What I Want for Mother’s Day

By Karen McCullough

Mother’s Day is in a couple of days, and I’ll actually be getting exactly what I want from my kids and grandkids to celebrate the day.

They already know there are few things I need and not many that I want. I’m in the fortunate position of being able to buy the things I most want and have learned that nearly all possessions bring only a brief jolt of joy, if even that much, so I desire very few.

My family knows that I really don’t want anything that will sit on a shelf and need to be dusted or washed. I have plenty of those already and I’m trying to get rid of many of them. There are exceptions. Pictures, particularly of them and their children, are always welcome. Since I go through coffee mugs all too quickly, I’m usually happy to get a new one, especially if it relates to a special time or place.

I love getting cards, especially those that are personalized or show that some thought and effort went into them. And flowers always bring me joy.

But what I want most from my children and grandchildren is time with them. Time spent playing games, talking, walking, shopping, eating ice cream, visiting museums, even reading stories with them.

This coming Sunday I’ll be heading to the beach for a week with my husband, sister-in-law, two daughters, and my younger daughter’s husband and four children. The children are all boys – ages 7, 5 (he turned six yesterday but we’ll be celebrating his birthday at the beach), 4, and 2.

If all goes as usual there will be plenty of fun, laughter, talk, games, good food, drink, sun, and surf. We’ll spend time reading and playing in the sand and ocean water. We’ll talk endlessly, scatter for walks and shopping trips, and then share experiences later on.

I can’t think of anything I could want more than that for Mother’s Day.

Children and Reading

by Fran McNabb 

On a visit with our son’s family in Louisiana last month, I was able to read to my grandson’s first grade class. I was the “Mystery Reader,” someone who volunteers to come in to read for about fifteen minutes. 

I loved reading to these children. At one time in my life I was a senior English teacher. I’ve missed the classroom and the interaction with the students, but today I saw another side of education. These students weren’t seventeen-and-eighteen-year-old young adults. These were six-and-seven-year olds. What fun and how totally different.

Senior English consisted of analytical writing and British literature from the classics through the present day. Did these seniors get excited over what I was teaching? Maybe secretly some of them truly loved writing and reading the great authors, but mostly these students just wanted to get through the class so they could graduate.

 In this first grade class the children were excited from the moment I opened the book. I read from a Splat the Cat Halloween book. Most of them had read other Splat the Cat books so they knew what
to expect. Some of the children wanted to interject their own Halloween stories so we allowed them to share at the end of the session. Most told about what they'd be at Halloween.

 I loved, loved, loved seeing the excitement in these children’s eyes. It’s sad to think that with each year, most of them will lose their excitement of reading and learning. What happens in those years? As a realist I know as the children grow, their interests will change. Facing the future takes over the excitement of what to wear for Halloween.

Yes, I’m a realist, but that doesn’t keep me from wanting children and adults to love the idea of getting lost in a book and letting their imagination run wild. If they keep this love  and excitement of reading, they'll always be able to learn about the world around them. When a reader opens a book or turns on an e-reader, he or she will usually be exposed to something new. Even in the sweet romances I write, I hope my readers will learn something new—maybe they’ll learn about a new area of the world, maybe a new way of handling an emotion, or maybe realize there are other people in the world who face the same problems they do.

I hope these bright-eyed children who sat on the floor in their classroom  and listened to me read will hang onto that excitement for as long as possible. I know my son and his wife read to my grandson just about every night. The last time I was visiting he wanted to read to me. What a wonderful gift he is receiving, a gift that will travel with him throughout his life.

FRAN MCNABB is a retired English and journalism teacher who now spends her time writing, reading, painting, and spending time with her two grandsons. She writes sweet romances set on her beloved Gulf Coast and many times has included children in her books. Check her out at www.FranMcNabb.com or at mcnabbf@bellsouth.net

Getting To Know Us With Fran McNabb

Yes, we all have bios on this website, but there is so much MORE to know about our Classic and Cozy bloggers. So the 2nd Friday of each month is dedicated to getting to know us better.  This month I'd like to introduce you to Fran McNabb.

Okay, inquiring minds want to know…why a writer? Certainly not for the fame and fortune…or maybe it is?

