BALANCING A GUEST BLOG EXPERIENCE WITH ANNE STENHOUSE GRAHAM

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Fascinating I Am: Peggy Chambers: Dark Dystopian comedy

The Apocalypse Sucks by Peggy Chambers is another departure from the romantic world for Novels Now. Peggy describes it as ‘dark, dystopian comedy’. We’re always delighted to welcome authors from other genres. Here are Five Fascinating Facts from Peggy Chambers.

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Fascinating Fact #1:

I ate warthog pizza one day for lunch in the outdoor dining room at a Zimbabwean hunting camp. Not many people can say that. No, it did not taste like chicken, it tasted like pork. I was very wary on that 2000 trip of myself  becoming something’s lunch.  I loved the experience and would do it all again, the people were wonderful, the food exquisite.

Fascinating Fact #2:

I swam with the dolphins in Mexico after climbing the pyramids at Chichen Itza on the Yucatan peninsula.  This was my dream come true.  I would love to see the pyramids in Egypt for comparison.

Fascinating Fact #3:

I married my high school sweetheart 42 years ago and we are still married today.  We have two children and five grandchildren and live in Oklahoma, the heartland of the United States.

Fascinating Fact #4:

I loved writing since I was old enough to hold a book. Marrying young out of the turbulent seventies and becoming a mother very soon thereafter means it has taken me some time to get back to it.

Fascinating Fact #5:

I write for therapy.  When my parents became ill fifteen years ago, I started writing again for the first time since college.  It was a great way to get my feelings out in the open and explore all that I was going through.  I became a grandmother the day after my mother died.  She didn’t get to meet her great grandson.  She would have loved him.

My current novel The Apocalypse Sucks is a dark dystopian comedy. If you can’t make fun of the apocalypse, what can you make fun of?  The world has come to an end.  But, some things never change – like bras wearing out – even at the end of the world.  And that means a trip back to the mall braving dangers along the way.  Sandra and Molly now live together in the building they used to work in before the virus hit.  Most of the people died quickly, but the survivors will never be the same.

The Apocalypse Sucks started out as a short story called “Bra Wars.”  After sending it in to a publisher, they suggested that I write five more stories to go with it.  The end result was a novel called The Apocalypse Sucks – a silly take off on all the apocalypse novels out there.  It stands alone as a satire.

Peggy Chambers

Peggy Chambers

is a multiple genre, award winning author.  She is twice published, with another book on the way. She spends her days working in an office and her nights and weekends making up stories.  She attended Phillips University, the University of Central Oklahoma and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma.   She is a member of the Enid Writers’ Club, Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc., Ozark Writers’ League, and Oklahoma Women Bloggers.  There is always another story weaving itself around in her brain trying to come out. There aren’t enough hours in the day!

You can find her athttps://peggylchambers.wordpress.com/  where she writes a weekly blog. Like her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BraWars, or connect with her out on Twitter at #ChambersPeggy.

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THE BALANCE ACHIEVED THROUGH WRITING GROUPS

fountain pen    I’m a member of several writing groups and I can’t say how much those people mean to me.  Not only are they great friends – we would do anything for each other, and have – but they are such great writers that they have made me a better writer.  I’ve learned so much from them.  I’ve learned to write better, to enhance my self-confidence, and often learned humility.

We gather to critique each other’s work, identify our mistakes, and hopefully lift each other up.  As a writer there are times when I look at my work and think what garbage.  I can’t do this anymore!  I know I’m not alone in these feelings.  I’m sure many great manuscripts were tossed in the fire when the author’s inability to see beyond their own failings made them throw in the towel.

My writers’ groups won’t let me throw in the towel – or the manuscript in the fire.  They know, they’ve been there and made all the same mistakes.  Their support keeps me traveling down the road less traveled.  If you are a member of one these groups you know how I feel. They are invaluable to artists of all types; they are your peers, your teachers, and your cheering section.  They tell you when you’re right and never fail to tell you when you are wrong.  They make you think you are better than you are, but most of all they won’t let you quit.

