I WILL write a new blog very soon about this:
What is it about the sound of rolling thunder in the mountains? Why does that resonant, commanding rumble make my heart race? Why?
On the other hand, why not?
More soon! Please stay tuned.
Teaser alert!
I WILL write a new blog very soon about this: What is it about the sound of rolling thunder in the mountains? Why does that resonant, commanding rumble make my heart race? Why? On the other hand, why not? More soon! Please stay tuned.
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Here it is, my sequel's cover. What do you think? I hope you like it. Feel free to comment about it. I thought long and hard about this cover. I wanted it to closely resemble the cover of my first historical novel, SPIRITED AWAY - A NOVEL OF THE STOLEN IRISH. But I also wanted it to show that this book is more light-hearted that the first one. I think it accomplishes both missions. I hope all of you are enjoying the Christmas season. Have a Merry One! What perfect timing for a flurry of new book excitement! As the snow flies and the bells jingle, now comes DARING PASSAGE: BOOK TWO OF THE SPIRITED AWAY SAGA. You can enter to win a paperback copy of this newly released sequel, a 70,000-word historical novel that sells for $12.95. I am giving away three print copies of the book in a Goodreads Book Giveaway that ends on January 15. After that date, I will "snail mail" three signed books to the winners. All you need is a Goodreads.com account, which is free. Then, go to: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/118237-daring-passage-book-two-of-the-spirited-away-saga Good luck and Merry Christmas, all! I thought you might enjoy a little article I just did for a hospital newsletter. I know the entire medical team is needed for success, I just feel that Dian goes above and beyond. The article:
St. Luke Hospital Mammogram Technologist Dian Hickethier may have saved my life this year. She’s the best kind of fierce warrior against breast cancer. Dian is on the front lines. Not only is she very good at doing comfortable mammograms, she follows through with the kind of proactive support that can make the difference between life and death. This summer, when my mammogram showed something suspicious, Dian steered me where I needed to go. Not shy about getting on the phone and making sure things are happening as they should, she saved me from falling through the cracks with early stage breast cancer. Thank you, Dian. I think she is St. Luke Hospital’s Employee of the Year. I met Dian in 2013, at the annual Women 4 Wellness health fair at Salish Kootenai College. Women 4 Wellness fulfilled their mission for me. I owe them a huge thanks. At that fair, I was impressed with Dian’s information about the St. Luke mammogram program. She helped me get a cancer screening program voucher and I went to her for my 2013 mammogram. I liked her so much, for the first time I made a commitment to having annual mammograms – with her. It’s so much easier to make that commitment when the mammogram tech makes you comfortable in an empowering way. So this year, back I went to Dian for my second annual mammogram. There it was: a shadow. She took more mammogram images. Enter Dr. Howard, who looked at all the images – including ultrasound – and wisely decided we needed to consult with a Missoula surgeon who specializes in breast cancer surgeries. I owe Dr. Howard a huge thanks, too. The surgeon recommended that I get a biopsy of that mass. Turns out it was papillary carcinoma – an extremely rare form of breast cancer that occurs among postmenopausal women (I call it my Strange Old Lady Cancer). I had a lumpectomy and partial breast radiation at Community Medical Center in Missoula. Thanks to early detection by mammogram, I did not have to have chemotherapy and I have a very good prognosis. I know I am one lucky woman. For years I have been a slob about getting mammograms. We have no family history, I thought, I’m never going to have breast cancer. Wrong. The moral of this story is, get your annual mammograms. Early detection is what you want. Find someone with whom you’re comfortable, someone who cares, someone with whom you can commit to an annual mammogram schedule. Someone like Dian. Here is the thank-you letter I just e-mailed to President Obama:
Greetings, Mr. and Mrs. Obama! I am writing to say a sincere, huge THANK YOU for making the Affordable Health Care Act possible. Because of your "Obamacare," I am currently covered by health insurance for the first time since 2008. I qualified for a fantastic subsidy and began being covered on March 1. It turns out to be an even bigger blessing than I already thought. I was diagnosed with breast cancer this month. I think I will be OK, but I've had a lumpectomy and am facing a second surgery. If not for being covered, THANKS TO YOU!!, I would probably be facing some sort of bankruptcy right now. So, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please feel encouraged by this note. I hope my story helps you hang in there in the face of all the ignorant negativity about your efforts in the area of health care reform. Of course I would love to hear back from you, if you feel like it. Would you like a copy of my historical novel? I bow to your leadership in the area of health care! Sincerely, Maggie Plummer My mom used to tell me I just wanted to be different. She had a way of using it against me. It was a problem. I wish she was still alive. I would say: “Hey, Mom, look at this! I really AM different!” On Thursday afternoon I found out that I have a rare type of breast cancer called Intracystic Papillary Carcinoma (IPC), which occurs in postmenopausal women. Otherwise known, perhaps, as Strange Old Lady Breast Cancer? Since finding out that I have this, my mind has been spinning and my stomach has been churning. Thank God for anti-anxiety prescriptions! Thank God for many other things as well: good friends; good sisters; beer; and the Affordable Care Act, through which I actually have health insurance right now that can cover the expenses related to this cancer. The type of breast cancer I have constitutes only 0.5% to 1% of all breast cancers. Rare indeed. Now I’m wondering if the Montana doctors I will be turning to have enough experience in dealing with this type of cancer. The good news is that it sounds like IPC is not as bad as some types of breast cancer, in terms of spreading. Also, the recovery rates look good. The other good news: I caught this thing early, thanks to a yearly digital mammogram. Get your mammograms, ladies! If you don’t like the person who does your mammograms, find someone you like better… but do what you have to do to get in there for that mammogram every year! Here is something for which we can feel truly grateful: human beings do NOT have anal glands. My wonderful veterinarian made that statement one day as she “expressed” my girl-dog Peaches’ … you know