April 24, 2013 by writesbooks

A Trip to El Quelite

This Post by L.Leander, Author of Fearless Fiction

Everything was bathed in sunshine and the temperature rising when friends picked my husband and me up for a trip to El Quelite a week ago. El Quelite is a sleepy village a few miles outside Mazatlan and one tourists like to visit. We were no exception. Although I’ve been there before, my husband hadn’t had the pleasure and without a car we have to rely on others for transportation to outlying areas.

The first thing we noticed were the beautiful blooming trees. There were jacaranda and bougainvillea stretched over the arid countryside and they stood proud between the cactus and sagebrush that the area is covered in. Mango trees showed off their fruit, which is nearly ripe and is an avocado color with a rosy blush on the skin.

A few farms were scattered along the winding road that leads to the village. We noticed a few herds of cattle grazing on scrub grass and some turkeys in a field.

A few chickens pecked in a yard next to a house that had a corrugated tin flat roof and a couple of outbuildings. The house sat in the middle of nowhere and looked like a bird on a nest with the wispy sage that surrounded it. It was colorful, though, and made you happy just to look at it. Bright blue had been lavishly painted on the sides of the misshapen house and it was cheerfully trimmed in flamingo pink. I love Mexican colors – they make you feel good.

We reached the outskirts of the town and saw more signs of life. A weathered sign said “Bienvenidos a El Quelite” to welcome visitors. A few people waved as we drove by and continued working. Gringos are nothing new to the townspeople.

The first thing we noticed was the church steeple. It towers over the sleepy streets and commands attention. It is in the center of town, as are most Mexican churches. We drove past houses painted salmon and yellow, blue and green, pink and red. Each house has a little garden out front and the flowers are lovely and well tended.

There are two restaurants in the village that the Gringos frequent and the food is Sinaloa at its best. Our friends decided to eat at the more popular one. A doctor owns it and when he’s in the area he regales his guests with wild stories of the past. El Quelite is the cowboy capital of the state of Sinaloa. They have rodeos almost every weekend and many of the participants have gone on to win accolades internationally.

The restaurant has a couple of quirky things that are fun. One is a huge parrot that is free to roam at will. The other is a museum-like setting for guests to enjoy. We were seated outdoors under a palapa made of coconut fronds to keep the sun off. We were immediately given dishes of local cheeses, salsas, dips and tortilla chips with our drinks. Next we were served chorreadas – one of my favorite things here. It’s a thick tortilla browned on the grill with meat, tomatoes and whatever you choose to garnish it with. Over the top is melted queso.

I ordered pork carnitas and the meat fell apart. Half of the plate was filled with meat, along with grilled peppers and onions and of course, frijoles. My husband ordered Liver Ranchero and it was delicious. Our friend (who is Mexican) ordered pigs feet – a local delicacy. Once we finished all of that we were brought bowls of desserts to try. We had everything from rice pudding and custard to sweet potatoes. As full as I was I had to take little bites of each and they were delicious

We walked through the establishment and took pictures of the many artistic designs used for decorating. The restaurant is definitely unique and fun. I especially loved the mujeres bathroom, which used two trumpets for water faucets and old-fashioned keys for handles to turn on the water. Another fun thing was a shelf that held ceramic chickens. My friend, Gaby and I were taking pictures when all of a sudden one of the chickens rose up off her nest and clucked angrily at us to go away. She sat so still we thought she was a ceramic chicken!

My husband couldn’t wait to see a burro and he wasn’t disappointed. There were many on the streets of El Quelite that day and I even took his picture with one. The inhabitants of the village use them for farming and transportation.

As I walked across the street to the church I was reverent. The church is small but commanding. It’s Catholic, of course, and it seems to say “Come in and I will give you rest.” There are many statues and a garden with fountains in the small courtyard. The interior of the church is simple but absolutely beautiful. Antique wooden beams hold up the ceiling and the same type of wood forms rustic pews. Along the ceiling are pictures of the saints and a statue of Mary and Jesus beseech you to come to the front, where the altar is decorated with beautiful fresh flowers. As I stood there I realized it doesn’t matter what your faith is, you can worship God anywhere. I said a prayer and left quietly.

