​ 
We like to travel on group tours and one of the reasons is that we always make new travel friends.  People who travel together have the advantage of shared interests and in many cases shared values.  Travelers also tend to be gregarious and conversational.
In our trip to London we became friends with Bob and Krista, a father and daughter travel teal from Pennsylvania.  Bob, at 86, was the most senior member of our small travel group and his daughter the youngest member of our group.  We met over dinner and the conversation flowed easily and we learned a lot about each other in a short time.
We talked about what we would like to do in our free time on the tour.  Having a traditional English High (Traditional) tea was on the top of our list and we found a French restaurant less than a block from our hotel that offered high tea daily.  Bob and Krista wanted to have the experience too and we made a foursome.
There are a lot of choices to make in a high tea.  You select finger sandwiches, scones and cakes and it’s served on a metal, Christmas tree shaped with three levels.  Sandwiches are on the bottom, scones in the middle and cakes on top.  We selected three types of sandwiches, two types of scones and two types of cake.  There were also at least 40 teas to choose from.
At tea we learned Bob had been in finance and still reads three newspapers a day, especially financial newspapers.  He is an active stock trader.  Krista worked in Pennsylvania state government in Harrisburg.  Bob lives in a senior community and still jogs two miles a day several times a week.  Krista had just rescued a Persian cat several weeks before trip and was worried about her.
Another evening Bob invited us to visit Piccadilly Circus in the evening because he wanted to see the area at night.  We agreed that if it rained we would go another night.  In the late afternoon it rained and after a long day walking and standing I took a nap before dinner, assuming that the visit to Piccadilly would be another night.  We noticed that Bob and Krista were not at dinner so we knew that Bob was living his dream, rain or no rain.
The next morning we had breakfast with Bob and Krista and their shared their adventure of visiting Piccadilly Circus at night and it lived up to what Bob expected.  A lot of people use the area to freely express their views of the world.  At breakfast Krista shared with us there was one sloppily dressed man shouting at the top of his lungs “What about the Irish!”  Of course we couldn’t decide if his comment was positive or negative but it was in the context of the liveliness of the Circus and gave the four of us a big laugh at breakfast.       

​The flight was scheduled to leave O’Hare at 7:30 pm, which as I wrote about last week, didn’t happen.  The flight included two meals, dinner and breakfast.  Flying overnight to London makes perfect sense because you leave in the evening, get whatever shut eye you can manage, then land in London about 9:00 am, have a regular day, then off to sleep at night, hoping to trick your inner clock.
Because the flight was delayed dinner wasn’t served until 11:00 pm CDT-Chicago by a crew who worked extremely hard to meet our needs.  That meant having dinner at 5:00 am London time.  Breakfast was served about 4:00 am CDT- Chicago which would be 10 am London time – not bad.  The problem is that flying overnight your inner clock needs to re-set by 6 hour.  That 6 hours disappears, I don’t know where, but it is lost – gone forever.
On arrival day the only tour activity is to have a welcome dinner in the hotel and an informal introduction to your fellow travelers.  After dinner we strolled around the hotel and took in the sights and sounds of Kenningston.  Everything felt fine until I actually tried to sleep, I was wide awake.  I decided I wanted to watch BBC News from London and wanted to continue to follow the flood devastation in Houston.  My choice may have been a mistake because it’s not easy to watch others have that level of disruption and suffering in their lives.  I finally feel asleep about 11:00 pm – London time, which would be 5:00 pm CDT-Chicago and there’s the problem.
My inner clock simply refused to adjust.  I slept initially for about 3 ½ hours and was up again, random thoughts bouncing around the room.  About 4:30 am I dozed off again to wake up at 6:30 to get ready for 7:00 am breakfast.  I slept a total of 5 ½ hours, far short of normal and not what I needed to walk and tour during the day.
This pattern continued for three days and our fellow travelers worried about our health and the signs of exhaustion that refused to go away.  Finally, on Thursday we left the hotel at 9:00 am and didn’t return until after dinner and the theater at about 10:30 pm.  Thursday was the first full night of sleep and it made a difference.
I’ve traveled to Ireland, France and Egypt and don’t recall such a struggle with jet lag.  It may be because I’ve aged and my inner clock isn’t as adaptable as it once was.   Looking back on my experience I am of the opinion that I let myself over think the jet lag problem.
Next time, I’m asking my physician for drugs.      

