVNpTEdZXvP8hnPDiIrkJWiNAWyXqbbIgKsvFjjr0BlDgWLeIZYCGK-luymoRvqBLpIg9HrMSgQm5jWyHqfHQxYwaOptuSh_gK7YVy-O_dglVWKXhHZkBo/s1600/Image+(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDzxGxTIaQeAWEOicH28sYAlIEyJ8KSu_-WXsCWqCFNjK4i7KfM0BBR8Stry_aGtDrbvabQ2-23j_tTTYIhONdGx39F2Uazvb6cHY9PMwOiZ8S7ezcZM6cmb33hmsRSzqNw0JMjdKEtI/s1600/Image+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-13794497792748544052013-08-20T10:38:00.002-07:002013-08-21T08:16:46.629-07:00If it doesn't fit, get a hammer<b><br /></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>In today’s world of author branding and one liner sales
pitches, I ran across a dilemma when I decided to make a Kindle version of an
out of print book. My problem wasn't the
mechanics of getting a Kindle version because I have a cousin who works for a publishing company and knows all about getting books into electronic
form. She's also a wonderful artist. Check.
She can even do the cover!<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The difficulty is with branding. All my recent books fit into a nice little
package: Nancy Oswald: "Writer of
historical fiction for the young and young at heart… All my recent books and the ones I am
intending to write, for the time being anyway, fit into this genre. So I’ve been struggling to decide what to do
with a baseball story that involves a math-challenged base-ball-loving fifth grader and his science-geek sister who disrupts the harmony of the family by bringing
home an insect collection. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The original publication date of this book was 1985, but I’d
say the story setting is more of the late 70’s.
That’s pretty much historical to some folks, but to others it doesn’t
seem that long ago. Not that things
haven’t changed. My husband and I
purchased our first computer with the royalties from this book. And now,
several computers later, I get the jitters when I can’t check my email
daily. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>But the big question is
can I legitimately call this a work of historical fiction? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I think not. Neither
is it contemporary. When I re-read it, the absence of cell phones, ipods, laptops and other modern paraphernalia
dates the content. It was set in small
town Anyplace…in this case Canada where the book was first published by Scholastic.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>So besides the “branding” issue, getting this book
Kindle-ready has offered some other challenges and decisions. When I started on
this project I thought, the book’s done, it’s in a publishable form, I own the
rights, and without much more work it can be reissued on Kindle...<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Wrong, wrong, wrong. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First I needed a digital copy. I had one, I was sure, because years ago I
paid someone to retype it and get it on a disk. When I found that copy in a
file on my computer, it came up as gibberish.
The good news is, I had started a revision of this book in 2004, and
that copy was saved and was only half gibberish—I could delete the sections that
came up as numbers and symbols and go forward. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I re-formatted, deleted the extraneous data, and started
in. As I perused the first page my first
thought was, “I don’t remember writing this.”
The revisions I’d started in on at some unknown time introduced the main character in an entirely different way. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Yikes. Unless I wanted to go back
and re-type the original version myself or have an old copy scanned, it wasn’t going to be as simple as a
read-through + cover art = Kindle version.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>One of the things I realized quickly is that I am not the
same writer today as I was all those years ago.
My style has changed, my characters have more depth, and of course there’s
the genre problem.</b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What started out as a few simple changes became a battle
with myself. How much to leave, how much
to change, what to do about the time and setting. </b><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leave it? Modernize
the whole thing? Scrap it? And that
nasty little thread that I started at the beginning during the partial rewrite. What should I do with it?</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>La la la. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>In the end I decided to keep it—both the new thread and the
original 70’s venue. This meant re-arranging and adding chapters, and A LOT of blending. Not the simple task I set out to
accomplish. The book ended up with a complete face-lift. And after I did all that, I thought </b></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">why not do a POD issue while I was at it? </b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, why not?</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Stay tuned for adventures with Create Space…</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-13740100466809842322013-07-04T09:29:00.001-07:002013-07-04T10:01:57.905-07:00Pedaling through History<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IyQ55bhCivC0dKVTSTWoOuu_af3-Pw5tXikshqT5Blg85ZvBRC5-XX9AdlsFRd1xGr-uygP6z3zvYnzQ5uZuThGI7dKxhB59fIx_PG7DRBmNBAwva7ihZkWilfiTvknbjIiavz-rR0U/s1486/bicycle3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IyQ55bhCivC0dKVTSTWoOuu_af3-Pw5tXikshqT5Blg85ZvBRC5-XX9AdlsFRd1xGr-uygP6z3zvYnzQ5uZuThGI7dKxhB59fIx_PG7DRBmNBAwva7ihZkWilfiTvknbjIiavz-rR0U/s320/bicycle3.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One of the best things
about writing historical fiction is finding facts and pearls of information.
It's a little bit like peeling and onion. After one layer comes off, another layer appears. My need to know about bicycles of the past arose
during the writing of Rescue in Poverty Gulch when one of the main characters,
Miss Sternum, arrived in the scene pedaling down Bennett Avenue. What in the world did bicycles look like in 1896 anyway? Clueless. I imagined the big wheeler
bike with the little tiny seat. Probably you'd need to be about six feet tall
to get on one to ride and have a parachute for the dismount.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjJi-LTSfXJk0nQAd71vivh0rLi-c7kjgQX8gXPTIqR2rW0iRF7pmaqFnL6_Pfow0iFKJ_2rdCNx0BqmayzHMFqEt1yis4OdDcKzevgaOk2cX_OlYKB81tIzuZq8pZ3r63SihHy87N4E/s1600/cycling%252520dress%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjJi-LTSfXJk0nQAd71vivh0rLi-c7kjgQX8gXPTIqR2rW0iRF7pmaqFnL6_Pfow0iFKJ_2rdCNx0BqmayzHMFqEt1yis4OdDcKzevgaOk2cX_OlYKB81tIzuZq8pZ3r63SihHy87N4E/s320/cycling%252520dress%255B1%255D.jpg" width="121" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I also thought back to movie scenes like in Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid when Butch or Sundance or one of them. (Robert Redford to
be sure...) pedaled in circles to the tune of "Raindrops Keep Falling on
My Head”. Now that was a two wheeler
that looked familiar! And, it turns out,
that model of bicycle (with the two wheels more or less the same size) has been
around since the 1870’s. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This was good
news for me and also Miss Sternum. Even
though she had on her classy bicycle “costume” with two puffy pantaloon-style
legs that tapered to fit into her boots, she didn’t have to worry about falling
from a great height. It’s a good thing,
or her first meeting with Ruby and her Pa might have resulted in more than
broken glasses!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQjJi-LTSfXJk0nQAd71vivh0rLi-c7kjgQX8gXPTIqR2rW0iRF7pmaqFnL6_Pfow0iFKJ_2rdCNx0BqmayzHMFqEt1yis4OdDcKzevgaOk2cX_OlYKB81tIzuZq8pZ3r63SihHy87N4E/s1600/cycling%252520dress%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></a>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRZDWg7-j1dAjzm0SrkRZ23659yx3fMBxrKSoT-T_fMc_NTLhcAv7zGAWgBKfvoLps3P_27r8IcBCzy49_bFFNJyYYrOrAtWUwJTAkGWpX__9Z2Sz8nMjHabYnAnG886HxG0ow2t91DU/s600/bicycle+1895+ladies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRZDWg7-j1dAjzm0SrkRZ23659yx3fMBxrKSoT-T_fMc_NTLhcAv7zGAWgBKfvoLps3P_27r8IcBCzy49_bFFNJyYYrOrAtWUwJTAkGWpX__9Z2Sz8nMjHabYnAnG886HxG0ow2t91DU/s320/bicycle+1895+ladies.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spoon brake sits on top of front wheel with levers under handlebar.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">It wasn't</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> until recently that I needed to peel another
layer from the onion. How did a bicycle stop in 1896? The photo to the left came from
that research and the curved piece of metal, sitting atop the front tire, did
the work. It’s called a spoon brake and worked from the lever near the front
handlebars.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_fLI84Lp2M90h-1QcuCSmxRP2ipQ167la0hcZ48nKAEDvZ0t6OX4I4PICnTkOQcbgNKsWOKXS7DYZZCH8441QU1jiJ_7u4TIbfuRDRVCquYVpw2T3oEkGALzCEVxgKd2k_DQPARFH8A/s1600/bicycling+1890.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_fLI84Lp2M90h-1QcuCSmxRP2ipQ167la0hcZ48nKAEDvZ0t6OX4I4PICnTkOQcbgNKsWOKXS7DYZZCH8441QU1jiJ_7u4TIbfuRDRVCquYVpw2T3oEkGALzCEVxgKd2k_DQPARFH8A/s320/bicycling+1890.png" width="209" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What difference does
it make to a writer of historical fiction how a bicycle looks or stops? It
makes all the difference in the world. What sound does a bicycle like that make
when the bike is coming to a stop? Is it a whomp whomp as the break grabs the
tire? A scraping sound, grinding, or would you likely hear the tire thumping,
skidding, or sliding as it rolled to a stop?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_fLI84Lp2M90h-1QcuCSmxRP2ipQ167la0hcZ48nKAEDvZ0t6OX4I4PICnTkOQcbgNKsWOKXS7DYZZCH8441QU1jiJ_7u4TIbfuRDRVCquYVpw2T3oEkGALzCEVxgKd2k_DQPARFH8A/s599/bicycling+1890.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Writers make word
choice decisions every day, but with historical fiction, there’s a need to dig deeper. Specific and accurate historical details render the story
believable and also help to immerse the reader in time period. This research
is not always visible to the reader, but without it, the fictional ride could end up with a flat tire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.85pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For a great article on
the history of bicycles, read A Technical History of the Two-Wheeler by Erick
Sampson in the </span><a href="http://cozine.com/"><span style="color: #1b57b1; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Colorado Central
Magazine</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the August 2012
edition.</span></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-35889787730429862492013-05-23T07:46:00.000-07:002013-05-23T07:46:29.515-07:00The Next Big Thing<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">T</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">oday I’m hosting the
Next Big Thing blog campaign. The Next Big Thing is an international campaign
that began in Australia. Authors and illustrators of books for kids and young
adults talk about their recently published books and/or those that are due to
be released. Each author who has been nominated turns around and nominates a
couple of other authors. We all answer the same questions about our work. It’s
really just a great big game of “Tag, you’re it.” Today is my turn to answer
The Next Big Thing’s standard questions about…well…the next big thing which for
me is my current work-in-progress the sequel to “Rescue in Poverty Gulch”. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following me will be MG writer Elaine Pease
and children’s book illustrator Cathy Morrison.
