THE WRECK OF THE COSTA CONCORDIA

We've watched this tragedy unfold daily since January 13th and today two more bodies were recovered from inside the cruise ship. Many posts and news reports have gone over the why's, the how's, and the story of Captain Francesco Schettino and his ill-fated "fall" in to a lifeboat.

Years ago when the movie TITANTIC made movie history for James Cameron, 14 year olds everywhere couldn't get enough of the song ""My Heart Will Go On", sung by Celine Dion. The "romance" of Jack Dawson letting himself go from the piece of wood Rose was sprawled on and dying so she could live was the center of the movie. It pricked a nerve with me and I had a long, heartfelt talk with my best girlfriend at the time.


I asked her, "if you were on a sinking cruise ship, would you go in a lifeboat and leave (husband's name here) behind on the ship, knowing he would die?" We both had two children under the age of five at the time. We really batted this dilemma around. She reasoned in the end that she'd go in the lifeboat because she had children to raise. And that's the reason "women and children" were always put first for lifeboats or other emergency procedures in life. The preservation of the race. For myself, I dithered back and forth. I said I couldn't imagine floating away in a lifeboat and watching my husband become a pinpoint image on a sinking deck, but neither could I imagine dying with him and leaving our children behind.


Fast forward to 2003 and we took a cruise ourselves in the Caribbean. This cruise line was responsible and held the life jacket/life boat drill before leaving port in Florida. We lined up on our deck with a couple hundred other people wearing orange lifejackets. It was a long way down to the water and I couldn't help noticing how small the lifeboats appeared, given they were telling us they'd hold up to 25 people each. Women around me were glancing at each other as the employees gave us intructions on how to enter, be seated, stay calm, etc. I realized we were all nervous and we hadn't even left port. I slipped my hand in to my husbands' and got a reassuring squeeze. He has no fear of water, loves the ocean, and is adventurous. I'm afraid of water, having almost drowned in a quarry at 15 years of age, have a healthy respect for the ocean's ability to reign down terror on boats, and am adventurous when the odds are on my side.


That night in our cabin, I told him about my conversation years before with my friend. And I told him I'd realized, standing on that deck sweating buckets in a life jacket, that I'd never be able to get in one without him so he'd better not decide to be the hero if something happened on our cruise. Our children have named guardians in our wills and would be well taken care of!


It's true. I wasn't being a hero myself, I just realized in the reality of the moment that I could never leave my husband behind. And I'm sure of the 18 people still missing and the bodies of the people that've been recovered over the past 10 days, they likely couldn't leave their loved ones behind either.


And I can categorically say that falling in to one of those lifeboats, even with the ship tipped over on it's side, would be a circus act of derring-do comparing to falling off the ship and in to the ocean, given the same trajectory.


May all the lost rest in peace, and may the survivors grab their second chance at life and life it to the fullest.

The Joy of a New Computer

Here we are halfway through January and I've spent every day since Christmas pounding away on my awesome, SONY, RED, laptop! My hubby surprised me for Christmas with a new wireless printer. I was ecstatic! Then, the last present behind the tree came from "Valour", otherwise known as "Wonder Dog", "the Golden Beast", or "you idiot!"

Valour, brilliant dog that he is, apparently bought me this gorgeous red laptop (it's just a bonus that it's red, my favourite colour!) when he saw it - the very last red one - in the store. And he spent the week before Christmas loading it up with software for his writer-mommy.

Now I can write in the living room, on the dining table, at Tim Hortons coffee shop - anywhere besides the freezing cold basement. But the most important thing to me, is the colour. We all know colour affects us. Well, red is my second favourite colour - I adore red cars/trucks, appliances, electronics, vases, flowers - if it's red it'll find it's way in to my house somehow. Purple is my absolute favourite colour but that's more for clothes and some decor. RED - now that's a colour that jazzes me up and gets me going first thing in the a.m.

