Two days ago I talked about the wedding tradition in my family. While that only happened every 20-30 years, gathering together to celebrate Thanksgiving happens annually. Well, at least it did until this year.
Covid.
Unfortunately, covid cases have risen dramatically in west Michigan. To stay safe, Hubs and I will celebrate by ourselves, while our children will celebrate with their families. It will be different. We'll still watch the parades, esp. the one in Detroit since that's where we both grew up. Maybe we'll watch the Lions game, if there is one. We'll FaceTime with each family and think about how we'll get together for Thanksgiving next year.
I want to thank Tara Tyler for starting this 30 Days of Gratitude. Since March, I've felt overwhelmed, upset, and down. I'd forgotten I have so much to be thankful for. Blogging for the past 30 days reinforced that even in bad times, I need to remember our blessings.
I love to read in bed. Hubs doesn't mind. LOL He just pulls the covers over his head, even though I turn out the light. Often, I'll be so engaged by a story that I read into the wee hours.
Unlike my mom, mother-in-law, and most women, I'm not that fond of chocolate. Heresy, I know. Now, mix chocolate with ice cream . . . mmm.
Movies. Either at home or in the theater (not now, of course), I love movies. Like books, movies transport me to another place or time, even another world. Give me an action-adventure flick or a romantic comedy and I'm thrilled.
Forty-eight years ago, I married my best friend. We hadn't known each other for very long, but we knew we were meant to be.
In keeping with what has become a family tradition, we married on Thanksgiving Day. My maternal grandparents did because Grandpa got the day off from his milk delivery job. My parents did because my dad got a furlough from the Army Air Force that weekend. So, I thought it would be cool to do the same. Then (no pressure) our daughter married on Thanksgiving Day, too.
I'm thankful for the special man in my life who still brings me joy, happiness, laughter, and, most of all, love.
I'm very proud of what I've accomplished in my life. I'm most proud of recognitions for service. The picture above is the Angel Pin from the Mid-Michigan chapter of Romance Writers of America.
We give service because we want to help, not for recognition. I'm grateful for all I've learned and support received from the members of MMRWA.
I was not a Girl Scout as a girl. Considering all I learned as an adult Girl Scout, I wish I had been. Through Girl Scouts of the USA, I learned that you can accomplish anything when you're part of a team.
I'm so grateful for the experiences I've had and all I've accomplished. And I'm not done yet.
Before covid--how many times do we say that and how many more times will we say it in the future?
As I started to say . . . before covid I had a routine. Coffee first, then I opened my computer. I glanced at emails to see if there was something I needed to attend to. After that, I opened the file for the story I'd been working on, read a couple of paragraphs to get back into the story, then began writing.
That was a good routine for me. Then, the pandemic threw me off schedule. My mind whirled with worry. Hubs and I are in one of the most susceptible groups--older with pre-existing conditions.
The worry led to incessant news watching. Forget writing. I needed to know what was happening and how it would affect us, our kids, and grandkids.
My routine has drastically changed. I still get my coffee. I check my email. Instead of moving on to my unfinished novel, I read all my email posts. I play computer games while binge-watching NetFlix or Prime.
Remember when you had energy like the kids above? When my 3-year-old twin grandsons race around the house, I want to bottle their energy then dole it out to myself each day.
As a youngster, I loved ice skating. Mom would hook up the hose and flood a low spot in our front yard (we lived out in the country). Soon, we had a frozen pond. My sister and I would skate until we were too cold to keep going.
I don't have that kind of energy and have no idea why I stopped skating. Time? Fear of falling?
I'm grateful for my health. It's not the best, but I can get around and do what I need to do. My energy, though, is pretty low. Maybe it's the whole covid restrictions, which I work hard at following. I miss my family and friends, though we make do with Zoom or FaceTime. I miss going out to restaurants. Here in Michigan, our restaurants are now closed except for take out. Cabin fever is coming early this year.
Exercise. There's my downfall. Arthritis is painful. Consequently, exercising is painful. In preparing this post, I looked for memes on exercising and found exercises for seniors plus several workouts I can do while seated.