My hat is off to support groups of all kinds – the ones that tell you that you can do it!

Who is your support group and what do they do for you?

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BALANCING YOUR MUSE WITH YOUR LIFE

loveseat    Where do you find your muse?  Or better still where does your muse find you?  Do you have a special place where you write, or paint, or practice yoga?  I realize that not everyone is a writer, but I’ll bet there is something you love to do more than anything in the world.  Maybe you play music or golf or take long walks with the kids and the dog.

Whatever it is, it fulfills you.  It is not necessarily what you do to pay the bills and put food on the table for that ever-hungry bunch of people you live with, but it feeds your soul.  I am a writer and even though I get up and go to work five days a week to do something else, I still find solace in the written word.  It completes me, and if I ignore it, it berates me.

I have a couple of places in the house that I like to curl up with the laptop and write.  The living room on the love seat next to the fireplace in the winter is a great place.  I can still spend time with my husband while I write about something entirely different from what he is watching on TV.

Then there is the old burgundy leather chair that once belonged to my father-in-law in the guest room.  It still smells like him and I find that comforting.  I have actually seen my muse sitting on the back of the chair beckoning me to come, sit and write.  She knows I want to; it’s just that there is laundry to be done, or supper to be cooked.  I can’t spend all my time with her, even though sometimes I would love to.

Someday, I’ll be able to spend more time with her – but not now.  Now my time is limited.  Where do you find your muse?

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BALANCING MY LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

DSCN0899    Say goodbye to my little friend.  I bought a new car!  I just went from a 2009 Toyota Corolla to a 2014 Chevy Equinox with all the bells and whistles.  It is like going from a skateboard to a fighter jet.  It’is too high-tech for me and I have a ton to learn: nav systems, syncing my phone, etc. They call it the Infotainment system.  I imagine some marketing person at Chevrolet got raise for that play on words.  I’m being drug kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

They say you can’t teach old dogs new tricks.  I say give the old dog a little more time.  She still has some life left in her.  She may learn more slowly than she used to, but she still learns.

I wanted the navigation system because as soon as I get out of my hometown I’m lost.  I need help and can’t be looking at a map at the same time as I drive.  So, I told the salesman I really needed the built-in GPS.  Now I have to learn to use it.  The plan is to map out the route to Wal-Mart from now on so I practice.  Actually, I can find Wal-Mart, but I need to learn to use this monster and remind it who is boss or it will run over me.

After making the deal this week with Ashley Allen and Northcutt Chevrolet in Enid, I told my friend at work what I had done.  “I want your old car!” she exclaimed.  Well, I already had struck a deal.  But I called and talked to the salesman and he agreed to just take a check instead of a trade in.  Sara was happy.  She got a new car too, and I think she really needed it.  I’m delivering it to her today after a little clean up.  She probably doesn’t want my dog’s hair in her new car. When I came back in from moving the cars to clean, my husband asked how the backup camera on the Equinox was.  I forgot to look at it!

So wish me luck.  I’m off to study how to fly my new jet fighter.  I have the books stacked beside me.  I probably need a checklist strapped to my leg and dressed in a flight suit. Love that new car smell!    DSCN0901

 

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BALANCING SUNFLOWERS AND THE END OF SUMMER

sunflower    I’ve been on a hunt for sunflowers lately.  All sizes, all shapes, the important thing was that they were yellow.  I want sunflowers in my yard and I’ve found a few wild ones off the side of the road, but by the time I was preparing my shovel, they were gone.  Victims of the mighty roadside crews keeping things cleaned up after all the rain we’ve had this year.

A neighbor in the addition has huge ones growing in her curb-side garden and was kind enough to give me one as I walked the dog one evening.  She said they came up from seed scattered from last year’s crop and she kept them for the birds.  She also said to come back later and she would give me some seeds once they’re dry.  She was such a dear and I plan to take her up on that offer later in the season.

