2023—Let It Be

Posted on by - 2023

Like all years, 2023 held the good and the bad. For me, the scale tipped more toward the bad side, but thankfully, most of that is well behind me. I have much to celebrate today, my 35th wedding anniversary, so let me reminisce.

Photo by Qui Nguyen at unsplash.com

Why a picture of coral? Symbolizing longevity and success, coral represents the 35th anniversary. Neither plant nor rock, coral is animal, an invertebrate that can live for hundreds, even thousands, of years! A sign that these beautiful old fossils and their strong union will last nearly into eternity.

 

Oops, those aren’t the old fossils but the young cuties in 1987 and 1988, respectively. These are fuzzy stills taken from the video interviews we did at the dating club where we met, then known as American Millionaires International (“AMI”) on West 57th Street in Manhattan. No, we weren’t millionaires or anywhere close, even further from that mark after AMI took a big chunk of our money in membership fees! Worth it, though, right? The people at AMI eventually realized the name was a little off-putting and changed it to “Invitations.”

For those of you in the dating app click-and-swipe generation, here’s how the antiquated system worked in the 80s. I filled out a two-sided, single-page questionnaire with basic info and still photos, what AMI called the “Perfect Match Profile.” I’d go there and leaf through the binders of profiles, find the ones I liked, and ask to see the corresponding videos with scintillating questions like, “What’s your idea of a romantic date?” and “Where do you see yourself in five years?” If I liked a video, AMI would snail mail a postcard to my chosen one, asking him to come in and look at my profile and video. If it’s a “yes” from him, AMI snailed me a postcard with his phone number. It was up to me, the initial chooser, to call the amenable chosen one. If someone chose me first, it would go the other way around. Don’t think I had too many of those.

What a process! Had to be patient in those days.

I’d been in the club for a year and had about eight dates before meeting Kevin. He was new, and I was his first, occasioning his tongue-in-cheek comment that he didn’t get his money’s worth on the exciting dating scene. I told him, “You lucked out big time.” The eight dates I had were painfully awkward. My favorite was the guy who had a fantasy of driving me to the restaurant on the back of his motorcycle. On the phone I said, no way, I’ll meet you outside and we’ll take a cab. He showed up at my building with his motorcycle anyway. On the intercom, I nixed the motorcycle ride again and refused to open the door so he could leave his helmet in my apartment. When we got back from the date, his helmet was no longer dangling from the handlebars.

Six months to the day after our first date at Windows on the World, Kevin proposed—also at Windows on the World. I could guess what was coming as he nervously whispered his practice lines. So could the party of four sitting at the next table. Before Kevin could take out the ring box, one of the men blurted in a Texas accent, loud enough for us to hear, “I think he’s going to propose!” It was a “yes” from me, of course, uttered shyly to Kevin as he put the diamond on my finger, with my back partially turned to that boisterous (drunk?) group.

Soon after, we went back to AMI and politely demanded our profiles and videos as keepsakes. When they found out we were engaged, the cry went out, “Engagement here!” Three or four startled singles in the library looked up from the profile books and started clapping. AMI agreed to release our profiles and videos only after shaking us down for a Member Profile Interview to publish in their newsletter. The writer got creative and colorful in exaggerating our respective career titles and “quoting” our remarks about the fabulous AMI system.

And the rest is history.

I owe Kevin, as well as other family members and friends, my gratitude in helping me through my 2023 health setback. Chemo, surgery, and most side effects are now out of the way with complete success, so it’s full speed ahead with good health in the New Year! I had to quit teaching dance for several months, but I’m back now and looking forward to teaching many adult classes in 2024.

This photo with some of my students at Scarsdale Ballet Studio was taken in February before I went on break. I danced at home during this period to try and keep in shape.

 

Here is a still from a short piece of choreography I recorded in July, pre-surgery. You can watch it here on YouTube.

 

The writing life continues. Had a lot of fun appearing on the Voice of Indie podcast in August. You can hear it here. The two hosts, Beem Weeks and Stephen Geez, are excellent writers with interesting books I recommend.

Didn’t get anything published in 2023 but wrote a few stories and I’m close to finishing a book-length collection of short fiction. Murderous Ink Press will be publishing my story, “A Father’s Duty,” in one of their 2024 anthologies. I’m most excited about my new novel, Indelicate Deception, a character-driven family drama with an element of suspense and social thematic underpinnings. Although one of the characters is a lawyer, the novel is a far departure from my Dana Hargrove suspense novels. I finished the first draft early in the year, polished it, and am sending out queries to literary agents. Wish me luck trying to get this book out to the world sooner than later!

Dear friends, here’s to health, happiness, and peace in 2024 and beyond,

Vija

Gratitude and Curiosity…and a Post Script

Posted on by - Ballet & Mystery, Dance

My Royal Academy of Dancing certificates, faded and stained, hang on the wall near my computer desk. I see them every day, but like so many things in the home environment, they fade into the background and go unnoticed. Today I focused on them with feelings of gratitude—and curiosity.

The gratitude: For my parents

With seven children and very little money, they still found a way to give me ballet training. They knew how much I loved it. I lived for dance class, twice a week as I remember, plus rehearsals. Professional-level training should be daily, but that was something well outside the family budget. As a teen, with my own income, I added classes and somehow made it to a performing artist. Ballet, and later, jazz and contemporary styles.

Dance has stayed with me for more than 60 years and now I dance daily, either taking or teaching class. No other form of exercise includes all this: full-body strengthening, flexibility, stamina, and coordination; musicality, mathematical precision, and artistry; mental acuity and memory improvement; organization and discipline. Surrounded by other dancers in the studio, you absorb their energy and gain inspiration. You walk out of there feeling happy the rest of the day. An endorphin high.

