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Showing posts from August, 2009

Hoping to Get A Buzz Going

Not only did I have a good time researching Dispel the Mist , it was a fun book to write. How could I miss when one of the characters is a cousin to Big Foot. Yes, indeed, the Hairy Man is the legendary, or maybe not so legendary, fellow who roams the mountains above the Tule River Indian Reservation. I can see the backside of those mountains from the windows of my house. When I was talking to the Tolowa women who gave me ideas for Kindred Spirits they shared many stories about Big Foot. While researching for Dispel the Mist I learned and heard about Hairy Man sightings. Anytime I write about Tempe and Hutch I feel like I'm visiting with old friends. Friends I know far better than any of my flesh and blood friends--because I can get right inside their heads. I hope a lot of people will want to read what happens when Tempe encounters the Hairy Man. Marilyn http://fictionforyou.com

How to Waste An Afternoon

Oh boy, I did a good job of it yesterday. I did accomplish a few things, like toting up my writing expenditures for a month. Unfortunately they are always more than what I brought in from my writing. I spent way too much time on Facebook--but isn't it fun? I found out my niece made tacos and baked cookies for the neighborhood kids--and her own two, of course. My grandson, the Aspen CO cop, posted a photo of two bears up a tree, a mom and cub. These you could see quite plainly. I hope he keeps his guard up since he has bear encounters every night while he on duty. I learned his little sister loves school--she's a sophomore in high school. And of course I found out all sorts of interesting things from the many friends (some I know and some I don't) on Facebook. I tried to make postcards for Dispel the Mist and failed. So, I order some from VistaPrint. Much easier to do. Received two books I ordered from Amazon, one the latest Wm. Kent Krueger mystery and I already read a few

I've Turned into a Prude

Well, I'm not really sure that I've become such a prude as TV shows and movies have just gotten far worse than they used to be. I was all set to watch the first and second episodes of an HBO show created from a book series written by someone I know. The books are clever, unusual and funny. I could only watch about fifteen minutes of the TV show which had unnecessary bad language, nudity, people having sex and not much about the main character or the story that I suspect was still to come. At this stage in my life I don't really like to hear bad language, nor do I enjoy seeing people without their clothes, and I already know how to have sex, thank you very much, I don't need to watch people doing it. And that's what they are doing is just having sex, there certainly isn't any love making in the way most TV shows and movies depict it. Frankly I yearn for the old movies filled with romance and when couples went to the bedroom to make love, they shut the door and yo

Still Working on Finding Places to Make Appearances

Today I sent an email to the Eagle Mountain Casino on the Tule River Indian Reservation. This is the reservation that I've patterned the fictional Bear Creek Indian Reservation after. I also want people to realize I'm writing fiction and though the Bear Creek Indian Reservation bears some resemblance to the Tule River Indian Reservation it is not an exact replica--nor is anything on the reservation including the characters who appear in my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries. I've often been asked if I'm Indian--and the answer is no, I'm not. One of my great-grandchildren is 1/4 Tule River Indian with ties to the reservation. I have much respect for our local Indians and what they've managed to do to improve their lives on the reservation. Not only do they have their casino they also have other enterprises which have given their citizens more opportunities for work as well as others in the surrounding communities. With my latest book, Dispel the Mist , I borrowed on

Deaths of Famous People

Once again we've had two famous people die--Senator Kennedy and Dominick Dunne. Though I'm sure Senator Kennedy did many good things in his long career of politics--unfortunately what I remember about him most was his wrong-doing. I so vividly remember when he let that young woman drown and didn't bother telling anyone when it was too late because he was afraid of what being with her would do to his reputation. I have no doubt that he would have run for president and probably succeeded if he hadn't had that in his past. He was unfaithful to his first wife enough to make the news--and poor woman became an alcoholic. Dominick Dunne was a famous writer--and the murder of his daughter certainly caused him to write about people who got away with or almost got away with murder. I'm sure the fact that his daughter's killer only served a short sentence had a lot to do with it. I remember seeing him at the O.J. Simpson trial day after day. He later wrote about that trial

