DONALD WILLERTON
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Donald Willerton
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Several Things

9/29/2019

5 Comments

 
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​I’ve been involved in several things lately.
 
  1. I’ve gotten closer to clarifying my “why” of the new novel. Using World War II as the background is making it difficult – there are so many things that happen to people involved in war that the war is overshadowing any single point that I have to make.
  2. I’ve given the manuscript to my first reader. Within the first four pages, I’m being cited for lack of authenticity in one of my major plot points. To me, it’s minor fiction; to him, it’s a lack of credibility.
  3. I leave for Europe in a week, so I’m rereading guidebooks on London and on Normandy, plus some of the history books on World War II. I made the plane and hotel reservations last March, when it was cheap. Now is a good time to go, except that there are storms in the North Atlantic that are affecting flight schedules; there’s a Category 4 hurricane that’s pointed up the center of the Atlantic, which will affect weather in England; there are possible strikes in both London and France, which affects services; I hear that Paris is more congested than usual, which affects me getting from one train station to another by taxi; my initial flight from Albuquerque to Los Angeles (on the way to Salt Lake City, where I board my international flight) was changed and I’ve only got 41 minutes from the time the first plane lands on the runway to when the second one takes off, so I’m nervous about that; I bought a legal-sized carry-on to take on the trip and it looks like I’ll have only one set of clothes for the whole trip: I’ll have to wear them in the shower if I want to wash them and hope that my hotel rooms have irons. Or a hair dryer. And don’t forget the converter – England’s electric plugs are 240v.
  4. I’m wondering how my experience in Normandy will integrate into my story. In addition to more authentic descriptions of the landscape, people, and events during war, I’ve left some hooks for emotional episodes that will add meat to the characters and intrigue to the plot. I also have a list of about thirty technical questions that are specific to the story; hopefully, the museums can help out.
  5. One of my objectives with the story is to honor my father and other veterans who participated in the war in Europe. How to do it meaningfully, I have yet to decide.
  6. Two of my Mogi Franklin Mystery books have been selected as finalists in the Juvenile book category of the New Mexico/Arizona Book Contest, so that’s good. They’ll announce the category winners in November.
  7. I attended my 50th High School Reunion last weekend. For placemats on the dining tables, they reprinted the 1969 panoramic picture of the high school class – 300+ students. It was a good reunion and I enjoyed it, but I stared at the faces on the placemat until it occurred to me that wouldn’t it be a good mystery if someone sent the police a placemat that had all the deceased members x-ed out, plus five more who are still alive. Then the five start showing up murdered. No wonder I didn’t have many friends in high school.
  8. I attended an Apple Festival at Los Luceros in the Rio Grande Valley on Saturday. The location is where the Spanish Conquistador Juan Onate established his permanent camp in 1598. That’s more than 400 years ago. The highlight of the festival is touring the ancient hacienda on the property. It’s beginnings only go back three hundred years. It’s had several owners, including Mary Cabot Wheelwright in 1923, a wealthy east coast woman and major Southwest anthropologist who eventually was responsible for giving the city of Santa Fe the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. I’ve wanted to visit for a long time and I was not disappointed.
  9. I bought a Verizon plan to make my phone international. It charges me $10 a day for any day on which the phone makes or receives a phone call or text, but then you can phone or text all you want on that day. I had hoped to not use my phone much, but I’ve really gotten used to it.
 
Regardless of all that is going on, I will try to relax and have fun, plus take a lot of pictures.

5 Comments
DBuffington
9/29/2019 01:45:26 pm

Congratulations on the finalist in juvenile book nomination. Glad you are taking a small carryon for your flight so you won’t worry about lost luggage. Hopefully Lorenzo will have dissipated before you leave. Glad you enjoyed the reunion. Sorry I couldn’t make it. But Lucille Smithsonian Coggins contacted me and we are Facebook friends now which is pretty cool. Wishing you travel safety and a wonderful trip.

Reply
Randy
9/30/2019 10:54:43 pm

Very cool Do. I just watched a Mysteries of the Abandonded about the Normandy.invasion. Apparently this guy discovered a nazi stronghold that could shell any of the DDay landing beaches. It was the biggest nazi base on the French coast.
Miles of tunnels, massive guns, and 100s of troops. The theory is the nazis left to reinforce another front so it didn’t play a big factor on D Day.

Anyway I hope your trip is a blast but not from any undiscovered land mines.

Reply
Bill Willmon
10/24/2019 02:00:33 am

Mary and I have very much enjoyed Mont St Michel and have visited several times.
Once, we went and spent the night there to see the highest tide of the year. We learned that from low to high tide the water level rises 48 ft . At low tide the waterline is 12 miles out from the waterline at high tide.

Reply
Donald Willerton link
10/24/2019 12:28:58 pm


That's fascinating! I wouldn't have guessed that the tide was so severe. I watched people who were a mile or so out in the flats when I was up on the Abbey porch. I also thought that I saw the ocean in the distance but it was a way out there. No wonder they make such a big deal about knowing the tides if you're going to wander in the mud.

Reply
Bill Willmon
10/25/2019 12:10:26 am

They say that the tide comes in faster than a horse can run. It would be a bad idea to get caught out on the mud flats There are two very old English cannons just inside the gate. An English general took them out on the sand to bombard Mont St Michel. The tide came in and he had to abandon them. The citizens went out the next morning and hauled them inside.




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    Don Willerton has been a reader all his life and yearns to write words like the authors he has read.  He's working hard at it and invites others to share their experiences.

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  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Overview
    • Novels >
      • Teddy's War
      • Smoke Dreams
      • The King of Trash
    • Mogi Franklin Mysteries >
      • 1. Ghosts of the San Juan
      • 2. The Lost Children
      • 3. The Secret of La Rosa
      • 4. The Hidden River
      • 5. The Lake of Fire
      • 6. Outlaw
      • 7. The Lady in White
      • 8. The Captains Chest
      • 9. River of Gold
      • 10. War Train
  • Press
  • Blog
  • Photo Blog
    • War Train
    • Teddy's War
    • Smoke Dreams
    • Ghosts of San Juan
    • The Lost Children
    • The Secret of La Rosa
    • The Hidden River
    • The Lake of Fire
    • Outlaw
    • The Lady in White
    • The Captain's Chest
    • River of Gold
  • Contact