Old Stomping Grounds, Mirrors, Me and History Channel, and more
Plus a creative writing prompt at the end
Old Stomping Grounds
Last week, I was in New York for a quick trip to the American Museum of Natural History, making plans for The Writers Circle’s teen summer program. I hadn’t been there in ages and, like most museums in the City, it brought back vivid memories of taking my kids there countless times when they were young. Back then, we knew the names of every dinosaur without looking at the plaques; and I’d spend hours watching them play beneath “Elmer”—our name for the museum’s iconic (and gigantic) blue whale. But an even older memory always comes to mind—one that makes all these others possible. On our very first date, my husband and I spent hours talking in the AMNH’s “Rock Room”—the Hall of Gems and Minerals—back when the gallery was a carpeted, out of the way corner. Now, when you enter at the bright and brilliant new Gilder Center, it’s the first place you see. But if I listen very closely, I can still hear our whispers echoing from across the years.
Interestingly, the same afternoon of my recent visit, the news came out that two Native American galleries at the museum would be closed. Repatriation of sacred objects to indigenous cultures and communities is desperately overdue, and recent efforts are uprooting many museum collections around the world. I heard another story last week about a “loan” from the British Museum to Ghana of objects that were looted during the Anglo-Asante wars in the 19th century. How would you feel if someone stole something from your family, only to offer it back “on loan” more than a century later? It’s twisted, to say the least. So, although I will miss seeing some fascinating and beloved objects face to face, I am embracing the rightness of these long awaited returns.
Artifact of the Month: Scythian Bronze Mirror
In AKMARAL, and in many ancient cultures, mirrors have almost magical properties. Early mirrors were made of polished copper, bronze—as is this one, which belongs to the Kara Kam, a mysterious shamaness who travels with Akmaral’s clan—or sometimes glass-like, black obsidian. This particular mirror is decorated with Scythian Animal Style symbols: five of the iconic flying deer and one mountain goat, all swirling around the center. These and many other beasts are frequently found on standing deer-stones, petroglyphs, gold and bronze plaques at ancient sites all across the Scytho-Siberian world. In my novel, I used the symbols on this mirror to imply a connection between the shamaness and the gods and ancestors who watch over and guide Akmaral’s tribe. And the mirror’s flash and reflection became potent examples of her people’s deeply rooted respect for lightning, fire, and the power of nature.
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AKMARAL Pre-Pub News
Pitchfest Panic
My presentation for Adventures by the Book’s Pitchfest was all prepped. I waited anxiously as many other wonderful (and mostly better-known) authors took their turns. Finally, at one hour and two minutes, I was up. I had just gotten started when a face—not my own—popped up on the screen and totally threw me off. It felt like my fluster lasted far longer than it actually did, but somehow I rallied and got through. I honestly thought I’d bombed, but then this happened: AKMARAL on another MOST ANTICIPATED HISTORICAL FICTION list! Was it because of PitchFest? I have no idea, but how else would Joyana Peters have found AKMARAL?
I also want to shout “Thanks!” to my dear friend and fellow author, Martha Anne Toll (THREE MUSES) for including AKMARAL in her recent newsletter roundup. See “When a book breaks you open” for more gorgeous book recommendations. And follow her! Martha is wise, generous, and fascinating.
When The History Channel Calls…
I had a surprise invitation to chat with The History Channel about some warriors that I’ve grown to know pretty well. No, not the Scythians or the Amazons from AKMARAL, but they are related. I can’t share details yet, but as soon as I get permission, I’ll let you know all about the show.
This is the second time I’ll be an expert commentator on one of their programs. The first, MANKIND: The Story of All of Us, came out not long after my first novel, The Thrall’s Tale, was released. Yes, they asked me about the Vikings, but I also got to talk about early agriculture and women’s roles in pre-history.
I’ll never forget the time I was teaching a workshop at a local middle school when a crowd of kids walked into the room and shouted, “Hey, I just saw you on TV!” It’s fun to feel like a TV star, if only for an instant.
Literary Mama Dueling Interviews
I hadn’t expected these articles to publish together, or for my interview to publish so soon, but there are two articles involving me in the January/February 2024 issue of Literary Mama. The first is my conversation with author Stephanie Cowell (THE BOY IN THE RAIN), From Struggling Single Mom to Award-Winning Novelist. And Kerri Schlottman (TELL ME ONE THING) and I chatted about AKMARAL and much more in Fighting for Your Family.
Happy Birthday to The Writers Circle!
TWC’s 14th anniversary almost passed without notice on January 19. Thanks to long-ago student William Alexander for reminding me! Here’s a quick peek at how it all began. (No time to write a fresh blog post. But I promise to write one when TWC hits 15 next year.)
Creative Writing Prompt: The Face in the Mirror
Since we’re talking about mirrors, let’s go look into our own. For many, seeing our face in the mirror is an uncomfortable, even unpleasant confrontation. No matter how young or old, we don’t like what we see—particularly women, though I am surprised and somewhat comforted when I hear from men who also have doubts about their appearance, especially as they age.
Option 1: If you choose to focus on yourself, self-criticism is not the point of this exercise. Instead, consider this self-reflection—a gentler term that invites contemplation of the observed. Try using simple details: texture, color, shape, contours, and tenderness to paint a portrait of the face in the mirror as if you have never seen that particular face before.
Option 2: For a more fantastical approach, consider the face in the mirror—really look. Is that you? What if that mirror reflects your doppelgänger, your opposite, the you living in a world that's backward or elsewhere. This "through the looking glass" approach invites a different reality where each of you can observe, but cannot penetrate, the other’s world.
Option 3: Consider the myths around mirrors: that broken mirrors bring seven years of bad luck, or that mirrors have been known to steal one’s soul.
Be careful what you look for when looking in a mirror. That reflective surface might entice, repel, or present a portal to another world.
Thank you, everyone, for your support. And to my paid subscribers, you are ANGELS!
Forthcoming from Regal House Publishing - May 7, 2024
AKMARAL: a nomad woman warrior on the ancient Asian steppes must make peace with making war
“Meticulously researched, deeply imagined Akmaral brings the joy and hardship of a nomad woman warrior to vibrant, often aching life.”
—Cathy Marie Buchanan, New York Times bestselling author of Daughter of Black Lake and The Painted Girls
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Oh, please let us know when you will be on the History Channel!