North Idaho Notes

New e-book

2010-08-23T12:20:00.001-07:00

A follow-up (not a sequel) to "The Silver and the Cross" (Comfort Publishing, 2010), my new e-book called"Violet Victorious" is now available on Kindle, lulu.com, and smashwords.com. This historical inspirational romance is set in 1902 Wallace, north Idaho - one of my favorite historical towns. Cheers, Kathleen

"How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack, by Chuck Sambuchino

2010-08-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Recently I interviewed author Chuck Sambuchino, whose new book, "How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack", will be released on September 7, 2010. (personal note: I've read the book and found it very funny.)

Churck, what prompted you to write this book; have you or anyone you know ever experienced a household assault by garden gnomes? Answer: Thankfully, due to (my family's) preparedness (some would call it "ridiculous paranoia"), attacks have been kept to a minimum. We would not have been so lucky were we not so cautious.

I'm curious: Why do garden gnomes want to get rid of humans? Are they intrinsically evil; do they want to take over our homes? Why can't they just build their own? Answer: One theory is that they want our tools and metal; another is that they need our spices for potions and food. But the bottom line is that they're just plain evil. People need to stop thinking about the "why" and start thinking about "how can I destory them before they destroy me".

After hearing about building a moat around the house to protect us from GG's, my teenager is eager to start digging. How wide/deep should the moat be? And couldn't gnomes make boats out of pieces of bark, etc.? Answer: I'd say it should be at least three feet wide, two feet deep. Yes, gnomes may use a mushroom-top raft to try and cross the moat; watch for that. They may also use twigs or branches to form a crude bridge. One thing gnomeowners are usually not prepared for is the sudden change in weather, like when the top layer of you moat freezes and a usable land-bridge suddenly makes you vulnerable.

If we create a moat, I'm concerned about how our cat will get to and from our house on her daily excursions. Is it possible to build a cat-walk, so to speak? Can GG's climb? Answer: I'd say the days of your cat enjoying safe, leisurely walks are over. The cat was no doubt a high-risk target in the first place. Garden gnomes have been known to climb and even sling-shot themselves.

Speaking of pets, you mention in your book possible dangers to them from GG's. We have a red heeler who is very eager to guard us and our house but has more enthusiasm than sense. How do we protect her from gnomes? Answer: Now that I'm back from Wikipedia and know that a red heeler is a medium-sized herding dog, I'd say your are in luck because a guard dog is one of the best precautions to ward of attacks. To protect your pooch, just don't let her drink anything from outside (in case of gnome poisoning) and don't let her leave the backyard and go into the woods.

In your book, you have a lot of photographs of gnomes doing sneaky things. Do all of these gnomes live on your own property? If so, aren't you very afraid? Answer: They live near me; those photos were taken someplace else by the bravest photographer known to man. We made our photographer sign about 50 waivers.

Have you written other books? What are you currently writing? Answer: I stay busy being the editor of an annual book called "Guide to Literary Agents" (guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog), a resource which helps people who have written a book find reprsentation and get their work published. (The updated 2011 edition came out in August 2010). I'm also the author of a book called "Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript, 3rd Ed." (2009), which helps writers know how their work should look and how to submit it to agents/editors.

Note from Kathleen: Chuck Sambuchino also runs a large blog on publishing, www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog. I subscribe to it, and it's been a great resource. Chuck is also a "magazine freelancer, playwright, husband, owner of a flabby dog, cover band guitarist, and all-around chocolate chip cookie fiend."

Book signing

2010-07-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

Huckleberry Festival, Wallace, Idaho, Sat., August 21.... Railroad Station. I'll be signing copies of "The Silver and the Cross", which is set in 1890 Wallace; 10-noon. It's a fun festival celebrating our wonderful little mountain berry!

How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack

2010-07-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a soon-to-be-released book, "How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack", by Chuck Sambuchino, my household has recently become aware of the danger of having garden gnomes in one's yard. Just in the past week, two giant mushrooms (real ones!) appeared overnight beside our own garden gnome (we suspected Brian, but he claims he didn't plant them); the gnome has moved around the front yard several times; and just yesterday we discovered it had actually insinuated itself into our house and is even now sitting in a basket in the guest bathroom! Yikes! "How to Survive a Garden Ghome Attack" is coming out on September 7, 2010, so be on the lookout for it. This book could save your life!

