Monday Author Blog Hop

I signed up for this over at Liz Fichera's fun blog (distracted by discussion of children's books we remember). But it's already Tuesday here in Australia. I promise next week my Monday blog linky will be up! (unless my tech jinx eats it)

Writing Update

I guess you know the third Out of the Bottle novella returned last week with a rejection slip. Fortunately, Deb added a lifeline, a chance to rewrite and resub. So that's what I've been doing over the weekend. Am still doing.

The sweet contemp has been bundled to the backburner. And to be honest, some of the questions Deb raised about the novella are troubling me with the contemp. Or rather, my thoughts as I contemplated rewriting the novella spilled over into my plans for the contemp. Do I make my heroes too nice and too ready for commitment?

Are romance heroes meant to be commitment-phobes?

Anyway, the novella has a new title -- Three Wishes. I've added tension, roughed up my gorgeous angel hero and well, it was a sexy weekend, writing-wise. Whew, hot.

Elise Warner

You're about to meet Elise Warner, and she's a real Scene Stealer ;) It's also the title of her new book from Carina Press, a cosy mystery! Scene Stealer has already won some amazing reviews. Check out Long and Short Reviews, The Book Book Blog (who detect touches of Amelia Peabody in the charming Miss Augusta Weidenmaier) and RT Book Reviews.

Welcome, Elise! Ready for some questions?

How hard was it to create the puzzle that’s at the heart of every mystery novel? Without giving away the ending for Scene Stealer, can you give us any hints on the process of plotting a mystery?

I didn’t think of plotting a mystery when I began Scene Stealer. The characters appeared first. Being a New Yorker and living in Queens, I often take the subway to Manhattan and one day I was on my way to Lincoln Center when I noticed a scruffy looking man and a well-dressed young boy. A picture of the two of them together stayed with me and became the opening of the book.

Augusta Weidenmaier, my amateur detective, is much like a funny and exasperating character actress I toured with when I was working in the theatre. I know if Scene Stealer ever became a motion picture (dream, dream) she would look down from her cloud in theatre heaven and demand the part. My villain didn’t remain my villain; as I wrote and rewrote, the character took over and pretty much told me what to do. He charmed me and I had to look for another baddie.

Given that Miss Weidenmaier, your intrepid sleuth, is a retired teacher, can you remember any wisdom passed on from your teachers?

In high school, I wrote a romantic short story with all the bells and whistles-most of the other kids in class wrote about their summer vacations. The teacher called me to his desk and said it was the worst story he had ever read. Perhaps that’s why I’ve never attempted a romance novel. Then I tried to convince my math teacher I would be better off taking a writing class as well as a theatre class instead of hers. She didn’t agree and if looks could kill…But Richard Brickner, who taught at The New School, had a great influence on me. You could bring any type of fiction or non-article to his class. His great gift to students, via criticisms and class discussions, was to make us think and delve beneath the surface of what we had written. One of the many things he told me was I didn’t have to dot every I or cross every T, the reader can figure out many things for her/him self.

What’s your favorite Shakespearean quotation and why?

From As You Like It

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players
They have their exits and entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.

I think it resonates with me because of my early career in the theatre and because that’s what life is all about. We are children, wives, lovers, companions, students and teachers-so many, many parts in each lifetime.

If you could meet any fictional character, who would it be? And what would you ask them?

I would ask Irene in Galsworthy’s The Forsyth Chronicles why she never had the slightest compassion for Soames. I thought he was the most interesting character in the series and I missed him after he died.

***

Thanks, Elise, for a great interview. It's lovely having a guest author to visit!

And for everyone curious about Elise's baddie-turned-charmer. Here's Scene Stealer's gorgeous cover and blurb.

"For a moment our eyes met; his were frightened, seeking help. Was it my imagination gone wild? No. After all those years of teaching elementary school, I knew this child was afraid."


