Meeting A Real Life Character ~ @oddlynn3 #rndrobn0824

Welcome to another Round Robin with a fantastic set of authors I met while being a part of the Night Writers blog. Just follow the trail for some interesting tidbits on the subject of meeting real-life characters, how they are or aren’t different from preconceived notions, and how they might be bigger than life. Would you put them in your books?

Living in Vienna, I am surrounded by real life characters. Everywhere I walk or look, there is a character staring back at me. From the statue of Strauss to the Russian memorial, there is or has been someone very important walking the steps I’m taking on a daily basis.

I’ll be honest, I had some preconceived notions of the historical people and places that are in Europe. I have to say some of those notions are true and some are far from it. Take the last Empress of Austria, Elisabeth commonly called Sisi. She’s known as the reluctant Empress because she loathed the decorum and the pomp of being a royal. I found this completely fascinating as most royals who lived during her time loved the lavish lifestyle and found it suited them.

Not so with Elisabeth. She detested the situation as she felt she was sold into slavery by her arranged marriage. Another fascinating part of this woman was the fact she was assassinated in 1898 by a man who was looking for the fame of doing something important.

This woman shattered all my notions about royalty in an era of indulgence. While she did keep a low profile, she also seemed acutely aware of those beneath her in station and abhorred the class situation as a whole. Many of her views were not unlike most royals today who feel that their lives are in service to and for their subjects.

While in the states, I have met my share of famous people who were real life characters in themselves. Some were so eccentric that it made me wonder just what was wrong with Hollywood or other venues that support this type of weirdness. Sorry, folks, while I do believe to each their own, I also believe some things are downright strange and never should see the light of day. Lifestyles are extravagant and some are just downright eccentric. I’ve been disappointed many times by thinking they were one way only to find them not even like what I’d thought. Some changed my views on fame so totally, it made me wonder if pursuing the bestseller list was even a good thing.

Yet, with all these people I’ve seen, met or just researched, I know I would use them in my own books or base someone else on them. Currently, I have started two separate series. My series, A Taste of Vienna, is all about being here in this interesting and some days fabulous city. The first book in this series, A Viennese Christmas, is available now at Smashwords, Amazon, Nook, All Romance eBooks and more.

Another series I’ve started is Hollywood hunks based upon what happens when a small town boy hits the A list in Hollywood. You can look for this one is the near future at one of my traditional publishers. I’ll keep you posted.

Now let’s keep this round robin going. Please go to Connie Vines blog and see what she has to say about the subject of meeting a real life character.

Thanks and see you all next time!

Lynn                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Vienna and Things I Do To Relax ~ #rndrobn0713

Good morning everyone!

Yes, it is already morning for me here in Vienna, Austria. The sun is streaming through my window and it looks as if it is going to be a mighty fine day though a bit warm.

First, let me apologize for my dust. I’m in the middle of a renovation on this blog so the header’s kinda ugly and the colors are an experiment to see what I really want while making it a pleasant experience for you. But one thing that will definitely happen is that the background image will change monthly to a new picture of Vienna I’ve taken over the past couple years. The plan is to keep the colors the same. We’ll just have to experiment with how that works.

I also plan to post on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays here from todayon. I realize I’ve been lax and do have so much to share on what’s going on in Austria. I tweet most days at least one thought about being here. Hopefully, your Viennese fix will be fulfilled with all these new additions.

Today, I’m doing a round robin with a group of talented writers that I met when I was with Night Writers. We’ve decided to do this since the blog is no more because we love that we can still connect and help one another out. So...please click through all of us and enjoy the posts...I’ll be giving you the link for A.J. Maquire at the end of this post.

I’d like to talk about how I relax and rejuvenate here in Vienna. There are many ways one can do that. In the spring, summer and fall, there are a variety of festivals one can go to throughout the city. Here’s a picture of a concert we went to at Schonbrunn Palace in June. It was put on by the Vienna Orchestra and it was wonderful. Just lots of people.

In the spring, right before Easter, I love going to the many Easter egg pavilions and seeing the wares there. The eggs are so elaborate and beautiful and expensive. But I have a few I sent home and a few here with me so I can remember this wonderful time.

Also, in the spring there are more flowers in this city than I’d ever seen anywhere. They are in every park and people have them in flower boxes out the windows. It even grows down the walls from some apartments. It’s an amazing sight to see.

Some weekends, we’ll go outside of the city to see the various different areas close to home. One of my favorites is a place I’ve talked about before...Carnuntum...it’s a Roman ruin that I just can’t get enough of and I visit as often as I can. It’s fantastic.