Plotting the Course

What does the phrase really mean? I have no idea. Plotting a book means to figure out what you are going to write and how you'll get there. I have my own manner of plotting and I've written about it before. Some people plot their entire lives--risky since things seldom turn out the way we expect them to. Lately I've been plotting the course for the promotion of Dispel the Mist. and I have some great events lined up, but would really like some more--especially during the week. Because I don't have the books yet I can't start the process of sending out books to reviewers, an essential part of the promotion. I'll be having a blog tour in October--waited until then to make sure I had books by then. Since my in person promotion officially begins with my talk at the Porterville Library I'm hoping I have books by then. I've also been plotting the course as far as writing and mystery conferences go. I passed on Bouchercon in Indiana this year because it is the

Now I'm Getting Nervous

After spending the weekend with the Collins' and all their wonderful plans for introducing and selling their new book at two occasions with no books arriving, it made me take a second look at my calendar. Of course I don't have any copies of Dispel the Mist yet either. Once they are printed they don't just fly through the air, they have to ordered, the number of copies paid for have to be printed, the books are boxed and then sent on their way via truck from somewhere in the Midwest, all the way out here to California. Next week I head out to Ridgecrest to speak to the Ridgewriters. I did not expect to have books for that engagement. It's been two years since I've spoken to them so I have plenty of books to take that no one has seen before. On the 12th of September, I'm headed to Nipomo Library for an all day event. Though it would be nice to have copies of Dispel the Mist for that event, again, I have plenty of books to display and sell. But then we get to Sept

Today is My Birthday

Yep, I was born 76 years ago today. I can't believe it. Looking back, it certainly doesn't seem like 76 years. My sister called and sang "Seventy Six Trombones" to me instead of Happy Birthday. We spent the day driving. After a wonderful weekend with Lorna and Larry Collins at their gorgeous home in Dana Point--despite the trauma of their book not arriving for their book signing or book launch--we set out for home around 7:30 a.m. We stopped for breakfast, not wanting to be on the freeway with all the people rushing to work. Our drive home was actually better than the one there except for the fact two vehicles tried to change lanes right into our car this time--only one on the way there. I feel so sorry for anyone who must drive the L.A. freeways everyday of the week. My daughter-in-law is cooking dinner tonight so that's something to celebrate too. Of course anytime you leave home, when you return there is always lots to do, but I'm going to save the majority

A Mixed Day

We are here in Dana Point partly yo celebrate Lorna and Larry Collins new mystery. today was the big Fine Arts Fair Lorna organized and her book was supposed to arrive last week. they didn't show up. So disappointing, but the fair went on. Lorna and Larry slaved away setting everything up in the front yard of the church. a Artists and craft people set up their tents. Authors tables were om the porch. It rained for a bit--maybe in sympathy for the Collins disappointment. People came to buy their new book. Tomorrow they are having a launch for the book that isn't here. Impossible to cancel> Despite all this we've had a great time with them. We've been celebrating Lorna's and my birthdays--same day and had fun gabbing, two great dinners, and we've been helping as much as possible. These things happen in the book business--but it is sure awful when it does. Tomorrow we'll have a good time at the launch without books. Marilyn

My Writing Process

When this appears I'll be in Southern California. Tomorrow I'll report about what went on at the Fine Arts Festival, but today I'm going to tell you how I go about writing a book. Because I write two series, how I begin depends upon which series I'm going to be writing. If it's the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series I'm going to be researching and thinking about Native American legends and in particular, Yokut or Tule River Indian legends. My latest, Dispel the Mist is about the legendary Hairy Man who roams the mountains above the Tule River Indian Reservation. I have some great research books with essays by and about Native Americans. I like to look for key phrases that might trigger an idea or a title. I have a folder where I keep magazine and newspaper articles about small town crimes that might work for the beginning of a mystery since my Tempe mysteries are mostly set in the mountain community of Bear Creek in the Southern Sierra. As ideas begin to form, I begi

