But What Are They Eating?: FOODFIC: Please Welcome Eileen Schuh, Author of Pr...

But What Are They Eating?: FOODFIC: Please Welcome Eileen Schuh, Author of Pr...: Nothing makes a stronger romantic impression, perhaps, than offering up a home-cooked meal. But that cooking has to be taken up a notch to w...

Schizophrenic writer tells crazy story

Despite what my headline infers, author Kenna Mckinnon has not let mental illness define her. As a child and teen she led a 'normal' life and had ambitious dreams. However, life abruptly changed when as a young adult she developed schizophrenia.  She remembers the day her doctor told her she must accept that she would never have the life of which she was dreaming, that she must accept the limitations of her disease. Of course, she didn't.

As a female entrepreneur with a very successful business and as a mother, a writer, an author of many published books, she's led a life of successes that far exceeds most.  Not all her books are about mental health, but she has done much writing to promote understanding of her disease.

I look forward to reading her new release, Batshit Crazy on Murder Island to not only be entertained but to learn more about schizophrenia...and the people who have it.

Tell us about your new release, Kenna...

Batshit Crazy on Murder Island

Annie’s back! 

Batshit Crazy on Murder Island is out, the 2nd in the Annie Hansen Mysteries series.

 “…a good dose of suspense and action throughout and I also liked the growing romance between Mark and Annie!” ~ Judith Holmes, Fort Steele, Canada 

“What happens when a gang of vicious drug dealers hit the sleepy Canadian town of Serendipity? Annie wakes up to the sound of gunshots…If you enjoy a fast-paced, easy read, with a good dose of suspense and action and unforgettable characters, Batshit Crazy is for you! Pick up Annie’s latest adventure today!” ~ Sean Robins, author of The Crimson Deathbringer series of thriller sci-fi space operas! 

Things have been quiet on Serendipity Island, Canada for two years. But this morning, Annie awakens with a start at the sound of gunfire and a jetboat getting away. The golden retriever, Chuckles, and the sleeping Mark heard nothing but Annie is on the job. 

There are a large number of perpetrators and a lot of action as Annie Hansen, a twenty-six year old female private eye and her partner, Mark Snow, an RCMP detective track down the trouble. 

Annie and her partner were instrumental in solving two gruesome murders on Serendipity in the previous book, Blood Sister, which led to the epithet ‘Murder Island’ by the local media.

Annie suffers from schizophrenia and throughout the book her hallucinations play a small part. 

If you enjoyed Blood Sister (Book 1 in the Annie Hansen Mysteries series), you’ll love Batshit Crazy on Murder Island. 

Kenna McKinnon, Author

Kenna is a Canadian senior woman who owns a medical / academic transcription business. She lives and works in the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta. Her spare time is spent reading, writing, walking in a nearby park and the scenic neighborhood in which she lives, and volunteering. Her most memorable years were spent at the University of Alberta, where she graduated with Distinction with a degree in Anthropology. She has lived symptom-free with chronic schizophrenia for many years. She has a beautiful daughter and three wonderful grandsons. 

Books may be autographed by texting 780-318-7269 or email at: contact@KennaMcKinnon.info 

So many friends and family have contributed to the genesis and final execution of this second in the mystery series of Annie Hansen, who suffers from a grander yet more gentle version of the illness that Kenna knows so well. 

This book is dedicated to her daughter, Diane, and her late son Steve with treasured memories and all her love. The Annie Hansen series is also dedicated to all who are touched by mental illness, in its many ramifications, and the possibility of love, career satisfaction, and self-actualization for those previously marginalized and ignored by “mainstream” society. 

As well as those friends and family members often injured by our random and sometimes thoughtless acts. If you enjoyed either or both books in the Annie Hansen Mysteries series the author and publisher would be grateful for a short yet honest review. Have fun with it and happy reading, dear friends!

Batshit Crazy on Murder Island

Blood Sister

Kenna McKinnon, Author

Find Kenna on Facebook

Find Kenna on LinkedIn

Crazy Story has been brought to you by The W.Olf Project 

"Absolutely nothing, though, can prepare them for the stark truth."

Eileen Schuh, Author
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com

Pauline Barclay : Between the Sun and the Rainbow

Pauline Barclay : Between the Sun and the Rainbow:   Written as a tribute to her ancestors, Eileen Schuh’s novel Between the Sun and the Rainbow is a read that will appeal to many. Eileen ha...

