I’m tickled to have Lisa Belcastro in the Blue Rose Writing Room today.
Welcome Lisa!
So, what’s one thing you absolutely can’t tolerate during your writing? One thing you can’t write without?
Music. I love music, and if there is any song playing anywhere in my home, I’ll start singing along and my concentration is gone. On other hand, I write best when Ben, my cat, is stretched out on my desk to the left of my computer and he purrs along while I work. His purring is peaceful and rhythmical, and his companionship is most welcome. Plus, I’m not talking to myself if Ben’s in the room.
I’m the opposite. If I have music on while I write, I find myself singing or humming along instead of writing.
Place you absolutely want to visit before you die?
Greece. I’ve never been and I’ve been saying for years that I want to go. I’d also love to spend a few months in Tuscany, renting a home and living as the locals live. A girl has to have dreams . . . sigh
Tuscancy…oh, yeah!
What historical figure do you wish you could have met?
Jesus Christ. I’ve read scripture, non-fiction and fictionalized stories about the days and life of Jesus, but I can still barely imagine what it would have been like to have been in his presence, to have heard him speak, to have been able to ask him a question (and I have tons!).
Me too!
What are you most proud of about your writing?
Every time one of my girls tells a friend or someone she knows or strangers in a store that her “mom is a writer”, I feel exceptionally giddy. I love hearing the pride in their voices.
What’s one new thing you’d like to try?
Sitting still. Just kidding!
Hang gliding. When a dear friend was going through her chemo treatments for breast cancer, she set a goal to go hang gliding in Scotland when she was cancer free. And she asked me to go with her. I’m not overly comfortable with heights (major understatement), but we are looking ahead to next summer and lift off. If she can survive and thrive, I can muster the courage to fly beside her.
What is something you are determined to do?
Run a marathon in every state. A few years back I was running one or two marathons a year. Always the same races. My step dad suggested I branch out and run a marathon in every state. I started in 2009, with only four states completed. By the end of the year, I’d run another six for a total of ten states. At that point I was four years shy of turning 50. I decided to up the ante and run all fifty states before I turn fifty. And I’m almost done! I have three states left to complete, and I hope to run them all before the year is out. It’s been crazy sometimes, needing to run two marathons in one month. That’s over fifty-two miles of racing, plus all the training miles. Fortunately, my knees and legs and feet are feeling great.
What a woman!
Will you share what you’re most afraid of?
This is sooooo embarrassing! I live on an Island, surrounded by water, and I hardly ever swim. Partly because the water is too cold eleven months out of the year (I’m wimpy), but mostly because I can’t stand the sight (or thought) of something swimming near me. Big fish freak me out. I love to go fishing, but I don’t want anything bigger than my hand swimming in the water within a mile of me!
Do you have a favorite quote?
“Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.” Charles Swindoll
Love Charles Swindoll!
Tell us something unusual, quirky, or odd about yourself?
Eh gads. Here goes . . . I edit on the treadmill, or the elliptical if it is a cross training day. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but I can explain. Sort of. Because I’m trying to run a marathon in all fifty states, which requires a bit of running to coerce my muscles to believe they want to exert that much energy on race day, I need to train six days a week. Since I’m limited on training time, every morning I go to the gym I bring my writing from the previous day and edit while I run. On warm days (half the year) when I run outside, I think about whatever storyline I’m writing and allow my mind to wander as my feet pound the pavement.
Okay, now for the quickie questions: Answer in three words or less. Ready? Go!
Favorite Disney Character? Just one? Belle
Favorite Fruit? Apples, w/homemade PB J
Favorite Eye Color? Blue
Best Vacation destination? Tropical beach
Food you can’t stand? Slimy stuff
What annoys you? Negative attitudes
Coffee, tea, or something else? I love tea.
Nightgown or Jammies? T-shirt and sweatpants
Prefer dogs or cats? Cats, especially Ben.