Once Again We're Off

We will be leaving this morning for Southern California and Saturday's Art Festival at the San Juan Capistrano Community Presbyterian Church which begins at 11. I'll be giving a presentation on How to Write a Mystery with group participation as we brainstorm ideas for one. First though we'll be stopping at Lorna and Larry Collins' home. This event is their baby and they've invited hubby and me to stay with them. We're excited to be spending time with Lorna and Larry. We first met them at Epicon (the conference for e-publishing) though I'm not sure exactly which one. The one I remember the best was held in Virginia Beach in March. We had a wonderful oceanfront hotel, but it was too cold to enjoy being outside. Of course we've seen them at others, including the last one that was held at the Montelongo Resort in Henderson, NV. They are a fantastic couple and it'll be wonderful to get to know them better. The drawback is getting down there. We'll be

Public Safety Writers Conference

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We are thrilled to have mystery, thriller and horror writer Simon Wood as a keynote speaker for our Public Safety Writers Conference, June 17 -20 at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas. We have a great line-up, you can read what we've got so far at http://publicsafetywriter.com and I can tell you that there is more to come, just haven't received all the information I need as yet. The registration form is live and you can either print out the form and sent in a check, or register on line and pay via PayPal. There is an early bird fee that is good until October 31. If you want to bring along someone who isn't interested in the conference but would like to enjoy lunches with the group, there is a place to sign up for that too. Don't miss out on this fantastic writing conference. Marilyn http://fictionforyou.com

Writing a New Blog Post Everyday

When I started doing blogs, I sort of went at it haphazardly. I didn't have a plan nor did I have special days to blog. The more I got into it I realized that having new content on one's blog everyday is important. Well, not earth shattering important, but enough that I would like to keep people coming back and reading. A blog is a bit like writing in a diary. I kept a daily diary until I met my husband-to-be on a blind date. That's when my life got interesting and when I quit writing. What I decided I wouldn't be doing on my blog is writing political stuff. I'm not going to tell you how I voted, nor how I feel about the health care plan. I learned a long time ago many friends I cherish--both in person and on the Net don't all share the same political views I have. I learned long ago that arguing about them won't change anyone and it can certainly ruin a friendship. I also don't talk about religion except to say that I am a Christian, I hope that I act l

Emotional Freedom by Dr. Judith Orloff

A Guide to Staying Brave and Positive During Stressful Times Picture yourself in a traffic jam but feeling utterly calm. Or not letting your supervisor’s bad mood frustrate you. Imagine being peaceful instead of worrying. Or enjoying nurturing relationships and a warm sense of belonging in the place of loneliness. This is what it feels like when you’ve achieved emotional freedom. National bestselling author Judith Orloff MD presents new solutions for dealing with emotions in our hyper-tense world. She invites you to take a remarkable journey, one that leads to happiness, serenity, and a mastery over negativity that pervades daily life. You possess the ability to liberate yourself from worry, anger, and fear. True emotional freedom is closer than you think. Synthesizing neuroscience, intuitive medicine, psychological and subtle energy techniques, Dr. Orloff maps the elegant relationships between our minds, bodies, spirits, and our environments. With humor and compassion, she shows you h

Working on the Public Safety Writers Conference for 2010

Since I got my correction for my galley proof off, I've been dabbling in this and that. One of my priorities has been working on next year's conference for PSWA. I'm thrilled because I already have the beginnings of a great line-up. Suspense and thriller author, Simon Wood, is going to be a keynote speaker. Forensic expert, Steven Scarborough will be back to impart some of his vast knowledge. Mystery author Michael A. Black is going to tell us how to plot a book in an hour. Author of The Pot Thief, Michael Orenduff along with his wife, are going to show us what makes a good cover and what doesn't. Joyce Spizer Foy asks the question, "Is your hero too good and your villain too bad?" And most fun of all, Sunny Frazier is going to tell us "How Much Sex is Too Much?" Keep checking the webpage, http://publicsafetywriter.com for the information about the conference. It should be up sometime this week. Marilyn http://fictionforyou.com

You Are Invited!

