Jocelyn Miller, Author

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING THERE

2012-02-18T05:16:00.000-08:00

As mentioned prior, this author was headed for the Everglades for that 'in person' research that is so important in destination writing.When I think of 'Everglades', I think of grasses and gators, swamps and snakes, men in flat-bottomed boats poling their way through tall grasses, risking their lives through gator infested waters, the call of exotic birds echoing through the Spanish moss-draped pines and cypress...oh what a vision I held in my imagination!

Mind you, my friends, I have read extensively of the true tales of the early settlers of the islands, hardscrabble men who fought nature and each other, men who decimated the exotic birds for plumes to decorates ladies hats, men who massacred the mighty gator for hide to make purses and shoes for the women of the civilized world. I had the perfect way to view this life of times gone by --- a private boat! Certainly a private boat and captain would be the only way to experience my vision!

Never did I expect the Ten-Thousand Islands to be just that...hundreds of thickly grown mangrove islands sitting sporadically in the (then) calm inner-waters of the Gulf of Mexico. My vision evaporated as we sped through the gulf waters, each island a replica of the other. No gators; my exotic birds were flocks of white pelicans, the grasses were nil as was the Spanish moss and swamps. I must admit, my disappointment was great when I realized that my vision, my research, was not flying across the smooth waters of the Gulf of Mexico, but inland, behind me, in the land of the Seminole, where the grit and gut of my story must take place.

It was a wrong turn. It was beautiful, but it was not the heart and soul of my story. There was no adversity; there was no challenge. My story lay behind me in the tall grasses, In the mangrove tunnels (above), the home of the gator, the cypress knees and swamps, the place where the exotic birds call through the tall trees of the mysterious forests of my Everglades.

EVERGLADES RESEARCH ADVENTURE COMING RIGHT UP!

2012-02-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

Great excitement for me, folks, and all part of historical research for Tanglewood II. By the way, there will be a new title for Tanglewood Plantation when the time comes, but for now I refer to it as Tanglewood II.

This week we will travel the 10,000 Islands of the Everglades on a private skiff. Not only is this a fabulous photo opportunity, but also will give me the feel for what life was like for the homesteaders who lived on many of those islands at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Weather looks good, the camera batteries are charged, the mind is totally psyched, eyeballs focused; gators, take your places!

WEAVING HISTORY INTO FICTION

2012-01-30T05:11:00.000-08:00

Writing historical fiction is like going back to high school and having to remember all those dates in ages past that you simply could not remember at test time, and didn't understand why in the world you had to remember them in the first place; Paul Revere's ride, Gettysburg Address, Emancipation, Civil War, American Revolution, Boston Tea Party...and on...and on...and on..... How ironic, friends, that now I not only know many of the dates, but dates within those dates that are important turning points in my stories!

Back then, I was much more worried about whether my slip was showing (oh yes, we wore them), how my hair looked (most important!), and if I would be asked to the prom. I certainly wasn't worried about the Declaration of Independence and memorizing who signed it and where. What a silly twerp I was, and how ironic that now, at this time in my life, historical fact plays a huge part in my life; I eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner and find it fascinating.

The most fun of all with historical fact is weaving it into my stories, having my characters experience these facts first hand and from their eyes, I experience it as well. Life is good.

The Seminole of Florida will play a part in the sequel to Tanglewood Plantation, Cherry's Story.
FACT: Did you know that the Seminole tribe is actually made of many different tribes of Native Americans who migrated to Florida in the 18th and 19th centuries?

TANGLEWOOD PLANTATION II, ON THE MOVE!

2012-01-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

Tanglewood Plantation II, Cherry's Story, is moving along, literally right down the Savannah River! Cherry has been kidnapped by a Yankee deserter and, unbeknownst to her, she is headed for a life in post Civil War Seminole territory. The mystical Florida Everglades are a wonderful backdrop for the continuation of this exciting story. The look, the feel, the smell, the mystery of the Everglades and its abundant and diverse (not to mention dangerous) wildlife, draws me like a magnet. Therefore, my friends, we will have many adventures with Cherry and Summer Woodfield in this upcoming new and exciting story.

In the meantime in this scary and dangerous world, take the time to enjoy the beauty around you. Life is fragile yet simultaneously tenacious; full of wonders for us to enjoy if we will just take the time.

RESEARCH! RESEARCH! RESEARCH!

2011-12-31T09:17:00.000-08:00

What does it take to write a historical novel? Answer: Lots and lots of research! In a very intriguing twist, Tanglewood Plantation II moves down to the Everglades. I'm drawn to the Everglades and want to draw my readers in, too. But what does it take? For example, during the time of the Civil War and beforehand, many slaves escaped to the swamps of the Everglades, setting up communities next to the Seminole Indians. They were known as 'Black Seminoles. Therefore, it is necessary not only that I learn of the Seminoles and their customs, wars, etc., but I must know the creatures that live and hunt in the swamps of southern Florida. I must know the history of the area in the time period I am writing. I must know the vegetation, the diction, the weather. It's endless what a writer must know in order to write, but what a wonderful learning experience!