After a chance encounter on the subway, Miss Augusta Weidenmaier, a retired schoolteacher living in New York's Greenwich Village, is determined to help the police in the search for missing nine-year-old child actor Kevin Corcoran. Never mind that she has no training in law enforcement—she spent decades teaching. She knows when someone is lying.

Once set upon a course of action, the indomitable Miss Weidenmaier cannot be swayed—or intimidated. Facing down megalomaniacal business executives, stuck-up celebrities, pushy stage mothers and a rabble-rousing talk show host, Miss Weidenmaier will stop at nothing—not even the disapproval of one Lieutenant Brown of the NYPD, who does not take kindly to amateur sleuthing—to bring young Kevin home.

Kombi van

kombi, originally uploaded by **tWo pInK pOSsuMs**.

I'm not sure if the person who posted this to Flickr (Two Pink Possums) also created the van, but either way, isn't it a joy?

Have a happy surfing weekend, everyone!

Food

What role does food have in our society? Quick thoughts.

As FUEL for us as workers, consumers, parents, children, tourists, retired. Do we have a responsiblity to be healthy, contributing members of society?

RECREATION a hobby; an extension of other interests (eg gardening); something to fill in time; to manage emotions; food as drug. For pleasure.

IDENTITY To belong to peer group, status, cultural expression, religion. It is an expression of relationship.

SOCIAL CONTROL. Access to food equals survival and energy. It modifies behaviour.

SOCIAL ISSUE/ SCAPEGOAT Crises about food express wider fears. So, body image and control, individual and social health. Mortality. Disease, infection.

BUSINESS Wealth through control of the food chain. Exploitation. Manipulation ofdemand and supply. Global. A few ethical businesses make commitment to values and lifestyle.

Yet food is nothing more nor less than the means of sustaining life.

Romance Round the Net

If you're thinking of adopting a pen name, check out Angela James' advice over at Carina Press. Remember, this is a name you'll have to live with (hopefully for years!).

Do you read more than one book at a time? Access Romance is asking. I love reading comments online. This time there's a hint that people keep two books going -- one on an ereader and one in paper copy. I might read a non-fiction book at the same time as a fiction one, but seldom two fiction books.

I love Jennifer Rardin's idea of using a book club for her heroes. Quick interview over at RT Book Reviews. Passionate readers are smart, funny and opinionated -- what's not to like?

And I'm hovering between disappointed and encouraged that while Deb has returned my third Out of the Bottle novella (the dreaded rejection), she's done so with suggestions for changes and a chance to re-sub. I really, really appreciate second chances.

Sorry this romance round up is so brief -- I'm already fixated on how I'll be changing the novella. Obsessive? I think it's a synonym for writer.

Buried in the Chatter

Sometimes I wonder if what I consider a weird idea might already exist in reality. This is one of those times.

With mobile phones taking over the world, I wonder whether a "C" button might be added to handsets. When pressed, this button would randomly connect the phone user to another phone user anywhere in the world. The random connection to a stranger would come with a simple language translation service.

It would be possible to refuse a "C" call, but I bet most people would accept it...out of curiosity...out of a genuine desire to widen their world.

C-calling could be addictive.

And what would it do for national boundaries, the lines we draw between "them" and "us"? A global world. A noosphere?

Update on Writing

I guess yesterday's poetry post shows why I'm sticking with prose ;)

The sweet contemporary is finally hitting its stride. I'm typing fast--would go faster except I edit as I go. So there's lots of backspacing and reworking. And sometimes I just have to stop and think through a character reaction. Yep, when I'm lying on the sofa--I'm thinking!

Also discovered new tactic. When pace is slowing (and shouldn't be), it can be a hint to switch POV. Who knew?

A Prawn of Social Expectations

Held rigid in her exoskeleton
the woman filters life
and feeds on broken dreams.

Would you believe?

