tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post8459660546913791952..comments2024-03-22T05:18:29.555-04:00Comments on Romance Bandits: Need a Hero?Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-20511711632593433982009-05-25T17:22:05.198-04:002009-05-25T17:22:05.198-04:00Message from Shane who had major computer problems...Message from Shane who had major computer problems...<br /><br />A lot of you talked about nurses being your everyday heroes. They're mine, too. My family has spent more time in hospitals the past few years than we care to (among other things, my wife Jerrle had breast cancer in 2002, but now is a proud seven-year survivor, yay!). Each time, the nurses were the real troupers in the medical team, caring for us like we were family. I can't say enough nice things about them. <br /><br /> <br /><br />New Orleans IS back, no doubt about it. Very refreshing after that national tragedy. The people are friendly, and the food and drink are great. What could be better? It was our first time ever in the Easy ... and exceeded our already high expectations. As for our new Japanese lady friend, she’s in Memphis, visiting Elvis. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Treethyme, it's great to meet a fellow Sun-Times alum. I started in 1982, when Mike Royko, Ann Landers, and all the other greats were still there. In 1984, the paper was sold to Rupert Murdoch--the Antichrist, as we fondly thought of him. Royko et al left for greener pastures, but I was 26, just landed a dream job at a big-city paper, and was going to stay and see what happened. I left in 2000 to start my thriller novel career. I love the new form of writing and have never looked back—writing in jammies is just too cool—but I miss the newsroom. It had a ton of intellectual wattage, great storytellers, and happy drunks. Ah, the news biz :-) <br /><br /> <br /><br />Jo, you asked about journalism as preparation for writing fiction. What reporting and editing gave me was the ability to capture the world for the written page, fast, accurately and under deadline. That applies to any kind of writing, from letters to Mom to the biggest books of fiction—you take in from all six senses and transform those impressions into letters on a page, so a reader can see, hear, smell and feel what you did. Even though you're making up your scenes, they need to feel real to the reader. So observing and describing the small details—the sound of a fluttering leaf; the yellowish hue of curdling milk; that a baby’s head smells like peanut butter--is critical to your success. In commercial fiction, we write 2,000 to 5,000 words per day in order to meet deadlines. Fast and accurate pays off handsomely under that kind of pressure. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Trish, you are so right ... Jerrle is still a babe after thirty years, and we still have a lot of fun. I guess I'll try another thirty, see if that changes any, and report back to y’all. Naturally, I haven't aged a bit over thirty years, as I am still 22 and studly. Or so my daydreams tell me. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Donna, I'll check with pops-in-law to see if he had any daughters I don't know about. At eightysomething, he'll like that :-)<br /><br /> <br /><br />You folks might like my crime thrillers. They feature a fortysomething female police detective, Emily Thompson, who battles serial killers in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, where I live. Her best friend, Annie Bates, is a SWAT commander and soldier, and plays Thelma to Emily’s Louise. Between bullets, bombs and general mayhem, there’s a really nice romance between Emily and her true love, Martin Benedetti, another cop. The irony is, I didn't know I was committing romance till RT named my debut, BLOWN AWAY, the Debut Mystery of the Year. I was delighted, if confused! My current Emily is CUT TO THE BONE, and the next is MOVING TARGET, which comes out in summer 2010. I'd be pleased if you'd check them out, or come visit me at www.shanegericke.com. <br /><br /> <br /><br />And finally, Kim, you're gracious and special for letting me hang out with your friends here. Thanks. <br /><br /> <br /><br />With fondness,<br /><br />ShaneKJ Howehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13588414958560844668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-3693042846572167132009-05-24T22:57:32.343-04:002009-05-24T22:57:32.343-04:00Anna - haha, thanks; I said last week I probably w...Anna - haha, thanks; I said last week I probably wouldn't get the GR anymore... because I can't stay up late - have very early morning classes now. So, no, Donna, definitely no celebrating. At all.<br />And thank you too, to Virginia, Kim, and PJ!limecellohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16331447498798826649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-89029362785124499232009-05-24T22:53:51.674-04:002009-05-24T22:53:51.674-04:00Mr. Gericke: what a great blog. Kim, thanks for ...Mr. Gericke: what a great blog. Kim, thanks for inviting him to Romance Bandits. Love your thoughts on everyday people being heroes. So true. They're all around us. And that lady from Japan who walked through the Quarter with you, she's my hero. I'll bet she has fond memories of America thanks to you. I'll bet you and your wife were her heroes.Donnell Ann Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07943037206984648849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-62577644453488389822009-05-24T18:23:45.286-04:002009-05-24T18:23:45.286-04:00Hi there,
Shane has had a major computer problem ...Hi there,<br /><br />Shane has had a major computer problem and that's why he hasn't been able to log on today. He promises to send me answers to all the questions tomorrow. He asked me to thank everyone for coming today...he really appreciates your interest and support!!!!!!KJ Howehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13588414958560844668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-69456735447561367582009-05-24T15:53:05.148-04:002009-05-24T15:53:05.148-04:00Watch out below!
