Musings

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Well it's a snowy morning here in Maine and I've been up since 3am... I went to bed knitting instead of reading. It was no easy feat trying to do the basketweave pattern and stay awake long enough to not make a mistake. I hadn't knitted all summer and into the fall because I had gotten so discouraged because my daughter's Boxer puppy would destroy every project and needles I was using. I finally figured out I just couldn't leave any of my knitting around, not even in tote bags. She would figure out some way to get it out and destroy. So I am back to knitting again, not at the speed I was previously but knitting and enjoying. I have too many other things going. Editing my first book for publication in June and classes with my Fire Department for Fire Fighter 1 & 2.
I happened to read an article in last month's Down East Magazine about a woman who loves to knit. The title escapes me but it was about none other then Pam Allen who wrote "Knitting for Dummies" , is a sweater designer and now has a company in Portland called Quince & Co that sells yarn and patterns. What I like about the yarn besides the nifty names like Lark,Chickadee, Finch, Osprey,Puffin and Tern is like with Finch which is a fingering weight that could be used for knitting socks it's color names like Rosa Rugosa, Clay, Leak, Marsh, Honey or as in Osprey which is a Aran weight like what you would use to knit an irish sweater. She hopes to some day be using more Maine wool which I would find even more attractive.
I'm also besides my editing on "The Kings of Angkor:Army of a Thousand Elephants I am doing research on world history, but focusing on England at the times of 1113 and when Suryavarman II became king. Just to give a look at what was going on in the world besides Angkor Wat.
So those are my thoughts and musings on this snowy morning. It will be fun trying to find quiet with the boys home.

Journey by train to NYC

Well it's 6:13, have been on the train to Boston since 5:45am and was up at 2am! Boy I was not a happy camper when the alarm went off...
As the train gently rocks back and forth we go backwards... Well I am sitting backwards. I will be writing off and on on this trip to NYC. I just love hearing the Choo- Choo sound. It ranks up there as one of my other favorite sounds , fog horns off the coast of Maine ,which I can hear from my house. I love leaving my window open a crack to hear that mournful sound.
Going by rail or train is a much more relaxing trip then by plane. You board then they come and scan your ticket. They just ask who you are, no scrutinizing your ID.
The horizon is just starting to turn a yellow, orange. This is really a very civilized way of travel and less stressful for sure. I will add to this as I go along. 6:25am.

Dover ,NH 6:44 cool... Next stop Durham, UNH

Well I am somewhere in RI.
It was so strange when I got to Back Bay station and could feel and hear the trains underneath. I have never taken a subway and today was the first time... I went from North Station to Back Bay station.
Now we are headed south, the train is going faster, rocking back and forth, the sun is out and it's a very enjoyable ride. The wicked neat thing is there is wireless so I can be on here and the connection is better and quicker then at home.

Working out Scenes

Well it's Saturday night. I got a bit of writing done which makes me feel better then I felt this morning. But I still feel the urge to write and I have things jumbled up, scenes playing out in my head that are wanting attention. What's a woman to do when she works all week, fights to get enough sleep and still has four children(all boys) at home.
So when I am not writing I am working on scenes in my head,then to paper that I later transfer to my laptop. I listen to music, hear tunes throughout the week that inspire me for certain scenes and conversations in my book. It's amazing what I get out of a song.
I have two books that I am writing at the moment. The second in the series of The Kings of Angkor. Also I am working on a book that is set here on the coast of Maine. I also have a paranormal that is on the back burner where I pull out from time to time to work on and then put back. When I have unlimited time to write then I can get these books done in better fashion.
Today while I was writing my cat Midnight decided he needed time with me so up he comes onto the bed and then plops right down on my lap and then goes fast asleep on my arm. Never mind that I had this part I wanted to get out. He wanted to cuddle and my lap was where he wanted to be...
So tomorrow I go to Fire Department training so nothing will get written unless I get up extremely early. Training is at 7am...
Good night

