I am fascinated with the possibilities of what if. The memories of a place that some people call ghosts, the mobius strip effect of time travel. You won’t find vampires or werewolves here. Or horror. I am more interested in the potential effects of the fantastic on actual history, and in inserting it into well-researched historical events, populated mostly by people who really lived.
My favorite period is the not-so-distant past of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and my favorite place, the one that draws me back over and over again, is Yellowstone National Park. Ten years ago, on a three-month cross-country adventure, I spent five days in Yellowstone, mostly wandering the geyser basins waiting for things to erupt. Watching my first-ever eruption of Grand Geyser, five lovely bursts 150-200 feet high, I suddenly thought, now wouldn’t that make a terrific time travel device. Apparently that’s simply the way my brain works. Chuck McManis, a young man for whom everything in 1959 has gone awry, wanders past the Grand just as an earthquake and eruption hit, and winds up in the middle of the fleeing Nez Perce Indians in 1877. Finding out who he really is and what he is supposed to be has to take second place to sheer survival.
I will have a website up soon with samples and synopses from my novels as well as information and research links and bibliographies. I intend to write here about writing, research, the museum certification program I am attending, and possibly even the occasional post about quilting or cats or geysers.
I hope you’ll want to stick around.
If you talk about cats, I'll be there!
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious note, congratulations on your first entry. It snared my interest. I look forward to future entries.
Here is to a great 2010 and beyond for you.
Thanks for letting us fellow WWW members know about your new blogspot. I enjoyed your first entry and your idea about time travel; I've written one of those myself in the western romance genre. Also a Pacific Northwesterner (I guess Idaho falls into that category) I'll look forward to more of your blogs. You might want to check out my blog, too, "Writing Out West," at lindasandifer.blogspot.com .
ReplyDeleteI too love Yellowstone, but miss the bears that used to roam at will and beg tourists for handouts. We, hubby, kids, and I stayed in one of the little cabins one year. Could see the sky through the cracks in the ceiling and was heated by a small wood stove. The bath/shower room was within walking distance. :-) And an adventure in those days dodging the bears. Will be back for a visit. Eunice Boeve www.euniceboeve.net
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on launching your blog. You offered an interesting first post and I'll stop by again for a visit.
ReplyDeleteCynthia Becker http://chipeta.wordpress.com
Meg, Nice beginning to your blog. I love Yellowstone too and Old Faithful. It's been awhile since I've visited. Great idea for time-travel story.
ReplyDeleteFrom a fellow PNWer.
Heidi
Thanks to all for the warm welcome here on my new blog. Linda, IMHO, Idaho is definitely PNW. And Eunice, I have some pictures of my family's first trip to Yellowstone in 1963. I was four and I don't remember it, but my father took lots of pictures of panhandling bears. Heidi, now all I have to do is find someone to buy the story -- it's written...
ReplyDeleteI understand your fascination with Yellowstone. Three years ago, we spent over two weeks wandering in the park and taking hundreds of photographs. The imagery is amazing. It's easy to imagine how astonished the first adventurous visitors must have been.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your blog. I look forward to reading more.
You've inspired me to post more often on my blog, "Notes Along the Way" http://marymontaguesikes.blogspot.com.
Monti
Congratulations on beginning your first post to your new blog. I've always wanted to visit Yellowstone National Park and your description has made me want to even more. I look foward to reading more. Dena ~ WASIQ
ReplyDeleteWhen I was eight, we traveled from MI to our new home in WA. When going through Yellowstone, a bear scratched on our tent-trailer door! My dad was so excited--not afraid--excited! It was early morning and he woke us all up to watch the bear lumber away.
ReplyDeleteMary Sikes, I'll check out your blog, definitely. I plan on posting twice a week here.
ReplyDeleteDena, Yellowstone is a marvelous place. I think everyone should visit it at least once, but then I'm biased [g].
Mary Trimble, this isn't a Yellowstone story, but on our trip to Alaska when I was fourteen, an Alaskan brown bear visited our trailer site in the middle of the night. My dad and I were all agog, but my mother just rolled over and went back to sleep.
Congratulations on the new blog! It's now residing on the toolbar, next to Claudia's, Robin McKinley's, filkarchive, & tor.com, so you're in good company.
ReplyDeleteWe've started working our way through the National Parks series. I nobly refrained from telling my learned spouse that your soundtrack for the show was that music classic "Muir, Muir, Muir" [mostly because I only thought of it just now]. "There's Meg's park!" came up at appropriate moments.
The cat has started drinking heavily out of the Christmas tree stand, just in time for the tree to be coming down, 'cause cats are like that.
I'd like to see more about how your museum program is going. *makes plaintive Oliver Twist face*
Future posts will be about museum school, which starts up again this Saturday, I promise, filkferengi.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying the NP series. I thought it was very well done, too, and may have to post about it later as well.
Hi Meg, I made it on. Don't know what the problem was before. Like your blog. I too love Yellowstone. As I told you in a private email, this subject is right down my alley, so I'll keep up with your blog.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Velda. I'm glad you made it here.
ReplyDeleteHi, Meg -
ReplyDeleteSaw the URL on your recent post to the LMB email list. Your blog is very fine.
Entwife Judy
Thank you, Judy. I hope you'll come by again.
ReplyDeleteGreat first offerings on your new blog, Meg! I adore Yellowstone and love reading about the Plains Indians -- can't wait to read your story.
ReplyDeleteI would have read your blog sooner but just noticed my e-mails are bouncing on the WWW listserv. Sheesh! And I'm the WWW Pres!
Alice
Welcome, Alice. I hope you'll get to read my story soon, too!
ReplyDelete