Running With Quills: Fools Rush In?

Welcome to Running With Quills, your online newsletter designed to keep you up to date with what your favorite authors (that would be us) are doing throughout the year. Here you will find the release dates of our new books and get information about our backlists. We'll preview our cover art here long before the books hit the stores and we'll keep you informed about works-in-progress and special projects. You'll also receive advance notice of signings and appearances. From time to time we'll give you a peek at our worlds, tell you what we're reading, and introduce you to some new authors.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Fools Rush In?

Or, would we chose jumping rope over bungee jumping?

Ideas ambush me. One an hour, ten an hour, goodness knows how many of those things crowd into my head. This is sort of how it all works:

"An alternate universe, parallel to this one. A gateway between. A chance to travel back and forth. Wow, that would be fabulous. I'd put on my travellin' shoes at once."

Rapidly followed by:

"Sure you would. After you figured out how to anchor yourself in this world and set up an absolutely fail safe system for your rescue if the pathway closed unexpectedly."

or:

"Africa. Those crooked black trees against blood-red skies. Endless mountains. Travel by Jeep, sleep in a tent, really experience adventure. Yeah, I want to do that and I will."

Even more rapidly followed by:

"They've got wild animals. You're afraid of them. And it's so hot. You croak in the heat. And bugs! And snakes! Well, I could do it if I wanted to, but I don't have time right now."

So, do these examples of "waffle and chickenhood" mean that I never do anything spontaneous? Nooo, not entirely. If you're going to need swift action in an emergency, you want me around. I do emergencies really well. My brain switches off and I run on training and instinct. In fact I am fearless then. Get out of my way unless you've got something useful to bring to the situation.

However, I may hesitate about going to a party because I could discover I didn't like it when I got there. Does this mean I've been to a lot of unpleasant parties? Nope. Don't ever remember not enjoying a party to some degree, but it could happen . . . This tends to mean that I am happy to accept invitations but then I suffer great doubts (and rehearse many excuses--all of them reasonable--for not being able to get there) only to arrive and love every moment.

Dear, dear, this is turning into a self-analysis session--not at all what I had planned.

The other day as I was working on my latest book, set in New Orleans and featuring Marley Millet, a psychic with abilities as dangerous to her own health as they can be useful to crime fighters, I had an idea: "I've got an idea," I shouted to my husband through two closed doors. "Nope, not at idea. A fact. We're going to New Orleans next week. Five days should do it. I'll map out everything I want to see and do and call a few people I'll be talking to. You get it booked, please. You're so good at that bit."

Jerry heard mutterings from a distance, arrived in my office and listened to a repeat of what I'd already said. Being the amazingly adaptable person he is, he raised his eyebrows and said, "Okay."

And off we go.

Now think about that. An original, spontaneous idea. A decision. And positive action without any second-guessing. It feels so good that I intend to do more of this.

Bungee jumping and kissing snakes are still out of the question.

Ooh, I had another thought: "My new book is just coming out. A MARKED MAN will be on the shelves--is on the shelves. I don't really have time to leave when I have so much to do to for the release. But, gosh, the trip is booked. They won't give the money back."

I should go, shouldn't I? Gray Fisher's the hero of this new book and he shows up in a lot of places he's not supposed to be. Got to look at those places first hand. I always do that. And I want to know more about a certain house in the Quarter, too, because I'm not sure if it's really there, or if it was and isn't now, or ever was. Such a dilemma.

What's the matter with me? I can do it all and I'm fearless . . . almost . . . sortof and sometimes.

I'll send out some excerpts from A MARKED MAN and Susan Anderson (a brilliant jewel of a woman) is going to interview me on the book for all of you. But I'll go to New Orleans and wallow in beignets cafe au lait . . . I mean, research material, so that I can give the next story my all. And when I get back I'll hope to have some juicy tidbits to pass along.

Cheers, Stella

Jump rope or bungee jumping--which line are you in?

Are you spontaneous or do you like to weigh your actions really carefully?

Do you ever wish you were like someone else, someone either more or less daring?

25 Comments:

Kim said...: "Ideas ambush me. One an hour, ten an hour, goodness knows how many of those things crowd into my head."

This is me!!! I'm a cross stitcher. While I'm stitching, all kinds of stuff pops into my head. Some of it can be really silly. Or I can have a serious discussion with myself, and resolve a serious issue.

