Writing

To Sequel or Not…that is the question

deborahanndykeman

Fast and Furious…not to my liking, but we have a couple guys in our family that would disagree. Star Wars…what number?darth-vader-1282288__180

 

 

 

Bourne...something? These are all movies that just spring to mind as I sit here. Movies that have sequels…and then more sequels…and then more…you get the picture.

Here’s an idea. What about a movie where a little girl and a little boy meet, and they are friends?peek-a-boo-696311__180

Next movie, they date,kissing-1149918__180

 

 

next one they are married,wedding-626020__180

 

next one have a family,sunsets-1328102__180

next one they are empty-nesters, and maybe the last one is life in an assisted living facility?old-690842__180

Does that make six movies? Not interested in seeing those? No, there would not be fast cars in all of them…but there could be in the teenage one. No, there wouldn’t be scary little aliens lurking about and speaking in a low voice and probably no guns. (As you can tell, I have not spent much time watching Star Wars!) Those are all things that sell and make big money. Those are movies people will spend time on and watch again and again. So, there are sequels…and lots of them.

Sometimes, in my humble opinion, it is best to just let a book or movie…go. There is a certain thrill and anticipation in wondering what happened. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Rhett Butler puts on his hat and strides down the sidewalk into the swirling mist. For many, many years, we didn’t think Rhett cared a fiddle stick for what happened to Scarlett O’Hara Butler. In the back of our mind we could wonder, what if?clark-gable-394520__180

Then came the sequel…and again, in my humble opinion, it was not good. It would have been a wonderful stand-alone story-line, but it shouldn’t have come after, Gone With the Wind. It somehow took away the wonder of that last scene in the book and the movie.

Should you write a sequel? That is the question.

 

Writing

Old Fashioned Review

deborahanndykeman

By now you understand that I am a bit behind the times…probably in many areas. I think technology has done wonders in the world today, but there are drawbacks to it as well.

Today I was reading a post about book reviews. We authors covet them and those that are self-published as I am…well they put the bread and butter on the table.

So imagine my shock and disgust when I read a post talking about people paying for 5-star reviews! Seriously? I have always been a very firm believer in hard work, being paid a fair wage for work  done. If I am going to receive a thank-you, clap-on-the-shoulder, thumbs-up…I want to have earned it!

This is the old-fashioned part of book reviewing. I love my reader’s feedback! I want to hear from you. Right now I am small enough to respond to each and every one of you…and I plan to continue that. You are important to me! You are the reason I write the stories I do. If you read my books, the old-fashioned word of mouth works wonderfully. If you like it…please pass it on, share it, recommend it. I would love a review on the sites that carry my book and there are many. But I will never pay for a 5-star review! Thankfully, the reviews I have so far are from people that have actually read my books and enjoyed them. I appreciate that so very much! If you read my books, tell me your honest opinion. That’s what I want to hear!

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Conclusion: reviews are extremely important. But the good, old-fashioned, word-of-mouth is still pretty fantastic! I’d love to hear what this guy is going to say!dog-734689__180

Our Christian Walk

Old Souls

deborahanndykeman

I think I have always been an old soul. I never felt as though I really fit into my generation. I generally gravitated toward people that were older than me. When I was a child, I was much more comfortable talking with older people. I would spend hours sitting on a front porch or in a living room, just asking questions to keep that person talking about life, ‘way back when’. general-store-219655__180

Old movies were a favorite and I read biographies, or I should say absorbed books about people. I read anything I could get my hands on about people’s lives and history. I even spent my lunch hours in high school in the library…just so I could have more time to read. Was I a geek? Or whatever that kind of a person is called these days. No, I really don’t think so. I did manage to stay involved in the life around me…but maybe that is a question better left for those I interacted with!

History and people have always fascinated me. I would love to just be plunked down in a small, abandoned town, and then ‘see’ it as it was 50, 75, or 100 years ago. I wish I could put that on a bucket list! I would make it happen. I’m not even that particular about what section of history I would like to adventure into. Any one would do.

When I became a nurses aid for the first time, when I was 19 years old, 30+ years ago, I absolutely loved it. I had found my little comfy corner. What better job than to be able to help the elderly, and then talk with them about their experiences! I met so many wonderful, interesting people that shared their memories with me. It was a privilege to be a part of that last little section of their lives!hands-737475__180

I talked with a feisty, tiny, woman from London. She had spent her teenage years as a prostitute on the docks, at the turn of the century. She had language to go along with it! The stories she could tell! She married an older man when she was 19, and they moved to America shortly after. She had a family, was married and had a ‘proper’ life.

One man had made hand brakes for the President’s car. Another woman was 104, that summer of 1984. Can you imagine the sights she had seen? I relished the conversations I had with her! I can still remember what she looked like and her name. Again, it was a privilege to be a very small part of her life. I learned to shave whiskers with a straight razor and how to sharpen it on a leather strap.I am still amazed that the man trusted me enough to have me do it! So many wonderful memories from the year before I married.

