Val Muller

The Electronic Wordsmith

Do or Do Not (book)This week, I have a chance to feature Nick Maley, author of The Do or Do Not Outlook: 77 Steps to Living an Extraordinary Life, which he describes as a little book of big ideas.

Nick is known as “That Yoda Guy” because of his involvement in working on/creating the character Yoda in the original 1979 Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back. He’s got a museum in St. Maarten called That Yoda Guy Movie Exhibit, which is where I met him.

Easily, my visit to the museum and my chat with him is the most memorable part of my trip to the tropics. (He chats with everyone who visits his museum—that’s the kind of person he is). Anyone who knows me (and my dogs, Yoda and Leia) knows that I have an affinity for Star Wars, but what really stands out about my trip there has nothing to do with the sci-fi franchise. When I told Nick I was a writer, he encouraged me to continue with my Corgi Capers series, the first book of which had been published just a few months earlier. Since then, I’ve written five more, with several in the works.

And that encouragement is what his book Do or Do Not is all about. His goal is to encourage others, as others have stepped up to encourage him. He hopes that those who succeed will pay it forward by helping youngsters in the future.

The book is organized as short pieces of advice meant to be read and reflected on one at a time, for busy people—he suggests reading/acting on/reflecting on one per day. Each chapter in the book contains a place for you to write your own goals/reactions related to each chapter, keeping you motivated and on track to find your happiness and success. Nick notes that each day, it’s important to make small steps toward your goal. It’s through successive small steps that dreams are made.

At 13, he was told he was an idiot. At 18, he was teaching at a university.

Nick describes himself as “a kid from a poor family…in a one-room house” that his grandmother rented. He was an only child, playing alone in a house full of adults.

He attributes his father to his love of creativity: an actor and singer, his dad read stories and helped Nick compose poetry as early as age five. Though his mother had difficulties, she helped foster Nick’s imagination by making him costumes or cakes that the family couldn’t otherwise afford. Growing up, Nick fed his imagination through play.

When he started school, Nick struggled against learning disabilities, including dyslexia and ADD, which put him behind in reading—and as a result of his spelling, he failed many exams.

At 11, Nick failed the exam that essentially divided students into those destined for “academic” careers and those destined for manual labor. While he did well content-wise, he always failed because of his spelling.

In his book, Nick tells us to “build on what you have that others don’t.”

In school, Nick followed this advice by getting involved with what he learned from his father—the school plays. By the time he was 15, Nick had produced and directed his own play in response to a teacher who was putting on a play that Nick didn’t think was interesting. At 16, everyone at his school was expected to work, but Nick attended a technical college instead and even started a drama society there.

All of these elements gave him a “certain degree of confidence and independence,” which is something he emphasizes in his book. “If you don’t invest in your impossible dreams, YOU are the one who guarantees that they won’t come true,” he says.

At 17, he took a phone call for his father and ended up getting a job doing makeup for a show at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall, to do makeup using skills he learned from his father. At 18, he took over the theatrical makeup classes his dad had been teaching.

Before long, Nick considered movies. He overcame the obstacle of not having a union card by being persistent, standing outside their meetings for two years until he was known and finally invited to join.

Since then, he has worked on Star Wars, Superman, and other films. He opened his museum in St. Maarten to display movie memorabilia and other amazing finds, such as facial molds (lifecasts) of notable folks from Abraham Lincoln and David Bowie.

Keeping it positive

What makes Nick stand out is his positivity. Nick shares his beginnings because overcoming the challenges in his life helped him to develop his success later in his life.

Negativity is infectious, he warns, and we must be strong to reach our dreams.

“Being able to do something that is fulfilling in life” is important to Nick. He’s been pushing people over the years to achieve their dreams, including inspiring a man with Down Syndrome to win gold in the Special Olympics, inspiring a man in his 50s to go back to school and become a doctor, encouraging an amputee to become a motivational speaker. Nick attributes “positive thinking” to achieving dreams.

“You can’t live an exceptional life by being ‘normal,’” he says. It’s a good reminder to anyone attempting the unique or creative.

The book helps readers deal with adversity, face impossible challenges, and conquer fears, noting that other people’s negativity can be infectious. Accepting other people’s negativity, Nick says, allows the limits of others’ imaginations to limit your life, too. He encourages people not to be afraid of stepping outside of what society deems is normal or acceptable.

