About Time

Happy New Year!

Words spoken by those in...  September?!

What?

But it makes sense. And it has been similar to the meaning behind the lyrics of Auld Lang Syne . I have been experiencing 'old home' month, if you will. Faces I haven't seen in years have filed by with smiles and hugs like nary a day has past. I've seen former work associates, co-workers, spoken to high school chums, and visited friends who moved away years before. Their link is in their happiness to see me.

Now, is it that I am so great a person? Well, not necessarily or else I would probably still see or talk to them all on a regular basis. Not that I am knocking me. Life gets busy. Sometimes Big 'L' Life gets in the way of living. We get so busy running that we forget to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the people along the way that have sniffed those roses with you.

It fills my heart to see their smiles. It does my soul good to hear them say they have been thinking about me. Where have I been? What have I been doing? How have I been keeping?

I ask myself, why haven't I been around then?

Well, J lives in BC and L moved to NY 14 years ago. JA is a 2 1/2 hr drive away, as is C in a slightly different direction. A, B and D work 10 minutes from my house, but the phone has been silent between us. And my excuse for S is what? I am too busy for a coffee break? What's wrong with me? Why can't I drive 45 minutes to see D and J or 1 hour to visit with J and L? I would love to see all of them. I know there is tonnes to catch up on and we could all use the tonic of the visit.

It is that dreaded Time. Or lack thereof. But it seems that time is pointing out there is plenty of reason to stay in touch. Relationships are worth it. And regardless of the quiet days that I spend typing on my computer, I do have a few relationships in my life. My friends are there regardless of time's passage.

And right now, I should make the effort to reach back out and step into people's lives. It is worth it. Time has bestowed the gift of remembrance on me. Perhaps it is time that I cash in on that offering.

Anyone care to sniff the roses with me this week?

Waiting in my Web

Isn't that interesting? The black and yellow garden spider is also known as the writing spider. Argiope aurantia is harmless to humans, but collects plenty with her sticky web.

Wish I could catch a few more clients with a web of my own...

Folk-tastic!

I have a little secret. I've got a little bit of twang to me. I really don't know where it came from. My mother listened to the likes of Nana Mouskouri and Boney M. We had 8-tracks and records, which were played from a large stereo cabinet that looked something like this...

Not mine, but not far off of our super 70's stereo

Now that was a fine piece of electronica, let me tell you. It had an am/fm stereo, record player and an 8-track slot on it, plus the obligatory red velvet curtains on the side panels. Bring on the 'Night Flight to Venus'! Hooey, we knew how to throw one down.

Yes, well...

Jump forward a few years and my musical tastes expanded some. I was introduced to punk, alternative, pop, rock, and funny enough, a whole lot of folk music via some musician friends. I had a real eclectic taste, that was for sure. I was just as happy to listen to Depeche Mode or Skinny Puppy, as I was to groove to Gordon Lightfoot or Stompin Tom. I know. I know. Neophyte.

Nathan Rogers at this year's Home County

But out of all those musical stylings, the folky blues stuck. I still flip on the radio to whatever pleases the kids or myself in that moment (plenty of CBC 2 in the afternoons and evenings), but a good old dose of folk music makes me smile. In fact, I don't think I've missed the Home County Folk Festival in years. And I am pretty sure I have made folk fans of my kids too, as they always insist on going and staying as long as possible (dragged them away from Whitehorse at 10:30 pm this year).

I believe it was at a past year's Home County that I ended up on Rock Ridge Music's mailing list. They had me in a good mood and I would have signed up for anything on that day. In retrospect, it was a good thing though, as now they send me artist spotlights all the time. I have discovered 'Dwight & Nicole' and Levi Weaver, both of which are fabulous bands/musicians.

This week they sent me a teaser for someone new though. And I need to hear more.

Christian Lopez Band

On first listen Blaster Records snapped up this talented musician. It was a no-brainer and they have formed a great union since their initial meeting. That despite the fact that the front man for the band is a mere 19-years-old. Don't let his age fool you though. Christian Lopez is an old hand as far as making music goes. He began playing piano at age 5, and guitar by the time he was 9. Writing songs was a natural extension that came along in his teens.

