New York City
All posts tagged New York City
Twelve years ago today, tragedy was visited on the populations of New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.
It wasn’t an act of God, but rather of the Godless. Desperate to gain attention for a despicable cause, a group of radicals planned an audacious attack to maim and kill indiscriminately, and they carried it out in precise and deadly fashion. It was an deed so cowardly in its concept that the entire civilized world reeled in shock and dismay.
Through the horror of it all, people of different races, religions and backgrounds banded together in a concerted effort to simply survive. And survive we did, but we lost so many. So many good souls, who had moments before been doing what we all do in the course of the day.
Some of the grim statistics:
Total number killed in attacks in New York: 2,753
Number of firefighters and paramedics killed: 343
Number of NYPD officers: 23
Number of Port Authority police officers: 37
Number of WTC companies in the towers that lost people: 128
Number of employees who died in the two Towers: 2,016
Number of civilians killed in four planes: 227
Number of civilians killed on Flight 93: 33
Number of nations whose citizens were killed in attacks: 115
Number of families who got no remains: 1,717
Estimated units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center:36,000
Number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks:1,609
Estimated number of children who lost a parent: 3,051
Number of funerals attended by Rudy Giuliani in 2001: 200
Tons of debris removed from site: 1,506,124
Days after 9/11 that the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan: 26
Economic loss to New York in month following the attacks: $105 billion
Estimated cost of cleanup: $600 million
Estimated amount donated to 9/11 charities: $1.4 billion
Estimated amount of money raised for funds dedicated to NYPD and FDNY families: $500 million
Average benefit already received by each FDNY and NYPD widow:$1 million
Estimated number of New Yorkers suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder as a result of 9/11: 422,000
What this band of savages failed to take into account was the resolve and resiliency of the American people. A fighting spirit so deep, that 33 brave passengers on Flight 93 met their death while battling the terrorists aboard, causing the doomed airplane to crash in a Pennsylvania field.
It was a moment of terror and confusion, but in the end, we as a country turned it into something more. We united as one, turned our collective faces to the west, and sought out those who had desecrated our shores. Country-western superstar Toby Keith said it best:
Soon as we could see clearly
Through our big black eye
Man, we lit up your world
Like the Fourth of July.
Since we began our counter-attack a little over three weeks after 9/11, we have killed thousands of those responsible, and in 2011, their insidious leader (I’ll not honor his memory by mentioning his name) was gunned down in his pajamas by a team of our finest and bravest, the U.S. Navy Seals.
Is the battle over? No, sadly not. As long as evil strides the earth, strife will continue, and the beloved will fall in battle. But through it all, remember one thing:
We are a God-fearing nation, strong and proud, and we will fight to the last man, woman and child to keep it that way. Our ancestors worked, bled and died to make this a nation of freedom – freedom to live, to prosper, and to pursue our own dreams. And to anyone who dares interfere with that dream, BEWARE. The bright lights of the Fourth of July will be your fate, as well.
God bless all who lost their lives that fateful day, and may he visit his strength upon all who survived them and mourn.
And God bless the U.S.A.
Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!
Book Description:
Can we learn from our ancestral past? Do our relatives behaviors help mold our own? In Unexpected Gifts, that is precisely what happens to Sonia, a confused college student, forever choosing the wrong man. Searching for answers, she begins to read her family’s diaries and journals from America’s past: the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; Tupperware parties, McCarthyism, and Black Power; the Great Depression, dance marathons, and Eleanor Roosevelt; the immigrant experience and the Suffragists. Back and forth the book journeys weaving yesteryear with modern life until finally, she gains enough clarity to make the right choices.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
TR: Sarah! Good morning, and welcome. I’m thrilled to have you on 🙂
SM: Good morning, Thomas, and thanks so much. It’s great to be here.
TR: So, what do you say we get this train rolling, shall we? How old were you when you wrote your first piece?
SM: Other than writing little stories and papers in school growing up, with no mind for publication, I wrote my first real short story at age 45.
