Friday's Odds and Ends

Some thoughts about events in Ferguson:

Ronnie Smith of Garland, Texas asked these questions in a letter to the editor in the Dallas Morning News. "Will burning the very buildings they shop at change the verdict? Will looting... improve police relations?"

Good questions. Smith went on to say that the violent actions by some only creates more of a barrier between citizens and police officers. I agree.


A writer friend posted a comment on Facebook to the effect that non-violent protests never achieved justice. Wasn't it Martin Luther King Jr. who espoused non-violence during the Civil Rights Movement? And what about Mahatmas Gandhi who led the fight for independence for India through peaceful protests? Despite all the cruelty imposed on him and his followers, he never once gave in to the urge to fight back.

It takes a tremendous amount of courage to resist the temptation to let anger rule reason. 

 Obviously violent responses to injustice has not even dented the prejudice and bigotry from both sides of the color line. The only way we will end it once and for all is to step across that line and embrace each other and stop standing on either side throwing stones at each other.

That takes courage, too.
 
Now on to something much more fun. I want to thank everyone who downloaded copies of Doubletake last weekend and Monday. For one day it made it to the #1 spot on police procedural mysteries, and made it to number 15 overall at Amazon for free books. Since there are hundreds and hundreds of free books, getting so high on the list was quite a thrill. The book is no longer free, but is still a good buy at $3.99 And I have paperback copies that I can ship in time for Holiday gift giving if you have readers on your list. Just e-mail me at maryann (at) maryannwrites.com to make arrangements.

The cast of the Holiday Revue at the Winnsboro Center For the Arts has been working hard for several weeks of rehearsals. As with all the theatre productions, this one has consumed my time for those several weeks, and I am glad that intense time commitment will end this weekend. However, I will miss all the fun we had learning the songs, decorating the stage, and teasing each other. I have such a terrific group of young players and adults, and sometimes it is hard to tell who is more young at heart. 

A very generous lady donated a grand piano to the art center, so we will gather around that this evening for an old-fashioned sing-along following the annual Christmas Parade, and then we will have the show on Saturday. 

What are some of your plans to Herald in the holiday season? Share in the comments if you'd like.

Surprise Tuesday Post

In honor of Veterans Day, I thought I would do a special post, thanking all the men and women who have served, and are still serving, in the military. Those of you who have followed my blog for some time, may recall that I have mentioned before that on my father's side of the family, men served in every war and conflict since the Spanish American war. Many of them are buried in the cemetery that my great, great, great grandfather donated to the small Methodist Church in Fairmont, West Virginia. What a thrill it was to see all the headstones some years ago when I visited.

Mt. Zion UMC cemetery

Patriotism and service to the country is very important to me, and I always want to stand up and salute on days like today. So hang on just a moment while I do that.

Okay, I'm back. And now I want to personally thank members of my more immediate family for their service: My brother, Michael, for his years in Vietnam; my son, David, for his part in Desert Storm, and my daughter, Dany, for her years in the army. She was the lucky one who never saw combat, but she was a good soldier, making the rank of captain before discharge.

Now I'd like to let you know about a Veterans Day special that Marney K. Makridakis is offering for her new book.  

Simply order Hop, Skip, Jump TODAY, November 11, and get an instant $15 Artella eGift Certificate for each copy purchased, which is even more than the price of the book. Go to http://www.artellaland.com/play.html to order your copy and take a fun quiz to find out if you Hop, Skip, or Jump! :-) 

So today is the best day to order multiple copies of this fun book as holiday presents, and get $15 back for each one. The eGift certificates can even be transferred to others as holiday gifts, too. What a terrific deal on a book that helps us have more fun.

In the spirit of fun, I am going to make time to play ball with my dog today and hug a cat. What will you do for fun?