Not only do I read my research, but I always experience it, as well. I will travel (as I usually do) to the Everglades, for the feel, the smell, the visual effect it has on me. All of this goes into what I write, a total experience so that I may share the adventure with you, my readers, in technicolor.

AT THE STARTING GATE

2011-12-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

Summer Woodfield is now back in action; off to her new time-travel adventure and taking me along for the ride. Do I always know what will happen on the next page, in the next chapter? Of course not! This is the fun part of writing for I can guarantee you, that writing a novel is sometimes sheer torture. Those quicksand spots where you get stuck and simply cannot wriggle free, are a writer's dreaded enemy; a mine-field of sludge in which to struggle through.

Luckily, at times, the characters are very put-out at their author's slump and pitch in with ideas. Ah, the light bulb lights, the ideas flow and the sludge vanishes! The gates open and we are off, once more, on our fabulous adventure!

NAILED ON SANIBEL

2011-12-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

Oh the irony! If I wanted my acrylic nails to remain fresh and new, they wouldn't have.Now, when I wish they would show the slightest bit of lifting so I could pull them off...they don't. What in the world does this have to do with anything? Everything, if a persons wants to start their new novel! Darn if these soon-to-be dragon nails don't fall on the wrong keys and mangle my sentences.

Clickety Click
Oops! I hit
the wrong key...
oh, woe is me...

Summer Woodfield is getting impatient. Now that she's the official grand Mistress of Magnolia (previously Tanglewood) Plantation, she knows her duty is to find Cherry, and fast! Poor Cherry girl is in very much danger, but Jocelyn Miller needs to get her old short nails back so she can hit the right keys on the keyboard and help Summer travel back in time to save her cousin!

TERRIBLE TECH TERRORS lead to historical time-travel for this writer

2011-11-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

This is a whacked out crazy world. While mayhem explodes in the stores on Black Friday, at least shoppers can't pepper-spray each other on Cyber Monday. May as well pepper-spray me though, as I sit here with a huge sinus condition/headache and try to (time and time again) log into this blog-site. Ye gads, it may as well be Fort Knox for all the rigamarole Google has put me through this morning!

Technology has gone berserk, or have we gone berserk for technology? Both, I would say. No matter how frustrated we get over our smart phone malfunctions, computer virus's; no matter how many electronic toys we buy and throw aside a each year, and no matter how many hours (yes, hours!) we waste speaking to India...we are drawn like moths to the flame; it is after all, a technological world these days and we must keep up or fade into antiquity.

With that said, perhaps this is why I love to write of times past. Perhaps this is what draws me to a time before the technological take-over, before women played football with the big boys, or carried guns in overseas wars. Frankly, I don't see what's so darn necessary about having to prove feminine macho-ism in camouflage, tote a (high tech of course) killing machine and kill our fellow earthlings. Women have been toting guns and fighting off men, animals, invaders and what-not since time began, but they did it in skirts in most cases, and not camouflage. I like strong women, I like to write about strong women, and women are most definitely strong! But, I am missing my topic this morning, which began as my frustration with technology. We will save strong women for the next post. In the meantime, if you want to read about a strong woman, read my first novel "Broken Chords." Now there was a gun-toting prairie woman who didn't depend on technology or have to deal with Google's Fort Knox security system if she wanted to log into her own blog.

TO MARKET... TO MARKET...

2011-11-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

Remember that nursery rhyme? Oops, you don't? Most likely because it's a dinosaur at this point. "To market, to market, to buy a fat pig" is how the rhyme went. In this case it's "To market to market to promote my book"... If I keep bringing 'marketing' up, please forgive me. It truly is the greatest challenge an author faces and especially for those of us not-quite-famous authors who are NOT included in the top 7% of famous best-selling authors. Book marketing for the rest of us in the lower 93% is an on-going, gut-wrenching, mind-boggling-time-consuming project that makes us want to scream like Scarlet..."Oh, I can't bear to think of it now, I'll think about it tomorrow!" But, guess what? Tomorrow is here every morning with the sunrise. Going viral in this new world of technology is the ultimate goal; someone across the pond with a charming British clip catching a (good only) online review of Tanglewood Plantation and actually ordering it, well....that's the cherry on the cake! So, trudge on, ye prisoner of the keyboard! Don't get off the merry-go-round until you grab the brass ring!

