Maryann Miller's - It's Not All Gravy

Wednesday's Guest - Slim Randles

2012-02-01T07:10:00.000-08:00

I can always count on my friend, Slim Randles, to share something fun with us. Got to love these guys down at the Mule Barn coffee shop. Meanwhile, I'm over at the Blood Red Pencil with a little fun of my own. Enjoy....

If you didn’t know what time of the year it was, or what the weather was like, you could tell simply by eavesdropping at the philosophy counter of the Mule Barn coffee shop. Let’s give it a try.

“Good to see you here, Doc,” said Herb Collins. “That warm water on the battery trick work for you?”

“Thanks, Herb. Yep. I tried it this morning. What’s that you got there?”

“Travel thingie. You know it’s more than 80 degrees in Guatemala … right now?”

“Saw a deal on TV,” Dud said. “They’re water skiing in Florida. You can go fishing down there all year round.”

“You going to Guatemala, Herb?” said Doc.

“Maybe. Been thinking about it. I don’t know much Spanish, though.”

“All you need to know,” said Dud, “is ‘Hace mucho calor,’ Herb.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Sure is hot!”

“I was just thinking yesterday,” said Doc, “of the unsung beauty of sweat. You know, we take sweat for granted in summer. Heck, we even dislike it and go swimming to wash it off.”

“That’s a fact,” Dud said.

“But I think it would be kinda fun to sweat right now. You know, just sit in a hot sun and bask like an old lizard and sip iced tea…”

“… and wear dark glasses,” said Herb.

“ … and watch girls in bikinis,” said Dud.

They looked at him.

“Around here?”

“Well, no. I mean, Guatemala or Florida, you know.”

“Yeah,” said Herb. “Guatemala.”

About that time Loretta came up. “You boys want your coffees topped off, or should I just turn the hose on you?”

They shoved their cups forward and grinned.

“Sale on snow shovels down at the hardware store,” said Doc.

“Heard that,” said Dud.

----------------
Brought to you by Slim’s award-winning book “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.” Learn more at http://www.nmsantos.com/Slim/Slim.html

Monday Morning Musings

2012-01-30T08:11:00.000-08:00

I read a good editorial in The Dallas Morning News the other day. Titled: Trimming Government, Message to Obama and Congress: Get on with it, it listed a number of ways to balance the budget. The top two suggestions:

Eliminate duplicate programs
Consolidate related programs

Good ideas. Do you think if enough of us say this, someone in Washington will listen?

There are a number of programs available to help returning soldiers deal with PTSD and other combat-related issues as they assimilate back into civilian life. One of them is Horses for Heroes which has a facility in Keller, Texas called Rocky Top Therapy Center. There, men and women can spend some time grooming a horse and doing some ground work.

On the surface, you may wonder what that could do to help a traumatized veteran, but one vet has said working with a big chestnut gelding has reduced his stress level a great deal. The soldier said the horse is a good listener. "There's no negative feedback. There's nobody saying you need to do this and this and this."

Working with the horse also helps in controlling anger and frustration. There is no way you can lead a horse if you have a lot of strong negative feelings churning inside. I know that from personal experience. A horse has to trust you to let you groom him, pick up his feet, and lead him around. Horses are very intuitive and react to your feelings. If I approach him in anything but a calm manner, my horse shies away from me because he is afraid and his instinct is to run from whatever is scaring him.

Learning to be calm around a horse, can surely help a veteran learn how to be calm with his or her family, as well as in other social settings. Kudos to the people who are helping the soldiers learn that.

A new book out, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain, deals with the benefits of people who work alone. According to Cain, great inventions and great art come from people working in solitude, not committees, and she cites the example of Steve Wozniak, who built the first Apple computer alone in his garage. It took people like Steve Jobs to launch the business and work with committees to market the product, but the initial invention came from one man, working alone.

Susan Cain advises against relying on Groupthink in business and education, and has plenty of data to support her belief that people are more productive when they work alone with few interruptions. The book is well worth a read, as is the article she recently had published in the New York Times.

Speaking of good books, I have a review of Louise Penny's wonderful new book, A Trick of The
Light over at The Blood Red Pencil blog. If you have a minute to check it out, you might find another good book to add to a list of those you want to read.

Book Review - Lethal Lineage by Charlotte Hinger

2012-01-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Carl Brookins for the introduction to another good mystery. The list of books I want to read just keeps getting longer, and longer, and longer.....

Lethal Lineage

By Charlotte Hinger

ISBN:978-1-59058-837-6

2011 Release from

Poisoned Pen Press

This is an amazing novel. Almost from the first line, one is interested, entertained, and enthralled. Lottie Albright is a first-class protagonist, a bright, wealthy, well-educated woman with a healthy measure of community sense and human empathy. The fact that she’s now living on the isolated windy plains of northwestern Kansas, second wife of a widowed farmer, only enhances her claim on the reader’s attention.

The author writes with such clarity, precision and verve, one is swept into the lives of these people with intimacy, with love, and with a clear eye on the realities of life in this place in the Twenty-first Century. As isolated as they are, and feel themselves to be, the citizens of four sparsely-populated counties will be touched in tender and horrific ways by larger events happening continents away beginning with a confirmation in a new Episcopal congregation meeting in a new church.

The novel’s sojourn into the world of historical research, especially Albright’s struggle to deal with the surprises of family history projects is a fascinating and relevant subplot. The characters are all well-laid on and consistent in their roles. All in all an outstanding effort.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carl Brookins www.carlbrookins.com BLOG: http://agora2.blogspot.com -BOOKS: Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky

Friday's Odds and Ends

2012-01-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

Did anyone watch the most recent debate...er, shouting match between Newt and Mitt? What an embarrassment. It was bad enough when Newt got all snarky at Mitt about who had more investments in Fannie May and Freddie Mac, but then Mitt blew his chance to show how a gentleman should comport himself during a debate. The only one who made sense to me was Ron Paul.

Don't you just love that word comport? It is not used much today, mostly because people don't comport. They yell and call names and behave in the most unconformable way possible. The word comport means: behave; especially : to behave in a manner conformable to what is right, proper, or expected <comported himself well in the crisis>

Granted, we don't all want to become like robots or Stepford Wives, but a little decorum... a little dignity... Please could we have some more.

This man in Tennessee certainly didn't comport himself very well recently. Apparently he dressed up as a woman in order to pick up prescriptions in the name of his dead sister. More on the story from Gopher Central.

We're getting back into theatre mode at the local art center. I am directing a funny play, "Woman in Mind", and we are holding auditions. A director's worst nightmare is that nobody will show up to audition. The second worst nightmare is having lots of very talented people show up and not having enough roles to cast them all. I'm having the second nightmare, but as soon as I finish flipping coins and make a decision, it is going to be so much fun to work with these folks and make this story come alive.

I have been busy getting my woman's novel, Play It Again, Sam, out in trade paperback. After reading about Morgan Mandel's success with getting her books out via CreateSpace over the past several years, and getting some technical help from Bob Sanchez, I got my book through the process at Amazon. It has the same terrific cover that the e-book has, designed by Dany Russell. Anyone who would like a signed copy can e-mail me at maryann (at) maryannwrites(dot)com and we can make arrangements. I will be also happy to send signed bookplates for anyone who orders through Amazon.

Wednesday's Guest - Morgan Mandel

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Please welcome Morgan Mandel to the blog today as she shares an excerpt from her latest book, as well as some background on the Fountain of Youth.Today is my day to post on The Blood Red Pencil, where I blogged about mystery book awards.

This excerpt is from Chapter Five – From the heroine, Dorrie Donato’s point of view, as she listens to Roman Remington’s spiel.

“This time, ladies and gentlemen, I’ve discovered something far more valuable than anything I’ve offered in the past. What I have in my possession, which I’m willing to share, will make every health aid obsolete. Forget about growing old, with all its debilitations. From now on, you can possess the power to regain your lost youth and become whatever age you desire. Not only that, you’ll retain that age and never grow old.

“You may ask, ‘How is that possible?”

He paused for effect, then whispered, “Because I’ve discovered an age-reversing drug, a veritable Fountain of Youth.”

As his words sank in, whispers began. Did the audience believe him or doubt his sanity? She’d not thought such a miracle possible either, but her own body proved otherwise.

The Fountain of Youth Myth

The Fountain of Youth is such a popular concept I couldn’t help including it in my thriller, FOREVER YOUNG: Blessing or Curse. Although Wikipedia says such a fountain had been popular for thousands of years, I’d only heard of it in history class years ago, not quite a thousand, though sometimes it feels like it could have been.

It’s said that the Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce de Leon went in search of the fabled Fountain of Youth to partake of its restorative powers. In his travels, he ended up in St. Augustine, Florida, where now the Fountain of Youth National Archeological Park commemorates his landing. The park actually contains a fountain and tourists actually drink from it. Apparently nothing magical has happened there so far by way of turning back the participants’ aging clocks. Otherwise, I’d surmise bottles of such miracle water would have been on the market by now, selling for more than the highest priced prescription.

Although my story takes place in Arizona and not Florida, the concept is the same: using a magical means to regain lost youth. The older I get, the more I wonder what it would be like to be young again, yet benefit from my past experience. Aging is such a universal dilemma, I can’t be the only one who envisions turning back the clock. My imagination has taken me far afield, so far I had to write a book about it.

I invite you to follow along with my heroine, Dorrie Donato, and see how she adjusts to life again at twenty-four, instead of her actual age of fifty-five.

We all know life isn’t perfect, even in the best of circumstances. Though Dorrie may have gotten her wish to be young again, she’s still haunted by past happenings, along with threats to her present survival.

If you’re curious about Dorrie’s adventures, FOREVER YOUNG: Blessing or Curse is available on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and other electronic venues.

To see them all, visit http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com, where you can find every known link to this book, as well as those of my other three novels.

Look for print versions of all four books on Amazon soon.

Thanks for hosting me at your blog, Maryann.

Morgan Mandel

http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/morgan.mandel - Twitter: http://twitter.com/morganmandel

Monday Morning Musings

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting column by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times about the worth of good teachers. His column was actually about great teachers and reported on a study that showed that "the difference between a strong teacher and a weak teacher lasts a lifetime."

He quoted some statistics that indicate a student is 1.25 percent more likely to go to college and 1.25 percent more likely not to get pregnant in high school if they have a great fourth grade teacher. While those are not huge numbers, they do represent individual students who did better because of the influence of one particular teacher. Those are students who have most likely grown up to be productive citizens and are not perpetuating an endless cycle of dropping out and either scrabbling for living or relying on government handouts for survival.

I remember that fourth grade was a pivotal year for most of my kids as they made their way through elementary school, and they did have a great teacher. She also happened to be a good friend and neighbor and to this day I thank her for being such a great influence on my kids, especially our oldest son.

David did not have a stellar academic career, in elementary school or high school, but it would have been much worse had he not had Ginger Liening as a teacher. He had a horrible time in third grade and was ready to run away from home and school both at the thought of another school year starting. Ginger, to her credit, didn't judge him on his past school experience or behavior. She encouraged him to start with a clean slate, so to speak, and I'm sure it was her mentoring that kept him from dropping out of school entirely.

So I agree with Kristof that school districts should find a way to keep those stellar teachers and weed out the weaker ones. Maybe then there would be a huge jump in the numbers of kids encouraged on to much better things.

On another note, I hope you will come back on Wednesday when Morgan Mandel is my guest. She is sharing some interesting facts about the Fountain of Youth, as well as a short excerpt from her latest book, Forever Young: Blessing or Curse

Fresh beginnings turn tragic when Dorrie Donato’s husband, Larry, is killed in a hit and run accident a few months after starting a new job at the Life is for Living Institute. Discouraged and desperate after suffering countless setbacks, Dorie accepts an offer by Larry’s boss, the famous Angel Man, to be the first to test an experimental pill designed to spin its user back to a desired age and hold there, yet still retain all previous memories. The pill seems too good to be true. Maybe it is.

Morgan Mandel is a former freelancer for the Daily Herald newspaper, prior president of Chicago-North RWA, prior Library Liaison for Midwest MWA, and belongs to Sisters in Crime and EPIC. She enjoys writing thrillers, mysteries, romances and also enjoys combining them. Her latest paranormal romantic thriller is Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, Book One of the Always Young Series, available on Kindle and Smashwords. Other novels by Morgan Mandel include the romantic suspense, Killer Career, the mystery, Two Wrongs, and the romantic comedy, Girl of My Dreams. Morgan is now working on Book Two of the Always Young Series, called Blessing or Curse: A Forever Young Anthology, where readers will learn what happens to others who have taken the Forever Young pill. One more book will follow bringing back the original heroine to close out the series.

Book Review - Forever Young: Blessing or Curse by Morgan Mandel

2012-01-22T05:53:00.000-08:00

Forever Young: Blessing or Curse
Morgan Mandel
e-Book
Release date: December 2011

Middle-aged Dorrie Donato, is newly widowed and realizes she has to find a way to pay outstanding bills from years her husband had been out of work. He had started a new job at the Life is for Living Institute, but he hadn't worked there long enough for them to pay off the debts from that long financial cold spell.

The book opens with a dramatic punch as Dorrie finds her husband, Larry, dying in the garage parking of the Life is for Living Institute. She calls for help, but it is too late. Larry is dead and she is faced with an uncertain future. Larry's boss, known as Angel Man, offers Dorrie a job and an opportunity to be the first person to take the Forever Young pill. This is the project her husband had been working on, and Angel Man knows Larry would approve. The pill could take her back in years and she could remain 24 forever.

In desperation she takes the pill and agrees to be the spokeswoman for the company, telling everyone what a wonderful opportunity Life for Living is offering to people - The Fountain of Youth.

In time, Dorrie discovers that Angel Man's interest in her is not coming purely from a good heart. She also starts to see evidence that there are problems with the pill and realizes that her husband knew about the problems. Was his death really an accident?

The mystery and intrigue in the story are strongly plotted and readers will be kept guessing until the very end. And even then, the guessing can go on beyond the story. I suspect we will be hearing more about Dorrie in the future.

The strongest writing is in the sections where the author shows the reader what is happening. That opening is one of them. The myriad of emotions that Dorrie experiences when she sees " A limp object lay sprawled in the parking lot where Dorrie was to meet her husband" are ones that any woman can relate to when something terrible happens to the person they love.

There were other places, however, where there was more telling than showing, and I would skim those sections quickly to get back to the action. I also had just a bit of a problem hanging in with Dorrie when she made some choices in her personal life. I thought the grief she would be working through after losing her husband should have had more emphasis in the story. Perhaps that is because I have worked so long as a hospital chaplain and have seen how overwhelming grief can be. Especially in a relationship as strong as the one Dorrie had with Larry.