After attacking my website over the weekend, it's now even more minimalist. Note though the subtle colour scheme? I've decided the web is about conversations more than static websites (and mine would only ever be static--I'm not tech-savvy or time-rich enough for anything more). So the minimalist website is in place and up to date (amazing new cover for Angel Thief decorating the home page).

In case you didn't hear my shouts of joy and twittered babble -- The Price of Freedom is to be an audiobook!

And that's it for news. Brace yourself, everyone. The next post is poetry!

Angel Thief Cover

Shaking the Tree

Camille Pissarro, Apple Harvest at Eragny [via Wikimedia with thanks to the Yorck Project]

This is how I feel when I'm trying to shake a story out of my brain.

Hobbits and Habits of Mind

[Photo from Wikimedia. Click for link.]

Remember hobbits on Flores Island, Indonesia. Tiny people, debatably non-human -- or rather, their skeletons.

Looking into the past through the scraps that have survived to the present is tantalising.

Imagine if other sentient species had survived (like the hobbits and Neanderthals) and humans were only one of many groups. How different would Earth be and our perception of ourselves?

But all the intangibles -- language, song, social structure, religion -- are gone beyond recall. Broken bones, stone implements and the occasional fossilised footprint are all we have -- just enough to create academic debate.

Romance Round the Net

If you write Medical Romances the window for fast track submission and response is closing fast over at Harlequin. I'm not saying they're closing to submissions, just that at the moment they're promising super-fast consideration of your story. So, jump in!

Susanna Ives (she of the awesome book title, "Rakes and Radishes") has one of the best blog posts on visiting Bath that I've ever seen. Fantastic photos, included. If you're a Regency fan, click the link!

Angela James gives great advice (the sort of advice you don't always want to hear--which is probably how you know it's worth following). If there's hard work still to be done on your story, do it. Don't hope an editor will see past the flaws and contract the story anyway. Editors are overworked. [Side note reminder to self--and the flaws I see aren't the only flaws in the story. Eliminating the ones I see still leaves plenty over to put off an editor. *sigh* But I am reducing commas--grasping at straws.]

You've probably already seen it, but Orbit posts on the presentation of urban fantasy heroines. Stiletto-wearing, pouty models are out. Kick ass is in.

And maybe a sycknopsis is really just a short story--thanks, Leah

Gwion Gwion and the Alien Enslavement

Up in the North West of Australia there are mysterious rock paintings. The Gwion Gwion (or Bradshaw) figures are unique, painted by a society that has vanished.

Lost civilisations have famously sparked incredible adventure stories.

The obvious answer is that the people were kidnapped by aliens.

The aliens were slavers. They captured the people of the area and took them away to a distant planet to serve a particular function (I haven't decided what yet). Humans proved competent but not great slaves so the aliens never went back for more. After all, there was a sufficient group for the humans to breed and maintain the slave population.

Millenia pass. The alien society evolves. Now, slavery is considered immoral (even slavery of non-alien beings). But what do they do with the slaves? It's not like humans are their equals.

So the aliens look up the records. They re-discover Earth. They return the human ex-slaves to Earth.

But these humans have spent millenia away from Earth. What happens when the aliens drop them into the Australian wilderness? Do the humans survive? Do they take over the Earth and enslave the earthling humans?

Improbability Wednesdays always leave me with questions.

Writing Update

I really need a title for my sweet contemporary, even if it's just a working title. I think I'll add a Regency tang and call Clare's story, "Marry Me, Sir". Not that Clare wants to marry. But honour requires her to ask Evan, and desperation causes him to accept because how else is he to woo a shy Amazon? It'll be spades and rakes at twenty paces as they duel it out in the spring sunshine of a Cornish garden.

I've written and rewritten the first chapter. I'm not sure why it was so hard to find Clare's voice or why Evan stayed silent so long. But he's talking now--and he's a knock out. I love his story of his great-grandparents' marriage.

It sounds bizarre to write it that way, but sometimes I truly am surprised at the plot twists and dialogue that flows from the back of my brain through my fingers to the computer screen. Surprised, and this time, delighted.

