Why Human Rights Matter to Me—Open Book Blog Hop

No, you didn’t miss a post from me last week. I was out of town and had no internet access. It was great, but now it’s time to come back to real life.

This week we’re talking about things that matter to us. As my title indicates, I picked the broad topic of human rights. I considered narrowing the topic, but back in high school, when I was first being introduced to the politics of women’s rights, I decided that the rights of all people were important, and I haven’t changed my philosophy. If anything, my areas of interest have grown broader over the years.

The men’s rights movement was the breakthrough  that led me to explore beyond women’s rights. The concept that women were automatically considered better parents than men floored me because my own father was a wonderful and caring parent. Besides, if we were talking about women being equal, shouldn’t that extend to equality both good and bad? I couldn’t find the fairness in being considered automatically “superior” in any field based on sex alone. Isn’t that what the women’s rights movement was fighting against?

Gradually, my world perspective grew larger. The Civil Rights Movement was only the tip of the iceberg. The issues of Native Americans began making the news. Remember the occupation of Alcatraz?  The American Indian Movement and Russell Means? I don’t know too many people who do. Fascinating US history that I suspect doesn’t make it into history textbooks. 

Somewhere along the way, my interests became international. So many issues, so many causes. Women not being allowed to drive or vote or have any rights under the laws of many countries. Children being forced in prostitution or slavery or used to fight in territorial wars. Men and women not being able to have opinions that are in opposition to the “official” position of their government. The struggles of the LGBT community all over the globe. Usable food being wasted or deliberately destroyed while people go hungry.

What can one person do about all the many issues? Admittedly, not much, other than pay attention and educate themselves  about what is going on in the world. Sign a petition or two or three. Pick one or two causes to donate money to. And when the opportunity arises, share your knowledge with other people. If we work together, we can make a difference.

To find out what other authors care about, follow the links below.

July 11 Why ____________ matters to me. Share what you’re passionate about. Strong opinion pieces allowed.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:


Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Character Interview with Carlos—The Art of Getting Away





The
Art of Getting Away

by Nicole Sorrell is a companion short story to her series The Art of
Living. The main character is Carlos, who lives in the small
Midwestern town of Clantonville, Missouri, where he grew up. He’s
thirty-four years old, and has one younger brother, Zac.
The
story occurs when Carlos takes a vacation at Table Rock Lake. There
he meets a sassy girl he calls Andie.
Let’s
listen in as Carlos answers a few questions:
Q:
“What is your superpower?”
Carlos:
“I’d have to say cars. I can fix almost anything wrong with them.
I’ve been hanging around my Uncle Jose’s garage since I was a
teenager, and I’ve worked for him full time for over ten years.
He’s the best mechanic there is, and he’s taught me everything he
knows. So if it’s broke, I can figure out how to fix it.”
Q:
“What’s your biggest regret?”

Carlos:
“I recently lost my aunt, who was like a mother to me. My biggest
regret is that I didn’t appreciate her more when she was here. My
mother left when I was four, and I never saw her again until a few
weeks ago. Looking back, I realize how involved my Aunt Cecilia was
in my life. I wish I’d have told her more often how important she
was to me, not just at the end.”
Q:
“But you did get a chance to tell her?”
Carlos:
“Yes, I did. She had cancer, so her death wasn’t a complete
surprise. I sat with her one afternoon about a month before she
passed, and told her how much she meant to me. We had a chance to
remember some of the crazy things I did as a teenager when I was
going through a rebellious phase. She kept me out of trouble with my
dad, who was a deputy sheriff. She was always there when I needed
her, with a smile, or a hug, or just to listen. It’s hard being
without her now, knowing I’ll never see her again. We were really
close.”
Q:
“Clothes in the hamper or on the floor?”
Carlos:
“It’s about fifty-fifty. I try to keep the place neat, but
sometimes it gets away from me. Gets pretty messy.”
Q:
“Do you have a favorite pet?”
Carlos:
“I don’t have a pet. If I did, it would be a dog. A big one, like
a German shepherd or a Rottweiler. One that would be good for
protection, but well-trained. I hate dogs that have bad manners.”
Q:
“What’s your favorite food?”
Carlos:
“I like spicy food. My Aunt Marie is a great cook, and she makes
the best Mexican food. I love her chicken enchiladas. She makes them
with her homemade green salsa and sour cream. Delicious.”
Q:
“And your favorite vacation spot?”
Carlos:
“Table Rock Lake, in the Missouri Ozarks. I recently went there for
vacation. I stayed in a little cabin that had a nice private beach.
It was beautiful, peaceful. Real special. Even more so because of the
people. You just never know who you might meet there.”
Q:
“Where do you see yourself in five years?”
Carlos:
“Funny you should ask me that. A year ago I would have said the
same place I am now. I like small town life, and I like being single.
I never wanted the responsibility of a wife and family, or even a
pet. But lately I’m not so sure about the single part. I may
reconsider that. Having children might not be so bad. You never know
what the future holds.”
About
the Author:
I
currently reside in a rural area of the mid-west. After living in
various parts of the U.S. and traveling abroad, I recently moved into
the very same home where I grew up. I enjoy country living: ours is a
small community, and everyone knows everybody. The culture of the
city also draws me: the shopping, dining, and the opera and ballet. 
     I
love traveling, especially to other countries, and I speak Spanish.
Of course I love to read, and I’m a published poet. I like
baking 
pies
and
drinking ale. Oh, and I like playing cornhole, and I spend way more
time than I should playing computer games.
   
