by Wendy Hawkin | May 4, 2018 | journal
Reading Stephen King’s 1991 article “The Symbolic Language of Dreams” blissed out my writer’s spirit–that seed deep in my soul that ruptures occasionally when watered with shivering truth. This phenomenon occurs too rarely and signalled that the man had something to tell me.
Stephen King
I remember reading Salem’s Lot in the late 1970s. It was the book that turned me off horror. Not because it was bad—because it was mesmerizingly sinister. We were living in rural southern Ontario at the time, and my husband, a musician, was on the road three weeks out of four. Our farm, set well back from the road, was a staggering breath away from Salem Road and a friend of mine dug graves less than a mile up that road at Salem Cemetery.
And so, I closed King’s books. Ironically, I’ve watched movie versions of his books over the years: Misery, Hearts in Atlantis, Carrie, Stand by Me, The Green Mile, Dolores Claiborne; and I love Haven so much I’m ready to relocate clear across the country.
But books are different. Perhaps because the images emerge from our own imagination. Words perch at your fingertips, thirsting for a stream of blood; an opening where absorbed through the flesh and synapse, they can become real.
My current Hollystone Mysteries series features some sinister vampires, so I opened the cover of Salem’s Lot and began again.
And what did I learn from the Master?
pacing: keep the reader in a slow pant so by the time you hit the climax they’re craving it like a drug
detail: slow it all down by painting graphic pictures with your words
heroes are not always leading men. In Salem’s Lot, the unlikely four who take on Barlow the vampire are: an elderly English teacher, a young novelist, a doctor, and a twelve-year-old boy who makes models of monsters.
allow your eccentric beliefs to emerge and flourish. The following dialogue from Salem’s Lot reflects a personal belief that nonhuman objects can take on the emotions of human’s actions and certain people who are sensitively tuned can feel it. I concur with the narrator in this passage; not that he hallucinated the whole thing, but that houses and landscapes absorb emotions that can manifest with the right catalyst.
“Probably I was so keyed up that I hallucinated the whole thing. On the other hand, there may be some truth in that idea that houses absorb the emotions that are spent in them, that they hold a kind of… dry charge. Perhaps the right personality, that of an imaginative boy, for instance, could act as a catalyst on that dry charge, and cause it to produce an active manifestation of … of something. I’m not talking about ghosts, precisely. I’m talking about a kind of psychic television in three dimensions. Perhaps even something alive. A monster, if you like” (42).
by Wendy Hawkin | Apr 22, 2018 | Canadian writers, history, journal
Four years ago, I was working as a relief lighthouse keeper for the Canadian Coast Guard. I’d taken a year off teaching to explore and destress and try something new.
Between March 27 and May 23, I stayed at Nootka and recorded my adventures, and misadventures, in a journal and a blog. This was my house for eight weeks.
I’ve been thinking about that time a lot lately. This summer, I am planning to take the Uchuck III day cruise from Gold River to Friendly Cove, so I can walk those beaches and trails once again. I had hoped to visit with Mark, the lighthouse keeper I worked with at that time, but apparently Mark and Joanne retired last September. So, all I can say is “Congratulations!” from afar.
People often ask me what I did there. This video and article written and recorded last August with Mark and Joanne brings it all back to me. It is a beautiful landscape, rife with history—some of which is tragic—and I feel blessed that I was able to spend some quality time there.
This is my post from April 22, 2014.
And this is the pebble beach—one of my favourite places in the world. I can’t wait to walk here again this summer.
by Wendy Hawkin | Apr 15, 2018 | book stores, Canadian writers, journal
@irondogbooks
When I saw this funky bookshop on Twitter yesterday, I decided to find it. As if by magic (which no doubt it was) I discovered Iron Dog Books parked in front of Moody Ales this afternoon. They were there supporting AJ Devlin. Jeremy and I have done a couple of readings together so I’d come to congratulate him on the launch of Cobra Clutch and buy a signed copy. The place was packed–Sunday afternoon in the Brewery District of Port Moody–a successful launch for AJ Devlin and Cobra Clutch! #cobraclutch
@ajdevlinauthor
Cobra Clutch is a fast-paced, hard-hitting debut novel by AJ Devlin that has an unstoppable combo: a signature move of raucous humour with a super finisher of gritty realism.
