Working On Another Historical

This is a photo of a Butterick pattern from 1918, which I found on Pinterest. I always look up what was fashionable in any time period when I write a historical. I like writing historicals because I truly enjoy digging into the past. So, this time around, I chose 1918 as the year. The book is set in New Jersey, which means I've had to do quite  a bit of research of what it was like here in NJ 107 years ago. It is quite intriguing. One popular soda fountain drink at that time was an Orange Crush. 

Most people know about the Spanish Flu, which occurred at that time. According to the Pan American Health Organization, "The United States lost 675,000 people to the Spanish flu in 1918-more casualties than World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined." (Hint: The flu is real and dangerous.)

However, one of the most devastating disease of all times was tuberculosis. According to historyofvaccines.org, "...tuberculosis claims the highest death toll across history, with an estimated 1 billion lives lost..."  My mother's cousin had tuberculosis and spent some time in a sanitorium. In 1918, there were sanitoriums in New Jersey, but a specific surgery was being used for TB patients. It didn't cure the disease but sometimes it helped the patient. Fortunately, antibiotics have successfully been used to control that terrible disease. But it is still with us. It has not been eradicated. 

Aside from diseases of the era, there was much being done in the US to help with the war effort. One odd thing I discovered was that people saved peach pits, nuts shells, and such. The pits were used to create activated carbon, which was used in gas masks. 

Both of my grandfathers served in World War 1. My paternal grandfather went to France and my maternal grandfather served along the Mexican border, watching out for Pancho Villa. I wish I had asked them more about their time in the service. My paternal grandfather never said anything about his experience and my maternal grandfather said very little. Of course, my grandmothers were in this country as the war went on. So, learning about that time period in more depth is a little like being in their company again. Though I so much wish I could have asked all the questions and written it down while they were still here. 

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My Latest Painting

 This is the last oil painting I finished. It's a white-tailed deer. I took a photo of the deer several years ago in a local park. I was in the car and he stared at me with suspicion, but he held still. He was on a small rise and that made him look rather magnificent. The photo sat on my desktop for quite a while until I decided to attempt painting it. I haven't done many animal paintings. However, I think it is infinitely easier to do a portrait of an animal than a human. Humans complain too much about how they look in a portrait. 😏

I like painting. My mom was an artist and I grew up in a house with the smell of oil paint and turpentine. I enjoy mixing the colors and dabbing the paint on the canvas. But just like writing a book, painting includes a bravery. Do it. Even if it isn't masterpiece. 

Yesterday I bought a frame. It's a drop-in frame. I never bought one until now but it does look easy to put together. This frame has a dented corner and I was able to get it for half price. Hubby believes he can fix the corner. 

This deer will go into the next art show and then I'll have to find more wall space in my house. 😅 

Ebook Library Apps

The page from the Libby App with some of my books.

I’ve always been a fan of ebooks. They are very portable, they don’t collect dust, they don’t take up room, and you still get all the words that make up the story. Nowadays, libraries also offer ebooks on either the Libby or Hoopla apps. They are great! Both of them have my books available for borrowing. You can read my books for FREE! Authors get paid a small amount when readers borrow their books and that’s fine with me. After spending hours and hours writing a book, I really would love for other people to read it. 

There are still readers who prefer to read paper editions. They can ask their library to acquire that book for them. Either way, you can read my books without paying for them. 

The page from the Hoopla App with some of my books.

Many of my books that are published by Pelican Book Group are available with Kindle Unlimited.   For those who like audio books, THE COMPANY YOU KEEP is currently on sale as an audio book for only $0.99. What a deal! You can get it here: https://www.amazon.com/Audible-The-Company-You-Keep/dp/B0FBH2CBH8/

There's one whole month of summer ahead. Get a book for FREE or for very little and enjoy a day in the shade with a story. 

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Summer Fun on the Farm

I'm the kid with the funny smile.

      When summer comes around, I alway think about the way it used to be when I was young. Once a year, my father had a two-week vacation. My brother, my sisters, Mom and I piled into the car and went out to see my grandma and grandpa in western Pennsylvania. Many of my mother's siblings lived near my grandparents, so I saw my aunts, uncles, and many of my cousins as well. I was blessed with a passel of cousins since my mother had five brothers and one sister. But there are only a few cousins in the photo above.

      My grandparents’ farm was about ten acres on one side of the hill. There was a barn for the cow and there was plenty of hay. My grandmother canned vegetables from her garden but she had a huge freezer in the basement, too. An old coal furnace and a coal bin occupied part of the basement as well as an old wringer washing machine. There wasn't any air conditioning. Nobody had air conditioning in those days--including us, the city slickers from New Jersey. We didn’t live in the city but my grandfather called us city slickers anyway. 