“It doesn’t really matter what your dream is,” Nick says. “There’s a kind of formula to achieving whatever that might be.”

In his Little Book of Big Ideas, he sets out 77 steps for how we can live an extraordinary life.

The museum in crisis: “the people who fail are the ones who give up”

St. Maarten endured extensive damage from Hurricane Irma a few years ago. After only just recovering from that, the COVID crisis has shut down the museum’s single source of revenue: tourists. The museum, and Nick’s “Follow Your Star” foundation, through which he encourages others to pursue their dreams, is in danger of closing. Nick is raising funds now through Pateron at www.patreon.com/FYSF  and online sales in order to keep his museum afloat until the tourists return in (hopefully) November.

Because the museum is a non-profit, it is ineligible for loans and other aid in St. Maarten.

If you’re interested in buying his book, his publisher has agreed to sell directly to U.S. customers for $19.95, including shipping. Purchasing directly from the publisher (as opposed to Amazon or a book store) means Nick’s museum gets to keep much more of the proceeds. To order through the publisher, you can contact Nick directly at GETtheBOOK@netdwellers.com.

If you’re interested in Star Wars memorabilia or prints of Nick’s original artwork, you can check out his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/The-Yoda-Guy-Movie-Exhibit-295303327163046/, where he is posting items for sale and for auction. Some of them are one-of-a-kind finds, such as original script pages from Star Wars films. You can also find more items at his online store at http://netdwellers.com/mo/shop/index.html

Nick is not giving up on his museum, and people he has touched over the years are stepping up to support him. If you are interested and able, please consider purchasing his book or sharing this post as a way to help him keep his museum open.

Photo of me meeting Nick Maley about 8 years ago in St. Maarten. Speaking of doing the impossible, I lost 50 pounds since the taking of this picture. Nick is right—anything is possible if you believe ?

 

Someone was giving away books, and this one caught my eye. It’s listed as middle grade—for ages 8 to 12—which I frequently read to (1) research books my kids might like in a few years (2) stay sharp for writing my Corgi Capers series and (3) be able to read something in a day or two that is simple enough to read while watching my preschoolers.

I really enjoyed this book. It enters magical realism, following a ten-year-old named Michael, who has recently moved to a new house with a creepy garage full of stored items from a previous owner. His unnamed baby sister is sick, mostly in the hospital, and his parents are mostly focused on her and on renovating the new house.

In the meantime, Michael befriends a homeschooled girl named Mina, who encourages him to think outside the box. He also sneaks into the garage and finds a strange person/creature/being that he can’t forget about. The back of the book teases us with the possibilities: person, angel, bird?

The language is elevated—even though it’s for 8 to 12 year olds, I did not feel it was overly simple. It was poetic and beautiful. The suspense of whether the baby will survive is enough to carry the story, but the author adds in the mystery of who the being is hiding in the garage, along with Michael’s own personal growth.

I won’t give away too much, but some of the magical realism reminded me closely of the short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel García Márquez, with discussions of whether our shoulder blades were meant to hold wings. Perhaps it especially resonated with me because as a child, I would wake up every day and look at my back in the mirror, sure that one day I would sprout wings.

I have put more of Almond’s books on my TBR list, and I look forward to reading them ?

Welcome to The Spot Writers. This week’s prompt is to find a new article, and choose five words from the article, using them in a story or a poem. This week’s story is from Val Muller, author of the Corgi Capers kidlit mystery series.

She chose an article about monkeys attacking humans to steal blood samples from COVID-19 patients, which seemed more to her like the beginning of a Planet of the Apes movie than anything.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/saratabin/2020/05/30/why-would-monkeys-steal-blood/#323fc6777884

Afternoon Anthropologist

By Val Muller

Midnight Raven mounted the bench, hands on hips, cape blowing in the wind.

So stereotypical.

Her nemesis, Muddy Shark, crouched menacingly in the water below. He roared up at her, reaching for what she clutched so dearly in her hand.

“Mine!” he roared.