I invite you to read my guest post on Pauline Barclay's blog

Serendipity: ser·en·dip·i·ty "A fortunate stroke of chance"

The pandemic has been wickedly hard on so many of us. Just when we most needed the support systems we had worked so hard to develop, they were ripped away from us by lockdowns, quarantines, isolation, stay-at-home orders, masks...

Now as we try to emerge from the clutches of Covid, we face not only terrifying variants but all those deep seated fears that have been ground into our consciousness over the past 18 months--fear of others, fear of getting the virus, giving the virus, fear of travel, of laughter. Fear of 'normal'.

Artists, musicians and writers struggle with their own fears as they attempt to do their job of helping the world cope, offering hope, keeping us sane.

Sometimes the only way out, is escaping reality...with a 'cosy mystery'. I'd say it was rather serendipitous that my friend and British writer Pauline Barclay dropped me an email and offered to take me and my friends, family and fans on a journey.

Pauline Barclay - Post for Eileen - 130821

Pauline Barclay

A huge thank you Eileen for having me back on your wonderful Blog to talk about my latest publication, Serendipity.

Lockdown and restriction have been tough for everyone. Mentally, people are exhausted and for some life will never be the same again. I would be lying if I said I don’t have dark days. I enjoy running, I love photography and writing has always been one of my escapisms. At the end of last year, with lockdown imminent again, I decided to write a novella that would have feel good factor. With the two main characters already developing in my head, I decided to write a cosy mystery. For several months I escaped with these two wonderful characters, Craig Gardner, ex-police detective inspector and nineteen year old Roo Chattaway. The three of us went on a journey to find answers!

Whilst developing their characters it brought back memories of when my husband and I were members of artistic roller-skating club. With these thoughts, I decided young Roo would be an artistic skater thereby adding a new dimension to her personality.

Serendipity is as much about the main characters as it is about them trying to find answers to questions. The little dog on the cover is not only the series logo, but he has a role in the story too. And of course, a cosy mystery wouldn’t be quite the same without a little romance.

Serendipity is a light read with a warm cosy feel that I hope will leave readers with a smile and, hopefully, wanting more.

 

Serendipity 

A Gardner & Chattaway Cosy Mystery

 Book 1

Craig Gardner, Private Investigator and his young Assistant, Roo Chattaway, find themselves searching for answers to other people’s questions, but is everything what it seems?

Why has Mark Cooper not returned home? Is a prominent surgeon having an affair? Could there be a connection between shoes being stolen and the untying of a houseboat? And, how did a body, found by a dog walker, end up in Robinson Glen?

Serendipity, is the first in a new series of cosy, feel good, mystery novellas and is available in Kindle and paperback (from all good book shops).

Amazon co uk

Amazon com

You can also find me on…

Web site

Blog Site

Facebook Author Page

Instagram @paulinebarclay

Founder of Chill with a Book Awards

 

 

Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com

New Release!

So excited to announce the release of my new scifi, Project W.Olf. It comes as a trilogy of quick-read eBooks as well a paperback with the complete story.

 “An astonishing science fiction adventure that seizes your attention from page one!” Laurence St. John, best-selling author of the Metatron Series

“The characters, odd as they seem to be, have souls that transcend the ordinary definition of love and life itself." ~Kenna Mary McKinnon, Author of Blood Sister

“If you want a story with suspense, mystery, a bit of romance and some science-fiction thrown in... I'd highly recommend this series!” ~Cheryllynn Dyess, Author of The Chronicles of Elizabeth Fairbairn series 

Available from Amazon and Smashwords

Eileen Schuh

Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com

Amazing New Cover!

Buried Treasure looks amazing with its new cover! Congratulations to Gilli Allan!

Here's a link to my review of the novel

Eileen Schuh, Author
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com

Cover Reveal, Covid-style

She was almost killed, now she writes novels...

Interview with Gilli by Gilli Allan

Gilli Allan, author

You know you're in a pandemic when your author friends interview themselves for your blog.

With the Covid19 crisis taken an emotional toll on me and robbing me of a good percentage of my stamina and sanity, my good friend Gilli Allan prodded me to help her promote her novel, Buried Treasure, re-released with a brand new cover.

Click here for my Amazon review of Buried Treasure

Feeling less than able myself to muster up an appropriate congratulatory blog, I let her go it alone. She's a great writer. I love her books. I love her attitude. Take a listen to what she wants to tell you, not about her book but about herself:

Gilli Allan: Thank you for the invitation to your blog.

When and where were you born?

Gilli: I’ll tell you the where but not the when.  Orpington, in Kent, in the United Kingdom.