 My constant companion is a tiny Yorkshire terrier named Georgie
Doodlebug. I call her GiGi. She’s my fur baby.
Contacts:
Website:
https://
www.nicolesorrell.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-Sorrell/738100142937466
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/cnicolesorrell
Amazon
Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Nicole-Sorrell/e/B00QVRHZD6
Amazon
Book Links:
US:
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Going-Home-Living-Book-ebook/dp/B00Q5FXAHY/

The Art of Getting Away is part of the Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea collection, currently available at the links below:

Character Interview with Carlos—The Art of Getting Away





The Art of Getting Awayby Nicole Sorrell is a companion short story to her series The Art of Living. The main character is Carlos, who lives in the small Midwestern town of Clantonville, Missouri, where he grew up. He’s thirty-four years old, and has one younger brother, Zac.
The story occurs when Carlos takes a vacation at Table Rock Lake. There he meets a sassy girl he calls Andie.
Let’s listen in as Carlos answers a few questions:
Q: “What is your superpower?”
Carlos: “I’d have to say cars. I can fix almost anything wrong with them. I’ve been hanging around my Uncle Jose’s garage since I was a teenager, and I’ve worked for him full time for over ten years. He’s the best mechanic there is, and he’s taught me everything he knows. So if it’s broke, I can figure out how to fix it.”
Q: “What’s your biggest regret?”
Carlos: “I recently lost my aunt, who was like a mother to me. My biggest regret is that I didn’t appreciate her more when she was here. My mother left when I was four, and I never saw her again until a few weeks ago. Looking back, I realize how involved my Aunt Cecilia was in my life. I wish I’d have told her more often how important she was to me, not just at the end.”
Q: “But you did get a chance to tell her?”
Carlos: “Yes, I did. She had cancer, so her death wasn’t a complete surprise. I sat with her one afternoon about a month before she passed, and told her how much she meant to me. We had a chance to remember some of the crazy things I did as a teenager when I was going through a rebellious phase. She kept me out of trouble with my dad, who was a deputy sheriff. She was always there when I needed her, with a smile, or a hug, or just to listen. It’s hard being without her now, knowing I’ll never see her again. We were really close.”
Q: “Clothes in the hamper or on the floor?”
Carlos: “It’s about fifty-fifty. I try to keep the place neat, but sometimes it gets away from me. Gets pretty messy.”
Q: “Do you have a favorite pet?”
Carlos: “I don’t have a pet. If I did, it would be a dog. A big one, like a German shepherd or a Rottweiler. One that would be good for protection, but well-trained. I hate dogs that have bad manners.”
Q: “What’s your favorite food?”
Carlos: “I like spicy food. My Aunt Marie is a great cook, and she makes the best Mexican food. I love her chicken enchiladas. She makes them with her homemade green salsa and sour cream. Delicious.”
Q: “And your favorite vacation spot?”
Carlos: “Table Rock Lake, in the Missouri Ozarks. I recently went there for vacation. I stayed in a little cabin that had a nice private beach. It was beautiful, peaceful. Real special. Even more so because of the people. You just never know who you might meet there.”
Q: “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
Carlos: “Funny you should ask me that. A year ago I would have said the same place I am now. I like small town life, and I like being single. I never wanted the responsibility of a wife and family, or even a pet. But lately I’m not so sure about the single part. I may reconsider that. Having children might not be so bad. You never know what the future holds.”
About the Author:
I currently reside in a rural area of the mid-west. After living in various parts of the U.S. and traveling abroad, I recently moved into the very same home where I grew up. I enjoy country living: ours is a small community, and everyone knows everybody. The culture of the city also draws me: the shopping, dining, and the opera and ballet. 
     I love traveling, especially to other countries, and I speak Spanish. Of course I love to read, and I’m a published poet. I like baking piesand drinking ale. Oh, and I like playing cornhole, and I spend way more time than I should playing computer games.
     My constant companion is a tiny Yorkshire terrier named Georgie Doodlebug. I call her GiGi. She’s my fur baby.
Contacts:
Website: https://www.nicolesorrell.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-Sorrell/738100142937466
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnicolesorrell
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Nicole-Sorrell/e/B00QVRHZD6
Amazon Book Links:
US: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Going-Home-Living-Book-ebook/dp/B00Q5FXAHY/

