tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3715334678150654762024-03-05T20:17:04.400-08:00Flock 'N' Fiber MysteriesVeryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-54157399560719706972019-05-05T17:58:00.000-07:002019-05-05T17:58:32.280-07:00It's been quite awhile since I've talked to all of you, but I hope to do a much better job in the future. I posted an entry shortly after attending an Ikat dyeing workshop and promised you that I'd post the results from that workshop. Working with the dyed warp and weft was interesting and basically I was pleased with the results.<br />
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Here is the scarf on the loom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_4bo_-e76HlP2FGglzTg6eQxCZyEZcDSurM3YE8E7OXp3DHMxJNKbCk0PiAJT_s9uvvc7ttpk75Q9wKS47VRWmErRy0U8gfSXD3pNy25254PG8PkN5UGUDmJygaxSSbRUB8dbz3gOfOS/s1600/IMG_8502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_4bo_-e76HlP2FGglzTg6eQxCZyEZcDSurM3YE8E7OXp3DHMxJNKbCk0PiAJT_s9uvvc7ttpk75Q9wKS47VRWmErRy0U8gfSXD3pNy25254PG8PkN5UGUDmJygaxSSbRUB8dbz3gOfOS/s320/IMG_8502.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here is the finished scarf.<br />
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<br />Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-74083887523120573282017-02-18T18:07:00.000-08:002017-02-18T18:07:57.636-08:00<h2>
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Today my interview with David Binder was published on his web site. It was fun to answer his questions and I hope you maybe learn something new about me <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/dalanbinder/blog/verylanngraceinterviewwithdavidalanbinder" target="_blank">here</a>. It's an interesting site and you might also want to check out the interviews by such people as Craig Johnson of the Longmire series and Dana Stabenow who has many series including my favorite with Kate Shugac. </div>
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Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-66744549699766848472017-02-16T23:09:00.001-08:002017-02-16T23:09:46.293-08:00<h2>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">The new book’s title is Murder To Dye For and the setting is a four day, two weekend, dyeing workshop at Martha’s shop, The Spider’s Web. So I thought you might want to see the results of a dyeing workshop that I went to this past Sunday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Hawaii Handweavers Hui had a one day workshop on ikat dyeing. This is a form of dyeing where you wrap the warp and/or weft threads to prevent the dye from penetrating to the threads. We had measured our warp and weft before we came to the workshop so we could start wrapping right away. We used a tape that is used to tie up garden plants and can be purchased in garden supply stores. We wrapped the tape tightly around the bundles of warp and weft threads. I chose to do a random pattern for my wrapping. This is an experiment for me. After wrapping the tape tightly, we tied the ends of each bundle with twine to add extra help in keeping dye from seeping through. I hadn’t realized how tightly I was pulling this twine until later the evening when I realized that I had created and broken a blister on my middle finger of my right hand. If you have never heard of ikat dyeing, you might want to check out this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikat" target="_blank">Wikipedia article</a> for a brief description.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We chose to use a cold water, procion dye process to dye our yarn. We had a choice of green, blue or yellow for our colors. I chose green. The yarn had to be soaked first to get it completely wet. Then it was put in the dye bath. We dyed two to three bundles of yarn per bucket and followed a process similar to this one described on <a href="http://www.dharmatrading.com/techniques/tubdye/the-tub-washing-machine-vat-bucket-dye-method.html?lnav=techniques_tubdye.html" target="_blank">Dharma Trading Company’s</a> web site. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It took a good twenty four hours for my yarn which was 5/2 pearl cotton, to get dry. After that, I removed the tape from the yarn. You can see from the picture below that I did have a little bit of bleed under my tape. And it doesn’t really show well in the picture but the dye broke in a few places and I have small amounts of blue in the bleed through too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The yarn is now dry and put away for awhile. My loom is currently in use with another project and I have a couple in line before I get to this one. But I’ll keep you posted and show you the finished project when I’m done. </span></div>
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Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-68513178595581261682012-08-30T14:38:00.000-07:002017-02-14T18:03:27.569-08:00We Have A CoverThe cover has been finalized. Thanks to Charlene for her beautiful artwork and to the design team at Create Space who once again gave me a beautiful cover. <br />
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The ball is now back in my court. Linda has sent me the proof of the interior layout and I must go through it. Life is extremely busy with visiting family so it will be a bit, but we are on our way, and you will have a second book in time for holiday shopping if not sooner.Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-47974427449573704562012-07-27T18:49:00.000-07:002012-07-27T18:49:37.018-07:00We Have Cover ArtThings are happening that make it seem like <i>Murder Comes Unraveled</i> will actually become a book. I have the final manuscript ready to go to the woman who does the layout and design for me as soon as she returns from vacation, and I have now set up a file at Create Space for this book. This is the first step of their process. But most of all, we have cover art.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/7659513182/" title="alpaca by Veryl, on Flickr"><img alt="alpaca" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7659513182_42cfe18961.jpg" width="386" /></a><br />
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Once again, our cover art was drawn by the talented Charlene Lofgreen. It shows Martha's alpaca, Juan and Joseph, and the ever faithful Falcor in a stall at The Black Hills Fiber Gathering. I love Charlene's painting, and I know the designers at Create Space will turn it into a beautiful book cover.<br />
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I'm getting excited. I hope that you are.Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-86918943442903643632012-05-25T15:14:00.001-07:002012-05-25T15:14:31.804-07:00Spindle Spinning<br />