GHOST GALS at the LIZZIE BORDEN BED & BREAKFAST, Oct 22, 2011

2011-10-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

That's us, Dorinda's Ghost Gals (except for Liz-the-psychic in the gray shirt). It was the first seance for our team; new experiences broaden the mind! Liz-the-psychic was featured in Ghost Adventures (Travel Channel 9 p.m. Eastern time) on Friday, Oct. 21, 2011.

Halloween Cometh and Goeth

2011-10-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

As November blows in on frigid gusts of winds from across the bay, I buckle myself into my writing chair. It's time for the sequel of Tanglewood Plantation to begin. Because the story includes time travel, there are obstacles to overcome as a writer. For one, what trick will catapult my heroine from this century to the 19th century? What trick will bring her back? Ah, but I have resolved the 'going' already, but not the return trip. See, there is even mystery in the mystery on the part of the creator! This is exactly why I enjoy writing my stories; it's forever new and changing (not to mention challenging) and I am lucky enough to be along for the ride.

You visitors to my blog can JOIN, you know! Really! I know some of you would like to leave comments but are confused because you need to 'sign in'. Please give it a try; a blog looks so silly with only '1' official member!

2011-10-15T05:13:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the crypt at the water's edge. Time for ghosts, goblins, and things that go 'bump' in the night. I, for one, love this time of year; love the colors of fall, the hint of creepiness that comes with the approach of Halloween and, I haven't grown up yet --- love to put on a costume and change my identity for a while! This is also a great time to let the ghosts flow through the thinking cap...a story...a story...a story that chills to the bone. The atmosphere inspires the writer in me!

Chesapeake Bay etc...

2011-09-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the above photo, the bay is a debris and mud filled mess due to the torrential rains of hurricanes and tropical storms. We, for one, have a tremendous amount on our beach. How to remove? Nature will comply, we hope! Blogging is an art for which I have no education. So far, I have one member. One is better than none? The folks I know are confused about 'signing in'. So am I, for that matter. Therefore, no one has left a comment as yet, and I am not 'blogging' as should be. I'm not writing my next book as should be, either. It's Fall season and so much needs to be done that favorable activities, such as writing, must be put on hold. In my case, 'hold' means Sanibel, Florida in the winter when all the Fall projects have been accomplished and forgotten until next year and I wake to palm trees and the Gulf of Mexico instead of Chesapeake Bay, Eagles & Osprey.

LISTEN TO YOUR ESP!

2011-09-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here's food for thought. Today I drove down our country road on the way to town. While passing a familiar house, I noticed that the old woman who lives there was sitting on her front steps holding a broom. I waved, as is the custom here, but something was odd about the picture. I've been trying to pin-point all day long exactly what is was about that picture that made me turn around 1/2 mile later and drive back to her house. I pulled into the driveway, rolled down my window and asked if she was alright. When she replied feebly "I think so," then I knew that I had done the right thing. While trying to sweep off her steps, she had fallen off the porch and onto her shoulder onto the grass!

I'm still not sure what exactly made me turn around, but the feeling was powerful. It was almost like a voice demanding me to do so. This episode only further encourages me to follow my instincts and listen what they are telling me. There are many unexplained mysteries in this life and we don't have a rock solid explanation for most of them!

Chestertown 2011

2011-09-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

WITH A BANG, NOT A WHIMPER

2011-09-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

As my friend and fellow author D says, we must be shameless in promoting our books. Competition is great in the writing world. Just walk into Barnes & Nobel and feel the force of the written word bombard you as you stand transfixed, a lilliputian in a world of giants. The experience is overwhelming, and makes us wonder why in the world we think we are good enough to compete? Why do we keep at it? Because, my friends, we have a story to tell. As we are Lilliputians in the world of giants, so are there Lilliputians in our heads, little folks waiting to be heard, begging for adventures, begging to materialize on the pages of our books. They are there and can't be ignored.

When we first sit to write, we think it is the hardest part of the process; the gut-wrenching, head-ache provoking process of feeding lines to our Lilliputians, giving them settings, facts, adventures; not to mention the endless research of the minutest detail. Indeed this is difficult, but nothing is as difficult as the promotion of a book. Nothing can twist your insides or turn your stomach to mush as the first moment of presenting a book to the public...to the unknown strangers who want to read stories, and be satisfied. As they walk away with your book in hand, you fight to keep the lilliputian in you standing tall, shameless and proud that the pages you took hours, months or years to complete and perfect, now belong to the world.

The Chestertown Book Fest held in charming Chestertown, MD, yesterday, is an example of writers being shameless. I was thrilled to be a part of the festival, held in the quaint Prince Theater. The quality of books and authors was impressive as all get-out. Sharing the day with my fellow writer friends was priceless. Were we shameless? Yes, because we need to be, we need to be proud of ourselves, and, besides, it is honestly joyful to meet new people, to converse and share ideas, experiences, and especially with those from other countries!