Revisiting the Research

I was asked this question by a co-worker earlier this week:  "You write romance novels.  What kind of research do you have to do?"

Part of the research I was discussing with him at that time involved the current story, but there are also pages like this that I save to my bookmarks and go back to when I'm questioning whether I'm doing enough: http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/06/10-free-or-mostly-free-book-launch-strategies/?utm_campaign=BB1326&utm_source=BBeNews&utm_medium=Email  (It's all about ways to launch a book that won't take away the IRS refund that needs to go into house repairs this year, which is the only source of income that I have that doesn't have to go to paying the monthly bills.)

Of course, since Kelly Starbird is taking some of her lottery winnings and scratching some things off her "bucket list" for "A Wild Tiger's Heart", there are also research sites about the places she's visiting - many of which are on my OWN "bucket list".  I have web sites saved about Blarney Castle (which my co-worker has been to visit himself), spooky places to visit in Scotland, Stonehenge, Paris and other French places to visit, Italy.........

As I visit these web sites, getting solid ideas of the things I need to be doing to promote sales for the books I intend on eventually selling for other authors or for solid visual descriptions for the places my characters are visiting, I also find links to other interesting things to research.  I've often wondered if I may have missed a call to be a genealogist at times like these, as some of the links I follow bring me to sites that have information about distant ancestors that I've located while tracing my own family tree.  One of the thoughts that I've had more than once is simply this:  Would I be making more than my current wage if I offered my research services for a fee to those who want to trace their family tree, but are as frustrated as I got with Ancestry.com when my lines petered out?

If you don't like doing your own research as a writer, I would suggest you get to know someone who likes to spend their days off in the library.  Watch for that person who always seems to be lugging a laptop into a closed space (like the Portland Public Library's Maine Room, where all their records for Maine history are kept) and strike up a conversation.  For $10 per hour, I'd be willing to set aside the research I'M there for in order to find something that YOU need........

This is the snow that tends to blow when you live in the House That Jack Built

The house we purchased in 1998 is very unique, which is why we fell in love with it in the first place.  It's a former farm (as there are granite blocks of foundation in the back yard from a former barn that fell to ruin) that the prior owners did some interesting renovations to, and it never fails to do things that I've never seen at other places I've lived.

This morning is a good example of this oddness.

A couple of years ago, before Hurricane Irene came through my section of Maine, my husband was spending most of his winter climbing up onto the roof to shovel off the snow in order to prevent the roof collapsing under the weight.  The wear and tear on the shingles made them susceptible when we got the glancing blow from Irene, which ended up being just a lot of wind and rain, so there was a spot where the shingles failed, causing a leak.

Having been researching what to do with the roof to prevent himself from having to keep climbing up there until we retired, my husband spent several months pulling off the old shingles and replacing them with metal.  The only problem with this concept is that we ran out of money for the metal before we ran out of roof, so there's still a small part of the house (with a flatter roof) that hasn't been covered in metal, and when we have storms like this year, he doesn't always manage to get up onto that flatter portion between storms to get the shoveling done.

So, as of yesterday's storm, we had a small snow bank outside the windows upstairs, where the metal roof above our bedroom had dumped the snow from the last two storms from this week.  Last night's storm came after a bit of freezing rain, so what was on the metal was ice that was sticking to the metal that then was topped with a layer of snow.  It was starting to slowly work it's way down, but the ice makes this a fairly solid sheet - kind of like our own little Maine ice age happening on the roof(s).

This morning, I got up and went to look outside to see how much snow we got last night, and the photo shows what happens when a solid mass from above meets a snow bank from below and the above mass isn't ready to break and finish it's slide.  (This was just after sun up, and it's an even more interesting view as the sun starts around the building, it's rays slipping under the upper mass and making the whole thing look like we're living inside an ocean wave.......)

Thank you for sharing in the insanity of living in The House That Jack Built....

Remembering why I got out of the acting field....

I was bitten by the acting bug in high school, and actually started college with the thought of becoming an actress.  My dad, despite teasing me about "wanting to be Marilyn Monroe", backed this thought over my mother's objections, even to the point of driving me to Boston to apply at Leland Powers School of Radio, Television and Theater.  (The school, which was in one of the buildings behind the Green Monster of Fenway Park, offered a very media intensive program over a two year crash course and had a fairly decent reputation - but they went bankrupt and closed just after I was accepted.)

Before every show I was ever in, I started getting nervous about the prospect of being in front of the crowd a couple of weeks in advance of the opening night.  My greatest acting job ever was pretending to the world that I was okay during that final couple of weeks, that I wasn't in total panic mode, and that I was confident that I was ready for opening night.

On opening night, if I made the mistake of putting food into my nervous stomach, I would be vomiting within the last hour before hitting the stage......

I kept telling myself that I would outgrow that problem.

