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# Tema Frank: Historical Fiction & Business Author, Speaker, Customer Experience Expert, Global Traveler

## Sitemaps
[XML Sitemap](https://temafrank.com/sitemap_index.xml): Includes all crawlable and indexable pages.

## Posts
- [Book Review: Mayhem in the Mountains by Jane Loeb Rubin](https://temafrank.com/6217-2/): We think of the KKK as being a southern phenonemon, but it turns out that in prohibitiona era US they were in New York State as well. This novel tells of a family caught between bootleggers, mobsters and the KKK.
- [Book Review: Through All Our Heavens, by Olivia Hawker](https://temafrank.com/book-review-through-all-our-heavens-by-olivia-hawker/): A startlingly positive take on our future as AI-directed drones.
- [Book Review: The Intrigue, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-intrigue-by-silvia-moreno-garcia/): Can a village girl out-grift a grifter? An interesting tale of a 1940s romance scam in small-town Mexico.
- [Book Review: Queen of Shadows, by Anna Belfrage](https://temafrank.com/book-review-queen-of-shadows-by-anna-belfrage/): A detailed look at the tumultous times of King Alfonso of Castile in the 1330s, told from the viewpoint of key royal women.
- [Book Review: John of John, by Douglas Stuart](https://temafrank.com/book-review-john-of-john-by-douglas-stuart/): Focused on a Calvanist preacher in the Scottish Hebrides and his closeted gay son, this moving novel brings you into the troubled lives in the community. So many layers and secrets!
- [Book Review: Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke](https://temafrank.com/book-review-yesteryear-by-caro-claire-burke/): What happens when a social media Christian tradwife influencer finds herself living in an actual 1850s homestead?
- [Book Review: London Falling](https://temafrank.com/book-review-london-falling/): The intriguing real-world story of the short life & mysterious death of Zac Brettler, who pretended to be a Russian oligarch's son.
- [Book Review: State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett](https://temafrank.com/book-review-state-of-wonder-by-ann-patchett/): A researcher reluctantly goes into the Amazon jungle to find a missing colleague and faces difficult moral decisions.
- [Book Review: The Wedding People](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-wedding-people/): What happens when a woman about to end her life meets a bridezilla determined that no calamity will tarnish her big event.
- [Book Review: The Eighth Life, by Nino Haratischwili](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-eighth-life-by-nino-haratischwili/): Get immersed in a six-generation saga set against the backdrop of Georgia's tumultuous history, before, during, and post-Soviet Union.
- [Book Review: Pick a Colour, by Souvankham Thammavongsa](https://temafrank.com/book-review-pick-a-colour/): Ever wonder what the workers in the nail salon think about while they are working on you? Souvankham Thammavongsa's novel will open your eyes.
- [Book Review: Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng](https://temafrank.com/book-review-our-missing-hearts-by-celeste-ng/): Is it possible to be a revolutionary and a parent? What price does the family pay?
- [Book Review: Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart](https://temafrank.com/book-review-shuggie-bain-by-douglas-stuart/): A 5-star read about a boy raising himself while caring for an alcoholic mother in 1980s Glasgow. Bleak but beautiful.
- [Book Review: The Choir, by Carol Cram](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-choir-by-carol-cram/): Can a choir competition in Yorkshire in the 1890s help two former friends turn their lives around?
- [Book Review: The English Problem, by Beena Kamlani](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-english-problem-by-beena-kamlani/): A young man torn between cultures, continents and the clash of love versus duty.
- [Book Review: The Paris Express, by Emma Donoghue](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-paris-express-by-emma-donoghue/): As a train in 1895 France hurtles towards Paris and possible disaster, inhabit the lives of its passengers, rich and poor, who are racing towards a common fate.
- [Book Review: More or Less Maddy, by Lisa Genova](https://temafrank.com/book-review-more-or-less-maddy-by-lisa-genova/): When a first-year university student develops bipolar disorder, her life , friendship and family are thrown into turmoil.
