Bloomington Writers Festival & Book Fair

Once again I am going to take part in the Bloomington Writers' Festival & Book Fair held Saturday, Februrary 27, 2010 at the beautiful Bloomington Theatre & Art Center.  The 7th annual event runs from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, and features keynote speaker Cathy Wurzer, one of Minnesota's premiere journalists and host of "Morning Edition" on Minnesota Public Radio. 

Workshops, panels, and the book fair run from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm, with a variety of scheduled guest speakers, author readings, and writers' idea exchanges running throughout the day.  More than 60 authors and resource people will be in attendance to discuss books and the publishing process. 

It's the perfect place for people who love to read, write or talk about books to spend a winter Saturday.  Admission for the book fair is FREE!  Admission for keynote, workshops and panels is $10 each and preregistration is required. 

Location:  Bloomington Theatre & Art Center, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road
Hours:  9:30 am - 4:30 pm
For additional information, go to http://www.bloomingtonartcenter.com/ or call 952-563-8587. 

I will have signed copies of Hidden Heritage...Story of Paul LaRoche, Brule' CDs and DVDs, my compiliation books, and photo greeting cards at my book table.  Hope to see you there!

Barbara

It's the Cows!

Not long ago I wrote a 'short-short' piece for a contest sponsored by MinnPost.  The article or essay had to be about Minnesota and under 800 words.  I pondered a few ideas and decided it was time to disclose a secret that until now I've only shared with close friends and family:  I'm deathly afraid of cows.  It's true.  I equate cows with the likes of grizzly bears and mountain lions.  So here's my story:

Head out along any rural roadway in Minnesota and you’ll most likely pass a herd of dairy cows or beef cattle. Poised sporadically across a serene pasture, tails swishing, munching summer grasses, they stand as still as a Norman Rockwell painting. A picturesque snapshot of bovine innocence…from a distance.


Be warned—it’s a façade. Those frightening four-leggeds are out to get me.

I know this because as soon as I get close enough, their big brown eyes stare into mine and a sinister sensation pulsates through me. The vibrations ripple through my heart like a pounding drum: I’m coming right for you!


I don’t have telepathic experiences with any other mammals in the animal kingdom, just cows. Well, and buffalo. I think it all started when I was sixteen and my older brother corralled me into helping him move cattle one fall. My parents were retired dairy farmers and had handed over the farm to my oldest brother. I was the “surprise” in the family…Baby Number Seven born when my mom was 49 and my dad 51. Even though we spent many weekends helping out on the farm, I was a town kid at heart and frightened of those big brown Herefords. Every time I neared the pasture, the entire herd charged toward the fence in a threatening posture, their brown eyes glaring right through me.


During the summer months the beef cattle grazed peacefully in the meadow, 240 acres that stretched along a lazy creek bed about a mile from the homestead. Before the snows hit it was crucial to bring the herd home in order to feed them through the harsh winter months. The cattle basically knew the routine, barnyard to meadow and back—or so my brother insisted—making it a simple task of directing them at certain turn points between.


It was a cool, gray November day when I found myself positioned next to the pickup at the exact spot the cattle needed to make a ninety-degree turn and cut through the field. “Just wave your arms and holler and they’ll head right for home,” my brother instructed, leaving me alone while he went to open the gate.


As the seconds ticked by I regretted my decision to help and longed for the safety of the paved streets in town instead of risking my life on a dead-end gravel road. It would be a dead-end all right, my own.


There was a slight rise in the road so my first and only clue in knowing the cows were heading in my direction was the brown cloud of dust and dirt that rose up, followed by the unmistakable sound of stampeding hooves. The thunderous roar of the approaching herd didn’t come close to the deafening sound of fear pounding in my chest. The tops of their heads appeared first as they came into view. It was my worst nightmare come true: a hundred head of Herefords descending on me at lightning speed. With every single set of brown eyes locked on my small frame, I did what every intelligent town kid would do and dove head first into the cab of the pick-up.


As best I can recall the nightmares started soon after. In some dreams two or three Holsteins are hiding around the corner of the house, waiting for me to come outside so they can attack. In another dream a single Hereford is in the house, hiding on the other side of the refrigerator, waiting for the right moment to charge. Even though I’ve lived in the suburbs for over twenty years, no place is safe.


It happened again this summer. My husband and I were riding his Harley through the scenic Wind Cave National Park in the Black Hills. I spotted the signs alerting visitors to watch for free-roaming bison in the park. Sure enough we came upon a large herd of buffalo that spread across the open range on both sides of the road. One big bull about twenty feet away lifted his head and stared straight at me. With his eyes locked on mine, his message came through loud and clear: I’m coming for you!


