Help Find Missing Teen

Posted by 4amWriter

Help Find Nichole Cable

Missing Teen

GLENBURN, Maine — Police are investigating the reported disappearance of a 15-year-old girl from Glenburn.

Nichole Cable was last seen on Route 221 in her hometown on Sunday, according to Penobscot County Sheriff Glenn Ross.

Ross said Tuesday his department is working with numerous other agencies in the area to find Cable. No other information is being released while police continue to investigate.

Cable’s parents, Jason and Kristine Willey, have turned to social media in hopes that their daughter will return home safely. A Facebook group, “Bring Nichole Cable Home,” had 282 members as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.

“We have not heard any word from her through social media or friends,” Jason Willey said Tuesday. “Her phone’s been shut off. We just don’t know what else to do.”

Police agencies as far north as Ellsworth and stretching south to Scarborough have also shared information including Cable’s description on Facebook.

Cable has light brown hair and blue eyes and weighs 90 pounds, according to Ross. She was last seen wearing a pair of jeans and a pink sweatshirt, her father said.

She was last seen at 9 p.m. on Sunday, said Chief Deputy Troy Morton.

“Her parents immediately reported this to us once they knew that she was missing,” said Morton. “The sheriff’s office responded to that complaint and we’ve continued to do our investigations. We are using outside resources such as the Internet and phone capabilities in an attempt to locate her.”

Maine State Police and the Bangor Police Department have aided the sheriff’s department, he said.

Morton said he could not release any more information about the investigation.

“We are concerned. The parents are very concerned,” Morton said. “We are working closely with the family and friends and we just need to locate her as soon as we can.”

Anyone with information on Cable’s whereabouts should contact the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department at 947-4585.

Article courtesy of BDN Maine, Ryan McLaughlin BDN staff

A Mother’s Lesson to a Writer

Posted by 4amWriter

My son’s tonsillectomy didn’t go exactly as planned. I was told it was an in and out procedure, we’d be home in a matter of hours, then a week of recovery. Bing. Bang. Boom.

Not quite.

Riley started vomiting once he woke up from his procedure. We stayed overnight because he had yet to drink/eat. The vomiting is bad for two reasons. One, it burns his throat, as you can imagine. Second, the force of the vomiting can split open his stitches and he could start hemorrhaging. That’s considered a medical emergency where they would cauterize the area. Every time he threw up, I braced myself for signs of blood.

The following morning, he continued to vomit. Then they discovered he had pneumonia. His temperature skyrocketed to 104 degrees. We stayed a second night as he still refused to eat or drink anything but ice water or ice chips. The poor little guy just stayed in bed, his face flushed, his eyes pale, quietly clutching his stuffed Mickey Mouse, watching cartoons.

Riley stopped vomiting about 26 hours after his procedure, and thankfully his stitches remained intact. But his fever hovered around 102. He still wasn’t eating, and we were forced to stay a third night.

There was a distinct moment where I was afraid I could lose him, and I panicked. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t stand up straight, my mind went berserk. I had to hide in the hospital bathroom so Riley wouldn’t see or hear me and get worried, too.

Then, a voice. Someone was there with me, my guardian angel or someone of that caliber. She reminded me that the universe doesn’t give us more than we can handle. In a matter of moments, I began to calm down. I knew then that Riley would pull through and he’d be coming home soon. I knew this because without a doubt I could not handle losing either of my children. I’d be done. Bottom line.

Anyway, I didn’t mean to get all melodramatic here but I wanted to talk about this because in the middle of one of those nights, I suddenly realized a truth in my life.

There’s a reason I haven’t given up writing. A reason I haven’t given up my goal of being traditionally published. It’s because the universe hasn’t given me more than I can handle. That’s not to say I relish the rejections or the constant self-doubt, but I know I haven’t reached my limit. That same voice that calmed me during the scare with Riley also helped me realize that although this writing game can feel horrendous, it’s not impossible.

Impossible would be waking up one morning and discovering I no longer have the passion to write. The kind of empty, lost feeling where nether worlds don’t exist anymore.

I have hit writing ruts, some lasting months or years. I have been rejected by literary agents and small presses. I have suffered from severe insecurity, where I don’t believe in myself. But on a better day I picked myself up and tried again. That shows me I haven’t hit my ultimate limit. No matter how awful it feels, it’s still bearable.

Riley came home after 3 1/2 days in the hospital. Even though he wasn’t eating much, he was keeping it down and his fever had decreased to under 100. The doctors felt he would recover better at home.

They were right.

Have you ever reached your ultimate limit with something important? What did you do?

Ice Cream, Anyone?

Posted by 4amWriter

Today, my 8-year-old son is having his tonsils and adenoids removed. Surgery these days is a bit different from when my mother had her tonsils removed. She was 2 years old, and the doctor came to her house and did the procedure on the kitchen table. She was allowed ice cream and tomato soup that very day.

Thankfully, we have a nice, sterile, kid-friendly hospital at our disposal. Ice cream is on the list, but not until tomorrow when his stomach is settled. Until then it’s popsicles and cool, clear liquids.

Anyway, I’ll be taking a hiatus from blogging for a week or two while I’m a mother…

…and a nurse

…and a waitress

…and an ice cream scooper

…and a storyteller

…and a chauffeur

…and a movie renter

…and a video game partner

…and a maid

…and a snuggler

Image courtesy of PeachyGreen

Comments are closed, but feel free to “Like” in lieu of get well wishes.

Writer…Uninterrupted, Part 4

Posted by 4amWriter

After I won NaNoWriMo this past November, I was excited to continue working on my new story. I worked on research and scenes for over a month when suddenly, I lost inspiration.

One afternoon as I was playing with my kids in the snow, my muse tapped me on the shoulder.

In a flash, a story filled my head, characters and problems and events ran through my mind like a movie trailer. I was stunned when I realized it was a story I had once wanted to write, one that had sparked while I was sitting at a bar, but that I’d never taken the chance to fully explore.

Two things happened simultaneously. One, I questioned the shift from my NaNo novel to this new book idea. Two, My muse and I were reenergized, inspired, and rushed by words.

What the heck was going on? Had I been struggling with the NaNo novel because it was the wrong book to write? At least, the wrong book to write at this time? Feeling the urge to write the new book idea then and there, I knew I’d found my way out of that writing darkness.

At first, I was irritated that I couldn’t jump on that story immediately. I was with my kids, in the snow, nowhere close to a writing tool. So, I had to sit with that story building away in my head.

But, looking back on that moment of inspiration, I’m thankful I was forced to wait to write. Something about letting the story marinate in my creative juices helped me to formulate a plot – a new experience for me, and one that made a difference.

As a traditional pantser, I have never before figured out the beginning, middle, and end before I started writing. The pull to get words written was always too strong, too intoxicating. I didn’t want to stop and plan when I could immerse myself in another world.

That’s how I wrote my first novel and all of my NaNo novels and my short stories. Pantsing always seemed to work. I mean, I got stories out of it, didn’t I?

The fact I couldn’t write this rediscovered story immediately is probably the only reason I started thinking about changing my writing ways. I mean, I could have started writing after we came in from the snow, or later that night, or heck, even at 4 the next morning. But I didn’t.

And that was the point I started redefining my writing self, even started this Writer…Uninterrupted series because in some ways, I became a new person, a new writer.

Before this life-changing event, I never knew that writers could get stuck because they might be working on the wrong story. This isn’t to say that I’ll never work on my NaNo novel again, but that I know now isn’t the right time for it.

As writers we need to pay attention to our muses, because they will revolt if they’re unhappy. We can’t force them, and while we can bribe them with IPAs or chocolate, the effects don’t last forever. The effort, the desire to write has to be genuine, rooted inside you. When we’re stuck, it’s important to step back and give ourselves space, time. If we trust ourselves, trust our creative centers, then we’re more likely to see where we’ve gone wrong.

How about you? Have you ever realized you were working on the wrong story?