Rachel Carson: Past, Present, and Future

One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself:
What if I had never seen this before?
What if I knew I would never see it again?

~Rachel Carson

 

 



This week I finished reading Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, the book that launched the modern environmental movement.

This classic has been on my TBR shelf forever and a day.  I don't know what it is about the classics; sometimes it's hard to sit down and get started on them when there is such a bottomless well of modern works to read.

What motivated me to at last read Silent Spring was the desire to explore Carson's life and work with an eye toward incorporating her as one of the case studies for our Avila University course Women and Science.  I won't be teaching Women and Science for at least another year and a half, but between the semesters in which we run the course, I am always looking for new material and new stories to add.

My own background in ecology has long made Rachel Carson an attractive option for this course.  Now I wish I had read her work sooner. 

I was prepared for Silent Spring to be an engaging account of the dangers of using pesticides with reckless abandon.  What I did not anticipate was the sheer volume of data Carson amassed. I had heard she was accused by the chemical companies of not backing up her arguments with data.  I mean, really.  Did they even bother to read the book?

Nor did I know just how gifted a writer Carson was; a master, really, of making complex scientific information readily accessible to the reader. Her prose is very reminiscent of E.O. Wilson; though perhaps it would be better to say that E.O. Wilson's prose is very reminiscent of hers.

Most of all, I expected Silent Spring to be a classic in the classic sense of the word: Outdated, for the most part, in the context of its field, a relic interesting for its historical significance but of little relevance for the modern world.  I couldn't have been more wrong on this account, and I found that realization rather depressing. 

Carson's landmark book led to the banning of DDT, dieldrin, and other problematic pesticides; as well as to a more balanced approach to how, when, and under what circumstances pesticides should be applied. 

Contrary to popular belief, Carson did not advocate abandoning pesticides altogether.  What her book urged us to do, and still urges us to do, is to tread lightly when introducing novel chemicals to the environment.  Chemical compounds new to nature should be used wisely, in targeted situations, and with a full understanding of their potential impacts. 

Rachel Carson passed away in 1964, but
her legacy and her message live on.

It seems a reasonable thing to ask, really, and yet still we struggle to rein in the profit-motivated agricultural and chemical industries. 

We may not spray indiscriminately anymore (though in some places we do), but now we have new inventions like genetically engineered plants that produce systemic pesticides, the full consequences of which are largely unknown.  We have extraction systems like fracking that inject a host of unrevealed chemicals deep into the earth, again with no attention to a full assessment of the impacts.  We have banana and pineapple plantations that jealously guard their pesticide recipes as "trade secrets", leaving laborers and consumers alike in the dark as to what degree of chemical exposure we are all dealing with.  

The list goes on and on, but I'm not really interested in recreating Carson's eloquent argument in a single blog post.  My reflection today centers on this compelling thought:

Some fifty years after her death, Rachel Carson has made it clear to me that the struggle to achieve a healthier planet is far from over. More importantly, she assures me it is a battle still worth fighting, because although sometimes it seems we are losing, it is also true that we have made many gains, precisely because people like Rachel Carson had the courage and tenacity to speak up. 

Such is the timeless power of the written word, the words of a woman and a scientist, the enduring words of Rachel Carson.  

It all depends on your point of view

This week I hit another milestone for Daughter of Aithne, topping 65K in the word count. My goal is 120,000 words, so this means I'm just over half way through the novel.

Writing is always slow going once the semester is in session. This fall, I've been able to set aside just two hours a week for writing, so I've had to be modest about my expectations, and happy with any progress I've made. As a general rule, if I can add on 20,000 words to a novel during a semester, I'm satisfied. Right now, my fall semester word count is at 15,000, which puts me a little behind schedule, but still hopeful that I'll make that goal. 

The chapter I finished up this week deals with a reunion between Eolyn and one of her students, Mariel, after a harrowing set of events has kept them separated for some time. The reunion is one of mixed emotions, because what has come to pass has left lasting scars, and what is yet to come will not be any easier.  I struggled with this one chapter for nearly a month; in part because I only have two hours a week to write, but also because it wasn't until this past Wednesday that I finally realized I needed to write the scene not from Eolyn's point of view, but from Mariel's.