That is purely a subjective opinion, however. I still enjoyed the story and would recommend the book to folks who like a quick, easy read with a fresh new concept and some good writing.

~~~~~~~~
FTC Disclaimer - The author sent me a copy of the book for possible review, and I told her straight up that I would only review it if I thought it was well done and worthy of a review. Not that my reviews mean anything in the great scheme of things, but I really hate to have to say too many negative things about a person's work. I also did not receive any compensation for this review, nor do I expect to, unless the New York Times would like to buy it for a filler.

NOTE: Please come back on Wednesday when Morgan Mandel will be my guest and share an excerpt from the book.

Guest post from Jon Reisfeld

2012-01-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

Jon Reisfeld, the author of the new book, The Last Way Station: Hitler's Final Journey is my guest today. We had a bit of a mix up on getting the material to me in time to post this this morning, so it is coming just a bit late in the day. I don't normallly have guests on Friday, but he wanted to share this piece today for obvious reasons.

A Dark and Infamous Anniversary

Seventy years ago, today, 15 Nazi government officials, many mid-level bureaucrats with Ph.D.s, met at a conference center in the Berlin suburb of Wansee to conduct official state business. They had come together to coordinate Hitler's planned evacuation, asset seizure, enslavement and eventual mass-murder of millions of Jewish civilians living in Nazi-occupied lands in Europe and North Africa.

Reinhard Heydrich, the man Hitler had hand-picked to spear-head the "Final Solution," as the Nazis euphemistically called it, "kicked-off" the meeting by outlining the challenge these bureaucrats faced and the game plan for achieving it.

Heydrich noted that only about half of Europe's estimated 11 million Jews "currently" lived in countries under Nazi rule. Since the government had outlawed Jewish emigration, the authorities had worked out a different solution. All Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe and North Africa, he said, would be evacuated to the "east" behind the German's 1,000 mile front, in a vast region representing approximately half-a-million square miles of recently conquered Soviet territory. "Under proper guidance," he said, "in the course of the final solution the Jews are to be allocated for appropriate labor in the East. Able-bodied Jews, separated according to sex, will be taken in large work columns to these areas for work on roads, in the

course of which action doubtless a large portion will be eliminated by natural causes. The possible final remnant will, since it will undoubtedly consist of the most resistant portion, have to be treated accordingly, because it is the product of natural selection and would, if released, act as the seed of a new Jewish revival".[22]

What Heydrich didn't mention was what would immediately happen to those who were not considered robust enough to join the slave-labor road work columns. But everyone in the room already knew their fates. Mass local killings of Jews already had begun in the newly occupied Soviet territories and new "death camps" were rapidly coming on line. Earlier that month, the death camp at Auschwitz-Berkenow had started testing Zyclon-b gas, in its newly constructed gas chambers. Early results had been most favorable, and the test subjects had been disposed of in huge, mass graves. By the end of that year, far fewer Jews would be alive within German-held lands.

Adolf Eichman, the man who would later send 440,000 Hungarian Jews to Nazi death camps in a record 6 weeks, testified at his war crimes and crimes against humanity trial, in Israel, that Heydrich had ordered him to cleanse the minutes of any direct references to death, extermination and murder. At the end of the 90-minute meeting, he recalled, cognac was served and the men became more relaxed and discussed the subject "quite bluntly, quite differently from the language which I had to use later in the record. During the conversation they minced no words about it at all ... they spoke about methods of killing, about liquidation, about extermination." Heydrich, he added, had been pleasantly surprised by the lack of resistance he had encountered. (A major purpose of the meeting was for Heydrich's RSHA to formally exert its control over implementation of the deportation policy.)

Wansee represented an unprecedented act in the history of civilization. It marked the first and, hopefully, the last time that a government would formally turn itself into an ongoing criminal enterprise by making a central tenet of its official state policy the systematic eradication of a people on a global scale. At Wansee, the Nazis took the first, formal step toward implementing that policy and coordinating it through its various agencies.

Those decisions rapidly took their toll in human terms.

* On January 31st, SS Einsatzgruppe A reported it already had killed 229,052 Jews in local actions, in occupied Soviet Territory.

*On March 17th, the Nazis began deporting Jews from Lublin, Poland to the Belzec death camp

*A week later, they began deporting Slovak Jews to Auschwitz

*Three days later, on March 27th, they began deporting French Jews to Auschwitz, with the first of these from Paris arriving there on March 30th.

*In April, the first Jewish deportees arrive at Majdanek

*In May, the Sobidor Extermination Camp comes online in Poland with 3 gas chanbers, initially using carbon monoxide from engines. These are later fitted to use Zyclon-B gas.

*On May 18, the New York Times reports that the Nazis already have used machine guns to kill: 100,000 Jews in Poland, 100,000 in the Baltic States and more than 200,000 in occupied Russia.

*By June 5th, the SS reports that 97,000 people have been successfully "processed" by such vans

*On July 14th, the SS starts deporting Dutch Jews to Auschwitz

*On July 19th, Himmler authorizes Operation Reinhard, which begins the mass deportation of Polish Jews to Auschwitz

*On July 22nd, the SS starts deporting Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto and from Belgium to the new death camp at Treblinka. Two buildings with 10 gas chambers in each, can "process" 4,000 inmates at a time. The dead are then burned in open pits.

*In August, the SS starts deporting Croatian Jews to Auschwitz

*In September, the SS starts transferring victims' assets to SS and German government banks. By the following February, more than 800 boxcars, filled with confiscated Jewish possessions will leave Auschwitz. Much of the personal items and clothing are destined for troops and German citizens.

*On Octobrer 5th, Himmler signs orders to deport all Jews still in German concentration camps to Auschwitz

*October 25th, the deportation of Norwegian Jews begins

*In November, German death squads murder 170,000 Jews near Bialystok

*In December, after killing more than 600,000 Jews, the Belzec camp is dismantled and plowed under.

To see the video trailer for Jon's Book The Last Way Station CLICK HERE

Friday's Odds and Ends

2012-01-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

Rick Perry dropped his campaign for the Republican nomination for president. I couldn't help but wonder at the timing of the announcement. It was just before the debate yesterday. Had he forgotten to prepare?

And what did you think of Newt's rant against the press? In last night's debate, CNN moderator John King directed the first question to Gingrich, asking him if it was true — as Gingrich’s former wife alleged in an interview with ABC News — that he asked for an open marriage in the late 1990s.

“I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that,” Gingrich said. “Every person in here knows personal pain. Every person in here has had someone close to them go through painful things. To take an ex-wife and make it two days before the primary a significant question for a presidential campaign is as close to despicable as anything I can imagine.”

I'm not a fan of Gingrich, but I do agree that the media has crossed so many lines they have virtually been erased. Shame on the reporters and broadcasters who just keep filling the airwaves with junk and sensationalist. A full story about the debate is online at Poltico.com

Some interesting predictions from Gopher Central:

In a story from the BBC two prominent futurologists take some shots at what the world will be like in 100 years. Following are their 10 most likely predictions.

1. Oceans will be extensively farmed and not just for fish.

We will need to feed 10 billion people and nature can't keep up with demand, so we will need much more ocean farming for fish. But algae farming is also on the way for renewable energy.

2. We will have the ability to communicate through thought transmission.

Transmission will be just as easy as other forms of brain augmentation. Picking up thoughts and relaying them to another brain will not be much harder than storing them on the net.

I found this second one most interesting. When my twins were young, I think they communicated telepathically. Maybe they still do.

One of the things I decided to do this year is read books that have sat on my bookshelf forever. Well, not really forever since books haven't been around since the beginning of time. But you get my drift. Those of us who love to read have books tumbling out of shelves and falling off of tables or sitting in boxes, just waiting for us to get to them.

Yesterday, I started reading Spartina by John Casey. I don't even know how long I have had this book, but I bought it because it won the National Book Award in 1989. The edition I have was published in 1998. I almost donated the book to a local garage sale, but stopped. I bought the book for a reason, I might as well read it before I give it away.

I'm so glad I did. I am only a few chapters into the story, but I can already see why it won the award. It has wonderful descriptions, characterizations, and lines such as: ...they waded through the clear water, stirring the bright sand, a little school of nice-looking people in bright clothes and bare legs... smiles and words as quick and simultaneous as a school of minnows."

Casey was describing a group of rich vacationers who had come for a clambake and weren't really connecting as people. They were too busy with the patter and chatter of people intent on being part of the group and making sure they said all the right things.

Wednesday's Guest

2012-01-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

Instead of my normal Wednesday's Guest where a real live person shares something, I wanted to let some of the organizations and websites that are part of the online protest of SEPA speak up.

This from Google

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA. The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

To sign the petition use the link to Google that I provided.

This from Forbes Magazine:

The growing anti-SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) support that has swept through the gaming and Internet community found a very big ally today. With websites like Reddit and Wikipedia and gaming organizations like Major League Gaming prepared for a blackout on January 18th – the same day that the House Judiciary Committee hearing on HR 3261was scheduled in Washington, DC – President Barack Obama has stepped in and said he would not support the bill. SOPA has been killed, for now.

This from Wikipedia:

Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge

For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia.

This from me - a real live person:

SOPA is another example of how government goes to an extreme to deal with an issue. Piracy is a problem on the Internet. I have seen my books being pirated. But to enact such broad restrictions as are in this bill is ludicrous. Go after the pirates, but leave the Internet accessible for people who are sharing but not for profit.

Monday Morning Musings

2012-01-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

Even with the convenience of getting news online or on TV 24/7, I still like to read a newspaper. Maybe I have a special affinity because of all the years I worked for newspapers. Perhaps. Anyway, one of my favorite things to do on Sundays is read The Dallas Morning News.

After scanning the headlines on the front page, I turn to the editorials and the comics. Sometimes in that order. Sometimes I read the comics first. I am always amused to find that some of the same topics are touched on in the comics and by the editorial writers. Art truly does reflect life.

Yesterday, I found the strip "Shoe" particularly clever. In the first panel, Cosmo and Shoe are fussing at each other, calling each other names. Roz says, "Hold it. Hold it. Why don't you gentlemen settle this like politicians?"

Cosmo asks,"You mean have a debate?"

Shoe says, "Don't be ridiculous. Only candidates debate."

Roz says, "Right. Real politicians just ignore the problem and hope it goes away."

Sad, but true. The politicians ignore solutions to problems because they are too busy playing partisan politics.

The Argyle Sweater was pretty clever, too. The strip presented Implausible Hollywood Headlines:

Playboy Enacts No Plastic Surgery Clause - Hefner cites integrity for implementation of new policy.

New Name - To portray a more accurate description of herself, Star Jones has name legally changed to "Pseudo-Star."

Kim Kardashian Abandons the Limelight - She chooses to live in quiet obscurity somewhere in Delaware.

Thankfully, none of those extreme changes will affect me. I didn't even know who Star Jones or Kim Kardashian are, and I've never put integrity and Hefner in the same sentence before.

What about you? Do you like to read newspapers? Do you read the comic strips first?

Book Review - Damage Control by Denise Hamilton

2012-01-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks once again to Carl Brookins for sharing his reviews with us.

Damage Control

by Denise Hamilton

ISBN: 978-0-7432-9674-8

a 2011 hardcover release from

Scribner. 372 pages.

More than just romance can often flower under the hot desert moon. In southern California, a lot more. In the artificially irrigated hothouse of perfectly sculpted bodies, overabundance of wealth, aggressive power and overweening ambition are a dangerous combination that leads, almost inevitably, to corruption. And it is corruption that’s at the heart of this complex, lyrically written tale, along with a strong dose of murder and mystery.

Maggie Silver grew up on the far side of the tracks. Now in adulthood with a mortgage, a failed marriage, and an ill mother, she’s scrambling for a place, if not in the sun, as near as she can get without singeing her fingers. Her values are aspiring middle class. She’d like to be one of the beautiful people, and for a while in a private school with a rich girl friend named Anabelle Paxton, the giddy, youthful exuberance of unsupervised teenaged life seems to point to a life to come of luxury and happiness.

Fast forward to today. Having lost that youthful connection to the good life, Maggie is establishing herself as a fixer. Working for the powerful public relations firm, Blair Company, she find herself once more entangled with the Paxton family, Henry, now a powerful U.S. Senator, Luke, the golden son and Anabelle, once her very best girl friend. A murder has happened and the situation must be managed. The Blair firm gets paid a great deal of money by wealthy clients to do exactly that. What happens then, to Maggie, the Paxtons, to other members of the firm is enthralling, complicated, and almost a Greek tragedy.

The author has taken a common theme, power, wealth and their corrupting influences, and infused the story with a strong dose of both good and evil. and while she carefully and fully illuminates much of the evil that resides in Los Angeles and its special culture, there is, at times, a faint but fascinating aura of envy, as if the author yearns, however ruefully, for just a little taste of the life she writes about. The genius of the novel lies in part in the complex and convoluted story and the way the author infuses this story with life.

Hamilton has not penned a polemic against the culture of southern California. Rather she holds up the citizens, and the organizations to a searing light and lets readers judge the actions and the influences that result. Unlike Raymond Chandler, with whose writing she is compared, her sympathies clearly lie with all the characters, while never condoning their actions, or trumpeting the consequences. So in the end, readers, themselves having perhaps experienced a little bit of envy for the characters, can close the book and ponder the questions we all may ask ourselves, to whom do we really owe the greatest loyalty?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carl Brookins www.carlbrookins.com BLOG: http://agora2.blogspot.com -BOOKS: Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky

Friday's Odds and Ends

2012-01-13T08:58:00.000-08:00

Most of us know that former senator Rick Santorum is against legalizing gay marriage, and he has been known to make some inflammatory remarks about homosexuality. More recently he told students at a college in New England that having gay parents is worse than having parents who are convicts. His rationale is that a father in prison is better than having no father.

Hmmmm... I wonder if he has ever checked the statistics that show that young people are more prone to crime and violence if their father is or was in prison? That is a fact I discovered when doing research for my book on violence in schools, Coping With Weapons and Violence in School and on Your Streets.

If you'd like to read more about what he said, here is an article that has more details. In researching this topic, I also found this comment on a forum that offers another viewpoint. "As the daughter of two lesbian moms, I'm disgusted and offended by the "family values" crowd claiming to want to protect children like me. Note to Rick and his ilk: you're not helping us. You're hurting us by making sure that our families are stigmatized and unprotected."

Whatever your views are on the subject, if we are truly to have separation of church and state, doesn't it stand to reason that a person's religious view of homosexuality should not influence legislation?

On another note, I found this quote on a blog titled terribleminds which is written by Chuck Wendig. I liked it enough I thought I would share it. "The writer’s voice is the thing that marks the work as a creation of that writer and that writer only. You read a thing and you say, 'This could not have been written by anybody else.' That is voice."

Who are some authors you have read that have a distinctive voice? If you are an author, do you consider your voice as uniquely yours?

Here is an example of what I mean when I encourage clients to escape the ordinary in their writing. This is from Louise Penny's latest book A Trick of the Light. Instead of writing "Clara's heart beat faster." Or, "Clara's heart thumped in her chest." Both descriptions which I have read numerous times, she wrote, "Clara's heart threw itself against her ribs like something caged and terrified and desperate to escape."

It would be interesting to know how easily this comes to a writer like her. It reads effortless, but for me it takes time to move from the ordinary to the not so ordinary. That is why it takes me a long time to write a book. How about you?

It's Friday the 13th. A superstition says that if a black cat crosses your path on Friday the 13th, you will have bad luck all year. I'd better stay away from our new kitties.

Wednesday's Guest - Author Nancy Cohen

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Please help me welcome Nancy Cohen to It's Not All Gravy. Nancy is the author of Shear Murder and is here talking about her book and what keeps her motivated to write.

Question #1: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes, ever since I can remember I’ve been writing. At first, it was poems and short stories and a Shakespearean type play which I forced my summer camp mates to act out. I began the submission process quite young, but it wasn’t until grad school that I decided to write a novel. One of the most important things I did to boost my career was to join Romance Writers of America and attend conferences and monthly chapter meetings.

Question #2: Tell us a little bit about your latest book.

Shear Murder is the tenth book in my Bad Hair Day mystery series. It’s the culmination of a personal journey for my hairstylist sleuth, Marla Shore. It’s about weddings and new beginnings. Just when Marla is planning her own nuptials, she gets caught up in another murder investigation. Marla is a bridesmaid at her friend Jill’s wedding when she discovers the matron of honor—the bride’s sister— dead under the cake table. She has a lot going on in her life, but when Jill pleads for her help in solving the case, Marla can’t refuse. It’s a fast-paced tale with humor, romance, and suspense as Marla races to find the killer before her wedding day arrives.

Question #3: I noticed on your Website that you write books that mix genres a lot. Why do you think those types of books are so popular with readers?

Mixed genre stories stretch the boundaries. You’re not limited by conventions of a particular type. You can blend these expectations, add unexpected elements, and surprise the reader. I really like combining sci-fi and fantasy with romance. Those stories of mine are romantic adventure tales set in another universe. Paranormal mysteries are another type of mash-up, popular with mystery lovers who like an otherworldly touch in their stories. It’s like adding spice to a recipe. My mysteries, however, are straight whodunits with a touch of humor.

Question #4: Have you always been a lover of books and stories? What did you read as a child?

I was a devoted fan of Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, and Judy Bolton. I couldn’t wait for the next Nancy Drew book to come out. That was my favorite, but Cherry Ames stories inspired me to become a nurse. And Judy Bolton influenced my writing in that she grew and changed as a character. She got married, whereas Nancy Drew has changed very little over time. It’s much more interesting when you follow a character’s growth. Horatio Hornblower is another example of how a fictional character evolves over the course of a series. Thus my heroine sleuth, Marla Shore, matures during the stories to a woman who embraces her new family.

Question #5: Tell us a little about your family. Has your family been supportive of your writing?

My husband is retired and we’re empty nesters with two grown children. He knows to leave me alone when I’m writing, which is early in the morning. They’re all proud of my work.

Question #6: Most writers put a bit of themselves in their characters. Is there one in particular that you think has some of your characteristics?

Marla Shore and I share similar backgrounds, traditions, and values. In some ways, she is me, but in other ways, she’s a lot braver! I wish I had her skills as a hairstylist, and I admire her talents. We also share the nurturing nature from my nursing career. Marla likes making people look good because then they feel better about themselves. It boosts their self-esteem.

Question #7: Many writers have pets. Do you? Do you include any in your stories?

Marla has a poodle named Spooks who takes after our late dog, who died at the ripe old age of nearly 17. Most of Spooks’ antics happened to our dear pet.

Question #8: What do your think your best friend from high school would say about you now?

She admires my accomplishments. Seriously. We connected on Facebook.

Question #9: What is it that keeps you writing - money, success, readers or simply satisfying the creative urge?

Readers are the number one reason why I keep writing. So please continue your fan mail and positive reviews! Pleas for more Marla stories are what inspired me to finish Shear Murder after my previous publisher cancelled the series. If not for reader demand, I would not have completed this book. Also, being a writer is not a switch I can turn off. I love telling stories and sharing my imaginary worlds with booklovers. If I did it for money or success, I’d have quit a long time ago!

Question #10: What would you like to say to the people who read your books?

Thank you so very much for being devoted readers, for following my work, and for your supportive comments. I have saved every letter or email written to me, that’s how much it means. You’re my inspiration. Keep reading!

