My husband bought it little over two years ago when our family spent a about a week in Paris followed by a few days in Dublin. The contrast between the two places was undeniable. In Paris, you're a visitor. In Dublin, you're a guest. The distinction is more than just a feeling, though. It's a state of being. In Paris, like in many other places, conversations with strangers were necessary interactions you completed as quickly as possible. In Dublin, conversations were a means of telling stories. I am a writer, a storyteller (see The Travelers), therefore, I felt at home in this place of fellow yarn spinners. Stories, in any form, always make life more interesting...
On a recent trip to New York with my daughter for a dance trip, she took a Bollywood class with a very sagely instructor. (See story of that trip here.) I've been thinking about something that teacher said recently. The class was high energy and she told the girls to push through their fatigue. She explained to them that energy creates energy and if you stop when you're tired, it will be harder to stop again. She was basically explaining to them Newton's first law of motion, which describes inertia. But, this law doesn't just apply to physical objects. It's mental as well. And it often applies to writing.
'Twas the day before Christmas And the house was a mess But it was no big deal Because the cookie party was a success
When I was in NYC, I got caught right between Rockefeller Center Saks 5th Ave just when their holiday light show started. I was in a hurry and in no mood for a light show. But, I had no choice because of the clogged streets to stop and watch. And, you know what? It was super cool. And, it made me want to see more. So when we get home to Northern Virginia, I was really happy to my parents got us tickets to the Meadowlark Park Winter Walk of Light.
As much I wish I could just write and read all the time, life gets in the way - day job, family, book promotion (Travelers), house work. But, I have 7 glorious days off from work, plus two weekends. That's 11 days of unencumbered time. My holiday to do list - write, read, hang with fam, repeat. I hope to get a lot of all 3 done. So, here's what's on my reading list.
I spent day 2 in NYC traveling around the city with my book, The Travelers, it's side kick Jane Bennet (see yesterdays blog as to why we brought her along) and my daughter's dance company (aka, a group of teen and preteen girls obsessed with dance). It was a day filled with an interesting mix of nostalgia and discovering things about NYC I never knew!
The Travelers took a little tour of New York City along with the dance company my daughter is a part of (C4 Dance Company) yesterday. (I luckily got to come with them!) The Travelers also had a little pal. (Jane Bennet from Pride and Prejudice Zombies.) She shares the same last name as the main characters in my book (Dagny Bennet and her family). She's also a sassy girl from a fantasy book with connections to the past, like my book. Plus, I have a recent obsession with POP figurines. So she seemed like a great side kick for our little trip through the city. It all began Sunday night...
No sleep till...Well, not Brooklyn. But we did stay up late getting into Manhattan last night. I think that's close enough that I had to quote the Beastie Boys song. So, now, I'm happily in Manhattan, my former home. (I did live in Brooklyn for a little bit in a tiny apartment with an oddly huge, completely pink bathroom. Only in NYC people.) This is the first place I tried a knish. The first place I went to a professional basketball game. (My husband had season tickets to the Knicks once upon a time.) The place my daughter was born. If I'm being honest, when I left the area, I left a little bit of my heart behind. NYC will always feel like home to me. In honor of my trip here, are some of my favorite movies and books set in NYC.
K.L. Kranes 