Now the West Virginia native's dreams are coming true in the form of his first EP Pilot set to be released in October 2014. Not too shabby for someone who has played pre-shows for the likes of Zac Brown and The Dave Matthews Band. Intrigued yet? If it seems like a long time to wait for the EP, there is always live music to fill the gap. The band is touring the US this fall.

CHRISTIAN LOPEZ BAND TOUR SCHEDULE

8/20 – Cumberland, MD / Downtown Cumberland Concert Series

8/21 – Floyd, VA / Dogtown Roadhouse

8/23 – Nashville, TN / Antique Archaeology

8/23 – Franklin, TN / Grey’s On Main (evening show)

8/29 – Charlotte, NC / PNC Music Pavilion

9/3 – New York, NY / Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3

9/12 – New Hope, PA / Triumph Brewery

9/13 – Winchester, VA / Bright Box Theater

9/18 – 9/20 – Dewey Beach, DE / Dewey Beach Music Festival

9/27 – Blacksburg, VA / Sycamore Deli (w/Deer Run Drifters)

10/4 – Thomas, WV / The Purple Fiddle

10/10 – Clear Springs, MD / Knob Hall Winery

10/11 – Bethesda, MD / Taste of Bethesda Festival

10/17 – Bedford, VA / Bedford Library Concert Series

10/18 – Shepherdstown, WV / Shepherdstown Opera House

10/25 – Centreville, VA / Cox Farms Fall Fest

It's one thing to rave over the music and pump up a band, but I know you just want to hear it for yourself, right. We have to wait I'm afraid, as the full EP will only be released later this week for streaming or download. The teaser I got was just a single song, which was enough to let me know that I definitely wanted to hear more.

 

Organizing with Mason Jars

Look what I found on Pinterest; a neat organization item made from mason jars...

Cool right? It looked simple enough, so I thought "What the hey?!"

And decided to try it myself. Any good crafty house has got a bit of glitter paint, mason jars and bits for knobs, right?

This one does!

I've already started my canning this year (made sweet pickles yesterday and have relish in the making as we speak), but wide-mouth jars aren't used very often, making them scarce. Two were all I needed for this craft though and polished tiger's eye stones were my accompaniment for knobs.

One for q-tips and bandaids in the other. What do you think? Pass or Fail?

     Take that Pinterest!

too hot

flames lick 

hot thoughts prick

mud sticks

tonight

fire scores

no rest no more

smiles a chore

by its light

purge me

erase misery

a peace plea

burn bright

~

Medicine Walk

Medicine Walk, by Richard Wagamese, © 2014, McClelland & Stewart

Should I start by saying this book wrecked me? That I bawled through the last twenty pages, apparently having stopped at exactly the right spot last night. Normally I can't put a book down with that few pages to go, but something told me that I couldn't continue last night. So at lunch today fat tears dropped into my soup and scattered across the pages, as a mound of kleenexes piled up.

Not that this book was... what? Chick-lit? Thriller? Romance? It was none of those things. It was literature, and good quality prose at that.

All the way along I felt like this was a book that a man's man would appreciate. The main character is 16-year-old Frank, raised by "the old man". He taught him to fish, hunt, recognize tracks, survive in the bush, and most importantly, the value of hard work. His father on the other hand slips in and out of Frank's life on rare occasion, and those moments are always punctuated by drink. He is a virtual stranger and a miserable, non-communicative one even when he does make rare appearance. The old man serves as the only kin that young Frank has, but that doesn't prevent his thoughts from straying to blood ties.

When the book opens, Frank has been summoned by his father to town. Eldon is sick and dying, his abused liver finally at the point of shutting down. He has a last request for his estranged son - to take him into the woods to bury him in the warrior way. This despite the fact that Eldon has never taken much stock in his native roots. Frank struggles with the request, but ultimately agrees to the task, if only to see if some of the questions that have dogged him his whole life might be answered. What they discover along the way is a broken life lived.