~~~~~~~~~~

Nancy J. Cohen is an award-winning author who writes romance and mysteries. Her popular Bad Hair Day series features hairdresser Marla Shore, who solves crimes with wit and style under the sultry Florida sun. Several titles in this series have made the IMBA bestseller list, while Nancy’s imaginative sci-fi romances have garnered rave reviews. Her latest book, and tenth in her mystery series, is Shear Murder from Five Star Cengage/Gale. Active in the writing community and a featured speaker at libraries and conferences, Nancy is listed in Contemporary Authors, Poets & Writers, and Who’s Who in U.S. Writers, Editors, & Poets.

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A Surprise Visit

2012-01-10T11:45:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I said I was only posting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but sometimes I just can't help myself. (smile)

First, I want to thank my new followers, Melissa, Katie, Nay and Carol. So glad you find my blog worth some time now and then. I have enjoyed your blogs, too, and love making new friends in cyberspace.

The other reason I am popping in today is because I have put one of my short stories on free at Kindle today. It will be free until Thursday at midnight. I didn't want to post this tomorrow when Nancy Cohen is visiting, as that is her day to shine here, but I did want you to know about the sale in case you would like to sample this story. Making it Home was first published in Lady's Circle Magazine under the title A String of Pearls.

Monday Morning Musings

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Some time ago I wrote a review of a book that had been sent to me by an author I'd met in an online writer's group. It wasn't a rave review, nor was it a scathing review, but I did point out that there were some problems with the plot and some of the writing was less than stellar. I also pointed out what I liked about the story and what I thought had been handled well in the writing.

I've been a reviewer for a long time. Long before Al Gore gave us the Internet and long before Amazon started dominating the book business. When my reviews appeared in newspapers, a short bio always appeared at the end, as most reviews still do in newspapers. So the day I posted my review on Amazon, I thought it would give my comments credibility if I included the bio, which simply read: Maryann Miller, author of suspense and mystery including One Small Victory.

Apparently not.

The Amazon Police, as I have come to think of people who scour forums and reviews and other public places on Amazon to find some author breaking the commandment that Thou Shalt Not Promote Thy Book on Amazon, found my review and my bio. They promptly left comments on how tacky that was for me to plug my own book under the guise of writing a review. Guise? What exactly did they think all those words that preceded the short bio were? Then the infraction was called to the attention of somebody at Amazon and the review was taken down.

That was too bad. Not for me, but for the author who now has one less review to help promote his book on Amazon.

What boggles my mind about all this is why the people who visit Amazon to buy books, are so rabid about an author not being able to even include a title of his or her book in a comment or anywhere else. Aren't they there to find out about new titles and new authors?

Yes, I know there are a few authors who have abused the process and spammed every forum on Amazon when forums first started, but the majority of authors are not that prone to gorilla marketing. If there is a good discussion going in a forum about plot and character and good writing, it is nice to know if some of those making comments are writers and what they have written. If the comment is particularly interesting and well thought out, I just might even check out the book. What a concept.

On another note... Please come back on Wednesday when Nancy Cohen, author of the Bad Hair Day cozy mystery series will be the guest here. The series features hairdresser Marla Shore, who solves crimes with wit and style under the sultry Florida sun. Her latest book, and tenth in her mystery series, is Shear Murder from Five Star Cengage/Gale

Nancy is currently on a blog tour for her latest release. Leave a comment during the blog tour and enter to win a set of Paua shell jewelry and a signed copy of Shear Murder.

Book Review - Assignment Nepal by J.S. Squires

2012-01-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Carl Brookins for sharing another review with us.

Assignment:Nepal
By J.S. Squires
ASIN: B005VFMK6Q
2011 E-book release from Echelon Press

Readers of this review should be aware that this press has published some of my crime fiction and I am acquainted with the publisher, though not with the two authors writing under a single pseudonym.

The protagonist is named Irene Adler. Not the woman who beat Sherlock Holmes at his own game, her modern namesake, a Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology at Boston University. Adler has a demi-cynical outlook on life and it turns out she supplements her income by playing poker; specifically Texas Holdem in the gambling parlors around the New England area. Irene Adler is a bright, smart, single woman, an endearing protagonist.

Her former adviser, a fellow faculty member, prevails on Ms. Adler to travel to Nepal to inquire into the life and times of a former fellow undergraduate student of Irene’s, a Margot Smith, who’s in Nepal doing research on one of that country’s goddesses, one Chwwaassa Dyo. The problem is that there appears to something awry with Margot and her physician husband and Adler is supposed to sort things out. What needs sorting turns out to be only part of the story. Irene agrees to go half-way around the world to see a woman she barely knows. From this most unlikely beginning, the plot drives poor Adler into one complexity after another.

Her assignment clearly has unstated dimensions about which neither we readers nor Irene Adler herself are clear. Now, Nepal is an exotic nation from which assaults on Mount Everest are mounted and the ubiquitous Sherpa play an important part, as do digital cameras, former Cold War adversaries, political unrest in the country, and a whole series of meddlesome individuals who seem to still show up on the fringes of the former English Empire.

The novel winds its way through a variety of conflicts among wanderers, a boorish American tourist couple, and murder and bomb blasts. At times the narrative suffers from a pedestrian pace and some lapses of editing discipline over the point of view. Still, the story is interesting, Irene is definitely a character to build a series around, the exotic setting in and around Katmandu is, well, exotic, and a satisfactory conclusion is fashioned. I think four stars is too strong a rating, but the novel is more enjoyable than three stars would indicate. Sample the story and make your own judgment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carl Brookins www.carlbrookins.com BLOG: http://agora2.blogspot.com -BOOKS: Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky

Friday's Odds and Ends

2012-01-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Iowa caucuses are behind us and the candidates are off to New Hampshire, the place where Texas Governor Rick Perry said real Republicans live. Huh??? Who did he think all those people were that voted in the Republican caucuses in Iowa? Democrats?

Here's what William River Pitt has to say about Iowa and the people there in his op-ed piece for Truthout.

In the annals of mindless criminal behavior, this one is a doozy. An hour after burglarizing a store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, three suspects and another teen posted pictures of themselves with the money and items they stole on Facebook. their bounty on Facebook. In the pictures, the teens proudly display what they took, holding up bundles of cash and posing by boxes of candy and cigarettes. Apparently a family member of one of the burglars tipped off police that the images were up on the social media site, and the burglars were caught.

Another bizzare incident involved a Pennsylvania couple who were charged with having sex on a city bus, while a friend held their infant daughter. This apparently happened last August and the couple was charged with indecent exposure. They have recently pleaded guilty to settle the case.

Maybe these folks should go see the Wizard with Dorothy and ask for a brain.

If that isn't bizzare enough, how about the woman who was paid to overeat? Donna Simpson, a 44-year-old mother of two was a star in the fantasy fetish community that worshiped overweight people and overeating. Simpson had a website where men paid $19 a month to watch her eat. She became a bit of a celebrity in British newspapers and often flew around the world for various events. According to the news report I read, she has shut down the website and is now trying to lose weight. That's the good news. The bad news is the fact that she did this for so long, thinking it was perfectly normal. And what is normal about the men who paid to watch her eat?

Ending a little closer to home, and hopefully on a note that is much more normal, I am now the proud owner of four Rhode Island Red chickens. Did you know the best time to move chickens is at night? I didn't until my neighbor, who sold me the chickens, told me to come after dark to get them. The inherent challenge in that was to get them in the coop in the darkness that is so complete out here in the country you can't see a thing until the moon comes up. And if the moon is just a sliver, or there is a bank of clouds overhead, good luck with that. We had to park one of the trucks facing the barn with the lights on so we could find the coop in the corner of the barn.

My neighbor and her nephew came with me to help get the chickens in, along with water and feed. Poor girls were so scared they didn't even go up to the roost. They just huddled in the corner on the ground, which is where they were this morning when I went out. It didn't help that our dog considered them intruders on the territory and commenced barking at them. When introducing Poppy to new kittens or cats, I bring them all in the house and show Poppy that the cat belongs here. I'm not sure that is something I want to try to acclimate her to the chickens.

It was suggested that I leave the chickens in the coop for a few days until they get over the trauma of being moved and get used to the new place, so that is what I plan to do. Maybe those few days will be enough for Poppy to figure out that the chickens belong and will stop barking at them. I doubt they will give me any eggs if they are terrified of this big dog.

Wednesday's Guest - Slim Randles

2012-01-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

I must have been cloned. Otherwise how could I be in three places at once. Here in my office working. Over at the Blood Red Pencil for my usual first Wednesday blog, and as a guest at a neat blog, Coffee With a Canine, where I introduce our dog, Poppy. While I am off gallivanting all over the Internet, my friend Slim Randles shares a post with you. Enjoy....

The phone rang just before Dewey pulled off his clothes for his end-of-workday shower.

“Hi Dewey.”

He smiled. “Hi Emily.”

“Hope I’m not interfering with anything by calling you.”

“Just got home from work and about to dive into a shower, so you called at a good time. How are you?”

He thought that would be a good way to start a conversation with this paragon of single bureaucratic woman.

“I’m fine. Thanks, Dewey. May I ask you some more questions? Got them right here. Tell me first, though, do you always shower after work?”

“Every day.”

“Any special reason? I mean, is it related to the cow manure thing?”

“Directly, actually. Cow manure … well, it permeates my very existence. It fills my waking hours. It … oh, it’s hard to explain.”

The king of fertilizer grinned as Emily Stickles wrote notes on the other end of the phone. If she wanted to think of him as having a fertilizer fetish, he didn’t mind. As long as she called.

“I’ve been reading up, Dewey. I think that … together … we can break this hold cow manure has on your life.”

“Oh, Emily, you really think so? What should I do about it, you think?”

“To get started, you should picture yourself free of cow manure. Just tell your mind that cow manure has no place in your thoughts and your life. Let’s see if that will cancel out some of the … unpleasantness.”

“You think cow manure is unpleasant, Emily?”

“You like it?”

“Let’s say I like what it can do for others. It’s a little like a smile or sunshine,” said our fertilizer king, “it works wonders when you spread it around a little.”

Emily Stickles, the county employee in charge of fixing things for people who don’t realize they need fixing, was silent.

“Dewey, we really need to talk.”

“Dinner at the Chinese place tomorrow, maybe?”

Then he just sat there, glowing in fertile, pre-shower radiance, and grinned.
------------------
Brought to you by Slim’s award-winning book “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.” Learn more at http://www.nmsantos.com/Slim/Slim.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January seems to be a great month for lots of e-book discounts. Many publishers and writer's groups are offering titles for 99cents or for free. If you have a Kindle, this is a good time to stock up on some good reads. My suspense novel, One Small Victory, is free for two more days. The authors at Backlist eBooks have some of their books listed for only 99cents. Their sale ends on January 8th.

Monday Morning Musings

2012-01-02T09:14:00.000-08:00

ACK! How could it happen. Just two days into the new year and already I have forgotten that I was going to be more organized this year. I did clear some things off my desk by adding address's to my holiday card labels. I had these envelopes for two weeks or more waiting for me to get this chore done. But did I really need to do that before taking care of any other business - like updating the blog?

First things, first, Maryann......

The editorial page of The Dallas Morning News yesterday had a few memorable quotes from 2011, and I thought a few were worth mentioning here.

"I think the people who are protesting break into two groups.... and you can tell which group is which. The people who are decent, responsible citizens pick up after themselves. The people who are just out there as activists trash the place and walk off and are proud of having trashed it." Newt Gingrich talking about the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

It's not just on Wall Street. Driving down my county road the other day, I saw three places where people obviously stopped their vehicles and dumped a pile of trash out. Did they even stop to wonder who would pick it up? They could at least have made it easier by putting it all in a bag first. Geesh!

"The next election is 14 months away and the people who sent us here... don't have the luxury of waiting 14 months." President Obama speaking about the Jobs Bill.

That goes for every piece of pending legislation that our country needs. Stop making it about politics and power and the next election. Make it about the people. And stop going on national television to support your position and saying it is about the people unless you really mean it. As Leslie Stahl pointed out in and interview with Republican Majority Leader, Eric Cantor, 91 percent of us have no confidence in Congress and don't trust what is being said. Congress has an approval rating of only 9%. When asked about the perception people have that government is just playing games, this was Cantor's response, "Cantor: There's not.. there's no games. What we're trying to do is trying to do what's good for this country."

Right. And I'm the Queen of England. No, wait, that's Elizabeth. Sorry, Liz.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Today is the last day of the special promotional offer from my publisher for The Wisdom of Ages, a short story collection free for Kindle.

