Vintage Inspirations

http://dividingmoments.blogspot.com/2013/11/vintage-journey-giveaway-new-look.html?m=1

Over at Dividing Vintage Moments is a giveaway to commemorate her new blog design. The way to participate is to mention the giveaway in a blog entry and list what items that inspire our vintage journey. I do love vintage, though I am wary about wearing it because I am clumsy and tend to tear things and stain them. Anyway, here are my ten items:

1. The first item is not exactly mine. It is a circa 1932 blue beaded necklace and it belonged to my grandmother. it was a Christmas gift from her father; he died the following year so it was special to her. I have worn it before and it has inspired me.

2. I love what they use to call peddle pushers/clam diggers. I loved it back when I was a teeny-bopper, which was long before I appreciated vintage.

3. Saddle-oxfords. I had a pair that I squeezed my feet into, but they were really too small and gave them away.

4. Coral lipstick. Just love, love, love coral.

5. A great set of stream curlers. They can create the most luscious, bouncy curls. Nothing else can hold a candle.

6. An eyebrow pencil. A little dot on the cheek pays excellent homage to Marilyn Monroe.

7. A black fedora. It is an ode to Judy Garland singing "Get Happy," in "Summer Stock."

8. Black Mary Jane's screams Roaring 20's!

9. Brown eye shadow. It lets blue eyes pop.

10. A pea coat. It is sleek and nice and warm.


All for now!

Teen star appeals for more Holocaust movies

http://www.starpulse.com/news/Dave_Simpson/2013/11/11/teen_star_appeals_for_more_holocaust_m

Child star Sophie Nelisse has urged Hollywood's studio bosses to keep making films about the Holocaust, because she is part of a generation who aren't taught about the horrors of the second world war.

The 13 year old admits she knew nothing about the Nazi atrocities before she started researching her role in The Book Thief, in which her character befriends a Jewish man hiding from German troops, and she thinks youngsters should be aware of what happened.

Speaking at a recent screening of the film in Los Angeles, Nelisse said, "We don't learn about the Holocaust in my school, so when I did the movie I had to do a lot of research.

"Kids my age - our generation - don't know enough about what happened. Some people think it's annoying that we keep on making these (Holocaust) movies, but I don't think so because all of the (concentration) camp survivors are gonna die at some point... and I just hope that in 100 years, people remember what happened, first of all to not let it happen again and sort of for a way to remember the people that died and to remember the people that fought for them (sic). I just think it's really important that we keep on making these movies."

Her thoughts were echoed by her co-star Emily Watson, who recently told WENN, "We filmed in Berlin, which is a city that is very, very honest and it wears it's history on it's sleeve, and it's very brutal with itself what has happened there. It was pretty relentless because you're filming all day and then you'd go off on a sightseeing tour and everywhere you go there is an exhibit about what happened. It's gutting.

"But it's fascinating to me that Sophie has friends who don't know about the Holocaust. You sit in a room with seasoned hacks (journalists) and they've all seen Schindler's List and The Pianist and The Reader and they ask, 'Do we need another Holocaust movie?'

"Yeah, we b**ody well do. (Co-star) Geoffrey (Rush) was talking about a survey that was carried out in the United States, where teenagers were asked, 'Was Adolf Hitler a dictator or was he a football coach?' Most of them thought he was a football coach! So it's a story you have to keep telling."

Prayer Request

I would like to ask that whoever reads this, if they would mind praying for my family. My cousin Mark recently passed away; technically he was my Dad’s cousin, but he was mine too. He served God and man as a Capuchin friar and counseled the lost souls of this world. He wasn’t of the best of health but his sudden death came as a shock. He was visiting a fellow friar who was in the hospital and collapsed in the elevator. It was a massive heart attack. Mark is actually the third male cousin to die this way in the last year and a half. My Dad went first in April 2012, our cousin Harold was the second, and now Mark.

Mark leaves behind four sisters and a mother (my Grandmother’s little sister) who is in her late eighties. Naturally they are all distraught. I know we all need prayer, but it is his sisters and mother that need it the most. His father passed away earlier this year so this just compounds them with extra grief.

Mark was a wonderful man. While he was devout, he had a hilarious sense of humor and was especially close to his family.

Thank you in advance.

For more information about the Capuchin order and Mark’s ministry, please click on the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Friars_Minor_Capuchin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Bonaventure_Monastery

http://www.capuchinfranciscans.org/tag/st-bonaventure-monastery/

An Afternoon at the CANDLES Museum

(A little side note: I wrote an entry about the C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Museum back in April when Gov. Mike Pence honored Eva Mozes-Kor and Chaim Weizmann with the Sagamore of the Wabash Award. You can read about it by clicking here.)

On Friday, October 4, my sister, mother and I visited the C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Museum. It was a visit long overdue, especially for me since I am interested in and writing about the Holocaust. We went a long time ago, before the fire, when they had the old building. A couple of members at the Messianic Synagogue we are attending had introduced us to one of the men who lectures at the Museum. 

His name is Walter Sommers. He is a ninety-three year old Jewish survivor of the Nazis and a WWII veteran. He was born in turbulent post-war Germany and witnessed the rise of National Socialism. Thanks to a warning from a German friend and with the help of a cousin, Walter and his family managed to escape in January 1939 and immigrated to America. He fought in the Pacific Theater during WWII and has spent the rest of his seventy years living in Indiana.

Walter is a small man, no more than 5”5; he is a snappy dresser and relies on a cane to get around. His mind is sharp and for over two hours he talked not only about his life, but the Holocaust, the Nazis, the history of anti-Semitism and he also touched on a few current issues that our country is facing. I had the privilege of asking him a few questions that pertained to my YA WIP and one that was out of sheer curiosity.

