Meet Susan Mary Malone

Please welcome Susan Malone to It's Not All Gravy as today's Wednesday's Guest. Susan is an author, editor and a regular guest at The Blood Red Pencil.  I am so happy to have her here today as she shares a bit about family and writing with a family member.

Thank you for inviting me to be your guest, Maryann. I’m both an author and an editor, with five traditionally published books (one novel and four works of co-authored non-fiction) to my credit.  Mainly I write literary fiction, but of course, have to eat! I’ve also had a litany of short stories published. As a freelance editor, over forty books I’ve edited have been sold to Traditional publishers, with two more coming out this year. 

 Q. Two of the books you have written have been collaborations with your brother. How did that come about?

  Fifteen years ago, I was sitting with my sister-in-law at their kitchen table, bemoaning how difficult men were. My brother (a psychiatrist) sauntered through and said, “Men are easy to understand. If you just know these five things, you can not only understand them, but learn to predict their behavior.” I said, “We should write a book!” 

Q. Is it harder to work with a family member, then perhaps working with someone you don't know as well? Pros and Cons?

Not for us.  Gary and I have been close since we were little kids, and this is actually our third business venture. When very young, we made and sold potholders. Gary was the biz guy and I was the cute little-girl front person! Then of course I’d ask him for change or something and he’d have to come out of his hiding place. Through our teenage years, we had a swim school. I’ve actually found it easier working with him than any of my other co-authors.  

Q. In reading this latest book, I had a hard time trying to discern which parts were written by you and which were written by your brother. Describe how the writing process worked.

 A couple of reasons exist why folks are having trouble discerning who wrote what.  First off, Gary dictated his theories, and I got a big sprawling amoeba of stuff to work with, mostly in jargon and clinical-ese.  I rewrote (and translated) everything he gave me, tossed away a ton when he rambled into the ozone, and identified huge holes that weren’t discussed at all, or glossed over, including adding chapters and organizing everything.  Gary actually writes very well, however, when I can get him out of psychiatrist mode, and he wrote his personal vignettes, and many of the others as well.  I did very little to those except clean up the grammar and spelling, etc.

The second part is a bit more nebulous.  I’ve co-authored enough that I learned a very long time ago to write in the other person’s voice.  It’s really weird (and somewhat schizophrenic!), but a gift of mine.  That truly helps me in editing as well—once I get into a manuscript, I edit in the other person’s voice. 

Q. Are there plans for more books together?

 Yes.  We have a list of ideas, and haven’t had time to narrow that down yet!

Q. Would you ever collaborate with anyone else?

 No.  That part of my life is done.  

Q. In addition to writing, you offer editing and coaching services. How do you balance your time between the various jobs?

 God alone knows!  I work a lot. More than I should. Sometimes I take the time to just write. Sometimes I write in the mornings and edit the rest of the day. Sometimes I just edit. 

Q. Now, just for fun, what is your family's favorite story to tell on you?

 Once my elementary-school friend and I climbed the big oak trees at the farm and hid, and when we were found we told this long tale about how the deer chased us up there and wouldn’t let us come down.  Everyone still calls that grove of oaks "Susan’s Trees". I started telling stories early J

Q.  What did it say about you in your high school yearbook?

 I honestly don’t remember! 

Q.  If you weren't a writer and editor, what job would you be doing?

 Investigative journalist. That was my original training, and I was editor of my university newspaper. I still miss it!

Book Blurb

Family.  We all have one.  And with the many gifts they bring, along come at least a few lumps of coal—from some friction to downright anger and dysfunction.What’s a healthy family anyway?  What’s a toxic one?  Where is the middle ground? And how do you navigate your own family relationships to negotiate conflict resolution? 

What’s Wrong With My Family explores the problems stemming from even the healthiest to the most destructive ones.  Most important, it teaches what issues within you may arise from your own family of origin, and how you can heal from the wounds.  A book of hope, it shows that no matter where you came from, you can live your best life anyway.  

Visit Susan on her Website  * Blog  *  Twitter  * Facebook 

Monday Morning Musings

I'm happy to be part of a cover reveal for Laura Eno's upcoming book Jewel of Shaylar. This is a terrific cover and proves once again the importance of a truly great cover.

Here is a bit about the book:

 

Archaeologist David Alexander investigates the cave where his father disappeared and hurtles into another world, one filled with magic and bizarre creatures. The mad ravings in his father's journals of icemen and dragons may not be fantasies after all.

Convinced his father may still be alive, David begins a treacherous journey to find him and discover a way home. Along the way, he encounters a few unlikely friends. A Dreean warrior, a beautiful thief and a satyr join him as he searches.

 

David's arrival into this new world sets off an explosive chain reaction of events. Faced with powerful adversaries and few clues, he may not get the chance to rescue his father before disaster strikes, condemning both of them to death. Or worse.

 

 

 Find Laura on: Website - Blog - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

 

In Oscar news, "Argo" won best picture and Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Oscar for best-actor for his performance as Abraham Lincoln in  "Lincoln." The award for best actress went to Jennifer Lawrence for her performance as a young widower in "Silver Linings Playbook." Anne Hathaway won the supporting-actress Oscar win as a doomed mother-turned-prostitute in the musical "Les Miserables."

Christoph Waltz won his second supporting-actor Oscar  a genteel bounty hunter in "Django Unchained." Tarantino also won his second Oscar, for original screenplay for "Django."

In a big surprise Taiwanese director Ang Lee won the best-director trophy, when many people expected it to go to Steven Spielberg  for "Lincoln." Another neat surprise was when Michelle Obama appeared to be one of the presenters for the best-picture award.

Normally I try to see most of the films nominated for awards, but this year I was not able to. Looking forward to seeing them on DVD in the future. What about you? Did you see them? Agree with the awards?

Book Review - What's Wrong WIth My Family by Gary L. Malone MD and Susan Mary Malone

What's Wrong With My Family? And How to Live Your Best Life Anyway
Gary L. Malone & Susan Mary Malone
Paperback: 172 pages
Publisher: Authorlink (January 7, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1928704425
ISBN-13: 978-1928704423

This book opens with a quote from Viktor Frankl, from his wonderful book Man's Search for Meaning. "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms- to choose one's own attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

Showing people how to put that into practice is the main point of this book. As the product description says, we can't escape our families and the foibles that come with many people interrelating, so we have to find a way to live an emotionally healthy life despite the issues we bring from our past. "A book of hope, it shows that no matter where you come from, you can live your best life anyway."