TR: A late bloomer, eh? Outstanding! What was it, and in what genre?
SM: It’s called Sewing Can Be Dangerous, and it’s part of my collection of short stories, (Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads) due out later this year. It’s about the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that took place in New York City, in 1911.
TR: Fascinating. How in the world did you come up with that for a subject?
SM: I have always loved history, particularly U. S. history, and I remember my father telling me what a big deal this fire was, and how it changed labor/fire codes forever. When I started reading about it, I was not only fascinated, I could immediately see my various characters and a plot come to life.
TR: When you say it like that, it makes perfect sense. So, what have you written since then?
SM: I added ten more long short stories to that collection, most of which involve a ‘thread’ of sewing or crafts (but DON’T think this is a cutesy little quilting book! (See http://www.srmallery.com/#!__sewing-can-be-dangerous). Next, I started to write some flash fiction, which very quickly got published in various literary magazines: descant 2008, Snowy Egret, Transcendent Visions, The Storyteller, and Down In the Dirt.
TR: Sounds great – and like the theme-based pattern you used for your collection. Very catchy 🙂 Tell us, what was the inspiration for your current book, “Unexpected Gifts?”
SM: Many years ago, when my daughter was just out of toddlerdom, I was visiting my parents and she was sleeping in the guest bed with me. I was reading a short story my mother had had published years before and as I lay there, looking down at my sleeping daughter, I suddenly thought, ‘Wow! There are three generations in this bed tonight!’ That thought excited me, and along with always enjoying going through my family’s photo albums of old pictures of relatives from past eras, I guess that idea stuck with me.
TR: If your daughter turns out to be an author, that would be even better, eh? So, tell us a little about it, and where it’s available.
SM: Basically, here’s the synopsis:
Can we learn from our ancestral past? Do our relatives’ behaviors help mold our own? In “Unexpected Gifts,” that is precisely what happens to Sonia, a confused college student, forever choosing the wrong man. Searching for answers, she begins to read her family’s diaries and journals from America’s past: the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; Tupperware parties, McCarthyism, and Black Power; the Great Depression, dance marathons, and Eleanor Roosevelt; the immigrant experience and the Suffragists. Back and forth the book journeys, weaving yesteryear with modern life until finally, she gains enough clarity to make the right choices.
You can find it on:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/12FlgQe
Barnes & Noble in paperback and Nook: http://bit.ly/1cIqw4n
The book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8boWh1y5MtM
TR: Thanks so much – Now, is there a particular place or setting where you get your writing ideas?
SM: I get my ideas in so many places! Listening to music in my car (particularly when the music fits my time period I’m working on); watching movies on my treadmill—seeing what happens to a character or happens in a plot and then having an A-ha! moment about how that could fit into my book; doing a mundane task, like doing laundry or dishes and suddenly thinking about a plot device (I’m in good company––apparently Agatha Christie got many of her ideas from washing the dishes!)
Sometimes it even happens when I’m at a traffic stop light and see a person/persons walking across the street or doing something on the sidewalk that strikes me….in other words, anywhere!
TR: That’s a very lucky skill you have. I’m jealous! So, I understand you’re published traditionally. What made you choose that path?
SM: I am from a long line of writers, and because of that, I assumed that was the only way to go to be ‘legitimate’. I am fast learning that that is no longer the case! A possible direction for me in the future, who knows?
TR: Ah…perhaps some decisions down the road. Okay, now if you had to choose the most important element in an author’s platform, what would it be?
SM: Hmmmm……I’ve been reading various articles/blurbs/blog articles about platforms, and my gut instinct is to just be True to Oneself. In other words, don’t try to write what is not in your heart. Sometimes I wish I was into more trendy subjects, because a lot of them are certainly selling well (and good for those authors!) but I have decided I’m going to stick to what I love writing and try to market that.
TR: Very good. So, what mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?
SM: To be honest, I’m still learning so much about this promotional business, I can’t really answer your question fully. I am beginning to truly understand that one can promote, promote, and promote, but if it’s not to the proper audience, it can be a waste of your time, time that might be better served in writing your next book.