You can read a little more about them at the end of this blog. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Here goes:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the working
title of your next book?<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The working title for my
book is “Trouble on the Tracks.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where did the idea come
from for the book?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
This book came to pass because at the end of Rescue in Poverty Gulch, I could
not get my characters to leave Cripple Creek.
I tried twice, both on the first draft and the second. Nope.
They wouldn't leave. So I decided
there was another book to be set in Cripple Creek with Ruby and her donkey,
Maude. The individual plot points
unfolded more slowly, but Cripple Creek had two fires within a week’s time in
April of 1896. In actual fact, they had
to let the prisoners out of jail to keep them from dying. Jake Hawker, the fictional villain from
Rescue in Poverty Gulch was among them<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What genre does your
book fall under?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b>MG Colorado-set
historical fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What actors would you
choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b>Well Maude, I guess
would be played by a talented, well trained donkey-double. Perhaps she’d be played by my own donkey,
Daisy, who likes attention so much she would love to be a movie star. Ruby, I’m not sure. I think she’d be played by one of the
talented 5<sup>th</sup> graders I taught before I retired from my teaching
job. I can think of a few that are both
gregarious and talented with a tendency for trouble. And did I tell you there’s
a cat in this book? I think Gayle
Gresham’s tiger gray would fit perfectly for this part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the one-sentence
synopsis of your book?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trouble for Ruby and
Maude when Jake Hawker, infamous donkey kidnapper and thief escapes from jail
during the second Cripple Creek fire of 1896; it turns out Hawker is more than
just a donkey-napper, and Ruby, Maude and the cat play a part in re-capturing
him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who is publishing your
book?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope it will be<a href="http://www.filterpressbooks.com/" target="_blank"> FilterPressBooks </a> of Palmer Lake Colorado who I have worked with on my last two
books and also the paperback version of a third book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How long did it take you
to write the first draft of the manuscript?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b>Hard to answer this one
since the book was started when I was teaching full time. Typically, the first draft is the hardest and
takes the longest. On the revisions,
each draft gets a little quicker, but I have yet to sit down and write a draft
with uninterrupted time, so it’s very hard to measure. My best guess is 4-5
months steady at it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What other books would
you compare this story to within your genre?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b>Maybe Anne of Green
Gables with a donkey? It’s such a hard
question to answer because there are so many great children’s books out there
and I do not stick to just one genre of reading. I think, piece by piece, there are lots of characters
I might compare Ruby to, but not to books as a whole. For instance, I love the YA author Richard
Peck and the way he weaves both wholesomeness, history, and humor into his
stories, but I can’t say that this book compares to any of his exactly because
every writer is unique.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Who or what inspired you
to write this book?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
With this book, it was the sheer joy of “playing” with dynamic between Ruby and
her donkey. The fact that it is a sequel
minimized some of the up-front work on characterization and setting, so I could
just jump right in and see what kind of trouble they would get themselves into
this time around.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What else about the book
might pique the reader’s interest?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think it’s the cat
named Trouble. In the first book, Maude held her own as the darling donkey in
residence, and she hasn't disappointed in this book. But Trouble adds a few new plot twists and
“what if” possibilities from a writer’s standpoint, at least. Other new characters appear, also, and old
characters, including Miss Sternum and Mr. Penn offer a few surprises. Pa’s
continued quest to find Ruby a “ma” remains constant…much to Ruby’s
dismay.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next up on The Next Big
Thing:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elaine Pease- June 6</span></b></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://peasepodbooks.wordpress.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Children's MG and picture book author. Elaine also loves to inspire children by making appearances at bookstores and schools to show and tell how she writes and illustrates her books.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxie0sevCpuFtW526xSNlH5VHLCEgY8zZjySfZ_lmWWM_SXLTb6VcV4WMZtqZ28lL9oHh7CDvarZbtqiESy2ZIjqFZR3I9MCTKSOUTWSPptaCbfvLZak4As09x3iOozuCOk-kcdiJ7i0/s1600/Elaine's+book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxie0sevCpuFtW526xSNlH5VHLCEgY8zZjySfZ_lmWWM_SXLTb6VcV4WMZtqZ28lL9oHh7CDvarZbtqiESy2ZIjqFZR3I9MCTKSOUTWSPptaCbfvLZak4As09x3iOozuCOk-kcdiJ7i0/s1600/Elaine's+book+cover.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cathy Morrison- June 13</span><br />
<a href="http://cathymorrison.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://cathymorrison.blogspot.com/</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Cathy Morisson is a talented illustrator</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"> specializing in the juvenile market - picture books, educational publishing, magazines, games and puzzles. She is fun and whimsical but also enjoys historical fiction.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-8637013053067837352013-05-16T13:07:00.001-07:002013-05-16T20:27:33.095-07:00Gettin' Too Slangy? A great writing resource. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Slang</b> seems
to be a part of our daily conversations, creeping into our language like well…a
dog in a doublet. If it hadn’t been for
this wonderful book, I’d never have known what a “dog in a doublet” was. You might want to take a moment or two to ponder
that phrase while I give credit to award winning author, Randall Platt,<a href="http://www.plattbooks.com/" target="_blank"> www.plattbooks.com</a> for sharing her list of references with
me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Randall, like me, spends much of her writing time creating
the past. For a writer of historical
fiction, this means a lot of things like researching clothing, housing,
transportation, and a myriad of other details that beg to be placed correctly
in time and place. As I worked on my
most recent book, set in 1896, I kept finding myself slipping into what sounded
like more modern speech. Several phrases
popped up with questionable etymologies.
For a quick fix, I usually rely on an online etymological dictionary…easy
to use and searchable online. But unless
I got lucky, this resource didn’t help for idioms or slang.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Randi gave me several suggestions for references to try, but the one I settled on
for starters is Casell’s Dictionary of Slang.
My version is about 1500 words and expressions are listed alphabetically;
it’s easy to use, and it dates everything by the first year an expression came into
common use. It also gives an approximate end date if appropriate. Example:
“dog in a doublet” [late 17C—early 19C]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it happened, this book came into my hands during a time
when I was rewriting an out of print book for the purpose of creating an
electronic copy. When I started the
rewrite I was agonizing over whether to update the book to make it more
contemporary or keep it as originally written…late 1960’s early 1970’s. I decided to stick with the older dates and
found myself flipping continually through “Casell’s” to determine when “high
five” came into use or “far out”. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kWV0nHJyBJpVXRj1igcw5ZesY5JtEnVXKFXITjzeTlwl_EgVvzeimhChKZW4maGnj7e5SAq8MZCeYdKtBbqWQyOiRMNqtQuvdZ0KdB19RYyPSAr40M_iwx1ZB95h2k6XaLkheGM5n_g/s1600/Casell's+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kWV0nHJyBJpVXRj1igcw5ZesY5JtEnVXKFXITjzeTlwl_EgVvzeimhChKZW4maGnj7e5SAq8MZCeYdKtBbqWQyOiRMNqtQuvdZ0KdB19RYyPSAr40M_iwx1ZB95h2k6XaLkheGM5n_g/s320/Casell's+image.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oddly,
I lived through that era, but for the life of me never really paid much
attention to the etymologies of what came out of my mouth. This reference book turned out to be an enormous
help wading through old expression and for verifying that the language for the
book was targeted correctly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So now I know you’ve been dying to find out what “dog in a
doublet” means so here goes: a daring
bold person; thus <i>proud as a dog in a doublet,
</i>very proud, <i>amere dog in a doublet, </i>a
pitiful figure , one who shows off to no avail. [the custom in Germany and
Flanders to dress the dogs used to hunt wild boar in a form of buff doublet]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I never would have known that without access to this
reference book. In fact, I think it’s
such a good phrase, it stands to be revived in the 20<sup>th</sup> century! I can think of several people it might apply
to, but I'm better not to mention names...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Language is changing constantly, and one can only imagine,
with the rapid changes in the world around us, what “Casell’s Dictionary of
Slang” might look like in ten more years.
For now, I find it a helpful resource for any genre of writing and plan
to keep it near at hand when I write.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheerio… phr [1910
+] 1. Goodbye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-38213226338911390942013-04-27T07:24:00.002-07:002013-04-27T07:24:57.398-07:00Equine Acupressure: Being a donkey then...and now...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwiEO0_wafOVw1Ny6EJohg7laCkZpJgVeY8MZsj0pTWzbHYrKUPCKQblhHAYjseDhAfv0GG7rqGbkz4xXXiEy-f8ixpJndy1XyLPofbNDqvMIt0cyJpcDVqrxRH9DY6WgiasYA-0KbSs/s1600/burro+with+load.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwiEO0_wafOVw1Ny6EJohg7laCkZpJgVeY8MZsj0pTWzbHYrKUPCKQblhHAYjseDhAfv0GG7rqGbkz4xXXiEy-f8ixpJndy1XyLPofbNDqvMIt0cyJpcDVqrxRH9DY6WgiasYA-0KbSs/s320/burro+with+load.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Life for burros has changed!
And if you read my last blog, you learned a little about how burros were
used in the mining communities of Colorado.
While burros were loved as great companions and friends, they also had
very hard lives, carrying heavy loads and doing the work of many men.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisy meets Jan for the first time.</td></tr>
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In comparison, my donkey, Daisy, lives a lackadaisical life. My
dad always asks me why in the world do I want with a donkey if I’m not going to
ride her. But that’s another subject. On the subject of Daisy, a neighbor of
mine recently earned all of her credentials in equine acupressure. She’s building her business and offered to
give Daisy a treatment. It was hard to say no.
