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

The Orchid Hour: Book Review & Conversation with Nancy Bilyeau

Posted on by - Fiction Favorites & Awesome Authors

For this installment of Fiction Favorites and Awesome Authors, Nancy Bilyeau returns to talk about her new historical mystery, The Orchid Hour. (Isn’t the cover beautiful?)

Nancy first appeared here on VBlog after the release of her suspense novel The Blue, set in the rivalrous porcelain industry of 18th century Europe.

The Orchid Hour takes us to the Prohibition Era of the 1920s, when, despite the law, alcohol was flowing freely. The book’s title is the name of a speakeasy that serves as the focal point of the action. Aiming to appeal to a highbrow clientele, the world-class nightclub is decorated with a species of orchid that gives off a heady fragrance only at night. The club’s front is, appropriately, a flower shop, where one must have the trust of the florist to gain entry.

I remember getting a feel for the speakeasy days at a bar/restaurant called Chelsea Place, which operated from 1974 through 1992 on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. From the avenue, you entered what appeared to be an antique shop. In the back of the “store,” you opened the mirrored door of an antique wardrobe to enter the piano bar and restaurant.

Exciting and glamorous, right? Well, in this novel, Nancy Bilyeau does not shy away from the underbelly of the Jazz Age: bootlegging, gang violence, rising crime, and the Sicilian Mafia (Cosa Nostra). The protagonist, Audenzia De Luca (“Zia”), is an Italian immigrant, young mother, and WWI widow. Two murders that hit close to home give Zia the motivation to transform her conservative appearance and get a job at the speakeasy, where, she believes, she will find clues to the unsolved murders.

No spoilers here! You’ll just have to read the book to find out what Zia discovers! Publishers Weekly (starred review) says, “Historical mystery fans will find this irresistible.” And so did I!

Welcome back, Nancy! Orchids and speakeasies: a unique and interesting combination! How did your vision of The Orchid Hour come to you? Was there any particular NYC nightclub in the Prohibition Era that served as an inspiration?

My vision of the novel began with wanting to write a main character who is touched by organized crime in New York City and that would be part of her story but not her whole story. I created a main character who is born in Italy and immigrates to New York City with her family in the early 20th century but does not act out the stereotypes of Italian American women that you see in movies and television shows.

Because it was Prohibition that basically created the mafia—one of history’s greatest unintended consequences—I thought that putting the novel in the 1920s made sense. I find the first part of the decade more interesting than the second.

The Orchid Hour is a cross between The Cotton Club (which opened at the end of 1923) and Chumley’s, another real-life club, this one a secret speakeasy in the West Village that attracted writers such as Dorothy Parker and Eugene O’Neill.

Your protagonist Zia, a young mother and widow living with her in-laws, is conflicted about her desire to behave according to the more liberal standard American women enjoyed in the Jazz Age as opposed to her family’s rigid expectations under the ordine della famiglia, “the unforgiving, centuries-old code of the villages of southern Italy.” How did these two standards for women differ, and how far did Zia deviate from the Italian code?

Those two standards were a world apart! The ordine della famiglia meant to live for the family, to subordinate yourself to the good of the family. Yet in the 1920s young American women, primarily in the cities, were cutting their hair, shedding their girdles, wearing modern clothes, going out dancing, and seeking independence from their families. To do any of those things was a deviation of the code for Zia.

Some of the characters in The Orchid Hour are purely fictional and others are actual people—especially some of the organized crime figures from the 1920s. What guides you in deciding to use historic figures rather than fictional characters in your novels? As a corollary, what guides you in placing the historic figures in fictional, as opposed to factual, settings and scenes?

I like to put real people in my historical fiction. My main characters are always imaginary, but I often have them playing off real people. From E.L. Doctorow to Philip Kerr, novelists writing fiction set in earlier times have done that. Even Tolstoy slipped Napoleon into War and Peace! These historical figures have had a big impact on the times in which they lived. As I like to put my stories in the thick of things, it seems fitting to populate my stories with these real figures. And they’re such fun to research and write.

Zia’s cousin, Salvatore Lucania, plays a big part in the novel. We get to know Sal through Zia’s eyes, first, as a sympathetic character, then, as she slowly awakens to his true nature and criminal behavior. I thought this was an inventive way to draw both sides of his character, the good and the bad. Any reader who goes into the novel without knowing much about the Mafia [I’ve withheld his more commonly recognized name here!] will be awakened along with Zia. Did you take liberties or stay true to your research in creating Sal’s gentler side?