Another way that I relax is I do a spa day. There are tons of local spas and one has their pick of many. Normally, I’ll go have a facial, a manicure/pedicure and a massage. Nothing beats a good girl day even if I have to do it alone.

Fall is another time I really enjoy here. The trees out my office window are wonderful and I so enjoy walking in Prater park. The weather is cooler and the whole vibe of the city has changed from summer to the slowing down the season brings.

Now, one of the best times I have is in the winter. We have the various Christkindlemarkts that are absolutely fantastic. I love the snow and the season. I love taking walks even when it is cold though I might complain about the temperature occasionally. The first snow is beautiful and I love watching Pup Harry as he has great fun.

As indicated, we mainly walk everywhere or take trains to nearly all destinations. It seems no matter where we go, walking has become the great relaxer and that’s good since we don’t have a car. This was a personal choice as we could have brought one but decided to see the wonders of Vienna without one. This choice has been a blessing in surprise as both of the husband and myself have gained many health benefits from all the walking.

By this moment, I’m sure you’re wondering what all this has to do with writing. Well...suffice it to say...everything. It has great impact with my A Taste of Vienna series as it all takes place in or near the city. How I relax here, how I travel here or how I live life can be great inspirations on what to put into the novels. The first one, A Viennese Christmas, is talked about in the post immediately before this one.

The most important thing I’ve discovered is that I love writing about Vienna in either a fiction or a nonfiction way. There is always something going on here as well as new additions every day.

Don’t forget to go to the next great author in this round robin. A.J. Maguire can be found here and her post will be just as wonderful as learning about Vienna.  http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/

Thanks and we’ll see you all on Tuesday...have a great weekend!

Lynn

The Next Big Thing

Recently, I participated in something called The Next Big Thing on one of my other blogs, Lynn Crain's XtraOrdinary Romance. It is a blog hop where bloggers talk about a work-in-progress or WIP as it's commonly known. This time, I talked about my Christmas book called A Viennese Christmas and the first in the series A Taste of Vienna. 

Here's the post that I did there, along with a cover reveal...I hope you all enjoy this different perspective of Vienna...through my writer's eye.

Thanks! And talk to you all soon!

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family and friends, happiness and joy. I was invited this week to take part in a blog hop called The Next Big Thing by Jill Hughey. Her post is at http://jillhughey.blogspot.com and she talks all about her current work in progress.

When she first asked for volunteers, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it...then...I thought to myself, who doesn’t want to be the next big thing. It’s every author’s dream to hit it big no matter what the venue. The whole point of this hop is to share authors with new readers. At the end of this blog, there is a list of authors who are new to many of you...but more on that later.

Here are the answers to the interview questions for The Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book?

My current work in progress is titled A Viennese Christmas and it’s the first in my A Taste of Vienna series.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was trying to find a way to learn more about the city I now find myself living in, Vienna, Austria. All my friends told me I should be having a blast and I wasn’t. So, I decided to start this series and I can say I certainly have a different eye for the city now.

What genre does your book fall under?

It’s going to be a sensual romance, which is a departure from my normal erotic romance. The characters told me they wanted things to be more private. I always listen to my characters.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Now this is hard. The heroine would need to have an aire of sweetness around her while the hero would need a great smile. I think I’d pick Ginnifer Goodwin for the heroine and Eion Bailey both of who are from the show, Once Upon A Time, my new favorite.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Amanda Kranz, alone in Vienna, Austria at Christmas, meets sexy, historian Henry Wakeman, who convinces her true love is real and within her grasp.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

This one will be self-published by my Shooting Star Books imprint.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

A couple of weeks. It’s short...less than 20K...and I can do those fast.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

That would be a hard one as I don’t compare myself to other writers much. I think each of us have a unique style.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I’d have to say Vienna itself as I’m finding out thing I never knew and at one point, I probably wouldn’t have tried to find out.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

This book is as accurate as I can make it and it’s told totally from an American point of view by someone who is living there. It’s a nice little romance that fulfills the hope each of us have for Christmas.

Now I have a special treat for each of you...this is a squeee moment for me...here’s the cover!

Isn’t that just the coolest thing you’ve ever seen? My cover artist, Su Kopil from Earthly Charms, is the most amazing person. She got this one done much sooner than I ever thought. The building in the background is called the Rathouse and it’s the house of Vienna’s local government and it looks that amazing all lit up for the holiday season.