This quiet book looks at life, hope, fear, love and the struggles that are encountered along the way. Wagamese's prose is fuelled by the knowledge that as much as we need to listen to hear life's stories, sometimes those stories need to be told too. Whether we think we have the strength to tell them or not.

Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night

Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night, by Barbara J. Taylor, © 2014, Akashic Books

This debut novel from Barbara J Taylor opens in grief. Young Daisy's life has been extinguished too soon in a freak sparkler accident in her backyard. Her sister Violet is witness to the accident and many whisper that perhaps the incident was in fact her fault. Their mother Grace is thrown into heavy mourning and their father Owen quickly finds solace at the bottom of a bottle. It looks to be a sad tale that just might not find its way back out.

The story may have a sad premise, but Taylor convinces the reader to join her in the tale, as we watch bewildered Violet try to find a space in her new world. Her mother is lost in grief and her father abandons the family to move into a gin mill in town, where the firewater that numbs his reality is readily available. It seems no one cares about poor Violet, until "stinky" Stanley befriends her. The two form a quick friendship fuelled by both of their outcast statuses; Stanley's mother is dead and his father another disgruntled miner working long hours. Where no one else seems to care about them, the children find hope and life in each other.

The world of the anthracite coal mines is harsh and filled with constant threat of tragedy in this turn-of-the century novel. As each bell rings out an accident, both fear and hope are flamed. Will a new tragedy bring Violet's torn family back together once more? The mine that employs the bulk of the men in town, also takes as many away. It is a reality that touches everyone in town, where Violet's father Owen works, and eventually Stanley finds himself as well. The only thing that brings comfort is the heavy presence of the church, even with its share of meddling church ladies and their caustic tongues. In Grace's case though, it would seem that grief is even more powerful than God's good graces. Owen prayers died on his tongue with his daughter too.

So what will it take to reunite a family torn apart by grief? You will soon find out in this quick read.

Thanks to Akashic Books for sending me an Advance Reading Copy to review!

Visitors

birds in flocks arrive

banded visitors aplenty

abundant reasons

fair cedar waxwing

dining on crab apples fine

a gift of breakfast

my treat to spy you

regal birds so prolific

please return once more

Waiting for the Man

Waiting for the Man, by Arjun Basu © 2014, ECW Press

Joe is in his mid-30s. He is in advertising and does quite well at it, laying claim to successful beer, beans, and dog food campaigns. Everything Joe attempts, turns out right.

But one day he wakes up in a panic. He's 35 and life somehow appears meaningless. He can get any girl he wants, but is single. He is surrounded by people daily, but is without real friends. His family loves him from afar. He's good at his job, which pays the bills, but at the end of the day, it all leaves him empty.

Until a voice in his head tells him to wait. So he does.

So began a vision quest that took Joe from the streets of high-profile New York to middle-of-nowhere Montana. The voyage holds much soul-searching, questions about what life is all about, and debate about if we are supposed to find meaning in it all. Joe is a cynic and his journey isn't easy. For one, there is a mini van. And lots of bad pizza. Showers and sleep are minimal.

Sounds like the making of any great adventure, right?

Are you interested in learning more? How about a few words from the author, Arjun Basu himself? I had the pleasure of asking him a few questions. Here is what he has to say about "Waiting for the Man" and the writing process that went along with it.