NASA shows how the solar sytem looks from Saturn's perspective;
another example of how switching point of view can transform
the same scene into something entirely different.

This is one of the moments I love most in writing: When I switch the point of view, and everything just falls into place.

Every author has a somewhat different approach to point of view.  I like to write my novels with 4-6 character viewpoints, two of which generally carry the story.  For any scene written with the protagonist, the default option is always to write that scene from her point of view.  Of course, the default option is not always the best option, and for this particular chapter, Eolyn's voice was not the one that needed to be heard.

It's not always easy to determine which point of view should be used in a particular scene.  "Rules of thumb" for making this decision abound, but all of them have exceptions. 

For example, I once heard that the point of view for a scene should be given to the character who has the most to lose.  I followed this rule rather faithfully until I hit a chapter in High Maga that involves a brutal interrogation of one of Eolyn's followers.  I tried to write that scene from the point of view of the victim of the interrogation, and it just wasn't working.  When at last I decided to try writing the scene from the point of view of the interrogator, everything fell into place.

Beginning writers often have wobbly points of view in their stories; I know I did when I wrote the first draft of Eolyn.  We are anxious to communicate what all the characters -- or at least two of the characters -- in a given scene are thinking, and so we jump from one head into another without reason or warning. 

One of the best pieces of advice I received in my early days of writing was to clean up my approach to point of view; to pick one point of view and stick to it for any given scene.  Again, not every writer has to do this, and not every story is meant to be told this way.  But I think sticking to one point of view is a phenomenal tool for learning and refining the craft.  Not only does it maximize investment in a single character, but it also forces the writer to pay attention to all the subtle ways in which characters can communicate their thoughts without speaking, much less letting us into their heads. 

Gestures, facial expressions, and especially actions all communicate a wealth of information, and often in more engaging ways than knowing that character's thoughts. Also, there is an interesting interplay between what is said and what is left unsaid; one tends to wrap around the other, so that what is said defines the nature of what is not.  This, too, adds dimension, mystery, and tension to any scene. 

A great exercise, and one I inadvertently did with this last chapter, is to write the same scene from two points of view.  If you have it clear in your head what the non-point-of-view character is thinking, you will discover many opportunities in which those unspoken thoughts come across loud and clear.

~*~

 

I'm now proofing the galleys for High Maga, which will
go out for editorial review next week!

Over on Heroines of Fantasy this week, Terri-Lynne DeFino has started a fun discussion about holidays in fantasy.  Please stop by to read her post and participate, and help yourself to the virtual brownies at the back of the room.

 

Speaking of HoF, we are in the midst of planning a major expansion of activities on our group blog dedicated to the discussion of fantasy, and especially women in fantasy.  I won't reveal much about this yet, because the details are under discussion,  but stay tuned because it is going to be very, very exciting.

 

And I know I've been promising a cover reveal for High Maga for a while now; we are getting very close.  Thomas Vandenberg and I have been settling on the details of the Naether Demon featured on the cover.  He's also given Eolyn a mild makeover, and now we're just trying to decide what font we like best for the title and author.  As soon as these details are settled and approved by my editors, we'll be good to go. 

 

Release date for High Maga is still on course for 04-04-2014.  Watch for giveaways and other events leading up to the big day!

 

 

The Changing Face of Eolyn

As part of DelSheree Gladden's Meet the Character Blog Fest last month, I wrote a brief post about how the art work depicting Eolyn has evolved with her character.  I'm reposting that essay here today, for those of you who may have missed it on the blog fest. The post includes another sneak preview -- the best yet -- of cover art for my new novel High Maga.

If you've already read this post, then I invite you to stop by Heroines of Fantasy this week, where we are having a lively discussion about whether an author's personal beliefs should influence our decision to buy his or her work. 

