All Shiveley's Die in October

October 15, 2012 I was rushed to the emergency room.  I’d known that something was wrong for quite a while, but like our canine brothers and sisters, I managed to hide it quite well.  I was sick.  I was desperately sick.

I hadn’t told my family that I had been speaking with my mother, my father and Merribuck – all deceased.  Merribuck, my beloved late, Border/Sheltie mix, was the first to visit me.

It was the beginning of October and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hide how ill I was for much longer.  Understand that I come from a long line of people who just don’t like to go to the doctor.  We’re a hardy group as a rule, but sometimes something sneaks up and knocks one of us for a loop. I was soon to be thrown.

I was sitting on the couch, gathering strength to vacuum, when I saw my Merri.  I could feel the joy rise up within my heart.  I’d missed her so much these past 19 years, and here she was, once again, my beautiful baby dog.  Merri trotted over to me and sat at my feet, feathered, curved tail wagging, mouth open in that glorious smile she always wore in life.

To this day Merribuck is the sweetest soul I’ve ever met.  Truly, God was in a good mood the day He made my sweet girl.  She was always there to comfort me, there to share my joys and triumphs, and I know deep within my soul that she knew what I was feeling and thinking.  We shared a bond that I have shared with only a few beings in my lifetime, my son being one, and so I was not that surprised to see her now…now that I was in trouble.

“My Buckaroo!” I cried with joy.  “I’ve missed you so much, Little Love.  I’ve always missed you.  Do you know that I come to visit with you when I’m upset?” I asked her.  (I always go to her grave when troubled.)  “Have you come to “fetch” me?”

Buck gazed up at me with her beautiful smile and my heart clenched.  My fingers itched to stroke her long, silky coat, and my soul longed to smell her sweet fragrance that I remembered so well.  I could feel her laugh and say “Mama, you always were so funny” and with that, she jumped up beside me.  I buried my nose in her neck, stroking her wonderful fur.  “Sweetheart” I murmured,“ if it weren’t for our baby, I would love to go with you.  I miss you so much. But my journey with him isn’t over.  I have to stay for him.”

Our baby was my son Chris, born 20 years before.  When Chris came home, I sat on the couch and allowed Merribuck to sniff him.  “This is your baby, Buck.  Your baby.”  From that day forward, she never left his side.

Again I felt the telepathic connection “I know Mama.  I miss you too, and I know when you have come to visit me.  Haven’t you felt me with you? But right now you have to stay here with our baby.”

Merri continued to comfort me for a precious ten minutes or so and then left. As she jumped down from the couch I felt her ‘say’ “You won’t die, Mama.  I came to tell you that you won’t die.”  I once again endured the anguish of our parting, but felt better knowing that, indeed, we would be reunited someday…perhaps someday soon…but that for now, I would be allowed to stay with my beloved son.

I was knocked to my knees in mid-October.  Chris was taking me to the doctor as I was now too weak to drive.  He was begging me to go to the hospital, but I kept insisting that I was all right, just tired.  One look at me and the nurse demanded that I go to the ER.  Finally waking up to reality, or maybe it was the fear in my son’s eyes, I agreed and Chris took me straight away.  I was admitted within an hour.

So, I lay in my hospital bed, not really afraid.  Somehow I knew that I would live, but a statement my father made kept going through my head:  "All Shiveley’s die in October."  Had I imagined Merri out of loneliness for her?  Was I once again hiding the truth from myself?  My mind flew back 16 years.

In 1997 we brought my father home to live with us.  He had developed lung cancer and was dying.  Chemo seemed to be slowing the progression of the cancer, and Da kept saying, “If I live through October, I’ll live another year.”  We were watching Emeril Lagasse, Da’s favorite cooking show, the evening of October 28th, and when he said it to me again, I asked, “Da, why do you keep saying that?”  “Because,” he replied,“ all Shiveley’s die in October.”  I put the thought aside, figuring he was clinging to a very fragile thread. The next morning, Chris and I found him gone, his coffee still hot, and his color just beginning to change. Two weeks later, as I cleaned out his room, I found a shoe box full of obituaries.  All were for Shiveley’s…all died in October.  So here I was – October 15, gravely ill, in the hospital, and a Shiveley.  But Buck had said I wasn’t going to die. Or had she?

That night, my mother came.  I was lying with my eyes closed (who can sleep in a hospital?) when I heard her distinctive laugh.  Slowly turning my head, I saw her sitting in a chair and smiling.  “So, you think you’re going to die because you’re a Shiveley?  Well, you’re also from my people.  You’ll be okay, and by the way, how’s my grandson?”

I filled her in: Mom never met Chris.  Mom died in 1989 of kidney cancer and Chris was born and adopted in 1992.  So I told her all about him.  I kept thinking of how her brother Bussy visited her when she was six months pregnant for me.  She was raking leaves and caught fire, sustaining fourth degree burns.  Her right kidney was literally fried. She lay in a bed at White Cross Hospital, in premature labor for me, and frightened to the core.  She said the room brightened and a moonbeam shot into her room.  There stood her brother, hand extended. “Don’t worry, Re, she’ll be all right. I’ll take care of her.”  He then faded back into the beam and was gone. My mother said that her labor ceased immediately, and I’m here to testify that I survived.  But would I survive this test?

The next night my father arrived.  “Da!” I exclaimed when I saw him.  He gazed at me with that serious Irish way of his and stated, “I just came to tell you that you won’t be dyin’ this October.  You’re journey is not finished.”  Da and I spoke for awhile.  Like Mom, he wanted to know about Chris.  He and Chris had adored each other, and Da was so proud to be Chris’ “Numpa” as Chris called him.  Da’s visit wasn’t long, but he was always one to say his piece and get it over with.