1. How long did it take you to write the first draft of “Waiting for the Man”? How long was the editing phase? When it came time to publish it, did you debate self-publishing or insist on the traditional route of a publishing company? What made you decide to use ECW Press?        ~ AB: The first draft was written so long ago, it's hard to properly answer the question. The story behind getting this story out is long and arduous. It involves probably 10 drafts, a huge rethinking of the story after draft 4, the discarding of two complete threads (and one major character, almost a co-narrator), and really winnowing this thing down to its essence. It also involves 4 agents (!) and, yes, a time when I was considering self-publishing so that I could move on and get with my life and my writing. But then ECW stepped up, and I was "given" a great editor in Emily Schultz and we worked really well together - she saw a fully realized work but then made it that much more complete. 
2.       Many people speculate throughout the book as to who “The Man” actually is, i.e. God, Jesus, a Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Taoist, Buddhist, etc. His omnipotence is what attracts people to Joe’s story, but is he any of these things? As much as his presence is the driving force in Joe’s journey that begins in New York, his time in Montana is devoid of any influence from The Man. So what role did The Man actually have in Joe’s story?
       ~ AB: That speculation is valid and is even brought up in the book itself. But because The Man is in Joe's head (and only his head), he/it gets imprinted with a lot of meaning by a lot of people. And Joe being an advertising guy, probably sees a certain irony in his situation, sure, but on some level he also understands that his story is not his at all, that all stories are given meaning by those receiving it, and that we all interpret stories to suit us. I don't know that Joe gives up on The Man, but he sees everything for what it is. In Montana, The Man is already in his rear view mirror. And perhaps he/it ends up being Joe's inner voice just telling him to find something, anything, and get out of the rut he finds in New York.
3.       Have you ever gone on a “vision quest” or done any extreme soul searching of your own? Why and what was its outcome?
       ~ AB: I've gone on road trips. When I was younger I went on road trips every summer - some of those memories made their way into the book. I've never gone on a vision quest, per se, though some journeys seems to become a kind of vision quest. My desire to write was the result of a lot of baby steps growing up, but when I was 18, I left home and hung out in Banff for 6 months and when I returned home I realized I was going to write. I didn't head out West with that goal, it just happened. Was that a vision quest?
4.       Joe has an interesting relationship with people. He is a self-proclaimed womanizer and has a decided lack of connection with anyone. So how is it that he was picked by “The Man” for this journey? Do you think that we all have a little piece of “Joe” in us? How did this affect his relationship with characters in the parallel story in Montana?
       ~ AB: The Man doesn't so much pick Joe as Joe picks The Man. At least that's how I see it. There's probably some deep self-improvement mumbo-jumbo in that statement. But I don't see Joe as anti-social as much as he's a bit numbed by modern life. That doesn't make him unique.
5.       Were you changed by the writing of this book? Do you have any other books in the making?
        ~ AB: I don't know that I was changed by the writing but it's possible that I was changed by the process. I wrote this book at the same time as a huge shift in the publishing industry. It was amazing to see such change occur while I was writing. In a way, it shifted my goals, but in the end, my goal, my primary goal, remained the same. And now my goal is to finish my next novel. I've started writing it. My only hope is it doesn't take as long to write as Waiting for the Man.

Thank you so much for sharing Arjun! Myself and my readers appreciate your thoughts and time. 

This review/author interview/giveaway is part of a book tour promoted by ECW Press. Words of Mystery started off the tour last Monday, but please take the time to visit the other bloggers on the tour.