Not only was I interested in finding out more about it, but I was pretty
sure Daisy wouldn't mind. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting a check-over</td></tr>
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I already had Daisy in the corral when Jan arrived and she
set to work giving Daisy a thorough once over…checking head, spine, shoulders,
legs… Daisy was cooperative and inquisitive
and seemed to enjoy the attention. With
no specific health problems to focus on, Jan worked with general pressure
points that are helpful to all equines—an overall balancing and unblocking—much
the way an acupuncturist might work to increase energy flow and promote healing
in humans.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The session took about 20 minutes with a walk break in the
middle when Daisy got tired of standing in one place. After that, Jan took on the challenge of
working with one of our ranch horses with a stifle. The horse, like Daisy, was calm throughout. This
time, however, Jan focused her attention on the area of the stifle. As an onlooker, the hand motions and pressure
points Jan used were difficult to detect, but could be observed by subtle
movements or as Jan pointed out a change in the animal’s breathing. I’ll be
anxious to see how this horse improves. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPVEAF-5mjI4Dzb4-xN5lgcbP9G8KontU720BPwQgJA7qlJtOSTDTVeWq0XKpVV97oEhRaSGMbC9fEKw5aDreGIxGatAsq3dq8yRh6VIorBbDzEYGU67YmYp3d09ni0_xTgDxKazKCts/s1600/IMG_0155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPVEAF-5mjI4Dzb4-xN5lgcbP9G8KontU720BPwQgJA7qlJtOSTDTVeWq0XKpVV97oEhRaSGMbC9fEKw5aDreGIxGatAsq3dq8yRh6VIorBbDzEYGU67YmYp3d09ni0_xTgDxKazKCts/s320/IMG_0155.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working with Lucky's stifle</td></tr>
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It’s my understanding from Jan, that equine acupressure can accomplish
many things such as: improved blood and lymph circulation, pain relief,
increase in trust, shortened recovery time from injuries or illness, and it can
be emotionally calming and mood elevation.
Jan describes herself as someone who facilitates and assists animals in
maintaining a naturally healthy state.
It was great having an opportunity to learn about this art. And I’m sure Daisy agrees.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How come that horse is getting all the attention?<br />
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You can link to Jan via :<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/ColoradoAnimalAcupressure" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/ColoradoAnimalAcupressure</a></div>
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You can visit Maude alias Daisy on FB:<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maude-Oliver/264720393591461?ref=hl" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maude-Oliver/264720393591461?ref=hl</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-74348418440282541182013-04-05T16:02:00.000-07:002013-04-05T16:02:06.442-07:00Burros, Donkeys, Whatever...<br />
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I just finished reading an excellent book subtitled, “Bringing
Civilization to Colorado”. The book is
entitled <i><b>On the Backs of Burros</b></i> by P. David Smith and Lyn Bezak. It’s really interesting with great photos
throughout and with the extra bonus of learning some Colorado history and how
burros/donkeys contributed to the growth of my native state.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before I share some highlights from the book, I want to put
to rest the difference between a burro and a donkey. None.
They are the same animal. A burro
is any kind of donkey—Equis asinu—the same animal that has gotten a poor “rap”
and sometimes called by a more insulting name.
Or at least it has become insulting because of the way humans like to find ways to equate
their fellow beings to some type of animal.<br />
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So why the difference in names? Geography is the answer given in this
book. In most of Colorado this small
beast of burden was called a burro. But
in Cripple Creek they are and always have been known as donkeys even to present day where the resident herd of Cripple Creek donkeys is well loved and protected by
the community there.<o:p></o:p><br />
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As a writer, these two names for the same animal conjure up
different images. On the one hand, the
word burro brings to mind the image of a teddy bear—lovable huggable, cute and
cuddly. The word donkey brings a whole
different set of imaginings. I think,
ornery, mischievous, contrary, single-minded...anything but docile. If I were to think of these critters as two
different animals, I’d far prefer the donkey because of its capriciousness.<o:p></o:p><br />
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This bias of mine might explain why I was drawn to some of
the anecdotes from the book that told of burros that ate laundry (including the
negligees of women), opened latches to sheds, entered houses, and finagled food treats in a myriad of creative ways.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The intelligence of a donkey is often underestimated. Historically the number of different jobs a
burro did such as powering machinery, working in the mines, pulling carts, and carrying
ladies side-saddle on outings is a testament to their abilities. Many stories tell of burros warning their
masters of danger, saving lives, delivering messages, and waking up their owners every morning for breakfast. It's not known whose breakfast the early rising was for as burros became fond of “people” food. Pancakes appeared to
be a favorite.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Loyalty is another quality that has been demonstrated by
these sure-footed creatures. Typically
burros did not wander far from camp, but stayed nearby without the use of
hobbles. They also could be trained to
follow along without the use of a lead.
This faithfulness was reciprocated by prospectors who invited their four-legged friends inside during a winter storm to share the warmth of a cabin. And according to one story the book, a donkey stood by Augustus Tabor's fire and was said to have come into her tent to lay down.<br />
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Donkeys were sometimes taken into bars, and
according to the authors of the book, were reported to stand at “doors and
windows of saloons and dance halls, listening to the music, intently watching
the commotion inside, and obviously having a good time themselves.”<br />
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The use of burros for transporting supplies across the state
of Colorado diminished as trains and other forms of transportation
replaced the need for an animal that could successfully negotiate narrow
mountain trails and access remote areas.
During the peak of the mining days, burros were an indispensable and
vital part of the settlement of the west.
<o:p></o:p><br />
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During World War I, the use of burros experienced a short
revival, but after that many burros were abandoned. They reproduced in the wild, creating the
modern day challenge of how to manage feral herds and find enough adoptive
homes for them. In Colorado organizations such as the
Longhopes Donkey Shelter: <a href="http://www.longhopes.org/">www.longhopes.org</a>, and the BLM facility
east of Canon City are working to find homes for them.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Donkeys have been described as mystical and wise as well as many
other expletive-deletives by people with less aptitude. Donkeys can indeed be lovable and endearing in
spite of my earlier comment and have a range talents and abilities, quirks and
personalities. The book “On the Backs of
Burros” elaborates, with delightful anecdotes on the lives of burros and their
historical contributions to the settlement of Colorado. A
great research resource!<br />
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To read more about how I came to have an interest in donkeys
and came to be a donkey owner, visit my related web page: <a href="http://www.nancyoswald.com/ask-maude.html">http://www.nancyoswald.com/ask-maude.html</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-77535261299584729142013-03-15T08:52:00.000-07:002013-03-15T08:52:36.012-07:00Slurp and Lick: Ice Cream Cones and Donkeys<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjni4aJhPEGY_QG6BWNis2OT9dr7kUfyCq4d8apHRVMJMLhCrXB-zwSfdG9kB79EJjNx9s4iSJAYopfLBj3zY0pXa3_orp-L8q32COQEuHwouIjs-17iyQaVsB52OfDukPBYjxJ5DDisak/s1600/Daisy's+first+day+out+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjni4aJhPEGY_QG6BWNis2OT9dr7kUfyCq4d8apHRVMJMLhCrXB-zwSfdG9kB79EJjNx9s4iSJAYopfLBj3zY0pXa3_orp-L8q32COQEuHwouIjs-17iyQaVsB52OfDukPBYjxJ5DDisak/s200/Daisy's+first+day+out+001.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><b></b></span></div>
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<b><b style="line-height: 11.85pt;"><b style="line-height: 11.85pt;"><b style="line-height: 11.85pt;"><b style="line-height: 11.85pt;">Ice cream should be added to the list of great American pastimes
if it isn't already on it. When I first decided Maude Oliver, donkey
extraordinaire, from the book, Rescue in Poverty Gulch, loved ice cream, I had
to decide how she ate it. My own donkey, Daisy, I'm sure wouldn't put
much thought into it. If she couldn't get it into her mouth in one large bite,
she'd figure out something else. And watch out for your fingers if you're
the benefactor of the treat!</b></b></b></b></b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><b>I did a lot of reading about donkeys before Maude made her way
to the written page. The real life donkey that gave me the idea for Maude
loving ice cream was a modern day donkey. The donkey's owner didn't
go into much detail, but I imagined the donkey ate ice
cream from a cone. Maude, however, being a fictional donkey, had to
eat ice cream the way they did it in 1896. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSc8veutn3YhBURr_guB_CxP_BlKaO9KKiYAnVfoSKfUDjQ1IpUhPGLgvzX4KcdcNKjJmhmHqOuQ0WCqnTXwPkBce_KIARFlUa8akrpWf2BF1WVsqpNEq-Zwhm-cyp_bTatpV9F55o4g/s1600/Penny+lick+vendor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSc8veutn3YhBURr_guB_CxP_BlKaO9KKiYAnVfoSKfUDjQ1IpUhPGLgvzX4KcdcNKjJmhmHqOuQ0WCqnTXwPkBce_KIARFlUa8akrpWf2BF1WVsqpNEq-Zwhm-cyp_bTatpV9F55o4g/s320/Penny+lick+vendor.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><b>While ice cream was served many different way during the 1800's,
the ice cream cone as we know it, was first sold in a push cart on the streets
of New York City by a man named Italo Marchiony who is credited with the
invention and production of the cone as early as 1896. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><b>However, the ice
cream cone did not gain nationwide popularity until 1904 at
the St. Louis World's Fair. As the story goes, Ernest Hamwi, a
waffle vendor had a booth next to an ice cream salesman that ran out of
dishes. Hamwi, solved the ice cream vendor's problem by rolling a waffle
into a cone shape that served as an ice cream dish. The cone has undergone
changes and modifications throughout the years, but still maintains is
"waffly" look.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszSiot427M7DW9XFIAvI6owTv5XFRvn9knHHRJmi0E8Um2jFJQftYvRBRe8G_DP_TC6ws98L4Pi4vaXZ97YB_cWhvQXAoDH3nk4KMS0V1uiHAK42CG9riJNbXLLzqAiUgusbMyhjpVAg/s1600/ice+cream+cone+maker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszSiot427M7DW9XFIAvI6owTv5XFRvn9knHHRJmi0E8Um2jFJQftYvRBRe8G_DP_TC6ws98L4Pi4vaXZ97YB_cWhvQXAoDH3nk4KMS0V1uiHAK42CG9riJNbXLLzqAiUgusbMyhjpVAg/s320/ice+cream+cone+maker.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<div style="line-height: 11.85pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2Udss7S7PXH67NWDsg5LkbboOM6yjdmyhLzlo4EGKoNV4MciBwfx3vaSedYRNBKn_4_8KpmFrk7OAQSdahxag4N8EsxESFkjWz27eNPN3IEoCS9cdwfDT-iJK2n3YEw4GKYshnMhpgs/s1600/pen+lick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2Udss7S7PXH67NWDsg5LkbboOM6yjdmyhLzlo4EGKoNV4MciBwfx3vaSedYRNBKn_4_8KpmFrk7OAQSdahxag4N8EsxESFkjWz27eNPN3IEoCS9cdwfDT-iJK2n3YEw4GKYshnMhpgs/s320/pen+lick.jpg" width="211" /></b></a><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;">So, what would have been realistic to assume about how ice cream
was served in the gold boom town of Cripple Creek in 1896? Not ice cream
cones as we know them today. This led me to the discovery of Penny
Licks. A Penny Lick was an ice cream container used primarily by street
vendors in the late 1800's. It was a shallow stemmed glass that came in
various sizes: half-penny, penny, and a two penny size. The customer
would place his order, stand near the cart, lick out the ice cream, and return
the container to the vendor. After swishing the container in water, the
vendor would collect money from the next customer, scoop a new serving in, and
hand the "new" dish to the streetside ice cream
lover. Sometimes the container wasn't even washed in between. It's
no wonder that in London, in 1899, a law was passed to ban the use of Penny
Licks as they were believed to contribute to the spread of Tuberculosis.</span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><b>Luckily, donkeys don't get Tuberculosis. Or, not that we know of
anyway. Maude and Ruby shared many a Penny Lick purchased at the Palace
Drug near 2nd Street and Bennett Avenue in Cripple Creek in 1896. One
would hope the containers were well washed inside the store before ice
cream was served to the next customer.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><b>As I've mentioned often, one of the things I love about
writing historical fiction is the discovery of factoids about the
past. It's always fun to reflect on how things were and the changes that
have happened over time. So, think about how far we've come from the
pushcart days the next time you have a treat at the Cold Stone Creamery or
Baskin Robins. Slurp, lick, and enjoy.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-44649038209916167852013-03-01T12:43:00.000-08:002013-03-01T12:43:39.339-08:00Pen-sive: Using the Right Nib.<br />
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It’s so easy to get stuck in paradigms with historical
research. Before I needed to
put a pen into a historical character’s hand, I thought there was
only one type of old-time writing utensil…the carefully nibbed quill. I don’t know what I
thought happened in between the quill pen and the clickable Bic, but when Miss Sternum (Rescue in Poverty
Gulch) needed to pull a writing utensil from her purse at an important moment in the story,
it gave me an ink-stained pause.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Like all technology, things undergo a gradual and sometimes
a not so gradual change. When I think about
pens during my lifetime, I recall the fat ballpoints we were finally allowed to use when I reached junior high school.
