Scale Back for a Win! and Down in a Hole in Dayton, plus ROW80

Scaling down my fitness goals this week totally worked for me! I’m still dealing with some lingering health issues–again, nothing major, just enough that I don’t feel up to much of a workout. But telling myself “just five or ten minutes” did the trick, and I was able to do just that! It’s true, you really can do anything for five or ten minutes.

I also did well in getting the middle of my book mapped out, and feel good about the direction it’s going. I did a lot of research reading, which leads me to this week’s My Town Monday Fun Fact:

My Town Monday Fun Fact: Dayton’s First Jail

Newcom Tavern

Newcom’s Tavern today, in Carillon Historical Park

The first substantial building constructed in early Dayton was Newcom’s Tavern, built in 1798-99. The two-story log cabin was unique at the time, the first in the budding town to use mortar as log chinking. In addition to being the general gathering place for the small community, Newcom’s was also the sheriffs’s office, courthouse, church, school, and general store. Its proprietor, George Newcom, served as the county Sheriff until 1809.

But the town didn’t have a real jail until December of 1804, when a sturdy log structure featuring iron-barred windows was completed. And while there were only a couple dozen families living in Dayton (if that), there were enough people there that disagreements happened, and someone occasionally decided to solve a dispute with his fists, or by taking it upon himself to collect payment in the form of livestock, etc. Natives also lived in the area, and while they adhered to the 1795 Treaty of Greenville and no longer attacked settlers, they occasionally helped themselves to someone’s chickens.

Native American offenders were locked up in the corncrib behind Newcom’s until they were brought to trial (which was a much speedier process back then than today). But white offenders were lowered into Newcom’s well! (It was dry; Newcom must’ve dug another one). Today, “the hole” refers to being in solitary confinement, a practice decried by some prisoners’ rights advocates. Imagine what they would have thought of Dayton’s first jail!

ROW80Logo175So now back to my ROW80 Goals. Last week’s were:

  • Finish sketching out/outlining middle of WIP – Done!
  • Keep up with lessons and homework for Promotions workshop – Done!
  • Refine layout of Shopping Cart page and individual product page for family member’s web site – No
  • Fitness 4 times, no matter how short – Done!

I didn’t get to the web site, so that stays on the list for this week. Things are going to change a little bit too, because I’m participating in NaNoWriMo, and that starts November 1! Yes, I’m planning to get that 50,000 words written this month. I’ve done it twice before, so I know I can, even though it’s ambitious. I’m not even shoving other stuff off to do it–it really doesn’t take that long to get the words written, once you sit down and do it. I am, however, going to stick to the shorter workouts, though I’ll spend longer times on the treadmill if/when I feel up to it. So here are this week’s goals:

  • 4500 words on WIP
  • Keep up with lessons and homework for Promotions workshop
  • Refine layout of Shopping Cart page and individual product page for family member’s web site
  • Fitness 4 times, no matter how short

What about you–if you’re a writer, are you, or have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo? (If you are, I’d love to be your buddy – I’m jennettemariepowell over there.) If you’re not a writer, or not doing NaNo, have you taken on any super-ambitious goals lately with something else?  Can you imagine being jailed by being tossed into a well? Please share–I’d love to hear from you!

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.

 

When is it Time to Push Back on our Goals? and the Man who Saved Dayton, plus ROW80

The best thing about ROW80, the writing challenge that knows you have a life, is the fact that we’re encouraged to be flexible. That’s good, because a couple of my goals are already presenting challenges for me.

One of those is fitness. I try to do a good half-hour interval workout on my treadmill three times a week, plus a shorter workout of weight-bearing exercises a couple times between them. It doesn’t sound like much, but it works for me and I can tell a difference when I keep up with it. But lately, I’ve had some health issues – nothing major, just enough that I don’t feel up to doing that half-hour on the treadmill, or doing push-ups, etc. So it’s time to cut back. Lately, I’ve read that three ten-minute sessions is just as good or better than one half-hour long one anyway. Even five minutes is better than nothing, so I’m going to try doing something–anything–for those four workout sessions this week.

