I admit, I have been struggling with how to wrap up Jessie and that has made me a little anxious. Cooking helps calm me, but it’s been too hot to turn the stove on for long, so when I found a super easy recipe for a pumpkin whip dip I was thrilled. In less than five minutes I mixed up this tasty treat. Now I can nibble on crackers and dip as I dive back in to writing. Would you like to make some yourself? Visit my Pinterest Board for this and several other tasty treats.
Researching my current work in progress, Jessie, has been more fun and educational than I could have ever imagined. I grew up in the shadow of the Space Shuttle program. Nearly everyone I knew had a family member working at Kennedy Space Center, and we were all personally touched by the Challenger disaster, and yet, there was so much I didn’t know about the early years of this amazing endeavor. I’ve read books and news articles, watched television specials and documentaries, but what really made the stories come to life for me was taking a tour of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where the first launches took place. (The tours have since been suspended due to sequester.)
For those of you who may not know, the original space missions took place on land owned by Air Force that was used as a long-range missile proving ground. These sites are not available on tours available through the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex.
Block House Launch Complex 1
My heart broke when we drove through the dilapidated blockhouses, cracked pavement spattered with weeds, and encroaching mangroves of launch sites one through three. However, the Launch Complex-26 blockhouse where misson controllers stood by breathlessly watching Explorer I, America’s first satellite rocket into orbit and nearby LC -5, the site of Alan Shepard’s triumphant race into space are better preserved. We even had the chance to walk through LC-26 and learned that our basic digital watch is more technologically advanced than all of the computers in that room combined. It’s pretty amazing how much the early pioneers of space exploration were able to accomplish.
The moment that nearly brought me to tears though, was when I walked out on LC-34, where the
Memorial Benches for Grissom, Chaffee and White
Apollo 1 fire killed Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffey. Gus Grissom plays a role in Jessie’s story and being in this place I felt a deep connection with Jessie, almost as if he was walking the site with me. Off to the side, there are memorial benches for each of these brave men, although I’m not sure how many other members of the tour even noticed them. I don’t know that I ever took the Space Shuttle program for granted, especially after the Challenger tragedy, but I can tell you that I have an even deeper respect and admiration for all those who have shed their blood, sweat, and tears to provide us with the advances in our daily lives that are by products of space exploration. Many of the crew at Kennedy Space Center had vehicle license plates that read “Doing what others only dream” I pray that the hunger to learn more, travel farther, and risk it all will take the baton passed by these leaders and push us to even greater things in the coming years.
I love crime. CSI, Criminal Minds, Magnum PI, NCIS, The First 48, I find them all fascinating. I also love reading crime novels from David Baldacci, to Brad Thor. When I saw a Groupon for the CSI Experience, I gobbled it right up. Now, I’m supposed to be dedicated to completing the first draft of my work in progress. I’ve worked on nothing else in my few spare moments and I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I needed a break, and my Groupon was getting ready to expire, so I called up a fellow crime junkie and we went to check out this CSI Experience.
There were more people at the venue than I expected, but the staff processed them effectively and before we knew it, we were zipping up our “official” CSI vests. We were given a clipboard and assigned to one of three crime scenes, then we were off. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who might do the experience themselves so I won’t go into detail. We gathered our evidence, “ran” all of the forensic tests on computer simulators, and came to our conclusion who the killer was. Along the way there are videos with cast members from the original CSI series and when you think your know who did it, you file your report. I can’t imagine how you wouldn’t be able to solve the case, but it was still fun to have Gil Grissom tell me how well I did. There is certainly room for improvement in this experience, but I’m glad we did it and I even feel more energized in my writing quest after taking the afternoon off. You can find out more about this experience at CSI Crime Exhibit
Maybe one day I will even write my own crime novel, but for now, I need to finish my work in progress. What fun things have you done to take a break from writing?
This weekend I went to my first writer’s conference, Indie Bookfest 2013, in Orlando. It was an interesting experience, way outside of my comfort zone, but I am very happy I went. Peggy Martinez did a fantastic job putting this event together. One of the sessions was a panel of authors discussing the difference between the Young Adult and New Adult genres. The authors on the panel were Amy Miles,Raine Thomas, Chelsea M. Cameron, and Kristie Cook. While these authors write primarily fantasy and paranormal books, what they had to say about the emergence of the New Adult genre was interesting.
Most of the authors started out writing Young Adult books geared to kids between 11 and 16, so they were cognizant that their current fans may pick up their New Adult novels as well. The general consensus was that indie writers were the first to fill in the gap of literature targeted to young adults between the ages of 18-30; the age when we face some of our biggest life decisions. The authors on the panel cited that the inclusion of sex is the biggest difference between Young Adult and New Adult books.. They all agreed that they felt more than a simple kiss was needed, but that a fade to black was more effective than graphic details.
The discussion made me think about how I see New Adult. I agree that the 18-30 age group has been neglected in the past. These are the years when we have to make decisions about what major we are going to pursue in college, what job we are going to take, who we are going to marry, if we are going to have kids, and yes, the decision to have sex is also a big one that we are faced with as well. As a Christian, this is is probably the biggest decision. We feel temptation and desire just like everyone else, but we also struggle with our beliefs and our desire to remain pure as Christ intended until we are married.
At the end of the panel discussion there was a short question and answer period. One audience member asked the authors how they thought the image of New Adult as purely sex books could be changed. The answer that stuck with me most was for authors who are writing clean books to speak out. A New Adult book can be Christian, fantasy, paranormal, science fiction, or romance without making it all about sex. Be assured the books you find on this website that are promoted as New Adult will not encourage sex outside of marriage and the marriage bedroom door will remain closed.
If you are interested in books that don’t have graphic violence, language or sex stop by Clean Indie Reads. Lia London has done a great job gathering authors from all over the world. I think every genre is represented.