(Donna swings in on the chandeli...Watch out below!<br /><br />(Donna swings in on the chandelier) Sorry about that, but aerobics class was cancelled due to the holiday weekend (grin).<br /><br />Hi Shane! You know - I think your wife might be my long lost sister! Usually my hair is poker straight - compare her photo to mine in the side bar.<br /><br />Love to hear that New Orleans is coming back. I was there for about two weeks right before Katrina doing research for a book. I had to set that project aside - too many emotions when I tried to write about a city I loved. Now - however - I've pulled it back out and contemplated returning for an update. <br /><br />Amy - That woman truly is a hero. My heart goes out to her. Hope her little girl came through the surgery just fine.<br /><br />Lime - congrats on the GR. Are you still celebrating your graduation?<br /><br />Back to doing holiday cooking, why does every holiday require copious amounts of food? Not sure - but thank God it does (grin)Donna MacMeanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10310857800824141312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-51143151479377243292009-05-24T14:40:06.396-04:002009-05-24T14:40:06.396-04:00He's all yours today, Lime! I think La Campbell is...He's all yours today, Lime! I think La Campbell is right. He is doing a tour of his old girlfriends! <br /><br />What a great interview Kim and Shane. You are talking about one of my favorite places in the world - New Orleans! I went to grad school at USM in Hattiesburg and my late DH and I spent A LOT of time in New Orleans. Two of his colleagues are married and practicing psychiatry in New Orleans. They fled during Katrina and were lucky that only the basement apartment beneath their house was flooded and they had some roof damage.<br /><br />They have been bugging me to come down and I really want to as I have not been down since Katrina. <br /><br /><br />I have to agree that nurses are definitely the unsung heroes of the medical profession. I cannot tell you how much the care and humor of the nurses in the cardiac ICU unit meant to us during my Dad's last six weeks of life. They were so good to him and to my Mom who never left the hospital the entire six weeks. Truly great ladies.<br /><br />All of the animal rescue organizations who went down to New Orleans during Katrina and in its aftermath are real heroes to me. They rescued so many abandoned animals and reunited lost animals with their owners. So many people lost everything they had and to find the pets they lost meant the world to them. My dog Boudreaux was rescued from the Ninth Ward by a friend who went down to help one of the rescue organizations. Boudreaux was found standing guard over his dead master in their flooded house. He'd been there for weeks and was nearly starved to death. Now he still gets upset during storms and tries to climb his sixty pound basset hound butt into my lap. <br /><br />My cousin's son is a policeman and he is definitely a hero to me. It is tough to be a policeman in this day and age in a city where there is a shooting sometimes once a day, but at least three times a week.Louisa Cornellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12971924594129471055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-21950835464957452072009-05-24T13:53:28.745-04:002009-05-24T13:53:28.745-04:00Shane, what a great story and trip to New Orleans!...Shane, what a great story and trip to New Orleans! And congrats on 30 years with the hot wife. Sounds like you two still have a lot of romance and adventure in your lives. Very inspiring! :)Trish Albrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04137622667276979746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-86247169988977261062009-05-24T10:51:39.766-04:002009-05-24T10:51:39.766-04:00SO cool that you mentioned an entrepreneur as one ...SO cool that you mentioned an entrepreneur as one of your everyday heroes. <br /><br />Entrepreneurs rank way up there on my hero list. The odds are stacked against them (4 out of 5 businesses fail - and I think that is a low figure), they suffer natural disasters, financial disasters (they were the first people to have their much needed credit lines pulled) yet they are SO important for the well being of any country (they are our future).<br /><br />A great, great post!Kimber Chinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13658012405712901099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-3612859116515904832009-05-24T10:48:33.325-04:002009-05-24T10:48:33.325-04:00Very interesting! What a gift to spend an evening...Very interesting! What a gift to spend an evening with the woman from Japan. Those are situations usually found in fiction. If only the whole world would open up to each other as well...it would be a better place.