“No, not yours.” She held it high in the sky, like a wand. From the safety of the picnic table, the onlooker watched, half expecting her to summon a bolt of lightning with the passion that glowed in her eyes.

“Mine!” the Shark demanded again. He rose from the water, dripping, bright red beads dribbling down his chin. Red as blood.

Anger boiled, rampant in the hot summer sun, and her scowl matched his.

“You’ll never have this!” She stretched her arm impossibly higher. The object she clutched glistened in the sun, shedding bright purple drops that speckled her arm.

A few drops landed on the Shark. Puzzled, his face softened. Tension decreased for an instant, but then he understood, and his eyes narrowed, further enraged.

The battle was impossible. Clearly, the Raven would end it all to deprive her nemesis of a single iota of pleasure. She would end them both.

The onlooker pocketed his phone and put down his lemonade, preparing to rise, preparing for the inevitable.

This would not end well.

The Shark fell back into the water, thrashing before making a final strike. He was airborne, his wet outfit glistening in the blazing sun. His enraged, chubby fists clenched, his guttural scream a nonverbal invective.

“If you’re too stupid to hold onto your own ice pop, there’s no way you’re getting mine!”

And then it happened. The Raven’s purple pop had been exposed to the summer heat for too long. It lost all structural integrity, like the onlooker’s last shred of sanity evaporating. Then it landed—splat—on the patio.

Enraged, the Shark plopped down into the kiddie pool, its water still red from his dropped pop. The Raven, defeated, chucked her impotent ice pop stick at her brother before joining him in the cool relief of the pool, their tears mixing with the sticky-sweet of melted pops and hose water.

The onlooker sat again, relaxing, reopening the book he had been reading on his phone. Disaster was averted for now, and he waited for his pulse to slow again. It wasn’t much as far as superhero plots were concerned, but for a COVID summer day, it was typical. And around these parts, it was about as exciting as things got.

***

The Spot Writers—Our Members:

Val Muller: https://valmuller.com/blog/

Catherine A. MacKenzie: https://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Phil Yeats: https://alankemisterauthor.wordpress.com

Chiara De Giorgi: https://chiaradegiorgi.blogspot.ca/

This week I had the chance to meet Kathryn D. Murphy, who is celebrating a new release this week! Her latest novel, Simply a Matter of Time, is available on Amazon. I have my copy, and as soon as I am finished with the school year (t-minute 2 weeks), I will give it a read.

Tell us about yourself:

My name is Kathryn and I write contemporary romance with magical realism. I have always loved reading romances since I first discovered them while volunteering at my local library. I bought a whole box of Regency romances for five cents each and read two a day for an entire summer while working at an underused ice cream stand. I read over one hundred novels that summer and never looked back. These days, when I’m not writing in my home in Virginia, you can find me chasing after my toddler, sweating in my garden, or trying a new recipe in my kitchen.

Tell us about your book:

Simply A Matter Of Time is the second book in the Firemark series, which is a contemporary romance with magical realism set off the coast of Massachusetts on the mysterious Brightrock Island. Residents Lizzy and Ethan embrace the world outside Brightrock but as the police get closer to the island’s secret, they must make a choice between the people they love or their lives.

Are any elements of your book autobiographical or inspired by elements of your life?

The settings and some of the family members in this book are inspired by grandparents from Massachusetts and Louisiana. Writing those scenes was truly a page out of my own life and will always have a special place in my heart.

What’s your favorite scene or location in the work you’re currently promoting, and why?

My very favorite scene in Simply A Matter Of Time is the very last chapter, which makes me weepy every time I read it. It took so long for one character to learn her lesson and it’s such a relief when she finally gives in to her softer side.

What book or author has been most inspirational for you, and why?

I have always admired Nora Roberts’s work ethic and have been a devoted fan of her JD Robb series since I was reading it during high school physics. In fact, I was listening to her first book in the series, Naked in Death on CD (I know, it was fancy back then) on my way to high school when I was rear-ended. I was so pulled in by the story that I was completely relaxed and didn’t tense up at all! If that’s not a recommendation, I don’t know what is.

Are you working on any other projects at the moment?

Yes! I’m wrapping up my first in a new contemporary romance series that also has magical realism based around everyday heroines who have secret powers you wouldn’t expect.

Finally, where can we find you?

