The Cottage of Blog--Patricia A. Guthrie--romantic suspense writer

ALERT: Jackson's for Sale

2012-02-09T10:28:00.006-06:00

Hi.

Sad to say, I'm selling Jackson. If any of you are horse people and are interested, he's a lovely horse. The image comes out small. Just click on it and it will "grow." I'm asking $5000. (the flyer didn't come out so hot on this blogspot.)

MARKETING ALERT: Book Promotions you Can Use by John Kremer

2012-02-07T18:06:00.002-06:00

John Kremer has a newsletter he puts out every month. He's a marketing guru. This free site might be something you can use. JohnKremer@BookMarket.com

Book Promotion Tweets You Can Use
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are some great book marketing lessons and book promotion tips
included within these short tweets.

Traffic Generation Cafe Monthly Income Report: January 2012 -
http://www.trafficgenerationcafe.com/make-money-report-january-2012
via @AnaTrafficCafe - Example of one blogger's real income.

Kindle ebooks, copyrights, and your rights as an author when someone
steals your work - http://bit.ly/KindleCopyright - good stuff here.

99 Tiny Stories to Make You Think, Smile and Cry -
http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/02/05/99-tiny-stories
- real-life incredibly touching stories

EBook Marketing Courses: Blogging, Email, and Video Marketing -
http://blog.bookmarket.com/2012/02/ebook-marketing-courses-blogging-email.html

418 people worth following on Twitter - book authors, Internet marketers,
interesting people - all worth following -
https://twitter.com/#!/JohnKremer/people-worth-following/members

The 25 Most Inspiring Songs of All Time - cool music videos -
http://personalexcellence.co/blog/inspirational-songs

You Can Use Public Domain to Profit More in Your Writing and Publishing Efforts - http://blog.bookmarket.com/2012/01/book-marketing-makeover-6-reasons-to.html

Prediction: More indie bookstores will open this year than close.
That's good for book readers, book authors, and book publishers.

Electronic communication tools do not create grassroots momentum.
People do. - An Amyism - http://showaltergroup.com/resources/amyisms.php

Seth Godin: Find Writers for Your Readers #seth #godin -
http://askjohnkremer.com/book-marketing-makeover-find-writers-for-your-readers

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close
they were to success when they gave up. - Thomas Edison -
http://www.quotablebooks.com

If you need to get powerful people on your side (think SuperStar Blog
Tour), check out The Underdog Edge – http://www.underdogedge.com

Reporter Connection: Connect to Reporters & Producers -
http://askthepublicist.com/reporter-connection-connect-to-top-reporters-and-producers

Follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/johnkremer

Review for Waterlilies Over My Grave

2012-02-06T17:42:00.001-06:00

A new review for Waterlilies Over My Grave.

HI Patricia,
Here's my 5 star review of your book. Thanks a million.
God bless!
Jeannie Walker

WATERLILIES OVER MY GRAVE
By Patricia Guthrie

I found this novel to have a quality that arouses excited expectation and uncertainty about what may happen in this captivating work of fiction.
Annabelle O’Brien has gone through a very nasty divorce and moves away to a small town near a lovely lake. Annie is a Psychologist who believes her ex-husband, Duncan Byrne, who is a Psychiatrist, has followed her and wants her dead. After mysterious attacks and the murder of two ladies that resemble Annie, the entire small resort town of Lake Nager and Annie are all swept into feelings of fear and despair.
Annie is sure her life is in dire danger and her only hope of protection is a burnt out detective.
Without giving away spoilers: The villain in this novel seems to have everything well planned. Will the good doctor survive or will the psychotic Psychiatrist ex-husband succeed in taking Annie's life?
You'll have to read this compelling novel to find out.

What I'm Doing

2012-02-03T09:45:00.002-06:00

Just thought I'd give everyone a "heads-up" as to what I'm doing.

I decided I'd like to do some book reviews and post them on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my blog (and any other place that would like them) As most writers, I love to read. I'm mainly a romantic suspense, mystery and anything that has to do with horses type-of-fan. Dogs are all right too.

I'm also getting into the paranormal realm. I used to indulge in Stephen King, Dean Koontz and John Saul, but I got so involved with writing, I haven't had much chance to read. (well, maybe that's not true. I do read a lot) I should be putting a review up on my blog today. (I Hope) this will be a review for "Fighting the Devil" by Jeannie Walker, a true crime story about the arsenic poisoning of a millionaire in Texas.

The horses and dogs are fine. Smokey had a case of "Thrush" (fungus) but that seems to have healed. Jackson is as feisty as ever. He might be for sale, if anyone is looking for a quarter horse hunter-type that also goes western pleasure. he's won two all-arounds in quarter horse shows.

I'm (still--or again) working on "Legacy of Danger." I have an editor working with me. Problem with this book is that it was started back in the late 1990's. Every time I edited the latest version (and I mean, there were at least three versions plus drafts of each) I seemed to write another book. Hence, "Waterlilies Over My Grave" and "In the Arms of the Enemy" not to mention others that will NOT be mentioned. Getting back to the paranormal, Legacy has evolved into a paranormal
romantic suspense novel.

Other than that, I'm keeping busy. (that's an understatement) I've been following horse racing and politics.

Hope everyone is well.

Pat

WATERLILIES ALERT: Next Installment

2012-02-03T09:39:00.002-06:00

Chapter 8

Duncan Byrne sat near the end of the bar hidden from the rest
of the room behind an unfinished pine post with genuine knotholes.
He could pretty much observe everything when he moved his head a
certain way around a group of waiters singing “Happy Birthday to
you” clap-clap, as some birthday boy was handed a gratis drink.
Outside of that, he kept his eyes on his whiskey glass or the
female bartender dressed in a short black skirt and a tight white
T-shirt with ‘The Watering Hole’ embossed on the front, showing
her boobs off to their best advantage. His type of place. He’d
occasionally talk to girls on either side, but his concentration lay
many tables across the room and the drama that was playing out.
She was walking out the door, but she’d be back. Of that he
was absolutely certain.

He regarded the detective, now sitting alone, popping those
damned peanuts. Tall, rugged and he supposed handsome to the
female species.

Annabelle was as beautiful as he’d ever seen her and that
pissed him off. She was supposed to be pining for him, instead she
dressed like a cheap slut looking for a quick pick-up. Maybe the
detective was one of them. His Annabelle. Untouched when he’d
married her. Unsullied. About to commit the sin of adultery. Never
mind those divorce papers. Once married. Always married.
He sipped his Johnny Walker Red.

‘Til death do us part.’

He should never have agreed to this divorce. This was his
fault. For this he’d be reprimanded. And the reason his Annabelle
Lee had be punished.

That detective…the man had better leave her alone,
otherwise more than one--no, make that two lives would be taken
this week.

By the looks of it, the detective seemed to be the local
Casanova. Familiar to the women here; probably in the biblical
sense. It was time to talk to the local ladies.
The woman to the right of him had short red hair. She
seemed to be popular with the locals, but she’d had her eye on him
ever since she’d sat on the bar stool.

“Hi,” he said. “Can I buy you a refill on that whiskey sour?”
She smiled and showed him a brilliant Julia Roberts type
smile. “Yes, thank you.”

The bartender stopped in front of them.

“Whiskey sour,” the woman said.

“Another shot of Johnny Walker Red for me.”

“Right away.” The bartender hustled to the bottles.

“I’m Candy,” the woman said. “I haven’t seen you here
before. Are you new? One of the vacationers?”

“Yes, I am. My very first time. Maybe you can tell me
something about the town and the people here?”

“Well,” she said. “If you want to know about the people in
this town, you’ve come to the right place. Everyone in Nager knows
everyone else.”

“You know everyone in town?”

“Just about.”

The bartender brought their drinks. Duncan paid.
Then he turned back to Candy and listened as she told him
everything he wanted to know about the town and the detective
sitting across the room.

Waterlilies Over My Grave is available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble (online or order it at a store near you) Books-a-Million and other online book stores.

BOOK REVIEW ALERT: Fiend, the Manifestation by Phil Bolos

2012-01-29T16:42:00.002-06:00

Fiend, the Manifestation

By
Phil Bolos

Reviewed by Patricia A. Guthrie

Barian, the Angel of Death

Thomas, Isaac, Emily, Rose, Neil, Joseph and Katy, seven common citizens represent: love, hate, strength, weakness, faith, protector and hope, live in a perpetual comatosed state. Only one need survive to keep the monster, Barian, from showing his evil head and blue bow tie in Larkin, a sleepy little town where he plans to begin the destruction of the world. But, he’s sure none will live through what he has planned for them.

But why them? Why did these symbols end up in comas? Why do they live in two states: a coma in the hospital and in a world of monsters with the Angel of Death ever-so-slowly coming after them, picking them off one-by-one?

And why is Adam, the sheriff of Larkin, a town where nothing, except an occasional drunk or traffic violator, having nightmares like he has never experienced before?

Who is this woman who appears to Adam telling him about grisly horrific deeds from the eleventh century that left a community decimated? About a monster with a blue tie who wants justice today. Only Adam sees her, and only Adam hears her tale.
The only way she can help is if one of the seven can give her a name, an antithesis of “The Angel of Death.” The name must be “all that is good and just in the world.

The seven face chambers of sand with no apparent doors, until the sand moves. They end up in rooms filled with clear flowing wa. . . acid, a torture chamber and rooms with monsters of different sizes and proportions. Each one, guided by Barian, bent to destroy all seven.

This story is nightmarish on a fright scale of nine. It will keep the reader on the edge of his and her seat, reading all night, if that’s what it takes to finish part one of what will be a trilogy of evil. Comparisons to authors Dean Koontz and Stephen King come to mind, but there is no comparison. Phil Bolos is his own author, his own imagination.

Aside from a few editorial gitches, here and there the story had few gaffes. It paced well, hopping between the real, sleepy world of Larkin and a nightmare of a comatosed hell.

If you love horror and mystery mixing good with evil, if you love getting to know the characters and worrying about them, you will love Fiend, the Manifestation. Or—The Angel of Death.

Reviewed by
Patricia A. Guthrie, author of:
Waterlilies Over My Grave
In the Arms of the Enemy

KINDLE ALERT: by Micki Peluso

2012-01-29T10:38:00.003-06:00

Sunday, January 22, 2012Curling up with an Electronic Book

Within the next decade or so, one of the most enjoyable and inexpensive pleasures may become as extinct as the dinosaur; the simple act of reading a book. Books have not greatly changed since Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type in the 1400's. Even when printed by computers, the result is still paper and ink, the basis of books since papyrus was first used by the Egyptians. Thanks to the marvels of electronic technology, books as we have come to know and love could become as obsolete as stone tablets.

Initially, technological and reference works, such as Roget's Thesaurus and Bartlett's Quotations were installed in Word Processing programs to aid students, researchers and writers, but the publishing industry doubted if it could convince the public to read literature on the computer.

Random House met with the chairman of Apple Computers and announced that the famous book series, "Modern Library", would be published in electronic form, including such classics as Moby Dick and David Copperfield. The books would be offered on the portable Apple PowerBook, a computer no larger or heavier than the average dictionary. According to Nora Rawlinson, then Editor in Chief of "Publishers Weekly", It's the first thing I've seen that I could curl up in bed with."
The pages of the original electronic books turned with the pressing of a button, the print could be enlarged for easier reading, and the computer book read in the dark without disturbing a sleeping spouse. The portable PowerBook was run on batteries recharged every three hours, So if one happenned to be at the climax of an Agatha Christie mystery and the batteries failed, the reader would come to know, first hand, the power of the computer.

The trouble with computers (just to list one) is that they are difficult on the eyes, and staring at the screen for hours, no matter how advanced or clear, can cause headaches, nausea, eyestrain, and nervousness. The safety of long-term viewing has yet to be proven, but short-term studies have pinpointed certain health problems, including the possibility of contracting cancer and is considered to be potentially hazardous to pregnant women.

Still, electronic books have their place, becoming a big hit with American children, who already receive over 50% of stimuli from video screens, deriving questionable gain. Children and adults who hate to read but love video games are drawn to electronic books, which feature pictures and sound effects. This is not the best way to stimulate a love of reading in children, because it stifles the their innate creativity but for some reluctant readers it is better than not reading at all.
Advocates of this exciting technology predict that electronic books, both literary and reference, will soon replace traditional books completely. Those who love to read can carry their slim electronic readers to the pool or beaches,trains, planes and especially use them while waiting for appointments.

I love books and I respect computers, along with a little fear. Books, lifelong friends, have never let me down or disappointed me. My computer has browbeat me, manipulated me, changed my written text at will, shut down on me, lost umpteen pages of manuscript and even once ordered me, in bold print, to "TURN OFF THIS MACHINE AT ONCE"! Which, of course, I did.

Computers are "run" but books are fondled, caressed and enjoyed on much more than an intellectual level. Books are warm; computers are cold, relentless, unforgiving and, no matter who tells you otherwise, they can and do think independently.

True lovers of books will never willingly part with them in exchange for electronic screens. Books are treasured not only for their content, but also for the wonderful aroma of paper and ink; for the pleasant texture of a leather-bound hard-cover volume or the comfortable feeling of a worn, dog-eared paperback.
The thing that is most frightening is not the availability of electronic books, for they have a definite place in a modern technological society, but the dire prospect that they will, out of necessity, one day replace traditional books. This may be inevitable due to elevated publishing costs and more importantly the depletion of world forests. Even recycled paper cannot keep up with the demand for paper products. If it comes down to losing trees or losing books, the trees must take priority, for they promote life.

The new Kindle digital books and others like it are more user friendly than e-books. They are easier on the eyes, are the size of an average paperback book, and can hold thousands of books at once. If any electronic book replaces paper books, it would be this type of electronic book, and that’s scary in a way. It may have its niche but to replace tradditional books is reprehensible to me.

