Dead Babies In A Suitcase

It’s good to have mysteries. It reminds us that there’s more to the world than just making do and having a bit of fun.- Charles De Lint

Good morning Muse Trackers!

I’ve thought quite a bit about The Artists Way especially since our Link Of The Week brought you to a wonderful tool based on one of the exercises found in that book. The premise is that you are to write three pages (preferably handwritten) every morning. The tool that I found creates a platform for you to do it electronically and store your pages to be retrieved when you need them. I was excited that many of you chose to comment and share your own spin on Morning Pages. Based on that, I thought you might like a spark. Give it a try, who knows what might happen

 

Today I would like to share a story with you. It’s so intriguing and has the bones of a fantastic novel, but it’s real life. Someone once told me that you just can’t make this s*** up- and I believe they’re right. This proves the old saying that truth is stranger than fiction.

Two women made a shocking discovery when they began to clean out their apartment building’s basement. It was full of items left from tenants long gone and forgotten. As they made their way through the piles of stuff, they came across three suitcases obviously left there for decades. The women brushed away years of dust and mildew and flipped the latch on the top two cases. They were empty. Disappointed, they went for the last case on the bottom. No one could have prepared them for what they would find hiding inside the leather luggage.

Stacks of books were neatly set on the left side and on the right side were two doctor’s satchels tightly wedged into the small space. You can imagine their excitement when the books proved to be copies from the 1920s and 30s. Surely, they had found a time capsule from a long ago era. The ladies carefully pulled out both satchels and opened them up. They seemed to be stuffed with newspaper also from that time period. They each took a bundle from the bags and unrolled the ball of paper. One discovered a mummified infant and the other unrolled a fetus about 20 weeks along.

Investigators determined the luggage belonged to Janet M. Barrie who had emigrated to the U.S. from Scotland in the 1920s. She was the home nurse for a Los Angeles dentist and died in 1992. Her belongings had been packed up and stored in the basement- apparently forgotten until these two decided they wanted to clean things up. The cause of death for the babies has not been determined. (I don’t know if the cause of death has ever been determined or not.)

The rest of her belongings did give a slight picture of the women who harbored this grisly secret for so many years. Janet Barrie appeared to have an interest in J.M. Barrie who wrote Peter Pan. There was a copy of the book as well as a membership certificate for the Peter Pan Woodland Club, an upscale resort. They surmise it’s because he was also from Scotland and carried the same initials. They also found postcards from exotic places like Korea and South America sent to Janet bundled together in the case. The mystery deepened when they pulled up a ticket stub from the closing ceremonies of the 1932 Olympics at the L.A. Coliseum

At the time when this article was written, the authorities had tracked down some of Janet Barrie’s relatives living in Canada and were DNA testing the remains of the babies.

 

If this doesn’t get the writer juices going, I don’t know what would! Why did she keep those bodies all those years? Who are those post cards from? Did she meet someone at the Olympics? Is there more of a connection to the author Barrie? Was she a killer? Did she hide them for the dentist? Are they her babies? Why didn’t any of her relatives claim her belongings? Why? Why? Why?

 

What is your take on this story? Who is Janet Barrie?

 

Keep on writing!

Link Of The Week

http://750words.com/about

I’m so excited I found this link for this week! It was based on an exercise given in The Artists Way called Morning Pages. The idea is to write 750 words everyday about anything- no censuring. It’s a daily free for all! Your words could be brainstorming something from your project or it could be about anything rumbling around in your head.

What about a blog? Tumbler? Well, these are possible avenues but what happens if you forget to push the “private” button? This site allows you to write and keep it to yourself but all in one place where you can check back over your words. Enjoy!!!

“I’ve long been inspired by an idea I first learned about in The Artist’s Way called morning pages. Morning pages are three pages of writing done every day, typically encouraged to be in “long hand”, typically done in the morning, that can be about anything and everything that comes into your head. It’s about getting it all out of your head, and is not supposed to be edited or censored in any way. The idea is that if you can get in the habit of writing three pages a day, that it will help clear your mind and get the ideas flowing for the rest of the day. Unlike many of the other exercises in that book, I found that this one actually worked and was really really useful.

I’ve used the exercise as a great way to think out loud without having to worry about half-formed ideas, random tangents, private stuff, and all the other things in our heads that we often filter out before ever voicing them or writing about them. It’s a daily brain dump. Over time, I’ve found that it’s also very helpful as a tool to get thoughts going that have become stuck, or to help get to the bottom of a rotten mood.”

