Out & About: Finding Big Foot

 Good morning!

I've got a fun blog post for you today. :)

Living in the Pacific Northwest, I frequently encounter references to "Big Foot" (also known as Sasquatch). After all, we're living in his habitat. 

A few examples-- The Sugar Shack Bakery in Reedsport sells a "Big Foot" donut. It's a maple bar with a big foot painted on it with white frosting-- and my niece's favorite! There's also a local company named "BigFoot Beverages." and it's pretty common to spot "Big Foot" themed art work or bumper stickers while driving around. 

My favorite:

 

Decal for Sale on Etsy from Snappy Turtle Decals 

When I worked at the Coos History Museum, it was still located in Simpson Park which shared a parking lot with the North Bend Visitor Center. I lost count of the number of times that people came in asking for a map of local Big Foot sightings.

Periodically, Geocaching HQ has programs where geocachers can collect souvenirs. In 2018, they had a program called "Hidden Creatures." 

 

Naturally, Big Foot was one of the mythical creatures that we could find, and he was featured in some of the promotional materials. We attended a local event when the program launched where each of us signed a "Big Foot Crossing" sign. The event hosts hung the sign up near a new geocache that they hid a short while after our gathering.

As you can see, we have a lot of fun with Big Foot and all of the above are great. But, recently, I found my favorite yet...

Appropriately, a friend and I were out searching for geocaches when we discovered a Big Foot couple!

The metal sculptures are on display in front of the North Bend Powersports store. I reached out to the owners to try to find out more about the sculptures and the artist that made them. Unfortunately, all they knew was that the store owners purchased the statues from the Baja Imports store in Bandon, Oregon. I tried reaching out to the store, but I didn't receive a response. 

While I wish that I knew more about who built them, the statues are still awesome! More pictures below:

How about you? Have you ever found Big Foot (in any form)?

Happy summer everyone!

 

~ H. S. Contino

 

Let's Connect!

 Good afternoon!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their last few weeks of summer. The weather here on the Oregon coast has been gorgeous! Loki and I have been enjoying lots of long walks! We're so blessed to live in an area with an abundance of natural beauty to enjoy!

 

Just a quick post today. Someone recently mentioned that they had trouble finding one of my social media accounts. So, I thought I'd make it easy for everyone and list them all here. I use most of the popular social media platforms, but I spend the most time on Facebook and Twitter. Feel free to visit my social media pages, follow me, or send me a message. I love hearing from readers and befriending fellow authors/artists/creative types!

 

Facebook:

Author, H. S. Contino https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHSContino/

Reprieve's Corner https://www.facebook.com/ReprievesCorner

Twitter:

@HSContino  https://twitter.com/hscontino?lang=en

 

Pinterest:

User name: Reprieve's Corner

https://www.pinterest.com/ReprievesCorner/_saved/

 

LinkedIn:

H. S. Contino, Writer & Small Business Owner at Reprieve’s Corner

https://www.linkedin.com/in/h-s-contino-0ba72929/

 

Instagram:

User name:  hscontino  

https://www.instagram.com/hscontino/

 

Tumblr:

User name: hscontino

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/hscontino

 

Blogs:

Blogger https://hscontino.blogspot.com/

WordPress https://hscontino.wordpress.com/

 

HubPages:

User name: HS Contino (Reprieve26)

https://hubpages.com/@reprieve26

 

Amazon Author Central:

User name: H. S. Contino

 https://author.amazon.com/home

 

GoodReads Author Profile:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6916217.H_S_Contino

As you can see, I've signed up with numerous platforms over the years. I know that everyone has different preferences and favorites when it comes to social media, so my approach has been to create accounts where people can find me (and by extension, my work).

Have a great week everyone!

~ H. S. Contino

Book Title Announcement: "The Other Mae"

 Good afternoon!

Thank you all for your comments and feedback on my recent post, "A Rose by Any Other Name." After giving it a lot of thought and considering dozens of options, I settled on a new name for my most recent novel: "The Other Mae." (I'm still working on the cover art).

