Vivian Maier-Quiet Genius

By Lisa Karon Richardson

With a consummate eye for composition, tone, and mood, Vivian Maier captured mid-century urban America as no one else. One of the most talented photographers of the 20^th century she was nevertheless a complete unknown until the time of her death. It wasn’t until a storage unit she had rented was auctioned for non-payment that the world was introduced to her genius. Luckily an amateur historian, John Maloof, bought thousands of her undeveloped negatives for $380.

When he began looking through them he knew he had found a treasure. He then went on a search for their creator, but he found her obituary instead. She had slipped on ice and hit her head. Since then he has championed her work, bringing it to worldwide acclaim.

An exceedingly private woman she nevertheless left an incredible body of work of over 100,000 images as well as audio and video recordings that reveal much about America from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Vivian Maier was born in New York City to a French mother and Austrian father. It doesn’t appear that her home life was particularly settled. By the age of 4, census information indicates that she and her mother were living with Jeanne Bertrand, a famous portrait photographer. Shortly thereafter she and her mother went to France where she spent several years. She returned to the US in 1939 with her mother, and then again in 1951 alone.

Upon her return she went to work as a nanny. An occupation she held for the rest of her working life. She moved from New York to Chicago, and loved to travel the world, and she gravitated toward the less fortunate wherever she went.

Personal accounts from people who knew Vivian indicate that she was a non-conformist, also opinionated, highly intelligent, and intensely private. She wore a wide brim hat, a long dress, wool coat, and men’s shoes. And she was never without a camera when she left the house. On her days off she would obsessively take pictures, but she never showed her photos to anyone.

Self-Portrait, Vivian Maier

Vivian captured the transient moments of the day-to-day and ended up documenting an era. I find her story fascinating. Part of the reason is, I think, that I can identify with her. Doing an ordinary job, but craving the chance to create something more. To be something more.

Can you identify with the urge to create; be it art, or stories, or music?

Uh Oh!

by C.J. Chase

If you follow current events at all, you’ve no doubt heard the name Rachel Dolezal this week. She’s the white college professor who for years successfully passed herself off as a black woman. In order to do that, she changed her appearance and invented an entirely new background for herself, complete with different parents of a different race.

She has gone so far as to claim that there’s no proof (in the form of a DNA test) that the white couple who raised her are her biological parents. The major question that has arisen: is it a sham or is she so deep into her make-believe life than she can't separate her delusions from the truth?

It was in this context that I first heard the phrase “fantasy prone personality.” Psychology Wiki describes it as “disposition or personality trait in which a person experiences a lifelong extensive and deep involvement in fantasy.”

But…isn’t that normal? No? Uh oh.

This fascinating New York Times article suggests about 4% of the population spends half (or more) of their time living in internal fantasy worlds with “fully articulated plots.” You mean, 96% of the population doesn’t spend their days conversing with imaginary people? So what goes on in their brains all day then?

Fortunately, the researchers say this is only a problem if the person can’t distinguish between fantasy and reality. Whew! I was afraid they were going to say it was a serious problem if you couldn’t stay in the right fantasy—you know, like when your contract says you’re supposed to create a “fully articulated plot” set in 1857 Virginia and your mind keeps sidetracking you to 1796 France or 1881 Montana instead. (Not that this has ever happened to me, understand.)

So, let's discuss. What about you? Are you a 4%er? (Or, like I, do you believe that the number has to be higher than that? After all, it sure seems like everyone and his brother wants to write a book.) Do you think an overactive imagination is a hindrance or an advantage in "real" life?

Oh, and if your flights of fancy become too debilitating, you can always check out this Wiki page for How to Deal with Maladaptive Daydreaming. After you wrap up that "fully articulated plot," that is.

Travel Gems Including World Wide Knit in Public Day

by Anita Mae Draper

I've been on the road since May 22 with another week or so to go and let me say it's been a full schedule. But I wanted to tell you about a gem I found when and where I least expected it. That's what a gem is, isn't it? Something precious amidst the common?

My agenda had taken me from my home province of Saskatchewan, across Manitoba, and into Ontario where I drove along the northern shore of Lake Superior and Lake Huron until I reached cottage country. After a brief weekend in Barrie to attend the Ontario Genealogical Society conference I headed south to explore the agricultural land of our family history.

June 10th found me driving south again to attend the Write Canada conference in North York, a suburb of Toronto, but which has been absorbed into Canada's largest city. The day was wet and dreary, concrete and glass grew where once farms had stood, and all I wanted was to get to my hotel room and vegetate for a while. But I still had miles to go, and with every mile, the buildings filled in more of the space.