Therefore it would behoove book lovers everywhere to begin hoarding their supply of books and buying as many new ones as possible, so that on that terrible date when books become relics of the past, we will be able to cherish our lifelong friends and pass them on to future generations. The essence of what a book truly is must never be forgotten.

Posted by Author of "And the Whippoorwill Sang" at 8:00 PM

This article was priceless. I want to argue in favor of the Kindle though. They're light weight. Lighter than most paperbacks and certainly lighter than the hard backs. the fonts are adjustable so those of us who have problems seeing the smaller fonts in the paper backs have no trouble seeing the Kindle. (not sure about the other E books.

also: the dogs have a harder time eating a Kindle and the Kindle has a dandy leather bound Kindle cover. It can also hold a thousand or so books,so you can choose which book you want no matter where you are.

the new Kindles can be stored in categories, which make it easier to find when you have lots and lots and LOTS of books. a whole library that doesn't take up room when you live in a small house that doesn't have the room for tons of book shelves.

Most of the new Kindles' batteries last almost a month before a few minutes charge will bring it all back.

besides, those of us who are alergic to the mold that gathers on books stores away for periods of time,have no trouble with their sinuses reading a Kindle.

Although, as micki says, I won't be getting rid of my books any time soon. Also, (as I'm not yet ready for the Fire Kindle) books with color photos wouldn't be so great for a Kindle. black and white photos with the new kindle are fine. Just great. But the Kindle books I love are only black and 'white.

Take care and enjoy whatever book you read.

Pat author of Waterlilies Over My Grave and In the Arms of the Enemy

CHARACTERIZATION ALERT:

2012-01-27T12:07:00.003-06:00

We've already touched on characterization when we mentioned goal, motivation, conflict and resolution, elements that I picked up from Debra Dixon and Pam McCutcheon. What I'd like to do today is give you a resume list that I've picked up from many sources. I'd like to site Sue Viders, Lcynda Storey, Cher Gorman, Becy Martinez (from 10 Steps to Creating Memorable Characters) Morgan Hawes, Mary Jane Harrington and,I have to admit, myself, before I enter into the realm of character archetypes. For another day.

As I can't delve into my documents, I'll have to do this off the top of my head.

I think it's important to learn about the characters before putting them into "categories." This is always fun, however, because you can take things from yourself, your best friends and your worst enemies.

I do the most detailed work for the heroine, hero and villain and a shortenened version for the more important secondary characters. As I get more into stories involving animals, I might put them in too. The reader probably won't notice much. Half if not more won't even appear in the novel. But,it's there if I need it to be.

So here is my resume:

Name
Age
Race
Hair color
Eye color
Height
Weight
Intelligence level
Where she/he comes from
Schools attended/grade level acheived
favorite subject in school
favorite sport or hobby in/our of school
boyfriend/girlfriend

favorite color
clothing choices
jewelry choices
Grooming: Is that important to them?
Makeup for the ladies. Lots used? Little?

favorite books
favorite music
favorite vacation spots
Favorite TV shows
Favorite movies
Pets: Do they have any? Want any? Had any in the past?
Computer knowledge?
What led to these choices
What are their needs and desires

Most prized possession

church and/or religion
Believe system
What lead to this choice?

work-job-career
what lead to this choice?
Goals and ambitions. How could this be important for the characters?

married/divorce/single/widowed
How did this come about

favorite drinks
favorite foods
favorite snacks

Favorite car. What do they drive now? Why?

Obsessions

Addictions

Flaws

Weaknesses

Strengths

Greatest success and how this affects the story
Greatest failure and how this affects the story

Greatest Fear (External Fear like fear of drowning; Internal Fear like not being believed or liked etc)

Biggest regret:

What's the moment that changed his/her life:

Family, parents and siblings. How does this affect the character?

Friends: Best friends and friends who let them down. How does that affect the character?

Boy friends or girl friends and how this defines the actions in the story.

Character traits and habits. How does this affect the story?

The characters attitudes towards others, animals and world events.

Secrets that characters wont' share with others. How does this affect outcome?

How do characters handle crisis?

What is the characters soft spot? How does this affect the story? ie if character bashes into a telephone pole to avoid hitting a dog, how could this affect him/her and the passengers in the car.

What are some body language displayed by characters?
What are some of their favorite cliches and other language utterances? Where did they pick it up?

HOME ENVIRONMENT: Describe and explain why this is important to them. Is there anything in the home that can later affect outcome of story?

OFFICE/WORK ENVIRONMENT: Describe and explain why this is important to them. Is there anything in that office that can later affect outcome of the story?

COMMUNITY: What's the community like? Urban? Rural? Resort? How does it play into the story?

I'd like to go into Chris Vogler's book "The Writers' Journey" and "Heroes and Heroines" by Viders, Cowden and LaFever at some point. These give valuable tips as to what role the characters play in the story, how they interact with others and themselves.

You don't have to do the chart all at once. (unless you want to) my main goal here is for you to have the tools as the story goes along, to know what they might do from their likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses and background. Just like us.

Oh yeah, and to make sure the character starts out with blue eyes and ends up with blue eyes. Stuff like that.

Pat

WATERLILIES ALERT: Next installment

2012-01-26T18:34:00.006-06:00

Here's the next installment of Waterlilies Over My Grave. We're still on Chapter 3.
Annie O'Brien has taken a position in the resort town of Lake Nager to get away from her ex-husband and find peace. Peace, which he'll never let her find, because he wants her back. Dead or alive. Enjoy getting inside the mind of Dr. Duncan Byrne.

Under the pines, the ground was soggy from all the rain.
Digging a hole in the ground and burying the phone wasn’t hard. The
owner might try tracing it, but unless it had a tracking device
installed they’d never find it.

A rumble of thunder came from the west. The day-shift
would let out soon.

The perpetual hollowness deep in the pit of his stomach
attacked him again. He got back into his vehicle and popped an
antacid pill. The damned woman had given him an ulcer.
He checked his mirror to find holes in his disguise. None.
Checked to see if anyone sat in nearby vehicles. No one.
Checked to see...ridiculous. He’d never put flowers in his SUV.
Duncan pressed the tape of city sounds in his CD player. He
picked up his own cell phone and called the Hyatt in New York City.

“Good afternoon. This is the Hyatt.”

“Dr. Duncan Byrne. Haven’t had a chance to check my
messages. Anything for me?”

“One moment, sir.”

The sounds of horns blasted from his CD player.

“No sir. No messages. I hope you’re enjoying the
convention, sir?”

“Yes. Doing my best to get lost in the crowds for a change.
I’ll be doing some sight-seeing this afternoon. Funny how few
people who live here actually appreciate the greatness the city has to
offer.”

“Yes, sir.” The man sounded bored.

“I’ll be putting a ‘do not disturb’ sign on my door when I get
in. Please make sure I’m not disturbed.”

“Nobody will disturb you, sir.”

“Thank you.” He clicked off the call and redialed.

“Hello?”

Duncan turned into Mr. Congeniality.

“Kurt, enjoying the convention?”

“Yes sir. I taped the workshops like you asked. Haven’t
recognized anyone yet. Everything is going well.”

“I’m glad you’re having a good time. And remember: You
must maintain the utmost secrecy. If anyone found out about
your...past, they wouldn’t let you back into the university. You
understand that, don’t you?”

Silence.

The boy had been caught hacking term papers from some of
the grad student’s. Lucky, Duncan had been the one to catch him.
But, not only that, Duncan thought with glee, he’d found out more.
Kurt Adder had been a virtual drug addict in his undergrad days.
He’d helped the kid through a private detox program. Never let it be
said, I didn’t do anything for the human race. Duncan acknowledged he’d used the kid as a virtual slave ever since. After all, we all have to pay for our sins.

“Yes sir. I appreciate what you’re doing for me.”

“Good. Any more workshops today?”

“No sir.”

“Take the rest of the day and go to see the sights. Empire
State Building, Statue of Liberty. Use my credit card. Have dinner
somewhere expensive.”

“Yes, sir.”

“When you get back to the Hyatt, put on the ‘do not disturb
sign’. Any messages, I’ll pick up later. Night.”

Click.

Hope he throws himself off the Empire State Building. No, he supposed that would never do. He had to keep up this front until he and his Annabelle were together for eternity.

Before that though, tonight, he’d give her the scare of her life

You can buy Waterlilies Over My Grave at: Amazonlcom in print or Kindle, at Barnes and Noble, at LSPDigital and at other online booksellers. You can also order Waterlilies Over My Grave at bookstores. If you buy at Amazon or Barnes and Noble, I'd appreciate you're leaving a comment--or a review. That would be wonderful!Pat

Legacy: Photo of Sandor Inn in Dkany, Romania

2012-01-26T10:21:00.003-06:00

Legacy of Danger--coming soon to an electronic bookstore near you. (I hope)This is a photo of a restaurant high on a mountain in Salzburg, Austria. The photo was taken in the 70's, from a post card. It was a place I'd never forgotten and thought it would be a nice image for the Sandor Inn, a restaurant hear the castle where Elena, Alex and Tony are headed. A place where, they hope, their mystery will be solved.

Meanwhile, car is in the shop. Needed a new battery, brake pads, clean up on pads in front, cleanup on spark plugs, oil change and other stuff since my van had been sitting in the driveway throughout the snowstorm. Oh yes, and the steering wheel has steering issues. It doesn't really want to. So, it should be interesting to find out the cost.

Another meanwhile, my new computer still won't open any of my documents. I'm not sure what is going on. Fortunately, I have my lap top and this new computer will go online, not through AOL, but through Internet Explorer.

HELP!

Today, besides trying to fix issues, I'm reading a horror story which I'll be reviewing. Good story. Scary story. Keeping me on the edge of my seat. Much more enticing than my car or computer.

Take care. Have a good writing day.

Pat

BOOK REVIEW ALERT: The Ten Phases of Ansbach by George L. King

2012-01-25T20:28:00.002-06:00

The Ten Phases of Ansbach

By

George L King

Review by Patricia A. Guthrie

The coming Armegeddon through a children’s game/doomsday machine.

The CEO of Unitech finds an ancient Greek children’s game written in ten circles or phases. He and his scientists discover it’s a brilliantly concocted doomsday machine. Written in ten circles for the children, the circles are phases that allow an automatic launch to take out any place, person or thing that its initiator wants. It’s a perfect blackmail machine. His greedy eyes perceive the millions coming from countries under threat of attack. It takes all ten phases to ever-so-slowly discover that not even the scientists have control any longer, and its effects can no longer be controlled, nor stopped.

The villain has coerced two brilliant, but weak-minded scientists to work through the ten phases and practice its deadly skills. They randomly exterminate a senator, a senator’s aid, employees who may be discovering too much and then the killings start to hit Germany and Europe.

The Ambassador of Iran is blamed for all this murder and mayhem, is arrested and brought before a Iranian tribunal. He escapes with the aid of supporters, and they’re chased through several continents and many countries so he can clear his name before the government has him executed, which, they have every intention of doing.

And, the CEO of Unitech looks on with glee when everything goes right and takes everyone out when it goes wrong.

This book has moments of brilliance. We’re taken from South Dakota to Washington to New York and across the Atlantic to Iran, Armenia and Sweden and back to the United States again. We’re taught the intricacies of flight, of a game so ancient it goes back to ancient Greece and how it’s been manipulated by the Nazi’s to aid in Hitler’s intended annihilation of the world. Although, it didn’t work in the Second World War, it seems doomed to success in the modern day. The CEO of Unitech looks forward to modern civilizations paying him mega-bucks to stop the deadly launches. Until, even he hits Phase Ten and, can no longer control his toy.

The characters manage to grow on the reader as the story moves along. The interactions between the Iranian Ambassador and his wife and little girl are sweet, as the three are terrified, but willing to take risks for the safety of others. A few romances heat up along the way, but this is not a romance by any means. This is a thriller from start to finish.

The book starts out slow, but out-of-the-blue, speeds up and continues its momentum from one scene into the next. Sometimes, it becomes hard to follow, so much is happening and so many characters are being challenged to escape or find a way out for this killer-device.

There are also many editorial mistakes and spots where he gets so technical it takes the reader out of the story to decipher what he has said. And, as stated, the story begins slow, a place where you want to start with, well maybe not a “bang,” but close to it.

However, I believe we will hear more of George L. King. You can bet on it.

Patricia A. Guthrie, Author
Waterlilies Over My Grave
In the Arms of the Enemy

CRAFT ALERT: How do you Write a Book Part 2

2012-01-24T09:08:00.005-06:00

How do you Write a Book? Part 2

We move into the stretch of time when I started to organize. Why?

My plots were convoluted. Didn't know where I was going. I'd forget whether the heroine had blue eyes or green, and what HAD the villain done to which character in chapter eleven? Duh!

I first followed Pam McCutcheon's great book "Synopsis." Followed it's guidelines line a bible. I worked with Debra Dixon's "GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict. I outlined "In the Arms of the Enemy." Did it stay true to the outline? NO. Emphatically NO. My characters had other ideas. We went in other directions. BUT, THAT'S OKAY. I'm going to repeat THAT'S OKAY. There are many ways to approach a novel. I'm approaching it the way I'd do it. But, I've heard of so many other interesting approaches.

So, I needed a theme. I needed to know what the story was philosophicially about.
From what I knew about theme these are some popular themes: "There's no place like home." (can you guess that one? Yep. "Wizard of Oz." It doesn't tell you the story, but it does tell you the main idea throughout the plot. Dorothy tries to get home. Period. She helps her subcharacters get what they need along the way, but the main focus is getting home. What about Lord of the Ring. what's the theme there? "Destroy the Ring" whatever the cost. The ring must be destroyed. Or (as I'm not great in the theme department, myself) how about "You will find the strength you need within yourself." You could say that for many of the characters. The theme kept me on track.

