#Amwriting: Author filter systems are Wide Open by Rolynn Anderson

Whales, humpbacks, for example, are filter feeders.  An easy, efficient process if you think about it: open the mouth wide, swim, and snack.  Recognize the posture?  Once we’re into writing a new story, our author filter systems (our brains) glean relevant facts we can use for our characters, plots, and settings.  We pick up details from eavesdropping in Starbucks; snatch a piece of information out of the New York Times; during conversations with our friends or family, we jump onto tidbits of dialogue we could use in our books.  I present one sample…my new ‘Drone Filter.’

Drones.  FIRE IS NICE, the book I’m madly editing presently, has plot turns dependent on drones.  Of course I’ve done the research on drones (you can snap up one for $400, but the big ones used by the police run about 25 grand)  With my feeding filters open, lazily swimming through my days, I’ve been gathering factoids on drones, some

astonishing:

1.  The National Parks don’t allow them (usually) because they interfere with the park experience and upend our rights of privacy as citizens.  Drones are legal to use when ‘watching’ non-citizens, but since U.S. folk mix in visitors from other countries, drones have been a no-no in the Parks.

2.  Drones are now used by lifeguards to locate swimmers in trouble and throw life saving equipment to them.  Saw that in the New York Times.

3.  Homeland Security has a stable of drones they can’t use (a legal issue).  I have my character in FIRE IS NICE, borrow them.  Convenient, huh?

4.  My husband is on the board of our 50-home community council.  In rewriting the covenants, whether or not to allow drones in the neighborhood, has become an issue.  Do you want drones flying over your house?

5.  Drones are flying.  All over the place, I guess.  Not to be paranoid.  But.  They fly 15,000-60,000 feet above us and take pictures, constantly.  Where, we aren't sure.

6.  Worse?  Drones are being used by Mexican cartels to kill people: https://www.rmus.com/products/rmus-heavy-duty-police-drone?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=27915714241&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6LPv2NP42AIVzol-Ch3m9g-BEAQYAiABEgI1pfD_BwE

I reiterate, authors are filter feeders when it comes to enriching our stories.  What are you learning a lot about lately because it’s important to your manuscript?

 

One focus when I wrote BAD LIES was caves on the Amalfi coast.  Want to fly with me to Italy and see some caves?  You can pretend you’ve got a chance to win a golf tournament helped by the caddy of your dreams.  Here’s BAD LIES http://a.co/0DuYNPn:

Italy’s haunted caves spell danger for an American golfer and a NATO geologist

***

Sophie Maxwell is a late-blooming, unorthodox golfer, and mother of a precocious thirteen year-old. Determined to put divorce, bankruptcy, and a penchant for gambling in her past, Sophie goes to Italy for a qualifying golf tournament.

Jack Walker turned his back on a pro golfing career to become a geologist. As a favor to his ailing father he’ll caddy for Sophie; off hours, he’ll find caves on the Mediterranean coast, suitable for NATO listening posts for terrorist activity.

Someone is determined to stop Jack’s underground hunt and ruin Sophie’s chances to win her tournament.

On a Rome golf course and in the Amalfi coast’s haunted caves, all the odds are stacked against Sophie and Jack.  In their gamble of a lifetime, who wins?

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LOST IN AMERICA: ALASKA by Rolynn Anderson

 Rebel Without a Cause AND Lost in America. These are our August movie prompts.  Since I'm cruising in Southeast Alaska when this blog entry goes live, I chose to write about how good it feels to get lost in this American state.  Think about it: Glacier Bay alone, is bigger than Connecticut.  Alaskans call Texas a cute little state.  This place is BIG and you can easily get lost here.  My husband and I can cruise for days and never see another boat.  We'll put down anchor in a huge cove and no one else will join us.  Passages miles across and miles long...and we're the only trawler taking that route.  A little scary?  Yes.  But neat, as well.  When we anchored below Reid Glacier, all by ourselves, a giant grizzly ambled along the beach, unaffected by our presence.  In Fingers Bay, a moose cow strolled all the way around the cove.  She, not we, owned the beach.  In three years, the population of sea otters has risen from 1000 to 9000 and the humpbacks and crested puffins are everywhere.  Truth is, you want to get lost in the big, beautiful state of Alaska.  We're so glad to be here!

Sidenote:  LIE CATCHERS, my latest novel, set in Petersburg, is being found in America J  Here are the Amazon and Wild Rose Press buy sites:

http://amzn.com/B00HJDS1LG

http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=235_236&products_id=5607