When you read a piece of writing that you admire, send a note of thanks to the author.

- Sherman Alexie

With Gratitude at Thanksgiving and All Year Long

To all the authors we've highlighted here at The Write Way Cafe and all the visitors and readers who have taken time to share and support the blog and our authors, thank you for a wonderful and enriching 2016. We wish you all a wonderful holiday.

HiDee and Lynn

Tuesday Special: Charmaine Gordon with At Your Service

Charmaine Gordon

http://authorCharmaineGordon.wordpress.com/

This is a Romance of another kind; Love stories come in many disguises. This time, for me, it began with a fall.

"Of course," I said, "I'll sleep over, make breakfast for CassidyRae, see that she's dressed, teeth brushed,and gets on the bus." Easy, right? Granny's do that after raising a batch of kids. 

6 a.m. I woke up to the sound of garbage collectors. Dark outside as I peeked out the window to check my watch in light cast from the outside street lamp. And then I turned. "I'm falling", registered in my head. That was the end of life as I knew it for many months. I heard my 8 year old granddaughter scream,"Mommy, mommy, granny's on the floor and she's not moving." Daughter running with her cell phone calling her school- getting a sub, calling 911 for an ambulance, calling my husband. 

And now the love story begins just like the song from South Pacific:"Some enchanted evening, you will meet your true love  across a crowded room."

Picture a rehab hospital: me, a former actor, dancer, now an author of many books, slumped in a wheelchair amidst other folks in pain. Suddenly dogs wearing red jackets appear, they head toward me, their handlers smiling. "Are you Charmaine? Judy Audevard put the word out. Meet Cooper, He's here to give you some love." A Golden Lab laid his head in my lap, then gave me kisses, and leaned in close. 

I straightened up, my hands stretched out to embrace the pooch; the healing began. With daily doses of a multitude of dogs, both small and large, my spirits rose and I grew determined to overcome a fractured pelvic, serious concussion and more. Daughter brought my computer and I was in business. 

At Your Service is the title of my latest release. I wrote and wrote in my little corner of the world in a private room. So many Therapy dogs, trained, oh yes, they take a six month course before they get the diploma. Then the pooch wears a red jacket to show he or she is qualified and the handler, the dog's proud owner, are on their way. They are qualified to go to West Point where they comfort cadets before taking stressful tests, visit returning veterans, attend schools where children with learning difficulties improve when a therapy dog cuddles up to rest his head and so much more. Your heart will warm on a cold night to read these short tails/tales.

Thanks for your support, my friends. We appreciate reviews. All proceeds go to Paws for a Cause.

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About Charmaine: I was an actor for many years on daytime drama, One Life to Live, Another World, All My Children. Movies; my first was Working Girl where I sang Happy Birthday to Melanie Griffith and shared a Hot Dog with Harrison Ford during the break. The Road to Wellness with Sir Anthony Hopkins,"call me Tony" he said and invited me to lunch at the special room for the leads and staff. What fun and delicious filet mignon. The sweet time in my life after caring for a large family in the loving days of momhood. Then my voice failed me and I began writing. How I love this career and my publisher, Kimberlee Williams, Vanilla Heart Publishing.

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One of the best things about reading is that you’ll always have something to think about when you’re not reading.

- James Patterson

An Interview with Kathleen Shaputis

The Write Way Café welcomes Kathleen Shaputis, who shares her path to bringing her passion to life.


When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book? Was that first thought related to writing romance?
Writing has been a passion since I was about six years old writing stage plays for the neighbor kids to act out in my backyard. From there I wrote short stories in middle school and attempted my first novel out of high school. Though my parents sat in the audience applauding my plays, when I was older they told me to put away the creative foolishness and concentrate on getting a job. Throughout marriages, a career and a child, I kept the passion locked away. My novels were romantic comedies and commercial women’s fiction.

What was your path to getting this book written and published? What type of research did you do?
As His Lass Wears Tartan (HLWT) is a sequel, I approached the same publisher, Crimson Romance, who published Her Ghost Wears Kilts (HGWK). Most of my research had been done with the first book, so I was fortunate to bring in the same characters in the same castle.

Where did the idea for your story come from? 
Back in 2013, I went to an international week-long writers conference held at Hevers Castle in England. I gathered hours of research about the castle and castle grounds for Her Ghost, while studying with literary authors. Actually my husband threw out a suggestion of creating an Agatha Christie murder theme for my next book. The idea stuck and I brought in a writers conference to the Castle Baillie.

Why did you pick the setting you did?
I am Scots by heritage and had wanted to write a contemporary romance in a castle setting, waging a quarrel between the Bruce and Baillie clans. HLWT is a sequel and I kept the characters at the Scottish castle.

Are your main characters completely imaginary or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself?
There are some similarities in the characters that I see in myself. Yet, no one character can be seen as having a foundation of any of my friends or acquaintances. They are a potpourri of traits and foibles.

Did you face any blocks while writing the book, and if so, how did you handle them? If not, what's your secret?
HLWT was written during 2015, a year of dramatic highs and lows in my life. When I started I was embroiled in the drama of the birth of my first great grandson by my teenaged grandson and his girlfriend. She lived with me and I made all the dr appts and took them to birthing classes. This kept me busy enough that when I had time for writing what was to be a Christmas novel, the words flowed from being cramped and waiting their turn. However, the baby died before he was three months old under the mother’s care after she moved out of my house and the world ended for me. I clung to my characters as a lifeline to reality and changed the timing from Christmas to springtime.

