Guest Post: Susie Troccolo

This week I'm featuring an essay by my online friend, gardener and talented author Susan Troccolo. I have a feeling you'll be able to relate to her words. 

Spring on Wings

When you think of spring, what pops up? Daffodils, crocus, cherry blossoms? Me. too. But there is something else. Something equally joyful but insistent in the way a flower is not. It is the chorus of robins that start in around 5:30 to 6:00 am, singing with such gay abandon that it is practically impossible to stay in bed. It revs me up. Sometimes this is great, sometimes not so much.

The early-bird song of the American Robin is often the first to tell us that spring is finally coming.

Though it is still dark and cold at that hour, spring has flipped a switch in their downy red breasts and they want to announce it to the world. But this celebrated symbol of spring has a mixed effect on my psyche. Yes, I'm thrilled by all that optimistic trilling in coloratura, but it also starts my heart thumping like crazy.

Quick, my body says: up and at 'em, feather your nest, plant those seeds, till that ground, for Pete's sake, get moving! Even though here in Portland we have several months of waiting for dry and friable ground in order to work the soil. What I really need to do is calm down and pace myself. Maybe putter in the greenhouse.

I don't know about you, but the pure raw energy of spring can work me into a frenzy. I guess it tweaks my desire for garden accomplishment into overdrive. Yes, you garden overachievers, you know what I'm talking about. 

Susan Troccolo is the author of Growing Down Stories, personal essays of living life with humor and grace. Among Susan's many talents, she's a volunteer, a gardener and a writing instructor. She is working on her second book and lives in Portland, Oregon with her border collie and husband of thirty-five years. You can learn more about Susie by visiting her website.  

Do you hear spring's early morning robin song?

Nancy Christie's Book Release!

Hi Peeps. Today I'm honored to share the stage with author and teacher, Nancy Christie as she celebrates the publication of her new book, TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER. In March, Nancy was here to discuss the cover for her book. Well guess what folks. It's now a book! 

The Synopsis: 

There are some people who, whether by accident or design, find themselves traveling left of center. Unable or unwilling to seize control over their lives, they allow fate to dictate the path they take--often with disastrous results. 

TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER details characters in life situations for which they are emotionally or mentally unprepared. Their methods of coping range from passive, ("The Healer") and the aggressive, ("The Clock") to the humorous, ("Traveling Left of Center") and hopeful, ("Skating on Thin Ice"). 

The eighteen stories in TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER depict those types of situations from the close calls to the disastrous. Not all the stories have happy endings--like life. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don't. 

In these stories, the characters' choices--or non-choices--are their own. But the outcomes may not be what they anticipated or desired. Will they have time to correct their choice or will they crash? 

Below are a few of the eighteen stories in TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER: 

Amazon

• ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN--Sometimes, what one fears most comes to pass because of those fears. If Charlotte hadn't been so afraid, would the outcome have been the same? 
• THE CLOCK--Everyone has a breaking point. For Harold, it came one fateful evening when the clock, once again stopped ticking. 
• THE SHOP ON THE SQUARE--His attitude of superiority had gotten him quite far in life. Until a chance stop at a small Mexican town illustrated that he had much to learn. 

TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER can be purchased by way of the usual outlets. For more information, go to Nancy's website. 

Congratulations, Nancy, my friend. It looks like a great read! 

Guest Post: Nancy Christie's Cover-Reveal!

Hi Peeps. I'm honored today to share the words of author Nancy Christie as she reveals the cover and back story of her soon-to-be-published book. 

About the cover for TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER

Choosing the artwork for TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER was no simple thing. This collection represents the culmination of hopes and dreams, long hours of labor and even longer hours of doubt. 

It was essential that the cover image conveyed the emotion of the stories and, at the same time, hinted at the mysteriousness of choice: why we do what we do, and what happens when our choices turn out to be less than wise. And when my publisher, Pixel Hall Press, presented me with this haunting painting, there was no question in my mind that it was the right one for the collection. 

And to celebrate, I asked Grace Peterson of Subplots by Grace, along with a few other select bloggers, to share in a virtual "cover reveal" party--and she was kind enough to agree. 

In return, I promised to provide some background information about the image and the challenge of finding a visual representation of a story. 

So here it is--the back story about the cover for TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER!

What does the cover represent? 

If you think of life as a road, then as long as you stay in your own lane, so to speak, you have a good chance of reaching your destination. But if you cross the center line--because of inattention, confusion or deliberate action--then you run the risk of crashing. 

Crashing into another "vehicle" and causing harm to one or both of you. Crashing into an immovable object and being grievously injured or possibly destroyed. Or, best case scenario for a bad situation, almost crashing and then, at the very last moment, pulling hard on the wheel and getting back to where you need to be. And then, after wiping your brow and taking a few deep breaths, doing your utmost to stay there. 

