Author: Jackie Houchin

First, I am a believer in Jesus Christ, so my views and opinions are filtered through what God's Word says and I believe. I'm a wife, a mom, a grandma and now a great grandma. I write articles and reviews, and I dabble in short fiction. I enjoy living near the ocean, doing gardening (for beauty and food) and traveling - in other countries, if possible. My heart is for Christian missions, and I'm compiling a collections of Missionary Kids' stories to publish. (I also like kittens and cats and reading mysteries.)

Finding Time to Write: a “Flashback” Post from 15 years ago. Still True?

by Jacqueline Vick

Some writers snatch a few moments of time wherever they find it. Others adhere to strict schedules. Walter Mosley tells us to write every day. Peter Brett wrote his first novel on his smartphone during his daily travels on the F train. Do you follow a set writing schedule? Write every day? Have a favorite writing spot? Do you put ‘butt to chair’ until you’ve finished a specific word count? Tell us about your writing schedule.

***********

Writers Write by Bonnie Schroeder

I try (emphasis on “try”) to write every day first thing in the morning — okay, I feed the dogs and make coffee first and then retreat to my desk with one dog underfoot and one cat in my lap. On my desk, I have a kitchen timer that I set for one hour. Some days, I actually write for the full hour before the phone rings or the other cat barfs or my stomach starts growling. Some days I have to stop the timer until the aforementioned distractions are dealt with; then I try to finish the hour later on. I don’t always make my goal, but occasionally, I actually exceed it.

For me, the important thing is to try for it every day — weekends included. It keeps the circuits open and the muse engaged. When I worked at a job 50 miles away with a two-plus hour daily commute, there were times when I could only manage 15 minutes a day, so an hour is a huge luxury for me now. But even with those quarter-hour writing sessions, I finished the draft of a novel. It took a few years, but that daily contact with the pages kept them in my mind and kept me plugged into the current. And that, to me, is the secret: write something every day, even if it’s just a paragraph or even a sentence. Then I can legitimately say, “I’m a writer.”

***

Lucky by Jacqueline Vick

I’m extremely lucky. I was able to quit my day job to pursue writing full-time. (Well, writing AND homemaking full time.) That means that every morning when I rise, my day is my own and my schedule is whatever I want. Sounds great, doesn’t it? There are a few downsides.

When I’m working on a novel manuscript, there is no boss handing me deadlines, no client with a specific need to fill. I have to set all of those goals myself…and keep them. Repercussions can be a wonderful motivator; without them, it’s more difficult to stay on course.

My deadlines consist of “finish the first draft by May 1st.” I’m always happy to find a short story contest, because that gives me a specific deadline and specific criteria to meet.

Yesterday, I was talking to my brother, who is a personal coach, and he said that the difficulty most people run into is keeping promises to themselves. They don’t value their own time and their own goals as much as they value other people’s time and goals. I’m starting to get around this by setting more specific goals and deadlines and then pretending that I work for a fabulous author named Jacqueline Vick. She has high expectations, and I don’t want to disappoint her. I imagine her asking me to have the rewrites on chapter one on her desk by Friday. It’s a bit kooky, but it works.

I write every day, including weekends. My butt is in the chair for about 8 hours on weekdays, a few hours here and there on Saturday and Sunday. I write in the only place available to me–the dining room table. It’s a pain to keep cleaning off the table each night, but the thought of my husband reaching around a stack of papers for the pepper mill helps keep me organized.

***

Writing Away by Jackie Houchin

For an organized, everything-in-its-place kind of person, my writing schedule is very haphazard and irregular. I mostly write when a deadline looms, so I’m thankful I have those. I write reviews for magazines and articles for a newspaper and newsletters. If I don’t get my copy in, it doesn’t get printed, and I don’t get paid. Simple as that, and no amount of boo-hoo’ing will fix it. The next issue already looms on the horizon.