Three stories; four men whose lives take unexpected turns. Meet Samson who wonders what is down that country road that draws people so. Should he get in that old truck and go see? Mel and Rube have been having dinner at the Leavenworth Grill every Wednesday for years. One day the menu changes and so does life for Mel. Tom would give anything for his life to change. Can he beat back the effects of a crippling stroke by sheer force of determination? Growing old is not for the faint of heart.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

It seems like just the other day we were bidding farewell to 2010 and here we are starting 2012. I remember my grandmother telling me how the years fly by as you get older, but she told me that when I was just 12. I had no idea what she was talking about.

Thinking about that, made me realize that the best resolution I could make for this year is to stop and savor moments in each day instead of letting it end with me thinking where did it go. If I make a conscious effort to literally stop and smell my roses, how much better that will be than simply walking by them.

That goes for stopping to appreciate other beautiful things in my life like family and friends.

I hope 2012 is an awesome year for all of you who have touched my life in so many ways.

~~~~~~~~~~~

As a special way to bring in the new year, my publisher of The Wisdom of Ages is offering the short story collection free for Kindle readers today and tomorrow, Jan 1 and 2.

More Fun for New Year's

2011-12-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

This is another excerpt from my humorous memoir, A Dead Tomato Plant and a Paycheck. Enjoy....And have a very Happy New Year.

As the last days of the year wound down, our thoughts turned to New Year’s Eve parties and the inevitable aftermath on New Year’s Day. I preferred going to someone else’s party as it was a lot easier to bring a snack to share then clean my whole house and prepare a bunch of food.. Plus, I needed time to think about my New Year’s resolution for the year.

Normally, when it came to resolutions, I tried not to demand too much of myself, preferring to do something simple like giving up escargot. But one year, in the interest of strengthening my character, I decided it was time to exercise a little self-discipline. I swear it had nothing to do with the strange dream I had the week prior.

In the dream, a cloudy apparition hovered over the foot of my bed and called my name, “Maryann MilIerrrrr."

"Wha ... Who me?"

"Yes, you,"

"Who are you? What do you want?"

''I'm the ghost of columns past."

"Right. And I'm Erma Bombeck."

"Tis not a moment for levity. You have much to account for this night."

"Like what?"

"How about your indiscriminate use of poetic license?"

"It's not indiscriminate. I work very hard at it."

"Aha! So you admit to lying in your column."

"Well… not exactly lying. I prefer to call it 'stretching the truth. '"

"And how do you think your family and friends feel about this?"

"They understand."

"Oh, yeah? What about your friend, Mary? Do you know she was kicked out of the Gingerbread Hall of Fame after you credited her with your cake fiasco?"

"I didn't know that was going to happen. But you must admit it was a funny story. Honesty would have been very dull.”

"So. Let me see if I've got this straight. You'd do anything for a laugh?"

"Well...almost anything."

"And you are going to persist?"

"Of course. I've got job security to think about."

"In that case consider yourself warned. You might be sorry."

With that the hazy form disappeared, leaving me with much to ponder. Perhaps it was time to ease up a bit. So, I made a solemn vow never to poke fun at my friend, Mary, again ...

Well, maybe I would start the next week. First, I wanted to tell all my readers about the strange punch she used to make.

New Year's Resolutions

2011-12-28T07:59:00.000-08:00

Now is the time to throw out the old and ring in the new. The natural response to the beginning of a New Year is usually optimistic and goal-centered. This is when we do some personal housecleaning, getting excited about resolutions that will make us better parents, better employees, better people, and maybe even thin again.

Innumerable resolutions have been made over the course of history, and I've often wondered where they end up when they aren't kept. Is there a "resolution junkyard" somewhere littered with all those promises we made with zeal and determination on Jan. 1, and forgot by Jan. 10?

The basic problem with me and resolutions is that most of the time I'm just too tough on myself. I've set unattainable goals in a quest for perfection that is simply not in my realm of capabilities. So, in an attempt to defray frustration, I start making minor, reasonable
adjustments to my resolutions ...

Instead of giving up fattening desserts, I'm going to give up caviar and Chateaubriand.

Instead of organizing my office, I'm going to learn to live with my own efficiency plan -- "leave everything where I know I can find it."

Instead of learning to be a gourmet cook, I'll order my take-out food from Chef Tell.

Instead of cutting down on the amount of time I spend reading, I'll take 10 minutes of every hour and walk around the house with my book so I get some exercise.

Instead of trying to be a perfect Mom, I'll just let my kids think what they want of me....

... and the list goes on.

But under the jokes we can make about the annual tradition of New Year's resolutions, there is something good and wholesome about the concept of fresh starts and new beginnings. It fills us with a sense of hopefulness and positive power. We are strong. We're invincible.

Well, maybe that's going too far. . .

But seriously, we all need the renewal of spirit and hope the celebration of the whole holiday season brings us. For Christians it starts with the Advent preparation with its theme of eager anticipation. It's punctuated dramatically with the fulfillment of promises on Christmas Day, giving us new life in the birth of Jesus. And it culminates in the atmosphere of exciting possibilities for growth and change presented to us in the New Year.

Even though I know I'm the world's worst resolution-keeper, each year I always feel energized as I contemplate all that can be accomplished with the time stretching before me. I welcome the opportunity to set new goals, or resurrect old goals with a renewed
conviction that this year I can do better.

So here's to all our resolutions. May none of them end up in the junkyard.

~~~~~~~~~~~

On another note: My YA novel, Friends Forever, is FREE for Kindle for the next few days. If you have young readers in your family, this might be a good time to try the book.
BLURB:
Friendship is a tenuous thing when you’re thirteen and everything in your life is changing, especially your best friend. Debbie Webly is terrified that she will lose Laura to the influence of Angie who is rich, beautiful, and the most popular girl in school. There’s not much Debbie won’t do to hang on to her friend, but will she cross some line that she can never come back from?

The Day After Christmas - What a Mess

2011-12-26T08:38:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas was usually one of the best and one of the worst days of the year for our family.

If that doesn't make sense to you, don't worry, I'm not sure it does to me either. But let me try to explain.

It was the best because:
There were now 364 more shopping days until Christmas.

It was the one day of the year when perhaps the kids were just as tired as we were, and they’d sleep off and on all day.

All the build up for the Big Day was finally over, and the noise level in the house had dropped about 20 decibels.

I didn’t have to cook since we had all those leftovers from Christmas dinner. (If we didn't have a big Christmas dinner, I was in trouble on that score.)

The kids would decide they liked each other after all, and we could go the whole day without a fight – maybe.

The kids would invite me to color with them, or play a game, and we could share some really good times together - as long as they let me win now and then.

But every coin has its flip side, and the other side of this day was:
After the glitter and tinsel of Christmas, after the giving and receiving, the celebrating, singing and eating, we could all sit back, unbutton the waistband of our pants and try to decide who would clean up the mess.

Who would get to spend the next four days sorting through the thousand-and-one little pieces of games, toys, and puzzles that in less than one day managed to get tossed together from one end of the house to another?

On Christmas day, nobody seemed to care, but the day after nobody was being nice anymore, and the house was filled with moaning and wailing and the sounds of blood-letting and bones breaking ...

"Find that Stratego piece or I'll break your arm off and beat you over the head with it!"

"I never touched your Stratego game! Mommeee!!"

I guess four days out of my life wasn't too much to ask.

Who would dig through the.22 bags of trash to find the instructions for assembling the model airplane, because, for once in his life, a kid cleaned up after himself and threw them away with the wrapping paper? (Since that same kid would think nothing of digging through the neighbors' trash to see if they threw away anything he could put to good use, maybe I could pawn that job off on him. )

Who would accept the challenge of figuring out what to do with all the unidentifiable things we received as gifts, such as the strange looking thing from Aunt Mildred that could either be a doily or a dishrag.

The gadget from Uncle Willie that favors a Chinese puzzle, but could actually be his eccentric approach to the can opener.

The game that takes an IQ of at least 300 just to open the box.

The funny little knitted things from Aunt Lucy that are either thumb-less mittens or toe warmers.

I could have called them all personally to thank them for the gifts, and hope that somewhere in the conversation they will mention what they are. But that would have taken some of the fun out of lazy summer afternoons when we’d drag this stuff out again and play a new game called “What on Earth is It?”

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

To all my readers who celebrate the Christian holiday. And Happy Holidays to those who celebrate the Winter Soltice, Chanukah, Kwanza, and the other winter holidays. No matter which one we are connected to, we are all connected on another level in this time of peace and good cheer.

All I Want for Christmas is.....

2011-12-23T05:48:00.000-08:00

Over the years we received some very interesting Christmas lists. One was written on an entire ream of computer paper in 1977, and I still occasionally pick it up for bedtime reading. It's a challenge like War and Peace. Someday I'm going to plow my way through the whole thing.

One year our kids all approached their Christmas lists quite differently. I guess they thought the standard line item list wasn’t garnering quite the response they were after, which means they didn’t get everything they requested. Perhaps they thought a clever approach might work better.

The one we got from our second son was written like a business letter, complete with address, date, salutation and ended with "Sincerely Yours." He forgot one basic rule of business letters, however. Brevity is a good rule of thumb. (But at least it wasn't another novel.)

Our older son took us at our word when we said to keep it short and reasonable. His merely read:
LIST
      1.    a VCR.
2.    a stereo.
3.    a radio-powered car.
P.S. If there is room for more, see me.

Our oldest daughter got very creative with her Christmas list. It was a work of art, complete with decorative pictures and her own brand of humor:
MY CHRISTMAS LIST
                1.    Ferrari
                2.    Mink coat
                3.    Ruby ring
                4.    Arabian palomino
           ** 5. Patrick Duffy! (I think the stars meant she was really serious about this request.)
P.S. If you can't get those, I guess I could live with:
     ** 1.      A canary (I wondered if this was her concession to probably not getting Patrick Duffy.)
             2.     Wicker cage. (At least she's practical),
               3.      Yellow Izod sweater
         4.      Two western shirts and western boots. (Maybe that meant the horse would be at the top of her list the next year.)

When I asked the twins what they wanted for Christmas, they merely handed me the Christmas Wish Book from Sears.

"Do you want me to help you make out a list?" I asked.

"No, just tell Santa we want everything."

I guess they figured why waste your time making out a list while you're still young enough to believe that Santa has an unlimited bank account.

Personally, I never make out a list.

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Here's another bit of humor from my friend, Tracy Farr..... This post orginally appeared December 2008.

It's more than just a haircut

Our country is going through some dire times. Banks are collapsing, the American auto industry is hitting speed bumps, and people are just not buying executive jets like they used to. So, it is up to us -- you and me -- to get this economy going again, and that's why I did my patriotic duty this weekend and got a haircut.

Tim is my barber. He's been cutting my hair for almost 15 years. He knows exactly how I like it cut without me having to tell him. And if Tim's barbershop goes under, so goes the country.

It's a known fact that my money ($10 plus a dollar tip) helps to keep Tim and many others in business. When I pay Tim for my haircut, he spends it on things like rent, shaving cream and magazine subscriptions. His landlord is happy to be able to keep landlording, the shaving cream company is happy to continue delivering Tim's favorite shaving cream, and the magazines are happy because they are assured they can print next month's edition.

Tim takes a portion of that $10 as his salary and spends it at Wal-Mart, thus guaranteeing job security for the Associates. The Associates use their 10 percent discount to buy T-shirts and Jessica Simpson posters, thus guaranteeing that the T-shirt companies and Jessica Simpson stay in business. The T-shirt companies and Jessica Simpson are so happy to be making money that they decide to work together and make a Jessica Simpson T-shirt, which the Wal-Mart Associates buy in bulk and wear on their days off.

Since Jessica reaps the benefits of being worn all over the place, she takes her cut of the profits and produces a Christmas special, thus employing a bunch of Hollywood types who know just how to make a cheesy TV program but wouldn't be caught dead wearing a Jessica Simpson T-shirt. These Hollywood types produce "The Jessica Simpson Wish You Were Here Holiday Christmas Sing-A-Long Special" and make millions on advertising by airing it on prime time TV, thus causing simple folk like you and me to say, “How can they get away with putting this goat poop on television?” at which time we turn off the TV and get down on the floor to play games with our kids.

Because of my little $10 haircut, hundreds of people are employed, millions of dollars exchange hands, thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer are emptied trying to keep all those germs at bay, families all over this great nation are doing something family-ish, and I feel like I've done my part in bringing this country back from the brink of disaster.

So what are you waiting for? Our country needs us! Go get a haircut, and together we shall save the world!

_____________________________________________________
The Daily Spittoon -- Almost worth a shave and a haircut!

Monday Morning Musings

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

This piece originally appeared in July 2008.....

I swear I've got to stop reading advice columnists and get a life. I don't agree with most of the advice anyway, so I don't know why I bother. Old habit, I guess.

A long time ago a writing instructor encouraged members of the class to read the advice columns for story ideas. That was especially significant for anyone wanting to write for the pulp women's magazines True Story and the others of that ilk. The instructor also said it would be helpful even if we weren't interested in writing for those magazines, but were writing fiction. She considered it a good way to find out more about human behavior and maybe even pick up a character or two.

I can't say that I ever found a direct benefit from reading the columns, so I'm really not sure why I continued. Except that "habit" thing. I'm bad with that. Took me four tries and a number of years to finally quit smoking.

Anyway, I was reading the paper last night and glanced at the headline for one of the new, younger, advice columnists: Tween Worried About Anger. An 11-year-old girl had written to express concern because she often got angry for no reason. She described the anger as extreme and wrote that she would go to her room to try to chill out with music. Then she would start feeling incredibly sad - also for no reason - and would end up crying. She was worried about whether what was happening to her might be an indication of a serious problem.

Red flags waving for anyone but me yet?

The columnist replied that what the girl was experiencing was normal, due to hormone changes related to puberty, pointing out that mood swings are a major part of early adolescence.

Okay, that much is true. But most of the mood swings pre-teens experience are triggered by something. Getting angry for no reason is not a normal part of this. Overreacting with anger because Mom told you to do something you didn't want to, or because you get grounded, is a normal part of the emotional turmoil of puberty.

If I had a child who was erupting in anger for no reason, I would be concerned and perhaps make an appointment with a counselor. And to the columnist's credit, she did encourage the girl to talk to her parents or another adult about the mood swings, but she didn't caution the girl that she could be experiencing something that has a more serious underlying cause.

Manic Depression anyone?

Book Review - Lost Women of Lost Lake by Ellen Hart

2011-12-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you Carl Brookins for introducing us to another good read.

The Lost Women of Lost Lake
by Ellen Hart
ISBN: 978-0-312-61477-5
2011 hardcover release from
Minotaur Books, 320 pgs.

It is interesting how these things come in multiples. Libby Hellmann recently released a novel with its genesis in the riotous summer and fall of 1968. The Minnesota History Center has just opened an elaborate exhibit focused on 1968, and the History Theater in Saint Paul has mounted an original play, “1968, The year That Rocked The World.” And now here we have a powerful, emotionally intense novel by that excellent Minneapolis writer, Ellen Hart. It is a story of two women who are unable to divorce themselves from that same year, 1968 and the decisions and actions they took then.

The story is another event in the evolving saga of Minneapolis restaurateur, Jane Lawless. This time she and bosom chum Cordelia take what they intend to be a short vacation trip into Minnesota’s benign northern wilderness to the Lawless family lodge on a lake north of the Twin Cities. It’s a common enough activity, and bucolic time on placid water amid peaceful forests is expected to provide calm and rejuvenation. Jane is trying to decide whether she can commit to working with a close friend toward becoming a professional private investigator.