I'm amazed what I come up with when I'm supposedly concentrating on my stitching.

Kim; 11:22 AM
karibear said...: I’m more of a bungee jumper type, at least I used to be. I’d rather regret doing something than regret not doing it when I had the chance. Think about being 95 and having nothing better to think about than ‘if only’ or ‘why didn’t I’ instead of at least having some interesting memories.; 12:03 PM
susan andersen said...: Kim, that's a real right brain thing. I do that when I'm supposed to be watching TV. I'll stare at a program while my mind floats free--I often solve plot problems like that.

I'm a little bit bungee, a little bit jumprope. I'm spontaneous sometimes and cautious others.

~Susan, the brilliant jewel. :); 3:49 PM
talpianna said...: Am I spontaneous? Let me think...; 4:40 PM
Jayne Ann Krentz said...: Wow, Stella. New Orleans to research a new book? I take it this will be a new series? Any hints for us?

--Jayne; 5:01 PM
Tina said...: I'll stare at a program while my mind floats free--I often solve plot problems like that.

For me, it's when I'm about to drop off to sleep. When I was in high school, if I couldn't remember a French conjugation or if a particular geometry question was eluding me, it would suddenly pop in my head as I was drifting off to sleep. I'd have to jump out of bed and write it down immediately or risk losing it. The same for years later, struggling with a research paper or some short story I was writing. I wouldn't be able to get it flowing how I wanted and it would suddenly come to me exactly how something needed to be re-worded or re-framed.

I was just reading in Newsweek that it is called the "eureka" moment and your brain uses an entirely different form of brainwaves to have one. Apparently, these brainwaves are only present in an eureka moment. Sorry...this is all entirely tangential to the topic. I just thought it was cool.

Jump rope or bungee jumping--which line are you in?
Considering that I don't like the falling sensation at all and I'm embarrassed at crying in front of strangers (which the falling sensation makes me do), bungee jumping, parachuting, and paragliding are out for me. Strangely enough, however, I've always wanted to try rapelling and that thing where they tether the parachute to the back of a speed boat. I think the idea of all those ropes attached makes me feel safe.

Less literally, I'm a daredevil about some things and a complete scaredy-cat about others. I haven't found anything I absolutely couldn't do if forced by necessity, however.

Are you spontaneous or do you like to weigh your actions really carefully?

When I was younger, I carefully weighed my actions and then decide to do whatever it is I wanted to do and hope that the consequences won't be too great. This, as you no doubt can imagine, has caused some trouble and drama in my life. I've grown out of it for the most part. Now I carefully weigh my actions and take much more considered risks.

Do you ever wish you were like someone else, someone either more or less daring?

Not really.; 7:52 PM
Tina said...: When I was younger, I carefully weighed my actions and then decide to do whatever it is I wanted to do and hope that the consequences won't be too great.

Hmmmm, that should be then decided to do whatever it is I wanted to do and hoped.

That's what I get for not previewing.

Well, I'm off to bed before I begin conjugating willy-nilly and rip a hole in the time/space continuum because I'm in the past, the present, and the future all at the same time....; 8:26 PM
Lori Foster said...: I'm cautious, cautious, cautious! I would never take an unnecessary risk with my life, not for bunging jumping or sky diving or any of the thrills. For me, life IS a thrill, and that's more than enough. LOL

Great blog, Stella!

Lori; 5:58 AM
DFender said...: Stella,

YaY! More New Orleans area! Lovin' it. If you haven't visited the WWII museum, make time for it if you can, it's awesome :-)

To answer, in order, your questions:

Jump rope or bungee jumping--which line are you in? Ha! No heights, ack! But, to be literal - The HHP and the kiddo still jump rope, the HHP's been doing it since he boxed in his 20's and the kiddo does it for wrestling. But me? Nah, treadmill and/or elliptical are enough torture.

Are you spontaneous or do you like to weigh your actions really carefully? Uhm, depends on the situation, I guess. In my mind I'm spontaneous, in action, probably not so much...LOL

Do you ever wish you were like someone else, someone either more or less daring? Nope, I like the person I am now but I do wish I could overcome my fear of heights as it's damned inconvenient... Ha!

