On the Road to Santa Fe

 By Kathryn Lane

Just beyond the Santa Fe Opera, on the road to Los Alamos National Laboratories, is Camel Rock Monument. I traveled that route as a young CPA on my way to perform financial audits at the Labs. Camel Rock sits, almost Sphinx-like, guarding the southern fringe of the Española Badlands in New Mexico. Back then, the geologic formation seemed to speak to me every time I drove past. In the Land of Enchantment, the idea of spirits in the desert inhabiting an eroded rock and speaking to travelers seemed perfectly normal.

Then I left New Mexico. My new corporate job gave me the international travel I had dreamed of doing.  My life took such an interesting turn that I completely forgot about Camel Rock. After two decades of traveling the world in my corporate job, I resigned and moved to Texas to follow my dream of writing mysteries.

For the past two years, my husband, Bob, and I have spent the summers in northern New Mexico – my writing retreat. Being here has brought me face-to-face with Camel Rock again. Every time we drive past it on the road to Santa Fe, it seems to whisper, “welcome home.”

At the Bell Tower

For the past couple of months, I’d been working so hard on the Spanish translation of my novel, Waking Up in Medellin, that Bob suggested I take a break and we spend a couple of days in Santa Fe. Maybe even catch a sunset from the Bell Tower, the rooftop bar, at the historic La Fonda hotel. With hardly any tourists in Santa Fe, we had the Bell Tower almost to ourselves.

Then two men arrived and sat at the next table, social distancing observed. When one of the new arrivals discovered I was originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, he asked if I’d ever been to the border town of Palomas. I told him that was the port of entry we used for traveling between my hometown in Mexico and the US when I was a kid. He immediately asked if I’d ever heard of Tillie.

 

“The famous Tillie from Palomas, Chihuahua?” I asked. “One of my high school friends married her son Pedro.”

In the sheltering and social distancing world of COVID-19, I was amazed at meeting a man from Amarillo, Texas, who knew a woman from the tiny border town of Palomas, a short distance from where I grew up.

 

A case of six degrees of separation. Except here, I was connected by one step, not six.

Bob and I enjoyed our visit to Santa Fe. The entire trip brought back memories from the years I’d lived in New Mexico. And the Camel is right. I’ve come home!      __________________

Ever had an amazing or personally touching six-degrees of separation event? I’d love for you to share it!

Photos: By Kathryn Lane or from the public domain: Camel Rock Monument; Bell Tower Poster, and the adobe style façade of La Fonda Hotel.

Kathryn’s books – The Nikki Garcia Mystery Series and her short story collection – Backyard Volcano and Other Mysteries of the Heart. All available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082H96R11

 

Kathryn Lane started out as a starving artist. To earn a living, she became a certified public accountant and embarked on a career in international finance with a major multinational corporation. After two decades, she left the corporate world to plunge into writing mystery and suspense thrillers. In her stories, Kathryn draws deeply from her Mexican background as well as her travels in over ninety countries.

https://www.kathryn-lane.com                                https://www.facebook.com/kathrynlanewriter/

Lesson from Bon Jovi: “Do What You Can”

By Kathryn Lane

When I give presentations on writing, I’m often asked if I’ve experienced writer’s block – a slowdown of creativity or the inability to create a new work.

When my creativity slows, I turn to researching topics I’m writing about and that attracts my creative angels again. But I’ve heard stories of how dreadful writer’s block can be. Truman Capote spent the last ten years of his life speaking about the masterpiece he was writing, a work that never materialized and possibly caused the stress that triggered his nervous breakdown. How sad is that? 

On the other hand, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, often spoke of his inability to progress on “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” He gave up and drove his family from Mexico City, where they were living, to the seaside resort of Acapulco for vacation. They were just arriving at the bay of Acapulco when he stopped the car and turned around, explaining to his wife that he now clearly saw the premise for “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Skipping vacation, he drove back to Mexico City, sat at his typewriter, and banged out his masterpiece, the novel which undoubtedly won the Nobel Prize in literature for him.

So what happens when a writer hits a wall?

 

Recent news about a song in the upcoming album 

When Bon Jovi’s tour was cancelled due to COVID-19, he didn’t just stay home and fret. No, he stepped in as dishwasher at his JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank, New Jersey – a restaurant he established years ago which often provides food to those in need.

 

An Instagram posting showing him washing dishes, stated “When you can’t do what you do, then do what you can.” That inspired him to create the song “Do What You Can.”

 

The lesson in Bon Jovi’s action is to turn disappointment around when facing adversity. If it’s writer’s block or any type of setback, flip it over by doing what you can, rather than forcing yourself to do what you normally do. Until inspiration hits again!

  

If I experience writer’s block and turn to dish washing, I think my creativity would return very quickly!

 

Ever had writer’s block? How did you overcome it?

Kathryn’s books – The Nikki Garcia Thriller series and her short story collection – Backyard Volcano. All available on Amazon.

Kathryn Lane started out as a starving artist. To earn a living, she became a certified public accountant and embarked on a career in international finance with a major multinational corporation. After two decades, she left the corporate world to plunge into writing mystery and suspense thrillers. In her stories, Kathryn draws deeply from

https://www.kathryn-lane.com

https://www.facebook.com/kathrynlanewriter/

"If I Had Something to Say" by re_birf is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Other photos from public domain.

Clicking Our Heels: Unflappable or not?

Unflappable or not? When it comes to their writings, here are some thoughts the Stiletto Gang members have. 

Juliana Aragon Fatula - I’m unflappable. Ha. Bullshit. I am overwhelmed by life and writing is my escape. I create a world where I escape and then I visit there whenever I need to be in my head and not my heart.

Julie Mulhern - I'm unflappable.

Debra Sennefelder - I wish I was unflappable. Having multiple deadlines due within the same time period overwhelms me. So far, it hasn’t happened often but when it has, I felt the pain. And it made me grateful for my time management skills.

Paula Benson - Letting the fear of it not being good enough convince me not to start.

T.K. Thorne - I tend to go off in too many directions-projects-commitments at the same time and that often feels overwhelming.

Robin Hillyer-Miles - Dialogue. I write too formally. I keep forgetting that people use contractions when they speak.

A.B. Plum - Ensuring I'm writing characters who are different from each other. Writing humor is often a challenge—one I like b/c I especially like sarcasm.

Kathryn Lane - Unflappable?! Everything overwhelms me until I get my arms around it.

Debra H. Goldstein – I’m in a dither until an idea hits, but once I’m in the zone, there’s no stopping me.

Sparkle Abbey:
Mary Lee Ashford: It varies. I love the writing part and even more I love the revision and polishing part. The characters are what I love the most. I don't love the first draft and so sometimes slogging through that ugly first pass feels overwhelming to me.
Anita Carter: I wish I were unflappable. If anyone answers that they’re unflappable, I need to chat with them to get some advice. I hate the blank page and I hate the beginning when there are too many options. I can get bogged down in thinking about plot options.

Lynn McPherson - The middle of the book, first draft.

Shari Randall - Beginnings are the worst!

Dru Ann Love - Writing a musing without giving away too much of the details. Also, writing a musing for every book I read because then I won’t read. I have to pick and choose which book to do a musing.