I’ve also had some challenges  with the writing, as in I’ve been doing more procrastinating than writing (or even outlining). I know that procrastination is usually a symptom of something else. Sometimes it can happen because we don’t physically feel well, but it often happens when we don’t have the proper tools, information, or preparation to do a job. In my case, I need to do some more research. So I’m going to leave my goal the same there, but focus more on the research, which I already started on last week. Which leads me to something interesting I learned:

Daniel C. Cooper (1773-1818)

Daniel C. Cooper (1773-1818) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My Town Monday Fun Fact: The Man Who Saved Dayton

In 1787, John Cleves Symmes claimed the land between the Great and Little Miami rivers without waiting for approval from Congress. The first settlers moved into the area in 1796, only to learn two years later they might have no legal right to the land they’d paid for and worked to clear and build on. In 1799, congress set a price of $2.00 an acre–$1.17 more than they’d paid. Many didn’t have the cash, and left. Most of the rest would have, until Daniel C. Cooper, one of the original surveyors, bought the land that included the town–around 3,000 acres–for the government’s asking price, then sold it to the settlers for whatever they could afford, offering payment plans to many. He also gave the town land for churches, the courthouse, jail and other civic buildings, a park, marketplaces, and a graveyard. The park is still called Cooper Park today, and is includes the main branch of the Dayton Metro Library.

ROW80Logo175So now back to my ROW80 Goals. Last week’s were:

  • Finish sketching out/outlining first quarter of WIP – No
  • Keep up with lessons and homework for Promotions workshop – Done!
  • Refine layout of product listing page and individual product page for web site – Done!
  • Fitness 4 times – No

This week, I’m going to keep the same list, but with “fitness” referring to smaller workouts if necessary and the outlining focusing on research. For the website, it’s time to develop the Shopping Cart page.

What about you–whether or not you’re doing ROW80, have you needed to adjust your goals or expectations lately? Do you have trouble with procrastination–and if so, do you know why? Have you learned anything interesting about your hometown lately? Please share–I’d love to hear from you!

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

ROW80 Round 4 Goals, Productivity Tip, and My Town Monday Fun Fact!

ROW80Logo175It’s time to ROW again! And that means it’s time for new writing goals. But first, it occurred to me that a lot of people might not know what ROW80 is, and I write this assuming everyone does know. ROW80 stands for “A Round of Words in 80 Days” and is “the writing challenge that knows you have a life.” What this means, is that unlike other well-known writing challenges like National Novel Writing Month for example, ROW80 is not a one-size-fits-all goal. It’s whatever goal(s) the participant wants to set. The goals don’t need to be words written–they can be revision, planning, promotion… anything! Some participants throw other life goals in as well, like fitness, home organizing, or spending time with family. It’s also perfectly acceptable–encouraged, even–to change our goals as needed. Every Sunday and Wednesday, we post links at the ROW80 Blog and go to each others’ blogs to offer encouragement and support. But even this is flexible–many participants check in only once a week (I just do Sundays), and others only when they have something to report. So if you’re a writer and would like to get in on a great goals group that’s flexible enough to work for your goals, why not check it out?

ROW80 participants have different ways of defining and measuring goals, too. Most will define a set of goals for the whole 80 day Round and just measure progress toward those, but some of us break it down further. I do week-by-week goals. Here are mine for the overall Round:

  • I want to have my Work-in-Progress completely outlined by the end of October, preferably sooner.
  • I’m going to do NaNoWriMo, and I want to get 50,000 more words written on my WIP by the end of November.
  • I’m also taking an online workshop on Promotions that goes for six weeks, and I plan to keep up with that and all the associated homework.
  • I’m going easy in December, because I usually don’t get much done then, but I’d like to get an additional 10,000 words on the WIP.
  • In non-writing goals, I’m adding a product catalog to my family member’s website, so I want to get that done, too.
  • I also want to keep up with fitness activity each week.