The progression of the book is from introducing the varying levels of dysfunction in a family that can stem from parenting issues, difficulties with blended families, sibling rivalry, and in-laws, to finding normalcy. Each chapter ends with a "What you can use" section, which is a summation of the points made in the chapter with suggestions on how to put those points into action.

Even though the book is written by a mental health professional, Gary L. Malone, it is not heavily laden with wordage that makes a reader stop and say, "huh?" The language in the book is easily understood, lively, and very engaging.

I especially liked the fact that the authors used examples from literature to make a point. For example: "Each person must make it in the big water on his own. As Hemingway's fisherman thinks in The Old Man and the Sea; 'His choice had been to stay out in the deep dark water far out beyond all snares and traps and treacheries. My choice was to go there and find him.' The operative word here being choice. To live your best life, navigating the far seas must be an acceptable option in your own psyche."

There is also plenty of sound advice in how to make good choices. For instance, in the chapter on parenting, the authors promote finding a good balance between being a "Tiger Mom" and leaving a child on his own so much that it appears nobody cares whether he succeeds or not. The authors encourage this balance as well as boundaries; a child needs to be a child first, then an adult.

There is much to be learned from this book no matter your age or circumstance. Since we all come from families and have to deal with those pesky family issues that continue to influence us, we can find good advice within these pages.

Please come back on Wednesday when Susan will be my guest here. She will share a little bit about how this book came to be and what it is like to write with a sibling.

Friday's Odds and Ends

Kudos to the 89-year-old woman who has been broadcasting for blind listeners for seven years in North Texas. Adell Campbell has a general-interest program, The Eyes of North Texas, that has about 2,000  subscribers. The show,  which is broadcast twice a week, 9 a.m. on Monday and 11 a.m. on Saturday, is on North Texas Radio for the Blind, which is part of a local nonprofit Reading & Radio Resource.

The general programming at the station focuses on reading newspapers and magazines to the subscribers, but Adell likes to add some entertainment. She starts each show by reading a cartoon, usually one that pokes fun at politics. (I knew there was a reason I liked this lady.) Then she will often have a guest. 

She enjoys doing the shows and has no plans to stop any time soon, although she admits that her age is beginning to have an impact. In an interview with  Eden Stiffman in The Dallas Morning News she said, "Getting old is a very humbling process. And I'm not inclined to be humble." 

One of my favorite cartoon characters is Crankshaft from the strip written by Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers. He's a curmudgeon, like my husband and I, and we both can relate to his world view. In a recent strip he is looking out the window at the bird feeder in his front yard. "The bird feeder is full of squirrels again," he says. "Maybe I'm going about this all wrong. If I put up a squirrel feeder, I wonder if only birds will come?"

In another strip, Crankshaft is shoveling snow and his neighbor looks over the fence. "Hey there Crankshaft," he says. "Snowy enough for you?"

The last panel shows the neighbor ducking a snow shovel that is flying through the air.

Finally, this from Dilbert. He is walking along the sidewald with Dogbert and says, "Studies show it takes ten thousand hours of practice to be great at anything."

To which Dogbert replies, "I would think a willingness to practice the same thing fro ten thousand hours is a mental disorder."

Dilbert says, "That makes me feel better about my mediocrity."

"You're welcome."

Literary Lessons:  This one is from Thornton Wilder, "You see, imaginative story telling consists of telling a number of lies in order to convey a truth; it is a rearrangement of falsehoods which, if it is done honestly, results in verity."

Fracturing Words

Today's Wednesday Guest, Slim Randles, brings us another glimpse into the lives of the crew down at the Mule Barn Truck Stop. If you can figure out what some of the crazy words mean, let me know.  

If you are looking for some good e-books to read, check out the featured books at Julie Kenner's website.

For some good tips on writing dialogue head over to The Blood Red Pencil. Good discussion going on over there. But do come back and read this fun piece.

 When Windy walked into the Mule Barn during that cold snap last week, we knew he was getting frantic for an audience. He has a hard time getting us to listen to his version of history, his notions of what was going on now, and his prognostications of the future of mankind.

But it was cold, and sitting out on the bench and ambushing listeners didn’t work too well right now for Windy Wilson, so here he came. We gave each other the wink and dragged out a chair for him.

“What d’you know, Windy? Cold enough for ya?”

“Cold? You think this is cold? Why, one time up on the high line, I was disappropriating firewood for the crew on the railroad, and it come over me, then and there …”

“We weren’t talking about the cold this morning, Windy,” said Doc. “We were discussing the future of microbes.”

“Microbes? Ain’t they like choir robes? Why, this one time I was singing barleytone in the Presbytoolian church, and there was this guy named Mike all right, and …”

“Now Doc,” said Steve, twitching his walrus mustache, “Don’t you remember? We’d finished with the microbes and went sailing on into February. Sorry, Windy, Doc didn’t mean to disrupticate your dissemination of events, but he’d just forgot. It was February.”

“February? You mean like Leap Year kinda February paraphernalium where you only get olden on one day every four years? That kinda February?”

Dud and Herb were trying hard not to laugh.

“No, Alphonse,” Doc said. He sometimes got formal with our friend. “We were discussing whether or not to leave out the first r in February. No one uses it …”

“But just because something isn’t used,” Windy said, waving his empty coffee cup at Mavis, “doesn’t mean we have to completely immolify it, does it? If we occasionally sloop over the top of a letter, that doesn’t braggandize it. That doesn’t codify its lesserness, does it?”

“So you’re saying we should keep the first r in February, is that it?” asked Steve.

“Absotively,” said Windy.

“OK, now,” Doc said, “who will stand up for the h in school?”

Some people think we’re just having coffee each morning there in the truck stop.
------
Brought to you by The Backpocket Guide to Hunting Elk, an e-book. Read a sample at www.slimrandles.com.

Monday Morning Musings

If you enjoy the etymology of words, you might like to see how Debby Harris explains "fantasy" at The Blood Red Pencil. I did not know some of the connotations of that word.

A couple of weeks ago I read a story by Kathleen Parker about a woman from Burma, Zin Mar Aung who was placed in solitary confinement for trying to organize students in 1999. Zin Mar Aung is just one of four Burmese women who are visiting the U.S. this month for leadership training, sponsored by Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women program, in partnership with the George W. Bush Institute, the McCain Institute and the Meridian International Center.