- [Book Review: Go On Pretending, by Alina Adams](https://temafrank.com/book-review-go-on-pretending-by-alina-adams/): As the United States Democratic Party reels with the shock of New York selecting 33-year-old leftist Zohran Mamdani as its mayoralty candidate, Alina Adams’ new novel, Go On Pretending, is a timely exploration of why the young are often drawn to idealism that their older counterparts, like Cuomo, consider naïve and unrealistic.
- [Slow Tourism in Peru](https://temafrank.com/slow-tourism-in-peru/): We've been to Peru for two long stays now, and are tempted to do a third! (Also, a detailed description of hiking Peru's Colca Canyon.)
- [Book Review: Red Sky at Noon, by Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://temafrank.com/book-review-red-sky-at-noon-by-simon-sebag-montefiore/): What happens when a scrawny Jewish intellectual political prisoner is offered an escape from the Stalinist Gulag in exchange for fighting against the Nazis. It's a wild ride!
- [Book Review – The Goddess of Warsaw, by Lisa Barr](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-goddess-of-warsaw-by-lisa-barr/): From the brutality of the Warsaw Ghetto to Hollywood stardom, this story has quite the character arc!
- [There’s More to Chile Than Patagonia](https://temafrank.com/theres-more-to-chile-than-patagonia/): Our time in Latin America is almost done. Here's part 1 of a recap of the three months. This part focuses on Chile.
- [Book Review: A Great Country](https://temafrank.com/book-review-a-great-country/): As we watch the increasing demonization of immigrants in America, books like this one become ever-more important.
- [Book Review: The Good Women of Safe Harbour, by Bobbi French](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-good-women-of-safe-harbour-by-bobbi-french/): A startlingly uplifting book about bad life decisions and death. Perhaps most importantly, it's about the power of friendship.
- [Dining & Cycling in Chile’s Colchagua Valley](https://temafrank.com/dining-cycling-in-chiles-colchagua-valley/): There's plenty of great wine to sample in Chile's Colchagua Valley, and visiting the wineries by bike is a wonderful way to do it.
- [Book Review: Long Island, by Colm Tóibín](https://temafrank.com/book-review-long-island-by-colm-toibin/): If you love intimate stories with complex characters struggling with difficult decisions, you'll enjoy this novel!
- [Book Review: Boy Swallows Universe, by Trent Dalton](https://temafrank.com/book-review-boy-swallows-universe/): A wonderful mixture of humour and tragedy in this brilliant Australian coming-of-age tale. Highly recommended!
- [Book Review: A Day of Fire – A Novel of Pompeii](https://temafrank.com/book-review-a-day-of-fire-a-novel-of-pompeii/): A powerful imagining of what it was like to live through the real-world apocalypse when Mount Vesuvius erupted and wiped out Pompeii in AD 79.
- [Historical Research Rabbit Holes](https://temafrank.com/historical-research-rabbit-holes/): It is so hard for historical novelists to stay out of research rabbit holes. But they can be so fascinating!
- [Book Review – The Smallest Man, by Frances Quinn](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-smallest-man-by-frances-quinn/): A page-turning story of a midget who was gifted to a lonely queen in 1600s England.
- [Book Review: The Sunflower House](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-sunflower-house/): A page-turning fictional exploration of the Nazi's program to encourage the birth of more Aryan babies.
- [Cycling on Mallorca, Spain](https://temafrank.com/cycling-in-mallorca-spain/): Guest post by John Shaw on a 9-day cycling trip on Mallorca, Spain
- [Book Review: The Postcard, by Anne Berest](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-postcard-by-anne-berest/): A postcard shows up at the home of a Frenchwoman in 2003. Mailed from the biggest postal outlet in France, the Louvre post office, it lists four names: Ephraïm, Emma, Noémie, and Jacques, and nothing else. The person it was addressed to has been dead for years. So have the four people listed on the card: they were a mother, father, brother and sister all killed by the Nazis. The handwriting is unfamiliar, although it seems to have been addressed by someone different from the one who wrote the four names. Thus begins this true-life mystery story, as Anne Berest digs into her family’s past, determined to find out who sent the postcard and why.