Thursday, May 1st - Words of Mystery - Tour kickoff & review

Monday, May 5th - Buried in Print - Review

Tuesday, May 6th - A New Day - Review & giveaway

Wednesday, May 7th - The Book Stylist - Review

Thursday, May 8th - bookgaga - Review

Friday, May 9th - A Bookworm’s World - Review & giveaway

~~~

So, does this put you in mind of any journeys of your own? Have you broken with the status quo, even for a moment, to dip a little deeper into what life is all about? Would you care to escape life's confines to travel along with Joe, as he stops and waits for the Man? Tell me about your own soul searching moment and you will be entered into a contest to win your own copy of "Waiting for the Man" by Arjun Basu. The folks at ECW Press were good enough to send me a copy to review, plus included an extra just for YOU!

All I want to know is a little bit about your own experience with "The Man". Share this contest with your friends, followers and whomever might be on a vision quest of their own. I look forward to your answers!

In the interim, feel free to watch the trailer about the book below. And don't forget to dig deep for your existential dreams to share with me...



a Rafflecopter giveaway

To Review a Book

I have written a number of book reviews here at A New Day. Most of them have been positive, barring a few bad eggs here and there. It started because I joined a book club. The ladies of my club meet once a month to discuss the book "du jour". Over wine and nibblies, we debate the merits of whichever book we have chosen that month. We have gushed over "The Night Circus", squirmed over "We Need to Talk about Kevin" and wondered what the heck the author was trying to say in "Seven Ravens: Two Summer in a Life by the Sea". By the way, don't even bother trying to look that last one up. It is still considered the worst book we have attempted to read over the five years that we've been together. All thumbs down.

Aside from books suggested by my book club, many other books have crossed the threshold of my sacred bedside table reading stack. There are ones that have languished (like one on Catherine the Great that I just can't get through for the life of me), and others that were there but an instant due to me not being able to put them down. Those are the books I wish I could linger over longer, but ultimately end up back in my re-read pile.

A good book never dies. It is reborn every time we crack the spine anew.

You can quote me on that if you want. 

So why so much discussion on books today? Well, I recently finished another book, this one sent to me from ECW Press. They are a Canadian publishing house based out of Toronto with over 30 years of experience and almost 1000 books in print. And when they sent me this newest book, they actually included another copy for me. Well to be more exact, they sent a copy for me to review and one to include as a giveaway. This post is all about getting you excited for that! Don't we all love books and love them more when they are FREE!

**Consider this your heads up to come back and visit A New Day next Tuesday, May 6th, 2014. I'll have my book review ready and a special treat for readers. See you then!**

Interested in Winning?

this dance

swaying in time
these bodies united
a love that's sublime
thou not always abided

a look in those eyes
tender touches that match
who could possibly decry
their heart's song that attaches

two women together
embraced cheek to cheek
A beauty to behold
something we all seek

as an honoured guest
to witness, I felt blessed

♡♥♡

In "Can I Have This Dance", Anne Murray sings of a love profound that is felt in one's soul. It is a beautiful song, regardless of your love of her or a taste in country music. Plus it makes for a perfect song for a slow dance with that special someone.

This song was played at a dance I went to Saturday evening in association with the London Lesbian Film Festival. It was dedicated to a couple who were wed the previous week. It was beautiful to see the dance floor fill up with so many people and I was touched to be there. The song is still ringing in my head and the smile that it gave me on Saturday is still there at the thought of it. I guess I am just a sucker for love.

This sonnet was inspired by all the happiness and love that I was witness to that night. I hope you can find a measure of what these women exuded in your own life. If only we could all be so blessed...

♡♥♡

waiting

~

brown 

dead, barren 

waiting, waiting, waiting

for the sun's warm rays

spring

~

It's National Poetry Month. My children have both been exploring the nuances of poetry at school, which just tickles me. It has also amounted to a little creativity on my poetic part, as seen in this cinquain poem. Have you written any poems in National Poetry Month?

Flower

F

    ancy petals

L

    ittle waving heads

O

    pen to the sun

W

    aving in the breeze

E

    verywhere in spring

R

    enews my soul

sign of spring - hellebore

It's National Poetry Month. My children have both been exploring the nuances of poetry at school, which just tickles me. It also has amounted to some creativity on my poetic part, as seen in this acrostic poem. Have you written any poems in National Poetry Month?

Chocolate Fuelled Fun

one, two, three
come find me
coloured eggs a'plenty
behind the couch, over the entry
tucked into a lamp's smooth shade
over by the hand-knit brocade
find them all on an Easter crusade
the last one's found, they all hoorayed

Back to bed
all the adults said
No chance of that, I dread
it's time for fun
fuelled by chocolate eggs one by one
and kid chaos until they are all done...

It's National Poetry Month. My children have both been exploring the nuances of poetry at school, which just tickles me. It also has amounted to some creativity on my poetic part, as seen in this freestyle rhyming poem. Have you written any poems in National Poetry Month?

late winter

Sunshine fills my eyes

Sorely needed on this day

Stubborn winter sits

Blankets everything cold

Refuses the way to spring

~