What have been surprises you've encountered while writing the book and after?
I was quite surprised by the violence between the hero, Bruce and the antagonist, Jonathan. Granted, they were both attracted to Rogue who felt she didn’t need a man in her life to be happy, which made their plays for her attention more difficult.

What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about Elizabethan-themed weddings, ghosts, and haunted castles?
I learned patience and acquiesce when it came to the title of the book. My working title was Faults and Foibles, as doesn’t every man seem to have many. But the publisher said no and asked for a second try. I submitted The Kilt Dropped Here but due to the television show Outlander using this phrase in their marketing, it was deemed to promote problems. So the publisher gave it the current title to blend in with the first book. I enjoyed researching hand-fasting ceremonies in Scotland quite a bit.

Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
My computer desk sits in the corner of our library room with wall to ceiling bookshelves along the back wall. To my left are large windows where I can look out at the woods of fir and maples surrounding our house, as well as Junior’s Memorial Garden I built in the front yard. Being able to watch the seasons change and the few deer and squirrels grace our yard keeps my passion going for creating words.

What are some of your favorite books and why?
I love Jane Porter’s books and Jennifer Crusie; JK Rollings, definitely and romantic comedies in general.

What are you working on now?
This is exciting, I’m actually working on a third book at Castle Baillie, working title is The Witch Wears Plaid. It includes jousting and knights in armor, druids and more with the character from the past book, Nell, as the love interest.

Would you like to try your hand at writing a different genre?  Which one and why?
I have a darker novel in progress based in the Seventies regarding women’s rights with a single mother as the protagonist. I will be focused on finishing it once I have the third castle book completed.

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
Growing up being told writing was not “work,” I wanted to be a guide dog trainer and work with dogs and those who were blind. However, in the 1960s women were not allowed to be trainers, only men. I was crushed, strike two in my career choices, and ended up in clerical work.

What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble?
The middle scenes, I’m either rushing my characters through a problem or have them scattered about listlessly for a while. Sometimes they have to take charge of their own destinies and tell me where to go and what to do.

Who is your favorite hero/heroine?
First thought: Lassie. Seriously, I’ve watched Lassie Come Home so many times and she fights her way through the moors and hills of Scotland valiantly to return to her boy. I must have three different editions of the book. Human-wise Scarlett and Rhett would top the list, such intricate characters with so much passion and such stubborn streaks.

     Independent and dedicatedly single, Rogue Bruce enjoys running Castle Baillie with her Aunt Baillie from America. They specialize in romantic Elizabethan-themed weddings, complete with resident ghost, Lord Kai (nothing like a haunted castle to set the mood for love). But love is something Rogue is not the least bit interested in. Content with her work and stable of horses, no man is necessary for her happiness.

     Matchmaking is in the air, though, focusing on local Bruce MacKenzie, a Thor-look-alike in jeans, and outsider Jonathan Olson, a snobbish Rhett Butler type. With two men after her heart (she’d thought safely locked away), Rogue is torn with confusion. Murder and a psychic yank the soundtrack of Rogue’s life from romantic to scary, while she has choices to make in this sizzling triangle.

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Kathleen Shaputis, author/ghostwriter, lives in the glorious Pacific Northwest with her husband, Bob, a clowder of cats and three pompously protective Pomeranians with little social aptitude: Brugh, Bouncer and Miss Jazzy. If not writing, she’s busy reading and watching romantic comedies, her ultimate paradise.

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Any other personal links you want to add? https://Herghostwearskilts.com

Email Address:   shaputis@gmail.com

Passion is Energy

My daughter has been going through a rough time, learning to cope with anxiety and depression.  It’s hard to fight an enemy you can’t see.  I often find myself on the rollercoaster of emotions with her – sympathetic at times, encouraging at times, blunt at times.  And yet, somehow, she has a tenuous hold on the one thing that has been her passion throughout her life: stock car racing.

It relieves her anxiety.  It’s an escape from reality, or should I say to a different reality, for at least a short time. Even during off-season she can climb into the car and feel some relief.

Passion is an intense emotion, a compelling enthusiasm or desire for something.  Passion is energy.

In spite of her issues, she is clinging to her passion.  She’s setting an example for me.

In the midst of everyday life, between the challenges of work, family and self, I still have a passion for reading and writing. Maybe the order flip-flops at times, but it never goes away.

When I was young, I regularly checked out books from the library. Public, school, bookmobile…it didn’t matter. I just wanted a stack of books to read each week. We didn’t have the money to buy new books, but I didn’t care. Even borrowed books offered opportunties to get lost in other worlds, and to learn.

I also started writing when I was fairly young. My mom recently gave me a folder of papers she had kept from my youth. It was a lot of fun, and kind of emotional, to read the stories I wrote so long ago. Some I remembered, some I didn’t. But reading through them reinforced how important writing has been in my life. To this day, I'm comforted by the feel of a pen in my hand and words flowing onto paper. It doesn't matter if I'm writing letters, poetry or fiction; if I'm journaling, or even just making lists.

For me, there is a freedom in putting pen to paper. There is freedom in escaping into a good book. These are my passions.

My goal as a writer is to share with others the passion I have for reading. If my writing gives just one person the pleasure I’ve had from reading, and encourages them to read more, then I’ve done my job as a writer. Of course, I really want to impact more lives than just one, but one is a good start!

What is your goal as a writer?

As a writer you should not judge. You should understand.

-Ernest Hemingway