Now, it’s time to pass the torch to the authors next in line for The Next Big Thing. Please drop by and see each of them the week of November 26th as they give you their information for their works-in-progress. Here’s there links to their blogs. Drop by next week and see them when you can...I’ll be tweeting and posting them on Facebook when they come out...thanks everyone! Help us all become The Next Big Thing!

Tyffany Clark

www.moviestareyes.blogspot.com

Adriana Kraft

http://adrianakraft.com/excerpts/the-next-bit-thing (Posting November 30th)

Helena Fairfax

https://helenafairfax.com/

Margay Leah Justice

http://margayleahjustice.blogspot.com/

Frances Pauli

http://francespauli.blogspot.com

Thanks everyone for stopping by! Next month I will have Christmas guest, a reveal on a couple more new covers as well as a couple of Christmas surprises. Please drop by and see me...I think you’ll enjoy it!

Lynn

The Octopus, Sputnik and Me

            I’m sure that all of you have heard by now that I was very ill during the months of April and May. So ill that I ended up with a hospital stay of two weeks. Now those two weeks were some of the most traumatic I’ve spent anywhere in the world. It was made especially so here as I couldn’t speak the language and the whole experience made me very, very nervous.

            Austrian medicine isn’t like US medicine. In the US, we’re taught to get in, get a diagnosis, learn to take care of ourselves and get out as quick as we can. There are medical costs that we as US citizens can’t avoid. Austria is different and like the DH says, they seem to have the luxury of time. They want to keep you there as long as they can, cure you or make you the best they can, then release you with lots and lots of instructions. It seemed like it was more than normal.

            I was admitted on a Friday evening and that was very unfortunate. All they did was observe me and I got sicker. During the whole time, they only gave me one med that made me feel marginally better. When one of the young doctors was going to give it to me again, an older colleague waved her off and there I sat, miserable and wondering just what the heck I was doing there.

            The following Monday, they started dialysis and that whole experience was very, very different as their idea of anesthetic doesn’t seem to be the same as in the US. I told the DH that the cut-down procedure hurt a lot and I’d never have it done again. Between that and the kidney biopsy they did, I knew I had experienced pain greater than when I had children...I kid you not! LOL! Here’s a picture that Monday. We fondly called my apparatus ‘The Octopus’ as that’s what it looked like to me.

            A couple of days later, they decided to do a kidney biopsy and that again was done without any real anesthetic. Basically, over here, they want you to buck up and take the pain. Really? Are these people kidding? They ended up poking me three times and the last time, I wasn’t nice about it. Then they ended up NOT getting all the cells they wanted. Told them too bad, they were done. If they wanted to do it again, they had to make it painless. I had some very grumpy doctors that day.

            By this time, I’m starting to feel better because they have started to give me meds to get rid of my ailment. Oh – yeah – my ailment...I ended up poisoning myself with ibuprofen because I was trying to get rid of a fever I’d had in late March, early April. I took only ten pills a day for about 3 days, then less for the next few. What I ended up doing is giving my kidneys an issue where they shut down and decided not to work. This is very bad...so take a word of caution...over the counter meds can be harmful to your health. Please make sure you know what you’re doing. And I did. Sigh.

            So here I am, in a teaching hospital, where at least five doctors come in to talk to me every day and check on my condition. And nothing is happening. They have a wait and see attitude. During that wait and period, I did make a wonderful friend. My roommate, and I had two, really clicked and enjoyed being with each other. She taught me some German, helped me with procedures and the like. She was a kidney transplant patient who’s new kidney had failed after fifteen years. She was hoping to get a new one and was in for all the pre-op as well as seeing if she’d accept the new donor kidney. But alas, it wasn’t to be and she went home the day before I did.

            I had dialysis twice and the second time just proved to me just how different the medical systems are. I didn’t realize I was the only patient in the dialysis unit and was listening to my music. I was bopping around in my bed, moving my feet, kinda dancing...then I looked up...and realized everyone was watching me. Apparently, there aren’t happy people in dialysis. People here in Austria are way too stoic for my taste.

            A couple of days before I left, they realized that I was allergic to the tape holding my octopus in place. I was red and they didn’t want to take it out even though they knew I’d not need another dialysis session. They wanted to leave it in just in case. When the nurses understood what was happening they were a little frantic as the area was very, very bad. They had to leave it in the open air for about an hour and then totally reposition it. When the main doctor came in, he started laughing and asked me if I liked my Sputnik. Yeah, it now looked like a satellite circling around my head. Check it out.

            I was released two weeks to the day and was very happy to get home. It hasn’t been easy and the meds they have me on make me crazy. But I’m home and I’ve survived an experience I’d hoped never to have.