 For her 'crime' of publicly reading a collection of revolutionary poems, Zin Mar Aung was arrested and imprisoned. For eleven years she lived in 8-by-8-foot cell alone with nothing but a small water jug and a 'sink'for waste. Once a day, for 15-minutes, she was allowed to take a cold bath in a communal tub. She and the other female prisoners had no shoes and no access to personal hygiene necessities such as sanitary napkins.

Finally, after the eleven years of imprisonment, she was let go. She went back to school, earning a degree in botany, and is now in law school, majoring in international law. She established the Yangon School of Political Science and co-founded Rainfall, an organization that supports empowerment of women.

Zin Mar is working with three other women to stop the culture that suppresses women in so many parts of the world. Hla Hla Yee is a mother, an attorney and former political prisoner. She provides counseling to  marginalized women. Shunn Lei Swe Yee brings young people together to work for a more civil society. Ma Nilar OO worked for the International Red Cross for 18 years, primarily as an advocate for political prisoners.  Her more recent efforts have focused on  finding jobs for at-risk girls and young women. Female teens in Burma are often sold by their parents to men who value virgins. There is even a term in Burma for the breaking in of a virgin, “to open a new envelope.”

It is hard for those of us who live in a free society that has more equality between sexes to imagine what the lives of women must be like in these other cultures. Rape, assault, harassment, and the possibility of imprisonment are real fears that too many women live with every day. 

That is what Zin Mar and many other women are fighting to change. That is also why Zin Mar received the 1012 International Women of Courage Award from Michelle Obama and then Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in March.

I join them in saluting Zin Mar, and all the courageous women working for an end to the suppression of women.

Book Review - Shelter by Harlan Coben

 Shelter
Harlan Coben
Age Range: 12 and up
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Speak; Reprint edition (August 21, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0142422037
ISBN-13: 978-0142422038

First I have to say that I am a huge Coben fan, and have read almost all of his books and enjoyed them a lot. I have always liked Myron Bolitar as a character and was intrigued when I heard about this book featuring his nephew, Mickey Bolitar.

The book was written primarily for teens, but it is promoted for adult reading as well. The basic plot revolves around Mickey, a sophomore in high school, moving in with his uncle, Myron. This happens after Mickey's father is killed in an accident and his mother is put in drug rehab. Mickey and Myron have never gotten along, so Mickey lives in the basement of Myron's house, interacting with his uncle only when necessary.

At the new school, Mickey meets a girl, Ashley, and decides that maybe this new school will work out after all. Then Ashley mysteriously disappears, and Mickey is compelled to try to find out what happened to her. He discovers that Ashley is not who she said she was, and the investigation leads to danger and secrets from Mickey's father's past.

A nice premise, but it doesn't always work. There were several times when things happened that were unbelievable. At one point Mickey, who is over 6 feet tall, is hiding from bad guys behind some pillows. Ummm. Those had to be really big pillows. (smile) There were other places where no logic seemed to be applied to the plot, which was a surprise to me as Coben is normally so good at weaving an intricate, plausible story.

Mickey is an interesting character, and for the most part his dialogue fits a teen, as does the narration, but in other places it is too adult-sounding. Two supporting characters, Spoon and Ema, are nicely drawn and just quirky enough to pull the reader in. They are a bit of a cliche, but not enough to turn a reader away. One problem I found with the "voice" in the story is that there are times the narration reads as if Coben was in the mind of an adult. The book is written in first person, so everything should read like it is coming from a teen.

On the positive side, the interaction between Myron and Mickey reads well, as do the scenes between the teens. Coben is a master of good dialogue, and that is true in this story for the most part. The first half of the book was quite good, which is why I kept reading. It was toward the end that the plot line started to unravel.

As I said in the beginning, I normally love Coben's books, but this one was not his best effort. Perhaps he should stick to what he does best and leave the YA market to others.  

Friday's Odds and Ends

This will be a short post, as I woke up not feeling well this morning. It is a cold, nasty day here in my part of the world, so I see hot tea and an afghan in my near future. Maybe not in a cup as pretty as that one. I'm more of a mug person. You can hold a mug close to you and keep warm with it.


Here is something to amuse from Mother Goose and Grimm:

Grimm is reading from a book, and Mother Goose is working with her computer. Grimm says, "See? Right here in this dog book, 'Dogs are owners' best friends.' We're loyal, faithful, devoted. The bond between dogs and owners can never be broken."

In the final panel, Grimm shouts, "So why did you unfriend me on Facebook?"

Literary Lesson from Shelter by Harlan Coben  "Evil exists. You can't have an up without a down, a right without a left - or good without evil."

So true.

Wednesday's Guest - Cupid

Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I thought we should visit a bit with Cupid today, if he is not too busy to answer a few questions. But before I flag him down, I want to let you know that my friend Slim Randles is sharing some of his thoughts on love and Valentine's Day over at The Blood Red Pencil. If you have a moment, hop over and see what love and fly fishing have in common.

Courtesty of Valentines Clip Art 

Hi, there Cupid. Can you stop just a minute so my readers can meet you?

Don't you know this is the worst day?

Sorry. I didn't know.

Well, I've got to fly all around the world and remind everybody that they need to get their candy and roses and diamonds for their sweethearts. You know those guys are always forgetting.

I don't think it's fair to single out the guys. Plenty of women forget, too.

Not as many as the men. Trust me. I've been doing this for centuries.

But you look so young.

Good genes.

Oh, I see. You know, I've always wondered.  Do you have a sweetheart?

Are you kidding. Who has time for their own love life when they are busy taking care of everyone else in the world.

The whole world? I thought maybe you had help. You know, a whole team of cupid assistants.

Nope. Just me, shooting arrows into every heart.

Wow, that's a lot of responsibility. I don't know how you manage it all.

Sometimes I don't know either. But a cupid's got to do what a cupid's got to do.   I'll tell you, though, I'm really ready for Valentine's Day to be over.

What are you going to do then?

I'm going to Disney World. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since I won't be posting tomorrow, let me wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day just a bit early. Hope your day involves lots of chocolate. 

Monday Morning Musings

Recently I read an interesting article in The Dallas Morning News written by Emily Esfahani Smith, an associate editor at The New Criterion, about happiness. We all know the importance of happiness in our lives. We strive for it every day, but happiness is not all we should be looking for.