In my book Secrets of Sandhill Island, Meg grows sunflowers in her vegetable garden and Alex says they remind him of her hair in the sunshine.  She is in her element on the beach in the sun, he tells her as he warms heart and brings her out of her self-induced shell.  Sunflowers can do that – well that and a good man.

A great summer should have a balance of sunflowers and good beach-reads.  Secrets of Sandhill Island – due out soon – fills the bill with both.  Summer is quickly coming to a close and the sunflowers will be gone soon.  I hope to find some to plant for next year. Summers are never long enough.

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BALANCING A MIDDLE READER BOOK

Glome's Valley Cover  In my book Glome’s Valley, Ethan is trying to make the best of a boring summer while his father solves an ancient riddle that has plagued archeologists for years. Ethan and his dad go to Heavener, Oklahoma to read the ancient rune stone, and he was sure he would be bored on this trip.  But, he quickly makes new friends.  So what if one of them is a ghost!

            Just when Ethan was sure he couldn’t get back home by himself, they topped a hill and his nose was assaulted with the most wonderful scent.  There on the other side of the hill were trees in bloom with flowers of every color in the rainbow.  The sun bounced off the valley that almost glowed. 

            Lilacs bloomed on both sides of a pathway that led into the valley.  Dogwoods rained down their petals like it was snowing, but more instantly grew back in their place.  The promise of spring and bounty was all around with apple and peach trees in bloom.  Butterflies floated on a layer of fragrant air in the leafy shadows.  Birds chirped and rabbits munched on tender violet leaves.  Ethan thought it was the most beautiful place on earth. 

            Glome stopped and squatted down. Ethan mimicked him even though he didn’t know why, but maybe he needed to do the same.  Glome picked up a handful of dirt and ran it through his fingers.  He sniffed the air.  “It’s safe,” he proclaimed.  “The trolls aren’t here,” and he motioned everyone forward.

            Glome and the fairies crept slowly into the fragrant woods with their swords drawn. With no sword of his own, Ethan picked up a stick knowing it was not much of a weapon against a troll.

When your son gets lost in the forest of southeastern Oklahoma and you are trying to decipher the ancient words on the Heavener rune stone, there’s an app for that.  Glome’s Valley is a pre-teen fantasy book e-published and available at Amazon.com for the Kindle, IPad, IPod, IPhone, Android Smart Phone or PC.   Check it out!

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BALANCING A ROYALTY CHECK

1009952_10151834907161920_2018758238_n    I GOT A ROYALTY CHECK!  I was so excited this week when the mail arrived with a small royalty check for The Apocalypse Sucks, I celebrated with a deposit in the bank! (I gotta get a life)  It’s not the money, but the fact that someone out there bought my book from Amazon.  I’ve sold some at book signings and workshops, but that was my first royalty check from Airship 27.

Just in case you haven’t read it (and if you have, please leave me a review on Amazon) it is a great little story about friendship – no, it is a dark comedy about life after a virus takes out most of humanity.  But, even though it is about survival, it is also about doing anything you can for those you love.  It is a story about the unconquerable human spirit and the will to live, even if you wake up looking like a bat after surviving a very high fever.  A comedy you say?  The two main characters, Sandra and Molly would die for each other, if they don’t kill each other first.  They were not friends before they were left to survive in a world gone mad, but life has changed.

The book started out as a short story about what women would do after an apocalypse – would they still go shopping when they needed a good bra and lip gloss?  What would you do?  Bras don’t last forever you know.  Then it grew into a whole new world of characters and their battle to live together.

I’ve talked before about the fabulous art work that my publisher, Airship 27, commissioned for the pulp fiction book.  Andy Fish and Zach Brunner did a wonderful job of bringing the story to life with their illustrations.  Andy painted the color cover and Zach created six inside black and white illustrations to go with each story.    roof1

Check out The Apocalypse Sucks and let me know what you think.  If you survived an illness when almost everyone you ever loved died, what would you do?  Would your sense of humor survive along with you and would you battle alien creatures for a good bra?