This may sound silly, but I'm grateful for Google and Pinterest for giving me ideas on keeping active.
Another Insecure Writers Support Group member visits today. Shannon Lawrence is here to talk about her new release, Happy Ghoulidays. Here's Shannon to tell you a little about her story.
The holidays can be a stressful time, as we all know, but I'm
hoping to lighten up this winter season with a little holiday horror.
Maybe "lighten up" isn't the right term.
The first story begins the winter holidays with Thanksgiving,
with stories representing Christmas, Hanukah, Hogmanay (the New Year), Yule,
Groundhog Day, and, finally, Valentine's Day. From serious horror to
tongue-in-cheek. Read them all at once or save them for their holidays. Or
both!
Release day is tomorrow November 20, which also happens to be my
birthday! Just in time for Thanksgiving week. You can pre-order the Kindle
version, with other versions, including paperback, available on release day.
Blurb: Family time can lead to murder and mayhem, especially
during the holidays. A turkey with a tale to tell, elves under attack, sorority
sisters putting on a killer party, a woman's desperation to save her family,
and a stranger ringing in the New Year. These and other tales of woe await you
beneath the mistletoe.
Be careful who you offer a kiss. It may be your last.
A fan of all
things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes in her
dungeon when her minions allow, often accompanied by her familiars. She writes
primarily horror and fantasy. Her stories can be found in several anthologies
and magazines, and her collections, Blue Sludge Blues & Other
Abominations and Bruised Souls & Other Torments, are
available in stores. You can also find her as a co-host of the podcast
“Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem.” When she's not writing, she's hiking
through the wilds of Colorado and photographing her magnificent surroundings.
Though she often misses the Oregon coast, the majestic and rugged Rockies are a
sight she could never part with. Besides, in Colorado there's always a place to
hide a body or birth a monster. What more could she ask for?
We grouse about time. We say we don't have enough of it. Or time got away from me.
I thought with retirement I'd have plenty of time to do the things I've always wanted to do. Yet, the more time I have the more I waste. When time is short, it's amazing what I can get done. I've often wanted a "do over" so I could use time better. How about you?
https://www.distractify.com/
Maybe I should just be grateful for the time I have.
I goofed. Totally forgot to post yesterday. A couple of days ago, I wrote about getting up after falling down. Here's me getting up as I do double duty.
Day 21: Compliments. How do you accept compliments? Do you say "thank you" or "it was nothing"? Why is it so hard to accept a compliment? Even when we deserve it. Is it something ingrained in women that it's not modest to be recognized? Or is this something that only older generations are prone to?
I love compliments. I love when people say they enjoy my books. I'm grateful for any compliment, like a review, and I'm learning to politely say "thank you."
Day 22: Freedom. This topic could go so many ways. A recognition of the many freedoms we enjoy here in America. But since covid dominates our lives, I want to talk about the recommendations by scientists on preventing the spread of the virus.
Scientists agree that wearing a mask gives us something like 70% protection from the virus. As does staying a minimum of six feet apart. I get a flu shot every year, a tetanus shot every ten (or sooner if I've been cut), a mammogram every year. Not because I have to, but because my doctors recommend it. I wear a mask to protect myself and to protect others. I think I don't have covid. I have no symptoms, but I could still carry the virus. So I wear a mask.
Staying 6' apart is not a problem. We rarely go anywhere. We don't have visitors, other than family and even that is rare. Because covid cases have risen dramatically, our state health department just issued more restrictions, including not more than 2 families, maximum 10 people, gathering together. Consequently, our immediate families are not getting together for Thanksgiving this year. (And we still don't know about Christmas.) Even before the new restrictions, we already decided we wouldn't join our families. It will be weird, but this whole year has been weird.
My point is choice. We could grouse about restrictions or deliberately ignore them. We could say it impinges on our freedoms. I say I have the freedom to choose to follow the rules, to do what is right--to wear a mask, to stay apart, to celebrate Thanksgiving without our families.
The covid pandemic has made all of us more aware of Health Workers than ever before. Unless you've had first hand experience, as we have. In the past year, sheriff deputies, EMTs, nurses, and doctors have cared for Hubs. At two different times, home health workers--nurse, physical, occupational, and speech therapists--treated him in our home.
