Thursday, July 23, 2015

The Rhode Island Writer

Hey now. It's been a helluva long time since I've been here last.

I've made a few changes to this blog, designating myself the Rhode Island Writer. People say, "write about what you know". I know the state of Rhode Island pretty well. I lived there for 45 years. I miss it terribly and want to move back (now residing in the Foothills of the Piedmont, NC) but my parents are here and old now, so...

As a writer/author, I have to pick and choose what to spend my time on. For the last few years, I've pushed to get my Regency series finished (under Anne Gallagher). And now that it is, I want to focus my attention on contemporary writing.

Providence
I have several books in progress -- what author doesn't -- and I'm not feeling the love for romance these days, so I developed a new series, in the detective genre, set in the fictional town of Nannaquonset, Rhode Island. For those of you who live there, or know the state, I'll let you in on the secret -- it's really Narragansett. (Where Monster and I spent our vacation last summer.)

I think it's pretty good, but won't really know until I get it back from a couple of beta readers. Actually, I don't care if they like it. I do and for me, that's all that counts.

Bristol harbor
Writing about my place of origin makes me less lonely. There's something about knowing the beach is only 40 minutes away. That seagulls are everywhere, even in the city. That fog can roll in at any time. I've gotten to the point where I'll watch just about anything on television just to hear that familiar accent. I immerse myself in Google maps and hit "street view" just so I can be there.

Sad, isn't it. But hey, we all have to do what we need to survive. And right now, that's all I'm doing.
Surviving. You can't know how I feel unless you've been separated from something you love. I miss Rhode Island. I miss the beach. I miss doughboys and coffee milk, chowda' and clam cakes, the smell of low tide in July, the Bristol Parade, a stroll on Thames Street in Newport, Awful Awfuls, whole belly fried clams, lighthouses, the Hurricane Barrier, the Paw Sox, Federal Hill, hell, I even miss driving on 95. (Okay, maybe not that since they put in the I-way, but I miss the familiar streets I used to drive to get around having to drive on 95.)

Narragansett docks
I miss my family -- the cousins, aunts and uncles, the Christmas parties, summer parties, reunions, weddings, funerals. I miss everyone and everything I used to know.

So, here I am. Writing about the people and places that I miss.

I'm going to try and post here on Thursdays from now on. We'll see how it goes. As a writer/author, we're told we need a "brand". Well, I'm the Rhode Island Writer now. I guess that will be my brand.
Hope you'll stop by.

Robynne Rand (c) 2015

2 comments:

Liza said...

Oh my gosh, you've made ME homesick here. BTW, I believe the Paw Sox may be moving to Providence.

Robynne Rand said...

Liza -- I heard that about the Sox, but where on earth would they go. There's not a stitch of room anywhere in Providence. Unless they knock a building down. But even then, it's a little iffy. there's still no parking.

Hey, maybe they can put them in the River in front of the Hurricane Barrier. Like a floating baseball field.