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Author Researched: St Patrick’s Cathedral @Liza0Connor #RLFblog #paranormal
A priest asks if Trent need help. Thinking he needs an exorcism, Trent follows the priest back to St Patrick’s
Cathedral.In my story, the Cathedral has already finished its current $177M
restoration project. Otherwise, Trent
would have been appalled by all the scaffolding and walked out. He needs to be impressed.
So I have gently played with time to allow St Patrick’s be at its most impressive.However, I’ve two real building lessons for you:Projects always costs more than estimated.And they take longer to complete than anticipated.Initial estimates to build St. Patricks were $850K for the building.
(They left out the cost to furnish.) The cornerstone was laid in 1858. For three
years the work progressed rapidly.Then in 1861, our country decided to fight with itself. (Civil
War) All work stopped until the war ended in 1865 and our country recovered sufficiently
that people could afford to build pretty things again.In 1878, they finally had a section of the building that could
(as Trent would
say) do its job, if only it had furnishings. To resolve that, they had a fund raiser
to help purchase furnishings for the Cathedral and a year later it formally opened.
The papers declared it the noblest building ever built to honor St. Patrick.This claim doesn’t impress Trent, because when he thinks of St. Paddy, he
thinks of short, drunken Irishmen stumbling down the street, wearing green. (What
can I say, he’s not Catholic.)The gorgeous spires weren’t completed until 1888. (30 years after
they began.)They finished the Lady Chapel in 1906, furnished it by 1908.
The first of the stained glass windows was installed in 1909, and the remaining
windows arrived over the next 25 years. I’m going to assume they had plain glass
in the windows until the stained glass arrived. Otherwise it would have been a bitter
cold place to worship for a really long time.By 1910, with only one stained glass window install, it is estimated
that over $4 million dollars had been spent on the church that was supposed to only
cost $850K. That’s a 470% overrun. Thus, proving lesson number 1. (See above if
you’ve forgotten it already.)For the next 24 years, they installed glass stained windows,
imported from Europe.You might wonder why they declared it finished in 1910 instead
of 1934 when the final window gets installed. Here’s my guess: They needed major
repairs and it is embarrassing if the cathedral you are building requires major
repairs before you have finished building it.In 1927, when the stock market was booming, they began the first
of many major renovations. Clearly, they raised their funds just at the right time.
Two years later, the stock market crashed and NYC was in dire straits for the next
ten years. Not surprisingly, no further repairs were done until the world recovered
financially.The second attempt at renovation took place in 1941-47.Then in 1972, they claimed to have restored the interior and
in 1979 the exterior. Thus, it’s all fixed now right?Wrong.1984-2000 they had to do extensive renovations to maintain the
structural integrity of the building. (The roof and steps needed replaced)Which leads us to the project begun in 2012 that is planned to
be finished by 2015. (Remember Lesson 2?)Due to all those years of buying stained glass, there are now
more than 1,300 PANELS of stained glass that require attention during this renovation.This drawing of the central entryway gives a sense of how much
work is planned. Each box indicates where a repair, repointing, or entirely new
stone is needed.This is just one little section of a very large church. In case
you are curious, Restoration costs are estimated at $177 Million dollars.I hope they don’t overrun by the same percentage they did in
the first estimate. If so, it will cost nearly $832 million dollars. Hopefully,
they’ll only overrun by 20%, costing the church $212 million.Which bring me to my final lesson:Old structures are money pits, and the cost of renovations will
far outweigh the cost of a new building. But there is something special about this
gothic cathedral, and regardless of the cost, I believe it should be preserved.Now back to Trent
and his attempt to climb out of hell…(picture of cover)Climbing Out of HellBook 4 of the seriesA Long Road to LoveRomantic ComedyBillionaire Trent Lancaster has destroyed his relationship with
the only woman who ever loved him. Now we discover the full truth of what happened.He actually had reasons for his behaviors.Still, there is no going back. Trent
has lost Carrie forever, but he would rather die than marry Coco,
so he does just that. Trent gives away most of his
possessions, fakes his death, and starts over with a new face and a better attitude
in a small town in Iowa
where his half-brother Sam is sheriff.Losing his true love has fundamentally broken Trent to his core. His only
chance for happiness is to become the better man Carrie had always seen inside him.True change is not easy. Can Trent grow up and become a man we can love?Buy This Book:
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K10FOIM/Author Social Media
Blog and Website http://www.lizaoconnor.com/Twitter https://twitter.com/Liza0ConnorImg credits (Saint Patrick’s Cathedral): Wikipedia Creative Commons -
Wicked Intentions: Writing A Paranormal by JoAnne Myers @scooterismine #RLFblog #paranormal
Wicked Intentions When it comes to fiction writing,
almost anything goes. That is why I love writing paranormal and fantasy
stories. The author can go completely over the edge and make something unbelievable
seem believable. When it comes to ghost stories, I get a lot of my inspiration
from real life experiences. Not necessarily my own either. I watch television
programs that partake of the supernatural and paranormal flare. Programs from
ordinary people who claim they experienced either an afterlife experience, or a
haunting.Some of the stories from my
anthology, Wicked Intentions, are based on actual hauntings. In The Legend of
Lake Manor, I placed my young psychic, Cassandra Lopez, in a haunted mansion I
