Do You Read the Comics?

(Comic book: Ken Ernst's
 Mary Worth (March 1956)

I recently asked a few bloggers if they read the comics, or if they had a favorite, and no one said they did. I have been a fan of newspaper comic strips for a long time. One in particular I remember from my youth, the Mary Worth series, arrived on my parent’s porch with a loud thud every night around six—in the Tacoma News Tribune. I was eleven or twelve at the time, and I may have been a budding artist. I spent hours tracing this strip on paper and writing captions. I have since learned that Mary Worth was known for its cliffhanger endings.  

In fact, it was considered the soap opera of comics and dealt with issues not uncommon today: unwed mothers, drug addiction, spousal abuse, infidelity, juvenile delinquency, elder issues, and the generation gap, to name a few! No wonder I love writing suspenseful scenes today. And those cliffhanger endings . . . the more the better!

But what I mostly remember about the series are the people that came into Mary’s life, and as a kind neighbor, she tried to help. This savvy silver-haired widow, who had been a school teacher once, offered a deep well of wisdom and loving advice to everyone she met, and apparently, I was one of them! 

Newspaper: Mary Worth by Karen Moy and Joe Giella)

Credits for Mary Worth go to writer Allen Saunders and artist Ken Ernst, and its distributor, King Features Syndicate. Other artists and writers have worked on the series, but most recently, artist Joe Giella (1991) and writer Karen Moy (2003). The comic strip thrives to this day (unfortunately, not in the paper I now get). It should also be noted that most references credit the 1932 Apple Mary series (by Martha Orr) as being the true origin of Mary Worth, but King Features refutes this claim.


Copyright 2013 © Sharon Himsl; Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Worth
http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and-games/fun/Mary_Worth/2013-03-07/?info=1&feature_id=Mary_Worth&feature_date=2013-03-07

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

What's the Next Big Thing?

Thanks author Mary Cronk Farrell for tagging me in the Next Big Thing Blog Hop! I have one Work In Progress . . .  

What is the working title of your book?

Shells of Mersing

Where did the idea come from for the book?

My husband and I lived in Kluang, Malaysia for nine months in 1995-96. I was volunteering at a local orphanage when I learned that one of the boys (7) had been rescued from domestic slavery. I was aware of human slavery, of girls mostly, but my shock level jumped to a new level. This was the little boy I had made yarn dolls with at Christmas time. I then learned that human trafficking and slavery did indeed exist in Malaysia and even more so in Thailand to the north. From this experience a story grew.

I began to ask a lot of what ifs. What if a Malay girl and her sister had been sold in Thailand? What if an American G.I. later met and fell in love with this girl, and took her to America as his bride? What if he then died and left his Malay wife alone with two children? Would she miss her family, especially her sister in Thailand, and try to rescue and bring her to America? And finally, what would be the fate of her children, if she disappeared in Thailand?........which is where my story begins.

The idea for the title came from my travels. We sometimes meandered up the east coast of Malaysia along the South China Sea. The views were incredible. We would stop to gather shells or just walk along the beaches. Mersing was the first stop, and I fell in love with the colorful boats in its fishing harbor and a section of beach. I decided to make Mersing the childhood home of my Malay mother, and the shells a special collection her daughter inherits.

What genre does your book fall under?

Adventure/Mystery, Young Adult fiction.

What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

-Only two actors so far. They may be too old for the part, but I have always imagined Vanessa Hudgens as my main character Callie (15), who is half Malay; and Zac Efron for Sam (16), the American boy she meets in Malaysia.
-Lucas (8), Callie's brother (also half Malay), plays an important role, but I'm not familiar with younger child stars. He needs to be smart and confident.


(Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens; realitybyrach.blogspot.com)

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

After witnessing the murder of her Seattle foster dad, a teenage girl runs away with her eight-year-old brother and sets off on a journey to find their missing mother in Thailand and family in Malaysia.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I hope to find an agent.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

One year. I have since written several drafts and changed the tense twice.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

To some degree the following:
-Patricia McCormick's Sold, the story of a thirteen year old girl from Nepal, who is sold into sexual slavery. (There is a tragic back story of human trafficking and slavery in my book that becomes a live threat to my main characters, Callie and Lucas).
-Wendelin Van Draanen's Runaway - Holly is abused by her foster dad. (My main character is afraid of her foster dad when he drinks, especially the night she and her brother run away).
-Heidi Ayarbe's Compromised - A father goes to prison and his motherless daughter is left to fend for herself, and ends up in an orphanage; She runs away to search for an aunt in New Mexico. (My main characters’ mother is missing and their father is dead; they are placed in a foster home and then run away to search for their missing mother and Malaysian relatives).

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

-Callie and Lucas stowaway on a large sailboat called the Meli Ann and cross the Pacific to Hawaii.
-The Mersing shells are stored in a wooden box with a beautiful dragon carving on top, but there is a secret compartment and much more in this "dragon box."

I'm tagging authors Catherine Ensley and Kim Harris Thacker.

Check out their Next Big Thing!

[This traveling blog started in Australia. Each author answers ten questions about his or her Work In Progress and "tags" one or more authors (up to five) to be The Next Big Thing]

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing
 

Southwest Indians by Melissa McDaniel: Book Review

“First Nations of North America” series
Southwest Indians
Author: Melissa McDaniel

Publisher:  Heinemann Library, 2012

Reviewer: Sharon M. Himsl

Ages: 8 up, Middle Grade nonfiction
Pages: 48

There are ten major nations in the Southwest Indian family: the Navajo, Apache, Pueblo, Hopi, Zuni, Tohono O’odham, Akimel O’odham, Upland Yumans, and River Yumans. McDaniel describes  their languages, leaders, beliefs, ceremonies, family life, homes, hairstyles, the objects they made, and more. This diverse group settled in present-day Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico, parts of Texas, and surrounding areas. The region’s extreme temperatures in the summer and winter helped define Southwest Indian dress, diet, shelter and culture, McDaniel explains, and finding food was the biggest hurdle. The tribes adapted by using ingenious food gathering methods. The Pueblos, for example, dug canals to channel water to their crops and homes. The Havasupai pounded the ground to drive out rabbits from the underbrush. The Apache hunted large game, while others relied on smaller animals and seasonal nuts, fruits, and seeds.  Few, however, could withstand the violence of first contact when the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. Lives were lost, children stolen, and many enslaved. Deadly disease added to their misery. McDaniel describes the Pueblo revolt in 1680 that caused the Spanish conquerors to flee, and the more peaceful Spanish mission phase that followed, altering beliefs. In the 1800s, white settlement was the next hurdle and Southwest Indians were forced to live on reservations. Despite setbacks, Southwest Indians are proud of their heritage and U.S. citizenship. In World War II, Navajo code talkers created a code that the enemy never broke. Today there are forty-three “official” Southwest Indian nations. Southwest Indians is a good resource and useful in Social Studies curriculum. Glossary (boldface text) and Timeline are provided. Maps, photos, and sketches are on most pages. Reading level Q.  

Copyright 2013 © Sharon M. Himsl

Africa Mercy - Launch (sort of): One Nurse's Journey

My friend is on her way to Africa and has given me permission to record her journey. Here are three emails dated Jan 27, Feb 28 and Mar 4. For the sake of privacy, she is using her first initial (M) only. Click here for the original post describing the nurses and doctors on board and some of their stories. I hope you find M's journey as fascinating as I do! Has anyone else out there dreamed of doing (or done) something like this?

Sunday, January 27, 2013 5:38 PM
1/27/13 "launch (sort of)"

The adventure begins.  I've arrived to the Mercy Ships property outside of Tyler, Texas.  Yesterday was the first day of orientation--mostly getting acquainted with the other people who have come for the "On Boarding" program.  Some will be here for the first week of training, which is called Foundations of Mercy Ships--so I suppose it'll be foundational values, an overview of the programs, and some understanding of how it's all put together.  Some of us will be here for five weeks.