Ask me this question a year from now, and perhaps I’ll have a more complete answer for you!
TR: You know, I might just take you up on that :). Do you have an idea for your next book?
SM: Besides Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads, (I am currently working on some edits for it), I have an idea for a Civil War mystery. Am doing research for it, have characters mapped out, and a very, very vague outline for it.
Of course that could all change in the blink of an eye…
TR: Of course it can…particularly if you wash a lot of dishes 🙂
Sarah, it was certainly a pleasure having you. The very best of luck with “Unexpected Gifts”, and your future writing.
SM: Thanks, Thomas, it was fun 🙂
That’s a wrap, folks. “Unexpected Gifts” sounds great…why not swing by and pick up a copy?
And thanks so much for stopping by…
Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!
Book Description:
Can we learn from our ancestral past? Do our relatives behaviors help mold our own? In Unexpected Gifts, that is precisely what happens to Sonia, a confused college student, forever choosing the wrong man. Searching for answers, she begins to read her family’s diaries and journals from America’s past: the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; Tupperware parties, McCarthyism, and Black Power; the Great Depression, dance marathons, and Eleanor Roosevelt; the immigrant experience and the Suffragists. Back and forth the book journeys weaving yesteryear with modern life until finally, she gains enough clarity to make the right choices.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
TR: Sarah! Good morning, and welcome. I’m thrilled to have you on 🙂
SM: Good morning, Thomas, and thanks so much. It’s great to be here.
TR: So, what do you say we get this train rolling, shall we? How old were you when you wrote your first piece?
SM: Other than writing little stories and papers in school growing up, with no mind for publication, I wrote my first real short story at age 45.
TR: A late bloomer, eh? Outstanding! What was it, and in what genre?
SM: It’s called Sewing Can Be Dangerous, and it’s part of my collection of short stories, (Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads) due out later this year. It’s about the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that took place in New York City, in 1911.
TR: Fascinating. How in the world did you come up with that for a subject?
SM: I have always loved history, particularly U. S. history, and I remember my father telling me what a big deal this fire was, and how it changed labor/fire codes forever. When I started reading about it, I was not only fascinated, I could immediately see my various characters and a plot come to life.
TR: When you say it like that, it makes perfect sense. So, what have you written since then?
SM: I added ten more long short stories to that collection, most of which involve a ‘thread’ of sewing or crafts (but DON’T think this is a cutesy little quilting book! (See http://www.srmallery.com/#!__sewing-can-be-dangerous). Next, I started to write some flash fiction, which very quickly got published in various literary magazines: descant 2008, Snowy Egret, Transcendent Visions, The Storyteller, and Down In the Dirt.
TR: Sounds great – and like the theme-based pattern you used for your collection. Very catchy 🙂 Tell us, what was the inspiration for your current book, “Unexpected Gifts?”
SM: Many years ago, when my daughter was just out of toddlerdom, I was visiting my parents and she was sleeping in the guest bed with me. I was reading a short story my mother had had published years before and as I lay there, looking down at my sleeping daughter, I suddenly thought, ‘Wow! There are three generations in this bed tonight!’ That thought excited me, and along with always enjoying going through my family’s photo albums of old pictures of relatives from past eras, I guess that idea stuck with me.
TR: If your daughter turns out to be an author, that would be even better, eh? So, tell us a little about it, and where it’s available.
SM: Basically, here’s the synopsis:
Can we learn from our ancestral past? Do our relatives’ behaviors help mold our own? In “Unexpected Gifts,” that is precisely what happens to Sonia, a confused college student, forever choosing the wrong man. Searching for answers, she begins to read her family’s diaries and journals from America’s past: the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; Tupperware parties, McCarthyism, and Black Power; the Great Depression, dance marathons, and Eleanor Roosevelt; the immigrant experience and the Suffragists. Back and forth the book journeys, weaving yesteryear with modern life until finally, she gains enough clarity to make the right choices.
