New York Adventures in Travel...by Kristin Wallace

Since this month's theme is "adventures in travel", it seems the perfect time to talk about my trip to New York City in July. 

First, I attended the Romance Writers of America (RWA) national conference. I got to spend quality time with my closest writer friends, celebrated my birthday, learned tons of information, and celebrated the best in romance fiction. 

Then my parents flew up and we got to spend a few extra days in the city. We did the tourist thing on one of those big double-decker buses and saw more of the city than I have before. I marveled at the architecture. (The buildings are one of my favorite things about New York. We have NOTHING like them in Miami.) We toured The Met Museum where I went ga-ga over the room of Impressionist paintings by Monet and Rembrandt, most of which I’d only ever seen in books. Plus, a super cool exhibit celebrating the history of rock & roll, with guitars that were owned by some of the best rock musicians of all times like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.

However, the highlight was a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I’ve been to New York four times, but this was the first time I actually made it. We did a guided tour so we had someone explaining more of the history of both places for our small group. I’ve always been fascinated by the history of Ellis Island especially. This processing center welcomed 12 million immigrants from 1892 – 1954. Our guide told us that about 40% of Americans today had ancestors who came through Ellis Island. The photos below show Ellis Island as it was when the processing center was being used vs. today.

The bravery of those men and women can’t be understated. And once they got to the mainland, things certainly did not get any easier. On our tours, we saw neighborhoods where many of the families settled, the former tenement buildings that housed multiple families, sometimes in a single apartment. 

 

What an inspiring trip and a chance to check off two items on my bucket list. 

(I’m curious. Can any of you trace relatives through Ellis Island???)

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. Her latest book, SECOND CHANCE HERO, part of her Palm Cove Tales series, is available now. 

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Overheard at... The Statue of Liberty

"His turban hides another religious weapon."

Travel is all about learning new things... and this trip has certainly been no exception. I was waiting in line for tickets and overheard a guy trying to talk his way onto a water taxi after explaining the Statue of Liberty ferries would not allow him to get on without scanning his turban and handing over his concealed weapons.

Heart pounding, I waited for someone to become as nervous as I was. But the water taxi drivers just told him, rules were rules, and he wouldn't be able to go on a water taxi either.

My imagination went wild. He must have bomb material in his turban. And then, he'll use the concealed weapon to hijack the water taxi and land at Liberty Island. Scared, I told a security guard, and they took the time to explain it to me. In fact, both things are religiously oriented. In the turban they also keep a religious weapon. If they leave them with the ferry security they can go to the island. If not, they can not. Knowing the full story I was able to board the ferry mind at peace.

In September Romancing the Genres will spotlight Action/Adventure writers. The way my heart thumped while overhearing the above conversation made me think about what makes action/adventure work. I am sure there are many moving pieces (and I am hoping to learn some of these tricks when I read the blogs by our guest writers). But, one of these pieces has to be our fear of the unknown or our pre-established assumptions.

In fact, movie producers play on this last one all the time. Have you ever sat through 80% of a movie believing one thing (like who the killer is) only to realize that you were completely wrong? Assumptions are a wonderful tool for building tension.

So, here's your assignment this month. Look around you today and speculate about one thing going on. Your child is coloring? Without looking closely, what do you think they are drawing? Now ask.... were you correct? A man is looking around nervously as he pulls books at a bookstore. What do you think he is doing? Now ask if you can help... see what is actually going on.

These assumptions help us to make sense of the world around us. And, as writers, they are an excellent opportunity to play with the emotions of the reader. As you check in on our fantastic guest bloggers in September, be sure to ask if they have ever played with assumptions to build tension. I'll look forward to finding out (they are some of my favorite writers)!

Deanne Wilsted
Journeys Inspired by Love
www.deannewilsted.com