Patricia’s Occasional Newsletter (distributed only by request)

from author Patricia Crossley, www.patriciacrossley.com Please stop by for a visit, read some of my extracts and reviews & pick up some free downloads.
email patricia@patriciacrossley.com,


Since I last sent you a message, there have been some exciting things up here in the “true North strong and free.” (That’s line from the Canadian National anthem in case you’re wondering.) Let me tell you what’s in this newsletter:

* the Queen came to visit
* cosy mystery in an anthology and German contracts
* Canadian Thanksgiving, why isn’t it in November?
* meet Janet Cooper, this month’s special author
* postcard story by Cass Andre
* winners of the October contest
* big news about a dual contest
* photos of the Okanagan


* The Queen came to visit.
As part of the Royal Jubilee celebrations, the Queen visited Victoria and attended morning service at Christ Church Cathedral on October 6. What a lot of preparation for a fifty minute experience! It seems to me that if all the intelligence and planning that goes into all the Queen’s visits were pooled together, we could solve world hunger.

That isn’t meant to sound negative. On the contrary, it was a delightful experience.

Since Rod and I are members of the congregation, we were asked to help with ushering and taking up the collection. One of the church wardens is also Sergeant At Arms at the legislature and an ex military man. Every seat was counted, colour coded and marked. Timing was down to the minute. Even the British security officers took time to comment how smoothly everything went. (Apparently some events are ‘a zoo’ )

She arrived in Victoria on Saturday and had a ‘day off’ at Government House on Saturday. The weather has been sunny and cool and the leaves are in their full autumn colours so we were hoping she enjoyed the lovely grounds which are normally open to the public. Sure enough there was a distance shot in a later newspaper of the Queen and the Duke strolling amongst the flower beds.

As you can imagine, the church was full to the gills. Everyone on the parish roll had the right to a seat and they all came out of the woodwork. The phones rang for weeks, with stories of vague connection with someone or something to do with the Cathedral.

The first two rows on the left of the nave were filled with children from the Cathedral School, who were more intrigued by the idea of a "Secret Service Man" sitting at the end of their row than by seeing the monarch.
We had to arrive before 10 am and received our final briefing: a plain clothes officer would be on every door and if we had trouble from anyone demanding entry without a ticket, bringing in large bags, umbrellas or cameras, this officer would take over. There were two magnificent Mounties in red serge and Stetsons at the main door and a half dozen in plain clothes in the building. They were distinguishable by the red maple leaf badge in their lapel, and of course the wire running from one ear.

As it happened, there was not a single bit of unpleasantness nor did anyone whip out a hidden camera. Even if people have a reserved seat, they always arrive early, I guess just to be sure to find a place. At 10 a.m. the doors opened and they streamed in. And sat for over an hour, hopefully admiring the Gothic architecture and the magnificent stained glass.

Victoria Cathedral is one of the few churches in North America with real bells and a ringers guild. The group rings changes on a regular basis. The bells started at 11.00 until the Queen arrived at 11.20.

When I was at school in London, I won a ticket to the parade route of the Coronation in 1953. Certain streets where the procession was to pass were blocked and ticketed for school children (and probably other groups) I can still remember it very vividly, so this visit of the Queen to Victoria was especially meaningful. The Introit (I was glad when they said to me to go into the house of the Lord) is the same one that was used at the Coronation. The Queen and Prince Philip entered to that lovely music, accompanied by the Bishop and the Dean. From our ‘ushering’ viewpoint we had a close and uninterrupted view. A friend and I had a little discussion about what the Queen would wear. I lost (having guessed lilac). She wore a plain, straight coat in a lovely soft russet (it came out more red on TV) and a soft hat rather like a wide top hat.

A local furniture store had loaned two leather chairs that were placed in front of the nave with two prie dieu. The Queen extracted her reading glasses from her shiny black purse, placed the purse on the floor and concentrated on the service. I did see her steal a few looks at the children on her left. The royal couple followed the service carefully, joined in all the prayers and responses. I saw the Queen’s fingers tapping the rhythm to the Te Deum.