My goals for this week:

  • Finish sketching out/outlining first quarter of WIP
  • Keep up with lessons and homework for Promotions workshop, which begins tomorrow
  • Refine layout of product listing page and individual product page for web site
  • Fitness 4 times

Productivity Tip

Something I found that helped immensely in my book planning was timed writing. This will be obvious to some, and it’s something I’ve done before, but I’d forgotten how effective it was. Simply set a timer for as little as five minutes (I’m doing ten minutes) and just write notes. It doesn’t matter what it is, just write. This frees us up from perfectionism and worrying about getting it “just right.” When the timer goes off, stop. Congratulate yourself for getting it done, then go do something else. If you feel like it, do another session later, but no beating yourself up if you don’t! Do sessions of the amount of time you picked for at least a week before increasing the time–and then, increase only by five minutes per week. This has pulled out some great stuff for the scenes I’m sketching out, and I now have a much more interesting beginning planned for my WIP.

Fun My Town Monday Fact

Dayton has its own Walk of Fame! It’s located on the near West Side, right in front of the restored Wright Bros. Cycle Shop, which is part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Park. There are over a hundred people recognized there–inventors (of course!), authors, artists, entertainers, business people, educators, musicians, athletes, and others who contributed to society. There’s a great Flickr gallery of it here.

What about you? If you’re participating in ROW80, what are your goals this Round? If you’re not, (even if you’re not a writer), do you have any goals you’re working toward? Have you ever tried the timer for writing, or anything else? (I’ve found it’s great for housework, too.) Have you ever visited a Walk of Fame? Please share–I’d love to hear from you!

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.

When Other Priorities Sneak In

…that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking with it! And really, it’s the truth.

Apartment buildingOne of those other priorities is my husband’s job. He’s self-employed, and most of what he does is take care of the two apartment buildings we own. DH has always either been self-employed, or worked for small businesses, so has never had a 401k or anything like that. Those apartments are his retirement fund – and what’s currently paying for our daughter’s education. We were paying a real estate agent to do the basic property management for us, but recently decided we’d be better off doing this ourselves. So even though DH’s business has been established for several years, I’ve had to take on a bunch of start-up tasks – things we didn’t need when we had another company doing property management. This includes things like designing and ordering FOR RENT signs and business cards, setting up new forms, designing and placing ads, purchasing a domain name and setting up a quickie one-page website. None of this is difficult for me, as I’m a professional graphic designer, but it all takes time. And since we currently have several vacancies in one of our buildings, it needed to be done ASAP.

Then I spent a good bit of time with friends this week. Sure, I could have blown off some of those friends, but the thing is, I have some other goals that aren’t part of my stated ROW80 goals. One of those is to be more present in real life, and to make friends a priority. That doesn’t mean I’ll drop my writing any time someone wants to go out for a beer, but I do make plans with friends now (which I’d gotten out of the habit of doing), and when I do, I keep them. When someone asks me to do something social, I don’t just default to “no” (something I had gotten into the habit of doing) especially if that someone is my husband.

Yesterday, I could have finished up my ROW80 goals. Could have gotten in one more workout, done some decluttering, written that last 1500 words to hit my goal of 4,000, and maybe even tackled some estate planning. Instead, I went to Cincinnati to see longtime (as opposed to “old” :D) friend Jim Winter and shoot the breeze with him about writing. Great fun, and I made two new friends!

After I got home, DH and I went to the Italian Festival with three friends I’ve been joining for trivia once a week. This is something I’d normally shun, as I’m not fond of crowds, but the food was good, as was the company, and I managed to tolerate the rest.

ROW80Logo175Which brings me back to my ROW80 goals. I’m not going to worry about the decluttering or the estate planning book this week, as I need to do more work for the apartment business. The other two goals will remain the same:

  • Writing: 4000 words
  • Fitness: 4x

What about you – have you had other priorities sneak in on your ROW80 or other goals lately? Know anyone in the Dayton area who might want a clean, well-maintained, one-bedroom apartment? Whether or not you’re doing ROW80, how have you been progressing toward whatever goals you might have? Please share – I’d love to hear from you!

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.