Lisa Belcastro lives with her family on Martha’s Vineyard. She loves chocolate, reading, writing, running, working in her gardens, including weeding, and almost all outdoor activities — as long as the temperature is above sixty degrees! Being on or near the water is pure joy for Lisa.
When she’s not at her desk working on her next novel or writing the cuisine column for Vineyard Style Magazine, Lisa is volunteering at her daughters’ schools, serving in her church community, gardening and cooking up those vegetables, trying to run a marathon a month, or walking the beach with her husband looking for sea glass.
The blurb about Shenandoah Nights
Everything seems normal on Sunday as Rebecca boards the impressive Shenandoah. But as she sits in Cabin 8, she hears hushed voices that don’t sound like they’re from this century. Mike, a crewmember, insists he believes the crazy Island story that Melissa time-traveled to Colonial Boston. His eerie interest in constantly tracking Rebecca’s whereabouts rattles her nerves.
Her first night onboard, Rebecca drifts off to sleep…and wakes the following morning with memories of a secretive conversation about a battle with Britain. Monday night Rebecca crawls into her bunk after an adventurous day of sailing, swimming, and overseeing students. She is startled awake when a man grabs her and yells, “Stowaway!” Dragged in front of Captain Benjamin Reed, she looks up into the most gorgeous brown eyes she’s ever seen….
Enjoy an excerpt from Shenandoah Nights
An unusual ache in his shoulder and the scent of flowers woke him in the early morning hours. He felt her presence even before he opened his eyes. Sometime, somehow, in the middle of the night they had rolled together with only the wheelbase separating them from the waist down. She rested her head on his shoulder as though she belonged there. He inhaled the scent of her hair, an intoxicating mix of floral smells. His hands twitched with desire. Dear Lord, save me from myself.
He could move, should move, but he didn’t want to wake her, didn’t want to shift her at all. Fact was, he liked her there. The nearness of her filled him with a longing he hadn’t experienced before. He lay there for nearly an hour listening to her breathe, trying to make out the features of her face in the dim, early morning light.
A strong breeze sent a shiver through her and had her reaching for a cover. She searched with her right hand, still sleeping, still unaware where she was. She unknowingly ran her hand over his shirt, down his chest. He sucked in his breath, tensing every muscle in his body.
He felt her stiffen, and then watched her eyes open slowly. He tried not to chuckle at her shocked expression, which immediately turned to anger. “What are you doing?” she hissed, her indignant tone unmistakable even at hushed levels.
“I would think that was obvious, Madam. I have been waiting for you to awaken so I may have the use of my shoulder back.”
He was certain she was blushing. She opened her mouth then hesitated. He couldn’t help but smile. “I . . . well . . . I must have rolled over in my sleep.”
“’Twould appear so. Were you comfortable?” he asked with laughter in his voice. He knew he was baiting her, but he was enjoying himself far too much to stop.
He watched her ponder his question. A furrow appeared in her brow, a spark flashed in her eyes. “You are a little lumpy.”
“Lumpy?” He stammered. “I have never been called lumpy in my life.”
He could have sworn she grinned before laying her head back down on his shoulder. When she ran her fingers over his white linen shirt, across his chest and down his stomach he had all he could to do to remain still. Every fiber in his being was screaming. The woman could not know what she was doing to him. Then she frowned, yes, frowned at him before replying: “Yup, definitely lumpy.”
She withdrew her hand and attempted to roll away. He captured her wrist and grinned at her sharp intake of breath. He wanted to kiss her soundly. Neither moved. He couldn’t tell whether his heart had stopped or was racing so fast he couldn’t distinguish a beat. He turned slightly onto his right side, drawing her closer, taking in the beauty of her face as the first rays of sunlight danced over her skin. Her eyes widened. He sensed she might feel like a mouse trapped by the big, bad cat ready to devour her with more than his brown eyes.
Contact Lisa
Thanks again, Lisa for joining me here today.
Thanks for having me, Collette.