Where do you live now?

In Gloucestershire in the West of England, in an area known as the Cotswold Hills. But not the posh and sedate part, beloved of Tory grandees, but in a village near the far more counter-culture and alternative town of Stroud.

Have you ever been in a life or death situation?

During the summer of my thirteenth year, I was crossing the road outside my house and was hit by a van.  It was a serious accident; I was thrown about fifteen feet and landed on my face, and apparently there was a lot of blood. Fortunately, I’ve never had any memory of it although still suffer from mild PTSD if I have any kind of a shock.

Luckily a police car happened to be cruising the area and alerted emergency services. I was carted off to hospital very swiftly and actually made a fairly swift recovery (although I still blame my creaky knees on being hit by that van, and the dis-function of my thought processes is obviously due to undetected brain damage!).  

What is your favourite colour?

It’s got be yellow, the colour of sunshine, daffodils and baby chicks. When PVC was all the rage, I had a yellow oilskin (a proper sea-going garment).

You didn’t go to university.  Why not?

My performance at school was indifferent. The only subject I was good at was art. (I have belatedly come to the conclusion that I’m dyslexic.  I can tick nearly all the pointers.) I left to go to art school at sixteen but dropped out after 2 years.

When did you first start writing?

I first decided to write a book when I was around ten, but the urge to create was soon blighted by the difficulty of dreaming-up a coherent story. I resurrected the hobby in my young teenage years and carried on writing – beginning but never finishing – a number of ‘books’. I did it to please myself, never considering it a serious ambition.

What were you doing when the idea ‘to take writing seriously’ occurred to you? 

I was doing the ironing, while listening to the radio. I had a three-year-old son, and was unenthusiastic about the idea of trying to resume work as an illustrator in advertising.  What else could I do that would enable me to stay at home?  What else was I good at? A radio programme came on about Mills and Boon, and the light bulb went on.

But you say you are unable to write a category romance, what do you mean?

I fully intended to try to write this kind of book but found I couldn’t do it. Once I’d put pen to paper the plot instantly took a very non-M&B direction. I am not dissing the genre, but in giving myself permission, as it were, to try writing seriously, I was instantly gripped by the magic and potential.  I knew I HAD to finish the book that was unfolding before my eyes, whether or not it proved a commercial prospect.

How have you been coping in the Covid 19 emergency?

I am well aware of our good fortune. I can only imagine the desperation of those with young children who are financially insecure, and are forced to live cooped-up in a high-rise block! 

I have always been pretty self-reliant and self-sufficient.  In the current bizarre situation, it probably helps that I don’t have grandchildren and not many close friends. All the people I am most deeply attached to live several hours drive away, so at the best of times, we don’t meet-up that often.  Living in London, my son and his wife are hyper aware of hygiene, and are probably the most unlikely people to catch the virus.  I’d love to see them, of course, and also my best friend and my brother and sister and their partners, but life is what it is.  I don’t spend time fretting about what I can’t do.  I just get on with what is possible.

Do you have strongly held spiritual beliefs?

I am fairly fatalistic about life. My accident is a case in point. Had the van been travelling faster, had I not been a fairly resilient, strong-boned individual, had the police car not been cruising the area, who knows? I have a code I live by which could broadly be described as Christian, but I am more political than religious. I don’t take my skepticism about the super-natural as far as Richard Dawkins.  His certainty about the materiality of life annoys me, as his position discounts many people’s mystical and paranormal experiences. My own experience and that of members of my family, leads me to the sense (I wouldn’t put it as strongly as belief) that there is more to life than meets the eye.  

Have you achieved what you wanted to achieve in life?

The trouble with ambitions is that they are either unreached or if they are, you don’t notice and fix your sights on something further off in the distance.  

As a child I wanted to be rich and famous.  As art was the career I seemed to be heading for, a famous artist was the goal.

I then decided I wanted to go out with and ultimately marry a pop star.  Every girl at school would envy me. The fame would come vicariously.  Or I could be a famous fashion model.  I was forever pulling ‘the face’ in mirrors, and wishing other people would see what I could see. Any flaws could be overcome by dieting, a growth spurt and good lighting.

When I decided to try my hand at writing seriously, the ambition was to be published.  That happened so quickly that my ambition instantly changed to becoming a bestseller and going on chat shows.

I have reached a point in life where becoming famous would be a nuisance. I certainly don’t crave ‘things’; I am proud of re-using, up-cycling, and making-do and mending.  I have garments in my wardrobe that go back to my twenties! 