You can find it on:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/12FlgQe
Barnes & Noble in paperback and Nook: http://bit.ly/1cIqw4n
The book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8boWh1y5MtM
TR: Thanks so much – Now, is there a particular place or setting where you get your writing ideas?
SM: I get my ideas in so many places! Listening to music in my car (particularly when the music fits my time period I’m working on); watching movies on my treadmill—seeing what happens to a character or happens in a plot and then having an A-ha! moment about how that could fit into my book; doing a mundane task, like doing laundry or dishes and suddenly thinking about a plot device (I’m in good company––apparently Agatha Christie got many of her ideas from washing the dishes!)
Sometimes it even happens when I’m at a traffic stop light and see a person/persons walking across the street or doing something on the sidewalk that strikes me….in other words, anywhere!
TR: That’s a very lucky skill you have. I’m jealous! So, I understand you’re published traditionally. What made you choose that path?
SM: I am from a long line of writers, and because of that, I assumed that was the only way to go to be ‘legitimate’. I am fast learning that that is no longer the case! A possible direction for me in the future, who knows?
TR: Ah…perhaps some decisions down the road. Okay, now if you had to choose the most important element in an author’s platform, what would it be?
SM: Hmmmm……I’ve been reading various articles/blurbs/blog articles about platforms, and my gut instinct is to just be True to Oneself. In other words, don’t try to write what is not in your heart. Sometimes I wish I was into more trendy subjects, because a lot of them are certainly selling well (and good for those authors!) but I have decided I’m going to stick to what I love writing and try to market that.
TR: Very good. So, what mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?
SM: To be honest, I’m still learning so much about this promotional business, I can’t really answer your question fully. I am beginning to truly understand that one can promote, promote, and promote, but if it’s not to the proper audience, it can be a waste of your time, time that might be better served in writing your next book.
Ask me this question a year from now, and perhaps I’ll have a more complete answer for you!
TR: You know, I might just take you up on that :). Do you have an idea for your next book?
SM: Besides Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads, (I am currently working on some edits for it), I have an idea for a Civil War mystery. Am doing research for it, have characters mapped out, and a very, very vague outline for it.
Of course that could all change in the blink of an eye…
TR: Of course it can…particularly if you wash a lot of dishes 🙂
Sarah, it was certainly a pleasure having you. The very best of luck with “Unexpected Gifts”, and your future writing.
SM: Thanks, Thomas, it was fun 🙂
That’s a wrap, folks. “Unexpected Gifts” sounds great…why not swing by and pick up a copy?
And thanks so much for stopping by…
Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!
Book Description:
Praise for the riveting thrillers of C. E. Lawrence
“Criminally compelling…Lawrence nails you to your seat.”—Gayle Lynds
“Dark and atmospheric…unnerving.”—Steven James
“Startlingly suspenseful…an extraordinary page-turner.”—Cody Mcfadyen
“An intense psychological ride.” —J. T. Ellison
TR:Carol! Gooooood morning! It’s wonderful seeing you…how are ya?
CE: I’m doing great, Thomas, and thanks so much for having me 🙂
TR: It’s my pleasure…so, what do you say we roll this bus? How old were you when you wrote your first piece?
CE: I wrote pretty much from the moment I could handle a pencil, but my first published piece I wrote when I was ten.
TR: You were published at ten? That’s a first for me. What was it, and in what genre?
CE: It was an account of my father’s “haunting” us in our clubhouse as the Ghost of Uncle Evil Eye. I guess you’d have to call it memoir. It appeared in our little school lit magazine. I wrote another version of it in my thirties; it won an award and was published as well. The title is Uncle Evil Eye.
TR: I see….very cute. How did you come about writing it?
CE: My dad used to “haunt” us kids in the terrifying character of Uncle Evil Eye (named after an uncle of his, Uncle Levi, who had a hinkey eye, apparently.) We loved it, of course, but one summer when my cousins were visiting, we rigged up a bucket of water to splash on my dad when he came out to our clubhouse, where we slept at night.