Writing books was a natural progression for me. I taught high school English and journalism until I took an early retirement. After raising two sons and teaching for twenty-three years, I was totally bored sitting at home. That’s when I got serious about writing. I had written a few pieces earlier, but after joining RWA, I knew what I wanted to do.

When did you first put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to create your classic and cozy characters?

My attempts at writing books was way back in the early 1980’s. I wrote a couple of books, but after getting several rejections for them, I put away the idea of being an author. I knew nothing about publishing and didn’t realize that everyone got rejections! I had a lot to learn!

Do you have a set writing schedule?

 I’m a morning person so when I’m in the middle of a manuscript, I like to write after my two cups of coffee and my email check. I have a bad habit of getting so involved that I forget to change out of my pj’s until I have to leave the house. 

Is there a certain routine, food/drink, or location that summons forth the muses for you?

I have a chase lounge in my sunroom that overlooks a bayou harbor. If I don’t get too distracted with the activity on the water, I can write for hours.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I have always lived on the Gulf Coast and I love the water. From spring until late fall my husband and I love being on a boat. I love to fish and my favorite type is wade fishing at the nearby islands or “floating the grass beds” along the islands. The boat floats with the tide and with no motors running, the time is wonderfully quiet. I also like to paint.

I imagine you’ve been reading all of your life (all great writers have.)  What was your favorite book as a child?

This might seem strange to most people, but I don’t remember reading as a child or seeing books in my house. I don’t think I started reading until junior high when I could walk to the city library. 

Do you re-read books?  If so, which one have you re-read the most?

My all-time favorite book is Exodus by Leon Uris. I read it in my early 30’s and was so amazed with the author’s ability to pull me into the story, that I think it’s the first time I fell in love with a character, and I think I write a little bit of Ari into all of my heroes.

But there’s more to life than reading, writing (and arithmetic)…what is your most memorable adventure in your life?

I’m not a very adventurous person. I like safe and peaceful!! I guess my most memorable adventure wasn’t by choice. I was a child living on Ship Island, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico.  My parents worked with my mom’s family, and my brother and I lived the “island life.” One day we were caught in a tropical storm and had to spend the night in Fort Massachusetts, a Civil War fort. I can still remember the feelings I had that night and have used the setting in several of my books.

If you were on American Idol, what song would you sing to WOW! the judges? 

First, singing in front of anyone would never happen, but if a miracle happened and I found a voice, I would have to sing an old classic, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

What are you currently working on? What can we readers look forward to seeing from you?

I’m working on a book whose hero was introduced in my new book SAVING THE CHILDREN, the first in what I hope will be a series. SAVING THE CHILDREN was released on April 29 by The Wild Rose Press and is set in South America. I loved writing that book because I love having children in my stories. The first book has orphans, the second related book has troubled teens, and third one being worked on now has seniors in a nursing home. (Okay, they’re not children, but I love them too!)

Last question…movie rights…who’ll play your current main characters when Hollywood comes knocking on your door? 

I worried a long time over this answer because I don’t watch many movies so I asked my Facebook friends to comment and, wow, did I have a lot of gorgeous guys to check out. I couldn’t pick one, but if I had to choose, I’d have to have a sit-down meeting with these three guys: Jim Caviezel, Bradley Cooper, and Channing Tatum. I couldn’t go wrong with any of them!

Catch more of Fran McNabb the fourth Monday of every month here on the Classic and Cozy Blog.  

For a complete list of Fran’s books click on over to her website www.FranMcNabb.com

Do You Work Better With Chaos or Order?

by Gina Ardito

Years ago, when my son was in elementary school, his class held a Mother's Day tea. During the event, in front of my son, his classmates, and all the other moms, his teacher pointed out my boy's desk, remarking quite loudly how "messy" it was. If she was hoping to embarrass me or my child, she chose the wrong mom and son.

"Remind me," I said. "What's my son's grade average in your class?"

"High nineties," she replied. "He's a straight-A student."

"Has he missed any assignments or homework?" I asked.

"Well, no. But if you look at how disorganized his desk is--"

"Does he share his desk with another student?"

"No."