You can find me at www.kathrynkmurphy.com where I blog weekly, and @kathrynwrites2 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. My latest book Simply A Matter Of Time is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088VHY3RS

Simply A Matter of Time

Ethan Brooks has led an extremely long double life, one that always felt stable and secure—until he crossed paths with Nora St. Clair. Suddenly, the dogged police lieutenant is invading his office in her quest for answers about the mysterious Brightrock Island he hails from, an idyllic community off the coast of Massachusetts and home to a literal fountain of youth. Sworn to secrecy about his hometown, Ethan must protect the truth about the mysterious island and those who live there at any cost. But that’s easier said than done as Nora captures Ethan’s attention like no one ever has, upending his carefully cultivated life. 

Resident Lizzy Brooks is enjoying her first taste of freedom from Brightrock Island after almost fifty years when Nora’s investigation throws everything into chaos, trashing Lizzy’s dreams when they’ve only just begun. With the clock ticking, Lizzy only has a few short weeks to explore what might’ve been a grand, romantic adventure with Caleb Broussard, her only connection outside the island. But this quiet, kind man whom Lizzy thought she knew has secrets of his own, ones that could impact everything.

Now Ethan and Lizzy are both on borrowed time. But as Nora gets closer to uncovering the truth, Brightrock’s elders deliver an ultimatum: return home or leave the island forever, forcing Lizzy and Ethan to choose between their loves—or their lives. 

When I gave my dad a copy of Life of Pi to read, he recommended I read Kon-Tiki, noting that it is a typical survival-at-sea story that may have helped inspire Martel’s Life of Pi.

After reading it, I do think my dad is right. This nonfiction piece follows Thor Heyerdahl, who hypothesized that humans from the east populated the islands in the South Seas, pointing to evidence from mythology, history, and even biology. He set out to prove that this hypothesis could be true by building an ancient-style raft out of balsa wood and rope.

The raft had no motor and was mostly subject to the ocean currents. You couldn’t pay most people enough to take such a voyage.

This is a classic adventure tale of six men at sea. They travel from South America to the islands in the South Seas (they aim for whichever one they can safely land on, given the cumbersome raft and the sharp reefs). They must survive at sea for quite some time, which they find is rather easy to do. Not only do they have provisions on board, but at times they are bombarded with flying fish, and they find fishing for their preferred dinners easy enough to accomplish.

Their voyage is not without danger, of course. They encounter sharks, as well as some specifies of marine life that had not been known to exist. Not to mention that they are crammed on a raft with a single make-shift cabin and moving floorboards.

The time at sea is my favorite part: prior to this, we follow Heyerdahl as he tries to convince others that his thesis could be true, and we follow his obstacles as he tries to scrape a voyage together with five willing crewmates. Perhaps the journey at sea is all the more meaningful because of the wind-up and the fact that we know what struggles Heyerdahl went through for the mere opportunity to put his life at risk.

Because of all the struggles, the time on the islands when they finally do arrive is all the sweeter (it’s not really a spoiler that they lived, as he is telling us the story from after the fact). The edition I read includes a reader’s supplement with pictures of the raft and some of the sea creatures they encountered, which helped me to visualize the tale.

I have written before, when reviewing nonfiction, that nonfiction is not my preference. I do not like nonfiction presented as facts only, or boring encyclopedia entries (otherwise, I would simple read a short report on the topic and move on). I appreciate works that create a compelling main character and storyline that pulls me through the facts. This was one of them. I did want to finish. That, to me, is a mark of good fiction.

Of course, it should be noted that the work is the record of a 1947 expedition, and the language is translated. That said, some of the ideas and language are a bit outdated; still, it doesn’t detract from the fact that a group of six willingly risked their lives to prove that something that happened long in the past was possible.

I do find connection to Life of Pi. Encountering undiscovered marine life, leaving “home” with a preposterous theory in mind that is somehow proven by the journey, and leaving the “reader” with an inspiring tale. The novel was translated into dozens and dozens of languages, and it was recently made into a film which I have yet to see. Needless to say, the world is captivated by Heyerdahl’s ambition.

