Hi there!

Greetings from the 49th state! 

Alaska.

Land of cold, snow, ice, and incredible views.

Now -  I live here, but I don’t do much outdoorsy stuff. In fact, my son, Benjamin --- (who is getting married in Peru next summer, which will turn me into a tourist at Machu Picchu) --- Ben has informed me that what I do is pretty much portable. I write. I need a laptop. I’m portable.

He’s right.

However, if you’re considering (or already deep into) a career as a writer, there is one thing you probably don’t consider, but need to. Your health. Trust me, nobody else is going to make sure you get exercise and eat right. Except maybe a personal trainer. Which brings me to the rambling reason for my BLOG today: 

Alaska. In November. And outdoorsy stuff.

First, I want to introduce you to Coal.  He’s eleven. In dog years, he’s what…closing in on 70? You’d think he’d be slow. Easy-going. Ready for his nap. 

When I took this photo, he was hiding under his “I’m a very nice dog” exterior. Looks harmless, right? 

Oh. You would be so dead wrong. When it’s time for one of his walks, Coal makes a personal trainer look like a marshmallow. He has zero patience. And gets ready with a collar and leash. He doesn’t know what my problem is and why I take so long. And he chews me out as I get dressed for stalling him.

Now,  I like walking. I’m in great shape. (or so they tell me at the yearly physical) And I really do like taking Coal for his walks. He loves it. His tail is always wagging. And we meet all kinds of other people during walks when the weather is nice. 

Babies in strollers. Other dog-slaves (also known as owners). Joggers. Hand-holding couples out for a stroll. 

And I have to tell you. The views are incredible. 

I bought a really nice camera a couple of years ago just so I could take photos of the gorgeous views. 

Here’s one I took last month. 

Thirty days ago. What a gorgeous autumn day. Isn’t it nice?

My camera works great…except in winter. 

I discovered a few things. The little camera buttons are impossible to find and push with gloves on. Everything is blurry because it’s really hard to keep from shivering - especially if you take the gloves off. 

It’s hard to do anything in the dark, since I use one hand to hold the leash and one for an LED flashlight thing. If I go flash-less I get great shots of big black nebulous stuff. And if I keep the flash on, I get shots of the closest subject at hand, which turns out to be Coal’s behind. 

I had given up taking winter photos (due to the above) even when the full moon is hovering atop the mountains or the aurora borealis is making colored stripes in the sky. The views are incredible. Breathtaking. But alas. I don’t have the right camera.

Then came November 2013.

What is going on with the temperatures? I’m trying to write an inferno type setting for my next Vampire Assassin League novella. It’s hot. The cover is hot. Everything about it says heat.

It’s already January temperatures up here. We have a solid ice shelf to walk on. Temperatures are in the negatives. 

I managed to get this shot, not to advertize any businesses, but to show I’m not making this up. 

It was -5 (Fahrenheit) the other morning.  That’s like -20 something in Celsius. 

You might also notice the incredibly colorful mess of light in the frame. That must be another issue with using my digital camera in freezing conditions. (No need to call the UFO people. It really wasn’t there)

Now. I carried mail in Wyoming for three years. I was on a walk-out route. That means I walked for six hours every day, in all kinds of weather, carrying up to 35 lbs of mail in a satchel.  I do recall days outside that had a wind chill factor of -60. (They were brutal) 

I realize now, however, that those days were good training for my work-outs with Coal. Ah. Coal. My physical trainer. He makes me take him three times a day. Twice for 20 minutes. Our last walk in the evening is 30 minutes. This is not optional. He just gets his way. And he knows it.

So. It’s Alaska. Winter temps. 

I’m going outside for a bit. I know what to do. For this kind of weather, you just need to dress right. Start with all kinds of light layers (at least two on the legs. Three on the upper body. I even have a snowsuit for January but I just started wearing that.). 

To get ready for our walk, I start with my ear head-wrap. Then the uber-thick cowl my daughter made for me. Then the neoprene face mask. Then my Eagles hat. I figure if it keeps NFL football players warm, it’ll work for me. My goggles. Up here, freezing my contacts to my eyes is a possibility. (For our night walks, I wear my own real, thick glasses) 

Here is a close-up. 

I look pretty much like a sci-fi creature. 

I’ve now advanced to my next-to-the-thickest gloves. Two pairs of socks – the outer pair is extra large - and I have snow boots with such heavy-duty cleats on them, they weigh over 2 lbs each. 

I know. I was complaining. My hubby weighed them. He told me to think of it like I’m wearing ankle weights to work out. And I’ll be in fantastic shape for Machu Picchu. Ha. Ha. Ha. (He is such a comedian.)   

Here is what Coal and I look like just starting out on during our daylight walk.

  And here is a pic of those boots and our path.

You’re probably wondering why on earth I do this. 

Well. I’ve got some great reasons. 

I really love my Labrador – and he is worth it. 

It’s really great exercise. You have no idea how good it feels to come in where it’s warm and snuggle beneath an afghan. 

And the views really are breathtaking. 

I decided to try to get some images again. This time I took them during the day walk. And nobody else is out here walking. So. What do you think?

Anyone want to join us?

--- Jackie Ivie

Autumn in Alaska

The fireweed has gone to seed. The weather has turned rainy.  A chill has replaced the warmth of the sun. Red and yellow are creeping into the green foliage. Summer’s over, and it’s fall in Alaska.