I like this title for several reasons. The story is about a woman finding herself after a traumatic attack that leaves her with amnesia. The main character's full name is Ellie-Mae, but she shortened it to Mae as an adult. I like how the new title plays on the word "me." The novel chronicles Mae's journey of self discovery as she slowly heals both physically and psychologically from the attack. It's the story of Mae finding herself. 

* Spoiler Alert *

At one point in the story, Ellie-Mae comes across some of her old journals. As she reads them, she gains insight into her life before the attack; but, she often compares herself to the person she was before the attack-- in other words, "The Other Mae."

Phew! I really like the new title, and I'm so relieved to have finally solved this problem. I wrote the initial rough draft of the novel back in the fall of 2019. I gave it the working title "This Forgotten Life," but I was never happy with it.

 

I'd also like to acknowledge my friend and fellow writer for her help. She uses the pen name "Tatiana Foxx," and she writes erotic romance. Thank you, Tatiana, for helping me brainstorm title ideas and providing feedback. I really appreciate your help!

Feel free to check out Tatiana Foxx's webpage and sign up for updates. She's currently working on her first novel, "Not My Alpha."

Tatiana Foxx Romance

 

Happy reading (and writing) everyone!

~ H. S. Contino

And the winner is...

 Good afternoon!

Just a quick follow-up post today. Thank you to everyone that participated in the recent giveaway for my new novel, "Alternatives." The deadline to enter was Saturday, July 31st, 2021. So, on Sunday morning, I wrote down all of the names and randomly drew one.

 

Drum roll, please! And the winner is... Doc!

 

Small world, Doc also happens to be one of my neighbors. (Since two of my books are about local history, it's not really surprising that the majority of my fans live on the Oregon coast). Yesterday afternoon, I signed a copy of the book (along with a personalized message) and walked it down the street to deliver it. How's that for personalized customer service? 😉

Doc, I hope you enjoy reading the book!

Happy reading (and writing) everyone!

~ H. S. Contino 📚

"A Rose by Any Other Name..."

 Good morning,

As Shakespeare famously said "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." For today's post, I would like to get our little community involved in my current writing project. In particular, I could use some help coming up with a better title for the novel.

The working title for this project is "This Forgotten Life." I wrote the initial draft immediately after I completed the rough draft of what eventually became "Alternatives." but the novels are very different. There are a few common themes including families and overcoming past hurts, but the novels are very different. "Alternatives" is a soft science-fiction story with a strong romantic story line."This Forgotten Life" is a little harder to classify. It's more mainstream fiction with a strong dramatic flare. It could also be described as "Women's Lit" since a big part of the story is about the main character trying to find herself after a traumatic event.

"This Forgotten Life" is an accurate title for the novel, and I have been experimenting with some cover options using this title. The following are a few of my favorites so far:

The current title could work for the book, but... it's kind-of a boring name. I'd like something with more oomph! For example, I'd love to work the word "shattered" into the title. The word accurately describes what happens to main the character in the 1st scene in the book. A single event destroys everything, and she's left to pick up the pieces. And the image of a broken mirror or shattered glass on the cover would be powerful and carries a lot of emotional weight.

 I also love the concept of Kintsugi, which, according to Wikipedia, "is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum..." It also involves accepting (and embracing) imperfections.

Kintsugi provides the perfect metaphor for what the main character experiences throughout the course of the book. In the beginning, she's shattered and broken, but with work she slowly puts the pieces back together again. She becomes a better person through her journey of self-discovery. Unfortunately, there is no English translation/equivalent. And I'm worried that if i tried to use the Japanese term then I'll be constantly having to explain it to people. It's a great concept, but as the title of a novel it may be too abstract.

The problem is that every time I come up with a more exciting title, I discover that it's already in use by another author (through a title search on Amazon or GoodReads). While technically, I could still use those titles, I would prefer to come up with something unique.

That's where all of you come in. Suggestions, please! Feel free to leave a comment on this blog post or send me an email.

