This Election...

I am not sure what to think about this election cycle, or if it really is a cycle.

It seems more like a long endurance run.

Heavens! When did the last election cycle end? I feel like all I've seen for the last 10 years are election commentaries, election pollsters, election ads and on and on. I think we the American people should put a stop to some of this bull and cut the election cycle back. Two years is just too.

I understand that I am supposed to be a good American and a good Christian and vote, but can I just say UGH?

There's so much mudslinging and lying, I feel like I'm watching a pig wrestling match. My apologies to the pigs.

Speaking of Pigs.

How is it we can drag something up from 20+ years ago and talk about how that proves a candidate is engaging in a war on women,  but we can't bring up what happened four years ago or last year or three months ago, or last week, even, cause it doesn't matter now, it's over?

I could barely stand the last Presidential debate, I sat there looking for something presidential and got tired and finally turned it off. I watched the Vice-Presidential debates and cringed. One person in the debate gave me hope that there are still decent politicians in the mix. He was eloquent and didn't spend his time interrupting and spouting talking points with facial expressions that could turn a worm's stomach. I'll let you decide who I'm talking about.

All I know is, there is an election coming up and I am supposed to vote for candidate who will best serve our country. What in the world does serve our country? I see more people only pushing for what satisfies them and the American people be damned.

I almost dread this upcoming election. But I will go vote. I will do my civic duty. A part of me wants to write in a name. (Please don't write me about how that will be awful because I'll be giving the vote away. I've heard it all.) I've been watching. I've been reading up on the candidates. Hopefully I will make an informed conscious decision because I took the time to look into it instead of just picking candidates because I heard their name or figure it's time to pick them.

I hope everyone else takes the time to know who and what they are voting for. I know I'm asking for a lot, but it could happen. (paste Big Grin here)(or weeping).

Until then, here is my latest attempt at cartooning.

Been doodling

Mountain Cabin

thought I would share a little bit of drawing I've been doing.

Cha... cha... cha... changes

Wow. Heading for the big 50... thought sure life would go on pretty much as it had. I'd tend to my world and my garden. I continue to write, and be around my children and grandchildren, but I'd be a year older. Life would continue as it had. My address would be the same as it had for the past twenty years. I would only be a year older. Maybe a bit grayer.

Maybe things would get better with finances, maybe I'd color my hair, (okay that might be a given). and I would be right here. Right here, where I planned to live out my life. Right here with my husband and family and friends. A year older, and hopefully wiser.

But... life happened along the way, and now... I find I may not get to live in my comfortable rut. Now, thanks to finances and my wonderful hubby, I may be pushed to move to a new state. A new world, as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps it will be wonderful, perhaps it will hold the key to new dreams.

Perhaps I'll hate it. Who knows?

For now, just the thought of moving out of my comfort zone, moving away from my family, scares me. So, I'm praying hard.

A part of me wants to pray nothing changes. And my life goes on as it has. Me working through the moments of my days in rote, since I know it so well. But I remind myself, it hasn't always been easy here, either. I just know my way around better.

A part of me prays I'm ready and willing to take the risk and believe that God has my life cradled in his hands.

And he does. He carries me no matter where I go, no matter what path I choose.

Now I have only to remember that. In case my life is uprooted. In case the changes that seem to be in the wind come to light.

We'll see... 

Wrote this five years ago and thought I would post it now, because the changes did happen. 5 years ago we moved to Arizona. But five years later, we are living back in Colorado. Not to say a lot didn't happen in those five years. Perhaps I'm a bit smarter and wiser. I lost people I loved. Lost my dog. Felt like I lost bits of my sanity and then gained some. I had to come back to a house that needed special care after having renters. Not fun.

Finished a couple of books. Had them published. Still wishing people would pick them up and read them and then leave a review.

But...

Life still happened. Good and bad. And strangely I feel as though I am living in a bit of Deja Vu. I guess moving back into a house you lived in for 20 years can make one feel that way.

Who says change has to be so scary? (okay sometimes it's downright terrifying.) And who says once you're gone, you can't go back home?

Rewriting History

I love researching for my Historical Novels. It can be interesting, and there's so much I don't know. But sometimes… history can be a pain in the backside. It doesn't always fit my storyline.

Go figure.

For my WWII Trail of the Sandpiper series, I wanted the submarine to be the Nautilus, I needed it to be the Nautilus, but I would have had to rewrite history.

I hunted ways to make the Nautilus fit into my story's time frame, but none of them would float. It would have been nice to have the Nautilus because there are tinges of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the second book of the series -- Rescued.

I realize sometimes you just have to make stuff up. Isn't that what fiction writers do? So why can't I just rewrite history? Others have. Well, I think one does have to abide by historical facts, (to some extent.) I can put characters in historical time lines, but I can only do so much. Unless I'm writing a story about jumping through time and changing the past, present, and future, I have facts to follow.

So I gave my submarine another name, Nandus. one that fit with the subs in Narwhal class during WWII. The Narwhal was in the area of New Guinea, where my story takes place, but it didn't fit the time frame either. And since Narwhal was a close sister to the Nautilus,  I decided making up a fake submarine would have to do.

The Narwhal class of subs, were all named after fish so my little Nandus is named after one too.

BETRAYED

It's the summer of '42. The world is at War and Japan's Imperial Army is moving across the island of New Guinea. 

After their mission is attacked Justine is left with seven children to lead to safety through enemy lines. She leads them to a cave and goes back for her husband when she is taken captive. Upon her escape with the help of a friend, Virginia, she starts back for the children and runs into Lt. Tyler Merrick. She hopes he will help her. But he's drunk and doesn't believe there are children. He thinks Justine is the rogue spy he been sent to find.

Justine goes for the children and returns to an even angrier Lt. Merrick. He wants to tie her up. She hopes to win his trust. Because if they can't stop fighting one another, they will never get off the island alive. 

RESCUED

The Imperial Army is moving across New Guinea. Tyler and Justine have managed to evade them, but they fear it isn't because of their own abilities.

Tyler wonders why the Japanese haven't taken them as prisoners. Is it to find the Sandpiper? Or the Nandus? Without a radio they can't reach the ship or let them know where they are. Meanwhile, the Japanese have been moving them like pawns, killing off members of the team as they go. 

Justine leads them to a place of safety until they hopefully raise the ship, but how long can they fend off the enemy once they attack? They've yet to get off the island, and there is still an ocean to cross to reach the safety of home. Justine fears someone else will die before they can escape and she's just as certain it will be her.