Okay, you get it. I’m grateful.

The curiosity: Who were my RAD examiners?

My RAD certificates are signed by my examiners: Ruth French and Jean Bedells. I was a teenager when I took those exams. Like most teenagers, I lived in blissful ignorance of the backgrounds and daily lives of my teachers and elders. I knew next to nothing about the RAD examiners.

All I knew was this. The studio I attended in Oakland California was an affiliate of the Royal Academy of Dancing in England, whose president, Dame Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991), was the prima ballerina in a storied partnership with Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993). In 1962, when Fonteyn considered retiring from the stage, she reluctantly agreed to dance with the Russian defector, who was 19 years her junior.

 

As it turned out, their unlikely partnership was magical and lasted for decades. Nureyev once said of Fonteyn that they danced with “one body, one soul”. Their last performance together was “Baroque Pas de Trois” in September 1988 when Fonteyn was 69 and Nureyev was 50; they danced with Carla Fracci, then 52.

Click here for a video of Fonteyn and Nureyev dancing the Swan Lake pas de deux on the Ed Sullivan show in 1965. Fonteyn was 46 years old. Gorgeous.

I digress. Back to my exams.

My training in classical ballet followed the RAD syllabus. Every two years, RAD examiners traveled from London to our studio in California. As I recall, a few students took the exam together. We wore a regulation outfit: black leotard and pink tights with a particular kind of skirt and headband. The examiner sat at the front of the studio and gave us the exercises and dance combinations using the French terms. What’s the difference between a “pas de bourrée dessus” and a “pas de bourrée dessous”? The words sound almost the same, but you’d better know which one the examiner wants you to do. Nowadays, when I teach, I call them “pas de bourrée over” and “pas de bourrée under.” So much easier.

In my recent search for information about my examiners, I couldn’t seem to find the “Royal Academy of Dancing.” Isn’t that the organization on my certificates? Mystery solved when I learned that the name changed to “Royal Academy of Dance” in 1999. Does “dancing” sound too pedestrian? Better to say “the dance,” pronounced like “the sconce.”

My elementary examiner was Ruth French (1903-1986). It was 1970, I was 16, and the lady from England seemed ancient. In fact, French was a year younger than I am now—and, of course, as you surely will say, I’m not ancient, or even very old (!)

French danced before the so-called birth of British Ballet, so she had to develop her own career. When touring, she advertised with her own publicity boards—like the one pictured above. She twice appeared in Royal Command performances and danced with Anna Pavlova in the 1920s. In a 1935 production of Swan Lake, young Margot Fonteyn and Ruth French were co-stars, Fonteyn dancing Odette (the white swan), and French dancing Odile (the black swan). French later became a respected teacher and an examiner for the RAD. In 1973, she received the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award.

My intermediate level examiner was Jean Bedells (1924-2014), daughter of Phyllis Bedells (1893-1985), who was a founding member of the RAD in 1920 and helped develop its first syllabus. Jean Bedells performed with Sadler’s Wells Ballet, the precursor to the Royal Ballet.

Here is a photo of her as a teenager in 1938. A list of Bedells’ performances includes a 1942 performance of Coppélia in which she danced the part of one of Swanilda’s friends. Thirty years later, in 1972, I danced that role in the RAD company I performed with in the East Bay Area, Dancer’s Theatre.

 

Here is another photo of Bedells from a performance of “The Quest” in 1943. Not sure, but I think she’s the one in the middle.

 

In performance, 1973, when I had enough hair for a bun

I never took the RAD advanced level exam. I was training for it when I decided to switch studios. In 1973, I joined Carlos Carvajal’s Dance Spectrum in San Francisco.

This is me on stage in Carlos Carvajal’s “Iridis,” to Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin.” Beautiful music and choreography.

I’ve enjoyed this little trip down memory lane, along with everything I learned with a little extra research. Now for a….

Post Script

Here’s a bit of news about my other passion—fiction writing!

As many of you know, the sixth and final Dana Hargrove legal mystery, Power Blind, was published in January 2022. A few years ago, the first four novels were combined into two e-book double sets, making them available at a discount and free to Kindle Unlimited members. Now the third and final “Dana Hargrove Double” (novels 5 and 6) is on pre-order, to be released February 17.

Here’s the real news. During the preorder period, all three double sets are priced at just 99 cents (regularly $5.99). All six novels, for pennies. So, load up your Kindle before February 17 for rainy day reading to come!

I’ve just finished writing a new novel (very different from the Dana Hargrove series), and I’m on a hunt for a literary agent. Wish me luck!

Ciao for now.

Summer eBook Sale

Posted on by - 2022, The Dana Hargrove Novels

 

Just a quick note to let you know about this!

Summer 2022 is the time to pick up the first 5 Dana Hargrove novels in ebook.

Less than a buck each, marked down from $4.99.

Tell your friends!

Here are the links for my author pages at these booksellers:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Apple iBooks

Kobo

Here’s the sale schedule!!»»»»»»

 

 

“Informed, thrilling action in and out of the courtroom, and few can portray it better than V.S. Kemanis. Highly recommended.”  — The San Francisco Review of Books 

 

 

 

Discovering America Travelogue (6): Florida Extravaganza! March 2022

Posted on by - 2022, Travelogue

Winter blues and an urge to explore prompted our 12-day tour of the Sunshine State, March 10 – 21, 2022. Travelers: one of my daughters, my husband, and moi.

March 10

A successful snaking and circling of the same old (but repaved) convoluted traffic patterns brings you to the spiffy-new LaGuardia Airport terminal. I still hold a place in my heart for the 1964 terminal, which, in 2014, a pol likened to that of a “third world country.”

