2020: Positivity and Perfect Vision

Posted on by - 2020

Perfect Vision

In 1989, the lure of big cash, fame, and glory, inspired me to write my first novel. The “Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award” called for unpublished works of fiction on the theme of creative and positive solutions to global problems. Set in 2020, with an oh-so original title, Perfect Vision was to be my stunning debut novel, featuring a cast of fascinating, prescient characters who creatively avert a future dystopia. I gave it a happy ending. Sadly, however, Ted Turner passed on this masterpiece, cliches and all. The trash can wasn’t so picky.

Accentuate the Positive

Now, as we say goodbye to the actual 2020, I’m giving the final page a happy ending. “You’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative,” Bing would sing. I hope you’ve been cheered by at least a few positives this year. Here are mine.

The year started out great with the January launch of Seven Shadows and two sets of Dana Hargrove Doubles on Kindle Unlimited: Thursday’s List & Homicide Chart and Forsaken Oath & Deep Zero.

My writing brain took a while to refocus, but now I’m well into a draft of the sixth, and final, Dana Hargrove novel. Title to be announced! I’m also working on a new story collection.

In February, before the pandemic hit, we had a fantastic road trip through Southern states. Click on my travelogue for all the highlights: routes, sights, events, food, and more.

Social Distancing = More Socializing

Say what? This year has seen more frequent socializing—but of a different kind—with neighbors, friends, and family.

Used to be that the only breathing creatures out for a walk on our quiet cul-de-sac were the deer and squirrels. That changed with homeschooling and work at home. Now everybody needs to get out for a little fresh air and a walk. We’ve had many socially distanced conversations with our wonderful neighbors, and during the warm months, even had a few happy hour gatherings in the turnaround at the end of our cul-de-sac.

Speaking of walks, we are blessed with many beautiful nature trails in the area, and it’s been nice to see more families out together walking. One day, I was surprised to hear a lone saxophone player in the woods. Click here to go to my Instagram post to hear the beautiful sound.

We’re all Zooming, of course, and this has meant more interaction on screen with my children, siblings, and other family members who do not live nearby (why didn’t we always do this?) My longstanding book group of close friends, the Lit Chicks, have had more meetings online than ever before, and I found a new online book group full of smart, insightful fiction lovers, Books and Bars. Great books and intelligent conversation!

Dance, Dance, Dance

Virtual dance classes at home make it easier to get to class! Kevin installed a beautiful wood floor in our sunroom this spring, giving ample space to take class and teach class.

Wasn’t so easy, figuring out camera angle, sound, and virtual teaching techniques, mirroring and saying “left” when I’m on my right. A fun challenge. The sides of my brain may be permanently switched. To my dedicated group of adult dancers at Scarsdale Ballet Studio: thank you! It’s been wonderful teaching you ballet and jazz and watching you dance on my screen.

Not having to deal with driving or riding the train long distances has made it easier to take classes I would not otherwise get to. Big thanks to all the wonderful ballet and contemporary dance artists whose classes I’ve taken this year: Christian Claessens, Igal Perry, Nina Goldman, Tanner Schwartz, David Fernandez, Tobin Eason, Noriko Hara, Kate Loh, Nancy Bielski, Teresa Perez Ceccon, Diane McCarthy, Laurie DeVito, Jana Hicks, Tyrone Monroe, and Johanna Bergfelt.

And so ends another year, with great things to look forward to in 2021. I’m grateful for my health and the health of my family. Yesterday, December 30, Kevin and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary.

Here’s wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year full of laughter, dance, fiction, and fun.

Reflections on Launch Day

Posted on by - The Dana Hargrove Novels

Today, Seven Shadows goes live.

Little did I suspect that Dana Hargrove would be hanging around this long. I wrote the first draft of Thursday’s List in the mid-nineties, during a period of stay-at-home momming after years of working a big investigation at the NY State Organized Crime Task Force. Dana was born but didn’t see a bookshelf until 2013. In the years since, her world keeps growing—a web of fascinating cases, intriguing colleagues, complex adversaries, and family dramas.

Here are Dana’s stories and the years in which they take place: Thursday’s List (1988), Homicide Chart (1994), Forsaken Oath (2001), Deep Zero (2009), and Seven Shadows (2015). The sixth novel, planned for 2022, will bring Dana into the present. As for the time gaps between the stories, one reviewer calls this “a bold strategy to show how much a lawyer can change over the course of her career” (Kirkus Reviews). I call it, simply, interesting and fun.

In a lifetime, the delicate balance between career and family is in perpetual flux, just as societal views and hot button issues in criminal justice are ever evolving. In Seven Shadows, Dana returns as a trial judge, in midlife, dealing with the empty nest at home as she weighs her views on incarceration, now that she wields the power of the gavel. She’s conflicted over a tough sentencing decision in a high-stakes murder case when an unpleasant past comes calling. Who is lurking in the shadows?

Ask your favorite independent bookstore and lending library to order the Dana Hargrove books and Your Pick: Selected Stories (2019 Eric Hoffer Award, Best Story Collection) from Ingram ipage. If you happen to be a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, the first four Dana Hargrove novels are now free on Amazon (Dana Double 1; Dana Double 2). Please help spread the word!

 

A special note to fellow authors, reviewers, and bloggers:

If you’d like a free review copy in e-book or paper, please email a request through my contact page. I’d love to get your feedback. You may find the ending of Seven Shadows, as one reviewer put it, “Surprisingly different” (“Recommended” by The U.S. Review of Books).

You will also find this on a page near the end:

“All works published by Opus Nine Books are dedicated to the nine members of the family headed by John and Kate Swackhamer at 3 South Trail, Orinda, California — a large world under one small roof.”

Thanks for reading!