And these were much different that the fine tipped Sharpies or gel pens
in use today. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pdQATfx4kipPe1DnLFe8_S5uVq97Dh1L64tol9iHC3HSXcFIeNjOj4JBHUoDj5QUoP4XFRRpJ434qehzEoqxjrIqfhXIh6Q2R6aP92SENaZ33P-bIzTsw0hAEQ4QNnCSRlNo8rD1Jlk/s1600/pocket+protect-nerd+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pdQATfx4kipPe1DnLFe8_S5uVq97Dh1L64tol9iHC3HSXcFIeNjOj4JBHUoDj5QUoP4XFRRpJ434qehzEoqxjrIqfhXIh6Q2R6aP92SENaZ33P-bIzTsw0hAEQ4QNnCSRlNo8rD1Jlk/s200/pocket+protect-nerd+cropped.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my dad. High school boyfriend?</td></tr>
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I also remember when
pocket protectors were an everyday part of a business man’s wardrobe, not just the
nerds, but people who went to work every day wearing a suit, like my dad. Even when he wore a sports shirt, the pocket protector was in place and a pen handy. Then, if you consider all the different styles and brands of pens, the variety is immense. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The ball point pen itself was a huge leap forward, relying
on a ball bearing at the tip of the ink tube to keep the ink from spilling out.
It’s the pressure on the ball, which
releases the ink to flow out in what everyone hopes will be a smooth, even
flow. No blotters or blotting paper
needed after the ballpoint replaced metal nibs for writing. Ballpoint pens came into common use in
the 1950’s and are still in use today. (Gel pens use a type of roller tip,too, but the
consistency of the ink (the gel) is what makes the difference in how they
write.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeV-zPtuGxunnGLnnMC1lVEzC20I3csmJnenohyphenhyphengjoUOg9hZZGv2I4zOx7rzOev68i691hH6Ob2nvW11Rcjwg79kUjeBNA5fHvwiHb72YFV7-Ig2sEIfDux4WqSA3FQt8_EBfIKK4O5cA/s1600/fountain+pen+nibs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeV-zPtuGxunnGLnnMC1lVEzC20I3csmJnenohyphenhyphengjoUOg9hZZGv2I4zOx7rzOev68i691hH6Ob2nvW11Rcjwg79kUjeBNA5fHvwiHb72YFV7-Ig2sEIfDux4WqSA3FQt8_EBfIKK4O5cA/s320/fountain+pen+nibs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">The invention of the metal nib advanced pen technology.</td></tr>
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So what came in between dipping and rolling? I discovered it was the fountain pen which uses a nib, but also has a self-contained reservoir...no ink bottle needed. It worked on the science of capillary attraction to make work. And in case you've forgotten that science lesson, it is what allows liquid to flow into a narrow space...the little slit in the metal point.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgW4YhlMUwWodP63pRuZQ0ffbAk3a34GTHS9qQl75IAqghyN4Yr-4edT0AFdh18Uhdz5py6QB-3_qoKaDz-vRK7SBeozDPFqLx37VZeWRR-NzEepHtbyNs3D4GVKeTBE9_kLfSuDHGH8/s1600/fountain+pen+1867.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgW4YhlMUwWodP63pRuZQ0ffbAk3a34GTHS9qQl75IAqghyN4Yr-4edT0AFdh18Uhdz5py6QB-3_qoKaDz-vRK7SBeozDPFqLx37VZeWRR-NzEepHtbyNs3D4GVKeTBE9_kLfSuDHGH8/s1600/fountain+pen+1867.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgW4YhlMUwWodP63pRuZQ0ffbAk3a34GTHS9qQl75IAqghyN4Yr-4edT0AFdh18Uhdz5py6QB-3_qoKaDz-vRK7SBeozDPFqLx37VZeWRR-NzEepHtbyNs3D4GVKeTBE9_kLfSuDHGH8/s1600/fountain+pen+1867.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tCc8v6pspBRyKm2TZhDFkR72zu0J6NtYzB4-uHPXe9QPLjkhMj4elTni3M2uh3lKIgPX5zXMf6p7UEY6mroftodshk9Eq-nRbI3jkiIL1WjWm-yHaPvUDFpc_-1GYpnTwKFod2iZrCg/s1600/1855_Princes_Protean_Fountain_Pen_John_S_Purdy_NY_NY_pat_1855_adv_1865_OM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tCc8v6pspBRyKm2TZhDFkR72zu0J6NtYzB4-uHPXe9QPLjkhMj4elTni3M2uh3lKIgPX5zXMf6p7UEY6mroftodshk9Eq-nRbI3jkiIL1WjWm-yHaPvUDFpc_-1GYpnTwKFod2iZrCg/s320/1855_Princes_Protean_Fountain_Pen_John_S_Purdy_NY_NY_pat_1855_adv_1865_OM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1855</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiS9eRkeIkIsBqfLeV07hkCCH01-yzhAZ_LM5_L0wi6eue4eg1B3wEoOjiSaqPp-2bVGBp_fRMh1QmeClN0N5Kro4iqS5Y7fXJYPZdV0f9ZoHQPhkpo4lG70rYA-od7xih1z-HnrYr1EU/s1600/1890_Paul_E_Wirt_fountain_pen_ad_350000_in_use.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiS9eRkeIkIsBqfLeV07hkCCH01-yzhAZ_LM5_L0wi6eue4eg1B3wEoOjiSaqPp-2bVGBp_fRMh1QmeClN0N5Kro4iqS5Y7fXJYPZdV0f9ZoHQPhkpo4lG70rYA-od7xih1z-HnrYr1EU/s320/1890_Paul_E_Wirt_fountain_pen_ad_350000_in_use.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1890</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmrLloGcDo1x3GR70QBdxjIDQjwdwfOxOucJrkGTSgDy52Hwi86X5K94_BJjF2IY6PO4UPtcI3Q9JoRcCIWCz5BSfmla0FhWD8vBxQPNOYNCWO3sh0JBAwsszlmM-nDS9vCigYdyoYjQ/s1600/1911_Swan_Eyedropper_Fountain_Pen_No_2_Mabie_Todd__Co.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmrLloGcDo1x3GR70QBdxjIDQjwdwfOxOucJrkGTSgDy52Hwi86X5K94_BJjF2IY6PO4UPtcI3Q9JoRcCIWCz5BSfmla0FhWD8vBxQPNOYNCWO3sh0JBAwsszlmM-nDS9vCigYdyoYjQ/s320/1911_Swan_Eyedropper_Fountain_Pen_No_2_Mabie_Todd__Co.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1911</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
So to back up a little, there
were quill pens, then the invention of metal nibs used for dipping, and from
there the fountain pen which was portable and carried around its own ink in a metal tube.</div>
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The fountain
pen, which was not very reliable to begin with, evolved to the point (no pun
intended) where a person could be relatively certain it could be used without ending up with a pool of black liquid
in a purse, a pocket, or on the paper being used. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the 19<sup>th</sup> century, people were often judged by the quality of their penmanship, but it makes
me wonder if it became such a respected talent because of the skill it took to produce
a piece of writing that was not blurred, blotted, blobbed or blackened. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1pZL2ppEuysG_XEbrX_qbkawCO0kkAjeHW9vAyxgCZ0c3WELqOKBi90JhpkO_mCqtQnVS0X-Ss_gpnOp1081rLz5G_PoxgGawDCWpW5KX8rmc_0LPt8OWfHfK7alUemYmjVxCcbpALI/s1600/pen+ink+blotter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1pZL2ppEuysG_XEbrX_qbkawCO0kkAjeHW9vAyxgCZ0c3WELqOKBi90JhpkO_mCqtQnVS0X-Ss_gpnOp1081rLz5G_PoxgGawDCWpW5KX8rmc_0LPt8OWfHfK7alUemYmjVxCcbpALI/s200/pen+ink+blotter.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ink blotter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Judging by how often I use the delete key on
the computer, I would have been hard pressed to produce an error-free
letter. I still remember writing my first published book on a
typewriter (before White-out). I’d use the little correction papers, stick
them between the typewriter ribbon and keys to cover the mistake, retype so the
mistake looked white and blended with the paper (sort of), and re-type again with the correction paper removed, and if I did this step correctly, I could move on.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQZG9g5taDNT2I26oDvBVWRglWuYQeaWHceiHplwWVPkcZsc5uZIY9eFRKYmA51slkKt2zK39N5Uudi050yDpmmOOEaTsxtIX8ReXwXbhf23jyp15UUZoFfzIGMEJBJejGQ_4WyfIyzQ/s1600/old+typewriter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQZG9g5taDNT2I26oDvBVWRglWuYQeaWHceiHplwWVPkcZsc5uZIY9eFRKYmA51slkKt2zK39N5Uudi050yDpmmOOEaTsxtIX8ReXwXbhf23jyp15UUZoFfzIGMEJBJejGQ_4WyfIyzQ/s1600/old+typewriter.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(My typewriter was actually a little newer. than this one.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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And now, ahhhh, the computer keyboard. Who
could have imagined?<br />
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In the end, Miss Sternum did pull a fountain pen out of her
purse (1896) and the important paper was signed without any pooled ink. Or maybe I neglected to include that detail in the story.<br />
<br />
In this
case, it wasn't the most important thing. But it certainly was important that she didn't have to pull out her ink
bottle and quill, uncork the bottle, dip the pen in and hand it over while the "bad" guy waited.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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My final thought: be pen-sive and use the right nib. It may not be necessary to know the exact brand or design used, but an error in vintage will require a quantity of blotting
paper to cover it up. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CCYi5DsYc5CxK6IJ1cgPL313GijfqKNrtXCn3FSyFyEfAGSWi9olLIBzUgVSDqnzFTpBk71oQB8Cqco3IHFbEuEaub1m8FQaVWVI54S9R2fnE4aFk6FK-NXUwEM01NtFykbNrektEko/s1600/reed+pen+4th+century.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CCYi5DsYc5CxK6IJ1cgPL313GijfqKNrtXCn3FSyFyEfAGSWi9olLIBzUgVSDqnzFTpBk71oQB8Cqco3IHFbEuEaub1m8FQaVWVI54S9R2fnE4aFk6FK-NXUwEM01NtFykbNrektEko/s1600/reed+pen+4th+century.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egyptian Reed Pens from 4th Century Egypt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-4390504090121880872013-02-15T07:08:00.000-08:002013-02-15T07:08:29.852-08:00Loving the Facts: Post Valentines Day Post<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Manna from
