Truth. This morning I realized it was Monday. I hadn’t written my blog post! Honestly folks, I’m neck-deep in final book edits, did a live chat on Facebook on Saturday Aug 26, watched Eclipse 2017 last Monday and had a variety of workers/delivery people at the house — okay, so maybe I’m making excuses but real life does have a way of pushing some things out of your mind. Despite my PAA reminding me last Thursday to start my blog, I let it slip away. So let’s catch up.

First, the eclipse last week was incredible. We live in one of the “almost total” area, 98.7%. Not total darkness, not even a real twilight for us, but then everything turned a bit hazy green, shadows sharpened, crescent shadows were everywhere and I was as excited as a kid going to her first birthday party. The shadow shot is from my driveway and the crescent shot my husband took with his smartphone through glasses (that’s why it looks dark). That’s as close as we came to a full eclipse. For me, it was as if I experienced the big bang. I am so easy to please and hey, a once in a lifetime experience!

Confession. We plan to see the total eclipse in 2024 by going to Indiana (warning, family!).

Besides the multitudes of people passing through our place this last week (Sears, Trugreen, ValuePest, Salvation Army, Schwans, UPS) and being a total and complete distraction, not much else happened. Everyone’s been planning for the kids to head back to school, and wondering if a roundabout built in a major intersection would be done in time for school.

And yes, it is done and people are acting like they’ve never driven a circle before. Indeed most have not if they have never been overseas or to another large metropolitan area. It is a bit laughable to hear people cheering how they successfully navigated a circle. I don’t mean to be mean, but honestly, it’s a circle.

I suppose it isn’t nice to laugh at people’s discomfiture, but from the videos posted online, it is funny to listen to people breathe and laugh at themselves when they realize there was nothing to their fear. I laugh harder when they say, “oh I didn’t realize it was only a circle.” Too rich.

As for what’s happening with me? I’m working on the final edits of my new book, Time and Blood. Later this week, my PAA and I will get together for the oral read through. That’s always painful, long and often funny. Next week, I will write about why that is so important.

(Please note the reference books:  Words’Worth by Jane Riddell; How to Write Dazzling Dialogue by James Scott Bell; Writing Fight Scenes, by Rayne Hall; and Revising and Self-Editing, by James Scott Bell)

Also next week I should be working with my cover designer, Marisa-rose Robyn, owner of Cover Me Darling designs to do the exciting new cover. Marisa did the covers for my books, The Gypsy Thorn (my last book), Breaking the Glass Slipper and The Book of Now. She’s won several awards lately and will make my book shine. Her cover work on The Book of Now has won a couple awards. 

At the end of September/first of October, Cassy Roop of Pink Ink Designs will do the formatting for the new book. She did the formatting for The Book of Now and Breaking the Glass Slipper. The interior of The Book of Now won an award from Independent Press Awards (IPA). 

You can see why I revisit designers and formatters who do fine work. And yes, they are worth the money. Please pay for quality work. And if you decide to do your own covers, learn how to do them well and learn about the various genres including fonts and colors. Or do as I do and leave it to the award-winning professionals. They will make you look good!

A few personal notes. I do a Fireside With the Phoenix live Facebook chat at the end of every month. Most of the time I discuss a little something about writing, make some thanks yous, answer questions sent to me, and talk about upcoming events, giveaways, or contests. You don’t want to miss these going forward. Trust me. Keep an eye to my Facebook Author page for the when and time of each live chat.

Finally, every Monday I like to participate in #pinyourpen. It’s a fun way to showcase your favorite handwriting tool. Some like fountain pens and others like ballpoint. Some like gel pens and others collect quill pens. Whatever you like, be sure to join in on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and show me yours. This is mine for this week.

Thanks for stopping by for a bit of this and that. See you next time.

Until then, I remain,

Today is Monday, August 21, 2017. A rare event will occur this afternoon, a total solar eclipse. And even more rare, the contiguous United States will be able to view this incredible event. There hasn’t been a coast to coast eclipse since June 8, 1918!

There are many kinds of an eclipse: total solar, partial (common), annular (most of us never know about these and you need special filters to even see it), and lunar (at night and most can see if weather permits). Of all these, the total solar eclipse is the most rare and most sought for viewing. 

This will be a once-in-a-lifetime event for nearly everyone.

Most folks have not had the opportunity to view a total solar eclipse. In the last 100 years, there have been only seven in the US and limited numbers of the population were included, and then, weather also impeded viewing. 

• 06/30/54 – Northern NE through western Michigan and some of Minneapolis
• 10/02/59 – Massachusetts only
• 02/20/63 – Central Fla, then hugged the coastline up through Virginia’s eastern shore
• 07/10/72 – North Alaska
• 02/26/79 – WA, OR, ID, MT, ND (many missed this because of rain/clouds)
• 07/11/99 – Hawaii and was clouded out

So, you ask, I’m not a scientist, what’s the big deal? The big deal is what it looks like, how nature reacts, to see darkness during the peak period of the day, to feel how air changes and how you change during the rare moment.

In the Dark, Middle, and Medieval Ages, an eclipse portended danger, deviltry, disaster, death, sickness — all things that were considered evil and scary. That’s because most did not understand the nature and the reason for the eclipse’s happening. 

Today we understand why an eclipse occurs and it is much less scary but there are moments during the eclipse that are still worth your attention. Animals will react differently. Birds will hush and roost. Day animals will seek cover and many night animals may emerge. Often wolves and dogs will howl. Some believe there will be significant shifts in the tides (though I cannot attest to this). And the sky will turn black. Crescent shadows will appear on the ground (worth taking pictures of). 

It is a moment when we can feel one with a universe and realize how small we are within the constantly shifting nature of it. This is an event you cannot stop, stall, or change. It does tend to make one feel a little bit small when you are out of control.

Everyone will be affected differently. Be sure to have your glasses and proper filters for cameras (and cell phones). Do not risk eye damage! Do not try to drive and watch. Do not drive with your eclipse glasses on. DO stop and appreciate the moment.

The actual eclipse will be about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The rest of the time, the moon will be traveling across the sky and and gradually across the sun. All in all about 3 hours of the most incredible event ever. 

The next total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, central US and Canada on April 8, 2024. And then we in the US will have another contiguous event on August 12, 2045 (see the map below).

If you are a writer, live the moment. Breathe the change in the air. Share the experience with others and see their reactions. Listen to nature as it reacts. Listen to humans as they pause their lives to experience the event. Be one of them standing still.

Whether you watch live, watch on TV, or decided to skip the moment, you are in the rare event. Record your place in it. Write it down. Find something to remember whether you watched or not.

And if you are a writer/author/journalist — use this memory, capture the emotions, discover something to use for memoirs, historical fiction, special feature reporting, short stories, speculative fiction — don’t let the moment eclipse your memories. Capture then and use them! Eclipses make wonderful fodder for foreshadowing, creepy murder mystery moments, horror stories, mad scientist motivations, feral shapeshifters, vampire emergence, noire-esque villainy, knights and oaths…it is food for every pen, everywhere. What you learn will be invaluable.

I’m going to enjoy this rare moment because I may not have any chance of one again. We have our viewing glasses and our flag and we’ll take a selfie to remember we were there (hubby and me). 

One last personal thought — think, for a few precious minutes, we will all be able to look up and see the same thing. We will be one under the heaven. I think that’s worth letting everything else be eclipsed for two minutes. See you under the sun.

Thanks for stopping by.
I remain, Yours Between the Lines,
Sherry