The salmon fishing is down to the last of the silvers, and the berries are all picked. Kids are back in school, and the State Fair has finished displaying giant vegetables. But it’s not all bad news. My old friends the ravens are back in town. I can dig out my favorite sweaters and fleece vests. And it’s writing season.

Now, I know writers should write all year long, and I do. But I find it easier to write this time of year. In the summer, the sunlight beckons me outdoors and there’s so much to do that can’t be done at other times. Those excuses go away in the fall, and friends and family stop inviting me to barbecues or outdoor activities. It’s okay to sit with a cup of tea and stare out at the rain while I think of the next book plot, or hammer out a scene on the laptop. We Alaskans allow ourselves to hibernate a bit in fall and winter. So it’s the perfect time of year to write.

 

What about you? Do you find it easier to write at certain times of the year?

Lynn Lovegreen writes young adult historical romance. Her first Gold Rush book will be published with Prism Book Group this December. See her at Facebook, Tumblr, or www.lynnlovegreen.com.

Glorious Alaska

It has been said: To all things there is a season. Alaska took that adage to the extreme.

From October until May the reality is cold and dark and glorious.

Then the light begins to come back. Give or take that allows Alaska four months of the other extreme. Summer. The Magnificent Anxiety.
 
Every endeavor is predicated on the reality that WINTER IS COMING!

People work and play until exhaustion drops them in a heap. They fish and hike and climb and hunt and garden and did I mention fish? They can and smoke and share and all the while they are outside they are surrounded by Alaska. Alaskan flora and fauna doing the very same exhaustive struggle to prepare for winter and those that pay attention can tell you what part of the summer you are in by what is blooming.

The riotous season begins with green-green anything. The fireweed shoots climb out of the ground before the snow is gone. Alaskan daffodils [dandelions anyplace else] spread joy and brilliance along the roadsides.

Mother’s Day, more or less, suddenly, there are leaves. I’m not kidding - over a three day period fat buds explode shielding all debris from sight. The understory begins to leaf out and bloom-Current and serviceberry and cranberry and Labrador Tea.
 

Ahh, June, the first week star flowers sprinkle like fairy dust through the woods. The second week the Prickly Roses begin and by then the Lupine has started. As the month progresses Chiming Bells and Geraniums take over and the last week Iris rule. At your feet a blanket of twin flowers flow over the sides of the lane.

July, the fireweed is five feet tall and pink spires proclaim summer is half over. Potentilla and Yarrow are everywhere. 

August-oh dear. Mushroom month. The green understory in the woods turns red and yellow.

Rain begins and the fireweed has started to seed. We call it getting fuzzy. When the fuzzies get to the top of the fireweed –snow is two weeks away.
 
These are some of my passionate observations - your milage may vary. There are soooo many more. Don’t tell me I forgot the chocolate lily or the arnica or — I love summers flowers. Sadly, winter is coming.

--- DeNise Woodbury
 

It’s Different Up Here

I know there are places in the Lower 48 where people say “if you don’t like the weather, wait 15-minutes...it’ll change.”  In Alaska...not so much.  We have weather and it sticks.

We recently went through what could very likely be our whole summer: two and half weeks of sunny, hot weather.

“Hot” of course is a relative term. I know parts of the West Coast and Southwest are hitting 100+ degree temperatures in the next few days. My mind can barely comprehend that kind of heat!

In Anchorage, when it hits 80 degrees...the TV weather people start to put fans and air conditions on the weather maps. And when it hits 85 (if it hits 85) we get the bright red fiery “HOT” on the TV screen.

I know, in many parts of the world, 80 isn’t hot (I’ve been told this quite clearly from my family in Nevada).

But it’s different up here.

Our city’s average high temperature for this time of year is 65 degrees. So, yes, 80 is a wee bit toasty compared to that. 

And Alaskans love it. It’s so rare we don’t dare waste a moment of sunshine. I had a movie scheduled with a friend and she said “it feels like sacrilege to go inside a movie theater on a day like this.” We ended up at restaurant with an outdoor patio. The patio was packed!

That was the first weekend of the sunshine. By the second weekend, we went to movies to escape the “heat.”  Now, it was still only in the upper 70s but no one has air conditioning and every fan for sale had been snatched up. I went for five days with my house never cooling off below 76 degrees. Ugh. I actually was excited to get in my car (air conditioning) and go to work (air conditioning turned up so high we had to wear sweaters) just to cool off.

The warmest (official) temperature ever recorded in Alaska is 100 degrees.  For Anchorage, it’s 86.

It clouded over and cooled off two days ago and I’m not unhappy. I like being able to sleep with blankets on me.

I’ve lived in Alaska going on 43 years. I’m not used to hot weather. I’ve talked to people who have moved up here and they’ve said that the heat is different, that 75 in Alaska feels a lot hotter than in other places.

I take comfort in that. Makes me feel less like a weather wimp.

On the other end of the scale, in winter, when it’s 20 degrees outside, I can say “that’s just about perfect.” And my Lower 48 family and friends think I’m nuts. 

What can I say? It’s different up here.

Stay cool!

Tielle St. Clare

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Tielle's Book News

Crimson (Book 1 of the Red Panty Diaries) is free for one more week. Find it at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Also, A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing (Book 2 of the Welsh Wolves) is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. 

 

And I got the new cover for Fire Engine (Book 4 of the Red "Panty" Diaries! Lovely huh? Coming soon from Ellora's Cave!