The peaceful appearing forest, like so many lives, conceals dark doings and Jane is drawn into a maelstrom of murder, revenge, drugs and double dealing. The multiple threads of this complex story intersect, divide, and then reweave. At times the action is high with tension, the pace frantic. At other times, the story becomes thoughtful, calm, like the smooth waters of the lake itself, allowing readers moments to reflect, perhaps, on their own lives and paths not taken. The women of lost lake, must, in the end, decide for themselves, and take for themselves the heart-rending consequences of their lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carl Brookins www.carlbrookins.com BLOG: http://agora2.blogspot.com -BOOKS: Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky

Friday's Odds and Ends

2011-12-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

This post originally appeared in October 2008, but it could apply to today's political race with just a few name changes. It is either incredibly sad or incredibly funny that history just keeps repeating and repeating and repeating....

Let's All Take a Break

The latest political news has Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama declining public funding for his campaign. He says because of problems with the system, but some political analysts say the reason has more to do with the fact that by declining to participate in public funding, Obama can raise double the $85 million that is the most allowed in the public funding system.

$170 million dollars on a political campaign?

Oh, wait. That is only part of the total to be spent between now and November because on the Republican side, John McCain will raise at least $85 million. So at a minimum, $255 million is going to be spent buying votes. I don't know what you think, but I think that is obscene, especially because that is on top of the millions that have already been spent on the primaries.

I briefly thought I would like to know what the total is that all candidates spent since the primaries began, but decided my blood pressure is better off not knowing.

Here's a novel idea. Why don't we all take a break from politics. Gosh, it's not like we don't know everything we need to know about these candidates after years of the primary campaign.

Okay, it was only one year, but it felt like twenty.

The candidates could take a two month break and rest up for the last big push in September and October. And instead of wasting $255 million dollars, maybe each candidate spends about $10 million in those two months on national advertising.

And in those ads, they can tell us what they are going to do about key issues like the war in Iraq, the budget, health care, global warming, and revamping the political system so it doesn't pander to special interest.

It was once said that anyone could grow up to be president of the United States. Maybe that was true in the late 1800's, but not any more. You have to grow up to be incredibly rich first.

Wednesday's Guest - Tracy Farr

2011-12-14T06:32:00.000-08:00

In revisiting past blogs I found this piece that appeared in October 2008. Thought you might enjoy the humor.

Here is another guest blog from a talented jazz musician, who also has a deft hand with writing humor. He shares a weekly column with readers at winnsborotoday.com, and also graciously allows me to share with readers here. Enjoy.

Peanut M&Ms Anonymous

Hello, my name is Tracy, I’m addicted to Peanut M&Ms, but I haven't had any for 13 hours and 22 minutes.

"Hello Tracy, and welcome to the group."

Thanks. To be honest, I was reluctant to come here at first because I didn't actually think I had a problem. I thought I could control my desire to eat Peanut M&Ms by myself, but I was wrong.

"Tell us your story, Tracy. You're among friends."

Well, I can say I'm luckier than most. Some kids are born with the need to eat M&Ms because their mothers ate M&Ms while they were pregnant. Even though the doctors warn and often beg these mothers to stop eating M&Ms during pregnancy, they don't listen. And then they have M&M babies -- newborns just twitching with the need to eat something round and chocolate. Luckily, that was not my case.

For me, my addiction started when I was quite young. I was hooked the first time I saw M&Ms, tore open a package and let them melt in my mouth and not in my hands. Those were just the plain chocolate kind -- the kind kids love -- but as I grew older and my tastes grew more mature, I naturally gravitated to Peanut M&Ms.

The first time I popped a Peanut M&M, my universe just sort of exploded with new possibilities. I could see things more clearly. I could understand things that I never understood before. It was like my senses were attuned to higher and more sensitive levels. And once you pop one, you have to pop another to keep that high going.

It wasn't long before I found myself buying a bag of Peanut M&Ms and eating the entire thing without even realizing it. And I'm not talking about the little $1 bag you get out of a vending machine. I'm talking about the family-size, 6-pound bag that costs almost $12 and should last a lifetime.

It finally hit me that I had a problem when my little girl said she needed new shoes and I told her I didn't have any money, when in fact I did. I was saving that money to score me another bag of M&Ms before the weekend. And that's why I’m here at this meeting.

I’ve tried stopping cold turkey, but it's just too hard. I figured with help, and with belonging to a group of people who have suffered through the same problem and survived, that maybe I, with support, could pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again.

But, maybe I should start slowly. Maybe I should only eat a small bag a day and ease off this addiction gradually.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

Is there a vending machine around here?

