Flying Wires has been added to LittleSamuari.com, a new web site for reading books online. Readers have free access to any of the books at the web site. Another unique aspect of LittleSamurai.com are the interactive features a publisher can add to their books. For example, Flying Wires contains hypertext that connects the reader with web sites, online documents and photographs. This media expands and enhances the story. The photos are a tangible example of something mentioned by one of the characters. The urls to organizations, events or places provide additional information about what is mentioned in the novel. LittleSamurai.com offers a reading environment that goes beyond just reading a digital book. It takes the reader into a corner of the real world behind the story.
December 17, 2009
October 12, 2009
Flying Wires now available in paperback
I am proud to announce that Flying Wires is now for sale as a paperback! Printed at Lulu.com, the 326-page book is now available for purchase online. Lulu.com has excellent turnaround from order placement to delivery, so you won’t have to wait long to enjoy the flight! Click here to order your copy today.
From the Lulu.com web site:
Currently, the only novel written about ultralight flying, this romance with aviation and finding love the second time around, will carry the reader to new heights. Engaging dialog and descriptive narration reveal the world of ultralight pilots and instructors. The author accurately presents the joy and the drama of flight through the experiences of the men and the heroine, the only woman pilot at a rural turf-airstrip in North Carolina. By opening this book, the reader takes the pilot seat and straps in for an exciting flight!
Flying Wires has been available as a PDF since December 2008. The Kindle edition became available in March 2009. Here are some comments I’ve received from readers:
This is a real page turner! – Arty Trost, Ultralight Adventurer
Just wanted you to know that I finished reading your book and enjoyed it a lot! – Jim Mason, Pilot
I loved it…. Congrats. When is the next one due? – Ricardo Trujillo, Pilot
September 7, 2009
Labor Day paddle party
We partied on the water this morning. [Photo Gallery] Mike and I and our friends, Joe and Claire Pacifico, launched at 9:00 a.m. from Triadelphia launch, where Triadelphia Lake Road meets the northern end of the Triadelphia Reservoir in Maryland. We had a perfect paddling day. Temperatures were in the 70s and low clouds kept the heat of the sun at bay. Before we headed off, we watched an osprey take flight from a tree. Paddling off to the northwest, we watched as an adult bald eagle glided down and snatched a fish from the water. It flew into a tree on the north side of the Patuxent river. Since we had decided ahead of time to paddle upstream on both the Patuxent and Cattail Creek – the two main tributaries that flow into the reservoir – we headed up the Patuxent River first. As we approached the eagle, we could see he was eating the fish. When we got fairly close, he took off and flew low and fairly close to us. Really awesome! A little further up the river, a large great blue heron flew between Mike [in the lead] and me. What a wonderful way to begin our party!
The high water in the reservoir has been a real treat this year. Mike and I had launched from Triadelphia last October and the water was quite low. At that time we weren’t able to go very far upstream on either the Patuxent or Cattail. Today was different. Working our way around rocks, we made good progress until we reached riffles in very shallow water. So, we turned around and paddled leisurely down stream until we reached the reservoir. At this point, we paddled north up Cattail Creek. Soon we left open water behind and glided under a canopy of tree limbs. I began taking pictures during this part of our party.
Our progress up Cattail Creek was leisurely and we truly enjoyed the area. When we reached a couple fallen trees, our party turned around and returned to the main part of the reservoir. As we approached the cove of the Triadelphia launch area, we decided to paddle a bit further on the reservoir. I looked at the map and noticed a deep cove not far away. Carved by the Big Branch, we paddled into this long narrow cove until we found the boat launch area. Getting out, we stretched our legs and rested a few minutes. The end of the cove was a beautiful aquatic garden [see photo gallery]. Before we headed back to the Triadelphia launch, we took a few minutes to explore the headwaters of Big Branch. We paddled under the Triadelphia Mill Road bridge, noticing the abandoned swallow and wasp nests. Then we turned around and headed back to the Triadelphia launch and a wonderful paddle party came to an end. At our leisurely pace, we’d covered about 6.5 miles. Mike and I agree, this probably heads our list of wonderful paddle trips this year! It would be stunning to either make this same trip in the fall or – as we discussed on the return leg to the take out point – do a one-way paddle from Triadelphia to Greenbridge. One beautiful paddle trip leads to another.
