Sunday, February 24, 2013

Do You Want To Write A Novel?


I encourage anyone who wants to write a novel! Making up stories for a living is the greatest job there is. Here is one of the most helpful things I can think of.
Writers write.
I know, it's an old cliche, but it's true.
The whole thing about the art of writing being the application of the seat of your pants to a chair is accurate. But much of writing isn't the typing part. The majority of writing is thinking. This happens in a variety of ways. Writers are often working on their novel even as they wash the dishes, drive to appointments, shovel the driveway, or take a shower. (I can't tell you how many times I've gotten out of the shower, completely focused on my book, only to wonder if I remembered to wash my hair – what little of it there is.) For me, much of writing is done taking long walks, walks where I'm not bird-watching or talking. The most important part of writing an effective novel is figuring out the intricacies of plot and conjuring up characters that are as real as your next-door neighbor. One can do much of that while engaging in habitual activity that doesn't require thinking.
But, unfortunately, this mix of writing while doing something else doesn't work if the something else involves talking or hanging out with other people. Nor does it work when the TV or radio is on. (Listening to background music, whether it be Yo Yo Ma or Aerosmith or Louis Armstrong is different, but only if your brain can keep it in the background.)
Writing at Carleton College

In short, if you want to write, you have to say no to most activities most of the time. I often think that that is the hardest part about writing, disconnecting yourself from the phone, the internet, the TV, the radio, the other people in the house.
Yes, some people like to write while surrounded by a crowd, but they are a small minority. I, too, have written entire chapters at Starbucks or the airport. But mostly, one needs to be alone and quiet.
So if you want to write, one of the best things you can do is turn off your phone, find some quiet solitude, and start writing.
Speaking of which, I better get back to this novel I've been working on.
Writers write.

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Sunday, February 17, 2013

Tahoe Tunnels


There's something about secret tunnels.
I was weaned on the Hardy Boys mysteries. I believe that my parents had somewhat loftier hopes for my reading. But when I showed a dim enthusiasm for the grander works of literature, they were happy to simply have me read, so they introduced me to the Hardy Boys, of which my dad still had a few copies left over from his boyhood.
I enjoyed the stories (and was a little in love with Joe Hardy's girlfriend). But what I remember best were the book's covers.
They were classic over-the-top scenes of drama, like the dime novel pulp covers from the '40s and '50s but without the sexy women in lingerie. This was far beyond simply judging a book by its cover. I have to assume that uncountable boys like me bought the books for their covers.
One cover theme that was featured on many of the books in the series was the secret passage, the secret door, the secret panel... all of which invariably led, by my boyhood calculation, to a secret tunnel.
Now, I live in an area with real tunnels! We have the Cave Rock tunnels, many old mining tunnels, railroad tunnels, natural underwater tunnels through which you can dive, old flume tunnels. We also have the 600-foot tunnel at the Thunderbird Lodge on the East Shore, built by the eccentric, super-rich George Whittell.


 George's secret tunnel allowed him (and his lion named Bill) to travel unseen from his mansion to the boathouse of his Thunderbird boat, the beautiful old woodie that still goes half the speed of light and looks even faster. We also have the Cal Neva Lodge in Crystal Bay where owner Frank Sinatra had tunnels built to allow him, Dean Martin, Marilyn Monroe, and other pals to escape their fans and paparazzi while they moved about the Tahoe property. There are rumors, too, that a few other Tahoe mansions, old and new, have tunnels.
You can even take tours of many of these tunnels, secret and not-so-secret.
Whether a tunnel bores through Tahoe granite or simply tantalizes from the cover of a book, there's something about secret passages. And tunnels, hidden from the world, are the epitome of secret.
Perfect subjects for a mystery writer.
Maybe Owen and Spot will one day encounter a secret tunnel.
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Sunday, February 10, 2013

Winter Night In Tahoe


 Fresh snow on the deck, lights turned down low, sparkling fire in the little red wood stove, stars visible out the skylights, Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue on the stereo, Cabernet in the wine glasses... it's time to think back on good times past. Thanks for the memories.
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Sunday, February 3, 2013