LGA Terminal

 

Evening flight to Jacksonville. The JAX airport has tons of rocking chairs, a creepy giant person in a window,

JAX Airport Window: creepy giant person

 

and a beautiful art installation in the baggage claim area. “The River” by Peter Hite is composed entirely of postage stamps.

Part of “The River”

 

We rented a car in the terminal and were directed to the garage across the street. The man in the Budget booth glanced at our contract and said, “Wait here.” Twenty minutes passed, customers coming and going, their cars delivered to them, easy as you please. The man assured us, “Your car is coming soon. It was parked two miles away.” Oh.

Ten minutes later, still waiting, we showed the contract to three women in Budget uniforms, chatting nearby. One of them found the car 100 yards away, parked in the aisle in front of us. “Next time, ask one of us, not him!” They laughed, throwing oblique looks at the man in the booth.

March 11

For much of our east coast tour, the Sunshine State gave us 50s, 60s, wind, and rain. The first day, we drove around Jacksonville in the downpour, fondly recalling our umbrella stash back home. We admired the exteriors of rain-soaked buildings, the performing arts center, a huge county courthouse, and the public library with an owl sculpture.

Jacksonville Library

 

Then, a pleasant surprise. We happened upon MOCA, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and dashed inside. Damply, we enjoyed the installation “Letters of Love” by Chiharu Shiota,

Hubby and me behind Letters of Love

 

and works by Karen Seapker, Didier William, Jiha Moon, and Jessica Hische.

Vilano Beach

Facing up to reality, we purchased umbrellas at Target.

Driving south on coastline Route AIA in blinding rain, we got out to look at Vilano Beach for 5 minutes during a slight let up. The wind laughed at our flimsy umbrellas.

A beautiful beach. This was our second 5 minutes on this beach. We’d been here in 50-degree weather in February 2020 [see photo in Travelogue (4)], when we vowed to return on a nice weather day. Oh well.

St. Augustine hotels were full, so we checked into a Quality Inn, 20 minutes away in Elkton. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Avoid The Un-Quality Inn of Elkton at all costs! Our ground floor room, which smelled like cigarette smoke, had a jimmied door lock and faced the parking lot, where a man sat in his car for hours, staring at us whenever we entered or exited. Quality Inn customer service responded to my negative review with a four-paragraph apology email, expressing the “hope to see you back again, so we can show how we improved and give you a far better experience!” Sorry to dash your hopes.

At 7 p.m. the rain stopped. We gladly hightailed out of our rooms, back to “the Oldest City in the U.S.” Had a lovely walk around historic Castillo de San Marcos National Monument and through the old City Gates to the pedestrian mall with shops on St. George Street.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

At 9 p.m., it started raining again.

March 12

Drove south on AIA, arriving in Daytona Beach around noon. The rain yielded to a cold, gray, windy day on the last weekend of Daytona Bike Week. Leather-clad bikers paraded their noisy machines, many blasting music from speakers. The bikers came in all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages (Boomers predominating). At an outdoor beer garden on Main Street, a band played a cover of the 1967 hit, “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream.

Do we look cool?

 

After Main Street, we took a cold walk on the famous beach of flat, hard-packed sand you can drive on, though we didn’t see any beach drivers or many beach walkers for that matter. Too cold. On the boardwalk that isn’t a boardwalk (brick and concrete) we read commemorative plaques with world records from past races.

“Bullets are the only Rivals”

 

Out of Daytona on Route 1 south (because AIA dead-ends halfway down the barrier reef), we spied Cape Canaveral in the distance, then cut back to AIA at Cocoa Beach, through neighborhoods of small, well-kept homes and passed Patrick Space Force Base. An hour before sunset, we stopped at Sebastian Inlet State Park and enjoyed watching the fisherman and beautiful waterfowl. Dinnertime! Dozens of pelicans put on a show, dramatically divebombing for fish.

Bird at Sebastian Inlet State Park

 

Continuing south to Fort Pierce, we checked into our hotel and went to dinner at Tutto Fresco in Port St. Lucie. Delicious food, highly recommended!

March 13

Drove west, inland to Lake Okeechobee. Not much of interest in the nearby town or barren landscape surrounding the lake, with many RV communities. After picnic lunch in the small Lake Okeechobee Park, we drove 12 miles to the “Scenic Trail” entrance. Not well marked, missed it, found it. Walked a couple of miles on the lake rim, turned and walked back. Saw Rainbow Lizards (agamas) and other interesting critters.

Rainbow lizard

 

Returned east, went over the Seaway Avenue Bridge to Hutchinson Island and south on AIA. We stopped at Frederick Douglass Park for a long walk on the cold, windy, empty beach. Beautiful surf. We continued south on AIA to downtown Stuart for an enjoyable evening strolling the boardwalk along St. Lucie River and streets of shops and restaurants. Ate at Spritz City Bistro followed by ice cream at Kilwins on Osceola St. Good choices! Recommended.

March 14

Checked out of Fort Pierce and drove south on I-95 for about an hour, then back to the coast, Route 704, the Royal Park Bridge, south on AIA through ritzy neighborhoods, Mar-a-Lago and Palm Beach. Stopped at Phipps Ocean Park for a long walk on the beach, the weather starting to warm up, sun peeking through clouds. A nice park with crowds of huge iguanas. We loved watching them, even if Palm Beach wants to get rid of them. Euthanasia services are available. 😬

Florida Iguanas

 

A bit further south, we had picnic lunch at Ocean Inlet Park. We weren’t as impressed with this park, possibly because the weather turned nasty again!

To speed up the trip, we took I-95 to Miami, arriving at 5:30 p.m. Checked into our nice, clean Air BnB apartment in the “Barbizon” building on Ocean Drive in South Beach.