When I finally got to the hotel, I had to drive down into the parking garage. I can tell you I wasted no time getting my things and leaving my vehicle, although I did remember to take iphone pics of my car with a numbered post beside it, as well as the number of the parking level.

And then finally... finally ... I opened the door of what would be my sanctuary for the next few days. As I drew open the drapes, I caught my breath. The clouds had blown aside and sun was shining down on a welcoming garden and grass scene. I took some pics and posted one on  facebook.

Later, as I gazed down, I saw a picket fence leading to a well-mulched garden. Of course, a picket fence is something quite common in a small town, but it's not often you see one surrounded by hi-rise office and apartment buildings.

However, this area seemed to have an Asian presence and that was reflected in the zen-like quality of the park on the west side of the wall that connects to the parking garage in the bottom left corner of the image. Over time I realized the park is not on a level, but rises as you enter on the bottom right, leveling off as you approach the wall, and then declines into the garden on the other side. The left side is referred to as Gibson Square.

This side of the wall is called, Gibson Park and once I saw that, I did some research and found that this land had once been the estate of Scottish immigrant David Gibson. A land surveyor who helped map early Toronto, Gibson built an 1851 Georgian mansion in what had been at that time a rural community.

Now called the Gibson House Museum, visitors can experience this elegant 1851 farmhouse through recipes and daily activities such as dipping candles and weaving on a loom. School groups are especially welcome.

In case you're wondering, the above photo isn't the side that I was looking at from my window. Here's a view of the Gibson House and the Novotel North York Hotel where I was staying. That triangular-shaped arch is on the hotel side of the street although it looks very close to the Gibson House.

And here's a news flash that at least one of our Inkies will appreciate... Sundays at Gibson House are special because it's the weekly get-together of the Keeping You in Stitches knitting and crochet group (Sep - Jun only), but June 21st is extra special because the group will bring their chairs out onto the lawn to celebrate World Wide Knit in Public Day! Yay!!!

Can't you just see everyone knitting outside? Or on the verandah in inclement weather?

We want to hear those knitting needles clicking everywhere this Sunday, so pass it on!

Have you ever participated in World Wide Knit in Public Day? Would you like to?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their four kids. Anita's short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, published in A Cup of Christmas Cheer, Volume 4, Heartwarming Tales of Christmas Present, Guideposts Books, October 2014, is a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Anita is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Management. You can find Anita Mae at  www.anitamaedraper.com

The Lumberjacks' Ball & Upcoming Facebook Multi-Author Party with Guest Carrie Fancett Pagels!

Hello Inkie readers! I’m Carrie Fancett Pagels, the author of The Lumberjacks’ Ball, and I’m thrilled to be visiting again! I’ll be talking a little bit about my latest release and about a WONDERFUL upcoming Time for Tea & Romance Facebook party that will take place in two weeks!  And I’ll give some tips for Facebook Party novices.

First let me tell you about Garrett Christy’s and Rebecca Jane (Daggen)Hart’s story. In book two of The Christy Lumber Camp Series, I feature a woman trying to escape her past and a man glad to be reunited with her. PTL, the book has been on the Amazon bestseller list for Christian Historical Romances almost since its release, which is a God thing because I was hospitalized a week after it came out and could do almost no promo.

Here’s the blurb:

A decade after surviving a brutal attack, a mercantile owner’s daughter begins her life anew in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A gifted craftsman wishes to leave the lumber camp and seeks employment at her new store. When his presence dredges up memories she wishes to suppress, the proprietress must learn to face her past and open her heart. When complications arise, will they overcome adversity in time for The Lumberjacks’ Ball?

Here’s the link to my Pinterest board for The Lumberjacks’ Ball https://www.pinterest.com/carriefpagels/the-lumberjacks-ball/

You can buy The Lumberjacks’ Ball at Amazon (after July 5^th, it will be available through Barnes and Noble.) It is available in both paperback and ebook formats.

You can buy it at: http://www.amazon.com/Lumberjacks-Ball-Christy-Lumber-Camp-ebook/dp/B00VPLUSBO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428448167&sr=8-1&keywords=lumberjacks%27+ball

What a party!