​One of our family goals is to travel internationally every other year.  This year is our year and we decided to try a 10 day Road Scholar Tour to London.  Several of our friends have participated in Road Scholar Tours and given rave reviews.  One of the main benefits is that they don’t take you shopping.  Our tours to Ireland, Egypt and France all included scheduled shopping trips which I consider a diversion. 
We took the path of least work and scheduled our flight from Chicago to London through Road Scholar, which, no fault of theirs was a mistake because we didn’t get to select the airline we wanted to fly.  We were assigned American Airlines from Chicago to London because they have some sort of reciprocal agreement with British Airways – who knew.   We booked a stay/fly/park Wyndom Hotel a few minutes from O’Hare the day before our flight.  The advantage is getting a good night’s sleep before flying and a place to park the car with six days free and we paid for another six days.
We arrived at O’Hare early in the day to get bags checked in and through security at least three hours before the flight.  Baggage check-in and boarding passes are done at a kiosk which required someone to help us use but still was not frustrating and took less than ten minutes.  As it turned out we were given a TSA security pass so it took less than five minutes to walk through to our terminal.  As a result we had a lot of time to kill – about six hours.
The time to board our flight finally arrived and a large group of travelers lined up outside the gate.  The person making the announcements was unintelligible and a group of people rushed the desk, asked for clarification and then came back to the group waiting to explain her instructions.  After this happened several times I approached the desk and explained that the announcements were unintelligible and asked if another staff member could make the announcements.  The American Airlines staff explained the problem was poor acoustics in the terminal.  I pointed out that we could hear and understand announcements from staff four gates away.  They simply refused to change the person making announcements.  We were lined up to board when they announced a gate change.  A gate change, at this point?  We all struck off to the nearby gate but no staff was there to organize boarding the plane.  Then there was an announcement that there would be a delay in our flight because the plane we were going to use was being changed.
The story offered by American Airlines staff was pure fiction.  A plane flying in from Madrid had been hit by lightening.  Per safety procedures that plane’s next flight was to be delayed two hours.  The plane we were to board for London had been sitting at the gate since early afternoon.   We never did receive an explanation why our plane was swapped for another plane.  In addition, all the information on our London flight was removed from the information board and instead they posted information on a flight that was to leave at 10:15 pm.
At that point I decided their deception was intentional.  Our flight to London was delayed two hours.  As a result we missed our ride from Heathrow to our hotel and waited another two hours at Heathrow to for a ride.  Our original schedule was to be in London for lunch and we got there just in time for dinner.
Two lessons were learned.   NEVER, NEVER fly American Airlines.  Book your own flight when traveling and don’t depend on the tour company.
P.S.  The tour leader met us in the lobby of the hotel and apologized profusely.  The our company contracts for transportation service and only learned of our dilemma after it happened.  The tour guide arranged for hot tea, sandwiches and a potato leek soup  that may have saved my life.
Next week – jet lag blues.

​Cultural anthropologist teaches us that the calendar evolved from the development of agriculture.  It was important to understand the seasons and keep track of the right time to plant, nurture and then harvest various crops.  Early man’s survival depended on observing the passage of time to grow food.
The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC.  Caesar is credited with dividing the year into 12 months with 365 days and a “leap day” every four years.  While accurate in the short term over time it lost about 10 days in a year.  More important for Christians, the Julian calendar couldn’t be used to determine an accurate date for Easter.
In 1582 Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar to correct the errors in the Julian calendar.  The biggest change in the Gregorian calendar was that it eliminated 10 days from the calendar.  The day following October 4, 1582 became October 15, 1582 – the day the Gregorian calendar was officially adopted.  All Christian nations adopted the new Gregorian calendar which also provided a method of determining the date for Easter.
That’s probably more than you wanted to know about calendars.  My point is that my life revolves around a calendar.  I set dates for everything and I order my life around the dates on the calendar.  For example, I decided to write a blog every Wednesday – ate on a calendar.  I know I will devote time every Wednesday morning to blogging.  Meetings are on my calendar.  Important family dates – birthdays/anniversaries etc. are on my calendar.  Every morning I review my calendar to determine what activity I need to be doing.  It’s my way of creating order out of chaos. 

 I rarely receive any comments on my blog post, except those mysterious posts from far off lands that I’ve written about previously.
I have had several comments on my posts about blacksmithing and writing.  Again, the comments aren’t in the comment section of the blog.  I receive them by gmail.  This is another of the 21st Century mysteries to me.
Anyway – I’ve received several requests for a picture of my forged bell.  I’ve fended off those requests because – in truth – it’s not much to look at.  I expect many will look at it and wonder.  How did you spend 6 hours making that?
Well, all the work is in forging the clapper inside the bell.  The bottom of the clapper extends only about ½” below the flared bottom of the bell.   The clapper is designed to be removable so that you can show your friends the intricate workings of the bell.  I can’t imagine any of my friends having the slightest interest.
What I can’t share with you is the sound.  For that you must visit me and I’ll let you ring the bell.  For those of you kind enough to request a picture, I’ve included two – a full shot of the chime and the bell and a close up of the bell.  (No I didn’t make the chime, it was purchased).   
 