August 17, 2009
The bytten word
A Kindle book on iPhone
Thanks to JR, a fellow cyber author and publisher, I’ve come across another article about publishing and reading via Kindle, Sony, Blackberry, PC, and other electronic readers. Peter Svensson’s August 15 article Phones, PC’s put e-books within reach of Kindle-less focuses on the popularity of reading from paperless media and the technology that’s responsible for it. Only a few years ago, publishing for portable electronic readers and PC’s was a road less traveled. According to Svensson’s article, it’s hard to keep new e-books down; sales are beginning to climb. Intrepid entrepreneurs turn paper manuscripts into cybertext as quickly as the new software appears and just as importantly, readers are logging on in ever increasing numbers.
August 16, 2009
Paddle trip
On a more relaxing note… Mike and I joined 6 friends Saturday for a few hours paddling from the boat launch at Brown’s Bridge to the take out point at Scott’s Cove. We met at 8:30 a.m., unloaded the boats and gear and then shuttled the vehicles to Scott’s Cove. Mike drove all the drivers back to Brown’s Bridge. For those not familiar with the area, Brown’s Bridge is on the Howard and Montgomery County lines on the Patuxent River. Brown’s Bridge Road [Howard Co.] becomes Ednor Road in Montgomery County. When the water level is high – as it has been this year – folks can paddle upstream on the Patuxent into a really nice, quiet section of the WSSC watershed. On Saturday, we paddled downstream into the main part of the Rocky Gorge reservoir. Scott’s Cove is off Harding Road, near Laurel.
The weather was perfect. No thunderstorms or widespread rain was forecast. We had full sun, with some puffy clouds appearing as the day wore on. In the morning, we had some shade from the trees. There was a light breeze over some sections of open water. By the time we decided to stop for lunch – around noon – temperatures were into the low 80s. That’s cool for August in Maryland. The photo gallery “Rocky Gorge-August 2009″ – the first addition to a new blog page – gives only a glimpse of what we saw along the way. I was too busy enjoying the paddle to focus on taking pictures. Maybe next time, when we paddle Jug Bay or Morgan Creek. Stay tuned and enjoy the pics. [Photo Gallery]
July 18, 2009
Connections
It’s been a busy summer. Most of my writing has been used at my Laurel Community Volunteer Examiner web page for Examiner.com. Since mid-June, I’ve been on the road every week, as I visit health care providers in Howard County, Maryland, and leave them with copies of the brand new resource brochure I helped create for the NAMI Howard County folks. [The brochure will also be available at their web site.] I also burn rubber for patients who use the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery service. Every other month, I help create an evening meal for the hungry at Elizabeth House. Once a month, I make a food donation delivery to Elizabeth House from LongHorn Steakhouse. Quiet hours at home [or in the waiting room at a cancer treatment center], I continue to crochet hats and scarves for distribution to the homeless this winter.
July 27, I’ll be donating blood again. According to the American Red Cross blood donor services, only 30% of first-time donors donate blood again. With a high demand for blood, the regular commitment of a few donors plays an important role in providing the precious gift of life. I’m first on the list when the Inova Blood Donor Service folks park their mobile unit next to the Laurel Library.
Elizabeth House, 308 Gorman Avenue, Laurel, MD
July 15, I joined the Fish/Elizabeth House Board of Trustees. I’ve donned the fund raiser hat and I’m tasked with helping fine tune an already well-run part of this all-volunteer non-profit organization. With a 33% increase in regular clients – requesting groceries, housing/utility assistance and hot meals – I’m more than happy to help this fine group of people maintain and improve their ability to help where help is greatly needed.
Mike and Carol on Patuxent River, October 2008
Free time, this summer!? When I have time to enjoy either quiet time by myself or with Mike, kayaking and keeping up correspondence with family and friends head the list!
June 11, 2009
Laurel resident hopes online book sales soar
I was recently interviewed for a profile article about me and my novel, Flying Wires. Click here for a JPEG of Timmy Gelles’ article in the 11 June 2009 issue of The Gazette or here for a link to the online version. Only recently, have I had the time to do some marketing of Flying Wires and I’m quite pleased that this opportunity came along.
In the meantime, my Examiner.com articles and my work for NAMI Howard County are keeping me quite busy. Now that the first phase of the NAMI contract is complete, I will soon be working about 10 hours per week for the next twelve months on the second phase.
To purchase the PDF version of Flying Wires, click here. To purchase the Kindle version – which is also downloadable to an iPhone and iPod Touch – click here.