A Little Sunshine, and ROW80

Sunshine AwardA few weeks ago, WANA friend Jansen Schmidt honored me with the Sunshine Award, so it’s time I picked it up! This one made the rounds about a year ago, but most of the questions have changed, so I’m game! Jansen gave it to me “because she rides a Harley and she’s really cool.” Ironically, my husband’s out on his Harley on a day trip, but I declined going, as I’m still recovering from the Crud and didn’t think I could hack spending 5 hours on my bike. I’m feeling OK, just tired, and riding does wear one out, believe it or not.

Anyway, the Sunshine Award comes with a set of written rules and is best enjoyed when sharing with others. If you choose to play along, and I encourage you to do so, the rules of the Sunshine Award are:

  1. Include the award’s logo (and rules) in a post on your blog. Simply cut and paste the photo to the right into your own blog post.
  2. Link to the person who nominated you.
  3. Answer the 10 questions below with your answers instead of mine.
  4. Pass the award on to a bunch of “Sunshine Inspiring” bloggers. The rules say 10 people, but choose however many you’d like.

Here are the questions:

Favorite Color: Red – of course! It’s the best color for Camaros. 😀

Our turtle Sanddollar on her basking platform

Favorite Animal: Last time I said gerbils, though I had a hard time choosing because I love animals. So this time, I’ll say turtles, especially ours when she swims up to me acting all excited. 🙂  They have been around for such a long time, and they’re so impervious to many threats. Yet they’re also sweet and cute – at least ours is!

Favorite Number: 9 – that was on the list last time, and like last time, I don’t know why. But it always has been.

Favorite Non Alcoholic Drink: Mountain Dew! I know it’s awful for you – full of sugar! – so I limit myself to one a day. But if I don’t get that one, I get cranky, so my family knows not to drink the last can!

Favorite Alcoholic Drink: lately, I’ve been partial to Leinenkugel Summer Shandy.

Facebook or Twitter: Like Jansen, I’m not fond of social media and consider it a necessary evil. But if I have to choose… well, brevity is not my strong point, and I have yet to figure out how to make friends in 140-character snippets, so let’s go with Facebook.

Passions: Reading, writing, local history, Camaros, web programming (my day job).

Dayton-ohio-skyline

Dayton Ohio skyline (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prefer Getting or Giving Gifts: It depends. If I know of something that someone will really enjoy, especially if it’s something they wouldn’t get for themselves, I love to give that gift. OTOH, if I can think of something I really want, but can’t quite justify buying (or doing) for myself, I love it when someone gets it (or does it) for me.

Favorite City: Dayton, Ohio. I’m a hometown girl! I was reading up on some history of another nearby city yesterday, and couldn’t believe how uninteresting it was in comparison. There were no famous inventors from that city, which seemed odd to me.

Favorite TV Show: This was tough, because I don’t watch much TV, but when there are new episodes on, I love Duck Dynasty! Those guys make me LOL every time. Can’t wait ’til the beards are back on August 14!

Here’s a video from my favorite episode, “Redneck Roadtrip,” aka “Vietnam Special”: (about 3 minutes)

And now, I’m going to weasel out on nominating others for the award. For starters, Jansen named several that I would also pick! But really, I’d have a hard time choosing from those who comment here and encourage me, because each of those comments means a lot to me, so I’d hate to pick some, but not others! So if you’d like to play along, go ahead and consider yourself nominated, and spread the sunshine around!

ROW80Logo175And now for my ROW80 update: last week, I kept the goals simple. I ended up exceeding on one of them, and totally crapping out on the other. Here’s the scoop:

  • Continue brainstorming/outlining for SS Book 3 – I got a lot done here, and even started writing a bit!
  • Initial cover art for friend who’s going to beta read – um, no (sorry, Jim!)

I still need to do a good bit more planning on the book, and since I didn’t get the cover done, the goals will remain the same for this week. Basically the problem with the second was that I got so involved with the first, I forgot about the rest!

What about you – have you ever been so wrapped up with one priority that you’ve forgotten everything else? How about that Sunshine Award – if you don’t want to take it up, maybe you’d like to answer one of those questions in the comments? Inquiring minds want to know, and I’d love to hear from you – please share!

