A Time for Change

How do you deal with change in your life? Are you paralzed with fear and unable to make decisions?

One way or another, if you are confronted with something unexpected, your life will change.  What if  that change could lead you on the path of your destiny....and your destiny was bigger than you ever could imagine?

  It is happening to my progtagonists and the effect on history is unbelievable.

Love...Instinctual or Learned

If you saw a wounded bird by the side of the road, would you stop and pick it up?  Can you keep your eyes open when the ASPCA commercials show the abused animals that need to be adopted? Could you give love under the most dire of circumstances...knowing it is the right thing to do but your whole being screams "no?"

For some, loving is instinctual whether it be with animals, friends or sharing a deep passionate love.  This is true for one of my female characters. She gives love easily, even when love is impossible.  Because of that it is difficult for her to understand that not everyone responds to situations in the same manner.  People do not always have integrity...but rather greed.  They may not have morals and values, but they have adopted a way to survive and thrive.  That is the description of the people she meets in her path....clever and conniving with a scheming plan to survive at all costs....no matter who suffers....no matter what cost.

What a Difference a Few Hours Makes

Mid-morning

Late afternoon

In one day the weather went from sunny and bright to blistery cold with swirling snow squalls. While I appreciate the changes in weather and most of the time, I love the snow... it is daunting to realize how quickly things can shift.

One moment we are a child living a relatively quiet life with few burdens....and the next we are caught in the cross-fire of differences....differences that when scrutinized have so much similarity that perhaps...with a little hope could bring unity. Maybe those differences could create an abyss so wide there is no chance for understanding.  Whatever the outcome in our life or in the books you read, life is very interesting....but mostly unpredictable. 

Another Storm in an Exciting Week

My very busy and exciting week has culminated in the launch of my author website. I feel like I just had a baby....without the weight game...oh wait a minute.  I forgot about those late nights writing with bags of popcorn and a cup of tea, and those were the lower calorie nights!

It's official:  LindsayAlexandraDawson.com is up and running as am I.  I'm off to the caterer for the celebration party planning.

Check back with me soon because I am in the midst of a firestorm. Watch what happens!

The Art of the Nuance

 I wanted to see the movie THE BLACK SWAN.  My interest was in the dancing, but I was drawn into the family dynamics and the intricate nuances that were highlighted by the producers... which brought the story to life.  As the main character Nina (played by Natalie Portman) danced, every breath that she took was magnified just slightly.  It took me back to my days of ballet where a spotlight catches everything and breathing has to be controlled.  To this viewer the story was about finding passion from what you love.  Sometimes we lose that passion because of stress factors. In Nina's case it was the stress of constantly maintaining perfection as a ballerina.

To me there is nothing more perfect than nature.  It was made to be perfect and however it looks it is beautiful...whether it is in the dead of winter or the lush bloom of spring.  And if perhaps there is a missing branch of a rotting tree, it's imperfection makes it interesting and actually quite pleasing to the eye. The photos to the left are of ice encapsulating  pine needles in a wintry web. It doesn't translate as beautiful as it is in person, but the idea is there.

The same is true  with Nina's dancing in Black Swan.  It was pure technical perfection in the beginning, and by the end it still was technically good, but she now had discovered how to translate her love for the dance....into the dance. Having the feeling in your heart and putting it into dance, writing, or a painting is what separates people into the passionate and the passionless.

There was a lot of "in your face" dysfunctional behavior in this movie but it was the subtle nuances that grabbed me.  Her little gasps with movement. A head movement that brought her closer to her partner.  It suggested love as the white swan and challenge as the black swan. As with nature...when there is an earthquake or tsunami, all that was beautiful becomes deadly.

I came away thinking.  It was not the violent deadly weather-like actions that made me think. It was the little movements and suggestions that allowed me to draw my own conclusion. As a writer,  I look at movies differently letting the story wash over me like a wave.  How did it make me feel?

