Tee Morris

Endless Possibilities Blog Tour 2014: Linda Johnston on Historical Research

I have been somewhat delinquent in my duties on this blog tour. I went dark during a writers’ retreat (more on that coming on The Shared Desk, so watch your feed. I am probably going to extend my own blogposts another week, just to make sure everyone gets proper coverage, maybe even double-up on guests.

Hey, I got plenty of room here. My guests will just argue on who gets the bed and who gets the pull-out bed from the couch.

My first guest is Linda Johnston, a writer, artist, and naturalist.Â In her writing, she brings together history, art, and nature, creating one voice, one passion for everyone to enjoy.Â Last August, Linda published Hope Amid Hardship: Pioneer Voices from Kansas Territory, a narrated, illustrated collection of diaries and letters by settlers who wrote about the joyful side of life in their adopted communities during the years 1855 to 1861. Hope Amid Hardship is her first book.

Linda, the blog is yours…

I am addicted to historical research.Â During the last year or so of work on the book, my husband would occasionally ask, â€œIsnâ€™t the research phase about over?â€Â Even though my book was published in August, I continue to find little gems that I can use for book talks. I canâ€™t help myself.

Research for my book began in 1986, although I didnâ€™t know I was working toward a book then.Â I just started reading pioneer diaries and letters and have never stopped.

The first diaries I read were on microfilm or occasionally, an original found in a local historical society, library, or the most incredible library, the Library of Congress. Available resources depended on where job transfers took my family and me.

Endless Possibilities 2014 Blog Tour: An Introduction

Yes, the blog has been quiet, just like the podcast. I hate it when things like that happen, and this time it was for reasons good and bad.

Instead of delving into the bad (which was allÂ the chatter on my Facebook, if you were curious), I want to hold on to the good. Oh now, donâ€™t you worry â€”Â I will always have room for a good, old-fashioned rant here, but this blogpost is more about rising to challenges and keeping a hold of what works…

This blogpost is also to welcome those of you new to my side of the blogosphere. Sâ€™up?

Yes, Iâ€™m on board at the opening of this new year with a blog tour aimed to introduce myself to new reader, be they readers of my blog or readers of my works. And what a day to introduce myself to people â€” on the ninth anniversary of the MOREVI podcast going live. Where did the time go?

But I digress. Let me start from the beginning. Introductions? By all meansâ€¦

Thank you, Peter O’Toole…

Yesterday, a star fell. He’s always been one of my favorite actors, and with a biography entitled Loitering with Intent, you know he got up to some shenanigans.

When I think of Peter O’ Toole, I think of this film. I saw it at the Ridge Cinemas with my dad. We had heard it was supposed to be funny, so we went one afternoon, my dad and me. There was maybe twelve people in the theatre with us, but my dad and I laughed for a full house worth. It was a terrific afternoon, and a movie that really made an impact on me.

Thank you, Peter O’Toole. for giving my father and me such a wonderful memory. From Lawrence of Arabia to The Lion in Winter to The Stunt Man, you gave everything you had in every role. Good movie or bad, it was a gig, and you showed up and did the best you could. For your incredible work on stage and screen, thank you.

“May flights of angels sing thee to they rest.” â€”Â William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Stranger on a Train XXV

An entirely different kind of day.

First day back to work for a lot of people today, and you can tell everything just feels different. I saw a lot of people smiling this morning. I noticed a lot more kindness from strangers.

And yeah, I noticed a much longer line at the Starbucks. Welcome back to the daily grind, DC!

It was also a different kind of attitude at the contract job. The Account Manager wants me to bring a fresh set of eyes and ideas to the channels. The guy training me also commended me on how quickly I was moving in picking up the voice of the individual accounts, faster than people anticipated. I even got the go-ahead to post, which I did. So today was a bit of a confidence booster.

This year really hasn’t been all doom, gloom, and downward spirals. Writing-wise I’ve never had it better. I know, apart from the stage, I’m happiest when I’m writing. Editing Dawn’s Early Light brought that home. I’ve enjoyed some accomplishments I never dreamed in me, and I find myself back on the precipice again. Pip and I are right on the cusp of something huge, and all it’s going to take is that one nudge, that one magic moment, that could keep us writing full time. I wish I knew what we needed to do, but until then we’re just going to have to remain on this path. Guess I’ve been thinking about that razor’s edge with the James River Writers’ Conference beginning tomorrow, then next week taking part in Octopodicon out in Oklahoma. Pip and I have been given rock star treatment this year. Seriously, like motherfucking rock stars. By some fantastic people. Doctor Q. Doctor Midnyte. ConTemporal. Authors After Dark. They have all been little blessings.

I just don’t want to let anyone down.

Interview for a full time gig tomorrow, and then it’s back to Richmondâ€”my hometownâ€”for some serious talk about writing, both the craft and the business. Then next week, Oklahoma. Lots of travel, and time away from Sonic Boom. That’s the downside.

But we’re having a Family Movie Night. Guess what Blu-Ray we’re rocking on the home theatre tonight?

Stranger on a Train XXIV

A day of surprises.

Started a brief gig today without knowing a lot of the details. This is why I’m on the last train out of DC and into Virginia. On the train at 6:15 this morning to clock in. Heading home, I’ll get off this train at 8.

That is what you call a long day.

How was the first day? Truth be told, I don’t know. I’ve become a lousy judge of progress in the workplace considering my last few gigs. As far as I know, I did well. This commute is a mess though. I’ve been looking for jobs in DC, sure, but this felt a little outrageous. 90 minutes one way?

It’s only for three weeks. I’ll manage.

I think, in the social media/digital team, I’m the oldest. I am fascinated by the willingness of these interactive marketers to work well into the night. Clock in at 9, take your lunch at the desk, leave whenever. Seven. Eight. It’s all good.

Maybe I’m of a different mindset. When your job becomes your life, it’s going to affect you. Right?

Then again, I think about the extra hours I put into Bloodshot, into Dawn’s Early Light, into all my fiction…it’s about the passion. Doing what you love. Giving it your all. That I can understand.

The last surprise of the day â€” I watched John Hodgman from The Daily Show post on Instagram today. I walked right by him, and I even did a double take. The things you see in DC when the government is in timeout…

Would have loved to shake your hand, Big J…but I had a train to catch.

How an Action Hero is Made: â€œThanks for the Memoriesâ€ Now Available from Kindle Worlds and Valiant Comics

Last week, I gave you a quick run down of my wild and crazy July writing for Valiant Comics as part of the Kindle Worlds program from Amazon. My first offering was from the Harbinger universe, entitled â€œWhatâ€™s in a Code Name.â€ The story, inspired by Harbinger Wars #2, dug deeper into Harbinger Instituteâ€™s star student, Daniel Hessler or â€œIon,â€ and his own story with fellow Anoisaibushi, Susan Adams, code name â€œSaturn.â€ Itâ€™s already received a review after its first week, and I welcome more! Please, go on and take a lookâ€¦

â€¦after you consider my latest Kindle Worlds novella, â€œThanks for the Memoriesâ€Â featuring Bloodshot. [Read more…] about How an Action Hero is Made: â€œThanks for the Memoriesâ€ Now Available from Kindle Worlds and Valiant Comics

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