what … anal glands. These anal glands give each dog a unique scent, and that’s why dogs love to sniff each other’s butts. Many mammals have these glands: bears, possums, skunks, sea otters, something called kinkajous, and many others. In dogs, the two small glands are on either side of the rectal opening. Each gland holds a small amount of an extremely stinky, brown fluid that is released when the dog urinates or defecates. Not to worry, though, the amount normally released is tiny because dogs have very powerful noses. The only time you’ll notice your dog’s anal glands is when there’s a problem. Oh, the problems that can develop: plugged anal glands that have to be “expressed” manually! Infected anal glands! Impacted anal glands! Anal gland absesses! And so on. This is why dogs sometimes scoot around, rubbing their butts on the floor. But wait! What’s this? Humans do have anal glands? Apparently so. They are, however, very different. They’re located in the wall of the anal canal and they secrete into the anal canal. In other words, they are much more discreet and private. Of course, if these glands get clogged or obstructed, problems like abscesses can result. The good news is that in humans, the glands are deep and – for the most part – self-cleaning. For more…much, much more (!!)…more than you ever thought you could learn about human anal glands, go here: https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/4757/V61N02_065.pdf%3Bjsessionid%3D0E33D61A421300BD7477334C992329B7?sequence=1 Now for something different: If you would like to see an article about and photos of a dog butt that looks like Jesus Christ, here you go: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/13/dog-butt-looks-like-jesus-photo_n_3436086.html But seriously, there is good information about canine anal glands at a web site called Love to know (go to http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Dog_Anal_Glands ). According to the site, the reason dogs raise their tails high when they first meet is: this action applies pressure to the anal glands, which inspires all that wonderful butt sniffing. For dogs, that butt sniff is a “howdy, nice to meet you.” I'm just so grateful. We humans might have some kind of scent glands in our anal canals, but at least we don’t have anal glands like THAT. Perched on a bluff above the Pacific surf in Newport, Oregon is a unique 100-year-old hotel dedicated to book lovers. It's called the Sylvia Beach Hotel - a nod to outstanding literature patron Sylvia Beach (owner of the Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore in Paris during the 1920s and 30s). I just love this place. Each of its 20 guest rooms is named for and cleverly decorated in the style of different authors. As you walk down the hotel's front garden path, it's a step back in time. There are no TVs, phones, radios, or wi-fi. Instead, there are books everywhere, author tributes, a cozy oceanfront attic library, fireplaces that burn real logs, spiced wine served in the library, an oceanfront dining room called "Tables of Content" that serves gourmet family style meals, a resident kitty, and a quaint gift shop. Some call it a bed and breakfast, because when you rent a room here, a full family-style breakfast is included. Situated in Newport's historic Nye Beach neighborhood, the hotel was originally called the New Cliff House. During the early 1900s, this was the honeymoon capitol of Oregon. The place is on the Register of Historic Landmarks. On the family business's website, co-owner Goody Cable has this to say about her beloved old hotel: "When you walk up our garden path to the front door, the old building will give you a big hug or spit you out, depending on what really matters to you! We've been open for 26 years , and the magic that happens at the Sylvia Beach continues. In the last year, we have created three new rooms --Amy Tan and Ken Kesey''s Cuckoo's Nest and Jules Verne--and have updated Herman Melville and the Library-Reading area. There are volumes of journals in all the rooms, including the library. In reading these guest books we have a pretty good idea of how people feel about staying with us. They share with us the peace and revitalization the view itself inspires. Not to mention the walls, the books, the photos, Shelly the cat, the art, the fabulous food, and the fellow guests. The frequency with which hotel guests make reservations for their next stay, as they check out, is the best indicator. This is truly a hotel for book lovers... "It is a quiet place on most days. Except for the glorious storms. Then the wind howls, the building shakes, and the rain pounds down. Some days it's warm and sunny and the sky is bright blue. Some days there's morning fog. Some days the wind makes you stay inside and read! Some days are rainbow days, the weather just can't decide. The ocean is always present. (The hotel is on a 45 foot bluff right above the surf.) You move into the rhythm of the sea. Perhaps that's why time seems to slow way down, almost to a standstill. There is a great beach right in front of the hotel. At any given time just a handful of people can be seen walking the beach. The Sylvia Beach Hotel has a particularly beautiful coastal panorama which includes the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. This view is to the north and is enjoyed by the majority of the rooms. These mid-priced rooms are affectionately called 'Best Sellers.' There are only three of the rooms that are directly over the surf. They are the 'Classics' and they have fireplaces and decks. The least expensive rooms are the 'Novels.'" If you find yourself on the central Oregon Coast, check this place out. In fact, go to the Oregon Coast just to check it out. You won't be sorry. I hope this hotel stays in business forever. For more details, go to http://www.sylviabeachhotel.com/home.cfm?dir_cat=39281 My historical novel, Spirited Away - A Novel of the Stolen Irish, made it to the Quarter-Finalist level in this year's ABNA contest. That means my novel made it through the first two rounds of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. The original 10,000 entries were judged, and only 500 Quarter-Finalists were selected. Heady stuff! Although Spirited Away did not make it into the ABNA semi-finals, it did earn not only a review of the entire novel by Publishers Weekly, but: a positive review! (to see it, click on the "reviews and accolades" button above) Along the way, an excerpt of the book was also reviewed by Amazon-selected reviewers. Most of their comments were encouraging, too. Now my challenge is to find the best ways to use the Publishers Weekly review to promote and market the novel. I just love the ABNA contest! |
AuthorI am a retired journalist now writing and self-publishing fiction. I grew up in Detroit, Michigan, but now I live in Montana. Archives
February 2022
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