And, saving the best for last, please visit Hadley Rille Books new web site, which went live just last weekend.  If you're an author, make sure to check out HRB's call for submissions for its new Ruins anthology while you're browsing the site.

Enough news; here's my post.  Enjoy!

Images of Eolyn

The novels Eolyn, High Maga, and Daughter of Aithne tell the story of a woman struggling to define her own path in a world largely ruled by men. 

Cover art for EOLYN by Jesse Smolover

In the first novel, we meet Eolyn as a girl with a remarkable but forbidden gift.  Fleeing the soldiers of the Mage King, young Eolyn takes refuge deep in the South Woods.  When she meets the mysterious Akmael, destined to assume the throne of this violent kingdom, she embarks on a path of adventure, love, betrayal, and war.  Bound by magic, driven apart by destiny, Eolyn and the Mage King confront each other in an epic struggle that will determine the fate of a millennial tradition of magic.

High Maga is a companion novel that begins about four years after Eolyn ends.  Early in the story, Eolyn’s fledgling coven is destroyed and the kingdom invaded by an army that commands a terrible and malevolent magic.  Eolyn discovers a weapon that could unravel their power, and must find a way to deliver this weapon to her king. This is a darker novel than the first, deeply entrenched in the brutal realities of war.  And Eolyn is older, more mature and capable of taking on greater and ever more complex challenges.

The artwork for Eolyn and High Maga illustrates very nicely the evolution of Eolyn’s story and character between these two novels.  I’ve had the privilege of working with wonderful artists in both cases: Jesse Smolover, who did the cover art for Eolyn, and Thomas Vandenberg, who is putting the final touches on the cover art for High Maga. 

Detail from the cover art for HIGH MAGA
by Thomas Vandenberg

Jesse’s image of Eolyn captures her innocence and nascent power as she steps out of a sheltered life in the South Woods with the hope of restoring women’s magic to the life and culture of her people.

Thomas’ illustration for High Maga shows us Eolyn in battle, a vivid image of a determined woman who has already suffered loss and sacrifice, yet who refuses to surrender in the face of danger. 

I have loved Eolyn in all her stages of development.  It’s such a privilege to work with a complex character for whom every new experience becomes an opportunity for growth and change, and it’s really delightful to see these changes reflected in the artwork for my novels.

My third novel, Daughter of Aithne, is in the works so I can’t talk a whole lot about it, but I know that when we see the face of Eolyn for this final book in the series, it will be reimagined once more to reflect the added years of her experience and the changing context of her world. 

~*~

 

This post was originally published on October 22, 2013, on the blog for author DelSheree Gladden.

 



Happy Halloween!

The Gaelic festival of Samhain was the inspiration for Samhaen in Eolyn's world. 

Though Samhaen is somewhat different in the details from the corresponding holiday in the real world, the basic idea remains constant.  As a girl, Eolyn celebrated Samhaen with singular devotion, as it was one of the few nights of the year when her dead family could reach across the void to visit her. She never failed to leave out food for them, including her brother's favorite snack, honey-sweetened bread.

Halloween snuck up on me this year.  I haven't done that much at all in terms of decorating, but I have the candy ready and am looking forward to seeing all the neighborhood kids in costume tonight.  I'm also very happy for the children in Kansas City that the big rain storm forecast for this week happened yesterday, instead of today.

I've been invited to participate in an exciting project with DGS Games.  They are sponsoring an anthology based on the richly imagined world of Faelon.  The project is being undertaken in coordination with the Dead Horse Society, the speculative fiction writers group where I got my start as an author.  They are an amazingly talented group of writers, and this is going to be a great anthology.

As honored as I was by the invitation, I was a little hesitant to accept.  I've been keeping a good pace on Daughter of Aithne, and I'm reluctant to pick up obligations that will cut into writing time meant for finishing the novel. More importantly, short stories are not my gift.  I have two stories out there that I am very proud of ('Turning Point' and 'Creatures of Light'), the hard-won products of countless failed attempts at writing a story inside of 5,000 words.  But practice makes perfect, and in the end I decided I'll never get good at writing short stories if I keep shying away from doing them.  Also, the opportunity to work with such a fine group of writers was really too much to resist. 