In spite of the unlikelihood of us actually making it fall on him, we succeeded in drenching him (and his white sheet) with water. It was one of the most hilarious nights of my childhood, one I was lucky to share with all my siblings and cousins.
TR: Hah! That’s one to remember, isn’t it? So, what have you written since then?
CE: Er, ten novels, 150 poems, six plays, four screenplays, one children’s book, five musicals and about 30 short stories. And a handful of essays and magazine articles on writing and other topics. Did I mention I’m 120 years old?
TR: Good Lord. I feel 120 just listening to that. Okay, what was the inspiration for your current book?
CE: I wanted to write about a serial killer who was a math genius, a kind of present-day Professor Moriarty. I needed a math puzzle that could be part of his “signature” – I was at a party and a mathematician friend mentioned the Fibonacci Sequence. I looked it up and it was perfect! As to how he uses it, you’ll have to read the book to find out.
TR: I’ll do just that….it sounds fantastic. Tell us a little about it, and where it’s available.
CE: It’s Silent Slaughter, and it’s in all the stores now, as is the sequel, Silent Stalker. It’s about a really brilliant, sadistic serial killer, probably the scariest character I’ve ever created. He’s even given me nightmares. My NYPD criminal profiler, Lee Campbell, has aid to catch him before he kills a girl he’s already kidnapped. Lee enlists the aid of his friend Detective Jimmy Chen and gets some help from an unlikely source, Jimmy’s autistic brother Barry, who is something of a math savant.
TR: You certainly like to mix it up, don’t you? Autistic…interesting. Now tell us, is there a particular place or setting where you get your writing ideas?
EC: I live in New York City, so I find roaming the streets late at night I get plenty of ideas. But they occur to me anywhere.
TR: I’m sure the Big Apple could give you writing ideas about every 10 minutes. Now, you’re traditionally published. What made you go that route?
EC: I have been lucky enough to always have a publisher, and I like that, because they have a promotional “”machine” already set up. Though these days you can do a lot of promotion on your own, and I do.
TR: You can, indeed…just requires a little imagination, doesn’t it? Okay, if you had to choose the most important element in an author’s platform, what would it be?
CE: Be inventive! Never stop thinking of angles to get your name out there – or, as they say these days, your “brand.”
TR: Great advice! Get off the beaten path, and find niches. Good deal. Now, to my favorite question – What mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?
CE: I think readings are often a waste of time and energy. I probably won’t do many of them in the future. The internet is a far better tool for marketing. I have hired an assistant who is much better than I am at marketing, but I plan to keep plugging ahead, using the internet and anything else that comes my way!
TR: Fair enough. Do you have an idea for your next book?
CE: Right now I’m writing Edinburgh Twilight (working title), a historical novel set in Edinburgh in 1881. The main character is a detective whose parents were killed in a fire some years back. He believes they were murdered, and became a detective because of his conviction that many murderers go unpunished. In this book he’s chasing a serial killer who strangles young men. He has a couple of odd sidekicks, too, including a librarian who is a hoarder, and a street urchin who’s a pickpocket.
TR: You like to get way out there, don’t you? Can’t wait to see the results of that. Carol, thanks so much for stopping by. It was a true pleasure 🙂
CE: Thanks for having me, Thomas…I had fun!
That’s a wrap folks. A little insight into a fascinating author, and a glimpse into her writing. Both “Silent Slaughter” and “Silent Stalker” sound great..and they’re out there waiting for li’l ol’ you.
And that’s also a wrap on my “Chatting with the Authors” interviews for a bit. My book “The Clearing” comes out tomorrow, and I’m taking some time off interviews to nurse it along. Until then, take care….
Click on the banner to see her award listing!
Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!
Book Description:
“The Kingdom of Soron is known for many things, its rolling landscape, haunting history, fiery sunsets, and its beautiful princess. Princess Madeline woke on her sixteenth birthday to realize that her future had been planned out, a life full of privilege, royalty, and boredom… a life with a husband and knight champion that she did not choose. Using her charm, strength and stubbornness, she defies the King at every turn, determined to keep her freedom on her terms.