In Waterlilies I might say "You can run, but you can't hide." No matter what the heroine does, she cannot escape the obsession and persistence of her ex-husband. And this theme can go for the other main characters. The hero has been running from himself and his guilt for years. The villain has been running from his downward spiral into madness, but can't escape.

You should also have a few other basics to take you through your story. Each character needs a goal. Something for which he/she's striving. Goal Dorothy: Kill witch to GET HOME. The Ring: Destroy enemies so you can DESTROY RING. Waterlilies:
Catch villain before he kills her and takes a lot of other people along for the ride.

Motivation: Dorothy: wants to get home where she belongs, where she feels safe, where her people are. The Ring: Destroy enemies so you can destroy ring and bring peace to the land. Waterlilies: Catch villain so he won't kill her and she can lead a peaceful, happy life.

Conflict: ALL stories need conflict. Let me repeat. YOU MUST HAVE CONFLICT IN YOUR STORY. No conflict? No story. Not really. Dorothy's conflict: A Witch is doing her best to make sure Dorothy never reaches the Emerald City where the Wizard will help her get home. The Ring: Just about everyone at one point or another tries to stop Frodo from destroying the ring. After all, this is the one and most powerful ring of all. The one ring that will give the bearer the power over the land and its people. Some motivations are pure, some not so much. Waterlilies: The heroine (her name is Annie) has conflicts all along the way. A villain who wants to destroy her--he wants her alive or dead. Even her detective gets in the way whenever he can. (after all, it IS romantic suspense)

Resolution and growth: There has to be a resolution and ought to be growth for the characters, at least the main character. Dorothy kills witch, still nearly doesn't get home then discovers she could have gotten home anytime she wished were she to just rub those blastic slippers together and say "There's no place like home. . .. " and she realizes home is where she belongs and goes home in peace. In the "Ring" all the characters must grow in strength of mind and body in order to destroy this monstrosity that otherwise will destroy them all.

Waterlilies: Well, I'm not telling. You need to read the book to find out. Then you can tell ME how the main characters grew.

Which leads us to character development. I've read many books on character and taken several courses on character throughout the years. Some of the best: The Writer's Journey by Chris Vogler, Heros and Heroines by Viders, Cowden and LaFever, 10 Steps to Creating Memorable Characters by Viders, Storey, Gorman, Martinez, Morgan Hawks (I can't remember her website. She writes erotica, but take a look at her website.
She has wonderful articles on the art of writing and characterization.) There may be many more now. I'd love to hear about them and read them.

Developing characters is great fun. And, if you want to REALLY have fun have a casting call. Yep, just like in auditions. Find actors or actresses, models, photos of people in clip art etc. and do lots of cuts and pastes. I've found some great role models. ie: In "Arms of the Enemy," the heroine looks a lot like Nicole Kidman. In "Waterlilies," the heroine looks like Gwenyth Paltrow with her long blonde silky hair and in "Legacy" the heroine is based on Jennifer Connolley
(see Beautiful Mind.) The heroes are between a young Pierce Brosnan and Hugh Jackman. Villains oooooh how about Cary Ewes (he was nasty in "Twister")Unfortunately, I can't remember some of the other prototypes. I doubt you'll see the resemblance when you read the books though. Remember, they're a picture in my MIND.

I think I'll have to make a part three tomorrow. I'm dying to get back into Karen Wiesner's book First Draft in 30 Days. I remember doing a whole enchelada about description from her book.

To cut to the end, real quick. Read "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" by Browne and King. But that's for later.

Take care and have fun. Part 3 is tomorrow, then maybe I'll post another page of "Waterlilies" on Thursday.

And PLEASE MAKE COMMENTS.

Pat

CRAFT ALERT: How do you write a book?

2012-01-23T10:07:00.003-06:00

How do you write your book?

Are you a pantzer?
Or, are you an organizer?

In the beginning, I was a pantzer. I'd sit down and just write. And write and write and write, until I was finished. The first version of my first book I wrote three chapters of description of farm and country, characters and backstory. The good news; this was my first computer, more of a word processor and second hand. The bad news; I didn't know how to save to floopy or anything else. When I bought a new computer (an Asti-sounds like a car, doesn't it?) it never saved. The whole ms. gone. The good news; it was GONE. I had to re-write the whole thing over again.

The second book "Legacy" (You'll hear about that again) was done in the late 90's. (not 1890's--1990's) and I was in a Dracula mode. So, it took place in Romania (half of it still takes place in Romania) It had so many characters you couldn't keep them all straight, especially since the lead character Elena and the villain Erica had names that started with the letter E. I still like the story, but I have to admit, it has changed DRASTICALLY since then.

The third book (forget the name) took place in Paris. Did a lot of research and was in Paris in the 70's. Lots of changes in European laws. Convoluted plots. you get the picture. I was still a pantzer.

The good part of all of that, I was writing short stories entering into the contest hosted by the Amazing Instant Novelist. I wrote at least one to two shorts a week and started learning my craft. I joined the RWA and a local chapter, going to meetings once a month.
I joined online AOL workshops, and RWCList (which is still going strong) and found a critique partner which helped A LOT. I sent my wonderful ms a romantic suspense to Harlequin critique. One of the
comments was "Harlequin will NEVER accept strippers or prostitutes."
Plus if she was going undercover, she probably wouldn't participate in a profession where public clients came in to a club every night.
Oh well.

Then there was Romeo vs Juliette, a novel I'm still thinking about.
The usual girl meets boy in high school, girl gets pregnant, mother kicks girl down stairs and boy is sent off to school in Europe without ever knowing about girls condition. Girl turns up as an FBI agent when boy is under suspicion for being a serial killer.

But, then came Legacy again and then came one day of brainstorming at our local RWA meeting. An idea came for In the Arms of the Enemy. From the many books I'd started to read ("Synopsis" by Pam McCutcheon, "Heroes and Heroines by Sue Viders, Tami Cowden and Carol LaFever, "The Writer's Journey" by Christopher Vogler, "Becoming a Writer" by Brande, "Writing" by Ernest Hemingway, "First Draft in 30 Days" by Karen Wiesner, "Bird by Bird"
by Annie Lamott, "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" by Browne and King, "Elements of Style" "Chicago Manual of Style" and heaps of others you'll see at the right side of the blog, I learned. My head hurt, yes. I taught school at the same time, yes. But I started to get some organization into my life.

Then came Legacy, then came Waterlilies Over My Grave.

They will continue tomorrow. After all, this is fourteen years of writing condensed into two little blog posts.

Tomorrow, I'll discuss my transition from pantzer to organizer.
By the way, a pantzer is a writer who writes. Doesn't generally do the outlines or character studies. Only problem with that is. . . .

Beautiful Eyes by Dan Rosanhagen

2012-01-22T11:13:00.003-06:00

Hi Patricia Guthrie: Hi Patricia, Thank you so much for your kindness. It is my pleasure that you post my poem. I tried to view your site but as fate would have it, my computer is down and all I have is my phone at this time. Nevertheless, here are some thoughts on "Beautiful Eyes." Understanding love is an evolutionary process born into the fabric of all living things, as we grow through time, we learn. It could be said that love is the center of the sun and life are its brilliant beams of light. Our lives live somewhere on a beam, but far from the center''s pure core, where the essence of love dwells. It is our own individual quest to define our position from where we are, in contrast to the center of divinity, which then defines who and what we are. This position or perspective is the spring board for "Beautiful eyes"

Love through beautiful eyes

Beautiful eyes by Dan Rosenhagen

Love is the dreamer's dream,
a poor man's fortune,
an angry man's contentment,
and a arrogant man's prize.

To the wise man,
love is his own soul that he sees,
when he looks into the beautiful eyes of universe,
and realizing his dream has come true .

I thought that was lovely. Thank you Dan, for allowing me to post this.

Pat

GREAT IDEA! Solar Lights for power outages

2012-01-20T21:24:00.003-06:00

This is a GREAT idea. I have no idea where it came from, but I'm glad I got it.

This sounds like a good idea Will have to bring one in and see how bright it is (preparing myself for the next outage LOL )

Solar Lights MacGyver to the rescue

This is a great idea. Would have not thought of it.
duhhhhh ~ why didn't I think of this one........
I have a friend who used her solar lights inside at night when her current was off during the hurricane. She stuck them in a jar or bottle and said they gave off plenty of 'free light'. She put one in each room and would put them back outside in the daytime and bring them in at night as long as the current was off. They are safe to use and cheaper than batteries. Bring in a solar light one night and test it.

Due to a thunderstorm, we lost power for about 5 hours. We were scrambling around in the darkness, looking for matches, candles, flashlights, etc. We looked outside, and noticed our solar lights shining brightly all around our patio, stairs, dock, etc. They were beautiful. My wife walked outside, and brought several of the solar lights inside.

We stuck the solar light pipes into plastic drink bottles containers and they made the nicest, brightest, safest, lighting you could ever imagine.

We put one in the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room, etc. There was plenty of light. There are all types of solar lights available. We bought ours at Harbor Freight. We put them all around our yard. They look nice and they do not attract flying bugs like the outdoor lights around our doorway.

The lights we have fit into the small (20 oz) water bottles and they also fit into most of the larger liter bottles. If you need a weight in the plastic bottle to keep them from tipping over, you can put a few of the pretty colorful "flat marbles" that they put in aquariums, and vases. (you can also use sand, aquarium gravel, etc., whatever you have available).

The lights we have were perfect inside our home. They burn all night long if you need them.

The next day, you just take your solar lights back outside and they will i nstantly recharge and be ready for you to use again any time you need them.

Perfect for power outages, hurricanes, etc.
I never thought of it, and now you don't have to. -----

God in your heart with Angels around you always......Nevy

WEBSITE STILL OUT OF COMMISSION

2012-01-20T12:46:00.004-06:00

ME AND MY DOG ANNIE AT FRIEND'S HOUSE IN NEW YORK READING BOOK.

The good news is I think I found the homepage. The bad news is every other page is on another navigation page. I started to work on it this moring and I kind of gave it up for the moment.

Anyone hear of Microsoft's PC Security? I was on the phone with them for an hour. I had 627 issues that had to be resolved. I bought this thing two weeks ago.

Pat, who's not feeling very cheerful at the moment. Another day where nothing seems to be going right. Oh yeah, the Chicago area is being blasted by lots of snow today. Just started. I'm bundling and going back to my BIP (that's book in progress. ONe I'm reading)

Pat

WEBSITE OUT OF COMMISSION

2012-01-19T14:42:00.003-06:00

I have no idea how this happened, but it did. What now? you ask.

I was busily (love ly adverbs when I can use them) perfecting my website--looked great, honest. I hit published and got a reading that I had to close my pages before I could publish. So, being the idiot that I am, I did. After that, the whole page disappeared.

Fortunately, I still have other pages that need tweaking. I can happily go back and lose them too.

I AM PULLING MY HAIR OUT.

Hope everyone out there in Cyberspace is having a better day than I am.

pg

BOOK ALERT: What do these have in common?

2012-01-19T10:01:00.002-06:00

What do these ingredients have in common?

Castle, child, collie, cross, DEA, Evanston, Illinois, ghosts, hero, heroin, heroine, hit-man, inheritance, murder, romance, Romania and Patricia A. Guthrie. Whew!

Answer: They are all in my new up-and-coming-in editing process novel temporarily named "Legacy of Danger." (Except me, of course. I wrote the darned thing.)

GORGEOUS ALERT: Albino Hummingbirds

2012-01-18T08:30:00.003-06:00

These are gorgeous photos of an Albino Hummingbird, a rare creature, indeed. Fifteen-year-old photographer Marlin Shank was fortunate enough to capture several images of a rare albino ruby-throated hummingbird while in a park in
Staunton,Va.

Very high quality photographs for such a fleeting subject...

Congratulations, Mark. What a wonderful photographer you are.

Pat

AUTHOR WHINING ALERT: I may be de-blocked.

2012-01-17T07:44:00.002-06:00

Is my writer's block de-blocked?

For a long time now, I haven't been able to write a thing.

I started my journey (way) back in the later 1990's with Matt's Murder (sitting on the shelf) Legacy of Danger (tenderly being re-written) many short stories (some are published) bits and pieces of a few other novels; then paydirt! In the Arms of the Enemy comes out as a result of a brainstorming session in an RWA local chapter meeting. And, it gets published. Waterlilies Over My Grave gets published. It took both several years to make it through the grind of submission, editing, re-editing, setting up a marketing plan, editing the PDF, editing the marketing plan and finally seeing them on the shelf at a local Borders and Barnes and Noble. Then, of course, on Amazon.

Then, came the street walking. (Um, no. Not that kind of street walking) I went from local library to local library (had some luck there) went to other library's microphone nights-poetry and story ready time, book signing sessions. My publisher and her author's were invited to the Austin Texas Literary Festival, which was awesome (except I got sick from eating spoiled pizza) Bill O'Reilly was in the next tent over (or two or three, I can't remember). I didn't fall in love with Bill O' Reilly for a couple of years later.

And then I stopped. Dead in my tracks. I'd hit a nasty "sagging middle" in Legacy. My darling heroine gets herself kidnapped and I have no idea how to get her out. Each time I pick up the book, I edit (and re-edit) from the beginning, reach that spot and
I'm dead as my heroine is going to be if I don't get her out of her predicament.

So, as suggested by my publisher, start something new. Right, of course. Write what you know. Horses! Got the darned thing outlined and--stopped dead. Again.

It's been two years since I've written anything. Until, last November, when I started my blog up again. The same one you're reading now. (well, not the same post) Then, I got into Linkedin and Facebook. Still struggling to learn my way around. My website is also a work in progress. Truly.