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The Balance of Lending Libraries and Reading

free books 1    It seems like everyone is offering free books these days.  I’ve noticed small libraries cropping up in what look like large mail boxes.  The first one of these that I saw was created by the uber- talented author Heather Davis of Bartlesville who also happens to be an English teacher.  You would think she gets enough kids during the school year, but she set one up for the summer to encourage them to continue to read.  Such commitment.

The one in the picture has been around for a long time. It is located outside my doctor’s office in Enid near the pharmacy housed in the same building.  I spent some time with a new Nora Roberts the other morning waiting to have blood drawn.  I thought about bringing it home with me to visit for a while, but had several on the bedside table waiting on me. As an author, I am always thrilled if people read – no matter what they read or where they get them; so this idea struck a chord in me. Many thanks to    free books 2 Betty Davis and her brilliant idea.  I don’t know Betty, but I wonder if she is related to Heather? I know of another on in the small town of Ames, OK in a quickshop.  People love books.

The earliest lending libraries were begun in Europe around 1586.  Ben Franklin brought the idea to America in 1731 and the Carnegie system of libraries was built between 1883 and 1929.  I’m dating myself when I mention that I remember the Bookmobile coming around my neighborhood during the summer.  My sisters and I were always ready for new books when it made its appearance between school years.

But, wherever you get your books – or your kids’ books – read, read, read!  The more you read, the more you will love it.  And you might just learn something!

But, don’t forget to share.

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Balancing Motherhood On My Toes

toes    Sitting in the massage chair today getting a pedicure with my daughter beside me, I received a complement.  “Are you two friends?” asked the woman scrubbing my feet.  I said yes with a smile.  Then I said and we are also mother and daughter.

“Oh you look so young!” she said with a gleam in her eye and dreams of a big tip.  But, I wasn’t taken in by anyone thinking I look as young as my daughter.  However, I loved the complement that we are friends, because we are.

Maybe it is because we grew up together.  When you become a mother a few days after your 20th birthday, you are still a child, no matter how mature you THINK you are.  But, we made it.  I learned to be a mother as she learned to be a little person.  We grew together.

We talked today about a potential bucket list, maybe Key West someday to visit Hemmingway’s home.  Something the husbands would not enjoy. She is my biggest fan and a good critique partner telling me when a story does and does not work.

We still adore getting together and having a pedicure, trying a new restaurant with interesting salads the boys would never touch and just enjoying each other’s company.  She is still my best friend.

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A BALANCED LITERARY GARDEN

book on shelf    I wandered into Hastings the other day for music.  The doctor said I needed to relax and get more sleep.  Music is a great tranquilizer for me so I headed to the CDs.  But along the way, I HAD to see if my book was still on the shelf.  It was – on the bottom shelf at the back of the store in the science fiction area.  Writing a book and selling a book are two different things and my beautiful book was hidden by all the others there on the bottom shelf.  Did it have a chance with all the other wonderful books out there? I had to keep trying to bring it to the forefront if it was to flourish.

This evening I walked out back where the weeds were crowding out the plants that I had worked so hard to develop.  The unusual amount of rain that Enid has received the last few months has turned my backyard into a jungle.  Plants were growing faster than they could be contained.  I got down on my knees with the shears and pulled the thick Bermuda grass away from the plant and trimmed it back so I could find the beautiful flowers I had worked so hard to grow.  Close to the ground I found thick roots just waiting to be freed.  Hardy flowers that only stood out if they were freed and brought to the forefront.

I can’t take the shears to the other books, nor would I want to.  The world is full of fabulous books and authors.  It is a virtual garden of literature just waiting to be read, or tended, by the reader/gardener.  While close to the ground I realized that sometimes the best view is down on your knees.

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