Friday was National Book Lovers Day and since I blog on Sundays, I decided to do this a couple of days late. I had other books to read and write. Writers are like that.
There is no doubt I’ve always been a Hemingway fan – and I’ve always been drawn to the water. A good combination. I am sure one of my favorite books has always been Islands in the Stream, by Ernest Hemingway.
Published in 1970, nine years after Hemingway’s death, the book became controversial because he might or might not have actually written it that way. It was put together after his death and published. He left behind some 332 unpublished manuscripts. Some Hemingway fans say it was not the author’s authentic voice. I’ve read enough Hemingway to see a change in his voice as he aged and wrote. I think all writers change as they go along, mature, and age. I know my writing has changed (not that I’m comparing myself to Hemingway). But surely if Hemingway had been there at the publishing, some things would have changed. He was not.
The Cuba scene at the bar that Thomas Hudson frequented has been one of the most loved scenes Hemingway ever wrote. It encompasses several characters in a bar as they discuss their lives and politics. It is not easy to write a scene with that many characters, give them their own personalities, and not confuse the reader. But you felt like you were there drinking next to the regulars and listening to their stories.
I cried with Thomas died in the end (spoiler alert). He couldn’t die – I love him! I loved his adventurous nature and the way he met life head on. He’d lived life on his own terms as an artist making a living without the day-to-day grind of working for someone else. He was his own man. But all good things come to an end.
Whether or not the book was finalized as Hemingway would have thought it should have been, it still remained a Hemingway story. Islands in the Stream is about love of family; love of the ocean and nature; and love of living life on your own terms. It is about freedom and the things that come with it, some good and some bad.
So far, I think it is still my favorite book.
One thing I’ve learned in life is, if you like a book, read it again! You are sure to glean something new you didn’t see the first time.
What book do you think is your favorite – so far?
Enid once again hosted the annual Comic Con. It was twice the size of the one last year. More costumes, more vendors and more of my writer friends! I promised myself I would be involved this year as a vendor, and then life got in the way. But I did get to attend. A good friend of mine called and offered to go with me. She was afraid I wouldn’t go by myself. I would have, but it was more fun to go with someone else. She is not a fantasy type person, so it was fun to show her around. 
Yesterday the Enid Writers Club, in conjunction with The Enid Arts and Humanities Council, hosted a summer writing workshop. Nikki Hanna, who hails from Tulsa, has come to Enid in the past and we were happy to welcome her again. The Enid Public Library once again allowed us to use their facilities and we had a small but active group of 13 people attend. 
I’ve been down with sinus/ear problems for several weeks now. I am sick of it. And miracle of miracles, I suddenly feel better today! I can hear!
The subject of Blooming Justice is as old as time – and as modern as the evening news. No one is above the law no matter their money or influence, and rape is a heinous crime. 
Friday night we almost lost our dog. We’ve had a little forty-pound Beagle mix for nine years. We seriously got our dog off Craigslist from a guy who said he was going to Afghanistan. We hadn’t had a dog in 14 years. We had a big, hairy 85 lb. Golden Retriever when the kids were small, and I missed him but enjoyed not having to clean up after him all the time. My husband who grew up in the country with dogs had to have another and we adopted Athena. 
I spent this weekend with my daughter on a Mother-Daughter trip to Wichita. We’ve made different trips once a year for a few years and this one was supposed to be Mother’s Day weekend. But I-35 was flooded so we cancelled. We remade this trip for the last weekend in June and it got HOT! Horribly hot. Near 100° and humidity above 50%. My body doesn’t take the heat the way it used to. 
I recently met an author at the Nescatunga Arts Festival named N. Jade Gray. She was a friendly person and we quickly found out we both wrote for The Wild Rose Press. So, we had something in common other than just being local authors. 
I’ve been married to the same man for 47 years. Yes, we are spring chickens. He became a father maybe before he was ready, but he was thrilled both times. We had two children when we were young, and then quit having kids when we were still young. One of each and the bedrooms were filled up, so we quit. But they were the light of our lives. We didn’t have a penny to our names, and they were the entertainment. We learned to be parents. 
