October #IWSG: Better than Christmas Morning

                                                     

Come join Alex J. Cavanaugh and the Insecure Writer's Support Group. We discuss our fears, insecurities, ups and downs of the writing process and post the first Wednesday of every month! http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html

Remember, the question is optional!!!

October 7 question - When you think of the term working writer, what does that look like to you? What do you think it is supposed to look like? Do you see yourself as a working writer or aspiring or hobbyist, and if latter two, what does that look like?

 

The awesome co-hosts for the October 7 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, Beth Camp, Beverly Stowe McClure, and Gwen Gardner!

October is better than Christmas morning. Watching Hocus Pocus for the hundredth time never gets old. Don't judge me. I live for this time of year! 

Lately, my life consists of reading to myself (I guess that's better than talking to myself) and to my students. I love being surrounded every day by thousands of my favorite things...BOOKS and FALL LEAVES. My perception of the term working writer is writing full time with no other job. That's not gonna happen anytime soon. 

With so many responsibilities this year, it's getting harder to dedicate my time to being a full-time writer. I may jump on the NaNo bandwagon this November to finish a novel I started a few months ago. 

As a librarian of two schools this year, it's been challenging, but so worth it. When boxes of books come in, it's like Christmas morning. (We got hundreds of new books this year!) The looks on the kids' faces when I put them on the shelves is priceless.

Are you enjoying the best month of the year? Reading any suspenseful mysteries this October? 

Found these classics this fall.

AtoZ Challenge: Q - Quiet, Please

Newest addition to Hannibal-photography studio on Broadway Str.

Greetings from Hannibal, MO, Mark Twain's boyhood hometown, my theme for this year's AtoZ Challenge.

Quiet, please, artists at work. (I seriously had trouble thinking of a "Q" post!) Hannibal's artistic side includes more than just a famous author. This Artistic town is full of individual artists in every area: textiles, furniture, painting, photography, pottery.

Ayers pottery

Steve Ayers, the master potter, has been making his creations for over twenty years. Come visit Ayers Pottery or visit Java Jive, which sells his coveted pottery.

Our many art galleries feature local artists. The Hannibal Arts Council highlights local high school students on occasion. My oldest son won a photography contest a few years ago and had his pointillism drawing chosen for display.

I love this "smiley" mug.

Join us every second Saturday for "Art Walk" all year long in Hannibal. In March we host "50 Miles of Art" along scenic highway 79. May 23-24 will be the "Twain on Main Festival." Lots of crafts, art, and food at this event. And be on the lookout for Twain walking the streets and greeting visitors. Last year was our first ever "Steampunk Festival" celebrating Hannibal's Gilded age. Come join us on September 5-7. My personal favorite is the "Autumn Folklife Festival." Join us on October 17-19 for a blast into Hannibal's past. Hannibal has enough festivals to keep you hopping throughout the year!

They really like to paint the whole town here.

Are you artistic? Love to paint, draw, take photos?

AtoZ Challenge: P - Parks & Rec and a Puppy

Greetings from Hannibal, MO, Mark Twain's boyhood hometown, my theme for this year's AtoZ Challenge.

City Hall-Parks & Rec

We have our very own Parks and Rec inside City Hall in downtown Hannibal. Yes, this is another photo taken in a drive-by. I'm getting pretty good at snapping pictures while driving. I highly do not recommend this activity unless you're a professional (ha!) or you're stopped at a red light.

We have a gazillion parks all sporting names like Huckleberry Park, Mark Twain Landing, Sawyer's Creek, which is actually not a park, but you get the idea. This city loves to take advantage of the famous author.

Huckleberry Park - Feed the geese at your own risk.

Because you needed a couple pics of a puppy today, I wanted you to meet Mylo. Be jealous. We get to dogsit him this weekend. Our family doesn't own a dog, cat, bird, iguana. Why have pets when you can have teenage boys instead? Some of you prefer pets.

Big plans for the weekend? Do you have any pets? Teenagers? Both?

AtoZ Challenge: N - Norman Rockwell

Greetings from Hannibal, MO, Mark Twain's boyhood hometown, my theme for this year's AtoZ Challenge.

