Que Sera Sera

In these last few weeks the leaves have gone from green to burgeoning amber. The air's been hot, then cold, then hot again. As for me, I'm up, down and waaaaay, way down. A total rollercoaster. It's not about the writing so much, or the failure I'm feeling, but life in general. Why can't I do anything right? Why do I give up so easy? And why can't anything ever be good enough--enough to sit back and say that I'm happy and fulfilled? Last year was great because I made positive thinking a habit and that made a huge difference in my life. This must be a temporary slump. My book isn't selling and it hurts. That's life. Give me a few weeks and I'll be a flippin' Doris Day again.

Julia keeps me from delving too deeply into the dark. She's always looking ahead, figuring out the mysteries of life, how things work, how love works, how our minds work. She's a walking, talking Google. If someone mentions a medical condition on TV, she researches the crap out of it until she can spout every fact for hours--whether you've asked to or not. I must admit, sometimes that girl needs a time-out. Please, I can't take another explanation of how the circulatory system works or how the universe was made. Just. Let. Me. Sleep. Personally, I think it's turning her into a hypochondriac.

"Mom, my gut feels kind of weird."

"Julia? It's, like, midnight. Are you gonna barf? If you're gonna barf, don't talk about it, just go to the bathroom right now. I hate cleaning barf."

"No, I don't think I'm going to barf. I just feel weird. Maybe I ate too much soup. My intestines are digesting it. Did you know your intestines do all the work? Not your stomach. People think it's their stomach."

"No, I didn't. Listen, it's midnight. Go to sleep."

Five minutes pass. "Mom?"

"What?"

"Now I have to pee."

"Well, then, go pee."

Later—"Mom, I peed."

"Good. Go . . . to . . . sleep."

"Okay."

Five minutes later. "I shouldn't have watched that video about ghosts in Atlanta. Now I'm scared."

"There are no ghosts in our house, and we're in Kansas, so you're cool. Okay?"

"Okay."

Julia read all sorts of stuff on how to be a vegan the other week and went on to tell everyone how awesome vegans were. She explained all the dos and don'ts, and how it's wrong to eat meat, and how being vegan is healthier anyway. She even wanted tofu in her lunchbox. That afternoon she came home with a sad look on her face. I asked what was wrong. "Oh, nothing. It's just . . . being a vegan made me depressed." I told her she was young and her body needed certain nutrients and that's why she was sad. I explained that it was okay to eat a little meat every once in a while and when she grows up she can go vegan all the way. She seemed okay with that.

I hope I said the right thing. Maybe I'm just too lazy to learn vegan cooking. Am I cop out, or what? 

So anyway, what will be Julia's topic of the week this week? Hmm . . . I'll keep you updated.

Have a lovely Monday!

My playlist for The Time Seekers

Ready to find out what I listened to while writing my wildly successful novel, The Time Seekers? Well, it started off with this:



And then it turned into this:



And of course, this:



Then this:



And finally, this:


And much, much more, but mostly the above. Have a great one!

A review for The Time Seekers

Whitney Boyd, a writer I admire very much, has written a great review for the new book. If you haven't read any of Whitney's well-written and engaging novels about modern relationships (In the Stars, Iced Romance) then do yourself a favor and pick one up for a fun read. Thank you, Whitney, for the wonderful review!

THE TIME SEEKERS by Amy Saia is a fast-paced and thrilling novel, where time is twisted and shifted and people are not who they seem to be. Emma and William Bennett, newly married college students have some secrets. Recently they escaped a soul seeking cult led by a ruthless leader, Marcus, and are trying to get back to normal life. However, normal life isn't all that easy. William, a former ghost, can't shake his past life in the 1950s, and Emma can't forget a boy she loved, Jesse, who gave his life so she could live. Torn between time and lovers, William and Emma have to return to Springvale in the 1950s in order to stop the cult before it does too much damage. Once in the past though, William forgets who he was in the future and Emma is left on her own to try and figure out how to save them all.

Emma is an interesting character. A typical teenage girl in many ways, she is at the start somewhat selfish and stubborn, jealous of her husband's professors and other students, and yet unable to see that she is doing the same thing he is. She can't forget Jesse and won't give herself completely to William, despite desperately loving him as well. She likes the idea of marriage without any desire to sacrifice or change in order for the union to work.  But, when she finds out she is pregnant, she puts the needs of her baby in front of her own, a very selfless act despite her desires for a career and life outside of marriage. She is a coward at times, and incredibly courageous at other times, and is a very real person. Her struggles with her mother and grandmother when she goes back to the past, and how she has to put emotion aside to deal with them, is fascinating. She has to interact with them as they were once, even though she knows how they would be in the future and the pain and joy they each would give her.  I enjoyed seeing her tackle new challenges and manage to get through them despite her insecurities and weaknesses. Most of us will find a bit of ourselves somewhere within Emma.

THE TIME SEEKERS is fantasy mixed with every day life. It challenges boundaries and explores relationships and is a must-read book. I recommend reading Saia's first novel, THE SOUL SEEKERS, before delving into this sequel, in order to truly understand the dynamic world and cast of characters Saia has created.