The Power Of Stories


I was very young when I first noticed that a good story can move you more than real events in real life. Like many kids, there were books I read over and over, story records I listened to until the needle wore out the groove in the vinyl. 
Don't get me wrong. When tragedy strikes in real life, it can pull you down into the quicksand until you can't breathe. And when you fall in love in real life, you can fly better than the birds.
But good stories have a power that transcends much of normal experience. When we want to experience a good time, we may go skiing or hiking or get together with friends, drink beer, and tell jokes. We may travel and visit fine restaurants and wineries. But over and over, people use their free time to go to the movies or turn on the TV looking for a good story. And of course, those of us who love to read pick up a book.
Erika sent this pic from Miami Beach

What we often find are stories that can be funnier and make us laugh more than the funny things in real life. Make us cry more than the sad things in real life. Scare us or move us or give us the chills or make us swoon more than in real life.
It is this power of stories that make them so compelling to write. Like most authors, I'm always trying to put together a powerful story. I always wish I could do it better. But when I get email from a reader who tells me how my story entertained them, moved them, made them laugh or cry, made them worry and fret, kept them up all night, my spirit floats weightless for a little while.
Of all the tiny marks I've made in this world, telling stories is the most rewarding. People have been addicted to, and smitten by, stories from the very beginning of people-time.
Stories have amazing power.
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Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Emotional Intelligence Of Dogs


Remember the last time you had to spell words to keep your pooch from catching on? Probably when you took her for a walk an hour ago, right?
Here's why your little fluffy is so smart.
Science has shown that several animal species can out-perform dogs in some areas of intelligence. Wolves are better at solving problems. Unlike dogs, several primates and even dolphins and elephants show human-like self-awareness. They even pass the “mirror test,” understanding what it does. (If you surreptitiously put something red on an elephant's forehead – something it can't feel – and then you hold up a mirror, the elephant will see the red shape and know that it is seeing itself in the mirror and not some other elephant. Then it will reach its trunk up to its forehead to investigate the red shape.)
This self-awareness is rare in the animal world, and dogs don't have much of it. But dogs can do something complex that no other animal can do.
They can watch, listen to, and read people.
Photo from PetLifeRadio .com

In fact, dogs are the only animals that really study people's faces. (For many species, including several primates, looking another creature in the eyes is a form of aggression. And of course it is considered aggressive behavior among some groups of humans, too.)
In a departure from other animals, dogs study their owners' faces. As you know, they do this with intensity. Tests have shown that dogs are far superior to other animals in understanding what a person wants, just by the look on the human's face.
Think of your own dog. If you even glance toward the leash or the dog treats, your dog will notice and get excited. Of course, this applies to your words as well. If you're like most dog owners, you have developed elaborate techniques for communicating with other people in ways to keep your dog from finding out your meaning. You can't even mention the words “going for a walk” without your dog jumping up and scratching the floor as he or she runs around excited.
Dogs understand us in a way no other animal can. The brilliant chimp who has a large vocabulary of sign language can't come close to a dog in understanding what a human wants by the look on the human's face.
Dogs are amazing and unique among species. When it comes to emotional intelligence, they have no equals.  
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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Of The Top 10 U.S. Real Estate Markets, 5 Are Near Tahoe!


Not long ago, I mentioned that Tahoe real estate is turning around. A few days ago, Realtor.com ran a blog on the ten fastest-appreciating real estate markets in the country. Where were they? Five of them were in Northern California.

1 Sacramento
3 San Francisco
4 San Jose
6 Oakland
7 Fresno

Of the remaining five best markets, two more were in Southern California, Santa Barbara and Riverside. Seven out of ten of the best markets in the country are in the Golden State.
What does this mean? California real estate is roaring back, attracting investors from across the country. Sacramento prices have jumped 35% in the last year. And for San Francisco, already the most expensive city in the country, to jump 23% is huge. Where are the dollars from the coming sales and refinance boom going to go? A lot of them are coming up the mountain to Tahoe. As goes Northern California, so goes Tahoe. Northern California even pulls up (or down, as the case may be) Northern Nevada.
So if you've ever wanted a place in paradise, don't wait.
Here are some links to Tahoe Real Estate Companies.


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Sunday, January 13, 2013

Careers In Tahoe


Can you earn a real living in Tahoe?