I can't say enough good things about the care Hubs got in, before, and after the hospital. If not for the health workers and their quick thinking, he wouldn't be with us. I am so grateful for those who put their lives on the line to care for us.
I've learned more from failures (or what I perceived as failures) than I have from successes. Getting up after life has knocked me down means I haven't given up.
We haven't had much good news lately. The covid pandemic overwhelms us. Just when we hoped cases were slowing down, we've had a resurgence. Hubs and I are grateful that no one in our family has been infected, though we have friends who have gotten very sick from covid. The good news is they survived.
We all need some good news. Despite the virus that's consuming our attention, disrupting our lives, we need to look for something positive. I know this is tiny, but new episodes of TV shows are airing (or going to air next week).
My family got some good news last month. An explanation of what's happening with Hubs. After he went through extensive neurological and psychological testing, we were told that his brain was so battered by the TIA (stroke) he had last October and three seizures (between April and July) the aging process accelerated. (Okay, that sounds better than saying dementia has kicked in.) Then we got the good news. Medication and being more active can slow down his brain's aging.
That's true for all of us. Being active--physically, mentally, and socially--can slow down the aging process. That's good news, indeed.
I'm so grateful for our doctors who've tried to discover why Hubs is changing. Finally, having an explanation is helping us deal with the present and the future.
I'm happy to welcome Tyrean Martinson today. I've gotten to know Tyrean through the Insecure Writers Support Group, so I'm thrilled to be part of her blog tour for her new release, which I really enjoyed. It is fast-paced with strong characters and great world building. Where were books like this when I was a young teen?
Science Fiction and Popcorn Movie
Trope: The Chosen One
Tropes in
fiction can be symbolic and helpful for our understanding of plot and character
in a fast-paced movie, show, or book. We can use them, bend them, or try to
avoid them.
The Chosen
One trope relies on the idea that only one individual can right past wrongs,
save the universe, restore balance, or change current events. This Chosen One
could be born into the role, or could be chosen through a combination of
circumstances, choice, and birth.
Some
examples of a Chosen One who is destined from birth to save the galaxy are:
Luke from Star Wars 4-6, Rey from Star Wars 7-9, Paul Atreides
from Dune, Neo from The Matrix, Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman,
and Jupiter Jones in Jupiter Ascending.
Some
examples of a Chosen One who is destined by a combination of birth,
circumstances, and choice are: Spock in Star Trek, Katniss in The
Hunger Games, Harry Potter in the Harry Potter series (technically
fantasy, but it’s a strong example of this), Billy Batson in Shazam, and
Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel.
Deciding to
use the trope, or bend it, takes some planning. It’s not easy to create
prophecies that makes sense, or to bend the trope with some red herrings, or to
add in the tension of choice.
What if the
Chosen One is the one doing the choosing? Does this change the trope?
LIFTOFF
RELEASE INFORMATION FOR THE BOOK BLOG TOUR
Title: Liftoff
Subtitle: The Rayatana Series, Book 1
Blurb:
A spaceship in
disguise,
An Earth girl
searching for a sense of home,
And a Thousand Years’
War between alien races,
All collide on a
summer afternoon.
An old movie theater welcomes Amaya in
and wraps her up in the smell of popcorn and licorice. But one sunny afternoon
during a matinee, the movie screen goes dark. The theater rumbles.
Amaya gets trapped in the middle of an
ancient alien conflict. Angry and frightened, Amaya entangles herself in a
life-changing cultural misunderstanding with Sol, a young alien who keeps
omitting key information, even while they’re on the run from his enemies.
What will it take to
survive a battle between alien races involved in an ancient war?
Liftoff is a
fast-paced read for fans of Code 8, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Cobra Kai.