Like many parents, I have been scouring the Internet for ideas to keep kids entertained while still providing some educational value. We have made cardboard boats, bead people (a throwback to my childhood), necklaces, drawings; we have gardened, weeded, cared for the lawn…

But perhaps my favorite activity so far was inspired by several posts I saw pop up on social media in which a (very professional) artist took findings from nature, such as wild grass, flowers, etc., and created landscapes and other artwork.

So, with the weather entering that “perfect” space between spring and summer, I took the kids on a nature walk with the goal of finding things with interesting shapes and textures. I hoped to kill maybe ten minutes with the endeavor. But they loved it. They each walked around with a bucket, gathering way more than I knew we could use.

In fact, they were disappointed to have to come inside, asking if we could search for more.

But when we finally did come inside (as a settle down activity prior to lunch), both kids had fun arranging items onto the paper. And because they didn’t want any help, I was able to create my own pieces.

I took a picture right away—just in case (you never know, with preschoolers). But I told myself I would come back later, to take another picture after all the glue dried (some of it was glued down, other was simply sitting on the page).

When I finally remembered to come back the next day, several of the pieces I used were wilted already, and I realize that the picture I took the day before was the best I would have. But I wasn’t upset about that at all. It reinforced the lesson of the activity. The activity was about the journey, about finding the zen in taking a walk, looking closely at nature for colors and textures that might otherwise be overlooked.

And indeed it was. I (honestly) couldn’t care less about the actual artwork the almost-two-year-old created on the paper. But I will remember that when I handed him a glue stick, he thought it was chap-stick. I will remember that my daughter said she was making a dragonfly, but it turned out to be a Picasso-type thing, with tiny wings and giant eyes, and all the parts scattered around the paper.

And in a situation like a lockdown, where it seems we’re biding time and waiting for some unforeseen and uncertain goal, it seems that appreciating life for its journey is the best thing we can focus on. I am posting this week’s “Fantastic Friday” on a Saturday night—and that’s just how “quarantine” life is going. Days blend together, with work’s boundaries blurring into personal life and vice versa. And that’s okay. Everyone will read it on Saturday night instead of Friday, or maybe on Monday instead of today. But maybe someone will like the idea, and take their kids on a nature walk to create a similar project, and maybe through this late Friday post, someone else, somewhere, sometime, will discover a journey of their own.

Welcome to The Spot Writers. This month’s prompt is to write a “never have/had I ever” story.

This week’s contribution comes from Cathy MacKenzie. Cathy’s novel, WOLVES DON’T KNOCK, a psychological drama, is available from her locally or on Amazon. MISTER WOLFE, the sequel, coming soon! As well as MY BROTHER, THE WOLF, the last of the series.

***

“Our ‘New Normal’” by Cathy MacKenzie

Never had I ever
Expected to break my wrist—
Or any bone—
Is this the beginning of the end?

Perhaps it was, for:

Never had I ever
Heard such terms:
Physical-distancing, flattening the curve…
What the heck!

Never had I ever
Thought self-isolation would be cruel
And unusual punishment,
For no wrong of mine!

Never had I ever
Imagined imprisonment at home
Other than once-a-week outings for essentials,
Though it’s safer staying home!

Never had I ever
Thought I’d be afraid to grocery shop
Or enter another store—even step outdoors,
But the money I’m saving!

Never had I ever
Imagined I’d be yelled at
For walking down an aisle,
What are those floor arrows?

Never had I ever
Imagined ER treatment like a leper
Because of my postal code,
Isn’t that discrimination?

Never had I ever
Thought I’d be forced to don a mask
Other than on Halloween,
But it hides my wrinkles!

Never had I ever
Thought hugs and family gatherings
Would be forbidden,
The technological alternative does not cut it!

Never had I ever…
Thought the world would change as it has.
Never had I imagined a virus would—or could—
Shut down the world.
Oh, 2020, what have you done?
The year isn’t half over and
The news is too grim to watch
And Nova Scotia mourns and mourns…
Covid-19 deaths of too many elderly,
Canada’s worst mass shooting of twenty-three,
Six dead in a military helicopter crash.
On our porches we left boots for Dylan
And lights to guide him home,
A wee bit of hope that soon died.

So many “never-had-I-evers”…

Alas, the world has changed
And not for the better,
But when our “normal” returns
Perhaps people
Will change to better the world.
We can only hope and pray.
But I have my doubts.