Then, there was the demise of my computer. Okay, it was a DELL.
It was in and out of GeekSquad Hospital five or six times last year. Finally, they honored their Black Tie warrenty of four time hardware issue and lemon law applies.

That's how I got my new Hewlett Packard DESKTOP for $7.10.

Legacy is back out. I'm blogging almost every day. What I don't write, I share my pages with other authors.

But, I have such a one-track mind, it's hard for me to make room for the horses, dogs, friends, writing and housecleaning. I know immediately which I can eliminate. Probably why I have so many allergies. (No, I haven't eliminated my horses)

So, today: Riding lesson, Legacy and, as I woke up and wrote at 3:30 in the morning, I'll probably take a nap.

Somebody please comment and tell me I'm not really crazy?

Pat

AUTHOR ALERT: Why Writing a Book is More Work than Shoveling Horse Poop by BJ Webb

2012-01-14T22:53:00.003-06:00

Being the horse lover and owner that I am, I immediately gravitated to the title of this article. Perfect, Betty. "Why Writing a Book is More Work than Shoveling Horse Poop." Yep it is. I don't have to think when I shovel horse poop.

Friday, January 6, 2012
Why Writing a Book is More Work than Shoveling Horse Poop

...

Another year, another book.

At 7 p.m., Tuesday, January 31, I’ll be at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore Scottsdale AZ, talking about my new Lena Jones mystery, DESERT WIND (to read an excerpt, log onto www.bettywebb-mystery.com). It’s much more fun to talk than it is to write so I’m sure I’ll enjoy myself.

Oops. Did I just give away the fact that writing isn’t easy? I guess I did. Thanks to good health and good luck, I’ve led a long and busy life, often working two jobs at a time. No, I’m not counting my role as a parent, because that would be the third job, the unpaid job that never ends.

Here are some of the you-get-paid-for-doing-it jobs I’ve held down over the years: go-go dancer, bartender, chicken farmer, commercial artist, car hop, job counselor, teacher, advertising copywriter, cotton picker, waitress, music critic, horse breeder, customer service representative, sales clerk, book reviewer, zoo worker, etc. But of all my various jobs, the most grueling by far is the job I’ve held for the last 12 years: mystery novelist.

Non-writers are always surprised when I tell them writing is harder than many jobs, including shoveling horse poop, which I’ll use as my example. In most jobs, you know what’s expected of you. Horse stall overflowing with poop? Turn Seabiscuit loose in the corral, get a shovel, shovel until all the poop’s gone. Put in fresh hay, lead Seabiscuit back into his stall, walk away. You’re done, and the horse is happy.

Writing isn’t like that. You get up at 4 a.m. every day for a year, write until it’s time to go to your paycheck-generating job, then 10hours later return home and write some more. Tired? Too bad. Oh, and another thing: while you’re still working on Book One, you need to start doing research for Book Two. Research takes time, too, and sometimes you even have to hop a plane to do it. Afraid of flying? Too bad.

But finally, a year after you began Book One, it’s finished. That night you send it to your publisher and at 4 a.m. the next day, you begin writing Book Two.

Remember my saying that when the poop-shoveling is done, the horse is happy? Well, editors aren’t that easy to please. Around the time you’re grunting through Chapter Ten of Book Two, you get an email from your editor saying that Book One needs some fixin’. So you file Book Two away, return to Book One, and make the requested changes. When you send the revised manuscript back and return to Book Two, guess what? You’ve forgotten who the heck all those characters are. This means that you spend the next couple of weeks reading through the manuscript, making notes, making changes. And chances are, you’ll begin all over again – from the first word of Chapter One.

You’ll notice that I haven’t even begun to describe the complexities of the writing craft itself. For the sake of brevity, I’ll list only a few that plagued me during the writing of DESERT WIND. Keeping characters’ names straight, so that the wrangler known as Gabe on page one doesn’t become Jake on page 235. Remembering that John Wayne died in 1979, rather than 1974, which I’d originally thought. Discovering that uranium mining continues at the Grand Canyon, although most people think it was shut down years ago. Keeping the arc of action rising ever upwards, a common problem with novelists (although we mystery writers have an easy solution; we just kill someone else whenever the action threatens to slow). Stop using the same words so often (my favorites are apparently “probably,” “seemed,” “just” -- and “apparently.” And getting rid of a dozen other writer’s hoodoos.

But in the end, it’s all worth it. Two years after you began writing the first page, Book One – your perfect, perfect creation, the reflection of your very soul -- hits the streets. And there you are, wearing new clothes, scented with the finest French perfume, sitting proudly in the bookstore as your fans line up to get their first edition copies of Book One autographed.

Then the first fan arrives at your table, gives you a big smile and says, “Did you know there’s a typo on page two?”

Perfect, Betty, perfect. My sentements, exactly. Good luck with DESERT WIND.

If anyone has any comments, please post them.

AUTHOR ALERT: Do Publishers See the Writng on their Wall? by Jasha M. Levi

2012-01-14T12:18:00.003-06:00

Food for thought. I've wondered this, myself. Enjoy this article--and think about it. What do you think? Please make comments. My stats are up--high--but, nobody is making comments. I really wish you would.

Thanks Pat

Friday, January 13, 2012
DO PUBLISHERS SEE THE WRITING ON THEIR WALL?

It is interesting that the Digital Book World Conference & Expo (January 23-25, 2012) has on its agenda a forum named “Changing Author Publisher Relationship” with six speakers representing big name publishers, but no authors.

I have tried to draw this obvious deficiency to the conference organizers, but the only addresses one can reach are for registration. I have paid $25 for the exhibit day, but I do not have the hundreds of dollars I would need to attend (Individual Full Conference - $1,495.00).

So let me give a piece of my mind to the conference here on our website:

My take is that the publishers are feeling the competiton coming from people to whom they have been giving short shrift: the self published authors. We are already circumventing the barriers publisherdom has been setting in front of independent authors by uploading our stuff ourselves onto Kindle, Nook and other media, and printing our books as our own publishers. We pay the costs connected with making our works public, we promote ourselves at our own expense, and we wear out our own shoes peddling our books to bookstores and libraries.

No wonder there is writing on mainstream publishers’ walls.

If they want to prevent the approaching collective bankruptcy of their industry, they had better start talking to their bread and butter, which includes us, the “self-publishers,” aka independent authors,

Our organization is ready to start exploratory talks, and you, our members, can help by rounding up many more to give us clout as strong in numbers as it is in the principles we espouse.

I have published this blog also on the website www.indiePENdents.org -- the home of self-published and independent authors and their supporters. Join them

HORSE ALERT: 4-H Horses Stolen from Boone County, Indiana

2012-01-14T12:11:00.001-06:00

From: ccbitsandspurs@yahoo.com
To: kaye_howard@yahoo.com
Sent: 1/14/2012 9:25:57 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: 4-H Horses Stolen From Boone County, Indiana

4-H Horses Stolen From Boone County, Indiana

They were taken between 7:20 a.m. and 12:00 (noon) on Thursday January 12.
The owner came home and found the gate standing wide open. If you have
any information, please contact Katrina Allen at 765-894-7005 or the Boone
County Sheriffâ€™s Department at 765-482-1412.

See the attachment for additional details...Let get these girls home!

Thanks,

Kaye Howard

Clinton Co. 4-H Horse & Pony Leader

HORSE ALERT from The Horse | Microchipping vs. Branding Horses: Which is Less Stressful?

2012-01-13T18:32:00.001-06:00

The Horse | Microchipping vs. Branding Horses: Which is Less Stressful?

These are photos of my horses, Jackson (How D'Feature) and Smokey (Huntin'a New Flame) both microchipped. No, no reaction. They weren't foals when they had it done. The article is interesting.
Just click on the title.

Pat

LATEST LINK POST ALERT

2012-01-12T21:26:00.001-06:00

Daily Post is a blog about blogging. Daily topic ideas. Those of you who are bloggers might find this useful.

Pat

The Horse | Study Confirms Horseback Riding has Human Health Benefits

2012-01-12T19:04:00.003-06:00

The Horse | Study Confirms Horseback Riding has Human Health Benefits

This article came from the online newsletter "The Horse" a site devoted to the care and well-being of the horse. I saw this and thought the diet health sites got it wrong, when they didn't put horses as one of the "healthy" exercises such as running, jogging and climbing mountains. (was that one of them?)

So there!

By: Edited Press Release

Research commissioned by the British Horse Society (BHS) has proved that regular participation in horse riding is good for human health.

The research, carried out by the University of Brighton in partnership with Plumpton College in East Sussex, U.K., looked into the health and well-being benefits of horse-based sport and leisure. The findings indicated that horse riding and activities associated with horse riding (such as mucking out stalls) expend sufficient energy to be classed as moderate intensity exercise--the level of activity recommended by the British Government/National Health Service that when achieved for 150 minutes per week will help to keep a person healthy.

The revised edition of Olympic Equestrian highlights and chronicles the most celebrated equestrian athletes in the sport where men and women compete on a level playing field.
Other key findings include:

•Evidence shows that regular periods of trot work in a riding session may enhance the energy expended and the associated health benefits;
•Horse riding is especially well-placed to encourage physical activity among women of all ages. Evidence indicates that the vast majority of riders are female, and more than a third (37%) of riders who took part in the survey were above 45 years of age;
•The study found that horse riding stimulates mainly positive psychological feelings; and
•Horse riders are strongly motivated to take part in riding by the sense of well-being they gain from interacting with horses. This important positive psychological interaction with an animal occurs in a very few sports.

Mark Weston, BHS director of access, safety, and welfare, said, "While there was anecdotal evidence available on the physical and psychological well-being and health benefits of horse-based sport and leisure, there was a lack of empirical evidence to support, or challenge, these claims. The results of the survey will provide this empirical evidence."

The full report is available as a PDF download on the BHS (British Horse Society) website.

My suggestion? download the PDF and buy yourself a HORSE. Or go to your nearest friendly stable and volunteer. But, as a word of caution, take care. Horses are larger and a lot stronger than we are--and sometimes, smarter.

Patricia A. Guthrie

TODAY'S MENU.

2012-01-12T14:06:00.004-06:00

What's happening today?

Well, snow for one thing. Lots of it. I managed to make it to the barn this morning for a lesson. Lesson went well, chores got done (mucking, grooming, riding etc) and got to and from barn in one piece. Yipee.

This afternoon will work on my work in progress: Legacy of Danger. I only got one chapter polished yesterday. Too much communications in LinkedIn and finding the right blogging articles.

Have a problem with blogging articles. I'm not sure whether I should focus one ONE thing or be more eclectic. Which I am. I enjoy doing it. Probably as much as writing, so I will probably continue until I either fall into the right niche or find this IS the right niche.

I'm in the middle of a nasty cold and don't feel much like doing anything. Will probably go back to bed and try to fend this thing off my person. It keeps coming back. Nasty bug. Of course, I never should have gone to the barn, even though it is fairly warm.

Hope you enjoyed a blueberry muffin when you came in. Today's choices were coffee, tea or a hot toddy. Maybe tomorrow it will be
Irish Coffee. Yum.

Pat

HORSE ALERT: Equestrians with Disabilities by Tara Christiansen from American Quarter Horse Journal

2012-01-12T13:59:00.002-06:00

I thought you might be interested in this. There are many therapeutic programs out there for youngsters with disabilities who love horses. This is one I hadn't heard about, and love seeing it take place.

Equestrians With Disabilities

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo opens with the largest AQHA Equestrians With Disabilities competition to date.

By Tara Christiansen
The American Quarter Horse JournalJanuary 11, 2012

The Chisholm Challenge for Special Riders at the 2012 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo boasted 19 riders in its AQHA Equestrians With Disabilities trail class. (Photo courtesy of Mary Hopkins)

The 2012 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo in Fort Worth, Texas, kicked off on January 9 with the Chisholm Challenge for Special Riders, an American Quarter Horse Association Equestrians With Disabilities competition. The event, with 81 entries, hallmarked the largest AQHA EWD competition to date.

“Everyone should be able to enjoy the thrill of riding an American Quarter Horse,” says Patti Carter-Pratt, AQHA executive director of shows. “I’ve long been a huge supporter of the AQHA Equestrians With Disabilities program, and I was so thrilled when I heard about the outstanding number of entries that we saw at the Chisholm Challenge.”

One of the instrumental players in getting AQHA Equestrians With Disabilities classes off the ground in 2003 was former AQHA judge Mary Hopkins of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

“I became interested in (Equestrians With Disabilities) about 21 years ago, before there was a program, back when I was an AQHA judge,” Mary recalls. “My daughter, before she died, wanted to start a program of handicapped riding. After her death, I took over and did start one called ‘Equi-Able,’ which I do here in Vicksburg.

“I bugged AQHA Executive Vice President Don Treadway Jr. for years to do something to get some AQHA Equestrians With Disabilities classes,” Mary says. “Finally, he let me start with a group of people on board and we started the Equestrians With Disabilities classes.”

Initially, the program featured three classes. In nine years, it has grown to include eight classes: halter; walk and trot hunt seat equitation; walk and jog horsemanship; walk, jog and lope horsemanship; walk and jog trail horse; advanced showmanship; and advanced trail. Aside from individual class awards, riders can vie for year-end high-point awards. Classes are open to riders with physical or mental disabilities.

“I’ve just been terribly involved with this,” Mary says of the program. “I’ve judged hundreds of these shows; I’ve judged the Special Olympics before we even had the Equestrians With Disabilities classes with AQHA. I judged the first show that they had in Fort Worth, the first time they put on the Chisholm Challenge.

