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Non-fiction Review: We Also Served, by Vivien Newman

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Title: We Also Served: The Forgotten Women of the First World War Author: Vivien Newman Publication Info: Pen and Sword Books, 2014. 224 pages Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: We Also Served is a social history of women s involvement in the First World War. Dr Vivien Newman disturbs myths and preconceptions surrounding women's war work and seeks to inform contemporary readers of countless acts of derring-do, determination, and quiet heroism by British women, that went on behind the scenes from 1914-1918. In August 1914 a mere 640 women had a clearly defined wartime role. Ignoring early War Office advice to 'go home and sit still', by 1918 hundreds of thousands of women from all corners of the world had lent their individual wills and collective strength to the Allied cause. As well as becoming nurses, munitions workers, and members of the Land Army, women were also ambulance drivers and surgeons; they served with the Armed Forces; funded a

Photo Friday: Into the Canyon

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Last month when I needed to get out of my house so the realtor could show it, I went a little farther than was required--I went to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with four backpacking buddies. I have lots of nice pictures, so I'm going to do more than one post on it. (That's a lie. I'm doing the first two days because that's all the farther I've gotten in editing the photos.) The route was down the South Kaibab trail, then out to Clear Creek and back to Phantom Ranch before going out via the Bright Angel trail. We did a couple of dayhikes on layover days (being unclear on the meaning of "rest day"). The South Kaibab descends 4740' in about 7 miles to cross the river and land at Phantom Ranch. Weather was more than cool, so we didn't make any extraordinary efforts to get to the TH early, starting down about 8:45. Ready to drop off the edge. The trail descends aggressively through the cliff bands, then traverses through the eroded slopes of less clif

Writer Update: Moving is disruptive

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It's been a while. I've not given up on blogging--not yet. But I have had to let it go while dealing with life. I think I'm back now, though the whole moving thing isn't over. Just one week ago, this happened. Yes, that's a U-Haul, and yes, I did at least some of the loading. I also owe huge thanks to the friends, relations, and neighbors who helped make it happen. The flip side is this:  That's my stuff going into a storage unit. Now I'm neck deep in trying to find my new home, learning the hard lessons about balancing dreams and reality, and still hoping for the perfect--for me--house. However, now that things are settling down to home tours and waiting, I'm at last back at work on the novel! I managed a couple of hours of work on it this morning, and am over 70K on the re-drafting. That is to say, I'm into the home stretch. If I can recover my vision I should be able to finish the draft in the next week and start finding out if I've improved m

Cozy Mystery Review: Mining For Murder

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    Mining for Murder (A Happy Camper Mystery) Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series Setting – South Dakota Lyrical Press (April 5, 2022) Print length ‏ : ‎ 275 pages Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0992TPJ24 Zo Jones is enjoying the sunny season at her Happy Camper gift shop in Spirit Canyon, South Dakota—when a murder reminds her all that glitters isn’t gold . . . The South Dakota Gold Rush might be long over, but Zo Jones feels like she’s hit the mother lode when she and her friends browse an estate sale, where a rare old book about the history of Spirit Canyon is causing quite a commotion. In addition to local stories and secrets, the book may even contain the location of a famous stash of gold—a treasure worth killing for. Zo’s friend Maynard Cline wins the bid on the book, to the chagrin of many interested parties, including the historical society and college history department. But when Zo and Hattie head to Maynard’s mansion to borrow the book for a library event, the only th

Writer Update and Grand Canyon Teaser

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The writer update is pretty short and maybe not so sweet: I'm in the middle of moving from California back home to Washington, and writing... well, it's hard to squeeze it in when you're packing boxes all day and worrying about the effects of the rapid interest-rate hikes on home sales. So I've made only a very little progress on the novel this month, though I did manage to make some good notes and write a few pages. As for the Grand Canyon... I have an awful lot of photos to edit from a 6-day backpack trip to the bottom of the Canyon, so I'm starting with just a few shots from the South Rim, and a few from the trip out to the Canyon. I'll get back to that with more, too--I saw some nice places coming and going. I started the trip with a quick visit to the Bay Area, where I stopped in to see my grandsnake (okay, my son's pet Sinoloan milksnake). I took time for a couple of walks by the ocean, something I've missed while living inland. Then in was on the

IWSG: I'm not here

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I'm not participating this month, because I'm away, and I'm moving, and I'm way behind with my novel... so please go visit all the other lovely writers who aren't howling mad right now!  What is the IWSG? Read on! Purpose:   To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting:   The first Wednesday of every month is officially   Insecure Writer’s Support Group   day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!   Every month, the IWSG announces a question that members c

Blogging break

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I had thought to do my usual and post some bits and pieces while I'm out of blogging range. But life has been very very busy, and that's just not going to happen. So... See you in a couple of weeks. Here's a nice tree to look at while I'm away getting more photos (and not doing much writing). See you in a couple of weeks!

Writer's Update: Playa Summerlake Residency

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I'm taking a break from my writing and packing to give a little report on my time at the Artists' Residency at Playa Summerlake. To see more about that--and if you are interested in applying--check out the Playa website . The residencies are 5, 12, or 26 days. I landed a 5-day visit. While I wanted a longer one, as it happened my schedule this spring barely allowed for the five day version. This was my first residency, and let me say first off that I was over the moon to get it. Talk about validation of myself as a writer! The residency in remote eastern Oregon provided--free of charge--a private cabin with a kitchen, bathroom, etc., and a nice spot to plop my computer for writing, as well as dinner the first night. Every one of the cabins looks out on the playa and the usually-a-lake, so that I was constantly inspired by the scenery and the ever-changing light and weather (more on that later--we got the fullest range of spring possible, I think!).  There we also lots of places