If I were to write a book, I fear I would find myself writing franticly for 23 hours every day during the last weeks before the agent/editor/publisher’s scheduled deadline. I admire my fellow Wonder Women, who persistently and faithfully write for months and even years to bring their creations into the world. Their ultimate satisfaction will far outshine my instant bursts of pride.

So which style is best? “Whatever works for you.” Yeah, you’ve heard that before, but it’s true. Whether it’s dedicating specific minutes, hours, and days to craft a novel or franticly writing and rewriting and “ripping the paper out of a typewriter” before rushing it to an editor…it doesn’t matter. If our words, opinions, ideas, and stories are read (sooner or later), well, that’s what counts.

That’s my opinion, and I’m sticking to it. Now, let’s see… when’s my next deadline?

PS: Where do I write? Either at my dinosaur desktop PC in my office until the “backside” can’t stand sitting anymore, or more recently, standing at the breakfast bar in the corner of my kitchen with a 6-foot cat tree behind me (usually occupied by three cats lounging and looking over my shoulder, and trying to foil my thought processes with their diabolical purring and mind games) while I pound away on my laptop.

***

“Finding Time to Write,” from June 2009, was reposted by Jackie Houchin.

Photo by Andrey Grushnikov: 

“Off The Top”

by Jackie Houchin

What do I mean when I say, “off the top of my head…”?

Dictionaries say it means derived from the knowledge you have in your memory or impromptu, without previous thought or preparation.

Does it mean the same as “seat of my pants”?  Hmm. We often say we are “pantsers” when we sit down and start writing a story without a formal outline.

Although I love outlines, pages of notes, and lists of resources, I often sit down and simply start writing. Some call this ‘free writing,’ and it sometimes begins with a prompt. I did that recently with a short story I wrote using the prompt “The Convenience Store Was a Sad Place.”  That prompt made me think of our neighborhood store and gas station. I pictured myself walking into that store, looking around, dealing with a smarty-pants cashier, and away I wrote. The story came to me in a series of vivid mind pictures.

Was it seat-of-my-pants? Or something “derived from the knowledge I had in my memory.” Hmmm.

More recently, in April, to be exact, I joined a month-long Writers Digest PAD Challenge. The idea was to write a Poem-A-Day (PAD) on the daily prompt they gave. You could write any type of poem, from a limerick to a sonnet or free verse.  (I liked the shortness of this challenge.)

I did it. For nineteen days, at least. And the poems were totally “off the top of my head.”

April 1 – An optimistic poem.

There once was a gal with a lump.

When first it was found, she did jump.

“Oh, my! I shall die!”

Was her terrified cry!

But a doctor cut out that bad bump.

 

April 3 – A sad poem.

The rosebud is gone.

Cut from a lily-white breast.

Warm tears down the drain.

 

April 4 – A mistake poem, one you made or witnessed.

The mistake was mine. I’ll confess

I love whodunnits. But I digress.

I put down the fiver. I looked away

Hmm, stab or shoot? Which way to slay?

Wait! I’m not stealing a book!

Look in my bag? Really, just look!

There’re TWO books by Christie???

Well, I declare. It IS a mystery.

 

April 8 – A major event poem.

I gasp and stutter and lisp,

For today, I saw an eclipse.

The sun was gone

But not for long

It returned; its edges all crisp.

 

Off the top of my head – derived from knowledge I have in my memory.

It was fun for those nineteen days last April. There were longer poems, too, and some more serious.  I’ve often said I’m a short writer. I don’t think I could actually write a book, although I’ve tried.  I admire the Writers In Residence here on this blog for doing just that!

Do you write short or long?  Off the top of your head or from detailed outlines?

..

If you want to see more of my PAD poems, go to my blog, Words and Reviews, and scroll down the right-hand side column to April 2024. 

In the week before June ended, there was a 7-day challenge by Writers’ Digest for personal essays. Again, you have a topic, and you write about it.  My first one was about “a job experience,” and I titled it “Knick-knack, Paddywhack, Give A Dog a Bone.”  You can find that one on my blog site at: Words and Reviews Essays. 