***

The Spot Writers—Our Members:

Val Muller: https://valmuller.com/blog/

Catherine A. MacKenzie: https://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Phil Yeats: https://alankemisterauthor.wordpress.com

Chiara De Giorgi: https://chiaradegiorgi.blogspot.ca/

 

 

Today, I have the honor to host a new author–and a former student!–J. R. Lesperance, whose debut novel Cardinal Virtue has just been released.

A beloved schoolteacher, her gruesome death, and a series of cryptic symbols left behind by the killer are just the beginning…

Cardinal VirtuePolice legacy Lara Nadeau never thought she would find herself anywhere but her beloved Boston. However, after the death of her father and one too many missteps on the job, she is transferred to Eastfall: a small, charming city near Salem. Wracked with grief and haunted by a hostage situation gone horribly wrong, Lara spirals into a toxic mire of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. She hoped the slow pace of small town policing might be a calm retreat to help set her back on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, not long after her arrival to idyllic Eastfall, a brutal, ritualistic murder of a beloved educator sends the community reeling. To make matters worse, the prime suspect is the police chief’s son, Police Sergeant Zachariah Braddock. Charming and handsome, Zach has a few demons of his own, but is he capable of such atrocities?

 

Lara’s only wish is to return to Boston and prove she is not her past mistakes, but one death was only the beginning. A sequence of peculiar murders of local women, a house with a mind of its own, and the return of an old flame, threatens to derail her. If Lara can’t overcome her own personal demons to help find the killer in time, her chances of clearing her name and saving her own life, will be dead in the water.

Tell us about yourself:

Hi there! I’m J.R. Lesperance, more commonly known as Jenn. I have recently launched my debut novel CARDINAL VIRTUE through Amazon, available in ebook and paperback formats. I live in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and am a proud fur-mom of one dog and one cat! I am also strangely addicted to crossword puzzles.

Tell us about your book:

Probably the best way to describe it is this: a police procedural with paranormal elements. It is the first book in a planned series centered around a fictional city in Massachusetts, somewhere near Salem. Expect witches and other manner of supernatural delights, and perhaps most importantly, badass heroines getting stuff done!

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

Writing has always been simply a hobby. I wrote round robin like stories with my friends in middle school, and wrote little stories in my spare time. When I hit high school, I jumped at the chance to take creative writing with the best teacher ever! Thanks, Mrs. Eg– er, Val. That’s so weird to me… anyway, the best teacher that put up with my crap in English class too, when I always asked why Emily Dickinson’s poems HAD to have meaning.

When I got to college, I learned about National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. Every November I set out to write 50k words. I won my first year! And have won a few years ever since. But now that I’m a teacher, it’s hard to juggle writing and the duties of the beginning of the school year.

Up until maybe a few years ago, writing still seemed a hobby to me. Then my best friend just decided one day that she wanted to take her hobby to the next level. I saw her happiness and success, and I thought “why not me too?” And here we are!

What is your “day job”?

I am a secondary Social Studies teacher at a high school in Hampton Roads teaching World History and World Geography. I also work part time at a local municipal visitor center, advising people on things to do in the Tidewater area of Virginia.

Are any elements of your book autobiographical or inspired by elements of your life?

The main character of my novel, Lara Nadeau, is of French-Canadian ancestry. There are little tidbits I included throughout the book involving some family traditions. I pulled these from my own family traditions, as I am of 100% French-Canadian ancestry myself. Throughout the book as well, Lara struggles with the unexpected passing of her father, who had been the only parent she’d grown up with. When I was a freshman in college, I lost my father unexpectedly too. I harnessed some of those visceral feelings of my own and thrust them on Lara.

A lot of characters are a mish-mash of people in my life! But I think that’s a pretty common thing for writers to do.

What book or author has been most inspirational for you, and why?