I did a lot of research into Salvatore Lucania. We won’t give away his nickname, but he’s considered one of the “founders” of the American mafia in the 20th century. He didn’t give many interviews, to put it mildly, and the book about his life that was supposedly written “with” him is most likely a hoax. There’s a ton of contradictory information about how violent he was, how intelligent he was, and what his attitude toward women was. I did follow the most-accepted facts about his family background (abusive father), early poverty, education, and first arrests. Salvatore said he never wanted to have children because he didn’t want to have a son who’d be ashamed of a criminal father. That tells you a lot.

Finally, a question that may be of interest to writers. The Zia chapters are in first person, and other chapters with different POV characters are in third person. What considerations went into deciding this structure for The Orchid Hour?

All of my novels up to now have been written in the first person. I wanted to experiment in this book. I think it increases suspense to bring in other points of view. Sometimes the reader knows more about a threat to Zia than Zia knows herself!

Thank you, Nancy. We look forward to your next great novel!

Dear readers: If you happen to be in Manhattan, pick up an author-signed copy of The Orchid Hour at The Mysterious Bookshop. (They also ship if you want to order online.)

The Orchid Hour is also available wherever books are sold, including these: Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon (P.S. The e-book is currently on SALE for 99 cents on Amazon for a week).

Nancy loves to place strong female heroines in fascinating historical settings. Check out Nancy’s website for descriptions of all her novels.

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!

*   *   *

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.

Book Review: Janet Roger’s Shamus Dust

Posted on by - Fiction Favorites & Awesome Authors

 

Excuse me while I teleport back to New York of April 2020, into this surreal mix of pandemic grief and lockdown amid a gently emergent spring, pink blossoms and fragrant air. My transport is experiencing delay. I’m still walking the streets of war-ravaged London, Christmas 1947, where the foundations of bombed-out buildings, under a light frosting of snow, suggest the outlines of ancient Roman ruins—the key to a puzzling series of murders.

Give me another sec. Almost here, still a bit there. Let me knock back the last tumbler of gin and crush out my red lipstick-stained cigarette. Unfiltered.

 

Janet Roger is to blame. Her debut novel, Shamus Dust, pulled me in and keeps running like a 40s black-and-white film noir on the brain.

 

I’m no fan of categories and hesitate to apply a label or “genre” to this work of art. Hard-boiled, gritty, and atmospheric, yes, but also poetic and literary. Roger confesses a Raymond Chandler influence, and the similarities are evident, but her prose isn’t as spare and tough when she’s in the mood to embellish. There are moments when this book is purely about the writing. While some reviewers say that it takes them out of the story, this lover of language found it right up her alley. More on that later.

The story is told from the point of view of an American private investigator called Newman, or Mr. Newman—a man who possibly lacks a first name. An insightful interpreter of human frailties and dark motives, Newman moves in a world of distinctive characters from every stratum of society. By the end of the book, the upper crust is looking seedier and far less heroic than the inhabitants of London’s underbelly. Roger has created a large cast of characters, gradually dropping tidbits to reveal their back stories and relationships. To mention a few: Councilman, archaeologist, entrepreneur, architect, lawyer, medical examiner, police commissioner, detective inspector, nurse, barber, haberdasher, pimp/blackmailer, various prostitutes, and a homeless shell-shocked WWII vet. Add several murders, a rotating field of suspects, a complex web of clues, and you’ve got one hell of a novel, with an ending you won’t see coming.

Shamus Dust is not a beach read or superficial entertainment to pick up when you’re mildly distracted. You’ll need to take this one slowly to savor the language, its sophistication, wit, irony, unique metaphors, and turns of phrase. You’ll need time to ponder the complexity of the plot. The author honors the reader’s intelligence, never overstates, poses one intriguing puzzle after another. She follows Newman through London without revealing what he’s up to in a scene until, several pages on, the reader is allowed to discover the meaning of the interaction. There are many of these “ah-ha” moments, opportunities to marvel at the cleverly interlacing intricacies.

The writing style. The word choices. Here are just a few.

Physical descriptions that instantly evoke an image:

“The kind of room where you’re meant to sit at night in a cravat and a quilted robe reading Kipling by firelight until the Madeira runs out.”