The Mark Twain Museum is home to fifteen Norman Rockwell paintings. The master painter meets the master storyteller.

The Mark Twain Museum

Norman Rockwell adored Hannibal. His commissioned paintings depict scenes from Twain's novels: Tom Sawyer and the dead cat, Tom Sawyer and the schoolmaster flogging, Tom Sawyer whitewashing the fence, Tom Sawyer sneaking out of a window. I feel like I've met Tom Sawyer before. Oh, that's right, I have two teenage boys. It really is worth the price of admission to view Rockwell's paintings.

Mark Twain available for photos

My oldest son stopping by.

Twain planter all dressed up for Christmas.

Here is my claim to fame.
 This past summer I had the privilege of being the first author invited to do a book signing at The Mark Twain Museum.

  Have you ever done a book signing? How do you prepare for one? Were you nervous? Are you excited about doing one in the future?

AtoZ Challenge: L - Lover's Leap & the Lighthouse

 Greetings from Hannibal, MO, Mark Twain's boyhood hometown, my theme for this year's AtoZ Challenge.

Lover's Leap

Side view (from ground level) of Lover's Leap

The view of Hannibal and the Mississippi River

The view of Illinois from Lover's Leap

Truth is stranger than fiction. On April 12, 2009, two elderly ladies drove off Lover's Leap and lived to tell about it. I was there a few days before it happened, showing some friends the view. The driver mistook the gas pedal for the break. She drove up and over the curb, took out a bench and the fence and plummeted over the edge. Their car got caught in a tangle of tree branches, saving their lives. Can you imagine that view?

The "tree" that caught the car.

Notice the fence weld.

Hannibal's lighthouse easily has over a million steps to the top. If you'd like a tough cardio session, stop by and enjoy the free work out.

Anyone feeling tired from the AtoZ Challenge? 
Getting your second wind? Ready for a trip to 
Hannibal?

The lighthouse

AtoZ Challenge: K - Keep Calm and Have an Adventure

For this year's AtoZ Challenge, I am featuring Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain's boyhood hometown.

Everyday is an adventure raising two teenage boys. People ask me where I get my ideas for my books. I don't have to look very far. So, yesterday on our way to church, I swung by Clemens (baseball) Field to snap a few pics. My oldest son said, "Mom, I've got this." My response: "That wall is way too high...okay, never mind." He quickly scaled the wall to take a panoramic of the ballpark. (It was too far away to get a good shot of the field.) So while dressed in my Sunday finery, I kept an eye out for the cops and prayed we wouldn't get arrested. We didn't. But there might have been security cameras.

What small hometown would be complete without baseball? Clemens Field was built in 1938 and even detained German POWs on the field. It hosted a professional team in the fifties but since fell in disrepair. A few years ago, it went through extensive repairs and renovations, restoring it to its former glory and elevating the field about eight feet due to its close proximity to the Mississippi River. The Hannibal Cavemen, a prospect league, will begin another season on May 30th.You can catch the Hannibal La-Grange University's baseball team playing several games here in the spring.

My pic of my son taking a pic

Clemens Field was the pivotal point of inspiration for my first novel Free Runner. Several years ago, after watching my oldest son climb the concession stand (he has an obsession with climbing), he jumped, flipped and landed flawlessly. I almost had a heart attack. Then I asked him what on earth he was doing. He said, "Free running." Technically, he was performing parkour. Free running involves, well, running. And, yes, he does that too. But not running from the cops, because he's a good kid.

The Grandstand

Outside view

Once again, I'm showcasing my oldest son's photography skills. His panoramic photo below features the back side of the Salvation Army, a photography studio and a tattoo parlor. Because those three establishments combined would be an adventure.

What's your ideal "adventure"? Do you enjoy baseball? What's your favorite team? Do you ever go on adventures with your kids?

AtoZ Challenge: J - Java Jive and the Old Jail

Java Jive

Hannibal boasts the first coffee shop west of the Mississippi River. I didn't verify that info, I just read the sign in the window. Java Jive is located on Main Street in the Andrus Joseph Building built in 1902. You can find musicians playing the piano in the back or strumming a guitar out front. The coffee shop started as a woman's clothing store and then turned into Hannibal Mercantile for the next forty years.

