Delving into History

Posted on: January 24th, 2012 by
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I have learned so much about the Titanic while writing Titanic Deception. There have been times I’ve literally been in tears as I read about the fate of passengers and crew, especially when children were involved.

From descriptions of bodies fished from the sea to testimonies from the two inquiries that were held after the sinking to hearing a reconstruction of what the final messages on the wireless sounded like, I have inundated myself in the hopes and dreams of those who boarded this ship in April of 1912.

I know this kind of research isn’t for everyone, but I really enjoy it. Luckily, there is a lot of information available online. While my characters are all fictional, I have woven true occurrences throughout the story. I feel it lends some authenticity to the experience.

In light of this, I’ll be sharing photos, videos and other cool things I’ve found during my research. I hope you enjoy them at least half as much as I have during this journey.

We’re aiming to publish on the 100th anniversary of the Titanic‘s sinking, so enjoy delving into the past a bit as I share. :)

Here is an audio file of one of the messages that was sent by the Titanic in her hour of need. It has been recreated. Can you imagine spending hours slouched over a console trying to decipher these sounds?

Titanic Distress Call


Yule Ebook!

Posted on: January 16th, 2012 by
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The Yule anthology that holds my short story, The Longest Night, is now available on the Kindle at Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble for the Nook. The print version will be along shortly. :)

I am very excited to see it listed. If you like these kinds of things, please check it out. It contains articles, poetry, songs and fiction all relating to the Yule holiday, written by a host of talented writers.  Perfect reading for a snuggle under a warm blanket with a cup of cocoa.

Pagan Writers Presents Yule


The Mysterious Ship

Posted on: January 9th, 2012 by
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In writing Titanic Deception, I’ve done an awful lot of research about the Titanic. The last week or so I’ve been knee-deep in the testimonies of the official Titanic inquiries by the United States and Great Britain. I must admit, wow, those senators couldn’t remember what they’d asked from one moment to the next. They repeatedly asked the same questions over and over of the same witnesses, ad nauseum. It must have been very tiring to be grilled like that.

Anyway, several witnesses mentioned a mysterious ship that no one ever identified. Captain Moore of the Mount Temple mentioned seeing it in detail while he was stuck in an ice field just a few miles away from Titanic. Many of the survivors mentioned seeing lights they thought were from a ship that they rowed towards, hoping for safety. People on the boat deck of the Titanic mentioned seeing the mast lights of a ship nearby.

This ship was never identified. Captain Moore talked about how he saw it steaming off, heading away from the wreck. Could this have been a mere coincidence? Perhaps it was a ship without a wireless telegraph system, and honestly didn’t know what was going on. Could it have been there for nefarious purposes? How many ships were actually still sailing across the Atlantic without the benefit of a wireless in 1912? I have found no answers to these questions, and have been left to my own devices for determining what this mysterious ship may have been doing there. Certainly, if the ship had been properly equipped or had a wireless operator at the console at the time of the wreck, maybe all the people on the Titanic could have been saved. The ship could have closed the few miles between the two and picked up passengers from the lifeboats so they could go back and reload with more.

What do you think the ship was doing there? Why didn’t they answer any telegrams? Why didn’t they answer the Morse code lights or the distress rockets being fired off the boat deck of the Titanic? Certainly they should have been able to see them if people on the Mount Temple and the Californian could see them. Hmmmm. You’ll have to wait for the book to see what I do with this information. :)


Back to the Grind

Posted on: January 5th, 2012 by
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Does anyone else have issues getting back into the usual routines after the holidays? Even though we don’t have a huge change in our schedules for the holidays, it changes how the day flows. When it’s over, I find myself struggling to get back into my usual mindset.

I didn’t write a lot during the holidays, and now I am faced with rewrites, edits, and plugging gaping holes in my plot. I don’t want my book to sink like the Titanic, even though it deals with the Titanic. :P Anyway, life trudges on. The work isn’t going anywhere, so I must face it. Publish or perish, right? Especially with a self-imposed deadline hanging over my head.

It’s funny how I struggle with the same issues that I’d have no problem pointing out to my editing clients. I’m laughing all the way to my desk, only to find myself staring at the screen, anxious to do anything but deal with the problems. Discipline. That’s what I need. Ooops… I just found a fantastic site I have to explore. It’s research. No, really. It may make some of those plot holes shrink. Really. I’m not making it up or trying to waste time.

Well, maybe a little.

But, really, it may help. The lightbulb is shining a bit brighter in my foggy post-holiday brain as I shred my manuscript to find the weaknesses. Before this ship sails, it needs more time in the shipyard.

What do you do to get back in the swing of things? I think I need another cup of tea. And chocolate. I really think I need some chocolate. That would help, don’t you think?

Oh, and Happy New Year. May 2012 be productive for all my writer friends (and me!) and may all my reader friends find their bookshelves full of wonder.


What is your True Worth in Time and Money?

Posted on: December 30th, 2011 by
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Time and Money

If we take a look at Time and Money… We have all heard the saying that “Time is Money.”

How much is time worth? What do we put down as our worth in time? Take 24 hours and multiply that by 60 minutes = 1,440 minutes. Now, take that number and multiply it by 365 days = 525,600 minutes.

You could take your income for the year and divide it by that number above and see what your worth is per minute.

But, is that truly your REAL worth? Are we only a $ sign? Are you only worth a few cents per minute?

I think not… we are priceless! Don’t let some dollar amount be your worth. Don’t let people equate you by some income level matrix.

You have unbelievable worth and wealth!

Time is not money… it is just time. Wonderful, beautiful sunrises and sunsets!

Money is not time either, money is a tool which we use to buy and sell things. Yes, we all would like more of it, but it shouldn’t own us.

We should own our money and time. We shouldn’t be controlled by it.

Our worth in this world should have nothing to do with money or time.

So, enjoy the time you have.

Money…? Well, it’s good to have and we all want to make as much as we can, but enjoy what you can do with it. Money is not evil, it’s not the root of anything. It’s just money.

I know how precious time is and I seize each day, seize every hour, every minute and second; time is precious and we must choose how we use it. Please choose wisely. Carpe Diem!