What's random about Monday?

Weekends are perilous places where anything may have happened. That being the case, I thought Random Monday appropriate. Who knows what I might want to talk about? Early on Mondays my brain is still kicking into gear.

If I can get myself organised (which is my euphemism for "pick up the courage") I'll see about inviting guest bloggers to fill this space. I think guests would be a lovely start to the week. If you'd like a guest spot, shout loudly or send me a tweet or post a comment or try smoke signals. Anyway, let me know.

What else is random about Mondays?

Isn't this a perfect bee photo?

Happy weekend!

The British Library

Weekends are perfect for visiting libraries, ambling through museums and cluttering up art galleries. And if you can't get there is person, online exhibitions and searchable resources are heavensent. (Note to writers: this joy can be called "research".)

Here's the link to the British Library. Happy wandering!

Death in 3 Parts

Kicking off Weirdness Friday with a post on death seems appropriate. Our society is pretty weird about death. But the real reason for this post was a study referred to by Mind Hacks.

Here's the finding that intrigued me. Where life is valued, death has more meaning (the study says "accessible" which strikes me as a flim flam word). As a writer (a storyteller) I believe humans are meaning-makers. Our stories precede us into strange lands. They become our maps. I just hadn't taken this thought to death. The more we value life, the more meaning we feel compelled to find in its ending.

The second weirdness is embalming. I've quickly scanned but not read the Wiki article. I just wanted to note that our society pumps bodies full of chemicals before consigning them to flames or earth never to be seen again. (Disclaimer: I'm a closed caskets believer). Doesn't seem very green to me.

Consigning our bodies to earth or flame leads neatly into my final point. One I've written about in poetry (have you noticed how much poets love death?), but which still nags at me. The Earth isn't a closed system, but close to it. The consequence is that atoms that have made up other people, plants, animals and dinosaurs now make up us. We are collections of atoms that have been other living creatures. I think this is amazing.

Where I create new definitions for existing words

Improbability Wednesdays concern themselves with fiction. There are ideas buzzing ping-ping-ping against my skull and I let them out to annoy you, too. They're not even fully developed. But the key understanding here is that "improbability" means "not true".

Weirdness, on the other hand, I've decided to define as "good golly, gumby, I can't have read that right"; ie strange but true. I'll cast my net wide. Science, archaeology, politics, sociology. If I can't believe it, then I'll haul it up for you to chew on, too.

I am afraid Weirdness Fridays may evolve into ranting days. Outrage and weirdness do seem to go hand in hand.

Round the Romance Net

Over at Dear Author Jane discusses changes to publishing. Wylie sparked this particular post. Jane does a great job of rounding up links but also of summarising and interpreting. Over at Dear Author, always remember to check the comments. It's a vibrant community.

Over at RT Book Reviews they've had a video chat with Bear Grylls. Ick. Not him. Poor guy. I've never met him so that would be a hasty judgement. No. Ick because on TV I've seen him eat live insects. Not cool. Totally gross. Could you kiss a mouth that had chewed on scorpions and slurped up frog's innards? 'kay, now I've grossed myself out.

Ilona Andrews has written a great post on dressing a character. This is something I struggle with, so it's nice to see it's work for other people, too.

I have a blog at eHarlequin

I know I've mentioned that I'm a member of the eHarlequin community (and you can be too!), but I'm squealing a little here because my eHarlequin blog is now listed with all the amazing, super cool authors that I've been reading for years. I kid you not, have a look here.

Death of soul

I'm Catholic. I believe humans have souls. Let's start from there.

Medicine and technology are growing increasingly sophisticated. As parts of the human body wear out or sustain damage, they can be replaced with artificial components. The augmented human body will be added to and tweaked until it runs indefinitely. At that point we may discover souls have a limited earth life span.

