Jantzen Beach Osprey

Jantzen Beach Osprey

I should probably point out that Jantzen Beach isn't near the ocean.  It is along the Columbia River.  From the parking lot of the shopping center, there is no sign of the river, but I would imagine being at the lofty height of the osprey there would be a clear view.  It appears this parent is waiting for the other to bring dinner.

This week, I met my daughter for an after work glass of wine on Hayden Island and while I was waiting I drove over to visit my osprey friend and decided to get video.  From the video, you can hear the Osprey call if you try to ignore the jets taking off from Portland International Airport.

Black-tailed Buck

On my way to work yesterday, I had to stop for this buck, who was standing in the middle of the road.  He stared at me while I reached down to the floor of my car, scooped up my camera case, unzipped it, slid out the camera, and turned it on.  As soon as I brought it up to focus on him, he turned his...ah...black tail toward me, and walked away.

Black-tailed buck in velvet

Do you suppose that is his opinion of my desire to put him on my blog?

Nesting Osprey

This weekend marks the third year I've been doing this blog.  I've found some new friends, and invited others to do guest posts.  I've enjoyed sharing things with readers, like my idea for my new book, "Say Cheese Before You Die" and exposing my inadequacies in "The Earnestness of Being Important."  But mostly I've enjoyed sharing my precarious relationship with the wildlife.

A couple of weeks ago I lugged a sixteen pound bag of cat food across the parking lot at the Jantzen Beach Shopping Center and heard the insistent call of a bird.  I looked up in time to see an Osprey gliding overhead.  But the desperate command continued, and I looked around the parking lot until I found it.

The Osprey nest, on top of a light fixture in the middle of the parking lot, was occupied.  I used to see Osprey when I kayaked on the Northwest rivers, watching as they circled the river in search of a tasty fish dinner.  The Osprey is a large raptor, though not as big as an eagle.   Their nests are huge, and they like to use flat surfaces.  I would think it would get warm on top of the light fixture.  Will the branches catch fire?

Lovely birds.

Sophie Moss, The Selkie Spell

A while ago, I entered a contest on a blog by Sophie Moss.  The prize was a copy of her book, The Selkie Spell, and I won.  Normally the only thing I win is drawing for random drug testing at work, so I was thrilled.  The book was fabulous, and I wrote a review on Goodreads.  Someone "liked" the review and I decided I liked her book so much, I should invite Sophie to do a guest post for me.  She was hesitant, but after I sent her a bunch of questions, she gave in and answered them.  Without further ado, here is the guest post from Sophie Moss, author of The Selkie Spell.

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Tell us about your road to publication... Is this self-published or through a press? Why?
Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today, Melanie! I’m happy to share my road to publication. Yes, The Selkie Spell is self-published. I decided to “go indie” for a number of reasons, but mostly because the opportunities for self-published authors now are tremendous. Self-publishing offers an incredible sense of control and ownership of the publishing process. It allows you to connect directly with readers and find and build your audience in a way that is fundamentally transforming the publishing industry.

Did you send out query letters?
I tried the traditional route: querying agents and editors, pitching at conferences, joining writers groups, and entering contests. But watching the indie author revolution take shape last fall, I decided why wait around trying to be discovered by a publishing house when I could jump into this publishing party right now?

Tell us a little bit about The Selkie Spell… 

Photo by Joseph Mischyshyn

The first book in The Seal Island Trilogy is about an American doctor whose life is transformed when she travels to an enchanted Irish island and discovers she has the power to break a 200-year-old curse. At first, Tara Moore laughs off the villagers’ speculation that she is descended from a selkie—a magical creature who is bewitching the island. But when a ghostly woman appears to her with a warning, Tara realizes it was more than chance that brought her to this island. Desperate to escape a dark and dangerous past, Tara struggles against a passionate attraction to handsome islander Dominic O’Sullivan. But the enchantment of the island soon overpowers her and she falls helpless under its spell. Caught between magic and reality, Tara must find a way to wield both when a dangerous stranger from her past arrives, threatening to destroy the lives of everyone on the island.