I took all of this with a grain of salt.  It seemed that, after Merribuck left, my emotions flat lined.  I felt no fear, no regret, no apprehension.  My only emotion was of determination:  If I’m going to die, in spite of what I’ve been told, I must make sure that Chris is all right.  I planned my funeral, my wake,  and the epitaph on my tombstone, and set about the business of putting my affairs in order.  I didn’t want my son or my husband to have to deal with any more than they had to.  Also, I wanted to be able to take care of my boy, even after death.  However, true to my visitors’ assurances, I survived and was sent home in eight days with chronic liver failure, possibly due to a biologic I was taking for Psoriatic Arthritis.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, my 60th birthday, Christmas, New Years, all passed with me half there.  I was very weak and was not recovering as everyone had hoped.  On January second, I was again taken to the emergency room.  This time, my doctors told me that, according to my blood tests, I should be in the morgue.  You should have seen their faces when I gave them the cryptic reply, “But it isn’t October!”

Tender loving care from a group of incredible nurses, massive infusions of potassium and sundry minerals and enzymes, and the final return of my appetite (I hadn’t eaten more than four ounces a day since Thanksgiving,  2011) I was well enough to return home seven days later.  Now, I began to get better.  Still, I felt no emotions.  I would sit for hours just staring ahead.  Merribuck’s, my mother’s, and my father’s visits had left me rather numb. Intellectually I knew that I missed them more than ever now, but somehow that message never slipped down into my heart.  Perhaps it wasn’t supposed to.  Maybe I was supposed to concentrate on survival and not grief.

It was March.  I was alone at home.  My husband is a docent at a museum in Columbus, and was there conducting a tour; my son was at school.  I sat, TV off, wishing to God that I could see Merribuck again, and looking outside at the tree my husband and I planted the previous summer – a tree that I thought I would never get to see grow.  I gazed upon her (I always name my trees, and this one, a Royal Empress, was of course, Eleanor) and without warning my emotions came flooding back!  I was filled with the most incredible joy, and I knew, I just knew, that I would see the spring – and perhaps live through another October.  I wept.  I wept as I hadn’t done since my very early years.  I wept for the promise of life, mourned anew for Merri, Mom and Da, and rejoiced with the knowledge that I would remain with my son. Sobs wracked me to the point of making my muscles ache when I was finished, but it was a cleansing, a release, a baptism as it were.

It is now June.  I can walk on my own, climb stairs, take showers,  cook and eat.  My weight is getting to the point where I look thin, but normal, and not unlike a concentration camp victim.  My son is now 21, thriving and happy.  He is studying filmology and is a sushi chef. My husband is convinced that I’m going to be okay, and has relaxed and begun to enjoy his life once more.  I’ve started cooking again, something I loved to do but hadn’t the strength, and began watching Paula Deen, Ina Garten, Giada and other Food Network stars to get my ‘cooking chops’ refreshed. My son and I have just returned from the Muddy River powwow where my sister was Head Woman.  Chris has taken me out to dinner and rejoiced in my returned appetite.  We take walks and my husband and I have started to accept party invitations.  God is good.  God is very, very good.

The Big Fat Cedar Woman Give Away begins in one hour: 8:00 - 10:00 P.M. EST

Big Fat Cedar Woman Giveaway tonight at 8pmEDT/7CDT/6MDT/5PDT! Come play the games, win the prizes, have tons of fun! http://1862040.videoconference.talkfusionlive.com/golive/m/9gt1CJCR0eAfGLnh

Come to the Give Away and win fantastic prizes!

A set of Nigella Measuing Cups

Authentic American Native Jewelry

Powwow Shawl

One of a Kind Sworovski Crystal Necklace set

Logitech Web Cam!

and more!

Download here: http://www.amazon.com/Cedar-Woman-ebook/dp/B0053ZL54W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1336332853&sr=1-1

My Big Fat Cedar Woman Give Away!

It's finally here! On May 10, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. EST my Big Fat Cedar Woman Give Away will come to life!

We have many prizes, including authentic American Indian jewelry, a powwow shawl, gorgeous Mother of Pearl business card holder, a Dark Side Fry Bread tee-shirt, two Gizmo hand bags (shown on Opera) and more!

Get your copy of Cedar Woman and prepare for a good time! Participants who have read the book will have a decided advantage of winning some of the prizes. So pass the word!

Go here to sign up:

https://www.facebook.com/events/282466608510301/

 


http://www.amazon.com/Cedar-Woman-ebook/dp/B0053ZL54W/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1335629326&sr=8-2


http://www.amazon.com/Cedar-Woman-Debra-Shiveley-Welch/dp/1897512376/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1336323613&sr=8-1 

Meet Author Roger Sagert

Roger Sagert:  http://highcountrystories.blogspot.com/


Roger, I’m so glad to have this opportunity to talk with you.  I’m a big fan of your Inuit saga series which includs Inuit Child One Who Walks Alone and The Long Trail Home.

What inspired you to write these very unique novels?

Roger: I wanted to show how these unique people lived and how special their lives were and what they thought of their world and themselves.  .

DSW:  How long have you been writing?

Roger: I wrote my first story when I was in the 7^th grade in school in Winter, Wisconsin. The story was short and we were required to produce one for the class and we had to read our stories out loud, it was an enjoyable experience, I wrote my next book in the early seventies. It was by pen and paper while I was living camped out in the Rocky Mountains. It wasn’t until years later when the computer made it possible for me to write so that another person could actually read what it was I had wrote.

DSW: How do your ideas for stories typically come to you?

Roger: The air and the world around me are full of stories, I just sit down and start typing.

DSW: Do you know the entire story when you begin or do you begin with a grain of an idea and allow the story to tell itself as you write?

Roger:  If a scene comes to my mind, I start to write, and the story and those in it come in to a life of their own and pass through the story on their own.

DSW: Do you use an outline?

