How to Get a Handle on Using Your Novel Research

by Linda Rodriguez

Research is vital for all fiction writers to a certain extent, and for those writing novels such as historical or science fiction or techno-thrillers, research can make or break their books. Yet research has its pitfalls and needs to be kept under control.

It’s always a mistake to allow research to consume the story you’re trying to tell. You can’t allow your desire to show off all of your great research to leave your narrative littered with details that slow down your pacing and clog up the narrative drive of your book. It’s often better to have something mentioned in passing and not defined or explained because your characters would know what it was. If you feel that some kind of explanation is needed for the readers, put it in context with a conversation, often joking, about some difficulty with the object or law or situation that uses the barest minimum of detail.

Another major issue—and probably the most important—in dealing with research is organizing it so that you can lay your hands on the item you need as you are writing that passage. There are several possible ways to organize research, and which is best depends on how your mind works and which you prefer to work with.

If you prefer to work with notes you take by hand or have a lot of physical documents to refer to, one or more portable file boxes with folders for each category of information—or period of time or whatever organizing principle you choose to use—will keep everything where you can readily access it. Binders are also a good way to keep track of notes, documents, printouts, and with enclosed pocket pages, smaller pieces of research or items that don’t lend themselves to lying flat or being hole-punched. You may even be a hardcore 3x5 card user, and you can find card files with dividers that allow you to organize these, as well.

If you prefer to do everything on the computer, you can set up in your word processer a master folder for the book full of lesser folders organized the way you would organize the physical files we talked about. You can also use a notes program, such as Evernote or One Note, which can be organized in any way you choose and can store photos, graphics, and videos, as well as allowing you to tag items with sources or cross-references.

Another good choice for technophiles is Scrivener or other similar book-writing programs, such as yWriter. Each of these allows you to add research notes to the actual chapter or scene where they will be used and then move them around, if need be. Scrivener also has a virtual 3x5 card function and a timeline function that can be a real lifesaver for complex books. Scrivener, of course, has many other functions, and a lot of my friends who are bestsellers swear by it. I intend to try it soon, but currently I use One Note for virtual information and a three-ring binder for physical items.

One of the things I always try to do is to keep a simple Word document going to which I add the names of everyone I’ve talked with to research a book. Then, when I need to write my acknowledgements page, I have that information at hand and don’t have to worry about forgetting anyone who helped me.

Chronology and timelines can be a real problem, not only for historical novelists and fantasy saga writers, but for others, such as mystery writers, who have to juggle the timeline of what really happened at the same time they are dealing with the timeline of how the protagonist solved the crime. For a simple timeline, you can keep track of things in your writing software, but for more complex or extensive timelines, you can either turn to Scrivener, which has a useful timeline function, or many of the other programs available online that deal with timelines only, such as Preceden, Aeon, Smartdraw, etc.

Of course, you can also go the old-fashioned way of constructing a comprehensive timeline to tape to your office wall, if you have a nice, long horizontal space available. If not, you can tape it in big chunks to large pieces of poster board and set them up against your wall or on a table or floor when you need to look at the entire timeline and perhaps shift something around on it.

Fortunately, there are many options for organizing research open to writers today. It’s simply a matter of choosing one or a combination of them that fits your mental style of working and using it religiously. That last bit is vital. You can have the best, most up-to-date method of organizing your research, but if you don’t use it consistently, it won’t support the work you’re trying to do. So, if you find yourself intimidated by the technological wonders, you might be better off using an old-fashioned file-folder system or binders you feel comfortable in using, rather than a state-of-the-art system you’re too nervous to use regularly. Research organization is for your benefit alone. You don’t have to impress anyone else, so use what really works for you.

How do you use research, if you're a writer? If you're a reader, have you seen good and bad research use in the novels you've read?

What Inspires You?

by Sparkle Abbey

“All the effort in the world won’t matter if you’re not inspired.”―Chuck Palahniuk

Inspiration is everywhere. As writers, we are always looking for ways to be stirred to greatness... or at least to productivity. Inspiration drives actions. In our case, that means words on the blank page.

When we’re on deadline, as we are now, we don’t get to wait for inspiration to hit, we have to sit down and do the work. But that doesn’t mean we stop looking for ways to be inspired. 