In her article, Smith said that in addition to happiness, we should strive for meaning in our lives: That in the long run, meaning will help us over the difficult times more than happiness. To support her point, she cited the example of Viktor Frankl, a prominent psychiatrist in Vienna who was put in a Nazi concentration camp in 1942, along with his whole family.

Frankl survived the three years of imprisonment, and went on to write a book in 1946, Man's Search for Meaning. In the book, he outlines what he believed was the difference between those who survived and those who didn't, and that difference, in most cases, was "meaning." Frankl wrote, "A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the 'why' for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any 'how.'"

When I read Smith's article, it reminded me of what I learned when I studied to be a hospital chaplain. We learned that having a sense of being worthwhile is as important for humans to thrive as food and water and shelter. At the time I took the classes, that surprised me, as I had never thought anything was essential beyond the three basics.

However, as we explored the concept, it became clear that people are more content, and able to face life's challenges better when they feel significant, when their life has meaning. Finding meaning in life can take many forms. It might be as simple as being part of a loving relationship that is nurturing, not destructive, or having a job that brings as much satisfaction as income, and/or sharing time and talent helping others. It is something that feeds your spirit and makes you smile and say "ahhh" at the end of a busy day.

I wasn't surprised when I read Smith's article, and I join her in urging people to strive for meaning as much as happiness. Happiness can be fleeting, but meaning stays with us.

The important things in my life that feed my spirit are my family, my current gig as farmer, and my creative outlets.

What are some of yours?

By the way, Frankl's book is still in print. Well worth the read. 

Book Review - The Originals by Sarah Byrn Rickman

The Originals: The Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron of WW II
Sarah Byrn Rickman

Paperback: 412 pages
Publisher: Disc-Us Books (June 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1584442646
ISBN-13: 978-1584442646

Back in March, 2010 I wrote a blog piece about an honor the WASPS - the Women Airforce Service Pilots of WW II - received many years after their actual service. I have had an interest in these ladies from the time a good friend, Marianne Verges, wrote her book, On Silver Wings, that chronicled some of the exploits of these amazing women who played such an important role in the war effort. The women were finally being recognized in a major way by receiving the Congressional Gold Medal.

Marianne's book was published in 1995, and in it she focused on how the ladies came together to form the WASPS, then took them through the war and the years following. Those early women pilots were women of wealth as flying was a hobby only for the rich. Jacqueline Cochran, who was married to a millionaire tycoon, was the impetus behind recruiting the female pilots and convincing the military to use them.  By the early 1940s, almost 2000 women had earned their wings and became indispensable to the war effort, ferrying planes around the country. The WASP was disbanded in late 1944 and the personnel were denied military rank; this they were finally awarded in 1973. An inspiring tale of a winning fight against prejudice.

In this latest book about these amazing women, The Originals, the author introduces the women one by one, giving the reader a lot of biographical detail leading up to the momentous moment when they joined other female pilots in the WASPS. It was nice to get to know more about each of these women and their lives before the WASPS formed. Then the documentation of the achievements of these women pilots showcased the courage and spit that they brought to their missions. It is all written in a style that is engaging and easy to read. There are also lots of pictures that help tell the story of the women and what they accomplished.

In visiting Ms. Rickman's website, I noted that she  serves as the editor of the WASP News, published twice a year by Texas Woman’s University (TWU) in Denton, the home of the official WASP Archives. Since 2003, she has been a WASP oral historian for TWU, recording many of these ladies’ stories on audiotape.

For anyone who is interested in reading about some of the strongest women in our history, I highly recommend both books. They complement each other nicely.

Friday Odds and Ends

Today I am also blogging over at the Venture Galleries blog. Interested in what makes a criminal's mind different from ours?


Heard on the news the other day that Saturday mail deliveries will be discontinued starting in August. The media is all over this in a big way already, from national news shows to local. Some people sure are hot about the topic, with some predicting dire consequences, like senior citizens dying because they can't get medications delivered that day. 

Granted, timely medication deliveries could be an issue, but instead of ranting about it, why not just step back a moment, take a deep breath, and figure out a way for medications to be delivered Monday through Friday. It could happen.

Concern over business mail that would be delayed was also voiced. Bills might be paid late. Hmmm, maybe we could plan to handle that differently, too.

Just think, years ago, we didn't have Saturday deliveries, and we all did just fine. Even more years ago mail deliveries were on a weekly, or monthly basis, and everyone did just fine.

We will survive this latest deprivation. Trust me.

Raise your hand if you can relate to this from Sherman's Lagoon: Megan is tending to a potted plant and Sherman asks, "So Megan, you're also entering this tropical plant contest?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"When did this come about?"

She gives him one of those looks. You know the one I mean. "I've entered it every year since you've known me!"

"And yet this is the first time I'm hearing about it?"

"I discuss it every year."

"While I'm paying attention? You know, during comercials?"

"Arrrrgh!"

This Literary Lesson is from The Weeping Chamber by Sigmund Brouwer   "… the distance between us makes my heart ache with sentiment, and it is easier to be weak for you when you cannot see how I tremble."

Sometimes emotions are easier to handle with some distance between us.

Wednesday's Guest - A Surprise

While I was taking my walk this morning, one of my characters, Samantha Rutgers from Play it Again, Sam, started talking to me. She insisted she wanted the floor, so to speak, so here she is to share some thoughts with you. I figured if I let her have this space, she would then hush and let Sarah and Angel talk to me. It's their book I need to be writing now.

While Maryann did a pretty decent job telling my story in fiction.

Um, excuse me?

Okay, maybe a bit better than decent. Satisfied, Maryann?

Now where was I? Oh, right. I just realized that Maryann has never shared much about the story behind the story. Play it Again, Sam is fiction, but it was inspired by a true story, and, boy, did Maryann ever make me relate to that poor lady who had to hear her husband say he didn't love her any more.

Can you imagine what a kick in the gut that can be?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who are getting kicked, men as well as women. Their spouses decide for some reason or another that they would be happier with someone else.

The problem with that thinking is that we shouldn't be counting on others to make us happy.  It is ultimately up to us to decide that we will be satisfied with our lives.

That's a hard concept to live. Sometimes we just want to be a child again and have a mommy come and fix what is wrong and put a band-aid on our emotional sores. It takes a lot of courage to grow past that childhood impulse and charge through whatever adversity comes our way.