Dating Myself- Finding The Joy In Writing Again

Every blade of grass has its Angel that bends over it and whispers, “Grow, grow.”       The Talmud

 

How many of you sit at your computer and stare at a blank screen? Perhaps you have words on said blank screen, but you know it’s total crap.

I would suggest you go on a date with yourself.

Julia Cameron, who is a noted Hollywood screenwriter and director, wrote The Artists Way. It is a gem of a book. I’ve pulled it back off my shelves because I desperately need to do something different if I ever want to get back on track to being creative.

Before I begin with the meat of this article, I’d like you to get to know me a tiny bit so you can see that the writers here at Muse Tracks are the same as all of you struggling to find the road (and stay on it) to being an author.

Well, here goes…

I am a dabbler. I have a closet full of pencil sketches from copies of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings to pen and ink creations of my own imagination. I have watercolor paintings stacked at my mother’s house I dabble in textile arts and have woven, crosstitched, needlepointed, and even threaded fabrics through my paintings. I love to paint walls and decorate- my house is an ever changing canvas. Photographs clog the memory banks of my computer. Cooking is a total creative outlet for me and travel feeds my soul. Through all of this dabbling, I have learned quite a bit about the arts and am a lover of museums and artists from all walks.

While I’m a dabbler at all those things and have had varying successes at them, I consider them fun endeavors. It really doesn’t matter if I’m any good at them or not. I simply create.

Did you notice something missing?

I never once mentioned writing. I realized this while I was talking to a friend of mine the other day. We were talking about things we enjoyed and writing wasn’t on the list. He questioned me about its absence. I couldn’t answer him during that conversation, but it’s been waddling around in my head like a drunk duck ever since.

The Artists Way is a wonderful book that first and foremost gives us permission to be creative. It empowers us to delve into the fanciful, explore the beauty and remember that we are not whole if we deny this side of our being. (OK- I now officially feel like Earth Mother holding up a peace sign.) However artsy and spiritual this book may sound, the message is one that I believe everyone should hear. Is it fear, guilt, jealousy, or some other force that limits your beliefs in yourself? What causes you to self-sabotage? (My specialty) We have our own unique answers built on our own unique lives. Julia Cameron provides exercises that offer ways to inhibit the roadblocks we throw up for ourselves.

One of my favorites is dating myself. Basically, the advice is to spend time with ourselves nurturing and refilling the well of creativity.  Tomorrow I will attempt to have a date with myself all day. There will be no TV, no computer, no radio, no electronics of any type, no books- just me. The day will be spent in my garden, sitting on my back porch with a pad and paper, and visiting with my friends. I might go to an artist’s shop to wander the aisles or I might drive up to my brother’s lake house and sit on the dock. I will not think about the rest of my life. I want to remember the joy I had when writing was also simply about creating. Somehow it became about editing, publishing, marketing etc. Those issues are important, but are meaningless if it dive bombs the writing. Writing was fun, wasn’t it? It was a wonderful place to get lost in another world with characters who told us a fabulous tale. I want to get back to that.

Hump Day Kick Start – Sexy Diner Edition

Hump Day Kick Start for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or just a visual treat.

Song of the Day: Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash

Whew! I have to admit, this photo speaks to me. It screams sex appeal!

But what does it say to you?

Our setting appears to be a diner. It’s up to you if it is present day or if this is the Oldies but Goodies. Who is our smoldering hunk? Rat Pack-ish entertainer? Joaquin Phoenix?  Drifter? Plotter of evil?  What or who is he looking at? The menu? Another waitress? The hit he’s tailing? Do you think this is his way of asking for another cup of Joe?

Good Golly Molly! I’m dying to know your take. Let me hear from you.

Hump Day Kick Start – Nude Model Edition

Hump Day Kick Start for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or just a visual treat.

Song of the Day: Pray for Me by Sixx A.M.

What fun! A picture worth a thousand words.

Who is our nude model? A college student hard up for fast cash? Professional model branching out? Greek demigod zapped to there by the goddess girlfriend he just angered? A celibate monk on the losing side of a bet?

And how about those nuns? Are the really nuns? Perhaps they are an elite team of special fores agents on a secret mission to oust an underground nude modeling smuggling ring. The possibilities are endless.

Could you turn a little more to the left, please.

Tell me your take on today’s prompt. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. Don’t worry, you can repent later.

