FinnsForest – Author D.L. Finn

From Finn’s Forest 23 #writingcommunity #poetry #forest #writing

This year, we’ve seen an unusual number of pinecones dropping. I cleaned them up once already. From what I’ve read, they are more likely to drop in the fall, but some do in spring. We did have a very mild winter with rain that came in large amounts, with dry periods in between. Perhaps the pines are confused, or it’s what they call the mast year, where they overproduce. Either way, there are a lot of pinecones, and I hope it doesn’t mean insects are to blame for it. But it always gets me to think about not only the health of our forest, but how being in it can bring us health too.

So, yes, I’ll be out there raking once again and clearing the area for my fairies’ town to return. I may want to wear a hat, though, so I don’t get hit by one. Wondering about nature and my surroundings not only inspires stories but also poetry. Something I haven’t done in a while is to share some poems or even write them as I wonder…

Memorizing woods

Winds carry ancient wisdom

Planting future seeds

Clear minds, silent woods

In our peaceful surrender

Miracles abound

NOTE: There will be no posts here for the next two weeks as I will be on vacation. Will be back May 13th for my book reviews.

Also on my website there is a button for D. L. Finn’s Gratitude Store. I’d love if you dropped by and shared it. Maybe visit the store and tell me what you think.

Embrace your inner child by reading a good book! D. L. Finn (Denise)

From Finn’s Forest 22! #NevadaCity #smalltown #wherewriterswrite #writingcommunity #goldcountry

Recently our little town was voted top ten in the United States by Country Living Magazine. Very exciting! Here’s the link to their article: LINK

I decided to share a bit of our town from photos I’ve taken over the years. You may recognize a few spots if you watched the Hallmark movie, “A Christmas Card.”

Here we are coming into town from the freeway.

Town:

Victorian Christmas. I’m up on the balcony of the National Hotel overlooking Broad Street.

Nighttime Victorian Christmas. My favorite time to attend!

We were a part of the Nevada County Toy Run. Broad Street.

Fall and Halloween are my favorite time of year!

I love this house! Looks pretty in its Halloween decorations.

Outside Inn. They go all out for Halloween. There’s a whole path to walk behind it.

Deer Creek

Hall in National Hotel. Some people have claimed the hotel to have ghostly visitors…

This house makes me smile. It’s right outside of town so it doesn’t have to follow the historical rules…

This is the church they used in the movie “A Christmas Card.” Nevada City Methodist Church

It’s a cute place in town. I believe you can rent it, or used to be able to rent.

What a great rock to have in your front yard.

Lots of food and music. A great place to go after swimming in the river.

So there is your tour of the Queen City of the Northern Mines or Nevada City via my cell phone pictures. I stuck mainly to Broad Street but there is much more to explore which I might do in another post.

This is a place that not only inspires writing, but painting, dreams, and movies. Maybe all the inspiration we need is right outside our door.

Embrace your inner child by exploring and reading! D. L. Finn

From Finn’s Forest #21! #writingcommunity #cedars #forest #healing #pollen #setting #nature

Hi welcome to the first Finn’s Forest of the year.

I haven’t been walking in the forest much even though the sun has been shining. I still miss my walking partner, our dog Sara. My husband gets home too late or dark for our walk. I don’t mind running into wild animals, but I’d rather not do it alone… Another reason to stay inside is the pollen from the cedars. It’s covered everything like a blanket of snow. So I’ve been making use of my mini trampoline.

Usually, the rains wash away this pollen this time of year. We’ve had a usually dry January. But it made me wonder about what the trees were doing. After some research, I found out they release pollen after a cold front and it’s dry and windy out. It is how they reproduce with the help of the wind. This requires a high amount of pollen to get the job done. This seems to work for them, I find little cedars everywhere. They’re considered weeds here since we need to keep our forest cleaned up for the fire season. The Ashe Juniper tree in Texas is in the cedar family and does the same thing.

Pollen on our skylight — This is our skylight in the bathroom. That is the cedar pollen, along with some pine needles.

Now I know why they do release their pollen in January, but digging deeper I found some interesting information:

Cherokee tradition believes that the cedar holds powerful spirits that protect them. A spiritual leader may carry cedar wood in their medicine bag. It can also be placed above entrances for protection.
Native Americans used the cedar for medicine for things like joint pain, fever, cough, and other issues. Considered one of the four sacred medicines.
Ancient Sumerians believed it was where the divine ones lived.

cedar bark — This is a close-up of the cedar outside my window and the closest one to the house.