And can somebody loan me a dollar?

~~~~~~~~~
Tracy Farr is a musician, school bus driver, and humor writer. Visit him at TracyFarr.com

The Daily Spittoon -- All the flavor but with half the calories.

A Bit of Humor

2011-12-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

This first appeared here on It's Not All Gravy in June, 2006, but the very first publication of this piece was in the Plano Star Courier where I wrote a humorous column for several years. It is always so much fun to go back and revisit the past.....

As we all know, writers are by nature very insecure people, especially in the early years when perhaps the only thing we get published is a letter to the editor and that’s cut from four paragraphs to three lines. In fact, for years basic insecurity was the only thing I had to affirm my credibility as a writer.

But even in my moment of greatest anxiety, I never reached the heights (or should I say the depths) of insecurity as did Glenda Gibberish. She wrote an entire book on squares of toilet tissue and hid each page in an empty roll. When her husband, Harry, asked about all the cardboard cylinders lining the dresser, Glenda told him she was making toys for the gerbils. That worked well until he decided to take an interest in the welfare of the pets. She lost one whole chapter in a single afternoon.

Realizing that would never do, Glenda resorted to stuffing the rolls in her underwear drawer, in the empty cookie jar, and in the springs of the old sofa bed. She figured she was safe since she put her own clothes away and nobody ever bothered with the cookie jar since she never baked. But she forgot about her mother-in-law’s visit. Oddly enough, the other woman said nothing when they unfolded the bed, but Harry gave her one of those looks that we women enjoy so much. Then he surprised the gerbils with new toys.

This ruse went on for years and she couldn’t bring herself to tell a soul that she was writing. Then one day she was hit with this overwhelming urge to “out” herself. It was the same compulsion that drives a dieter to a banana split at Dairy Queen and try as she might Glenda couldn’t shake it. So she had lunch with her best friend.

“Oh, no. Is it serious?”

“Not right now, but it could be.”

“How long... I mean, have you been this way forever?”

“Since I was a little girl. But, you know. It isn’t the kind of thing you just drop into casual conversation.”

“Good. Maybe we can keep it from getting around.”

“Don’t worry. I have plenty of editors looking out for me on that count.”

“Have you told Harry yet?”

“No. But he did wonder about the sudden demise of Jake the gerbil. I think he choked on a particularly graphic sex scene.”

“Harry?”

“No. The gerbil.”

“How have you managed to keep it from Harry?”

“Right now, I tell him I’m going into the closet to straighten up a few things. But that’s not going to last long. Sooner or later he’s going to remember that I don’t like to straighten anything.”

“Don’t worry. You can trust me with your secret.”

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind if you told a few people. My book comes out next month and I need the publicity.”

Book Review - Danger in Deer Ridge by Terry Odell

2011-12-11T06:42:00.000-08:00

Danger in Deer Ridge
by Terry Odell
ISBN-10: 1466234989
ISBN-13: 978-1466234987

I have read several of Terry Odell's books and this one is by far my favorite.

The danger revolves around Elizabeth Parker and her son, Will, who have escaped an abusive relationship and are trying to establish new identities and new lives. That might have been easier had Elizabeth not taken something else when she ran from her home city to rural Colorado.

Enter Mark Grinciewicz, Grinch to his friends and associates atBlackthorne, Incorporated. Grinch's ex-wife and her husband recently died, so he now has custody of his five-year-old son, Dylan. He has not seen the boy since he was a baby and is ill-equipped to be be a father, but he is determined to do what it takes to help his son adjust to a new life. When he gets a call from Blackthorne, requesting that he take a simple assignment—teach a woman how to fit into the community under her new identity—he reluctantly accepts the task.

I enjoyed all the characters in this story, especially the two young boys and how they bonded. Grinch was one of the best romantic heroes, stumbling, far from perfect, yet charming and strong. It was a real pleasure to journey through the story with Elizabeth as she evolved from the scared, paranoid woman in the beginning, to the capable, self-assured and self-actualized woman at the end. She had to overcome a lot of distrust and fear in order to stand up to her husband and then make choices for the rest of her life. One of the nicest things about her transformation is that it came from her. She was not the victim, saved by the big strong hero.

Kudos to the author for that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
FTC Disclaimer: The author sent me an ARC of the book in the hopes that I might read it, enjoy it, and write a review, but there were no guarantees or money slipped under the table. I was willing to take the time to read it since I have read other books by this author, and the only benefit I received was a good read.

Friday's Odds and Ends

2011-12-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

So Herman Cain is out, and now Newt Gingrich is taking the lead in the list of candidates for the Republican nomination for president. Some pundits consider him the strongest candidate, despite his past with Freddie Mac and the fact that he is less than honorable when it comes to bedding women. He has been divorced twice, leaving his first wife after her treatment for cancer, and leaving his second wife for a woman on his staff. I doubt they waited until after the divorce to jump into bed.

Other than the color of his skin, I don't see a whole lot of difference between these two men. They both make terrible choices in their personal lives, yet Cain seems to be paying a higher price for his indiscretions. Could it be because he is black?

Just asking....

I just read a review of a new gardening book, Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older by Sydney Eddison, and I loved the fact that is is geared toward those of us of a certain age who find the heavy work of slogging manure and compost in a wheelbarrow and digging rows and rows for planting a bit daunting of late. It was only a few years ago I could do all that with no sweat... well, actually a lot of sweat, but minimal pain and exhaustion. Now as arthritis and years progress, the chores are getting harder and harder.

According to the review, the book is part memoir, with "beautiful vignettes of life, with story arcs and graceful prose..." I think I'd like to read it just for that. There's nothing I love more than graceful prose.

This is the last weekend of our Christmas show, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" with performances tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday. As a show winds down there is always a mix of relief and sadness. Relief that the intense schedule of rehearsals and all the other demands is all ending, yet sadness that this little family is breaking up. Anyone who does theatre knows how the cast and crew bonds as they all work to make the story come alive, and it is hard to just have it all stop.

The good thing for this troupe is that most of us have worked together on past productions and will work again on our spring show. So it is not like we are losing friends forever.

Starting next week and through the end of December, I will be resurrecting some older blog posts as I plan to take a couple of weeks off to enjoy my company that is coming for Christmas. I'll pick some from the earliest years of this blog - hard to believe I've been writing this blog for almost six years - and hope you will find the look back worth your time.

Wednesday's Guest - Slim Randles

2011-12-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

Slim usually brings us some cowboy humor, but today he shares on a more serious issue. Thanks for the reminder, Slim, it is especially poignant today as we recall what happened on December 7, 1941. Today, I'm sharing my thoughts about Pearl Harbor HERE Stop by if you get a chance.

When Pop Walker snuck out the kitchen door the other day, it affected all of us. He’s been a resident of the Rest of Your Life retirement home for several years now.

He still remembers who said what during combat in Europe, but has a hard time remembering if he’s had breakfast.

The call went out down at the Sheriff’s office around 10 p.m. that Pop had slipped through the enemy lines, meaning the kitchen staff, and was on the loose. One of the deputies called Doc, who was a friend of Pop since forever, and Doc alerted the rest of us.

Pop is one of our own, of course. A couple of years ago, he took his coffee black and his philosophy straight at the philosophy counter at the Mule Barn.

It was cold, and they found his heavy coat still in his room, so this wasn’t good.

The deputies checked out the interstate and volunteers hit the all-night diners to see if he’d checked in there. No luck.

The cook at the home was crying, and she said Pop had been talking about going to see his buddy, Jasper, again, and did we know someone named Jasper?

Sure. Jasper Blankenship, up at the cabin in the mountains. When we heard this, the hunt actually took more form. Two guys started up at Jasper’s place and worked down the road. Steve and Dud both went horseback and started from the edge of town.

Steve found him. Pop was sitting and shivering under a tree high up on a ridge. Steve used the cell phone to let us know he was all right, then built a fire and wrapped a blanket around Pop.

Pop wouldn’t go back until Steve told him Jasper was down at the home, waiting for him. And Steve let him ride in the saddle, too. But before that happened, Steve ducked off behind a rock and made another phone call, to be sure Jasper would be there.

Two hours later, everyone had coffee and doughnuts back at the home, and they fixed the lock on the kitchen door. We have to be careful with those who have problems. We can’t afford to lose beautiful people like Pop.

------------------

Brought to you by Slim’s award-winning book (and stocking stuffer) “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.” Learn more at http://www.nmsantos.com/Slim/Slim.html.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-12-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

I think Mother Nature should be renamed Father Nature. Surely if a woman was in charge of the weather, she would be much more practical and efficient. Not too much rain all at one time. No prolonged droughts. No storms. A woman who can stare down a teen age boy can certainly stare down a tornado, right?

From the bizarre weather patterns we have been experiencing, it's obvious that some guy is in charge. He's probably pointing the remote control at the sky and just pushing buttons, not even paying attention. Rain. Sun. Drought. Wind. Flood. Whatever.

Here in Texas we had the worst drought it history this summer and well into fall. Now we are having our second day of heavy rainfall. Saturday night and Sunday we had about four inches of rain, and overnight another four inches, with more to come. That is good news for the parched earth and the stock ponds that had dried up, but wouldn't it have been more practical to spread this out just a bit?

On another note, I read a letter to the editor last week about the "accidents" that occur every year on Black Friday where people are injured of even killed. The letter writer first said that the retailers should stop offering the sales because people get hurt. Then it was suggested that cities adopt some kind of ordinance preventing the Black Friday sales.

I know I have asked this before, but maybe it needs to be asked again. Why can't the shoppers be responsible for their behavior? One of the "accidents" this year was a woman who used pepper spray in a Wal-Mart in Los Angeles and injured 20 people. This was not the fault of the store. Or the city. It was a choice that woman made to bring the pepper spray and use it to keep shoppers away. Some reports said she was trying to keep from getting pushed around in the crowd, other reports said she used it to keep shoppers from getting to a bargain table before her. Whatever the case, it was not the fault of the store or the city. It was clearly her choice and her fault.

We live in such a Me-First society that people just charge ahead without thinking of the consequences. We see it in the way people drive, line up at theatres and buffets, and how they shop on bargain days. Too bad.

Book Review - Murder in the 11th House by Mitchell Scott Lewis

2011-12-04T07:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks again to Carl Brookins for another mystery book review....

Murder in the 11th House
by Mitchell Scott Lewis
ISBN: 978-59058-950-2
a 2011 release from
Poisoned Pen Press

A team of intrepid and intelligent agents in league with an astrologer take on difficult cases of potential injustice. The feeling one gets from this debut novel about the Starlight Detective Agency is one of a small team of right-minded individuals with varied skills united around common goals. When government doesn’t get it right, the agency will. And they’re not above bending the law for all the right reasons. How that affects the lawyer/daughter on the team remains to be seen. The agency does work with police in New York City whenever possible, and because of his wealth and reputation, that seems to be often, but David Lowell, Astrologer non parallel, is not above spending his considerable money and influence to right apparent wrongs.

Angry bartender Johnny Colbert has a loud confrontation with a judge in a small New York Courtroom. It’s a civil case but the judge is soon dead in spectacular fashion and the bartender has no alibi. Enter Lowell’s daughter, defense attorney, Melinda, who prevails on her father to attempt to solve the mystery of who killed the judge and why, thus, presumably, exonerating Ms Colbert. The why of the murder proves far more fascinating that the astrological explanations. There are many explanations, and in some detail. They tend to slow the pace of the story considerably.

But it doesn’t matter whether you believe in astrology or not, the writing is generally smooth and the story develops logically. All of the characters stay in character, even if it’s a bit of a stretch for the young idealistic attorney to countenance what she knows is marginally illegal activity on behalf of her client. Several of the characters, Sarah and the client in particular, are interesting and well-drawn. all in all a nice traditionally-styled crime novel for a pleasant reading afternoon.

--
Carl Brookins www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com, Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky

Friday's Odds and Ends

2011-12-02T07:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight we open The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts. I directed the show, with the help of my assistant, Cindy Sanders, and a host of other Theatre Moms who shared their kids with us, as well as helped with costumes, props, etc. What a joy it has been to "play" with these kids for six weeks. This is a fun show and the community is all abuzz about it.

Now on to the news.

Much has been said about Emma Sullivan, the student in Kansas whose Tweet about Governor Sam Brownback went from obscurity to national news after an aide in Brownback's office saw the Tweet and contacted the youth organization that arranged the school trip to meet the governor to report it. That organization contacted Emma's principal, who told her she had to apologize for the Tweet, which read "Just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot."

Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald columnist, defended Sullivan's refusal to apologize, saying that she had the right to Tweet that, even though it was rude.

That is true. The First Amendment gives us freedom of speech, but I don't think that right should excuse the crude and sometimes vile things that are written just because we can. Emma's mother defended her daughter saying, "I raised my kids to be independent, to be strong, to be free thinkers. If she wants to Tweet her opinions about Gov. Brownback, I say for her to go for it, and I stand totally behind her."

Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus suggests that Mrs. Sullivan also teach her daughter about civil discourse and what is considered crass language. The fact that this is the way kids communicate with each other does not make it acceptable. Marcus wrote, "If you were my daughter you'd be writing that letter apologizing to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownbeck for the smart-alecky, potty-mouthed Tweet you wrote...."

Marcus does uphold Sullivan's right to free speech, she just wishes that parents would teach their children how to express their views without resorting to trash talk.

What do you think?

Mitt Romney is being maligned in political ads for flip-flopping on issues, primarily abortion. He went from Pro-Choice to Pro-Life and some see that as a weakness. Kathleen Parker points out in a recent column that Romney's switch was not a flip-flop, but a well-thought out decision based on research and information he learned from William Hurlbut, a physician and professor of biomedical ethics at Stanford University Medical School.

Parker suggest that ideology often changes as we mature and perhaps Romney's changes were not just done out of political expediency, but rather a new maturity.

I am not necessarily a Romney fan, nor am I endorsing him for the Republican candidacy, but I do think the ad is misleading and we need to be aware of the reality as we consider who to vote for.

Wednesday's Guest - Slim Randles

2011-11-30T06:45:00.000-08:00

Here is another offering from humorist, Slim Randles, and his "Home Country" syndicated column.

By the time we saw Dud, of course, the damage had been done.

It was Steve who spoke first.

"I don't believe it," the tall cowboy said.

We all turned then, and the full impact of the deed struck us almost simultaneously. There, on Dud's head, was a sculpture of such blasphemous proportions as would silence all of us in attendance at the Mule Barn truck stop's philosophy counter and world dilemma think tank. It was beautiful, of course, but it was also tragic.

"They call it feathered," said Dud, turning red. "A razor cut."

We just stared at the haircut without saying anything. It curved gracefully around his ears, it waved softly in sculptured layers over the top of his head. It fell in gradually decreasing thicknesses down the long back slope of his head toward its tapered termination at the neck.

"It was Anita's idea," Dud said. "She gave me the money for it and everything."

Finally, Doc spoke. "What's Kelly going to say?"

"That's the worst of it, all right," Dud said. "I know he's going to be hurt."

Kelly hadn't really worried too much about the future of his barbershop when Fantasy Fantails set up shop. He assumed it was a haircutting place for women who didn't want to take the time to go to the beauty parlor, and for guys who came to live in our small town from the city.

Kelly's has always been the stronghold of local manhood. The magazines had nothing to do with decorating a house or how your investments are working out. The magazines had everything to do with what kind of bait to use on catfish and how big an engine your pickup needed to pull a large boat. You wouldn't find a single advertisement showing a guy wearing a sweater tied around his neck. Not at Kelly's. In the past, when magazines were magazines, you could read how some guy captured Gestapo headquarters with his headhunter brides.

"Well," said Doc, shrugging. "That haircut of yours is a work of art, without a doubt. But there's at least one good thing about getting a really expensive haircut, Dud. Sooner or later, it'll grow out."
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Brought to you by Slim’s new book and great stocking stuffer “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.” Learn more at http://www.nmsantos.com/Slim/Slim.html

Monday Morning Musings

2011-11-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

Actually, this is Monday afternoon musings. We have been having a lot of work done on our house - a new deck and sun room - and the workers came this morning to finish it up. Just when I thought I could come back to my office to get some work done, there would be a knock at the door - another question needed an answer.

The work is all done now and the men are gone, so I thought I would get to this an hour ago, but I had to take the cats out to the new room and introduce them. Then I decided it would be a good idea to sweep out there... and....

Plus it's Cyber-Monday. While I don't participate in Black Friday sales, unless they are online, I do like to see what kind of deals can be made on Cyber-Monday. That ate up another hour, but I did get a nice chair at a good price.

Then my husband came into my office with a cat on his shoulder. Had to get this picture when the cat decided to play with the pulls on the ceiling fan.

So here I am finally, well after noon, with only one rant to share. I read an interview with Robert Mann, author of a new book Daisy Petals and Mushroom Clouds: LBJ, Barry Goldwater and the Ad That Changed American Politics. He was asked about the ad that some people think scuttled Goldwater's run for the presidency and was the root of negative ads on TV, and he said the ad was "almost entirely about exploiting fear."

He went on to explain that the firm that developed the ad had a reputation for developing ads that were sometimes humorous and "generated emotion more than rational thinking."

While that may be a sound approach for marketing cars and computers and Cheerios, I hardly think it appropriate for marketing the next leader of the U.S. - or any other politician for that matter. I want people to use rational thinking when they consider casting a vote. Forget the spin, the good looks, the eloquent oratory, and focus on the issues and a candidate's plan to address those issues.

Book Review - Glass Halo by Colleen Smith

2011-11-27T07:37:00.000-08:00

Glass Halo
Colleen Smith

• Publisher: Friday Jones Publishing (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004YEZ9FY

Glass Halo is a thoughtful and well-written book that deals with the relationship between Nora, a stained-glass artist and Father Vin DeMarco, a charming Catholic priest. They are literally thrown together when a tornado suddenly touches down, and he pulls her to safety in the nave of the church. When the terrible storm subsides, they emerge to discover that the wind destroyed many of the beautiful stained glass windows.

Nora was raised in a family of stained-glass artists and worked as a glazier until the terrible accident that left her severely injured and a widow. Emotional and spiritual recovery is harder than the physical. Nora's marriage was not a good one and became worse the more Liam drank and did drugs. Nora was glad when he died, and that type of response is always fraught with guilt.

When Nora finally accepts the job of restoring the Cathedral windows, she brings that guilt, as well as considerable other emotional baggage. She is as broken as those windows, and so is Father DeMarco, who drinks too much and struggles between the goodness of his priesthood and the limits.

As the work progresses on the windows, the work of putting themselves back together sometimes progresses and other times goes backward. Nora is obsessed with wanting Vin DeMarco, the man, not the priest, and he struggles to hang on to his vocation. Together they discover what is most meaningful in their lives and their relationship with each other and with God. On some levels this is a story of the romance between a woman and a priest, and on another level it is the story of a spiritual journey through the healing power of art.

Readers will enjoy the exquisite use of language and allegory. There are also rich details about the art and craft of stained glass, along with well-researched touches of history and the Roman Catholic religion. An added bonus is the use of beautiful pictures throughout the book. They could be renderings for stained-glass pieces and the imagery depicted connects to the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~
FTC disclaimer: I bought this book of my own free will. I was not bribed or coerced in any way to buy the book or review it. The author probably doesn't even know I bought it, and while she gained the pittance of royalty from the one sale, I have not gained monetarily. I have, however, gained from the experience of reading such a terrific book.

Friday's Odds and Ends

2011-11-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

This will be anything but the ordinary Friday post. First of all because I'm getting to it so late in the day. Mainly because I slept in this morning - gosh that felt good - and had a lot of other things to take care of this morning.

No Black Friday shopping for me, unless it is on my computer. I have never been a fan of this ritual for a lot of reasons. "I'm not a shopper" is probably the main one. Some people love to wander through shopping malls and can spend entire days doing that. I'd rather spend days wandering through the woods behind our property. I also really don't like the sense of desperation that seems to lead to unfortunate occurrences like shoppers getting trampled. I have not checked the news yet, so I don't know if that happened today, but I remember in happening last year. So sad.

We spent Thanksgiving at our son's house. It was his first year to host the dinner, and I was quite proud of how well he did. His older sister helped with the food preparations, but he was very much into making the stuffing and getting the turkey just right. He even asked me for my stuffing recipe, and when I arrived at his house, he had it almost finished. It was just as good as mine.

He was also a very gracious host, making sure everyone got plenty of food and responding to every request of, "Paul, do you have....?"

It is almost a three-hour drive from our place to his home in Denton, Texas, so we spent almost 6 hours driving yesterday. Now you know why I slept in.

So, how was your Thanksgiving?

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

I know I don't usually post on Thursdays, but this is a special day and I couldn't let it go by without an acknowledgement.

My regular weekly blog piece for Venture Galleries.com expresses my sentiments about this holiday, so I won't repeat it here. Hop over there if you have a moment.

Wednesday's Guest - Tom Turkey

2011-11-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

This time of year, turkeys are the most popular birds in the United States, so I thought I would go try to find one to see what he, or she, thinks about all this attention.

ME: Um, excuse me. Are you a turkey?

TT: Hey, keep it down. I'm trying to hide here.

ME: Why?

TT: Oh, you're not from around here, are you?

ME: Actually, I am. Why?

TT: Don't you know what tomorrow is?

ME: Of course, it's Thanksgiving.

TT: And what is the centerpiece of every Thanksgiving table? Yeah. You got it. Me. So that's why I'm hiding.

ME: So... I'm guessing you are not too fond of the holiday.

TT: Not unless it's being held at a vegan's house. Then I might even stop in for a bit of the corn.

ME: Do you think they'd let you in?

TT: It was a joke, already. As in that is the only house I'd willingly go to.

ME: I see. I'm sensing that you would rather something else be the main dish at the Thanksgiving dinner.

TT: You think? I'd suggest chicken, but they're my cousins. How about steak.

ME: But a turkey was part of the first Thanksgiving dinner.

TT: Yeah, but so was a lot of fish, and venison, and ducks, and other food. It's not fair that we are the only ones sacrificing for modern day celebrations.

ME: You do have a good point there. Maybe you should hold a demonstration to protest.

TT: Oh, that's a brilliant idea. Expose myself to the very people who want to eat me. Go on. Take your silly ideas and get out of here before I end up at some non-vegan house.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-11-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

The Romance Studio is having a Thanksgiving Party, with lots of prizes, a Nook and free books. Lots of authors participating and I am sharing my pumpkin pie recipe.

Today I'm over at the Blood Red Pencil with a post about thankfulness. Hop over if you have a moment and let me know what you are thankful for.

An update from last Monday's musings. The Stock Act bill first introduced by Brian Baird and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter which would make it illegal for members of Congress to trade stocks on non-public information and require them to report their stock trades every 90 days instead of once a year has gained momentum. It was reported on Sixty Minutes last night that the bill now has 25 sponsors and is scheduled to go to the Senate floor.

A study for MIT states that "the environmental record of shale gas wells is for the most part a good one." In one of his columns, David Brooks interpreted that to mean the the risks of fracking can be managed if there are reasonable regulations and if the "general public has a balanced and realistic sense of the costs and benefits."

So, according to Brooks, all we need to do to ensure that fracking is safe and environmentally okay is to buy into all the PR from companies doing the fracking as well as those who benefit from selling the gas. While we are at it, we should ignore the fact that the downside of the fracking method of extracting gas from shale is still being investigated.

People in Texas and Oklahoma, where a lot of the gas is being extracted, have been experiencing earthquakes at increasing rates, and there is a link between the drilling method and this increase. Even the companies doing the drilling admit it. That report is from a company in the UK, and here in the States it appears that people are ignoring the dangers. A recent ruling in West Virginia allows fracking in and around one of the major cities in that state.

An article on PlanetSave.com, not only shows the connection between fracking and earthquakes, it has an alarming report that the recent quake in Oklahoma occurred on the proposed path of the XL Pipeline.

These are serious issues and energy companies and car companies need to be moving us away from our dependence on oil and gas as swiftly as possible. Instead of playing chicken with our safety and our planet, we need to put our best efforts into finding alternatives to fossil fuels.

And consumers need to do their part, too. Car pool. Consolidate shopping and errands and try not to drive every day unless you absolutely have to. Keep thermostats low in winter and high in the summer.

What are you doing to save on energy?

Friday's Odds and Ends

2011-11-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

Getting a late start in my office this morning. The burn bans that have been in effect all summer and into fall here in East Texas have been lifted, and I had piles of dead brush and other things that needed to be burned, so I played with fire this morning. Felt good to get at least one big brush pile burned. Didn't roast marshmallows or hot dogs, though. Too early for that. Maybe next time I'll burn closer to evening and have supper, while I'm out there enjoying the beautiful fall weather.

According to a column I read about three weeks ago by Joe Nocera of the New York Times, Jon Corzine, CEO of MF Global Holdings, is primarily responsible for "running the firm into the ground." Yet Corzine stood to get up to $12 million in severance if he managed to sell the firm before it went bankrupt. The sale never happened, and MF did go under on October 31, laying off nearly half its staff, including more than 1,000 employees of the company's broker-dealer unit.

For a while it looked like Corzine and J. Randy MacDonald, head of global retail for MF Global Holdings, might still get nice severance packages, but the latest report from Nick Brown and Jonathan Stempel states that the two have left the company without severance in hand. That is one bright spot in this mess that seems to be repeated endlessly in big business.

In another bright spot, yesterday, the trustee overseeing the liquidation of assests for MF Global won court permission to distribute $520 million of cash to customers. Customers won, top executives lost. Finally someone is getting it right.

I'm all for safety, and I know we have had this discussion about airport screening before, but the process of protecting us from possible terrorist threats can get absurd at times. In a recent trip from New Orleans to Dallas, Dallas Morning News columnist Jacquielynn Floyd set off alarms at the screening. She was wearing a skirt that had a series of snaps down the front and around the waistband that trigered the alarm. "The screener said, "I can't clear this. You'll need a full body search."

When Floyd tried to show the snaps, which could hardly be large enough to contain explosives, the lady simply repeated her statement. That's when Floyd admittedly "lost it." Rather than go through the indignity of a body search, and in a moment of pique, she decided to drop her skirt and send it through the conveyor belt to be X-rayed. She figured standing there in her tights and long shirt was less humiliating than having a full body pat down that includes someone touching her breasts to check around her bra.

That was a good plan until something went wrong with the conveyer belt, and Floyd ended up having to stand in the screening area without her skirt for much too long until the problem got solved and her skirt came through.

This is a good example of why I have not been on a plane in almost ten years, and may never get on one again. That, and the absurd fees for everything that used to be part of the ticket price..

Wednesday's Guest - Little Pickle Press

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Please welcome Rana DiOrio and Dani Greer, who are on a tour letting people know about a wonderful new book.

What Does It Mean To Be Safe? By Rana DiOrio - Illustrated by Sandra Salsbury

What a lovely book with a terrific message delivered in a straight-forward manner with delightful illustrations. Kids will love the book just for the engaging characters portrayed in the pictures, and the messages of safety will connect with them through these illustrations. Even though I no longer have very young grandchildren, I may still get a copy or two of the book just to share with daughters and granddaughters who appreciate the art, and I would certainly recommend the book to others. It is our responsibility to keep children safe, and they are more apt to pay attention to the lessons that come via a book than another lecture from mommy or grandma.

I first became acquainted with Little Pickle Press when a colleague, Dani Greer, sent me a copy of Your Fantastic Elastic Brain for review. I immediately fell in love with the engaging illustrations by Sarah Ackerley but was also intrigued by the whole concept of Little Pickle Press, which is producing quality, innovative books while keeping one eye on the environment. It is a very green company.

As part of the blog tour, Rana and Dani answered a few questions about the press and the books for me.

Q. I love the name of the company, Little Pickle Press. Who chose it and why?

Rana: I have always referred to my children as pickles. When it came time to name the company, incorporating the word "pickle" was a logical place to start. With a little brainstorming on the part of our early team, we came up with Little Pickle Press.

Q.Dani, how did you connect with Little Pickle Press and why? What were the main things that attracted you to the company?

Dani: I'd been teaching and promoting the use of blog book tours for several years, and Rana noticed a link about my class on Facebook. She asked me about organizing a blog book tour for her latest release. I always had a special interest in children's literature, and this company was a green publisher (recycled papers using soy inks and printed in N. America) so the idea of a virtual tour was exactly right for them.

Q. The Little Pickle Press mission: "Little Pickle Press is dedicated to helping parents and educators cultivate conscious, responsible little people by stimulating explorations of the meaningful topics of their generation through a variety of media, technologies, and techniques." Could you translate that for those of us who get lost in too many words? LOL

Rana: We help parents and teachers nurture conscientious children by catalyzing conversations about stuff that matters through our books and digital media. Better?

Dani: Little Pickle Press products help teach children the important lessons they need to learn to be better people, now and as adults. The books are printed and shipped in an environmentally-conscious way to set a good example, and all the books are available to read on modern gadgets like computers and cell phones and more. It's a must to make reading available in many ways, and LPP has always been on the leading edge of these changes and opportunities.

Q. Anything else you would like to say about the Press and the book?

Dani: Like all the Little Pickle Press titles, this book will soon have an iBook version, an interactive app, and free lesson plans that teachers and parents can download to further explore those conversations we mentioned. Each of the books also has original music created by a wonderful composer and singer, Jasmine Saldate. And there's a poster we're giving away free with the sale of this book during the tour when you use this LINK and enter coupon code BBTSAFE to get free shipping on your order. You always get lots of extras with Little Pickle Press. I have to say, I wish all the companies I've worked with were so totally cool.

This book would make a nice holiday gift and don't forget to enter the code for free shipping and the SAFE poster made of TerraSkin, the tree-free paper. Just enter BBTSAFE at check-out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Bio:
Rana DiOrio is an investor, investment banker, lawyer, and the mother of three children. She is also the founder and CEO of Little Pickle Press. What Does It Mean To Be Safe? is the fourth in her What Does It Mean To Be… ? picture book series and all are printed in an environmentally-friendly manner using recycled paper, soy inks, and green packaging.

Places you can connect with Little Pickle Press:

Book Trailer: -- Blog: --- Facebook: --- Twitter:

Monday Morning Musings

2011-11-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

Watching Sixty Minutes last night, I was dismayed when viewing Steve Kroft's report on how members of Congress have used insider information to make huge profits on the stock market. For the report, Kroft interviewed Peter Schweizer, a fellow at the Hoover Institution, who wrote a book about soft corruption in Washington with a team of eight student researchers. In doing the research for "Throw Them All Out" the team reviewed financial disclosure records and discovered that members of Congress were using information they gained in committees to buy and sell stock.

As an example Schweizer said, "If you are a member of Congress and you sit on the defense committee, you are free to trade defense stock as much as you want to if you're on the Senate banking committee you can trade bank stock as much as you want and that regularly goes on-- in-- in all these committees."

As we well know, anyone else who uses insider information for personal gain is subject to prosecution under SEC regulations, but the SEC apparently does not have the authority to investigate the reports of insider trading among members of Congress.

In the interview, Kroft asked Schweizer why the SEC can't look into it, and Schweizer answered, "It's really the way the rules have been defined. And the people who make the rules are the political class in Washington. And they've conveniently written them in such a way that they don't apply to themselves."

According to the report, the practice is perfectly legal, but it is time for the law to change. The problem is the change has to come from within Congress, since law begins there. Attempts to introduce legislation to stop this practice has hit brick walls.

Brian Baird, a former congressman from Washington state who served six terms in the house before retiring last year, spent a great deal of time trying to affect a change and establish rules governing insider trading among members of Congress. In 2004, Baird and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter introduced the Stock Act which would make it illegal for members of Congress to trade stocks on non-public information and require them to report their stock trades every 90 days instead of once a year.

The bill got very little support. Only six other members came on board to co-sponsor the bill, and when there was a congressional hearing on the Stock Act, almost no one showed up. And why is that not a huge surprise? The majority in Congress is more focused on what is good for them, or for the party, than what is good for the country at large.

I agree with Schweizer, throw them all out.

Book Review - Reunion by Carl Brookins

2011-11-13T06:40:00.000-08:00

Reunion
Carl Brookins
ISBN: 978-1-59080-668-5
Echelon Press

This book straddles the fence between being a cozy and a hard-boiled tale. Jack Marston, former investigator for the U.S. Navy, is now director of student services at a small college in Minneapolis, so he doesn't consider himself a law-enforcement officer anymore, but he keeps getting pulled into investigations in this series that debuted with Bloody Halls. In Reunion, Jack talks his girlfriend, Lori Jacobs, into attending her 20th class reunion in hopes of learning more about her, only to be thrust into another investigation when one of her former classmates is found murdered.

The lighter side of the story revolves around introducing the players and the reunion, which isn't a bad thing if your reading tastes lean more toward the cozy. In some places I also thought things happened a bit too easily in terms of finding out important information, but the interplay between characters was good enough to keep me connected to the story, and I did really enjoy the relationship between Jack Marston and Lori.

The tangle of underhanded business dealings from the past that connect to the current murders adds to the drama and suspense, and the reader is led down a few blind alleys until the final outcome. I will say Brookins kept me guessing through most of the story and the tension did pick up toward the end. As Marston gets closer to solving a five-year-old murder, as well as finding out who is responsible for killing people at Lori's class reunion, the danger mounts for him and Lori.

In addition to writing and reviewing mysteries, Carl Brookins is an avid recreational sailor. With his wife and friends he has sailed in many locations across the world. He is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Private Eye Writers of America.
~~~~~~~~~~~

