Life on the Train

A friend sent me a Powerpoint e-mail. It was full of neat photos and music, but the words touched me. I share them here, they are comforting words, and I thought of my late son Kevin and his life, he has left the train... 

Life on the Train

A while back, I read a very interesting book that compared life to a train ride or a series of train rides.

Life is like a train ride, it read. We get on. We ride. We get off. We get back on and ride some more. There are accidents and there are delays. At certain stops there are surprises. Some of these will translate into great moments of joy, some will result in profound sorrow.

When we are born and we first board the train, we meet people whom we think will be with us for the entire journey. Those people are our parents! Sadly, this is far from the truth. Our parents are with us for as long as we absolutely need them. They too have journeys they must complete. We live on with the memories of their love, affection, friendship, guidance and their ever presence.

There are others who board the train and who eventually become very important to us, in turn. These people are our brothers, sisters, friends and acquaintances, whom we will learn to love, and cherish.

Some people consider their journey like a jaunty tour. They will just go merrily along.

Others, will encounter many upsets, tears, losses on their journey.

Others still, will linger on to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.

Some people on the train will leave an everlasting impression when they get off….

Some will get on and get off the train so quickly, they will scarsely leave a sign that they ever travelled along with you or ever crossed your path…

We will sometimes be upset that some passengers whom we love, will choose to sit in another compartment and leave us to travel on our own. Then again, there’s nothing that says we can’t seek them out anyway.

Nevertheless, once sought out and found, we may not even be able to sit next to them because that seat will already be taken.

That’s okay …everyone’s journey will be filled with hopes, dreams, challenges, setbacks and goodbyes. We must strive to make the best of it… no matter what...

We must constantly strive to understand our travel companions and look for the best in everyone. Remember that at any moment during our journey, any one of our travel companions can have a weak moment and be in need of our help.

We too may vacilate or hesitate, even trip… hopefully we can count on someone being there to be supportive and understanding…

The bigger mystery of our journey is that we don’t know when our last stop will come. Neither do we know when our travel companions will make their last stop.

Not even those sitting in the seat next to us.

Personally, I know I’ll be sad to make my final stop…. I’m sure of it!
My separation from all those friends and acquaintances I made during the train ride will be painful. Leaving all those I’m close to will be a sad thing. But then again, I’m certain that one day I’ll get to the main station only to meet up with everone else. They’ll all be carrying their baggage… most of which they didn’t have when they first got on this train.

I’ll be glad to see them again. I’ll also be glad to have contributed to their baggage… and to have enriched their lives, just as much as they will have contributed to my baggage and enriched my life.

We’re all on this train ride together. Above all, we should all try to strive to make the ride as pleasant and memorable as we can, right up until we each make the final stop and leave the train for the last time.

All aboard!
Safe journey!!


BON VOYAGE!

Kevin was one of those "... people on the train will leave an everlasting impression when they get off…."

Rebuilding

I may have mentioned that a tornado came through our small town.  It touched down in my neighborhood, just a few doors down from my home.  Five homes were badly damaged, and a lot of homes had roof torn up. 

Well, the homes down the street were a mess, fences gone, roofs with tarps over them,  and two homes very badly damaged. No deaths, which is very fortunate.

As I drive onto my street I go past all these homes.

Several houses now have new roofs.  Fences have been rebuilt.  Two of the homes have had contractors rebuild the interiors.  One home now has a contractor tearing it down to the studs to begin rebuilding.  Yesterday the home that had the roof torn off was demolished.  It will be rebuilt from the ground up.

It has been interesting to watch.  The night of the tornado everyone was out in the storm with chain saws, and helping hands.  We cut up trees that were down in the road, and hauled them out of the way.  Got debris cleaned up.

Lives have been disrupted.  Yet, the homes are being repaired, and rebuilt.  In a few months all the homes will be in good shape, everyone moved back in and life continues.  While some of the big trees are gone, the traces of the storm will have faded, and will be a memory.

I know, that last was a bit cliche, but it got the point across.  Life is full of set backs.  Problems arise, things rarely go as planned.  Some days I deal with the set backs better than others.  What I've watched happening down the street has helped me deal with my own set backs.

Things can be rebuilt.  Life goes on.  Staying engaged with life and striving to achieve goals helps.  Things do go bad, things do get worse.  You can let those things defeat you.

Or, you can rebuild, start over, take a deep breath and plunge in and strive to do better the next time.

It isn't easy.  Things that are worthwhile never are easy.

It is good to see the homes being rebuilt, lives returning to normal.  There is still hope.  Yes, it may be raining on my parade. Storms come, but storms don't last.  The sun does come out.

So take the set backs in stride.  Take a day or two to morn, have that pity party, feel sorry for yourself.  Then dust yourself off, and climb back up, and learn from the experience and move forward again.