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Paperback ISBN: ISBN: 978-0-9889933-8-9
Ebook ISBN: ISBN: 978-0-9889933-9-6
Copyright Tyrean Martinson November
2020
Publisher: Wings of Light Publishing,
Gig Harbor, WA, USA
About the Author: Tyrean Martinson is
an author and teacher from Washington State. As a former fencer and kickboxer,
she enjoys writing fight scenes in fast-paced novels and novellas. As a teacher
and writing tutor, she loves to get students writing and reading comfortably by
any means: talk-to-text, short writing assignments, short stories, novellas,
and adventures. She wrote her latest novella, Liftoff, for herself during
COVID, but realized it also fits a dream she’s had for a while: to create a
short, fast-paced read for teen/YA readers who love popcorn movies, adventure,
and sweet romance.
We all have opportunities. It's what we do with them that counts. It's easy to let opportunities to slip by without recognizing them.
I've mentioned we moved frequently, following Hubs' job. The first time was exciting, an adventure. I met a lady who'd been in the town about a year before me. She said she cried the first six months, didn't want to go out of the house. My first thought was how sad. My second was why didn't she get out and see what the town had to offer. She was missing opportunities to enrich her life.
I understood better how she felt when our 4th move was pending. I didn't want to leave. I cried, I yelled at Hubs. I was angry. Finally, he said he'd get an apartment in the new city and come home on weekends. (I still remember exactly where we were when he said I could stay.) What was my response? That wasn't going to work. We weren't going to live in separate cities. When I had the choice, I accepted the move.
It turned out that it was a good move, many opportunities that I took advantage of. Accepting opportunities, even going after them, can make life easier.
I'm grateful for all the opportunities our moves have given me. And I'm glad I took advantage of them.
Lunch with Mom. Gram taking me to a Cardinal's baseball game. Our wedding. The birth of our children. Picnics in my folks' backyard. Baseball games with my uncles. Trips with my girlfriends and sister. Tigers' baseball games with my sibs. Vacations with our kids.
So many wonderful memories.
Now, I'm creating memories for my grandchildren. Making up stories. Reading to them. Hugs. Playing dress up. Snuggles. Attending recitals, sports games, school special events, Girl & Boy Scout award ceremonies.
I'm grateful for my memories. More importantly, I'm grateful that Hubs and I can make memories for our grandkids.
I've always lived in the Midwest, mainly in Michigan. The four seasons are the best part.
Just when I'm tired of winter, spring comes along. I never get tired of spring because it doesn't last long enough.
Summer blasts us with 90° days and high humidity. The perfect summer days, to me, are 75 and moderate humidity.
Fall means warm days, cool nights, and leaves turning colors. I read an old legend about Indian Summer, when Fall chases Summer away then Summer chases Fall away. A great description of the days in September, October, and November. Ordinarily, I wouldn't include November, except for this year. For the past 5 days, we've had perfect summer weather--mid-seventies and sunny.
We are so busy with Thanksgiving and Christmas, that winter doesn't (mentally) hit until January. Blizzards, lake effect snow, and snowmen. Winter is fun when you don't have to drive in bad weather.
Since we live about five miles from Lake Michigan, Hubs and I like to go to the beach, except in summer when the crowds are horrendous. Watching the lake in all kinds of weather is fascinating, especially in winter.
I'm grateful for the variety of seasons. They make life interesting.
Yesterday, I talked about my eyes and how much better they are post cataract surgery. What I didn't say was sometimes I misread things and that's what happened. Day 13 was supposed to be love; Day 14 was books. Oh, well. Today, I get to talk about love.
We all know there are different kinds of love--romantic love, platonic love, familial love, and so on. So far on the list of Gratitude Days, I've talked about love of friends, love of family, love of music and books, love of pets.
Romantic love seems appropriate today. My best friend--the one who texts--and I taught school together. She and a woman who subbed for us decided to fix me up with a guy the sub's husband worked with. My first blind date. He called and we talked for over an hour. We went out for "just" a drink and ended up having dinner then going to a movie. After dating three times, I told my dad this guy was really special. That was Father's Day. We got engaged in August, married on Thanksgiving Day. Fast, huh?
We were both older. We knew what we wanted out of life. And we knew we wanted the other in our lives. This Thanksgiving, we'll celebrate 48 years of marriage. We raised two terrific kids and have 5 brilliant grandchildren. (Doesn't everyone think their offspring are brilliant?) I guess we done good. 😊
As I mention in the acknowledgement in my books, I'm so glad our friends arranged that blind date. More than that I'm grateful to share my life with a wonderful husband. And we have many more years ahead.
