Friday, January 27, 2017

Tsunami Crimes and Celebrate the Small Things


It's Friday once again. We've survived one week so far with our new president. How are you coping? Building a fall-out shelter? Pleasantly surprised by his work ethic? None of the above? Well, let's stop and celebrate the small things, shall we? Thank you to our awesome host, Lexa Cain, and cohosts:  L.G. Keltner and Tonya Drecker

1. Last Friday, I had a blast participating in the I Survived Blogfest for Chyrs Fey's release of Tsunami Crimes. This week I get to ask a question to the author:



How did you research tsunamis? Did the stories from the 2004 (Thailand) or 2011 (Japan) have an impact on your writing?

I checked out books from my local library about natural disasters and took notes about tsunamis and how they work. One book I read was I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011 by Lauren Tarshis. This book was really good, perfect for kids. I actually bought it for my nephew, who was reading these books at school. When he showed me one, I decided to take a look and came across the story about the Japanese Tsunami.

I also read two books with first-hand accounts from tsunami survivors. Their stories were powerful. Clothing was ripped right off of their bodies. One woman saw a neighbor shouting for her to help, but this woman knew if she let go of the tree, she’d die. And a young girl lost her whole family.

The movie The Impossible, based on the Thailand tsunami, was by far the best source of research for me. Although the wave in the movie wasn’t “real,” I was able to see what a tsunami looked like and what happened to someone caught in one. It’s shocking, to say the least.

Nate Berkus’ survival story that I heard on Oprah after the Thailand tsunami also made a big impact. Nate Berkus, an interior decorator, was vacationing in Sri Lanka with his partner, when the 2004 tsunami hit. Nate and Fernando Bengoechea clung to a telephone phone. Then Fernando was swept away. Sadly, he was never found.

The other story that stuck with me was supermodel Petra Nemcova’s survival. She gripped a palm tree for eight hours. And she had a broken pelvis.


All of this made a huge impact on my writing, and my life.



BLURB:

Beth and Donovan have come a long way from Hurricane Sabrina and the San Francisco earthquake. Now they are approaching their wedding day and anxiously waiting to promise each other a lifetime of love. The journey down the aisle isn’t smooth, though, as they receive threats from the followers of the notorious criminal, Jackson Storm. They think they’ll be safe in Hawaii, but distance can’t stop these killers. Not even a tsunami can.

This monstrous wave is the most devastating disaster Beth has ever faced. It leaves her beaten, frightened. Is she a widow on her honeymoon? As she struggles to hold herself together and find Donovan, she’s kidnapped by Jackson's men.

Fearing her dead, Donovan searches the rubble and shelters with no luck. The thought of her being swept out to sea is almost too much for him to bear, but the reality is much worse. She’s being used as bait to get him to fall into a deadly trap.

If they live through this disaster, they may never be the same again.

On SALE for $2.99!

BUY LINKS:

P.S. Hurricane Crimes and Seismic Crimes are on sale for 99 Cents!


BIO:

Chrys Fey is the author of the Disaster Crimes Series. She is a blogger, reader, auntie, vegetarian, and cat Lover. Get Lightning Crimes (Disaster Crimes 2.5) for FREE!

FIND CHRYS:


Giveaway!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

2. We had an interesting week, weather-wise. Mild temperatures and incredibly fog all weekend and then, BAM!, snowstorm on Tuesday. Sadly, it has all melted. Wahh!! At least I have the photos:



The boardwalk at Charlotte Beach, Rochester, NY




The pier at Charlotte Beach, Rochester, NY
(You can barely make out the tower at the end.)




Our front yard trees.



Same place, different view. 


3. And last Friday, we went to hear the Rochester Philharmonic play along with classic Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, and Pepe La Pew cartoons. So amazing. (And so loud!) My favorite was the Barber of Seville. 





Hope you all had a fantastic week! Have you seen The Impossible? It's on Netflix. Do you love snow? Hate snow? What's your favorite Looney Tunes cartoon?

37 comments:

  1. Love the pics of your front yard trees. So pretty! As far as the new president, I'll just say I'm not coping all that well and leave it at that.
    Congrats to Chrys! She is popping up everywhere.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awesome pictures. We are not getting that much snow either. I'm loving it because I can walk outside more, even if it's cold, without worrying about falling. Yeah, we did survive this week. I'm like Julie and won't say much.

