“Don’t Get Dead” – Pages

Stay tuned to this blog for the first few pages of my new novel, “Don’t Get Dead.”

Peace

Outdoor Survival – The Rule of 3’s

If you are ever lost or caught out in the wild–remember the “Rule of 3’s:” You can survive 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, 3 hours without adequate shelter (in inclement weather), 3 minutes without air.

Let me know what you think is the most important thing to have in a survival situation?   

Read more about it in my new novel, ”Don’t Get Dead.”

Peace

“Don’t Get Dead”

So what makes me qualified to write this book? I was an active member of a search and rescue team for more than 10 years. I participated in hundreds of search/rescue missions and trainings, and am certified by the State of California in “man tracking.”

I’ve published several magazine articles, and have written several screenplays. This is my first novel.

That’s it for today. Stay tuned for more info on Don’t Get Dead, women in a man’s world, writing in general, and Search and Rescue.

Thanks to all! 

Peace

Don’t Get Dead – Thriller vs. Mystery

Why have I labeled “Don’t Get Dead” a thriller, and what’s the difference between a thriller and a mystery anyway?

There seems to be quite a bit of confusion about what a thriller is, even among experts.

The most concise definition I’ve heard so far was from a speaker at a writers’ conference I attended in November. Mysteries are more cerebral with a puzzle (usually a murder) to solve; thrillers are more action-oriented.

Donald Maass in his great book, “Writing the Breakout Novel,” says that the plot events in thrillers have to accomplish 2 things: they need to be utterly believable and utterly incredible. High stakes are required whether they’re personal or global.

“Writers Market FAQ” by Peter Rubie explains that in Thrillers (and Suspence novels), the protagonist is constantly in danger.

In Don’t Get Dead, my protagonist, Gracie Kinkaid, faces obstacles on three fronts: two are physical: the elements (she gets stranded in a blizzard high in the mountains and must keep Will Christian alive with very limited resources) and an unknown killer stalking her and Will for unknown reasons. The third is emotional/psychological–she must battle her own self-doubts. The stakes are constantly raised, then raised again throughout until the final confrontation.

Hope this clarifies a little bit.

And thanks for letting me “share. ”

Peace

My new book, Don’t Get Dead

Hi there!

Just how far would you go to save the life of someone you don’t know?

I’ve just finished my new book, Don’t Get Dead, a thriller about Search and Rescue expert, Gracie Kinkaid. who is caught in a sudden snowstorm in the mountains of Southern California. She has to fight to keep not only herself alive,  but also injured British movie star, Rob Christian. Her teammate has disappeared with the only radio, their food is running out, and the only thing between them and the storm is a makeshift shelter Gracie has built with a sheet of plastic. If that’s not bad enough, Gracie discovers the frozen body of one of Rob’s hiking partner, Tristan Chambers.  She realizes that not only has Tristan been murdered, but the killer is out there in the wild stalking Rob and Gracie.

Peace

“Don’t Get Dead” – Issues, issues, issues

My new book “Don’t Get Dead” addresses and deals with a number of subjects and social issues: search and rescue, women in a man’s world, outdoor gear, etc., the environment, self-esteem, etc. For those of you not interested in women’s issues or women in a man’s world or the environment (gasp!) or wilderness survival (which I hope to blog about soon), I hope to separate this blog into separate categories. As yet I’m not sophisticated enough in the blogging world to do that. Hopefully within the next week or so. In the meantime, please be patient with this rookie blogger.

Thanks!

Peace

“Don’t Get Dead” – Women in a Man’s World

As I said in the previous blog, my mother was my first role model for women in a man’s world.

She was president of her local chapter of the League of Women Voters (still an incredibly important organization). She was a city commissioner in the early sixties–the first woman in city history. She was also the only woman on the County Board of Supervisors along with 87 men.

Those were the days of the Jackie Kennedy pillbox hats and matching shoes and purses, when women always wore dresses. We dressed up to fly on airplanes and wore only dresses and skirts to school.

I can remember my mother going off to a meeting wearing a pink suit, a little pink hat with a veil, matching shoes and purse, matching pink earrings and necklace.

She used to complain because at her County Board of Supervisors’ meetings all the men smoked cigars. After every meeting she would have to have her suit dry-cleaned. 

She also told me about how the men’s wives often shunned her because they were afraid she was going to steal them away. I know she enjoyed men’s company, but sleeping with other men couldn’t have been farther from her mind. She enjoyed the politics, the excitement and brainpower.

Mom was strong and outspoken, which some people found irritating. But that never seemed to bother her. She always, always was up for a battle, fighting for what she thought was right and honorable. 

One of my favorite stories: Mom was only 5′3″ tall. One day she was stopped by a passerby on the sidewalk of downtown Grand Rapids. “Are you Mrs. —-?” the man asked. “Yes,” said my mother with some trepidation. “But you’re so little!” the man said. Little in stature. Great in spirit.

Unfortunately it was still the early sixties. My recollection is that she wanted to run for mayor (and probably would have won), but my father, accomplished in his own right, didn’t want to be the mayor’s husband. Sigh.

How many other women throughout history have missed living up to their full potential or been held back by the men in their lives or by the standards of the times?

All you women out there who are reading this and need a little nudge (or a boot in the butt), think about it.

Peace

Happy New Year!

At the risk of sounding like the beauty contestants in “Miss Congeniality?”:

Imagine world peace.

(Do it anyway.)

Happy Holidays!

If you’re a writer, published or not, keep writing! If you’re a human being–live your life to the fullest!!

Happy Holidays!!

Peace

Who is M.L. Rowland anyway?

So who the hell is M.L. Rowland anyway?

I grew up in a very convervative town in Michigan, but have been a gypsy since my early 20’s. I’ve lived in Hawaii, New York City, St. Petersburg, Florida, Kansas City and Columbia (area), Missouri, and California. I now live in the middle of the Colorado mountains on a whitewater river with my husband and chocolate lab. I’ve traveled to Mexico, Canada, Alaska, Europe, New Zealand, summered in American Samoa in the south Pacific and gone on a camping safari in Kenya.

My parents, now both deceased, were one-of-a-kind and hard acts to follow. My father, in chronological order, was a flight surgeon/paratrooper in China/India/Burma and New Guinea WWII, a neurosurgeon in Michigan, a world-class marine zoologist traveling frequently to the South Pacific, and a medical/missionary to third-world countries including Haiti, Ethiopia, and the Khmer Rouge refugee camps on the border of Thailand/Cambodia. From him I learned a sensitivity and love for the natural world and a sense of adventure (within reason).

My mother was the first woman city commissioner the city in which I grew up, a woman’s libber in the early sixties–way before her time. I gained from her a strong sense of justice. She was my first role model of a woman in a man’s world.

From them both I learned compassion for humankind and a need to serve others. Like I said–hard acts to follow.

Peace