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So now, I have started working as a C.N.A. again, just part time, in the evenings. I worked at the same location a couple of years ago. But I worked the night shift for that year. I didn’t have the opportunity to talk very much with the residents.

I am excited to get to know the people there, and hear their stories. Although the age difference isn’t such a big gap anymore! I can actually remember some of the same things! It will take a bit of adjusting to get used to that one.

Please remember our older generation. They have a wealth of information unique to them. Take the time to chat and be interested in who they are. Someday…we will all be there. I want someone to care about me, and listen to my stories

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Writing

I’m a Little Blue Today, continued

deborahanndykeman

A few weeks ago now, I posted on my blue dishes and I promised some pictures of them. Well, life happened…again! Writer’s conference, a trip to Ohio to meet the newest grandchild, etc. put this promised follow-up on the back burner.

So, even though today is very cloudy and gloomy, no sun shining through my kitchen window to highlight the blue, I decided to take the pictures anyway. The light shining on the cobalt blue really is pretty.

 These dishes are very important to me. Not just because they are lovely and I adore the blue and white combination, but because they all have memories behind them. The largest blue vase on the top shelf in the first picture above, was given to me, from my husband. It was an anniversary gift, purchased in Branson while we were celebrating our Thirtieth Anniversary there. All the blue and white dishes on the shelves in the first picture and the plates on the wall in the second picture, are from Cracker Barrel. My husband gave me the first little teapot for a Mother’s Day gift back in 2002. My mother then followed up with the rest.

The pewter items: the pitcher and bowl in the second picture were my grandmother’s, maternal side. The yellow and pink pitchers on the top shelf in the third picture were also hers. I loved those items when I was a child. You can see the Currier and Ives plates in the third picture, top shelf. These are the ones I spoke of in my first post, and they are very special to me.

The ginger jars on the bottom shelf in the third picture were my mother’s jars. She kept them full of stuff when I was a child. The copper items were purchased by me, just before I was married. My dreams back then were to have the blue and white kitchen, with all copper pans. That dreamed changed a bit when I found out how difficult it was to keep them shiny! Now I use good, old stainless steel. I also love roosters…so here and there you can see one peeking out…all gifts from family and friends.

All of our homes are a collection of items, passed down through generations, filled with things we love for one reason or another. That is what makes a simple house, no matter how tiny or huge…a home. All my collections have followed me through numerous moves over the years, and they help give me stability and a feeling of ‘home’ when I display them. It’s not fun to pack them all up…but opening the boxes in a new place is just like Christmas! The loves reaches out and wraps me in a warm hug when all the memories start flooding my mind.

Have a great Monday and make it a terrific start to your week.

Writing

Lafayette Square

deborahanndykeman

Everyone has an imagination. Everyone dreams. Writers just imagine and dream a bit outside the box…writing down those thoughts and creating a story.

I really enjoy reading historical novels and biographies. I admire those people that can research all that material, and then weave magic with their words. I am probably not one of those writers.

When I write a story, it has come to me, usually in a dream. Then over a period of time, it builds until I have to get it down into real words. Since I generally write fiction, I make up characters and places. But I also use some actual locations.

So, think of my delight when I was able to walk on the very sidewalks I had imagined in my head!

The second book in the Rubyville series takes place in St. Louis, Missouri for the first half. I did much research online about that city, learning much about it that took place in the late 1800’s. I loved doing that research! But even better, was me being able to walk through Lafayette Square, and see the streets surrounding it, the houses that my characters lived in. That was very special to me and my husband and two youngest daughters were there as well to share in it. It was a day I will always remember. It was also very special to see the train station that Annabella Barton traveled to and from.

So, thank you St. Louis, Missouri. You made this writer very happy on May 2, 2016. And if you are from that area…be sure to read A Place of Refuge

and let me know what you think about the story I weaved around all that history.

Writing

Whooo-hooo!

deborahanndykeman

I love books! Especially old books. I adore walking into a room…a library in an old house and seeing the polished wood gleam and the leather-bound display of stories beckoning from floor-to-ceiling shelves. I relish the smell of all that…old. I want to sink into a tall-backed, chintz-covered chair and just…read…and imagine. That’s why I love this picture so much! It makes you imagine, and dream. Write your own story…

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You know what else I love? Those ladders that slide around on a rail in those old libraries, so that you could reach the books on the uppermost shelves. To climb one of those is on my bucket list.