A woman with a “mouth that made the fall of dark-red hair look incidental.”

“Littomy’s nose was built for a profile on old coins.”

A man’s “hair shone in flat stripes across the dome of his head, where you could count them if conversation ran thin.”

At a party attended by the one percent, a young scion is “wearing black-tie as if he’d been weaned in it.”

Chandleresque:

A volatile thug looks like “he could hurt a man and enjoy the work.”

Witty dialogue:

The butler to a sloshed hostess asks Newman what he would like to drink. He replies, “Not a thing. Mrs. Willard will be taking cocktails for both of us.”

And how are these lines for poetry?:

“Night was crawling in a deep, wet hole.”

“She put a hand flat against my chest and her gaze dipped back in an ocean, then surfaced again, dripping its dark purple lights.”

“He looked wild-eyed around a room so hushed you could hear him blink away the tears.”

The book opens with one of my favorite, longer passages. Newman says he has never had trouble falling asleep and “sleeping like the dead” until now:

 “Lately, I’d lost the gift. As simple as that. Had reacquainted with nights when sleep stands in shrouds and shifts its weight in corner shadows, unreachable. You hear the rustle of its skirts, wait long hours on the small, brittle rumors of first light, and know that when finally they arrive they will be the sounds that fluting angels make. It was five-thirty, the ragged end of a white night, desolate as a platform before dawn when the milk train clatters through and a guard tolls the names of places you never were or ever hope to be. I was waiting on the fluting angels when the telephone rang.”

Wow. Any insomniac (namely, me) can relate.

Now, don’t you want to read something like this? I may teleport back there now.

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.]

Travelogue (3): Road Trip to Montréal

Posted on by - 2019, Travelogue

Time for another road trip, and boy, this one was splendid! A trip to Montréal, My New Favorite City!

Friday, June 28 — Friday July 5, 2019

TRANSPORTATION, MOVING, & PARKING: MORE FUN THAN YOU MIGHT THINK

A six-hour drive from our home in Cortlandt Manor, New York, got us there early Friday evening. Our Airbnb apartment was on Rue Saint André, an excellent location close to everything. [The actual accommodations were not 5-star, however, but we made do!]

The street was torn up for water main repair and we had to park (temporarily and illegally) a block away to unpack. Oddly, as we made multiple trips hauling our stuff from the car, we blended in well with the local residents because—what’s this? Why is half the neighborhood moving? Everywhere, people were carrying boxes and sofas and mattresses and TVs out of their apartments.

We learned later that this was Moving Day! (actually, Moving Weekend). Originally by law, and now by tradition, virtually every lease in Montréal starts on July 1. Whoa! When this got started, they forgot it was also Canada Day. Click here for a complete explanation.

That evening, we found a garage to park the car (very affordable and beautiful) Gare d’ Autocars de Montréal on Rue Berri, under the Greyhound bus station. After that, we took the Metro or walked everywhere the whole week.

For you Beatles fans who are taking or have ever taken the Montréal Metro, I ask you this: After the ride, do you find yourself humming “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” all day? The three electronic notes in the Metro right before the doors close are the first three notes of “L in the S with D.” Play the video in the link and listen to the first three notes when the song starts, 20 seconds in.

With that, the Transportation section segues into…

MUSIC

The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal was going on all week at the Place des Festivals in the Quartier des Spectacles. We just couldn’t believe how many great performances there were: all FREE!

We saw many, many groups, but here are the standouts:

Thomas de Pourquery & Supersonic Excellent brass and vocals, very deeply felt.

The Lowdown Brass Band from Chicago  Energy, rhythm, emotion. My favorite musician in the band was Shane Jonas on Vocals and Trumpet.

Here is a selfie taken by the Lowdown Brass Band after the performance. Do you see me and Kevin in the audience? Keep looking. There. Front left. Really, that’s us. No kidding.

Big Band Intersection A fine brass band that plays a lot of Beatles in interesting arrangements.

Urban Science Brass Band A kooky group of ambulating musicians in colorful costumes with two dancers.  A lot of fun. We followed them through the festival for about 45 minutes.

Baritone Madness  Three baritone saxes. Simply excellent.

David Helbock’s Random Control  An amazingly talented and unusual group from Austria. They play very interesting arrangements of jazz classics.

Plena Libre  A Puerto Rican group with a lot of energy and great rhythms for dancing.