Heaven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s wonderful when the
historical facts surrounding an event <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are so gripping that it’s hard to improve on them
with a fictional account. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik71TXYlnUN143lVaOhp3J4TgwASwVWGoqCmI214gSy6wdPRTEhK5OoGKpMk1bB08pFB9vaaFpznUtiRSLdJF6WCbatPQlLLlgmPLA-l8o_52UayjfrZitgBwcxMACX_jxjlffEF4G_l4/s1600/Russian+Pograms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik71TXYlnUN143lVaOhp3J4TgwASwVWGoqCmI214gSy6wdPRTEhK5OoGKpMk1bB08pFB9vaaFpznUtiRSLdJF6WCbatPQlLLlgmPLA-l8o_52UayjfrZitgBwcxMACX_jxjlffEF4G_l4/s1600/Russian+Pograms.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This
happened to me with my first published historical fiction work, “Nothing Here but
Stones”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drama surrounding the
immigration of a group of Russian Jews to a relatively isolated part of
Colorado was palpable. What first began as a planned move to the United States
became urgent when anti-Jewish pogroms became widespread in Poland and the
Ukraine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0E5hRKEH3Rk3h2q-I8FaG7LY0ld1K9PYLYrMe2nsX-o2IXp4vNQSyUJJZ5W4aH8KI-hY-4ZZF9QQufg2UPTiOa7AgnAqIHE3sr8I9NP5DWllvl5IRO8DxRxsTss86l6rDMAdQ_gTU10/s1600/blog+Cotopaxi+1890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0E5hRKEH3Rk3h2q-I8FaG7LY0ld1K9PYLYrMe2nsX-o2IXp4vNQSyUJJZ5W4aH8KI-hY-4ZZF9QQufg2UPTiOa7AgnAqIHE3sr8I9NP5DWllvl5IRO8DxRxsTss86l6rDMAdQ_gTU10/s320/blog+Cotopaxi+1890.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cotopaxi, Colorado about 1890</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All planning
aside, the immigrants left their homes and settled in an area south of Cotopaxi, Colorado. With promises of houses, farming equipment,
two span of horses and other items, the Cotopaxi “colonists" set out,
traveling from New York City to what must have seemed like an empty
expanse of nothingness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they left Pueblo
and headed due west, the terrain quickly shifted to steep rocky canyons,
foothills, and towering rugged mountains.<o:p></o:p></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When they
arrived in Cotopaxi, they discovered the houses were insufficient and incomplete, the equipment and
livestock less than promised, and the “farming” ground littered with rocks. Miles<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> south of town, the small dwellings were </span>above 8,000 feet with
no water available for irrigation. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabHIzGe9ov3HFW2L4Sf2QgQc3zBZIZMhe-qgPq6nfqPkEt4CSPKkPsBV2DCL3vC9DeIEW38mWajsRnO41c3zvY__8q0Gk4uW_ecWzK-Cbhlf5sR5LlDpcueI8Y5ximPTgqQEoE5HOMnU/s1600/jewish+colony+and+Zapato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabHIzGe9ov3HFW2L4Sf2QgQc3zBZIZMhe-qgPq6nfqPkEt4CSPKkPsBV2DCL3vC9DeIEW38mWajsRnO41c3zvY__8q0Gk4uW_ecWzK-Cbhlf5sR5LlDpcueI8Y5ximPTgqQEoE5HOMnU/s320/jewish+colony+and+Zapato.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The colonists
struggled to succeed, but for two consecutive years, their crops failed,
yielding potatoes smaller than the seed stock they used to plant them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To complicate things, they had hoped to own
their own land. This never happened. Whether the understanding was lost in the translation
from Yiddish to English or was misunderstood from the beginning is
unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They traveled 40 miles
by wagon to Canon City to the county seat and made statements attesting to
ownership, but the statements did not provide any rights of ownership.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIuY0bQwh3Z3Z66Xi9vEZnvp4D0if1NShH1-4wnl1LTB4pjhrEOXnYZhoTadZ5M2gvJZUyf4zfuonKdQMJug7ld-U-G5b5murT4wZ8UCqHwEkYP-8a2ejjWYXE_tX6tR49jAZY-MDWhc/s1600/blog+Yiddish+cookbook+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIuY0bQwh3Z3Z66Xi9vEZnvp4D0if1NShH1-4wnl1LTB4pjhrEOXnYZhoTadZ5M2gvJZUyf4zfuonKdQMJug7ld-U-G5b5murT4wZ8UCqHwEkYP-8a2ejjWYXE_tX6tR49jAZY-MDWhc/s320/blog+Yiddish+cookbook+cover.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">This
skeleton version offers plenty to hang a story on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One can imagine the long, uncomfortable train
trip, the difficulty getting the first crops planted, the language barrier and
difficulty communicating… <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><br />
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">And within
that are the documented facts of men, three to a log, carrying huge trees down
steep slopes to the river for the extension of the railroad, west from Salida
over Monarch Pass, the women scavenging for coal along the railroad tracks,
“marauding bears”, hungry Utes begging for food, pleas for help on bended knee,
and a man fording the Arkansas at flood level to get medicine for his wife. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">And I still
haven’t mentioned the love story of two of the colonists and the third colonist
who tried to get the marriage annulled. When he was unsuccessful, he left the
colony on foot, journeying through the back country to Denver in despair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">When the
colonists began to struggle, some naysayers accused them of unrealistic
expectations and lack of resolve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others
insisted they were victims of misinformation and deceit. After two short years,
the Cotopaxi Colony dissolved. Many colonists became leaders in the Denver
Jewish community, and some became successful farmers in other places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The descendants ‘success stories are numerous
and varied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxhUOsIZbAb2NaP-xnd23ETu3hvzWKKP4Al1WWnhVWtmkDM_Crc6cxVY2YwaWI9jtNvvGU24ElzX_G4BnRHzGSyWaMEUT7ZIxdFXzgZsM7Vf_PmDNV16rbLzpImPyyr06btfdztE2woo/s1600/stones+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxhUOsIZbAb2NaP-xnd23ETu3hvzWKKP4Al1WWnhVWtmkDM_Crc6cxVY2YwaWI9jtNvvGU24ElzX_G4BnRHzGSyWaMEUT7ZIxdFXzgZsM7Vf_PmDNV16rbLzpImPyyr06btfdztE2woo/s320/stones+cover.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Manna from Heaven!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who wouldn’t fall in love with this story of
struggling pioneers and the things they endured to start a new life in the
United States. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I know I
did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It captured my heart, and after
that, the hardest part was deciding on which details to add or subtract, or to
bend or embellish in order to render the story in fictional form. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">With the
recent re-release of “Nothing Here but Stones” in a paperback version, I’ve had
a chance to revisit the original story that inspired me so much in the first
place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m still in love with the facts as much as
the fiction…still in love with the idea that people can overcome difficulties
and go on to find success…even when the original vision becomes something new. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></div>
</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj561PNyWZ1VX6Y_zCy1l4zwPR4b8MfNv7Mx684NSiQdargw4wP1h1A6gh3iWC6wr9A6D5sAzU8FSfp1AZE5owqRZ5T5VHMbxdijSzH9Qfz9WsXEAZY3-2MZGFbWoA0mH9khrUuQp272G4/s1600/blog+jewish+colony+site.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-74966703277923919112013-02-07T13:16:00.000-08:002013-02-07T13:17:51.804-08:00RAILROADIN'<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYx40Bo0714bZs9y8tahq_62KG2WgfrA52VumjBAsUsfiRm1NijMZPOOddH7NkPGwzv1xZq9a3e5B0eNUmIq8wOoHLQSP2UHo_ld2-GVfUvnjX1MzJeKh2Za-U7dVHQxg5vvZacEXUDE/s1600/100_2910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYx40Bo0714bZs9y8tahq_62KG2WgfrA52VumjBAsUsfiRm1NijMZPOOddH7NkPGwzv1xZq9a3e5B0eNUmIq8wOoHLQSP2UHo_ld2-GVfUvnjX1MzJeKh2Za-U7dVHQxg5vvZacEXUDE/s320/100_2910.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;">One of the best things about writing historical fiction is
the research…especially if it involves going somewhere. So, last week my husband and I took a trip to
the </span><a href="http://www.coloradorailroadmuseum.org/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Colorado Railroad Museum</a><span style="text-align: center;"> in Golden, Colorado. I’ve wanted to go since visiting a similar museum
a few years ago: the </span><a href="http://www.csrmf.org/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">California State Railroad Museum</a><span style="text-align: center;"> in Sacramento. And while the Colorado museum came up lacking for indoor exhibits,
it had a yard full of trains and train
cars dating from the late 1800’s up to present.