We drove the winding roads back to Mazatlan, full of food and at peace. The people of the town are very accommodating and we took lots of pictures. We went with good friends and enjoyed the time. As we drove home underneath a brilliant sunset across the ocean I realized how thankful I am for good friends and for this culture and country I have come to know well in the eight years I have lived here. Life couldn’t get much better than this!

What are your favorite places to visit? Do you have a favorite restaurant you’ve been to? Do you like to try different cuisines? I’d love to know!

Books by L.Leander:

Inzared Queen of the Elephant Riders Video Trailer

Inzared, Queen of the Elephant Riders

Inzared, The Fortune Teller (Book Two)

13 Extreme Tips to Self Publishing

13 Extreme Tips to Marketing an ebook

You can also find L.Leander here:

L.Leander’s Book Reviews and Interviews

Twitter

Goodreads

Google+

March 19, 2013 by writesbooks

Where Does the Time Go!?

This Post by Gayle M. Irwin

About 10 days ago many of us changed our clocks, moving ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time. Does moving the hands of time on our clocks really save time? Rarely do I adjust to the time change very well – it takes weeks for my self-clock to adjust.

My birthday is just around the corner, and it seems the older I get, the more quickly time passes. That’s especially true with my days off from the “9-to-5” job. I’m fortunate to work just part-time away from home, yet my four days away from the office speed by like NASCAR vehicles on the track.

I’ve taken on several writing projects in the past few months, creating newsletters, brochures, press releases and advertisements for other organizations. Add this to my time working at the clinic, and writing articles for the community magazine, and I’m spending more than 40 hours each week working for others, even though much of that work is writing. The additional money comes in handy, but my own writing projects suffer from neglect. Because, of course, there is also time spent cooking, taking care of my pets, and cleaning house (well, actually, not much time cleaning house these days!). Time slips away like water through a drain. Is there enough time to write for others, earning money, and for my personal writing projects?

Time management is a trait many employers desire; it’s a trait I believe I used to possess. Afterall, I was the editor of a small town paper with only one additional employee, and yet faithfully we interviewed people, wrote stories, took photos, gathered and created ads, set the layout of pages, printed and distributed the paper, and took phone calls and met with clients and readers. Granted, we worked nearly 75 hours a week and, at that time, I was 20 years younger, so I still had energy to take care of my home and spend time with friends.

As writers, we need to manage our time. We may also need to turn down a project that pays in order to not let our own writing lapse. Or, we may choose to forgo our own endeavors in order to make ends meet during a tough economic season in our home life. Or, we may choose to arise an hour earlier, or stay up an hour later, so as to not neglect our own writing while working for others. It’s a personal choice, but sometimes choices need to be made. We also need balance, juggling family, friends, home, work, writing… We also need to rest; we need “downtime”. We need to listen to our own clocks and discover, if we don’t already know, when our best creative time is and how long we can endure pushing ourselves. For example, I am best between 5:30 am and 12:30 pm.; afternoons are not my most creative. Therefore, I try to rise at 5:15, get coffee and meditate, then start my day at 5:30 when my household is quiet. I have discovered I can push myself to work, write, think, develop, etc. until 6 pm, but then I get aggravated more easily and patience evaporates more quickly. So, I’ve learned to shut down no later than 6, and I try to shut down by 4, especially if I’ve been going since 5’ish in the morning. One needs to learn one’s own clock, respect it, and shut it down when the batteries run low… and before someone gets hurt!

When do you find the best time to write? How do you juggle your writing duties with your other responsibilities? Have you come to learn more about yourself and your ability to time manage and multi-task?

My larger, time-zapping projects come to a close later this month; I plan to spend Easter weekend at a friend’s ranch basking in the serenity, the river humming nearby, no cell phone or Internet. I’ll watch ducks swim, hawks soar, deer graze, and turkeys strut; I may even be fortunate to see a pair of sandhill cranes return to the ranch to nest and raise young. I will be revived by the sights and sounds of my friend’s property, a place I visit a few times a year to be rejuvenated… and to still my own busyness in order to write my own work. It’s here that I edited Walking in Trust… and rewrote the final chapter after Sage’s passing. I’m blessed to have a fine friend who opens her guest house to me for such times I need them, especially as I await the snowmelt from my own sanctuary 8,000 feet above sea level. I’m thankful for these places to which I can retreat and where time doesn’t feel so much my enemy.