FTC Disclaimer: The author sent me a copy of this book, just like he probably sent one to the New York Times in hopes of a review. That is the way it is done in the business. I am free to ignore the request for a review, the same as the guy from the New York Times. No money is slipped under any table and none of us get seriously rich by doing reviews. Was I influenced by the fact that Carl Brookins writes reviews that he lets me share here? Probably, but only because I find his writing good enough to share.

Veteran's Day 2011

2011-11-11T08:03:00.000-08:00

Instead of my usual Friday fare on the blog, I wanted to pause a moment to honor the men and women who have served in the military in defense of our country and our freedom. If you would like to see the ceremony being held at Arlington Cemetary in Washington D.C. today here is a LINK.

Late yesterday a friend of mine, Clint Brady, posted this on his Facebook status and it encompasses all of what I would like to say to those in the military and those who served at one time. With his permission, I'd like to share it with you.

"A few hours early here in Texas. Let me say a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of our veterans and those in active duty military. I may not have always agreed with ,or completely understood, what you were fighting for. But each of you has done something that the large majority of Americans either can't or won't do...you put on a uniform to serve our country, and in many cases you risked your life to do that. I can never fully understand the sacrifices you made to serve our country since I was never in the military myself. What I can absolutely assure you is that you have my respect and gratitude. Happy Veterans Day, and thank you."

And I would like to add a special thank you to my brother, Michael, who served in Vietnam, my son, David, who served in Desert Storm, my daughter, Danielle, who served in the army, my grandfather Stewart who served in WWII, and all the military men in my father's family who served in every war since the Revolutionary War.

Wednesday's Guest - Slim Randles

2011-11-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

Since it is deer hunting season in most states, I thought this piece from Slim would be fun to share. Enjoy....

It was that particular crispness in the pre-dawn air that got Jasper up and out early. He wasn’t going to the diggin’s today but had something else in mind.

After Arthur finished his kibble, Jasper tied him outside the cabin door and tried hard to ignore the look of accused betrayal on his pal’s face. Then Jasper got down the rifle and closed the door softly behind him.

A walk through the forest carpet of 15 minutes took him to that little rock outcropping that Jasper had discovered more than 40 years earlier. He set the barrel of the rifle on a short log and sat down. Only Jasper’s camouflaged face showed over the rock outcropping.

Then came the wait. The delicious anticipation. Time after time he checked the direction of the wind. He knew he was doing well when a squirrel came headfirst down a nearby pine and whisked around within six feet of Jasper.

Then, about ten, and just about the time Jasper was thinking how good another cup of coffee would taste back at the cabin, the woods went deathly quiet. Jasper went on full alert. He saw the antlers first, coming through tall brush. Two steps. Stop. One step. Stop. Hold there for long seconds, then another step. Jasper sat quietly. Two more steps. Stop. In a minute the buck would emerge at 30 yards, broadside, from behind a tree. It was going to be a classic hunting shot.

And then, after a few more steps, the big buck was there, broadside. Jasper waited until the deer turned his head to look back the way he came. Then, in one fluid movement, Jasper brought the rifle to his shoulder, put the front bead on that spot behind the buck’s shoulder, and quietly said, “Bang.”

Then he grinned and waved as the buck bounded away.

Back at the cabin, Jasper rubbed Arthur’s ears and gave him a detailed account of the hunt.

“And I didn’t have to pack in all that meat, either,” he said. “Tomorrow? A turkey hunt, I think.”

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Brought to you by Slim’s new book and great stocking stuffer “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.” Learn more at http://www.nmsantos.com/Slim/Slim.html

Monday Morning Musings

2011-11-07T05:33:00.000-08:00

I haven't shared an excerpt from my humorous memoir, A Dead Tomato Plant and a Paycheck, in quite a while, so I thought I would do that for today. I really can't do Monday Morning Musings because I am actually writing this on Sunday. Tomorrow I will be out of pocket all day. Enjoy.....

Nothing is worse than having everyone in the family sick at the same time. At least when you take turns, passing a flu bug around like a hot potato, someone is always well enough to tend to the rest of the folks. But when everyone is sick, guess who has to grit her teeth and make chicken soup?

You guessed it. Mom.

One year was particularly bad at our house. I was on the losing side of a persistent flu bug that hung around for four or five weeks. And I used to think a 24-our bug was bad.

That particular run of the flu reached the point where the kids took numbers in the morning to see who would get to stay home from school that day. I could only handle one or two sickies at a time, especially the sickies who didn’t act sick. Nothing was more wearing than a kid who threw up one minute and knocked his brother senseless the next.

Why couldn’t they take a cue from us adults and just stay on the couch in a semi-comatose position and just moan a lot?

And why did they have to eat. Imagine yourself with a stomach that feels like Mt. St. Helen's revisited, and the sweet aroma of chili dogs and nacho cheese chips comes drifting in from the kitchen. Have they never heard of chicken soup and weak tea?

Usually, when it came to the delicate art of juggling kids to see who got to stay home, my natural instincts served me well, but one day my judgment must have been clouded by my own raging fever. The kid I elected to keep home -- the kid who was at death's doorway with a terrible sore throat and a headache at eight in the morning -- spent half his day with his head out the door playing with the dog and the other half of the day fixing snacks. The kid who went to school with a vague complaint of a stomach ache was sent home right after the stomach ache voluntarily removed itself from the vague status.

And through it all, I spent a great deal of time on the sofa in a semi-comatose position, moaning a lot.

Book Review - The Eye of The Virgin by Frederick Ramsey

2011-11-06T05:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Carl Brookins for another review. He does pick some good books to offer for our reading pleasure....

The Eye of the Virgin
By Frederick Ramsey
Pub. Poisoned Pen Press
June, 2010, Hard Cover.
254 pages.
ISBN: 9781590587607

Review by Carl Brookins

Sheriff Ike Schwartz is in it again. Some odd break-ins have occurred in the area around the town of Picketsville, Virginia. What were thieves looking for in the studio of an iconographer? Why is an unknown individual discovered dead of gunshot, but in a chair in the Picketsville clinic? Are these incidents related? And who is the mysterious woman Abe Schwartz has been squiring about?

Sparkling dialogue and a whee of a climactic scene distinguish this crime novel. It's the xxx in Ramsey's continuing saga of the home-town adventures of ex-CIA spook Isaack Schwartz. He's retired from the international scene to become the elected sheriff of the aforesaid Pickettsville, Virginia. He's bright, sharp, aware of the ways of international espionage so when he sees it, he recognizes it. As the elected sheriff he has to deal with a loose collection of varied and interesting characters. Some of them make life quite interesting; the president of the local college, Ruth XXX for instance. Others, inept contract spooks and burglars, for example, are dangerous. Schwartz and his deputies manage to keep the peace and solve crimes in interesting if not always legal ways.

They are aided in their tasks, as are readers who find their way to this lovely novel, by carefully thought out if sometimes complicated plots, good pace, and crackling spot-on dialogue. Threaded through the cleverness and the funny bits are thoughtful musings on the state of world affairs today in which enemies become friends and friends enemies.

An excellent enjoyable novel

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carl Brookins
www.carlbrookins.com www.agora2.blogspot.com
Case of the Greedy Lawyer, Devils Island,
Bloody Halls, more at Kindle & Smashwords!

Friday's Odds and Ends

2011-11-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

What is it they say about the best laid plans.....? I was going to come into my office first thing this morning and get my blog done, then maybe a bit of work on my book before the day got away from me. That plan went down the river when first the crew showed up early to work on the deck and needed some questions answered.

Then I remembered that some men were coming to pick up my old furniture today to be donated to the animal shelter garage sale. Perhaps I should just do a quick cleanup of all the pet hair that accumulated behind this sofa since the last time it was moved.

Then I remembered that I needed to do laundry today since I will be at a signing event Saturday and Sunday all day. And on Monday I will have some minor surgery. Checked the closet and sure enough, not enough clothes to put that off until Tuesday.

Luckily, I then remembered that our two little cats are at the veterinarian's. Took them there yesterday and they had to stay overnight. If I hadn't remembered that, they would be stuck there until Monday. And of course, I can't get them on Monday if I am under anesthetic.

Crazy, crazy day. And I do hope I remember to iron the blouse I want to wear tomorrow. But right now, I'm off to get the kittens.