Roger: No I am not a learned man; I thought at one time these types of methods might help me so I bought a writing program, working with that was worse than typing a story. It might even be under my desk collecting dust right now.  A dear friend gave me a book on writing. Oh well, what can I say?

DSW: What is your purpose in writing?

Roger: I like to show that no matter what circumstances a person or peoples are in, they are able to rise up to the challenge. This is something I have noticed as I have lived my life.

I follow the flow as the story comes to me and I will introduce severe situations and the characters must then do what they must. But I never know how they will react to any give situation.

DSW:  That explains why your stories are so personal and touching, even though they happen to a different people in a different time.  Do you feel it to be a calling, or are you satisfying some psychological, spiritual, or social imperative?

Roger: A calling, that would be far too lofty for me, but self-satisfying, and some social imperative, those two suggestions would be closer, I tend to write strong female characters. My mother taught me to be respectful and thoughtful of those around me.
My Father taught me to stand up for the right to live and die for what I believe, and to step in and do what you must even if it was going to hurt.

DSW: Do you write to inform or to entertain, or for some other reason?

Roger: I write because it is in me to do so.

DSW: Do you write to yourself or do you keep a reading audience in your mind's eye?

Roger: One could write for one’s self and be quite happy, and there is nothing wrong with that, but a story that is sent out to the world must quickly take hold of the reader, and like the subtle shade of evening, you must let the reader see enough to follow the path you yourself are traveling on; you must not rush on ahead and leave them in the dark, but occasionally you must brush their fingertips to help guide them to your sight.

DSW: Another example of why I find your work filled with poetry. I like that. What is the most satisfying aspect of writing for you?

Roger: A imaginary story or any factual book no matter the content is built from within the mind of the writer, and to bring the fruit of the story out of one’s mind and place it there for the reader to see, and then to find out that the reader understands what you are really trying to show, is for me the self-satisfying aspect of writing. 

DSW: What is the most difficult aspect of it?

Roger:  Sitting down and doing.

DSW: Do you write on a fairly regular basis, or do you wait for your muse to whisper in your ear?

Roger: Hardly ever, but when I do, I am like a lamb being eaten by the lion, I am consumed. I have written for over twenty four hours at a sitting, and once bitten, I strive to drive the story on to completion.

DSW: What do you do when you face the dreaded nemesis – Writer’s Block?

Roger:  When the thought has entered my mind I ask out loud to myself, “How will I keep this story interesting?” Then I let my fingers move across the keyboard, and a character sticks their head from between the keys on the keyboard and says to me, “Here this is where I belong.”  Or sometimes they say, “You have come too far too fast and must go back and find out why I am here and why I am doing thusly.”

DSW: Is there a better time of day for you to write? 

Roger:  No, the story never stops flowing to me. When I write I write until I need to stop.

DSW: Where do you like to practice your craft?  Is there any particular room?

Roger: I can write anywhere I can get to a computer. I know nothing of structure of sentences and I cannot spell. Vowels and verbs are strange countries made of gooey smelly mud; a hanging participial might as well be a new planet off in deep space.

DSW: Do you need quiet, or do you like noise when you are writing?

Roger: I sometimes put on headphones and listen to old timey blues. Or quiet works also.

DSW: What does your typical writing day look like?

Roger: When I was in the Antarctic I wrote at night until midnight.  When I write at home I close the door of the room, I do not like stopping or being bothered.

DSW: Do you have to struggle for ideas for stories, or do they come to you easily?

Roger:  My mind is not a void that is empty, but rather a new world waiting to be investigated.

DSW: What do you consider the most important quality in writing: character development, plot, etc?

Roger:  I waste very little time describing the characters. I give the reader the bare necessity , I leave them to be molded by the reader, I offer them a sip of warm mulled wine and let their inner glow flesh out what they themselves want to see. Perhaps this is a mistake. I’ll let the reader decide.

The plots main course is on its own. If I do something about it, I sure don’t know it when I do. If something is really wrong and I sense it, I look at my direction to see what has happened.

DSW: Can we look forward to other books by you in the future?

Roger: Will the sun rise in the realm of our minds, and will not the rain fall and call the salmon from the sea?

DSW: There you go again, Roger!  I love the way your mind works.  Would you care to share some of those ideas with us now to whet our appetites?

Roger: An Inuit woman listens to the sounds of the northern lights in which she hears the words of the spirit children that are there in the night’s sky, and they tell her of a strange man who has come to the shore of her land.  She wakes up from her dream and comes out from the hole in the snow where the night before she had sheltered herself, and she seeks him out. She is guided by the voices of the children; she finds him.  Carefully she approaches him and he is covered with fine snow. He has blond hair and a metal hat with horns on top….

Interview With Author D. Eward Bradley

­Interview of David Edward Bradley with Debra Shiveley Welch

http://www.dedwardbradley.com/ 

Hi, Edward.  I’m happy to be able to visit with you today.  I have some questions for you which my followers will be interested in.  Edward, how long have you been writing?

Edward: First of all, I should point out that my real name is David Edward Bradley, but I write under the pen name of D. Edward Bradley.

To answer the question, I actually wrote a novel circa 1950 when I was about 20 and still living with my parents in the UK. It was about a giant asteroid…..   I sent it to a publisher and it was read (and rejected, of course) by a well known author whose name I have since forgotten. It was pretty awful.

I have been writing seriously since retiring from a faculty position at Canada’s most easterly university, Memorial University of Newfoundland—about 15 years. Since my last novel, She Came from Away, was published in 2007 I have been attending to other aspects of the writers’craft and learning about e-publishing.

DSW: How do your ideas for stories typically come to you?