Now, I just want people to read my books.  

Oh, I’ve just had a thought. A major movie deal would be nice.  

BURIED TREASURE

mybook.to/BURIEDTREASURE

Find Gilli’s other books TORN, LIFE CLASS and FLY or FALL at

author.to/GILLIALLAN

Contact Gilli at

http://gilliallan.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gilli.allan.1

https://twitter.com/gilliallan

Most exciting thing that happened to me during lockdown

Yes, lockdown, or 'sheltering in place' as some say, rather euphemistically, or self-isolation as the Public Health edicts call it is difficult.

For those of us without children at home, and not working from home...well, let's just say I had a very pleasant one hour conversation earlier today with a telemarketer. What else is there to do?

I've asked my social media friends to share what the most exciting thing is that has happened to them since the pandemic struck.

For me, I can't think of many exciting moments to consider and rate.

Perhaps the most exciting thing happened yesterday when I played hide-and-go-seek with the grandchildren. I'd forgotten how dark closets are when the door is closed. Remember the tiny crack of light under the door? I can't say I actually saw that crack. I mostly just saw the ceiling, being as I was simply a face and voice on an iPhone. Diminishing this experience, however, was despite the fact I was hundreds of miles away I repeatedly got blamed for making too much noise and giving away the hiding spot.

Although that was a fun event, perhaps for an exciting event I should consider my social distancing visit with four close friends around a roaring campfire the other night. The fact that we couldn't share food or drink or photos did't stop us from sharing a few good laughs. Especially when we enacted our perspectives on tele-medicine and our annual physical exams.

But as far as the type of excitement that gets one's heart racing, the number one event since being in self isolation has to be the day I exploded the hot tub.

Now, I am ever so grateful to have my very own hot tub, outdoors. A place I can go and soak away my worries and woes. But like I hinted at before, boredom does strange things to people. It seems it caused me to believe at some point that I might have plumbing abilities.

In any event, I decided to fix that control knob that leaked. It had been leaking for months but it only leaked when the jets were on and the tiny trickle just ran back into the tub so nothing had been done about it. But for pandemic-induced reasons, I decided I should and could fix this issue.

Well about two minutes into my repair job, complete with the explosive sound effects, a frothing four foot pillar of angry water torpedoed the knob and its leaky innards a good fourteen feet into the air. Myriad plastic pieces fell back from the sky, burying themselves into the surrounding snow banks as the geyser kept rising, writhing and roaring from the hole where the control knob had once been.

Keep in mind it is -10C , I'm soaking wet, in a bathing suit and the water in the tub in dipping dangerously low. I'm jabbing at the control panel to turn off the jets but nothing is happening. The pool of water outside the tub is beginning to freeze.

Luckily, a few more jabs and I finally got the jets turned off. I stared around me. I couldn't believe my misfortune. I'd entered the tub fearful and anxious, intent on giving up my stress to the warmth of the water massage as I'd done almost every day since  Covid-19 stay-at-home orders were issued. Now, I was more anxious than ever and had apparently disabled one of my life's few remaining pleasures.

But, being me (and being cold), I didn't stand there long. My robe, which had been carefully hung on the rail was dripping wet. My slippers were wet, too, but they were my plastic sandals so I slipped them on and, mostly naked I raced around the deck, digging into the snow to retrieve washers and rings and various other pieces of plastic that looked like they may belong to a hot tub control knob.

Still fancying myself somewhat of a plumber I pieced things together as best I could and then closed the tub lid, too frightened to turn on the jets to see if my fix job worked.

As I climbed down from my hot tub, I realized with horror that the steps were covered in a smelly, brown mess. As were my sandals! Apparently in my dash about the deck to recover pieces, I'd uncovered the winter's stash of doggy do-do.

I now had to rush about (still in my bathing suit), scrubbing, cleaning, rinsing, disinfecting the steps, my shoes, the deck, itself. 

I was not a happy camper when hubby showed up. But bless his soul. In less than an hour he had my tub up and running again.

I'm am so very happy that each day, I can still slip out there and soak. The snow is now gone, the stash of doggy-do gone, and overhead the Canada geese fly, robins flirt in the nearby trees and around the pond below, my beloved red winged blackbirds trill.

Yes, the day the tub exploded was the most exciting thing that has happened to me since lockdown began.

"...Lockdown" has been brought to you by the BackTracker Series.

Canadian author, Eileen Schuh, is known for her thrilling elements of crime, sensitive treatment of social issues, and emotional exposure of the human psyche.

