Saturday, February 17, 2018

A Special Place by Leslie Wheeler

LUCY BURDETTE: Leslie Wheeler is an old friend of the New England contingent of Reds--and we're so thrilled that she has a new novel out! Today she's talking about the importance of her setting--and offering a book giveaway to one lucky reader. Welcome Leslie!

LESLIE WHEELER: A college writing teacher of mine said that we write about what we love and hate. In Rattlesnake Hill, I’ve written about a place that’s very close to my heart: the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts. I love the area and the seventeen acres I own, especially the pond.

The pond was my father’s idea. Perhaps because he’d spent boyhood summers by a lake in northwestern Montana, he always wanted to live near fresh water. If there was no body of fresh water nearby, he created it. In Southern California, we had a swimming pool, as did many other families, but my father also installed a small Japanese pond, and at another home in Maryland, he built a miniscule waterfall.

My father picked the site for the Berkshire pond in a low-lying area behind the house, with tall pines at one end. Over the years, he showed such a keen interest in it that we dubbed him the Pond Master. Sometimes, he fussed over the pond. During one particularly dry summer, he extended a garden hose into it to raise the water level. But mostly, he enjoyed the pond. He could sit for hours in a chair, turned to give him a view of the water. He was a driven man in a demanding profession, and I think he found tranquility in that view.

Like my father, I feel duty-bound to preserve and protect the pond. I’ve battled beavers that tried to dam it, waged war on cattails and other weeds that threatened to overwhelm it, and when the pond filled with silt, I’ve had it dredged—not once, but several times.
The pond is also a source of great pleasure for me. I love watching how it changes from one season to the next, from spring green, spotted with tadpoles, to summer murky, fall crystal clear, and finally to winter frozen over. 

It serves as a barometer, too. If I want to find out how windy or rainy it is without going outside, I observe the pond’s surface. When its surface is so still that I can see the reflections of the trees in the woods beyond, I could sit for hours, like my father, taking in the beauty and peace.

A pond not unlike my pond figures in Rattlesnake Hill. It’s where Kathryn Stinson, my main character, goes when she needs a break. With all I put her through in the novel, I figured she needed a place where she could relax and regroup, if only for a little while.


Readers: Do you have a special place, indoors or outdoors, where you go when you want to get away from it all? Have you given your main character such a place, too? One of the commenters will receive an ARC of Rattlesnake Hill.

51 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the new book, Leslie. I’m looking forward to discovering just why Kathryn needs a break!
    Your pond sounds delightful . . . I think if it were mine, I might be tempted to spend all my time there.

    Do I have a special place to get away from it all? Yes and no . . . a walk anywhere around here takes us through lots of trees and flowers and maybe scares up a skittish deer or two. It doesn’t get much better than wandering through nature . . . .

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    1. Thanks for our comment, Joan. I have been tempted to spend all my time by the pond. I have a chair swing on one side outdoors, a lounge chair on the other, and when indoors, I usually make sure I face toward the pond. Your walk sounds lovely, especially the glimpses of skittish deer. I always feel that I've been given a gift when I see wildlife.

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  2. Congratulations on the book, Leslie. I think it's wonderful how you can learn a lot about the wind and weather simply by observing the pond, and the nature around you. It's a skill our farming forebears surely had, but is mostly lost in today's urbanized world.

    When I lived in the country I used to walk along a creek nearby, and once happened upon a shelf of sandstone that was so lovely I thought it must be enchanted. Alas, the developers got it before I could make an offer and I couldn't bear to go back to see what they'd done with it. These days, when I want a bit of tranquility, I just go out in my back yard, drop the tailgate on my truck, and sit with one of my dogs, watching the world go by.

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    1. Hi,Gigi, my reply seems to have vanished, so I'll repeat. You're right on with your remark about our forbears using the weather to determine the weather, while today we depend on hyped-up reports on TV. I love your description of the enchanted sandstone shelf by the creek. Your remark about developers also resonates with me. In the sequel to Rattlesnake Hill, my main character fights against such a developer to save the landscape she loves. I'm glad,though, that you've found another place where you can find tranquility.

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  3. The pond sounds lovely. Glad you are keeping the tradition going strong. Sadly, I don't have a place like that in my life right now. I should really try to find one.

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    1. Hi, Mark, I wish you success in finding a place where you can find peace and quiet. It doesn't have to be outdoors, as you can see from Edith's post below. I've found such peace by gazing at painting in museums, especially those of the Impressionists, where I can lose myself in the landscapes.

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  4. A water view does it for me, too. I love walking along the Northern California coast on weekends. Sometimes during the week I will take a hike on the Peninsula along the baylands.