If I said all I want about books, you would be reading this post until tomorrow. LOL So, I'll make it much shorter. Books are essential to my life. They entertain, educate, and help me escape from life's nastiness, like the pandemic and the division in our country. I'd rather read than watch TV.
Several years ago, my eye doctor told me I had cataracts. I dreaded what I knew was coming--eye surgery. No way! What if I lost my sight? I wouldn't be able to read. I knew I could listen to audio books, which I've done on long commutes. But my fear of losing my sight overwhelmed me. Eventually, cataracts dulled my sight enough that I had to face the inevitable.
I am so grateful for the surgeon who returned my sight and made it better. Since I had severe astigmatism, I had an optional type of lens that took away most of the astigmatism. I could see well without glasses for the first time since I was 3 years old. For small print and the computer, I still need glasses. I can handle that. I have my sight. I can read.
Whether you love to hold a physical book or read on an electronic reader (like me), books enrich our lives. We give thanks for the people who write those wonderful books.
What would we do without the First Responders? Police, fire fighters, emergency responders, the military. Without them, we would have chaos. One common element of dystopian fiction is the lack of protection for the inhabitants when bullies take over. We've all seen mobs rampaging on television. Thank goodness, I've never seen their violence in person.
We depend on our law enforcers to protect us.
I never had the occasion to call 911, until last October. My husband was panting, couldn't catch his breath. When I called 911, the operator calmly took our info then said help was on its way and I should stay on the line. I responded that I needed to unlock the front door. I had to put down the landline. By the time I opened the door, a sheriff deputy was walking up to our door. Talk about fast. I'm sure that doesn't always happen so fast. He began triage until the EMTs got here. I'm sure they saved my husband's life.
I'm so grateful for the First Responders, especially now during the pandemic.
I love music. Most kinds of music--country, easy listening, classical, stage and screen, some jazz. I'm not fond of heavy metal or rap. My favorite is rock & roll, esp. the oldies. Listening to the music of my youth brings back good memories. Simon & Garfunkel songs remind me of driving home from my first teaching job. "American Pie" reminds me of a guy I dated. (Shh, don't tell Hubs. LOL) Listening to Broadway tunes, especially Andrew Lloyd Webber, reminds me of the shows I saw in person.
My dad loved opera. Every Saturday, before the Metropolitan (NYC) Opera came on the radio, he had me read a synopsis of the featured performance. I used to think how lazy that was. He could read it himself. As a parent, I realized what he was doing, making me learn about the story behind the opera, broadening my knowledge. I can't say I appreciated his sneakiness. Because he had the opera on, we couldn't listen to (or watch) Tiger baseball games. You can tell my priorities. 😊
When I write, I can't listen to music with lyrics. The words mess with my brain. Light classical or songs in a foreign language (Andrea Bocelli) are easier to listen--and write--to.
As I age, I recognize that my hearing is diminishing. I'm grateful I can still listen to music.
My guest today is Elizabeth Alsobrooks who is sharing her book Stolen Secrets plus an anthology of horror stories, The Jungle.
Here's Elizabeth to tell you more.
The Jungle and Other Tales: Tell-Tale Publishing’s 5th Annual Horror Anthology
All 7 stories in Tell-Tale’s 5th Annual Horror
Anthology are as they should be, chilling, intriguing, and horrific fun from
start to finish. I’m sure all the authors have a story to tell about their
latest fright feast, and I’m here with some juicy details about the one I
wrote: Bride of Bazel.
All good tales start with a “what if” theory. Mine starts with a “what if a happy newlywed
couple traveled to Istanbul and became possessed by a Jinn?” I always like to
take it a step further and do so in this tale by exploring the premise that “Jinn
are real”.