fashioned on my knowledge of a three-story mansion in my hometown and
information from television about a restaurant/bar in Ohio, supposedly ruled by demons so violent
that the local police are constantly closing it down.A television documentary about a
young mother plagued by ghost sightings since childhood, inspired The Haunting
of Barb Marie and her gift/curse.And The Apartment, in which my
newlyweds, Bill and Gayle, are plagued by sightings of evil ghosts that
threaten their marriage and theirs lives, originated from a real apartment
haunted by the ghosts of two homosexual lovers who died violently. The legend
says no tenant is able to stay there until the spirits are chased off by a
paranormal investigation team.On the Discovery Channel, is
where I got the idea for Summer Wind. I learned of the colonial explorer
Jonathon Carver who lived during the 1700s and whose ghost is believed to be
haunting the Summerwind estate, built in the early 20th century. Carver’s ghost
is, supposedly, searching the house’s foundations for deeds to a vast tract of
land (10,000 square miles) given to him by Sioux Indian chiefs as a reward for
the peace treaty he created between two warring tribes. In my Summer Wind, 29
year-old Ginger is mysteriously drawn to the old mansion, and like the many
owners of the real mansion, the haunting had a negative and profound effect on
Ginger and her family.Another investigative program
concerned one sister’s psychic premonitions about her twin’s murder. This led
to my story, Blood Ties, and my heroine, Audra Roper’s dark, disturbing visions
of her sister’s disappearance and the roller coaster of risks, heartbreak, and
intrigue that followed.Dark Visions came from reading a
newspaper story while sitting in a diner. A young woman began having visions of
her father’s disappearance that was actually his murder from years earlier. So,
my Carrie Reynolds starts having nightmares on her twenty-sixth birthday and
believes these ‘dark visions’ can solve the twenty year disappearance of her
father.I set my murder mystery, The
Truth Behind the Lies, on Norfolk Island after
following a three year long murder investigation on that island from 2003. In
my story, Federal Police Inspector Ian Christian faces attacks, more murders
and ghostly occurrences, and the killer is closer than anyone realizes.So, the next time you get
Writer’s Block, or need a new idea, try switching on the television, open a
newspaper, delve into history or simply look and listen. You will find
something to stimulate your muse.Other books by JoAnne Myers
Murder Most Foul-a detective/mysteryLoves, Myths, and Monsters-a fantasy anthologyThe Crime of the Century-a biography true crimePoems About Life, Love, and Everything in BetweenUpcoming Releases:Twisted Love-a biography true crime anthology available May
10Flagitious-a detective/mystery novella anthology available
Summer 2014Buy This Book
Buy links for “Wicked Intentions” 7
paranormal/mystery taleshttp://www.melange-books.com/authors/joannemyers/WickedIntentions.htmlPaperback:http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=wicked+intentions&categoryId=100501Amazon:Author Bio
JoAnne Myers I have been a long-time
resident of southeastern Ohio,
and worked in the blue-collar industry most of my life. Besides having several
novels under my belt, I canvas paint.When not busy with
hobbies or working outside the home, I spend time with relatives, my dogs
Jasmine and Scooter, and volunteer my time within the community. I am a member
of the International Women’s Writing Guild, Savvy Authors, Coffee Time Romance,
Paranormal Romance Guild, True Romance Studios, National Writers Association,
the Hocking Hill’s Arts and Craftsmen Association, The Hocking County
Historical Society and Museum, and the Hocking Hills
Regional Welcome
Center. I believe in
family values and following your dreams.Author Social Media
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RLF Gem Award: Top Bloggers April 2014 Romance Lives Forever #RLFblog #blogging
RLF Gem Award Last month, Romance Lives Forever had 30 posts in a 30 day month.
There was a tie for fifth place, and if we had six spots, there would have
two names listed. I’ve noted them as an honorable mention. Changeling Press took the top spots with their presentations during Publisher Week.Top Five Bloggers for the Month
(Judged by page views). Congratulations to each person!1. Changeling Press2. Marilyn
Baron3. JL Sheppard4. Marilyn Baxter5. Em Petrova5. Mary J McCoy DresselHonorable mention: Allison Merritt and Lyn AustinRomance Lives Forever features authors and new books. It has a
blogger’s FAQ page with a downloadable guide and optional interviews. Readers
can follow via Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, Bloglovin’, Linky
Followers, email, an RSS feed, and there’s a blog button readers and authors
can grab. RLF takes up to three images per article, so authors can share
previous books. The blog uses author or publisher names as SEO tags on posts,
and author Twitter handles in the titles. The site is broadcast over Triberr
with a potential reach of over a million readers via its Twitter-linked
network. Twitter mentions are also gathered in several Paper.li ezines, giving
the author additional opportunities for promotion. The Romance Lives Forever
Paper.li ezine features guest authors on its front page every day.Share your book cover on Romance Lives Forever
Limited spots to share book covers are available. Cost is $3
per month, with discounts for covers posted for one quarter and up to one year.
Covers can be changed monthly.Sign Up for a Future Post
Sign up form http://is.gd/rlfblog_requestGuest calendar http://is.gd/rlfdatesMy thanks to all who took part this month. You made Romance Lives
Forever a great place to discover new books and authors.Other participants this month in alphabetical order by first
name are:
Andrea R Cooper, Beverly
Ovalle, Diane Saxon, DP Denman, Karen Cino, Linda Banche, Loc Glin, Martha
O’Sullivan, Sadie Grubor, Saloni Quinby , Sarah Madison, TD Hassett, Teagan
Oliver, Virginia Kelly