The middle three weeks address spiritual issues and cross-cultural issues, I believe.  The last week is basic safety training for living on a ship--fire fighting, water rescue, and so forth.

Who is here?   We come from the USA, England, France, Spain, Canada, and Netherlands.  Ages range from 5 (well, she's just a kid, but part of a family) to 18 (the youngest volunteer, I think), to 68 (me, the oldest volunteer, I think).  Experience ranges from one who's never left the country to one who has spent decades managing refugee camps throughout Africa.  There are several nurses, a radiology tech, a deck hand, an electrician, an accountant, a security officer, a teacher, an overseer for some development programs, a supply chain manager, a fire safety expert.

There are others whose job I haven't figured out yet--but you can see we have quite a variety of job descriptions represented in our group of 28 or so.

Now, how does the Lord take that kind of diversity and make a coherent team?

But He does!  In two days, we are fitting together quite nicely, it seems to me.  As I type, a fair number of them are in the other room singing, making beautiful harmonies together.  Soon I will join them, adding to their number, if not the quality of the music.

So, no real news--just a quick peek at my first stepping stone on this journey to Mercy Ships.

M

Thursday, February 28, 2013 5:41 AM

"we're on our way"

I've been in Texas for almost five weeks doing the Mercy Ships orientation program.  They packed the time pretty full--foundational stuff about Mercy Ships, spiritual grounding in the character of God and other assorted topics, social grounding in personality types and conflict resolution (do they think that living 4-8 people in a room might produce some conflicts?), and a fair amount on cross-cultural issues and world views.

This last week has been basic safety training--required by maritime law--including both water rescue and fire fighting.  Imagine me, if you will, all dressed up in 40-50 pounds of fire protection gear, crawling into a dark, smoke-filled tunnel to rescue a 165 pound dummy. Or dragging a fire hose into a building with real live fire, smoke, and heat.  Yes, sir, I am now officially educated and ready to fight fires in the engine room with the best of them...so they say.

We leave March 6 for Africa.  We will spend 2 1/2 weeks doing a "field service" before we actually join the ship.  This is a part of the orientation program, to give us a taste of African culture and shake out some of our kinks before we settle into our jobs on the ship.  It's best to get over the "deer in the headlights" syndrome beforehand, because it's full speed ahead with our jobs once we reach the ship.  Our field service will be in Conakry, Guinea, only a few miles from the ship, building some playground equipment for a local children's hospital and spending a couple of days running a mini-vacation Bible school for a local Christian school.  They guarantee us that it will be hot and dirty work, but the playground will be a lasting benefit to the kids in the hospital and the surrounding neighborhood.

I think that I will be out of touch from March 6 to March 22--no internet available during field service, so far as I know.  And with a new job to learn once I reach the ship, I may be slow to answer emails even then.  I am praying not only for health and endurance for field service, but also for some significant connections to local folks as we work.  Cultural adaptation is much more important when you are there for a couple of years instead of a couple of months, and it happens best in the context of a friendship or two.  Pity I don't speak French--it's the official language of Guinea from colonial days.  I'm sure most of the people speak their own tribal languages most of the time, but I'd imagine that many of them also speak French.  I suppose they also speak gestures and emoticons--if a translator isn't handy, I guess that will have to do.

Perhaps I'll have some fun stories next time I write.

Blessings on each of you,

M


Monday, March 04, 2013 11:18 PM
"you have to be fluid"

I don't know if it has made the news or not, but there is increasing unrest in Conakry, Guinea.  With an election on the horizon, the competing tribes seem to be jockeying for position, using stones to make their points.  I hear there have even been a few deaths, but apparently it is not out-and-out rioting or civil war. 

Naturally, Mercy Ships command is watching the situation closely.  The southern end of the peninsula is well guarded and safe--that is where the expats live and the government has their buildings.  The Africa Mercy is within the safe zone, and business continues as usual for them.