Steven Tyler, Noodling, and Pirate Dreams

Song of the Day: Dream On by Aerosmith

The other night I had one of those dreams that make you go huh? My best pal was Steven Tyler of  the awesome rock band Aerosmith. For you whippersnappers who don’t know who Steven Tyler is, I roll my eyes and blow out a frustrated sigh. Steven Tyler is that long-haired, hippy-looking judge on American Idol. But I digress and return to my dream. Steven Tyler and I were noodling for river monsters. That in itself offers all sorts of comedic innuendos. Go ahead and crawl that dirty mind of yours from the gutter.

You may be asking what in the world is noodling. Noodling is fishing for catfish using only your bare hands. Yeah, I know. A little unsettling. You may also be wondering why I was noodling catfish with Steven Tyler. Got me. I’ve no idea why. But wow – what an imagination.

Dreams can offer a great springboard for inspiration. Much like a photo (insert shameless plug for MuseTracks’ popular Hump Day Kick Start), a movie scene, a quote, a song, or even a passing stranger, a vivid dream can uncover a fount of creativity.

My debut novel (insert another shameless plug) BLOOD AND TREASURE is an example. Long before I became a writer and before Pirates of the Caribbean hit the silver screen, I dreamed nearly the entire first chapter of BLOOD AND TREASURE. It was such an adventure that it defied what dreams do when we wake. It didn’t fade away like fog in the morning sun. Instead it clung on until I finally wrote it down on paper months later.

In the same vein, I once had a dream starring Johnny Depp. I bet I’m not unique, right ladies? (And I suppose if I was being honest, I’ve had more than one dream of the sexy actor.) That dream spawned a romantic comedy short story. This was also the story that had my creative writing college professor challenging me to become a novelist. Silly professor. I never back down from a challenge. Since, I’ve penned several more short stories based on the antics I live through in the realm of Slumberland.

Now, you may be curious to know if Steven Tyler and I were successful in noodling for catfish. I’m happy to say we were. We also caught several electric eels.  And we celebrated with a cold beer. Ah…good times, good times.

Have you ever had a wild, crazy dream you’d like to share? For authors, have you written a story based on a dream? I’d love to hear from you.

“Here’s Looking At You, Kid.”

How many of you sit down at your computer to write a new book thinking that it will be a great story? Excitement powers your fingers on the keys and everything is great…until it’s not. Ideas start to sputter, finally ending in a whimpering mess and you have no clue where to go next. You wonder if you have any talent at all.

Storylines are difficult to create and even more difficult to maintain throughout the course of events unfolding on your pages. Why can’t you write a great novel? Why can’t you create a classic like Casablanca?

It had everything. Mystery, intrigue, conflict, romance, tortured souls and redemption- they are all in the movie. It’s no wonder that it took so many awards and has remained a favorite for the last 70 years. This amazing story, made into a movie, didn’t quite start out as the gem we see on our screens. In fact, it wasn’t even a complete script while they were filming!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to see Casablanca at the movie theatre. It was terrific! Not only was it great to see a brilliant film on the big screen, like it was meant to be seen, but I got to go with Will Graham and Melissa Ohnoutka (fellow writers and guests on Muse Tracks). It felt absolutely decadent to shirk our responsibilities in the middle of a work week and enter into the magical world of Morocco during World War II.

The movie was adapted from a screenplay called Everybody Comes To Rick’s. It was shot on a shoestring budget and the lead male was best known for playing tough mob guys, not romantic leads. They had the essence of a story but when filming began, no one knew where the story was going nor did they know how it would end. (Hmmm-sounds like me while I’m writing my books.) In fact, Ingrid Bergman complained quite loudly because she didn’t even know who she was really supposed to be in love with and that made her job more difficult.

The writers, Julius and Philip Epstein along with Howard Koch, wrote and re-wrote the story almost every day. The actors had no time to learn their lines prior to shooting because it literally changed with every hour. To keep themselves on tract, they would review the film shot the day before otherwise they found themselves following wrong plot turns.

Did they know they were filming a grand classic? No.

Did they know that the writing would be quoted and misquoted for the next seventy years? No.

Did they know they had a great idea that deserved hard work and a million rewrites? 

Writers don’t often sit down and create a masterpiece on the first take. I guarantee all the greats from Ernest Hemingway to Shakespeare threw away their fair share of wadded up paper and broke a quill or two out of frustration. I’ll bet some of them thought their best known works were nothing more than drivel slopped down on paper. Being a writer inherently means being plagued by doubt. Will anyone like what I’m writing? Does it make sense? Is it even a story? Trust me when I say I’ve asked every question that has run through your head and probably even a few more you haven’t thought of yet! The real question is whether you let it stop you from writing.