“I was at the first AQHA Equestrians With Disabilities show that was in Baton Rouge,” Mary says. “I didn’t judge, but I sat there a while, and they couldn’t figure out how to do the pattern, so I finally went down and did it because I had drawn it.”

Mary was ecstatic when she got the call on January 9 about the historical marker for AQHA Equestrians With Disabilities.

“They called me from the arena to thank me for making it happen,” Mary laughs. “Some of the instructors (from Equest Therapeutic Horsemanship in Wylie, Texas,) called three times because they were so excited to have the 19 horses in the arena for the trail.”

Mary vows that the secret ingredient to the program’s success is really no secret at all: it’s the American Quarter Horse.

“We all know that the American Quarter Horse is the world’s most versatile horse, and I’ve been through about every kind of breed that there is, but the American Quarter Horse just has the disposition to take care of these riders,” Mary promises. “I’ve seen it time and time again, where I know that the horse understands that the rider needs help.

“The American Quarter Horse is the best horse for it,” Mary adds. “Other horses can do it, but there’s nothing like a Quarter Horse.”

For additional coverage of the event, visit www.star-telegram.com. To learn more about AQHA equestrians with disabilities competition, visit www.aqha.com/showing.

PUBLISHING ALERT: Independent Authors as Legitimate Publishers

2012-01-11T23:14:00.002-06:00

This is an interesting take on the future of publishing. I love Jasha's first comment "It is time for independent writers to change the vocabulary of publishing." What do you think? Comments?

Wednesday, January 11, 2012
INDEPENDENT AUTHORS AS LEGITIMATE PUBLISHERS

By Jasha Levi (www.indiependents.org website)
Author of: Requiem For a Country
It is time for independent writers to change the vocabulary of publishing.

The truth is that everyone who writes and self-publishes is also publisher of her and his own works: All others provide the services that we need to see our books in print and in digital form.

An independent writer is his or her own publisher even though he or she gets books to market through services calling themselves "publishers." CreateSpace, LuLu (and many of the unfortunately less ethical businesses) provide editorial, formatting, printing and/or uploading.SERVICES for which they get PAID. They have or hire the presses which print our works for distribution on demand. Their PR efforts on our behalf, if we choose to use them, are essentially mass mailings to lists of addresses, another service for which we pay.

That is not publishing.

When an author isn't under contract with someone else, isnʼt paid for his or her manuscript and isnʼt promoted by a publisher, THE AUTHOR IS THE PUBLISHER. My latest book reflects that fact by carrying my own imprint: Editions JML HIBOU (French for owl, as in wise, a joke I am entitled to at my age).

I chose my own editor (a great one - I was lucky to find her), who also formatted the book for printing and uploading to various e-formats including Kindle and Nook. Had I used the editorial services of one of these firms, it would not mean that they are my publishers.

The cover was my design executed by a local artist. If I paid one of the services for it, that would not warrant calling them my publisher.

I am by necessity both the publicist and the marketer of my books until someone else buys them from me and makes a contract with me on their printing and distribution.

When I started writing Requiem for a Country, I had secured my own ISBN number, only to find that each printing press I chose insisted on issuing their own, thus curtailing my own freedom on the market. I paid LuLu to be listed (in their own sweet time) by Ingram, which will supposedly get me into the Books in Print. But this will not get my book into the bookstores: I will have to buy and provide quantities and guarantee, at my own expense, their return if not sold.

If I have to do that, I am not only the author but the publisher, a businessman and a gambler. Try getting a bank to underwrite that!

Let me throw in a wild thought: should we gang together, could we use indiePENdents to negotiate with POD presses and dictate the terms of publishing? Probably unlikely, because our organization would have to become a kind of business that we have no inclination to be. As individuals in this group of independents, we should, however, collectively pursue imagining ways to promote our cause.

We should not be inhibited by having silly dreams: Bring on your ideas and I am sure some of them will become THE SOLUTION.

This blog appeared first on the www.indiependents.org website.

The Joy of Books

2012-01-11T21:39:00.003-06:00

I learned about this You Tube video through the Sisters of Crime Yahoo group. This is a lot of fun, especially if you like books.
It's about books who show off after hours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKVcQnyEIT8

HORSE ALERT: An American Hero

2012-01-11T18:17:00.003-06:00

This came from the Indiana Trail Riders Yahoo group I belong to. It's a fabulous article about a horse in Korea who spent her war life bringing artillary up the hill and casualities down the hill amidst shells exploding all around her. She was retired with rank of staff sargeant. She was included in a book of American heros which included, Washington, Lincoln and Reckless, the horse. I've asked permission to include this article. I hope I don't have to take it down.

From: Cowgirl Georgia
To: Indiana Trail Riders
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 10:32 AM
Subject: [The EDGe] Fw: Amazing horse in USMC

From: Tim Beckstrand
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2012 10:10 PM
Subject: FW: Amazing horse in USMS>
>
>Amazing horse in USMC
>
>Reckless, the mare.
>
>This horse was a pack horse during the Korean
war, and she
>carried recoilless rifles, ammunition and
supplies to
>Marines. Nothing too unusual about that, lots
of animals
>got pressed into doing pack chores in many
wars.
>
>But this horse did something more. During the
battle for
>a location called Outpost Vegas, this mare
made 51 trips
>up and down the hill, on the way up she
carried
>ammunition, and on the way down she carried
wounded
>soldiers.
>
>What was so amazing? Well, she
made every one of those
>trips without anyone leading
her.
>
>One can imagine a horse carrying a wounded
soldier, being
>smacked on the rump at the top of the
hill, and heading
>back to the "safety" of the rear. But
to imagine the same
>horse, loaded with ammunition, and
trudging back to the
>battle where artillery is going off,
without anyone
>leading her is unbelievable. To know that
she would make
>50 of those trips is unheard of. How many
horses would
>even make it back to the barn once, let
alone return to
>the soldiers in the field even a single
time?
>
>Here is a clip of her story and photos to prove
where she
>was and what she did. (You will
have to copy and past this address into your internet
browser)
>
>http://www.youtube.com/embed/YIo3ZfA9da0
>
>Reckless
was retired at the Marine Corps Base in Camp
>Pendleton
where a General issued the following order:
>"She was
never to carry any more weight on her back except
>her own
blankets." She died in 1968 at the age of 20.
>
>P.S.
How bad was the battle for Outpost Vegas?
Artillery
>rounds fell at the rate of 500 per hour, and
only two men
>made it out alive without wounds. Just two.
And also a
>horse, and she was wounded
twice.

Please watch the UTube video of the story of Reckless. YOU WILL BE AMAZED.

In Memory of Maggie

2012-01-10T23:23:00.004-06:00

"In memory of Maggie
who in her time kicked:
Two colonels,
Four majors,
Ten captains,
Twenty-four lieutenants,
Forty-two sergeants,
Four hundred thirty-two
other ranks,
And one Mills bomb."

Epitaph for Maggie, an Army Mule in
France during World War 11.
From Sage remarks in "America's Horse."

DAILY PLANNING:

2012-01-10T17:15:00.004-06:00

What's happening today?

POLITICS: New Hampshire primaries are underway. Looks Like Mit will get another state. Still lots more to go.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Legacy of Danger (paranormal suspense) is also underway. Got through several more chapters last night. Hope to do more tonight. Amazing how many mistakes I've caught. Wonder how many I haven't?

Logline: Young woman inherits a castle in Romania inhabited by terrorists.

How's that? Did I tell too much?

BOOK REVIEW: I'm undertaking another book review. "The Ten Phases of Ansbach" by George L. King. I'll let you know how I progress.

HORSES: Rode Smokey in a lesson today. Would you know that little (big) beast managed to swipe himself in the same foot that had just healed? My instructor caught it this time. He walked out the owie, and I think he'll be just fine. Wonder if he does this on purpose.

DOGS: Collies--two of them, Toby and D'Arcy (did I mention I love Pride and Prejudice?) are eating their dinner. There's something wonderful about hearing dogs chewing and listening to horses munching their dinners. Should go and eat mine, except I want to get back to Legacy.

Meanwhile, if you haven't anything to read, please check out: "Waterlilies Over My Grave" See synopsis on sidebar.

Happy reading, writing and waterever else you may want to do.

Pat

WORKSHOP ALERT: How to Create a Page Turning Manuscript

2012-01-10T17:13:00.001-06:00

okay to forward

February1-29, 2012
"Pacing: How To Create a Page Turning Manuscript"
by Mary Buckham
$30 at www.writeruniv.com

What keeps a book intriguing enough to have fans turn the pages and not set it down? How can one author’s books have you riveted and another’s leave you feeling ho-hum? Ever wondered if there are key craft tips and techniques to balance fast-paced conflict, tension, suspense or mystery, action and emotion? In PACING: HOW TO CREATE A PAGE TURNING MANUSCRIPT you’ll learn:

* The ingredients of a page turner
* What hooks are and how to maximize them
* The power of effective scenes: common pacing pitfalls to avoid
* The ten elements of strong pacing
* How to use subplots and secondary characters
* How to avoid a sagging middle
* Learning what a beat is and how to use it
* Great beginnings and endings that have your readers wanting more!

Mary Buckham is co-author of BREAK INTO FICTION: 11 Steps to Building a Story That Sells and an award-winning romantic suspense author. She has a non-fiction book and hundreds of free-lance articles to her credit, and is a former magazine editor. Currently she presents writing workshops online and around the country. Mary encourages you to visit her website at www.MaryBuckham.com for more information about her and her current writing projects.

*okay to forward*

================
from WriterU, 2675 Wilson Street, Port Townsend WA 98368

If you'd like to stop receiving WriterU class updates, just reply to this email with "unsubscribe."
================

CRAFT ALERT: Characters, Warts and All by Patricia Jones

2012-01-09T23:30:00.002-06:00

PERCEPTIONS

WARTS and ALL

By Patricia Ann Jones

Previous Columns

If there is anything more boring than a tall, dark and handsome protagonist with no discernable flaws, I'm at a loss to name it. The same may be said for an "Oil Can Harry" antagonist. Readers demand characters they can identify with and they do not identify with perfection positive or negative.

A character in one of my stories is a young man named Courtney McLeod, but you may call him Court. Now Court, is personable, handsome, and might have stepped into your life wearing a Scottish kilt and carrying a bagpipe. He won't, of course, but that's not saying he could not, should he be of a mind to do so. On first meeting Court, you'll notice he's much different from his moody cousin James. James is a brooder. A man not given to social graces as is Court. You will find James interesting with all his personality quirks and haunting flashbacks to the Civil War, but you may not like him. On the other hand, you'll find Court a perfect match for the lovely Caroline. Too bad, that James loves her as much or more than Court does.

Three main characters? Yes, and a fourth on the way, the mysterious, Dhan. Caroline and Dhan must wait for another article. Right now, we are concerned with these two men, one the protagonist (James), and the antagonist (Court) and how they present their real selves to the reader?

Court, with all his magnetic personality, has a couple of secrets that you learn about, but James and Caroline do not know. He is addicted to Absinthe for starters. Absinthe is a liqueur that if imbibed to excess can destroy the brain. Court also hates James with a fiery passion. Why? For starters, James is after his fiancee Caroline, but that isn't the real reason, oh no. The real reason no one will discover until . . . Sorry, you'll have to wait for that one. Let it suffice to say, Court is physically perfect, but a more imperfect soul than his does not exist . He hides his deviousness well, nevertheless, it does show although in only subtle foreshadows and in one major flashback to another time, another lifetime to be exact.

James is also a handsome man in his own way. Perhaps his face is too weathered, his nose a bit too long, but he is well over six feet tall and presents quite a picture in his Captain's uniform. He's, as aforementioned, a rather gloomy fellow, but a talented design architect, and the ladies' hearts' flutter when he asks them to dance. He has a way about him that creates a paradox in the mind's of those he meets. They want to like him, but his introverted personality keeps everyone at arms length, everyone except Caroline. All of his scars aren't on the inside, but the most fascinating aspects of this man, when revealed, are irresistible.

I think you're getting the idea by now that the good in both men are counterbalanced with the bad. Neither man is perfect, their warts, hidden at first, manage to show as you get to know them. Court, the villain, has a soft side that somewhat mitigates his evil side. Even when he is at his worst, the reader knows the poor man is deluded, not fully responsible for his actions. I've actually had readers of this story make excuses for him in their zeal to put him in a better light. James, at first unlikable, haunted by his war experiences and inner turmoil, shows his good side and the reader feels ashamed that they misjudged him. Still, he too is not innocent any more than is his cousin Court. These are dimensional characters because I, the author, know their backgrounds, every detail of them and gradually reveal these personalities in such a way that the story, as well as the characters, takes on a depth it would not have if I'd hidden the warts on my two main story people.

James and Court with all their various traits become real to you, the reader. You care about them, what happens to them, you cringe when they make mistakes, and rejoice when they do well. If this does not happen, then I've failed in my task as the writer. Remember, a major part of characterization is not the physical description, but what the character does and what he feels.

I developed each character before I ever wrote a word of the story. I knew who their parents were, where and when they were born, educated, what kind of foods they liked and disliked, how they dressed, what kind of little boys they were. I also knew what made them happy, sad, frightened, and exactly why they became the adults they are when you first meet them. Their background was cemented into my mind, and from all this knowledge I began the story. For each major character, I did the same research and study. Without this preparation, these men would have been cardboard and you would not care a twit about them or my story.

When a character first whispers in your ear that he or she wants to be a part of something you plan to write, grab them and put them under your mental microscope. Examine them, head to foot, as well as body and soul. Know them as well as you know yourself, better maybe. Once you've done this they'll stand before you, full-blooded, ready for action, story people and they'll show you everything, warts and all.

