Personal safety . . . a case for keys

darlenedeluca This and That , , ,

keysI had my car in for routine maintenance last week, and was given a brand-new model to drive while mine was in the shop. This new car, an updated model of my own, had all the top bells and whistles, including keyless entry. You just put your foot on the brake and push a button. Easy.

Yes, it was simple, but it got me to thinking, what’s so inconvenient about a key? Then I took it one step further and started thinking, no way. I want my key. In fact, all women should want a key, and they should have it in their hand as they approach their car or a store in a parking lot.

A couple of things bother me about this keyless entry. First, it means a woman only has to have the key near her – say tucked inside the pocket of her jeans or in her purse. Once she gets close to the car, BINGO! the doors unlock. This does not seem safe to me. Sure, it gives her hands-free access, but it gives that to anyone around her as well.

Additionally, if those keys aren’t in her hand, they can’t be used as self protection, and she doesn’t have access to the panic button on the key fob. Not good.

I recently had the opportunity to drive my daughter’s car, too. Her key folds into the fob. Again, this is convenient for carrying the key in a pocket. It’s not as bad as the keyless entry, but still, it means she can approach the car and unlock it without having the sharp point of the key exposed. After considering this, I’ve advised her to always release the key and carry it in such a way that it could be used if she were approached, attacked, etc.

A few years ago, we had a very sad incident occur in our area. A young woman was abducted from a store parking lot in daylight. In her own car she was taken to another location where she was raped and murdered. Any little bit of self protection that could potentially help a woman in such a situation is so important. Ladies, don’t trade convenience for personal safety. Keep your key! And keep it handy. It could do more than start your car.

You have the power . . .

darlenedeluca Books, What's New , , ,

More good news! My most recent contemporary romance, Something Good, is nominated for a RONE Award by InD’Tale Magazine! That’s primarily the result of a great review from one of the staff’s reviewers.

And now, round two is up to YOU!

This week I need friends, fans and followers to cast your vote in support of Something Good, a romance about redemption and moving forward. Just follow the link below, and look for the category Contemporary: sweet. All you need is a computer and a couple of minutes. 🙂

Many thanks, and happy reading to all!

Darlene

VOTE Now

 

Cuteness overload!

darlenedeluca Home & Family, This and That , , , ,

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Zoos and aquariums have long been on our family’s list of places to go on trips and vacations. While I haven’t specifically recorded each one, it’s very close to at least one in each state!

It all started roughly twenty years ago when my daughter became almost obsessed with animals. We’ve been to zoos in the rain, snow and blazing heat. If you ever have the chance to go to a zoo on a nice winter day, do it! One of our best ever experiences happened right after Christmas when there was snow on the ground, but only a few people around. The place was quiet, and we had it almost to ourselves. No fighting for position, no large groups of school kids, and the animals were active and interested.

I added two new zoos and another aquarium to the list in the past couple of weeks with a visit to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, the Indianapolis Zoo, and the Cincinnati Zoo.

I know a lot of people are either dog lovers or cat people. I’m really neither, but I do enjoy zoo animals. I don’t know how anyone could not smile at the adorable face of a red panda or the amusing antics of river otters and penguins! Here are a few of my most recent zoo encounters. Feel free to contribute photo captions that come to mind! 🙂
Enjoy!

-Darlene

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Road tripping and state skipping

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It’s the last day of the big road trip with my daughter . . . five states in five days! The ultimate goal is to move her from North Carolina to New York, but many detours along the way! We’ve seen woods and mountains, taken tours and scenic drives. Fun restaurants and shopping. We’ve been way up high in the lovely Smoky Mountains, and way down low in the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky. A few wrong turns and cloudy days, but mostly fun times! The years of this kind of freedom will be fewer and fewer, so we’re trying to enjoy it as much as we can.

Today we’re heading to the zoo, then it’s on the road again — on the road to the Final Four!

More blog posts to come! Happy weekend, everyone!