After its last identity crisis as a hardware store, it became what it was always meant to be: a coffee shop. Out of the three, I'm loving the coffee shop transformation. Not that I don't enjoy buying women's clothing or a rake to clean up my leaf littered yard, but Java Jive makes the most wonderful frozen milky way (chocolate/caramel) coffee drink in the world.

I wish I could say I spent hours writing in this establishment, but I do most of my writing at home on a worn, leather couch. Java Jive is a reward I give myself on the weekends after a long week of writing or editing or to get away from my kids, but they usually end up following me there, because I raised them right and they love coffee drinks too. 

"Coffee is an experience that chalk cannot convey." 

The menu board

The Old Jail 

In keeping with our challenge letter "J" today, I'm including Hannibal's Old Jail House located just a few blocks from Java Jive. By the way, my oldest teenage son took this photo yesterday. He has a way cooler phone than I do. He's an amazing photographer and artist, and I occasionally buy him coffee because he's awesome and takes photos for me.

The "Old Jail" built in 1878

Where do you like to write? Do you ever use your kids to your advantage? Bribe them by buying them coffee drinks or video games? (Asking for a friend. Not that I ever would;-)

AtoZ Challenge: I - Introducing Hannibal's Wax Museum!

Haunted House on Hill Street

In keeping with yesterday's AtoZ Challenge "H" post, Haunted Hannibal, I thought I would introduce the latest spooky attraction to hit the town. Actually, the Haunted House on Hill Street has been around a long time, but it's been closed and for sale for the past seven years. Someone finally bought the rundown house last year, cleaned it up and installed twenty-seven life-size wax sculptures, featuring everyone from Mark Twain to Aunt Polly to Injun Joe. 

So, be sure to stop by the Haunted House on Hill Street described in Twain's novels. It's located right next door to the Becky Thatcher house. Did you notice the skeleton in the upstairs window? I'm going to stop by later today and see if I can peek in the windows. If any of those wax figures move, blink or wink...

AtoZ Challenge: G - A Great Getaway: "Twain's Town"

Welcome to another AtoZ Challenge Post! Today is the letter G:

A Great Getaway: 

If you love the small town feel, this is the place for you. History buffs will enjoy this antiquated town with its overabundance of museums and historic homesteads. We have many B&Bs located along tree lined streets. Most of the downtown attractions are located within walking distance from the Mississippi River. We even have a trolley to take you on a guided tour around the city. I think the Hannibal Chamber of Commerce should hire me to be a PR person or something with all this promoting I've been doing!

Historic downtown with view of The Mark Twain Hotel

Yep, it's as good as it sounds & a real brick oven for some tasty pizza.

Panoramic views of the Mississippi River

If you love writing, nature, fishing, boating, hiking, exploring, art, history, shopping, and eating, then Hannibal is the perfect getaway for you!

What's your perfect getaway?

AtoZ Challenge: F - Fiction

Let's compare... 

Mark Twain wrote fiction. I write fiction. We learned yesterday he used family and friends as models for his characters. I sketch my characters after my two teenage boys. (If you only knew! I seriously can't make this stuff up.) Twain grew up in Missouri. I grew up just across the border in Illinois.

Addicted to writing 

As an adult, I lived outside of Chicago for almost a decade. Hannibal is only about four hours from the Windy City. My contemporary mystery series is set in a small town in Illinois and involves a bank robbery, a few gallons of maple syrup, and a famous dead author. I'm putting it on hold as I finish up my newest project, an urban fantasy set in Chicago. And an idea came to me two days ago for another upper middle-grade novel: a murder mystery slash detective series. I think I'm addicted to writing.

Chicago is the setting for my new urban fantasy.

Photo hint...

Here's a photograph of the inspiration behind my new middle-grade urban fantasy:

The Field Museum

Have you ever been to Chicago? Do you read or write urban fantasy or sci-fi/fantasy? Do you ever watch movies or T.V. series in your genre as "research" for your writing?