Where the Sea Meets the Sky

Gåsören is a small island off the northern coast of Sweden in the Baltic sea.

1. Island of Gåsören, Sweden, 2013 Photo by Erik Lundmark

There's a lighthouse and a few small buildings, but it's generally a deserted spot. A place to be alone with your thoughts and the beauty of the surrounding nature.

Island of Gåsören, Sweden, 2013 Photo by Erik Lundmark

The island is mostly tumbled rocks criss-crossed by narrow wooden walkways and some trees, bushes and flowers that manage to thrive on this little rim of earth surrounded by a harsh frigid sea.

Island of Gåsören, Sweden, 2013 Photo by Erik Lundmark

Miracle blossoms edge through cracks in stony shores, fed by summer's constant daylight and sheltered from the biting sea wind.

Island of Gåsören, Sweden, 2013 Photo by Erik Lundmark

Stalwart stones absorb the sky, warming their porous bodies against the spray of the salty waves, harnessing the sun deep down within their mass.

Island of Gåsören, Sweden, 2013 Photo by Erik Lundmark

Where the sea meets the sky, a perfect union of mirrored light, swirling whitecaps setting off the clouds and seeping into stone.

Hungarian Rhapsody

This morning I heard a lively performance of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #15 and it made me think of Budapest.

Hungarian Parliament, Budapest, Hungary, 2014, Photo by Erik Lundmark

One of my favorite European cities, Budapest is really two unified cities divided by the Danube River. The famous Castle Hill towers over the west Buda bank, while the Hungarian Parliament lies just over the river on the east side in the more modern Pest. You can go from one side to the other by walking or driving on the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. 

Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Budapest, 2014, Photo by Erik Lundmark

Castle Hill is rich with history, having been settled successively by Celts, Romans, Hungarians, Mongolians, and Ottomans. Taken as a whole, it's easily one of the most beautifully arranged old towns in Europe. 

Steps to the Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest, 2014, Photo by Erik Lundmark

But it wasn't the whimsical Fisherman's Bastion or magnificent Royal Palace that captured my imagination. 

Royal Palace, Castle Hill, Budapest, 2014, Photo by Erik Lundmark

It was the autumnal vines clinging to the old stone walls in the palace gardens that whispered to me and carried me away.

Castle Hill, Budapest, 2014, Photo by Erik Lundmark

A crisp, overcast November day. Frozen in time. The creeping tangled web of waning life spoke of centuries past. Such a different time, yet at its core, intrinsically unchanged.

Castle Hill, Budapest, 2014, Photo by Erik Lundmark

  
A true Hungarian rhapsody. These are things that last. Sentiments. Stories. A feeling so strong it bypasses the ages. 

Sun Vs Snow

In honor of the Sun Versus Snow contest that I recently had the privilege of participating in, I pose the question: 

Sun or Snow?

If you haven’t heard of it before, Sun Vs Snow is an annual contest hosted by an amazing duo, Michelle Hauck and Amy Trueblood.  They draw an impressive panel of writing mentors to work with two teams of winners. The teams polish query letters and first pages of their novels and present them to an equally remarkable panel of agents. 

Learn more about the contest on Michelle's Blog.

Depending on the season, a place has different stories to tell. Although I’ve been to Prague, Czech Republic, on many occasions and in all seasons, in my mind I nearly always picture Prague in winter, blanketed in a fresh layer of snow. 

Why?

Prague as viewed from St. Vitus cathedral, 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark

Perhaps it's the charm of the palace guards in furry caps.

Prague, 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark

Or the mysterious way in which the statues on the Charles Bridge lay half hidden beneath a veil of white.

Charles Bridge, Prague, 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark

Those delicious trdelník wood-fire baked pastries simply taste better when it’s cold out and they warm your fingers.

Prague, Czech Republic, 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark

Go Team Snow! 

Prospective participants sent their entries (consisting of query and sample) to the SnowvsSun email address. This year, Sun Vs Snow was open to the first 200 entries, and you had to be quick. The contest filled up in only three minutes.  

A fun-filled week of waiting for Michelle and Amy to judge the entries started as participants gathered under the #sunvssnow hashtag on Twitter. We shared a piece of ourselves--how and where we write, our genre and category, and what music inspires us. At one point there was even a parade of adorable pictures of everyone’s pets!

I looked forward to checking in each day for fun games (such as post your line 11 from page 169 of your manuscript or post the title of your chapter fifteen.) It was an animated group, and I met some fun and inspiring fellow writers. 

Although my entry didn’t get selected to go on to the agent round, the experience was uplifting, encouraging, and made me think about my manuscript and query letter in ways I had not before. 

And since I made new friends who did get selected (some on Team Sun and others on Team Snow) now I get to route for both sides as they compete to see who will get the most requests from agents.

When the edited entries are posted to Michelle’s blog, they will be a great resource for writers to see examples of solid, polished query letters. Keep an eye out for that posting, coming February 22.

Now, since I started the post with a cheer for Team Snow, it’s only fair to end on a sunny note.

Go Team Sun!

Skellefteå River, Sweden 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark

Even in a land known for it's cold temperatures, Sweden shines in glorious sunlight.

Bonnstann, Skellefteå, Sweden, 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark

Where else can golden rays glint off your windowpane at eleven o'clock at night?

Skellefteå, Sweden, 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark

In the land of Midnight Sun, it's nature's simple beauty that reigns ...

Bjuröklubb Lighthouse, Northern Sweden, 2004, Photo by Erik Lundmark

... brought to life by the sun.

Who will you cheer for? Team Snow or Team Sun?

The Story of Place

By the time I was ten years old I had lived in five countries on three continents, spoke two languages fluently, and had racked up more airline miles than most business executives.

Experiencing new and interesting places has always been a major part of my life. The very inner-workings of my personality are defined by the places I've been.

Teotihuacan, Mexico, 1982 Photo by Robert Beadles

Most of my early years were spent in Latin America and Europe—both places with very old history, from medieval abbeys to pre-Columbian ruins. 

I was fascinated by archaeology and anthropology.

Antigua, Guatemala, 1984 Photo by Robert Beadles 

There was nothing so enchanting to me as a child than to be allowed to wander in the ruins of something that used to be grand—or perhaps still was grand—and ponder on the often untold stories of how it came to be.

Abbey in Villers-la-Ville, Belgium, 2013 Photo by Erik Lundmark

As an adult, I’ve continued to travel and live in fantastical places. And they still speak to me. There are tales to be told hidden in the layers of dirt and rock and grass and clover. 

I’ve started to write them down.

The view from a mountaintop in Åndalsnes, Norway, 2014 Photo by Erik Lundmark

Writing’s not as easy as pondering.

This blog will be dedicated to inspirational places, ramblings on the life of being a third culture kid, and things I’ve learned while navigating the writing community. 

The beautiful photos you’ll find here are courtesy of my talented husband.

Next time you visit somewhere new, ask yourself: What’s the story of a place?