If something as wonderful as Casablanca was created through sheer resolve, then we should all have the determination to push through the road blocks- self created and others- to finish our own masterpieces. They may not all become classics made into film, but that doesn’t negate their worth and the satisfaction of doing something everyone wishes they could. Do you have that courage? What will you write today?

Fun Facts About Casablanca:

Nobody ever says, “Play it again, Sam.”

There were no “letters of transit” used during the war and there were never any uniformed German soldiers in Casablanca.

It is never revealed why Rick couldn’t return to America because the writers never could come up with a good reason so they left it as a mystery.

The twin brothers who wrote this are the only pair of twins to ever win an Oscar.

Dooley Wilson who played Sam, the piano player and Rick’s confidante, couldn’t play the piano in real life.

There really is a Rick’s Café in Casablanca today. It was opened by an American diplomat and the piano player plays As Time Goes By every night. The musician’s name is Isam. (Pronounced I Sam) Now that’s something you couldn’t make up!

 

 

Hump Day Kick Start – Cowboy Edition

Hump Day Kick Start for your muse, a writing picture prompt or just a visual treat.

Song of the day: Country Song by Seether

It’s rodeo time where I live. Three weeks of cowboys, livestock, concerts, carnival rides, barbeque, lingering smells of manure, and good ole boy fun. So in honor of bronc bustin’ and cattle ropin’, here is a picture to kick start your jean-clad butt.

Tell me about our cowboy. Who is he? Star bull rider? A performer for a sing-a-gram service? Where is he? A carnie operator’s trailer? Is he tuckered out from bull riding? Did he drink too much Lone Star beer? Why is he still wearing spurs?

Climb in the saddle and rustle up a tale. I’d love to hear from you.

MuseTrack’s Guest Eliza Knight – Creating Meaningful Book Titles

MuseTracks is delighted to feature award-winning historical and erotica romance author Eliza Knight. Eliza is not only an awesome writer, workshop presenter, moon-lighting editor, popular blogger, wife, and  super-mom, she’s also a great friend to get into trouble with . Welcome Eliza!

Creating Meaningful Book Titles

I would first like to thank Jennifer Bray-Weber for allowing me to post with you today.  She is a darling after my heart!

I am super excited to share with you the process of choosing the title for my newest Highland time-travel erotic novella release: HIGHLAND STEAM. Just released 2/22/12! Isn’t the cover hot?

Here is the back-cover copy:

Tragedy strikes in the Highlands, making Drostan the laird of the Comyn clan and in need of a wife to placate his people. His only choice is to trust in magic and travel to the sacred circle of stones…where he must passionately lay claim to the woman Fate brings him.

Briana is lost and alone when magic lights up the night. She meets the man of her dreams, a man who rocks her to her very core with orgasm after orgasm and somehow manages to steal her heart. The problem? The man of her dreams lives eight hundred years in the past.

Creating meaningful titles for my stories is important to me. I want it to signify something, have a part of the book. I want the reader to read the title—then while reading the story think, “Oh hey, that’s how she got the title,” but not in a way that is overwhelming. For example I wouldn’t use the word steam a thousand times in this novella, so much so that you got annoyed with me. In fact, I just checked and I only used “steam” three times in the whole 14,227 words!

Originally the title for this story was, UNTITLED SHORT TIME-TRAVEL. I’m not kidding…it was like that until I was nearly halfway done. But that’s not sexy…at all. After I got sick of opening up the UNTITLED SHORT TIME-TRAVEL a few times, I decided it was time to come up with a new exciting, sexy title that encompassed everything this story had to offer. I wanted my readers to know exactly what their getting into.

For my Highlander tales, I like to have the words Highland, Highlander or Warrior appear. (See, Take it Off, Warrior & The Highland Jewel Series) This tells the reader right away what they’re going to get—a hot Scot in a kilt—and who doesn’t love a hot Scot?! Beyond that, it really depends on the story.

HIGHLAND STEAM opens with our heroine lost on top of a Highland mountain, alone. As night rolls in, so does mist near an ancient ruins. Naturally, I thought, hmm, HIGHLAND MIST. But mist itself seemed a little tame for what I was looking for—but I still liked it. So I put that as the new title. And I kept on writing, and then it hit me as I typed this passage—a quick bit of background, they’ve made love upon a large flat sacred stone.

With their bodies sated, she collapsed on top of him.

Steam rose from the rock and even appeared to waft off their flesh.

“That was hot,” she muttered against the warm, salty skin of his shoulder.

“Aye, hot and damn good.”