The Art of Getting Away is part of the Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea collection, currently available at the links below:

Character Interview—Dot McKenzie-Lapahie

Today I’m welcoming PJ Fiala to my blog. She’s going to interview Dot McKenzie-Lapahie, a wolf shifter, from my Free Wolves series. Dot is currently the CEO of Lapahie Enterprises, and mate to Gavin Fairwood of the Fairwood pack. So glad you could drop by, Patti, and glad to see you again, Dot. Now on to the interview.

1. Where were you when you heard about 911 and how has it changed you?


    I was waitressing at a little diner off the interstate in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina. What passed for breakfast rush was over, but we still had some truckers getting their morning caffeine fix. One of the truckers got a call from his manager to warn about the possibility of delays along his route and that was the first we heard about it. Hank, the boss, kept a small TV in his office and we all huddled around it to watch the news. I cried, I admit it. Up until that point, I’d never paid much attention to politics because I was too busy trying to stay ahead of whoever was chasing me, but that event changed everything. Now I understand how what goes on in the world around us impacts all of us for good or bad.

 2. How do you approach tough decisions?

   I’ve had to act on impulse too many times in my life, so I rely on instinct, Now that I’m running a business, I’m slowly learning to take the advice of people who have more expertise than I do in their specialties, but when it comes down to the final decision, I still rely on my gut.

3. Are you organized? If so, what do you do to keep yourself organized?

    It’s not hard to stay organized when you own next to nothing. Now that I’m running a company, it’s a lot different. Thank heavens I have an excellent assistant who keeps me in line. Still, all those lessons I learned from living minimally come in handy to help me stay organized even though I have more things to keep track off.

4.When was the last time you saw your family?

  It depends on your definition of family. My mother and stepfather are dead, and it’s been six months since I’ve seen my aunt, but the Fairwood pack is my family now, as well as the kids at the school and the staff at the business. I’m with the pack almost every day and at the school at least once a week and it’s an amazing how much support I get from everyone involved.

5. How do you spend your time in the summer months?

  Same way I spend the winter months. Working But at least in the summer I get to ride my motorcycle more often and that really helps me relieve stress.

6. What’s your favorite vacation spot and why?


   I haven’t had a real vacation in forever. Even when I was working in Florida, i rarely took time off to explore the state. Don’t tell Gavin because he’d want to drop everything and take me somewhere immediately, and I can’t leave right now.  But when I was a kid, my mother and stepfather took me to some caverns in the Smoky Mountains and they were really cool. I’d like to go back some day.

7. What’s your favorite drink and why?

    A glass of ice cold water. Nothing beats water fresh out of mountain stream during spring, when the snow is melting.

 8. If you could pick one person from history to share a meal with, who would it be and why?


      Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokees. She was an inspiration to her tribe as well as women everywhere. I’d love to talk to her and pick her brain for ways I expand the school and help even more shifters find a place in the modern world. Maybe she could help me figure out how meld the competing sides of my background—Native American, wolf shifter and a little bit of Irish heritage.


9. When you need a creative fix, what do you do?


   I’m not what you would call creative in an artsy kind of way. I never advanced much beyond the  gluing macaroni on paper stage. One of these days I’d like to learn how to crochet. It seems like such a relaxing activity and heaven knows, I’ve had more stress in my life than I like to think about.


10. Do you like to cook and if so, what’s your favorite dish? Care to share the recipe?

Despite all the time I spent working in diners, I’m not much of a cook. The places I worked didn’t serve haute cuisine. But I don’t have to be because Gavin is a meat eater and he cooks the perfect steak. I do make a mean tossed salad, but he only eats enough of his to make me happy.