In my story, I have as much growing up to do as my fictional daughter, Melissa. I relied too much on my husband and our life together to give me happiness and satisfaction, and I had to go out and find it for myself.  It wasn't easy, but I did it, and I can be proud of that.

I am also proud to be patterned after a strong lady who did the same. Authors make happy-ever-after happen in fiction, we make it happen in real life.

For another week Play It Again, Sam, is featured in a special sale at Untreed Reads. It is just one of a number of romance novels available for a 30% discount through February 14. Click on the title link to take advantage of the sale. To see all the novels offered by Untreed Reads, click on their link.

If you take advantage of the sale, I hope you will let Maryann know. She will tell me.

Thanks for listening... er, reading.

Monday Morning Musing

So what was your favorite Super Bowl commercial? Which one(s) would you give a thumbs down to? For me, some were easy to dislike, like the GoDaddy one that had the couple kissing. Sorry, GoDaddy, I like your site, but that commercial was awful.

I liked the Doritos ad that featured the man and the goat. Maybe I related because I have a goat, and I could see her plotting to kill me if I stopped giving her treats. But the commercial that I loved was the Dodge Ram commercial celebrating farmers, narrated by the late Paul Harvey. I know that one resonated with me because I play at farming here on my little piece of East Texas, but I have also loved and respected farmers my whole life. They are in my family and my circle of friends. The ad told of all the reasons "God made a farmer," and it was very poignant.

Inspired by the commercial, I went out and planted potatoes and peas in my garden this morning.

I'm not even going to join the debate about the half-time show, as I did not watch it. I don't care for that style of music, so I cleaned up my kitchen while the show was on. This morning I discovered that there has been some backlash from folks who did not think the show was family-friendly. Well, not much in our pop culture is anymore.

Oops, I just joined the debate. Sorry.

On another note, my publisher for Play It Again, Sam, Uncial Press, has partnered with Untreed Reads for a special sale event, offering books for a 30% discount through February 14. Click on the title link to take advantage of the sale. To see all the novels offered by Untreed Reads, click on their link. 

BLURB: Life as she knows it ceases to exist for Samantha Rutgers when her husband of twenty-plus years decides he no longer loves her. The challenges are myriad. Can she build a life without him? Will her daughter always blame her? Can she ever trust a man again?
    And what is she going to do about sex?

Book Review - Sticks and Stones by K.J. Larson

Thanks to Carl Brookins for sharing another review. 

Sticks & Stones                     
By K.J. Larson
ISBN: 978-1-59058-921-2
2012 Poisoned Pen HC
229 pages



This is one triple threat novel. It is fast. It is raunchy. It is punchy. Bonus is it’s written by three sisters. Yes, the title refers to that old nursery rhyme. Second in the Cat De Luca series, the novel continues the adventures of a smart, sassy, saucy, Chicago P.I. Her agency is called “Pants on Fire.” She’s a member of a large and useful if somewhat un-functional family of Italian Chicago cops. Their attitudes and sometimes mis-guided attempts to aid or thwart De Luca’s usually spur-of-the-moment actions in pursuit of her current cheating husband-target add a good deal to the general hilarity.

 The novel surges back and forth and up and down, in and out of second story windows and costumes. It never loses sight of the main goal and for the most part, is well-written with excellent pace. Disregard a few sags in the middle in which peripheral characters heat up the pages with drink and dalliance.

With tongue firmly planted, Cat De Luca, in the capable hands of her grinning authors, sashays through the urban landscape to an inescapable conclusion. A fine American cozy novel and I look forward to a long run with leggy De Luca.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~

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

The media has coined another new phrase - Whiplash Weather - referring to the extreme changes in temperature and weather conditions that the upper midwest and the east have been experiencing recently. Obviously those journalists have not been in Texas very often for long periods of time. There has been an expression here - if you don't like the weather, just wait a day - for as long as I have lived here, and that has been over forty years.

It is not unusual at all to have temperatures in the 60s one day and snow the next.

Granted, our weather and climate changes have been wonky for some time now, and only a few people are still convinced we aren't experiencing climate change due to global warming. I just find it ironic that so many people don't recognize a serious issue until the media puts some kind of label on it.

Now for some fun with the comics. This from Baby Blues I can so relate to. Wanda is in bed sleeping and Hammie comes in and taps her on the shoulder until she wakes up. "Hammie, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. But as log as you're up, will you get me a drink of water?"

And here's another good one from Wiley's Dictionary at B.C. The definition of "babbling brook."

"What Brook becomes after her second glass of wine."

Literary Lessons:  This is from The Weeping Chamber by Sigmund Brouwer  "A man is a fool if he thinks he rules his own house."

Truth or a Lie?

For our Wednesday's Guest spot please welcome Slim Randles and some of the guys from the Mule Barn Truck Stop. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy....

Delbert McLain came by to have coffee with us the other day. He’s our chamber of commerce, you know. And he ties fishing flies, but doesn’t fish. Delbert’s mission in life seems to be to promote our little valley into becoming so important and prosperous that we won’t want to live here anymore.

But he does try hard.

“Got an idea, guys,” he said. He swept his necktie out of the way so he wouldn’t accidentally butter it. “A contest.”

“Like the knife-sharpening contest you thought up, Del?”

“No, Doc. That didn’t pan out. See, what I’m thinking is, we should play to our strengths here. You know, delve into our plusses, put our minuses on a shelf somewhere, and show the world what we do best!”

“Drink coffee?”

“Of course not, Steve!  I mean, we need to hold a liar’s contest!”

Dead silence. All eyes on Delbert.

He looked around at all the solemn faces.

“You know what I mean …”

More solemnity.

“It could really draw crowds.”

Then Doc, our unofficial spokesman because he has more degrees than a thermometer, spoke up.

“And just who would the liars be?”

“Well … you know, like Steve here. Remember Steve when you said you once rode a bucking horse while sitting backwards on it? Things like that.”

“I did that, Delbert,” Steve said.

“I saw him do that,” Dud said.

“Oh. Well, Dewey once told me he’d put a cow into the branches of a tree. We could start off with something like that.”

“Three of us were there when Dewey did that,” Steve said. “Ran that cow off a little bluff. We had to cut the tree down.”

Delbert sipped his coffee and ate a slice of toast. He’d forgotten to put any jelly on it, too.

“Doc’s squirrel?” Delbert said.

