BANNER MOUNTAIN GIRL # 51 –“Call of the Cadron”

Excerpt from “Call of the Cadron”

“She slid her right index finger onto the smooth, metal trigger of the 30-30, the rifle heavy in her hands. She stood still, her eyes fixed on the swishing evergreens. The thumping sound grew louder. She froze. Crashing through the cedars, a huge black bear came snarling, growling, and clawing. At sight of Jordan, the furry creature roared viciously. It lumbered toward her. Something was terribly wrong! Jordan shivered at the thought of emptying her rifle into the distressed animal–and not killing it. How many shots would it take?  Jordan didn’t know.

Adrenaline coursed through her, giving her a sudden surge of strength. She stood, rifle ready, not taking her eyes off the agitated bear. Would it consider her friend or foe? Would it pass by or charge to kill? Nothing mattered but this moment and how to survive. Her hands kept steady on the rifle.

The bear reared on its hind legs and kept snarling. Blood spurted from its left shoulder where a broken arrow spread open the flesh. With an agonized growl, the bear charged.”

BANNER MOUNTAIN GIRL # 44 (from my files)

As I shred old copies of my writing, I sometimes come across a note that makes me stop and think. Like this note within a folder, marked CADRON– “Writing is no longer fun. I work at it but I do not enjoy it. I seem to have lost something in the shuffle of life.
Today I must start the novel. First, I will give it a name. ALONG THE CADRON
THE CADRON CREEK
AS THE CADRON DRIFTS
THE CADRON DRIFTS EASTWARD
EASTWARD FLOWS THE CADRON
EASTWARD DRIFTS THE CADRON

The Cadron Drifts Eastward

Westward

The Cadron drifts westward
with its secret and song.
Two hearts wait patiently
yet ever so long.
One will claim ownership,
the other must leave
desolate and destined
forever to grieve.”

Years later, here’s the book in published form.    

 

BANNER MOUNTAIN GIRL # 14

BOOKS

Books have always been important to me. I still have a children’s book my first grade teacher gave me as a gift. “The Little Red Hen” I loved that story.

When I was about thirteen years old, a sweet neighbor lady gave me the gift of a young-adult novel. “Mimi’s House Party,” by Anne Pence Davis. It was my first real book. I wish I still had that book but I have no idea what happened to it. A few years ago, I ordered a copy of it from Amazon. But it came without the attractive dust jacket. It came as a used book from a library. Very plain without the jacket. Glancing through the story, I can’t say I recall even one line or one scene in the novel. I do recall being happy to have a book of my very own.

Time went by . . .  I grew up out there on Banner Mountain. My older siblings left home to seek their fortune. The day came when I married and left my beloved homeplace, too. Said “So long for now” to my most wonderful parents and joined my husband, the man of my dreams, in his travels with the Air Force, his career choice.

Years went by . . .  each of our four children was born in a different state. When my husband retired from the Air Force, we returned to Arkansas and settled down not very far from Banner Mountain.

In 2012, I wrote my very own first novel.  My younger sister, an artist, painted the cover. One of my daughters helped me choose the title and she and my other daughter proofread and critiqued for me. Also my critique group offered many good suggestions. Creating and publishing this book has been an amazing adventure. Because I self-published, it’s not yet on Amazon. But it may be ordered directly from me. It may be ordered here.

My novel is a Christian Romance. It’s family-oriented. I’ve had fun writing and publishing it. I hope readers find it worthy of their time spent in reading it. I’d say it’s just right for a rainy day read to lift your spirit.

Whether you order it or not, I appreciate you as a follower of my blog.  Bloggers need readers, just as authors do. Watch for my next installment of Banner Mountain Girl. 🙂

From my files . . . of 1978

From my Journal: dated 3 July 1978

Still, no thoughts come to me.  I am tired of waiting. It seems I never will succeed in writing. Once, I held high my hope and desire to write.  Now, it all seems useless.  If I do succeed, what happiness will it bring to me . . . or to anyone? —Freeda Baker Nichols

Hemingway’s advice makes it sound easy. Write one true sentence, he said.
What about you? Do you find writing to be an easy task? Or does it seem to be a tough assignment at times?

Character in stories– what is it?

What is character in fiction? I’m still learning and I’m still writing.  Foster-Harris in “The Basic Patterns of Plot” states that  “. . . character is nothing in the world but the objective aspects of plot; character is the sign left by a story that has happened.”