Community Presbyterian Church of San Juan Capistrano Fine Arts Festival 2009 August 22, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. San Juan Capistrano Community Presbyterian Church 32202 Del Obispo Street San Juan Capistrano, California 92675 Phone: (949) 493-1502 Email: office@sjcpres.org Workshops to be presented throughout the day by artists and writers Artists, crafters, and writers to sell their creations Lunch and snacks available for purchase Musicians to entertain Learning opportunities and entertainment for the entire family Invite your friends and neighbors! Featuring award-winning mystery writer Marilyn Meredith Marilyn will present her workshop on “How to Write a Mystery” and be on hand to autograph copies of her books. Award-winning artist Robert l. Schwenck will describe how he creates a painting and then create one during the event. A new mystery, Murder…They Wrote by authors Larry K. & Lorna Collins will be launched. Be the first to own an autographed copy. And m

Flying from a Remote Location

We live in the sticks. So many of the things I want to go to, mystery cons and the like are places where I have to fly. Because we're getting older, I'd like to do as many of these as possible while we can. I was checking on flights to New Orleans from Bakersfield--eek, the prices are horrendous. I don't have enough miles to help. I've already signed up for Epicon which is in New Orleans this year so guess I'll wait awhile and see if prices come down. Not likely, but I am going to wait. A group I belong to wants to meet in Ontario CA. To get there I'll have to either fly to Phoenix AZ first or to LAX and then Ontario. The price for that was almost as much as the one to New Orleans. When I went to Alaska, I had to fly out of Fresno, then to San Francisco, then to Seattle and on to Anchorage. Coming home it was Seattle to Portland, Portland to San Francisco, and then Fresno. That trip cost a fortune. We drive to a lot of places, Las Vegas, down to Southern Califor

Is Any of This Worth It?

Of course I'm speaking about all the time, effort, and yes, money that's invested in writing. I can answer this question in several ways depending upon what is meant by worth. If it means money--no, it isn't worth what I make. I end up spending a lot more on promoting--biz cards, going to conferences and conventions, book festivals, etc. than actually comes in on royalties and what I sell myself. Is it worth it for the fun I have? Yes, indeed. I've made so many friends over the years going to conferences, conventions and the like--friends who have become really close and I keep in touch with through email and Facebook. Many of these friends are other authors, but just as many are readers and fans of my books. (Oh and by the way, the author friends also are readers and some of them are fans of my books and vice versa.) Hubby and I have visited many place in this country of ours we'd have never even thought about if it hadn't been for mystery cons. Omaha Nebraska

Having Books On Kindle

Yesterday on Facebook, someone mentioned they'd read Wishing Makes It So on their Kindle and truly enjoyed it. This is the thing about e-books, they don't disappear. Wishing Makes It So, a book that came out in 2006 is still being bought and read as an e-book. I won several awards with this book. It's about a very bad little girl and was inspired by something that happened in our family--fortunately without such dire results. Many of my books are available on the Kindle and in other e-book formats. This is thrilling to me. I've been writing for years, but because I've always been with small, independent publishers, I've never attained best seller status--though I've had a loyal following of readers, especially with my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series. Yes, I do have a Kindle and I even bought a couple of my own books just to see what they looked like on it. The majority of my books are under my name, Marilyn Meredith, but my Rocky Bluff P.D. series is u

Watching Reality TV

Yes, I confess, I love Reality TV. I'm a morning person, usually roll out of bed around 5:45. By the time I'm through cleaning up after dinner,I'm done. Ready to watch a movie on DVD or some mind-candy TV. I'm fond of Big Brother, Survivor, The Great American Race, and I've been watching the new RV Family show. The only ones I don't watch are the dating ones and the crazy competition where people can't help but being hurt. Now, you might say, what a waste of time for a writer. Maybe, maybe not. My mind is no longer fresh enough to do any real work by the 8 p.m. And if you want to gather up information for characters for novels, nothing beats reality TV. Sometimes I can't believe such people exist! There's always some self-absorbed male or female that can't see beyond his or hers looks or great physique or curves. When you get into the shows where there are couples, you can always see the potential for disaster in their mis-matched futures--or the

What You Should be Doing While Writing Your Book

Writing your book is only part of what has to be done. Of course you want to write the best book possible, we all know that. Once it's done, you're going to want someone who knows the genre you're writing it in to give it a first edit. Pay someone if necessary. If you really want your book to be accepted for publication, it needs to be as free of flaws as you can make it. Meanwhile, do you know who your audience for the book is? That's always important because that's who you will primarily be focusing your marketing on. Have you written an elevator pitch that you can easily roll of your tongue? What about the book blurb for the back of the book? Do you have a one page synopsis that you can use for blogs and other places for promotion. Do you have a website? A blog? Are you on Facebook? You should be if your not already. Have you figured out your marketing plan? What kinds of things will you do in person? Book signings? Library talks? These need to be set up way ahea