- [Book Reviews & Comparison: ‘Shashenka’ by Simon Sebag Montefiore & ‘The Revolution of Marina M.’ by Janet Fitch](https://temafrank.com/book-reviews-comparison-shashenka-by-simon-sebag-montefiore-vs-the-revolution-of-marina-m-by-janet-fitch/): Both Simon Sebag Montefiore's 'Sashenka' and Janet Fitch's 'The Revolution of Marina M.' are gripping historical novels that will help you understand Russia. Similar in many ways, there are also stark differences.
- [Book Review: The Last Train to London](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-last-train-to-london/): A moving reminder of the good people in the world, as well as the dangers of demonizing others.
- [Book Review: A Waltz with Traitors](https://temafrank.com/book-review-a-waltz-with-traitors/): Most people think of the Russian Civil War in terms of battles between Reds (Bolsheviks) and Whites (the deposed upper classes). In fact, though, there were many different factions, not only of Russians but also of soldiers from other countries who ended up in Russia in 1917 - 1921. One group that had a particularly complex time there was the Czech Legion, and this is one of the few novels that tackles their story. It tells it through the eyes of a young woman from a rich family (Nadia) who is fleeing from the Bolsheviks and ends up being protected by the Czech Legion, thanks largely to a handsome Czech soldier (Filip) who chivalrously offers her a sham marriage so she can escape on a Czech-controlled train.
- [Book Review: Your Presence Is Mandatory](https://temafrank.com/book-review-your-presence-is-mandatory/): It is more important than ever that we try to understand war and its consequences. This captivating book sheds light on a surprising aspect: POWs who are victimized by their own country for having been captured.
- [When Words Collide 2024 – Writing Conference Notes](https://temafrank.com/when-words-collide-2024-writing-conference-notes/): Since I have both a daughter and a writer-friend in Calgary, this year I decided to attend When Words Collide. This annual conference grew out of a gathering of sci-fi and fantasy writers many years ago. Now there are over 800 writers of all stripes who attend, and dozens of sessions about all aspects of the writing craft. I even managed to find another author writing historical fiction about Russian radicals, although her era is set a century before Red Rules, the book I’m writing.
- [Book Review: Hotel Cuba](https://temafrank.com/book-review-hotel-cuba/): An immigrant story with a twist: they left Russia aiming to get to America but landed in Cuba. I highly recommend this eminently readable story of struggle and hopes for a better life in a new land.
- [Book Review: That Was Then, by M.K. Tod](https://temafrank.com/book-review-that-was-then/): "That Was Then" is a fast-paced thriller tackling abuses of power, corruption, and the rise of right-wing extremism in contemporary United States by author M.K. Tod.
- [Book Review: The Good Sister](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-good-sister/): The Good Sister is a twisty story of twin sisters: one, a reasonably highly functioning autistic woman; the other, her close companion and advisor. All is not as it seems.
- [Book Review: The Miniaturist](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-miniaturist/): A richly textured look at 17th century Amsterdam, "The Miniaturist" by Jessie Burton is a beautiful read, although it had some plot weaknesses.
- [3 Months in Mexico: Mazatlan, San Miguel de Allende, Oaxaca & Puerto Morelos](https://temafrank.com/3-months-in-mexico-mazatlan-san-miguel-de-allende-oaxaca-puerto-morelos/): Our years-long hunt for the perfect snowbird destination continues
- [Book Review: Babel, by R.F. Kuang](https://temafrank.com/book-review-babel-by-r-f-kuang/): Babel, by R. F. Kuang, is an outstanding historical fantasy novel exploring racism, sexism, colonialism, power politics, social justice, and ... linguistics!
