Smoke of a Distant Fire

 Smoke of a Distant Fire

By Cathy Perkins

Wildfires continue to devastate large swaths of California, Oregon and Washington, leaving death and destruction of lives, towns, and forests behind them.

I started to open this post with bullet points, such as:

• Climate change is real
• Science is real

But I generally leave the politics to my blog mate, Kay.

Here at The Stiletto Gang, we try to entertain and educate. Sometimes the posts are about books and sometimes about whatever subject inspired our latest story. But sometimes, the post is simply to inform.

Today, I want to tell you about smoke and the dangers of smoke inhalation. In a burning building, smoke inhalation overwhelms most victims, but with wildfires, smoke can be a widespread, more subtle danger. While the type and amount of particles and chemicals in smoke varies depending on what’s burning, how much oxygen is available, and the burn temperature, all smoke contains carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and particulate matter.

In very broad terms, these are the effects of those three components. Inhaling carbon monoxide decreases the body's oxygen supply. (It attaches more tightly to the red blood cell, preventing oxygen from reaching tissue in your body.) This can cause headaches, reduce alertness, and aggravate a heart condition known as angina. Fine particles can travel deeply into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs. Inhaling fine particles can cause a variety of health effects, including respiratory irritation and shortness of breath, and can worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease. During increased physical exertion, cardiovascular effects can be worsened by exposure to carbon monoxide and particulate matter. Once exposure stops, symptoms from inhaling carbon monoxide or fine particles generally diminish, but may last for a couple of days.

The CDC has a one-page information sheet that you may find interesting or helpful.

https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/wildfires/smoke.html

On a personal level, I’m surrounded by three major wildfires. Cold Creek to the northeast, Evans Canyon to the southeast and smoke from the Oregon fires pushing in from the south and west. So, the air quality here has been in the “very unhealthy” zone for a week. It occasionally topples over into “hazardous” territory, which basically means don’t go outside if you can help it. We’ve kept the house closed up, but inevitably smoke comes in every time we do go outside, so it’s less of a sanctuary now.

The view looking out my door: 

Yeah, there's normally a forest and a mountain visible out there. 

Staying home, limiting the social bubble, was tough enough when we could get outside and hike or golf or just sit by the river. After a week inside the house, I have even more sympathy for my friends in Brooklyn and other large cities, where “getting outside” might mean sitting on the front steps of your building. I’m also battling burning eyes, swollen sinuses, a headache and a general feeling of, can I just curl up on the couch?

Pray for rain and offer thanks to the dedicated firefighters who are slowly containing the fires.

And now I have that song as an earworm…

You left me here...

Girl your eyes…

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.  Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook 

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She's hard at work on the sequel to The Body in the Beaver Pond, which was recently presented with the Claymore Award. 

Perseverance

 Perseverance

By Cathy Perkins

We’re living in crazy times right now. The world feels turned upside down and inside out by the pandemic and I refuse to mention the horrible political climate in the US. When I talk with friends about writing, the publishing industry, and life in general, I hear a constant refrain of how difficult it has become.

Last week, my husband and I finally ventured out of our bubble and visited my daughter’s in-laws. (Yes, we like our kids’ in-laws!) One of our many hikes ventured into ancient lava flows – stark, alien terrain. Obsidian faces as bright and shiny as a new penny belied the 7000-year-old explosion that created them.

But amid all that desolation, there was a tree.

A small tree, it put down roots and built a home. And slowly, slowly, it thrived.

The lesson is obvious but still so hard to hear. Patience. Determination. Willingness to take a risk.

As an author, I’ve slowly built a library of books. I’m so grateful to the people who read them. They’re the reason I write. If you’ve read one or more of them, thank you for rewarding me with your faith in my ability to tell a story and offer a few hours of escape and entertainment.

This picture, however, reminds me that even in these uncertain times, it’s up to me to find a way to thrive.

(And for a tiny bit of shameless self promotion, So About the Money, book 1 in the Holly Price mystery series is on sale today. http://bit.ly/AllAmazon_SATM ) 

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.  Visit her at http://cperkinswrites.com or on Facebook 

Sign up for her new release announcement newsletter in either place.

She's hard at work on sequel to The Body in the Beaver Pond, which was recently presented with the Claymore Award.

Lessons From My Garden

By Saralyn Richard

I’ve always loved to plant flowers and vegetables and watch them grow, but never, until now, have I had the time to nurture, weed, water, and admire the horticulture. For all of the things the pandemic has taken away, the joy of gardening is one thing it’s brought to my life in technicolor.

            During days when time inside seems to stand still, when one day pours into the next, so it doesn’t matter whether it’s Monday or Saturday, the ever-changing splendor of my garden provides something new. In March, I planted the caladium bulbs kept in the garage all winter. Even from the first day after planting, they were pushing up shoots that turned into buds, that opened into showy broad red and green leaves. The progress was rapid and almost magical.

            The caladiums reminded me of the book release process. When I published my debut mystery novel, MURDER IN THE ONE PERCENT, in 2018, I experienced that creative push of final edits, review blurbs, pre-publication hype, and, voila! The book was “above ground,” out into the world. As the book was nourished by reader reviews and a dizzying book tour schedule, it opened up to book clubs, new readers, and beautiful new connections.

            The fig tree in my back yard, however, has taught me patience. The sequel to MURDER IN THE ONE PERCENT, A PALETTE FOR LOVE AND MURDER, was released in February of this year. I had no idea that a pandemic would wreak havoc with every launch party, book talk, and book club I had so enthusiastically planned. Like the new mystery novel, the fig tree burst forth in a passionate profusion of fruit. Once the first crop was picked, though, the tree slowed down. It’s still full of potential. Hundreds of green buds remain, patiently awaiting their natural time to explode into luscious purple fruit. Though the book launch for PALETTE was not what I expected, the joy of the first crop of readers and the early reviews has been gratifying. Now I need to nurture the green buds, knowing that, if I’m patient, they will produce fruit.

            A final parable comes from the enclosed planter on my front porch. I’ve never been able to grow anything in this shady area. Too little sun, too little water, and too little attention from me were all to blame. I had literally given up on having anything there, except an air plant, a few aloe vera plants, and a touch of tradescantia zebrine (wandering jew). I decided that this was the time to experiment. I took a cutting from a healthy ginger plant in my back yard, and I planted it in the planter. I decided to keep the porch light on all night to give it extra light for growing, and I water it every day. At first the leaves turned brown and I was sure the plant was dying, but after a few more days, baby shoots started popping up in the soil. Now the plant is thriving, and the planter is a source of pride.

            So many times in writing, the easy path would be to give up. I might blame a lack of time, a dearth of creative ideas, a busy calendar, family demands, even a pandemic—innumerable excuses for not writing. The truth is, however, that an author with a creative spirit can produce a story to be proud of. Yes, there are obstacles, but obstacles can be overcome, as long as the passion and will are there.

            Those of us who read and write, who love books, have likely learned many lessons during these months of social distancing. Here’s hoping all of our lessons bear the sweetest fruit.

Award-winning mystery and children’s book author, Saralyn Richard strives to make the world a better place, one book at a time. Her books, Naughty Nana, Murder in the One Percent, and A Palette for Love and Murder, have delighted children and adults, alike. A member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, Saralyn teaches creative writing at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and continues to write mysteries. Look for A Murder of Principal to be released in January, 2020. Reviews, media, and tour schedule may be found at http://saralynrichard.com.

 https://www.amazon.com/Murder-One-Percent-Saralyn-Richard/dp/1626947716/ref

 https://www.amazon.com/Palette-Love-Murder-Detective-Parrott/dp/1644372045/ref