Now Doc’s fictitious squirrel, Chipper, was a lie. But it was the kind of lie that takes on a life of its own until … well …

“You talking about Chipper?” Dud asked.

“If that’s his name,” Delbert said.

“How is ol’ Chip, anyway, Doc?” asked Steve.

“Doing okay. Sleeps a lot these days. Hibernation, you know.”

Delbert left a tip and got up to go pay. They waited until he was gone before laughing.

-------
Read free samples of Slim’s books at www.slimrandles.com

Monday Morning Musings

You may have noticed, if you have kids or grandkids between the ages of 7 and 10, that there is a level of socialization that is more intense than it ever used to be. Very young girls are forming exclusive friendships and pledging to be best friends forever. (BFF)

That is scary on so many levels, as pointed out by one mother in an op-ed piece for The Dallas Morning News. Julie Blair wrote about her daughter's experience when the current BFF dumped her for another BFF. That act was accompanied by lots of tears and angst, and it made Julie take a look at the topic in a new way. "Third grade in 2013 seems a sorting-hat year: Girls are reportedly pairing off at recess. These 8- and 9-year-old children have begun to figure out where and with whom they fit in. They pick up and drop BFFs like toddlers do colorful plastic toys. While some do it with grace, others are hurtful.
Few seem to realize the importance and downright fun of having an entire playground posse."

This article resonated with me because it deals with a social situation that has probably been going on for centuries. I know it has passed through several generations in my family. I clearly remember the first two years of high school being buffeted by the "friendship whims" of my peers. Then my oldest daughter experienced that in 8th grade. Then my oldest granddaughter experienced that in 6th grade. Most recently my younger granddaughters have been experiencing it in 4th grade.

See the pattern here?

When I wrote my young-adult novel, Friends Forever, that deals with these friendship whims, I really hoped that as we got better at parenting and kids got smarter and more aware of how their behavior affects others, that this problem would diminish.

I'm disappointed that it hasn't.

I'm also disappointed to see businesses and the media encouraging this new phenomenon. According to Ms. Blair, "American companies like Disney continue to promote the idea of exclusivity between young girls. Not only should you have a BFF, they teach on a good majority of their tween television shows, but you should both get matching T-shirts and jammies to tell the world that you’re going steady. If those are in the wash, you can buy binders, photo frames or locker magnets to announce your exclusivity."

I am also disappointed in the parents who encourage their girls to buy into all of this. The parents think it is cute, and they are treating their children like little adults. They are not little adults. They are children, not ready for the emotional entanglements involved in all this BFF stuff. That type of dependence and exclusivity is something that most people share with a life-partner.

That usually comes a long time after 3rd grade.

Now that I have that off my chest, here is something that might interest you if you are into fantasy and sci-fi stories. A group of authors are doing   The World Building Blog Hop hosted by Sharon Bayliss.  Today they are letting readers know how they created their make-believe worlds. This morning I read a piece by Yolanda Renee and it was pretty interesting. Since I set my stories in the real world, I am not participating in the blog hop, but I will read some of the blogs. It is always fun to discover new worlds. 

another Friday post

I decided not to get all snarky today, although there is plenty going on in the world to be snarky about. Who besides me doesn't care a bit whether Beyonce lip-synced the National Anthem during the Inaguration ceremony? I could not believe that was the lead story for the following two days.

So let's forget about that, and not keep speculating whether she will lip-sync when singing at the Super Bowl halftime show. Instead, let's have...

...some fun with Pickles
Earl is sitting, watching Opal fold laundry and he says, "You know what I would really like to do?"

"No, what?"

"I would love to write a book about all my travels and adventures."

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely."

Then Earl thinks a minute. "Of course, first I'd have to go out and have some travels and adventures."

Picture Courtesy of ShutterStock

 From B.C.

Wiley's DIctionary word of the day is "fandango."

The definition: "What to do when Dango gets heatstroke."

From Non Sequitur
Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden. Adam has picked all the apples from the apple tree, and Eve is giving him one of those looks that women have perfected from that time on. Adam says, "Yes, I took all of them. It's my invention called 'banking.'"

That one had me laughing out loud. I didn't say I couldn't share some snark from the funny papers. (smile)

Literary Lessons:
"Death walked like a man among men, and we fell like leaves, like dust around him. The Knight struggled against the Specyor, each one winning even as he lost."  Easy Rawlins, a character cereated by Walter Mosley, doing some deep thinking while watching a movie "The Seventh Seal." From the book Blonde Faith

Wednesday's Guest - James R. Callan

Please help me welcome James R. Callan to It's Not all Gravy. I first met Jim at the Art Center in Winnsboro Texas, then soon found out that he was the head of the Northeast Texas Writers Organization, NETWO, and was a driving force behind their annual spring conference. Check out the website for information about the organization and the conference, and in the meantime, meet Jim Callan.

We're glad to have you here Jim. Tell me, have you always wanted to be a writer, or have you come to writing after another career? 
I intended to write when I graduated from college, but couldn’t support a family writing.  So, I took a 35 year detour in mathematics and computer science.  When I no longer needed to support a family, I returned to my first love – writing.  For two years, I wrote a monthly column for a national magazine.  And for six months, I wrote a weekly newspaper column that appears in four states.  I’ve had three non-fiction books published.  But my real interest is in mystery/suspense novels and I have four published so far.

I know that your success with fiction has been long coming. What was the first thing you ever had published?
The first thing I ever had published was a mathematical paper on finding extreme points on an ill-defined surface.  The second was on low energy electron defraction.

Oh, that must have been fascinating. (smile) I'm glad you switched to fiction. I know there is a lot of research involved in writing fiction, as well as nonfiction.What is the most interesting research you have done for your books?
In a book as yet unpublished, I had to research the jungle around San Sebastian, Mexico.  A very interesting place, and one that I’ll visit again.

Tell  us what gives you the most pleasure in writing?
Writing a scene that brings tears to my eyes.  Or writing a paragraph that flows so smoothly it makes me smile to read it, even for the tenth time.

That process is exciting for most writers.  If we are not emotionally invested in our stories, the reader won't be, but we also need to take a break now and then. What do you do for fun when you need a break?
I read (as all writers should) and I travel.  We’ve visited all fifty states, and five continents.  I expect to add the sixth continent this year.  (Antarctica will have to wait a bit.)