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In <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Spins-Tale-Flock-Mystery/dp/1453751300/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337981010&sr=8-2">Murder Spins a Tale</a> </i>and coming up in <i>Murder Comes Unraveled, </i>Martha discusses spindle spinning with both her students and customers. Many spinners start spinning with a spindle. Others start with a wheel and than add a spindle when they decide they want something more portable. Either way, I know that some people have problems believing that you can actually spin enough on a spindle to turn your yarn into something useful. The answer is yes you can.</div>
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A number of years ago, I decided that I wanted to create a memory shawl for me. The yarn was to be spun from a single of a wool blend and a single of dog hair. The dog hair came from every dog I've owned since I was an adult plus four dogs that belonged to my friend, Judy Gustafson. (You can see the adventures of Judy and her dogs on her blog <a href="http://farmtails.blogspot.com/">Ravenwood Farm Tails</a>.) The dog breeds included Great Pyrenees, Samoyed, Caucasian Ovcharka, Maremma, and a small amount of hair from my current short haired mixed breeds.</div>
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I decided to spin the yarn using a spindle because I consistently spin a finer yarn with a spindle than I do with my wheel, and I wanted a lace weight yarn. It took me a number of years to finish this project because I often got sidetracked with other things to do, but this last winter, it was finally done. </div>
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When deciding on a spindle to use for my project, I decided on two. Both of these are Pele's Hair spindles which were turned by my husband, Glenn. The larger heavier spindle was used for the wool blend. The smaller one was used for the dog hair.</div>
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When I'm spinning for a large product using a spindle, I have to have a way to store the singles and to splice the production from the spindle to get the length of yarn that I need. I do this by using a toilet paper tube. I wind the yarn from the spindle onto the toilet paper tube. Then when I need to add another spindle full of yarn, I splice the ends from the spindle and the toilet paper tube, and continue winding the yarn onto the toilet paper tube.</div>
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Here is a picture of a full toilet paper tube and of the yarn that I used to make my shawl.</div>
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The lace pattern that I decided on for my shawl was Candlelight. The shawl is four pattern repeats wide and about six feet long.</div>
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Here is the shawl blocked out on the floor in the loft of my studio house.</div>
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Here is a close up of the pattern with a darker background so it is more easily seen.</div>
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And here are two pictures of me wearing the shawl.</div>
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Spindle spinning is an old craft. Many peoples have been using only spindles for their yarn production for thousands of years. Even today a spindle is the primary tool for some people to make beautiful yarn. If you've ever thought that you might like to learn to spin, I highly recommend the spindle. Spindles are available all over the internet and You Tube has many introductory lessons on using it. Give is a whirl.</div>
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<br /></div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-30528475804931246042012-04-29T08:56:00.000-07:002012-04-29T09:00:02.097-07:00Murder Comes UnraveledI cannot believe that it has been over a year since I've actually posted on this blog. I could come up with a million excuses, but they'd be just that excuses. If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I keep busy, but that is still no reason to not talk to you here.<br />
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So the big question last year at this time was what to call book two in The Flock N Fiber Mystery series. I looked at all of your suggestions, mulled a few of my own through my head and chose one. The winner is Lara Toomey Smoot who suggested Murder Comes Unraveled. Lara will receive a signed copy of Murder Comes Unraveled as soon as it is ready and she will be listed in the acknowledgements as the creator of the title. Thank you, Lara.<br />
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And on the question of when it will be ready, we are shooting for mid to late summer. It is at the proofreader's now. Once she finishes with it, I have to go over it once more and then it needs to be formatted for the final book. So we are moving ahead.<br />
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Back with you soon. I promise that it will not be a full year between posts again.Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-81911111681566851002011-04-01T13:28:00.000-07:002011-08-10T18:27:48.833-07:00It Has a Name - It's Taking ShapeTitles of a book are an interesting conundrum. Even though titles cannot be covered under a copyright, every author wants to have a unique title for their book. But with theme mysteries, it always seems like authors are falling over each other in the search for just the right name. I had a name picked out for the second book only to realize that Monica Ferris had used the same title. Oops, I'm not ready for that comparison. So I checked out a couple of other ideas and found that other fiber mysteries were close though not exactly the same. It's a puzzlement. So for now the working title for book two in the Flock and Fiber Mystery series is <i>A Yarn Most Deadly</i>. <br />
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</div><div>This is a working title and it could change. If you have an idea that you think would make a wonderful title for the book, let me know in the comments below. If I decide to change my title and use yours, I can promise you mention in the acknowledgments and a signed copy of book two when it is available. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Book two is taking shape. Martha and her friends are busy at Black Hills Fiber Gathering introducing people to the wonderful world of fiber and Great Pyrenees. But all has not gone smoothly and Martha, Denali and Falcor once again, have a mystery to solve. Watch for a larger teaser in the not too far distant future. In the meantime, if you haven't entered the world of Flock and Fiber Mysteries, please check <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Spins-Tale-Flock-Mystery/dp/1453751300/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top">Murder Spins a Tale</a> </i>for the first book in the series.</div><div><br />