The Barbizon

 

Despite “Spring Break” season, our place was relatively quiet, the streets not overly crowded. Bad weather will do that, even in Miami! At sunset, we walked on the “boardwalk” (brick pedestrian walkway) to South Pointe Park (yes, spelled like pointe shoes!), where you can see, across the water, Port Miami’s cruise ships, the Miami skyline, and Fisher Island.

South Pointe Park

 

On the way back, we admired the Art Deco buildings in South Beach and had a delicious meal at Kalamata Mediterranean Cuisine Restaurant. Recommended!

March 15

Big beautiful beach and, dadgum it, we were going! The weather report said low 70s, intermittent showers. I sat on my towel, battered by blasts of rain, bravely clutching my Target umbrella that shuddered in the wind. Gave up.

Less wind in Lummus Park, which runs between the beach and Ocean Drive. We enjoyed watching women’s college volleyball matches as the rain diminished to sprinkles.

Late afternoon, took a long walk over the AIA Bridge to Miami (MacArthur Causeway), looking down at the cruise terminals and coast guard facilities. Just okay, not too exciting. On the way back, dashed into a Publix, barely avoiding the next torrential downpour!

That evening, we drove across the bridge and toured several neighborhoods in Miami. Most interesting was Wynwood, the design district, where people on the street listened to live percussion.

Design District Miami

 

Back in South Beach at about 9 p.m., got a sidewalk table at La Locanda. Delicious Italian food, a good choice!

March 16

Finally, a real beach day, sunny and low 80s, but we had to check out of the Barbizon! Goodbye South Beach. We donned bathing suits, packed up and drove up the coast to North Beach Oceanside Park.

Sun and swimming in turquoise blue water. Woo-hoo! This is the life!

Or…risk of death? What are those weird blue balloons all over the beach? Dead jellyfish? Didn’t know at the time but found out later that the “Portuguese Man-of-War” is multiple organisms combined. Saw one wiggling its pointy end.

Portuguese Man-of-War

 

Beware! If alive, the tentacles sting.

Stinging tentacles

 

No worries. Stings are painful but only “rarely fatal.”

Late afternoon, west to Naples on I-75, known as “Alligator Alley” or the “Everglades Parkway.” If there were alligators, we didn’t see them. High winds pummeled the car, and a flash downpour brought traffic to a creeping pace for 10 minutes. Literally couldn’t see a thing. A minute before the rain started, birds frantically flapped away and disappeared. They knew what was coming and weren’t sticking around.

March 16 p.m. – March 18

Wonderful visit in Naples with my sister and brother-in-law. 80s and sunny. We spent time at the pool and on the Gulf beach at Lowdermilk Park.

Sis and Me on Naples Beach

 

Looking for good food in Naples? (other than my sister’s cooking) Saigon to Paris Café has a unique menu featuring, you guessed it, French and Vietnamese cuisine. Delicious!

Left Naples the evening of March 18 and drove north on I-75 to Nokomis, where we checked into the Home2 Suites at about 8:30. A very comfortable, new hotel. The desk manager Tony helps you remember his name by lifting his leg and pointing twice: “Toe, knee!”

Night life in Nokomis is less impressive, however. Toe-knee recommended, Pop’s Sunset Grill, supposedly open for dinner until 10 p.m. At 9:05 the place was bursting with happy eaters. We asked for a table and they turned us away! The kitchen had just closed.

A couple of other restaurants looked closed as well, so we decided to pick up something to fix in our little kitchen at Home2Suites. The Publix was closed. Seems 9 p.m. is time to shutter the town of Nokomis. We barely made it to another Publix 20 minutes away before it closed at 10 p.m.

March 19

I don’t have much else to say about the Nokomis-Venice beach area. It may be very lovely, but even Toe-Knee couldn’t convince us to stick around. We drove north and went to the Sarasota County Fair. Chickens, goats, rabbits, “swine,” cows, and even camels. Elaborately patterned roosters were my favorite.

Camel at Sarasota County Fair

 

After that, we went to the Ringling Museum of Art. An absolute MUST SEE if you find yourself in Sarasota. John Ringling (1866-1936), the fifth of seven Ringling Brothers, was one of the wealthiest men in the world until he went belly up in the Great Depression. He bequeathed his leftovers—his art museum and home—to the state of Florida.

Ringling Art Museum

 

No small thing. The art collection is huge and astonishing. His home Ca’ d’Zan (“The House of John” in Venetian dialect) is a 30-room mansion inspired by Venetian Gothic palaces, with a terrace extending to the Gulf’s edge. After touring the mansion, we stood on the terrace and watched fish leaping five feet out of the water. We figured they must be reincarnated circus performers.

Ca’ d’Zan

 

Drove north over the fantastic Sunshine Skyway Bridge (see Travelogue 4) to Indian Rocks Beach, where we’d booked a suite for two nights at the Holiday Inn & Suites Harborside, 401 2d St. Check in was interesting.

A young man named Clayton (new on the job?) was behind the desk with his manager. Upon hearing my name, the boss said, “Oh! We were just talking about you!” She launched into a lengthy explanation and apology. We’d have to switch suites in the morning because a plumber was coming. No worries, the plumbing works, but the access point to the problematic plumbing is in our suite. So sorry. They’ll do everything possible not to disrupt our stay. If we plan to be out in the morning, they will happily move our luggage and hold it in the office because they don’t even know where we’ll be moved. Everything depends on who checks out first. On and on. Okay.

Went to the suite, opened the door, stopped dead in our tracks. The place was full of possessions, including a half-full bottle of tequila and glasses on the kitchen counter. Didn’t stay long enough to see who’d been drinking.