I'm sure you have picked up many story ideas in your travels. Where do your stories begin? With character or plot?
Sometimes with plot and sometimes character.  Often, it is from some snippet I read or hear.  A three paragraph story in the L.A. Times led to a 95,000 word novel. My latest book, A Ton of Gold, came about when I read an old folk's tale and wondered how that could affect the lives of someone today.

When you are not traveling extensively, where do you live?
We split our time between the middle of a forest in east Texas and a beachside condo in Mexico.  When we are in Texas and the peaceful, quiet house on a hillside overlooking a small lake, we are very happy.  But when we are in Puerto Vallarta, in the middle of constant activity, music, and people, we love that.  We have two very interesting groups of friends and are perfectly happy in either group.  Perhaps having the one makes the other more interesting.

That sounds like a terrific way to split your time, and what a wonderful contrast. I'm sure that feeds your creativity. Now share with us what has been your most interesting job, besides writing.
I’ve been blessed to have a variety of interesting jobs.  Coaching girls’ basketball was a delight.  I worked at a research center where money was no object.  My wife and I ran our own company and expanded a field of advertising research into areas never done before and back in a time when you had to create whatever computer programs you needed.  And certainly writing is at the top of interesting jobs.  As I said, I’ve been blessed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jim's books are Cleansed by Fire, a mystery prompted by the church fires in east Texas a couple of years back; Murder a Cappella, an interesting mystery that is set in the international finals of the Sweet Adelines singing contest, and the soon to be released A Ton of Gold.






You can also meet Jim on his Website, blog, connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.

Monday Morning Musings

On Sunday, Mallard Fillmore, in his inimitable way had this commentary  about the significance of today: "As most of you know tomorrow's Inauguration Day holiday Martin Luther King Day and Squirrel Appreciation Day all fall on the very same day. This phenomenon won't occur again in our lifetime... And it's significance is already being felt by federal employees across the nation."

Then a federal employee chimes in, "Three holidays but only one day off?"

And Mallard signs off with, "More on this as it develops."

When we finished chuckling over the strip, my husband said, "Maybe we can get the squirrels to dance at the inauguration ball."

Photo Courtesy National Geographic

Which made me wonder why we have to have another huge inauguration with all the parties. Why not just have a swearing in ceremony and a nice quiet dinner at the White House? Why do we have to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars for basically an instant replay of four years ago?

Granted, it is important to honor our president, but we don't have to do it to such an extreme. And it is too bad that the media coverage will be such that it will dwarf the other significance of today - honoring one of the great men of history.

Some people don't think any more of Martin Luther King Day than the fact that it is a holiday and a day off work. Thank goodness, there are many more who recognize the importance of what he did and the need to celebrate and honor that.

And thank goodness that we teach our children and grandchildren the legacy that King left us. I was proud to be active in the Civil Rights Movement, and we have made strides in acceptance and equality. Yet prejudice and bigotry still impact our society way too much. Dr. King's mission will not be complete until that no longer happens.

Dr. King left us a lot of memorable quotes and this is one of my favorites, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

Wonderful words, but only wonderful if we take them to heart and act on them.

Photo Courtesy of the Nobel Peace Organization

Book Review - Cleansed by Fire by James R. Callan

Cleansed by Fire
James R. Callan
Paperback: 238 pages
Publisher: Pennant Publishing (February 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 096468506X
ISBN-13: 978-0964685062

Two churches have been burned in a small Texas town, and Father Frank DeLuca, pastor of Prince of Peace Church, has heard that another church will be burned.The problem is, he heard this in the confessional and church law forbids him from telling anyone.


Still Father DeLuca is compelled to try to do something to prevent another tragedy, so he begins an investigation. Among the suspects are a new man in town who is involved in the local drug scene, a man who says the churches deserve to burn, and a school drop-out who mixes alcohol and drugs.  

As with most stories, this one was spurred by a real incident. A few years ago there was a series of church burnings in East Texas, and I am not surprised that someone used that as a basis for a story. Callan did a good job mixing fact and fiction.

Since I am a fan of mysteries with a much harder edge, I wanted to feel a stronger sense of real dread as the story developed, and that did not come until Father DeLuca was put in direct danger. Up to that point the story was a bit too light for my taste. However, there are a lot of readers who prefer the lighter touch, and they will enjoy this. 

Father DeLuca is a well-developed character, and it was interesting to get an insight into the daily life of a priest, who came across as much like a man as a cleric. The rest of the people in the story were also well-drawn characters, and the story came to a satisfying end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James R. Callan will be my guest this coming Wednesday. I hope you can stop by and help him feel welcome at It's Not All Gravy.  

Friday's Odds and Ends

This is the latest bad news regarding the XL Keystone Pipeline. Elizabeth Bast wrote in Oil Change International, "Emissions from tar sands extraction and upgrading are between 3.2 and 4.5 times higher than the equivalent emissions from conventional oil produced in North America.On a life-cycle basis, the average gallon of tar sands bitumen derived fuel has between 14 and 37 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than the average gallon of fuel from conventional oil."

Lorne Stockman,  research director at Oil Change International had this to say, “What we’ve uncovered is something industry doesn’t want you to hear: exploiting the tar sands and building the Keystone XL pipeline is even more damaging to the climate than has been previously reported.”

The problem is, despite all the protests and the research into the effects, the pipeline is under construction. I drive past a section of it every time I go to town and hate the devastation I see on two sides of the road. In one place, it actually comes within 100 yards of a home that someone had built out in the country so they could enjoy nature.

Okay, that's my rant for the day.

For a little levity, consider this from Pickles. Opal and her grandson, Nelson,  are sitting in the lving room. Nelson says, "I hope tomorrow is funner that today."

Opal says,  "Funner is not a word Nelson. The correct way to say it would be, 'I hope tomorrow will be more fun than today.'"

To which he responds, "The longer I sit here the more unfunner this day is getting."

Literary Lesson: "You don't pay for anything by being dead. That's when you stop paying for it." from Duplicate Keys by Jane Smiley

The Neighborhood Dog

My Wednesday Guest today is Slim Randles and his friend, Billy. Enjoy.

The problem was Billy, you see. Billy’s our town dog, ever since Sally passed away quietly on Doc’s porch, and Billy’s owner, Stewart Simpson, died two weeks later. The people who inherited Stew’s house didn’t particularly enjoy having Billy around, and Billy appeared to feel the same way about them, so he became our dog. By which I mean everyone’s dog.