Enhanced by Zemanta

A Most Unusual Guest

Not much to report on my ROW80 goals this week – in fact, I did not complete any of them. I could blame it on having three birthday dinners to attend, a band concert, and continued work on planning the graduation party, but really, those are nothing when we also had a houseguest this week. And not just any guest, either, but a Norse god…

Yes, the THOR TOUR has arrived in Dayton!

I was a little worried last week when Thor failed to appear in Wapakoneta, about fifty miles or so up I-75 from Dayton. But it was shortly thereafter that we had some really snarled-up traffic on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. We never found out why (we seldom do), but that night, Thor arrived at my house on schedule, asking about the aliens that are supposedly stashed away there in Hangar 18.

“No, you can’t go to the base,” I told him when he asked. “They don’t care if you’re the god of Thunder. No ID, no entry. Besides, there is no Hangar 18. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.” I then offered to take him to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

“What is this ‘United States Air Force?'” Thor asked.

When I explained, he seemed to approve at first. “Ah, warfare. This I understand. But… metal flying machines?”

I tried to explain to Thor about aircraft, but he wasn’t buying it. “I have no need of giant flying machines. I smite my enemies with my mighty Mjollnir!”

I was losing this battle. Then my daughter came in and saved the day. “Cool! Thor’s here! Are you going to take him to Carillon Historical Park?”

“I don’t know…” If he wasn’t interested in metal flying machines for warfare, I doubted he’d be interested in the world’s first practical airplane, with wings of wood and cloth.

My daughter had an idea. “It’s a lot scarier than the Air Force Museum, even if it is supposed to be haunted.”

Then she told me her idea, and I agreed. “That would try the intestinal fortitude of even a Norse god!”

Thor, always one to take on a challenge, agreed. “I should like to go to this ‘HIGH SCHOOL…'”

The students escorted Thor around as befitted a Norse god, on the back of a giant bumblebee.

IMG_3858

Thor did not understand band. “What is this… flute? What is the purpose of blowing into it to make sounds? It would make a much better weapon, methinks.”

IMG_3878

He took to Chemistry like, uh, oil to water. “I shall smite them with this pipet!”

IMG_3882

Some of the students were rather taken aback at the appearance of a Norse god in class.

IMG_3873

…while others exhibited the proper appreciation of a god: “Thor? I LOVE Thor!”

IMG_3872

Thor tried his hand at painting.

IMG_3870

He didn’t care much for English class: “These books are inferior. They are all in English!”

IMG_3874

He wasn’t so sure about German, either, but enjoyed the attentions of the ladies.

IMG_3883

Thor was completely stymied regarding Calculus, so he punched a student in the face. The boy didn’t seem to mind.

IMG_3889   IMG_3890

Thor even tried his hand at teaching, and learned that some things–such as commanding the attention of a classroom full of seniors on their last week of school–are beyond the abilities of even a Norse god.

IMG_3876

Then it was play time. “It’s your last day, or your last year of school, so let’s pretend we’re going back to our first year,” one teacher described what was otherwise known as Kindergarten Day.

“This is not usual High School activity?” Thor asked when presented with shaving cream. “Uh, no,” the students told him. “Just have fun.” Thor thinks he might have seen one of the Hangar 18 aliens…

IMG_3888

Thor left, parting a sea of shaving cream. “I think I shall leave High School to the young mortals henceforth!”

IMG_3891

To see where Thor’s been, and where he might show up next, check out the THOR WORLD TOUR page on Debra Kristi’s blog!


 

The giveaway has ended. Thanks for your interest!

Quick ROW80 update: Not much to report. I did not get any work done on my revisions, and two out of three workouts done. This week, the plan is to get back into a routine: four workouts, and get through the markup phase of the revisions.

What about you? Do you find your goals pushed aside by things like birthdays and houseguests? Can you imagine hosting a Norse god in HIGH SCHOOL??? I’d love to hear from you! And I hope Thor’s adventures will be a bit less fearsome wherever he’s headed next. 😀

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.