My first vacation in Tahoe was over 30 years ago. On leaving I thought, “Wow, it would be amazing to live in a place like that.” The second vacation cemented the desire. But when the actual moving time came, excitement was mixed with concern about how to earn a living in a mountain paradise.
Nearly every Tahoe local that I've met since then had the same concern as they first thought of relocating. Today, looking at the deep snow, heavy on the pines and firs, I know that many ecstatic skiers and boarders are heading home wondering the same thing.
You're young. Or young at heart. You've vacationed at Tahoe and were amazed. Ever since, a little voice in your head has been nagging at you. Why not move to Tahoe? Why live in (your town's name here), when you could live in one of the most spectacular places on the planet, a place with fabulous year 'round recreation, a place that draws millions of tourists from all over the world, a place that has tons of snow without tons of cold, a place that honestly has the best summer weather of anyplace on the planet. (When I first arrived, multiple locals said, "I know you moved here for the skiing, but you'll stay for the summer because it's perfect, hot sun, cool air, unbelievable recreation." They were right.)
So you're thinking of moving here. But you're wondering, can you earn a living in Tahoe?

Photo from details.com

Yes, it's true, Tahoe has more than its share of tech titans and movie stars and rock stars and media magnates and bankbook babies. You can spot them in their Porsche Cayennes and Range Rovers and chauffeur-driven limos as they cruise from restaurants with lots of Zagat raves to mansions with lots of lakeshore. These people aren't worried about making the monthly rent.
But the truth is that most Tahoe residents actually work for a living just like people everywhere else. They are proof that you can live in Tahoe even if you don't have extra commas on your bank statement.
Talk to Tahoe people about "getting a job" and you'll hear something like this: It's easy to get a low-paying job in the service industry, but don't expect much pay or benefits, and don't expect it to be a year-'round job. The upside is that these jobs are actually easier to get in Tahoe than most anywhere. But more on that in a bit.
If instead of talking about a service job, you talk about building a career in Tahoe, you will hear Tahoe residents make thoughtful comments about how you can earn a good living if you have valuable skills that are useful in a small community, or if you have skills that are non-location specific.
Let's expand on both approaches.
If you are young and you don't yet have valuable career skills, service jobs are plentiful. All you have to do is think Hospitality Industry, which is to say restaurants, hotels, and recreation. We have something like 2 or 3 million tourists a year and they all need food and someone to help them onto the chairlifts and into tour boats, someone to pour their beer. Nearly anyone can get these jobs, making Tahoe one of the easiest places to find entry-level work. Getting a job is especially easy in late fall in prep for the ski season, and in late spring in prep for the summer season. For example, the ski resorts even have job fairs in late fall, where they fill thousands of positions. All you have to do is show up on time, be presentable (It's always a good idea to have a very short resume with good grammar and spelling), and you'll get hired on the spot. Restaurants and hotels all around the lake start looking in April and May for reliable summer help.
Are you charming? Can you wait tables or pour drinks? If so, your first Tahoe job can actually pay quite well.
Want something more?
Like all communities, we also have a limited number of higher-skilled jobs, nursing, construction, teaching, ski instructing, and even executive positions working for the big hotels and ski resorts. And there are a wide range of jobs available in law enforcement, fire-fighting, and working for the Forest Service and other government agencies.
Need more education to get those jobs? Then you can wait tables while you go to school at Lake Tahoe Community College or Sierra Nevada College. (See previous post on Going To College in Tahoe here.)
In addition, there is always a need for the self-employed professionals: doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, architects, consultants. Growing a professional career in Tahoe is not much different than doing it anyplace else. And if the income might be less than it would be in the big city (and that isn't always the case), the advantages of living in a beautiful, pristine, uncrowded paradise more than make up for it.
If you are an entrepreneur, Tahoe is a great place to bring or create your own business. Many restaurants, building contractors, bed-and-breakfasts, sports stores, vacation rental property management, bike and ski and kayak rentals, tour boat operators, realtors, fishing guides, and a wide range of other businesses thrive here.
There is one more group of people who are increasingly finding their way to Tahoe. These are the people whose work is not specific to any location. If you make your living over the internet, a gorgeous place like Tahoe beckons. Software engineers, artists,
Yes, she's working!

 website designers, computer consultants, graphic artists, photographers, screen writers, tax preparers... The list is almost endless, and we have people from hundreds of varied fields who bike and ski and hike on the uncrowded weekdays and work on the more crowded weekends.
With some forethought and planning, you can find the perfect employment in Tahoe.
For that matter, you could even be a mystery author...