How awesome is that?  The sign left by a story that has happened!

So, as I see this, if the story has happened, then as a writer I must tell it, but first, I need to choose a viewpoint character. All kinds of questions jump into my mind. What do I name him or her? What kind of character is he or she? Is the character subjective or objective? What if readers don’t like the main character?

According to Foster-Harris, a good story has at least one subjective character and a number of objective ones. His theory is that if a reader does not prefer the one, he will like some of the others.

That’s encouraging!

With one fiction novel published, I’m presently working on another one about a character named  Calypso.

As I write, I refer to “The Basic Patterns of Plot.” This book is now out of print .  It was part of my study through the professional writing courses of the University of Oklahoma. And it is still good help.

To writers in the blogging world,  how do you define character in a story?

 

Excerpt from Giveaway Novel by Nichols

“Call of the Cadron” is the title of my book. The Cadron is the name of a creek in Arkansas, which is the setting for this fictional story that takes place in 1983.

Here is an excerpt:

(Garrett remembered her face in the moonlight that night beside the creek as its waters sang in hushed tones. You are my love, Jordan, and you must meet me at the place where hearts unite despite the obstacles. You must, Jordan. I hear our destiny in the singing of the Cadron. Surely, you can hear it, too, my darling.)

For a chance to win a copy of my book, look for the post, “Call of the Cadron–Give-Away” and leave a comment in the comment section below the post. Winner will be announced Monday.  Thanks.  #giveawaybook

Calendars are for . . .

Freeda Baker Nichols, writing on porch of the Pfeiffer House at Hemingway Writers’ Retreat

keeping notes. For reminding you of places to go and places you have been. They tell you that time is marching on . . . does not stand still.

I suppose no one really wants it to.
 

I wish I would use my time to write poetry and stories that would bring peace, happiness, joy and all good emotions to people who read my creations.

I wish I could write humor.

Freeda Baker Nichols

The Power of Poetry

Quote: “When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitation.  When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence.” —John F. Kennedy

 

This lovely bed and breakfast–the Emerson Inn by the Sea–is where Ralph Waldo Emerson spent some time.

NaBloPoMo#20 Pictures, Prose and Poetry

My blog seems to have turned into pictures, prose and poetry.
As an amateur photographer, I love picking that one good shot out of ten snaps.
I feel the same about poetry.  I might write ten in order to get one that interests an editor or a contest judge. Pictures and poems are fun to work with,  but fiction is my favorite type of writing.  When I was a teenager, I attempted to write short stories. Probably I still have some of them in my files. I don’t know why I like to write. But the desire and dream to write became a part of me when I wrote my first poem on that Big Chief tablet, at age nine.
I continued to write stories after I married. But when the children began to arrive, my writing dream and time for it disappeared beneath Birdseye diapers and was lost in rock-a-bye-baby tunes as I nurtured four babies. Not all at once, mind you, but spaced just far enough apart to keep me in mommy mode from the firstborn’s arrival until the last one left home. Those years were the best years of my life, but when the nest was empty, I clicked over to writing mode and began my adventure into the publishing world. Writing is not a hobby, it is my destiny. Although I have only a humble beginning of published works, the venture has been worthwhile.  As a mommy,  or as a writer, you gotta believe in your babies.  It’s just as the country song says, “Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys.”  So writers, “Don’t let your stories stay too long in your files. Find them a home on the shelf.”           –Freeda Baker Nichols

Books by Freeda Baker Nichols

moon glows through the pines
in cool of the autumn night–
harvest is over
© 2013, Freeda Baker Nichols

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE: GOOD MORNING!

My morning starts when I wake to the smell of coffee.  Then, with a cup of the tasty brew  and a small dish of raw fruit, I sit at my desk .  I open Facebook, my Blog and Email. My husband and I chat about the “news” of the day, whether it’s on Facebook, radio or TV. Often, I take a walk around our property to see the amazing beauty of nature. One awesome sight that I look at is Cash, my grandson’s colt.

The cats are usually playing.  Below, Cal swings on a pine bush.

My walk ends back at the house, where I return to my desk, open a Word document and begin to write.  When the words flow freely and genuinely from my heart, it is a good morning indeed. My current goal is to finish a short story about Calypso (the main character) so that it may be added to my list of published works.      © 2013 Freeda Baker Nichols