Dancing is often helped with a glass of wine beforehand, as we confirmed with a couple of excellent glasses at Bistro SAQ, overlooking the main plaza at the Jazz Festival. Also had delicious snacks to go with: a cheese plate and fried falafel appetizer.

Which transitions us from Music into…

FOOD

Delicious food all week long. Not a single bad meal. Here are most of the places we ate!

Fruiterie du Plateau  Started every day with breakfast at home with sumptuous breads and beautiful produce from this neighborhood grocery store on Rue Roy.

The Food Lab, Rue Saint Laurent. Gourmet. Halibut for me, “Piglet” for Kevin.

Eggspectation at the Complexe Desjardins. Delicious hamburgers and fries.

La Baraque du Vieux, Rue Saint Vincent. Not gourmet but plenty good basic lunch while touring Vieux Montréal.

Taverne Portugaise on the Place des Festivals. Great Portuguese food, loved the veggies.

La Belle et la Boeuf, Rue Saint Catherine. I had delicious grilled cheese and bacon, Kevin had hamburger.

Restaurant du Jardin Botanique. A surprising delight for a cafeteria-style botanical gardens café. Great tasting salads, squash soup, veggie pizza, chocolate croissants.

Terrasse Nelligan  A terrace on the 5th floor of the Hotel Nelligan, Rue Saint-Paul Ouest. Went for lunch, when they have sandwiches, burgers, fish and chips. Very good.

 

OTHER SITES AND EVENTS

Busy all week! Other places we went:

Vieux Montréal, beautiful historic buildings. My favorites were the churches:

 

 

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel

 

 

 

Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal

 

 

 

I love the art work, sculpture, and stained glass.

[See also the photo at the beginning of this post.]

Also in Vieux Montréal, watched part of a triathalon competition at Port Montréal and saw Cirque du Soleil’s amazing performance, “Allegria”  [A tip if you plan to go: Bring a hooded sweater. They keep that tent very cold!]

Mont Royal: Walked up to the lookout for a stunning view of the city

The Biosphere: A geodesic dome constructed for Expo ’67. Saw the display of photos and memorabilia from the World Fair, and Kevin reminisced about a family trip there when he was 12. Went to the top for the view.

Parc Olympique: Place of the 1976 Olympic Games. Wanted to go up but the observation tower is closed for construction. [Is it me, or does that building remind you of someone’s face, especially at night.  Hint: Star Wars.]

Planetarium: Went inside to cool down in the AC and saw a cool movie about the universe narrated by Tom Hanks.

Botanical Garden: Very pretty and, as noted above, fantastic lunch.

 

WEATHER

Hot, hot, hot weather all week, high 80s and low 90s, which is, apparently hotter than their average July. On Saturday, June 29, it rained off and on, including during the Supersonic concert. We toughed it out under umbrellas, the music was so good.

Of course, you wouldn’t want it any other way but hot for…

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Bye-bye Montréal! Checked out Thursday morning, July 4th, and took a slow drive down to Williamstown, MA, avoiding US 87 and taking smaller scenic roads, like US Routes 4 and 7.

Besides the improved scenery, we needed extra time to finish the audio book we were listening to, Six Years by Harlan Coban. A bit sappy and occasionally predictable, but for the most part a very suspenseful story. We had to finish it!

We’d never been to Williamstown before, and it was a lucky pick for the 4th of July. Had a great dinner on the outdoor patio of Trail House  with, of course, apple pie for dessert. Then we followed the crowd through town to find the fireworks, which were set off at the Taconic Golf Club. There was live music before the fireworks, and a huge lawn to spread out on.

The next morning, after a stay at the Howard Johnson’s and coffee and bagel at Tunnel City Coffee, we took scenic routes to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. This self-portrait is my favorite! What an imagination he had.

Then south on US 7, where we stopped at Fiddleheads Grill in Great Barrington MA , for a delicious lunch. We ate outside and had the deck to ourselves, overlooking a field.

Continuing south on US 7, then Routes 55 and 22, still about an hour from our home, we passed a spooky group of buildings in Dutchess County that look like an old prison. But then we saw a sign: “Olivet University.” Really? A University? I looked it up and found that the site was the former Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center, in operation from 1924 to 1994, home to thousands of patients, at the forefront of insulin shock therapy, electroshock therapy, and lobotomies. Purchased by Olivet in 2013. Read an article about it here: “An abandoned asylum once on the cutting edge of lobotomies may be reborn as a Christian college.”