So the body keeps going, but the soul has gone. What would this mean in practice? Would we notice the absence of soul? Is a person still human without a soul? still a citizen? Would their needs and desires change without a soul? Would society/government prefer a soulless body and what research would have to be done to learn how to kill the soul but not the body?

But what if it went the other way. What if the augmented body parts became wrapped in soul? Such parts don't die. Would they hold the soul on earth? Would they have to be ritually burned? Would a used body part transfer soul to its next body?

Where I'm At

The time has come to talk of cabbages and kings ... or rather, of getting my online self organised.

I hate the phrase "personal brand", but it hides a valuable insight -- our online selves are about creating expectations and meeting them. [Argue with me. I'd love it if I was wrong and could chuck the whole personal branding notion overboard.]

So here's my work-in-progress breakdown of where I am and what I'm doing online. This is what you can expect from me.

My website is static. It tells you how to contact me and what I've written and includes current projects.

My Goodreads author page lets you see what I'm reading, the books I enjoy and my reviews. I hate my photo, but you can't have everything.

This blog will continue to have daily updates (excluding Sundays), but I'm going to introduce a new schedule. More of that later.

Twitter will take the overflow of my magpie curiosity. I will retweet and comment on whatever I trip over in my Net ramblings. That should lessen the randomosity on this blog (and my handful of longsuffering Twitter followers can always put me on mute).

Finally Tumblr remains my grab bag of cool images and insight--much of it reblogged from other tumblrs.

The new schedule for this blog is as follows:

Random Monday
Tuesday -- update on my writing
Improbability Wednesday
Thursday -- Romance round the Net
Weirdness Friday
Saturday -- Happy weekend!

More red-tailed black cockatoos

Against a winter sky

And just a quick reminder, tomorrow is Improbability Wednesday -- by definition the day I don't have to believe what I'm saying.

Susan Brown Freeman Pottery

Susan Brown Freeman Pottery, originally uploaded by Penny Sanford Porcelains.

Giving Clare a retro collectibles shop in south London was a great idea. I've had a lovely time researching what would be in it. ("Research" what writers do when they're procrastinating). The pottery by Susan Brown Freeman might be a little young for Amber Lane Collectibles, but I love how it looks so I'm sharing Penny Sanford's photo anyway.

Questions Answered

Not by me! Heavens, I'm just a newbie. But over at RT Book Reviews Morgan Doremus is taking questions on romance authors and books. Her new column is called Scooped!

Red tailed Black Cockatoo

Not the best photo, but snapped this squawker (and believe me, they're loud birds) snacking in my neighbour's tree. Have you noticed how imaginative Australians are in their naming? A cockatoo? What colour? Black. Oh and with a red tail. Voila. The red tailed black cockatoo! No wonder I have trouble naming my books.

For the record, Syrian Dreams is now Bring Me Love. The synopsis is written. I'll revise it today and fingers crossed, sub it.

Book Reviews

When I was a kid I used to press flowers in books. Now I know that's not the best use of old books, but back then it was simply a habit learned from my family. Borrow an old book from my great aunt's shelves and a fragile dry wildflower would drop out of it at some point. And they were amazing wildflowers, picked before the rules to preserve Western Australia's unique flora kicked in and made picking them illegal. Donkey, spider and snail orchids. Eggs and bacon (it's a flower over here, trust me). But no kangaroo paws (also a flower!). Even for Aunty Nancy, a fat furry green and red kangaroo paw was a bit of strain to press.

But the joy of these pressed flowers was ever fresh. They held memories of bush walks, long talks and sunny skies. It didn't need to be me who pressed the flower. They were triggers for whoever held the book.

Now book reviews of my books are giving me the same pleasure. They are fragments of my stories and readers' experience of them. They are in a sense happy memories -- hopefully happy! They give me joy and encouragement and I'm conscious they're a gift. Thank you to everyone who shares their reviews.

And the prompt for this post? Heather at Everybody Needs a Little Romance reviewed The Price of Freedom. "In the end because of the choices they made and the things they gave up because of those choices, true love prevailed. I give this book 3½ flaming (hearts)". Thanks, Heather.