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

People in town fed him whenever he came around, so there wasn’t a problem that way. Matter of fact, he’d gained a few extra pounds by riding the grub line.

His job, as official town dog, was to be colorful, which he was, to greet tourists, which he did, and to escort the children to school, which he accomplished every weekday. On Saturdays he’d show up at the school, look around, then go back downtown and see if there were any tourists who needed guidance.

The problem was, it was now winter and cold, and Billy is a short-haired coonhound and shivers a lot. But he’s our dog, and our responsibility, and that’s why the high school boys in woodshop took over.

First they held a design contest, to see who could lay out the best house possible for Billy. Two of the guys even measured him first, because you’d want the thing to be cozy, but not crowded. Then when the winning design was chosen, they set to work. In a week’s time, Billy had the best-insulated, classiest dog house in town.  It could withstand zoning changes, hurricanes and atomic attack. They took it down to the crossing where the school kids were each weekday and leveled out a place for it under a shade tree. Then they threw some kibble in it to get Billy to go in.

Billy ate the kibble and curled up and lay down in there and there were smiles all over town. The boys from woodshop received congratulations from the multitudes, and the project was declared a success.

And when darkness fell and the wind began out of the east, Billy walked over to Mrs. Sandiford’s house and scratched on the door. She let him in and he jumped up on the couch with her two cats, Boots and Desdemona, and sighed.

Love comes in all forms.

-------
Read free samples of Slim’s books at www.slimrandles.com 
You might really enjoy, Home Country, a collection of of essays that Slim has written over the years.   

Monday Morning Musing

Have you heard that AIG filed a suit against the Federal Government for what they claimed was unfair terms of the 2008 bailout? In case you've forgotten that debacle, AIG is the insurance company that made multibillion-dollar bad bets on mortgages and put us on the brink of financial collapse. They were given $182 billion in bailout money, which current ads from AIG are saying that they have paid back, with interest. They also take thirty seconds of our time to let us know how much they are doing  to help victims of the terrible storm Sandy.

A little tug on the heartstrings to keep us from thinjing about the knife they proposed to stick into our pocketbooks. Keep in mind that any successful suit of the government means money out of our pockets, more money on top of what already came out of our pockets.

Talking to a friend about this, he commented, "That takes a lot of chutzpah. The operational definition of chutzpah being 'murdering your parents and then throwing yourself on the mercy of the courts because you are an orphan.'"

Thomas G. Donlan made the same statement in his article in Barrons, where he also wrote, "The AIG 'rescue' was a shameful episode in U.S. financial history, one that will come back to haunt the taxpayers and the government's creditors the next time an insurance company, a bank, a nonbank, a government-sponsored enterprise, or a Ponzi scheme seems too big to fail and too big to dismember, and is assuredly too big to succeed." 

Over the weekend I learned that AIG has backed down from the suit. According to an editorial in The Dallas Morning News, "After a little shaming and angry public backlash, AIG is sheepishly bakcking off, but it's reminded us that you can't spell ingrate without AIG."

So my post today wouldn't leave you on a downbeat, I looked online for a comic strip to share. Just for fun, check out today's strip from Luann. Young people use libraries for the most interesting reasons.

Book Review - Rules of Crime by LJ Sellers

Rules of Crime
LJ Sellers
Paperback: 294 pages
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (February 26, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1611098068
ISBN-13: 978-1611098068

In this latest Detective Wade Jackson mystery, he is called by his daughter, Katie, who tells him his ex-wife, Renee, is missing. Jackson doesn't tell Katie, but he suspects that Renee may have fallen off the wagon and has walked away until she can straighten out again. When her wealthy fiance receives a ransom call, the horrible truth that she has been kidnapped is revealed.

While Jackson is investigating the kidnapping, his protege, Detective Lara Evans is on a case involving a young woman who was beaten and dumped at the ER. The University of Oregon coed is unconscious, so Lara has the task of trying to identify the victim before she can even start looking for a perpetrator.  

The kidnapping case is taken over by a new FBI liaison in Eugene, Agent Carla River, and things do not go well when the money is taken to the kidnapper. Even though some suspects are taken into custody, they are unwilling to reveal any information that can lead the officers to Renee.

This is another good suspense novel from Sellers, and the plot twists complicate the story enough to keep you guessing. Some of the police deductions seem to come too quickly in places, but that was a minor flaw in an otherwise well-written book. I especially liked the relationship between Jackson and his daughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~
FTC Disclaimer:  The author sent me an ARC of the book some time ago, but Mr. Federal Trade Commission, that is what authors and publishers do. They send advance review copies to reviewers all the time. No money changes hands, although if LJ would like to share some of her royalties... wait, I didn't really say that. Just ignore the last comment, please.

Some Friday Fun

I'm still working on the history book and my deadline keeps getting closer and closer. Things keep interfering with my plan, like getting the flu a couple of weeks ago. Then my writing partner got sick last week and was still feeling poorly early this week. More delays. UGH! But you know what? The world will not end if the book is a few days late. Of course, my editor might not feel that way, so I hope she does not read this.

Anyway, I thought I would share some levity from the funny papers. Enjoy....

Last week's Blondie strip was amusing. Blondie and Dagwood are in bed and he has his iPad open. He says, "I'm posting that it's time for me to turn in."

Blondie says, "I think you're getting addicted to posting too many trivial things on your Facebook page."

In the next frame Dagwood says, "Honey, please. I can quit posting any time I want to."

To which she responds, "I don't know, it seems like you're getting carried away."

Dagwood's last Facebook post, "Get this - Blondie thinks I post way too much trivial stuff on my Facebook page."

Picture Courtesy of Suzy Covey Comic Book Collection

A good one from Dilbert. Dogbert is sharing news with Dilbert. "I got a job as a news manufacturer for an online media company. I quote people out of contect, add misleading headlines, and tie it all up with a snarky bow."

Dilbert says, "I thought the news occurred naturally."

Dogbert comes up with a snarky headline, "'Engineer thinks news is magic.'"

Picture Courtesy of the Competent Parent Blog

 Lessons From Literature:
Here's another one from A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. "A hero is someone who does something for other people. He does something that other men don't and can't do. He is different from other men. He is above other men."

I'm pretty sure Mr. Gaines meant the designation for someone other that a sports figure.What do you think?