 

Our field service is affected, however.  Both the hospital where we intended to build a playground and the school where we intended to spend a couple of days with the kids are too far north, not in the safe zone.

So, we won't be going there.  There's a saying in Mercy Ships that when you work in Africa, you have to go beyond being flexible, you have to be fluid.  So, we'll flow into an alternative project--probably we'll do some work at the dental clinic site.  It needs some repair and is in the safe zone.

 

The airport where we land is also not in the safe zone.  But, the tribes are throwing the stones at each other, not at westerners.  We will be met by vehicles with Mercy Ships logos on their sides, and that is a fairly powerful protection in itself.  Both tribes benefit from our services and regard us with favor--they'd probably stop the conflict to let us pass.  And, you can be sure that the folks in charge are planning alternative routes to get us safely to our destination by skirting any conflicts that are in progress when we arrive.

So, we leave Wednesday morning as scheduled...but after we arrive, the schedule is kaput. It will be interesting to see how it all comes together.

 M

The Peanut Butter Sandwich: An American Tradition

Ever since reading about peanut butter and zucchini sandwiches in Deborah Wiles's adorable Love, Ruby Lavender (MG), I have been intrigued with peanut butter

sandwiches  in general. The peanut butter sandwich has been around for as long as I can remember. I ate them as a kid, my own kids ate them, and now my grandchildren do. And since March is National Peanut Month, I thought it would be fun to talk about this simple easy-to-make sandwich, because from what I can tell, it has long been an American tradition.



Believe it or not, peanut butter was once a delicacy in the United States. In the early 1900s, you could only find it in fancy New York City tearooms, where it was served on crackers with pimentos, nasturtium, cheese, celery or watercress. But as far back as 1896, Good Housekeeping magazine had suggested that women grind peanuts into a spread for bread. Later that year, another magazine, Table Talk, printed a recipe for a peanut butter sandwich. However, it was not until the late 1920s that peanut butter became affordable and, therefore, available to the general public. Peanut butter soon became a staple and quite popular with children. During WWII, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich was added to military rations. It had come a long way from the tearooms of New York.

Common peanut butter sandwiches in my kitchen:

Peanut butter and...
- jelly (or jam, preserves, marmalade)
- honey
- pickles
- bananas
- potato chips

Peanut butter and zucchini, on the other hand, opens up a way to add more vegetables to the diet. My husband volunteered for the experiment. Well, to be precise . . . he went along, since he prefers I do most of the cooking. Here is what we have tried so far:

- Peanut butter and sliced apples (with peelings). I added sliced almonds one day, and after being assured the 'crunchy part' was edible, he liked it.
- Peanut butter and cucumbers. He liked it.
- Peanut butter and left-over salad. Hmm....this was a bit of a stretch, but it too was good. The salad had leaf lettuce, kale, yellow pepper, broccoli and carrot slaw, dried cranberries and walnuts.

After that last one, I decided the possibilities were endless. Candidates for research include fresh:
- zucchini (have not tried yet; it grows here like weeds during the summer)
- parsley
- grated carrots
- mint
- spinach and other greens
- pineapple slices
- sliced strawberries
- blueberries
- other berries

And from the tearoom list above, I may try:
- pimento
- nasturtium
- cheese
- celery
- watercress

From online, here are some more to try:
- raisins
- bacon
- chocolate 
- maple syrup
- hazelnut-chocolate spread
- marshmallows

I am a really big fan of nuts, so I would add other nuts to any of these combinations.

Any other ideas out there? Are you a peanut butter "nut" too?



Copyright 2013 © Sharon Himsl
[History Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter_and_jelly_sandwich].

A Liebster Award for Shells, Tales and Sails

Jai at blogspot And Then . . . has nominated me for the Liebster Award (for blogs with fewer than 200 followers).  I am grateful and thank Jai for nominating me for this award.