​Here is a list of the regular websites I visit with a brief description of each one.
Funds for Writers  [email protected].  This is a free weekly newsletter published by a mystery writer.  Lots of tips, list of jobs available and list of grants available.  There is a paid subscription version called Total Funds for Writers.
Valerie Biel newsletter – biel-newsletter.  Subscribe to The Three R’s:  Reading, wRiting, and Roaming.   A Writer’s Forum has tips, tools and shortcuts that Valerie has learned in her journey as a writer.  The Three R’s Reading wRiting and Roaming has articles about the craft of writing.  The content is designed to be interesting to both readers and writers.  From author interviews to book reviews and/or writing advice and publishing news, you can even choose which topics you’ll receive when you subscribe.
Christine Keleny blog at:  ckbookspublishing.com.  A variety of topics for readers and writers and publishing news.
Good Reads
                Author newsletter – once a month highlights authors, tips and news of the publishing industry
                Goodreads newsletter – once a month up to date information on publishing industry
Historical fictionistas – a group you can join within Goodreads.  They select a book every month to read and review.  Lots of comments.  Can submit your own book to read within rules set by group.
Live, Write, Thrive – a weekly blog by novelist, copyeditor and teacher C.S. Lakin.  Has blog series on craft topics and guest bloggers.
Lit Hub Daily – daily interesting tidbits on writing, authors, literature etc.
Authors Publish – [email protected]  & www.authorpublish.com/download-the-2017-guide  Can download list of publishers who accept unsolicited manuscripts.  E-mail updates.
Publishers Weekly – [email protected] The industry standard on publishing news.
Randy Ingermason Advanced Fiction Writing e-zine – free monthly publication from author of the snowflake method of writing.  Articles on craft, articles on technical aspects of writing
Wisconsin Writers Association – wiwrite.org Where Wisconsin writers connect.  Literary contests, annual conference.  

​Previously I shared my experience to make a bell out of an oxygen tank cylinder at a blacksmithing class and drawing a few analogies to writing.  This week I continue the blacksmithing theme.  In the beginning blacksmithing class the first two hours are spent on learning about fire.  The forges we used were open with a hand crank bellows to supply air.  The forge stands about waste high is forty inches long and twenty four inches wide and three inches deep.
Success in forging is based on the fire – the right heat over a long period of time.  We used a special charcoal that was small chunks about the size of peanuts.  To start the fire you crumple up some newspaper and make a small mountain of charcoal on top of it.  You light the newspaper and slowly turn the crank to give a small stream of air.  The paper flares up and the charcoal begins to bellow sooty smoke like one of the steel mills at the turn of the century.  With constant air the fire grows in the center of the charcoal mountain.  As the fire grows you push more charcoal up the mountain until it is about eight inches tall.  The key is to turn the crank at a constant speed letting the fire grow naturally.
When the fire in the center of the charcoal is a bright yellow you are already to forge metal.  I believe writers must have a fire in the heart in order to write.  There needs to be something that will sustain the writer through periods of uncertainty, doubt, depression, rejection, illness and a myriad of other maladies.  Like the charcoal the fire in the heart needs to burn bright yellow. 
The fiction writer’s fire is not inspiration, it is imagination.  Imagination is the capacity to create a place, characters, story, plot and scenes that are woven together into a story.  The fuel for imagination is life, all of the experiences a writer has that become translated into a work of fiction.
Keeping the charcoal a shining yellow takes practice and patience.  Keeping the writer’s imagination also takes practice and patience.  Imagination is a gift that like the forge fire must be nurtured.     

​It happened on Monday.  I had taken a systematic approach to the task of a major re-write of my manuscript for DEAD RECKONING because my editor said it lacked punch.  I printed out all 347 pages and reviewed all of her suggested edits and there were a lot.  As with her editing of my previous book, OUT OF DARKNESS, I agreed with all her edits.  I clicked on “accept all” and that job was done.
While editing I was reading the book for our August book club meeting.  The book was suggested by one of our group who followed a prolific mystery author for years.  Summertime is perfect for a nice mystery read.  The group selected the first book in the series.  Within the first few chapters I concluded it would be one of those “quick read” books with a simple, straight forward plot line, two historical murders to investigate and about mid-way in the book a fresh murder which may or may not have been related to the private detective’s investigation.  I couldn’t help but notice the author had a lot of “filler” or “business”.   The protagonist drove throughout California and we were told about each trip in detail.  Getting from one place to another in a book is boring and this book had a lot of boring drives because interesting details like weather, smells, change in landscape were not included in the drives.  There was also a lot of eating or not eating, again boring and all the “business” didn’t advance the story, in fact, it made it sluggish and uninteresting.
I convinced myself having too much “business” was the core problem of my manuscript which had lead my editor to say the story was sluggish.  I read again with the intent of ripping out as much unnecessary background information as I could.  When I was done I cut about 5600 words or 6% of the first draft.  That’s when I had the meltdown.  It didn’t seem like enough.  For example I was still left with one chapter devoted to having all the characters in one room sharing a traditional Irish Christmas dinner.  Why did I devote a chapter to that one scene?  I dashed off an e-mail to my editor, explained my dilemma and asked for her help.
In the meantime I reviewed each of the comments my editor added to the draft manuscript.  The comments question details of the story, suggest alternate language, question plot development and a host of other details.  There must have been at least 100 comments to review.  It took me three days to plow through the comments and make decisions on how to fix the problems identified.
In the meantime my editor reviewed Chapter Sixteen, the Christmas dinner chapter.  As it turned out she suggested cutting only two sentences in the entire chapter.  Her view was that I needed the chapter because it was the first time all the characters meet each other and the dinner was a good vehicle to accomplish that story goal.
Perspective restored.  Sometimes applying what you read from other books is a big mistake.  I manufactured a problem for myself that I didn’t have.  I am lucky to have an editor who is accessible and can guide me gently through the re-write process.  Reassured that the plot was fine, I finished editing the comments and returned the entire manuscript to my editor for another review.
Whew!          