It is no secret that I LOVE having online parties! We do them regularly for my Colonial Quills group blog. Recently I’ve been asked by others to join them in parties on Facebook and it is interesting to celebrate with different folks. So when God put on my heart to put a party together with Carrie Turanasky, such a sweet lady and wonderful author, and possibly invite a few other friends, I was super excited! We started out with asking other friends who are Christian historical romance authors and had new releases – Julie Lessman (who ended up moving but agreed to come on board) and Melissa Jagears (who has young children but is so fun and energetic and got right into the swing of things!). Then MaryLu Tyndall mentioned she had an upcoming release and I knew Tamera Alexander did, and they agreed to join us. And finally, after much arm-twisting and negotiation I pinned Gina Welborn to the table and she said “Uncle!” or maybe it was “Aunt!” 

SO, I am THRILLED that on June 23^rd, 2015, Inkie contributor, Gina Welborn, will be joining me (Carrie Fancett Pagels) in celebrating Christian romance with five other authors:

Carrie Turansky

Julie Lessman

Melissa Jagears

Marylu Tyndall

Tamera Alexander

Each author has a time slot of thirty minutes. I’ll be up first, kicking things off at 6 pm. Gina is a little bit later.



Carrie's gorgeous lilacs!

The Grand Prize, Carrie Turansky’s tea set collection is gorgeous! MaryLu is giving away a lovely ruby necklace. There will be copies of books, etc., and more good stuff!

I’ve been asked recently, by my BFF, about how these parties are done. First, for this one I failed to set it up as a public event so you will have to have an invitation (sorry folks!) Send me a private message on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/carriefancettpagels - personal, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carrie-Fancett-Pagels/317053071710640?fref=ts - author page) if you haven’t been invited to the Time for Tea & Romance June 23^rd Event (https://www.facebook.com/events/115820972084413/ ) but want to CELEBRATE. So, once you have an invite to the event, Click on the bar indicating that you will attend (IT will show JOIN, Maybe, Decline). Then once you JOIN, you will begin to receive notifications if anyone has decided to post anything on that Event Page ahead of the party. For instance, our readers at my parties like to “dress up”. So they post pictures of the gowns they will be “wearing” and accessories.  Where do you get pictures? My fave is Pinterest – go over there and search for Tea Gown.  Find one you like.  Click on it.  Go up to the address bar and COPY the link to the page.  For instance I found an Edwardian tea dress that would be PERFECT for Carrie Turansky’s wonderful books.  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/140174607124910077/

Go over to the event page and copy that address in as a post. Maybe you’d write – “Here’s my beautiful Edwardian gown that I’ve worn in honor of Carrie Turansky’s lovely writing” and then copy the address and post it. IF you do NOT want to post anything before the party—you don’t have to!  Just show up on the appointed day and search out your events. You can find this normally on your Facebook Home page (NOT your wall) over to the left and near the top. Click on Events and scroll until you find it (it looks like a CALENDAR page for the graphic icon). What I usually do, though, is I’ll see people posting to the party in my Notifications Feed and I’ll click on that and then click through to the event. Remember if you do that, you may only see that ONE comment, so be sure to move your cursor up to where it shows the person’s name and click on the Event name.  For instance it might look something like this over the post – Susie Dietze>Time for Tea & Romance and you would put your cursor over Tea Time for Romance, click, and it should take you to the Event Page.

Time for Tea & Romance is set in a garden on historic Mackinac Island at turn of the century. (I love Mackinac Island and my books have Mackinac Island in them for some scenes but are not set there.) We’re pretending as though we are actually there as each author talks about her book. So, e.g., I may post a recipe related to my book and ask if any of you have ever made it before. You can like my comment, comment back, or do nothing but read what people are saying. BUT, if you want to be entered in each author’s contest and the overall Grand Prize package you’d need to follow that person’s directions.   

Lilacs near McGilpin

Questions: Have you EVER attended a Facebook party? Did it make you want to buy the authors’ books? Was it fun? Have you ever won anything at a party? What is your fave type of online party?

Giveaway on today’s post (please leave a comment to enter): A copy of either The Fruitcake Challenge or The Lumberjacks’ Ball. Please include your email address in the comment so we can contact you if you win. Contest ends Friday, June 19, 11:59 pm EDT.

 

Contact info

Carrie Fancett Pagels

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Thanks so much for being here, Carrie! What a helpful post. Through it and my experience in a FB party with you, I've learned so much. These parties are fun for authors and readers alike. Congratulations!

TWO CHANCES TO WIN this week! Head over to Susanne's blog for another opportunity to win one of Carrie's books!