Its general spiritual meaning believes the tree connects us to our earthly roots. It is a symbol of nobility, strength, and incorruptibility. It’s been called the Tree of Life protected by the gods and believed to have healing properties.
Can be used for smudging to clear a space and is believed to carry prayers and wishes from the earth into the sky.
Tea can be made from the leaves for respiratory issues. You can also use the leaves in steam for congestion, cedar oil for skin conditions, or in a bath with the essential oil or leaves. Always consult your health provider, there can be side effects and allergies. Not recommended if pregnant, breastfeeding, or have kidney issues.
The tree can detour termites and carpenter ants, along with discouraging mold.

cedar in forest — This is the full shot of the cedar. We had to have someone trim the branches up because they were touching the roof. So far they haven’t made us cut this tree down. We have a squirrel family that lives there and an owl.

The smell can relax you and the trees purify the air.
On the more negative side, I found one superstition that if you plant a cedar, which I haven’t, when it grows tall enough to shade a grave, it’s your time to leave the earth.

Our forest is filled with cedars. We have a huge one right outside our bedroom window protecting us. I won’t complain when they release their pollen anymore but it would be fun to add some of this to a story. What if a character is allergic and drank some tea? Maybe a character needs healing. Cedars can add that extra dimension to a story even if it’s just in the setting.

Embrace your inner child, take a walk in nature, and then read a book. D. L. Finn

From Finn’s Forest #20! #writingcommunity #blogtour #winners #thankyou #acorns #nature #writing

Hi!

Been a while since I’ve done a From Finn’s Forest post. Putting two books out this year kept me busy, along with some needed me-time.

Locally, we’ve been getting abundant and large acorns from the oak trees. Many locals believe that this means we will get a bad winter—or a lot of snow. I decided to do some research on the topic and found out it was called masting. Here are some reasons why it happens.

The trees respond to the weather, insect infestation, or when there are lots of seed eaters, an extra boost gives more chances for new trees. Also, it may be normal for oaks to produce larger and more acorns every 3-5 years or masting. It depends on the trees and their age too.

I do know our squirrels, mice, deer, birds, opossums, and raccoons won’t go hungry this season!

While a boost to most wildlife they can be poisonous to cows, horses, and dogs because of the tannins. Can humans eat them? Yes, if the tannins are leached out in water. How to do this? They can be soaked in water overnight. It is recommended to change the water more than once. Next, heat them in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes. This helps remove shells and dehydrate.

They are also fun to use in craft projects or offer to zoos or wildlife. And of course, you can always grow another oak tree from one too.

We will see what the winter brings and if the Farmer’s Almanac is right about a bad winter following this event.

The more we understand what is going on around us, the more depth we can add to our writing. I can think of several scenarios focusing on acorns to write about.

WINNERS FROM THE BLOG TOUR!

Day 2 Liz Gauffreau ‘s Blog: Pete Springer

Day 1 Sandra Cox Blog: Lauren Scott

Congrats to the winners and a HUGE thanks to those who followed along or hosted. I love how we are always there for each other in our writing community.

Embrace that inner child by reading a good book or going outside and enjoying nature! D. L. Finn (Denise)

From Finn’s Forest #19! #writingcommunity #vacations #forest #birthdays #cats #ravens

Hi! Last installment From Finn’s Forest I had returned from vacation too and had pretty pictures of the ocean and redwoods. This time, it’s just a staycation for us so picture more local.

We reorganized my hubby’s band room after decluttering and getting rid of some things. Much better. We headed to a local casino with no luck. I had a good time testing out the 4D slot machine, though. Fun just to walk around in air conditioning. Then, we visited the mall and continued walking. I was surprised to see Black Friday sales, and I picked up a couple of items. We managed to catch the new movie, Twisters too. Surprised I enjoyed it, wasn’t expecting that. Never made it to the lake to swim or our local Hot Summer Nights. It was too hot for either.

Little fox dropped by for a snack! Those are our blue lights, look pretty on trees.

The rest of the time we had to do more clearing to try to hang on to our Home Insurance. Despite the heat, I did well. So, fingers crossed that works out.

My daughters and I were outside watching the grands have a water balloon fight. No one stayed outside long in that heat though.