We're moved by great books and entertaining movies. A photo of the sea or a road trip with our closest girl friends. A great conversation with differing viewpoints or a good laugh. 

Sometimes inspiration is as simple as remembering why we wanted a particular goal in the first place. Remembering the "why" can be pretty inspiring.

Other times you simply need a break in the action. We've heard it referred to as refilling the well, and that's truly what it feels like. Your inspiration and creativity has been depleted and you need to pause and refill.

We also love a good quote. Here are a few that have inspired us:

"I don't go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head." - Princess Diana

“Don't waste time waiting for inspiration. Begin, and inspiration will find you." –  H. Jackson Brown, Jr.  

“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott

These are the things that inspire us, but we’re not all inspired by the same things or in the same ways. We'd love to hear what inspires you?

Mary Lee and Anita aka Sparkle Abbey

Here's a little more news from us:
We are busy working on books nine and ten in The Pampered Pets Mysteries. 

We just received word from our publisher that Raiders of the Lost Bark, book eight in the series, will soon be an ebook special so watch for that special pricing coming soon. 

Also, if you're missing any of our backlist this is a great time to catch up so you're ready for book eight. Details on all the titles are available here.

And if you want to make sure you're up on all the Sparkle Abbey news, stop by our website and sign up for updates at sparkleabbey.com.

July Wednesday 5, 2017 Happy to be Alive by Juliana Aragon Fatula

Fifty-five and still alive party, five years ago, casa fatula

celebrating fifty-five,  five years ago Vincent and Juliana Aragon Fatula

Ok, so I turned sixty this year and didn't celebrate due to extenuating circumstances. But this year I saved all my celebrating for the day my cousin, Barb turned sixty-sox on the Fourth of July, and my sisters, Aimee; Maria, Tracy, Judy could attend. We had so much fun last night party on the patio. Let me tell you why.

Sixty years ago I came into this world and by the time I was twenty-one I had lost one of my boyfriends from the neighborhood. By the time I hit thirty, I lost three more, forty, I lost two more, fifty, lost one more, and sixty who knows who survived from the lifestyle we chose. We played hard and we played a lot. But I never dreamed I'd be celebrating sixty. I've outlived three siblings and I'm happy just to be alive and able to write about my wild experiences. I lived a life in a lifetime and now that I've settled down, I still like to party but since I gave up drinking and acting like a fool, I've survived many of my friends and siblings who drank themselves literally to death.

So I celebrate for them. I sing and dance and rejoice in the world and the wonderful people in it. My friends have given me a new life. They have accepted me despite my faults and they love me as much as I love them. But the husband in this story, Vincent. Well let me say when my guests left the party last night, they all said, "He's a great guy. I see why you've been married for twenty-five years. He's hard-working and full of life." 

He's four years  younger than me, so maybe we'll grow old together and he can change my diapers. Or I can change his. I would do anything for this man because he accepted me flaws and all, my dysfunctional family, my son with his battles with drugs, and he loves my friends as much as I do and he is loved by them. I couldn't be happier as I write this. I can die happy because I've finally had a happy childhood. They say it's never too late; I'm proof of that fact. I survived all of the trauma, the wild nights and crazy parties. Today I party on the patio with my friends and celebrate the gift of life that has been showered upon me. Love is the answer my friends. Love. 

Juliana Aragon Fatula and Lynette Aragon, my little sister 1959-2017

The Interview with the Chicana Icon, Denise Elia Chávez by Juliana Aragon Fatula

I promised you an interview and I have posted it here on this website. Hope you like it.

Mi comadre la Denise Chávez

A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Denise Elia Chávez, a UNM alumna and Las Cruces, NM resident. Chávez is a novelist, short story writer, playwright, actor and teacher who focuses her writing and advocacy on the border corridor of southern New Mexico, West Texas and northern Mexico. Chávez co-founded the internationally renowned Border Book Festival which focused the public’s attention on books and art and their power to heal and transform the world. Chávez is now focused on archiving and preserving the history of the region through the development of Museo de La Gente/Museum of the People, an arts residency center, resource library, workshop, exhibit space and venue for multi-cultural, multi-generational and multi-ethnic literary, literacy, music and arts events for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
source: https://www.unmfund.org/donor-story/2016-paul-re-peace-prize/
Denise Chavez 2016-paul-re-peace-prize

My sister, Aimee, and I love the author, Denise Chávez. When I told Aimee I wanted to interview Denise, she told me, "You have to do this! This challenge to interview her and study with her only comes along once in a lifetime, grab it by the chonies and do it!" So I did. The interview with Icon, Denise Chávez , took place on  June 24th 2017 in her bookstore, Casa Camino Real in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I will post the interview when I have finished editing the video. Until then let me share with you my experience.