Writing About Bloodhounds & Pet Detection

Guest post by Landa Coldiron

I’m a Bloodhound Handler. I’ve been using my bloodhounds to find lost pets for 18 years.

I recently had a book published by Austin Macauley about my work as a pet detective. It is a work of ‘faction,’ as I like to call it. Some stories are true, some are fiction, and some are combined (real and made up).

It is titled ‘The Bloodhound Handler—Book One: Adventures of a Real-life Pet Detective.’ Like people, in search and rescue, search dogs are used for a direction of travel that can locate the pet, provide evidence, clues, and eyewitnesses, and /or target a search area where resources can be deployed.  In my book, I wrote about these abilities in stories, using the character Kalinda Dark as me.

My book is currently available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle. It is a great action adventure with some mystery and has had many positive reviews. It has also been featured at Barnes & Noble.

I wrote the book a few years ago after my first bloodhound, Ellie Mae, died. She was young, and it took me by surprise. I knew I had to write about her and our life together.  Ella Mae won the 2011 California Veterinary Medical Association Animal Hall of Fame award for her work in finding lost pets.

Writing The Bloodhound Handler book took me three years of writing every day and another two years of rejections. Finally, I got an offer from a publisher!

The book also contains stories about Glory, my second bloodhound. She won the American Humane Search Dog of the Year in 2015. It was a national award over a weekend at the Beverly Hilton. Many celebrities were in attendance. Glory won over 500 other dogs in the category.

We were also flown to Washington, DC, to speak in front of a small congressional hearing on the lost pet problem in America. You can search her name on YouTube under American Humane, and you will find her story. It is really something. Glory has a Facebook following of over 16,000 people!

Thanks to anyone who supports my book. If you are an avid Kindle reader it is only $4.50 and even has colored pictures.

#

Landa Coldiron is a two-time award-winning bloodhound handler in Los Angeles. Her website and Facebook are Lost Pet Detection, and her Instagram is @thebloodhoundhandler.

###

NOTE from Jackie: I knew and wrote about Landa for a newspaper when I lived only blocks from her in Shadow Hills. I was privileged to watch Ellie Mae in action and learn about what pet owners can do when their pet goes missing. (The book covers this too.) 

Landa has also owned and trained Cadaver Dogs for her work. 

The Bloodhound Handler book is a fascinating read. It follows cases of lost (or stolen) pets from the first panicked telephone call through the process to the ending, which is sometimes joyous and thrilling and sometimes disheartening. One case toward the end of the book involves a missing dog and little girl and reads like it was “ripped from the headlines.” I enjoyed it very much.

A Woman in Journalism – Nellie Bly

by Jackie Houchin

(Note to self: Use this article as a base – review two books written about her – “Ten Days In A Madhouse” and “Nellie Bly & Investigative Journalism for Kids.”  Fill in info from other sources, use the three photos (her in 1890 and the book jackets.) )