But one of the favorite things I remember my mother making was chicken and dumplings. It was a pretty simple recipe. Cut up and wash a whole chicken and put it in a large pot. Add enough water to cover it, and bring it to a boil. Lower the temperature of the burner to keep in cooking but not boiling. Cook for a couple of hours, then remove the chicken and set aside. Add two cans of cream of chicken soup to the pot and continue cooking the mixture.

While that’s happening, cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add back to the pot. Now make dumplings dough according to your favorite recipe or from biscuit mix. Bring the mixture in the pot to a boil, and add wide egg noodles. The more you add the thicker the end product will be. Next drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough on top and finish according to the dumpling directions. (It will probably be about twenty minutes for the dumplings to cook.) It’s as easy as that!

To find out what other characters reveal about themselves, follow the links below.

And don’t forget, tomorrow Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea goes live! Get your copy now!

June 27 Interview a character. Imagine you could step into the world of your novel and interview the characters like they were real people. What would you ask them? What would they say? (Alternative – if your novel were made into a movie, what famous actors would you have play the main roles?)
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Character Interview—Dot McKenzie-Lapahie

Today I’m welcoming PJ Fiala to my blog. She’s going to interview Dot McKenzie-Lapahie, a wolf shifter, from my Free Wolves series. Dot is currently the CEO of Lapahie Enterprises, and mate to Gavin Fairwood of the Fairwood pack. So glad you could drop by, Patti, and glad to see you again, Dot. Now on to the interview.

1. Where were you when you heard about 911 and how has it changed you?

    I was waitressing at a little diner off the interstate in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina. What passed for breakfast rush was over, but we still had some truckers getting their morning caffeine fix. One of the truckers got a call from his manager to warn about the possibility of delays along his route and that was the first we heard about it. Hank, the boss, kept a small TV in his office and we all huddled around it to watch the news. I cried, I admit it. Up until that point, I’d never paid much attention to politics because I was too busy trying to stay ahead of whoever was chasing me, but that event changed everything. Now I understand how what goes on in the world around us impacts all of us for good or bad.

 2. How do you approach tough decisions?

   I’ve had to act on impulse too many times in my life, so I rely on instinct, Now that I’m running a business, I’m slowly learning to take the advice of people who have more expertise than I do in their specialties, but when it comes down to the final decision, I still rely on my gut.

3. Are you organized? If so, what do you do to keep yourself organized?

    It’s not hard to stay organized when you own next to nothing. Now that I’m running a company, it’s a lot different. Thank heavens I have an excellent assistant who keeps me in line. Still, all those lessons I learned from living minimally come in handy to help me stay organized even though I have more things to keep track off.

4.When was the last time you saw your family?

  It depends on your definition of family. My mother and stepfather are dead, and it’s been six months since I’ve seen my aunt, but the Fairwood pack is my family now, as well as the kids at the school and the staff at the business. I’m with the pack almost every day and at the school at least once a week and it’s an amazing how much support I get from everyone involved.

5. How do you spend your time in the summer months?

  Same way I spend the winter months. Working But at least in the summer I get to ride my motorcycle more often and that really helps me relieve stress.

6. What’s your favorite vacation spot and why?

   I haven’t had a real vacation in forever. Even when I was working in Florida, i rarely took time off to explore the state. Don’t tell Gavin because he’d want to drop everything and take me somewhere immediately, and I can’t leave right now.  But when I was a kid, my mother and stepfather took me to some caverns in the Smoky Mountains and they were really cool. I’d like to go back some day.

7. What’s your favorite drink and why?

    A glass of ice cold water. Nothing beats water fresh out of mountain stream during spring, when the snow is melting.

 8. If you could pick one person from history to share a meal with, who would it be and why?

      Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokees. She was an inspiration to her tribe as well as women everywhere. I’d love to talk to her and pick her brain for ways I expand the school and help even more shifters find a place in the modern world. Maybe she could help me figure out how meld the competing sides of my background—Native American, wolf shifter and a little bit of Irish heritage.

9. When you need a creative fix, what do you do?

   I’m not what you would call creative in an artsy kind of way. I never advanced much beyond the  gluing macaroni on paper stage. One of these days I’d like to learn how to crochet. It seems like such a relaxing activity and heaven knows, I’ve had more stress in my life than I like to think about.