Happy Tuesday!
Deb; 6:29 AM
Stella said...: Kim: Don't you sometimes wonder what it would be like to live in your head with just, say, a really good idea a week? People like us don't have a choice, but it might be nice to try it out. Stella; 9:54 AM
Stella said...: Karibear: You're right, of course, and I've done a lot of looking at the world through squinched up eyes while I took various leaps; mostly I've been glad I had the guts, occasionally I haven't! Stella; 9:55 AM
Stella said...: Karibear: You're right, of course, and I've done a lot of looking at the world through squinched up eyes while I took various leaps; mostly I've been glad I had the guts, occasionally I haven't! Stella; 9:55 AM
Stella said...: Ah, Susan, my brilliant leetle gem:) The gazers of the world--me, too. At least I've learned (mostly) not to be looking at anyone when I go into a fugue state.

Cheers, Stella; 9:57 AM
Stella said...: Tal!; 9:58 AM
Stella said...: Hey Jayne:

Folks are going to see mucho expanded comments about this time in New Orleans. No wonder I love setting my stories in Louisiana!

I'll give one little hint about Marley and Gray. They have the least conventional meeting I've ever written!

This time just about all the action takes place in the French Quarter which, now that I'm here and looking at it with critical eyes, is an amazing testimony to will and spirit. It's also the most potentially mysterious place I know. And it's romantic and wild. I will be using everything this town has to offer.

Want any beads? I've got so many I'd sink if I wore them all. However, I like to have them on at night so I blend in with everyone else:)

Stella; 10:02 AM
Stella said...: Tina: My repeated escapade between about ages 9 and 11 was to climb out of my bedroom window (high, high up over a drop to concrete)and cling on while I inched my way to a sloping roof on a lower story. From there I worked to the ground. It was a compulsion--perhaps my right of passage move. Or there could be other explanations, couldn't there:)

The Eureka moment is a blessing and a curse. I am never without a notebook and pen.

Stella; 10:06 AM
Stella said...: Lori:
Wow, this is so interesting. I'd say I have a lot of built-in caution but I test it all the time.

Now think, you love extreme sports. Surely, as a spectator, but they fascinate you. There has to be a connection to your generally careful makeup.

Stella; 10:08 AM
Stella said...: Deb: A few responses ago I wrote about climbing out of windows as a kid. I know that's because I fear hights and was proving I could overcome the obstacle. Of course, the operation had no purpose because I still recoil from heights.

Since Katrina I've been wary of setting stories right in New Orleans. I was here eighteen months ago for my first post-Katrina recce and still felt unsure. Now I'm not. One of the things that will help NO is to work toward showing just how resilient it is. Of course there's a great deal still to be done but if you'd been with me on Sunday, at Mystic Barkus, the dog parade through the Quarter, you'd have understood why I feel this city is teeming with stories still to be told.

Stella; 10:12 AM
Kim said...: I never answered the questions!

Jump rope or bungee jumping--which line are you in? I'm scared to death of heights, so I definitely jump rope.

Are you spontaneous or do you like to weigh your actions really carefully? I'm fairly cautious-- probably why I mill over everything so much.

Do you ever wish you were like someone else, someone either more or less daring? I wish I was a little more daring. I think I miss out on a lot because I can't push myself to do daring things.

Kim; 11:28 AM
Anonymous said...: Stella,

Funny you should mention climbing out your window. It made me remember by window escapes when I was a kid. I didn't do it because I was trying to prove I wasn't afraid of heights, I did it because my parents made me come inside sooner that I thought I should have to come in. The house we lived in at the time was pretty easy to climb out and down from my bedroom. It made me feel utterly daring and adventurous but didn't really accomplish anything since all my friends had gone to their houses too. I only did it twice, first in defiance, second to prove I could do it again.

Thanks for the memory.

Kathy H.; 12:52 PM
Stella said...: Kim: I'd like to be more daring. BUT, as of now I can officially call myself a New Orleans' courtyard crawler:) I've spent today finding my way into deserted, often crumbling courtyards and managed not to get arrested for trespass!

That's daring enough for me.

Stella
Some of these courtyards are dreamy.; 3:33 PM
Stella said...: You're welcome, Kathy. Those are great memories, aren't they? My real biggie was the "lights out" routine. I hated it because all I wanted to do was read. Batteries ate up my pocket money and I'd have to use my flashlight--under the covers--until I went word-by-word with a little brown dot of illumination:)

Stella; 3:35 PM
Ranurgis said...: I have (had?) my impulsive moments but age and pain have slowed me down. I'd love to go on an adventure holiday but most of those involve a lot of walking, climbing, etc. I'm just no longer good at those. I was always the last to walk anywhere when I was in Mexico. Some of that was because I always had to examine everything at greater length than most other people but some was just because I ran out of "physical" steam. That nixes both kinds of your "jumping." Though I think bungee jumping would never have made my list anyway. I'm not that daring.