Oh, Aye, HIGHLAND STEAM is hot, hot, HOT!!! And then, I knew I had it. I changed the title again, and I absolutely fell in love with it.

To read a very steamy excerpt from HIGHLAND STEAM, please click here.

I would love to give an e-copy of HIGHLAND STEAM to one commenter today! Answer me this… How much do you pay attention to titles?

*~*~*~*~*

Eliza Knight is the multi-published, award-winning author of sizzling historical romance and erotic romance. While not reading, writing or researching for her latest book, she chases after her three children. In her spare time (if there is such a thing…) she likes daydreaming, wine-tasting, traveling, hiking, staring at the stars, watching movies, shopping and visiting with family and friends. She lives atop a small mountain, and enjoys cold winter nights when she can curl up in front of a roaring fire with her own knight in shining armor. Visit Eliza at www.elizaknight.com or her historical blog, History Undressed, which was recently mentioned in a feature article in The Wall Street Journal. www.historyundressed.com

And the winner of the e-copy of Highland Steam is…

Victoria Zumbrum. Congrats, Victoria!

 

The Three of Us- Lovers Or Losers?

But friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold. -Oliver Wendell Holmes

 

 

By: Stacey Purcell

I’m a lucky girl.

My birthday was back in September, but I got to celebrate it last week…in Mexico. My two best friends from high school and I took a girls’ trip for five days in paradise. Good friends, blue waters, cool breezes and enough sangria to quench anyone’s thirst made for quite a trip.

I left Texas raining and cold to arrive in Cancun with warm sunshine. What a great break from winter weather and a chance to be with friends that I’ve known for 35 years.

We arrived at the hotel to discover they had upgraded us to a villa reserved for the owner of the resort. Wow! It was fabulous and made our trip so special, but there is a fatal flaw in accepting an upgrade like that- it completely ruins any other room you could possibly afford on your personal budget for the rest of your life! The villa even came with its own pool that was heated for us. Ahhhhh, life is good.

The next few days were spent sipping cold drinks and baking in the sun. The most strenuous thing we did was shower and dress for dinner each evening. Even getting cleaned up was a luxurious act with the private outdoor shower connected to our bathroom suite. I wonder if I can get my husband to build one of those off the side of the house…hmmmm.

One of my friends wanted to go on a sunset cruise and have a lobster dinner out on the beach. Sounds like a terrific idea, right? The concierge desk for adventure even had a special evening planned that included both items on her wish list. It couldn’t get any better. So off we go. The warning bells clanged in my head when we walked into the beach bar where we to begin our evening with champagne and there was a large heart made out of balloons about 9ft high.

We knew it was Valentines, but hadn’t really thought about it. That was our first mistake.

The three of us sipped our drinks as loving couples and honeymooners strolled in with their arms wrapped around each other. Needless to say, curious glances darted our way.

“Well, this is awkward,” I whispered.

We giggled and took another long swig on our drinks. Many more couples moved into the bar intent on making Cupid’s day a memorable one for 2012. The erected heart tower served as a back drop for amorous clinches that could be memorialized on film as souvenirs. The photographers didn’t know what to offer us so they ushered us up to do a threesome under the latex canopy.  More curious glances and open stares pointed in our direction.

Now, I know no harm was meant by booking us on the Love Boat, but it would have been nice if we had been informed that it was really meant for couples and a group of three women would look like a flopping, gasping fish out of water. I could hear the mental dialogue swirling around us.

“Losers. They have to celebrate Valentines together because none of them could get a man.”

“Look how cute. They are spending the day together. It sure beats being alone.”

“Hey, hey. Three girls together- bet they’re party animals. I wonder…” (This is where the girlfriend or wife would stop this train of thought. HA!)

We finally got out on the water. The sunset on clear,aqua water was spectacular. We had a great time. Soon the cruise was over and it was time for our lobster dinner under the moonlight and palm trees. All was great until one fellow came up to the disembarquing group, cupped his hands around his mouth, and yelled, “Who’s the only group of three?” Instantly, all eyes turn back to us. We sheepishly raised our hands and they escorted us to a table off to the side. Wine does wonders to diminish embarrassment- that’s all I’m saying…

Despite the evening where we made people wonder if we were lovers or losers, the trip was definitely one of the best we’ve had through the years. In the end, it wouldn’t matter if we were in Podunk, U.S.A. or in an exotic local, the company is what really matters. I’m one lucky girl, not because I got to go to Mexico, but because these women are so integral to my life that I can barely remember when they weren’t by my side.