Blog Ring of Power Interview with Lisa Gail Green

This week's Blog Ring of Power guest is Lisa Gail Green.  We are discussing how she writes.

1. What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine? Do you use pen and paper or computer? Work at home or at the library/Starbucks, etc.
1. I often joke that my laptop is surgically attached. I’d die if I didn’t have it. As far as where? Anywhere. But mostly at my little desk in the middle of my living room. :D I do enjoy Starbucks though. I’m a coffeeholic.
2. How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life?
1. Ha! I don’t. LOL I have a seven month old now and she’s next to me at this very moment in her high chair talking away. Poor kid has to compete with Mommy’s computer. Seriously though I just wrote a blog on this subject. Main thing though? There is no replacement for butt in chair time!
3. What has been the most surprising reaction to something you’ve written?
1. I can’t say the specifics, but I always find it hysterical when someone reads something into what I’ve written that I didn’t consciously plant there. Not to say I don’t add anything substantial! Just that sometimes I think we can get a little over-analytical.
4. Other than your family, what has been your greatest source of support?
1. OMG – other writers!! I have been consistently blown away by the generosity and support of those in this industry. I’ve also made some of my closest friends through writing. As far as organizations and resources? SCBWI for children’s writers is like a goldmine.
5. How do you deal with rejection and/or negative reviews?
1. Chocolate!! 

You can  read more of Lisa's interview here:


Part 1 @ Sandra Ulbrich Almazon - http://ulbrichalmazan.blogspot.com/ - Monday, April 29th
Part 2 @ Dean C. Rich - http://deanswritingtime.blogspot.com/ - Tuesday, April 30th
Part 3 @ Terri Bruce – http://www.terribruce.net - Wednesday, May 1st
Part 4 @ T.W. Fendley - http://twfendley.com/ - Thursday, May 2nd
Part 5 @ Emily LaBonte - http://emlabonte.blogspot.com/ - Friday, May 3rd

Contact Information: 

Lisagailgreen@gmail.com

Blog: LisaGailGreen.com

Facebook page:                http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Lisa-Gail-Green/419781971445979

Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4649678.Lisa_Gail_Green

Twitter: @LisaGailGreen

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Gail-Green/e/B0089SLY0A/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1363717944&sr=8-1

Smashwords:

Other:

Is your book in print, ebook or both? Both

 

Blog Ring of Power Interview with Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

This week's guest is a fellow member of our Blog Ring of Power.  During one of our e-mail exchanges I suggested that Sandra should get a turn being interviewed, she has a published book.  Unlike me, I am a wanna be, but Sandra has made her splash.  So she agreed, so we have Sandra, a fellow blog ring of power member talking about why she writes and about her book.

About the Author

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan started reading at the age of three and only stops when absolutely required to. Although she hasn’t been writing quite that long, she did compose a very simple play in German during middle school. Her science fiction novella Move Over Ms. L. (an early version of Lyon’s Legacy) earned an Honorable Mention in the 2001 UPC Science Fiction Awards, and her short story “A Reptile at the Reunion” was published in the anthology Firestorm of Dragons. She is a founding member of BroadUniverse and a long-time member of the Online Writing Workshop for Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror. Her undergraduate degree is in molecular biology/English, and she has a Master of Technical and Scientific Communication degree. Her current day job is in the laboratory of an enzyme company; she’s also been a technical writer and a part-time copyeditor for a local newspaper. Some of her other accomplishments are losing on Jeopardy! and taking a stuffed orca to three continents. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Eugene; and son, Alex. In her rare moments of free time, she enjoys crocheting, listening to classic rock (particularly the Beatles), and watching improv comedy.

Sandra can be found online at her website, blog, Twitter, and Facebook.            

1. How long have you been writing?—I wrote a few stories and poems in high school, wrote my first full-length novel (which thankfully will never see the light of day) during grad school/my internship, and finally started writing with professional goals in mind a few years later.
2. When and why did you begin writing?—I started writing in my 20s to tell the stories I wanted to read but never could find the bookstore, the stories that don’t use the typical tropes.

3. When did you first consider yourself a professional writer?—I always tried to act professionally from the start, but selling my first short story and receiving the anthology in the mail was a landmark.
4. What books have most influenced your life?—It’s not genre, but Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which I read in high school, affected my attitudes toward science, philosophy, and life.
5. What genre do you write?—Science fiction and fantasy.
6. What is your favorite theme/genre to write about?—I like to write about friendships, especially in groups. My inspiration comes from the four-fold synergy of the Beatles.

7.       If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?—A geneticist doing research.

Thanks for agreeing to be an interviewee Sandra!