Liebster Award Rules:

1. Thank the blogger who presented you with the Liebster Award, and link back to his or her blog.
 2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator; list 11 random facts about yourself, and create 11 questions for your nominees.
 3. Present the Liebster Award to 11 bloggers, who have blogs with 200 followers or less, whom you feel deserve to be noticed. Leave a comment on the blogs letting the owners know they have been chosen. (No tag backs.)

 4. Upload the Liebster Award image to your blog.

My Answers to Jai's Questions:

1. If you could have a super power what would it be?

The ability to travel back in time, not to change it necessarily, but to observe the people and events of history. (I have no desire to see the future, however. Why destroy the adventure?)

2. Coffee or Tea?

Both, but my first love is coffee. I am half Norwegian :)

3. Favorite color?

Green. It is the color of fresh beginnings. 

4. Why did you start blogging?

A friend urged me to try. I have been writing similar posts in emails and family letters for years. But my main motivation was to connect with writers who are trying to publish their work.

5. Who was your favorite teacher and why.

So many, really. But if I were to choose one, it would be an English professor in a creative writing class. I still remember his comment on a short story I had written, that my work was starting to sound "professional." Oh, how I latched onto that one encouraging word.

6. Who is your favorite author?
My first favorite book as a girl was Jane Eyre, so I have to say Charlotte Brontë.

7. What kind of music do you enjoy?

Anything with soft guitar and lyrics I can actually hear. Bluegrass and folk. I like classical, but I'm not an expert (I like Debussy's Claire de Lune). Occasionally, I hear an artist or a tune that just wows me, like Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." 
 

8. Do you have a favorite movie?

Somewhere in Time (starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour)

9. What would be your dream vacation?

Right now, a roadtrip up the east coast of the U.S. I have only seen the Florida coastline.
 

10. What is your favorite healthy food?

Peanut butter (because it is so versatile)
 

11. What is your guilty pleasure?

Ice Cream. My first sentence, according to my parents, had 'ice cream' in it. And chocolate . . . need I explain? The two are a perfect combo.
 

Eleven Random Facts about Me

 1. I once sailed a 15 foot sailboat for a week in the San Juan Islands (and still sail).
2. I collect elephants, the first one given to me by my father.

3. My husband built an airplane in our garage and I helped (yep, call me "Rosie the Riveter").
4. The lives of my son and daughter are an inspiration to me.
5. For some reason, I have read Moby Dick four times.
6. I have six grandchildren who live too far away.
7. Gardening is like meditation to me. I can refuel there.
8. Marriage has worked for me. I'm still married to the love of my life. We met at sixteen.
9. Faith in God keeps me grounded when all else fails.
10. I survived Hurricane Camille in 1969 (Biloxi, Mississippi in an air force shelter).
11. I stepped on a cockroach (barefoot) in Malaysia once, the size of my big toe.

 

Blogs I have nominated 
http://delightdirectedliving.blogspot.com/

http://mjwauthor2012.blogspot.com/
http://marymontaguesikes.blogspot.com/
http://gonegarden.blogspot.com/
http://www.inwhichwestartanew.com/
http://dianawilder.blogspot.com/
http://saintlywriter.blogspot.com/
http://talesofthereborncrafter.blogspot.com/
http://depressioncookies.blogspot.com/
http://fillysbestfriend.blogspot.com/
http://annas-adornments.blogspot.com/

To the eleven bloggers I have nominated, I believe your blogs are worthy of this award. I have been checking out blogs for almost two weeks and did not pick yours randomly. I realize we are all busy but I hope you will participate. It could be fun and I think others would enjoy reading your responses. Just let me know when your post is up (if you do). Thanks.

 Eleven questions from me:

1. What is your favorite form of recreation?
2. What kinds of books do you read?
3. Why did you start blogging?
3. Do you read books on an e-reader or prefer printed books?
4. Name two actors or authors you admire.
5. What makes you laugh?
6. Which do you prefer and why: dogs or cats?
7. When or where do you feel most creative?
8. What is your favorite fast food or snack?
9. Do you have a special place you go to relax?
10. Do you have a favorite comic strip?

11. If you could travel back in time, where would you like to go?