Orient Express / Battersea Power

Orient Express / Battersea Power, originally uploaded by Olly C.

I can't resist a final photo post before turning off the internet to write my synopsis. Earlier in the week I posted about Pera Palace, Istanbul, the famous end of the line romantic Orient Express destination forever associated in my mind with Agatha Christie (read her bio and you get a great sense of the archeological expeditions with Max). So when a Flickr search of "Orient Express" brought up this photo it was too fine not to share. Don't you love the juxtaposition of romance and industry? Orient Express and Battersea Power?

Synopsis Writing

If you're looking for professional advice on synopsis writing -- sorry. If you're looking for encouragement to write your synopsis -- come on in!

Today is the day I write the synopsis for my PNR novella, "Syrian Dreams" (still working on that title).

It used to be that I dreaded the synopsis. I never knew where to start. At the beginning? Thanks for that. I knew the synopsis began with the beginning of the story, but how did I capture the "voice" of the book? What did I include, and leave out? Could I include a snatch of dialogue? How much should I write? What would impress an editor?

Now I start the synopsis by reading the guidelines of the publishing house I'm submitting the MS to. That way I know the length of the synopsis and I've refreshed in my mind the "voice" I was aiming for in the MS and which I want to come through the synopsis.

Then I remind myself that a synopsis is written in the present tense. It's about hitting the high points of plot, character and what makes the story (and makes the story unique). In a sense, as well as outlining the story, the synopsis is a marketing exercise.

Now I'm ready to write. So what do I do? I start reading.

Yup. Reading. Because what I've found is that if I combine the final revision of my MS with the process of writing the synopsis I not only enjoy both more, but I find the plot holes. Believe me, hitting the high points of the story as you revise it gives you a good sense of if the MS has enough oomph to engage readers.

So the truth that would get me kicked out of any writers' den is that I like synopsis writing. I don't love it the way I do editing, but I do enjoy the fact it's my chance to polish and sell the MS.

A frame house from the 1960s

a frame house from the 1960s, originally uploaded by Grain Edit.com.

Continuing the retro '60s. Isn't this a great house?

Goyana decorative patterns, mostly 1960s

Goyana decorative patterns, mostly 1960s, originally uploaded by galessa's plastics.

My sweet contemp is only temporarily put aside. This is the style of thing I'm thinking Clare will have in her shop, Amber Lane Collectibles.

Angel Thief copyedits

I can't believe Angel Thief is already at copyedits stage. I'll get them back to Deb today. And break off writing my sweet contemp long enough to revise Syrian Dreams, the third Out of the Bottle novella, to sub it next week.

Syrian Dreams is a working title. I need to find a stronger title as I revise and write the synopsis. It's a revenge and redemption tale with a crusader castle setting on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It was fantastic to write about a female djinni. Cali has heartbreak in her history (a very Arabian story of conquest and poetry). Andrew is a guardian angel and a tough soldier. He has to rediscover tenderness if he's to teach Cali to trust. The setting is contemporary, with modern day villains and death dealing. Cali's soul isn't the only one that needs saving. Andrew is guarding the man Cali has sworn to kill, the man who owns her djinni bottle and commands her three wishes.

Okay. Clearly I'm quite excited about Syrian Dreams and could talk about it forever. The plot is fast and tangled, but I hope, reads clearly. Fingers crossed Carina Press likes it half as much as I do and accepts it for publication.

So I'd best get cracking. Copyedits for Angel Thief, then Syrian Dreams revisions and finally the synopsis (not a big fan of synopsis writing).

Self-censorship

I'm sure the odd rambles on this blog make it seem that I will write anything, but believe me, I do self-censor. For example, just this morning I thought of sharing the task in front of me -- washing curtains -- but I thought, no, boring. And I refrained (almost -- you wouldn't believe how much dust is released when you drill a hole in a brick wall).