You can catch more of her interview

Part 2 @ Terri - http://www.terribruce.net Wednesday, April 24th
Part 3 @ Teresa - http://twfendley.com Thursday, April 25th
Part 4 @ Emily - http://emlabonte.blogspot.com/ Friday, April 26th

BRoP interview with A. W. Exley

 A.W. Exley is our guest today.  Here she is to share some of the things she has learned on her way to publishing her book. 

Books and writing have always been an enormous part of Anita's life. She survived school by hiding out in the library, with several thousand fictional characters for company. At university, she overcame the boredom of studying accountancy by squeezing in Egyptology papers and learning to read hieroglyphics.

Today, Anita writes steampunk novels with a sexy edge and an Egyptian twist. She lives in rural New Zealand surrounded by an assortment of weird and wonderful equines, felines, canine and homicidal chickens.

 You can catch the other parts of her interview here:

Part 1 @ Terri Bruce – http://www.terribruce.net Wednesday, April 10th
Part 2 @ T.W. Fendley - http://twfendley.com/ Thursday, April 11th
Part 3 @Emily LaBonte - http://emlabonte.blogspot.com/ Friday, April 12th
Part 4 @ Sandra Ulbrich Almazon - http://ulbrichalmazan.blogspot.com/ Monday, April 15th
Part 5 @ Dean C. Rich - http://deanswritingtime.blogspot.com/ Tuesday, April 16th

Words of Wisdom

1. Tell us about your route to success – where there any bumps and bruises along the way?

Like every other writer out there, I wrote my debut novel and dove into the query trenches. I received numerous full and partial requests, but no offers. My feedback was the dreaded "like it, but don't love it enough to offer rep." So I shelved project #1 and wrote project #2. I took a different tact, submitted to smaller presses who specialize in sci-fi & fantasy and scored my publishing contract with Curiosity Quills.

2. Why did you decide to go with an indie publisher? Did you use/do you have an agent?

I think a small press has a lot to offer. I know a number of steampunk authors go the self pub route, but I honestly didn’t feel it was for me. I wasn't just offered a publishing contract, I gained an instant writing family. Curiosity Quills do everything a big publisher does (editing, formatting, cover art, proof reading, publicity) plus, being small, the owners are more approachable and I feel more involved in what is going on. The authors also share ideas and help each other and we are currently working on a couple of anthologies to be published in July.

3. What are the most important elements of good writing?

A good story. You need to learn the difference between having an awesome setting with relatable characters milling around and a story that will keep people turning the page.

4. What tools are must-haves for writers?

A good dictionary, don't rely on Spellchecker – I have frequent arguments with it! Lol

You need a sense of humour, because sometimes, everything will go wrong.

5. Do you have any advice for other writers?

Don't give up and just keep at it. Everything you write will improve your craft. Some people literally find fame overnight, for the rest of us it’s a long, and sometimes lonely, road. So pack a sleeping bag and a cuddly toy for the journey.

6. What do you feel is the key to your success?

For me, I think it would be knowing I have an engaged fan base, that somewhere, out there, are people waiting for my next novel. That would be magical.

Or if I could have Ian Somerhalder in the film of my book :)

7. What are your current / future project(s)?

I am currently working on a sequel, entitled HATSHEPSUT'S COLLAR. Queen Victoria is in the grips of an insatiable bloodlust thanks to an ancient Egyptian necklace, and it's the least of Cara Devon's problems.

 

Book blurb:

Cara Devon has always suffered curiosity and impetuousness, but tangling with a serial killer might cure that. Permanently.

London, 1861. Impoverished noble Cara has a simple mission after the strange death of her father - sell off his damned collection of priceless artifacts. Her plan goes awry when aristocratic beauties start dying of broken hearts, an eight inch long brass key hammered through their chests. A killer hunts amongst the nobility, searching for a regal beauty and an ancient Egyptian relic rumored to hold the key to immortality.

Her Majesty’s Enforcers are in pursuit of the murderer and they see a connection between the gruesome deaths and Cara. So does she, somewhere in London her father hid Nefertiti’s Heart, a fist sized diamond with strange mechanical workings. Adding further complication to her life, notorious crime lord, Viscount Nathaniel Lyons is relentless in his desire to lay his hands on Cara and the priceless artifact. If only she could figure out his motive.

Self-preservation fuels Cara's search for the gem. In a society where everyone wears a mask to hide their true intent, she needs to figure out who to trust, before she makes a fatal mistake.

Please let us know where your readers can stalk you:

Website: http://www.awexley.com

Blog: http://mutteringsfromtheoubliette.blogspot.co.nz/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AWExley

Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6585392.A_W_Exley

Twitter: @AWExley

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFTMRBA

Smashwords:

Other:

What format is your book(s) available in (print, e-book, audio book, etc.)?

e-book and paperback.