Now to many westerners that may seem farfetched or even silly,
but did you know that a quarter of the world’s population is Muslim and 75-80%
of them believe in the existence of Jinn? Jinn are mentioned 29 times in the
Quran, and the existence of Jinn was therefore spread with the ancient Arabic
teachings throughout India, the Middle East and Asia. It was incorporated into
many other religions. Literally billions of people believe in the existence of
Jinn. A “shedim” is basically an invisible, mostly malevolent spirit that
attacks people and sometimes possesses them or makes them ill. Belief in them
is not universal in Judaism and many ancient rabbis denied their existence, but
the parallels between shedims and jinn are not to be denied and they appear in
the Talmud.
So what is a Jinn, you ask. Well, to break it down, most
Christians believe in angels, demons and humans, all created by God. In
Christian tradition, only two beings were created, angels and humans. Demons, many believe, are fallen angels who
chose to turn against God, such as Satan. Demons are lesser angels who chose to
follow Satan when he rebelled against God.
In Islamic tradition, God (Allah) created three types of
beings. He created angels from light, jinn from smokeless fire, and man from
the earth (clay). Like mankind, jinn were given free will, so could choose to
be good or bad. Angels don’t have free will.
They live to worship and serve God. They are very similar to humans in
that they eat and drink procreate and die. They don’t believe Satan is an angel
as angels do not have free will. They are God’s messengers and they worship God
unconditionally. Satan, they argue, must therefore be a Jinn, not an angel,
because he chose to turn against God of his own free will.
Jinn are thought to be invisible by many, or able to change
shapes, become shadows, or even possess humans, though the humans must be in a
weakened emotional stake. They possess many of the characteristic Christians
associate with demons. So, do Jinn exist? You tell me. If they do, Bride of
Bazel becomes much chillier . . . .
I have used many of the characteristics people believe about
Jinn in my story, including the high stress, weakened condition of those the
Jinn possess, such as the ability to have one exorcised, and that King Solomon
was given dominion over wayward Jinn. There’s a great deal more to learn about
Jinn, bur for now you should at least have a better understanding of them.
Following is an excerpt from my short story. If you enjoy it
please buy the book. If you are intrigued by Jinn, you can also purchase my romance
novella, Stolen Secrets.
Thanks for stopping by. If you have any questions, I will be
happy to attempt to answer them.
Bride of
Bazel by Elizabeth Alsobrooks
Except
Mehmet
snored softly beside her, Sabrina lay on top of the covers, snugged against her
foot, and Linnea glanced around the room, wondering what had awoken her, then
briefly where she was until she remembered. New home, new sounds. Hell, new
country, people, language, customs, not for adventure, for good. Stress might
have been a big reason why it was 2 a.m. according to the illuminated clock on
the nightstand beyond the canopied bedcurtains and she was wide awake.
And now so
was Sabrina. The Siamese stretched and arched her back, licked her foot, then
suddenly sprang from the bed and ran toward the corner as though something
caught her attention. Linnea watched the feline’s shadow cast from the light of
the dimmed wall sconces.
The cat
sat immobile, transfixed upon the something fifteen feet above its head in the
corner. Linnea looked up and studied the deep shadows that drew her pet’s
attention but could see nothing to account for Sabrina’s rapt stare.
Perhaps a
spider or insect of some kind, she speculated, hoping it wasn’t the former, or
worse yet, a scorpion. That thought brought her to her feet and she hurried
forward, not wanting her sweet kitty to get stung. As she neared the corner, a
dark shadow appeared to move. To move. The cat’s attention moved with it.
Now Linnea
stared, trying to decide what she had seen. Had she seen anything? Another
movement, then another, faster, and she watched with disbelief as the shadows
undulated across the edge of the ceiling until they seemed to settle, darker,
malevolent, into the far corner. The cat, having followed the entire distance
of the wall, stared a moment and then seemed to lose interest as if whatever
had been was no more.
Elizabeth Alsobrooksenjoys the sunny Sonoran Desert where she lives with her personal editor, Hudson (AKA Maltese), and husband, Kenton, (AKA Irish-Scotsman) at the foot of the beautiful Santa Catalina Mountain Range where she writes Urban Fantasy, Horror, and nonfiction. She is currently working on the next book in her Illuminati series and is collaborating with a photo-graphic artist on a Tarot deck and accompanying manuals that coordinate with the mythology and symbolism behind her Illuminati series.