I'd have been just as happy if hubby'd had to spring for the neon orange laptop. It's getting my creativity going and it's FUN. We often forget that writing is supposed to be FUN and not all about slitting our wrists in agony over every word on the screen. Every time I open up my laptop, I feel great.

Valour is an extremely smart dog, what can I say?

How does colour affect you for writing? Do you have your office or whatever room you write in painted to inspire you? Invigorate you? Do you write better wearing certain colours? Think about it - if you've been putting off painting your spare room/"office" maybe now's the time to check paint chips and get your colour groove on!

I Hate Cats...please throw tomatoes!

It's true, I hate cats. I'm allergic to them and am sitting here right now with red-rimmed eyes and a runny nose. We've got two geriatric beasts, who live down in the basement because they can't stand Valour, our Golden Retriever, (see below)and want to live out their stupid lives in peace.

One belongs to my son and one belongs to my daughter. They've provided an emotional "security blanket" during all of our military moves across country and back again. The kids count on them for cuddles when Dad's away, as he is now, and as soon as they come home they both ask, "how's Barrington today?", "how's Screech today?".

My husband and I switched offices (long story) and so I'm back in the basement corner, having feng shuied as much as possible to keep my writing mojo. It must be working because I've got two stories on the go which is grand. Other then these stupid cats, who've decided they like to lie on top of a) my mouse, b) my mouse when my hand's on it, c) curled around the top of my keyboard, and d) on top of the phone.

I'm a dog person. (see below!)If I wasn't allergic to them, I'd probably think cats were fine as long as they stayed off my bloody desk. So, who out there enjoys a cat as Muse? I know Allison Brennan, thriller writer, has a gorgeous cat named Nemo. I prefer my Muse to stay on my shoulder, and away from my runny eyes and sniffling nose.

Ok, wing those tomatoes at me! And tell me what you think the differences are between cat people, and dog people.

What a difference a year makes.....

Here we are a year later; my husband's back from Afghanistan and we've gone through the "re-entry" phases of integrating him back in to "normal" (whatever that is!) life, we got another Golden Retriever who's led us a merry dance for the past 11 months, my son's graduated, and now summer's half gone again.

Our dog, "Valour", has been quite the challenge to train. Although we got him from the same breeder, he's nothing like Tessa. He's extremely alpha, high energy, and stubborn, stubborn, stubborn. Not really a "Golden" temperment at all. He's what our trainer likes to call "a lot of dog". I meant to re-start this blog when we brought him home to follow his genesis for 9 weeks old to....whenever, but I spent the first two months sleeping on the couch with him as he fought food allergies and illness along with crate training.

We've done puppy class, Basic Obedience, and Nosey Scenting Level One so far. He's been ill a couple of times, to the tune of $$$$ in vet bills. He's 11 months old today and just starting to settle down a bit. I can also vouch for the fact that Cesar Milan's tactics don't always work - the "bite" Cesar advocates meant nothing to this guy! Still, it's a joy to have a dog in the house again. I can't imagine being without one.

It's a joy to have life start to seem normal again. Please stick around for some book reviews, doggie info, philosophy, and my writing process. And card-making, scrapbooking, and knitting. It's all grist for the mill, as someone famous once said. (or, if they didn't, they should have)

Thanks for stopping by!

Catching Up

Since my husband left once more for Afghanistan, August has been telescoped in to both fast events and the effect of rushing emotions pushing me every which way. In other words, this month has been bizarre! We're now at Labour Day weekend and although the kids and I have been alone for the long weekend we've managed to have fun shopping for school supplies and renting movies to pass the time.

This is my son's graduating year for high school, so two weeks ago we began the daily football practices at 8 a.m. My daughter's shown too great an interest in black and purple eye-make up (curse those YouTube vids given by girls with more time then talent!), so we've been practising make-up lessons every day to bring it down several notches to what mom's comfortable letting her out of the house in.

As far as writing, I've found a fabulous critique partner and she's helping me overhaul my current project while I get the enjoyment of reading her first draft of her current MS.