​Blog 7-19-17
Smithing and Writing
 
This past weekend I drove to Mineral Point in the heart of the Driftless Region for a class at the Shake Rag Alley School of the Arts in Blacksmithing.  I attended a beginning blacksmithing course several years ago, learned about fire, and basic forging skills and ending the class with a variety of steel hooks.  I can’t explain why I have an appetite for smithing – I just do.  In the Shake Rag Alley School of the Arts catalog they offered a variety of smithing classes this year, several more extensive than the basic course.  I chose the course on making a bell from an old oxygen tank.
Smithing is like the Latin Language, it is nearly dead expect for those who appreciate metal craftwork made by hand.  What is a blacksmith? 
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (Wikipedia).
The first line of the sentence begins to explain my love for the art “a metalsmith who creates objects . . .”  Blacksmithing is a creative craft.  As I breathed in dark bellowing smoke from the charcoal fire in the forge and pounded a quarter inch metal rod in the shape I desired I experienced a eureka moment.  For me, blacksmithing is a metaphor for writing.
Pounding out words on my lap top, forming them into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, paragraphs into chapters and story evolves with characters, a plot and a story.
True smithing takes years to learn the fine art of the craft including forge welding.  Writing takes years to learn and the learning never ceases.  You can become a master blacksmith and continue learning as you can become a master writer and continue to learn with each completed writing project.
Blacksmithing forces me to express myself in a different medium that is physical and at the end of the day my clothes are filled with soot, my arm muscles sore from swinging a hammer for eight hours, my legs ache from standing over the anvil.  I hang my bell on a hook in the blacksmith shop, grab the clapper and thrill at the clear, crisp ring of metal against metal.  It has been a good day.

​Last week I had two of those unexpected, unexplained, mysterious “out of the blue incidents”. 
I received an e-mail from the marketing coordinator for a brand new hotel, The Madison Graduate Hotel, on the edge of the University of Wisconsin Madison Campus (UMAD).  She wanted to know if I was interested in helping coordinate author book signings at the hotel.  WHAT?  I honestly thought it was a hoax or a scam.  I googled the hotel and learned that it is a “retro” hotel designed to be like it was when you attended college in the 70’s or 80’s.  I wondered how the person found my e-mail but was shy about asking.  I responded to the e-mail by asking if we could meet to further explore what they were interested in doing.  I received a response the same day and we are meeting later today.  I was copied in an e-mail to other hotel staff where I learned that I am the Wisconsin Writer’s Association Social Coordinator.  That’s not exactly accurate, I am the facebook manager for WWA but it got me the meeting so I don’t care if it’s not totally accurate.  I’m excited that I may be able to help a lot of local authors get a venue to sign and sell their books.  I’ll let you know what happens next week.
The second “out of the blue” experience was another e-mail from a bookstore in Omaha.  Several years ago our son and family lived in Omaha.  While visiting them they took us to their favorite bookstore, The Bookworm, where I met the owner.  They agreed to take my first book, Murphy’s Troubles, on consignment.  It was impressive; they offered a written contract and the hope of selling the five books I left with them.  The thrill was taking my granddaughters picture standing in front of where my book sat on the shelf.
In their e-mail I learned that in three years they had sold only one book.   They offered to return the four remaining books but pointed out that postage would be more than the $14.95 they collected for the single sale.  They suggested I might want to donate the four remaining books to their library and they would send me a check for the single sale.  Can you imagine that?  What a kind and thoughtful suggestion.  I wrote back the following day that they didn’t need to send me a check for the single sale; they had been kind to carry my books for three years.  I agreed donating the remaining books to their public library was a great idea.
You never know what can happen “out of the blue”.