Schuh's most recent release in her gritty BackTracker crime series is the crime thriller, OPERATION MAXTRACKER. The previous books in this series are THE TRAZ, FATAL ERROR and FIREWALLS.

Schuh is also the proud author of two adult SciFi novellas, SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT and DISPASSIONATE LIES, the adult crime thriller, SHADOW RIDERS.

Her latest release is the grade school novel, BETWEEN THE SUN AND THE RAINBOW.

Eileen Schuh, Author 
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com

Schrödinger's Lockdown Covid--19

Disclosure

The mandated self-isolation required to prevent the unfettered spread of the novel coronavirus is proving very difficult. It is more than just the inconvenience and more than just the loss of freedom.

Yes, we are social creatures and socializing is etched into our genes--but it is more than that.

The effects of the lock-down reach deep into our psyche, disturbing our dreams and wearing on our emotions. Warping our sense of reality.

For those not familiar with the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment, the take away is that according to some interpretations of quantum theories, reality doesn't actually exist in our space time until it is observed.

Physicists are coming to realize that our entire reality, from subatomic particles on up through our world and out into the universe beyond, exists only in relation to other things. Much like 'up' is meaningless and can't exist without there being a 'down', things like electrons owe their existence to their interaction with other particles. The basic building blocks of energy and matter exist only in a state of possibility and probability until interacting with the space-time reality in which we exist. Only with that interaction, do they condense into a set time and place in our world.

I think we intrinsically know about this nature of our reality and it perhaps terrifies us to think that withdrawing from our society threatens it's very existence. Without interaction with our world, we fear it will fade away. We fear we will fade away. We fear reality will collapse into nothing, into a black hole, sucking us and all we know into non-existence.

This may not be a valid fear, but it is a primordial one, one that visits us at nighttime in dream messages, tapping into our subconscious knowledge. Beyond what we can express in words, we know reality needs our participation to exist.

As weeks of isolation turn into months of isolation, we feel ourselves fading away.

Schrödinger's Lockdown has been brought to you by SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT

"I loved it from the first word."
"And the ending I never expected"
"thoroughly rocked my socks..."
"a book that engaged all senses and emotions"

Eileen Schuh, Author 
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com

Toss the Bottle

Toss the Bottle

~ EileenSchuh.com©

Put away the pint, will ya

Before the damn stuff kills ya.

It should be pretty clear by now

There ain’t no wine or beer no how

Gonna make that pesky virus go away.

You may not wanna hear it

But there’s evil in those spirits

Put the cork in, toss the bottle

Send the devil on his way.

The fifth is a series of Mental Health blogs for Covid19

Disclosure

Brought to you by OPERATION MAXTRACKER

"Cyberspace Teeters on Collapse"

"Fourth novel in thriller series has eerie ring of reality"

"a fast-flowing follow-up to FIREWALLS"

"Schuh creates in readers a quiver of anticipation and dread"

"Schuh takes OPERATION MAXTRACKER to a new level as danger, cunning and espionage spill out of the virtual world into real life."

Eileen Schuh, Author 
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com

Putting a voice to my words

[Disclosure]


Putting a voice to my words is brought to you by Eileen Schuh, Author

The Write Way to deal with Covid19

For Therapy, for Posterity, write your life

Disclosure

I gave a little teaser on Facebook today about what I was going to blog about on my daily Covid19 Mental Health series.  I wrote a little poem about #GrandmaInLockdown.

The toys are all a-scatter
Not that it even matters
There won't be any knocks upon the door.
No visitors will visit
No kids will come to play
No one will ask for ice cream
Or beg their mom to stay...
#GrandmaInLockDown

My blog was going to be about how therapeutic writing is, about scientific studies that show the act of writing helps people deal with fears, stress and anxiety. I was going to encourage my fellow writers to use their words in public ways to help the world. To record this massively historic event so the generations to come will have a clear picture of what we went through. So we can be viewed as great adventurers, achievers, fighters. Strong.

I was going to tell those of my readers who are shy about writing, to pick up the pen anyway and keep a diary. Lock it if you want.  For now.

When we're long gone, our descendants will be interested in "the Pandemic of 2020". They'll want to read about our lives, our feelings, our fears, our governments. Our homes, our clothes, our food and technology. Our culture. They'll be intrigued with even just short accounts of firing up our i phones and logging onto Facebook, fascinated to discover how strange it felt for so many to work from home. They'll wonder at the quaint custom of 'buffets' and roll their eyes at our stories of toilet paper hoarding and maybe laugh at the government videos showing us how to wash our hands.