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

Jones is a published writer & a book critic for The Tulsa World newspaper

COPYRIGHT 2006 Patricia A. Jones All Rights Reserved
Previous Columns

PUNCTUATION ALERT: Ellipses from Wikepedia

2012-01-09T13:56:00.006-06:00

I'm sure all writers have issues with certain factions of grammar. I do. One of my main problems is getting those pesky ellipses correct. I'm not sure I still do. So, I thought I'd look it up.
Wikepedia went directly to the Chicago Manuel of Style, a resource I respect (I have one sitting here on my desk. I thought I'd share what Wikepedia has to say:

Ellipsis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate an unfinished thought or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence (aposiopesis). It can also be used at the end of a sentence to emphasize a statement. When placed at the beginning or end of a sentence, the ellipsis can also inspire a feeling of melancholy longing. The ellipsis calls for a slight pause in speech or any other form of text, but it is incorrect to use ellipses solely to indicate a pause in speech.

The most common form of an ellipsis is a row of three periods or full stops (...) or a pre-composed triple-dot glyph (…). The usage of the em dash (—) can overlap the usage of the ellipsis.

The triple-dot punctuation mark is also called a suspension point, points of ellipsis, periods of ellipsis, or colloquially, dot-dot-dot.

In writing

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, ellipsis was often used when a writer intentionally omitted a specific proper noun, such as a location: "Jan was born on ... Street in Warsaw."

An ellipsis may also imply an unstated alternative indicated by context. For example, when Count Dracula says "I never drink ... wine", the implication is that he does drink something else.

In reported speech, the ellipsis is sometimes used to represent an intentional silence, perhaps indicating irritation, dismay, shock or disgust. This usage is more common amongst younger, Internet-savvy generations.[citation needed]

In poetry, this is used to highlight sarcasm or make the reader think about the last points in the poem. "This is a Happy Warrior, This is he..."

In news reporting, it is used to indicate that a quotation has been condensed for space, brevity or relevance.

Across different languages

In English

The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (February 2011)

In legal writing in the United States, Rule 5.3 in the Bluebook citation guide governs the use of ellipsis and requires a space before the first dot and between the two subsequent dots. If an ellipsis ends the sentence, then there are three dots, each separated by a space, followed by the final punctuation, unless the final mark of punctuation is also a period.

The Chicago Manual of Style suggests the use of an ellipsis for any omitted word, phrase, line, or paragraph from within a quoted passage. There are two commonly used methods of using ellipses: one uses three dots for any omission, while the second one makes a distinction between omissions within a sentence (using three dots: . . .) and omissions between sentences (using a period and a space followed by three dots: . ...). An ellipsis at the end of a sentence with no sentence following should be preceded by a period (for a total of four dots). The Modern Language Association (MLA), however, used to indicate that an ellipsis must include spaces before and after each dot in all uses. If an ellipsis is meant to represent an omission, square brackets must surround the ellipsis to make it clear that there was no pause in the original quote: [ . . . ]. Currently, the MLA has removed the requirement of brackets in its style handbooks. However, some maintain that the use of brackets is still correct because it clears confusion.[1]

According to the Associated Press, the ellipsis should be used to condense quotations. It is less-commonly used to indicate a pause in speech or an unfinished thought or to separate items in material such as show business gossip. The stylebook indicates that if the shortened sentence before the mark can stand as a sentence, it should do so, with an ellipsis placed after the period or other ending punctuation. When material is omitted at the end of a paragraph and also immediately following it, an ellipsis goes both at the end of that paragraph and in front of the beginning of the next, according to this style.[2]

According to Robert Bringhurst's Elements of Typographic Style, the details of typesetting ellipsis depend on the character and size of the font being set and the typographer's preference. Bringhurst writes that a full space between each dot is "another Victorian eccentricity. In most contexts, the Chicago ellipsis is much too wide"—he recommends using flush dots, or thin-spaced dots (up to one-fifth of an em), or the prefabricated ellipsis character (Unicode U+2026, Latin entity …). Bringhurst suggests that normally, an ellipsis should be spaced fore-and-aft to separate it from the text, but when it combines with other punctuation, the leading space disappears and the other punctuation follows. This is the usual practice in typesetting. He provides the following examples:

i … j

k….

l…, l

l, … l

m…?

n…!

So, pick your poison. It seems I've been seeing novels geering toward the three dots regardless. That's what my publisher is recommending.

To sum up: you can have three dots. You can have three dots during the course of a sentence and four at the end--the fourth being the period at the end of the would-be-sentence. You can have spaces between each dot--or not. Sigh. I usually make a mess of it, because I decide, somewhere in the middle,I've been doing it all wrong.

What do you think?

Please leave comments. This will be a help for all of us.

HORSE ALERT: Smokey update

2012-01-08T23:22:00.002-06:00

I rode Smokey today. As some of you may know, Smokey had a nasty heel bruise. He probably did it to himself, but nonetheless, there it was. Sore-lame-ouchy. I had vet Dr. Amy Halaburt (NW Indiana) come out and look at him. I never trust myself completely. I didn't think it was a stone bruise, he hadn't been out. But, we have this awesome indoor arena--not a stone in sight.

So, I've been doctoring with Betadine Solution and powdered but that goes into his feed. No heat. Sound as a dollar. I rode him for about twenty minutes at a walk. Yeah, he was a bit gimpy. That was a disappointment. We'll see how he does tomorrow.

Waterlilies Over My Grave: Chapter Two page one

2012-01-07T16:21:00.002-06:00

who is this man Annie O'Brien was married to? What drives him into his madness? Why such obsessive behavior?

Chapter 3

Restraining order my ass.

Duncan, now calling himself Edgar Allenton, turned up his
air-conditioning and re-focused his binoculars. She’d closed her
blinds, but not before knocking over that vase. He’d scared her.
Served her right. She’d worn that suit with the mini-skirt he’d
bought. How dare she wear anything he’d bought her?
All he’d done for her. Him--the elite of the psychiatric
community. He’d made her. He could break her. She’d never be rid
of him. Never. The ridiculous little giggle he’d been repressing came
out again.

He peered into his rear-view mirror. He’d done a good job
with his disguise, if he did say so himself. Thanks to contact lenses,
his gray-blue eyes were brown. The shaggy steel-gray professor hair
that had turned on so many of his young female graduate students
was gone; now cut short and dyed blonde, making him look ten years
younger than his forty-plus. Hell, he’d lost weight and was
physically fit. An athlete, he decided. A salesman on a quest for a
good time mingling business with pleasure alongside the Fourth of
July vacationers at Lake Nager, home of the best fireworks in the
state of Wisconsin.

A prickly sensation crept down his neck. The sweet smell of
water lilies filled the air. Even though no flowers lay in his SUV and
he was miles from the lily pond at the far edge of Lake Nager. His
imagination? Or sensory premonition.

Duncan shook off a shudder and scanned the employee’s
parking lot. Many cars. No people. Middle of the afternoon shift, he
guessed. He picked up the stolen cell phone he’d used to call
Annabelle, opened the door and slid out.

Suddenly, something made him turn around. What the... He
could have sworn eyes were on him. He walked toward the pine trees
at the far side of the lot, trying not to be seen. But no matter what he
did, he couldn’t get rid of the feeling. Somebody was watching him.

He shivered. Could his illness be turning into paranoid
schizophrenia?

Granted, he was smelling flowers that weren’t there,
but he knew he didn’t hear voices. No, he wasn’t schizophrenic.
Maybe a bit psychotic. Erotomanic would have been his own
diagnosis of himself. But paranoid. Never.

Battling Cancer Posted from Facebook by Linda Daly

2012-01-06T20:43:00.002-06:00

This came from a lady who has known the tragedy of losing loved ones to that diabolical disease Cancer. That small paragraph made me see life in a whole new light. Hope it can do that for you, too.

Pat

Musings On the Coming New Year by Micki Peluso

2012-01-05T13:26:00.003-06:00

Musings On the Coming New Year
By Micki Peluso (http://mallie1025.blogspot.com/)

The beautiful, lighted ball in Times Square has dropped, slowly, elegantly, a second at a time. A new year begins. I wonder how it would be if our lives were lived in the absence of structured time. There would be no past, or future, just the "now".

Instead, we are subjected to the rhythms of time, living according to its laws. One thing we learn as children is that time seems to take forever, as we crave to grow up and test the waters of our future. Time appears to slow throughout young adulthood, then picks up speed aroung the age of fifty. It zooms forward just when many would prefer to slow down and savor the lessons learned. It is either an enigma or cosmic joke that the huge tortoise can live one hundred and thirty years or more, with little purpose, while human life stops just about the time we gain the the wisdom to enjoy and benefit from it.

The Creator has a penchant for supreme irony. A tortoise gets one hundred and thirty years to munch on lettuce while humanity has about eigthy or so years to begin to grasp the meaning of existence.

Given a choice, I would probably not opt to chew greens for over a century, yet the tortoise aggrevates me--so much time to do nothing while I have so little time to do so much! Each new year is magical in that it offers new beginnings, a chance to correct past mistakes, make resolutions for future projects and dreams.
Resolutions, made in earnest, are not always kept, but it is important to make them for it proves the incredible ability of the human race to believe it can better itself. The tortoise just keeps looking for the next green leaf.

Successful or not, the attempt to improve, correct, or make better choices is a good thing. It shows that we have not lost our inherent ability to dream, hope and attempt to perpetually improve our lives. The year 2012 is upon us, a blank page waiting for us to write a new and exciting story. Let the first chapter begin. And let it be a best seller!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR,
Micki

Happy New Year Micki. Thanks for letting me share this with my blog readers. Micki's blog can be found at: http://mallie1025.blogspot.com/

SHORT STORY: The Mystery Club Scandal

2012-01-04T10:08:00.003-06:00

Will try to transfer files to new computer today. Everything seems to be up and running but I'm not sure I did the dual computer in the household thing correctly. I do try.

Thought I'd entertain you today by posting a short story I wrote several years back. I was lucky enough to have it published in Skyline Literary Magazine, which I dearly loved and unfortunately, is no longer. The story is short. The topic is deady.

THE MYSTERY CLUB SCANDAL
By
Patricia A. Guthrie

Published in Skyline Literary Magazine

Jonathan Kellerman brought an opened bottle of Port into his mansion’s library and laid it on the cocktail table. “Gentlemen, tonight we discuss local scandals.”

Maurice Whitestone’s mouth turned upward into a grin of one who’d smoked too many cigars. “Well, well, well. No Dame Agatha tonight? Very interesting development. I say then friend Jonathan. You can be first. We know you have skeletons in your closet.”>br>
“Hear, hear.” Two men rested back on their well-developed derrieres, eyes lit with the anticipation of juicy local gossip.

And so it always was with this group, Jonathan thought.

Jonathan bent over and poured the wine into long-stemmed ruby glasses. He rose. His back ached from age and arthritis. But, as usual, he masked his pain behind the plastered debonair smile he’d carried off for years. A smile he’d never allowed to enter his heart, or, he guessed, his eyes. No matter.

He passed the glasses around, then settled on the overstuffed leather chair placed at one end of the chairs facing a stone fireplace--the perfect ambiance for their usual mystery hour chats.
He raised his glass in acknowledgement. Then, his gaze settled on the crackling fire that spit burning embers up the chimney.

"Gentlemen. Do you remember your local history? The story about Maude Parker and Clyde Griffin?”

“I remember Maudie Parker,” Alistair Griffin said, the leather swooshing as he shifted in his seat.

“Yes, my mother kept pictures of her tucked away in a scrapbook,” Maurice said. “Her fiancé killed her, didn’t he?”

“Shook the very foundation of the community,” Alistair mumbled, taking a long sip from his glass.

“Maude was the belle of the town,” Jonathan continued. “She was engaged to Clyde Griffin, but loved to flirt. One night at a party, young Maudie decided to make Clyde jealous by paying too much attention to Harry Brady. Way too much attention. Furious, Clyde left in a huff.”

“Yes, that story made the papers. Clyde caught her kissing young Harry in the library. My mother, God rest her soul, saved the clippings,” Maurice said.

“Oh, yes.” William Seacrest came alive. “I think the story goes . . . Clyde came back with wine and offered it around. Everything seemed okay, until some of the guests got deathly ill. Maude and Harry both died. Clyde was arrested.”

The men uttered ‘tsks’ that sounded like the faint hissing of a roomful of snakes.

Jonathan raised his glass to his lips, changed his mind and put it back down.

"Your uncle, wasn't he?” Alistair asked. If he’d sat any farther forward in his chair, he would have slid off onto the hardwood floor.

The fire sputtered. Everyone hushed. An anticipatory stillness filled the room.

"Yes."

"I can’t remember, exactly what happened. What was the eventual outcome?” William asked. “Did he . . .”

“Clyde never went to trial, Jonathan said softly. “ They remanded him to the state institution for the criminally insane. That was back in the days when they had such institutions.” He paused, for effect. “I believe each one of you had a family member involved?”

Jonathan stood, went to the fireplace and turned to three partially glowing faces. Maurice, didn’t your grandfather preside over Clyde’s trial?”

Maurice nodded, “Why yes, I think he did.”

“And Alistair, wasn’t your father responsible for committing him?”

Alistair raised his shoulders and shook his head, with a raised questioning eyebrow.

“And William, your uncle, the sheriff, took him away.”

Suddenly, Maurice gasped. "What the hell?"

Alistair and William clutched their throats and gagged as their glasses smashed onto the floor splattering wine onto an oriental carpet. The three gentlemen registered surprised terror, then crashed to the floor.

"Gentlemen, Clyde Griffin died today and we come full circle. May you and your loved ones rest in hell!"

Jonathan raised his glass, and in one final toast, drank up. Every last drop.

THE END

I hope you enjoyed this story. (copyright, of course) I wrote it while drinking a glass of port. Enjoyed every minute and every last drop.

