Good Neighbours

We had a big snowfall after Christmas that lasted several days and nearly snowed us in. One of our neighbours has just moved here and I haven’t even met him yet. But he plowed the whole road and cleared access, as the public plow usually fills in our road entrance and blocks us in.

Then a second neighbour very kindly plowed our long driveway as he cleared his own.

A third neighbour has a creek running through his land that empties into the ditch that parallels our road and drive. Here it is now, a gentle stream.

However, as the snow melted, it became a regular torrent. This neighbour noticed the water was backing up and about to flood the road and might wash away the barn below. He spent his time clearing the blockage and branches along the streambed, following along the road and down our drive to prevent our driveway from being washed out as well.

I was out for a walk the other day and this is what I observed.

This tree stump has been by the side of the road for a while, witness the moss. But the spoon has only been there for a few months. Someone found the spoon and put it there in the hopes that the person who lost it might see it and be able to reclaim their utensil. It’s a tiny act of kindness that touched my heart. Especially in these times of pandemic and hostility that seem to surround us, acts of kindness mean a lot.

What do people do in your neighbourhood? Drop me a line and let me know.

About Sylvie

Let me tell you a little about me, Sylvie Grayson, and why I write!

What am I currently working on?

My current work is the prequel to The Last War series, where an ambitious young Sergeant in the military is reluctantly dragged into the middle of the Emperor’s ambitions to increase the number of women in his harem, at a time when women are scarce and his boss begins a courtship.

At the same time rebellion is rampant in the competing territories in reaction to the Emperor’s willingness to eliminate people who get in his way. Soon the War begins and everyone must choose sides. If you are not for Emperor Aqatain, you are against him.

How does my contemporary romantic suspense differ from the sci fi/fantasy genre?

In contemporary, my heroes are busy guys who are trying their best to make a go of their careers. They aren’t perfect but they work hard and play hard, knowing life can throw them a curve unexpectedly, and it always does. My heroines are smart, usually independent minded women who have a plan for their lives. When these two meet up, the sparks fly, especially if they are already driving on a collision course. Then I mix in a bit of intrigue and suspense in the shape of a bad character or two, some unforeseen events to up the ante and make things really interesting.

The fantasy is somewhat the same, in that the collision course gets mixed with imagined world building and a touch of ‘other world’. I don’t do werewolves, vampires etc, but I like the freedom of changing things up with my imagination.

I try to stay away from the classic scenarios –businessmen who enter into shady deals to make a lot of money, or high flying politicians who work for their own interests to gain wealth or influence. I feel those have been overdone, and it’s time to look for more interesting and inventive plots.

Why do I write what I do?

I have a varied and out-of-the ordinary background and I think that comes through in what I write. My father was a story teller, some of the stories were imagined. He played the accordion and mouth organ, and loved to sing ballads. My mother was a painter, a writer and a respected poet. So I come by the wish to tell stories honestly. I also have a background in business, entertainment, travel, start-up companies, you name it. So I like to write about those things.

Life is never easy, I don’t know anyone who has sailed through without a hitch. So when I’m writing, and begin to throw the hitch into the mix, the leak in the lifeboat, or the thief in the scenario, it just gets more interesting and exciting. The suspense in ‘romantic suspense’ gives the love story a special impact.

How does my writing process work?

I’ve written about fifteen or sixteen books now, and the process has evolved. Because I have finally retired, I write when I can find the uninterrupted time to do so. I usually start with an idea about the characters and the situation they’re in. As I mull it over in my mind, their personalities evolve and I start to see why they are doing what they do, and how their goals are at cross purposes. Then I work on getting them together.

When I write, I usually know where I’m going with the story. But the story can surprise me, and take me in a different direction than I originally planned. I find the characters come alive and soon have a mind of their own. It takes some special handling as the story evolves to stay on course but, at the same time, allow the hero and heroine a voice in their own story. It’s what I love to do.

A Brand New Year

I have been spending time planning my goals for the New Year. As I pondered which items were the most important, and what order they should go in the list, there was a knock on the door.

We had quite a few snowfalls lately and now the ground was covered with a thick coating of snow. Would I like to come out and build a snowman with my grandsons?

Well, obviously, this was more important than anything else on my list, or even making the list itself, so out I went. The snowman looked pretty good, in case you were wondering, with my husband’s hat, a bright red scarf, carrot nose and some dried fern whiskers.

Now my job is to finish this blasted list…..

What have you got on your list for the coming year? Email me at sylviegraysonauthor@gmail.com or leave a comment and let me know. 🙂

Need a laugh?

What did the Tin Man say when he got run over by a steamroller?

“Curses! Foil again!”

Six More Sleeps – Christmas festivities

Christmas is almost upon us. Our tree is outside, the trunk soaking in a bucket of water with sugar and Vitamin B. The lights have come up from the basement and wait in old boxes for the decorating to begin. I’m slow this year, can’t seem to get too organized. I did begin the baking.

Last year I made shortbread and chocolate oatmeal cookies. Then I found some paper plates, filled four of them (we have four neighbours on our road) half with one type and half with the other. Wrapped them in plastic, wrote a Christmas card for each house and delivered them. It was a year that looked like a celebration that was going to be isolated and I thought it would add some festivity to the season.

This year, there are eight neighbours to consider. One of them took the time to clear the ditch so the water ran into the culvert and didn’t wash out our driveway. One started parking his truck in a different spot so it was easier to access our road. One cleared our drive of snow last year, mentioning that the cookies were darn good. These are such good people, I feel blessed to add a little to their holiday celebrations. But it does mean more cookies. 🙂

What is the celebration like in your neighbourhood?