Taking a moment

September 23rd (tomorrow) is the official release date for The Time Seekers. As usual I'm in some weird bubble of non-belief, or fear, or maybe just a whole crazy mixture of different emotions. It's one thing to sit and write a book, but it's something else to accept the reality of the achievement once a final destination has been arrived at.

This is a weird transition from the topic at hand, but I realized last week that my back injury was a metaphor for my life—throbbing pain and sleepless nights which left me crabby for days on end. I have finally arrived at the point where I would rather lose an arm than quit something when I believe in it. Be that writing or just not giving up on myself as a human being, then message received and message understood. It's nice to know that I'm stronger now than I used to be. Although, stubbing a toe will make me cry. Just sayin'.

Having this second book published is one of those things where I could not give up or something really important would be lost. It was a bumpy road and I often felt extreme failure and anger (at myself). But I knew that somewhere in the linear proportion of time, I would prevail. My publisher stuck with me, you--my friends--stuck with me. So, it's the right moment to send out a message of gratefulness for all of the help I received.

Thank you.

Friday, friday

My back is a lot better. My ego? Still hurting. Can't believe I got hurt after all the exercise I do on a daily basis. What a crappy week and there's still two days left. It can only get better, right? It has to.

Mantra of the day:

I am perfect and nothing truly hurts me

If only. But I'll keep repeating it just in case. I want the universe to hear, loud and clear, that I am ready for the GOOD STUFF! Bring it on.

By the way, I need your help. I still need readers and reviews for The Time Seekers. Email me at amysaia79(at)gmail.com for an electronic download ARC copy if you're interested. I'd be very grateful if you did. And, hey, free book!

Also, if you are anywhere near where fine books are sold, please ask for The Time Seekers so it can be stocked. I contacted my local bookstore and was told they won't stock it unless it is in demand. I could be underhanded and do it myself using different phones and a variety of voices ("Hello, do you have, eh, zee book, 'Zee Time Seekers' by, eh, Amy Saia? You don't? Vell . . . vat zee hell?"). 

I hope you have a wonderful day. Remember, don't step on a crack or you'll break Amy Saia's back. Again.

Do you hear that? It's my back breaking in half . . .

What a week. Julia was home from school with a cold for two days, and now Liam is home because he insists he doesn't feel good. I already took Julia to the clinic for a strep test, which was negative, but if Liam says he's sick I don't want to risk it sending him on a rainy day. Better if he stays home.

Anyway, Liam's my little helper. Because . . . I hurt my back. I was perfectly fine yesterday, but I just had to lift a planter outside. Julia put her hand down right where I was going to place it and, BAM, I threw my lower back out. Being tall I know how to and how not to lift heavy objects, but this was one of those unseen, unavoidable situations. I couldn't drop it on her hand, and there wasn't enough time to do anything else but move it forward and . . . ouch. It started aching slowly, but by bedtime I was in serious pain. Regardless, I washed the dishes, folded the laundry, brushed my teeth, made the kids get ready for bed, and then very carefully lowered myself down for the night. And now I'm broken. Whatever I hurt is at pivotal point in my back. The area that lets me turn, bend, squat, rise, walk. It's bad. I'm walking with a mop. So, Liam gets to help me, but not too much. He is sick and all. So far he helped me walk up the steps after dropping Julia off at school, he fed the cats, he's just a good kid.

I think I'm going to take a really hot shower and see if that helps. Otherwise, it's a good day to watch old movies. Have you ever been in a similar situation, and what remedies helped cure the pain?

Today reminds me of this song--used to be one of my favorites.

And now, I'm talkin' sitcoms

I mentioned Leave It to Beaver in my last post, the classic nuclear family sitcom of the 1950s. One of my favorite shows, I used to race home to watch reruns after school. Although some people see it as an example of the stifled emotion, stiff-upper-lip and 'Cut your hair, son' type of programs, for me it was merely reflection of its era, not an endorsement, and just a darn good show. Take any sitcom on TV today and tell me the plot didn't derive from a LeavIt to Beaver episode in some way. You can't. That show went through every scenario and emotion in regards to being a child or human, and the troubles thereof. Beaver keeps a lost puppy, Beaver picks up a baby rabbit, Beaver skips school, Wally wrecks the car, Wally dates the 'bad' girl in town, Wally and his crooked friend Eddy Haskel do underhanded business and get caught. There was the old 'confidant,' Gus, the fireman who provided sage advice to little Beaver. Gus was great. And the starched-apron parents, neither too strict nor too allowing, who had their own little comedy going on via the downstairs den. Did we ever see their bedroom? By the way, Ward Cleaver always threatened to spank the kids, but he never actually did it. There's a lot to be said in that.

Ah, Ward Cleaver. I admit, I have a fetish. Can you tell in the book? There's something about him. He's tall, dark and handsome, but not too handsome. He's kind, yet firm. He's gentle. He greases his hair back and wears old sweatshirts to clip the hedges. Did you know Hugh Beaumont hails from my area? That's right, just up the road in a small Kansas town. That makes me like him even more. I loved that the kids were scared to death of him (Dad's gonna wallop you hard fer that, Beaver!), but he never cashed in on his power.