“Don’t stop!” I screamed, pounding my husband on the back.


Annoyed, he shouted back, “I’m only slowing down so I don’t hit one of them!”


Some people have gone so far as to imply that my fears are irrational, but I beg to disagree. This crippling fear that envelops me time after time is every bit real. I’ve concluded I must not be alone. After all, there are huge warning signs posted all over Minnesota roadways from some guy named Kemps: It’s the cows!


Don’t I know it.

NOTE:  I should explain for any non-Minnesotans...Kemps is a popular brand of dairy products in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area.  They advertise a wide variety of very clever ice cream flavors with loveable cows dressed to match each flavor, posted on eye-catching billboards along with their slogan:  It's the cows!  My husband has worked in the grocery business for over 30 years, so I was pleased that I could actually tie in my fear of cows with products from his supermarket shelves!  :) 


I sent this story to my penpal Amish sisters in northern Minnesota, knowing they'd get a kick out of it.  Sure enough, every letter I get from them now has stickers of cows on the envelope and stationery.  Cute, girls! 


So that's my story...and I'm sticking to it!
Barbara

Good Things To Come

I'm excited! Super excited, even. Do you want to know why? I have this sense of good things to come in 2010, more specifically in the first half of 2010...and here's why:

A) I entered Seeds of Salton in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest on the advice of my editor, Susanne Lakin, who entered one of her books last year. She made it to the top 100 (which is quite an accomplishment!), and had tons of fun connecting with other writers as the contest progressed. The contest is decided through four stages of elimination with the winner being announced June 10th.

B) I just registered for the Northern Colorado Writers Conference in Fort Collins, Colorado, March 26 & 27, 2010. They have a great line-up of speakers, authors, agents, editors--the works, packed into a two-day conference. I'm really looking forward to attending a new conference, after having attended the Southern California Writers Conference (San Diego) in 2007 and 2008. Last year I was unable to make it to a conference and really missed it engaging with new writing friends. My plan is to drive, rather than fly, so I'll be praying for mild, sunny weather come March!

C) I also signed up for the (amazing!) Landscape and Literature writing retreat hosted by author Page Lambert at the Vee Bar Guest Ranch near Laramie, Wyoming. Actually a thought just occurred to me...maybe when I leave the NCWC conference in March, I should drive right to Laramie and park my car at the entrance to the Vee Bar and wait until May 29th when it starts! So yes, you can tell I am excited about spending five days in a creek-side mountain cabin, journaling, riding horse, talking writing, and finding that "voice" inside.

All of that only takes me to June. Who knows what could happen the rest of the year! :)

Barbara

The Great January Escape

Like a lot of Minnesotans, hubby and I opted for a temporary escape from the cold and snow and headed south to the desert sun of Phoenix, Arizona. Our trip revolved mostly around family time. We stayed with John's mom and aunt in Phoenix, and also spent a relaxing day with our daughter Karli and her boyfriend Diego. We enjoyed browsing the shops in Old Town Scottsdale, Cave Creek, and Fountain Hills, (although we both agreed it just wasn't the same in Fountain Hills without the big Arts & Crafts festival going and the live music of Brule'!) We also checked out the new Cardinals stadium in Glendale and looked at some new toy haulers at an RV show.

For once I didn't bring any manuscript pages to edit and instead scrounged for a book at Grandma's house and came up with "The Loop", by Nicholas Evans. The book turned out to be a great novel and I enjoyed having some quiet time to simply sit back and read. We thoroughly enjoyed our days of blue sky, warm sun, and the unique desert landscape.

Even though we were in Arizona, we watched the Minnesota Vikings game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. We were thrilled of course that the Vikings beat the Cowboys 34-3, but the best part was watching Brett Farve in the locker room after the game singing his own version of "pants on the ground, pants on the ground!" from last week's American Idol. Boys will be boys! :)

Come Tuesday it was a little disheartening when we descended through the clouds at the Minneapolis airport and saw nothing but gray. Gray sky. Gray snow. Gray pavement. Ugh.

So now it's time to get back to work. This week I'm writing a short story to enter in the Talking Stick contest sponsored by the Jackpine Writers group, I'm starting an article for the next issue of the Trinity Trumpet, and starting the outline for my agent chart.

Happy writing. Stay warm. Go Vikes!

Barbara

Artisan Dreams

It's January...not only a brand new year, but a new decade. Everyone is talking and tweeting about New Year's resolutions: eat healthy, exercise more, set goals. For me, it's a time to look back and see how much I've accomplished in the past year and then set specific goals for the upcoming year.