Next, I had my birthday celebration. I am the age of the year I was born 😉 I thought that might be lucky, but it didn’t pan out at the Casino… lol. Received a long call from my out-of-state son while my daughters, son-in-law, and grandkids were present. They BBQ’d and I enjoyed a delicious blueberry cobbler. One gift I got early was a portable air conditioner primarily for the kitchen. We’ve never needed central air conditioning in the past, but this summer has been brutal so far. I gave in and got a portable air! Cooking is tolerable now.

tiger cat — Chester came out with us but headed inside later too. He’s going to be sixteen next week!

I’m happy to be back and sitting at my computer! My newsletter should be in your email if subscribed. It includes a sneak peek at my latest cover along with the book of the month and a birthday poem I wrote years ago.

Our ravens stopped by for a bite. They watch me so it’s hard to get a picture, this one had to be through a screen.

I’m too far behind to catch up, but know I’ve missed everyone. Also, I felt overwhelming gratitude upon returning to some fantastic posts and reviews! Thank you xo

Embrace your inner child by rereading an old favorite! D. L. Finn

From Finn’s Forest #16 #pets #petpersonality #characterpersonalities #writingcommunity #authorpets

Today I’m sharing my kitties and their differences.

Here is Chester. He’s going to turn sixteen this July. This was our feral rescue and the sweetest cat ever. He was living under our house when his mother was killed. It took a bit but I got him inside with tuna. He will stand up to hug you, but he also has spraying issues, so he has his room where everything is boxed up. Chester is the only one of our cats allowed outside, since he knows how to avoid predators. He loves to be petted, and Zuzu is his best friend. He constantly gets compliments on the brightness of his green eyes.

This is Coco, our other male cat. He will be eleven years old at the end of this month. It took more than one operation and a specialist to completely fix him, resulting in him being a big boy of twenty pounds. Coco loves female cats, but not other males. Coco and Chester will fight, so I keep them separated. He used to go outside but he would wander and visit the neighborhood female kitties. As a kitten, he had many health issues after being born a day later than the rest of his litter. He lost all of his claws when he got an infection from being allergic to certain litter and he dealt with wheezing issues. But he’s okay now and his claws grew back. He used to keep our late dogs in line. He likes to snuggle at night and is our resident Romeo.

Our smallest cat, Luna just turned five years old. She adores my husband and will wait for him while he plays music. There is an old and tattered box by the garage door where Luna will sat patiently waiting for my hubby to come home from work. She’s our flirty cat and one who likes to hide in drawers and under the covers. Good with the grandkids and will patiently sit in a basket while they carry her around. She does like to eat plastic, so I have to watch her. Ribbon isn’t safe around her either. Of course, Coco also adores her. She’s very spoiled and dislikes if we leave the house. She makes sure we come home at a decent hour and is waiting for us when we enter the house just like a parent of a teenager would do.

Zuzu is the youngest by two weeks, just turned five years old. She is our lap kitty and the one to most likely nip at you if you upset her. The most curious cat I’ve ever seen, but also the most clumsy. If there is a crash in the house, she will be running from it. She’s not fond of kids and fancies herself as the alpha cat. She is very healthy and loves to eat. If she moves very, very slowly, I’m not supposed to notice her slow motion attempt to walk across my keyboard to get to my lap. It has been mentioned that she might be a touch overweight but is full of energy. She has pointed out that her legs are just short. I have to agree with her.

Each cat is different, just like humans. When writing characters, whether they are animals or people, they need to have their special traits that make them unique. This little group keeps me entertained, each in their special way and inspires my writing. Definitely my muses and great examples that little things make them, and characters, so interesting.

Embrace your inner child. D. L. Finn

From Finn’s Forest #13! #writingcommunity #authors #books #editing #newstory #newsletter

Hi!

I’m enjoying spring and with all the new life decorating my landscape, although I hope the rains continue into June, so I don’t have to worry about fires yet.

These last several weeks I’ve been in the editing zone with Sounds in the Silence. I spent a good week pouring through my current work in progress, looking for filler words. Each book is unique, so it keeps me on my toes. What I found were a lot of unnecessary thens, nods, and ups. Other times, it was very or definitely. Once I pay attention to a word, a new one sneaks in.

I am very thankful for that find feature in Words, especially when you have to go through 600 ups. Yes, I cut a good chunk of them.