Prince Philip read the lesson (Luke ) and then there was the national anthem : O Canada followed by God Save the Queen. After the anthem the crowd of about 1500 outside the Cathedral broke into a spontaneous cheer. Probably most had sung along.

It was all over just after midday and the Queen left with her escort to sign the guest book, shake hands with those who had put on the service and did a short ‘walkabout’ outside in the waiting crowd. There’s a lovely picture in the newspaper of her accepting flowers from a little girl.

From the church, she went for lunch at the Empress hotel, then took the Helijet back to Vancouver. The weather was nice enough to give her wonderful views of the Gulf Islands and the Coast Mountains, although it is said she dislikes helicopters.

This lady has never been to school, has never gone grocery shopping, has never stood in line for anything and has enjoyed a life of privilege beyond the dreams of most other mortals. Yet she is small and unassuming in appearance, takes her work seriously, reads government documents every day of her life, has met more heads of state than anyone else alive and goes to church on Sunday, no matter where she is.

****
* Cozy mystery:
a while ago I wrote a short ‘cozy’ mystery story. A ‘cozy’ of course has an amateur detective, and if you’re familiar with Agatha Christie’s “Miss Marple” you’ll know exactly what I mean. My story is called “September Song” and my detective lives on a houseboat in Victoria Harbour. It will appear in an anthology from “All About Murder” in the new year.

Other news for my books: I have signed contracts for three books with a German ebook publisher. “A Suitable Father,” my contemporary romance, has been translated and will be available in Germany in the new year. “Journeys End” and Beloved Stranger” will follow as soon as the translations are finished.

Here’s snippet from a reader about my romantic suspense “Dancing with the Devil”: ‘Your Dancing with the Devil is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Everything that I love was in it. The spooky house, the old mine, and of course the beginning in Africa ... plus your characters are wonderful. I even love Jazz's name.’ Evelyn Morgan http://lynlawrence.net/

****

* Canadian Thanksgiving
is observed on the second Monday of October when our American friends are celebrating Columbus Day. I always thought that the date was chosen because Harvest Festival is usually celebrated in the UK about that time of year, plus in our climate the farmers are finished harvesting, autumn is here and it is a time to give thanks.

I was wrong!

The first Thanksgiving Day in Canada after Confederation (1867) was observed on April 15, 1872, to celebrate the recovery of The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from a serious illness. Nothing to do with harvests or the arrival of the colder weather.

There are years between 1872 and 1879 with no record of a Thanksgiving Day and then it moved around from a Thursday in November or October. From 1908 to 1921, it was observed on a Monday in October, the exact date being appointed by proclamation. Then it became associated with Armistice Day and therefore fell around November 11. Since 1931 it has been fixed as the second Monday in October.

I kind of like having it then, followed by Halloween, Remembrance Day and a clear run to Christmas.

Thanks to Kerry Orchard http://www.kerryorchard.com/ for the basis of this information.
The Thoughtmaster's Conduit: 2002 EPPIE finalist best fantasy
ISBN 1-58608-561-1 New Concepts Publishing Paperback&e-book av NOW

