FinnsForest – Author D.L. Finn

From Finn’s Forest #26 #indieauthors #writingcommunity #bookstoread #mustreads #payitforward

This is the post I planned on sharing last week. But instead, I was not feeling well and decided to wait until this week. Some little bug or maybe even allergies got a hold of me and hasn’t completely let go. I am doing better, at least the headache and sore throat mostly went away, but that exhaustion won’t let go, and the upset stomach keeps making a comeback.

After my last book release and blog tour, I decided to do something different for my wonderful blog hosts. I bought the physical copy of their book I mentioned on my site. I enjoyed having them on my shelf for a bit, but the plan was to share them in my Little Library and find new readers for them in my area. I’ve already had takers, and I will keep adding more of these books to the shelves.

This has been a great way to help me part with some of my large book collection. Although I’ve found it a bit painful to give up some of my favorite indie authors’ books, other people deserve to be introduced to them.

Neighbors have been helping out and adding some great books, too. Of course, I can’t resist adding some to my reading list.

In the future, I’ll also add other authors from our community. I consider this my small way to pay it forward.

Here are some pictures of the Little Library over a couple of months and the books I got to add to it.

On the weather end, we went from snow to what they are calling an epic record-breaking heatwave this week. March usually offers snow, not sunny weather in the 80s. This good weather, though, has helped in the cleanup from the snowstorm. We were pleasantly surprised to see little damage to the roof after the snow melted. Just a few dings where there was no gutter. Will have the roofer see if we need to repair any of that. Jeff is already putting the fence back together, and I cleaned up the branches on the patio, and we were able to burn some of the debris last weekend. Record-breaking seems to be the norm now.

Watch for this month’s newsletter on the 20th if you are subscribed.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to those who celebrate it 🙂

Embrace your inner child by reading a fantastic book and then sharing it! D. L. Finn (Denise)

From Finn’s Forest #25 #authorlife #writingcommunity #nature #forestliving #snow

Hi! I know I’ve been quiet lately, but between doing taxes and the last storm, it’s kept me busy! I still have some catching up to do.

Last week we got winter here, or cooler temperatures, finally. Along with that came snow, our first for the season. It sounded like we’d get a foot of snow, which is doable, but instead we ended up with 34 inches or almost three feet! This was a lot for not only humans but the trees that began to embrace spring.

In the 36 years living in our house, we’ve never had a tree hit it. This storm changed that. Luckily, we were okay, and the roof seemed to survive it, not sure about the shingles, have to wait until the snow melts to see. But what took the hit was our fence and part of our gutters. My husband was home from work, so he was able to get most of the tree off the house that day. What was on the roof would have to wait, as we had other things to do, like clear the snow off the trailer and get the generator going because the power went out.

The rest of the week left me alone as my husband went back to work, and I managed to keep the wood stove going for heat and shoveled snow where I could. Finally, the weather cleared, and my husband was working, I got a nice surprise. One of my sons-in-law, his father, and his brother-in-law showed up to get the top of the tree off the house. This required a ladder to climb onto our steep roof with a chainsaw. Not a one-person job. I should mention my husband is one of those people who doesn’t usually accept help. I accepted the help for him.

My take on all of this? When bad things happen, people are there to help, like with the tree that no longer sits on our roof. Our neighbors checked in on each other. Getting gas for those who needed it for their generators, food, or to get their driveway plowed. All via our two-radio group.

Even though I felt totally alone in the dark of the morning when my husband went to work. I insisted we shut the generator off until I got up to give it a rest and save gas. But I woke up right as he left and imagined all kinds of things. He made it to work, and I waited until it was light out to restart the generator. With dawn came the realization I wasn’t really as alone as I believed. That two-way radio was there. Still, after that, there was no early morning generator shutdown.

I have a feeling that moment of pure disattachment to the world will creep into a story. Boy, the things one can think of in the dark.

Now we’re going to get rain, and soon the snow will melt away. Then back to the warm and dry weather, winter seems to be fond of this year.

We have our power back now after three days out. Not our worst storm, but it’s up there as the most memorable. I would give it a mini Snowmegdon status. Here are some pictures. We got to snowshow on my husband’s one day off this last weekend.

I think the snowperson tire expresses the piling snow best 🙂

Embrace your inner child by offering to lend a helping hand or just allowing yourself to enjoy what life offers! D. L. Finn (Denise)

From Finn’s Forest #24 #writingcommunity #nature #authorlife

It’s been a while since I’ve done a From Finn’s Forest post—last April. While the rest of the country has gotten hit with that huge icy storm, we are warm and dry. Neither extremes are good. I’m hoping for rain to return here and more normal weather across not only the states but globally. Right now, Mother Nature seems out of sorts.

Last weekend, hubby and I took a walk that we normally take in April at the river. It was a beautiful day there, and I even saw a couple of people dipping their feet in the icy, dangerous waters. That is a river you don’t want to swim in until June or later. I stayed away from the river’s water edge but enjoyed the views above it.

On my favorite walking trail that I have shared here before, I was surprised to see not only some budding plants but a few flowers blooming. The bigger surprise was the couple of little yellow butterflies. Definitely not the time of year for that. At home, my daffodils are blooming a couple of months early, and my apple tree has some buds. I worry for them if winter visits. We aren’t out of the snow months through spring, but so far it has been a warm winter.

The walk was very healing for my weary soul. Hopefully, it will offer some inspiration to my dormant muse.

Here are some pictures from our pretend spring day.

This leaf floated around for a while. It reminded me of a boat fairies might use to cross the water.

I usually look for hearts in nature. Here’s one.

I’ve been taking pictures of what used to be a clear smiley face on this lichen. The smile and eyes are harder to see, but the new mustache is taking form.

The little creek above the river, we usually stop and hydrate 🙂

Embrace that inner child by reading a good book or enjoying the nature around you. D. L. Finn (Denise)

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