I kept telling myself that, when I was doing more shows and/or getting in front of a camera instead of going onto a live stage, I would stop getting so nervous about that whole "crowd" thing.

I took speech classes with the intent of getting to the point that I could write a speech, NOT get nervous about the idea of presenting said speech to an audience, and NOT get physically ill before standing in front of the crowd.

Yeah.

About that.

Obviously, I never did outgrow that problem, as I'm at that "so nervous my stomach is churning" point with two weeks left before I need to be prepared to stand in front of a crowd and give my prepared speech.  Even though I'm supposed to be just putting out the prepared flyers today, I'm procrastinating rather than just getting dressed, finishing the weatherproofing of my flyers, and going out to start the car so that I can go to Portland and get them out around town.  I haven't even managed to get myself to eat breakfast this morning, as I'm afraid that I might get to that "need to vomit" stage before I finish hanging my flyers.....

Obviously, the 33 years of NOT going in front of the crowds didn't really mature me much, and even though I'm trying to tell myself that there's no reason for the panic state, myself isn't listening.

*deep, soul wrenching sigh*

Well, as the old commercial used to say, "It's time to make the donuts".  I'd better get myself dressed, get the flyers and my staple gun ready, and get the "invitation process" finished.  Then it will be time to meditate and try to calm myself before the stomach storm hits critical mass.....

Looks like it's time for me to dust off that acting side of me that will continue to function as if nothing's wrong while the inner claxon continues to bellow.  Perhaps when the insomnia strikes during the last couple of days, I can distract myself with working on "A Wild Tiger's Heart".....

And a final "note to self":  DON'T EAT ANYTHING ON FEBRUARY 28TH!  (At least, not until AFTER the speech.....)

So much time, so little to do! Strike that! Reverse it!

Over the past few weeks, I've felt like that proverbial "chicken with it's head cut off" (and having grown up on a farm, I can honestly tell you that the chicken's body really DOES continue to tear around the yard when the head is removed.  It's NOT a pretty sight, even when it's just me dashing around my house fast enough to do a little misstep that caused me to bash my right foot on a brick hearth, dislocating my pinkie toe for the hundredth time and bruising the heck out of the foot!).  During the past few weeks, however, I've managed to get a lot accomplished.....

In preparation for the Local Author Series talk and book sale, I've purchased a covered cart with wheels in which I can transport my books safely from my car to the Portland Public Library, even if it happens to snow on February 28th.

I have a locking cash box that I'm slowly gathering cash in, allowing me to have change for people who are purchasing the books without having the entire change amount having to be pulled out of the budget as a lump sum, as it's easier to pull a couple of fives and tens each week to add to the change bin.

I've practiced the speech a couple of times and am about to commit the "high points" (as my speech teacher called the most important bits that you want to make sure you place in front of the audience) onto the index cards that I've picked up to have available, just in case I get really nervous (as I used to do) and need to remind myself where this is supposed to be going.

As mentioned in an earlier blog post, I have the flyers made up and ready to be posted around the area to announce the talk.

I've been in touch with some of the local newspapers about a press release and am just waiting for responses before sending them the pre-written press release.

In short, I'm as ready as I can be for a speech that I still have three and a partial weeks to prepare for.....

And while all of this has been going on, Stefan Savoldi and Kelly Starbird have continued to show me scenes from "A Wild Tiger's Heart" that I've been doing research on before I write them down.....

The scene that I used for the title of this post keeps running through my head (and you can see it here: http://youtu.be/G_rKWdH-ox8), as I keep feeling like I'm forgetting to do something in the preparation, but can't come up with what I've missed......

Should you wish to get on at the ground floor on the newest "work in progress", I've also been working on the fan page on Facebook for "A Wild Tiger's Heart" (available here: https://www.facebook.com/awildtigersheart?ref=stream).  I have a couple of pictures that have come up during trips into search engines when putting in key words that might bring up models who could serve as the characters, there are suggestions as to items that Kyle Benton, that eccentric multi-millionaire, would include if given carte blanche by Kelly in the building of a unique cabin in the secluded Maine woods for her to live in, and photos of places she wanted to visit and cross off her "bucket list"........

Feel free to add anything you think might help me with the writing of the tale that YOU might come across, such as model suggestions, odd things to include in the house, etc........

In the meantime, I'm off again, running downstairs to try to finish the dishes and get some clothes that my recent weight loss has made improper for me to wear into boxes to give away to people in need.  (Frankly, when you go to put something into your pocket and, despite wearing a belt, you find you've pantsed yourself because the pants are now two sizes too big, it's time to give them up - even if they ARE your favorite fleece-lined blue jeans that have been keeping you warm for the past three years......)

Take care, my lovelies, and I hope to see at least some of you in Portland, Maine for February 28th.