Eighteen-year-old Elizabeth Cochrane was living in Pittsburgh when the local newspaper published an article titled “What Girls are Good For” (having babies and keeping house was the answer, according to the article). The article displeased Elizabeth enough that she wrote an anonymous rebuttal, which in turned so impressed the paper’s editor that he ran an ad, asking the writer to identify herself.
When Elizabeth contacted him, he hired her on the spot. It was customary at the time for female reporters to use pen names, so the editor gave her one that he took from a Stephen Foster song. It was the name under which she would become famous—Nellie Bly.
Bly’s passion was investigative reporting, but the paper usually assigned her to more “feminine” subjects—such as theater and fashion. After penning a controversial series of articles uncovering the working conditions of female factory workers, and subsequently being assigned once more to cover society events and women’s pastimes, at the age of 21, Bly embarked on a hazardous and unprecedented (for a woman) mission to Mexico to report on the living conditions of the working-class individuals there.
After her reporting got her in trouble with the local authorities, she fled the country and later published her dispatches into a popular book.
At age 23, having established a reputation as a daring and provocative reporter, Bly was hired by Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World and there she began the undercover project that made her famous. In order to investigate the conditions inside New York’s “Women’s Lunatic Asylum,” Bly took on a fake identity, checked into a women’s boarding house, and faked insanity—so convincingly that she soon found herself committed to the asylum.
The report she published of her ten days there was a sensation and led to important reforms in the treatment of the mentally ill.
The following year Bly undertook her most sensational assignment yet: a solo trip around the world inspired by Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days. With only two days’ notice, Bly set out on November 14, 1889, carrying a travel bag with her toiletries and a change of underwear, and her purse tied around her neck.
Pulitzer’s competitor, the New York Cosmopolitan, immediately sent out one of its reporters—Elizabeth Bisland—to race Bly, traveling in the opposite direction. As Pulitzer had hoped, the stunt was a publicity bonanza, as readers eagerly followed news on Bly’s journey and the paper sponsoring a contest for readers to guess the exact time of Bly’s return (with the correct guess winning an expense-paid trip to Europe).
Seventy-two days later, Bly made her triumphant return (four and half days ahead of Bisland), having circumnavigated the globe, traveling alone almost the entire time. It was the fastest any human had ever made the journey. Nellie Bly was an international celebrity.
At age 31 Bly married industrialist Robert Seaman, a 73-year-old millionaire, leaving behind her journalism career and her pen name. As Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman she helped run the family business. She patented two inventions during her time as an industrialist, but business was not her really in her skillset and under her leadership the company went bankrupt.
When World War I broke out, she returned to journalism, becoming one of the first women reporters to work in an active war zone.
Nellie Bly’s remarkable life ended on January 27, 1922,  when she died of pneumonia in New York at age 57.

5 Famous Quotes About MOTHERS that Should Inspire Writers

Used by permission from The Write Conversation, May 1, 2023

By Kristen Hogrefe Parnell @khogrefeparnell

May brings more than rain showers and spring flowers. It brings the reminder to celebrate and thank our mothers. Beyond a day of gratitude, Mother’s Day should challenge us to sit at the feet of the wonderful women who have taught us so much—and still have so much to teach us.
As writers, we have much to learn from our mothers.
Five Famous Quotes about Mothers that Speak to Writing Pursuits
#1: Dare all things.
Agatha Christie wrote, “A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”
Dares all things.
We writers can be easily intimidated or even embarrassed that our gift isn’t good enough compared to someone else’s.
Hogwash, say our mothers. Although I realize some of you reading this post did not experience the unrelenting love most mothers have for their children—and I am truly sorry for that—as a rule, our mothers would do and dare anything for us. As a mom to a now nine-month-old, I can relate to this mama bear grit that loves fiercely and defends loyally.
Let that drive and daring inspire your writing.
#2: Give something worthwhile.
I love this sweet quote by George Washington: “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.”
What have our mothers given us? More than words can record, that is for sure.
The challenge for us writers is to give generously and purposefully as well. What will leave behind for those who read our words? Will we inspire someone else in their “moral, intellectual, and physical” endeavors?
#3: Believe the best.
This quote by Roald Dahl made me laugh, but it is oh so true. “It’s a funny thing about mothers… Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful.”
Did my baby just have the biggest blowout? Toss his spoon of sweet potatoes on the floor? Drool all over my Sunday outfit? Yep. Yep. Yep. Is he still the most darling baby ever? Absolutely.
Should not we writers learn to view that grimace-worthy first draft with similar faith? That even in the mess, we can find something wonderful? Let’s believe the best about the projects God has given us, even though we should also be willing to make them better.
#4: Be the truest friend.
Washington Irving wrote, “A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”
Not only should we writers be true to ourselves and our calling, but we must also be true to our fellow writers on this journey with us. No one understands the creative life’s highs and lows, triumphs and blows like another writer does.
Celebrate your sister or brother who receives the award and recognition, even if you haven’t received yours yet. Also, be willing to encourage the fellow writer who has received yet another rejection letter or feels tempted to quit.
Be the truest friend.
#5: Dwell in hope.
“Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother’s secret hope outlives them all.” So said Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
A mother’s hope, faith, and prayers have reinvigorated us when we would otherwise quit.
I don’t know how many poorly written stories or rough drafts my mother (and father) read for me when I started writing stories as a pre-teen. They could easily have rolled their eyes at my weak attempts. Instead, they gave me the hope to keep writing, pointed out the good that others might have overlooked, and challenged me to keep writing even when I didn’t know where the journey might lead me.
Even now, I can call my mom and share about my latest writing highs and lows, and I know she will never tell me to quit. She will encourage me to keep hoping and trusting God for the right opportunities. And for that, I am very thankful.
How will you thank your mother this Mother’s Day? What lesson has she taught you that has made you a better writer?