</div><div>And for just a bit of whimsy that has nothing to do with mysteries but is one of the reasons we enjoy living in Hawaii, I'll leave you with this picture of one of the house dragons guarding his territory in the avocado tree just off the lanai.</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/5577238547/" title="Untitled by Veryl, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="332" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5577238547_61de410175.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-42206923529502727182011-03-18T19:38:00.000-07:002011-03-18T20:27:53.256-07:00And Then There Are The DogsWe currently live with three dogs: <div><br /></div><div>Hoku is a mixed breed spayed female who is going on eight years of age. As far as we know she is a Rottweiler, German Shepherd mix with something else thrown in. She is a little over 22 inches high at her shoulders and comes in at a very lean 49 pounds. </div><div><br /></div><div>Keanani is a pure bred Maremma, one of the livestock guardian breeds. She is around 26 inches high at the shoulder and weighs about 90 pounds. She is also a spayed female and is almost four and a half.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kip who doesn't figure into the story below, but is an important part of the family, appears to maybe have some Australian Cattle Dog or Kelpi in her but we really have no idea. Shorter than the other two, she is about 46 pounds. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hoku and Nani on a run together.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/5538399137/" title="Untitled by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5219/5538399137_5987d89270.jpg" width="500" height="422" alt="" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>On most days all three girls get along just fine. Hoku and Nani spend their time together just hanging out, and playing kill my sister games as well as patrolling the territory for any and all enemies. Kip is the house dog and likes to spend her time on the couch. However, Hoku and Nani also have an edge in their relationships that is caused by both wanting to be the alpha bitch among the three of them. Usually they realize that I'm really the alpha bitch and they need to cool it.</div><div><br /></div><div>This morning started off like most mornings with Hoku and Nani walking down with me to the gate that leads to the area where the wild chickens live. I went through the gate, closed it firmly behind me and went to feed the chickens. I didn't even hear them grumbling with each other at the gate this morning. They usually do. I came back through the gate and we started up our long driveway to the house. </div><div><br /></div><div>Nani made a play move at Hoku and they ran together in what looked like one of their normal mock battles. But then something changed and I have no idea what. But in an instant, I had a fierce, real dog fight on my hands. If you have never seen a true dog fight, let me tell you that it creates an adrenalin rush very quickly. </div><div><br /></div><div>I screamed at them - a totally useless activity but almost reflexive - and grabbed Keanani's tail. I tried to pull them apart with just leverage on one dog. But it became obvious very quickly that it wasn't going to work. I left them to fight and ran for the house where I grabbed a leash. (Thank you, Angelic, for making very strong leashes that are easy on the hands.) </div><div><br /></div><div>Back at the dogs, I looped the leash around Nani's rear quarters and pulled it tight and then started pulling the dogs with me. I needed to get to something strong enough to hold the dogs that I could secure the leash to. However, there wasn't anything closer than the house. So I was pulling close to a combined hundred and thirty pounds of snarling dogs up hill for about 35 yards to the house. We were making slow progress but almost there when Glenn finally arrived from his walk with Kip. He then helped to by grabbing Hoku's tail and we were able to break it up.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, if he hadn't been available, I would have still been able to do it without getting injured myself. I would have secured the leash to a post at the house and then gotten Hoku's tail and pulled them apart. This method works. It always works and I thank my friend and mentor, Linda Weisser, for the knowledge of how to break up a real dog fight on ones own.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you live with more than one dog, please take the time to go to <a href="http://sonic.net/~cdlcruz/GPCC/library.htm">The Great Pyrenees Library</a> and read and print out for yourself Linda's article on stopping a dog fight. It is located in the first section on behavior. My only addition would be that if you have a dog with no tail, grab the back feet, lift them off the ground and pull. Linda was talking about Great Pyrenees who come equipped with lovely, long tails.</div><div><br /></div><div>Both girls will be alright. Hoku has a torn toenail, aches and pains, and some emotional damage. Keanani has a small injury to her left eye lid, her right ear is pretty badly chewed up, and she too has aches and pains. They are walking around each other carefully and both are pretty much totally exhausted still. They will be fine. They will also go back to their lives of an armed peace. For now, they will do OK together, but I will always have to be ready for another battle. It is sometimes part of the life of living with two very strong female dogs, and I choose to live with them so vigilance is the key on my part.</div><div><br /></div><div>It has been a rough two days here on our rural acreage, but tomorrow will be better and brighter. And I promise, I will blog about that too.</div><div><br /></div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-54486036554489391162011-03-18T15:13:00.000-07:002011-03-18T15:44:59.394-07:00The Joys and Sorrows of ChickensWe live in a very rural area on the Island of Hawaii. The land is heavily wooded and filled with plants of all kinds. It makes for beauty, but it can hide a dark side too. <div><br /></div><div>Almost all the people in our area have chickens. Some just run wild and make you smile when you see them; others are kept in pens for their eggs, and a few may be kept for meat. Chickens are delightfully funny creatures and many are quite frankly beautiful. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have a flock of eight hens and three roosters who run wild on midway to the back of our property and on the adjoining property. Here is a picture of the oldest rooster and a few of them hens.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/5538454800/" title="Untitled by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5056/5538454800_b29a517051.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I smile every morning when they come running and flying to great me as I head out to feed them. And they follow me back to the chicken pen area talking to me all the way. These are the joys of chickens.</div><div><br /></div><div>But rural areas bring sorrows too. Here is a picture of the ten chicks that I brought home yesterday.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/5538457242/" title="Untitled by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5013/5538457242_c139fcf042.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I settled them into my chicken pen which I had cleaned up and made ready for the new babies in every way that I could. I'd checked for spots that predators could get in and that babies might be able to get out of and they were all tight. Or so I thought.