So you get that I love books, and libraries, and reading. That’s probably no big surprise to you, and maybe a huge boor to some of you. But since I love books, imagine my surprise when I saw my first two books in other bookstores, just a few moments ago! Yes, I know they are on Amazon. But now I’ve found them on Barnes and Noble, Good Reads, Kobo and several other places. If you are in Good Reads, there is a drop-down list of stores where the books are available…and there are so many! Well, I just think that is pretty fantastic! I didn’t even put them there! I can’t even express how special it is to see my books in all those places! Julia Ryan’s cover design looks terrific…and there is my name! Please bear with me as I glow for a bit in the wonder of it all!

Do you know what I don’t like about books? Moving them! Have a great evening and get out there and read. I’ve heard of this new author…Deborah Ann Dykeman is her name…I think.

A Quick Thought

Experiences of Life

deborahanndykeman

Today I’m posting from Tim Horton’s in Dayton, Ohio…or at least a small suburb of that city. They all kind of run together while we are driving around and it’s hard to keep track of where you are. No, I don’t have a coffee, but after a bite of an apple fritter, one would be good. And I mean coffee…black and as strong as you can make it. My daughter purchased this cold stuff…watered down coffee with milk and ice cubes in it. It’s a real pretty color though. Maybe I will do my dining room in it. Just a thought.

So, we have been in Dayton for almost two weeks now. It has been enjoyable to see a state blushing with spring, that is a bit different from Kansas…but I do miss Kansas. I miss my roses starting to bloom as well as my poppies and lilacs. At least the roses will bloom many times over the summer, but not so with the lilacs, and I do adore lilacs!

The weather has been rather gloomy…overcast and humid, not unlike Kansas weather this time of year. So far no tornado watches or warnings that I have been aware of. Probably wouldn’t have mattered too much as we are on the top floor of an apartment, three sets of stairs up. The view from the balcony is wonderful. There is a large lake with a fountain and there are geese and ducks, and an occasional crane. The ducks and geese are caring for babies right now, so it’s been very fun to watch them growing up so quickly. But again, not a great place to be in case of a tornado!

The apartment is also near an air force base and at times there are very big planes flying overhead. One of these woke me up the other night. It was the night there had been storms. Waking suddenly to a very large plane flying very closely overhead when there has been a chance for tornadoes…well, let’s just say I took a moment to ponder the reality of quickly getting three people and a large dog down all those stairs…and I went back to sleep. Standing out in the rain in my night clothes didn’t seem very appealing at two in the morning.

So, as our time here in Ohio nears an end…I am anxious to get back home and to my routine. It’s been different to be someplace else for a while…drive in traffic again…everywhere you go, relate with people that are very different than in Kansas. It’s been wonderful to visit with our second oldest and meet a new member of the family…but home is beckoning me.

Life is all about changes, and experiences. I tend to get stuck in a rut, and I kind of get comfy there. But I jumped out of the puddle for a bit and now I’m ready to return. I’ve spent most of my life in cities, driving in traffic much of the time when I was younger. I really don’t want to go back. I relish my quite, little town and one stop light.

By the way…I really miss my washing machine! Laundromats have not become better over the years…just more expensive. Just a last thought! Enjoy your Friday! I will be…with a doughnut and a hot, black, cup of coffee.

Parenting 101

The Newest Addition

deborahanndykeman

She has arrived! Our newest addition to the grandchildren line-up finally made her appearance after many hours of labor on her mother’s part. I thought for sure she was going to be a ‘he’ and I was a bit surprised when her daddy announced that she was a ‘she’. That’s alright with me! I’m partial to girls after having four of my own. But you all do need to work on upping the male side of things in our family. We love grandchildren! Welcome to the world little Ava Leigh! We are all looking forward to getting to know you!

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A Day to Remember

Special Delivery

deborahanndykeman

Waiting for a baby to make an appearance really pushes the patience scale. I know that five times over with my reluctant-to-arrive children. Each one was at least two weeks overdue. You wait anxiously for that due date…and then it passes! What? Then every day thereafter is pure torture. The first week the questions and little ‘jokes’ about your due date being passed, are somewhat bearable. The second week, not so much. You avoid going out in public and the stares of mercy from people you don’t even know. At home, you snarl at those you love and level gazes at them that would shrivel a prune. And you wait. The days, hours and minutes slow to a turtle crawl.

Our two youngest and I are now in Ohio, waiting for the arrival of grandchild number four. TODAY is the due date…and it’s not looking good. Now begins the wait.

People offer suggestions to help speed up the process. But all of us know that a  baby has a mind of its own…and he or she will express it very loudly and clearly concerning their entrance into the world. They have us in their itsy-bitsy hands.

So, here I sit in Target, sipping on a Starbucks coffee…writing to all of you. Our three youngest girls are off shopping for baby items that are always needed at the last minute. As I have mentioned before, I’m not much for shopping anymore. So the set-up suits me just fine. Well, it kind of suits me. They don’t sell Krispy Kremes here. Have a wonderful Monday!