- [Cobbles, Culture & Countryside: Cycling & More in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico (2024)](https://temafrank.com/cobbles-culture-countryside-cycling-more-in-san-miguel-de-allende-mexico-2024/): While Tema attended the San Miguel Writers Conference, DH (aka John) tried to figure out how to cycle on irregular cobblestones in and around the beautiful mountain town of San Miguel de Allende, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.
- [Book Review: The Secrets We Kept](https://temafrank.com/book-secrets-we-kept/): Not all women of the 1950s were willing to settle back into non-career life. Learn the story behind the spies who helped launch Doctor Zhivago to fame.
- [Is San Cristobal de las Casas Set to Be the Next Big Expat Retiree Destination?](https://temafrank.com/is-san-cristobal-de-las-casas-set-to-be-the-next-big-expat-retiree-destination/): Pros & cons of San Cristobal de las Casas, in Chiapas, Mexico, after having spent a month here.
- [Active Touring at High-Altitudes in Latin America](https://temafrank.com/active-touring-at-high-altitudes-in-latin-america/): Physically fit travel bloggers rarely mention the impact of elevation on what you can do. But even the fittest of us can struggle at high altitude.
- [Book Review: Liberation Day, by George Saunders](https://temafrank.com/book-review-liberation-day-by-george-saunders/): An inventive, entertaining and thought-provoking book of short stories.
- [Book Review – Demon Copperhead](https://temafrank.com/book-review-demon-copperhead/): An extraordinary book. Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead is well worth the time it takes to read or listen to.
- [Grade One Christmas – A Little Jew’s Story](https://temafrank.com/grade-one-christmas-a-little-jews-story/): When school and family conflict over Christmas traditions, what's a Jewish Grade One student supposed to believe?
- [Holiday Reading Ideas](https://temafrank.com/holiday-reading-ideas/): Four books to enjoy reading over the holidays (or at any other time!)
- [What’s a Jew To Do?](https://temafrank.com/whats-a-jew-to-do/): How a secular, humanist Jew loses friends on both sides of the Israel-Gaza divide. It is scary to speak up at a time like this but too isolating not to.
- [Fun With History](https://temafrank.com/fun-with-history/): You get a different sense of history when you read old newspapers instead of just history books.
- [Book Review: Darkness at Noon](https://temafrank.com/book-review-darkness-at-noon/): Written in 1940 about Stalinist Russia, Darkness at Noon contains a chilling explanation of the recent trend towards authoritarianism in much of the world. I give it 5 stars.
- [Book Review: Street Corner Dreams](https://temafrank.com/book-review-street-corner-dreams/): My father grew up in a tough neighborhood in Brooklyn that was about half Italian and half Jewish. It marked him in several ways, most notably:•	He felt culturally Jewish, even though he was not observant. You get beat up enough times for being a “dirty Jew” it becomes hard to put that part of your identity in a closet, even if you wanted to;•	He preferred Italian food to Jewish cooking. He became an outstanding Italian-style chef. I’ve never had a lasagna as good as his!•	He wanted to get the hell out of New York as soon as he possibly could. He was horrified when I, in my early 20s, visited New York and said I thought it would be a fun place to live (as long as you had money).
- [Book Review: The Confessions of Young Nero](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-confessions-of-young-nero/): Nero gets an unfair bad rap, according to Margaret George's book, The Confessions of Young Nero. If you grew up in the kind of environment he did, you'd have issues too.
- [Read This Before Deciding Whether to Retire in Cuenca, Ecuador](https://temafrank.com/read-this-before-deciding-whether-to-retire-to-cuenca-ecuador/): There's a lot to love about Cuenca, Ecuador. But it has a few downsides too. This article should help you decide if it's right for you.
- [ChatGPT and Me: A Distressing Comparison of OpenAI & Bing GPT](https://temafrank.com/chatgpt-and-me-a-distressing-comparison-of-openai-bing-gpt/): OpenAI's ChatGPT is seductive, but still highly inaccurate. How does Microsoft's Bing AI compare? A test.