After mulling over different ideas for about a month, this week I started on writing my story for the anthology. The short will be set in the Kaliphate of Koronna, a prosperous region of cosmopolitan cities, with a rich culture that is more-or-less balanced in terms of gender relations.  The protagonist of the story is an elderly woman, known only as 'Nana'.  This is a first for me, to have a protagonist well into her later years, and it makes for some very exciting possibilities.  Nana is a refugee, having fled to Koronna at a very young age for reasons she has never shared with her family, though they will be gradually revealed as the story progresses.  We will also meet Nana's intriguing grand daughter, Mirella, and learn about her mysterious heritage and unique destiny. 

It's all in the very early stages now, but if things pan out as I hope they will, this is going to be an awesome story. DGS' Faelon anthology is scheduled to be released in the latter half of 2014. 

In other news, we are just days away from launching the new web site for Hadley Rille Books. And, sometime in the month of November I will, at last, do a full cover reveal for High Maga.  The release date is closer than it seems; even though we will not see the book in print until April 4, 2014, the e-galleys are well underway and must be sent out for editorial review in the coming days. 

Editorial reviews -- aaagh!  The very thought stresses me out.  Please wish me luck, keep a candle lit, say a few prayers or cast a few positive spells, whatever it is you do to send positive energy, now is the time to do it, so that High Maga will be well-received by the critics who will soon find her on their desk.

That's all I have for this week.  Happy Halloween, and enjoy the weekend to come!

Fall Festivities

I spent a wonderful three days with my husband on the Katy Trail near Hermann, MO. The autumn weather was perfect for long bicycle rides.  We passed through golden fields and painted forests, and enjoyed spectacular views of the sparkling Missouri River.  In the evenings, we slipped into Hermann to sample the local Tin Mill brews.  Wildlife was not super-abundant, but we did see some cool animals like turkeys and a coyote.  I wish we could have stayed longer, but classes resumed at Avila today.  It will probably be spring before I can indulge in the luxury of a multi-day bicycle adventure again.

There are so many exciting things afoot right now, I don't know where to begin. 

Tomorrow, October 22, as part of DelSheree Gladden's month-long Meet the Character Blog Fest, you will get to see the most detailed preview yet of the cover for High Maga.  I have a post that compares images of Eolyn, past and present, and I talk about how the cover art for my novels reflects Eolyn's development as a character. 

I also invite you to visit last week's Meet the Character post on Adiana of Selkynsen, a musician and close friend of Eolyn's.  Adiana is a minor character in both Eolyn and High Maga. While she does not command magic like Eolyn, her music confers a special power of its own.  Adiana has been one of my favorite characters since she appeared in my first novel, and I look forward to sharing more of her story in the second one.

If you visit DelSheree's blog, don't forget to register to win the grand prize of over forty free books.  There are lots of opportunities to enter, including free entry for fans of Eolyn on Facebook and followers of Eolyn on Twitter.

We are working hard on a new web site for Hadley Rille Books.  I love the new format; it gives a much better idea of the dynamic strength of this small but very busy press.  It's also designed to make it easier for visitors to browse HRB titles and meet HRB authors.  The new site may be up as early as next week, but (hopefully) no later than the first week of November.

I'll close with another vagancia.  For some reason, lately I've taken to making videos about my courses at Avila.  I shared the first video, about Ecology through the Writers Lens, a couple weeks back.  Now here's a video about my introductory course on Environmental Science.  Enjoy, and stay tuned because there is much more news to come. . .

La Reina Católica

My new favorite novel.

I recently finished C.W. Gortner's wonderful historical fiction novel, The Queen's Vow, based on the life of Isabella of Spain.  After I posted my review on Goodreads, a friend informed me that the Spanish television channel RTVE is currently broadcasting an award-winning series that covers the same period, entitled Isabel.