I was going to write all that until I wrote that poem. When I hit 'post' the life drained out of me. My spirit died. Hope, vanished. My desire to be useful left. I no longer wanted to write about writing. How could I tell people it was therapeutic to write, when it had decimated me?

I was going to tell you all that my latest novel written for middle grade children, BETWEEN THE SUN AND THE RAINBOW starts off with a mother admonishing her children to consider the turn in their lives an "adventure."

Danielle cannot believe she's embarking on an adventure. Her parents are fighting and divorcing and her mother has moved them from their city home to a rundown shack on the prairies.

Danielle  must have felt much like we do--life as she'd always known it was over. She had no electricity, no inside toilet. No running water. Her friends, her school, and her father are thousands of kilometers away. And...like us, she has no idea how or when it's all going to end. She knows, it will never be the same again.

Adventure indeed.

Well, come to think of it, now that I've written about my novel, I've cheered up a bit. I love talking about my books, reconnecting with the characters I've lived with and slept with and dreamed about for months (and some of them, years) as I worked to tell their stories.

Perhaps this idea of writing for therapy has some truth to it...

The Write Way...has been brought to you by BETWEEN THE SUN AND THE RAINBOW

Nine-year-old Danielle’s parents are getting divorced and she doesn’t think things can get any worse—but they definitely don’t seem to be getting any better, either.
Her mother takes her and her older brother, Jayson, thousands of kilometers from their Toronto home to the old family homestead on the Alberta prairie. Inside and outside of the rundown shack that is now home, everything is strange and frightening.
Her mother says they will connect with nature on the farm and begin to heal but to Danielle, it seems a very painful way to heal.
Little by little, however, she learns what a family is all about. She just might begin to find the peace and happiness she needs.

Eileen Schuh, Author 
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com

Be here Be now Be gentle with yourself

[Disclosure]

#Covid19 Small steps to Mental Health

I'm going to drop the numbering of my Mental Health steps as nobody is going to follow them in order anyways...and that is just fine.

I want us all to be gentle with ourselves. Don't feel unworthy, dejected or abnormal if you're not anywhere near following my advice. Or if you want to skip the first two steps and dive into this one. Or if you're still back on step one trying to find the words for your fears.

Forgive yourself if all you can do is watch the news, even if you know you shouldn't. Or if you refuse to watch the news, though you know you should. If you're eating too much, or too little. Sleeping too much or not at all. If you don't want to talk to anyone, or if you can't shut up. If you'd rather finish that crochet project but are instead memorized by Candy Crush. 

We will also forgive all others within our circle for behaving in ways we may wish to judge negatively.

Our bodies, our minds, our spirits know exactly what we need to be doing right now to make it safely through our troubles. Let's allow that part of us that resides beyond words and thoughts, judgments, edicts and decrees--let that part of us take control. It will do a fine job. 

There's no charted course for dealing with this global stress. We're all in different circumstances. We have arrived here on different paths. We see things differently, feel things different. Behave different. 

However, we do share much of the same reality.

Today I want us to focus on the here and now. Because no one, not the politicians, nor the health experts nor the psychiatrists, economists or historians. Not the scientists nor the media. No one can tell us much at all about what our future will be like.

But there are some things we do know. The sun will set tonight and rise tomorrow. Our winter season will flow steadily into spring and then summer (or autumn into winter, if we're south of the equator.) The breezes will blow, the birds chirp, gardens grow. Once in a while there will be a rainbow.

For most of us, the here and now is a warm place, familiar and fairly comfortable. We are fed. We have a pillow and bed. If you're reading this, you have some kind of electronic device and connection to the internet. In the here and now there is no immediate danger. At all. Bombs are not exploding around us. We have water in our taps. It's quiet outside. People are 'sheltering in place'--a warm and cozy phrase. Sheltering...

Over all, here and now is a safe place to be.

Relax into it. Own it. Make it yours.

In my novel OPERATION MAXTRACKER , the world is on the verge of collapse, not from a virus, well not a Corona-kind of virus. In this fourth novel in my BackTracker series, my characters know the world may never be the same again because criminals have hijacked cyberspace, robbed the banks, collapsed the stock market, wiped out justice and democracy. Rewrote history.

One of my favourite characters in my BackTracker series, cyber security expert, Cst. Donald Hayes aka Shrug, is trying to work with his cohorts down east, in the big city capital of the nation. Shrug is a prairie boy born and bred and doesn't fit in well with the city folk, with the politics. The rituals. He complains to his boss.

