The sweet smell of childhood

by Graziella Buonanno

This week's Celebrate the Small Things Blogfest contribution: On Wednesday, February 6, I'll undergo surgery on my right eye to correct cellophane maculopathy and cataracts  Wish me luck. I can't wait to resume normal activities like driving my car at night, etc. I try not to dwell on the negative, but to keep a positive outlook.

And now for Graziella's post:

Someone who was leading/teaching a memoir class, said that of all the senses, the sense of smell is the strongest when it comes to triggering vivid memories from our past. I tend to agree.

Not too long ago, I was in Salisbury, CT , browsing in a pharmacy, just waiting for my daughter to make up her mind about some toys for the girls to play with, when I caught sight of a large, dark green container of talcum powder made by H. Roberts & Co.  It  showed a picture of a smiling nurse holding and sprinkling baby powder on a happy baby. Above the picture, in large, red letters, was the word BOROTALCO and below the picture, ROBERTS. It also said, “Se non e` Roberts non e` Borotalco." Translation: If it doesn't say Roberts, it's not talcum powder.

My heart jumped. OH MY LORD! Could it be?

Trembling, I took the container and turned the cap clockwise, to get a whiff of its perfume. I closed my eyes and froze, almost overcome with emotion.

I ran to my daughter and showed her my precious discovery. “ Annalise! Look what I found…” I could hardly speak…

Suddenly I was back in my childhood home, in Italy, right after the big war. It was Saturday,  it was afternoon, in front of the fireplace in our kitchen. I had just stepped out of the metal bathtub. Mama was drying me with a big linen towel, which had been kept warm by hanging over a chair by the fireplace, and quickly, lovingly, Mama was dusting my body with a puff covered with Borotalco Roberts.

In those days, life was tough. We did not have much, but my mama made sure that our bodies were fed, kept clean, and she splurged with a bit of luxury called Borotalco Roberts.

Having found that bottle of talcum powder was like having a little bit of my mother back.

I often go back to that pharmacy, and I’ve purchased several containers of Borotalco Roberts, and even a bottle of bubble bath by Roberts, for my granddaughters. Whenever they take baths in my lake house in Connecticut, they absolutely love the fragrance of the Borotalco Roberts, and I can only hope that some day when I am gone, they will find a bottle of the borotalco and remember their Nonna.

HOW DO YOU READ?

by Kathy Cannon Wiechman

When I was a sophomore in high school, the school offered a course in Speed Reading. While speed reading can be helpful with scanning a textbook for information, or going through volumes to find specific details for research, I hate speed reading.

I liken it to the difference between a plane trip and a road trip. The road trip takes longer, but instead of clouds, or distant landscapes, or miniature cities below me, I see every window in the city’s tall buildings, and people on the street who walk past them. I see light and shadows. I drive past a blooming cactus or a raven atop a sign post, or a family in a mini-van with a luggage carrier on its roof. Images that add to my experience.

When I read, I not only love a good story (which one can get in a quick read), but I crave details. I revel in an author’s word choices. I savor the way those words are put together to make similes and metaphors, the way the flow of words paints pictures in my mind. I want to lose myself in the character’s life. Sometimes there are subtle nuances in an author’s style that don’t come through in a quick jaunt through a story. No, speed reading is not for me.

But what about others? I talked to a number of friends about how they read. Do they skim or read every word?

Michele and Kathy (who are twins) like to read each word. Kathy will reread a paragraph or a whole page that she has especially enjoyed. Sometimes she’ll go back later and read it again. Michele often reads aloud to enhance the feeling of the words.

Dave said it depends on which Dave is reading the book. He was a teacher, who now works in a bookstore and makes decisions on which books to order. He writes a book review column. And he’s a parent. So Dave the Teacher, Dave the Dad, Dave the Book Reviewer, and Dave the Book Purchaser all read in different ways.

While my way of reading takes me longer to get through a book, doing that helps immensely when I’m asked to critique a manuscript. I can catch small details that someone else might miss.

The down side is my stack of books waiting to be read can become precariously high. (My Kindle is new, and I’ve only read one novel in Kindle form so far.) But if I’m going to take the time to read a book, I want to get all I can from the experience. Zipping through clouds is for the birds.