<br /><br />Thank you for your post!<br />~CCarolinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11762297996629582641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-26837436456772405902009-05-24T10:37:52.306-04:002009-05-24T10:37:52.306-04:00Becke's comment reminded me of all the people who ...Becke's comment reminded me of all the people who did so much during WW2 - especially those in the Resistance or those undercover in Europe. Also those who took in the orphans and children evacuated from the cities. Otherwise ordinary people who risked everything to help, because they believed in fighting evil.Anna Sugdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02015356374453032571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-39817536643615803182009-05-24T10:35:53.222-04:002009-05-24T10:35:53.222-04:00Welcome Shane - what a lovely, touching post. Than...Welcome Shane - what a lovely, touching post. Thanks for enticing Shane into the Lair, KJ.<br /><br />I have a soft spot for New Orleans, as I went to my very first Romantic Times convention in Baton Rouge. There, I met some fabulous authors who encouraged me to 'give it a go'. I owe them (Jean Brashear, Merline Lovelace and the late Suzanne Barclay) a huge debt of gratitude!<br /><br />Hubby and I then drove down River Road to NO. What a fabulous and memorable trip (not just because of the speed limitsigns with bullet holes in them!).<br /><br />For me, everyday heroes are those who do the little things as well as the big things. The person who gives up his seat on the bus for an elderly or pregnant person. The person who lets a frazzled mother with cantankerous kids ahead of them in the check-out line at the store. The person who puts the garbage bins out for a disabled neighbour. The friend who critiques a manuscript at the last minute to help you stop panicking!<br /><br />They are heroes to me because they do something which may seem small to them, but is huge to the person they are helping - and they do it without a second thought.Anna Sugdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02015356374453032571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-10472796571163784152009-05-24T10:33:56.689-04:002009-05-24T10:33:56.689-04:00A hearty welcome to the Lair, Shane. What a terri...A hearty welcome to the Lair, Shane. What a terrific post about everyday heroes and a poignant look into the Katrina tragedy.<br /><br />I think a lot about everyday heroes, those persons like my husband's ancestors who crossed the plains to settle the west, who left everything familiar and comfortable to follow a dream.<br /><br />Your books sound intriguing. I love crime thrillers and will definitely check them out.<br /><br />Happy 30th anniversary and have a wonderful time in Louisiana!<br /><br />Quick question: Can you tell us how your journalistic work prepared you for writing?jo robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16824237193217632098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-31739274119512229662009-05-24T10:30:02.345-04:002009-05-24T10:30:02.345-04:00Amy,
That poor mum! Prayers on their way.Amy,<br /><br />That poor mum! Prayers on their way.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12566704374877697300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-17907585591261823222009-05-24T10:16:57.037-04:002009-05-24T10:16:57.037-04:00Oh my gosh, Amy. That poor woman! I'll be keepin...Oh my gosh, Amy. That poor woman! I'll be keeping her and both of her daughters in my prayers.pjpuppymomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18234101901405553621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-70945118892516090732009-05-24T10:14:46.623-04:002009-05-24T10:14:46.623-04:00Becke, my stepmom was a WWII WAVE. She had so man...Becke, my stepmom was a WWII WAVE. She had so many fascinating stories to share.pjpuppymomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18234101901405553621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-69439587677744683372009-05-24T10:14:03.918-04:002009-05-24T10:14:03.918-04:00Yes, Joanie, there is a memorial to military nurse...Yes, Joanie, there is a memorial to military nurses. It's very moving.pjpuppymomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18234101901405553621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-1538731838444223232009-05-24T09:52:59.610-04:002009-05-24T09:52:59.610-04:00Treethyme, how cool that your aunt was a WAVE!