Today: Barn: Ride Jackson, doctor Smokey, transfer docs and files, buy new battery for dead phone and investigate the attic. Have a great day.

Pat

CONTEST: Yellow Rose RWA

2012-01-04T09:52:00.001-06:00

PROMO - Yellow Rose Contest -Permission to Forward
Posted by: "gfoster76051" gfoster@grapevinetexas.gov gfoster76051
Date: Tue Jan 3, 2012 7:41 pm ((PST))

The Yellow Rose RWA Chapter is proud to announce the Winter Rose Contest for Published and Unpublished entries.

Final round judges for the Unpublished categories will be: Alicia Condon/Kensington for Contemporary, Amanda Bergeron/ Avon for Historical, Heather Osborne/ Samhain Publishing for Paranormal, Deb Nemeth/Carina Press for Romantic Suspense and Kari Sutherland/Harper Collins Children's Books for Young Adult.

The overall winner will receive an agent partial read by Maura Kye-Casella with Don Congdon Assoc.

The Published Contest is accepting entries in Historical, Paranormal/Time Travel, Series Contemporary, Inspirational, Young Adult and Contemporary ST /Romantic Suspense,

Our contest has been rated in the top ten list posted by RWR. All categories are still open for more entries. This is a great opportunity and we look forward to hearing from you.

Closing date is January 21, 2012. Information is on our website: www.yellowroserwa.com

HORSE LOVERS: The Horse | Thrush Prevention

2012-01-03T22:52:00.001-06:00

For the horse lovers: This article explains thrush, how to prevent it and how to treat it. I believe Smokey has a thrush pocket that's making him lame. I've been doctoring it with Betadine Solution (iodine)

The Horse | Thrush Prevention

Pat

Fright Night or Who thinks up Computer configurations?

2012-01-03T19:34:00.004-06:00

After my one year old laptop was deemed a "lemon" by Best Buy's Geek Squad, I took home a new HP desktop. No, I'm not finished with Laptops. I love them. Two years ago I bought a 14" Dell and thought I'd made the mistake of my life. Had trouble seeing the screen. So, I gave it as a Christmas present to my friend, Bruce. Then went out and bought a 15" Dell. Turns out, Bruce didn't like the laptop much. Didn't use it. So, I got it back.

Dell 15" laptop was another story. If anyone close to me wants to know why I haven't written much in the past year, it's directly linked to my laptop being in the Geeksquad Hospital more than it was at home. Thank goodness, yes, I did have the 14". I also discovered that when I got new glasses, I could see the screen MUCH better. Amazing how that works, isn't it?

So after four times in GSH (Geek Squad Hospital) for hard drive faults--like, DVD drive, battery malfunctions, starter malfunctions (twice) burned out the ______________fill in the blank. There were a few other issues, but I forgot what they were. There were so many. So, almost a year to date, GSH decided I needed a new computer, and they junked the old one. Yeah!

So, now I already have the 14" laptop and decided the best bet was to get another desk top. Haven't had one of them for ages. I'd had enough of Dell (for the time being) and decided on a Hewlett Packard. (love their printer. It's lasted at least through three computers) Monitor size 23". Thinking it's a bit TOO big. Maybe not though. The videos that I saw on Bloodhorse were outstanding.

I went with a friend to help me pick out the computer of my dreams. Of course GS tried to sell me their package. Actually, it worked out for me last year. I paid only $7.10 for my new PC. Neat, huh?

Brought it home and decided: piece of cake. I can install this on my own. Turns out, yeah, I can, after lengthly phone calls to: Comcast, Geek Squad and Hewlett Packard, who of course, tried to sell me THEIR service package. fortunately, I bought the Comcast one and was REALLY glad I did. They got me on the Internet, brave souls that they are.

It seems that every next thing I tried to bring up, install or click on didn't seem to work the way it was supposed to. And don't get me started on the router and modem. One of the reasons I couldn't get a Net channel was because I had inadvertently hit the restart button. A button I didn't think existed. Did I mention I think I'm getting an ulcer?

The last thing to destroy my happiness for the day was the sound system. Turns out THERE IS NONE. Nope. Nada. Nichts. What usually sounds from the monitor (at least that's what HP reps told me) doesn't seem to be on the flat screens. Don't know about other manufacturers.

Lucky me. I didn't care much for the sound coming from the small laptop so I bought a sound system last year that I didn't use much. An Insignia. Small speakers--good sound. The thing actually WORKS. So, the day wasn't a complete bust.

Now, I have to download my files onto this computer. Yes I have been backing up my files on external hard drives. I have four or five if you count the CDS with the photos. And, I think most of them are on the small computer as well. They probably all have the same files on them. I'm going to have to do some filing.

Did I mention my dogs or horses aren't particularly thrilled with me today? Not nearly enough attention paid to them, or so they tell me. I should start a separate blog from my horse's and dog's point of view. Should be interesting. I'll be in a corner eating worms.

Take care everyone. Have a great night. (which you probably will, if you're not dealing with an eccentric computer)

Pat

Essential Tips to Blogging Consistently and Successfully

2011-12-31T17:53:00.002-06:00

This article was NOT written by me. The author is GREG SCOTT and was discovered and posted by JOHNNY RAY. It was exactly what I need to expand my knowledge of blogging and even more important, finding the topics to help me and my readers become better and more creative writers. For instance, I know one of my topics will be editing. How I miss so much stuff is beyond me. See? It's already working for me. I hope it works for you.

Pat

All bloggers want to do a better job. Simple advice that goes straight to the core of blogging well are always the best. I hope this article helps you become a better blogger.

Johnny Ray

4 Essential Tips To Blogging Consistently And Successfully
Author: Greg Scott

Consistent blogging is the key to achieving success on your blog. However, life if full of surprises that can sometimes keep you from blogging as often as you'd like. With these 4 tips, you can attain a consistent blogging schedule to help you gain more readers, and earn more money from your blog.

1. Write A Topic List

Coming up with a topic can be one of the things that can stop you in your tracks. When you write out a list of topics that you want to write about you know exactly what you're going to write just by looking at your paper. Also when you keep a list of topics to write about, you can see what you've already written about so you don't have multiple blog entries about the same thing. (Or you can at least word them different to avoid duplicate content.)

2. The Buffer Zone

Life gets hectic. It's a fact that most of us experience on a daily basis. Stuff comes up at a moments notice, and it doesn't always allow time for blogging. When you have a buffer zone where you keep pre-written blog entries, you can just cut and paste the blog entry into your blog with a few clicks of your mouse. This helps you to maintain consistency without having to literally write EVERY day.

Take your topic list and pre-write a few entries. Write as many of them before hand as possible. Then keep a file on your desktop called ‘Blog Posts' or something that makes sense to you. Then once you get into a time crunch you'll have a buffer of entries that you can post up to maintain your schedule.

3. Use Your Down Time

Figure out a time of the week that works to write a few blog entries to add to your buffer zone. If it's Sunday afternoon before dinner, always try and write at least one or two entries for the week at that point. Then if on another day you're just sitting there watching TV after work, write a couple more. Once you get into the habit of doing it, you'll get quicker at it. Use your down time to write, so when stuff comes up that takes away your time, you'll have a buffer zone full of entries that are easy to post to your blog.

4. Create The Habit

Creating the habit of writing on a consistent basis is probably the hardest and most important step to achieve a consistent blogging schedule. That's why I recommend a specific time every week to write a couple entries if possible. Once you get into the habit, you'll just start doing it on auto pilot and you won't even think about it. The right habits are what it takes for success.

5. The Shortcut

I didn't mention the fifth tip, did I? The reason is that it's not really a tip for writing, but more like an easy way to get it done. This easy way is to hire an article ghost writer to take care of you blogging needs for you. Give them your topic list, or let them come up with their own. If they're good at what they do, they'll be able to handle it.

Consistent blogging is the only way to gain readership, and rocket your blog to the top of the internet heap. With these techniques you can develop a successful blog, and blogging schedule that will enable you to get your word out there, without taking up all of your free time.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/4-essential-tips-to-blogging-consistently-and-successfully-4325044.html

About the Author

I write your content so you don't have to >> www.gregscottwrites.com. I've got hundreds of satisfied customers under my belt. This article is copyright 2010 by Greg Scott. Anyone may use this article as long as all links in the article and resource box stay active and the article is not altered in any way.

Posted by Johnny Ray at 12:53 PM

2011-12-31T15:43:00.004-06:00

CAT SITTING BY A BOAT IN MY VIRTUAL LAKE NAGER.

Waterlilies Over My Grave

Chapter 2

Excuse me? Are you Dr. O’Brien?”

Annie looked up from her client list. Two men stood at the open
threshold of her office.
Her first client--coming on the heels of this.
Regroup, Annie.

All she had to do was reach the bathroom and dab cold water on
her face before they figured out anything was wrong with the one
person who was supposed to make things right.

Taking a deep breath, Annie mustered a half smile and rose. “Hi,
excuse me for a minute.” She hurried into the small bathroom in her
office, closed the door, steamed a washcloth, then held it to her face,
forcing herself to recover. She looked at herself in the full-length
mirror, straightened her suit, pushed back a stray strand of hair,
decided she looked as good as she was going to get and walked back
in.

Annie forced herself into a “business as usual” attitude and
started in their direction. She forced the biggest smile she had as she
glanced from one to the other. “Hello. I’m...."

“That’s the shrink?” The man attached to the voice had his
arms folded and his legs crossed. He rested with his back against the
open door.

His tone stopped Annie in her tracks. Well, well, well.
Hostility alert. The day was getting better and better.
“I’m Dr. O’Brien,” she said, her gaze glued to his. “And, I’m
a psychologist, if that’s what you’re asking.”

The man turned to his colleague. “You want me to see a
woman about this?”

Oh Lord. Isn’t that wonderful. First I get a call from my ex-husband
who’s a psychopath, and now I get a client who has issues
with women.

The other man bumped past Mr. Hostility and shook her
hand. “Dr. O’Brien, I’m Paul Reinert.”

“Chief of Police.” Annie smiled, trying to combat a shaky
first impression. “We’ve spoken on the phone. It’s nice to meet
you.”

Chief Reinert glared toward the doorway and then back to
Annie. He cleared his throat. “Nice to finally meet you too, Dr.
O’Brien.” He turned toward the other man. “That example of
friendliness and charm is Detective Mark Driscoll.”

Copyright 2008 LSPDigital

Waterlilies Over My Grave--Chapter One, Page three

2011-12-30T06:25:00.003-06:00

Another clearing of the throat. “Oh, and one more thing. If you try another restraining order,there’s no law enforcement that will honor one against me. Just try.”

Now, Annie was getting just plain mad. “What do you mean
the law won’t arrest you for violating a court order? Who do you
think you are, God?”

Click. Silence.

She stared down, her brain slow to comprehend the significance of that conversation. A long exhaled breath came in one long quick whoosh.Maybe he did think he was God. But, that didn’t escape the fact she was shaking from the top of her head to the bottom of her soles. And it wasn’t like Duncan to try and scare her like that. He’d
given her the divorce graciously. He’d offered her anything she’d wanted. Everyone had thought she was nuts to give him up. But maybe he was finally starting to exhibit certain signs she’d seen coming for years--and yet had never quite believed.

Duncan was slowly going insane.

She couldn’t put a diagnosis on it yet, but he needed help,
and she didn’t think he’d go get it.

She looked at the mess on the floor. Oh bother. Look what
the idiot made me do. Giving herself something else to think about,
she picked up the vase, grabbed a handful of tissues and dried the
water that still dripped from her desk onto the gray carpet.
Then, in a sort of fog, she closed the vertical blinds and shut
out the outside world.

Insanity--such a broad term. And she was supposed to understand it, help treat it. Yet here she was, a psychologist, and didn’t feel she knew the first thing about it. She wondered if anyone did.

Annie was alone in a strange town where she knew nobody
and some psycho…no, not some psycho--her psycho ex-husband had
just threatened her. But threatened her with what? Word games?
What did he want? Could he really be here in Lake Nager? Not
possible. He was in New York City attending a psychiatry
convention.

She dwelt, only briefly, that he’d described what she wore--accurately.

She forced her muscles to loosen, to relax. First day on the
job. Trying to make a good impression. The phone call from hell.

What else could go wrong?

What else indeed?

Waterlilies Over My Grave Copyright 2008
By Patricia A. Guthrie Trying to create new readers, one page at a time.
Available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and ordered at a book store near you.

Create Space--Fifth Annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest

2011-12-29T18:25:00.005-06:00

Most of you have probably seen this, but I thought I'd bring it to your attention, anyway. I hope the creators of Create Space won't mind their contest posted on my blog. (can't imagine why they would) Here's their web address: https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/

Announcing: 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest

Great news! Amazon and Penguin Group (USA) have announced the fifth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest, an international contest seeking fresh new voices in fiction. The Contest awards two grand prizes: one for General Fiction and one for Young Adult Fiction. Each winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin Group (USA), including a $15,000 advance. The competition is open to unpublished and self-published novels.

CreateSpace will once again host the submission platform for the contest. Visit CreateSpace to:

Learn how the Contest works
Note key Contest dates
Create a free account (if you haven't already) to enter the Contest
Connect with other authors to discuss the Contest
Prepare your entry today. The submission period begins on January 23, 2012. The Contest submission period ends on February 5, 2012, or when the first 5,000 entries have been received in a category, whichever comes first.

Find out more.

CreateSpace
7290 B. Investment Drive, Charleston, SC 29418
Copyright © 2000 - 2011, CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC.

I'm not going to suggest that self-publishing is right or wrong for you. Every author has to make that distinction for themselves. I will say the publishing industry is changing--fast. Many authors, who would go the traditional route, now are no longer waiting for agents and publishers to say "okay, we want you."
Look at William Young's The Shack. Number one best seller for a long time. (great book, I loved it) He self-published that book. Love to know who his publicist was.