It was nice to take a break from working on the story, although what I found was some of the weaker spots were in the same place as these filler words. Next, I will focus on the total flow of story and conversation tags. That last one is my least favorite. How many times can one character shrug, nod, or grin?

Sounds in the Silence was written during NaNoWri—a dual timeline with no plan ready. I just jumped in. I’m paying for that during editing, despite that, a story did bloom that I hope to release this June.

I have been offering excerpts of Sounds in the Silence in my newsletter. Interested? You can sign up to receive my once-a-month letter here on my website if you aren’t already subscribed.

This is also where you will run across my Book of the Month. I started the Book of the Month in September of 2021. The very first book on the list was: Ghostly Interference by Jan Sikes

Here’s the link to my lastest newsletter: March Newsletter.

The current Book of Month: Tell me a story: in 99 words
By Annette Rochelle Aben

I only mention this because it’s a great list of books by amazing authors. If you ever find yourself wondering what to read, you might just find your next read here.

Next week, I’ll be sharing my book reviews.

Embrace that inner child by reading a good book! D. L. Finn

From Finn’s Forest #10. When things are what they may seem. #writingcommunity #authors #inspiration

Last week on the thirteenth was an unusual anniversary and I thought I would celebrate it today. It was the day I broke my foot. Here is the updated post and story on why this event is so important to my writing—things aren’t always what they seem.

It was Friday the 13th late at night in 2015. My bedroom was heavy with the chill of a snowy day. I‘d finished reading for the night and made one last bathroom trip. As I jumped out of bed, my feet hit the cold hardwood floor. That sent me running through the icy room without paying attention to where I was going. As I crossed over the bear throw rug, my left foot caught on our twenty-pound black cat, Coco. He had made it a habit to lie on top of the bear and blend in.

In what was only a few seconds seemed like forever as the cat didn’t move, but I did. My weight shifted trying to counterbalance, and I reached out to the dresser but missed. At that moment, I knew I was going down. So, I twisted in an attempt not to land on top of the cat who had a lot of trust in me I wouldn’t hurt him. That’s when I heard a loud snap. Then I hit the ground.

I lay there next to Coco wondering what to do next. Through this event, my husband was still peacefully sleeping. After several painful attempts to get up, I finally called out for help.

“Why are you lying on the ground? You should get up and sleep in the bed.” My groggy husband replied.

It took him a few moments to realize that I couldn’t get up and was hurt. Once he up-righted me, I hopped on one foot to complete my task. Each jump jarred my foot painfully.

Not wanting to go to the hospital in the middle of the night, I slept with a fortress of pillows protecting my injured foot.

I slept very little.

The next morning was Valentine’s Day. The hospital staff found amusement in hearing my story as I spent Valentine’s Day in the ER. My husband never left my side and reassured me it didn’t matter where we were if we were together. He had a good point.

Later, I left on crutches and rested through the weekend. As the days went by, I found I had too much time on my hands. I tried to fill it with TV shows, but I realized I needed something to do.

That’s when a family member suggested I should publish one of my children’s books.

With this unusual downtime, I did a lot of research. I set up a website, blog, had the story edited, got a cover created, and entered social media. Finally, four months later, I was ready to push that button with the company that helped me first publish. Now, I was published.

Once I released that first book, I haven’t stopped. I kept going forward into the writing world.

So, happy late ninth anniversary to the time I tripped over our black cat on Friday the 13th and broke my foot. What seemed like a bad thing ultimately opened the door to a whole new world.

Embrace your inner child by reading a good and be thankful all those events that might not be what they seem! D. L. Finn

From Finn’s Forest #9 #writingcommunity #authors #nature #writing #poweroutage

Hi!

I’m writing this post during a power outage. Usually, we sit in the dark because of snow, not rain and heavy winds, so I wasn’t prepared for this power outage. We did not get hit as badly as the southern part of our state or coast with rain, but the wind did its damage. Keep those facing weather challenges in your thoughts and prayers.

Fortunately, this time around our landlines and DSL are still up, so I’m able to communicate. I use my phone. This is where I get news and updates and where most of my focus is. I have been without this communication during storms and it’s like being alone on an island. No idea what is going on in the world.

I thought I’d try to get some work done or this post. My little laptop took forever to update and finally let me use it on what limited internet is available. Our power came back later that night and then we got some snow the next day.