I have the same 24-hours as every other human being. Perhaps I just need to re-learn time management… or accept the fact time does pass more quickly after 50.

A Free Ebook on Time Management for Writers is available here:

http://www.thursdaybram.com/free-ebook-time-management-for-writers

Gayle M. Irwin is the author of Walking in Trust: Lessons Learned with My Blind Dog and other books about her dogs, including stories for children. Learn more about her writing and speaking at www.gaylemirwin.com.

January 28, 2013 by writesbooks

Unplugged: Finding and Embracing Balance

Gayle_BozemanFamilyChristian_small A Blog Post by Gayle M. Irwin
I recently sojourned to the desert: spending time in dry, sunny, warm Arizona while my homestate of Wyoming froze in white, wind and cold. Although snow has its beauty, come January I grow weary of the white powder and this year, I sought respite.

I disconnected from the Internet, TV news, and phone – I took my cell phone but screened calls, planning only to pick up if (1) my friends in Arizona called about meet-up times and to give directions or (2) my parents called – that would be an emergency, because they respect my “downtime”; my husband traveled with me, so I knew he would not be calling! I believe it’s important to “unplug” now and again, to realign ourselves and decompress from all that bombards us.

Many of us are writers with “day jobs”. I personally have three: my part-time work with a medical clinic; writing articles for Our Town Casper; and serving as Administrative Assistant for Wyoming Writers, Inc. I juggle many duties with each position. And, of course, there is my homelife: cooking, laundry, housework, shopping, taking care of hubby and pets, etc. My work is not assembly-lined, no Lucy and Ethel boxing candies or Laverne and Shirley bottlecapping beer! In fact, sometimes I feel like a juggling octopus!

How much can you juggle?

I imagine many of you can relate: home, yard, kids, pets, spouse, finances; friends, parents, work. Where is the “me time”? Even writing is not a linear job. Writers write, yes, but we also research; brainstorm; market; speak; pitch; query; balance the checkbook, among many others. With all the plate juggling, we may end our day – or hit the afternoon – screaming our lungs out!

Experts agree balancing all that we humans have to do can be difficult, but that (1) balance is important to one’s physical and mental health and (2) “me time” is important. That can include spending alone reading or meditating but it can also include sharing with a partner or friends, such as hiking, skiing, or dancing. While in Arizona I hiked with my husband and had dinner with friends I’d not seen in five years. I also sat on a rock surrounded by tall saguaro cactus overlooking an indigo lake, basking in sunshine and experiencing gratitude for the beauty and solace.

Setting aside time to decompress, to unplug from the microwave society of instant gratification and “by the minute” news blasts. I didn’t check email or look at a website for four days, and I felt refreshed and more content when I returned home. Perhaps that’s not possible for you, to step away from the computer and Internet for that long, but how about one day or a half-day? Take a hike along a trail you’ve wanted to explore but never have. Or spend a weekend ski vacation with your loved one(s), with the promise that no one will turn on the TV or hit the Internet once back in the room. Or, take yourself on these adventures and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings – learn more about the environment you’re visiting. I found out wild burros lived in the park we visited and though we didn’t see any, we drove around longer just to see if we could see them! I also fed parrots at a zoo we visited, and, as you can tell by the photo, I TRULY ENJOYED the experience!

Finding and embracing balance brings greater joy to our lives. We can also discover new ideas, new dreams. I now possesses a greater resolve to become a snowbird. I look toward a future of winter warmth instead of Arctic blasts, and though it will be awhile before I arrive at that juncture, I now possess a greater desire to make that dream happen and will work to accomplish that goal in the years to come (while still finding time to ‘escape’ now and then!).

How do you balance your life, your responsibilities? How do you integrate your writing with your “day job(s) if, like me, writing is not a fulltime career?” Do you take time to decompress and unplug yourself from the electronic age? I took a notebook to Arizona and, when I did write a few times, I wrote ‘the old fashioned way’!

The electronic digital age has many benefits, but we often wrap ourselves tightly around those cords, becoming entangled, choking on the “must dos”. Take time to embrace balance, to unplug now and then, and you’ll discover a beautiful treasure of thanksgiving, happiness, and creativity!