Evacuating from a Wildfire

By Kathryn Lane

I love the mountains in northern New Mexico. Nature in this area constantly surprises me with beautiful vistas, wildflowers, and above all, the wild animals. We have elk, deer, coyotes, wild turkeys, several varieties of birds, Cooper hawks, and bears. Occasional wild cats and mountain lions also roam the area. I’m mesmerized by the herds of elk and their calves. 

For some writers, the beach inspires them. For me, the mountains clear my brain and let my creativity flow. This year our normally peaceful mountain hideaway proved that nature can also be terrifying. A horrific wildfire started when controlled burns in the Gallinas Canyon in the Santa Fe National Forest near Las Vegas, NM, got out of hand and turned into the most destructive wildfire in the state’s recorded history.

In May, evacuations began very close to where we live. We could see the flames beyond the mountains in front of our cabin and the smoke was so thick, we decided to pack up and leave. What to take with us became an issue. Essential articles that we need for any trip is a given. Emergency items came next. After that, it’s a conflict between sentimental items, such as paintings, and what we could fit into our vehicle.

Two years ago, I’d given my husband, Bob, a bathrobe for the cabin. He lost it after forgetting it on a trip last year. He’d spent at least two months searching online for a replacement. For two months he grumbled about the bad selection, grim colors, wrong fabric, incorrect length, and lack of styling.  He finally ordered one and it arrived two days before we evacuated. A thick, heavy terrycloth robe, I put it in the car.

He immediately asked why we needed to take it.

“We’ll survive the evacuation,” I said, “but I can’t get through two more months of you hunting for another bathrobe.”

Thankfully, we are back in our beloved mountains and our cabin survived just fine.

I’d decided, before the wildfire started, to place my next Nikki Garcia mystery in New Mexico.

Now I’m wondering if I should include a wildfire in the mix to complicate the plot. One thing is for sure, Bob’s bathrobe will not be a part of the story! Or maybe a bear will eat the robe!

***

Postscript: The fire is no longer a threat, but for many families who lost their homes, their struggle is far from over.

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Kathryn's Nikki Garcia Mystery Series - on Amazon

Amazon Paperback - https://www.amazon.com/dp/173328270X/

Amazon eBook - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084GSGSRX/

ABOUT KATHRYN

Kathryn Lane started out as a painter in oils and quickly became 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.

Visit my website at https://www.Kathryn-Lane.com

Sign up for my monthly newsletter on my website

Photo credits:

All photographs are used in an editorial and/or educational manner

Elk and their Calves by Kathryn Lane

Firefighter – Taos News

Brown Bear by Kathryn Lane

Covers for the Nikki Garcia Mystery Series – Heidi Dorey designs for Tortuga Publishing, LLC

Photo of Kathryn Lane by Bob Hurt

Writing and Selling Fiction in the Metaverse

 By Kathryn Lane

In the near future, when a reader purchases a book, that reader can also receive additional 3-D experiences depicting the author’s world, how the author researched, created, and wrote that particular book.

Interacting with the metaverse.

As readers, we will be able to interact through virtual reality (VR) with our favorite authors. Though I don’t write in his genre, I can imagine a VR encounter with JRR Tolkien where I’d walk beside him in the scenes while he described his imaginative process in writing Lord of the Rings. Music, as in the films, should run too. But then I’d turn it off to better understand Tolkien’s creativity before the scenes were set to music. Tolkien is no longer living, but artists, writers, historians, script writers, photographers, and cinematographers would create the immersive where I’d be in the middle of the narrative.

Distortion in the metaverse.

Writers will have a variety of options for selling their works in the Metaverse. Unique codes, think of ISBNs currently used, will identify the digital asset that is linked to blockchain to secure its authenticity and uniqueness. This process creates a non-fungible token (NFT). For example, limited editions of digital works can then be sold as NFTs. Book covers and draft manuscripts also offer the possibility of NFT sales.

Blockchain provides a secure means for storing intellectual property like copyrights and patents, and includes smart contracts where author royalties can be collected every time an NFT book cover, limited edition, or a first draft manuscript is re-sold.

Visual representation of blockchain.

Big name authors with staff to do research, design, and marketing will have the advantage over lesser-known authors. They might turn their books into complete immersive experiences where readers don’t read but merely step into the story.

VR and the Metaverse will be used extensively in other areas, especially education. By combining topics such as math and science; language, geography, and history, among other subjects, learning can become more integrated. 

Student using the metaverse.

However, it’s not all panacea here either. Richer countries will have the advantage over poorer ones.

If you feel concerned about the Metaverse, you are not alone. If we think of it as the next level of the Internet, it becomes less intimidating. Though I remember how reluctant people felt in the early to mid-nineteen-nineties about using the Internet.

Are you ready to enter the brave new world of NTF books?

***

Kathryn's latest Nikki Garcia Mystery Thriller: Missing in Miami (available on Amazon)

About Kathryn

Kathryn Lane started out painting in oils and quickly became 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.

Visit my website at https://www.Kathryn-Lane.com

Photo credits:

All photographs are used in an editorial and/or educational manner

Augmented reality from Pinterest

Dreaming of distortion in the metaverse by Dean Terry is licensed under CC

Photo by Terry on Unsplash

AugustMan - Malaysia