Walter said, “Over time, we as human beings have become more tolerant, merciful and loving. Compared to the Middle Ages or even a couple hundred years ago, we are far kinder.”

 “Do you feel that we human beings are better now than we were back in WWII?” I asked.

There was a pause and he cracked a smile. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far.”

Our visit soon came to a close. We took some pictures with Walter and purchased souvenir necklaces from the gift shop. Mine reads: Tikkun Olam. It means “Repair the World.”

I don’t know if the world can ever really be repaired, but I think Walter Sommers and Eva Mozes-Kor have made a good start.

The rest of the photographs taken are up on facebook.com, but here are a few for you to enjoy.

For a little background information: Eva Mozes-Kor started the C.A.N.D.L.E.S.Museum, not only to educate about the Holocaust, but to bring awareness to the overlooked fact that twins were selected by the infamous Dr. Mengele for experimentation. Eva and her twin Miriam were survivors of the experimentations,  Auschwitz and the holocaust. She has made it her life’s mission to not only share her story, but emphasize on the fact that she publicly and personally forgave Mengele and the Nazis. 

Nothing New Under the Sun

The title alone sums up this entry. 

My computer’s hard drive crashed not long after my last entry, so I haven’t had much time for writing or blogging. Still plugging away on my YA WIP. Needs some fleshing out, but I guess it’s going well. Am trying to come up with a writing project for next year. Naturally I want to dive straight into my YA’s sequel, and I probably will. However, I want to get going on something completely different that way I have a back-up plan in case my YA falls through. I guess I’ll come up with something eventually, likely at the last minute. That’s usually how I roll.

Trying to lose weight yet again. Hopefully this time it works out. We have one of those Bow-flex tread-climbers. In one week’s time I’ve lost two pounds. Whoop-dee-do. The trick is keeping those two pounds off and shedding more weight. I pooped out of last night’s workout, so I pray that tonight turns out better.

The government has closed down. What can I say? I think 90% of the goofballs in office need to be voted out. I hope that they quit messing around and get their act together while the government is on hiatus, but I doubt it. Likely they’ll just make the situation worse. It’s what they do best.

All for now!

“The Plum Tree,” by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Author:

Ellen Marie Wiseman discovered her love of reading and writing while attending first grade in one of the last one-room schoolhouses in NYS. Her debut novel The Plum Tree - a WWII story about a young German woman trying to save the love of her life, a Jewish man - was released by Kensington in January 2013. Ellen lives peacefully on the shores of Lake Ontario with her husband and three dogs, where she loves to cook, watch movies, garden, and spend time with her granddaughters. She would love to have you join her on Facebook, www.facebook.com/EllenMarieWisemanAuthor, Twitter, @EllenMarieWise and on her web site: www.ellenmariewiseman.com

Book Description:

A deeply moving and masterfully written story of human resilience and enduring love, The Plum Tree follows a young German woman through the chaos of World War II and its aftermath.
"Bloom where you're planted," is the advice Christine Bolz receives from her beloved Oma. But seventeen-year-old domestic Christine knows there is a whole world waiting beyond her small German village. It's a world she's begun to glimpse through music, books--and through Isaac Bauerman, the cultured son of the wealthy Jewish family she works for. 
Yet the future she and Isaac dream of sharing faces greater challenges than their difference in stations. In the fall of 1938, Germany is changing rapidly under Hitler's regime. Anti-Jewish posters are everywhere, dissenting talk is silenced, and a new law forbids Christine from returning to her job--and from having any relationship with Isaac. In the months and years that follow, Christine will confront the Gestapo's wrath and the horrors of Dachau, desperate to be with the man she loves, to survive--and finally, to speak out. 
Set against the backdrop of the German homefront, this is an unforgettable novel of courage and resolve, of the inhumanity of war, and the heartbreak and hope left in its wake. 

My Thoughts:

From the moment I heard of this book, I was determined to read it. Rarely do I buy books anymore; usually I wait for them to show up at the library. For whatever reason, my library did not buy a copy so I went out and bought “The Plum Tree.” Anymore, it is a rare thing for a novel and its author to be so accurate in her research during that dark period in history. I’ve read my share of fiction set in the Holocaust and WWII and it is generally the lack of understanding of that period that drives me crazy and makes me throw the book down in disgust. Well, WWII enthusiasts and Holocaust experts, you need not fear “The Plum Tree.” Not only is this book entertaining, the author knows what she is writing about. Aside from all of that, I found it refreshing that it was the heroine, Christine, who was the strong one in the relationship. I don’t mean to imply that Isaac was weak, but he was placed in a difficult position and was stripped of his power. Without giving away the plot, be rest assured that Christine is not one to give up in the face of adversity. 

The One Without a Title

August has slipped by me and this blog has been neglected. Even now I can’t think of much to write about.

WIP #2 has been revised and revamped, with no avail. It is a little sad because I love it and the characters. Have only had one request for the full manuscript and another request for the first five pages. Both ended in rejections. None of the agents want to touch it. In hindsight, I had much better luck with WIP #1. But I’m not devastated. My latest project has me distracted and is my consolation. I actually sent off a query for it, just as a test to see what response it would receive. It was a rejection, of course, but the agent encouraged me to send it to her associate at that agency. It needs quite a bit of polishing, but at least she didn’t say it had “potential.” I’ve heard that phrase so many times that I loathe it now. May that word be forever banished from my vocabulary. (Just kidding.)

Newest developments around here? My family and I have upgraded to mobile phones and we have become addicted to them. Between the phones, DVR and our own computers, we have entered into the 21^st century.

All for now!