So what about you? Do you like to hurry through a dozen novels in a month, or limit yourself to a leisurely trip through two or three?

Year of Dreams

by Melissa Kline

One of my favorite New Year's rituals is to start fresh with clear goals and intentions. I've created a fun, easy writing exercise which helps to give focus and direction to these goals. Follow the three easy steps below to manifest the year of your dreams. :)

Step 1: Past – List of Accomplishments

Think of everything, big or small, you have accomplished in the past year and write it down. These should be things you feel really good about – efforts you are proud of, successes, goals met, unexpected or planned circumstances. List anything and everything that makes you feel good about yourself and what you have accomplished recently.

Step 2: Present – Gratitude List

List the things that you are thankful for in the present moment or as a whole. It could be as simple as, “I am grateful for the roof over my head, food to eat, etc.” You may have to start with the basics to warm up, but I have found that it gets easier the more you write. Incorporating a gratitude list into your daily routine is a wonderful practice.

Step 3: Future – List of Goals / Dreams / Wishes

Write down the things you wish to accomplish in the New Year. Try to stay optimistic, realistic, and flexible. Your list will most likely shift and change, but it is nice to have some guidance and a visual reference. 

Added bonus: Create a vision board of your goals, dreams, and wishes. Find pictures, scenes, or words that convey what is on your list and in your heart, then paste them onto poster board. You can add to your vision board all year long. 

Here's to a happy, successful, New Year! I hope all of your dreams come true. :)

The best nuanced characters

by Kim Van Sickler


For Christmas last year my brother Mike gave me and my husband all five seasons of the HBO juggernaut The Wire, which ran from 2002-2008. "This is the finest television show, ever," he promised. We started watching it shortly thereafter, selecting times when my youngest daughter wasn't around, due to the show's extremely adult subject matter. It was slow going at first. Season One focuses on the drug trade in the Baltimore, MD area. So many characters were introduced, and it seemed they were all African-American and speaking in the code of their trade, whether they represented law enforcement or drug traffickers. Will we ever catch on? I wondered.

Season One of The Wire

It was about episode six that the momentum started. My husband and I figured enough out to watch semi-intelligently and holy shit! I felt like a fly on the wall of a world I'd never be a part of. We bought into the premise, the characters, the situations. It all seemed SO REAL. It's been an amazing ride.

Season Two hones in on the workings of the Baltimore seaport, including the longshoremen, European gangsters, and the port authority police. Season Three spotlights city government. Season Four features the public schools. Season Five takes on the Baltimore Sun daily newspaper. Some of the characters carry over from one season to another, but in varying degrees. Some go away for awhile and come back again. It's a complicated dance of interconnectedness, but all with the same themes: Politics is rife everywhere. Good people get bogged down by the system. Good people turn bad under the pressure. Bad people sometimes succeed spectacularly.

Season Four of The Wire

The most amazing part of The Wire for me, however, is the incredible complexity of the characters.  No one is absolute evil or pure as the driven snow. Everyone is composed of varying shades of gray. Motives are key to these people's characters, and every one of them is flawed. Here are some of my favorite nuanced characters:

Detective Shakima (Kima) Greggs is an openly gay Baltimore City detective. She deals with a lover who wants her to leave the dangerous world of undercover narcotics operations and become a father-figure to her lover's planned child—one that Shakima doesn't want. Shakima can parlay, drink, work, and whore with the most hardened cop. She's savvy on the job, but less smart when it comes to her personal life.

Detective Kima Greggs on The Wire

Bunk Moreland is a slightly pudgy, dapper detective on the Baltimore Police force. He flies under the radar, having mastered the workings of the Homicide Unit, and knowing what he must do to get by. He's a straight shooter who understands the imperfect world he lives in. Puffing on a stogie, drinking, and whoring give him pleasure, but he's still able to function in real life.

Homicide Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire

Omar Little is a murdering thief who lives by a code: he never harms a civilian (someone not involved in the drug trade.) He also disapproves of swearing, and is a man of his word. Scintillatingly smart, he's a modern day Robin Hood with himself as beneficiary. He robs from drug dealers and keeps the loot for himself and his loved ones. Omar's gay lover was gruesomely murdered in Season One and Omar hasn't gotten over it yet.