            I have a new release on June 14 and hope to drop by my other blog to see the write up. And I promise to post here more often. Vienna is a lovely place and many of you might see something you can use in your own writing.

            See you all next time!

      Lynn

Living The Fairy Tale

            When I was a young girl, I wanted to live in a castle in some far away land. Now that I’m older I find myself living across the street from a castle in a one-hundred and fifty year old building complete with ghosts and so very, very far away from home. To be honest, I never thought I’d say I miss the desert but I do: I miss my children even if they are dependent upon me far past the time they should be, I miss my animals who couldn’t come to live with us in our far away adventure, and I miss seeing my grandchildren grow up.

            In May of this year as you all know, we said goodbye to our house and family and everything I have ever known to run away from home, moving to Vienna, Austria. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy about what was happening but I understood it. I understood that it was a fantastic opportunity to live somewhere and visit all those places I only thought about when I was a kid. I knew it would be great for my husband’s career. But knowing and understanding didn’t matter to my heart in the beginning and now with my first Christmas in my new foreign home fast approaching I can say this is still the case.

            First I would say to those who envy me, be careful what you wish for but that would be a lie because it’s all a matter of perspective. When we are young, everything looks cool because it’s different than what we have or where we are. When we’re older, we look at things differently like what’s the economic impact it might have on our lives. My thought process was ‘how can this make my writing better’ and a million other things concerned with writing. Then as in now, I am trying to focus on the positive though some days it is very, very hard. So let’s look at some of the basic reasons a move like this could make a writer better:

            1) A look at different cultures – Living in a place that isn’t where you grew up may be uncomfortable at first but it will also make you realize that the world is a big, big place. Here people watching takes on a whole new meaning as one can see things here they will never see at home...like a big bike race on the main street with over three hundred bikes...or a political rally on the very street you live on. In any given day, I will see people from Indian, the US, Turkey, Greece, Ireland, Paraguay, and the Dominican Republic to name a few...those are just the ones who live in the same building as I do...imagine what’s outside those doors.

            2) Broaden one’s horizons – Living in a foreign country means I have to learn a different language to communicate to those around me. It means I have to understand a socialist system because that’s where I’m at right now. I also have to realize the way things are done where I come from aren’t the way things are done here. I also have to learn a public transit system, why Vienna is divided into districts and why people here don’t seem to change very much. This can be translated into some very interesting things for my stories.

            3) Teach my native language – I have been asked by several people if I would be interested in teaching English to upper level students. Boy, if this won’t make you hone your skills in writing, I don’t know what will. I really find it interesting that they want me to teach American slang as opposed to learning the Queen’s English. In order to teach here, I need to get permission to work and that will be a whole other adventure to address on another day.

            4) Make new friends – Now this has been the most difficult for me as writers are pretty reclusive and I tend to be that way myself. Matter of fact, as you all know I was so lonely I got me a puppy and in the process gained a whole new group of friends who own the same type of dog. People over here can relate to those with dogs better than those without or even those with kids. This is making me put myself out there and in some ways I cringe and in others I excel.

            5) The place oozes history – This place has an incredible history. Like I’ve said many times before, I live across the street from the Palace Belvedere and the Palace Schwartenberg. Belevedere was once a summer home for the Habsburgs and in particular Prince Eugene. I’m still trying to understand where Palace Schwartzenberg figures into all of this but I do know there’s a house on the grounds for rent. We’re actually thinking about checking it out. Now the street I live on is named after after Prince Eugene and called Prince Eugen Strasse. That’s just the start of everything: there’s the Hofburg, Schonnbrunn, Carnuntum which is a Roman ruin, Stephensplatz, Karlsplatz and churches like you wouldn’t believe. Early man lived here as did the Celts. Just reading Wikipedia to get the overview can be overwhelming...but...think of the opportunity for historicals, for contemporaries or for anything a writer can think up. Here’s a few more pictures to show you what I mean.

            While this is the view out my office window, I should make note that not only do  I see the guard quarters for Belvedere as well as part of the grounds, but history. If I look a little harder, I’m sure I can see the Emperors and Empresses of a day gone by, of kings and queens and their children.



             Here’s some pictures of Carnuntum, the Roman ruins.







            And finally, one of my favorite places to see, Schonnbrunn.





            There’s the museums.






            These pictures don’t even begin to do the place justice. I’m going to be putting in things from my travels to other places as well. Like Italy. If we can get it all together, we’ll be trying to go to Italy between Christmas and New Year’s. We’ve already visited Bad Ischl and Salzburg, some of which you’ve already seen in the birthday weekend post. And I promise to bring you more and more of the historical perspective on living in Vienna, Austria.