Kristen Hogrefe Parnell writes suspenseful fiction from a faith perspective for women and young adults. Her own suspense story involved waiting on God into her thirties to meet her husband, and she desires to keep embracing God’s plan for her life when it’s not what she expects. Kristen’s books have won the Selah Award and the Grace Award, among others, and her inspirational romantic suspense novel, Take My Hand, is now available. An educator at heart, she also teaches English online, enjoys being a podcast guest, and blogs about biblical encouragement for mamas. Kristen lives in the Tampa, Florida area with her husband and baby boy. Connect with her at KristenHogrefeParnell.com.

Slipped my mind…

Oh, no!  I was so involved with my SELF this week, that I forgot my coveted place here in the rotation for The Writers in Residence. So, this is a quickie catch-up.

HOAG Cancer Center is where I’m now spending my days – like, EVERY day – after the breast cancer surgery I had back in March.  Now I’m going through 15 days of preventative Radiation, so (hopefully) that nasty cancer stuff doesn’t come back. (At least the chances are lessened.)

Meet ELEKTA.

She’s my partner for about 15 minutes every day. She circles me like a rising and setting sun four times, shooting the “anti” death ray at my left chest area. I hear a high-pitched “zinging” noise and feel a slight warmth, but nothing else.  I thought my skin would get “cooked,” but nothing yet, just a feeling of tightness.  I thought I would experience fatigue, but also not yet. (Of course, so many people are praying for me!!)

A woman who was scheduled after me yesterday, says she is on Day 12, and the fatigue has hit her.  My Radiologist talked to me today, and when I told him I was surprised at the lack of skin burning, he said. “The sunburn will come in week three. Just keep applying that radiation cream two to three times each day.”

Believe me, I do.

That funny crunched white glob under ELEKTA’s eye on the table is a molded pillow they made when I was “mapped” for radiation two weeks ago.  It holds my shoulders, head, and left arm stretched above and over my head in the exact same position. So there’s no messing around each time I come in. The molded pillow is situated. I lay back and fit my arm and shoulders in it. They expose my left breast, line up the machine over the markers on my chest, and tell me, “Don’t move.” (Yes, I have weird PLUS and MINUS signs semi-permanently pasted on me for ELEKTA to read.)

About now, you are thinking, “Wait, I thought this was a writing blog. What’s with all this medical stuff.”  Hey, have you ever heard of Robin Cook’s books? (Coma, Toxin, Fatal Cure),  Michael Palmer (Miracle Cure), Tess Gerritsen (The Surgeon), etc.  Yes, so I know I’m not an author like them, but I AM writing about my Cancer Journey, and reviewing books that pertain to it.  I’m writing my “Journey” on Substack, and on Friday, I’ll post the next weekly update, titled “RADIATION & ME.” (You guys get a mini-sneak peek here.)

