Las Vegas Search-and-Rescue Video

March 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I haven’t written about search-and-rescue in some time, but I recently came across a really good video, and it happens to be from a SAR unit in the US: the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. It’s a little “promo”-ish, but usually all you get in any SAR video is wind noise and jerky/un-focused camera work (not that I’m blaming the cameraperson for that, considering the conditions they’re often operating in)!

Check it out here (it’s about 4 minutes long).

My personal interest tends toward the helicopter pilots (seeing that I was trained as one myself), who do amazing things with that big machinery. But it really does come down to the people.

If I could write full-time, I would seriously consider writing a series based around the search-and-rescue team in my first novel, Last Chance Rescue. The characters are all there already, waiting for their stories to be told (see Last Chance Rescue)! I wouldn’t consider the research to be a hardship at all! (When I wrote Last Chance Rescue, I rode along with a crew in Idaho.)

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Filed Under: Last Chance Rescue, Search-and-Rescue

“Alternative” Therapies for Wounded Veterans with PTSD

March 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and other war-related experiences are topics I explore quite a bit in my writing. Major Aaron Bricewick, wounded veteran and hero of my military romance novel (True Surrender) struggles with symptoms of PTSD throughout the book.

I recently posted links to a couple of articles on my Facebook page related to “non-traditional” ways that wounded veterans are finding healing of (or a better way to manage) PTSD symptoms like nightmares, anxiety and depression. They don’t make for very interesting fiction, but I pray that they are helping our REAL wounded warriors.

Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprogramming (EMDR) involves remembering a painful incident, but stripping it of its emotional content by asking the patient to follow the therapist’s fingers with his or her eyes. Then when the memory is stored away again, it’s in a less threatening form.

Is it effective?

Dr. Francine Shapiro, the founder of EMDR, found that three 90-minute sessions could alleviate symptoms of civilian PTSD in more than 77 percent of the patients she treated.

A related alternative is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which involves remembering a painful incident, but putting a positive spin on it through the use of acupressure points. A vet might say, “I had to shoot the kid who ran toward my Humvee wearing an explosive vest, but I completely and fully accept myself” and begin tapping his way through five acupressure points on his face and three on his torso.

Does it work? After six one-hour coaching sessions, the average PTSD score dropped to 35. (Read the entire article here.)

The concept of Extreme Sports Therapy is to drop pleasant, high-adrenaline memories on top of ugly combat images, thereby decreasing the potency of the ‘bad’ memories. Organizations like X Sports 4 Vets (Missoula, Mont) offer riverboarding, rock climbing, sky diving, and other extreme sports. Last fall, I posted about an extreme bicycle adventure for wounded veterans; at the time, it was prominent in the news due to ex-president Bush’s involvement.

Does it work?

Experts point to evidence that has to do with cortisone levels (read the full article for details). But perhaps the best evaluation comes direct from a growing number of wounded veterans. “Every time I get out on the river, I come home with stories and big pleasant memories,” says one military amputee. “It does me a lot more good than the pills they’ve been throwing at me.”

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Filed Under: PTSD/Wounded Veterans, True Surrender

What about those “Light Inspirational Aspects” of True Surrender?

February 26, 2012 By 1 Comment

Some readers have commented about the Christian “undertones” in True Surrender. (They are there in Last Chance Rescue as well, but less obvious, couched in a “higher power” terminology and especially strong in what I call the “healing hands” scenes.)

First, I should clarify that I don’t write Christian/Inspirational fiction. For one thing, I don’t feel qualified to do so. I’m still a learning Christian myself. I can’t spout scripture, and I have a hard time sharing the gospel. Second, I don’t want to “preach to the choir,” reaching only readers interested in Christian/Inspirational fiction.

So why did I choose to include these “light inspirational aspects” in my novels?

First, I’m a Christian myself. Jesus Christ is my personal savior. If not for him, my marriage would have fallen apart long ago, and my beautiful daughter would not even exist. I enjoy incorporating a bit of that into my writing.

Second, I want to reach people where they are. I want them to read the book for more reasons than JUST the fact that it’s “Christian/Inspirational” – read the book for the romance, or for the wounded veteran angle. I don’t want to hit them over the head with God-speak; I want to give them a sense that God could fit into their imperfect life. (I also don’t want to be bound to the ‘rules’ governing “Inspirational Fiction.” After all, there is (gasp) “light sexual aspects” in my books!)

Who knows? Perhaps the fictional portrayal of a character who experiences the power of Christ will encourage a reader to look into this “God thing” for themselves…

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Filed Under: Featured Articles, True Surrender, Writing Life & Tips

Writing Sample: What does she see?

February 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The past few weeks I’ve been working on a new storyline, and since I haven’t posted any writing samples lately, I thought it would be fun to pull a ‘sample’ from it. What kind of questions does the scene below conjure up for YOU?

Gina let herself into Zac’s hotel room and stood looking around in the dim light. It looked like a typical bachelor pad, with clothing randomly strewn about and papers littering the small desk. She reached for the light and hesitated; was it a good idea to turn it on?