Darlene

 

Now This is Eye Candy!

darlenedeluca This and That, Uncategorized , , , ,

Just got back from spring break. Tons of fun in (mostly) sunny California! Had a great time watching my son play tennis and hanging out at several beaches with the fam and our friend. But one of the best days was when I stole away all by myself to visit the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena.P1040675 This place is just amazing. Beautiful. Restful. Peaceful. So many lovely places to just relax, read and reflect. I did all of that, but I also took a bunch of pictures. The wisteria in the Japanese garden was stunning. May have gotten a little carried away in the desert garden. There are some strange and incredible plants on this planet! Here’s a little peek!
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Of Belles and Books

darlenedeluca Guests, Uncategorized , , ,

bhuff copyHello, everyone! Happy Monday to you! Today it’s my pleasure to have Belle Blackburn as my guest. (It’s okay if you suddenly have the urge to belt out a chorus of  “Be My Guest, Be My Guest, Be My Guest.” I did.) Belle is, of course, an avid reader, but also a talented writer who enjoys mixing a variety of genres into her novels.

Welcome, Belle!

 

What genre(s) do you write?
Primarily historical fiction but you could slip it into a few other categories like mystery, romance, history and medical.

How did you become interested in that genre/topic?
This sounds so cheesy but it was seeing Gone With the Wind when I was 14 years old. I knew there had book_template_10_12_2014-upload-2been a Civil War but it was just some dates and battle names in a history book, which bored me immensely. My mother took me to the movie and it really made an impact on me. That was the first time I had heard about how war affected civilians as well as soldiers. I still remember the shot of all those wounded soldiers lying in the sun (half of which were dummies). My brother was in the military at the time so I was very sensitive to that. I then read the book and have had an interest in history since, though I usually focus on civilians. If you are looking for book spotlighting the military, battles and weapons, there are many out there by experts in that field and I am not one.

How long have you been writing and how many published works?
I have planned to write since second grade and got a minor in journalism, but did not produce my first book until a couple of years ago. I wrote a murder mystery and needed it to be set in a time without forensics and since Nashville was a busy and important place during the Civil War, I chose that time period. I like to discover history in the setting of a good tale so I slipped Nashville’s war story into it. It does take a ton of research but I love it. I am now writing the sequel.

What’s your favorite part about writing?
Experiencing the flow. Sometimes I just can’t get it on paper quick enough and it takes on a life of its own. I have had bossy characters who insisted on having things their way, which I had not planned. I know to appreciate those times because sometimes it drags. And, of course, five star reviews are pretty awesome. ☺

In writing historical fiction, you must have done some research. What are your sources? Are there any particular historical “nuggets” you found while researching? And travel required?
I spent a lot of time in the Nashville Room at the main library. I loved finding books that were eyewitness accounts. I also contacted several of the local historians, who were very helpful. I discovered a thesis about daily life in Nashville in the 1850s at the Vanderbilt Library and that gave good insight to the city. My biggest problem was finding out about the law of the time and I finally found a legal historian. The research into the medical practice of that time was very interesting in that it held no resemblance to today’s medicine at all. It is so easy to deride their medical practices but I know in 150 years they will be feeling the same way about our time. I often wonder if our generation’s time will be known as The Chemical Age. And I have to say researching is tremendously easier with the internet! As far as travel, it was mostly limited to within the city – libraries, historical sites, presentations or to meet a historian. I’m sure there was some European connection to Nashville in the Civil War that I will have to go research!

Tell us a little about your main character.
Kate is…a bit flawed. Mostly she is just young and inexperienced and, like people of that age, thinks she has all the answers. She is a bit brash in her thoughts, which she at least has enough sense not to vocalize. She does grow a lot in the 1+ year this book covers. She is at the core a good person but stubborn when she has something in her head, and doesn’t always make good choices. I sometimes have inspiration for a character from a real person but Kate is just purely out of my head.

What do you hope readers will enjoy or take away from reading your book?
I hope first that they enjoy a good yarn and love the characters, but secondarily I would like for them to learn things they never knew before.