Edward: My first novel Leeward is entirely imaginative; the Caribbean island, where much of the action takes place, doesn’t exist. It was vacations in Jamaica and St. Kitts— each with its own dramatic topography, colourful history, and tropical headiness—that  rekindled a creative spark that had lain dormant while I had been concentrating on my career as biology researcher. Places I had known as a boy in England, while on military service in Germany and on a scientific expedition to Iceland, were soon woven into the plotlines of my first four novels. You could say that, to some extent, places I had experienced prescribed plot direction. Harry’s War is the only novel where actual events in my life inspired the story. My latest novel, She Came from Away, borrows from our life in a small Newfoundland town, both for settings and for local colour.

DSW: Do you know the entire story when you embark on a new manuscript, or do you begin with a grain of an idea and allow the story to tell itself as you write?

Edward: It depends on the book. For Leeward I had a rough idea of plot when I started, but the plot transfigured itself through twists and turns as I wrote. For all the other books I knew where the story was going before I wrote the plot outlines, and the writing flowed.

DSW: When you decide to write a book, how do you set about the task?

Edward: I have a system:

First I start with a single-sentence descriptor of the book: who, what, where, and when. For  Harry’s War it might read “Thirteen-year-old Harry Lockwood’s life at an English boarding school for boys near London during World War II.”

Next, I expand this to a paragraph outlining the plot direction and naming the principle characters. From there I write single-sentence chapter outlines for the whole book. I flesh out the chapter outlines to several paragraphs, three at a time, before I sit down to write. As each chapter is completed, I flesh out another chapter outline. Plot changes are accommodated as they arise by updating the chapter outlines.

Generally, I write several pages longhand and then type them, revising roughly as I do so. There are revisions at the chapter level for things like awkward phrasing, word overuse, and anything missed by the word processing software. With a lot of dialogue, punctuation spell checking can be a concern. Rereading of longer sections hopefully picks up any plot inconsistencies and a read by an “outsider” can help with this. I used to print and bind several copies of my final drafts, complete with laminated colour covers, to send to friends before publication.

DSW: Why did you start writing novels after a career in Biological Research?

Edward:  An underlying desire to write fiction had been with me since young adulthood and I felt an unmet need to be creative after I retired. The career work I was involved in —first as an electron microscopist and later as a microbiologist—was both visually and intellectually stimulating. Research is a field where you have an end goal and must plot how to get there. As with writing a novel, you may end up somewhere totally unexpected!

DSW: Do you write to inform or to entertain, or for some other reason?

Rfestf: Primarily to entertain, though with Harry’s War I wanted the reader to sense the reality of war-time Britain: rationing, German aerial attacks, family separations and stolen childhoods. My other books might be informative in the sense that descriptions of foreign settings are based on my actual recollections, sometimes augmented by research. 

DSW: Do you write to yourself or do you keep a reading audience in your mind's eye?

Edward: Definitely the latter. I try to develop characters in such a way that readers can feel strongly about them. I also try to paint a vivid picture of the scene where the action is taking place so that readers might feel as though they are there with the protagonists.

DSW: What is the most satisfying aspect of writing for you?

Edward: Getting very good reviews has to top the list. Producing pre-publication bound copies for family and friends, with covers that I had designed, was also very rewarding as I developed the technique myself through much experimentation in my garage workshop.

More recently I had to read versions of several of my books which I had formatted as ebooks (Kindle in particular). I was surprised (though I say it myself!) that the writing still seemed strong and clear. I don’t think I could write as well now.

DSW: What is the most difficult aspect of it?

Edward: Putting pen to paper and composing—converting my chapter outlines to scenes and actions, especially where the outlines lacked detail.

DSW: Do you write on a fairly regular basis, or do you wait for your muse to whisper in your ear?

Edward: I try to have a writing session every day, however short—even just a paragraph or short conversation. This means a day doesn’t pass without thinking about the book. I feel that if I wait for inspiration, there is a risk the work will never be finished, as is the case with a novella I started a couple of years ago.

DSW: What do you do when you face the dreaded nemesis – Writer’s Block?

Edward: I have been lucky in that my system for writing the text seems to have almost eliminated writer’s block. There is always a detailed chapter outline to draw me onward. The fact that three of my novels form a trilogy has meant that my characters have a shared past that can be drawn upon when needed. Quirks of character or past foibles can be revisited. 

DSW: Is there a better time of day for you to write?

Edward:  Probably afternoon or late morning. Not after dinner.

DSW: Where do you like to practice your craft?  Is there any particular room?

Edward: In summer, with good weather, my favourite place is in my shaded garden. Indoors, I enjoy the seclusion of my bedroom where a comfortable chair awaits.

DSW: Do you need quiet, or do you like noise when you are writing?

Edward: I definitely need quiet; even music upsets my concentration. Unfortunately even a suburban garden can be fraught with distraction.

Do you have to struggle for ideas for stories, or do they come to you easily?

Edward: I do now. Ideas used to come easily since I wrote most of my novels using my own experiences and observations. When I travelled more there were always intriguing places and new people that I could reconfigure into the dramatic scenarios of fiction.

DSW: What do you consider the most important quality in writing: character development, plot, etc?

Edward: Definitely character development. Some of my reviewers have said how much they like the portrayal of my Newfoundland characters in She Came from Away.

DSW: One of your reviewers described Harry’s War as “semi-autobiographic.” To what extent was he right?

Edward: I was just a little younger than the fictitious Harry when I experienced the war years in England. I too spent four years at an English boarding school, complete with prefects and bullies. My school, Malvern, was taken over for the development of radar near the outbreak of WWII and re-housed at Harrow-on-the-Hill, which, like the fictitious Markham College, is about 15 miles from central London. I experienced several of the war-related incidents in the book but embellished them so they were more exciting.

DSW: Did writing Harry’s War change how you remembered WWII?

Edward: Yes, it certainly did. For the first time I wrote down my own recollections in as much detail as possible. I did a bit of research to ensure historical time lines for events in the book were plausible if not 100% accurate, and I located a sound clip of a V1 flying bomb which made me relive the night when they were first launched to hit London.