If you want to read last week’s post, here is the link, VULNERABLE  & EXPOSED. 

If that doesn’t work for you, go on Substack and search for “Jackie’s Musings & Meanderings.”  I have about thirty I’ve been writing, but the last seven are on my cancer journey. You can subscribe (but no pressure), and it’s FREE. Don’t get tricked into paying. Not needed.

So, you see, I AM writing.  Each day, I quiz the technicians on something I want to know about so I can include it in next week’s Substack post.  (And maybe the following week too, as I finish up.)

Do you have any questions or comments? If you click on the title of this post—SLIPPED MY MIND—you can find the spot below to do that.

Why You Need To Start Journaling in 2024

After nearly 20 years of journaling, I realized that everyone should be doing this one thing
 
(First published in Readers Hope. Reposted by permission.)   4 min read
 
 

I have been journaling for years.

There is a box in my office full of journals I have had since 2004. That’s right, nearly 20 years of journals. They have my ideas and worries and capture the events that have gone on in my life over the years.

And I am not done yet.

I have found there to be an immense power in journaling. It has helped me find clarity and emotional stability and even solve problems. Most of all, it is like having a space to remove what bothers me and listen for what is good.

“Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.”
– Mina Murray in Bram Stoker’s Dracula

In a world where technology is taking over and life is becoming more fast-paced, journaling remains a timeless and effective tool for self-improvement.

Whether kept in a handwritten notebook, a digital file, or even a specialized app, journaling gives people a distinct place to think, process, and learn essential life lessons.

This article examines the many advantages journaling offers to one’s mental, emotional, and even physical health and its transformational potential.

A Personal Journey

“Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding.” — Jen Williamson

Journaling is fundamentally a very personal process. It offers a secure space where people can freely share their ideas, emotions, and experiences without fear of rejection.

People can externalize their innermost ideas and make sense of complex emotions and life’s threads when they put pen to paper or fingers to keys.

Action Step: Set aside three to five minutes daily to journal. Let your thoughts run freely onto the pages while you write, free from self-censorship or criticism.

Emotional Release and Stress Reduction

“Journaling is like a whisper to the soul, an emotional release that heals and rejuvenates.” — Mari L. McCarthy, Heal Yourself with Journaling Power

The capacity of journaling to act as a channel for releasing emotions is among its most obvious advantages.

Writing about difficult situations, annoyances, or fears can be therapeutic and an excellent way to release bottled-up feelings. Research has indicated that this procedure can lower stress levels, elevate mood, and enhance general well-being.

Action Step: Set aside a specific area in your journal for writing about your feelings. Use this area to release tension or emotional weight, permitting oneself to let go.

Clarity and Problem Solving

“Journaling is the first step to self-discovery, and self-discovery is the key to clarity.” — Darryn Kirschner

Moreover, journaling is an effective method for problem-solving and clarity. Writing helps people arrange their ideas and consider other viewpoints when faced with tough choices or uncertainties.

Solutions frequently become more evident during this process, and people feel more empowered as they understand they can overcome obstacles.

Action Step: Spend some time outlining the benefits and drawbacks of any difficult decision you are faced with. Keep a notebook to record your observations and brainstorm ideas from many perspectives.

Tracking Personal Growth

“Your journal is like a compass; it may not point north, but it will guide you to where you need to go.” — Jessica de la Davies

Maintaining a journal offers concrete documentation of one’s evolving personal development. Reviewing previous postings, people can recognize trends, reoccurring themes, and accomplishments.

This backward-looking viewpoint emphasizes the importance of continuous self-improvement by fostering a sense of continuity and development.

Action Step: Designate a particular day of the month to review your journal entries. Make a note of your progress, pinpoint your areas for growth, and decide on new objectives for the next month.

Enhanced Creativity and Self-Expression

“Journaling opens the door to your creative mind, inviting it to dance on the pages of your soul.” — Alexandra Elle

Beyond its therapeutic advantages, journaling can foster self-expression and creativity. People can freely explore ideas, express dreams, and develop a closer relationship with their inner selves by writing in journals.