I'm taking an online course with John Foxjohn, who many of you already now. The course is "Scene and Sequel" and it's a great example of the fact that we can never stop learning our craft. I'm enjoying myself thoroughly!

And, I'm busy reading the six books I bought from Carina Press. http://www.carinapress.com/ These books are helping me get through having to suddenly put down our beloved golden retriever, Tessa. We had no idea she had inoperable cancer until she went in to organ failure. Holding her in my arms while she slipped away was agony. I still feel as though she'll be lying in the hallway when I turn the corner. Sometimes I put down her food bowl to call her for supper, then feel like an idiot when I realize she's never going to have supper again. I'm so glad the kids go back to school tomorrow and will be back with friends who've been away over the summer. (although I'll be searching my daughter's purse for that "midnight plum" eyeshadow! I wouldn't mind it so much, except for the "midnight black" shadow she loves to put around her lids till she looks like a racoon. Curse you, Twilight!)

I know I promised an excerpt from my medieval. Well, I'm re-writing it with the new things I'm learning in John Foxjohn's class, so please stay-tuned! And enjoy the rest of your long weekend. I love the beginning of school days, the crisp air, the new clothes and notebooks. In Canada, I think Autumn is the best season of the year.

A Review of SEA OF SUSPICION by Toni Anderson

Sea of Suspicion by Toni Anderson


My rating: 5 of 5 stars





The best thing about this book is not just the well-drawn hero, Det. Insp. Nick Archer, or the heroine, Susie Cooper, a marine biologist, it's the well-drawn setting of St. Andrews, Scotland and the Gatty Marine Lab. It's not often in a romantic suspense you can learn so much about another country, marine biology, and feel you're intensely "in the action".




Toni Anderson has made her setting of St. Andrews the third character in this engaging romantic suspense, her first with Carina Press. I love gothic settings, and while Ms.Anderson might not think she's pegged her setting this way, I found it reminiscent of Mary Stewarts older gothics such as "Wildfire at Midnight".




Secrets, revenge, a sexual attraction that won't be denied, and a dead University student, are a potent mix in this romantic suspense. Nick Archer is flawed, but not broken, and Susie is at odds with her past but proves she has the inner strength to match her hero.




Here is a shortened quote from one of my favourite scenes: their first true interaction with each other:

"Bloody hell." He pulled out a cell phone, adjusting it to read the display in the poor light. Swearing, he looked at her with an apology in his eyes. And regret. Because she was a sure thing. "I've got to go."


...She dashed inside and closed the door. Locked it. He could have her car, no problem. But he couldn't have her. She wanted a relationship, a future, a family. Nick Archer was a lousy bet for anything except orgasms and heartbreak, and not even the orgasms were guaranteed."




If you like dark, edgey, and sexy, this book is for you. I look forward to more from Ms. Anderson, and I'm sure after reading SEA OF SUSPICION, so will you.Toni Anderson

View all my reviews

The Joy of Writer Friends

Today I had lunch with a woman I met through my writer's class last fall. We had a lot to catch up on! If you've read to the end of my blog, you'll notice I've posted several times on the difference between "live" writing friends, and "internet" writing friends. It's great to have both kinds, but nothing takes the place of talking over lunch and discussing your writing projects and everyting writing related. It's easier to learn from each other when you can take some time to get to know the other person and what thrills them in their writing journey.

And I haven't forgotten my excerpt! I'm fine-tuning my opening and strengthening my heroine in a different way then making her the "kick-butt" heroine so in vogue the past couple of years. Elise is strong and determined but I want to go back to being in tune with who and what women in medieval times were like, the roles they played (and yes, some went to war and some defended their castles and estates while their men were absent), and what mattered to them as women. So, the excerpt might not be the opening of the book, but it will be up next week.

In the meantime, here's my "working photo" of Elise to keep me inspired and on track with her personality. I have no idea who the actress is, but I love her "look".

Now, back to revisions!