            Yes, this place has plenty for a writer to learn, plenty for me to figure out and understand. Even though the perspective has changed a lot from when I was younger, living the fairy tale can and does have its own perks.

            See you all next time!

     Lynn

The Colors of Fall

            Just last week, I noticed the color around here was bursting at the seams. Coming from Nevada, we’re lucky to get any fall color as one day the leaves are on the trees and the next they are just gone. So I’ve been pleasantly surprised with each sojourn outside the amount of color I’ve seen. From greens to yellows to reds, the colors are fantastic and brilliant.

            I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the pictures from the weekly walk in Hauptallee that I had managed to capture some of those wonderful colors. Another thing captured in the photos were the diversity of leaves and how they all color differently. Again, being from a desert and even though I live in an Arbor community, I am really not used to this type of diversity.

            I knew there were days in early fall, when all the leaves were still green, that I would just gaze out the window at the greenery across the street from our apartment. I’d not lived anywhere with seasons in so long, I find the whole process completely fascinating and new.

            I know many of you are saying that you think I’m crazy for wanting all the seasons but I’ve always loved the changes and the snow. There is just something beautiful about the glistening white substance that can never be replaced. We’ll see if I’m singing this song when it actually happens. LOL! But right now, it’s wonderful to fantasize about how it might be.

            Today, I have a series of pictures taken the last weekend showing the colors of fall. Many trees have already lost their leaves, so their bounty was spread on the ground everywhere. Pup Harry decided it was time to play in the leaves, tossing them up in the air he raced round and round, playing with them as we watched. It was a wonderful sight to see that he was taking so much joy from such a simple thing. I sincerely hope you agree.

            See you next time!

            Lynn

The Sunday Stroll

Life has changed a bit since we got our puppy but those changes are fantastic overall. One of the benefits that I have noticed is the fact that we’re more active on the weekends. Previous to puppydom, we’d stick pretty close to home or go shopping or do pretty much nothing. We’d read, we’d rest, we’d slounge. Since Harry, we are out and about more on the weekends.

For the past few Sundays, and probably at least until it gets really cold, we’ve started to go on Sunday walks. Make that Sunday strolls. It seems that everyone in Vienna is out doing the same thing. We even found that when there are holidays, like National Day which was mid-week, the strolling attitude still applies. People are out in droves and it’s a very interesting time to be had.

So far, our favorite stroll site is a place called Hauptallee in Wiener Prater. This place reminds me of grand European style and I can’t walk it without things about all the ladies and men moving about with parasols, long dresses and suits of the day. I can picture myself back in time and it has my creative juices flowing to say the least. The place is beautiful and seems never ending as we start on the end where we get off the train and walk to a little bit more than half way.

It is made especially more real when you hear the clip-clop of a horse’s shoe on the pavement. Turning, I find myself surprised as I see a horse-drawn carriage just feet from us. I can imagine many such hackneys, delivering the rich and famous or even the not-so-much-but-want-to-be-seen people of a bygone era. Here I can actually feel the pull of the city whereas in other places it seems no different to me than any crowded cityscape. Here I can feel the time of the Kaisers of the Hapsburg family, the wealth of a nation and the gentleness of the people.

The land was originally purchased by Emperor Maximillian II to be a hunting ground. There was the problem of poaching on royal land and Emperor Rudolf II forbade entry to the Prater. In April of 1766, Emperor Joseph II declared that the Prater was free of royal constraints and therefore for public enjoyment, allowing for the establishment of coffee-houses and cafes. Hunting didn’t cease in the park until 1920.

The previous mentioned Hauptalle is the main avenue of the park and is lined with horse chestnut trees that are just beautiful. It is closed to motorists and people can ride their bikes, take casuals strolls, jog or any number of things to propel one’s self through the pleasant scenery. It is home to the Liliputhahn, a narrow gauge railway now used for the entertainment of children. The main park has roller coasters and a variety of adult rides. Also there is a planetarium and the Prater Museum.

The most interesting thing that I saw was Republic of Kugelmugel,  a spherical micronation started by artist Edward Lipburger in a dispute over building permits with the Austrian government. It’s become a tourist attraction and sits behind a barb-wired fence. I found it utterly fascinating that it supposedly has 389 citizens.

Personally, I don’t care about the particulars of a lot of the history but it does certainly contributes to the overall vibe of the place. As long as I can stroll here on any given afternoon of my choosing, I’ll certainly be happy.

Lynn