She chided herself. Darkness was rapidly falling; what could she possibly hope to find if she couldn’t see? She flipped a switch and headed for the desk.

It felt odd to be poking through Zac’s things, especially when she wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for. The papers on the desk were almost all shooting scripts. She checked the drawers of the desk; nothing but his computer and a jumble of napkins and wet wipes.

What next? The drawers? It would really feel odd to go through his underwear…

She needed more light. She went around the bed and reached for the bedside lamp switch. The halo lit up the area, and she gawked at what she saw. “It can’t be,” she whispered.

If you want to know about future writing/stories, be sure to sign up for my newsletter (see right column).

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Filed Under: Writing samples

How long does it take to write 1,000 words?

February 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Creative endeavors involve a LOT of time. Time that the ‘end consumer’ (aka enjoyer) never, ever sees. (And time that is often without compensation, but that’s a post for a different day.)

The person watching a band or enjoying a song on the radio (or iPod) experiences only a few minutes or hours of polished music – NOT the hours of practice to get it that way. The play attendee or movie goer doesn’t realize how many hours of memorization and rehearsals the actors put in.

And the book reader seldom gives thought to how much time was required to create that story and get it onto paper (or e-paper).

I’ve never stopped to figure out how many hundreds (thousands?) of hours my first two novels took. I’m also not one to get hung up on the number of words I’ve written per day or week. But I got curious, so for the past month I’ve been monitoring my writing time and comparing it to word count.

What I’ve found is that 1,000 words takes me about three hours to write. That includes visualization, character building, and actual BIC (butt-in-chair) writing time. It does NOT include research time. (Heck, for my first novel, I went all the way to Idaho and rode along with a medevac team for two days.) It does NOT include those unfortunate times when WRITERS BLOCK strikes. And it does NOT include editing time.

I have no idea if this is considered typical. As any writer will tell you, there are as many ways to write as there are writers. But it’s an interesting window into the creative process. If you are a writer, I’d love to hear how long 1,000 words takes YOU to write!

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Filed Under: Writing Life & Tips

Tokara Taiko Drum Performance Rated “The Best Show I’ve Ever Seen”

January 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment


My nine-year-old son was my date last night.

We went to see Wadaiko Ensemble Tokara, a taiko drum performance group that originates from Japan (although, as we learned, their six members are from five different countries). The venue was a tiny arts stage in St. Paul (MN) about 50 minutes from our home – and we were front and center.

Taiko Drumming has taken many forms, from traditional Japanese taiko to more “Westernized” taiko, which is often fused with other musical instruments and even dance choreography and martial arts movements. Tokara tends to do a lot with changing rhythms and fast, hard playing, often in physically demanding body positions. They also do their fair share of dramatic arm and body movements (which happens to be one of my favorite aspects). Their lead player was one of the Taiko Grand Champions in 2005, and they just produced their very first CD/album.

It was over all too quickly (80 minutes or so) but who could blame them? Theirs is a seriously HIGH ENERGY type of taiko playing! I couldn’t keep that kind of energy even that long! On the way home, the show was rated “The best show I’ve EVER seen” … by my son! (Guess that means MY taiko recitals don’t rate…)

If you’d like to see some cool taiko drum playing – without leaving your home – I recently posted some of my favorite taiko drumming videos on my Taiko Drum page.

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Filed Under: Taiko Drumming

Another Book Review for True Surrender: 4.5 Star Book Review!

January 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A man tormented by nightmares and the after affects of a capture, and a woman who has lost so much, but still feels blessed. These two amazing people have met and loved each other before, but now are brought face to face again. True Surrender is Aaron and Holly’s story, and along the way are some powerful scenarios and deep, emotional conflict that needs resolving.

Aaron Bricewick wakes up in a strange place after being imprisoned by terrorists. His memories are of bad, disturbing things and he can’t shake those feelings away. But Aaron is now home in America, free, and he’s in for a long ride ahead because he has to adapt to his new life.

A major in the Army, a man like Aaron is used to being independent, strong, and capable. Now he’s not so sure, and his desire to not allow anyone in to help deal with his pain is slowly eating away at him. My heart went out to this man, and though he’s only a character in a book, there are many men like him out in the real world that could be and possibly are going through the same thing that Aaron did. That’s what makes him such a character to relate to, and his strong emotions pulled me into this book and never let go.
Holly Rossiter is a widowed mother of a wonderful little boy. What Holly doesn’t expect when she goes into work one day is to come face to face with a man from her past, and have to deliver some startling news to him. She loved Aaron long ago, but their different paths in life caused the pair to drifted apart. What matters now is Holly is here for Aaron, and wants to see him through this difficult time. Not many could go through such a traumatic experience only to meet up again with someone they never thought he’d see again. This is a new beginning for Holly and Aaron, along with Holly’s young son, Nick.

True Surrender has an outstanding plot that holds on tightly to the readers emotions, strong characters that you won’t be able to forget, and intense situations that will either make or break it for this couple. It’s a contemporary romance with light inspirational aspects. Aaron must come to terms with life and God and accept what has become of him even thought he fails to understand why. And Holly, despite the things she’s lost, embraces life as a blessing. As light and dark join forces, it’s only a matter of time before love finds its way into their lives once again.