Oddly, writing the novel made my personal experiences at boarding school feel more like a movie and less real, but how I remember WWII remains a complex compilation of experienced events, newsreel footage, and my relative’s harrowing tales. My parents were in South Africa for part of the war then were finally allowed to return to England in a convoy. The ship behind theirs was sunk in the north Atlantic.   

DSW: Can we look forward to other books by you in the future?

Edward: Probably not. As a retiree of many years I’m not sure I have the discipline to take on a novel at this point. 

DSW: What made you write a trilogy—the Harry’s War Trilogy?

Edward: That’s simple!  A reviewer wrote: ". . . . Growing through the adversities of WWII and of Markham College, Harry develops from a 13-year-old . . . to a confident, mature young man of 17 in 1945, ready to tackle a still uncertain future. His girlfriend, Jenny, is as sure as he is they can succeed. Perhaps there's a sequel in the offing to determine whether or not they did. And if it's as good as this book it will be well worth reading."   M. Wayne Cunningham, Books in Canada—The Canadian Review of Books, September 2004.

So I took his suggestion seriously and wrote Another Kind of War, then The Iceland Connection.

DSW:  David, that you very much for taking the time for this very interesting and informative interview.

D. Edward Bradley’s books are available on most online book stores, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble and can be ordered through your local book store.

Become a Published Author

Join us tonight on Readers Rockin' Radio January 4, 2012 - 6:30 p.m. EST

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/readersrockinradio/2012/01/04/1st-place-winning-author-joins-readers-rockin-radio

Learn about our contests through Master Koda and Saga Books!

For Published Authors

  Win Best Traditionally Published Book 2012

Win Best Self-Published Book 2012

Win a Marketing and Promotional Package Worth Up To $2,000

For Unpublished Authors

First Place - Your Book Published by Saga Books - A Traditional Publishing House - in Paperback

Second Place - Your Book Published by  Saga Books in eBook Format

For Poets and Essay and Short Story Authors

Have You Work Published by Saga Books in an Anthology of Poetry and Short Stories 

Join us tonight, January 4, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. EST

If you miss the show tonight, catch us on the archived version. 

See you there!

Big Fat Cedar Woman Give Away

Hello, my friends.  It's been a while since I started the give away and you all have been extremely patient.  I would like to ask one more favor of you.  Could you please go to http://apps.debrashiveleywelch.net/blog/ and sign up there.  Simply post a comment saying, "I'm in!"

I need to free up this blog for interviews.  That said, if any of you would like to be interviewed about your blogs, your web site, business, poetry, etc., please let me know.
Thanks so much.  The contest will commence after the holidays.

I apologize for the delay in the commencement of the contest, but an avalanche of work (I've been made a partner in Saga Books) and health complications have eaten away my time.  I will have this all sorted out by January 1.  In the mean time, please send me your snail mail addresses to DebraSWelch@aol.com and put in the subject line "My Snail Mail Address."

Again, thank you all a hundred fold for your patience.

My Big Fat Cedar Woman Give Away

Click  to Vew Book Trailer

Now is the time to participate in my

Big Fat Cedar Woman Giveaway!

The rules are simple.

Buy a copy of Cedar Woman and begin to read. Cedar Woman is available through Amazon and Barns&Noble. Use the comment feature below to register simply by posting somthing like, "I'm in," and emailing me privately at DebraSWelch@aol.com with the first sentence of chapter one.


I will announce a week ahead of when the contest will begin.


There will be a prize for every chapter. Each prize is of the same value, or more, as the book.


A question will be asked from each chapter. Those who answer correctly (through private email to me) will be put into a hat and the winner drawn.


Good luck!


Prizes include authentic Native American jewelry complete with certificates of authenticity


An authentic powwow shawl
Native American hair ornament
A new, never opened Logitech Web Cam


And more.


The prize for chapter one will be a set of Nigella Lawsons measuring cups. A $35.00 value.

• Practical and attractive measuring cups
• Set of 4 different sized cups
• Dishwasher safe
• Made of tactile stoneware
• Cup sizes - 250 ml, 125 ml, 80 ml and 60 ml
• A $35.00 value!

I also use them as prep bowls and vessels for holding condiments.

Sign up today for my Big Fat Cedar Woman Giveaway!

Interview With Julie Spotted Eagle Horse Martineau - Muddy River Powwow

Hello, Julie. Thank you for visiting us again.
You are preparing for a powwow this June. Could you tell us about it?

Julie: Where do I start.... first, I invest in a LOT of valium and a nice comfy straight jacket, breathe deep, and say "let the insanity begin!" KIDDING!

There is a LOT that goes in to running a powwow, and most people have no idea as to what goes on behind the scenes. We are very fortunate with the Farmington Iowa powwows in that we have a static location available for us to use, and we have a wonderful team of volunteers to help lighten the load.

About 6 months before a powwow, I try to make sure that I have grant applications out, that my Host Drum and Head Staff are in place, and I have volunteers available. I also start listing the event on online powwow sites. We are starting to get serious about fundraising, and soliciting donations for the event, and finding places to store everything.

A couple of months before the date, there are a lot of emails and phone calls from dancers, the Drums, vendors, and my Head Staff to make sure that everything is on track, and answering inquiries from the public, dancers, and vendors. We are also constantly fundraising like mad, trying to make sure that we have enough money to cover the expenses involved.

This close to the powwow, (we are just about 3 weeks out) I have to make sure that we have everything we will need in place for a successful powwow, such as money, volunteers, food, water, the sound system, the arena markers, event t-shirts, tobacco, donations for the Give Away, etc.

We are having weekly meetings to get updates on everything that is happening, and things are going to get crazier in the next couple of weeks. I will be going down to the powwow grounds the day before the event to set up our tipis, and to map out vendor spaces, as well as being on hand for any early birds, and to help with whatever needs to be done. We will also be setting up the arena, and getting the grounds ready in general. And I promise that my phone will be ringing non-stop the entire event!