      It always seemed as if life on the farm was slower. My relatives chatted for hours and I listened attentively. In fact, every one of those visits out to Pennsylvania was mostly spent catching up on all that had happened since the last time we saw everyone. My grandmother regularly wrote letters to us and my mother wrote to her, but phone calls were very limited due to the cost of a long distance call in those days. Phone calls were usually reserved for emergencies. 

      I didn't have the usual chores I had at home, which was a nice break. I picked daisies for my grandmother and she put them in a jar along with all the other daisies or dandelions she received from her other grandchildren. We picked blackberries. Sometimes, we went into town where we wandered through the 5 & 10 cent store. Sometimes we went to what had been the old company store for the coalminers when my mother was a youngster. My mother worked in that store for a while as a teenager. We didn't go to any historical sites in that area although there was a granite monument in town with the names of all the residents who served in World War II. My mother's name was there along with her brothers' names. 😊 

      I enjoyed being part of a large family, even though we only saw each other once a year. I miss listening to all those stories. My relatives told some wonderful tales. We didn't need any other entertainment. 

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Excerpt from OUTSIDE BLESSINGS and SALE!

I took the photo of the man on the jetty on the day before Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey. As you can see, the ocean was already quite stirred up at that point. I have no idea who the man was walking out on the jetty but I thought he was living dangerously. However, the image stayed in my mind and became a scene in OUTSIDE BLESSINGS. 

That's the way my mind works. I save up images and when I need a specific scene, I simply have to draw from my memory. I find it helps to create a vivid description when I know exactly how it looked in real life.  That's why I take so many photographs. I want to imbed them in my memory because I just might need the image in a book somewhere. 

There will be a sale on the ebook edition of OUTSIDE BLESSINGS at all the usual ebook distributors sites from Saturday, June 21st until Friday, July 4th. The book will only cost $0.99. 

So, save up your pennies and buy OUTSIDE BLESSINGS while it's on sale. 

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THE COMPANY YOU KEEP Audiobook

The ebook edition of THE COMPANY YOU KEEP is still available for only $0.99. If you enjoy a book set in the wintertime, a marriage of convenience, a meddling ghost, and evil paranormal circumstances you should enjoy this story. One reviewer said, "The story is full of twists and turns and keeps the reader turning pages to the end." Another Kindle customer said, "The writing is fresh and original, an excellent read." One more said, "A fantastic story, with an even more imaginative ending."

Now the book is also available as an audiobook with virtual voice at: https://www.amazon.com/Company-You-Keep-Penelope-Marzec-ebook/dp/B00WQ77NSW/  It's a real bargain at $3.99. But you can also buy the ebook and get the audiobook for only $1.99. 

Watch the video to see more of what the story is about. 

When Fiction Comes to Life

Books are magic. They have the ability to inspire and inform. But sometimes fiction takes on a whole new dimension when a writer’s imagination produces scientific breakthroughs. This has happened when science fiction writers let their imagination run wild. 

I am not a science fiction fan, for the most part. I have read some sci-fi books because I was told to do so or I became intrigued with others’ recommendations. 

When my daughters were teenagers, they often quoted lines from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. They thought it was a wonderful book. So, I read it. It contained a lot of humor and I enjoyed it but it wasn’t romance, my preferred genre.

My sister told me to read The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, so I did. The profound truth in it about humans’ tendency to destroy was all too real. It didn’t have a happy ending.

Romance books have not only a happy ending but lots of emotion. To me, they are very satisfying reads. Nevertheless, the imaginations of science fiction writers are notable because the magical inventions they dreamed up in their stories led to a host of technological inventions. There are several online lists of the books and authors responsible for the original ideas.

You can see one list here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_existing_technologies_predicted_in_science_fiction

Many ideas came from one television series, StarTrek. I was a devoted fan of the original TV show. I had a crush of Captain Kirk. Using a cell phone makes me feel like one of the characters in that series. You can see a list of other gadgets that resemble those on StarTrek here: https://www.sideshow.com/blog/trek-tech-10-star-trek-gadgets-that-have-beamed-into-reality/

Evidently, there are a few books considered romances that have some new technologies in them, but I’m not really interested in science fiction romances. Though I wouldn’t mind haven’t a robot clean my house.  

I believe it is amazing enough that two people can find inspiration in each other and commit to a lifetime together. That is not an easy task judging from the many divorces that occur. So, while the sci-fi writers can imagine a world full of amazing gadgets, I’d like to stick to a world of love and peace. 

Is that too much to ask?

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