10. Do you like to cook and if so, what’s your favorite dish? Care to share the recipe?

Despite all the time I spent working in diners, I’m not much of a cook. The places I worked didn’t serve haute cuisine. But I don’t have to be because Gavin is a meat eater and he cooks the perfect steak. I do make a mean tossed salad, but he only eats enough of his to make me happy.

But one of the favorite things I remember my mother making was chicken and dumplings. It was a pretty simple recipe. Cut up and wash a whole chicken and put it in a large pot. Add enough water to cover it, and bring it to a boil. Lower the temperature of the burner to keep in cooking but not boiling. Cook for a couple of hours, then remove the chicken and set aside. Add two cans of cream of chicken soup to the pot and continue cooking the mixture.

While that’s happening, cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add back to the pot. Now make dumplings dough according to your favorite recipe or from biscuit mix. Bring the mixture in the pot to a boil, and add wide egg noodles. The more you add the thicker the end product will be. Next drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough on top and finish according to the dumpling directions. (It will probably be about twenty minutes for the dumplings to cook.) It’s as easy as that!

To find out what other characters reveal about themselves, follow the links below.

And don’t forget, tomorrow Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea goes live! Get your copy now!

June 27 Interview a character. Imagine you could step into the world of your novel and interview the characters like they were real people. What would you ask them? What would they say? (Alternative – if your novel were made into a movie, what famous actors would you have play the main roles?)
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:


Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Character Interview—Fawke DeSantos

This week I’ve got an interview with Fawke DeSantos from the story Dead End Beach. It’s one of the 11 stories in the collection Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea. I’ve got more information about our pre-order giveaway at the end of the post.

Now, here’s Cherime MacFarlane and her interview with Fawke.

Dead
End Beach, Fawke DeSantos interview.
The
road on Homes Spit is the end of the line in South Central Alaska.
Between you and the rest of the world lie the Gulf of Alaska and wild
mountains.
Fawke
DeSantos rode his motorcycle from Louisiana to the end of the road in
Alaska. It’s as far in the United States as he could go. What was
he looking for?
Cherime:
“I’m sitting here in the Old Salt Bar with a beer and ready to
interview someone who has become a bit of a local sensation with the
ladies of Homer, Fawke DeSantos. Fawke makes lunch deliveries for a
local restaurant and has claimed a bit of fame while buzzing around
town.”
Cherime:
“Hi there. What’s your full name? How did you decide on Alaska as
a destination?”
Fawke:
“My name’s Fawke Layn DeSantos, I’m 28 years old and after
spending nearly twelve years of my life taking care of my aunt, it
was time to go somewhere else. I pointed the headlight north and kept
on going.”
Cherime:
“What did you expect to find up here?”
Fawke:
“Other than icebergs and igloos?” He stops and rubs one hand down
a bare arm. “I didn’t expect to find a little blonde bomb working
in a bar as a bouncer. I heard Alaska women were different, but that
was something else.” Fawke grins at me.
Cherime:
“I suppose that was a real surprise.”
Fawke:
“Sure as hell was! That is one jolie blonde in a tightly wrapped
package. To be truthful the only reason I’ve been camping out on
the beach and working for barely enough for gas money is little
Ornery.”
Cherime:
“That brings me to my next question. Are you planning on staying in
Alaska?”
Fawke:
“That’s one question I can’t answer for you. Little Miz Maddox
holds the key.”
Cherime:
“Do you think you can take winters in Alaska. You know the riding
season is short up here.”
Fawke:
I get a huge belly laugh from the man and his dark eyes sparkle.
“Riding is an interesting concept. A person can ride a lot of
things; just saying. After all, isn’t life the wildest ride of all?
As to my staying in Homer, the end of the season party on the beach
may be when I get my answer. I’ll be sure to let you know. Are you
going to be there?”
Cherime:
“Sure. It’s the end of summer, we have to send it out right. See
you there, Fawke.”
I’m
Cherime MacFarlane and proud to call myself an Alaskan. I’ve spent
more than half my life in this state and it is home. I’ve done a
lot of things while living here, the opportunities were endless.
Come
and look around my sites. At the least I can guarantee you a lot of
beautiful pictures of my home.


 HOT SUN IN THE SUMMER TIME! Time is running out. Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea – 11 Beaches – Anything Can Happen goes live in FIVE days. That means our pre-order contest is almost over. Some lucky sun worshiper is going to win money and books. It could be you.  It’s EASY! And there are 11 different ways to do it. Go nuts! Good luck!!! Click HERE for for information on how to enter.

