tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172449082024-03-18T09:11:37.238-07:00Beth Camp Historical FictionBeth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.comBlogger1030125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-11074155478111894152024-03-18T09:08:00.000-07:002024-03-18T09:11:05.493-07:00A few trip memories and . . . First LinesHome now after 6 days on the road, driving back from Tucson. Not so easy to settle back into those familiar routines after being away for 6 weeks. I can close my eyes and see palm trees, cactus, and desert mountains, their layers outlined in red and orange and brown. Imagine walking along a winding trail in Kolob Canyon to see petroglyphs from long ago, estimated to be about 1,000 years old and Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-27343773683381700222024-03-07T08:14:00.000-08:002024-03-07T08:14:41.253-08:00IWSG: March 2024 . . . already? No, I'm not really ready for it to be March or 2024!We're in Tucson for another day, warm sun, palm trees, cactus-covered hills around us. Sigh. People are talking about today's rain -- supposed to drizzle about 4pm. Oofta. They don't know how lucky they are. Today's temps of 43F-60F do not really compare with 20F-43F back home. By the weekend, Tucson will see temperatures of 75F, butBeth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-31270284236172020532024-02-08T19:21:00.000-08:002024-02-08T19:21:43.983-08:00Checking back in for 2024 Just recovering from a day of driving and a little hiking with friends at Snow Canyon near St. George, Utah. We are here for another week before heading further south, on our way to Tucson, looking forward to warmer weather and sunny skies. Being older than average has slowed us down a bit. Did you notice I haven't blogged since 2023??? Perhaps it was just time for a little breakBeth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-12145474981071119532023-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:002023-12-06T09:00:18.927-08:00IWSG: Reading, Reviewing, and an UpdateToday, the first Wednesday of the month, is the day that writers share their thoughts, support other writers, and may respond to that monthly question posted by the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Okay. You may have noticed I didn't post anything for November's IWSG. Thank you, IWSG, for not taking me off the list of participating writers. Simply put, I forgot, entranced sideways into Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-24596042540678078482023-10-30T11:49:00.001-07:002023-10-30T11:49:14.895-07:00IWSG: What about NaNoWriMo? Should I? Shouldn't I?Yes, it's first of the month, kicking off an event and a deeplly appreciated connection to that writing community known as The Insecure Writer's Support Group.First, heads up about that Zoom event on November 1. Linda Bond, of Auntie's Bookstore fame here in Spokane, will be interviewing me about writing and Mothers Don't Die on Wednesday, November 1st, at 2pm. You can e-mail Linda at Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-31265479384155085512023-10-27T20:20:00.003-07:002023-10-29T14:42:57.783-07:00First Snow . . . And a RecommendationLast week, temperatures hovered around 70F. This coming week, the first snow fell (just a dusting), but temps will plummet down to 22F.Update on my writing. Between doctor visits, minor foot surgery, and sitting in that darn chair for six weeks with no laptop, I haven't gotten much done, though I'm slowly drafting Unleashed Pursuit, that story about a female police officer on the run. Since my Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-9291935220750853962023-10-17T10:21:00.000-07:002023-10-17T10:21:12.110-07:00Write . . . Edit . . . Publish . . . Phantom of the Opera!This month, Write...Edit...Publish's prompt is The Phantom of the Opera, rather a dark prompt, perhaps just in time for Halloween.Tagline: What do we learn when we close our eyes?"First Time"
Christine stood in the wings of the
makeshift theater, a sheet for a curtain, the audience, her classmates. She
shivered. They didn’t like her. She peeked at the slip of paper Mr. Gaudet had