</div><div><br /></div><div>About lunch time, Glenn went down to check for me while I fixed lunch because we heard one of the wild roosters. He came back with bad news: A mongoose had gotten into the pen and killed one of the babies. Less than an hour since I'd left them and I'd lost one. I went back down and rechecked for problem areas. I came back an hour later and all was well. </div><div><br /></div><div>But while I was with Keanani at her obedience class the menace struck again. Again Glenn went to check on the chicks and again, he found carnage. He came back from the pen just as I got home from the obedience class. I couldn't leave the babies in the pen. It was like I'd put them in a killing field. I gathered up my survivors and brought them up to our house. I put them in a dog crate and the crate in a storage room. </div><div><br /></div><div>This morning, my five remaining chicks went back to Hilo Coffee Mill where they will be safe for now. My good friends there have banded my girls and they will keep them while we build a new chicken area closer to the house where my dogs can keep the mongoose at bay and protect the chickens. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mongoose are a monster predator in a small body. For those of you who have never seen one, think weasel. They are vicious and clever and death to birds and eggs. And we have lots of them. They are one of the not good decisions by the sugar cane industry in Hawaii's past. We can't eliminate them, so we will need to build more protection and try again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Death is part of living on a farm even if your farm means only chickens and plants. But it is never easy and the last twenty-four hours have not been.</div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-71026262251545553822010-11-11T13:34:00.001-08:002010-11-11T13:39:25.915-08:00And The Winner Is ......The winner of our contest is Arisha. If you want to get to know her better, you can find her lovely blog here: <a href="http://joyouslylivinglife.blogspot.com/">Joyously Living Life.</a><div><br /></div><div>A very big thank you to all who entered my contest. I loved reading your entries. I wish I could send a free book to all of you. I hope the rest of you will buy yourselves a copy and enjoy the story of Martha, Denali and Falcor. Remember I will send you a signed bookplate if you mail a self addressed envelope to me at the address on the copyright page of the book.</div><div><br /></div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-40362432611739984472010-10-26T15:43:00.000-07:002010-10-26T15:52:10.879-07:00Your Own Personal CopyYou can win your own personal, signed copy of Murder Spins a Tale. Just leave a comment to this post telling me why you want to read about the adventures of Martha, Denali and Falcor. I will put the ten comments that I like the best in a hat and the winning entry will be chosen at random from those ten. Be sure to include your email address in your comment. You can link proof it by using the format flocknfibermysteries at gmail dot com or you can send it to me at that email address. Just be sure I will know how to link your address from your email to your comment.<div><br /></div><div>So here's your chance to get the very first copy beyond the proof copy that I get from the publishers. What a deal! Tell your friends, relations and co-workers. No fair keeping this opportunity all to yourself. </div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-41138069207327567022010-10-26T14:41:00.000-07:002010-10-26T14:51:53.824-07:00We Have Lift OffMurder Spins a Tale is now up and running and ready for your reading enjoyment. Please go here <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Spins-Tale-Flock-Mystery/dp/1453751300/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288129395&sr=1-1">Murder Spins a Tale</a> to order your own personal copy. If you want a signed bookplate to place in your book, it is available by sending a stamped, self addressed envelope to me at the address on the copyright page of the book. <div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/5108338802/" title="front_cover by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5108338802_8fe45df61d.jpg" width="328" height="500" alt="front_cover" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/5108339212/" title="back_cover by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1329/5108339212_d69a674da5.jpg" width="328" height="500" alt="back_cover" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And after you've read and enjoyed the adventures of Martha, Denali and Falcor, I hope you will review in on Amazon.com.</div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-20544761588483892010-10-21T12:39:00.000-07:002010-10-21T13:14:16.500-07:00It's Almost Lift OffOne more test of my patience. I received my proof copy in the mail yesterday. Express mail takes from Friday to Wednesday if it's going from South Carolina to Kea`au, Hawaii. I approved the proof copy last night and now I must wait again. It will take a week to ten days to get the book available on Amazon. In the meantime, I thought you might like to see a picture that I took of the proof copy cover.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/5101387884/" title="IMGP7467 by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/5101387884_2a35eb74fe.jpg" width="329" height="500" alt="IMGP7467" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>You might also like to check out my web site for <a href="http://web.me.com/verylann">Flock and Fiber Mysteries</a> It still isn't connected to my domain name because of technical issues, but you can get to it with the link provided here. I will be changing out the art work on the page for the book as soon as I have my "official" picture of the book cover.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for keeping up with me and my progress through the self-publishing process. I'll keep you posted on the ongoing adventures of marketing on here; and of course, I'll let you know as soon as the book is available on Amazon.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-34296036372916432562010-10-02T18:12:00.000-07:002010-10-02T18:35:43.683-07:00More About Those Working DogsLast Saturday, I was at Ahualoa Alpacas on the slopes of Mauna Kea. They were celebrating Alpaca Days and holding an open house for the public. Officially, I was there to demonstrate spinning with alpaca fiber and to talk to people about the fiber, and I enjoyed doing that. But what I really loved was watching Leo, a young Maremma, doing a perfect job of guarding his flock of alpaca. <div><br /></div><div>It was a lovely sunny day and there was a large crowd wandering around and standing at the fence trying to get as close as possible to the wonderful, furry critters. When the alpaca were away from the fence, the dog could be seen resting in the shade under a tree. But when the alpaca moved up to the fence where the people were, their guardian was right there too making sure that all was under control. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/5045383271/" title="IMGP7406 by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5045383271_a2f555471f.jpg" width="500" height="390" alt="IMGP7406" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/5046000168/" title="Leo and his Alpacas by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5046000168_6b1d616817.jpg" width="500" height="292" alt="Leo and his Alpacas" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/5045998860/" title="Leo, the Maremma, with his Alpaca charges at Ahualoa Alpacas. by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5045998860_4048465e0b.jpg" width="500" height="242" alt="Leo, the Maremma, with his Alpaca charges at Ahualoa Alpacas." /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Only once twice did Leo go on high alert: Once when an ATV showed up with it's noise and the second time when a cattle dog arrived in a pickup with some of the attendees. Notice his body language in this photo. It says I'm all business and ready to take on any danger to my flock.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/5046005820/" title="IMGP7434 by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5046005820_6900d96866.jpg" width="491" height="500" alt="IMGP7434" /></a></div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-52244842735126738842010-10-02T17:58:00.000-07:002010-10-02T18:39:38.082-07:00And Now To CountdownPart of what I've learned in this world of self-publishing is that you do a lot of hurry up and wait. It helps build patience I suppose. But yesterday, we covered a major hurdle. I uploaded the PDF file that contains the interior of the book. And since I've heard nothing saying that there was a problem with the file, I'm assuming that Create Space now has everything it needs to make a copy of my book. <div><br /></div><div>So now I wait. Soon I should hear that they have a proof copy ready to send to me. I'll let them know how I want it shipped and then I get to wait some more. But at the end of that waiting, I will be holding a copy of my book in my hands. It will no longer be a manuscript or a computer file, it will be a book. If that copy of the book has no problems, I will give my OK and within a few days it will be available on Amazon. After that, it will become available in other areas. Don't worry, I will keep you alerted to all of these events.</div><div><br /></div><div>Counting down 10 - 9 - 8 .........</div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-61402578598254906702010-09-14T12:19:00.000-07:002010-09-14T13:09:47.976-07:00The DogsTwo of the major characters in Mystery Spins a Tale are Martha's Great Pyrenees, Falcor and Denali. Great Pyrenees have been used for hundreds of years to guard livestock from predators. They originate from the Pyrenees Mountains and were favorites of the French Court at one time. Today they are still used to guard their traditional flocks of sheep and goats, but they also guard llama, alpaca, fowl, and miniature horses among other critters. Besides being Martha's beloved companions, Falcor and Denali guard Martha's small spinning flock of fiber animals.<div><br /></div><div>Falcor and Denali are based on all of the Great Pyrenees that I have known over the past twenty plus years. However, the core of their characters comes from my first two Great Pyrenees, Denali and Miles.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/4990413511/" title="Denali - Miles by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/4990413511_b9b36c9fd3.jpg" width="359" height="500" alt="Denali - Miles" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">When Denali died of bone cancer at a much too young age, we got Pele. Pele's sister Maddie joined our family when Miles went over the Bridge. Here they are on a hike in the Cascades in Washington state.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/4990414167/" title="Pele & Maddie_0001 by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/4990414167_f334e75764.jpg" width="500" height="317" alt="Pele & Maddie_0001" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Maddie was bred twice and Karlo, from her first litter, joined us when he was about six months old. Here he is in a mock battle with his Aunt Pele.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/4991018470/" title="Karlo - Pele_0003 by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4149/4991018470_b0831e8600.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="Karlo - Pele_0003" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Many years ago, my friend Judy wrote this piece about Maddie when there was a discussion on the Great Pyrenees list as to whether you could get a good working dog from a breeder who also sold companion and show dogs. I still love it after all these years and decided to share it with you. Enjoy.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Maddie, one of Veryl's three pet dogs, has been staying with me for the </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">last two weeks, while her owner escapes our rain and mud in sunny Hawaii. Maddie has stayed here before, so I knew she was good with the sheep (my house is included within the sheep fencing). She has very quiet body movements, and basically ignores the fact that there are animals around her.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This morning I let her out to splash in the ponds and get covered in mud as is her routine (and not allowed at home</span><bg><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">). She did not come in when I called her for breakfast - definitely unusual. But I could hear her barking her presence to the world, so I wasn't concerned.</span></bg></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">When I went out to feed the sheep, Maddie was in the loafing shed - </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">vigilantly guarding one yearling doe (who didn't belong there), one ewe,and one newborn lamb. She wasn't disturbing the pair, wasn't trying to take over the lamb (a common problem with new guardians), she was just guarding. Then she would go out onto the bridge and bark a warning, and return. During the time I was feeding, she did one full round of the field, a solid bark down the creek, and ended up back in with the new family. Looking very, very happy.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My dogs are much more casual these days about lambs. Drew was lounging on the hill that overlooks the entire sheep area, Natasha out patrolling the fence line. I think that as the oldest dog, Maddie gets to call the shots on where her presence is needed.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Maddie is 8 years old, the mother of two litters - one of her "pups" is the 1996 and 1997 top winning Pyrenean in Finland, and a house and yard dog. A pup from her second litter is a full time Alpaca guardian in Alaska.