Would you buy a car from this guy?

Yesterday was that great American holiday known as Superbowl Sunday, where the NFL’s top two teams duke it out… AND we get to see the year’s best commercials! I will have to admit I didn’t watch much yesterday–too much else to do, and I didn’t really care who won–but when I do watch. it’s mostly for the commercials!

We have some good–well, depending on how you define “good”–local commercials, too. Take these car commercials for instance. The guy in the commercials is the sales manager for Dayton area dealership group, and whether or not you’re in the market for new car, if you live in Dayton and ever turn on the TV, you’ve seen them–and probably have an opinion on them. Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re certainly memorable!

You see, this guy pops up whenever anyone mentions buying a new car… and in some of the weirdest places! It goes something like this: a husband and wife, or maybe a couple of friends, are talking and one of them mentions something like “yeah, and after this, I need to go shop for a new car.” Then this sales manager guy pops into the middle of everything (and I mean everything!) and says, “Did someone say something about BUYING A CAR??!!”

He has shown up in a ladies’ aerobics class:

 

…in the middle of a wedding:

 

…in someone’s hot tub!

 

…even in the delivery room! O.o

 

He’s shown up in the ladies’ room at a night club (in a separate stall!). He’s even shown up in bed with a husband and wife! (In the middle!) Everyone was clothed, but… ewww!

 

In case you’re wondering, I did not buy my Camaro from these guys, but about a year later, they bought the dealership I bought from! When we were thinking about placing an order (this was before production began), my husband said, “I don’t want that guy showing up in my hot tub!” LOL!

What about you? Would you buy a car from this guy? Do you think these commercials are funny? Creepy? Or just dumb? If you watched the Superbowl last night, which commercial was your favorite? Mine was the one for milk, with the Rock. 🙂 I’d love to hear from you!


On another note, I’m at the ROW80 blog today, talking about how to Set a Goal You Can’t Miss. Stop by and let me know what you think!

The Wright Time to Celebrate

It’s time for a My Town Monday post, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to blog about today until I saw the date.

It’s not a significant date to everyone, but if you’ve ever flown in an airplane, it’s significant to you, because December 17, 1903 was when Wilbur and Orville Wright made their historic, first flight.

“But Jennette, why are you blogging about something that happened in North Carolina? You’re from Dayton, Ohio!” you might ask.

The historic first flight at Kill Devil Hills, NC

The historic first flight at Kill Devil Hills, NC

Yes, I am from Dayton, Ohio–and so were the Wrights! That historic first flight might have happened elsewhere, but ninety percent of the work that led up to it (and followed) happened in Dayton.

In 2003, when the city was awash in celebrations and special commemorative events, The Dayton Daily News conducted a survey. I don’t have access to it now, and don’t know how large or scientific the sampling was, but the results were surprising regardless. While most people did indeed know that Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the first powered aircraft, less than half of the respondents knew the airplane was invented in Dayton, or that there was any connection with Dayton at all. A surprising number didn’t even know where the first flight took place, and many thought all the work had been done in North Carolina.

Where it all began - the Wright home at 7 Hawthorn Street, Dayton, Ohio

Where it all began – the Wright home at 7 Hawthorn Street, Dayton, Ohio

Home in Dayton is where the Wrights studied birds in flight for countless hours. It’s where their bicycle shop was, where they studied the workings of gears and chains, much of which later found its way into their early designs–for example, they used bicycle chains to connect the two propellers to the engine. Home in Dayton is where the Wrights flew kites to study how wind interacted with cloth-covered panels (and where many people thought they were crazy, or at least weird). It was where they built a wind tunnel, and experimented with miniature aircraft and propellers to determine the most flight-worthy designs. It was where they hired mechanic Charlie Taylor to develop the most powerful engine possible with the technology of the day, in the lightest weight. It was where their sister, Katharine Wright, sewed yards upon yards of white sateen fabric for the Wright Flyer’s wings.