In other North Idaho news.... I have a literary agent for my historical inspirational novels and I'm very pleased about that; I'm busy writing a paranormal romance based on the Merlin legends as well as another in my Wallace, Idaho historical romance series; I'm tutoring a pre-kindergartener two mornings a week; and I'm trying to keep Dylan busy (lots of yard work!) between Scout camps and visitors. AND, it may actually, finally, be summer here! Maybe I can even break out my kayak!

Cheers and blessings,
Kathleen

Spring

2010-05-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

Spring in north Idaho means 75 degrees and sunny one day, rain with thunder and lightening another. For a former Californian, where weather means it's 75 degrees every day for months and it might freeze a couple of times during the "winter", the lack of consistency here in Idaho is strange. Sometimes entertaining, though.
So, as far as writing... I'm putting the final touches on my 1902 historical Christian romance, "Violet's Victory" and have roused a bit of interest in it among a couple of agents and a publisher. I'm continuing to work on my paranormal fantasy, "Immortal Sorcerer" and my YA fantasy, "Tyrala". I continue to love writing and find that the biggest difficulty I have is not being able to sit at my computer for as many hours as I'd like to without stiffening up! Or without dogs wanting me to entertain them. Or something. I'm very lucky.
I'm reminded of how fortunate I am when I realize that three people in my "sphere" have cancer and are fighting it, hard. Other people I know have had serious accidents in the past year and may never completely recover. My parents have both had joint replacement surgery this year, which, while wonderful and amazing, is still stressful and painful.
Cheers and blessings from north Idaho, where one of these days it will be summer and the bright orange kayak will be launched on Lake Pend Oreille.

Spring

2010-04-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

The maple tree outside my office window is budding out... the rasperry bushes Brian planted last year are growing... my gardener husband is spending every spare moment doing his thing outside (bless his heart!)... my kindergarten students are full of sun-stoked energy... my thoughts are turning to beach-sitting with friends, kayaking, and heading to the coast (Pt. Townsend) on a family vacation this summer. Must stay focused and in the moment! Book-signing (The Silver and the Cross) at Borders Books in Coeur d'Alene on Sat., May 1, 2-4. Cheers!

Spring in North Idaho

2010-03-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's only March 22, and a few hardy plants are pushing up green already. It's an early spring for this far north... Our "lasagna" beds (no, we are not growing lasagna; it's a gardening technique!) are ready and Gardener Brian is eager to be a-plantin'. His wife and son are eager to eat the results... I'm spending my mornings teaching "The Wild Things" (otherwise known as extended-day kindergarteners) with my co-teacher, Jenni; the afternoons, marketing my new historical Christian romance novel, "The Silver and the Cross". I am tired of marketing; I just want to WRITE! I'm particularly excited about diving back into my YA fantasy, "Tyrala". Happy trails....

"The Silver and the Cross"

2010-02-16T17:42:00.001-08:00

"The Silver and the Cross" is now available for purchase on www.comfortpublishing.com; $13.99...
Here's what it's about: "In this historical Christian romance set in 1890 Wallace, Territory of Idaho, minister's daughter Leora Brown finds her faith challenged when her heart is captured by a handsome mine foreman, Edward Lyncroft. The Englishman is equally swept away by the lovely and spirited girl, but will his rejection of her religion be an insurmountable barrier to their love? Leora and Edward will encounter more than one near-tragedy in their struggle to find happiness and a common faith."

April 1 Looms....

2010-02-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

April 1, April Fool's Day.... And my first book will be in (how many? I have no idea) bookstores. So I'm thinking: Why didn't I make the book a little longer? Why didn't I do a better job of writing it? Why in the world did the publisher say "yes" to this book; I don't think it's good enough! Will anyone read it? Will anyone like it? Can I have a do-over????

Since I had "The Silver and the Cross" accepted by a publisher, I have written or almost finished writing 4 more books. One is another historical Christian romance, one a just-plain historical romance, one is a YA fantasy, one an adult fantasy. So it seems apparent that I like to write historical romance and fantasy novels, huh? After doing this much writing in the past couple of years, I have come to realize two things: 1) The more writing I do, the better I am at writing (duh, right?); and 2) I really, really love to write.

