This will forevermore be my favorite profile photo!
When my friend Sherry Randall told me she planned to see Barry Manilow in Las Vegas the end of March, 2023, I decided to tag along. I’d never been to Vegas. I’d won a trip for two to Vegas back in the early 2000s after winning the Northern Virginia Bowler of the Year Award (traded it in for tickets to St. Croix), been told by countless people how horrible Vegas was, and had been warned about the still-smoky casinos, but deep in my heart I knew it was time to decide for myself.
Sherry planned the whole weekend. We’d see Barry the first night, attend a Cirque du Soleil (Mystère) the second night, see the musical SIX the 3rd night, and possibly recover from walking an average of seven miles per day our 4th night.
Barry Manilow…front row seats! So WOW!
Sometime over the course of our visit, one of us would turn $20 into $20,000 at a Casino. It (didn’t) could happen.
Without saying any more, watch this video compilation of highlights from our Vegas vacation and decide for yourself if it was worth doing!
Yes, it was SOOoooooo worth doing!
Happy to say I’m no longer a Vegas Virgin–and I would recommend an exploratory visit there to anyone who might ask! Make sure you go with someone you know will choose to have fun!
Laurel Stuff:
I applied for a job…they said I was overqualified! HA!
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I read some of his wonderful similes and figurative language elements, and we discuss “multi-genreism”
I ask about the space elevator thread—and wiki says “The key concept of the space elevator appeared in 1895 when Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris.”
I ask about his natives—and reflections of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.”
Bees and honey, Religion and school indoctrination, steampunk elements, and more!
Johnny reads a passage from “Of Kings, Queens, and Colonies”…
I ask what’s the most controversial thing he’ve ever done, and he tells us.
He talks about his greatest challenge as a writer
Lightning round: Chocolate or pistachio / fall or spring / Star Trek or StarWars / dogs or llamas ) listen for his answers!
I ask about the dark fiction press he edits for in LA.
Please subscribe to Alligator Preserves on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and tell your friends about it! I’d love it if you “liked” the episodes you listen to, and I’d love it even more if you’d post a quick comment!
Please subscribe to Alligator Preserves on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and tell your friends about it! I’d love it if you “liked” the episodes you listen to, and I’d love it even more if you’d post a quick comment!
What a treat is was to visit with and learn from David L. Robbins on January 10, 2023! Here’s a link to our visit on YouTube:
Here is the edited audio-only version of our visit!
Show Notes and Links:
David tells us what he’d like us to know about him after I suggest every aspiring and accomplished writer should read Isaac’s Beacon to learn writing craft.
He discusses the importance of writing as an art form.
He gives us the “elevator pitch” for Isaac’s Beacon (I give him 5 floors!)
I ask him why he wrote this book, the first in what will be a 5-book series called “The Promised Wars.” (The Shortest Road will be released on May 2, 2023, available for pre-order now)
He talks about what it was like to be raised by two WWII Veterans, and how his father and mother ended up together (a fascinating story!)
David reads Chapter 1 of “Isaac’s Beacon” and we discuss dialogue, subtext, Absolute Truth and Profound Truth.
We talk about character development and the limited use of interiority (because we both agree it cheats the reader!)
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Visit with us on YouTube and tour Darlene’s gorgeous studio!
Listen to the audio-only interview here!
Show Notes and Links:
Darlene is originally from Ottawa, and now lives in Toronto.
She earned a National Art Scholarship, granted to only six Canadian students entering Fine Arts based on outstanding potential in visual arts, and graduated from OCAD University (Ontario College of Art & Design University).
She talks about what she did before painting became a priority.
She discusses her painting process, darkness and light, and the “challenge to find a quiet place to balance all the activity” in her bold paintings.
Darlene talks about the Japanese concept of MA – emptiness with presence.
Her work is described as semi-abstracted spirited landscape and each painting is dotted with her signature, effervescent champagne bubbles. We talk about the bubbles!
She talks about traveling by train to paint the mountains for a Canadian Rockies series.
How does she choose what to paint from the hundreds of photographs she takes?
The “Dr. Suess” qualities of her work.
Calendars and other products with Darlene’s gorgeous work.
She is also planning her next travel destination for a new series of paintings…Find out WHERE!
Her “Paintings wait for their owners—their forever homes”
I ask where her dream place to work/live/paint would be, and we discuss how Covid has helped her with “letting go” and finding peace. We discuss melancholy and sadness.
Please subscribe to Alligator Preserves on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and tell your friends about it! I’d love it if you “liked” the episodes you listen to, and I’d love it even more if you’d post a quick comment!