Going Over a Galley Proof

Yesterday I received the galley proof for Dispel the Mist . I was happy because that's the next step to having the books actually published. This manuscript was read chapter by chapter by my critique group. Many changes were made. Then I paid an author friend who has done much editing to edit the manuscript. I made the suggested changes and fixed the typos. The book was sent off to my publisher. An editor was assigned. A great editor, I might add. I was pleased with all she found--many typos and even some inconsistencies. She went over it twice as did I each time she sent it back. When I went over the galley, some of the things I found were gliches because of the typesetting (which is what they seem to still call it even though no type is being set), but I did make some changes, minor, found more typos, and once when a wrong name was being used. Now, of course, all those things will have to be fixed, but I won't see it again. After that it will go to the printer and I can order

My Eldest Daughter's Birthday

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The photo is of me, hubby, daughter Dana, and her hubby Mike. She says she's 57 today but I don't know how that could possibly be. As my sister said, "If our kids keep getting older they'll soon pass us up." It doesn't seem possible that it's been 57 years since I woke up with labor pains, had to ask my father-in-law and his new bride to take me to the hospital since I'd spent the night at their house and didn't have a car anyway. The hospital was in Cambridge MD and I was 3000 miles away from my home in Los Angeles and my family. Hubby was stationed in Norfolk VA and couldn't come when he was called as he was the bus driver on a trip to and from North Carolina. He didn't make it until the next day. Dana Kathleen was the first of five children, all the rest born in California. Always an easy child, she did have her quirks. She didn't speak in a language others could understand--she had an array of strange words that her grandparents, au

A Brand New Week

Every morning when I wake, I praise God that I'm still here. When you get as old as I am, every day is a gift. I'm always anxious to see what is in store. This week will be pretty calm (at least that's what I think looking at my calendar). We're sharing our home for a week with a young man who has been staying with my daughter and son-in-law. He's been in the foster care system most of his life--and at 18 those kids are shoved out on the street. We have a foster home near the church and those kids have been attending both Sunday School and church service as well as Awana on Wednesday evenings for several years now. Some of the young men have been fortunate enough to return home. Others have joined the service. This particular youth has no where to go, so my son-in-law, who is the pastor of the church, took him in. He and my daughter have gone on vacation this week, that's why he's with us. Our day will begin by heading over to the church where both hubby and

Kids and Grandkids

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As anyone who has read my posts knows, I have a huge family. Seems amazing to me since I only had one sibling, my sis. My very first grandson, Patrick, was born on my husband's and my anniversary. He's the bare-chested fellow with his beautiful wife Lucy. The two kids with medals are their daughters, Emily and Olivia. The girls are following their father's footsteps in the sport of shot-put and discus-throwing. They also have a younger son, Ethan, who is into martial arts. The other photo of me and hubby is with Alyssa, our youngest grandchild. She belongs to our youngest daughter. (She's also the same age as our oldest great-grandchild.) Alyssa doesn't usually wear glasses, she bought these non-prescription glasses because she likes how she looks in them. I'm on Facebook with her and its fun seeing the photos she posts and hearing a bit about what she's doing. I really do enjoy hearing about all of these offspring of ours--and it's even better when we g

Another Tolowa Dancers Photo

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Isn't this a beautiful picture? I decided to share another today as I'm going to be busy most of the day and won't have time to blog. Again, this is in the redwoods up near Crescent City--a most gorgeous place. These are the coastal redwoods, different than the big Sequoias near where I live. Marilyn http://fictionforyou.com

A Visit with Daughters, A Book Launch, Movies

We arrived home this after noon after three days away. Our primary purpose was to visit our two grown daughters who live in Southern California. We stayed with our eldest daughter because our youngest was involved helping out with the funeral arrangements for her best friend--the young woman died after a heroic battle with cancer. On our first evening we took our eldest and hubby out to dinner to celebrate their wedding anniversary. We went to Joe's Crabshack where I thoroughly enjoyed the Dungeness Crab Bucket. Besides visiting lots, we went to the movies twice. We saw Public Enemy which the men enjoyed more than we did, and on the next day we watched 30 minutes of Funny Man and walked out--it was far too raunchy for all of us. We then went to the Ugly Truth--that one was funny--though it had its raunchy moments too. Daughter and I attended Sheila Lowe's book launch for her latest, Dead Write . It was a lovely event with many, many people. Since it was in another beach city d

