Happy Christmas!

FATHER CHRISTMAS AND THE DOCTORS



Old Christmas comes but once a year,
Of that there is no question;
But when he comes we all feel queer,
Hurrah for indigestion!

Dyspepsia follows in his train,
The Stomach-ache attends him;
And every sort of inward pain
A gay enjoyment lends him.

As honest country-people say,
In all their sickly hobbles,
We’re “wrong inside”—alas, the day!
“We’ve got the colly-wobbles.”

Though we are poor, roast goose is rich;
So, gladly let us greet it:
Plum pudding is a dainty which
Upsets us; so we’ll eat it.

A Christian people prove they’re such
Not by their lives amended;
But just by eating twice as much
As Nature had intended.

Avaunt ye doctors, silly elves!
In vain your righteous passion,
We mean to over-eat ourselves
In good old English fashion.

Black draught and pills of awful blue,
By-and-bye from you we’ll borrow,
To-day we’ll be to Christmas true,
You’d better call tomorrow.

**As appeared 23 December 1885 in the Judy, or the London Serio-Comic Journal

I found this on a blog I visit, The Quack Doctor.

Reading & Research

A writer is not worth their salt if they are not a reader as well. I have met many writers who can not give me a name of an author they like and some even have long explanations as to why they don't read. I have heard it all. One amateur told me they don't read and nor do they derive inspiration from music or art work. They told me they just let it flow and after she told me this I realized that was most likely the reason why her vocabulary was so limited and her writing elementary.

A writer can not get better at their craft if they do not study the masters.

A historical writer can not create an accurate historical world without research. For the overall amount of time I spend on my book, average about 15 to 20 hours a week, half is spent writing or editing. The other half is spent reading either fiction, mainly historical mysteries at the moment, or non-fiction books like the one I just got at the library and just can't put down.

Poison, An Illustrated History by Joel Levy.

This book is very heavy on science and terminology, which is not normally what I go for but the subject matter is so intriguing and I am reading it with my notebook at the ready to jot down facts as I read them or even plot lines that occur off the cuff as well.

These kinds of books, historical non-fiction, have fulfilled a need within me to find out as much as I can and also provides a three dimensional aspect to my books. I doubt I will ever stop devouring historical non-fictions because I will never learn it all. I will forever be a student of the past.

Falling In Love with a Fictional Character

I realized this weekend that I am absolutely in love with PETER AINSLEY and he's not even real. I made him up. Everything about him, his hair, his eyes, his arrogance and propensity to drink are all figments of my imagination and yet he seems as real to me as anyone else. I think about him all the time. What he is doing and where the story will take him next. I worry about his family and career and whether or not I am putting too much on his shoulders.

Because I feel such a connection to him I have decided to write another book about him. The editing phase of book one has begun and I am two chapters into my next book. I am also working on a submission for a mystery anthology and decided to use PETER AINSLEY as my main character in that as well.

Is this like putting the cart before the horse?

There is no guarantee that anyone will be interested in book one, so what makes me so sure there will be a need for book two?

Absolutely nothing. I am writing on blind faith at this moment hoping it all comes together. I really love the act of writing. Editing and marketing are okay but I do all that so I can write.

I am hoping I can approach literary agents soon with queries but should that not pan out, I have decided to self-epublish. And I really hope readers like Peter as much as I do.