This couldn't have been more perfect timing.  With all the emotion and drama of the novel still fresh in my mind, I was so ready to see it in action on screen. My husband and I watched the first two episodes of season one last night, and I couldn't be more pleased.  The acting is superb, as is the recreation of the brutal, passionate, and complex culture of 15th century Spain.

The STARZ original series The White Queen comes off as insipid by comparison (despite the fact that I've enjoyed the series, and look forward to watching the final episode this weekend).  As for HBO's rendition of Game of Thrones. . .I'm sorry.  Even with its intrigues and dragons and zombie-beings from the frozen north, Westeros doesn't hold a candle to the real world of 15th century Spain. 
 

Major players in the RTVE series Isabel.

Why am I so taken by Isabel?

Well, for one I'm a sucker for historical fiction of any sort. Even poorly done historical fiction keeps me happy; well-done historical fiction makes me ecstatic.

Then, there is the extraordinary character of Isabella, as portrayed in both the novel and the series.  After nine episodes of watching Elizabeth Woodville wring her hands and cast spells to ensure her fortune in The White Queen, it is wonderfully refreshing to have the Princess of Asturias take on the dangers of the Spanish court with intelligence, wisdom, and most especially action. 

Must we believe Elizabeth Woodville's success was
only a matter of beauty, love, and a touch of magic?

Gortner's rendition of Isabella's life appeals for all the same reasons.  In his novel, he gives us a queen whose world does not revolve around the love of her king (though by most accounts, Isabella did love her Ferdinand); a woman whose powers extend far beyond looking longingly out the window as her husband goes to war. 

Isabella does not sit by idly while others defend her will and prepare to fight her battles. She is the key player in forging the alliances and securing the conditions that made possible the victorious campaign to unify Spain. 

Not that Isabella's record is spotless.  There is the small matter of the Spanish Inquisition, and the continuing controversy as to whether her sponsorship of Columbus' quest was, in the end, a good thing or a bad. 

But whether or not you admire all the faces of Isabella, to see her portrayed as a real woman -- forthright, determined, taking command of her own fate despite the odds -- feels like a unique and special event.

Why is it so difficult for us to bring the remarkable women of history to life on screen? 

Young and capable, Isabella of Castile understands
what it will take to secure her throne.

I suspect Elizabeth Woodville had her own cunning, as well as a real capacity to contribute to the security of her husband's reign, in ways The White Queen refuses to acknowledge. Instead, the series chooses to focus on her great beauty as the reason for her rise to power, and resorts to magic as an explanation for her ability to remain on the throne.

Isabella of Castile was beautiful, too. And while she did not practice magic, she had absolute confidence in the power of her prayers and her faith.

Yet beauty and prayers were not what won Isabella the throne; nor did she ever seek to rely solely on these gifts. What secured the crown of Castile was young Isabella's ingenuity and her capacity to take action in key moments that transformed her people's history.

Isabella is not the only woman in history to claim such gifts. There have been extraordinary women like her throughout the centuries.

Maybe some day having their stories rendered in novels and on TV in the way that Gortner and RTVE reconstructed the life of Isabella will, while never ceasing to be delightful, at least feel somewhat less unique.

Meet the Characters Blog Fest

Welcome to the Meet the Characters Blogfest!

Readers, get ready for a whole month of some of the most interesting, hottest, attention grabbing characters in today's YA, NA, Romance, Horror, and Paranormal fiction! 

Meet the Characters will be hosted at author DelSheree Gladden's blog. All month long we'll be introducing readers to amazing characters through character bios, artwork, interviews, and contests. Check out the schedule below from what you'll find each day this month. 

That's Not All...

We'll be having some fabulous contests, each of which has it's own giveaway. Readers will get to vote on the characters, and one lucky voter in each contest will win a copy of the book the Winning Character comes from. The character giveaways will include: 

Hottest Guy Contest (10/4)

Feistiest Girl Contest (10/11)

Cutest Couple Contest (10/18)

Steamiest Couple Contest (10/25)

There will also be one MAIN GIVEAWAY starting today where 1 LUCKY WINNER will win a prize pack of 40 books from some of today's hottest new authors. Additional winners will be chosen to receive runner-up prize packs as well. Scroll down and enter below! 

