I’ve been quiet for a while

Karen McCullough Posted on by

I’m afraid I’ve been quiet for a while now because my mother has been very ill.  It’s a long story, but the journey included surgery for an aneurysm about to burst, a stroke during the surgery, complications from it, another ‘procedure’ to correct the most serious and life-threatening complication and finally treating some other medical issues now.  I’m happy to report that she is now recovering and is moving to a Rehab Hospital this afternoon to work on getting over the problems caused by the stroke.

I’ve been in the Boston area for the last ten days to help the rest of my family and be with my mother.  That’s put me a bit behind with things, but then she’s the only mother I have.

Tuesday Weirdness

Karen McCullough Posted on by

Odd things seen around the neighborhood. The kind of thing that makes you scratch your head and ask why:

There’s probably a good reason that chair was hanging over the railing, but I’m not sure what it might be.

Book Blitz!

Karen McCullough Posted on by

Attention: Readers! Over the next 4 days, I’m joining with a group of writer friends for a  Book Blitz. Each day a few  authors will be offering a book for sale on Amazon for just 99 cents each! The plan is to sell the books between noon and midnight PST (Pacific time). I’ll post the links each day so you can get these great books at a bargain price. In the meantime, make yourself a note to check out the books on Friday/Sat/Sunday/Monday. (My day is Saturday!) Help us make this a great blitz!!

Here are Friday’s Books:

Mounted (Bittersweet Farm) http://www.amazon.com/Mounted-Bittersweet-Farm-ebook/dp/B00958643U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348241950&sr=8-1&keywords=mounted+morgenroth

Born to Bitch: http://www.amazon.com/Born-to-Bitch-ebook/dp/B006K7Y1H0/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1348241991&sr=8-1

Flames of Deceit: http://ww.amazon.com/FLAMES-OF-DECEIT-ebook/dp/B0067PZXPE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348242033&sr=1-1&keywords=flames+of+deceit

Braeden and Janne (Beyond Camelot, Brother Knights) http://www.amazon.com/Braeden-Camelot-Brother-Knights-ebook/dp/B008880DLW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348242086&sr=1-1&keywords=braeden+and+janne

Is Nancy Drew Still Sleuthing Today?

Karen McCullough Posted on by

Beth Kanell, one of my fellow authors from the brand new e-book 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror, 52 Authors Look Back, and I are doing a blog exchange today, so after you read Beth’s post here you can read mine on her blog here!

If you enjoy magazine columns and Chicken Soup for the Soul books, then we’re sure to enjoy our collection of essays, designed to warm your heart, raise your spirits and compel you to examine your own life. Read about school days, quirky jobs, romance, raising a family, hard times, the writing journey, and find out what makes your favorite characters tick.

Get a full listing of authors, essay titles and retailers here: http://ning.it/OknwVR

Follow the 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror Blog and Radio Tour schedule here: http://ning.it/NZpHrP And don’t miss the chance to join the 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror Yahoo Group, a fun and inspirational group that discusses the past and will help you to stay on track for the future. Http://ning.it/O6vWdG

Is Nancy Drew Still Sleuthing Today?

Are you one of the many readers — like Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, former First Lady Laura Bush, and retired Congresswoman Pat Schroeder — who discovered Nancy Drew in childhood and enjoyed the uncomplicated successes of this teen sleuth? “She was smart and she didn’t have to hide it!” commented Schroeder in a New York Times interview.

Many mystery authors agree that the Nancy Drew stories marked them in some way. Even crime fiction leader Sara Paretsky, who didn’t identify as a child with the relatively privileged world of Nancy, came to see her as a symbol of independence and exuberant strength.

So, why is it so hard to find today’s Nancy Drews? Since the 1930 start of the original series, the Western world has welcomed smart, independent women, hasn’t it? But have you read anything lately that made you say, “Here is today’s titian-haired sleuth” — and then look for the next book in the series?

Part of the answer has to be the complications that we now expect in our fiction. Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce, for instance, is a dogged sleuth with a lot of intellect. But her fondness for poisons at age 11 is demonstrated to be antisocial and dangerous, if useful, and she knows that her family considers her too smart for her own good. (What woman hasn’t heard that line, even today?) Plus her investigations over subsequent books also reveal an underlying sorrow of her life. Underlying sorrow! Never would that appear in a Nancy Drew book. Independence, freedom of choice, a “roadster” to drive (without owing payments), a boyfriend who does just what she asks — Nancy Drew has the easy life and we follow along, at least when we’re kids, with a hunger and confidence in solutions and justice.

I love complicated books. I believe writers need to confront school bullying in fiction, admit that parents aren’t perfect, and challenge easy convictions that ignore DNA evidence.

But I also can’t ignore the lasting presence of Nancy Drew as an inspiration for people who are smart and committed and independent. Life is complicated; Nancy Drew is simpler. And we need her, even today.

[Beth Kanell is writing a Vermont teen sleuth series featuring Felicity “Lucky” Franklin. Will she succeed in crafting a worthy successor to Nancy Drew? Find out, chapter by chapter, at http://www.wattpad.com/3668250-all-that-glitters-chapter-1-all-that-glitters-by, and look over the author’s shoulder at bethkanell.blogspot.com.]
–