The stories in TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER depict those types of situations, from the close calls to the disastrous. 

Sounds depressing.  

Yes--and no. It's true that not all the stories have happy endings--like life, sometimes things work out and sometimes they don't. 

But look closely at the image--follow the road through the trees to the farthest point. See the sunlight glancing through the limbs in the distance? Light--and hope. Darkness--yet with the promise of daylight. 

Where did the idea of the image come from? 

In the collection there is a lighthearted story entitled, "Traveling Left of Center." And when I was putting the collection together to shop it to agents and publishers and needed a title, that seemed to be so right, so perfect, that I couldn't imagine any other name for it. Which of course, then led to the image for the as-yet unpublished book. 

Not being a visual person, I have never found it easy to imagine the cover for any of my books--from my first one, THE GIFTS OF CHANGE, to the last two short fiction e-books, ANNABELLE and ALICE IN WONDERLAND. You might say I am picture-challenged! 

But in this case, I knew exactly what I wanted as the single unifying picture. As a matter of fact, long ago I had even drawn--quite poorly I might add--my version of the cover: a single lane highway and crossing it from right to left, a set of skid marks. 

I shared the image concept with my publisher and after a few revisions--I can be a bit anal about type--we successfully "birthed" this book cover. 

So what are the stories? 

Ah, for that, you must wait, with bated breath, until August, when the book will be out in both print and digital formats. But, in the meantime, if you must have a taste of TRAVELING, visit the Pixel Hall Press website where you will find excerpts of both ANNABELLE and ALICE IN WONDERLAND. 

My thanks to those of you who came to the cover-reveal party and Grace who made it happen! For more information and to stay on top of what's happening with TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER, follow me on Twitter at @NChristie_OH! 

Guest Post: Nancy Christie

HI EVERYONE, TODAY I AM interviewing author and Nancy Christie, author, blogger and teacher.

Your writing background is quite impressive. One thing I notice is that your work is about inspiring others by exploring personal growth and relationship issues. I really respect that. Can you share with readers your vision and how it evolved? 

I suppose it comes in a large part, from personal experience. When you learn things the hard way or have to overcome failure and setbacks--and you are a writer--it's just natural to want to explore it in writing and then share the realizations you come to. 

Among the many conclusions I have come to are: 1) Nothing is ever wasted. Every experience enhances us and educates us, but it may be a while before we need to draw on that knowledge; 2) If something really matters to you, make time for it. Thirty minutes a day devoted to it can make a tremendous difference down the road and it will keep you from regretting not having taken the time; and 3) Sometimes what happens is your fault and sometimes it is, quite simply, what it is. You need to know the difference and not beat yourself up when you didn't create the circumstance. As for the ones that you had a hand in, learn from them and move forward. 

Interestingly, the characters in ANNABELLE and ALICE IN WONDERLAND can't move forward successfully. I wish I could have helped them but that wasn't my job. My job was to write their stories, not write what I wanted their stories to be.

Your short story ANNABELLE is about a young woman caught between her desire for love and feelings of guilt. Although I haven't read the story yet, I can so relate. What is your understanding of guilt and what is the healthiest way to deal with it? 

There are so many kinds of guilt. The guilt when we did wrong and knew better, the guilt we feel when we failed to do something to the standard we hold ourselves (and sometimes that standard is impossibly high), the guilt that comes when we blame ourselves for what someone else has done. 

The healthiest way to deal with it? I suppose it depends on whether the guilt is truly ours to bear. If it is, make restitution in some fashion. If it isn't, then understand that you are not to blame and let it go. In any case, if it becomes all-consuming and overwhelming, get some kind of professional help. Sometimes we need someone on the outside to give us permission to let go of the guilt burden we bear. 

I love what you call your "Rut-Busting" workshops. Can you elaborate on what "rut-busting" entails? 

"Rut-busting" is all about digging out of the rut we have created for ourselves--the bad habits, the non-productive tendencies, those mind-trails that our brains run on--and getting back on the right track. It's about making a choice, making a decision to act on that choice and then actually doing it. People get stuck at different stages: they don't know what they want, they know but they are afraid to pursue it, they get brave enough to take the first step but then don't know what to do next, or they run into a roadblock and can't figure out how to handle it. 

When I do my workshops, I encourage people to identify their strengths and abilities--their tools for breaking out of their ruts--because if they don't believe they have what it takes, no one else can get them unstuck. 

Okay, now let's get personal, okay?  Coffee or tea? 

Coffee, but pathetically weak coffee. What my friends refer to as, "brown water." With almond milk and sugar. 

Do you have any pets? 