How did you come up with the idea for The Selkie Spell? 
When I was living in Ireland, I took a weekend trip to the magical, windswept island of Inishbofin. The moment I stepped off the ferry, I felt like I was home. It was the strangest feeling: being so far from  home and yet sensing I belonged. After returning to the states, I discovered the movie, The Secret of Roan Inish, and first learned of the selkie legends. Intrigued by the thought of seals who can transform into beautiful women on land, I decided to weave my love of romance novels, Ireland, and fairy tales into one delicious novel!

Blasket Islands, County Kerry, Ireland  Photo by Snalwibma

When do you expect to release the second book in The Seal Island Trilogy? 
The Seal Island Trilogy continues with Caitlin and Liam’s story, The Selkie Enchantress, coming out this summer! As readers of The Selkie Spell know, Irish islander, Caitlin Conner, has been in love with professor of Irish folklore, Liam O'Sullivan, for as long as she can remember. But just when he's starting to look at her as more than a friend, a mysterious woman arrives on Seal Island and captures his heart. As Caitlin discovers the truth behind the woman’s lies, she realizes Liam is trapped in a dangerous enchantment and the only way to break the spell is to uncover a secret Irish fairy tale that has remained hidden for hundreds of years. But when the petals of a white rose grown in winter start to fall, the legend is set in motion. And Caitlin must find a way to change the ending before the last petal falls.

Sophie Moss

Author's Bio:  

Sophie Moss writes contemporary Irish fairy tale romances. Her stories are full of magic, mystery, and small-town Irish charm. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Vermont. When she's not writing, she's tending to her garden. She has a strange knack for finding four-leaf clovers and writes best while sipping a Guinness. http://sophiemosswrites.com/

You may purchase The Selkie Spell by clicking HERE.

Elaine Ash browbeats me to write

I met Elaine Ash on Twitter a couple of months ago. She invited me to do a guest blog on her blog, Ashedit. At that time, the post on her blog was, "I, Crappy Writer" and I mistook it to be the title of her blog. It kind of depressed me, yet still, being invited to write on a blog of that title must mean something, right? If one must be a crappy writer, one can at least be a great crappy writer.

Elaine assured me that was only the name of the post that day, and that her blog is a respected blog. She also mentioned she is a professional editor. While I may have been tempted to offer her a guest post on "I, Crappy Writer," I was not willing to submit a post on a nice, professional editor's blog.

I mean, really.

But Elaine is persistent, confident, and does not take "no" for an answer. All the things you'd want in a professional editor.

Please click here to see my guest post on Ashedit. And please feel free to leave a comment.

Help wanted, must be able to spell

I want a chicken wap, and I want it my way.

The next time you hear someone say learning to spell (or learning to use a dictionary) is a thing of the past because of spell-check, ask them if they used to work at a Burger King in Lincoln City, Oregon.

What flavor is that cat food?

I started a diet last month, and I've been doing pretty well. But Easter was one of the hardest days, so far. It started out with a breakfast buffet at the senior living place where my parents are. I dragged myself past the hot cinnamon rolls, pound cake, and cranberry scones, but even the small piece of cheese/asparagus quiche made my palms clammy with fear. Still, when breakfast was over, I thought I'd been successful. Then the little basket of jelly beans was placed in my hands, and my tongue swelled, forcing my mouth open. I'd probably scarfed down six or eight before my family could rush around the table and pry the little basket from my fists. The entire rest of the day I was starving. STARVING. Like I'm back to square one. The rest of the day I ate the pitiful meals, but I'm back to eyeing the cat's kibble and wondering if they'd miss a few morsels. And I tried to log in everything I ate, but I'm not sure if the numbers are correct, which is frightening because I'm inches from the edge of the cliff as far as my calorie goal.