And here’s a great endorsement from Sam Wiebe: “In this fast-paced, energetic debut, Devlin ingeniously merges the worlds of pro wrestling and private eyes into a breakneck adventure that will leave readers breathless. Intense and cinematic.”
That’s no surprise since AJ earned a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute, and gave Hollywood a shot before moving back home to Port Moody.
After visiting Moody Ales, I had to check out the bookmobile. I grew up with a bookmobile in small-town Ontario. Perhaps, that’s why I was thrilled to see Iron Dog Books. It’s an innovative enterprise. Here is their Twitter description:
Itinerant Indigenous bookseller perched atop Burnaby Mtn. selling new & used books. Hours: Tues & Thurs 9am-6pm @ Cornerstone Town Square (Simon Fraser University)
Hilary told me that Saturdays this summer, they will be parked at the Port Moody Museum beside Rocky Point Park. It’s a small intimate space, so she’s choosy about her stock. Their mission is to bring books to places that don’t have used book stores. So, come by and browse for some great finds on her shelves. You never know who you might run into. And if the temperature ever starts to rise, there are four craft breweries right across the street, home-crafted ice cream in the park, and a funky new shuttle bus coming in July that will link Inlet Centre, Rocky Point Park and Moody Centre.
Port Moody, you rock!
by Wendy Hawkin | Apr 11, 2018 | Canadian writers, journal
It was lovely today to get this text from a friend: “Your book is featured at the front door of Reflections!!!” Of course, I had to go and take a look. Reflections is a funky metaphysical store that just celebrated its 30th Anniversary in Coquitlam. Carole, who has just retired and passed the store over to her daughter-in-law, has supported Indie authors and publishers all along the way. This is something we desperately need and truly appreciate. I haven’t been promoting my books the last few months, so it’s fantastic to see the store promoting my work.
I’ve been focussed on Book 3: To Render a Raven. The story picks up the Hollystone witches a year after To Sleep with Stones and sets them on another thrilling adventure. Estrada and his crew must rush up the Strait of Georgia (BC Coast) in a “borrowed” yacht to rescue a baby who has been stolen by vampires. Fortunately, I spent some time exploring the coast during my stint as a relief lighthouse keeper (Life on the BC Lights) and I’ve been able to use some of what I experienced in this fabulous setting. As I’ve done in my other two books, I’ve interwoven the story of the vampire antagonists with that of our mystical heroes.
I tweaked my writing process this time around. I always use the Hero’s Journey model to plot a loose scenario as I am a Joseph Campbell junkie. But this time, I just kept asking: what happens now? I know some writers create detailed plot outlines before they begin to write, but that’s way too cerebral for this freedom-seeking INFP. I need to open up to the character’s thoughts and feelings and let them tell me the story. Sometimes, it’s like arguing with your GPS: they’re trying to take me somewhere and I’m not sure that’s where I want to go. I have to trust them and listen carefully to what they’re saying. When I get stuck, it’s usually because one of the other characters wants to take over. I write in multiple viewpoints, so I also have to ask: who is going to narrate this scene? Often, they surprise me. Partway through, I remember saying to a friend: I don’t think X is going to make it. He’s crossed too many lines. I won’t say who X is, or if he made it or not, but I will say that I loved him in the end.
The hardest thing I did was write 86,000 words without talking about the storyline or the characters who are part of my world. I know some writers share their ongoing projects and receive feedback at writer’s groups, but I’ve been a hermit. I’ve talked some with a trusted author-friend who is beta-reading for me right now, but otherwise it’s been an internalized process. I’m now looking for a couple of ebook beta readers to give me feedback regarding pacing and clarity. If you’re interested and you’re an experienced reader of urban fantasy, thrillers, or mysteries, please drop me an email.
I’m excited to be working with an editor this time, and will write more about that experience as it unfolds.
with all good wishes,
Wendy