I enjoyed this book and was glad to be able to read it. The author takes a story that could be part of someone’s real life and keeps the reader engaged the whole while. Readers, if you’re looking for a sensual contemporary story to captivate you, then rush on out and get a copy of True Surrender, and in no time, you’ll surrender your heart to these inspiring characters.

Read more reviews!

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Filed Under: Reviews/reader comments, True Surrender

The Definition of Erotica (and is it different than “Sensual Fiction”)?

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Being it’s winter and supposedly a “slower” time, I decided to join an online class on how to do a better job of writing about sex (and maybe I’ll figure out if the short story I’ve written falls under the genre of “erotica”). Though the class has only just begun, it got me thinking about the sensual scenes (that’s what I call them anyway) in my published novels.

I try to write scenes with sexual tension rather than actual sex - which I find more difficult than an actual sex scene in some ways … but so much more powerful! I also like to place that tension in unexpected places or situations. Here is an example from my novel Last Chance Rescue:

He sank to his bed when she went to the bathroom, not bothering to turn on the overhead light. He fumbled with the clasps on his leg brace for a few moments, then lay propped on his elbows—uncomfortable, exhausted and frustrated.

“You really don’t feel good, do you?” She was at his side.

He shook his head. He reached for the brace again, but she laid her hand on his.

“Let me,” she said softly.

Slowly he reclined.

One by one she released the clasps on his leg brace. She moved with slow deliberation, as if she were undressing him. When she’d removed the brace she let it fall to the floor, one hand still resting on his leg. She sat on the bed next to him and reached for the ankle zipper on his workout pants.

He couldn’t take his eyes from her as she unzipped his pants from his ankle to above his knee. He found himself wanting her touch…anticipating it…needing it.

I don’t plan to change the way I write. But, it will be interesting to stretch myself (I have a couple ideas in mind) and maybe get a little more, er … graphic with my descriptions!

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Filed Under: Writing Life & Tips, Writing samples

More Biker Fiction: Iron Horse Rider

January 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment


The opening scene of Iron Horse Rider is a terrible accident/crash in which Shane’s wife dies. What follows is a lengthy flashback detailing how he met his wife and fell in love, and briefly covering how she started riding motorcycle. Flashbacks are very hard to do (well) even when they are short. I felt this flashback was too long and took the focus off the main story; I would have preferred the key backstory elements ‘worked in’ to the main storyline.

The setting that Shane finds himself in after running (er, riding) away from home is somewhat exotic in that most readers will never have heard of the Micmac tribe – and that they spend summers as their ancestors did. There are some mystical qualities to the storyline, which some readers may not care for, as well as healing elements (which I especially liked).

As far as characters go: Shane was an authentic and real biker with an interesting and believable past and personal issues. The heroine (Tia) was less interesting to me; it seemed she didn’t have any bad qualities. The antagonist could have been quite interesting (what made him so angry and mean?) but the author did not take the time to flesh him out. The minor characters – biker friends – were well done (like people I’d meet in my own motorcycle club, not gang members).

I especially liked that the focus was on Shane’s personal transformation (a male point of view), as I tend to write that way myself. I found the plot and conflict compelling, except for one thing: I couldn’t quite seem to get past the fact that Tia was a potential new romance for Shane so soon after losing the love of his life (and hers, although not as recent). To the author’s credit, this is a delicate balance and she does not take this idea too far; the characters are friends but with attraction! In that sense, this is not your typical romance novel – but I like that.

I had to keep reading to see how the ‘competition’ between Shane and the antagonist turned out. There is an excellent ‘karma’ twist as well. All in all, I enjoyed this biker novel more than others I’ve read and would like to read more of Ms. Laudan’s biker fiction. My rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5).

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

The Rose is a FEATURED MUSIC VIDEO at Mamapalooza!

December 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 First: what is Mamapalooza? I call it the “Rocker Moms” site, but it’s much more than that. It is musician moms, author moms, filmmaker moms - creative moms of all kinds – coming together (often in collaborative ways) to highlight the challenges of motherhood and artistic endeavors. Obviously, this is a movement near to my heart, since I am mother to two young children (4 and 9). I’ve been affiliated with Mamapalooza for about three years; I guess you could say we’ve grown together (though I’d wager Joy and her peers have done a better job than I have).
 
The Making of a Music Video
 
I had finished my novel, True Surrender, and had recorded my first song in sixteen years…and when I first thought about doing a music video, I was curious: how would my passion for singing, writing and the power of the visual come together?
 
The short answer: with a lot of help!
 
A co-director/editor. Actors to enact scenes from True Surrender. Camera folks. Props. Makeup. So many details! The photo shoot itself. And then: sleepless nights as I watched scenes for hours – evaluating the best parts of each, looking for those seconds when the camera caught something special.
 
I could not have had a better experience creating my first music video. I was blessed with a great group of people to work with (I really enjoyed the creative interplay). This was truly a collaborative effort and I was both humbled and exhilarated. I love the video – and I hope you do, too. View it here.

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Filed Under: Events, Music News, True Surrender
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