****

* postcard short story: by Cass Andre http://booksbycass.com

Two years ago, my mother-and-law and I were having coffee and watching my children in the back yard. The empty lot beside our property, full of rocks, kid-made bicycle jumps, and the sand pit, kept the kids occupied much of the time. Unfortunately, the empty lot hid just beyond our view. From time to time we'd check on the kids, my fourteen year old nephew, and the two neighborhood boys who had come to play.
Just as I'd commented that it had been a good ten or fifteen minutes since we'd heard from them, my oldest daughter came slowly into the house.
"How would it be," she said, softly, "if some kids dug a hole?"
She's the queen of tip-toeing around and drawing out stories.
"It'd be fine," I said. "Holes are fine."
"And how would it be if they put a small child inside that hole?"
My mother in law and I exchanged confused glances.
"And how would it be," she continued, "if they buried that small child and the only thing sticking out of the ground was his head?"
Oh...my...God...
I sped out of the house and stopped just outside five children circled around the sand pit. My kids, wide-eyed and baffled, stared at the ground. One neighborhood boy gaped at the same location, not a muscle moving. And my nephew had nearly folded in half from laughter.
Uh, where was the other neighborhood boy?
Lowering my gaze...I found his head...and only his head...sticking out of the ground.
Panic flashed in his eyes, but he managed a weak smile. "I can't feel my legs."
I kept from swallowing my tongue and reached him before the baby followed through with sitting on his head. My nephew stopped laughing long enough to explain why it wasn't his fault. The kid had requested to be buried.
Of course, the boy was rescued. No fire trucks or special units were involved. Only a mother grumbling vague obscenities and the occasional threat under her breath. Thankfully, the boy trotted home with his brother, filthy, but unharmed. My nephew was banished to his home for a week or
until the red left my face (whichever came first). And my children avoided the sandpit like the plague.
That night I sat at the computer, determined to see black words fill the white space of "page one."
It didn't happen. No story. No opening line.
No brilliant premise. Writers' Block.
No surprise. This is the way most of my novels begin.
But then I heard it: a distant voice.
"How would it be," it said, softly, "if some kids dug a hole?"
So I typed the words.
"And how would it be if they put a small child inside that hole?" the voice asked.
Already, I knew where this was going. That night I wrote the first scene for Remembering You, a scene where four mischievous children bury their little brother in the ground behind a barn. Within months Dray and Isaac's story, unfolded. Dray, Isaac, and the five orphans who unknowingly brought them together. It's a book very close to my heart, featuring many more child-induced incidents that fell in my lap that year.
Remembering You is now just a breath away from its release at Wings ePress.
They've created a beautiful cover, featuring the children who inspired this book: my kids and, of course, my nephew:-)
I hope you check it out when it's released this November!
Until then, you can sample my work in the free release of Shrouded Hearts, available to everyone at www.booksbycass.com or go to www.patriciacrossley.com and click on ‘great free stuff’

****

Meet Janet Kuchler, writing as Janet Cooper:
‘With impeccable writing and a cast of characters that leap off the pages, Ms. Cooper creates a fresh plot that makes this story a real page-turner. MOONCUSSERS has a few steamy scenes, so be prepared to fan yourself! If you like a unique storyline and a part of American history that's little know, make sure you get a copy of MOONCUSSERS.’
Find out more at http://members.aol.com/janetcooperbooks/index.htm

****

October contest:
the winners are (usual drum roll, please)
Cd’s of classical music: Alex Montana
Short story printouts: Hope Monte and Kym Ellis
Congratulations: the prizes will be in the mail in a few days.

Two for one:
My usual November contest is already underway . These prizes will be drawn at the end of the month. BUT there’s a Christmas bonus. When you go to my contest page you only enter once for the November draw AND the e writers Christmas promotion. The latter gets underway on November 10, so if you come back after that date you’ll be able to follow the ring to other sites with other great prizes. How’s that for a great ‘twofer’ deal?

My December prize is a lovely piece of Haida art which is unframed and will be carefully rolled to ship to the lucky winner after Christmas. Check out the pictures on my contest page.
I also just received a shipment of hand crafted African earrings which I usually sell to raise money for scholarships for needy girls in Kenya. For November and December, I’ll be offering a pair of these for two runners up. And who knows, Santa may have a couple more goodies in his sack.

****
Last month I told you about our trip to the Okanagan wine country. I’ve put some shots up on my ‘photos’ page. And if you’ve never looked at the pictures on my African travelogue, they are all on the Africa page with the stories I sent home during our six months in Kenya.

Thank you for allowing me time in your busy lives once again. I’m interested in receiving your feedback on anything in this newsletter or on my website (www.patriciacrossley.com) . I’ve kept the format of the newsletter simple, so that it doesn’t cause a problem in your system. Please email me at patricia@patriciacrossley.com if you have any comments or suggestions. If you know anyone who would like to receive the newsletter, they only need to send me an email with ‘newsletter’ in the subject line. If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, let me know by email and I will remove your name from the list. Happy reading!