"You haven't seen my desk at home," I told her. "To anyone else, it seems totally disorganized, messy, and impossible to navigate. But to me, it's 'creative chaos.' It's how I work best. And apparently, my son is the same way. So until his grades falter, he starts missing assignments, or he's sharing space with someone else, I'm not going to worry that his method doesn't meet your expectations. The results meet mine."

I think I became a hero to my son in that moment. I didn't exaggerate the condition of my own work desk. At any given moment, my desk overflows with notes, research books, photos, coffee cups, snacks, and various tchotchkes to keep my muse entertained. While I write, there'll be music playing or a television on in the background, or both. I don't plot or outline. I barely know my characters when I start Chapter One for any story. I throw myself into the storm of ideas and noise and clutter. And then I work my way out from the midst of the madness to create my art.

I thrive on chaos. I set unrealistic deadlines. I paint my characters into impossible corners with no method of getting them out. I throw caution to the wind over and over again. And yet, somehow, it all works out for me in the end. Every single time. This is my process. Crazy? Maybe. But who said creativity has to be sensible?

I guess my son takes after me. Judging by the condition of his bedroom vs. his high grade point average, the scholarships he was offered, and the fact that every college he applied to this year accepted him as an incoming freshman in the fall, this system (or lack thereof) works for him, too.

The thing is, when it comes to creativity, there is no right or wrong. There just is. I know several writers and other artists who need total silence, perfect order, and pristine conditions to work. Some use white boards and Post-It notes and map out every facet of the story before they type a word. Others toss themselves into the abyss like me. And still others find a combination of neat/chaos that works best for them.

As long as the end result is something beautiful, what difference does it make how we get there?

And in case it wasn't obvious, the mug in the photo above sits on my desk--a gift from my son. "Creative chaos is better than idle neatness."

A Child's Hallowe'en in San Francisco

'Arawn' - Ruler of Annwn
(the Underworld), illustration
 by Ioan Einion, © Alys Einion, Y Lolfa

All Hallows' Eve has been celebrated across the Christian World since the formation of a structured church. Calan Gaeaf (Kal-ahn GEYE-ahv), as it is known in Wales celebrating the start of winter, has been a festival since earliest pagan Celtic times. In Ireland, the festival is known as Samhain (SOW-en), celebrating the decay of life and is derived from an ancient cult of the dead.

Hallowe’en as we know it today, did not exist in America, or for that matter anywhere in the world, until the great influx of Irish immigrants in the 19th Century. This day of ghouls and goblins would not exist now if not for Irish children extorting food and money from their neighbors at the behest of their parents, with threats of tricks if the better-off neighbors refused to submit to giving treats.

Although the Irish were Roman Catholic, the religious holiday melded with the pagan to facilitate the youthful blackmailers’ chicanery.

During my childhood, Hallowe’en was a children’s event, anticipated throughout the early Fall with intricate plans for costumes. Gypsy or witch, princess or fairy were the choices we girls preferred. Boys chose Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula or headless ghosts.

From the moment the sun dropped below Twin Peaks, we were out in packs of threes, fives or tens running from one house to the next, ringing every doorbell. I lived in the Haight-Ashbury and our territory for our night of extortion was as far as we could go without getting lost.

Ceridwen, the Witch,
illustration by Ioan Einion,
© Alys Einion, Y Lolfa 

If we breached the entry of an apartment complex, we had access to every resident. Once in a while, there was a party going on at which we caught glimpses of Hallowe’en Future: adults behaving like … us! The only difference was that the adults were not subject to extreme sugar highs – theirs was a high of a different kind.

The total world domination of Hallowe’en as experienced in the USA was not achieved until the appearance of the film, E. T. Phone Home, in which the opening scene was the epitome of my childhood escapades. Even then, fully three decades passed before “Trick or Treat” on October 31st became the norm in the six countries of Britain, five of which are Celtic.

We cannot go back to the innocent times of our childhood. In this city, Hallowe’en is not an event in which children can participate with any sense of the safety, excitement and freedom that I and my fellow witches and monsters enjoyed. Adults have reclaimed the ancient cult of the dead and any aspect of the religious meaning is subsumed by Bacchanalian excesses.