- [Where to Find Live Music in Cuenca, Ecuador](https://temafrank.com/where-to-find-live-music-in-cuenca-ecuador/): One thing we look for in choosing where to spend our winter months is a wide variety of cultural activities, and especially live music. When I was in my late teens and 20s I couldn't go to clubs because I was allergic to cigarette smoke and live music clubs were choked with it. Luckily, smoking is no longer allowed in clubs and restaurants in much of the world. So now, as an early retiree, I'm finally getting to enjoy going out in the evenings to listen to live music. One great thing about a town like Cuenca, Ecuador, is that there are many options and, unlike back home, several of them start early enough in the evening that even my "early-to-bed, early-to-rise" husband can enjoy them.
- [Book Review: The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-boy-who-loved-anne-frank/): A beautifully written examination of survivor guilt and PTSD.
- [Book Review: The Courtesan’s Daughter](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-courtesans-daughter/): Book review of "The Courtesan's Daughter" by Susanne Dunlap. See also my review of her book, The Portraitist, which I loved!
- [Are the Galapagos Islands Worth the Cost & Hassle?](https://temafrank.com/are-the-galapagos-islands-worth-the-cost-hassle/): We hesitated about going to the Galapagos because of the cost. Turns out you can do it more cheaply & help the locals. Totally worth it!
- [ChatGPT is a Lying Narcissist!](https://temafrank.com/dont-trust-chatgpt-it-lies/): ChatGPT and its Bing search engine equivalent have an AI version of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. They will tell you lies but sound oh, so convincing.
- [Is Cuenca, Ecuador, the Perfect Winter Snowbird Destination (2023)](https://temafrank.com/cuenca-ecuador-perfect-winter-snowbird-destination/): Our quest for another place to escape long, cold Canadian winters has led us to Ecuador.
- [Strawberries at Lunch: Mexico City Food & Drink Reviews (2023)](https://temafrank.com/strawberries-at-lunch-mexico-city-food-drink-reviews/): Where to eat in Mexico City, by district.
- [What to do on a Monday in Mexico City (2023)](https://temafrank.com/what-to-do-on-a-monday-in-mexico-city/): Most museums in Mexico City are closed on Mondays, but there's still plenty to do.
- [What to Do in Magnificent Mexico City – Part I (2023)](https://temafrank.com/magnificent-mexico-city-part-i/): Mexico City adventures: cycling in the city, eating, drinking, and the incredible Anthropology Museum
- [What to do in Magnificent Mexico City: Part 2 (2023)](https://temafrank.com/magnificent-mexico-city-part-2/): Exploring ancient Mexico City: the Zocalo, the Templo Mayor archeological site, and the magnificent colonial-era Postal Palace
- [Book Review: The Portraitist, by Susanne Dunlap](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-portraitist-by-susanne-dunlap/): A different perspective on the French Revolution -- through the eyes of a rising female portrait artist.
- [How to Travel for 100 Days With Just Carry-on Luggage in 2024](https://temafrank.com/how-to-travel-for-100-days-with-just-carry-on-luggage/): Travelling to multiple continents over 100+ days is totally do-able with only carry-on luggage. Here's how.
- [Bye bye Twitter](https://temafrank.com/bye-bye-twitter/): I've always had a love-hate relationship with Twitter. Since Elon Musk's takeover it has become a hate-hate relationship. Not one to stay in abusive relationships, I've now quit Twitter and am trying Mastodon. You can follow me there, if you'd like. @Tema@mastodon.social
- [Morocco Trip – Part 2: Jews of Morocco, & Visiting Essaouira](https://temafrank.com/morocco-trip-part-2-jews-of-morocco-visiting-essaouira/): Morocco once had a thriving Jewish community and says it has no history of anti-semitism. So why are there almost no Jews still living there?
- [Book Review: A God in Ruins](https://temafrank.com/book-review-a-god-in-ruins/): Review of Kate Atkinson's powerful novel, A God in Ruins. Despite a disjointed beginning, I got swept away, and ultimately blown away by the twist ending.