So, despite the continuation of gray, gloomy, rainy days in North Idaho and despite missing my family and friends in California and elsewhere, each day I sit down at my computer or laptop eager to be getting on with the business of writing.

I'm very lucky.

Cheers,
Kathleen

And it rained and rained and rained....

2010-01-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

So, I've lost track of how many days it's been gray and rainy.... The playground at school is a slippery, icy, wet mess and my dogs (and I) are getting twitchy from lack of outdoor exercise. I'm trying to greet each day with a couple of Yoga poses and I'm taking extra vitamin D, but a few days of sunshine is what I really want! Maybe I should go see "Avatar" a third time this weekend. As Liz Lemon in "30 Rock" says, "I want to go to there!" On the plus side, my latest novel, set in the Inland Northwest in 1910, is coming along nicely since sitting at the computer and writing is the most productive (and most fun, for me) thing to do in this kind of weather. Other people weave baskets or knit, I write. Wish I could be "craftsy", but it's not in me!
Cheers....
Oh, and some people are having trouble posting a comment, so if you need to you can email me at kmsandpoint@verizon.net . Thanks.

You know you're in North Idaho when....

2009-12-10T15:50:00.000-08:00

True story: My teenaged son told me that during lunch at his high school, a few boys began using their "callers" (I'm sure there's some official name for these things, but I'm clueless about what it might be) to imitate turkeys, elk and possibly ducks, until finally the lunch duty got fed up with the noise and made them stop. Dylan said, bemused, "Only in North Idaho!"

And in my new favorite signs category:

"Life is like a platypus" (huh???)

and

"Spas, Hot Tubs, Yoga" (maybe yoga in a hot tub???)

The temperature sky-rocketed today to 24 degrees.... This is after three days of temps ranging from 9 to 14 degrees. Brrrrr.....

The water near the Long Bridge is mostly frozen, and we've been spotting large numbers of magnificent adult bald eagles hanging around on the ice - as many as 7 or 8. We have a feeling they've been snacking on frozen ducks who were casualties of deep stupidity (Oh, is the water freezing around my legs? I'll just keep sitting here!). Ah, nature!

Cheers!
Kathleen

21 Days 'Til...

2009-12-03T14:51:00.000-08:00

Today one of my kindergarteners told me, "There are 21 days until Christmas, Mrs. M.; that's 3 weeks!" When I asked him how he knew that, he said his mother told him. I wanted to say, "Yikes, please stop counting down!" But of course, I didn't. Anyway, I got past the "not ready to decorate" blues and hauled out the Christmas boxes, and I've officially declared it Christmas at the Mulroy-Potter house. We'll cut a tree this weekend. Wonder what Lady the Crazy Dog will do with a tree and ornaments in her house? I shudder to think.... She's already managed to get the lid off a Christmas box in the garage and strew ornaments around the garage and lawn (or rather, the dead grass and mud that once was a lawn before winter invaded).

Favorite book series: "The Outlander" and the five books that follow it. Also, George Martin's "Clash of Kings" series.

Bummer of the day: Sarah Palin is coming to Sandpoint on her book tour and the local bookstore has sold out of her books. Sigh.

Cheers!

North Idaho Notes

2009-11-29T14:23:00.000-08:00

Post-Thanksgiving in North Idaho = gray skies, snow on the mountains, and the not-quite-ready-to-put-up-the-Christmas-decorations blues. Coming back from a wonderful family visit to sunny, warm-ish California makes it even harder! Ah well, soon the trees will be dusted white, I'll want to put up the decorations and start baking, and all will be well. I did come home to a Review Copy (capital letters, notice) of my first book, "The Silver and the Cross", and that made me very, very happy. It's a real book! I'm still having a hard time believing it. Set in Wallace, North Idaho, during the silver-mining boom of 1890, it's the story of auburn-haired Leora Brown, the daughter of a minister, and a handsome Englishman, Edward Lycroft. I had a great time doing historical research; so much so that I wrote a sequel, set in 1902, which I hope will eventually be published. Right now I'm writing a book following two different couples, set in 1910 Wallace - the year of the "Big Burn".
Kathleen