Journaling’s unrestricted format fosters an abundance of creativity that can be utilized for creative projects, problem-solving, or self-exploration.

Action Step: Set aside time in your journal for artistic expression. Compose poetry, sketch, or experiment with any creative medium that speaks to you.

Final Thoughts on Journaling

Amidst the hectic pace of contemporary life, journaling remains a potent and easily attainable method for personal development.

Journaling opens people’s potential and provides a route to self-discovery, emotional release, and improved well-being through its therapeutic, contemplative, and artistic aspects.

The straightforward practice of writing continues to be a timeless companion as we traverse the complexity of our lives, leading us toward self-awareness and transformation.

###

The above article was posted by Jackie Houchin.

Let Me Entertain You!

by Jackie Houchin

Lots of medical stuff going on with me right now, so I thought I’d simply share a fun aspect of our Alaska cruise last fall. That aspect is called MUSH.  No, not yelling at sled-pulling dogs (although we DID do that), but a different kind of Mush.

In Skagway, Alaska, I bought a small toy Husky, a beanie-bag size and shape little guy, with soft gray/white fur, big blue eyes, and the name MUSH printed on the tag. I loved the little guy from the first glimpse and perched him on my pillow in the stateroom when we got back to the ship. Joel, our cabin steward aboard the Oceania Regatta ship, loved Mush too.

When we left for dinner in the evenings the steward would come in to straighten up and turn down our beds. When we returned later, we found the usual chocolate candy on our pillows, AND…..Mush, posed in a series of so cute antics. The first time, he was propped on a pillow with the TV remote, watching a football game on the screen.

Another time he was standing on an open book (that I’d been reading), as if he were reading too.

Once when we came back from an excursion ashore and after we’d had lunch at the buffet, we found him on our small room table with the curtains draw slightly, looking out at sea.

And then, every evening HE started getting chocolate candy too, an additional piece placed between his paws. We were absolutely delighted.

Of course “I” started posing Mush for Joel too when we went out for the day, hiding him where the pitcher of ice water was kept, or behind the desk alarm clock, or sometimes just lying on the bed, his head tucked in and front feet up, waiting for a belly rub.

We had such fun with Mush and our very good and so kind cabin steward.  Another sweet memory.  And now, Mush resides on my dresser at night, guarding my glasses, and sometimes on my pillow during the daytime.  (But he’s on a diet now – no chocolate.)

##

Maybe I could write a cute kid’s story starring Mush on an ocean cruise. He could meet friends, find a missing object, solve a mystery, or rescue someone in danger.  Now that’s an idea!! Mush and I might have to put our heads together and come up with a plan!

Wishing You All a Wonderful Holiday Season!

CHRISTMAS CANDLE
a Poem by Kay Hoffman
.
Light a Christmas candle
And let it warmly glow
From out a friendly window
Across new-fallen snow.
Someone lone in passing
Will catch the strong bright beam
To cheer the rugged path ahead
And set the heart to dream.
Let the warm glad light shine
From your own candle’s ray
Glow deep within your loving heart
On each and every day.
Light a Christmas candle
To glow within your heart
And touch the life of someone dear
With blessings to impart.
.
Thank you for reading The Writers In Residence in 2023.
We will be back with new content on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.
.
Jackie
Gayle
Linda
Miko
Madeline
Jill
Hannah
Maggie
Rosemary
#
.

When A Series SPINS OFF: the Maisie Frobisher Mysteries

A Guest Post by Liz Hedgecock

I didn’t so much decide to write the Maisie Frobisher books. It was more that Maisie Frobisher decided she ought to have her own series!

Let me explain.

The Maisie Frobisher books are actually a spinoff series: the series they sprang from is the Caster and Fleet Mysteries. I co-wrote Caster and Fleet with another writer who is now a good friend, Paula Harmon.