given her.Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-71368362169891035312023-10-13T17:29:00.001-07:002023-10-13T17:29:56.056-07:00Welcome to Fall . . . A Writer's NotesWalk with me through the Japanese Garden here in Spokane, at Manito Park. When all else is dark, the news relentless, here we can find a moment of hope and peace.These last few weeks, I'm more aware of how vulnerable we are. Minor foot surgery put me in that chair, foot elevated, with limited weight-bearing activities. But, I rarely sit quietly, unless it's early in the morning and I'm writing. Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-65051848902247172112023-10-04T08:46:00.005-07:002023-10-04T14:03:32.448-07:00IWSG October: AI is ramping UP and I don't care . . . Ever see one of those bell curve charts transformed into a line going straight up? Usually, a fad comes, sticks around a while, and then fades with the passing decade. AI (artificial intelligence) is like a tsunami. Even now, not widely understood, it has the power to do more than raise eyebrows everywhere.Last month, I uploaded a new book on Amazon, and Amazon wanted to know if I used AI. Check Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-25563434425537615542023-09-13T10:28:00.001-07:002023-09-13T10:28:40.456-07:00Weds: Getting Ready to Pack Wednesday morning, almost our last day here on Vancouver Island. I'm sitting out on the verandah, enjoying the quiet view of golfing green and forest as I enjoy breakfast waffles. Across the way, a dog barks, then another. A chain of different dogs take up the chorus, ending with a deep, baying howl. Something's wrong. Silence, as if we all wait to see what's next. The absolute quiet Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-2243936879365187852023-09-05T23:46:00.007-07:002023-09-09T07:00:42.667-07:00IWSG September 5: From the Beginning!This month's Challenge Question from the Insecure Writer's Support Group took me back in time. All the way back to July 2015, just 8 years ago, and I'm already at 46 (out of 118). Go HERE to read that original entry! What I've appreciated most . . . is how effectively this vibrant online community connects writers who care about other writers and writing, regardless of genre Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-23148417683250729372023-09-01T12:18:00.000-07:002023-09-01T12:18:24.797-07:00Walk in the woods . . . and a psychological thriller . . . Yesterday we spent nearly an hour, strolling through the Milner Gardens, just about a 30 minute drive away from where we're staying on Vancouver Island. Billed as "an ancient forest and garden oasis by the sea," I can agree. Even royalty has sipped tea here. We took in the views and admired the hidden fountains and rhododendron shrubs so large, their gnarled branches looked like trees.Old Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-63723636535691992092023-08-24T10:00:00.002-07:002023-08-24T10:00:52.391-07:00A Writer's Drought? We are staying the month on Vancouver Island, near Nanoose Bay. This picture shows the cove just a 6-minute walk down the hill. Despite daily news of wildfires all through Canada, and the aftermath of the devastating fires in Hawaii, here, the air is clear blue and the temperatures are averaging about 70F. So, of course, I feel a mix of guilty and gratefulness as I watch the deer come down Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-82148051810878130042023-08-17T11:44:00.001-07:002023-08-17T11:44:36.527-07:00Write...Edit...Publish: A Summer Taste of Chocolate . . . Just in time, here is my flash fiction post for the August prompt from Write...Edit...Publish:ChocolatI sat on the somewhat lumpy swinging chair on the veranda,
hoping no one would find me. Ever since Wanda Jane began the tradition of
afternoon tea, I wanted to hide. If you didn’t want to drink any of the teas
she provided, from mint to ginger to green, she did offer hot cocoa. But that
wasBeth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-63855596823392267002023-08-17T08:20:00.001-07:002023-08-17T08:20:16.542-07:00Vacation . . . Here's the view from our temporary apartment at The Swan's Pond on Vancouver Island. I don't think I've ever simply sat on a swinging settee to simply enjoy the view without a round of tasks prompting me to work. The morning quiet was marred only by the trickle of water at a nearby pond and an occasional passing flock of Canada geese. So far this morning, I've seen three young deer Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-4617130560996066052023-08-02T03:00:00.001-07:002023-08-02T03:00:00.150-07:00IWSG August 2: Conflicted over Writing? This month's Challenge Question from the Insecure Writer's Support Group had me thinking about where my stories come from. August 2 question: Have you ever written something that afterwards you felt conflicted about? If so, did you let it stay how it was, take it out, or rewrite it? This month, I'm co-presenting at our local author's group on how cultural diversity (our own and that of others) Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-30669719097825908662023-07-27T18:30:00.001-07:002023-07-27T18:30:41.792-07:00Marketing