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    1. Teri, your mention of coastal Northern California makes me nostalgic for the area, where I went to college and graduate school, so I know what you what you're talking about. Had a few favorite spots like Stinson Beach. Maybe that's where main chaacter's last came came from--Kathryn Stinson.

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  5. Leslie, that beautiful cover really captures my interest in Rattlesnake Hill. And, your description of your pond makes me want to find out how such a place figures into the story.

    I think I am in need of a special place like your pond. The closest place I come to that now is when I pick my granddaughter up from school once a week and we go by the little park by the Ohio River. I love to watch the barges and know that 300 miles east on the river is my small town where I grew up. I have always lived on the Ohio River and found river watching to be comforting.

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    1. So interesting Kathy, that you've always lived on the Ohio River. Now that could be the opening of a great story!

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    2. Hmm. I think you have something there, Lucy.

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    3. Kathy, like Roberta, I found it interesting that you've always lived along the Ohio River, and agree that you may have a story there. When I lived in New York City I enjoyed going down to the boat dock on the Hudson and watching the boats and ships.

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    4. Leslie, now my mind is starting to come up with all of the events in my life associated with the river. Although, I'm not a boater, the river still is part of who I am. One memory that surface is that when I was a little girl, I went with my father to meet a boat docking that had some men from Texas on it who hadn't ever seen a tobacco plant. My father, who was in real estate, also had two farms on which tobacco was raised. He took a plant down to them and showed it to them.

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  6. What a lovely description of your pond, Leslie, and congratulations on the new book! I can walk fifteen minutes from my house and let myself into our historic Friends Meetinghouse and just sit in the peace and silence. It's a very special place.

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    1. Edith, your story is a good reminder that churches can be places of peace and silence. When I was growing up in Southern California, my mother would drop me off at the local Episcopal Church, and I'd sit in the back by myself, and take in the beauty of the stained glass windows, combined with the distant sound of the minister's voice, and the music of the hymns.

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  7. Such a terrific story, Leslie, thank you so much for telling us… I can just picture it all!
    We have a swimming pool in our backyard, and as you know the ducks calm when the cover is still on. We sometimes marvel at how much we can just sit and stare at the fake pond created by the tarp, and the ducks who love it so much!

    Tell us more about your book!

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    1. Great story about watching the ducks on your fake pond, Hank. Just goes to show that one can find calming bits of nature in the most unlikely places. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. I grew up near St-Lawrence River and water has always been important for me. I live at a walking distance from a little river and just from my window I can watch my neighbors"s frog pond and the birds around : very calming.
    Thank you for sharing your pond with us. Looking forward to read your intriguing book .

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  9. Long Island Sound has always been my "go to" place. I've always lived in one CT town or another that's located on the Sound. I love the way it changes from one day to the next, or from one end of the day to another. I live a few blocks from the Sound and drive along the water to get to and from work. It's only a few minutes longer, and it is SO worth it. On very hectic days it's the last bit of peace I have before the rat race begins, and it calms me down at the end of the day. I can predict what the weather will be like in the next day or two by the appearance of the water and the behavior of the gulls. When there's been illness or death in my family I have found comfort by going to the beach and looking out at the water, taking a walk if the weather permits.

    I can't imagine not living near the Sound or some other body of water.
    DebRo

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    1. Hi, Deborah, living near the Long Island Sound sounds wonderful, especially as you drive past it every day, going to and from work.Curious about how the behavior of the gulls tells you what the weather's going to be like. And yes, water is a place where one can find comfort at time's of illness and death. I certainly found it when I and a group of close friends and family members scattered my late husand's ashes over our pond, as he'd requested.

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    2. The gulls tend to fly inland when bad weather is on the way. My office, near downtown, is across the street from a pond. When the gulls are hanging out with the geese-the "regulars" at the pond- we know bad weather is on the way!

      DebRo

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  10. I don't know that I have a favorite geographic location to go to when I want to get away from it all.

    I usually just go into my room and curl up on the bed and read or watch TV to shut out the world.

    I know that I do like wandering in either the bookstore, comic book store or the record shop I frequent. I could get lost in there as I paw my way through the selections trying to find whatever it is I didn't know that I had to have.

    Does that count?

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  11. I’m pretty good with anyplace where I can get out and walk but lately we’ve been going to Duke Farms in Hillsborough NJ.
    Your book sounds interesting.

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  12. Congratulations on the new book, Lelsie! Massachusetts is full of natural ponds, and we've spent many summers pond-side at Long Pond in Plymouth. Massachusetts ponds are enormous - more what I'd have called a lake, thought of course nothing like a Great Lake. The whole idea that you could just dig yourself a pond has always seemed slightly miraculous to me.

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    1. Growing up in the West as I know you did, I was surprised when I moved to Massachusetts that what I consider lakes are called ponds here. I don't know Long Pond, but will have to to check it out. And yes, it is a miracle that you can dig a hole and have it fill with water to become a pond, and once this happens the pond attracts so many plants and animals you never dreamed of.

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  13. At our present home my oasis of calm is our side patio with its fountain. It reminds me a bit of the private courtyards in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Our earlier homes were in rural settings so nature wasn't far away. In fact our backyard bordered a pond when we lived in Minnesota and it was wonderful to watch the birds come in for a landing.

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  14. It's definitely water for me, too. The Atlantic, when I lived in Massachusetts, and now Puget Sound. I love how much the water changes depending upon the weather; it's like nature is always putting on a show.

    Can you swim in your pond, Leslie? Seeing water always makes me want to go in it! Congrats on the book!

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    1. Perfect metaphor or maybe it's a simile of the changes in the water being like nature putting on a show, Ingrid. But no, alas, I no longer swim in the pond--it's too shallow now and there are leeches which have always been there, but are more of a problem with the shallow water. Still, I have dreams of swimming in the pond again, and fond memories of the times I and others did.

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  15. When I'm in California I drive to the ocean. In Arizona it's out into the desert. Both work well but I'd love to have a place that's truly mine, like your Pond

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    1. I idn't appreciate the desert when I was younger, but now I do; it has its own special beauty. Thanks for reminding me of that Rhys.

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  16. There is something quite mesmerizing about water.
    Libby Dodd

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  17. Hi Leslie! Thank you for your lovely description of your pond, and for your beautiful photos! And I'm envious of all of you who have water nearby. Here in suburban north Texas I have to settle for my koi pond and my fountain, both in the fenced back yard. Even with the traffic zooming by on the other side of the fence, I find my little water features enormously restoring. And I can't wait until it's warm enough to go out and sit on the patio by my fountain!

    Leslie, could you tell us a little more about your book?

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    1. Hi, Deborah! My neighbors in Cambridge, where I live part of the time have a koi pond, where they sit for hours watching the fish, so I understand its appeal, and I have always loved fountains. As for your question re my book, it's the story of a woman who goes to the Berkshires to solve an old family mystery, and ends up stumbling upon two love triangles--one in the distant past, and one in the more recent past. In each triangle a woman is killed, and in the more recent one, it's a woman who once occupied the house my main character is renting. The lover in second triangle also happens to be a descendant of the lover in the first one.

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  18. My favorite walk right now is down the road past the wooded metropark. Before you begin the climb up to park level, a bridge spans the south branch of Old woman's Creek. I love to listen to the stream, watch the water tumbling over smoothed rocks, follow its pathway along the ravine before it disappears around a bend. Endlessly soothing and takes me back to when I was a kid exploring the creek that ran alongside the road near my grandparents' farm.

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    1. Kate, somehow I missed your comment the first time around, but but just wanted you to know how beautifully descriptive it is. Love the name Old Woman's Creek, and I can visualize the stream with the water tumbling over the rocks. Very evocative!
      Thank you for it.

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  19. Your book has me intrigued, can't wait to get a copy! Love your pond and it's history. I grew up in Laguna Beach, in Southern California, we lived just 5 blocks from the beach, and I was there as much as possible, with a group of friends. We'd play volleyball, swim, play cards (usually Hearts) or just laze on the sand.

    Now I live in Portland, Oregon, and there are many nice walks in the Firs nearby, some on our property. Also we have a wonderful view down the Valley, which allows us to see the weather coming toward us, great sunrises and sunsets, pools of fog below us and enjoy the Fall color at that time of year. Also, our garden is our sanctuary, and we love to sit there in the afternoons.

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    1. Oh Rick, you have just launched me on another trip down memory lane. I grew up in Southern California, too, and Laguna was my favorite beach, specifically Woods Cove. My mother used to spend summers there, and I was almost born in Laguna when she took the wrong bus getting back to the L.A. area. She loved the beach, but my father loved the mountains, so we spent his two-week vacation in Montana, and had to settle for day-trips to Laguna. Portland is a nice place, too, though. I visited once for a convention, and enjoyed walking into the hills where there was a rose garden and fine views of the city below.

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    2. Woods Cove was the closest beach to the house, but I usually went to Bluebird.

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  20. Hi Leslie! Your book sounded so good, and the Amazon ebook deal was so good, that I bought it! Can't wait until I get the chance to read it.

    I have had a variety of quiet places over the years. Like most commenters, natural beauty is the first choice. I lived in Milwaukee for a while, and loved to sit by the lake shore. (Even in winter, it had a wild beauty that was strangely calming.) For the past 20 years or so, I have always sought out a park or a natural setting near my work so I could go and center myself there at lunch time. It's amazing what sitting (or walking) while staring at trees and grass can do to lower one's stress level. And to Edith's point, I also once worked near a historic old Catholic church and would sometimes go inside it at lunchtime to center myself in a different way.

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    1. Susan, sounds like you have found natural beauty in a lot of place, whether outdoors or indoors with the old Catholic Church. And yes, being out in nature, or in a quiet place does wonders to lower one's stress love, as I well know. When I'm feeling stressed-out I'll either go for a long walk in a lovely landscape or sit and contemplate it. I spent a certain amount of time as a child, lying on my back on the grass and gazing up at the sky and trees around me.

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  21. Congratulations, Leslie, on the new book. The cover and title are definite attention grabbers. As for places, I have a cabin on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia that is our summer retreat. It's right on the water and has a trout stream running through it, too. It is, IMO, the most perfect place in the world.

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    1. Hi, Jenn, I envy you your cabin on the Bay of Fundy. I have never been to Nova Scotia, but it's definitely on my bucket list!

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  22. Leslie, that sounds so good! The Berkshires are only about a 2 hour ride away from me so it is easy to picture. I love the talk about the pond. There is a pond on my property but it is hard to see as it is in the woods, but I see deer tracks coming or going so I know it is being enjoyed by other life. And then late last spring the pond was gone! I don't know what happened to it but my son told me it needed to be dug out. Oh, I had no idea. My granddaughter was so disappointed when we went looking for tadpoles and what was a pond had become a puddle!

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    1. Hi Judi, I was terrified of losing my pond during the drought a couple of summers ago, especially as many ponds around me diminished or vanished completely. I was very relieved when thanks to fall and spring rains, my pond regained its usual shape. Definitely worth your while to have the pond in the woods dug out so that you and your family and enjoy it and the wildlife it attracts again.

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  23. This has been a wonderful discussion that's brought back many memories of different times in my life. Thank you all so much! And last but not least, thank you, Jungle Red Writers for having me on your blog. You certainly have a great group of dedicated followers!

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  24. Hawaii was crowded even when I was a kid. We sat by the artisan well-fed watercress field sometimes. Did our version of "moon-viewing" late during a full moon night with tea and goodies. Occasional splash by a frog. Noise from a nearby elevated freeway; but no matta, we had excellent imaginations.

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    1. Li, I spent a couple weeks in Hawaii when I was 15 and have never forgotten it. Love your description of how you and your friends were able to transcend the crowds and noise, and enjoy it.

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  25. Growing up in Southern California, that place was obvious: the beach, and more specifically, the pier. I've been living on rural property in NW Oregon for 14 years, and haven't quite gotten used to not being able to hop in the car and walk along "my beach" when I need to think. Now, I walk around our property, usually along the same circular path, with our dogs weaving in and out, keeping me company for awhile and then going off on their own, checking in and then wandering away. It's good, but it's not the beach. I wonder if I'll ever make that transition, emotionally. Or maybe I'm just a little homesick tonight...

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    1. Beth, I share your love of the beach, having grown up in So. Cal myself. And I miss it. Since moving to the Northeast, I realized I've managed to have some sort of beach in my life: in New York, it was Fire Island, in the Boston area, it was Plum Island, and later Lambert's Cove on Martha Vineyard. The latter is no longer
      available to me, and I miss it. Like my pond, the beach has been a calming place.

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  26. Congratulations on your new book! Close to where I live is a place that used to be a big farm. A few years ago a 4 lane road and overpass (over a busy train track) was built. There are sidewalks and fences too. I frequently drive this way as it is convenient and the traffic, although heavy, keeps moving. On both sides of the road behind the wire fences are very wide ditches. (maybe 30 feet) When I have to stop for the traffic light I marvel at the ducks and geese who call these bodies of water "home." In the spring I love to watch the babies trailing behind their mothers. And twice I have seen bald eagles, high on the light posts of the overpass, keeping their eagle eyes on the remaining fields looking for prey. At the very top of the overpass, on a clear day, looking south is a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier, in her snow crowned glory. One very special day, ALL traffic at the corner with the traffic light came to a standstill as a lone deer walked across the road. Due to the fencing the deer had to use the "crosswalk" to get from one side to the other. I think all the drivers in all the cars just held their breath until the deer rounded the fence and entered the open field. Seeing the deer seemed like some sort of magical gift from the universe which will live forever in my mind's eye.

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