Great fun walking around to see them and helpful people in the museum
office and library!</span><br />
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On this trip, I was specifically interested in the
Toilets. Odd, but when you need to put
an eleven year old and her cat inside one, it’s pretty important you have an
idea of how much room she has to maneuver in.
I already knew that the toilet itself, flushed onto the tracks…thus the
helpful advice of “Do not flush while in the station.” But the surprise was how relatively recently
this practice changed. If I remember
correctly, the man from the museum said it was in the 1960’s. That doesn't seem that long ago to me.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgzrcAUdKxQcc2pWQDMIHQR4hSB2A13b5LiiNRM38iercpoAlN7QDCZbKzWZYJgkjHTFZRmouMP2jB7SZL1rgZNq_nf_aNOU5ty7KCpvmCRg25_N5w0ogo-rmkYtMy4kX6-Hdac7U7mA/s1600/100_2912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgzrcAUdKxQcc2pWQDMIHQR4hSB2A13b5LiiNRM38iercpoAlN7QDCZbKzWZYJgkjHTFZRmouMP2jB7SZL1rgZNq_nf_aNOU5ty7KCpvmCRg25_N5w0ogo-rmkYtMy4kX6-Hdac7U7mA/s200/100_2912.JPG" width="133" /></a><span style="text-align: center;"></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
The car I walked through to check this out was actually a
standard gauge Midland Terminal passenger car, but sure enough, the ground was right
below.<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;"> Not much else in the small room…a
very ornate coat hook and a few other fixtures.
No sink, but outside there was a metal water “cooler” with a push button
spigot. Across from the “Toilet” was the coal burning stove…the only
source of heat for passengers on a winter trip, and ornate lights hung from the
ceiling, which from what I learned so far were fed by kerosene. </span><br />
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To get a better idea of the insides of an actual narrow
gauge passenger car, I went exploring. These
cars were closed to the public, but by climbing the steep steps, I could look
down the aisles at the lighting, hat racks, and seating. The narrow gauge cars were a little less
fancy than the Midland car I walked through, with bench seats instead of individual adjustable seat. There was one restroom and one wood stove at either end of the car. These were labeled Mujeres:
Women and Hombres: Gentlemen. I wondered where this car had been.<o:p></o:p><br />
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It was helpful to know ahead of time that most<br />
passenger
cars for the smaller Colorado lines were made by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad,
which is what this car and the two other Narrow Gauge cars I looked at were labeled. I was specifically looking for information on
the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad, but through reading discovered that
for the first years of operation, they leased cards from the Denver and Rio
Grande. Bingo. If not a D&RG car, then likely the Florence
and Cripple Creek cars were made by them and should be fairly similar in
structure and inside components.<o:p></o:p><br />
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When I write historical fiction, I want to be as close as
possible to the actual time period I’m writing about so that the details are
accurate and ring true. It’s not always
possible to get exact, but as one historical fiction writer that I heard speak
said is that if you can find evidence that it was probable, then you are OK…writing fiction, that is. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUwWKOzohi9x35XjRllwHAUDdDdUC2u2V9LzP4Lyst8rikmGjy4Vhyphenhyphen0LB_dqNtiogZhlzl3IbnzcX0Tl2N_UvWJLR7ajoDltNea3meOS_yLZFP5Ghfuq73onZEZ19WiingJQ9vSVaQAo/s1600/100_2953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUwWKOzohi9x35XjRllwHAUDdDdUC2u2V9LzP4Lyst8rikmGjy4Vhyphenhyphen0LB_dqNtiogZhlzl3IbnzcX0Tl2N_UvWJLR7ajoDltNea3meOS_yLZFP5Ghfuq73onZEZ19WiingJQ9vSVaQAo/s320/100_2953.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I’m still in the process of reading more on this subject and
a couple others that came up during the draft of my new book set in Cripple
Creek. I try to check multiple sources and come up with the best fit.
Even browsing antique stores turns up some interesting tidbits, like the
antique collapsible camping cup I recently ran across.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I had to stuff my hands in pockets to keep from shelling out the three
dollars to buy it. (These things can add up.)<o:p></o:p><br />
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Angel Self: “This item isn't in the book.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Devil Self: “It might
be in the next book. You know, I was thinking
about a camping scene with Pa and Miss Sternum.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Angel Self: “Then when you write that book, you
can come back and see if the cup’s still here.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Left arm yanks right arm out the door.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In spite of a library and extensive web search, I've already purchased two railroad books.<br />
<br />
That’s
enough. (For now.) <o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRb7zARUhQpqnDwvJ3SZ1Hd9f4A3z7xniG-HTVD7RA0iEMMTkreMddsx06w-TFiUnT8YzzjsD2YPGwGOi_okBaaJLv3N67ziMiIH_9BMv81Z1FGFalTF056PEAwvAkf77RO3IrziGLVo/s1600/100_2964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRb7zARUhQpqnDwvJ3SZ1Hd9f4A3z7xniG-HTVD7RA0iEMMTkreMddsx06w-TFiUnT8YzzjsD2YPGwGOi_okBaaJLv3N67ziMiIH_9BMv81Z1FGFalTF056PEAwvAkf77RO3IrziGLVo/s320/100_2964.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freight car from the F&CC the approximate dates of the book. <br />
Not helpful as far as passengers, go, but pretty cool anyway. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-62782905483611585192013-01-31T15:21:00.001-08:002013-01-31T20:30:24.471-08:00Much More than Cooking in 1884 <br />
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Mrs. Owen’s Cook Book and Useful Household Hints</div>
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Original publication 1884</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyZpLhlNUQKXm2m-ja-1zsUSF5mmt-ZvtIHm8nHeY3rxP2iT_O9rAqTo7boekII8I-fhoKGD7_C8VcBKNGu_t_KxBKC7JF62PEh07Tp6vnMZUFQPzksLHkYjAJxZj2AFJ-Br4henE7Zg/s1600/Mrs.+Owens+CB+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyZpLhlNUQKXm2m-ja-1zsUSF5mmt-ZvtIHm8nHeY3rxP2iT_O9rAqTo7boekII8I-fhoKGD7_C8VcBKNGu_t_KxBKC7JF62PEh07Tp6vnMZUFQPzksLHkYjAJxZj2AFJ-Br4henE7Zg/s320/Mrs.+Owens+CB+001.jpg" width="216" /></a>More treasures. This
one hiding right under my nose. I’ve
been on a search for sleep remedies in the 1890’s and something jiggle-joggled
my memory. <i>Wasn’t there an old cookbook in my grandmother’s things when we cleaned
out her house? And…where in the world
did I put it?</i></div>
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Amazingly, I sniffed it out…tucked in a little used
drawer. But what a treasure it has
turned out to be—not for the purpose of finding a sleep aid, but the contents
of this book are incredible. Especially
the section in the back one third of the book that offers everyday advice to
young wives of the time, beginning with a letter of advice entitled, “From an
Old Citizen to a Young Wife”. </div>
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The letter
took up four single spaced pages, and when I got to the end, it was signed by—you
guessed it. A man. Near the end he says: “You see, I mix
medicine with meals; it cuts down on the doctor’s bills” and then, “Think how much longer your husband will live
on first class food!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I skimmed some of the other sections, but they were chock
full of interesting items from <i>Invalid
Cookery </i>and <i>Dyes.</i> In between is everything from lamp care, bed
care, laundry, nursery, and remedies.
(But no sleep remedies.) The book went on to talk about health care for the livestock,
how to get rid of pests, and there was even a section with mathematical tables
for the farmer who wished to build “roads,
levees or turnpikes.”</div>
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So far, I've just scratched the surface of what this book
has to offer in the way of historical research.
It just doesn't get any better than holding a primary document with a
broken spine and fluttering un-stitched pages in the palm of your hand. <o:p></o:p></div>
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BUT, one section of this book truly did stop me for a
thorough perusal. It was the two pages
of charts under the DIGESTION section.
The chart was titled: Average
time required for Digestion, and it divided into columns: Article of Food……How Prepared…….Hrs…Min...<o:p></o:p></div>
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For instance, a raw
apple would take 1 hour 30 minutes to digest.
Fried heart would take 4 hours and cooked spinach 2 hours and 30
minutes. At the end of the charts for
the individual foods was a section marked INDIGESTIBLE FOODS. (Foods taking
more than 4 to 5 ½ hours to digest.) (And eat these sparingly!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here are just a few of the items on that list: hard-boiled egg, melted butter, nuts, cheese,
and new potatoes...<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is what threw me. I wouldn't have a clue about which foods I eat today are hard or easy to
digest, so it made me wonder what science was applied to this process in the
early 1880’s. How did they figure it
out? Today we could probably use, ultra
sound, MRI, chemical analysis… you name it.
But back then? I’m not sure my
mind even wants to go there.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The following section put my mind at ease. It was entitled, SEASONS FOR EATING DIFFERENT
FOODS: (In the Northern and Middle States) This section reminded me of Barbara
Kingsolver’s book, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” on eating locally and
seasonally. Although for the life of me,
I don’t know where I’d find EELS from April to November! <o:p></o:p><br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
All in all this was a great reference, and even though I didn't find the remedy I wanted, I found much more…a snapshot into life of the
1880’s. You may hear from me again on
this book and topic. The section on how
to destroy an ant colony, how to keep the cream from frothing, or the reading
of all the hand written notes in the book by some unknown women with a
beautiful script and the initials C M S are calling to me. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-21127949144222860412013-01-25T11:09:00.000-08:002013-01-25T11:16:33.154-08:00FINDING TREASURE<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“ALL MEMBERS OF POST’S JUNIOR </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">DETECTIVE</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> CORPS EAT PLENTY
OF POST TOASTIES TO HELP KEEP THEIR BODIES STRONG AND THEIR MINDS ALERT”</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">This fell right in my lap. While cleaning and sorting things after my
mom’s death a few months ago, I came across an envelope from Battle Creek
Michigan. It was paid by US Postage
Permit #52 and marked: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">CONFIDENTIAL.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What’s this?” I
asked Dad, picking up a slightly yellowed envelope. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFzDxwh51OjJo5QBpUXOpTy6Xkt1dggFUc_W_gKqT8QYwC5lqorRiaIwObnHlV1Rg4WCJpygOapKMvzE7lk_UJgQPQuep8q2BDDOZ_3s0-aqb4okxm9rTXl6mPhnfvGePzrUwhj3tYS4/s1600/Blog+snip+2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFzDxwh51OjJo5QBpUXOpTy6Xkt1dggFUc_W_gKqT8QYwC5lqorRiaIwObnHlV1Rg4WCJpygOapKMvzE7lk_UJgQPQuep8q2BDDOZ_3s0-aqb4okxm9rTXl6mPhnfvGePzrUwhj3tYS4/s320/Blog+snip+2.PNG" width="205" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Inside, copyright 1932 was an original membership book
for the POST’S JUNIOR DETECTIVE CORPS.