Freedom quickly turns to disaster as she finds herself seized by a group of wandering bandits. With the kingdom in turmoil over her capture; her Knight Champion eager to prove himself, a group of dedicated suitors determined to win her hand, and a group of exiled wizards join forces in the hunt to rescue her. Follow Princess Madeline in this adventure full of twists and turns as she tries to find her freedom and answers to her questions about life and love.
I’ve seen a few times in my life when events sweep through our everyday humdrum and just take over. And while they’re rather rudely doing so, they also remind us that everything isn’t about profits and losses, interviews, followers found, and how many people bought our book.
I went through a tornado in my home town back in 1980, and Hurricane Hugo here in Charleston in 1989.
And neither of those disasters, as bad as they were, could hold a sputtering candle to Hurricane Sandy. I’m sure you’ve seen the same photos and videos I have, and for myself, I still can’t wrap my head around it. Just a few statistics from her multi-state devastation:
38 reported dead in the United States, so far. (Updated.)
8,000,000 people without power, from South Carolina to Maine.
28 inches of snow in Davis, WV.
15,000 flights cancelled on Monday and Tuesday, and counting.
13.88 feet of high water at the Battery in New York Harbor (storm surge + high tide).
200 people, approximately, evacuated from NYU-Tisch Hospital after power loss on Monday night, when water flooded the basement and broke the generator.
20 babies, about, carried down the stairs during the NYU-Tisch Hospital evacuation in battery-powered respirators.
6,100 people in emergency shelters in New York City alone, according to Mayor Bloomberg‘s morning press conference.
7 subway tunnels inundated with water.
4.7 million kids home from school on Monday.
New York declared Major Disaster
6 million without power across 13 states and DC
Record 13 foot tidal surges in Manhattan
Estimated US $20 Billion in damage
I don’t know about you, but at the moment, I feel pretty fortunate. And if you’re reading this, you are too. To show my gratitude, I’ve put 3 badges on this site – one to the American Red Cross, one to Americares, and one to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Each one of these badges goes to a link where you may give a donation to the disaster relief effort already underway for the hardest hit areas of our country. This is the relief each of these organizations will provide:
American Red Cross
Provide evacuation shelters for survivors across 31 states and the District of Columbia – serving nearly 450,000 evacuees
Millions hot meals and snacks
Direct assistance that allow millions of families to purchase groceries, clothing, diapers and other basic needs.
Americares
AmeriCares has launched a large scale emergency response to help people affected by the hurricane, starting with deliveries of water, family emergency kits, and other relief supplies to hard hit communities. Our Emergency Response team is in contact with 130 clinic and response partners, as well as FEMA and voluntary agencies to assess needs and prepare targeted shipments of medicines and relief supplies.
ASPCA
The ASPCA is setting up water rescue teams and a distribution center with PetSmart Charities in Syracuse, New York, where their sheltering supplies will be housed to assist local groups with supplies such as crates, food, food bowls, leashes and toys.
PetSmart Charities says they have dispatched six Emergency Relief Waggin’ vehicles, each stocked with $80,000 worth of crucial supplies, to a temporary distribution center in Syracuse, New York. The distribution center will be set up on Wednesday and will provide necessary supplies to animal welfare organizations across the entire northeastern U.S. through the temporary distribution center. PetSmart Charities expects to provide relief to 3,000-6,000 pets in need.
So. If you have 10 bucks laying around, please take a second and hit one of those badges and throw it towards some folks that very desperately need it. Help save a life today.
‘Nuf said.
Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!
Description:
Many of the poems in this heartfelt collection were born out of experience, and many were inspired through knowledge gained throughout my life’s journey. There are poems dedicated to certain individuals who have passed through my life and helped shape the person I am today. Throughout our life’s journey we encounter many obstacles and its how we deal with these obstacles that help shape our future as well as the influence others have on us along our way. Each category has been symbolized with an ancient symbol followed by a brief meaning. There is something for everyone in this collection, whether you’re young, old, rich, poor, single or a parent.