We had just finished an eight hour writing workshop in the hottest day in history, my history. We felt like melted chocolate but carried on in the name of all that is holy. I began by asking the question: Who betrayed you? And followed up with Who did you betray? Her answers were astounding. Be prepared for magic when I post the video interview.

First let me tell you about my mentor, Denise Chávez, literary Chicana author, scholar, performer, teatro artist, and social activist. I met  Denise in Pueblo, Colorado when she read from one of her books to a crowd at the Rawlings Public Library. But before she read she walked about meeting the audience of bookworms, writers, students, fans, and when she approached me I felt in the presence of someone magical. I don't know how else to explain the whirlwind that is Denise. She's gorgeous with long curly hair she wears in a braid that hangs near her thighs. Her eyes are charcoaled with eyeliner and her eyebrows are magnificent, her lipstick apple red, or maybe cherry. She looked to me like a sage and so I treated her with the respect due an elder, in reality she is a few years older than me but wears her wisdom like a goddess. You know the type. The woman who walks in the room and all eyes are on her. Yeah.

I stood at my table assembling my poetry books, Red Canyon Falling on Churches, and Crazy Chicana in Catholic City for an opportunity to sell a few copies, sign a few for friends, and promote my publisher, Caleb Seeling, Conundrum Press. I covered my table with a white lace tablecloth and stacked books and placed my decorative pieces in a feng shui kind of order. Denise took charge and rearranged it for me and told me how I could improve my visual appeal in the future by using boxes covered to give different levels of height and make the most of my small table. She complimented me for my effort, since mine was by far the most beautiful of tables by booksellers, she chastised my friend in the next table for not even having a tablecloth, so I lent him an extra I had that she deemed too busy. "Use the white for purity and place the cornucopia of fresh garden vegetables you picked this morning in the woven wheat colored basket."

When she finished, she had amazingly recreated an alter of sorts on my table and it looked much better. She drew a crowd to my table because, well, she's not a soft speaker, she had a commanding, theatrical voice from all of her years on the stage doing Greek tragedies. She impressed me with her body language, her articulate choice of words, her wardrobe, makeup, style, grace, and wisdom. And I thought, hey, I could learn a lot from a woman like Denise. So I gave her a copy of my book and she waltzed away to her stage and audience and began her recitation. She also carries off a tight stand up comedy set. She made her audience laugh.

Afterwards, I knew she was worthy of devotion so I asked to take a photo with her. She generously posed and now I have a picture with me standing next to the icon. She made me laugh. She gave me hope. She challenged me to do better, be better. I learned that day what an icon looks like. She invited me to visit her bookstore in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I took her business card and handed her mine. Networking number one tool for a writer, work with other master writers. I went home feeling like I had been missing out on something my entire life. Why didn't I know about her, her writing, her books. I had studied Chicana Literature, Ethnic Literature, American Literature. I went home and perused my texts from college and found her in a couple of my anthologies of ethnic writers. There she was along side, Gloria Anzaldua, Sandra Cisneros, Pat Mora, Cherrie Moraga. I read her writing and decided to order more of her books to read. I called my sister, Aimee, in Camino, California and asked if she had read Denise. She had not. I suggested she go to her library and find some of her writing and study it. Aimee and I edit each other's writing and encourage each other to learn from master writers we discover.

We read her books and then scheduled a phone date to discuss our new found she-roe. We marveled at her skill and humor. Her prose and dialogue were examples of how to write a great story. We had encouraged one another not to write good books but great books worthy of reading. Denise was that example. Aimee an I related to her stories. They were our stories. We shared a history of culture, language, religion, and dysfunction.