Returned to the office where Clayton was now alone. I slapped the keycard down. “This suite is occupied!” He rolled his eyes and exclaimed, “Of course it is!” before running into the back room. Hmm…  Clayton seemed to know something about our suite that maybe the boss didn’t. Had she disbelieved him? Exerted her ill-informed authority to cause him humiliation in front of a hotel guest? I was not to find out.

Minutes later Clayton returned, sans boss, and explained that the suite was an Air BnB rental. Oh. Tension mounted as he typed and jabbed at his keyboard endlessly. No vacancies? The place was hopping with people. I was mentally planning a lawsuit for breach of contract when Clayton, finally, produced a new keycard. This suite was just like the one we’d reserved, he said, but so sorry, it’s on the other side of the building, no harbor view, so the boss took $200 off our bill. We’d still have to switch in the morning.

Luckily, the new suite was uninhabited. But, what? “Switch in the morning” was really annoying and made no sense at all. Harborview? Who cares? I called the office. “Right, of course! Let me ask!” Clayton put me on hold for a consult with the boss and returned with a promise of two uninterrupted nights!

Once settled, we liked the place. The town was very busy. That evening, we scoped out several restaurants, all with wait times, and decided on PJ’s Oyster Bar. Had a drink and waited 45 minutes with the overflow crowd in the parking lot. The food and service were pretty good.

For dessert, delicious ice cream at the Tropical Bar, 435 Gulf Blvd, Indian Rocks Beach. My mouth is watering thinking about this again.

March 20

Indian Rocks Beach. A warm day but very windy, making it somewhat uncomfortable. The sand is so fine that, within minutes, our towels disappeared under it. Didn’t swim but walked and had a lotta fun watching excellent kite surfers, real pros.

 

Speaking of professionals, here is an action shot from our miniature golf game (onsite at the Holiday Inn & Suites Harborside). The pink ball was inside that tunnel, I sat down to make the shot and tumbled backward as the ball rolled into the hole. Great form, eh?

 

Late in the day, we walked over the Indian Rocks Causeway Bridge to the George C. McGough Nature Park. Loved this little park with a long boardwalk and live animal exhibits, including 22 rescued, non-releasable birds (owls, hawks & an eagle). We also tried out the kids’ playground, which had better than usual play structures, including a zipline. Speaking again of pros, here is my daughter zipping along. (You will thank me for not including photos of myself on the seesaw and chickening out from standing on the zipline.)

Dinner at Villa Gallace. Excellent Italian cuisine, highly recommend!

March 21

Our last day! We spent the morning at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. Really nice, but if I must compare, the Georgia Aquarium is superior [see Travelogue (4)].

We had an evening flight out of Jacksonville. Drove most of the way on Route 301, parts of it scenic, through small towns and countryside.

Thanks for traveling along!

 

As vacation memories fade, it’s time to turn back to my latest writing project, a novel very different from my legal mystery series. Please enjoy all six of the Dana Hargrove novels. Power Blind (2022) is the latest and the last!

 

 

Happy trails to you! Remember to bring a good book along!

*   *   *

Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022

Posted on by - 2021

Looking back at this time last year, I recall the general mood among so many people to be done with 2020, with big hopes for a brighter 2021. In some ways it seems like “déjà vu all over again” after a year of continuing societal, economic, political, and health challenges for many of us.

But the threshold to a new year also presents the opportunity to count our blessings and make resolutions to build on the year’s accomplishments. As I wrote on this day a year ago in 2020: Positivity and Perfect Vision, I choose to “Accentuate the Positive”! I hope that you have found many positives in 2021 to keep you going strong into 2022!

Foremost, I’m grateful for my husband and daughters, sisters and brothers, friends and neighbors. In new ways, we got to know each other better and support each other.

My husband and I did not travel much in 2021, but the trip we took to Niagara Falls in April was a highlight, beautiful and memorable. Read all about it in my Discovering America Travelogue (5): Waterfalls! I look forward to new road adventures in 2022.

2021 was filled with my two favorite activities: dance and fiction. My adult ballet students stuck with me for many wonderful virtual classes through the first half of the year, and I resumed teaching in the studio in the fall.

Scarsdale Ballet Studio: quiet moment before class, Fall 2021!

 

For the students still dancing at home, I created and posted instructional videos. Are you a dancer? Check out my YouTube Channel for adult ballet and jazz dance classes!

My home studio: Jazz dance and ballet classes on YouTube

 

On the fiction front, my suspenseful story “Golden Silence” was published in a fantastic anthology, Autumn Noir. Don’t be fooled by the story’s title—the tale is darker than “golden” and quite atmospheric…

“Golden Silence” in Autumn Noir

 

My sixth, and last, Dana Hargrove novel is scheduled to release January 25, 2022, and currently on pre-order everywhere. Power Blind! I’m proud of this one. Anyone reading this blog post may request a free digital review copy. Read more about Power Blind on this website (links: book summary and non-spoiler book review excerpts) and if you think it’s for you, send me an email through the Contact Page.

Power Blind, the sixth standalone Dana Hargrove legal mystery!

 

I’ve been working on 2022 editions of all my books, with updated afterwords and formatting. Today, the 2022 editions of my first three story collections are live and newly enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program. Subscribers may read them for free: Dust of the Universe, tales of family; Everyone But Us, tales of women; Malocclusion, tales of misdemeanor.

Story Collections, 2022 editions, now on Kindle Unlimited

 

And speaking of free stories, here’s one you can pick up for free on several sites: Wattpad, B&N, Apple, and Kobo. “GEN LD3” is my first attempt in the soft sci-fi genre. Influenced by the events of 2020-2021, the story starts out rather dark, but has an uplifting ending. I hope you like it.