- [Morocco: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly (& The Beautiful)](https://temafrank.com/morocco-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-the-beautiful/): Part 1 of our tour of Morocco. Includes Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis, Fes, Mid-Atlas mountains, a night in the desert, camel riding, and movie sets.
- [Book Review: Half of a Yellow Sun](https://temafrank.com/book-review-half-of-a-yellow-sun/): A must-read if you want to get a real sense of what war is like for those who live in war-torn countries.
- [Book Review: The Diamond Eye](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-diamond-eye/): Both the writing and the story sparkle like diamonds in this historical novel by Kate Quinn, based on the life of WWII Soviet female sniper, Mila Pavlichenko. If it hadn’t been about a real woman (and supported by extensive author’s notes), it might have been tempting to disbelieve it: a pretty, petite, girl becomes pregnant at 15, is a bookish single mom when, in her early 20s and working on a dreadfully dull literary graduate thesis, she takes up sharpshooting for fun and ends up becoming a celebrity military sniper, feted in America as well as Russia. But damn it all, it’s true! And it makes for a wonderful, gripping story in the deft hands of Ms. Quinn.
- [Book Review: The Latecomer](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-latecomer/): Just because you shared a uterus doesn't mean you'll have a lot in common. Book review of The Latecomer, by Jean Hanff Korelitz (best known as author of The Plot).
- [Book Review: The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-four-winds-by-kristin-hannah/): Book review of best-selling author, Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds, set during the dustbowl era in the U.S.
- [Book Review: Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters](https://temafrank.com/book-review-fingersmith-by-sarah-waters/): An absorbing book that explores moral complexities in Victorian England. Loved it!
- [Returning Home After a Long Absence](https://temafrank.com/returning-home-after-a-long-absence/): Settling in to a new home when you travel can be frustrating. So can settling back into an old one when you return.
- [15 Things to Think About When Choosing Your Snowbird Destination](https://temafrank.com/15-things-to-think-about-when-choosing-your-snowbird-destination/): There's a lot to consider when planning a snowbird lifestyle.
- [Voyage to Petite Terre, Guadeloupe](https://temafrank.com/voyage-to-petite-terre-guadeloupe/): Catamaran excursion to the islands of Petite Terre, Guadeloupe. It is a nature reserve famed for iguanas and tortoises.
- [Two Days Cycling on Marie Galante, Guadeloupe](https://temafrank.com/two-days-cycling-on-marie-galante-guadeloupe/): The Guadeloupe island of Marie Galante is a gorgeous, calm, place for a couple of days of cycling.
- [Is Democracy in Danger? (& 2 book reviews)](https://temafrank.com/is-democracy-in-danger/): If you've grown up in a country like Canada it can be hard to imagine that democracies like ours can fall. Historical fiction helps bring the risks to light. Includes book reviews of "A Long Petal of the Sea" and "It Can't Happen Here".
- [Is the World as Dangerous as the News Makes it Seem?](https://temafrank.com/is-the-world-as-dangerous-as-the-news-makes-it-seem/): Am I being naïve in ignoring the disturbances going on in parts of the island?
- [Settling in to Island Life](https://temafrank.com/settling-in-to-island-life/): Adjusting to a new location can be difficult, even when it is in a warm island paradise.
- [Paris in the Time of Covid](https://temafrank.com/paris-in-the-time-of-covid-part-1/): Paris art and fashion. January + Covid = surprisingly uncrowded streets.
- [Granada and the Jews](https://temafrank.com/granada-and-the-jews/): The Jews have had a complicated history with this once predominantly Jewish city in Spain.
- [Holidays versus Life: A Novice Retiree’s Perspective](https://temafrank.com/holidays-versus-life-a-novice-retirees-perspective/): The sun, surf and Sangria lifestyle you fantasized about pre-retirement may not be what you want once you do retire. Give yourself time and flexibility.
- [Life in Malaga, Spain](https://temafrank.com/life-in-malaga-spain-in-2021/): Creative parking is one of the things I've noticed in Malaga, Spain. This post lists a few others too.
