A glass of wine and life

Posted on January 14, 2013 by ginachoward

wine_cover_8skl“If only people wore labels,
their foreheads clearly displaying
their appellation, their varietal,
their alcohol content,
think of the time it would save.
We could cut out the small talk, …”

So Joseph Mills begins his poem, “Introductions Made Easy” from his 2008 book Angels, Thieves and Winemakers. At a recent Charlotte Writers’ Club meeting, the UNC School of the Arts faculty member was thoroughly entertaining, as he described the process by which he wrote his highly personal poetry. Each of his slim, themed volumes contain both irreverent and poignant reflections on family and living.  In Angels, Thieves and Winemakers, my particular favorite, he speaks from his decades of experience, using wine and winemaking as metaphors for life. If you haven’t read Joe’s poetry, don’t miss it. I kept reading “just one more,” finishing the book in one sitting. I gave it away and will be getting another.

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Aerospace companies are “Carolina Dreaming”

Posted on January 7, 2013 by ginachoward

Aerospace ManufacturingAerospace Manufacturing magazine recently asked me to write about the Charlotte region’s aerospace industry. Scattered throughout Charlotte USA, more than 130 aerospace suppliers employ nearly 20,000 workers in avionics, composites, metals, engine systems, interior products and control systems, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities. That’s just about everything needed to build and maintain an entire commercial aircraft. Read the article here.

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An American terrorist

Posted on January 7, 2013 by ginachoward

Daniel Andreas San DiegoThe man in the picture is Daniel Andreas San Diego. He could be the guy next door or your friend’s college roommate. In fact, he’s on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for his “alleged involvement in bombing two biotech facilities.” The agency classifies him as an American terrorist.

Terrorism in the U.S. has many faces and their causes are just as diverse. According to the Global Terrorism Database, Al-Qa`ida, the Animal Liberation Front, Black Panthers, Ku Klux Klan, Symbionese Liberation Army, Weathermen and too many more groups to name have conducted nearly 2,000 terrorism incidents in the U.S. from 1970 through 2011. They’ve targeted businesses, educational institutions, the police, military, government and everyday citizens. Regardless of the organization to which they belong or their own unique world view, they are the most extreme of the extremists. People who resort to violence, intimidation or coercion to try to accomplish their political, social, religious or economic goals.

Hatred and radical ideologies are not terrorism. Even reprehensible speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment. But when someone moves from speech to violence or, as the FBI puts it, when Americans attack Americans based on U.S.-based extremist ideologies, he or she becomes a terrorist.

The fictional protagonist in my new novel has crossed that line. As I explore what shaped his views and follow his journey to becoming an American terrorist, I’ll share it with you.

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The ring

Posted on January 2, 2013 by ginachoward

With love for Mark on his birthday.

ringThe small silver ring on my left baby finger is a mute reproach to my one regret in life. The enamel heart is slightly chipped and the scrolls are tarnished.

The ring once shone inside a gold plastic ball, my son’s Christmas gift to me. Too small for my ring finger and too big for my pinkie, when the last carol faded, the heart-ring had ended up in a box on my dresser.

I remembered it once a year. Each ornament on our tree has a history, and when we came to the gold plastic ball, Mark would half-joke about the ring I didn’t wear. He once said that as he chose each gift, he imagined his loved-ones’ happy faces when they opened them. Yet their faces were never as bright as he hoped. The tarnished ring fell into that gift-giving category.

The clean scent of pines remind me of those Christmases, and I began wearing the ring about a year and a half after my son died. A gift given with love always fits.

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New Year’s Resolution: Write!

Posted on January 2, 2013 by ginachoward

I hate to admit it, but I need a deadline. When an article, a critique, a novella or a contest entry is due, I’m on it. I complete it, edit it and re-edit it. I read it out loud and triple check punctuation and spelling well before the deadline. Often, I even submit it in advance. But without a deadline, well, every line on my to-do list is crossed out save one: Write!

So, this website is my New Year’s resolution:

  1. I will research my next book, write a piece of fiction, begin creating new characters – do something worth writing about.
  2. I will immerse myself in words for hours on end.
  3. I will post every Monday.

If this is what it takes to turn a guilty pleasure into a black line on my to-do list, so be it.

I hope that you will enjoy following my literary journey as much as I will enjoy making it. I have a concept for my next book, which I will share later. As I conduct my background research, I’ll post my discoveries. As my characters begin to take shape, you’ll get to know them. And as I begin the story, I’ll post snippets. In the meantime, I’ll also include links to some of the magazine articles I write or have written.

Let’s get started!

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