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The first time I saw her was in a show ring, at my first show. She is, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">however, from solid working lines. Maddie herself has several working 1/2 sibs. One of her mother's sisters guarded llamas until she died at the age of 12. Others worked in other varying environments. Her mother's sire was not only a champion and producer of champions, but had any number of pups who guarded successfully on both small family farms and large open range situations.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I would gladly take this show dog, house pet, brood bitch as a working dog to protect my flock. Her instincts are obviously very much intact, she knows a job when she sees one, and does it. She can do, and has done, it all."</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If you enjoyed Judy's comments about Maddie, you might enjoy her blog which describes life on her small farm in western Washington, a farm much like Martha's: </span></span><a href="http://farmtails.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ravenwood Farm Tails</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></p></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-81223592795017284932010-08-26T17:04:00.000-07:002010-08-26T17:09:07.453-07:00Just a Taste - Murder Spins a Tale<p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 36px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I thought you might want just a taste of Murder Spins a Tale. Hope this whets your appetite for the complete story. Enjoy!</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Chapter 1</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It wasn’t as if I were unfamiliar with death coming without warning in a brutal fashion. It had happened before. But one was never ready for it; and it always, as is the nature of such things, came as a terrible surprise. But I’m getting ahead of myself. There was nothing that winter morning to warn me except the call of the great horned owl, who in some Native American cultures is the portent of death.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Enjoying the call of the owl, I snuggled a little deeper into my wool jacket and settled my Pyr hair hat down around my ears. My breath steamed in the still morning air. A layer of frost glistened from the fence posts and the gravel crunched underfoot as I walked to the barn to feed the animals. The stars were still bright; it was not often that February skies were so clear. A cold nose went under my coat and a white shoulder gave me a nudge as Falcor reminded me that there was a job to do that didn’t involve star gazing. A large white shadow emerged from the side of the shop and Denali joined us as we moved toward the barn. The Great Pyrenees were my livestock protection dogs and companions. Nothing made a coyote more uncomfortable than a guardian the size of a large gray wolf with equally sharp teeth.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> “Maaaa,” Koa, the Icelandic sheep, greeted me as I started to pull down the hay. Coco, the angora goat, gave me a gentle nudge. The rest of my eclectic spinning flock began to move in for their share of the food. I caught a glimpse of Sable, the Siamese cat, as she stalked a mouse real or imaginary in the straw of one of the stalls. The warmth of the barn, the gentle sounds of my animals eating and the pungent odors that came from the mixture of hay, straw, grain and one goat, five sheep and two alpacas surrounded me as I opened the large barn doors that gave them access to the outside world. Lost in early morning musings, I was gazing across the pasture when a white streak went past me and Falcor raced across the pasture with Denali in hot pursuit. They were barking alarms as they went. Then I heard the coyote yip and his call echoed by another. Both dogs were at the fence line now and telling the world in no uncertain terms that this pasture and this flock belonged to them. No predators were allowed. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It was time for me to leave the barn and start my day. My flock was safe and the Pyrs would make sure that they stayed that way. As I walked up the back steps to my porch, I turned for one more look at the dawn streaked sky before day claimed it. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My name is Martha Williamson. Nearly five years ago, the Air Force moved my husband John and me from the sun-drenched beaches of Honolulu, Hawai`i, to the mist-shrouded forests of Puget Sound. While John flew C17s, I worked as a personnel trainer with the state of Washington. John was going to retire after this tour; so when we were house hunting, we looked for a place that would be a comfortable, permanent home. We knew we'd found it when we were shown this small 25-acre farm nestled among the trees just outside Black Hills, Washington. At the time, it was a long way out and a major commute for both of us, but we fell in love with the tranquility and peace it provided at the end of a busy day.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">However, life has a way of turning the best plans upside down, and it did with ours. John was killed on Halloween four years ago while driving to work on Interstate Five. A trucker fell asleep at the wheel and smashed John and his Toyota into the center barrier. John had flown many hours in combat operations and arrived home safely only to be killed on our highways.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I was in shock, but the small community of Black Hills rallied around and helped me through this most difficult of times. Gradually I began to make the changes necessary under such circumstances. I left my job with the state of Washington and opened The Spider’s Web, where I sell supplies and teach classes in spinning, weaving, knitting and crochet. It has become a gathering place for people who enjoy fiber arts and allows me to make a living while combining my passions for fiber and teaching. It’s a peaceful life and one I have come to savor and enjoy. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Today I had a breakfast date with my best friend, Ellen. Following John’s death, we did this on a weekly basis to help keep me on an even keel. Now we manage it about once a month just for the fun of it. Realizing I would need to hustle a bit if I was going to be on time, I showered quickly, combed my waist-length auburn hair into a single braid and pulled on jeans, a flannel shirt, and handspun, handknit socks. I slipped my feet into Birkenstocks and grabbed my coat as I went out the back door and to the Ford pickup. Bright red and my workhorse vehicle, it had been my first major purchase after John died.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Black Hills Road makes a loop off of State Highway 8 to get to the town. My farm is at the west end of the loop not far off the highway. Black Hills is mainly a wide place in the road that once served timber families as home. With the downturn of the timber industry, it has become a bedroom for Olympia, the state capital, and a place where tourists can stop for a quick bite to eat, obtain gas or find lodging.