Mostly when "experts" talk about filtering what you share on the Net they say the equivalent of "do you want your employer to read this now or in 10 years time?" Me, I think employers should have better things to do with their time!

But the other self-censorship ought to be in place -- the one where we check for "boring" and delete rather than hit send. Do I need to know a stranger's shoe size?

All of which builds into a lovely little rant. But it's undercut by one important fact: When the person sharing the "boring" info is someone I know and like, I don't consider the info boring. Instead, it is transformed into the social glue of everyday life.

So, in the right time and place, nothing is boring. Still, checking context and audience before you share your breakfast details is a good idea. I had toast with lashings of butter. Yum.

It's my garden!

A possessive peewee guards the perimeter.

Quantum computing and 4 dimensional travel

Quantum computing is amazing. As we unleash computational power, technology created by humans will be able to envision and navigate a four dimensional world that humans can't perceive. The challenge will be to translate 4D travel into 3D maps, rather like street maps are 2D models covering our 3D current reality.

What makes me so hopeful about 4D travel is that (for lack of a better 3D simile) it happens in spirals that occasionally intersect. Consequently hopping from spiral to spiral not only compresses the geographical distance on Earth but also in interplanetary travel.

By breaking the 4D puzzle, quantum computing will enable low fueled travel to Mars and beyond the solar system. Robots will have to do the first trips, just in case. But the universe will open up in new ways.

I wonder if a capacity to conceptualise 4D will develop in humans?

More Bugs = Less Sick?

By bugs, I'm talking bacteria. The ones swarming in our guts (and apologies to everyone trying to eat while reading).

Quick article referencing to a study that rich world children have a lesser range (and less effective mix?) of gut bacteria than poor world kids. Clean, processed diet apparently has some disadvantages.

Call me cynical, but I'm sure the upshot will be another product for conscientious parents to buy to "rebalance" their kids' bacteria. Would laugh myself silly if someone packaged dirt with instructions to, "rub over hands before dinner". I shouldn't be so cynical. It's worth remembering that the clean rich world has a much higher child survival rate. The survival of the poor world children might skew the data of the study in another way just by them being the "tough" survivors.

Renovating Romance

Pera Palace and all the romance conjured by the words "Orient Express".

The hotel is newly restored.

Although I love looking at the photos, I think this might be one of those experiences best left to movies, books and dreams. Endless train travel would probably reduce me to screaming, or murder ;)

Unfairly imprisoned

But, Ma! The cats want to be chased.

Not into the 1950s?

I think I've about exhausted my enthusiasm for links on the 50s. I do have a couple of 1960s images I want to share, though. Later.

Researching collectibles is fascinating. Add in a touch of nostalgia and my combined sociology/history undergrad self (and wasn't that years ago!) really gets going. I start thinking about the societies that created these objects and the dreams to back them up, and the context of the dreams. Nuclear annihilation was a huge fear for 1950s America--yet the objects have a bright optimism. Or am I viewing them through rose-tinted glasses?

There is so much stress and strain in every society, yet people fight through it all to produce beauty. And the beauty endures.

Lots of thoughts for future posts -- including changing fashions (and how difficult they are for writers with long lead times to publication), notions of beauty, the psychological implications of beauty, the sense of security collecting gives, and on and on. Or I could get totally sidetracked and start posting on some of the stuff (elegant term, I know) that following #scifoo over the weekend has thrown up. I have lists of people I want to follow and there is definitely Maker Faire links in my future--the name has come up too often in a range of places.

1950s style

Researching retro collectibles I've come across some gorgeous sites. Here's Conde Naste on the 1950s.

1950s Kitchens - Youngstown Series

1950s Kitchens - Youngstown Series, originally uploaded by American Vintage Home.

Advertising gives a strange window into past worlds.

American Vintage Home uploaded the image to Flickr. If you click through the link, there are sets of 1950s images.