All those that have touched my life

This entry will actually start a series on the wide circle of family I've gathered along the way to publication. There are sooooo many folks who have touched me in some way or another. So, where to begin?

I think my publishing story really begins Spring of 2003 when my dear hubby made mention to one of the paralegals in his office that his wife liked to write. At the time, I dabbled. I had started some five or six first chapters but never took it further. (I don't count the one novel I wrote when I was 20) It seems, she too, dabbled but a bit more seriously. She and I exchanged first chapters and after that, she invited me to join a newly formed critique group. I jumped at the chance.

Her name was Kim and today she writes under the name of Kim Lenox. You might have read some of her Shadow Guard books. If not, you're missing out big time. So Kim - thank you for giving me my start in the world of romance. Her knowledge and drive helped many in our small group. The critique group at one time hosted ten members and eventually, I'll add them to my thank-you list.

Do you have anyone who helped get you started writing?

I met Torin today!

Well I sorta met Torin today. Torin is the ancient Irish warrior from my current wip(works in progress) and the hero of my story. Anyway, I've been madly writing this one as it's a sequel to On the Sliver Edge of Time and I really, really love this story.  Time travel just fascinates me. The whole idea of what would we do with the knowledge we have if we had an opportunity to go back in time is just so tantalizing. Or how would we survive in an advanced society if we went forward in time?

Anyway, I digress. I had to take my car in for an inspection sticker. It was a bit overdue. (Only a bit.) I go in to sign the forms and hand over my key when one of the grease monkies came into the shop. Oh my. I couldn't stop staring. He was the spitting image of my vision of Torin. Stocky build, Blue-green eyes, and red, wavy hair. Square face with a strong nose. And he had an intensity about him that was just perfect. And yes, I only stared. I couldn't quite find the words to tell him he was the hero in one of my romances.

That's okay. I know where he works. I'm thinking I'll need the oil changed soon.

Copenhagen

We had the best weather ever for the season. Sunshine and cool breezes marked most of our journey until we got to Copenhagen and then by golly, we had rain. Just enough rain to make things unpleasant but not unbearable. And of course, we were rather weary at that point. One of our first stops was to see the Little Mermaid which of course was on loan to China so they had a live recording of her instead. Interesting concept.

We spent the night on a cruise ship to get from Oslo to Copenhagen. Very nice and the food was great.  After a short bus tour of the city, we enjoyed a tour of the Christiansborg Palace. We also saw the Amalienborg Palace or royal residence.

The following day, we got to tour the Kronborg Castle, the location for Shakespeare's story of Hamlet. Of course we learned there that the story was originally told by others and later made into the famous play.  After our tour there, we had our last meal at Tivoli Garden Amusement Park. It reminded me of Kema and the Boardwalk there.

We went home the next day. Thankfully our guide helped walk us through the Copenhagen Airport. Most confusing and not well marked at all.

To my wonderful Chinese readers

While I appreciate you stopping by to read and comment, in the past, a few of the posts when run through the translator were quite colorful in terminology. I suppose I have you all to thank that I can now cuss in Chinese.

But seriously, if you would like for me to publish your comments, you will need to use a translator and do so in English. I know some of the posts are quite harmless and so I hate penalizing those of you with honest comments. Unfortunately, because of the actions of one or two, I had to put comments on moderation. And because of this, I can't use the translator to check for bad posts until after I actually post. Bummer that, so - I will no longer post anything I have to use a translator on. Sorry. Just the facts of life.

Heading for Oslo

Oh my, but this leg of the trip was fabulous. We went climbed high into the mountains on our way to Oslo.

We stopped along the way and saw a small wooden church. Fresh flowers were place at graves tended by loving hands. That was nice to see.

Stopped at the side of the road to view the snow. Lovely. Pictures don't do it justice. We went throught at least 44 tunnels on our way to Oslo.

Onward to Bergen

On June 6, we left beautiful Stalheim for Bergen, Norway.  There we toured the home of Edvard Grieg, a famous Norwegian composer and muscician.

After our sojourn to Grieg's home, we checked into the hotel, then looked about for a place to eat. Afterwards, my mother was very tied and just wanted to rest, so I arranged to go with others in our group to the Funicular where we rode to the summit of Mount Floien. The view was spectacular and we spent some time enjoying the area. Afterwards, we took our time walking back to the hotel. They had some market areas en route where we all stopped to by trinkets.

We also explored some of the narrow allies between homes and businesses to discover a small slice of medieval times.

Historic Stalheim and the trip to the hotel

We got up early again for our trip to Stalheim, a historic hotel built in 1885. The trip to the hotel was as exciting as the hotel itself. We stopped along hte way to view an historic stave church. This particular church was built around 1100AD if I remember correctly. All made of wood, it's quite amazing that these wooden buildings have withstood the test of time. Why? To build them, the Norwegians would strip the bark from growing trees, bore holes into the trees and let the juices seep out before cutting the trees down for lumber. The wood would be practially has hard as cement.  To preserve the buildings, they tar them every three years. It was fun to note how short the doorways were.

We then continued on to Stalheim located in Voss, Norway and overlooking the Nærøydalen valley.  The view was simply breathtaking.

The hotel boasted an open air museum, one that included several authentic log buildings to show what life might have been like a century past.