Please share a couple of favorite lines from your book.
This is like asking me to choose a favorite child but I will settle on one from the first page – “I went to church to practice hate and revenge.”

Where do you get your story ideas?
History guides my story. My characters have to operate within the confines of true history, however, their own stories can come from anywhere. I have incorporated some of my own experiences as well as others. Most of it just comes out of my head or my husband’s. He is my male muse since he has a great imagination and creative mind. I will get stuck at points and I will ask him how this character is going to get to this place or how I can make this happen and he usually has a good idea.

Is there anyone in particular who has influenced your writing career?
I am grateful to the teachers who encouraged me along the way. The author Susan Howatch influenced me with her intelligent and insightful Starbridge series of books, as well as Wheel of Fortune. I learned that no matter how much I think I know a situation, other people see the same thing quite differently. And most people do not even know themselves. She likens the personality to an onion, where the outer layer is the glittering image you present the world, then you start stripping off the layers until you get down to the very core, and your true self is usually not what you think it will be at all.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
It usually involves my hands in the dirt or on an animal but very soon it will involve my first grandchild. I will wash my hands first before handling him, afterwards with the other two.

What’s one thing about you that most people don’t know?
I was voted Most Mischievous in high school.

What’s next on your writing journey?
The sequel to the first book. Got some loose ends to tie up.

So, I’m curious have you ever (or how many times) dressed up as Belle from Beauty and the Beast?
I have now!11009853_444800109009429_4739684308411501706_n

Connect with Belle!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Doctors-Daughter-Journey-Justice/dp/0615690955

www.belleblackburn.com

https://www.facebook.com/belle.blackburn.3?fref=ts

I have a grown-up

darlenedeluca Home & Family, This and That , , , ,

holding EToday’s a funny day – a day of memories and a few mind-boggling gulps. Thirty-two years of marriage, and a kid twenty-four years old. Same day, eight years apart.

Of course it happens to everyone who has kids, that how-did-this-happen, where-did-the-time-go kind of awe mixed with sadness and maybe a little panic.
Wow. My daughter is 24, a double dozen years. The panic, of course, is what it means in terms of my years, not hers!

I think back on the first twelve years, and it’s astonishing how many things happened during that time – from learning to talk and walk to starting school right up to the brink of adolescence. And this last dozen – incredible changes like, um, growing up! Twelve years doesn’t really seem so long, but those years represent the angst of middle school, the drama of high school with its activities, achievements and learning to drive. Graduation. And then college. The years of figuring things out and exploring options. Another graduation. All of the years of college done and gone, already part of her past. Amazing.

Now she’s on her own, working, paying most of her own bills. 🙂 That part is quite exciting. So is the next chapter for her, which begins in a few short months when she’ll begin a PhD program that will set her on the path to becoming a scholar in the field of marine biology. Very cool stuff, so while I lament the passing of so many years, the wrinkles around my eyes and those few extra pounds, I look forward to what’s ahead . . . more birthdays, more milestones and more memories as time marches on!

Scuff marks and memories

darlenedeluca Home & Family , , , ,

dart posterizerdI’m thinking about painting the basement walls. In fact, I’m looking around at our basement, and thinking it needs some work. Not just paint, but patching, sanding, freshening, and new carpet.
The basement has seen some action over the years. Many a school project has been constructed downstairs. The cats reside there. But mostly . . . there have been boys. Boys have logged many hours down there. It’s the place where my son and his friends hung out on weekends – because it’s home to the big TV and Xbox, the Pac Man arcade game, and the ping-pong table.

As I assess the condition, memories bounce in. Birthday parties . . . Superbowl parties . . . video game marathons . . . sleepovers, movie nights, and more. There’s a visible patch on one wall where my husband tried to repair a gouge in the sheetrock. Yeah, that was the time the ping-pong paddle flew out of one of my son’s friend’s hands and smacked a hole in the wall.

On the other wall, there are a series of pockmarks, a whole group of tiny indentations that make the wall appear dimpled. Well, that’s where we hung the dartboard. No, we weren’t expecting every hit to leave its signature behind.

