March 31, 2009

Today is the end of my ninth month of being retired! I find it hard to believe that it has been that long, but it has. It seems more like a couple of weeks. I guess it's true - time does fly when you're having fun!

Book front:

    My new character is named Gabriela Bernard. When I have to name a character, I go to the internet and look at first names and surnames, origin, and meaning, wanting to have the name of the character mirror the meaning of their name. Gabriela is is an aristocratic sixty year old widow whose husband was taken away when the Germans passed through their village, and was later found shot with several others from the village. They had taken residence at the farm when the war started, having lived in Paris up to that time, with some summer months spent on the farm. She is not very tall, thin, has steel gray eyes, white hair, newly formed calluses on her hands,  and does not mind getting them dirty working their farm.

    The next character I am working on is the leader of a resistance cell. I have not named him as yet, but will do so shortly. 

    I was watching the Military Channel this afternoon and heard a German soldier who fought against the Russians talking about the order that was given to them to immediately kill all Russians thought to be commissars in the villages they overrun. He said he was given one of them to shoot, but he told the unarmed Russian, "I am not a murderer!", and proceeded to let him go, telling him how to find his unit. This gives substantiation to a scene in the manuscript I wrote where basically the same thing happens, but with a different ending. Those who have read the manuscript know about what I am referring to. Hopefully, someday, many people will be able to read about it... or, better yet, want to read about it. 

    As for agents, no additional word from any of them as yet. So, for now, perhaps no news is goods, or will be, especially since I have yet to win the lottery.

    On the home front, my wife has been suffering through a bout of poison ivy, which is in its second week. Two trips to the doc, two prescriptions... and a LOT of scratching. 

    Time to name the next character!