Wh...Treethyme, how cool that your aunt was a WAVE!<br /><br />When I visit DC this summer I want to see the memorial to the women who served (isn't there a memorial to military nurses?)<br /><br />And Virginia, appreciate your umbrage on our behalf of doctors but to tell you the truth...doctors are as a rule, no longer blusterbutts. The challenge in modern day nursing are the patients who do not want to participate in their care to get well and are often times ugly about it.<br /><br />Doctors alone can't get you well. Nurses alone can't get you well.<br /><br />Doctors + Nurses + the patient....THAT can get you well.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12566704374877697300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-50417261572106533352009-05-24T09:51:06.088-04:002009-05-24T09:51:06.088-04:00Virginia said: The one's I worked for where big A'...<I>Virginia said: The one's I worked for where big A's. Power to the nurses.</I>...<br /><br />LOL...and thank you, Virginia!Suzanne Ferrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761579189372602292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-10631921547984894152009-05-24T09:49:38.540-04:002009-05-24T09:49:38.540-04:00OMG Amy! Yes that mother does deserve a medal and ...OMG Amy! Yes that mother does deserve a medal and lots of love, hugs and help. That has to be one of the hardest stories of motherhood that I've ever heard.Suzanne Ferrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761579189372602292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-69913044152725557102009-05-24T09:47:42.851-04:002009-05-24T09:47:42.851-04:00Hey Treethyme, I've worked with former WAVES from ...Hey Treethyme, I've worked with former WAVES from WW II and some M*A*S*H nurses from both the Korean and Vietnam wars. I used to LOVE talking to them about the things they did, the places they went and the men they met. Absoloutely enthralling!! And talk about courageous.Suzanne Ferrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761579189372602292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-243863657353504372009-05-24T09:44:34.814-04:002009-05-24T09:44:34.814-04:00Good morning, Shane and welcome to the Lair. Hey K...Good morning, Shane and welcome to the Lair. Hey Kim, lovely post!<br /><br />As the other resident nurse of the Lair, I thank you for the note about nurses. To me, it's what we do everyday, but some days are better than others. <br /><br />Because of the call to be a nurse, I get to witness courage in my mothers-to-be almost daily. Just having a child in this day and age seems to take courage, but some mothers face insurmountable odds even before their children get here, and some the moment they're born. Knowing that, they still bring life into the world. That to me is courage!Suzanne Ferrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761579189372602292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-17217709339084227002009-05-24T09:14:23.962-04:002009-05-24T09:14:23.962-04:00Limecello, he's missed you!Limecello, he's missed you!pjpuppymomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18234101901405553621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-87340156025469544212009-05-24T09:13:56.974-04:002009-05-24T09:13:56.974-04:00Thanks Kim and Shane! What a wonderful, thought-p...Thanks Kim and Shane! What a wonderful, thought-provoking blog. I'm so glad to hear that NO is coming back to life. I haven't been there since Katrina but I hope to return one of these days.<br /><br />Everyday heroes are all around me - volunteers who work the local soup kitchen, build Habitat homes and run their thrift store, mentor at risk children and volunteer in our local schools, bring comfort to patients and their families at our local hospital and handle scores of routine tasks that free the nurses to devote more of their time to patient care. Then there are the wonderful people in my neighborhood who are always there to lend a hand to a neighbor in need. When someone has surgery, neighbors line up to make meals for the family. When I was last in the hospital they took turns walking my dogs. When a neighbor's house burned down, before the firemen even had a chance to clean up and leave, the family had received multiple offers for places to stay, clothes and necessities by the bagful and more than $5,000 donated by the people of my neighborhood. In my book, they are all everyday heroes, more-so because none of them think they are doing anything extraordinary.pjpuppymomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18234101901405553621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-64475183719428323232009-05-24T08:28:02.034-04:002009-05-24T08:28:02.034-04:00Marisa,
Couldn't agree more that we need to watch...Marisa,<br /><br />Couldn't agree more that we need to watch for everyday heroes in our lives and thank them. I appreciate your stopping by!KJ Howehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13588414958560844668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-80229269035925030322009-05-24T08:27:05.109-04:002009-05-24T08:27:05.109-04:00Helen, thanks for dropping by. Talking about ever...Helen, thanks for dropping by. Talking about everyday heroes, Shane is one of mine. Whenever he's at a writer's conference, he makes sure that if anyone is sitting alone, he invites them into his circle of friends. He's an absolute gentleman.KJ Howehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13588414958560844668noreply@blogger.com