After I finished two of her books, Face of an Angel, and Loving Pedro Infante, I called my sister, Aimee, and declared, "I have to visit Denise in Las Cruces and interview her for my blog. I want to pick her brain for wisdom and writing tips. I want to spend time with her and hang out like comadres." And that is exactly what I set out to do. It took me months of planning and saving and scraping my pennies, but I would not be deterred. I planned to drive to Las Cruces a 1,000 mile round trip on Interstate 25, alone if I had to. I asked a friend to join me for a road trip. We had traveled to California by car a few  years ago, had been roommates in the U.K. on a tour of writers and we became best buds. She's the family I chose.

So we loaded up my 2016 Subaru Forester and hit the highway. The joy I felt traveling to New Mexico made me a silly school girl. I described to my bud, Judy, how much I adored Denise the woman, not just the writer. She does social activism in her community and creates fundraisers for everything from los libros traficantes to the Cat's Meow, a feline neuter rescue shelter. She generously donates her books and talents to worthy causes.

I enjoyed the writing workshop and the amazing women who attended. We cried and laughed and wrote and ate and drank Denise's incredible coffee olla. We were instructed to write about a family myth, legend, or story that we wanted to share with the workshop. We made myth boxes and decorated them with photos and memorabilia. I loved every minute of the class. I was absorbing as much knowledge and power from this woman as possible. The ten women in the bookstore bonded over great food, and stories.

Denise asked us to begin writing our myth or legend and after a few minutes of writing she interrupted us and said, "No. That's not what really happened. That is bullshit. This is what really happened." She did this several times and our writing became richer and more robust with each bullshit. She taught us how to write through the bullshit and get to the truth of the story. The truth.  What's the saying? Something like: "If you're gonna write fiction, it better be the truth." Simon Ortiz, Sherman Alexie, Shakespeare, someone great said that. And I stole it from Alexie's Memoir, You Don't Have to Say You Love Me. I will be writing a review of his new book in the next month or two, stay tuned.

During the workshop, I took photos and toured the bookstore and marveled at the wonderful books, art, photographs, memorabilia, and astounding vinyl collection. Her bookstore is like a museum of ancient and modern history of our creative geniuses. Her bookstore feels sacred. You can feel the ancestors, the spirits, the ghosts hovering above in the adobe casa and even in the antique furniture. The experience changed me in a way I find difficult to describe except to say, I felt reborn, I felt like my life was just beginning and nothing in the past mattered because now I had the secret to my life. I am a writer and I need to write. She told us that many times. We repeated after her, "I am a writer."

After the workshop, we tidied up the kitchen and put away the food. We chatted like old friends. That is her magic, she makes you feel loved. Loved. Not a fake Hollywood, I love you, man. I real genuine love from a genuine woman who knows the way to heal the world is to heal ourselves. Magic.

I videotaped the interview so I didn't have to take notes or be distracted. Of course technology has a way of frickin' fowling things up sometimes. My iPad ran out of memory; but I didn't. I asked a couple of questions and then decided to turn off the video camera and finish the interview as two women having café olla and talking about myths and legends. The interview lasted thirty minutes but in that short amount of time, she revealed to me her essence. I asked one question, "Who betrayed you?" and in that question she answered several of my other questions that went unasked because she instinctively knew what I was seeking from her. The truth.

I didn't speak. I listened. I nodded my head and held my tongue. This was my opportunity of a lifetime to interview a Chicana Icon a powerful woman fighting for justice. She supports her community and writers all over the country. She supported me. She encouraged me. She gave me hope.

I can not thank her enough for her generosity. She gave me much more than a writing workshop and interview. She opened up her heart and welcomed me inside to feel her love and strength. She took away my insecurities as a writer and as a woman trying to teach the next generation what is truly important in life. Not money, not fame, but love and peace. We bonded because we gave each other a chance to be honest and look inside ourselves for answers.

We shared a day and later an evening with my bud, Judy, and Denise's husband, Daniel. We met in the lobby of our motel and talked and laughed until bedtime. I knew I'd like her husband, a photographer, an artist. I had seen his photographs in her bookstore. I knew Denise would be married to someone artistic.

I left Las Cruces high on life. I had set a goal. Accomplished the goal. Made new friends. Learned how to make a myth box. Wrote a legend about my parents love affair in the fifties. I left her bookstore full of excitement to finish my murder mystery, The Colorado Sisters and the Atlanta Butcher. I have confidence and faith in my abilities to tell not a good story, but a great one. Thank you, Denise.