Character Interview—Fawke DeSantos

This week I’ve got an interview with Fawke DeSantos from the story Dead End Beach. It’s one of the 11 stories in the collection Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea. I’ve got more information about our pre-order giveaway at the end of the post.

Now, here’s Cherime MacFarlane and her interview with Fawke.

Dead End Beach, Fawke DeSantos interview.
The road on Homes Spit is the end of the line in South Central Alaska. Between you and the rest of the world lie the Gulf of Alaska and wild mountains.
Fawke DeSantos rode his motorcycle from Louisiana to the end of the road in Alaska. It’s as far in the United States as he could go. What was he looking for?
Cherime: “I’m sitting here in the Old Salt Bar with a beer and ready to interview someone who has become a bit of a local sensation with the ladies of Homer, Fawke DeSantos. Fawke makes lunch deliveries for a local restaurant and has claimed a bit of fame while buzzing around town.”
Cherime: “Hi there. What’s your full name? How did you decide on Alaska as a destination?”
Fawke: “My name’s Fawke Layn DeSantos, I’m 28 years old and after spending nearly twelve years of my life taking care of my aunt, it was time to go somewhere else. I pointed the headlight north and kept on going.”
Cherime: “What did you expect to find up here?”
Fawke: “Other than icebergs and igloos?” He stops and rubs one hand down a bare arm. “I didn’t expect to find a little blonde bomb working in a bar as a bouncer. I heard Alaska women were different, but that was something else.” Fawke grins at me.
Cherime: “I suppose that was a real surprise.”
Fawke: “Sure as hell was! That is one jolie blonde in a tightly wrapped package. To be truthful the only reason I’ve been camping out on the beach and working for barely enough for gas money is little Ornery.”
Cherime: “That brings me to my next question. Are you planning on staying in Alaska?”
Fawke: “That’s one question I can’t answer for you. Little Miz Maddox holds the key.”
Cherime: “Do you think you can take winters in Alaska. You know the riding season is short up here.”
Fawke: I get a huge belly laugh from the man and his dark eyes sparkle. “Riding is an interesting concept. A person can ride a lot of things; just saying. After all, isn’t life the wildest ride of all? As to my staying in Homer, the end of the season party on the beach may be when I get my answer. I’ll be sure to let you know. Are you going to be there?”
Cherime: “Sure. It’s the end of summer, we have to send it out right. See you there, Fawke.”
I’m Cherime MacFarlane and proud to call myself an Alaskan. I’ve spent more than half my life in this state and it is home. I’ve done a lot of things while living here, the opportunities were endless.
Come and look around my sites. At the least I can guarantee you a lot of beautiful pictures of my home.


 HOT SUN IN THE SUMMER TIME! Time is running out. Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea – 11 Beaches – Anything Can Happen goes live in FIVE days. That means our pre-order contest is almost over. Some lucky sun worshiper is going to win money and books. It could be you.  It’s EASY! And there are 11 different ways to do it. Go nuts! Good luck!!! Click HERE for for information on how to enter.

What I Know to Be true—Open Book Blog Hop

Just FYI—I may go deep into the rabbit hole for this one.

When I was eight or nine, the neighbor, who worked for the county, did some road work near the edge of my parent’s property. During the work, a large rock was deposited along the side of the road, and was turned into a playground by my siblings and me. Somewhere, there used to be a picture of three of us sitting on the rock having a picnic.

So what does this have to do with anything, you ask. Don’t worry, I’ll get back to it later.

Current US politics offers many choices of what is true or not. I’m not going down that path today, but consider the many possibilities. Each side believes so strongly in the truth of their claims that they aren’t willing to consider an opposing viewpoint even when given facts that indicate otherwise. Those who are willing to consider both sides of the political argument are, to some extent, scorned.

And how do we know if what we see on TV or on the internet is true? Photoshopping is everywhere and it’s easy for even am amateur  to “fix” photos and videos. It’s become a game to find the worst possible examples of bad jobs. We can spot the ones that aren’t done well, but how can we trust anything that we see on line?

So maybe we can only trust what we see with our own eyes. We all know that the sky is blue and grass is green, right? Except there is new theory floating around that our ancestors couldn’t see blue. Homer, in the Odyssey, never described anything as “blue.” If you do an search on the internet, you’ll find many interesting articles on this topic. Here’s one, Business Insider I consider it flawed, but it’s an interesting place to start. The claim is if a culture doesn’t have a word for a color, then the people of that culture can’t “see” that color. They did an interesting experiment with the green squares below, and came to the conclusion that some cultures can distinguish between different colors of green better than we in the US can because they have more words to describe green, It’s a fascinating read, even if you don’t accept the premise.