GEN LD3: A short story

 

Meanwhile, ideas for new stories and a novel are swirling in my head. I eagerly await more pounding on the keyboard!

Thanks for reading. Here’s wishing you and yours a very Happy and Healthy New Year! V.S.K.

Are you on Kindle Unlimited?

Posted on by - The Dana Hargrove Novels

Dear KU Subscribers,

I’m posting this quick note to let you know that the first four Dana Hargrove novels are available on Kindle Unlimited.

Thursday’s List and Homicide Chart:

If you’re not on KU, you can purchase these “Dana Hargrove Doubles” in e-book for much less than buying them separately. Here’s Forsaken Oath and Deep Zero:

It’s been such a pleasure to distribute the Dana Hargrove novels in the most affordable format, introducing them to a new wave of fiction lovers. Since their release in mid-January, readers have been devouring the pages and leaving such wonderful reviews and feedback. And the Dana Hargrove Doubles are a good way to get the full experience of Dana’s world, from the time of her rookie days in Thursday’s List through her days as an elected D.A. in Deep Zero, before you pick up and read her latest story, Seven Shadows.

Thank you, Readers!

 

 

Crime Cafe Podcast and a Giveaway!

Posted on by - Legal fiction

Seven Shadows

In celebration of my upcoming new release, Seven Shadows, I’m giving away seven copies of my first Dana Hargrove novel, Thursday’s List. To enter, click here for details!

Thursday’s List is where it all started for Dana. The novel takes place in 1988, when Dana was a mere fledgling, 26 years old, with a promising legal career ahead of her. Each standalone novel in the series skips several years, finding Dana at distinct stages of her personal life and career. Seven Shadows takes place in 2015. Dana is 53, a respected trial judge and now, more than ever, controversial cases throw the judge into dilemmas of conscience, and people from her past reappear, threatening Dana and her family.

After writing five novels featuring this dynamic woman, I am fully immersed in her life and have grown close to her family members, friends, and colleagues. My alternate reality!

Readers of mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime fiction will love author Debbi Mack‘s podcast, Crime Cafe. She has interviewed dozens of authors, and chances are, your favorites are among them. You can find links on her website. I enjoyed talking with Debbi recently about the Dana Hargrove novels and my experience in the law. Debbi and I have much in common, as fellow attorneys who write legal thrillers. Click here to listen to the podcast!

Celebration! Birthday thoughts, mystery & suspense stories, cover reveal

Posted on by - 2019, Story Collections

 

It’s my birthday! Thanks so much for joining me in the celebration.

Is this a milestone of sorts? I’m not allowing the number and its associated labels to mess with my head. Today is another day full of wonder, delight, and possibility.

A day for reflection, to be grateful for a loving family, close friends, sound health, and the good fortune to be living in a time and place that affords women the freedom to work in artistic and intellectually stimulating fields. For me, that means law, fiction writing, and dance. Not necessary in that order and sometimes simultaneously!

Today, I’ll write about writing. So far, 2019 is a banner year for short fiction, both solo works and collaborations with gifted writers and editors. If you’re more interested in novels, stick around until the end of this article for news about my next novel and a cover reveal!

mystery and suspense stories“Dzintra’s Tale,” now in the July/August issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, was inspired by experiences of my late father and late aunt during their exodus from Latvia in 1944 and subsequent years as displaced persons. Click here to read more on the blog Something Is Going To Happen, where I give some of my family’s history and the way it triggered my imagination in writing the fictional story “Dzintra’s Tale.” To readers who have been moved by the story enough to contact me directly, I thank you for sharing your personal stories of friends and family from the Baltics and WWII DPs.

The July/August EQMM issue includes stories by these fine writers, with whom I’m proud to share the pages (click on any name to learn more): Vicki Weisfeld, Richard Helms, S.J. Rozan, Trey Dowell, Michael Bracken, Marilyn Todd, Aoife Clifford, Peter Turnbull, Chris Holm, Brendan DuBois, Twist Phelan, Steven Hockensmith, R.T. Raichev, Takemaru Abiko, Tara Laskowski, Tony Fisher, and James Hadley Griffin. Thank you to editor Janet Hutchings and associate editor Jackie Sherbow of EQMM.

mystery and suspense storiesReleased in June, the anthology The Best Laid Plans, 21 Stories of Mystery and Suspense, includes my story “Sucker Punch.” I’ve lightened up on this one—just have fun with it!  In this diverse collection, each writer offers a unique twist on the theme suggested by the anthology title. Here are a few that really grabbed me: P.A. DaVoe’s “Gambling Against Fate” features a 14th century murder investigation with fascinating details about the legal system of the Ming dynasty, and Edith Maxwell’s characters in “The Stonecutter” are so well drawn I was fully immersed in their tale.

They’re all great. For no-spoiler summaries of all 21 stories, click here to check out Kevin Tipple’s review. And click on any name to learn more about the authors in this anthology: Tom Barlow, Susan Daly, Lisa de Nikolits, Peter DiChellis, Lesley A. Diehl, Mary Dutta, C.C. Guthrie, William Kamowski, Lisa Lieberman, Edward Lodi, Rosemary McCracken, LD Masterson, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Johanna Beate Stumpf, Vicki Weisfeld, and Chris Wheatley. A big thank you to Superior Shores Press and editor Judy Penz Sheluk, who also contributed a story.

mystery and suspense storiesComing in September from Level Best Books, the anthology Me Too Short Stories, Crimes Against Women, Tales of Retribution and Healing. In my story, “No Outlet,” a woman haunted by memories of a long-ago crime is spurred into action on behalf of a younger woman in trouble. Here is what editor Elizabeth Zelvin wrote in her announcement of the anthology:

“What do women want? A voice. To be heard. Respect. To be believed. Justice. To be both safe and free. The women and children in these stories use the means at hand to protect themselves and those they love… These women are neither femmes fatales nor throwaway victims, nor are they the tough-talking, gunslinging superheroines at the shallow end of crime fiction. These stories, written by women, are about women and girls as strong, as vulnerable, and as varied as their counterparts in real life… In this anthology, you will hear their voices.”