Kathleen Kaska recently sent me her Five-Minute Writing Tips, and I had to share them with you this National Novel Writing Month! I’ve enjoyed several conversations with Kathleen during interviews about her latest books (she has many), and I hope you’ll enjoy the videos of our visits (see below Kathleen’s tips). And so, without further ado, her helpful tips! (Time to rewatch Throw Momma from the Train!)
Don’t Be Like Larry Donner: Seven R’s for Removing Writer’s Block
Was the night . . . humid, moist, or wet? Is the right word on the tip of your tongue, but you’re tongue-tied? Do you have a great scene for murdering a condescending convenience-store clerk, but can’t get his body into the beer box without being seen? Have your characters developed minds of their own, barricaded themselves in a bank vault, and refused to make an appearance on your computer screen?
What do you do now? Start by deleting the words “writer’s block” from your vocabulary, then remember the advice of Larry Donner. “Who’s he?” you ask. Remember the movie Throw Momma from the Train, a spoof on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 thriller, Strangers on a Train? Throw Momma from the Train stars Billy Crystal as writing instructor Larry Donner and Danny DeVito as his overzealous student, Owen Lift.
The plot in both films is based on the theory that if you eliminate the motive, you can get away with murder. In other words, “You kill mine, and I’ll kill yours.” In Throw Momma, Larry wants his wife dead, Owen his mother.
The sub-plot in the spoof has to do with writer’s block. Larry has a severe case of it, which is magnified by the murder charge against him, but the basic lesson to his students is: “A writer writes, always.” So, take Larry’s advice if the words won’t flow and follow my seven “R’s.”
1. Resurrect: Work on more than one writing project.
If you hit a roadblock while working on a story, just move to another. Allow your creativity time to process what you have written. In the meantime, continue writing. I keep several projects in the works: a proposal, an article, a blog post, or even an old-fashioned letter to a friend. This allows me to log several hours a day of writing and feel like I’ve accomplished something.
2. Rewrite: Edit what you’ve already written.
As a writer, you may like to ignore the left side of your brain, but that petty and unrelentingly critical hemisphere is your friend. While the right side of your brain allows the creative stream to flow unencumbered by rules of the English language, you have to tidy up the result with the left.
I set aside my first drafts to let them settle. When the time is right, I let my left-brain do the dirty work.
3. Research: Spend more time gathering information.
Being at a loss for words might mean you’re out of ammunition. There is no better way for me to get those juices flowing again than to delve deeper into my subject, searching for facts and anecdotes that add dimension to the piece.
While working on my article “Digging for Ancient Treasure: Agatha Christie in the Middle East,” I read Christie’s book, Come Tell Me How You Live, a humorous account of her life with her husband, archeologist Max Mallowan. This autobiographical story gave me a new perspective and added a twist to my article.
4. Regroup: Join a writers’ critique group or enroll in a writing class or workshop.
I believe a good writer, like a good teacher, is always willing to learn. For me, groups and workshops increase my motivation and benefit my writing creatively and financially. Isolating myself with my thoughts and computer might be comforting, but I cannot live on my own words alone. I need feedback.
An effective critique group is made up of colleagues, not best friends, and objective criticism is the goal. Don’t go ballistic like Larry Donner did in the film when his nemesis (Momma) gave him the perfect word. “The night was wet” might be accurate, but “sultry” rolls off the tongue and adds more depth to Larry’s description, setting the tone for his story.
Learn from your peers. The day a writer feels that he/she has learned everything there is to know about the art and business of writing is the day that writer should hang up her pen.
5. Resolve: Solve problems that interfere with your concentration.
Well, at least make an attempt. You might not be able to convince your mother not to call during your writing time, or guarantee that your four-year-old won’t fall off his tricycle, but you can arrange and organize your day to ensure fewer distractions.
Maybe you can drop off your kids at your mother’s for the afternoon, turn off your phone, notifications, or even let your emails go unread. Just remove some obstacles so that your path is clear.
6. Read: Read your favorite author.
I have several books that I call my inspirational jumpstarts. They vary from the poetic prose of Beryl Markham’s West with the Night, to the comic dialogue of Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody mystery series, to my favorite poetry book, Nine Horses, by Billy Collins. Reading a great book or story inspires me to write. Likewise, if I am writing an article and am having trouble with that first line, I peruse magazines and read the first sentences of a few articles. This gets my mind off what is not working for me and allows me to focus on what works for other writers.
7. Relax: It might be time to let your mind wander.
Watch Throw Momma from the Train. While your conscious self-relaxes, your brain is still at work processing behind the scenes. As in the movie, everything resolves itself in the end, given enough time and a change of scenery. Larry’s wife is found alive, so the murder charges against him are dropped; Owen’s mother dies a natural death, giving Owen the freedom he needs to become himself; and both writer and student publish a book.