May 28, 2009
A gift from the heart
Awhile back I mentioned at this blog that I discovered that I could donate blood and planned to at an upcoming blood drive that my friends were coordinating for October. Last Sunday, I discovered that my church was having a blood drive on May 27. On my way out, I signed up. When I arrived yesterday afternoon, the American Red Cross workers were set up and ready. Our church’s coordinator was there to greet me and get me started with the screening process. That morning, I’d gone to the Red Cross web site and read some of the same information that I was presented with when I arrived. Fortunately, for me and the Red Cross, I passed the screening process and about ten minutes after I signed in, I was directed to a padded table where I would rest while my blood was being drawn.
Once I was prepped and my blood was flowing, it only took about 10 or 15 minutes. I didn’t have time to watch the clock. A friend of mine was on a table in front of me and another was a few feet away on my right. We chatted about things while we squeezed our fists every few seconds to keep the blood moving and while the attendants checked on us periodically, making sure we weren’t having any problems. I felt fine, but was happy when someone offered me something to drink. I sipped on cold orange juice during the procedure and when the procedure was over, I asked for a regular Coke as I sat down at the canteen table and helped myself to cookies. I took my time eating the treats and recharging my body. I enjoyed talking to my friends as I completed a short survey a Red Cross worker handed me.
Best of all, it felt good seeing my pint of blood being added to the collection. It was almost ten years ago, when I was hospitalized in Vancouver, BC, Canada, that I received a pint of someone else’s blood. Having lost 40% of my blood from a bleeding ulcer, that was truly a lifesaving transfusion! Yesterday I had the opportunity to give someone else the gift of life. A gift from my heart to theirs. Needless to say, as urgent as the need for blood is, I’ll definitely give again at my friends’ blood drive in October. In fact, since it’s possible to donate this precious gift every 8 weeks, I might be able to donate again in between. It just takes a few minutes to do so much.
To locate a blood drive near you, click here: Give Life | American Red Cross
May 15, 2009
Arty’s home!
May 12, 2009
Reflections
Awhile back I heard about an upcoming installment to the “Repossessing Virtue” radio project on public radio. Krista Tippett, the host of “Speaking of Faith,” asked listeners to visit the “Repossessing Virtue” web site and write their story about how they were dealing with the current economic recession. The future radio program would include audio interviews with people from all over the country. Listeners were asked to consider the following questions as they composed their essays:
- Are you experiencing this economic moment as a moral or spiritual crisis as well?
- Do concepts of trust, of living in community, of what sustains you have relevance in new tangible ways as you face changed economic realities?
- What qualities of human nature do you want to cultivate in yourself or your children?
- Who will we be for each other?
In October 2008, my husband and I made some changes when we saw the havoc that tore through what was once our comfortable retirement nest egg. So when I heard Krista’s request, I sat down at my computer and wrote our story.
On April 1, I received an e-mail from Nancy Rosenbaum – Associate Producer of “Speaking of Faith.” She liked my essay and asked if I would like my interview recorded over the phone for possible use on the upcoming program. I was thrilled that my essay had been chosen. A few days later, I read my essay over the phone to Trent Gilliss [Online Editor/Producer] and replied to a few questions – in addition to the ones listed above. At the end of the recording session, I was asked to submit photos of myself and I was told that the program was due to be aired in mid-May. When I asked if my interview would be part of the program, I was told that the editorial staff would listen to all the interviews and make a decision on which ones they would use. As a result, more than half of the recorded interviews would not be used on the program; however, the essays, photos and edited versions of the interviews would be posted at the web site.
This past Friday, Nancy Rosenbaum sent me a link to my essay at the “Speaking of Faith” web site. She told me that my audio interview wouldn’t be used on the radio program, but over the next few weeks, an edited version of my audio interview will be added to the web site. Please visit the web site to read my original essay and check back later to hear the audio interview. I’ll post an update at this blog. A synopsis of the program which airs online on Thursday, May 14 and on public radio stations between May 14 through May 20 is posted below.
“Living Differently, Beyond Economic Crisis.”
A new installment in our ongoing series, Repossessing Virtue, bringing the voices of our listeners into the conversation we’ve been building online and on-air since the economic downturn began last year. Many are grappling with the shame that comes in American culture with the loss of a job, and many are seeking community in old places and new. For some, economic instability — a kind of life on the edge — is not new. They’ve been cultivating virtues of patience, self-examination, service and good humor that might help us all.
I’m blessed and honored to have been selected to participate in this program. My story is just one of many, but apparently it mattered to someone.