(Manual No. 1 For Detectives, Edited by Inspector General Post)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">My Dad was born in 1928, so he would have been four years
old when this came out. The address on the envelope </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">wasn't</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> his, so it was
either given to him or requested by someone else in his behalf. He </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">couldn't</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> remember, but for whatever
reason, he still had his membership at age 84.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">I skimmed through the book. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"> “Would you like to have that?” Dad asked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">couldn't</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> keep my fingers from twitching. I’d gone through clothes and books, looked
through jewelry and other personal items, but nothing pressed the “need to have”
button like the contents of this little black and white booklet. It’s the curse
of someone who loves to write historical fiction and loves a good find. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Fsx-ZJplbFEfnUn18O0u5mqQ0rJ2ns7zmfDXjxABzImr7SzqUMaZmSATGt5OAM-h5kgWqtcSOgswwy2xHiejddRNS4zYSESV51WAW4XlXSTZzIoXMKiR93-t_kHueSzBSRTqGQtPO_k/s1600/Blog+snip+3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Fsx-ZJplbFEfnUn18O0u5mqQ0rJ2ns7zmfDXjxABzImr7SzqUMaZmSATGt5OAM-h5kgWqtcSOgswwy2xHiejddRNS4zYSESV51WAW4XlXSTZzIoXMKiR93-t_kHueSzBSRTqGQtPO_k/s320/Blog+snip+3.PNG" width="215" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Finding
clues: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Footprints<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Written Message</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">Blotters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">Forgeries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">Things Left Behind</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I flipped excitedly through the book. In a black box set off by itself at the
bottom of one of the pages:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">SPECIAL ORDER by Inspector Post “You are forbidden to
play detective games with guns, pistols, revolvers, knives or any other weapon
that may cause injury.” It went on to explain about not playing with guns and
ended: “Don’t ever disobey this rule.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Still holding the mailing envelope in one hand, something
crinkled. I looked inside and spotted
another much smaller envelope. I opened
it carefully. Wrapped in beige colored
tissue paper was a shiny detective badge.
DETECTIVE POST’S J. D. C.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was hard not to place that badge on a young character
for a book. It would have been the
depression years when eating cereal from General Foods and sending in the box
tops might have been the only way to get something new.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A full blown character came to mind…a precocious young
boy and a neighborhood full of kids. They might have lived in Rockvale, Colorado
where the packet was addressed to, or maybe in Denver or some other town.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The character could also have been my 84 year old dad
when he was younger. Someone who walked
to school carrying a French horn, wore glasses, wanted to play football, but
whose mom thought it was too dangerous…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I looked over at Dad, blinked and traveled back all those
years in my imagination, suddenly knowing something about him I never would
have seen without the envelope in my hand.
Instead of an 84 year old man, I saw the young boy: Junior Detective #
66954 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkz_BJFBGdwxFEt4QJCec58-kEf-5tEXf5scMeoxeMfwFlqJKWdvzcCEsE0Z16yyNbtXxTalHm0h3Nby_ytEXrob3VvNBcf3eqI44I70kc6-zOVebeXsrcEgfvOPtWI_s1qh4-gVKauM/s1600/Dad+Blog.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkz_BJFBGdwxFEt4QJCec58-kEf-5tEXf5scMeoxeMfwFlqJKWdvzcCEsE0Z16yyNbtXxTalHm0h3Nby_ytEXrob3VvNBcf3eqI44I70kc6-zOVebeXsrcEgfvOPtWI_s1qh4-gVKauM/s200/Dad+Blog.PNG" width="165" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Somehow it brought me closer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wrote earlier about whether story ideas find you or you
find the story. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Ideas are everywhere, but the ones that capture your
imagination and fill you with excitement are the very best…whether you end up
writing about them or not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thanks, Dad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-51723193819436823952013-01-19T09:41:00.001-08:002013-01-19T09:45:17.432-08:00If it's Bland, put it in the Blender<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqiY5Lr5Bg-_LMimw5ILTW7aEQFsbXT5K3wWl_ypM-T5Yqz53AcKNGy-dExN2iVABXMMX02VjISzZMuhnw2DVRHLhHVhmW2uDGf2lJ1pxv6SNnM2z_B0h8oiIhogDlZwAimb1mmGzr2s/s1600/blender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqiY5Lr5Bg-_LMimw5ILTW7aEQFsbXT5K3wWl_ypM-T5Yqz53AcKNGy-dExN2iVABXMMX02VjISzZMuhnw2DVRHLhHVhmW2uDGf2lJ1pxv6SNnM2z_B0h8oiIhogDlZwAimb1mmGzr2s/s200/blender.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
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A writer friend who is attempting her first historical
fiction novel recently asked what to do with bland writing. I was hard pressed
to answer because it’s something I recognize when I see it and feel it when I
write it (stomach flutters and discontent). She’s undertaking a very difficult thing: creating fiction from a factual
account. When I first tackled the genre
of historical fiction, it was hard for me to deviate from the “real” events
which were so gripping in themselves, and shape them into a living, breathing
narrative. It took some searching for the story in the material especially when
I wanted to remain loyal to, and maintain the integrity of, the actual events. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not all historical fiction books do this or need to do this,
but it’s different if you set out to tell a real story and fictionalize it than
if you set out with a fictional story set in a specific historic time and place. Both require accuracy of
details, but I think fictionalizing fact is much harder than adding accurate
historic detail to a story that deviates from a set timeline.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And believe me, I've been there. A memorable example was during my first draft
of Nothing Here But Stones when I suffered through the first 2/3 of the draft (bland bland bland) before stumbling on the suggestion of changing my
tense from third person to first. For this
book, it was Key. I scrapped the whole
draft and started over in first person. This one “simple”(?) change provided an immediacy
for the story that had been sorely lacking.
It also helped me to form a more personal relationship with the
viewpoint character and helped me through the multiple revisions to
come. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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After sharing this story with my friend, I still wasn’t sure
if I’d given her anything to grab onto. What is the fix? As I
was thinking this over, I was reminded of my work teaching fifth graders. In the classroom, I was constantly trying to find ways to make the abstract concrete. Each
piece of writing varied, so there wasn't just one fix; there were many possibilities. But thinking about
blandness, especially for fictional stories, two strategies popped into my mind: Snapshots and Thoughtshots. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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These terms were stolen from Barry Lane in his wonderful
teacher resource on Revision, <i>After the
End. </i> If you’re a teacher, this
book is chock-full of revision ideas. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6OaHJKE1EhZJoG0CHJgNRCiOqxzmlvC-wACuF-VA-8KAqn59Rz1eHSrWekzmzmTjYjDsBOn11shlua1df73wNikBLQAAqeYL3zLFxMjvKoV2EZM7CCDgt4lT_yLMjM2JAcOm_e_3FR0/s1600/Barry+Lane+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6OaHJKE1EhZJoG0CHJgNRCiOqxzmlvC-wACuF-VA-8KAqn59Rz1eHSrWekzmzmTjYjDsBOn11shlua1df73wNikBLQAAqeYL3zLFxMjvKoV2EZM7CCDgt4lT_yLMjM2JAcOm_e_3FR0/s200/Barry+Lane+cover.jpg" width="188" /></a> </div>
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<br /></div>
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The “Snapshot” concept is pretty simple to get across to
students: Imagine you’re inside a
photograph (or a movie). What are the
visual, concrete, physical things in the picture? For kids, you explain this as the setting or
where the characters are at the moment. It’s basic description as we know it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Thoughtshots are a little harder to explain because to use
them requires a deeper leap into character. When you’re writing, it takes a pause
and sometimes a full stop to analyze what is going on internally. What is my character thinking right now?