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As I started to follow the curve of Black Hills Road, I noticed something odd. The door to the beauty parlor was wide open. Janelle was not an early riser and didn’t usually open until ten. The shop was in the corner of a small cluster of stores, none of which opened early. I pulled into the empty parking lot and got out of the truck. Looking around, I saw nothing out of the ordinary except the open door.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“Janelle,” I called out as I walked closer to the shop. “Janelle.”</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Getting no answer and hearing nothing except the sound of my own voice and the hum of traffic on the highway some distance away, I decided to poke my head inside. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 36.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“Jan…,” my call died on my lips as I saw the disaster in the shop.</span></span></p>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-44776605676620233712010-08-25T16:34:00.000-07:002010-08-25T16:49:45.929-07:00Starting to Count the DaysI'm beginning to think that this publishing business is really going to happen and I will be holding my book by the end of the month. <div><br /></div><div>Recently Create Space sent me a PDF file with two cover choices. Both were lovely, but in the end I had to choose one and I've made that choice. Unfortunately I still don't have a file of the cover in a format that I can share with you. But take my word for it; it's lovely. The designer did a wonderful job of featuring Charlene's cover art work.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kary sent me her art work for the interior of the book and I've sent it off to Linda. So Linda has all the information that she needs to do the book interior and is working on it as I type this. Did I say that I was excited?</div><div><br /></div><div>This is Kary's spindle that will be at the beginning of each chapter:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/4927463681/" title="Spindle by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4927463681_2a9fe36603.jpg" width="116" height="500" alt="Spindle" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And this is the spinning wheel that will be on the title page:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/4927463401/" title="Spinning Wheel_0001 by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4927463401_d6f15d28cf.jpg" width="500" height="492" alt="Spinning Wheel_0001" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>My web site is close to being published and I'm setting strategies to get the word out to the world that my book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It will be happening soon and I'll keep you all posted as the steps get covered. Thanks for coming along on this exciting ride.</div><div><br /></div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-29589061011521742332010-08-07T19:05:00.000-07:002010-08-07T19:46:30.850-07:00Juggling Multiple BallsHow are you at juggling? I've realized that this self-publishing business is a lot like juggling. There are many things that need to be done and you seem to need to do them all at once.<div><br /></div><div>I'm publishing through Create Space which is a part of the Amazon family. Once I thought I was ready, I needed to actually contact Create Space instead of just looking at the web site. They responded quickly and set me up with an account management team. These are the people who will help me produce the best product I can and answer all my many questions.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I have my account on Create Space and all of a sudden, I have a bunch of forms to fill out, questions to answer and files to upload. That has taken a good portion of my day today. One of the files I had to upload was my author photo. Here it is</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/4870049111/" title="IMGP7321 by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4870049111_d6baa2ac78.jpg" width="452" height="500" alt="IMGP7321" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Then there is the interior of the book. Rather than using Create Space for this, I have chosen to work once again with a close friend who does this professionally. I felt this gave me more control over the interior of my book. Plus it is always more fun to work with a friend than a stranger no matter how nice the stranger is. So today, I sent off the final copy of the manuscript to Linda.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also chose to provide my own cover art. This was done by my friend Charlene and I love it.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18543281@N00/4870679682/" title="denali dog sketch008 darker by Veryl, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4870679682_1876494a4d.jpg" width="384" height="500" alt="denali dog sketch008 darker" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>My friend, Kary, is doing the interior artwork. I can tell you that having talented friends is great. Thanks to all of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I have a lot of balls in the air right now and there are still more to toss up: I need to put together my web site, and to do that, I need to figure out how to point my domain name to iweb. They give directions which at the moment look like Greek, but I'll figure it out. Then there are pictures to scan in for the web site and text to write. I also need to put together my publicity package. And while doing this, I need to keep all the other balls in the air.</div><div><br /></div><div>By the time all of you see Murder Spins a Tale, I should be pretty good at juggling.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-44056844454749264822010-07-09T18:53:00.000-07:002010-07-09T19:27:09.951-07:00What About Those Errors I MissedSo I've written a manuscript for a mystery, and it's a pretty good story, if I do say so myself. However, some readers of published books take perverse pleasure in finding errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. And they also love to let the author know they found them. Plus any writer who wants to have their story read by an agent or editor knows that it is important to have a clean document.<div><br /></div><div>So you make full use of your word processors spell check and grammar check features. And you read and reread as you look for errors and tweak your story. Now it's ready. Or is it? I had done all of the above plus critique partners and friends had read it, but there was that niggling feeling that I should do more.