Criminal Omar Little on The Wire

Michael Lee is a middle-schooler with a drug addict single mother. He's taken over caring for his younger brother and also manages to take enough of his mom's government assistance money to actually buy them food before she spends it on drugs. Michael's actions lead us to believe that his brother's father sexually abused him before he was sent to prison. With his soft-spoken manner and watchful eyes, you get the feeling he's a smart kid who's going to be crushed by the unforgiving world he's been born into. He's cultivated as a good boxing prospect by a former drug dealer who gave up that life to open a neighborhood boxing ring. Imagine the shock when Michael turns out to be one of the biggest bad-asses on this show about bad-asses.

Middle-schooler Micheal Lee on The Wire

Bubbles is a sad sack drug user. He also makes a little money on the side as a confidential informant, a real buddy to Detective Shakima Greggs. The lows he sinks to, the indignities he endures to get his fix, are heart breaking. More so, because in his sober moments he realizes how pathetic he is, and he always has heart. Ultimately his fight becomes merely one to survive in a jungle where in the hierarchy of power, he's an ant.

Drug addict Bubbles on The Wire

For a gritty, real-life show with the widest range of nuanced characters, check out The Wire. You won't regret it. You might even agree that it is television at its finest.

For a clip of the show, click here. (Every season a new variation of the theme song is recorded.)

And now for a tongue-in-cheek comparison on how The Wizard of Oz is grittier than The Wire, click here.

And for a Funny or Die version, click here

A WRITER’S "GOALS"

by Kathy Cannon Wiechman

It’s that time of year when people make resolutions, or at least talk about making resolutions. But there’s something about that word “resolutions” that scares us, makes us feel we are entering into a contract for which we will be punished if/when we break the resolution. It makes us feel as if we must succeed or fail. No middle ground.

I prefer the word “goal.” I belong to a group of writers, who call ourselves Goal Buddies, and we list our goals for a week or month or whatever time period we designate. We email a list of goals to the other buddies, and at the end of the time period, we report on how well we did on those goals and send our next list of goals. I much prefer this system to those once-a-year, sink-or-swim resolutions.

First of all, a list is much better than one mega resolution. If you resolve to do one thing and don’t manage to do it, no matter how much effort you put into the attempt, you feel you have failed. If you have a list and attain only three of five goals, you have accomplished something, and the remaining two goals can be moved into the section for future goals. It is progress. You have succeeded in three goals.

I also try to avoid the “never” resolutions. If you begin the new year with the promise to “never swear in front of the children,” and you hit your thumb with a hammer while you’re hanging Junior’s dart board on January second, you may feel that you’ve blown your entire year’s assignment. So what’s the point of even trying for the rest of the year?

It’s also good to vary your goals, from a few more easily attainable to those far-reaching aspirations that make you shoot for the moon. Because after all, there are those “Right Stuff” kind of people who do reach the moon. Put the opportunity out there, but don’t make it your one-and-only goal for the whole year.

Also, keep in mind that some goals are not in your power to achieve, and word them accordingly. Don’t say, “This is the year I’ll be offered a contract on my novel.” That’s not a goal; it’s a wish, a hope. Make it something you can control. Say instead, “I’ll send my novel manuscript to five different publishing houses, and each time it comes back, I’ll send it to another one.”

With resolutions, as with most aspects of my life, I like the “baloney method.” Don’t sit down and try to eat a pound of baloney. Slice it up and eat it one slice at a time. It’s more realistic. Instead of making a resolution to write a novel, set the goal of writing an outline for one. Or writing a first chapter. Or first paragraph. Work at your own pace. One step at a time. But remember, a writer can’t accomplish anything if he/she doesn’t make time to WRITE. Thinking of a story won’t accomplish any goals until you actually get the words down.

And if you don’t succeed with a goal, don’t beat yourself up over it. Move on and try harder next time.

Finally, don’t limit yourself to only professional goals. We’ve all heard what all-work-and-no-play can lead to.