On Friday we will be having a pot-luck/carry in, and I have to make sure that that is set up and ready to go, and then on Saturday I have to make sure that my volunteers are on hand to sell frybread as a fundraiser, and to cook the evening meal that the powwow committee will be sponsoring, and making sure that things run smoothly.

Hope this answers your question!

DSW: For those of my readers who are not NdN (preferred spelling of Indian by Native Americans), could you please explain who the Host Drum is?

Julie: The Host Drum is usually the first Drum group that is invited to a powwow, and fees vary from Drum to Drum. Our host has been The Night Eagle Singers from Kenosha Wisconsin. This Drum knows a LOT of the older songs that fell out of favor for a while, and have been gaining in popularity again.

DSW: Julie, why is fundraising important for the event? And where can people donate?

Julie: Most powwows are non-profit events, and with the economy tightening up, grants and other forms of endowments are harder to come by. Also, there is a LOT of competition for these types of events as there just are not a lot of grants available.

Our powwows operate under a parent organization that has their 501(c)(3) status, so any and all donations are eligible for a tax break on behalf of the donors, in addition to my co-chair and myself sinking a LOT of our own money into the events to help cover expenses. Our parent organization does not have a lot of funding available for the powwow, so it is important that we pay our own way to have an event.

A traditional (non-contest) powwow can cost up to $20,000, so fundraising and donations are very important! Our bi-annual events generally run a little less than $5,000 for each event (June and October), and we generally pay for them through charitable donations and non-stop fundraising, as well as contributing cash from our own pockets.

The community where the powwow grounds are located is a very rural area in South Eastern Iowa that depends heavily on tourism as well as being a farming community, and the area has been hard hit by the economic crash. So, donations from outside the area are more important than ever!

We will be accepting free will donations for the duration of the event, as well as having ongoing fundraisers such as a food stand, cold drinks, event t-shirts, 50/50 drawings, etc. and your readers can contact me via email at spottdeaglehorse@aol.com for more information on making a tax exempt donation. Any amount, no matter how small, is welcome as we do have two events a year.

DSW: Why is tobacco important to the powwow?

Julie: Tobacco is generally given to someone as a gesture of respect, and also to show that you are serious about something when making a request of someone.

Tobacco is considered to be a sacred thing to Native peoples. An old proverb is that tobacco smoke is the breath made visible and that it is the visible representation of one's prayers going to the Creator.

I don't know how else to explain it.... Tobacco is given to someone as a gesture of respect, such as an Elder or a Holy Man/Medicine Man, Drum Keeper or Head Staff. It is given to someone when asking for a favor, or when asking for something important like Ceremony.

It is also given when issuing an apology to someone, or when showing a serious intent, such as asking for a mediator in a dispute.

Tobacco is offered to dancers to take in to the Arena with them, and at Ceremony for the participants to offer prayers.

In our case, in addition to a blanket and a cash honorarium, we give tobacco to the Host Drum, our Head Staff, Jr. Head Staff, certain Elders, and key persons such as the Arena Director and Emcee. This shows our appreciation for the services that they provide for the duration of the event, and as a gesture of respect.

DSW: There is certainly a lot of preparation ahead of time. What would you compare a powwow to?

Julie: Hmmm.... good question.... I would have to say the closest I could get would probably be a combination of a Broadway show, rock concert, family reunion and dance recital, all rolled into one. The public comes to see a show, and to experience a little bit of our culture, and of course to shop. The dancers are there to show off, and to celebrate our culture. In certain cases, there are dancers out there who follow certain "name" drums all over the country, much as a groupie would follow a rock band from concert to concert.

DSW: Are there many family reunions during these events?

Julie: Yes and no. We joke that a powwow is a Native family reunion, and joke about something called "skinship." Skinship is when you put two Natives together at an event, and they will figure out how they are related, usually within 10 minutes or so, regardless of whether or not they are actually related, LOL! It gives us a chance to visit with old friends, and family that we may or may not have seen for a time.

DSW: What if some of my readers wish to attend this or any powwow…what are the basic forms of etiquette – the dos and don’ts when attending a powwow.

Julie: There are a LOT of great websites that actually do cover proper etiquette.... But the basics are as follows:

1) Dress and act appropriately. Hot pants, halter tops, swimwear, profanity and 'making out' have no place at powows. If you are going to dance anything other than open intertribals, wear your regalia. Remember to respect yourself, and the dancers.

2) Pointing with the fingers is considered poor manners by some nations. If you must point, use your head and nod in the direction you wish to indicate.

3) The seating around the Arena is reserved for dancers in regalia. Seats with blankets, shawls or regalia items on them are taken and should not be bothered. Do NOT sit on someone else's blanket unless invited. Uncovered seats are considered available.

4) Pets should be left at home. The Arena is a sacred place from the time it is blessed until the powwow is over. At no time should pets be allowed in the Arena.

5) Listen to the Master of Ceremonies. He will announce who is to dance and when. Most powwows conduct intertibals in which the public may participate. Check with the Arena Director for more information, or listen to the emcee.

6) Pictures should NOT be taken during Veterans Songs, Flag Songs, Prayers or any other time announced by the Master of Ceremonies. If you wish to photograph a dancer in regalia, ask first. If the picture is for publication or commercial use, that should be explained before the picture is taken.

7) Respect the Head Man and Head Woman dancers. Their role entitles them to start each song or set of songs. Please wait until they have started to dance before you join in. In some traditions, it is considered improper to pass the Head Man or Woman Dancer within the Arena.

8) Show respect to the Flag, Honor and Veterans songs by standing until the song is completed.

9) Some songs require that you be familiar with the routine or have special eligibility rules in order to participate. Trot dances, snake, buffalo, etc. require particular steps or routines. Veterans’ dances may be restricted to veterans, combat veterans, or in some cases the relations of veterans. If you are not familiar with a particular dance, observe and learn. Watch the Head Dancers to learn the procedures.