 

I'm still working on the back cover text for the book, the following should give you a general idea about what the book is about:

In an instant, her life changed forever...

Thirty-seven year old, Ellie-Mae Rossi was happily married with three children and another on the way when, in an instant, her life was changed forever. Waking up in the hospital, the doctors realize that she's lost twenty years of memories.

Reverting to her 17-year-old self, Ellie-Mae is forced to confront the hopes for her future that never realized and past betrayals that had long been forgotten.

With her sense of self shattered, Ellie Mae struggles to put the pieces of her life back together.

 

 Possible titles:

This Forgotten Life (working title)

Finding Ellie-Mae

Finding Kintsugi (to abstract?)

Shattered Sense of Self (too much alliteration??)

Your suggestion here!

 

Themes: journey of self discovery, picking up the pieces, healing, overcoming challenging, betrayal, broken dreams, disillusionment, past hurts, overcoming amnesia/memory loss, rebuilding relationships, forgiveness

So, what do you think? All feedback welcome!

Okay, I better get back to work. I'm currently working on the 3rd draft of the novel. It's been slow going, but I'm slowly making progress. More updates soon!

Happy reading (and writing) everyone!

 

~ H. S. Contino 📚

Liquidation Sale (Save up to 50%!)

 Good afternoon,

I usually try to put a positive spin on my posts, but the truth is that the past year and a half have been incredibly difficult. In addition to my writing and running my home-based crafting business, I usually have a part time job. Book and crafts sales can vary a lot from month to month, so it's good to have a steady source of income. Unfortunately, I lost two jobs last year due to the pandemic.

Once again, I tried to remain optimistic. I used my additional free time to catch up on projects around my house, make new craft inventory, and work on editing the manuscripts of two novels.

Understandably, with everything that has been going on over the past year and a half, people have mostly been spending their money on essentials. And for most people this doesn't include books or handmade crafts. As a result, my sales have nose dived.

 

 

With all of this in mind, I've decided to have a liquidation sale in my Etsy shop, Reprieve's Corner. From now through August 1st, 2021, all of my crafts and craft supplies are 50% off and autographed copies of my books are 10% off. Free shipping on orders of $35 or more (US only).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's hoping that from now on things start looking up!

As always, thank you for reading and for supporting my creative efforts. I really appreciate it!

~ H. S. Contino

It’s Camp NaNoWriMo!

Good morning!

As my regular followers know, I’m a huge fan of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and I’ve written about it in the past. For those that are unfamiliar, NaNoWriMo is basically a huge online writing community. They’re run by a non-profit organization and their basic mission is to encourage people to write.

November is the official National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Every year, tons of people from around the world sign up to participate. The goal is to write a full length novel with a minimum of 50,000 words within the month of November.

“30 days and 30 nights of literary abandon!”

The best part is the online community. There are forums, pep talks (often from well known and successful authors), and other online resources. You can also join writing groups and add writing buddies. All of the above comes together to create a supportive community for writers— where we all do our part to help and encourage each other.

Like I said earlier, I love NaNoWriMo!

The November big event was so popular that they eventually created Camp NaNoWriMo which is held in April and July.

The great part about the Camp NaNoWriMo events is that they’re much more laid back and the writing goals are flexible. You can also choose to work on any writing project and choose your word goal. I usually use the camps to work on editing existing rough drafts. Having the NaNoWriMo community support is incredibly motivating!

This month, I’ll (once again) be working on editing the rough draft of “This Forgotten Life.” You may recall that I worked on the same project during April’s Camp NaNoWriMo too. In fact, I’ve been working on the manuscript— off and on— for the past six months. I’ve been making progress— at a snail’s pace.  I’m hoping that Camp NaNoWriMo will help motivate me to get more work done.

 

 For my fellow writers (and those that dream of becoming a writer), feel free to look me up on the Camp NaNoWriMo webpage and add me as a writing buddy. My nickname is “Reprieve26” (the combination of my favorite word and number).

NaNoWriMo.org (http://nanowrimo.org)

Have a great week!

H. S. Contino