- [The 1st Week in a New Home Base](https://temafrank.com/the-1st-week-in-a-new-home-base/): Our first few days in Malaga: errands, beaches, wine and Spanish practice
- [Book Review: The Confessions of Frannie Langton](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-confessions-of-frannie-langton/): A moving historical murder mystery set initially on a slave plantation in Jamaica. Highly recommended.
- [Overcoming Couples Challenges in Retirement: Get Creative](https://temafrank.com/overcoming-couples-challenges-in-retirement-get-creative/): Health and other challenges can make it difficult for couples to enjoy a shared retirement. But sometimes there are creative solutions.
- [Back to Spain: Montecorto, Andalucia](https://temafrank.com/back-to-spain-montecorto-andalucia/): I was about to take my first flights in 19 months and I was scared. Not because of a fear of flying (never had that). Nor because of airport crowds and Covid: I’ve had three vaccines (the first two weren’t the same variety and many countries won’t accept a mix and match). I’d also just had a negative Covid test, so, nope, that wasn’t it. My unease was not even because the journey ahead was going to take some 24 hours, 3 flights and a long drive on twisty roads. No, my fear came from the fact that for the week before leaving Edmonton I’d been battling the most prolonged allergic reaction I’ve ever had. Several epi-pens, doses of Benadryl, steroids and two days in hospital hadn’t managed to get my throat back to normal. But I could breathe (though not well, and with the help of multiple inhalers) and swallow (well enough to get pills down), so I’d be damned if I was going to let this prevent my trip. And now, here I am, sitting and sipping Rioja wine in the warm evening sunshine on my rooftop patio in the tiny village of Montecorto in the Andalucia region of southern Spain.
- [Book Review: The Ambassador’s Wife](https://temafrank.com/book-review-the-ambassadors-wife/): I was gripped by this book, and the moral and ethical dilemmas it raises in an engrossing, fictional way. The protagonist is such a real, flawed but loveable character. As a writer, I was impressed by how the ending made perfect sense and leaves you with a feeling of completion, without resorting to easy answers.
- [Book Review: Yellow Wife](https://temafrank.com/book-review-yellow-wife/): Sadeqa Johnson wrote the book after touring a former slave jail and trading post. On one of the walls she saw a photo of the jailer, his black wife and their five(!!) children. She wondered what it would be like for a black woman to be married to such a man.
- [A Historical Novelist’s Work is Never Done](https://temafrank.com/a-historical-novelists-work-is-never-done/): When writing a historical novel you can get buried in research and never write the book. Sometimes, though, the research discoveries make you so happy!
- [Book Review: All My Puny Sorrows](https://temafrank.com/book-review-all-my-puny-sorrows/): I have a lousy memory, so not many books stick with me for years, other than a general "I liked it" feeling. But this one has. It was such a powerful, moving, exploration of love and the difficult decisions involved in whether or not to help a loved one living in chronic pain die. It is particularly poignant and difficult in the case explained in this story, because the pain is due to mental illness. When somebody has been diagnosed with an incurable, deadly, disease it is (for some of us) easy to support a decision they may make to end their lives now rather than suffer for longer. But we struggle with the issue of mental illness, because we know that it won't physically destroy the body of its own accord. That leaves us room to keep hoping that somehow a cure will be found. And yet, despite the fact that drugs can help many people with mental illnesses, we also see that in many cases they don't work, and medicine is at a loss. Is it fair to make someone keep suffering on the off-chance some new combination of meds and therapy might help them? How many years can you expect them to continue? Not easy questions.
- [Anniversary of the Flight From Spain](https://temafrank.com/anniversary-of-the-flight-from-spain/): Today marks the 1st anniversary of our flight from Spain. It has been the first year in 40 that I have not flown anywhere. Last night I got my first vaccine shot. A year ago last night DH and I were downing a bottle of Spanish wine, then bringing the rest of our wine supply (along with a batch of groceries) to our Spanish neighbours. We also gave them our apartment keys to let us back in just in case the flights were cancelled (again!) by the time we got to the airport. I hope to have many more flights to and from Spain in future years, but as part of a joyous cycle, not a panicked get-me-on-any-combo-of-flights-possible-to-get-home flights.