Here are some useful links.

For postings of Tahoe employment: 

For Education and Occupational training in Tahoe:

For geography, history, etc.:

For general news about Tahoe:

For long-term Tahoe accommodations:

Tahoe -specific websites:

Real Estate Companies

Of course, I can't forget to include info for those interested in reading mystery fiction about the area:   
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Sunday, January 6, 2013

Why Are Mountains Colder Than Valleys?


We've all noticed that when you drive from the valley up into the mountains it cools off. (Which is why Tahoe is so popular in August when it hits triple digits in Sacramento.)
Why is this?
The simple only-kind-of-techy answer is that the lower you are the more atmosphere is above you, and the more the air gets squeezed by all the air above it. The molecules in compressed air have more energy and they bounce around faster than they do in air that isn't so compressed.
Lucky for us, we have sensors in our skin that can take a reading on how fast those molecules are hitting us. We call it temperature. It's a self-protective measure, because if those molecules hit us too fast, we cook. And if they hit us too slow, we freeze.
(From the Orange County Register)

Okay, that's simplified.
What I really wanted to know is this: Is there a regular amount that temperature rises or falls when you go down the mountain or up the mountain?
So I did a little Wikipedia research.
First thing I noticed was that this is a regular subject (Who knew?), and it's called the Temperature Lapse Rate.
Turns out that the answer is yes, the temp fluctuates with elevation change in a regular manner. How much?
Well, as always there is a complication or two, and they involve how humid the air is and how much it is moving. But I learned that there is a range that we can count on.
If the air is really dry, the temps will cool a bit over 5 degrees Fahrenheit for each thousand feet you go up.
And if the air is really humid, the temps will cool a bit less than 3 degrees for each thousand feet you go up.
I had to pause at that point and think about the air around Tahoe. Usually it is quite dry except when we get storms. So I decided there was nothing wrong with taking an average.
Average "less-than-3" with "more-than-5" and you get a nice round 4.
So there's my answer. On average, the temp goes up or down about 4 degrees for every thousand feet of elevation loss or gain.
Let's say I'm at Donner Summit, a bit over 7000 feet above sea level. It's January 6th, and the temperature is a chilly 25 degrees. What's the temp in the Central Valley? Because the Central Valley is close to sea level, I'll lose approximately 7000 feet. 7 (for seven thousand feet) times 4 degrees equals 28 degrees. So Sacramento is probably a comfortable 53 degrees (28 plus 25).
Play the game in reverse: How much can a broiling Sacto resident expect to cool off when it is 105 degrees downtown in August? This time, let's ignore the summit, because most people don't vacation on the pass. They head on in to Tahoe at 6300 feet. Again, rounding, 6 (for six thousand feet) times 4 degrees is 24 degrees. So when Sac is 105, Tahoe is going to be 24 degrees cooler, or a pleasant 81.

Of course, the cold lake cools things off more, so we're probably more like 77 degrees.
Now we know why Tahoe gets crowded in the summer!

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

When Is The Best Skiing In Tahoe?


Now.
In the six days starting Friday, December 21st, we got hammered with 5 feet of snow at our house. There was much more on the Sierra crest. All this fresh snow fell on an already decent base.
The resorts are 100% open. Because the weather is relatively cold, the snow conditions are are some kind of wonderful.
The sun came out, the wind died down.
Tahoe locals are all outside, be it up on the mountain or heading across the meadows.
Where are you?
Time to grab your gear and get up the mountain to join us.
See you on the snow...
I know it looks like I'm playing hooky from writing, but I'm really working.
Really. You don't believe me? Just ask any writer when they're goofing off.
I mean, when they're doing outdoor research. They'll tell you. It's hard work.

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Sunday, December 23, 2012

Tahoe Mystery Haiku




Celebrate the snow
The mountains and the river
Great scene for a book
HAPPY HOLIDAYS

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Sunday, December 16, 2012

No Words

Our thoughts are with those families in Connecticut. No words are adequate. We send our love.
Todd
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Sunday, December 9, 2012

Book Bloggers Rock!