    Congrats to Chrys!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Tamara!

    Fog and snow. That is interesting weather. I love got, but no snow in Florida. lol

    ReplyDelete
  4. I live as far inland as it's possible to be, so I'm unlikely to be troubled by a tsunami until the climate finally implodes. As for Trump, well, you've got our Mrs May over there too at the moment. Don't blame me: I didn't vote for her. Oh wait, nobody did. Don't you just love politics? Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's good. I live in Florida. Although its unlikely for a tsunami to hit here, scientists have talked about "the big one," so it's not impossible.

      Delete
  5. I can imagine some of the research for Chrys's book was quite upsetting. Weather, tsunamis, we can't control and they can cause such devastation. Wishing you a happy weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the true stories were shocking. It's scary just to think about it.

      Delete
  6. I've never witnessed a tsunami and hope I never do. It sounds terrifying. Lovely snow scenes. We haven't had any snow this year. That's not unusual for our area though.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well, I'm surviving the election as well as can be expected---for a completely non political human. Oh, but maybe the new president is our tsunami!
    Marilyn @onbecomingawriter.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's been chilly here in Bucerias, which is odd. It's generally too hot. Congratulations, Chrys. I would have been awake nights after doing such intense research. I have a difficult time letting go of images in my imagination. Your book is on my list. Sorry it's taking me so long to get to it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Joylene! I had nightmares of tsunamis before writing this book. Now they are even more intense.

      Delete
  9. Those pictures of your front yard trees are so pretty. I like snow, for the most part. Granted, I'm in Florida now and never have to deal with it, but when I was in New England, I loved how pretty it was after a storm. Then when I was up to my waist in the stuff, trying to shovel a path to the car or the oil fill, or somewhere else...then maybe I was slightly less enamored with it.

    Wishing Chrys much success with her new novel! That certainly does sound like a intensive research topic.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fog. I usually find it disconcerting.

    I'd love to see classic cartoons with a live orchestra. Sounds awesome.

    I've seen just a bit of The Impossible. I was covering a class for 20 minutes while the teacher had a quick meeting, and that's what he had the class do while he was out. I'd like to see the whole thing someday (but I don't have Netflix).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I checked out the DVD from my local library. :)

      Delete
  11. I agree with Chrys that the most realistic (and scary) movie about tsunamis is The Impossible. Too bad it was real and there were so many deaths. That story about Nate and his BF was so tragic. Sorry about the weird weather. Nothing is better than Bugs - unless it's Bugs with a philharmonic! (My mom lived in Rochester for awhile when she went to Eastman School of Music.) Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll never forget the true stories from that devastating tsunami.

      Delete
  12. We've not really had any snow. I shouldn't complain about that because that also means no shoveling, but it's so pretty it's worth the extra work.

    I'll have to get a copy of Chrys' books. Her stories are always good reads!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gorgeous photos. I don't get much fog where I live but we get a lot of snow!

    ReplyDelete
  14. We had a week of above freezing temps so a bunch of our snow melted. There's still a good bit left because this is Michigan, but the warm weather (yes, calling above 32F warm) was nice.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Those are some beautiful pictures. I've only seen snow once when I was little but I'm not complaining about that since I love warm weather. I've seen Chrys' book around this past week so I hope she's having a great launch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Quanie! It's been a long time since I've chatted with you. The launch is going well. :)

      Delete
  16. It's always interesting to hear about an author's research. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Congrats to Chrys!!!

    Cool pictures, Tamara. Winter has returned to Buffalo. From green grass to a thick blanket of snow.

    Have a good week.

    ReplyDelete
  18. The cartoon concert sounds like so much fun! Congrats to Chrys!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I've been traveling through snow storms the last couple months, mostly in Utah and Idaho, but Washington and Oregon have had their share. Then I go into Arizona and can't believe the sun and warm air. I don't think I'd like to live in the snow, but when I'm in a hotel room watching it come down its very pretty.

    Excellent research Chrys. I'm sure its made the story feel authentic.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love seeing all that snow. SO pretty! It snowed briefly here yesterday, but it wasn't cold enough to stick. Probably for the best...one small snowstorm cripples our entire city for at least a day!

    ReplyDelete

I will do everything in my power to visit commenter's blogs unless I've been abducted by aliens or my children get sick. (If my children get abducted by aliens, I will be very busy, of course, catching up on my sleep.)