When we began writing the books, Paula and I hadn’t actually met in real life – only via a Facebook writing group. We were already online friends, we liked each other’s writing styles, and we both wrote historical mystery (among other things). We’re not sure who first suggested writing a book together, but we’re very glad they did!

Maisie is a very minor character in the Caster and Fleet world until she has more of a starring role in book 4, The Case of the Masquerade Mob, which is a romp involving masked balls and all sorts of skulduggery. At the end of the book, poor Maisie, who has had rather a rough time, decides to travel the world and forget about men for a while. That was my jumping-off point, because I’d grown to like Maisie very much and I didn’t want to let her go.

My friend Paula also has a spinoff series of her own, set in the run-up to World War I, which follows the younger sister of one of our protagonists, Margaret Demeray.

I had many reasons to set the Maisie series abroad. Firstly, at the end of Masquerade Mob Maisie was going travelling, and I couldn’t go back on that! Secondly, in the 1890s, when the series is set, the world was opening up. Bigger and more luxurious cruise ships, faster journeys, and more capacity to travel for pleasure. I chose India because it was a well-known destination, the route was interesting, and also because of the opportunity to look at the British in India in the time of the Raj.

I try not to get too bogged down in historical research, though there are all sorts of opportunities to get lost down research rabbit holes! One advantage is that I have a Master’s degree in Victorian literature, so I’m fairly well grounded in some aspects. While I want to make the stories accurate, I don’t want to spoil a story for the sake of including every historical fact I’ve discovered. Probably a tenth of the things I’ve read about make it into the final book.

I didn’t choose the late Victorian period just because I knew a bit about it, though. It’s also fascinating because of what was going on at the time. Women were fighting for their rights, the ‘New Woman’ had arrived, and inventions like the safety bicycle meant that women’s mobility could increase.

The Maisie books are also special to me because they mark a change in the way I write. Up to that point, I had always written at my computer. With Maisie, I had the urge to try something different. In the first book in the series, All at Sea, Maisie is on a ship which is always moving, and she must solve the mystery before the ship reaches port. With that sense of urgency in mind, I tried an experiment. I took my phone for a walk and dictated the book’s opening: a letter from Maisie to her mother, followed by a rather different diary entry on the same subject. The words seemed to flow. Ever since then, I’ve dictated my fiction rather than writing it. The result needs correction and editing, of course, but it’s a really good way to get into the flow, get that first draft down, and spend time walking rather than sitting.

If you do try the first Maisie book, All at Sea, or indeed, the first in the Caster and Fleet series, The Case of the Black Tulips, I hope you enjoy them!

#

Liz Hedgecock grew up in London, England, did an English degree, and then took forever to start writing.  Now Liz travels between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries, murdering people. To be fair, she does usually clean up after herself.

Liz lives in Cheshire with her husband and two sons, and when she’s not writing you can usually find her reading, on a walk, messing about on social media or cooing over stuff in museums and art galleries. That’s her story, anyway, and she’s sticking to it.

Website: http://lizhedgecock.wordpress.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LizHedgecockWrites

Twitter: http://twitter.com/lizhedgecock

Amazon author page (global link): http://author.to/LizH

###

Note from Jackie Houchin: I began the Maisie Frobisher series – All at Sea – while on a cruise. (I could so identify with Maisie!)  But I got so attached to her sense of adventure and fearless deeds of daring, that I bought the second one (Off The Map). Of course I had to buy that third book with the magnificent Leopard on the cover (Gone to Ground). I’m now reading the fourth one and Maisie is back in London, but still involved in mystery and intrigue. (In Plain Sight)

A character from the Maisie books appears in one of the four Christmas short stories in Liz Hedgecock’s Christmas Presence, Four Festive Stories. It’s a perfect way to sample Liz’s work and to gift for the Holidays!

.

This article was posted by member, Jackie Houchin

.