The moral of the story: whether you are running from the law or hiding from your mother, no matter if the night is humid, moist, wet, or sultry, a writer writes—always.
Well, I’ve written 18K more words than I would have written if I hadn’t committed to participating in this year’s NaNoWriMo challenge! It’s unlikely that I’ll reach 50K words by November 30th, but that’s okay. Some progress is better than none, and I’ve recently joined a CCWE critique group, too. Getting great feedback on things I’ve overlooked and other writing “no-nos” I KNOW I shouldn’t be doing. It’s easy for me to catch errors in other people’s writing, and nearly impossible to catch them in my own.
And while I sometimes let “squirrels” distract me from my writing (the junk drawer, the sock bin, the yearly leg shaving and peel-off facial mask…you know the deal!), my distraction this month was the publication of this Christmas short story.
Although you don’t have to have read my Waterwight series in order to enjoy the messages within, you may want to read the books after sharing this short story with young ones this year. Imagine Odin telling the children about Jesus and Christmas!
I hope you might find me at the Georgetown (CO) Christmas Market this year, December 3 & 4 & 10 & 11. I’ll be there all four days! Local authors from all around Colorado will be there to autograph your holiday book purchases. Find us in the Community Center (613 6th Street) and help us spread some cheer!
And now, back to my novel…I will get the first draft finished before 2023!
Stay well, my friends, Happy Thanksgiving, and take breaks from news and social media (except my newsletters!) every once in a while!
Visit with us here and learn about Robert’s amazing adventures!
I was honored to share a visit today with Dr. Robert G. Williscroft, a retired submarine officer, deep-sea and saturation diver, scientist, author of numerous books . . . and so much more!
Tips and advice to storytellers out there who want to share?
Robert and I (and many other authors) will be at this year’s Georgetown Christmas Market! Come find us!
Below, the push-up contest with author Todd Fahnestock (watch my interview with Todd here). Robert then showed us all up by doing push-ups on his fingertips! We were still wearing masks last year!
Readers can find you on Amazon and sign up for your newsletter on your website!
Laurel Stuff:
Meanwhile, I’m working on a new science fiction novel! (Photo Credit: Elise Sunday)
Please subscribe to Alligator Preserves on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and tell your friends about it! I’d love it if you “liked” the episodes you listen to, and I’d love it even more if you’d post a quick comment!
I said it’s been 3 years since I last interviewed multiple award-winning author Kathleen Kaska, but I actually interviewed her in 2021 as well! Here’s proof: Kathleen Kaska Knows Sherlock Holmes.
Kathleen gives us an elevator pitch for her latest Sydney Lockhart Mystery: Murder at the Menger.
She talks about how her writing and habits have changed since the start of Covid-19, and how she interacts with her Muse.
We talk about her multiple fields of research (this novel is set in 1953) and some interesting things she learned that didn’t make it into her book.
Our fearless author at The Alamo!
Sydney Jean’s relationship with her mother (can’t we all relate, even if just a little?).
Keeping track of multiple characters and possible suspects (and “spoiler alert”–Taco didn’t do it)!
Kathleen reads a fun section about an interaction with Sydney’s crazy cousin Ruth (another wonderful character)!
Kathleen tells us what makes a murder mystery “cozy”!
We discuss the challenges of having your 1st person POV character get amnesia!
The purpose of the recap in chapter 23 (so helpful)!
A most unusual twist ending!
We talk about our shared knowledge of Marfa, TX and a possible Sydney Lockhard Mystery set in the famous Hotel Paisano!
We talk about the many projects she has in various states of completion, and about her newly released Eagle Crossing, the 3rd book in her Kate Caraway Animal-Rights Mystery Series.
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The ducks I raised from day-old ducklings have inspired many stories, and I finally completed the first! In this colorful read-aloud children’s book, you’ll learn a few things about ducks . . . and sing along with the “Fuzzy Little Duckling” song!
As a bonus, when you email me (laurel@strackpress.com) to let me know you’ve ordered your copy, I will send you my latest love story poem “Laila and Leo” . . . AND . . . my new short story “Muscleheads in the Mirrors”!
dreSample page from my book!
QUACK is the first in what I hope to be a 3-book series! I’ve done all of the illustrations myself, and the song is one I sang to my “girls” every day!
This story will leave you smiling!
Would you please share this notice with everyone with young readers?
And order NOW for yourself and the wee ones in your life!!! Thank you! (the Kindle version is best viewed on an iPad for full color!)