## Pages
- [Red Rules, History & Good Books](https://temafrank.com/red-rules/): My work-in-progress, Red Rules, is mainly set leading up to and during the Russian Revolution and Civil War. I’m struck by the similarities between what was going on there and then and what is happening in much of the world today.
- [Books by Tema Frank](https://temafrank.com/books-by-tema-frank/): Author of 2 bestselling business books, and a forthcoming historical novel
- [Author (Travel, Fiction, Business, Personal Essays)](https://temafrank.com/elementor-4755/): I wrote my first book when I was in Grade 2, for a beloved teacher who was in hospital. It was a collection of my stories and poems, and some by my favourite poet at the time, Ogden Nash. Since then I've written books, essays, reports, articles, and more. I am currently a member of The Writers Union of Canada (TWUC) and of the Historical Novel Society. 
- [Author (Travel, Fiction, Nonfiction)](https://temafrank.com/author-travel-fiction-nonfiction/): I wrote my first "book" when I was in Grade 2. It was a collection of my stories and poems, and some by my favourite poet at the time, Ogden Nash. (I had to get special permission to borrow his books from the library because they were kept in the Adult section. In those days, children weren't even allowed to go into the adult section without a parent, let alone borrow from it.) The book was for the woman who was supposed to have been my Grade 3 teacher, but she had fallen ill. I loved her, and thought of her as a quasi-grandmother. The book was (so they told me) delivered to her in the hospital. Sadly, she died not long afterwards.
- [You are awesome!](https://temafrank.com/thank-you/): Thanks for signing up. You've made my day!
- [Customer Experience Keynote Speaker](https://temafrank.com/customer-experience-keynote-speaker/): Visit ​https://frankreactions.com/speaking-training/ for details and sample videos. 
- [Travel Writer](https://temafrank.com/travel-writer/): Tema Frank has been travelling since she was 3 years old. She's been writing since not long after that.
- [Contact Tema](https://temafrank.com/contact-tema-frank/): Sadly, I was getting so much spam I've had to delete both the contact form and the full email address. So let's try this: use my first name at the website address to send me a message. You know the pattern. (Or you can reach me via my Substack.) Hopefully the spam bots don't read!
- [Elementor #37](https://temafrank.com/tema-frank-home/)
- [Business Book Author](https://temafrank.com/tema-frank-business-book-author-tema-frank/): Tema Frank has written two best-selling business books. The more recent one, PeopleShock: The Path to Profits When Customers Rule, was appreciated by Fortune 500 CEOs to small entrepreneurs.
- [Customer Experience Keynote Speaker](https://temafrank.com/tema-frank-business-keynote-speaker-tema-frank/): Tema has given well received talks in North America, Europe, South America, and the Gulf States. Visit ​https://frankreactions.com/speaking-training/ for details and sample videos. 
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- [Tema Talks, Travels & Writes](https://temafrank.com/sample-page/):  

## Galleries
- [Oaxaca 2024](https://temafrank.com/rl_gallery/oaxaca-2024/)
- [](https://temafrank.com/rl_gallery/5577/)
- [Pompeii 2019](https://temafrank.com/rl_gallery/pompeii-2019/)
- [Galapagos Tortoise types](https://temafrank.com/rl_gallery/galapagos-tortoise-types/)

## 
- [Palenque](https://temafrank.com/?p=5683)
- [Oaxaca 2024](https://temafrank.com/?p=5679)
- [Meals in San Cristobal](https://temafrank.com/?p=5588)
- [Chiapa de Corzo](https://temafrank.com/?p=5587)
- [Walking Hazards in San Cristobal](https://temafrank.com/?p=5583)