Going up the stairs, I can see that the door and casing are severely scratched. It took me a minute to figure that one out. It happened a while back. My daughter’s Odyssey of the Mind team built a “vehicle” down there – a contraption large enough that one of the team members would control it from inside. Guess what? Once done, we discovered it was slightly wider than our basement door! Luckily, it had some give, so with a little pushing, shoving and finagling, we got it out in one piece. But, again, it left its mark.

While it’s definitely time for some freshening up, it’s also kind of fun to look at the scuff marks and enjoy the memories. Like the laugh lines on an old person’s wrinkled face – those scuffs and scars represent good times. Times worth remembering that I sure wouldn’t trade for a polished and pristine showroom.

Enjoy the moments!

Darlene

Dream job . . . found in a high school library

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IMG_0802Hello, everyone! Happy Friday!

Today it’s my pleasure to introduce you to an amazing lady. She runs the library at my kids’ high school – a school with more than 2,000 students. I love libraries. I’ve been to many, and I can tell you, this librarian makes a difference. How? She encourages a love of books and learning by making the library a happy place! Nooks to check out, Cappuccino Fridays, Blind Date with a Book . . . she’s got it all! Please welcome Kathi Knop, librarian extraordinaire!

Tell us a little about your job. And yourself . . . what were the steps to becoming a school librarian? Was that always your intended career path?
I graduated from William Jewell College with a degree in Elementary Education and taught elementary school in the Hickman Mills School District for 10 years. During that time I got married and had 2 daughters. I stayed home for the next 15 years to raise Megan & Elizabeth. When Megan was an 8th grader, I decided it might be time for me to go back to work. After some soul searching thinking about what I really wanted to do I decided to get my master’s degree in Library Science, which was a wonderful decision. I spent four years going to Emporia, KS one weekend a month getting my degree. I don’t think I originally ever thought about being a librarian, but when I became one, I realized it was a dream job.

What’s your favorite part of being a school librarian?
I love the teaching part of being a school librarian. I love giving book talks and just being around and talking to the students.
And least favorite?
Because of our new 1:1 initiative, technology has become a large part of my job. The least favorite would be having to take time out to deal with computer problems, issuing new computers and chargers that have been lost or damaged, etc.
How many students do you interact with on a daily basis?
My days are always varied and I can interact with anywhere from 30-300 students.
How do you encourage kids to read?
I think just talking to kids about books encourages them. Every year I have the young adult librarians from Johnson County library come gives book talks to the freshmen classes about current books during Teen Read Week in October. I also do book talks to the freshmen at the beginning of the year. I have also book talked different genres, such as biographies and non fiction books. This always gets kids to read something that they might not have before. I display new books as they arrive and books that bring awareness to a specified month, such as Black History Month, etc. This month we have a display called “Blind Date with a Book.” The books are wrapped in brown paper with a few key words on the front telling a little bit about the book. The first day we did the display, 10 students checked them out. I also have 15 Nooks that the kids can check out and take home. They might want to read a particular book, but end up reading lots more because so many are available on the Nooks.

Are you seeing any trends in reading/literature at the high school level?
Dystopian novels are still pretty big. I have also been ordering more GLBT books and have seen an increase in these books being checked out. Fiction books are definitely the most books that get checked out. Nonfiction books rarely get checked out any more. Students would much prefer to find their information online, which I can’t argue with, as I too like to have the most up to date information when doing research!

Who are some of your favorite authors?
John Green, Rainbow Rowell, Pat Conroy, Jodi Picoult, Harper Lee

What are five books on your to-be-read list right now?
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, The Orenda by Joseph Boyden, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel and The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

How many books do you read in an average month?
I usually have three books going at once. I listen to a book in the car or when I walk, always have one on my ipad and one “real” book that I read on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Name some of your all-time favorite books.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, My Antonia, Jane Eyre, Prince of Tides, The Woman in White, The Tortilla Curtain.