They started traveling to the Outer Banks in 1900, when they began experimenting with gliders large enough to carry a person. They needed steady, straight-line winds to fly it–something not in good supply in Ohio. The area they chose was remote, difficult to access, and the weather was often miserable. On December 14th, a week before they’d planned to leave for the winter, they flipped a coin. Wilbur won the toss.

The plane got off the ground, but immediately crashed. Wilbur was unhurt, but the aircraft wasn’t, so they spent the next three days repairing it.

On the 17th, the winds were a bit on the strong side, but they both decided if they didn’t fly then, they probably wouldn’t that year, so Orville took his turn manning the craft. He flew, for a whole twelve seconds, and about 100 feet beyond the end of the launch rail. They made three other flights that day, the longest being 59 seconds and about 800 feet, before the craft again crashed and required extensive repairs. But this time when they packed it in, they’d accomplished what they’d worked toward for many years.

Just like publishing a book, that first flight wasn’t the end of the Wrights’ work, but the beginning. They researched and experimented over the winter. When they returned to Kill Devil Hills in the spring, it was to pack up their campsite there. They continued their work in Dayton from that point forward, with a craft that could fly in variable winds and make turns.

What about you? Did you know that Orville and Wilbur Wright did the vast bulk of their research and development work in Dayton, Ohio? Have you worked on something for years, only to realize the achievement wasn’t an end, but a beginning? I’d love to hear from you – please share!

Photos are public domain (copyright expired)

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.

My Town Monday: A Not-so Merry Christmas

Courthouse Square, where the Downtown Posse used to hang out

One of my writing friends wrote a flash fiction piece on Friday about a Christmas that wasn’t so merry–and she conveyed amazingly well in 100 words the devastation losing a loved one during the holiday season can wreak on a family.

But can you imagine how much worse it would be, if that loved one was murdered?

That’s what happened one year to the families of six people in Dayton, in a murder spree dubbed The Christmas Killings. Six people, murdered for no reason, between December 23 and December 26, 1992 – and an appropriately dangerous, conflict-laden situation into which to dump a character – as I did in my time-travel short story, “Time’s Holiday.”

At that time, there was a loose-knit street gang who called themselves The Downtown Posse – teens and twenty-somethings who mostly hung out around Courthouse Square, bumming money off of people to buy booze and drugs. A couple of days before Christmas, the Posse decided to up their game, when one it its members suggested they rob a man she knew, who she enticed with an offer of sexual favors.

Robbery turned into murder, and the four Posse members involved got away with the man’s car, a television set, and his microwave. They’d gotten away scot-free, so why not try it again?

The next day, they shot a young woman on the phone in a phone booth, just for the hell of it. She didn’t have any cash to speak of on her. They took her designer gym shoes and her coat. They then decided to go after one of the girls’ ex-boyfriend – he had money and a car. He managed to get away with a gunshot wound in his leg.

All this time, the cops were busy investigating and putting together clues. The Posse weren’t the smart criminals we read about in suspense novels, so it was a matter of time before they slipped up. The Dayton Police only hoped it was before more people died.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t how it worked out. The Posse’s next victim was another ex-boyfriend, but at the scene of that murder – on the street in front of his home, when he got suspicious – the cops found leads and witnesses that began to point them in the right direction.

The Posse hid out at the home of one of its members. This boy’s mom and her boyfriend were terrified of the Posse (and rightly so), and holed up upstairs the whole day and a half the Posse occupied their house. This is the point at which, in my short story “Time’s Holiday,” young Taylor Gressman shows up and finds herself in a heap of trouble.

The Posse went on to kill a convenience store clerk – the single mom of an 11-year old girl. After that, they cruised around some more in their stolen cars, now numbering three, with some other friends. One young man convinced them to take him home. The other two weren’t so lucky, and were killed because the four ringleaders were getting nervous and feared they might snitch.

As it turned out, the boy they’d dropped off earlier was the one who snitched, giving the police the last bit of evidence they needed. They trapped three Posse members in one of the stolen cars, and found the other at the house where they’d been staying – and where the terrified mom identified the last culprit.