So now the sky isn’t blue (maybe) and the grass isn’t green. So what else do we know to be true?

Even our memories of an event can be wrong. Law enforcement knows all too well that eyewitness accounts can’t always be trusted. Scientific American. Here’s a quote that best sums up the article. “On the contrary, psychologists have found that memories are reconstructed rather than played back each time we recall them. The act of remembering, says eminent memory researcher and psychologist Elizabeth F. Loftus of the University of California, Irvine, is “more akin to putting puzzle pieces together than retrieving a video recording.” Even questioning by a lawyer can alter the witness’s testimony because fragments of the memory may unknowingly be combined with information provided by the questioner, leading to inaccurate recall.”

Have you ever seen the video that tests your powers of observation? I admit that I counted wrong the first time.

So what do I know to be true? Remember that large rock I talked about at the beginning? The one that we used as a picnic table as well as a rock climbing wall? I revisited that rock as an adult, and at first I thought that part of it had been broken off and hauled away. It was so small! Maybe two of my siblings could fit on it now, but there wasn’t any room for a picnic. Of course the rock hadn’t gotten smaller, I’d just gotten bigger.

So what do I know to be true? I know that I’ve experienced both love and hate. That I’ve felt joy and pain—sometimes at the same time. That I’m only one person, but if I can help one other person, I’ve made the world a better place. And I know that I wish more people felt the same way.

June 20 Prompt – “What I know to be true”. No rules here, just run with it. If you’re deeply honest and open, the beauty of what you write may surprise you.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

What I Know to Be true—Open Book Blog Hop

Just FYI—I may go deep into the rabbit hole for this one.

When I was eight or nine, the neighbor, who worked for the county, did some road work near the edge of my parent’s property. During the work, a large rock was deposited along the side of the road, and was turned into a playground by my siblings and me. Somewhere, there used to be a picture of three of us sitting on the rock having a picnic.

So what does this have to do with anything, you ask. Don’t worry, I’ll get back to it later.

Current US politics offers many choices of what is true or not. I’m not going down that path today, but consider the many possibilities. Each side believes so strongly in the truth of their claims that they aren’t willing to consider an opposing viewpoint even when given facts that indicate otherwise. Those who are willing to consider both sides of the political argument are, to some extent, scorned.

And how do we know if what we see on TV or on the internet is true? Photoshopping is everywhere and it’s easy for even am amateur  to “fix” photos and videos. It’s become a game to find the worst possible examples of bad jobs. We can spot the ones that aren’t done well, but how can we trust anything that we see on line?

So maybe we can only trust what we see with our own eyes. We all know that the sky is blue and grass is green, right? Except there is new theory floating around that our ancestors couldn’t see blue. Homer, in the Odyssey, never described anything as “blue.” If you do an search on the internet, you’ll find many interesting articles on this topic. Here’s one, Business Insider I consider it flawed, but it’s an interesting place to start. The claim is if a culture doesn’t have a word for a color, then the people of that culture can’t “see” that color. They did an interesting experiment with the green squares below, and came to the conclusion that some cultures can distinguish between different colors of green better than we in the US can because they have more words to describe green, It’s a fascinating read, even if you don’t accept the premise.

So now the sky isn’t blue (maybe) and the grass isn’t green. So what else do we know to be true?

Even our memories of an event can be wrong. Law enforcement knows all too well that eyewitness accounts can’t always be trusted. Scientific American. Here’s a quote that best sums up the article. “On the contrary, psychologists have found that memories are reconstructed rather than played back each time we recall them. The act of remembering, says eminent memory researcher and psychologist Elizabeth F. Loftus of the University of California, Irvine, is “more akin to putting puzzle pieces together than retrieving a video recording.” Even questioning by a lawyer can alter the witness’s testimony because fragments of the memory may unknowingly be combined with information provided by the questioner, leading to inaccurate recall.”

Have you ever seen the video that tests your powers of observation? I admit that I counted wrong the first time.

So what do I know to be true? Remember that large rock I talked about at the beginning? The one that we used as a picnic table as well as a rock climbing wall? I revisited that rock as an adult, and at first I thought that part of it had been broken off and hauled away. It was so small! Maybe two of my siblings could fit on it now, but there wasn’t any room for a picnic. Of course the rock hadn’t gotten smaller, I’d just gotten bigger.