And June . . . I didn't want Emma to turn into her one bit, though I do like June's sense of humor. There's a dark undertone in every thing she says. But the pearls? No. There's a reason they call it a choker. I've always wanted to rip that little strand off her elegant neck and yell, "Run, June, Run!"

I think Leave It to Beaver was more realistic than most shows of the 50s. Even though they lived in a sterilized world, they weren't boring. Did you know the boy who played Wally, Tony Dow, turned out to be a brilliant sculptor?

What is your favorite episode of this show or any old classic sitcom?

Writing in a Time Machine

When I began The Time Seekers, my knowledge of the Edsel and Jack Benny was good but not great. I'd grown up watching Leave it to Beaver and I Love Lucy reruns, and had access to a small town not much different than the one depicted on the aforementioned shows. But we all know those things are not enough to base a book on. What I needed was an innate knowledge of the setting and the people who lived in it. Basically, I had to create a time machine in my head so I could quickly imagine myself in a 1950s world. First was learning the little details of everyday life—the true foundation of any era or decade.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alsis35/

I read magazines. Every Look and Life and Saturday Evening Post I could get my hands on. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the whole process. Give me a vintage magazine and I'm the happiest girl on earth. All those glossy, full color ads of lipsticks and Jell-o; huge cars swallowed in gleaming chrome, and Lark cigarettes. Everything NEW! And NOW! Newspapers. I found an online cache from a small Michigan town which had archived every print since the late 1800s, and read and read and read. I think I must have been an adman in a past life; I practically salivate over those vintage full-page spreads. Even butter. Have you ever seen a butter ad from 1956? Run to your refrigerator now and spread a good dollop on a wedge of freshly toasted wheat. That's what an ad is supposed to do. However, the trick wasn't to show these fine details directly in the book—I didn't want my main character spouting off the price of butter and real estate in 1956. For me it was important to show it more than state it. With my saturation came an ease of story. I could now have Emma wander through this landscape without a flinch. At times, my 2000's world became a little hard to bear.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alsis35/

They didn't have social media back then, they were social media. People had a sense of community. They said hello to each other on the street. They tapped their horns, tipped their hats, chewed the fat and walked the extra mile. John Wayne was their hero, not Justin Beiber. But that's not to say society in the 50s was perfect. Racism was an undercurrent ready to explode and everyone knew it: some were ready to fight for it, some against it. Anti-sexism and the rise of the feminist was burgeoning as well. Man, who had risen from the rations and horrors of WWII, was ready to sit in his favorite easy chair and live a happy, unmarred existence. But the unbalance was there and Man would never quite get his rest. I did try to show this in The Time Seekers, because I felt that it—far more than any car or TV show—was the most interesting part of the decade. Anyone progressive enough to rise above the fray seemed to befriend Emma. There's something about that which made me very happy.

Since reading Time and Again by Jack Finney I've had the desire to write a time-travel romance. It's yet to be said if I managed to write it successfully. My fear is that I've written an Edsel. If so, then at least the process was fun and, well, time to go watch Howdy Doody.

ARCs for The Time Seekers . . .

I am in possession of ARCs for The Time Seekers, so if any of you grand and beautiful people would like to read and review, please let me know. I have Mobi and pdf for your reading pleasure. You can reach me at amysaia79(at)gmail(dot)com. Many thanks!

Emma and William Bennett are not the newlywed college students they appear to be. Besides both being telepathic, William is a former ghost from the 1950’s. Otherwise, your typical young couple. Emma wants William to loosen up a bit. William wants Emma to spend less time with her too-helpful art mentor.
 
When the soul-stealing cult they escaped from prior to their marriage threatens their lives, Emma and William must return to Springvale, to an earlier time and stop the leader before his rise to power. But once back in his hometown, William loses his memories, post-1956.
 
Now Emma’s formerly traditional husband is young and reckless and ignoring her warnings about the dangerous new group. In fact, William doesn’t remember her at all. Not their marriage, not their courtship, not even that she is carrying his child.

Emma, stuck on her own in the 1950’s, decides it’s up to her to save them both, Annie Oakley-style.

A view, a peak, a feather

 It started off with a red sky

 A feather fell into my universe

 Was pleasant enough, comical even

 My offspring battled the gods

 One for Tom ( I remembered!)

And then me.

Call for readers!

Update—I still need readers, so if you enjoy time-travel romance with a bit of ghostly action, please let me know via the email below!

Pretty soon I'll have ARCs (advanced reading copies) for The Time Seekers, and so I am officially putting out an invitation for readers. You get a free ebook from me and I (hopefully) get a review from you.

Any takers? Email me at amysaia79(at)gmail.com if interested.

Many thanks, and Happy Labor Day! I'm going to get some reading done and enjoy this cooler weather we're having. Oh, and I'm also way into Big Brother. It's the only reality show I watch. What are your plans for the day?

Peace




(picture by Joe Crawford from Moorpark, California, USA (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)