Clues

by Bethany Maines

Recently, I’ve been working on the sequel to my murder mystery An Unseen Current.  While thematically not that different from my other books (a young person struggles with unusual circumstances while navigating the choppy waters of family, love, and friends), mysteries bring a special level of challenge to the mix.  For one thing, people expect clues.  Oh, there’s a dead body?  Well, writer, where are the clues?  Chop, chop! Produce the clues!

However, it’s not just about clues; it’s about when to reveal those clues.  Too early and readers are bored because they already solved it.  Too late and it seems like the author is cheating and wedging information to justify who the killer is at the last second.  Then, even if the writer does pop a clue in the right place, she can’t be too precious about it.  The author can’t present it on a silver platter with a neon arrow stating: Clue Here!!  To accomplish the correct where and when of clue placement requires a stronger outline than other genres.  And that means that I must do what every writer hates doing—not writing.

Outlining and the synopsis are vital to a successful book.  But they aren’t the FUN part of writing.  The fun part is churning out scenes and spending time with the made up people who populate my brain.  Outlining requires problem solving and all the leg work of deciding back stories and motivations and the literal who, what, when, where and why of who was murdered. (It was Professor Plumb in the Library with the Candlestick, in case you were wondering.)  But mostly it leaves me thinking: Are we there yet? What about now?  Can I start writing now?

Fortunately, the answer is getting closer to being yes.  So wish me luck as I work out the kinks of how the dead body ended up behind a bar in Anacortes.

You never know what’s beneath the surface.
When Seattle native Tish Yearly finds herself fired and evicted all in one afternoon, she knows she’s in deep water. Unemployed and desperate, the 26 year old ex-actress heads for the one place she knows she’ll be welcome – the house of her cantankerous ex-CIA agent grandfather, Tobias Yearly, in the San Juan Islands. And when she discovers the strangled corpse of Tobias’s best friend, she knows she’s in over her head. Tish is thrown head-long into a mystery that pits her against a handsome but straight-laced Sheriff’s Deputy, a group of eccentric and clannish local residents, and a killer who knows the island far better than she does. Now Tish must swim against the current, depending on her nearly forgotten acting skills and her grandfather’s spy craft, to con a killer and keep them both alive.

***

Bethany Maines is the author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, Wild Waters, Tales from the City of Destiny and An Unseen Current.  You can also view the Carrie Mae youtube video or catch up with her on Twitter and Facebook.

Rambling

It’s my turn again and I have nothing. So I’m going to ramble a bit about nothing.

It occurred to me the other day that I’ve been to twice as many conferences this year than ever before. January I was in Honolulu, Hawaii with Left Coast Crime – had a blast and able to cross this trip off my bucket list. April saw me stateside in Bethesda, Maryland for the annual Malice Domestic Convention. This convention will always be in my heart as it’s the first reader/fan convention I’ve ever attended. The first week of June I was on a Marketing/Social Media panel at the one-day Mystery Writers of America/New York Chapter’s Fiction Writers’ Conference held in Stamford, Connecticut. That was a fun excursion as it was my first time taking Metro North and going to Stamford. Two weeks ago, I attended the Deadly Ink conference in Rockaway, New Jersey. This is mostly a writer’s conference but readers do attend. This was also the first time I took a different New Jersey transit train, normally I’ve traveled on the NE Corridor.

So if you’re counting I’ve been to four conventions/conferences so far and I’m not finished. Next up I’ll be in Toronto, Canada at Bouchercon and I’m looking forward to that and last but not least I will be attending for the first time, the New England Crime Bake conference held in Woburn, Massachusetts. They have pizza parties and I heard something about a red carpet.

So all in all, that’s six author/reader-related conventions this year and this does not include the book signings, the MWA monthly events where I get a chance to meet readers and authors. Oh there another conference, ThrillerFest which is held in NYC, I may not attend any events, but I do hope to meet up with authors. I already have a lunch set up with fellow Stiletto Gang member Kay.

Okay, I rambled enough and it was about something.

So do you have anything to ramble about?
What are you looking forward to?
What's on your bucket list?
 