So what do I know to be true? I know that I’ve experienced both love and hate. That I’ve felt joy and pain—sometimes at the same time. That I’m only one person, but if I can help one other person, I’ve made the world a better place. And I know that I wish more people felt the same way.

June 20 Prompt – “What I know to be true”. No rules here, just run with it. If you’re deeply honest and open, the beauty of what you write may surprise you.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:


Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Character Interview—Kat Benson

In this week’s character interview, we meet Kat Benson from Beach Blanket Murders: The Ocean Can be Deadly

As I looked at the pretty young dark-headed young woman sitting across from me I noticed she’d checked her watch twice since she’d come into the room for her interview. As Associate Dean for the Graduate School at UNC, Chapel Hill, I planned to interview her for several reasons and wondered if she was in a great hurry.

“Good morning Kat. I’m Dr. Judith Lucci. Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for the University newspaper. As you know, we’re doing student interviews as part of resume building so that when you get your graduate degree next semester, you’ll already have experience with interview techniques. Does that sound okay to you?”

“Yes, yes, that sounds great I’m excited about the interview.” Her voice was young, her eye eager and I had her total attention.

“Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, where did you go to undergraduate and a little bit about your family. I watched as Kat formulated her response. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She was so pretty, tiny and petite, with her emerald green eyes and her perfect smile. Truly a lovely girl.

Kat took a breath and began. “Well, I’m sorta from everywhere. My dad is retired military, Navy actually, so I’ve lived all over the world. I’ve got two older brothers. It’s been a great experience for me to have been so many places, all over the world, at such a young age. My dad retired my high school senior year, and we moved to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. I went to undergraduate school at the University of New Orleans and became intrigued with the art, history and culture of the Big Easy so deciding to get a graduate degree in art history was a no-brainer.”

I nodded. “What made you pick the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for graduate school? Of course, were delighted to have you,” I added.

“Oh, it was definitely the reputation of the school and my brother went here and loved it.” She hesitated a minute and added, “I wanted to put a little distance between my boyfriend and I just so I could figure out whether it was a serious relationship, you know, the real deal,” she added with a serious smile.

I grinned at Kat and said “That’s the first time I’ve heard that response but I appreciate your honesty.”
Kat blushed a little bit and said, “I guess that wasn’t the best answer.”

“I think it was a very honest answer and its fine. I’ve noticed you’ve checked your watch three times in the last 10 minutes. Are you in a hurry?

Kat blushed even more, the red flush spreading from her neck to her face. “Yes, I sort of. I’m going to meet my old college friends from the University of New Orleans and my boyfriend, Liam… who lives in New York… for a long weekend at the beach. I’m so excited and I’ve been waiting for this for what seems like forever. Please forgive me if I’m acting rude.”

I really liked this girl. “No problem, I just hope your weekend is everything you’ve been looking forward to.”

“Oh, I’m positive it will be. Nothing could possibly go wrong. All my best friends are coming and who knows, if I get my wish, maybe I’ll get a marriage proposal!”

I smiled again at the eager young woman and hope everything went according to her plan. “Kat, I want everything you want. Now tell me, what are you planning to do with your graduate degree? Where are you planning to work?”

Kat’s smile was direct. “Well, I’m a little on the obsessive-compulsive side so I started researching where I might want to work last year.”
I smiled at her. She was so young and eager. I remembered when I been young and idealistic. Anyone would be lucky to get her. “And, what’s the verdict? What’s your ideal job?”

“Well,” she said with a huge, warm smile. “I want to work at the Smithsonian…I want to live in DeeCee…”

I smiled at her in return. “DeeCee, huh. Lots of opportunity and lots of traffic! Talk to me next spring. I’ve great contacts there who would love to have you,” I said as I stood and offered her my hand. “Have a wonderful time on the Outer Banks. I hope it all goes well with your boyfriend,” I added as I smiled into her happy face.

“Oh, it will,” she assured me. “Nothing could go wrong. We’re perfect for each other. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Please do,” I said as she stood to leave. “Keep in touch with me during the next semester. I want to help you reach your dream of living and working in Washington.”

“Promise,” she said as she clasped my hand. She was gone in a flash leaving a scent of violets, a wave of energy and an exceptional impression.”

That young woman is going to go places, I thought as I returned to my computer. Little did I know what the next few days had in store for her.

Alex Destephano Novels
Medical Thrillers that Chill the Heart

Michaela McPherson Mystery
Tough, Gritty Crime Thrillers

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