By the way, this rabbit has nothing to do with the subject of the blog. He just looks like I feel.

How do you handle crazy days like this? Can you easily go with the flow?

Wednesday's Guest - Chris Redding

2011-11-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

Please welcome Chris Redding as she shares some advice to make this a kinder world.... She also has a gift for one lucky visitor, so please leave a comment.

Son #2 has a shirt from his cross country coach that has a message I think is great: Train Hard, Run Fast, Be Nice.

Just Be Nice

That’s all I ask of life. Okay, maybe not all. The Eagles to win the Superbowl. Penn State to be National Champions again.

But what can you do? Be nice.

I deal with lots of people in my day job. Sometimes they follow the rules. Sometimes they don’t. And sometimes they have a true emergency. Or something got lost in the mail.

Just be nice.

If you are nice to me I will go to the ends of the Earth to help you. If you are not nice to me, you are so out of luck.

The other day a co-worker needed something that I could not give her per my boss. She yelled at me in an e-mail that we should make an exception for her because she hasn’t done anything wrong. Mind you, in all my dealings with her, I’ve had to make exceptions. Every dang time.

I think authors forget to do this.

We get so wrapped up in our promotion and selling books, we forget to just be nice. We would probably sell more books. People would think, “What a nice author. I can give this book as a Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa gift.”

So the next time you are tempted to not, remember, just be nice.

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Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two sons, one dog, three rabbits. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. When she isn’t writing she works part time for her local hospital.

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Blonde Demolition Blurb
You just can't hide from the past...

Mallory Sage lives in a small, idyllic town where nothing ever happens. Just the kind of life she has always wanted. No one, not even her fellow volunteer firefighters, knows about her past life as an agent for Homeland Security.

Former partner and lover, Trey McCrane, comes back into Mallory's life. He believes they made a great team once, and that they can do so again. Besides, they don't have much choice. Paul Stanley, a twisted killer and their old nemesis, is back.

Framed for a bombing and drawn together by necessity, Mallory and Trey go on the run and must learn to trust each other again―if they hope to survive. But Mallory has been hiding another secret, one that could destroy their relationship. And time is running out.

Links:

www.chrisreddingauthor.com
http://chrisredddingauthor.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/chrisreddingauthor
www.twitter.com/chrisredding

For one lucky commenter I have a Yankee Candle Goody Bag. Commenter just has to be in the United States.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-10-31T07:17:00.000-07:00

Since it is Halloween, I thought I would tell you about our two new kittens who could be Halloween cats. We got them two weeks ago, but we didn't plan on getting black cats. I don't even like black cats, and the lady who was fostering these kittens, along with several others, had told me on the phone about all the other kittens she had available for adoption: A cute black and white tuxedo cat. An orange tabby. A silver tabby with little white paws that made her look like she was wearing mittens, and a gray cat with long hair and a regal stance.

And she had these two black cats. I cut her off right there, telling her that I wasn't interested in solid black cats. Not sure why. Maybe because solid black cats are so plain. Or maybe because of that old superstition about a black cat crossing your path being bad luck, even though I never thought I really believed that. Groucho Marx said that "A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere."

Pretty benign actually. No. The reason I don't like black kitties is really because they are dull and uninteresting. How many people look at a black cat and say, "Oh how darling? What a cute little kitty."

That aside, when we went to see all the cats, hoping to take home one or two of those cute little kitties, one of the black cats walked across the patio table and right up to my husband. The cat then crawled up his chest, nuzzled in his beard - my husband's, not the cat's - and started purring.

No doubt about it, my husband had his cat.

Then it was my turn to choose a cat. I picked up the Tuxedo cat, hoping he would take to me, but he jumped right down. Ditto for the tabby with the mittens and the orange tabby and the pretty gray kitten. Meanwhile this other little black cat kept walking up to me, touching my leg and giving the sweetest little meow, as if to say, "Take me. Take me."

I picked her up and she nuzzled in my neck, and now she is living in our house.

We were happy with two new cats, then last week, I found this cat in my barn who was injured. I took her to the veterinarian's, and luckily she was not hurt seriously. I had two choices at that point. Turn the cat loose - I think she belongs to a neighbor who seems not to care about her - or bring her home where she could finish healing.

Now we have three new cats.

Book Review - Snakehead by Peter May

2011-10-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Carl Brookins for another terrific review....

Snakehead
by Peter May
Poisoned Pen Press
Hardcover, 312 pages,
ISBN: 9781590586068

This is the ourth in the author's China Thriller series to be published by this press. Make no mistake this is one scary and thrilling book. So thrilling, in fact I had the sense toward the end of being carried just a bit over the top. The novel brings back two of May's most endearing characters, forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell, American, and Beijing detective, Li Yan. But they are no longer in China. Campbell is now the county medical examiner based in Houston, Texas, and Li Yang is learning about and dealing with America's multiple and complex law enforcement agencies as a member of the Chinese Embassy staff in Washington, D.C.

Until a major tragedy brings them together, Campbell is not even aware that they are again in the same country although still thousands of miles physically and culturally apart. The tragedy that brings these two together are the deaths of scores of illegal Chinese immigrants being smuggled to the United State via the same pipeline and organization which smuggles drugs from South America to the U.S. In this incident, the dead are found in a refrigerated truck abandoned in Texas. Those deaths appear to be accidental until it is discovered the bodies have all been injected with a dangerous virus that has no known antidote.

Now the race is on to determine what the virus is, who is behind the multi-million dollar smuggling operation, the Snakehead of the title, and Li Yan and Margaret must try to set aside their own emotional difficulties in order to help literally, save the nation from a devastating plague.

The pace is fast, the writing always to the point, the characters are genuine in their language and their emotions, and most worrisome of all, the science is real. This is a novel with the potential to scare the pants off you. It's timely, international in scope, a whirlwind of a thriller.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carl Brookins - www.carlbrookins.com www.agora2.blogspot.com
Case of the Greedy Lawyer, Devils Island, Bloody Halls, more at Kindle & Smashwords!

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NOTE: My publisher for Play it Again, Sam, Uncial Press, is celebrating its fifth year in operation, and it all ends tomorrow. To join in the fun with a scavenger hunt and have a chance at winning a KOBO reader, visit the website.

Another contest is being held by Books We Love Publishing. Enter between now and December to win a Kindle.

Friday's Odds and Ends

2011-10-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

Heaven help us, we have twelve more months of campaigning that brings out such wonderful points for voters to consider such as this from the recent GOP debate:

Rick Santorum: Mitt, you're a lying hypocrite and I'm the only one here who cars about family.

Herman Cain: Nine apples, nine oranges, nine lives, whatever.

Mitt Romney: Shut up. I won already.

Rick Perry: I hate your guts, Mr. Vitalis, and I'm gonna take you down.

Newt Gingrich: Yadda-yadda-yadda. You're all stupid.

Michelle Bachman: I will hunt Mexicans with predator drones and Barack Obama's cake is cooked.

Before people start objecting because I took these out of context, of course, you are right. It's not fair to just pull out the gaffes. Every great once in a while the candidates did say something related to an actual issue facing our country, but the fact that these candidates would reduce so much of the debate to snark should make us pause.

Why do we have to be so stridently divided?

And would somebody remind the candidates what the definition of "debate" is.

And would one candidate actually give a direct answer to a question instead of a sound-bite.

Texas Ranger's fans, don't beat up on Nelson Cruz for the mistake he made in not playing deep enough to catch that ball in the bottom of the 11th inning. I'm sure he has plenty of self-inflicted lashes, and he needs to know the team and the fans are okay with him. It was a mistake, let's get over it and go into game seven with a positive attitude.

After being missing for three months a little Jack Russell Terrier was reunited Thursday with owner Jim Arrighi in Erin, TN. The dog had disappeared from the owners yard and was found 500 miles north in a suburb of Detroit. A homeowner in Rochester Hills, about 20 miles north of Detroit, saw Petey last week in his backyard and took him to a Humane Society animal care center. Arrighi was identified as the owner when the dog was scanned for an implanted microchip. Story and photo HERE

Wednesday's Guest - Slim Randles

2011-10-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

When Dewey realized what he’d just told the woman of his dreams, he couldn’t say another thing. Struck dumb by the shock of telling her he was in cow manure, he silently handed her the flowers and looked down to see if the sidewalk would kindly swallow him.

But Emily Stickles, she of the perfect cheekbones and bureaucratic curiosity, smiled and looked at Dewey as if she’d just stumbled over a twenty-dollar bill.

“Mr. Decker,” she said, kindly, “thank you for the flowers. And I’m curious … how long have you had this condition?”

“Er … ah…”

“Never mind. That will all come in time. Now I was just on my way to the café across the street there for lunch. Will you be my guest? That way we can discuss your problem and see if we can come to a workable solution.”

“Wha … bu…”

“Come along,” she said, slipping her arm through his. “One step at a time … that’s it.”

An hour later, Dewey was at the philosophy counter of the Mule Barn. The guys were there. Well, almost all the guys. When Dewey told them about how he introduced himself to the lovely Ms. Stickles, Steve, Dud and Bert suddenly had to go outside for some reason. The laughter out there made the plate-glass windows vibrate.

Only Doc was left to console Dewey.

“Well, Doo,” Doc said. “Leave it to you to make a great first impression.”

Then Doc had to turn his head away for a few seconds, too. Dewey pretended not to notice.

“See, the worst of it is she thinks I’m some kind of a nut with a manure fetish. I couldn’t have just told her I owned a fertilizer company. Not me. I have to sit through lunch making silly noises as she explained to me that there is always hope for an answer. I had no idea she was a graduate student in psychology, Doc.

“Doc?” Dewey’s face pleaded. “I’m a test case! I’m going to be doctoral thesis! I’m …. oh man…”

“And all that planning,” Doc said. “And all that washing. And then it has to end this way. Sorry, Doo.”

“Ending? No way,” Dewey said, the slightest smile emerging. “We’re having dinner at the Italian place tonight. She’s bringing her tape recorder.”

------------------
Brought to you by Slim’s new book and great stocking stuffer “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.” Learn more at http://www.nmsantos.com/Slim/Slim.html

~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a few more days to enter the Uncial Press Birthday contest to win an e-reader. Every day there is also a winner of a free e-book. Hop on over if you would like to play the games and win.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-10-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

I am really excited about an interview that Joanne Troppello did with me. Her site is very professional, and we had a good discussion about how some of my stories came to be. If you would like to read the interview and enter to win a copy of Open Season, here is the link: tiny.cc/b35dj Just leave a comment and I will draw a winner on Friday. Now to our regularly scheduled program....

It was interesting to read about four organizations who worked together to identify about $380 billion in federal spending that wastes money and harms the environment. The report, Green Scissors 2011, was recently released and I hope our government representatives are paying attention. The editorial in The Dallas Morning News identified these organizations as "left-leaning" or "right-leaning", but I think we do a disservice to people by labeling them. I would just rather name them in order: Friends of the Earth, Public Citizen, Taxpayers for Common Sense and The Heartland Institute.

Most of this waste is in the form of government subsidies for fossil fuel, nuclear, alternative energy, agricultural, transportation programs and projects, land and water subsidies. A full report can be found on the Green Scissors website, as well as other information about the organizations involved in this effort.

The main focus of Green Scissors is to get the government to focus on what is good for the people and the environment; not what is good for lobbyists. This was taken from their website: The president and Congress must get tough with the special interest groups that jeopardize our natural resources and waste our valuable tax dollars. It will require tackling some of the richest and most powerful corporations in the country. Yet this is what is needed if we are going to protect the environment, regain fiscal and environmental responsibility and get our spending back on track.

Currently, Green Scissors is challenging presidential candidates to respond to the latest report and say how they plan to deal with special interests groups should they be elected. It will be interesting to see if any of them actually step up.

I would vote for any woman or man who had the courage to take back our government from the control of lobbyists. What this report and this effort is trying to do is not all that different from what Occupy Wallstreet is all about. Then common man has lost out to the greed and power of a select few. That is not the standards that America was formed on.

Book Review - Viper by John Desjarlais - Review by Carl Brookins

2011-10-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Carl, for another review to share with my readers. John Desjarlais was a guest here at It's Not All Gravy, talking about how he developed this Latina heroine. Click HERE to read that blog post if you would like to know how he blended Aztec history with modern Spanish culture.

Viper
John Desjarlais
978-1933184-80-7
2011 trade paper release
Sophia Institute Press
238 pages.

Set in rural Illinois, the novel follows disgraced DEA agent Selena De La Cruz as she tries to re-order her life into some semblance of normality after a drug raid gone bad results in a tragic aftermath. Leaving that life turns out to be more than just difficult. It is impossible. And so Selena leaves her insurance company and re-enters the dangerous world of undercover drug enforcement among a Latino population that is turbulent, ever-changing and marked with friends who become enemies and family members short on understanding.

The author cleverly establishes Selena as an independent capable woman beset on all sides by the chauvinism of her bosses and the cultural disapproval of her family. Good Latina women do not carry guns and arrest drug dealers. There is an invasive Latin Catholic presence throughout the book. The basic theme of the story is a list of names entered into a church’s Book of the Dead, requesting prayers for their souls. The problem is that the people represented are still alive as the book opens. But one by one they are murdered. Since Selena’s name is last on the list, she has more than usual reason to be concerned. Her interaction with law enforcement and Church officials becomes more and more intense as the list is shortened, one by one.

The novel is smoothly written, logical and mostly gripping. There are several sections of Aztec and other religious history and legends used by the author to explain some of the ritual Selena encounters which, while interesting in themselves, have a tendency to slow the narrative. Nevertheless, Viper is a worthwhile read, blending religious mystery with brutal modern crime.

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Carl Brookins www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com Books by Carl Brookins: Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky

Friday's Odds and Ends

2011-10-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

In Texas, the Sons of Confederate Veterans want to have a license plate commemorating their part in the Civil War; a request that has raised all kinds of responses, most of them negative, and some downright strident. I will admit that I was agreeing with most of the negative, and even some of the strident reasons why there should not be something with the symbol of the confederate flag. That symbol evokes so many painful reminders for so many people.

However, after reading a column by Texas Land Commissioner, Jerry Patterson, I am rethinking my opinion. Not sure I am going to change my mind, but at least I am open to reconsidering based on the fact that the purpose of the plate is not to glorify the bad things about the Confederacy, but to honor the men who fought, believing in their cause.

Patterson also mentioned that throughout history soldiers have fought and died for causes that were not completely honorable. He used the example of the Buffalo Soldiers who served with great distinction in Texas after the Civil War. Part of their mission was to control the Indian population, eventually moving many to reservations. That is not a part of our history that we are proud of, but we can still honor the men who did their duty.

Patterson states that "In the end, offensive behavior can be found throughout history if you are looking to be offended. There is no statutory protection against being offended. Actually, it's the privilege of every American to be offended."

Texas Governor Rick Perry's wife, Anita, said recently that she can empathize with the unemployed because her son had to resign from his banking job to work on the campaign.

Huh?

The only difference between loan sharks and short-term-lenders is that most people who borrow from the latter, don't have to worry about getting their legs broken if they don't pay the debt. However, they do have to worry about getting sucked into a vicious circle of unending debt. According to a report in The Dallas Morning News, the fees on a loan of $4,000 can be as high as $1,000 a month.

I had to read that twice to make sure it wasn't a misprint. Talk about usury. And the greatest travesty is that the companies that provide these short-term and auto-title lenders have seen record profits in the past few years, while their "victims" lose everything trying to pay off the loans.