And that... is why people write books, because the written and spoken word have such a profound impact on us.  There is nothing better than curling up with a good book or watching an engaging movie. It makes us feel and that's what it's all about.

You're Scared of What?

"Our mommy taught us to be afraid of nothing but fear itself!  Why are we still scared?"

I once read a book called Feel the Pain and Do it Anyway. It was recommended to me by a woman going through a divorce.  At the time I was going back to work after having my children and interviewing for a scary job. Any job was scary after speaking todder-ese for years and the thought of spending time in an office... after years of freedom from my own business, was daunting.

Everyone had fear. The dreamers among us remain paralyzed by their fear.  Those who push past their fear  constantly seek to accomplish their dreams. Which one are you?  There is no failure in either path.  There is only failure...if you never make the choice.

My female protagonist makes such an incredibly difficult decision to leave all that is familiar and follows her dream to another life.  It is heartwrenching to feel her pain as she is shunned by one world and thrown into another without the skills to survive. Is there someone who is by her side...or is she left to her own devices liked an orphaned child? With one foot in the ancient past and the other on the outside edges of the present, she struggles to find her way.  Thank goodness she has a thirst for knowlege in her quest to assimilate.

The best laid plans.....

Finishing Touches....

The website designer is putting the finishing touches on my author website and it will be launched very soon. I cannot wait to share it with you.  To be continued.....

Nature's Influence

Where does the path behind the trees lead?

Nature is so awe inspiring. The beauty of the changing seasons never ceases to amaze me! While driving in the snow doesn't thrill me....I love to walk in the snow and listen to the silence. Having boundless energy works in my favor most of the time...but when I want to be totally still, the snow quiets me.

Certainly that picture compels me to create a scenario... an explanation of what happened on that path.  Maybe nothing happened or maybe something monumental....life changing.  Only time will tell.





My Favorite Things

Lake Como, Italy....one of my favorite places! 

I have five paintings of Lake Como in my home, after spending two hours there.  This is how keen our senses can be. Whether it's music.... perhaps The Secret Garden or The Sounds of Tuscany.....the scent of beautiful Mexican vanilla mixed with grapefruit and tangerine to form a heady perfume....or your first bite into a favorite chocolate.  Have you ever taken a bite a chocolate outside in the winter?  The taste is amplified beyond expectation!  Do you seek your favorite things knowing that which brings you joy?

One of my characters answers that with a resounding "NO." Will she find the happiness she seeks? I am not sure she even knows how to search for it.  This I do know....she is heavy laden with tradition and the weight

has completely changed her posture in life.

Holiday Aftermath

There is always a feeling of letdown after the holidays.  For me this year, I choose to look at it as a renewal....a renewal of friendships, renewal of life and a renewal of purpose and forgiveness. 

Forgiveness is something that I am exploring with a female character.  She is quite frankly....really struggling with it. Through her, I am examining choices. There are lies and deception surrounding her and she wonders....what is the truth of it? Pathological liars are convincing.  What is the expression?  If you tell a lie enough times, you will actually come to believe it! There are no promises of resolution.

It is both exhilarating and exhausting to immerse myself in my characters' lives. I am there in the midst sorting it all out...or not.

Bringing in the New Year with Food and a Book

It was just the kind of cold day that called for a pot of homemade spaghetti sauce and a pot of escarole and bean soup.  As I sauteed the compari tomatoes with the shallots and olive oil, and breathed in the scent of home....I pondered this thought.  Is home really where the heart is?  And if it is true, then the kitchen must be the heart of the home...certainly my home. 

It's where all the important discussions take place, the food is cooked, most of the entertaining is done, and where friends are welcomed as family. It is also one of the places in my home where I write. With a beautiful view of the outdoors, I am surrounded by abundant pines allowing the landscape behind... to gently peak through. Breathtaking views, the scent of flavors as they mesh together and a cup of strong coffee fuel this writer onto her next task for the day.

It's re-read time again.  Going to curl up with my novel in progress and enjoy!