Is there one book you think every high school student (or every person) should read?
It would have be To Kill a Mockingbird. I think it is a timeless piece that has something in it to appeal to everyone. It is a moving novel that has life lessons.

You’ll be retiring at the end of this school year. What will you miss the most?
Most definitely the daily interaction with my colleagues and the students. The students give energy to every day! I will definitely NOT miss getting up at 5:15 every day.

Tell us a favorite memory/story of being a school librarian.
Wow. There are so many, it’s hard to choose one. Probably my best memory is having started cappuccino days in the high school library. When I first started at East, it was apparent that we needed to find ways to bring kids into the library. We started Cappuccino Fridays and sold cold cappuccinos and cookies. So many kids started coming in saying “So this is the library!” We would have about 3 classes in the library about every 15 minutes and make between $1,000 and $1500 each month. This also was very timely since our budget was taken away and we were still able to purchase new books for the library. Once a year we gave all our proceeds to an organization such as Habitat for Humanity, Heart to Heart International, the Red Cross, etc. This was definitely a rewarding, fun thing to start in our library. And of course there was getting to accompany a group of students to Italy and opening a brand new beautiful library at Mission Valley Middle School!

Everyone who knows you knows that you’re one of the coolest school librarians ever: How would you like to be remembered?
Ha!! I think just as a person who really enjoyed students and provided a comfortable environment for them to come to, whether it was to find a book, to study, or just to hang out and eat lunch.

When you aren’t working/reading, how do you spend your time? Any hobbies?
In the spring and summer it’s definitely gardening and working out in my yard!

What’s next on your journey?
I’m just going to give myself a semester to see what happens. I will definitely be gardening and also volunteering. I want to volunteer at the Childrens Center for Visually Impaired and also Children’s Mercy Hospital.

One of Kathi’s favorite quotes:
“[Librarians] are subversive. You think they’re just sitting there at the desk, all quiet and everything. They’re like plotting the revolution, man. I wouldn’t mess with them.”
― Michael Moore

I love this quote because to me it says that we’re always thinking up new ideas, events, and the next new thing!

Celebrate all the love!

darlenedeluca Uncategorized , , ,

love_cookieThis Valentine’s Day, let’s celebrate love! I know, right now you’re thinking, well, duh. That’s what Valentine’s Day is all about. But it seems to me that more and more the holiday is touted as a romantic day, a special time to get away with your sweetie, spouse, significant other. It certainly is that, and I enjoy my chocolates, flowers and special dinner. It’s more than that, though.

I enjoy lots of aspects of Valentine’s Day – including the non-romantic ones. I often send cards to friends. This year, since neither kid is home, I mailed them both Valentine packages full of goodies. This is a first – included in my son’s package is a little gift for his girlfriend. 🙂 Yesterday, I left cookies for a favorite waitress at a restaurant we frequent. I used to sit the kids down with construction paper, doilies, markers and stickers and have them make valentines for grandparents and neighbors. I remember the excitement of picking out valentines for classmates, and making special “boxes” to collect the valentines in year after year with my kids. For several years, I hid little cut-out hearts around the house and sent the kids on a heart hunt. I know lots of kids had Valentine parties at school yesterday. I’ve seen adorable pictures on Facebook of girls in big pink hair bows, red sweaters, and red and black leggings with hearts all over them. Lots of fun stuff!

Often at this time of year I see posts from people lamenting Valentine’s Day, especially if they don’t have the aforementioned sweetie, spouse or significant other. If that’s the case, I hope there’s an opportunity to celebrate all the other love in your life. Spend the evening with a parent, a sister, or friend, and share a bottle of wine. Send cards to family, neighbors and friends. Not all love is romantic love, but it’s all worth celebrating. Earlier this week, I had lunch with a friend who’s never been married, has no children, and has lost her parents. That may not sound like it has the makings of a stellar Valentine’s Day. But this gal has a huge heart, and lots of friends. She’s loved by many, and that’s something to celebrate! You don’t need a “love life” to celebrate the love in your life.

Cheers to all the love in your life!