SO, WHAT CAN YOU FIND EACH DAY?

10/2 -- Character interviews with Zadie Stonebrook (My Sister's Reaper - Dorothy Dreyer),            Tizzy Donovan (Laid out and Candle Lit - Ann Everett), Kristi Becker (A Plain                  Wish - Cyndi Lord), Zander Roth (Wicked Hunger - DelSheree Gladden)

10/3 -- Character Bios from Kristi Becker (A Plain Wish - Cyndi Lord), Bryan Sullivan                    (Arcadia's Gift - Jesi Lea Ryan), Brandon James (Love and Other Games - Aria                  Kane

10/4 -- Hottest Guy Contest (Stop by and vote for your favorite!)

10/7 -- Character Surprise Posts from authors RH Ramsey and DelSheree Gladden

10/8 -- Character Artwork from The Other F Word (Susan Stec) and Wicked Hunger                    (DelSheree Gladden) 

10/9 -- Character interviews with Kate Everett (A Slight Change of Plan - Dee Ernst),                  Jean (In Polester Pajamas - Catherine Dougherty), Ben (Twenty-Five - Rachel                    Hamm), Vanessa Roth (Wicked Hunger - DelSheree Gladden)

10/10 -- Character Bios from Kassia (Ice Magic), Maze (The Ballerina and the Fighter -                    Ursula Sinclair), Lucien (Smoke, Wings, and Stone - Marijon Bradley)

10/11 -- Feistiest Girl Contest (Stop by and vote for your favorite!)

10/14 -- Character Surprise Posts from authors Kara Leigh Miller, Sharon Kleve, Linda                  Budzinski 

10/15 -- Character Artwork from On a Wing and a Dare (Linda Ulleseit), Invisible                            (DelSheree Gladden)

10/16 -- Character interviews with David Corbin and Jon Reyes (Sign of the Throne -                    Melissa Eskue Ousley), Rosie (In Polyester Pajamas - Catherine Dougherty),                        Ketchup (Wicked Hunger - DelSheree Gladden)

10/17 -- Character Bios from Nadia (love and Other Games - Melinda Dozier), Karin Rita
             Gastreich (Adiana of Selkynsen, from Eolyn and High Maga), (HL Carpenter)

10/18 -- Cutest Couple Contest (Stop by and vote for your favorite!)

10/21 -- Character Surprise Posts from authors Stephanie Wardrop, Lucy Crowe, Ana                    Blaze

10/22 -- Character Artwork from Haunting Joy (Lena Goldfinch), The Destroyer                        Trilogy (DelSheree Gladden), Eolyn and High Maga (Karin Rita Gastreich)

10/23 -- Character interviews with Rachel Blackstone (The Relcutant Medium - GG                        Collins), Nell (The King Series - Tawdra Kandle), Arcadia ( Arcadia's Gift - Jesi                  Lea Ryan), Olivia & Mason (Invisible - DelSheree Gladden)

10/24 -- Character Bios from Karin Rita Gastreich (Mage Corey from Eolyn and High
             Maga), Sam and Cole (Fate War: Alliance - EM Havens)

10/25 -- Steamiest Couple Contest (Stop by and vote for your favorite!)

10/28 -- Character Surprise Posts from authors Susan Stec, Shauna Roberts, Lisa                          Cresswell

10/29 -- Character Artwork from My Sister's Reaper (Dorothy Dreyer), Twin Souls                            (DelSheree Gladden)

10/30 -- Character interviews with Nathan Shaw (Reflection - Kim Cresswell), Nia (In the              Winds of Danger - Linda Ulleseit), Jayden or Merch (dark Night of the Soul - EM                Havens)

10/31 -- Winner's Announcements!!!

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