One can’t deny the subtle soft beauty of the sea and sky in the early morning haze,  but the blubbery cnidarians

dotting the shoreline brings a sense of “yuck” as I make my daily trek. I know, I know–they are God’s creatures too, but then so are slugs; however slugs don’t sting. Our little cannon ball or cabbage head jelly is probably one of the least most likely to sting you but if they do it can cause some real damage. Alas! There is beauty in everything and as I peer closer to the critter I notice the fine lacy structure, the “trim” – beige and brown and realize that this globulous mass, does indeed have a beauty of its own.  There is art in beauty, regardless of its structure. And maybe enough to rival the beauty of the sun bursting through the clouds——-naw.

QUOTE: “Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term Art, I should call it ‘the reproduction of what the Senses perceive in Nature through the veil of the soul.’ The mere imitation, however accurate, of what is in Nature, entitles no man to the sacred name of ‘Artist.'”  Edgar Allan Poe

WRITING TIP: I will be teaching a creative writing class beginning June 3 (if enough enroll) check it out if you are interested. I know it’s summer but it can still be fun.

Aint’t no way–nope, ain’t no way I’m going to be out on the ocean when it looks like this. Not by choice anyway. I can only imagine the terror–well, I have been out in about 8 foot seas, but that was long ago and  I was too focused on trying to endure my situation, than to be afraid. Then there are the mountains–I like my land flat and sandy, thank you very much. But I did live in Asheville for a couple years and have driven through the Rockies of Utah. Scared the pee out of me. Mountains are pretty in pictures, think I’ll enjoy them that way. Hmm, what else scares me? Rats-scared as hell of them. Sharks–yep, scared of them too. Roaches–but that’s more of a hate thing. I guess what scares me the most is life. Wondering if I’m going to fail. Wondering if I have what it takes to keep the glass half full rather than half empty. Losing a loved one- that’s a scary thing, watching a loved one go through pain, not being able to help a friend that needs my help, mustering up the strength to go one more day with anything. All this and then–getting older is sort of scary too.

I have a choice with the ocean, the mountains and to some extent the critters, but life-that’s a big one. That’s THE one. Then someone told me , it’s rough but you hold on, it’s scary but you pray and hold on. Life is as scary as I let it be. And then their is faith.

QUOTE: “Oh, we can populate the dark with horrors, even we who think ourselves informed and sure, believing nothing we cannot measure or weigh. I know beyond all doubt that the dark things crowding in on me either did not exist or were not dangerous to me, and still I was afraid.” John Steinbeck

WRITING TIP: Fear can cripple you when it comes to writing-if you know this, explain it on paper.

So excited about the new book SHARK’S BREATH! I hope my readers will enjoy this little journey as much as I enjoyed writing it. Shark’s Breath is a little bit longer than my other books–things got complicated–characters just wouldn’t let go! My characters truly have a life of their own.

I hope everyone will join me at Quarter Moon Bookstore in Topsail Beach on May 25 at 5 pm. There will be some finger food, champagne and door prizes. Please come and help us celebrate and meet some of the folks who helped me in researching facts.

Love is not for the faint of heart. Shadows of ourselves exist when we lose love; we cling to those shadows. So love is never really lost, it’s simply locked away until we choose to bring it back–maybe toy with it for a while–maybe revel in the pain of it.  Or if we’re lucky, enjoy it.

It was difficult deciding what to do about Paula (a character in Shark’s Breath), about her love-what it made her do. Writing her experiences was wrenching and I wrote and deleted, wrote and deleted–hope you’ll like what she does–or maybe not. Shark’s Breath will be out in a month–check it out. You tell me, ye faint of heart lovers.

The last few days have been so beautiful, makes one forget that even the assholes of the world get to behold such sights. (Wow! that sounds nasty.) Ah, but do they appreciate it as much as those of us pure of heart are so capable of doing? Hmm, but there are man-eating sharks beneath that blue calm-hurricanes blow from that lustrous sky– so don’t let ANYTHING (or anyone) deceive you and lull you into a false sense of security. Remember, the man-o-war is a beautiful but deadly jelly fish.And SHARK’S BREATH may not be what you think it is.

QUOTE: “The essence of lying is in deception, not in words.” John Ruskin

WRITING TIP: “Art is a deception that creates real emotions – a lie that creates a truth. And when you give yourself over to that deception it becomes magic.” Marco Tempe

Shrimp boats, we see them all the time from our shore. They seem fascinating, maybe even a little romantic (you know, men and the sea and all that jazz). Many moons ago I spent a night shrimping on one (when I wasn’t throwing up) and got a glimpse as to how they operate. It was complicated then and complicated today, as I once again boarded a shrimp boat to learn just how they work. Not to bore you with the technical stuff I’ll refer you to a page on google called HOW SHRIMP BOATS WORK. So, back to the romantic stuff–I’ve always believed that it takes a certain type of person to be a fisherman and I don’t mean the type that fishes on weekends or from the pier, I mean the kind that makes their living from the ocean. Thalassophile-that is “lover of the ocean”–you have to be one of those to work on the sea–it’s a soul thing–one has to do it, since shrimp boat work is hard and demanding. And if you’re not careful, can maim or kill you. My hat is off to all the shrimpers working on those round hulled boats that dip and sway constantly, dip and sway, dip and sway–

QUOTE:

“And the fog’s liftin’
And the sand’s shiftin’
I’m driftin’ on out
Ol’ Captain Ahab
He ain’t got nothin’ on me, now.
So swallow me, don’t follow me
I’m trav’lin’ alone
Blue water’s my daughter
‘n I’m gonna skip like a stone”  Tom Waits

WRITING TIP: Writing is a pleasure, enjoy it.

Bad dude, like-really bad dude. Just around the corner–coming this spring. SHARK’S BREATH is set for its launch May 25 at the Quarter Moon. (more to follow on that in subsequent posts)

QUOTE: ” It has always seemed strange to me–the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those trait we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.” John Steinbeck

WRITING TIP: Take it from the classics, everyone loves a good “bad” story.

SHARK’S BREATH is almost finished! Only a few thousand more words and my baby will be ready to go. Very excited about this one, especially since I spoke to so many experts, trying to gather knowledge and make sure certain things were correct. Let’s see, police, detectives, US Marshal, and this year I spoke to an FBI agent! Wow–learning is so much fun! Looking forward to having the book out by the end of May; I will be sure to announce the exact date and to let you know what’s going on–possible book launch party in the works. So this is fun! Thank you readers, hope you like this one too.

Every year about this time I pay  homage to my favorite flowers by posting them swaying in the breeze. Well, I found this old pic the other day and decided that this one might do this year. I’ve always loved Daffodils–the poem too by Wordsworth–the stuff about wandering lonely as a cloud and then finding the golden expanse of daffodils. Then there is the ending, where the writer is relaxing, closing their eyes and seeing the simplicity, the beauty of the flower once again. I like to think the poem is a metaphor for life–for keeping the beauty, the utter simplicity of it all and holding it within yourself. This photo is from 25 years ago, even then I was a “daffy” dil.

Wordsworth’s poem:

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Some days there are no words. Actually, there are no words at anytime. Just imagine what exists below all that calm.

QUOTE: “Sponges grow in the ocean. That just kills me. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be if that didn’t happen.” Steven Wright 🙂

WRITING TIP: Analogy: This is you-the writer. All that stuff that lies beneath your surface is fodder for stories.