In 2010 I plan to:

• obtain an agent
• send query letters
• format an agent chart
• choose a writer's conference
• polish completed manuscript, Seeds of Salton
• work through changes from copyedit
• write...read...write...write more

From 2000 to 2010 I committed the full decade to my writing, and thankfully have much to show for ten years of work. While I want to continue my pursuits in prose, I recently decided I don't want to limit my creativity to a singular art form. For the first time I allowed myself to wonder if there are other artistic abilities hidden away, deep within me, just waiting to come out. My inspiration for this notion came during an episode of "Hidden Heritage" when host Paul LaRoche sat down with Native American recording artist Bill Miller as his guest.

I thought--mistakenly so--that Bill Miller was "just" a musician. He's a musician all right--a 2009 Grammy-nominated one at that, (for his album, Spirit Wind North.) I soon learned he is so much more. Check out his website http://www.billmillerarts.com/ and view firsthand the full array of his many amazing gifts and talents. As it states on his homepage, "Bill Miller is an award-winning recording artist, performer, songwriter, activist, painter, and world-class accomplished flute player. Over the past four years, Miller has produced two incredible albums, received a Grammy Award and led Wisconsin’s La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, a member of the League of American Orchestras."

I'm not fooling myself to believe that I have talents anywhere near the likes of Bill Miller, but in listening to him share his passion and ideas with Paul and seeing the beauty of his stunning artwork, it inspired me to consider what other art forms I might pursue. I've mentioned before that my husband and I are planning to list our house for sale and look for a place "in the country." I've already made up my mind I no longer want a home office--it sounds far too restricting, too confining...too much like "office work." My hope now is to have a loft or a studio, a place that will allow the creative juices to flow in multiple art forms.

Someday--maybe by the end of this decade--I can call myself an "artisan."

Here's to your dreams in 2010...and beyond.
Barbara

Christmas Wish List

I found what I believe is the most perfect writing retreat--ever. (Or at least within my immediate reaches.) It's called "Explore the Literature and Landscape of the Horse", hosted by author and speaker Page Lambert this summer at the Vee Bar Guest Ranch in Wyoming. Each participant is paired up with a horse for the week and as the brochure states, "As we learn more about how a horse communicates with the world, we develop a deeper awareness of how we communicate with the world." I get goosebumps just thinking about it!

As someone who has lived in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul for the last 20 years, I can only imagine how engaging and life-changing an experience like this would be. My daily environment consists of strip malls, giant box retailers with giant paved parking lots, traffic lights, traffic congestion, and just plain traffic. This fall our suburb, which is on the outer fringe of the Twin Cities Metro, added two metro transit stations with daily bus service to the Twin Cities. I told my husband that was the last straw--it's time to get out.

Actually, we do plan to list our house for sale with hopes of moving to "the country", and we plan to keep an open mind for whatever opportunities come our way. In the mean time, I'll be dreaming about a cabin nestled along a rushing creek at the Vee Bar ranch, imagining what I can learn from a horse, as we spend 5 days "riding and writing" in the Snowy Range Mountains of Wyoming. And to think I'll have a real horse this time--not a little plastic one like I took to the Buffalo Gap Guest Ranch in September. (Although I have to admit, Rio and I did have a special time together.)

So yes, a week at the Vee Bar ranch with author Page Lambert and facilitator Sheri Griffith is at the top of my Christmas Wish List for 2009!

Barbara

Christmas--Celebrating the Joy of Faith and Family God's Way

As I look out my office window this morning, the ground is covered in fresh white snow. It's only a dusting...tips of short green grass poke through, as though they're not ready to be hidden away for the long winter that we get to "enjoy" here in Minnesota.

Yes, it is December...the season of Christ's birth. For many it is a time of family get-togethers, of decorating the house in red and green, and gift-giving. If you are looking for a heartwarming and economical Christmas gift, consider the book, Christmas--Celebrating the Joy of Faith and Family God's Way, Whitestone Books, a collection of true and tender holiday stories. Each story is a real life reminder that Christmas truly begins in the loving heart of the Father.

A Christmas Bundle is one of my stories selected for the book and shares my unexpected arrival for my parents late in life. With a willingness and obedience to God, Jessie and Percy Veden selflessly accepted the responsibility of raising another child in their 50s, a time when most couples were in the twilight of their parenting years. In a small, rural farmhouse, they welcomed another baby into their simple home, placing the well-worn crib in the midst of the warm kitchen where Jessie spent most of her days.

Christmas-God's Way is available on my website on the Anthologies page. While you're there, check out the other compilation books such as Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Sons, Cup of Comfort for Single Mothers, Groovy Chicks' Road Trip to Love, and Finding and Following God's Will.

Christmas Blessings,

Barbara