In addition to yours truly, here are the voices you will hear (click on names to learn more): Lynn Hesse, Rona Bell, Ana Brazil, Ann Rawson, C.C. Guthrie, Carole Sojka, Dayle A. Dermatis, Diana Catt, Eve Fisher, Ginn Gannon, Julia Buckley, Julia Pomeroy, Madeline McEwen, and editor Elizabeth Zelvin.

Save the date! The launch party happens on the evening of Tuesday, September 24, 2019, at The Mysterious Bookshop, 58 Warren Street, New York City. Even if you can’t make this date, New Yorkers, be sure to visit The Mysterious Bookshop when you get a chance. It’s an amazing store! [Dancer friends, the store is only a few blocks from Gibney Dance!]literary, mystery, and suspense stories

Now, here is a big thrill I got in May. My collection Your Pick: Selected Stories, won the Eric Hoffer Award for Best Short Story Collection, and was also a Finalist for the Montaigne Medal. Your Pick benefits from the input of my readers over the years. Your comments and reviews helped me select the most-loved stories from my previous collections.

 

Last but not least: A Cover Reveal!

Coming January 2020, Seven Shadows, the fifth Dana Hargrove novel.

Isn’t this cover riveting? Kudos to my cover artist, Roy Migabon.

 

mystery and suspense cover reveal

In Seven Shadows, former prosecutor Dana Hargrove, now a trial judge in Manhattan, is presiding over a high stakes media case when strange things start to happen. Is someone watching her? In the fifth standalone suspense novel of the series, Dana and her family scramble to find out who is lurking in the shadows—before it’s too late.

If you are a blogger or reviewer, please contact me to request an advance reader copy. ARCs will be available in October! Woohoo!

Now, back to “work.” Even on my birthday. “Imagination is my refuge, conception and creation my delights.”

Thanks for reading.

[Attaching here #64Selfie. Didn’t get around to taking the #65Selfie yet.]

Discovering America Travelogue (2): June 2018

Posted on by - Travelogue

On the road last week, back home again, it’s time to reflect on wonderful times with family and friends, new sights and experiences. For this installment of Discovering America, I offer a few highlights of our trip to Chicago and Grand Rapids, with recommendations for places to go and things to do!

June 21-22 – getting there

This trip was about being there, not getting there. Here’s the boring bit. New York to Chicago, 13 hours in two days, I-80 and I-90. To cut costs, we tried a less expensive overnight option: The Red Roof Inn, Elyria, Ohio. Not recommended! However, Ohio does get the prize for the best service plazas along the turnpike.

June 23-24 —Chicago, Illinois

In your dreams: Clear blue skies, 75 degrees in Chicago. For us, a reality!

We started Saturday with a stroll by Lake Michigan, always a must-do.

After that, we had brunch at Marmalade on West Montrose Avenue. I recommend this establishment with its unique, delicious breakfast/lunch menu.

After brunch, we browsed at the nearby Architectural Artifacts. What a fascinating place! (although a bit out of my price range) A huge space jammed with antiques and, like its name, architectural artifacts—old stuff pulled off of, and out of, buildings.

Here I am with my boyfriend artifact.

Next up, street festivals. Of course—it’s Chicago in the summer! Our hosts guided us to two of them. We had a blast.

First, the Logan Square Arts Festival. Booths with arts and crafts. Non-stop music. We listened to Fat Night, a band with an Earth, Wind & Fire-like sound. Click here to see a nice video of their music.

We also shook our behinds to Las BomPleneras. These women are amazing. Here is a quote from this website:

“Las BomPleneras is an all-female ensemble dedicated to the preservation, promotion and growth of the Puerto Rican culture through the music and dance genres of Bomba and Plena. Their mission is to create a process of empowerment in the female performer in all her aspects, while also instilling a sense of personal ownership and responsibility to the survival of the Puerto Rican music and dance genres of Bomba and Plena.”

I won’t upload my sad attempt at a video taken on my cell phone. Click here to see a great video of their performance in 2014.

The second festival was the Gold Coast Greek Festival at Annunciation, a smaller event at the Greek Orthodox church on N. LaSalle Drive. Great food, wine, and live music. We did a little Greek line dancing! At the end of the evening, we went to George’s Ice Cream & Sweets, North Clark Street. Mighty good!

Sunday was low key (were we exhausted after that whirlwind Saturday?) We went to the Lincoln Park Conservatory and wandered through the moist air and exotic plants in the greenhouse. Strange vegetation fascinates me. Some of it looks like Dr. Seuss illustrations. (Off subject: Did you know that we mispronounce his name? Read this about famous authors and their pseudonyms.)

While we were standing next to the Ylang-Ylang tree in the Conservatory, a docent told us the story of the creation of Chanel No. 5 in 1921, a mixture of Ylang-Ylang, rose, and jasmine. She was very into this story and had little vials of Ylang-Ylang in her pocket for sniffing. Here’s a video about the creation of Chanel No. 5, which doesn’t seem to focus quite so heavily on Ylang-Ylang.

Outside the Conservatory, we sat on the edge of the fountain and had a picnic. All agreed that food tastes most delicious when eaten outdoors.

June 25-26 – Grand Rapids, Michigan

On Monday, we spent several hours at the Laketown Beach on Lake Michigan, in nearby Holland, MI.