Ghost Hunting 101

I think if most of us admit it, we believe in ghost to some level.
Growing up in New England and now living on the coast of Maine where I think there are probably more haunted houses then anywhere around. Wisscasset Maine on one street has I think four documented houses that are haunted not to mention other places in that town. Bath, Maine, Damriscotta, Maine. Washington County full of hauntings all documented. Now I don't mind if I am corrected on that and if you have places you know of that are documented hauntings then let me know. Also I don't claim to be a "Ghost hunter" or a Paranormal expert. I do though love to hear a good (real) ghost story and have been on a few Haunted History tours and this last week-end spent the night with some other women at a B&B that is haunted .
Did I see anything? No, I didn't. Thank goodness this ghost is not the malicious sort and the couple who run the haunted history tours in the Mid-Coast area have seen or felt the presence of malicious spirits before.
I did first hand feel 'her' presence and she did wake me up which read on my EMF detector. We each had our own room and after having a lovely dinner at the Newcastle Public House we roamed and investigated the basement of this over 200 year old building which housed the said ghost antique shop. We heard a first hand account from one of the cooks and how he felt the presence of 'her' but thought it was his friends upstairs. They were in fact upstairs and he was downstairs with 'her'.
We then went back to the B&B which was just up the hill and began to run EMF detectors in each of the rooms. We took photos which have been known to pick up things that the naked eye doesn't. Finally at midnight we all turned in. Me on the third floor attic room. I set up my EMF detector on the floor away from anything that would set it off and climbed into bed. I told 'her' that If she wanted to visit or chat I was more then up for it Just wake me up so I know of her presence.. My room, the previous B&B owners had a hair brush thrown at them because they wanted to change the rooms color scheme... They didn't. So after my little chat I fell asleep. At 12:57am my detector went off. I jumped off the bed and screamed "shit!" Then seeing my detector pegging I grabbed my camera and took a shot of that. I got up and after picking up the detector I walked around the room to see if I could get any other readings, couldn't so placed it in another spot, crawled back into bed and went back to sleep, soundly. Apparently one of the other women had a small visit from 'her' just after me. My detector went off again at 4:32 but it didn't peg this time just a calm reading. She was getting tired. I know I was. I went back to sleep till 7am when I got up and saw the snow and said "Oh shit!" again and decided it was time to get up and have tea.
The husband part of the team told me later that my visit from 'her' was a passive visit. That it happened when 'she'wanted not when we were expecting it.
I will post some photos later and another story about a visit earlier that night.
Do I believe in ghost? Yes. Would I do this again? I would love to.

Thoughts on this new Spring Day...

Well it's officially Spring but it doesn't feel or look like it. We are suppose to get snow today into tomorrow. Oh well just because it's spring doesn't mean we are going to get balmy temperatures. There are signs of spring though. Last week I saw Crocuses and Snow Drops or Snow Bells coming up in various places around town. My Lilies are showing signs of poking through the soil. Skunks are out which means it's a sure sign of spring...
I am slowly getting editing done on The Kings of Angkor or as Brendan has on one facebook group page, Kings of Angkor or KOA. Another family member has done up two cover examples for my book. I love both. I am hoping to have a bit of control over that when the times comes . The word is getting out there not only about the book but the possibility of a movie. I am looking into ways to get the word out and want to take out a facebook ad when the times comes down the road. I was trying to explain to one of my kids that I will do all it takes to get my book sold . Some authors are quite content to just be regional or only known within their state. I am hoping to get past that. One of my daughters asked me about getting it in the NY Times... I told her every author would love that but to achieve that is some feat indeed but not unattainable...
So these are some of my thoughts on this early spring day.

So I leave you with a burst of color.

Classes and Writing

Well I tried to log into my classes for work but it wouldn't take the information that I provided. So I will have to wait till tomorrow and I'm at work to talk to my supervisor.

Excited that a new Vicki Doudera book will be out. "Killer Listing" is out at Amazon but I would rather wait to buy it at one of our book stores in Camden.
So since it's my day off and I can't start my classes I will write. You don't have to twist my arm I just need to switch gears.

A funny thing happened when Vicki's first book came out. A family member of her's, I think a brother ordered and had shipped her first book to her mother. The only thing was...
We got this Amazon package come to our house. Saw the UPS man drop it on the porch. I went out and at the same time my son Pat came out. He says "What's that?"
I was looking at the package, perplexed that a Amazon package would be coming for me at the house... Pat says "Well open it..." he grabs it not waiting cause I will still standing there perplexed and hadn't looked at the name on the box yet... He opens it up. In there was "A House to Die for". Well that really threw me as I hadn't ordered it or even knew of the author... Then I said to Pat, "Maybe Bob ordered it for me, knowing I love mysteries..." But it was then I flipped over the box and saw the name and the address on the package... It wasn't my name BUT my address. Pat then looked at the book and saw the author's name, he said. "Doudera, Doudera." There is a girl in my class and then as he is talking I get out the laptop and do a search and find out it's the girls Mom. Pat gets on fb and chats with her and we find out the book was suppose to go to her Grandmother who lives down the street. So Pat brought the book to school the next day. Though it was hard to part with a new book...
Fast forward to around Mother's day. Vicki gave a talk at West Bay Rotary. Bob remembering the little incident knew I wanted to now read the book. She had books there for sale and to sign. By the time he got up to her she was all sold out... Then on Mother's Day we were driving by The Owl and the Turtle Bookstore and I saw a sign for her book in the window. We ran in and I found one last signed copy from her book signing a few day before...
I have since been able to talk to Vicki and share all what transpired with her first book. We got a good chuckle over it.
Well now that my fingers are limbered up I will get to work.

My Book

Will try to get on here in the next couple of days BUT I am working hard at editing my book "The Kings of Angkor : Army of a Thousand Elephants". Though if I like the publishers proposal then I will be going with them .Then they will start looking over my book and then hand it back to me... Well then I am on my way to getting published. I am really excited but being cautious and my son Brendan reminded me about movie rights.
Writing for me is very therapeutic and I can't go for too many days before I have to be writing something. Making notes and getting my thoughts in order for the 2nd book. Now some would say 'You aren't even published yet, why write a 2nd book?' Because I want to and it's my story and my characters and I have to continue their story. I have invested a lot of time in this story, their lives as characters... They are part of me.
I am adding a photo of King Jayavarman VII at The Bayon at Angkor Thom.