My remaining goals for 2012:
1) Finish my annual Christmas story.
2) Enjoy my holidays with family and friends.

My initial list of goals for 2013:
1) Submit novel LIKE A RIVER to five editors.
2) Finish rewrite of novel REBECCA’S BRANCH, and submit it.
3) Rethink and rework novel HARD TO TELL.
4) Go over previous Christmas-themed short stories and research possible publishers.
5) Write outline for 1968 novel.
6) Continue research for Harlan novel.
7) Write at least one blog post a month.
8) Attend two conferences or workshops to improve my craft.
9) Attend monthly meetings of two critique groups.
10)  Teach a workshop session.
11)  Get together with as many Swaggers as I can during 2013.
12)  Spend time with loved ones every week.
13)  Hug often.
14)  Treat myself to some ME time at least once a week.

Maybe I’ll update you on how I’m progressing with my list as 2013 moves along.

Whatever YOUR goals are, take time to enjoy yourself and have a happy 2013!

Christmas Memories

by Jon Egan

I'm not sure how old I was when the Christmas carol, Silent Night began bringing tears to my eyes every time I heard it, but it still does. Tears that aren't accompanied with sobbing, or shoulder wrenching, or deep belly gulps and snot bubbles, just damp, rolling, polite, waiting-in-turn-for-the-previous-one-to-make-its-way-down-my-cheek tears.

It's not sadness that creates the tears. I think it's more of a sense of expectation that this will be The Year. No matter how bad or good the past year was, we get to wash everything away and hit the re-set button. It also really gets me thinking about the innocence of youth, and the opportunity they face. So for me, that's when the Christmas season begins: the first time I hear Silent Night being played. And this year it was actually the 1st of December. Andy Williams came on the radio, and Christmas 2012 officially began.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79iF6du9pHo

I don't specifically remember a lot of my Christmas Pasts, but I definitely do remember the following one:

As most of you reading this know, I come from a crazy household. Lots of fun times. Lots of not-so-fun times. Lots of falling outs between sibling and sibling, between parents and siblings, between parent and parent, but it seemed that no matter the relationship boogie, Christmas was always a time for us to come together as a family and bury the hatchet. (Not just like the time Adrian literally tried to bury it in Julian's leg. Luckily it was blunt and only left a bruise!)

So this one year when the whole family was living in the same little mining town way up North, there were a few of us "not talking," to a few others of us. I forget who was pissed at who, but it had been going on for awhile. My older brother, sister, and me had moved out of the house, so when the first one of us showed up to Mum and Dad's we'd be given the assignment by a sobbing Mum to, "Go get your brother, or sister. It's Christmas damn it, and we should all be happy and together."  Dad would huff and disappear to his bedroom, grumbling something along the lines of, "I'm not talking to that feckin' eejit,", or "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, women, can you not just leave things be?" but you knew deep down he wanted the whole family around as well. So off one of us would trot to get the others that weren't there yet, and the negotiations would begin with the one that was on the out. No matter how long they went on, it typically ended with tears and hugs from the envoy, followed once we got back to Mum and Dad's by sobbing, and hugging, and apologies, and "Where's the fecking whiskey?

So this year it was Linden who was the last to arrive, but when he showed up and all the bad feelings had subsided, and the whiskey was beginning to work its magic, he announced that for Christmas he'd splurged and bought himself (Linden loved buying gifts for himself!) an air pistol. No, there is no line here that goes, "You'll shoot your eye out!" We'd never even heard of that movie in Australia.

Linden, being Linden, runs out to the car and brings in this very fine air pistol and the BB's that go with it, and Dad, who loved anything that made a bang or blew things up, couldn't resist. He disengaged his crazy, mischievous, Irish brain and took dead aim at one of Mum's old glass ornaments that she so lovingly transported the 12,000 miles or so when she moved from England to Australia. He pulled the trigger. Mum gasped, and shrieked, and screamed, and cursed, and managed to do it all in a single expulsion of air, and nothing happened to the ornament.