"We’re spendin’ millions on this cyberspace shit because in the plush high-rise office towers in the metropolis, they really think the world will end without it. F**k! Ask a farm boy how the world will end and he’ll tell you it’ll end when the sun don’t shine and the rain don’t fall. If the eastern cities were to wake up hungry, think anyone would care who’s inhabitin’ cyberspace?” OPERATION BACKTRACKER ~Eileen Schuh

We should all take that farmboy attitude. 

There is much that is right with our world in the here and now. Let's savor it, acknowledge and nourish it, because from the here and now will spring our future.

Here and Now... has been brought to you by OPERATION MAXTRACKER

Sergeant Kindle is counting on his top secret Operation MaxTracker team to thwart a surging attempt by criminal gangs to hijack cyberspace and take control of the world.

The tremendous power of the defensive system the team is creating and the potential for its abuse, has computer guru, Katrina Buckhold, on edge. Shrug, Head of Project Security, is supposedly keeping everyone and everything safe, but based on her past experiences with him, she's not confident he's up to that task.

Katrina's toughest battles, though, are not against those threatening cyberspace but against those who are concerned about her ability to raise her children, and Shrug's not helping with that, either.

Then unspeakable tragedy strikes, stripping all friendships to the core and laying bare the stunning truths behind the secrets, fears and mistrust.

Eileen Schuh, Author 
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com

COVID19 Second Step to Mental Health

Using our words

[disclosure]

Yesterday I blogged about the importance of assigning words to one's emotions, one's fears, how to take step one in our journey through this crisis. It's only when we are able to put words to what we're feeling that we can communicate.

Being able to share our feelings enables us to understand we are not alone, that we are normal, that we are part of what is going on around us. It allows us to connect with others, receive their support and encouragement, and offer them ours.

It also allows us to research the issues frightening us, and tentatively start planning creative solutions to deal with our anxiety and eventually move past it.

As I searched for my own words, I realized much of my anxiety was arising from the stories I heard from parents as a child. Stories about the 1918 pandemic, the 1929 stock market crash and the Dirty 30s. Once I put words to the source of my anxiety, I was able to go online and research those events.  I came to understand the similarities and differences between now and then. 

I read about what governments, health care services, and society in general learned from those past tragedies. I began realizing that governments around the world, and my own government in particular, were implementing the lessons learned long ago and my fears eased. That would not have happened if I'd not taken the time to sort through my feelings and put words to them. 

We're all fearing different things. Some are concerned about food supply, some about the illness itself. Some are focused on financial worries. Many are fearful of the future. Some wonder about civil unrest, justice... I won't mention all the worries because some of us will grab onto them and acquire an entire new set of worries.

Do take the time to study your own fears and as they change, find new words to describe them. Put those words to use by sharing them with trusted others. Ask questions of experts about the things you are fearing. Research reputable online sites. If you are worried about finances, find out what public assistance may be available to you and how to access that help. Share what you find out with others who have the same worries. 

If you're worried about contracting the illness, check your government public health websites. There is lots of information on how to stay safe.

If you're worried about others, share with them what you learn about what they must do to keep safe.

With the knowledge you gain, will come power and with that power will come the ability to cope with both your emotions and the situations from which they are arising.

It's a very easy second step on our way to coping with COVID19.

We'll move beyond words on my next blog and search out some activities that can calm us and help others.

Second Step is brought to you by THE TRAZ

"Great Strong Story--a wonderful read"

"I found that it was hard to put down (even for sleep)"

"I just had to finish it; I needed to know what was going to happen next..." 

Eileen Schuh, Author 
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com

First steps out of the Covid19 crisis

[disclosure]

Find the words

The overwhelming response to my casual mention on facebook that I was considering using my writing skills and psychiatric nursing training to blog about mental health issues caught me by surprise.

Social media had been next to silent on the crisis since the magnitude of the pandemic became apparent. I assumed most, like me, were glued to news channels, unable to comprehend what was happening.

When one did speak, one used words like 'surreal'. We were numb, felt detached. Had difficulty connecting the world we were hearing about with the one we were experiencing, connecting the past we knew to the future that was looming.

However, the response to my post led me to realize we were emerging from the numbness but had no idea what we should do next, what to feel next or worry about next.

We will all handle this crisis in our own unique way,  much as we handle grief. There is no right and wrong way to feel. No right or wrong time to do what we want to do. No correct way to proceed.

And that, in itself, is frightening.