for Indie Writers? Take a Leap of Faith . . .Today has certainly been exciting! And you can take advantage of some 150 writers offering (with no strings at all) their cozy mystery books for free in three categories: Contemporary, paranormal, and historical -- including my own art crime mystery, The Seventh Tapestry.What are you waiting for? You can go to Amazon direct for The Seventh Tapestry OR jump onto the Cozy Mystery Book Club Book Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-25018904257576759502023-07-18T08:59:00.000-07:002023-07-18T08:59:34.584-07:00Everything's Heating Up . . . Today's high is 81F, and tomorrow, we head into the 90s. My sister lives in Tucson, too close to Phoenix and those record-breaking heat blasts. Sigh. Surprisingly, I find myself missing the snow, just a little!What I'm reading. Just now, I'm reading Olga Godim's delightful Squirrel of Magic: Short Stories. And I want to learn much more of this young witch. Olga has that ability to bring Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-9596876204012984342023-07-05T19:44:00.000-07:002023-07-05T19:44:08.498-07:00IWSG July 5: Writing Inspiration? In your dreams . . . This month's Challenge Question from the Insecure Writer's Support Group had me smiling:July 5 question - 99% of my story ideas come from dreams.Where do yours predominantly come from?The very first historical fiction novel I wrote, Standing Stones, came from a dream about mermaids off the coast of Northern Scotland and morphed into a four-book family saga in the mid-1840s. My next Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-2735635423024794612023-06-29T10:31:00.002-07:002023-06-29T10:31:31.842-07:00A Doggone Mystery . . . Today, temps are heading toward 93F, and I'm deep in a new project. Not that I've given up on other projects . . . yet . . . but I found myself wanting to write something just for fun. I woke up dreaming about a woman on the run (Caterina) and the dog (Max) who befriends her. What's the first step? Making a 'maybe' cover and drafting that story outline and character back stories. So, Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-43858271252537951552023-06-23T12:45:00.001-07:002023-06-23T12:45:18.087-07:00June 23: And summer . . . This week truly begins summer. School's out. Temperatures are heating up. The grandkids began swim lessons. Maybe a bit of normalcy? We're home after attending a joyful college graduation and visiting friends in Oregon. OK, we're exhausted, still recovering from a nasty cold, I haven't written anything in 7 days, and all I can think of is where are the lounge chairs?Image from digitalmomTime to Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-91915913138099345742023-06-15T07:56:00.001-07:002023-06-15T07:56:53.950-07:00Remembering Cormack McCarthy I have never read one of Cormack McCarthy's books. Widely recognized as a powerful writer of dystopian fiction, I always put reading even one of his books off. OK, so he wrote deep stuff, and I respected his thoughtful efforts. I loved the movie adapted from his novel, No Country for Old Men. But, the shoe didn't seem to fit. Until this morning. David Brewer, of Writer's Digest fame, Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-57798606434195863862023-06-07T05:00:00.001-07:002023-06-07T05:00:00.142-07:00IWSG June: Replace Writing????The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. For more about IWSG, see below!This month, the optional question is: If you ever did stop writing, what would you
replace it with? I can't imagine not writing. The seemingly simple challenge of writing is such a part of me, whether with keyboard or pen, or a mix of drawing and writing. On one Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-87227365945397197782023-05-25T14:46:00.001-07:002023-05-25T14:46:50.808-07:00May is already nearly over? Just about one more week, and we'll be looking back at May, wondering why the days passed by so fast. The daffodils here have already given way to those gorgeous purple irises. Yellow-headed blackbirds are still chasing those red-headed blackbirds around in our nearby ponds. And, we can go for a walk without bundling up in warm jackets.Any lessons learned from this month? My personal goals Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244908.post-36474791386945230382023-05-19T07:53:00.001-07:002023-05-19T07:53:52.674-07:00For your reading pleasure! If you love e-books, you can download Standing Stones from Amazon through this weekend. Yes, I want my Kindle copy! Click here.Beth Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12682622561621269515noreply@blogger.com1