Well, three cats live in my house but I hesitate to refer to them as my "pets" since if they read this, they will be so offended and hairballs will appear on my pillow and in my shoes. 

I have a couple of adorable chipmunks (outside) that I feed--not technically my pets but they make my day when they show up which is why I buy 10 pounds of peanuts for them on a regular basis. And then there are the squirrels, the birds, the rabbits--all wildlife all inhabitants of my garden. (Once there was also a groundhog but, cute as he was, he had to be relocated since he chose to burrow right next to my house's foundation. Bad move, big boy!)

Do you have a pet peeve? 

Lord yes! Lots of them, probably. People who assume that the "Yield" sign on the entrance ramp is just a suggestion. People who toss trash out their car windows. Those are the only two I can think of right now but I am sure there are more. 

Where is the most exotic place you've traveled? 

I've never been anywhere that I would call exotic but one of my favorite places to go is Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco. When I make my first million, I am moving there. And of course the entire Pacific Coast Highway. I've driven most of it a couple of times and I love it. 

What are your writing plans for the future? 

To stay focused on fiction. That has always been my passion and after an unexpected health scare a couple of years back, I decided that there was no time like the present to get myself back on track. So I started submitting my stories, got some accepted, and then this past year, Pixel Hall Press chose to publish ANNABELLE and ALICE IN WONDERLAND in ebook format.

Next summer, TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER my entire short story collection, will be released in both book and ebook format through PHP, a decade after THE GIFTS OF CHANGE was released. I also have a novel titled FINDING FRAN ready for an agent and/or publisher and several more novels at various stages. 

I also want to continue teaching workshops at writing conferences which I really enjoy. And of course as I continue setting aside time to write, I must continue my "work writing"--primarily copy-writing for ad agencies. It's very satisfying in a different, left-brain way and I feel good about pleasing my clients.

Nancy Christie: Writer
The Writer's Place
Finding Fran: The Work Behind the Work 

Make A Change 

Guest Post: Jeri Walker-Bickett

HI GUYS. I HOPE YOU'RE all well and happy. I have a special treat for you. Jeri Walker-Bickett is one of my many online acquaintances and I'm honored to have her on my blog today. Enjoy and please feel free to share your thoughts. 

Creative Writing Inspiration and Literary Landscapes

Creative writing draws from the writer's literary landscape. Much of literature places a great deal of importance on the power of place. To some, the landscape simply refers to a chunk of land that can be taken in with a glance. For others, the definition is more complex. Literary landscape includes everything that feeds into creative writing inspiration. Annie Proulx in her essay "Dangerous Ground" points out, "landscape is rural, urban, suburban, semirural, small town, village; it is outports and bedroom communities; it is a remote ranch." 

Wallace, Idaho
Wikimedia.org

Within those landscapes, thousands of stories are just waiting to be told. I grew up in the rough-and-tumble mining town of Wallace, Idaho. My hometown boasted a nearly equal number of bars, churches and whorehouses until the late 1980s when a massive FBI raid put an end to the prostitution and gambling. In my early elementary years, I can remember going to the grocery store with my mom and noticing one of "the girls" now and again, always given away by their excessive makeup and elaborate hair. 

My first collection of short stories, Such is Life, shows how my creative writing inspiration comes from the profound loneliness of a population just struggling to get by in a confusing and contradictory world. Wallace's annual drunkfest becomes the springboard for a tryst between a carnival worker and a teenager in "Pretty Girl." The no-frills Laundromat owned by a friend's grandma provides the meeting place between a young man and a drug addict. My family's beloved, but overly protective German Shepherd turns into the focus of "For the Love of Dog." 

The two other stories in my collection are also triggered by the inevitable clashes between the seeking of a happier life and the reality of daily struggles. Richard Hugo's essay, "The Triggering Town" states, "The poem is always in your hometown, but you have a better chance of finding it in another." So my literary landscape includes an exploration of my mother's struggle with bipolar disorder, but the only way I could write "River Walk" was to place it in New Orleans and make her an artist. Finally, "Not Terribly Important" finds me asking what would happen if an English teacher published stories deemed inappropriate by a conservative community. I could not explore such a landscape until I finally left it. 

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Where does your creative writing inspiration come from? What populates your literary landscape? 

Author Bio and Links: 

Jeri Walker-Bickett (@JeriWB) is an author, freelance editor and former educator. She writes short stories, creative nonfiction and psychological suspense. The rough mining town she grew up in--with its mix of bars, churches and whorehouses--populates her literary landscape. Food, travel and photography also inspire her creativity. She currently lives in Idaho with her wonderful husband and their demanding pets. She blogs about literature and writing on her "twisted" book blog, What Do I Know? Please connect with her at JeriWB.com or explore her titles via Amazon.