Scams and Gullible Writers by Debra H. Goldstein

Scams and Gullible Writers by Debra H. Goldstein

How many times a week do you answer a phone call or read a news story or friend’s post and immediately know someone has been scammed? How many times do you ask yourself how can anyone be so stupid to fall for the “your computer is reporting a problem,” “You’ve been left a million dollars, but it will take you $5000 in handling fees to receive it,” or “I’ve been stranded in Timbuctoo, would you please send me $1000 to get home?” Most of these seem blatant – things we would never believe, but this weekend I realized the vulnerability associated with being scammed.

I had the privilege of moderating a “Being Published” workshop panel hosted by the Atlanta Sisters in Crime chapter. Our panel, composed of writers published by small and Big 5 traditionally published authors, was quite lively. Besides the technical aspects of writing the best book possible, revising it until it really is the best book possible, pitching and querying, agents, contracts, obligations to a publisher and marketing, we stressed avoiding scams and noted traditional publishers handle things without a financial investment by the author. After the panel, an audience member approached me and related how she wrote a book which was rejected by every agent and publisher she submitted it to except one house that loved it just as it was.

According to this author, the publisher promised, for a flat fee, to copyread it, give it a cover and ISBN, give her a certain number of hardcover and paperback copies, place it online as an e-book, and make it available for purchase from Amazon and other online distribution sources as well as their own catalog. She went with this publisher, but other than the copies purchased by friends and family, the book isn’t setting the world on fire, so she decided to bring more attention to her book by writing some short stories. She entered a few contests without success, but then found some other sources for short stories. Most asked for a hefty fee, but she was fine with that until she paid two fees but never received the promised links to upload her stories. That’s when she realized she might not be dealing with a legit publication.

My comment – “Don’t do those anymore! You’ve been scammed.”

I went on to explain that there may be a legitimate contest fee that is more like an administrative fee, but for regular publications – literary or mystery, there are many places to submit without paying a fee. Most reputable magazines and journals don’t charge. They also specify whether they don’t pay for stories published, pay in copies, or pay only x per word. These legit outlets can be found by networking with your friends to see where they are being published, joining groups that specialize in short stories in the genre you are writing, repeatedly checking free blogs that announce publication calls (My Little Corner - http://sandraseamans.blogspot.com/ comes to mind), or subscribing to a reliable service like Duotrope.

A few minutes later, another audience member shared his story with me. I was stunned. Both people were educated and intelligent, so how did they fall for very similar scams? Desperation. It is very easy when everyone says “No,” to take the easy way out. Writers want to see their work in print. To feel they have accomplished something. Consequently, many cave in a moment of weakness. In the end, being scammed can hurt in so many ways – financially, a record of poor sales, never being able to claim a first book again, or having a book or story published before it is ready giving you a cloud on your name. We all want success, but getting there means not being gullible. As writers, we are obligated to write the best book or story we can, but we also are obligated to wear a business hat to protect ourselves and our work products.

Clicking Our Heels - Our Favorite Numbers and Why

Clicking Our Heels – Our Favorite Numbers and Why 

Kimberly Jayne – My favorite number is 4.  Has been since I was a little girl.  It’s more meaningful now because I had four kids.  It’s even and sounds good rolling off the tongue. Four is me.

Paffi S. Flood – My favorite number is 13.  It’s my birthday and kids made fun of it when it landed on Fridays, so I decided to do the opposite and adopt it.

Dru Ann Love – The number 4.  It is an even number and my birth date.

Sparkle Abbey – We don’t really have favorite numbers.  Maybe if we played the lottery we’d have a different answer.  Right now, our favorite numbers are 9 and 10 because those are the numbers of the books that we’re currently writing.

Jennae Phillippe – I am terrible at favorite, so I have a list: 3, 7, 8, 9, 13, 42.  Each of them has a different reason behind it.  The most obvious ones are 3 and 7, as numbers that show up in stories over and over again; 13 because it is my lucky number, and 42 because of Douglas Adams.

Bethany Maines – 8.  Because I kick ass at Crazy Eights.

Paula Gail Benson – 4. It’s always been lucky for me.

Kay Kendall – My favorite number is eight.  I think I love the symmetry of how it looks as a numeral – 8.  My lucky number, however, appears to be seven.  Those are definitely two different things.

Debra H. Goldstein – 27.  It has a nice ring to it and is the date my twins were born.  I had a difficult pregnancy during which this type A person spent almost eight months counting the hours to viability.  They were born two days and seven hours after the point at which I had been assured they would have a good chance of surviving.