What is affecting him/her at an emotional level? What does the character wish for that he/she
does not have? How is what's going on right now affecting him/her?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxEbBhRHEnSXrcMG1m1gZZ52Aj-GxPZ8aECpHeHVekX5Ct7pjHsVOvguPDrtCx9cryeyOgDxkhz98sj7kW6w-ok7Px4BdGYviTqGpLIhq47wWLqbGkxw5P8Q9eVc_1YbuVtuxZJ6rhI8/s1600/cats+thinking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxEbBhRHEnSXrcMG1m1gZZ52Aj-GxPZ8aECpHeHVekX5Ct7pjHsVOvguPDrtCx9cryeyOgDxkhz98sj7kW6w-ok7Px4BdGYviTqGpLIhq47wWLqbGkxw5P8Q9eVc_1YbuVtuxZJ6rhI8/s320/cats+thinking.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Try the cat on the right: "That guy next to me is on such an ego trip."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Thoughtshots require a different type of imagining: imagining your way into someone else’s
mind. In this case the character(s) in
your story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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With this said, it’s the balance between Snapshots and
Thoughshots that’s important. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8r3lWFuuapLmHHGKQenIY91sX6DvQkM_YgvolMjepUSj17Od-hubCngDmLvpwlzni8nnYlmVQP8bXpbB3m10SfpTQFDn2AiaHuOYfBDITlhqLQTl8IayfXv6yy4aXcqf5KehEoSsEVY/s1600/scales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8r3lWFuuapLmHHGKQenIY91sX6DvQkM_YgvolMjepUSj17Od-hubCngDmLvpwlzni8nnYlmVQP8bXpbB3m10SfpTQFDn2AiaHuOYfBDITlhqLQTl8IayfXv6yy4aXcqf5KehEoSsEVY/s200/scales.jpg" width="200" /></a> Setting
and description are important for engaging the reader in the details needed to
bring the story to life. But spending
too much time standing at the photographic overlook can detour a reader away
from the main purpose of the expedition.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Readers want to fully experience the trip. And the way they experience it is through the
hearts and souls of the characters on the page--most often through the one
viewpoint character you want them to care about the most. </div>
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One way to make the journey more enjoyable is to
blend and balance the outer world with the inner.Too much of either one will put readers to
sleep, or start them dialing the telephone number for character psychiatric care.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">At the end of their travels, a reader should be able to do
more than give a list of motels and restaurants. Readers
want the full experience—one that will linger and resonate on an emotional level long after they've reached their destination.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-60806382999074779462013-01-10T13:41:00.000-08:002013-01-10T13:41:01.821-08:00Getting Hitched to a Genre.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Or Why Historical Fiction? </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Does a genre find you, or do you find the genre. A little of both, I think. All of us have reasons to write with either
imagined or a “real” audience. Initially
my audience was very small, very real, and very personal. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It was me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I won’t bore you with examples of high school drivel, meant
to sooth wounds, or reach out to someone who wouldn't see the words in the
first place. There are plenty of those
samples still around, tucked in a ragged file folder or hidden between the
pages of an old journal. And there are
samples of greeting cards made for family members, and short articles written
for a neighborhood newspaper, named the Saturday Blah. I’m not sure if at that stage, I had any
audience in mind, but the carbon-copied newspaper was the “Social Media” of the
neighborhood, and I very much wanted to be a part of that lively
enterprise. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2x6RNex34cGomeGIu8LiFgVAlrhw7oZgLqHXTEtq7X2cjl6ObzHpzOzyJjA94DrV9aeeWqbcjyDuXPm-zZ-tMgJF90jKcbMolu-MD-M3IChlm1Pjjf1Iqshz1BJ789WxVxbY-xg3TfEE/s1600/Save0002.BMP" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2x6RNex34cGomeGIu8LiFgVAlrhw7oZgLqHXTEtq7X2cjl6ObzHpzOzyJjA94DrV9aeeWqbcjyDuXPm-zZ-tMgJF90jKcbMolu-MD-M3IChlm1Pjjf1Iqshz1BJ789WxVxbY-xg3TfEE/s320/Save0002.BMP" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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In college, besides a
myriad of papers written for a specific audience, the professor, I created a
few things for personal friends, but without the intention of them going much
farther than that. A short book about
finding the importance of life became what I called my first “cardboard cover
books”. These books had very narrow intended
audiences: my boyfriend, my stepson, and the children of our neighbors. They used stick figure illustrations, and
were housed between—you guessed it—two pieces of cardboard hooked together with
snap-together binder rings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijscWsVG3ojL6QippSgzh8CpPi_I-ba5X1FF5SXJb5ie8a6zzO12i_Mt5SpHSV8cRf4hJb1z3A-3_OuqWafRx4fpjCgkIfQLMtEyEI2I9nvsfAydUcgRGeTm51tfUvXn7w0xTGyz4b8Ns/s1600/cardboard+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijscWsVG3ojL6QippSgzh8CpPi_I-ba5X1FF5SXJb5ie8a6zzO12i_Mt5SpHSV8cRf4hJb1z3A-3_OuqWafRx4fpjCgkIfQLMtEyEI2I9nvsfAydUcgRGeTm51tfUvXn7w0xTGyz4b8Ns/s320/cardboard+books.jpg" width="320" /></a>The feedback for these books was very unambiguous and
endearing. And the joy and fulfillment
of writing un-edited and un-censored projects (that I had full control over)
was pretty much unrivaled by anything I've created since. But having a bigger audience niggled at me, and
the last of these cardboard books, which was written one chapter at a time and
mailed out one section per month throughout the school year from birthday to
birthday to my stepson in Billings, Montana became a springboard towards
publication.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not exactly a springboard.
This particular book was rewritten after every few rejections, and it
was turned down thirty-five times before it was picked up by Scholastic Tab in
Canada. It stayed in print for five
years, was reprinted under a new title and stayed in print another five
years. To date, it sold more copies than
any of my other titles put together.
Praise be to Scholastic Book Clubs. Praise be to tenacity. Every draft improved the book. (It had a long
way to go.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>So, why historical fiction</b>? Did the genre choose me, or did I choose the genre? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Two things: </b> (And one
of them isn't that I’m now old enough for my birthday to be in an era of its
own.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>First</b>, during my adult life I have had the good fortune to
live in rural areas both in Colorado and British Columbia that are rich in
history and lived-wired to the past. By
this, I mean the path is still traceable and easy to follow via a relatively
stable community of people who remember the stories of parents and grandparents
who have lived in the area and remember the stories told to them by their
families about floods, droughts, tragedies, disasters, births, deaths, celebrations,
and other stories of the past, rooted in the land and the people that lived
there. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfRgnnJxhML1GPKnm7f_Xq6ZWf0b4BXgNoBAYpsNzHAXzoMtB8X-oGcynEEPD0HYG8dfKGPDLzgusSjfvNoRmHIR-wlh77w6oKtik7cWrvOU3ADYj7anBZc0xxMYzOnfOjYDkFzIeWl4/s1600/21f1e0f35f5fbb56e168e36533b67c65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfRgnnJxhML1GPKnm7f_Xq6ZWf0b4BXgNoBAYpsNzHAXzoMtB8X-oGcynEEPD0HYG8dfKGPDLzgusSjfvNoRmHIR-wlh77w6oKtik7cWrvOU3ADYj7anBZc0xxMYzOnfOjYDkFzIeWl4/s1600/21f1e0f35f5fbb56e168e36533b67c65.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Dad on his horse on his grandparents about 1936<br /></td></tr>
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Family stories exist in urban areas, but the trail to
discovery is less overgrown by the thick underbrush of packed calendars or social
engagements focused on sports and media entertainment. It’s more likely in rural settings for
conversations to drift from the details of the day’s horseback ride or cattle
check to the history of the people that traversed the same trails at an earlier
time. The geography and topography of our
everyday living seems to link more directly to the past. Or at least the past 150 years, which is where
my focus lies. And although perspectives on history change, the facts and lifestyle information remain relatively constant.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9j_a-NZpStKe4Gu0kAc8gR0AVvqlBuTS4_60OUZJyFsdYk46yIV1fM050H2i-TKCV27364lrC2YuSm4kyBOVFtkwwqV2Oeb-gRni6j7ndD8yBUJ2AUsn1tPQZE3tDbeHaC1WXphsvUic/s1600/Taylor+homestead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9j_a-NZpStKe4Gu0kAc8gR0AVvqlBuTS4_60OUZJyFsdYk46yIV1fM050H2i-TKCV27364lrC2YuSm4kyBOVFtkwwqV2Oeb-gRni6j7ndD8yBUJ2AUsn1tPQZE3tDbeHaC1WXphsvUic/s1600/Taylor+homestead.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great grandparents family in front of stone house they built.</td></tr>
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The <b>second reason</b> for “choosing” the genre of historical
fiction is rooted in practicality. Until
recently I have worked full time, and the day to day demands of teaching,
decreased the time available to research, write and publish a book. This
pretty much eliminated any possibility of keeping up on contemporary stories,
or something more timely like vampires, paranormal, or an interesting
combination therefore. I long ago
figured out that I am not a “trendy" kind of person. I never seem to be able to keep up. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now is a different time in my life and the world at large,
with blogging, social media, marketing, and a myriad of other things around our
family ranch to sidetrack me from writing goals. Many days it seems like I still can't keep up which still makes Historical Fiction a perfect fit. And I’ll never have to worry about being passe. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5243404163639727522.post-62224710191481209682013-01-02T11:00:00.001-08:002013-01-02T11:36:26.898-08:00Mind Sparks: Lighting the way into the New Year<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>OR<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Ideas that
stick like strands of gray hair to a black sweater.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I think
back to the moments book writing topics come alive for me, I can usually pin
point them pretty closely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
instance, I remember the photo of my nephew and stepson in their baseball
t-shirts, holding equipment and smiling into the camera in my brother-in-laws,
back yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A whole story came from that
one photo and the ideas it generated and eventually led to my first published
book: The Insect Zoo and the Wildcat Hero…later published as Bees, Bugs, and
Baseball Bats.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter">
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0">
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0">
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</v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas></v:stroke></span></v:shapetype></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another
example is seeing the original Dog Soldier Ledger book art in the Denver
History Museum for the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
true I was actively in search of information for a new book, but this
particular museum display and one nearby showing a Cheyenne Dog Rope led me
down the trail of the Cheyenne culture and eventually to the events of the Sand
Creek Massacre. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITIzQbRH_QTkS62TxaZRSAX0-zWKQfBYcKyYpCY8IjLg5PdrMG0kAJksHs0USzWMDc49uMTUegLoQkuy_3zWaOC7gXHJmaQJCH2oGcSg7Rtng65Tgth_sQZWnvDM89FXXSknSANgazqE/s1600/Ledger+book+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITIzQbRH_QTkS62TxaZRSAX0-zWKQfBYcKyYpCY8IjLg5PdrMG0kAJksHs0USzWMDc49uMTUegLoQkuy_3zWaOC7gXHJmaQJCH2oGcSg7Rtng65Tgth_sQZWnvDM89FXXSknSANgazqE/s320/Ledger+book+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">More
recently, a mine tour down the Molly Kathleen Mine in Cripple Creek, spurred my
interest in donkeys and their importance to Cripple Creek miners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maude Oliver, a fine specimen of a donkey,
and her eleven year owner, are currently living a life of their own on the
pages of Rescue in Poverty Gulch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(LIKE Maude Oliver on FB) <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maude-Oliver/264720393591461?ref=hl">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maude-Oliver/264720393591461?ref=hl</a></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDy53uQak2ca-oDxgW71lKV_klC8fO08GNTZ37PnevyGGHtg9FdTskWMreQ2ffL91VyVFT4rfqsif6a5WMEEkaIwdTKIZ2bAShfpOtTbUzbBVnUdrv_MzsPbE2-I7dDRr06bdgRcdfc-s/s1600/Daisy%2527s+first+day+out+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDy53uQak2ca-oDxgW71lKV_klC8fO08GNTZ37PnevyGGHtg9FdTskWMreQ2ffL91VyVFT4rfqsif6a5WMEEkaIwdTKIZ2bAShfpOtTbUzbBVnUdrv_MzsPbE2-I7dDRr06bdgRcdfc-s/s320/Daisy%2527s+first+day+out+007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The exact
moment of the spark is hard to describe, but I recognize when my mind smiles;
it feels like the figurative moment when you reach for the golden ring and wrap
your fingers around it…just before the pull.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course, there
is that “pull” to deal with afterwards. A book can’t be produced from a single
“ah-ha” moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fictional path is filled
with research, combinations of ideas, twists, turns, ruminations, false starts,
stall outs, and sometimes the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>magical
days of wind surfing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the above
and more, but without that first flicker, the fire never kindles. Hold the
match and reach out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll know when
the flame starts dancing in your mind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10993547274481272246noreply@blogger.com8