But let's take a tiny first step out of our numbness and see where it leads us. It's not an easy step, but it's manageable. 

Step 1: find the words for what you're feeling. Put words to your fears.

In FATAL ERROR, my young heroine is being interrogated by the police about a murder she witnessed. She's never talked to anyone about what she saw. She'd been hoping she could just forget about and thus make it go away. She's not even sure she did see anything, or what exactly she saw or did...because she'd never put words to it.

“Dark secrets are bad things,” [Constable] Debra said. “They can grow into monsters if you don’t put them into words.”

“There are no words,” Katrina protested. 

“You’ve never talked about it, have you?” Debra asked. “I can tell by the way you flinch every time someone says ‘murder’.” 

“Words will make it worse.” 

“I don’t think so. If you have the word ‘murder’ you can have suspects, evidence, motive, opportunity. You can have trials and convictions and jail terms, tangible things to chase down and handle. If you just have a bunch of horrible feelings floating around, how do you do anything with them?” 

“Words will make it real.” 

“It’s not words that make it real.” [Cst.]Chad zeroed his eyes in on hers. “With or without your words, the murder was real. I can show you the crime scene photos. You can see how ‘real’ it was.” ~Fatal Error

It's vital we find the words to express what we are going through. Only by being able to communicate will we be able to connect with others. With words, we can climb out of our solitude and share our fears and feelings.

Yes, words will definitely 'make it real'. Words will knock us upside the head with the harshness of the reality, the 'new normal'.

However, with words we can proceed, start making plans, research solutions,  create solutions. Words will enable us to analyze. Words will empower us to take control of our emotions.

In a scientific study on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), survivors of a near-crash involving a passenger flight were interviewed by researchers. Some interesting data emerged. (see my previous blog about this)

Researchers simply asked survivors to describe what had happened.  Those who had words for the terror they experienced, those who could focus on and share the event and the feelings they had during that event were less likely to suffer PTSD. Whereas those passengers with evasive or convoluted narratives, focusing on extraneous things had more trouble dealing with the terror of the experience down the road.

While researchers suggested this was useful data for those training first responders, soldiers, or others who are likely to encounter trauma during their work, it is also information we can use to face the Covid19 crisis.

Don't pretend it's not happening. Don't think that putting words to it will make it real, make it worse. Don't think not talking about it will make it go away.

Putting words to that undefined 'it' is a vital first step.

Feel free to share your feelings, fears, hopes in the comment section below or on my facebook page, where I'm hosting a running commentary on mental health issues. And if you're still at that 'surreal' stage and can't find the words, share that to. Reading others' words may help you find your own.

Take care.

#We'reInThisTogether

For reliable, accurate and timely health and safety information on dealing with the Covid19 pandemic visit this Canadian Government website.

"First steps..." has been brought to you by FATAL ERROR

"Courage and insight make for a compelling read” 

 "Gave me much to think about."

“...excellent pacing. It's a worthy sequel to the explosive ‘THE TRAZ’.” 

“...a lesson and an intense drama in one.”  

Eileen Schuh, Author 
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com

Disclosure

After being asked by the Public Health Agency of Canada to help spread their vital information, I decided to take it a step further and use my skills as a writer and my training as a psychiatric nurse to address mental health issues arising from the Covid19 crises.

I will be mentioning my various books during my blogging and I’ll leave it to you to judge my motives. But let me say, storytelling is one of mankind’s oldest and most effective ways of teaching. From the parables in the Bible, to Grimm’s fairy tales, to ancient Greek legends and Native American tales, our society has learned about ourselves, our morals, our history. We’ve learned of tragedy and learned to hope.

It’s always been my desire as an author to continue that honorable tradition. It is sometimes much easier for humans to grasp an insight when it is wrapped in powerful words and portrayed by characters we love. We can talk all we want about hope and its importance to mental health, but when we live alongside a character in a story, when we move with them through their tragedy, when we see them overcome their weakness and reach their goals, that’s when we begin to really understand hope.

Many of the insights on mental health that I will be sharing in the coming days are insights that I’ve already shared with readers of my novels. My interest in the human mind and emotions is obvious in my novels. And sometimes, I have to admit, my characters can get a point across much more effectively than I can. So, yes, I will be quoting from these characters and referring to episodes in their lives as they pertain to the issues I will be addressing. Whether or not you follow up by reading their stories is your choice, but I do suggest that reading stories, whether mine or others, is one of the best, cheapest, most fun mental health therapies in the world!

Eileen Schuh
Canadian writer
www.eileenschuh.com