All four of the Posse members who were arrested that day were convicted by the court. One man, Marvallous Keene, was executed by the State of Ohio in July, 2009. The other three perpetrators were only 16 and 17 at the time of the murders, so all three are serving multiple sentences, with no chance for parole until 2098 at the earliest.

While there have been plenty of other murders in the area, including some where more people were killed at once, the police consider this the worst, as it was clearly premeditated, and one murder was committed, then another plan was executed, and another. And the worst thing was, not only did it happen over Christmas, it was done for kicks.

Here is a reprint of a Dayton Daily News article that tells the whole story, which I used extensively in my research.


My story, “Time’s Holiday,” is available as a standalone ebook for FREE! Although fictitious, find out how seventeen-year-old Taylor sneaks away on Christmas Eve, hoping to find the angel who saved her life a few weeks earlier. Instead, she takes an unexpected trip back in time, and finds herself in the midst of a murderous street gang. Now it’s up to Taylor to ensure that she and a newfound friend don’t become the gang’s next victims, and in the process, learn that giving is the best gift of all.

If you’ve thought about giving the Saturn Society series a try, this is a great way to see if it’s something you might like. Grab a copy of the ebook from AmazonBarnes & NobleSmashwordsKobo BooksSony or iTunes.

If you’d like something more, “Time’s Holiday” is also included in the Ohio Valley Romance Writers of America’s anthology, Home for the Holidays. The anthology is available in both print and ebook at Amazon.com; and in ebook from SmashwordsKobo Books, Sony, Barnes & Noble and should be coming soon to  iTunes. All proceeds go directly to Ohio Valley Romance Writers of America, and help bring in educational programs for the whole chapter.


What about you – do you have any creepy true crime stories in your home from around the holidays? Can you imagine what the victims’ families must go through every year? And not to end on such a downer, do you like holiday stories?

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.

My Town Monday: The Original Pop Top

Note from Jennette: this blog post originally ran on August 15, 2011, and remains one of my most popular posts for people to find via search. Meanwhile, I’m working on my NaNoWriMo novel, and am now over 2/3 of the way to the 50,000-word mark!


One of the fun things about writing (and reading) time travel stories is the whole fish-out-of-water aspect, especially when someone goes into the future. There is one scene in Time’s Enemy, my newly-released time-travel novel, where a character from the 1930s comes forward to modern times. When she asks for a drink and is handed a can of Mountain Dew, she’s understandably perplexed at what to do with it (and initially thinks it’s moonshine, LOL).

Anyone remember drinking beer or pop (“soda” for you non-Midwesterners) from a can like this? Younger folks might not, but in the sixties, seventies, and into the early eighties, this is what you got if you bought beer in a can, or got a Coke, Pepsi, etc. from a machine. Of course, I also remember pop in glass bottles – you know, where you bought a six pack at Kroger and paid a deposit of $.05 – .10 per bottle, which they returned when you took the bottles back to the store.

But back to the cans – before they were like this, they required a can opener, like is still used today to open larger cans of juice, although those are now mostly replaced by bottles. The can opener had a sharp point on it, and poked a triangle hole in the edge of the can. A second hole was needed to admit air.

Dayton inventor Ermal Fraze

The pull tab shown on the can to the right came about in the early sixties, after Dayton tool-and-die maker Ermal Fraze went on a picnic, and forgot to bring a can opener for the drinks. According to the stories, he ended up prying cans open on a car bumper (???), then went home and devised a can with a built-in opener – the pull tab.

The pull tab was eventually superceded by the now-familiar push-in top in the eighties, but it was the pull tab that helped push cans to edge out glass bottles in popularity as a beverage container. Fraze’s legacy lives on today in the form of full-top pull tabs that are still commonly used in canned snacks like peanuts. Dayton Reliable Tool (now DRT Mfg.), the machine shop he formed in the 1940s, is also still in business in Dayton today.

Do you know of any cool little details that we take for granted today, that originated in your hometown? Please share!

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage_can
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/fraze.html
http://www.heartlandscience.org/manuf/poptop.htm

Photo of beer can via Wikipedia, public domain | Photo of Ermal Fraze via Heartlandscience.org

Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.