PS Book Reviews

The event in Santa Fe taught me a lot about marketing books. One thing I noticed was that authors print out their reviews from Amazon.com and use them as handouts at book fairs. If you have read Malarial Fevers and or Unspoken Farewell please take a moment and write a short review on Amazon.com
Thank you veery much.

Happy Spring!
Although it's snowing today, we've got daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths in bloom. Hopefully this storm will not do too much damage to our fragile plants. The fish are quite active in our pond and I even fed them when the water temperature was warm enough.
Back to writing. I'm pleased to let you know that the third book, Unpredictable Crossing is being considered by a publisher. If they decide to proceed with publication, the book should be available this year. I've also been working on some short stories for submission to a contest. They have the potential to become a book, if I write a few more. Last Saturday, I participated in a book fair in combination with a literacy event in Santa Fe.
May spring time bring you delights as the flowers bloom and trees dress themselves in their finery.
Please send me a note whenever you can.
Jonna-Lynn

Unpredictable Crossing

My husband and I just returned from a Panama Canal cruise. The photo to the left is our ship Regatta of Oceania Cruises at dock in Punta Arenas, Costa Rica, a favorite port of ours. The time on board was a welcome opportunity to think through several issues involving my next book which involves a cruise ship.
My intention was to have it published this year, but with the economic changes, I've decided to wait another year and possibly move to another publisher. While I was on the cruise, I discovered new insights and segments of dialogue from the characters that I would like to incorporate in the finished manuscript.
Let me tell you a little bit about how this book idea came to be. Years ago, we were on a cruise ship off the coast of South America. Many of the crew were Portuguese and had fought in the army to prevent the African colonies from gaining independence. I was seated in a lounge one afternoon when two Portuguese dining room waiters entered in the middle of a heated argument. They paused at the door near my chair and continued their quarrel with the assumption that their Portuguese conversation would be safe as few know the language. Whenever I hear Portuguese being spoken or sung, however, it penetrates my consciousness and interrupts whatever I'm doing. While I had no interest in the content of their discussion, it did plant the seed for this third manuscript, UNPREDICTABLE CROSSING.
The basis for this novel is that horrible massacres occurred in Mozambique during its war for independence from Portugal. Since the U.S. was preoccupied with the Vietnam War and the massacre at My Lai, few knew what had occurred in Mozambique. My imagination began asking questions. What if there had been a lone survivor of the massacres? What if years later that person encountered the captain who ordered the massacre on a cruise ship? These two questions form the foundation for the manuscript. I chose an Atlantic crossing so that the two people would have a chance to encounter and recognize each other.
Research for this manuscript involved interniewing staff captains, security personnel, and directors of childrens programs on cruise ships. I also reviewed the new Portuguese constitution in Portuguese and then in English. The process of dealing with crimes against humanity was another topic meritting careful review.
The research was easy as I could draw on my professional skills prior to retirement, but bringing these characters to life is the challenge. I'll keep you up to date on my progress to have this story published.
In the meantime, enjoy the season, find pleasure in simple things and revel in life itself.

Happy New Year!
Now that thte holidays are over, it's time to get back to you. A few people have asked how I came to write UNSPOKEN FAREWELL so it's time to give you an answer. When I first came home from Africa in 1974, several friends asked me to write about my experiences, but I was too busy getting adjusted to life in the US and finding a job. The requests continued, but I never had the time until 2000 when we moved to Taos. Then, I took several writing courses and began to pull bits and pieces together. My mother had saved all of my letters in shoeboxes and had them numbered in sequence as they were received. This was a great help for me and served as a sort of outline. I wrote A GOOD-BYE NEVER SAID, but had a lot of difficulty with the editting process, especially Portuguese words. I finally decided to cancel that contract and start over with a new book.
UNSPOKEN FAREWELL is 95% true and tells nearly everything that happened to me, I'm Amanda.
Have a wonderful 2009!

Discovering connections

Several people have asked how Malarial Fevers came to be. Growing up I had assumed that the Bennetts were family friends. I didn't realize that we were related until after my father was in a nursing home and a letter came to him that my step-mother didn't know how to handle. This led to a reconnection with Carol Bennett Brand, my third cousin and the granddaughter of Harriet Sage Bennett. Carol knew about my writing and offered me all of her grandmother's letters, diaries and papers. She said it was her grandmother's wish to have her story told about life in Mozambique. The majority of the papers were written in pencil and proved challenging to transcribe. The collection of ticket stubs and other items were thrilling for me to work with because my doctoral dissertation began with the period when the Bennetts first arrived in Mozambique. I recognized the names of people who had written them letters so long ago as well as many of the issues that concerned them.
I sent a copy of the first draft of Malarial Fevers to Carol, but she died before the book was published.
Being the Advent season, I wish joy as you prepare for Christmas.
Jonna-Lynn

Book Emporium

This photo is from winter a couple years ago when the ice on the pond was quite thick. One chuck seemed to be shaped like a pine tree and I had to experiment with the shape to frame it between the doves.

Now to business, my books will be available at the Book Emporium of the Annual Zia Arts and Crafts Show in Albuquerque from November 21 through 23. The prices will be discounted at $10.00 for Malarial Fevers and $12.00 for Unspoken Farewell.

Wishing you the best Thanksgiving.

New projects

Having just returned from a trip to Pennsylvania where fall colors are still very rich, I'm sad to see that the season is nearly past in northern New Mexico, so I share this copper-colored maple tree with you.

Unless I'm without access to a computer, I hope to post at least a monthly note about my writing projects, their development and my progress toward getting them published. At the moment I'm polishing the last book of three that relate to Mozambique, Unpredictable Crossing. When I know its release date, I'll post it.

As I finalize this book, I think about shifting the location of some adventures to occur on cruise ships. You'll note on my website that Unpredictable Crossing takes place on board a ship in transit from Miami to Lisbon. At the moment, I am doing research for a second book that takes place aboard a ship on the inland passage to Alaska. I don't know if Amanda and Jeffrey will take this cruise.

There's another project that I've been wrestling with for the last couple years which involves northern New Mexico. It also has a global view as the story moves from the south China Sea region to the U.S. east coast and then New Mexico.

More news coming soon.