Some creepy looking photos of the abandoned site can be found online. Writers: A good setting for a crime story or novel, perhaps?

So it’s back home, back to the old grindstone. Tongue-in-cheek, friends. My grindstone is pure joy: writing fiction! Current word count of my WIP is 50,000. Fifth Dana Hargrove novel is in the works. More on that to come.

Thanks for taking this trip with me.

 

 

Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia

Posted on by - Story Collections

Latvian Flag

Today, November 18, 2018, Latvia celebrates the 100-year anniversary of its proclamation of independence. This does not mean that Latvia has enjoyed 100 years of freedom. Far from it. The story of Latvia is riddled with long periods of German and Soviet occupation. Freedom from Soviet rule was restored in 1991.

On Proclamation Day, and as we look forward this week to Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the freedom we have in the United States and am reminded that it should never be taken for granted. My late father, as a teenager, was a displaced person during World War II, when Nazi and Soviet troops clashed, literally in his backyard. My father, his sister, and their parents joined the thousands of Latvians who fled. I can hardly imagine the trauma of being ripped from your country, your home, and everything you know, to be a refugee, to make your way in another country, not able to go back. My experience of these events has been secondhand, through the stories of my late father and late aunt. I wish I had asked them more when they were still on this earth!

As I so frequently experience, my imagination takes hold of bits of fact, and expands and embellishes them until they explode into story. My story collection Your Pick, comprised of reader favorites from previous collections, opens with a reprint of “My Latvian Aunt,” a story that won an award and has garnered much interest over the years. I think this story is compelling because my late aunt’s voice can be heard in its pages. I incorporated bits of our conversations and wove historical facts about Latvia and WWII into the story. I did some of the same in a murder mystery with a Latvian protagonist that takes place during the Cold War. “Dzintra’s Tale” has been accepted for publication by Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and I’ll be sure to let you know when it appears in print!

Your Pick: Selected Stories, launches on November 23. Click here if you’d like to enter a giveaway on Goodreads for a free copy of Your Pick in e-book!

A Special Experience: Expressing a Caregiving Story

Posted on by - Dance

V.S. Kemanis in “Embrace, Give, Heal,” photo credit Nick Bonitatibus.

I was honored to be invited to participate in a program of the CareGivers’ Project, “In Time & Space.”

“The Mission of the CareGivers’ Project is to create a place to express and reflect on the complexities of being a caregiver for an elder and provide resources, support and benefits to the health of caregivers.”

V.S. Kemanis in “Embrace, Give, Heal,” photo credit Eric Bandiero

In keeping with its mission, the CareGivers’ Project has spearheaded a number of valuable community-based programs and unique approaches to expressing and reflecting on the conflicts and rewards of being a caregiver. In Time & Space takes the groundbreaking approach of exploring caregiving stories and involving the community through the medium of dance. My solo dance depicted my experience as a sandwich-generation caregiver, suddenly called to care for an ailing parent at a time when my children were very young.

Last weekend, we had our premiere performance at Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan, with audience participation and talkback.

Talkback at Judson Memorial Church, November 3, 2018, photo credit Nick Bonitatibus

Teresa Perez Cecco, photo credit Irina Leoni

 

The project was fortunate to have the talents of choreographer/artistic director Teresa Perez Ceccon. Working with her on my piece was a dream come true!

 

Jomarie Zeleznik in “Cry Me a River,” photo credit Eric Bandiero

 

 

 

Other beautiful performances by dancer-caregivers last weekend were Dr. Jomarie Zeleznik, the executive director of the CareGivers’ Project, dancing “Cry Me a River”. . .

and nationally recognized speaker and educator Rochelle Rice, dancing “Bob and Eileen,” a hospice caregiving story.

Rochelle Rice in “Bob and Eileen,” photo credit Nick Bonitatibus

 

And we are just getting started! A film documentary is in the works, encompassing the process of creation, performance, community involvement, audience participation, and sharing of caregiving stories.

You can join us in our exploration of reflecting individual experience and expressing the caregiving journey through dance by giving a tax-deductible contribution, small or large, to the CareGivers’ Project. Any and all help is much appreciated. CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE!

Photo credit Eric Bandiero

 

Goodbye for now! Hope to see you at our next performance!