</div><div><br /></div><div>My solution, I used a professional proofreader. Now I was lucky and I have a friend who did this for a living for many years and she agreed to go over my manuscript for me. But even if I hadn't had that good fortune, I would have hired someone. Proofreaders are out there for hire and they are worth the cost. </div><div><br /></div><div>I sent my manuscript off to my friend, and very shortly, I got a file back with all kinds of little red squiggles on it. I expected errors, but had no idea how many were really there. Most of them were things I knew were wrong the minute I saw them; I had just missed them. Some of the errors were changes in punctuation usage over the years since I took grammar in college more years ago that you want to know, and a very few were things I didn't know. My friend had given me lots of work to do on the manuscript.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I pulled up my document and I started reading through it again. I made sure I corrected the errors she had indicated, but I also took this opportunity for one more read through of the story. I tweaked a sentence here and a paragraph there. It took a lot longer than I expected, but it was also rewarding as I knew that my book would be the better for it.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's now ready or at least as ready as I can make it with the help of a professional. And I'm now ready for the next step. I'll be contacting Create Space soon to work out the details of my contract with them. I'm expecting the book to be available by early fall.</div><div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-73419629164776951552010-06-26T17:26:00.000-07:002010-06-26T18:53:24.703-07:00Nuno Felting<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Ok, I told you that one of the reasons for setting up this new blog was to share my passion for fiber with you. My latest joy in the fiber world is Nuno Felting. Nuno Felting is combining fiber with fabric - usually silk - by a felting process that uses soap, water, and agitation. There are a couple of ways that you can cause the agitation: Rolling the fiber/fabric sandwich in bubble warp and then rolling like mad or patting it and rubbing it with your hands. Since, I'm a touchy-feely kind of person when it comes to fiber, I like the patting, rubbing technique. The pictures below are of a few of my recent Nuno Felting projects<div><br /><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxMT0YdznNm2Zw2zYQZeaQRgsuqrHfzd9hr2wNgd6NAkHk547GOZy-e-in5juLhKi0dnKbCIosmrVxtZ93za2i78QX8MTPf1S1_Y6t0VsXRxtRmskjiPhCBjCXFyNtjUpbQ_rn3WQ5gYp/s320/Gold+Scarf.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487260591940376882" /></div></div><div>This scarf has merino wool, an alpaca/silk blend, and some silk sari waste felted to a piece of silk gauze. The dark brown is the alpaca/silk blend. The darker gold is the merino and the sari waste, and the lighter gold is the silk. For this scarf, I put the fiber on both sides of the scarf.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeP8W9JgP5tFyegUMaQ8vaH8FPMJNSavaAsEFkMXJpZumzmdGt0WnuXgX5IOWrXwg37vi-dtCrPJx8InxwcoVDF7BAqCUDWga0J6X6dXV2MeYm_dQGAO-4TWDnIHkshKOtU0eL9Kt1BGy/s320/Green+Nuno+Felted+Item.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487261544601263778" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div>This piece uses a sandwich technique. There is a layer of silk. On top of that I placed some pieces of lace, some handspun yarn, and some metallic threads. On top of those, I placed a solid layer of merino wool all across the piece. Then a second layer of silk was placed on top. All of it was felted together to make a piece of fabric that could be used for clothing, household items or any other sewing project that you chose. The lighter color in the picture is the lace; the wiggly pieces are yarn, and the small shiny spots are the metallic threads.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZUtXS5nOYRc2DQalHMgdBiN5mN6thtiEMfo124ZVgXcFc4fo0oicS8naM9uuyJIdERAdrDJKhSjJGgzGaSmdMvbohLaHZ4qciwp06CV2SdQPNQvFIzJaE5khnbGLOGV6_M2HdAr84rQ1/s320/Green+Scarf.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487262742661254002" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>This scarf has merino wool placed on just one side of the scarf. It is hard to see in the picture, but the merino is placed in a cross hatch pattern across the silk.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzP5w2IoZSQodZkRRGffCl95UXUMwowbj1UQjKZd1m9lPhAZuZa4dZRnP3H4NQO5m4v0b882UcooCiNxDyfShfK05l4OYqkBFjobBqGEs5DV-QrVHe6MyaJC8cQt36ZQqEaRfKLCuyuX0o/s320/red+scarf.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487264037956765490" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>This scarf again has the merino patches on just one side of the scarf. The lovely variation in the colors was obtained by mixing dye colors and because the wool and silk react to the dye differently.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371533467815065476.post-4097032840446172422010-06-26T16:49:00.000-07:002010-06-26T17:18:30.974-07:00A New AdventureStarting a new blog is like facing the blank page of a new novel. There is a whole world out there to consider and discuss.<div><br /></div><div>So why a new blog when I have a perfectly good one at http://fiberinparadise.blogspot.com? Well, partially because I'm starting on a new adventure of self-publishing my mystery, "Murder Spins a Tale" and I wanted to take you on that adventure with me. And, also, because I wanted a blog that centered on my mysteries and my fiber passion.</div><div><br /></div><div>The advent of print on demand has changed the landscape of the printing and self-publishing industry. Now instead of a writer needing to print five hundred or a thousand books which they then have to store while they market them, they can have their books printed at the time their customers want them. There are numerous print on demand publishers out there. Two of the largest are Lulu and Create Space. After considering my options, I decided to go with Create Space because they are part of the Amazon family of companies and the books they publish are automatically available over Amazon. </div><div><br /></div><div>I decided to self-publish for two reasons: First, I realized that if I sold my book to a mainstream publisher, I would need to abide by the timeframes of their contracts. This would not be an issue if I wanted a career writing mysteries. But I really don't. I'm retired and I like to set my own schedules and priorities. Self-publishing lets me do that. Second, the mainstream publishing market is very difficult to break into. I have enough faith in my book that I believe it would have been purchased eventually. My rejections have all been very positive - just not positive enough for a purchase. But I got tired of waiting and telling friends and family that it would be available some day. So we start the grand adventure of self-publishing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, I have a good friend, Linda M Au who can help me along the way. She has just published her book, "Head in the Sand" with Create Space. It is a very funny book. Look for it on Amazon.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you'll enjoy following me on my adventure. And remember, by being here, you'll be first to know when "Murder Spins a Tale" is available on Amazon for your purchase. </div>Veryl Ann Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628226505676305769noreply@blogger.com0