Dad looked at Mum; Mum cursed at him again; Dad held out his hand to Linden. Linden placed a dozen or so BB's in his hand; Dad looked at Mum; Mum snarled. Dad loaded the BB's; Mum told him not to; Dad smiled, and took aim. All the rest of us sat on the blue vinyl couch, shirt backs sticking to it. (It was always in the 100's at Christmas.) Linden told him to aim a little high, Dad did, and he nailed the green ball of glass, shattering it into a thousand little pieces. Mum screamed; Dad roared; Linden looked very proud, and the rest of us smiled at Dad and looked very concerned at Mum when she snapped her head to look at us.

Target practice

Dad's first hit

 
Dad took aim and repeated the process, only this time it was a little plastic lamb ornament, then he handed the pistol back to Linden and bet him he couldn't take out one of the three Kings. Extra points for the smug looking one with the box of gold. Mum finally recovered her senses after witnessing the carnage from the first two shots, and away she went. The yelling grew louder; the tears began to flow, and dad calmly proclaimed that, "Your mother couldn't hit the fat end of a slow-moving cow from three feckin' feet, could ya, Hazel?"

Mum, never one to shy away from a contest against Dad, didn't give it a second thought. She asked Linden, "How do I work the stupid gun?" He showed her, and the next thing we knew she'd aimed, pulled the trigger, and put a nice little hole in the dry rock wall. Dad smirked; Mum squinted; Linden told her to aim a little high; and before you could say Merry Christmas, the smug, gold-bearing king was history! Dad howled; Mum told-you-so'ed to Dad; Linden was proud again, and we all smiled at mum telling her what a great shot she was.

Mum's second shot.

Mum's first shot

She asked Dad which one next, and away they went, like a sniper crew: Dad spotting; Mum shooting; Linden reloading. We all took turns shooting ornaments off the fake green plastic Christmas tree, and when they were all gone, including the terrified-looking angel topper, we started on anything around the living room that presented itself as target. It was an amazing Christmas day. The walls were a little worse for wear; the Christmas tree was history, and even though the linoleum floor was swept multiple times, months later when I'd come over, there'd be another piece of sparkled glass littering the floor. It was definitely a less traditional Christmas than most people enjoy, but it was such a great encapsulation of an Egan Christmas.

The angel tree topper that got no respect

Love you, Dad. Wish we could have had a few more Christmases together. Sleep in heavenly peace :)
 
Merry Christmas everyone.

What are your favorite Christmas memories? What Christmas carol is special to you?

Storm Cover Reveal, Sneak Peek, & Giveaway!

by Melissa Kline

I am jumping-out-of-my-chair excited to share my latest project and soon-to-be-published novel with you… *drum roll* STORM!!! ― A young adult mystery-drama about a creative and complex teen boy. Here is the official synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Storm enjoys skateboarding, fixing broken electronics, and building things with his hands. They distract him from the tormented thoughts surrounding the circumstances of his mother’s death. But his problems can’t be avoided forever… Since his mother’s death, tensions are high at home, the girl of Storm’s dreams is dating someone else, and an argument with his father lands him in the school counselors’ office. Will Storm overcome his fears, let go of the feelings that have been haunting him, and reveal his long-held secrets? Can his dad ever forgive him? Will the girl of his dreams ever see him as more than a friend? A true-to-life young adult novel teeming with mystery, romance and intrigue.

This book is full of lots of juicy drama and fun, colorful characters but it's ultimately about relationships, connections and overcoming obstacles. The story has a beautiful message - one that I believe both teens and adults will relate to.

Because this book deals with many issues that teen’s today face, I am donating a portion of the proceeds from sales to youth organizations - something that is very important to me. Some of the organizations that I will be supporting are: Born This Way Foundation, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Hey U.G.L.Y, To Write Love On Her Arms, Love Is Louder, Do Something, and Half Of Us.

Storm is scheduled for print release on December 14^th, 2012 by DreamFusion Press, LLC. The countdown to launch is almost over but there is still time to participate in a giveaway for a chance to win a hot-off-the-press autographed copy! Stop by MelissaKlineAuthor.com to find the current giveaway and Storm extras such as:

Props, Setting & Inspiration

Costumes

Miniature Scenes

Interview with Storm

These are just a few of my fun, creative concoctions. Pop in and see what the world of Storm is all about. I can't wait to share this book with you! :)