About
Angela Doll Carlson is a poet and essayist best known for her work as Mrs Metaphor found on her blog at Mrsmetaphor.com. She connects the dots of daily life in an attempt to humbly reach the deep "a-ha" we all seek. Angela began to write as Mrs Metaphor in 2006 and has maintained a modest but dedicated following ever since.
Her work has appeared most recently in Burnside Writer's Collective, St. Katherine Review, Rock and Sling, "Good Letters," Ruminate Magazine Blog and Art House America. Her first book, Nearly Orthodox: On Being a Modern Woman in an Ancient Tradition is due out from Ancient Faith Press in July 2014.
Angela currently lives in Chicago, IL with her husband, David and her 4 outrageously spirited yet remarkably likable children.
Description
<p><strong>KURDISH SCAVENGERS UNCOVER A CACHE OF NERVE GAS IN IRAQ AND OFFER THEM TO KURDISH FIGHTERS IN TURKEY. THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS BEDLAM ALPHA TEAM MUST SECURE THE WEAPONS BEFORE THEY CAN BE USED.</strong></p><p>"<strong>You must swear by Allah never to say a word of what I'm going to tell you. </strong><strong>This is the most important secret. Ever!"</strong></p><p><em>In their daily struggle for survival, Iraqi Kurdish scavengers uncover a cache of chemical weapons. They offer the weapons to fellow Kurdish rebels in Turkey and Syria to assist in their quest to free an imprisoned leader and create a unified homeland. After receiving a tip from an unlikely source, the newly formed Special Operations Bedlam team is called to arms! </em></p><p><em>Travel with Craig Cameron and his international team on their covert operation as they weave their way through war-torn regions seeking to locate and recover the weapons before they can be used to cause irreparable harm and instigate a world crisis. </em></p><p><em>The odds are stacked against them. Can they manage to keep their operation hidden and prevent further clashes before it's too late?</em></p><p>"The Kurdish Connection--a compelling read. A story of friendship, danger and intrigue."--<em>Ann Everett, Amazon Best Selling Author.</em></p><p>..". Randall's authentic voice adds a powerful push to keep a reader turning the pages." --<em>Janet Taylor-Perry, author of The</em><em> Raiford</em><em> Chronicles, The Legend of</em><em> Draconis</em><em> Saga, and April Chastain Intrigues.</em></p><p>"Topical - Engaging - Intriguing - Powerful ... A real page turner."--<em>Rikon Gaites</em><em>, author of Mummy's Little Soldier and Darius</em><em> Odenkirk</em><em>.</em></p><p>..". Randall Krzak brings his wealth of experience living in this troubled part of the world and his military knowledge to bear in this exciting story..."--<em>John L.</em><em> DeBoer</em><em>, author of When the Reaper Comes.</em></p><p>..". a journey full of history, suspense, intrigue, and action...a MUST READ for all!"--<em>Les Stahl, Retired</em> NSA Executive.</p><p>..". Readers need to fasten their seatbelts for a fast-paced tale made believable by a writer who knows what he's writing about."--<em>Preston</em><em> Holtry</em><em>, author of the Morgan</em><em> Westphal</em><em> mystery series and the</em><em> Arrius</em><em> trilogy (forthcoming).</em></p><p>"A behind the scenes story, ripped from today's headlines deepening the reader's understanding of an ancient strife ... filled with the sights and smells of the market place and secret meetings, the reader is admitted to the secret heart, the desperate longings of those that must fight and win, or see continued subjugation by their masters..."<em>--Oliver F. Chase, author of Camelot Games, </em>Levant Mirage, Blind Marsh, and Marsh Island.</p>
Story Behind The Book
The ink is now dry yet on my new book, Garden in the East.
I’m excited to see this one come to life. It’s been a very different writing experience from Nearly Orthodox. The first time I sat down to put words to Garden in the East, I pushed through what felt like a brick wall with each chapter. The good news from that first draft was that I actually found a way to push through and get to whatever the other side happened to be. The bad news is that once there, I found more walls and piles of rubble. I didn’t like the first draft of the book. In fact, I think I probably hated it.
Voice played a part. I just could not quite nail the voice of the book. My essay work has a certain voice– vulnerable but still somewhat detached from the subject at hand. My memoir work, particularly Nearly Orthodox has yet another version of this vulnerable voice. In this case, though, the added rambling of memory played a significant part. When I write poetry, I focus on words that transcend, like diving into a deep lake on a clear, cold day. The voice here is immersive and rich. When I write for my personal training clients, I choose a more authoritative voice, knowledgeable, yet kind and patient.
But Garden in the East is a different animal altogether, and the first draft tried to hard to be the personal trainer voice. On re-reading, it felt like a bossy and full of know it all voice. I threw it away. I’m not the boss of you.
The second draft took the concepts I covered as a bossy coach and softened into the mush of my own struggle. I stuck it in a box for a month and then read it again to see if maybe it had blossomed while in the dark but, sadly, it hadn’t. No miracle had sprung from that draft while I was away. I hated that draft too.
Finally, I asked myself what I would want if I were the one reading the book. I would want someone to walk alongside me, someone who knew a little bit about the struggle and knew a little bit about a healthy response to the struggle. I’d want to read words that were rich, like poetry. I’d want to hear concepts that were foundational to my life too. I’d want some solid information that was not likely to shift like sand in the wind when the next fitness fad came to town.
And so, the third draft was written with the hope of being that voice, the voice of the person who cares about you and about me and about the things that are enduring. We’re grasping it together here in this garden, planting and watering and pruning and then sitting in awe of how miraculous we are.
I hope that the book I wrote comes close to the one I envisioned. I hope that the third draft voice and all the edited versions thereafter that worked to make that voice and these concepts clear will produce some fine moments for the reader.
I’m grateful to be able to do this work and for the thumbs up from Ancient Faith for this small patch of earth in which to plant this Garden in the East.