10) The Flag Song, or Indian National Anthem, is sung when the American Flag is raised or lowered. Please stand and remove hats during the singing of this song. It is not a song for dancing. Pictures are not allowed during these songs.

11) Most powwows are non-profit and depend upon donations, raffles, blanket dances, etc. for support. Donations are encouraged as a way to honor someone. Any participant can drop money onto the blanket to aid in the powwow expenses.

13) Certain items of religious significance should be worn only by those qualified to do so. Respect the traditions. NEVER intentionally touch another dancer’s regalia, person, feathers, or property without permission.

14) Giveaways, attributes of Indian generosity, are held at many dances. They are acknowledgments of appreciation to recipients for honor or service given to the people. When receiving a gift, the recipient thanks everyone involved in the giving.

15) If you wish to ask for a special song from a drum, talk to the Arena Director first and make sure the Master of Ceremonies is informed. It is traditional to make a gift (monetary or otherwise) to the Drum for special requests.

16) Before sitting at a drum, ask permission from the Head Singer. Do not touch a drum without permission. This especially applies to women! Most Drumming is traditionally a male only occupation, and a woman sitting at the drum can cause grave offense.

17) If at any time you are uncertain of procedure, etc., please check with the Emcee, Arena Director, or Head Singer. They will be glad to help you with your questions.

18) Unless you are sure spectator seating will be provided, bring a chair. Remember that the seating immediately around the Arena is for dancers only.

19) Alcohol, recreational drugs and firearms are prohibited at most powwows.

20) If you see a lost feather, or you yourself drop a feather, do NOT pick it up. Notify the nearest Veteran, the Head Veteran, Head Man Dancer or Arena Director immediately.

21) Before dancing barefoot, speak with the Arena Director. At some events this may only be done by Sundancers, who are usually known to the organizers.

22) In some places it is okay for adults to dance while carrying infants or small children. In other places this is considered contrary to local etiquette. Ask before doing so.

23) If you have a question, ask. Most dancers, singers, elders and staff are happy to help. Offer a cold drink or other small, symbolic gift to those who help you.

DSW: Julie, I remember at one powwow a church rang its bells through a lot of the powwow and some people picketed stating that this was a "heathen" event. What would you like to say to those people?

I forgive you.

DSW: Thank you, Julie. As usual, you are informative, kind and patient.

Interviewer's Note: I would like to say one thing. Before anyone decides to picket or berate another group’s traditions, they should find out about the event first. A powwow is no different from an Irish, Italian or Greek Festival, for instance. The powwow is a gathering of a people who are trying to preserve their traditions, songs and dances, reunite with friends and family who they possibly haven’t seen since the last powwow, to buy from and admire the various artisans who are offering their wares and to enjoy the delicious food offered at the food stands.

The Muddy River Powwow is on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/WBNS10TV?ref=ts#!/profile.php?id=100001804466931

Julie, again, wopila – thank you.

My Feelings About Angel Lost - Marilyn Meredity

Writing Angel Lost was so much fun. The story is very different from any of the other books in the series. Much of the story comes from Officer Stacey Wilbur’s point of view who is finalizing the plans of her wedding to Detective Doug Milligan. She’s given the job of catching a flasher who is targeting women jogging on the beach. Thoughts of the coming wedding take her mind of the task at hand.

Stacey and Doug’s romance has grown through the last books in the series and the only roadblock seems to be moving Doug’s renter, Officer Gordon Butler out of Doug’s house so Stacey and her son can move in.

Meanwhile, an angel has appeared in a downtown store window drawing larger and larger crowds to the scene each night. Officer Zachary and the new guy, Officer Vaughn Aragon are assigned to keep the peace. Though they don’t realize it, they have something in common.

Though all the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novels are mysteries, my main goal has always been to show how the job affects the family and what goes on with the family affects the job and that is something that truly influences Angel Lost.

The angel in the window was inspired by something that actually happened in a neighboring town. In fact, for several weeks on my way to and from my writing critique group, I drove past the crowds around a store window where people saw the image of an angel. Finally it was figured out that a reflection from a light across the street was responsible. You’ll have to read Angel Lost to find out about the angel I wrote about.

Angel Lost is available from Amazon under the name F.M. Meredith and from my website if you’d like an autographed copy.   http://fictionforyou.com

Marilyn Meredith
 

Interview With Julie Spotted Eagle Horse

I'm so happy that we can do this together.

First of all, tell us a little about yourself: where you were born, and your life now.

Julie: I was born in South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge reservation; I now live in South East Iowa, in a small, rural community called Mediapolis, where I live with my husband Matthew, and my youngest son, Logan.

DSW: Where did you get your Native American names?

Julie: Good question! It is not something that you can just decide for yourself, nor can you approach anyone and ask for a name. A name has to be earned.

A part of the process is that you have to go to Ceremony, and have the person who is naming you, pray about it for a long while before a name is given, because when someone gives you a name, that gives them power over you. It also creates an obligation. When you are asked to name someone, you take on almost a familial responsibility for that person, because you are going to the Spirits on their behalf.

My "ordinary" name is TaSunka Wakan Wambli Gleska, which means "Spotted Eagle Horse," which is actually a man's name.... it was given to me in ceremony, and is partially based on a vision, and partially on my familial names.

My father calls me "Pisko" or "Pisko Onwaste" which means "Night Hawk" or "Gentle Night Hawk," which is his pet name for me, and I have no idea where that came from.

I am not comfortable talking about my medicine name in this format, I hope you will forgive me... to me it is a very sacred thing, and the circumstances behind it are also special, and I would rather not go into detail about it.

DSW: That is understandable, and as always, I respect your wishes.