A Reality Check for Fledgling Writers

Lots of people put tips on their blogs so I'm not going to put the usual ones, you can find wonderful blogs about writing many places including http://thebloodredpencil.blogspot.com To be a writer, first you must be a reader. Oh, I know, most anyone can use a computer these days and write a lot of words and call it a book. Because I've judged a lot of self-published books in contests, I can tell you that right off the bat I can tell which author is a reader and which one isn't. It's nothing magical about the words, a reader knows what a book is supposed to look like on the inside. A reader knows about margins, paragraphs, quotation marks, what dialogue is supposed to look like. Do you think a book without any white space will win a contest? If you really want to be a writer you will set aside a time period everyday or at least five days a week to write. I've heard many, many people say they plan to write a book, but they are just too busy right now. Those folks will

Dispel the Mist

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Dispel the Mist is the latest in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series. I'm truly excited about this book which should be available in September. The cover depicts the pictograph of the Hairy Man as it looks on the Tule River Indian Reservation. The Hairy Man is a legend comparable to Big Foot in other areas of the county. Of course he plays an important part in Dispel the Mist . Dispel the Mist is being published as a trade paperback and an e-book by Mundania Press. http://www.mundaniapress.com I had a great time researching this book and I hope that everyone who has the opportunity to read it will have as great a time. Marilyn http://fictionforyou.com

Gearing up the Promo for Dispel the Mist

Even though I've not yet seen the galley proofs for my latest Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, Dispel the Mist, I'm planning the promotion for it. The cover is great, I'm hoping to get a .jpg of it soon so I can let people see it. The book is supposed to be available by September. I have not actually set the date for the launch party here in Springville, but it'll be in October and that's because other events became available for September and of course I signed on. I got invited to the Nipomo Library to be a part of their parking lot sale--which will have all sorts of things on display besides books. I'll promote like heck though in hopes that people will look for me there. That's Saturday, September 12th from 9 to 3. The Porterville Library called and asked if I'd like to come and speak for them, so I'll be doing that on Saturday, September 19 at 2 p.m. Our family is having a reunion in Barstow at the Holiday Inn Express, the one right off the freewa

A Time to Dance

The Bible says, "There's a time to live and a time to die." The time to die will come to all of us. Yesterday, one of my daughter's best friends passed a way after a not so long but brave fight against cancer. She suffered through many painful treatments, not just to live longer but because her daughter was expecting a new baby. Fortunately, she did get to see and hold her new grandchild. This woman was special. She was a hard worker, loved her family and her friends, volunteered for all sort of things. But what I will always remember her best for was how she helped my daughter when her husband was killed in the line of duty as a police officer. Not only did she spend hours on the phone with my daughter, but when my daughter wanted to move back to her hometown, her friend found the perfect house. I know there was lots I didn't even know, but what I do know made her a special person to me. We lost our eldest son to cancer a few years ago. He suffered through

Some of the Changes I've Seen in My Life Time

I was born at the end of the Great Depression. Though sometimes my dad didn't have a job, we always had a roof over our head and food on the table--though sometimes it was odd. I remember suppers of milk toast--buttered toast in warm milk. I thought it was a wonderful treat. When I gave it to my own kids once, they thought it was horrible. We listened to the radio--my first memories of the radio are the soap operas my mom listened to: Ma Perkins, My Gal Sunday and others I can't remember the names of. Later I remember listening to all sorts of mysteries, The Shadow, Inner Sanctum, Perry Mason. For Christmas one year my dad made me and all cousins great scooters. Another Christmas he built me a two-story doll house and my aunt made all the furniture. My dad made a contraption for our early camping trips that was a trailer that opened up like a tent. Too bad he didn't patent it since later a commercial model almost the same became available. Dad made lots of things, a small r