Even with these issues, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. It may not be ideal to experience in real life, but for characters, it adds an extra dimension to the story. My experience is that cooking on a woodstove can be fun—at first. A character who can’t get a fire burning or hot enough will have a few lessons to learn.

A generator is one of the best investments we’ve made for where we live. It’s not a full house, but it runs the well so we have water, outlets in the bedroom to run hubby’s CPAP machine, refrigerator, outdoor lights, and microwave. It requires not only gas and oil but learning how to run it safely. People have burned their houses down by putting them in the attic. You have to make sure your power lines coming in are shut off or you may send unwanted power to the people working on the lines. An electrician put our panel in and we are careful to follow instructions. Other things to learn is how much wattage applicances take and what is most important. There are so many possible stories just in that.

There needs to be some downtime in stressful situations. During this outage I watched a TV show on Chromecast and Hulu. Usually, it’s through a satellite as that is more reliable at our house but it needs power too. I got lucky with the internet working. But it gave me the break I needed. Books offer that same escape so we can reset and rewind, ready for what the world brings us.

Sometimes in life, all we can do is survive. The same happens in a story where our experience can be woven into any story making it all the more real. Characters being out of communication and having no power adds that opportunity for a killer, sudden illness or injury, a tree hitting the house and losing shelter, a war going on and no clue, or even the worst case, it’s worldwide.

A forced change in our daily routine makes us look at the world differently. For me, besides trying to get the fire going and keeping it going, my mind wanders. My what-ifs kick in and ideas flow that insist on being written down. Plus, there is that lesson showing us what is important. Being safe along with having shelter, food, and water. This bit of wisdom and empathy can flow into a story, with a few challenges along the way.

Like life, nothing goes along smoothly, and in stories that is what keeps us turning the page.

Note: That little bug that’s been making it way though my family for the last month finally claimed me. So I took some time to rest and recoup.

Read a good book and create some of that magic. D. L. Finn

From Finn’s Forest #7 #writingcommunity #author #readers #fall #poetry #pumpkins

Today we are taking a trip back to 1997 and then enjoying a fall poem. The late 90s was a time when I was sending my work out to publishers in the mail, including Elizabeth’s War. This included children’s magazine articles. I received rejections, including one from Highlights, who kindly suggested that I focus on one area and submit more pictures. Did I get that is what they wanted me to do? No, I didn’t. I missed an opportunity there.

But, an article called “Mega Veggies” did score a yes and my first payment for writing. In May 1997, my article was in Nature Friend Children’s magazine under my real name. They are still going today and it might be time for me to resume some of that article writing I used to do.

Not only did I talk about how to grow your own veggies but the extra mile farmers went to increase product size. Here’s the quiz from my 1997 article and the sizes of veggies way back when. Which belongs to which? Answers below.

1. cabbage	a. 37 lbs. 5 oz.
2. carrot	b. 124 lbs.
3. tomato	c. 1006 lbs.
4. pumpkin	d. 7 lbs. 2 oz.
5. radish	e. 15 lbs. 7 oz.
6. zucchini	f 7 lbs. 13 oz.
7. potato	g. 64 lbs. 8 oz.
8. cucumber	h. 20 lbs. 1 oz.

What made me think about this article from twenty-six years ago? I saw a news story about the current size of the world’s biggest pumpkin. Since I wrote my article, it has more than doubled to 2749 pounds from a mere 1006 pounds years ago.

Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota world record pumpkin, was weighed on 10-09-23 in Half Moon Bay, CA.

Answers to quiz: 1b, 2e, 3d, 4c, 5a, 6g, 7f, and 8h.

Here is a fall poem from Deep in the Forest Where Poetry Blooms

HARVEST MOON

full moon

autumn’s delight

a fairy celebration

under the bright harvest glow

joyful

all the woodland creatures join

pirouetting under the stars

before first snow

arrives.

NOTE:

Next week is the release of The Destination. Be sure to stop by and celebrate with me, along with enjoying the Halloween day. I’m dressing up as the Wicked Witch from Wizard of Oz for my daughter’s costume party this coming weekend and my husband is going to be wolfman. I’ll share pictures then. It’s a come as a classic villian theme. I went back and forth between the Wicked Witch and Annie Wilkes from Misery. Anyone else dressing up?

Embrace your inner child. Take a fall (or spring) walk and enjoy nature! Then sit down on a bench and read a book or write a poem. D. l. Finn