Oddly enough, I think a lot of inspiration comes from J.R. Ward, the author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I’ve been reading these books since junior year of high school (I actually might have started reading them in the middle of class at times, sorry Val), and she still puts out one new book a year. They’re truly gotten me through some tough times. Not only did she put a totally different spin on vampire lore, but her writing style was something that I’ve always vibed with. I got the chance to meet her last summer at the Romance Writers of America national conference in NYC, got a picture with her and everything, and I FREAKED the whole time. Not only is she a great writer, but she’s SUCH a nice person in real life. I aspire to be like her, if I’m honest. And maybe, possibly, I subconsciously chose my pen name to include J.R. as an ode to her, however, they are the first initials of my first and middle name so… it works regardless.

Are you working on any other projects at the moment?

Yes! I am currently in the works on Book 2, featuring a character you meet briefly in Book 1. It has a whole new vibe than the first: a generous helping of history, a dash of romance, and another female character realizing her worth.

Finally, where can we find you?

Pretty much everywhere!

Website: jrlesperance.com

Facebook: facebook.com/jrlwriter13

Twitter: twitter.com/jrlesperance13

Instagram: instagram.com/jrlesperance

Goodreads: goodreads.com/jrlesperance

When I was pregnant, I could not write. I was overwhelmed with worry so that visual art became my creative outlet. I took up sketching, then drawing, something I’d done years before, but never professionally.

I find that when times are stressful, I enjoy the simple beauty of art, the fact that it transcends words, and really, the intentional time and effort it takes to create. It reaches me on a level different than writing—my go-to stories or poetry.

A friend stopped by the house yesterday to drop off (in a socially distant way) toys she had bought for my kids. My daughter picked a small bouquet of buttercups for her, and my friend texted that the small gesture of my daughter handing over flowers (albeit into a covered hand) brought a much-needed smile to her face and was a nice reminder of her own childhood.

So for today’s Fantastic Friday, instead of words, I will share some photography I took during my time outdoors this week. This week for me, it was about enjoying the little things.

I hope everyone is finding little things to enjoy. Sometimes the little things are the ones that bring us the most joy.

The May 2020 flower moon. I finally learned how to photograph the moon; I just need a bigger lens!

bee in tree

A bee investigates a flowering tree.

dandelion after the rain

A dandelion after the rain.

Sometimes the smallest things bring the biggest smile.

full moon

Found on camera: March 2020’s full moon.

Not sure what this flowering bush is, but my daughter loves how it looks like snow.

I almost wanted to use photo editing to tone down the color of these flowers. They really are that blinding!

Welcome to the Spot Writers. This month’s prompt is “never have/had I ever.” Today’s writing comes to us from Val Muller, author of the Corgi Capers kidlit mystery series. Find out more at www.corgicapers.com.

The dandelion, pictured below, served as inspiration for this poem.

Carpe Diem

By Val Muller

 

dandelion after the rain

A dandelion after the rain.

Never had I ever thought

I’d wait for bread in line

Or that a Meatless Monday

Would happen in my time.

 

Never had I ever thought

I’d stare at empty shelves,

Or panic when I coughed a bit

Or gasped for breath if I yelled.

 

Never had I ever thought

I’d live to see the day

When the 1918 pandemic

Came back again this way.

 

Never had I ever thought

The schools would shut their doors,

That I’d wash my hands ‘til raw

After a dangerous visit to a store.

 

Never had I ever thought

I’d be shuttered in my home,

To work from screen and keyboard

And to communicate—alone.

 

Never in my busy life

Had I ever banked on this:

That time, my short commodity,

Was now given as a gift.

 

Never had I ever seen

Dandelions graced by the rain

While tiptoeing through chilly dew:

It was like childhood again,

 

That timeless sense of wonder,

The lack of any rush,

To watch raindrops melt off flowers

In the early morning’s hush.

 

Never I, since growing up,

Felt wonder flow so free

As when this time afforded me to sit

While the trees whispered in the breeze,

Or when I watched a honey bee

Floating through the trees.

And while the world slows down a while

In fear of this disease,

And stresses about washing hands

And worrying when we sneeze,

We’re forced to wait—actionless—

While Fates do what they please:

The beauty’s there for those who’ll see,

Who can take the day—and seize!

 

The Spot Writers—Our Members:

Val Muller: https://valmuller.com/blog/

Catherine A. MacKenzie: https://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Phil Yeats: https://alankemisterauthor.wordpress.com

Chiara De Giorgi: https://chiaradegiorgi.blogspot.com/