Steep and seemingly endless wooden stairways lead to the top of the dune and down the other side to the beach. The sand has blown over and buried a big part of the stairway. You sink down into it, wondering if the stairs are really there.

The water was too cold for swimming. It was clear, clean, easy to wade into (no muck on the bottom), but eerily devoid of any visible fish, minnows, or water fowl. No dearth of insects, however: Beware of the biting flies!

Monday evening we walked through the Heritage Hill residential district on the way to downtown Grand Rapids. The large, historic homes are well preserved and each one is unique. Really beautiful!

We ate dinner at San Chez Tapas restaurant. Delicious! In this photo I’m looking quite content after finishing that glass of wine.

As we entered the restaurant, down the block, a large crowd was gathered near the Van Andel Arena, waiting to go in. James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt were playing. The restaurant empathized with all of us who weren’t attending the concert by playing a lot of James Taylor songs.

The next day, Tuesday, we drove past the Meyer May House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Then, we carried on to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. We spent a couple of hours there and could have stayed longer. Each sculpture is a discovery tucked imaginatively into the greenery.

My favorites: “The American Horse” by Nina Akamu and “I, You, She, or He…” by Jaume Plensa.

 

Also very enjoyable, the Japanese Garden with haikus engraved on the rocks. Darn. Wish I’d taken some photos of the poems.

After the gardens, a close friend treated us to a tour of two buildings at the Steelcase Corporation. The entire place is filled with models of work stations, glass offices, studios, hubs, carrels. Not a single cord to trip on. All information resides in the air. Have you seen the movie “The Circle”? For a person like me who suffered years of paper cuts in offices furnished with clunky, sticky-drawered file cabinets, this is a dream world.

Rain all the way home. Thank you, weather gods, for giving us clear skies when it mattered!

Now, it’s back to the “old grind,” ha ha. Sorry to make you jealous, but I enjoy my new way of life. Currently, I’m adapting my novel Thursday’s List into a screenplay, then on to writing the fifth Dana Hargrove novel!

Legal Eagles: Attorneys Writing Fiction (3)

Posted on by - Book review, Legal Eagles, Legal fiction, Mystery Writers of America

Today on Legal Eagles, I’m featuring a crime author who also happens to be a fellow alumnus from the University of Colorado, School of Law. Manuel Ramos. I had the pleasure of speaking with Manuel recently at the Mysterious Bookshop, at an event to meet and greet the new board members of the Mystery Writers of America. Click here for a blog piece Manuel wrote about his new status on the national board.

As Manuel makes clear in his blog post, he is one of very few published Latino authors of crime fiction. I would venture to guess that he is also one of the few Latino crime writers with the distinction of having a highly successful law career, which included years of award-winning public service for Colorado Legal Services. He is now retired from the law.

At the Mysterious Bookshop, I picked up a copy of his latest novel, My Bad. I’m glad I did.

My Bad, by Manuel Ramos (Arte Publico Press)

My Bad, by Manuel Ramos (Arte Publico Press)

Many reviewers have written of Manuel’s talent for spare and vivid prose, bringing to life Denver’s Chicano culture and changing neighborhoods. I would add to these accolades that his legal background makes a significant contribution to his work. Those of you who’ve read the Dana Hargrove legal thrillers know of my interest in exploring the ethical dilemmas facing attorneys in the field of criminal law. Manuel enhances his work with plenty of them. How’s this one for a doozy? An ex-con employee of a criminal defense lawyer, tailing a client to investigate a civil lawsuit, unwittingly finds himself at the scene of a murder that implicates the client. Should the attorney report it or keep it quiet? What an impossible tug of competing loyalties! A dilemma of choice among the ethical duties owed in multiple capacities: as lawyer, friend, employer, and citizen. I love this stuff!

Subtitled “A Mile High Noir” in a nod to the mile-high Rocky Mountain city, My Bad is just as much a story of the relationship between attorney Luis Móntez and ex-con Gus Corral, as it is a plot-driven crime drama. Gus is adjusting to life on the outside after serving an unspecified number of years in prison for unspecified crimes. Under the watchful eye of his parole officer, Gus is perpetually on edge, second-guessing every step he makes for possible repercussions to his parole status. The legal mess that landed Gus in prison is the subject of a previous novel. Click here to watch a very cool video about the first Gus Corral novel, Desperado. I haven’t read Desperado, but am now driven to read it, to find out more about Gus. Like my Dana Hargrove novels, Manuel’s books are standalone and can be picked up in any order.

My Bad gives a real sense of place and community in its descriptions of city streets and buildings, Mexican food, family gatherings, social events, and references to music, mostly rhythm and blues. The author also sprinkles in a good number of phrases and words in Spanish. Porque lo entiendo un poquito this was not a problem for me, nor would it pose an obstacle for readers who don’t understand the language. The meaning is clear (or close enough to clear) from context, and you’ll enjoy the flavor that the dialog gives to scene and exposition.

In fiction, I appreciate creativity with language, mood, and scene, and you’ll get a lot of that here. The language is terse and, in some places, tough, but not so very tough. I’m a fan of suggestion, innuendo, clever twists, and leaving a lot to the intelligence of the reader—not a fan of graphic violence, blood and guts, or gratuitous cursing. This novel falls in place with these tastes. The characters are human, flawed, a mix of good and bad, their personal challenges relatable. For example, there’s a good deal of angst expressed by Luis Móntez as he prepares to wind down his law practice and retire, reflecting on his professional and personal life, attempting to come to terms. Does this sound familiar to me? Perhaps so. I won’t go into detail.

I enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more. Check out Manuel’s website for descriptions of all his works.