I've climbed towers in ruined castles while visiting deserted areas of France with a friend. They were more or less off limits but since they weren't guarded they should definitely not have been climbed. We did so very carefully and had some lovely views from the tops of the towers. I also climbed a small mountain all by myself and only after I got back down did I think: That was a stupid thing to do. What if I'd fallen and got hurt. Nobody would have even known where to find me. I didn't tell anyone where I was going.

I even had that thought one day at my brother's place when I fell in the woods on his property which adjoins the Niagara Escarpment. I wasn't really hurt but my inability to get up off the ground or floor was already advancing. It took me a good 10 minutes to get up again even with the help of shrubs and tree trunks. And this is only the second time I've admitted this. The only other person who knows is my sister.

Do any of you remember using old-fashioned fire escapes, the twisted kind you slide down on from second or third stories at school? We still had that kind when we first came to Canada. I found those kind of scary.

I've never liked heights either. I was scared of my first plane ride because I was certain I'd be really frightened. To my great surprise and relief, I wasn't at all. I could look down and just be interested in what was below the plane, icebergs in the Atlantic for example. I discovered what I couldn't do was look straight down from a building. I feared falling off because I thought the building was tipping. I've loved being on the CN Tower in Toronto and all sorts of other high places--as long as I looked out and not straight down.

So yes, I've done impulsive things that didn't really "look" as dangerous as bungee jumping. Doing that would mean that I really was falling.; 8:54 PM
Stella said...: You sound daring enough to me, Ranurgis. But I wonder why some of us force ourselves to do things that seem fearsome.

Stella; 10:28 AM
Ranurgis said...: Actually, I'm not very good at forcing myself to do something. I'd much rather chicken out. Those things I described I did because I was too "stupid" to realize what the consequences might be. Climbing a mountain (just a very small one in Austria) was just something I felt like doing because it was there. It was only after I took a way down and realized I wouldn't get back to where my "pension" was that I realized that I'd let myself get carried away in my effort to explore.

A lot of people, for example, can't understand how I could travel from Ontario to Washington, DC all by myself in a car. They would never think of doing that. For me it's just a matter-of-fact action, just like traveling alone by train in Europe. Yes, there were a few times when things threatened to get hairy but in general, I probably enjoyed traveling that way more than I did traveling with other people. My German friend was the exception. She and I traveled through different parts of France and England together. She studied art and taught me a lot about architecture like the romanesque and gothic styles.

I've discovered anyway that people show fear in different aspects of life. I took my sister's second son and my brother's daughter to Marineland when they were about 5 and 3 respectively. My nephew always came across as fearless and daring and he never seemed to learn from his mistakes. He had to be fished out of Gloucester Pool just short of Georgian Bay (Lake Huron) three times before he decided that the water was too deep for him to walk in.

My niece always seemed to be quiet and timid. Yet when it came to the kiddy roller coaster at Niagara Falls, she went on right away, while he refused to even consider it. It was only after he realized that she had enjoyed it and had gone on all the other rides that she possibly could, since there was a height restriction, that he decided to try the little roller coaster and loved it.

Now, I could never have made myself climb out of a window, though we never really had an option there because the screens designed to prevent our ubiquitous mosquitos from entering the house were just too difficult to remove. I really was never very daring in a physical sense unless I thought the rewards--for me a great view from the top of a crumbling tower--would make it worthwhile.

Maybe it's also because I subconsciously trusted God to take care of me in what might become "sticky" situations when I traveled alone. However, there are still plenty of things I wouldn't dream of doing that others do without seeming to think about it, like getting drunk or smoking. I'd have to really force myself to cross a rickety bridge over a deep gorge, or go up a steep open staircase with no handholds. in those cases I'd be very inclined to just refuse.

I guess we each have our own types of fears, some physical, some mental.

Oops. I'd better close before I lose this to the thunderstorm raging outside.; 11:27 PM

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Monday, January 28, 2008

Fools Rush In?

25 Comments: