One Human Family--Masked! by Liz Acar

LUCY BURDETTE: The pandemic has certainly spawned a certain amount of creativity, from sewing masks to writing about the lockdown to taking photographs. I noticed that a friend from our Key West church, Liz Acar, was doing a photography project involving masked residents. I thought you all would be interested to see some of her lovely photos and hear how her project evolved. Welcome Liz! Tell us a little about why you turned to photography as a creative outlet. 

LIZ ACAR: When the pandemic hit, it was unprecedented and very unsettling. So many unknowns were out there. People were anxious, fearful, worried. I wanted to do my part to help provide a moment of peace, hope, and connection. So I turned to photography. Mallory Square’s Sunset Celebration was closed down on March 17th. I decided I wanted to help keep it alive virtually by doing FB Live Sunset Celebrations until they reopened. My desire was to provide a space for others from around the world to connect and to share a moment of peace and hope. I did 28 straight days of FB Live Sunset Celebrations before being shut down by the Key West Police. I was told photography was not allowed under our “safer at home” orders. We could only be out to exercise or walk a dog. 

photo by Liz Acar

Photography and creative expression helps me to stay grounded and also provides a way from me to help support others. Since we were allowed to be outside to exercise, once my FB Lives were shut down, I decided to take pictures while out biking. When I would see a good photo opp, I would take a quick ’rest’ break and capture the shot. During sunset, I would occasionally get chased off by the police. Each day I did my best to capture shots and share them on social media. My desire was to continue to help bring about a moment of peace, connection, and hope to others. 

Lucy: Tell us how you came to this idea of the mask photography project.

Liz: One day while I was out biking and taking pictures of our city during the lockdown, I caught an interesting shot of someone on a bike with a mask on. It felt like a powerful photo capturing the essence of the times. About a week later, my mask project idea got sparked based on that photo. The vision wasn’t clear at that moment, but a seed was planted. 

photo by Liz Acar

Lucy: How did you decide to use the black-and-white photographs with only the masks in color, and how were you envisioning the project?

Liz: On April 28th I took the bike rider image and converted it to black and white and colorized the mask just to see what it would look like. It really highlighted the mask and created some interesting contrast. And then the idea came to mind. What would it be like to capture a moment in history in a unique way. I could take photos of people with masks on, convert them to black and white and colorize the mask. I thought it might be cool to go for a vintage feel. Like looking back on history. I decided it might make for an interesting art project. So I posted a call on FB that day. 

photo by Liz Acar

I honestly didn’t know what the response would be and what the end result would be. I just felt nudged to do it. I got a lot of positive responses from my post. For my pictures, I scheduled appointments and I also headed out on my bike rides looking for interesting shots. If I saw an interesting shot, I would let the person know about my project and ask if I could take their picture.

During this time, I would talk on the phone daily with my dad about the project. He was always so excited to hear how it was progressing. As I kept moving forward with taking pictures, my mask project vision was gaining more clarity. My dad and I talked about how cool it would be if it became an art exhibit at a gallery showing one day. It was nice to have something to dream about during such a challenging time, even though I still didn’t know what the end result was going to be. 

 I was also having fun with converting the pictures to black and white and colorizing the masks. I would send the copy to the person as a thank you for allowing me to take the pic. I would typically get a response of “I love it” and I started seeing several people post their picture as their profile picture. It felt good to see people enjoying their pictures. 

I finally decided I wanted to create a collage out of the pictures I had taken and then take a photo of the collage. I could make prints or canvasses out of the collage photo. Now that I had a plan, I had almost completed my project when my dad fell ill suddenly and was hospitalized on May 10th. His health went downhill quickly. He went from independent living to looking like he have to be discharged into hospice. Stress from his illness impacted my creative focus and I took a break from the project. But on the morning of the 25th, something inside nudged me to pick it back up and finish the project. It become important for me to finish it while he was still alive. It’s hard to explain the feeling, but I felt driven to finish it that day. Amazingly, somehow even amidst all the stress, I was able to pull it all together and get the file off to a printer. I picked up my first printed canvas that evening. It looked great! That first canvass became even more special to me because dad unexpectedly passed away that night. I’m so grateful that I completed it before he passed. It feels like a part of his energy is in that first canvas.

Lucy: tell us a bit more about the final project now that it’s completed.

Liz: Each picture in the collage is a photo I took, turned into black and white and added the mask color back in. Then I printed each photo on regular printer paper, hand tore the edges, and interwove them together on a poster board. It captures an unprecedented moment in our history. My goal was for it to look vintage, as if you were looking back on history. Hence the black and white choice and the torn edges. The canvas is a picture of the collage I laid out on a poster board. I did my best to capture a collection of the diversity of people and activities on our island. I laid it out in a way that highlights the interdependence and interconnectedness of all of us during this time. I call the finished project, ‘Namaske; One Human Family, Masked’.

Mayor Teri Johnston with Liz's collage

Thank you Liz for sharing your photos and project with us. Reds, Liz will be stopping in to answer any questions today!

About Liz: In 2016 Liz moved to Key West, Florida for a healing sabbatical from a significant illness. She has recovered and is still living in Key West. Over the past three years, Liz has conducted over 500 training and speaking engagements on mind/body/spirit wellness. She is also the author and photographer for the International Bestseller, In Joy; A Guide to Designing a Joy-Filled Life, and the co-author and photographer for the Bestseller, You Are Loved; An Inspired, Meditative Visual Journey. 

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Multi-Certified International Coach, Inspirational Speaker, Photographer, and Author, Liz’s work over the past 25 years has focused on supporting others in living a healthier, more peaceful, and joy-filled life. Liz loves combining her passion for photography, coaching, speaking, and writing to help inspire and support others on their journey. 

Visit FB @Liz Acar, Instagram @liz.acar, or www.LizAcar.com to check out her services, photography, and positive vibes.

Debs Does 48 Hours in Key West

LUCY BURDETTE: We had the great pleasure of hosting Red Deborah Crombie at the tail end of her book tour for GARDEN OF LAMENTATIONS a couple of weeks ago. I thought you would enjoy following along in her 48 hours in Key West! Some things were on her bucket list, and some John and I added as our favorites...

First stop, almost always, the Sunset Celebration on Mallory Square. Here's Deb with Lorenzo, Hayley's tarot card reading friend, and Lucy's friend in real life...

And here are Deb's cards...she must pay attention to her spiritual side in April...

(DEBS: I must admit, this made me a bit nervous, which I didn't expect!)

There was a cruise ship blocking the view, so Deb had to choose between seeing the sunset and watching the cat man--cat man won out of course!

We stayed in that first night to give Deb a breather from restaurant food...this is Lucy's cornmeal-crusted veggie tart...

(DEBS: Heaven!!!)

The next morning we hiked across the island to a must-see, Ernest Hemingway's house

She couldn't decide whether she liked his office best...

or the bathroom in the main house!

We met several of the Hemingway polydactyls...

(DEBS: I adored the Hemingway House!! And the cats! It was one of the highlights of my trip.)

 

The Key West library was kind enough to help set up this last event on Deb's tour. Don't you love what Michael the librarian did with the backdrop? Lucy got to do the interview...and this was after logging in 15,000 steps on the iPhone counter!

And then we met up for dinner with another mystery writer friend, Barbara Ross--lots of shop talk and a little bit of gossip. 

(DEBS: Such fun to meet Barb Ross. And can I just mention the cucumber cocktail???)

Every visitor to Key West wants to get this shot--the very tip end of Route 1

Deb's last day started off with breakfast in bed--a maple-glazed donut studded with candied bacon and a cafe con leche from the Cuban Coffee Queen

(DEBS: I thought I had died and gone to heaven. They really are as good as Hayley says!)

And then a stop at Books&Books, founded by Judy Blume and her husband George. We scored signed Babar books for our granddaughters and a photo with Judy herself!

(DEBS: Unfortunately, Wren loved the book so much it's now missing half a page... Hopefully, Mr. Brunhoff will sign a few more.)

 

Last minute gift from Debs, as she explained her plotting secrets to Lucy:)

(DEBS: That may not look like much, but I promise it was brilliant:-) And can I just say that Lucy is THE best  hostess and tour guide!!! And that I am in love with Key West!)

Who else has fallen for the Key West magic?

What We're Writing Week @LucyBurdette

John on duty during the parade

LUCY BURDETTE: You wouldn't believe the things I do in the name of research. Last fall, we arrived in Key West earlier than usual--October--so I could observe the wildest festival of the year--Fantasy Fest. Even after the week was over, I couldn't pretend to understand the grand appeal of walking up and down Duval Street basically naked except for creative body paint. But hey, it makes for a fabulous backdrop--though sorting through what can go into a cozy mystery from this week of events was a bit challenging. 

But John and I promptly signed up to train as Fantasy Fest parade ambassadors, and I ordered tutus in several colors (the men got camo tutus, including Tonka,) and made appointments for face-painting for the Zombie bike ride.


So that's the book I'm writing now! Without further ado, here's the opening for KILLER TAKEOUT, coming to bookshelves next April:

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KILLER TAKEOUT: Chapter One

  

Resident islanders couldn’t remember a hotter Key West summer. Not only hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, they agreed, but hot enough to crisp bacon, too. So far, the advent of fall was bringing no relief. Today’s temperature registered 93° and climbing--fierce-hot for October, with the humidity dense like steam from my grandmother’s kettle. And the local news anchor promised it would get hotter as the week continued, along with the party on Duval Street.

Me? I'd rather eat canned sardines from China then march down Key West’s Duval Street wearing not much more than body paint. But 100,000 out-of-town revelers didn’t agree. They were arriving on the island this week to do just that—or watch it happen—during Fantasy Fest, the celebration taking place during the ten days leading up to Halloween, including a slew of adult-themed costume parties culminating in a massive and rowdy parade.

Worse of all, the Weather Channel was tracking the path of a tropical storm in the Eastern Caribbean. They had already begun to mutter semi-hysterical recommendations: Visitors should prepare to head up the Keys to the mainland and take refuge in a safer area. But based on the crowds I’d seen, no one was listening. These hordes weren’t leaving until the event was over. Besides, with a four-hour drive to Miami on a good traffic day, getting all those people out would be like trying to squeeze ketchup back into a bottle. Might as well party.

Since no right-minded local resident would attempt to get near a restaurant this week, I had fewer food critic duties at my workplace, the style magazine, Key Zest. I was looking forward to covering some of the tamer Fantasy Fest events for the magazine, including the Zombie bike ride, the locals’ parade, and a pet masquerade contest. And since restaurants are my beat, I’d promised my bosses an article on reliable takeout food too. If that didn’t keep me busy enough, my own mother, Janet Snow, and Sam, her fiance, were arriving for the week to visit with my dear friend Connie’s new baby, and then get themselves hitched on the beach.

In a weak moment, I’d allowed Miss Gloria, my geriatric houseboat-mate, to talk me into being trained as a Fantasy Fest parade ambassador. Our job would be to help patrol the sidewalks, which would be lined with costumed and tipsy revelers scrambling for the colored glass bead necklaces thrown off the floats.

“If we aren’t going to go to the foam party, or the Adam and Eve bash, or the Tighty Whitey party, we should at least attend the parade,” Miss Gloria said.

I closed my eyes to ward off the image of my elderly friend at any of those events.

“And if we’re working as ambassadors, we’ll be stationed inside the crowd control barricades. We’ll have the best seat in the house. Get it? Seat.” She broke into helpless giggles.

            At the time, the idea seemed palatable. Barely.

Meanwhile, FATAL RESERVATIONS will be here July 7, but I'd be so thrilled if you'd order it now!

Death with all the Trimmings @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: 

 As you guys know, I write mystery series. When I start the first book, there is much that I don't know about the setting and the characters and the sidekicks--and of course, the plot! A lot evolves over time.

In the past, I've put many of my characters into psychotherapy--and their lives have definitely improved:). But my Key West food critic character, Hayley Snow, did not want to go. She doesn't mind consulting her psychologist friend or her mother for advice, but when she's really worried, she goes to Lorenzo, the tarot card reader.

I had seen a tarot card reader at the Sunset Celebration on Mallory Square--in fact I got my cards read from him. But I wrote AN APPETITE FOR MURDER without meeting the reader as a real person. Here was the first iteration of Lorenzo in Appetite:

After leaving the bar, I drove my scooter the length of Whitehead Street toward Mallory Square to see if Lorenzo was working. Every night at sunset, except in the very worst weather, street performers marked off sections of the pier and set up shop to entertain tourists and part them from a few of their dollars. Along with the zaniness of Duval Street, the spectacle of the sun setting over Mallory Square tended to stick in the minds of visitors more than anything about Key West. 

Lorenzo has been working the square for almost twenty years, wearing a star-studded turban, a deep blue cloak with a matching blue stone glued to his forehead, and a mustache waxed into loops. Sounded hokey, but even I felt more confident having my cards read by a guy who took the time to look and act professional.

But since then I've had lunch with Lorenzo (whose real name is Ron) a couple of times and gotten a better understanding of who he is and what he does. He has evolved in real life too--he no longer wears the turban and the make-up, because the tourists were treating him as a sideshow, not a serious person.

I was nearing the end of book 5, DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS, when I realized I needed help with Lorenzo's scene. He agreed to meet me for lunch and we had a wonderfully interesting talk about tarot and Key West and life. "I'm so glad I caught you," I said. "Without your input, I'd have no idea what to write."

"But you do know," he said. "You know."

And do you know what? When I returned to the scene I'd written, I found he was right. I put in a few telling details, but otherwise, this is how it goes:

Ten minutes later, Lorenzo took the seat beside me, carrying a cup of tea and a slice of pie.  His dark hair curled like mine in the humidity, and he wore Harry Potter-style round glasses, and red clogs. I felt instantly calmer in his presence.
    “I was hoping you weren’t on a diet,” I said, pointing at his plate.
    “The cards say never pass up key lime pie,” he told me as he swallowed the first creamy bite and rolled his eyes with pleasure.
    We chatted for a few minutes about the politics of the street performers at Mallory Square and their difficult negotiations with the city about a new lease. I wasn’t the only person struggling with a crazy workplace.
    “I got worried this week when we cruised through Sunset at Mallory Square with Mom’s guests and you weren’t there. There was another tarot card reader where you usually sit,” I said, lifting my eyebrows. “Is she your new competition?”
    “It all depends,” he said. “Do you want a performance? Or a reading?” He placed his deck of cards on the little table between us.
    “A reading. Definitely. No drama.” I began to shuffle the cards. “I’ve got enough of that in my own life.”
    He smiled warmly and dealt out three cards, and then shook his head.

“There’s change ahead. Upheaval. You may feel trapped by feelings and emotions that no longer serve your current purpose,” he said. “You may feel that you're out of control, but this will help you evaluate the ways you felt trapped. Don't let yourself remain in the position of refusing to see the truth.”    
    There were so many ways I was feeling stuck and out of control--my job, my love life, just to mention two. Lorenzo paused, still studying the cards. But it seemed as though they had given him all they had to say. And I needed to do some serious thinking, alone.

    “How are you otherwise than the Mallory Square business?” I asked Lorenzo.
    “I'm good,” he said. “I'm busy. I'm feeling calm and centered.”
    “I'm glad someone is,” I said.
    “Just remember, there are two worlds--a world of love and a world of fear. You choose where you want to live, okay?”

So on Monday, I sent in the draft of DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS (Key West mystery #5) to my editor in New York.  (YAY!) Who knows how many changes she will want, and who knows whether it's great or whether it stinks...but in the meanwhile, I think I'll take Lorenzo's advice--live in the world of love, not fear. (The book will be out in December, just in time for Christmas stockings.)

For readers (and writers), how important is it to see series characters change?