Back in ancient history (a few years ago) book reviewers in print publications ruled the book world. Review journals and newspapers and magazines controlled what was said about books, and that in turn controlled book sales.
Today, while many of those publications are now online (there is a link or two below to bloggers from print publications), and some have gone out of business, individual reviewers have set up shop on their own blogging websites and have found large audiences. In some cases, those individual book bloggers have surpassed the old journals in the number of readers they reach.
Good Reads.com

Some of the old guard are upset. How dare lay-reviewers think that they have the critical skills to decide what readers might like? 
But readers are thrilled. It turns out that these reviewers – many of whom are librarians and other professionals in the book business – are exactly what readers want for book recommendations. The book bloggers write thoughtful, considered reviews that are often uncluttered with the kind of analysis that often made old-guard reviews seem stiff, formal, and focused on ivory-tower concerns more appropriate for a university literature class than for readers who simply want a good book.
There are also tens of thousands of new mini-book bloggers, and these are the people who post reviews on Amazon and other sites.
What about authors? Those who have had the good fortune to connect with book bloggers are also thrilled. We now have a much more direct line to readers. Speaking for myself, I think book bloggers are the best thing to happen to books. (I might be biased because many times readers have written me to say that they learned about one of my books on a book blog.)
I'd like to thank some of those bloggers for the fantastic service they provide. Here are a few. You can click on the links to read what they wrote about my books. 


"A constantly surprising series of events involving murder, kidnapping, two nasty hired killers from Vegas... and the final motivation of the killer comes as a major surprise. (I love when that happens.)"

"I love Todd Borg's books... There is the usual great twist ending (in Tahoe Trap) that I never would have guessed. If you like mysteries, you really need to read this series."

"Super clever!... More twists in the plot toward the end of the book turn the mystery into an even more suspenseful thriller."

"The plots are high octane and the action is faster than a cheetah on speed, but those elements never, ever assume more importance than the characters."

"You will fall in love with the almost-silent, unemotional Paco and feel his pain for the life he has lived for the past ten years."


"An open-throttle ride from a murder on the mountain roads of Tahoe to the growing fields of Stockton and back again."
"Tahoe Trap offers a chilling thriller, a wholesome story, deeply researched topics, and a compilation of friendly and recurring characters who cannot help but unravel the mystery in just the nick of time."

"The chase for the boy is frighteningly fast-paced. In desperation, McKenna sets a trap, with Paco as the bait. And it almost works. The impending catastrophe takes a sudden twist and the reader, as well as young Paco, has one more hair-raising episode before the story ends."

"A fascinating story with first class writing and, of course, my favorite character, Spot, a Great Dane that steals most of the scenes."

"Once again Todd pulls together interesting and divergent story line strands and weaves an exciting murder mystery. During what's left of my down times these days, I read mystery/crime novels. And I watch for the newest chapters in the ongoing developments of characters like Jack Reacher, Joanna Brady, Dismas Hardy, Peter and Rina Decker, and Alex Cross to name a few. But these days I look forward most to the next installment of Owen McKenna. If you're a mystery reader, do yourself a favor. Dig into the Owen McKenna series."


"Another wild ride through the Tahoe geography we all know and love with private investigator Owen McKenna and his dog Spot... Another must read for mystery lovers far and wide."

"My personal pick for Los Angeles Times Festival Of Books BEST FIND: Todd Borg's Owen McKenna Mystery series."


"McKenna's adventures are thrillers of the best kind."
 "The stories themselves are first-rate, completely captivating, and hard to put down."

There are other bloggers who have given much recent and valuable attention to my books without writing a review of my latest. Some of them have written great reviews of my other titles. I owe them all a great deal of thanks.

Freedom Acres blog (Tahoe Deathfall is gush-worthy! I love it.)

I'd also like to thank the hundreds of people who have posted reviews and ratings on Amazon.com, Goodreads.com and other sites! Like professional book bloggers, their thoughtful comments about books are more helpful than they know, and we authors are hugely grateful.
Incidentally, I'm not the most organized person, so I may have missed multiple bloggers and reviewers who've paid me attention. To those, I'm very sorry in advance! Please let me know and I'll add a link to the list.
Thanks again to all. I'm honored and humbled by their efforts on my behalf.
Sincerely,
Todd


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