You were my consultant on Cedar Woman. Why, aside from being my sister, did you want to take on such a big project?

Julie: As a Native woman, I wanted to address and dispel some of the more common misconceptions and stereotypes about Native peoples, and to let people know that we are still living within viable and vibrant cultures.

DSW: While writing Cedar Woman, I learned that the sweat lodge is sacred. Why is this so, and what are the taboos about sweat lodge regarding publishing?

This is what I was taught: these things are sacred; they are not to be shared via the written word. They are to be passed on, either verbally or through practical application of the ceremony with The People. And, as parochial or strange as it may sound, we do feel that there are those who will want to use these things to harm others, or for their own financial gain, and that is not the way these things should be used.

A good example is the tragedy that happened in Arizona, where all of those whites died in the so called "sweat lodge" that some white guy was charging upwards of $2,000 per person for! He was twisting our sacred ways and mixing them with New Age philosophies that have nothing to do with our Native ways, and as a result, others paid the price.

It is not that I feel that you are unworthy of this knowledge, but rather it is more of a way of protecting our traditions, while sharing as much as I can with them.

There ARE books out there that purport to "share" our secrets, but a lot of them are slanted, and are intended not for education, but rather for the writers own financial gain. The exception to this would be the books by Black Elk, as he gives basic knowledge, but also protects our traditions.

And something very important for your readers to know, you should NEVER pay for ceremony!

DSW: What else in Cedar Woman is sacred that had to be "managed" by you before publication?
Julie: There were a lot of references to sacred things, that for Native peoples, in a lot of ways, are a part of daily life, and yet it is not appropriate to share them through this medium. A good example is the Wiping of the Tears Ceremony, another is a Healing Ceremony. Again, it is not that I think that you are unworthy of this knowledge, but rather it is straddling that fine line between sharing just enough, but still protecting our ways.

DSW: Julie, I understand that the ceremonies of the people are very sacred. Tell us then, why you gave your permission for me to represent them in Cedar Woman.

Julie: I felt that you could present our beliefs and ceremonies in such a way that your readers could get the gist of what happens, without crossing over the boundaries of what CAN be shared.

If I did not trust you, or think that you could do this, I would not have allowed you to print anything about our ceremonies.

DSW: Thank you again, Julie. It has been such an incredible honor, and I have enjoyed it thoroughly.

Are you pleased to educate the public about the Lakota way of life? If so, why?

Julie: I am very proud of who I am, and where I come from. I am very humbled and honored to be able to share these ways with non-native peoples.

DSW: Are you finding people receptive to your efforts?
Julie: Most people do not take me too seriously when they first meet me, because even though I am Native, I have just enough white blood to make you doubt my honesty,  Once we get passed the initial skepticism, then most people are willing to listen.

DSW: Are The People growing more or less interested in preserving the old ways? If more, why?

Julie: I have been seeing a growing trend among Native Nations to hold on to our old ways, and to share them with the next generation. This is a good thing! A lot of schools have classes where the children are only allowed to speak their Native languages. Some of the colleges now offer courses in Native culture and language.

DSW: Are your children interested in their traditions?

Julie: Yes and no. They are interested in some of the traditions, and my son has started to attend powwows and Ceremony with me, but they do not take it as seriously as I wish they would.

DSW: What is the most important thing about your life/culture that you want others to know?

Julie: That we are still here: that we, as Native peoples, are still living, viable, and enjoy rich cultures that exist outside of history books or bad westerns .

DSW: How have things improved / regressed in the past few years?

Julie: Right now, our worst problems are alcoholism, gangs, drugs, lack of infrastructure, financial shortages, and chronic unemployment. I don't know how many well meaning groups I have seen come in with the intention of trying to improve things on the rez, then they run out of money or loose interest, and they are gone. They are trying to work against our culture, and they could do better by working with our culture, and investing in us for the long term.

DSW: What would you like to see happen in the near future?

I would like to see alcoholism, gangs, and drug addiction treatment and prevention programs be instituted, as well as our health care industry improved on the rez.

DSW: What do you believe the future of your people to be in your neck of the woods / in the country as a whole?

Julie: I think that we, as Native peoples, will continue to thrive, and flourish, despite all obstacles.

DSW: Do you have any projects in the near future?

Julie: Right now I am chairing and actively fundraising/writing grants for two powwows that are held in Farmington, Iowa

DSW: Julie, in Cedar Woman, I mention that you make jewelry. Tell us about your work, and what participants in the upcoming raffle can hope to win.

Julie: Per your request, I made up some one of a kind pieces of jewelry that are based on traditional designs, and made using traditional materials. These items include a one of a kind loop necklace that is made using dentalium shells, and pony beads that was based on an old design that is still in use today! Other items include a macaw feather scalp drop, and various styles of earrings.

I am also working on a t-shirt line, based on my frybread company, called "The Darkside Frybread Company."

For my jewelry, I love to use materials that have interesting shapes and textures, such as amber, magnesite, turquoise, bone, porcupine quills, seed beads, dentalium and cowrie shells, and howlite.

One of my favorite things is to see a piece at a powwow, study it, and then copy it at home for myself. I have saved myself a LOT of money that way,

I also try to honor my ancestors by recreating traditional designs, and using traditional materials. For me, it is a way to connect with my past, and to express my Native side.

Living in the "white world," there is so much pressure to conform to societal norms, and for me at least, this is a way to express myself.

I do not limit myself to just jewelry though. I also do bead work using traditional materials such as brain tanned leather, and seed beads in old style colors, as well as working in rawhide, earth pigments, hide glue, and feathers.

DSW: Thank you, Julie.  This has been fascinating.  I appreciate your honesty and your willingness to help those of us outside of your culture to understand the ways of our first settlers.

Julie's beautiful and one-of-a-kind jewelry can be seen at the following web address:

http://eaglewingspowwowdesigns.angelfire.com