I don't work for CreateSpace, nor endorse it in any way. I have a small press traditional publisher, LSPDigital. However, you might be interested in reading what CreateSpace can do for you, as quoted from their website.

"With CreateSpace you can easily access tools, quality printing, booksellers, eBook distribution, and marketing strategies so that you can generate more opportunities than you imagined – all while building your following of readers.

Over a decade ago, we started this business with the intention of helping artists grow and be successful. This momentum (along with royalties you've earned) tells us that it's working, and we're really proud to be a part of that success."

So, if you intend to enter their contest, or just investigate what they can offer you, good luck. We all need good luck.

Pat

Dusting off Your Dreams in 2012 by Martha Tucker

2011-12-29T18:03:00.002-06:00

Premiere Writers
Welcome! Come in to brand your name AND grab your fame!

A message to all members of Premiere Writers

NO LONGER PUT OFF YOUR DREAMS 2012

Most of us writers and entrepreneurs have big dreams in the early stages of our lives
but only 1% of us realize those dreams in a lifetime. We struggle and hustle and
Visualize and confess. We work and pray and feel sad, and still our smallest of dreams won’t come true. Most of us just keep struggling like a fish out of water, flopping on the sand—of time.

Well, I’ll been a writer for over 20 years and my dreams are just becoming a reality.
My success came in the form of learning how to write effectively. It came in the form of developing a speed of writing, an effective way of writing, and a formula for earning money from what I write. But why should anyone want to wait 20 years to begin to sharpen your God given talents? Why should you wait years to earn money from your gifts?

As this is the Christmas season, I want to offer you a secret of success with writing.

Success in writing is to learn how to write, then learn how to monetize whatever you write. You need to develop a bit of the entrepreneur spirit for that. So please pay close attention to this and follow my formula:

1. Write a page a day-every day
2. Share that writing every day on a forum, in a directory, on a blog
3. Tell every person who reads your page where they can find you.
4. Join and work in a writer and/or entrepreneur community

WHAT WILL YOU WRITE?
Write whatever is in your heart. Practice the art of sharing what’s in your heart and by writing that will reveal YOU. Do that for 30 days.

Where will you share your writing?
1. FACEBOOK NOTES,
2. YOUR FACE BOOK PROFILE STATUS,
3. FACEBOOK FRIEND’s pages—by clicking on photos that are on your profile.
4. Clubs and organizations in the FACEBOOK SEARCH window—join and post
5. Blog
6. WRITER’S FAN PAGES in the search engine.
7. Join and post on TWITTER

Trust me when people see your posts for 30 days, they will begin to know you.
When they know you give good information for free, they will begin to trust you.
When they trust you and you ask them to buy your book, they will buy from you. When they buy from you more and more, YOU WILL EARN MONEY—more and more. You are guaranteed to earn big money.

Whether you want to pay all of your bills, pay off college loans, pay your mortgage, or buy a new home so your children can have their own bedrooms, to build wealth, or just travel and go to restaurants you enjoy, you can in 2012. Now you no longer have to defer your dreams.

Here’s to your success,
Martha Tucker, author, publisher, expert marketer
http://workwithmartha.com

Visit Premiere Writers at: http://premierewriters.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Does Our Heroine Panic? Next Page: Waterlillies Over My Grave

2011-12-29T06:51:00.003-06:00

Let us suppose, this is your first day on your new job, in a new town, thousands of miles away from home and a beautiful new office with a huge picture window. The phone rings.

And, there he is. Your ex--psychiatrist and psychopath, rolled into one. But, how did he FIND you? Nervous, you knock the vase full of flowers and water over yourself and onto the floor. Somehow, he knows. How do YOU know he knows that? He tells you EXACTLY what you just did and what you're wearing.

WATERLILILES OVER MY GRAVE --page 2

Annie concentrated on an oil painting, the focal point of
burgundy and gray walls. Water lilies her mother had painted for her
when she was a child. It went everywhere with her. Made her feel at
home and at peace no matter how hard life got. She wished she could
walk into that scene right now. Her eyes shifted to the stack of client
folders on her desk and back to reality.

She forced tensing muscles to relax. “Duncan, knock it off.”
Drumming her fingers against the desktop, fear rapidly turned to
resentment. “Look, I’m no longer in New York. I’ve moved away.”
Apparently, not far enough.

“I know exactly where you are.” His tone held a stony edge.
Annie’s jaw stiffened. He’s fishing.

“How?”

“My dear girl. I know that you are sitting in your new office
in a hospital in upper Wisconsin.”

Annie gasped. He knew where she was. Could he see into her
office? Her gaze swept out through the large picture window and
across the parking lot. Besides a drizzly day, she didn’t see anything
out of the ordinary. No movement of cars or people. Surreal. As
quiet as a black, white and gray painting.

Until the voice broke the silence. “Then, how could I know
that you’re wearing that gray suit with the mini-skirt that shows off
your lovely legs? How do I know that your hair is tied up in a knot
that reveals a neck as delicate as a swan?”

A moment’s frozen silence settled upon the room, until what
he’d said registered. Then her elbow knocked into a plastic vase of
tiger lilies. The water spilled over the edge of the desk, flooding the
carpet.

Chuckle. “Don’t you think you ought to wipe that up before
it gets all over your client’s charts?”

Her muscles tightened and, in spite of herself, her voice
shook. “How did you know that?”

“Lucky guess.”

“You heard the noise through the phone.” Time for some
bravado. “Look, I’m not afraid of you.”

Again, that chuckle. She couldn’t put a finger on the sound
he was making. Some hybrid of humor?

“Oh, but you should be afraid my dear. Very afraid. You’ll
never be rid of me. And, you’ll never know where I am, or when I’ll
turn up. I could be behind the next corner, in the shadows, in a dark
alley.”

“Duncan...”

“Or on the banks of Lake Nager.”

Copyright 2008 by LSPDigital Waterlilies Over My Grave can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online bookstores, or ordered through a bookstore near you.

Writing Goals for 2012 from the Writer Newsletter

2011-12-28T17:19:00.003-06:00

The Writer Newsletter December 28, 2011

From the editor

Dear readers,

As the year winds down, it's time to take stock of what we've accomplished and make new plans for 2012. To help you get a head start on your writing goals, I've picked a couple of articles to inspire you. Take a look at Brandi-Ann Uyemura's Inspiration Zone column about writing better and smarter, which offers some great advice for improving your writing this year. To see some suggestions for setting writing goals, novelist Sharon Mignerey's article, "Set goals for the new year," offers 10 tips to guide you toward a productive writing year in 2012.

We wish you a very happy new year and hope all your writing dreams come true!

Martha Lundin
Newsletter editor
mlundin@writermag.com

This newsletter gave permission to send to friends--you are my friends.

Waterlilies Over My Grave Chapter One First Page

2011-12-28T12:47:00.007-06:00

LAKE NAGER (really one of the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York)

Being the smart person you are, you have divorced your screwed-up psychiatrist and moved far away where he'll never find you. Or will he? You've taken a new position
as psychologist at the Lake Nager Medical Center in upstate Wisconsin. Lake Nager
a resort town, and it's the Fourth of July weekend. (I must have written this in winter and wished it were summer). This is your first day on the job--the phone rings. And, there he is. Your ex. And not only is he on the telephone, he's in the parking lot. How did he FIND you? Nervous, you knock the vase full of water and flower onto the floor, when you hear another knock. who could it be this time? Oh your first client.

Here is page one of chapter one of WATERLILIES OVER MY GRAVE

Chapter One

“It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee...”

Dr. Annabelle O’Brien stared at her cell phone. “I think you
have the wrong…”

“And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love
and be loved by me.”

My God. What th…?

The tone set the back of her hair on end. She recognized the
voice, yet she didn’t. A sing-songy, almost child-like tone had
replaced the beautiful baritone that had been Duncan’s. A horrid
taste of bile rose in her throat, her palms moistened, and the phone
slipped from one hand into the other then fell onto her oak veneer
desk with a thump. She had a hard time picking it up again.
Annie’s throat turned to sandpaper, but she managed to
squeak out, “Duncan. What do you want?”

The man on the other end cleared his throat as though he
were exercising the greatest of patience to an elementary school
student. “Do you remember, my dearest Annabelle, ‘Til death do us
part’?”

Air lodged in her throat. She forced herself to breathe. In-out,
in-out, until her intake came in steady shallow streams, gradually
lengthening to deeper breaths. Slow. Relaxing. She was finally able
to speak. “How did you get this number?”

The caller laughed. The laugh turned to a whisper. “Doesn’t
matter how I got your number, love. No matter where you run, where
you go, where you hide, you can not get away from me.”

No! He couldn’t be threatening her now. Her usually cool nerves betrayed her as her stomach pitched like a roller coaster that had plunged straight down hill doing sixty-miles an hour.

So that's it for today. Tomorrow we meet Annie's second worst nightmare, her first day at work. That would be Detective Mark Driscoll.

Prologue to Waterlilies Over My Grave--a shameless promotion

2011-12-27T12:31:00.010-06:00

What would you do if you were in an abusive relationship? Let me rephrase that. What would you do if your husband were trying to kill you?

Go to the police? Suppose hubby was well-connected and the powers that be don't believe you. Stay with hubby even though he pushes you down the stairs and you land in the hospital? Oh, did I mention you were pregnant at the time. But the tried and truly well-known psychiatrist spins a tale like, your hormones were getting in the way and you slipped. And what about if you were pushed in front of a moving subway car in the middle of New York City? What would you do? Stay and be killed?
Take a job in the middle of nowhere and start out anew. And, what would happen if he found you.

Is this Sleeping With the Enemy? No, it's Waterlilies Over My Grave and nothing like that great and scary movie starring Julia Roberts. Here is the prologue.

NEW YORK CITY AT TWIGHLIGHT

Water Lillies Over My Grave
Patricia A. Guthrie
LSP Digital ISBN: 978-0-
9792030--8-4

Betrayal.
Sentence--death. A judge and jury of one.
“No mother, no! Oh God no!”

The movie ‘Psycho’ muffled the noise
coming from the New York City streets that
ran in front of Dr. Duncan Byrne’s private
study. The large cherry hutch that encased
the television stood against heavy dark
maroon curtains, blocking all illumination
from the window. A corner desk lamp and the
doctor’s lap top screen provided the only light
he needed.

A ‘to-do’ list lay by his laptop, scrawled in a
handwriting virtually unreadable by anyone
but himself. No matter. He’d shred it anyway.
No sense condemning himself with the
evidence.

She would die.

Her divorce papers lay in a picture perfect
neat stack next to his legal pad. D-I-V-O-R-C-
E. Nobody got rid of Duncan Byrne unless he
wanted to be gotten rid of, and he wasn’t
quite through with Annabelle Lee just yet.
He grabbed a bottle half-full of Johnny Walker
Red, poured the amber liquid into a crystal
whiskey glass. He took a sip and let the
liquid swirl around on his palate before
letting it slide down his throat.

What method shall I choose next?

He eased into his office chair, his hands
behind his head. Thinking. The ideal set-up,
should have had Annabelle standing
precariously close to the edge of the over-
crowded Lexington Avenue Subway platform.
An express barreling its way through the
station. One firm push.

But, it hadn’t worked. Someone grabbed her
as she pitched forward.

No. This new method had to be full proof. He’
d been wrong to think a public accident
would kill her. He needed a more fitting and
private death.

The face of his beautiful Annabelle Lee
perched in a sterling frame on the corner of
his desk. The broken glass from when he’d
smashed it, formed a mound at its base. He
stared at the photo. A beautiful woman--a
modern day Helen of Troy. A contemporary
Jezebel. He eyed his gun cabinet and
frowned. To pierce her beautiful, voluptuous
body would be sacrilege.

He sipped his whiskey and stared into that
ethereal face, with those perceptive eyes and
the long, silky hair that even Helen of Troy
would envy. So innocent when he’d married
her, so diabolical when she’d divorced him.
So much like--

An image of her fall down the stairs last
month drummed up a song in his mind:
She flew through the air with the greatest of
ease
The daring young girl on the flying trapeze

He gulped. The whiskey burned his throat.
After coughing for a few seconds, he sipped
it slower.

Annabelle had flown through air all right. She’
d struggled to keep her balance, bounced off
the stairs, swirled like a top and crashed
onto the hardwood floor below.
The scream he’d heard sounded more like a
child than a woman. It must have come from
that She-Devil she carried inside her. He
shuddered and took another sip.

So much like his mother. Sooner or later they’
d all betray him. Bitches; all.
As far as he could tell, Annabelle had no
cognitive recall of the incident. She’d woken
in the hospital with Disassociative Amnesia.
She couldn’t remember the push down the
stairs. But, her subconscious knew, and it
would surface, sooner or later. The police
had ruled the whole unfortunate affair an
“accident.”

Gulping down the last remnants of his
whiskey, he pondered killing methods that
would not pierce the skin, yet would provide
glorious, exquisite agony. He’d like there to
be bubbles. Bubbles and bubbles and
bubbles. Just like in his bathtub as a child.
First the paralyzing fear of being held under,
then the struggles and frantic splashing of
water as the body, hungry for air, would
starve. Duncan shuddered. There’d been a
time when he was paralyzed with fear. When
he’d been the one desperately splashing.
When his body had been the one starved for
air. And there’d been laughing in the
background.This would be no joke.

Something caught in his gut. The
visualization was no longer Annabelle Lee. It
was his mother.

The phone interrupted daydreams of terror.
Damn. He’d been enjoying this.

“Morning.”

The woman on the other end was pleasant,
almost bubbly. He hated bubbly.

“Good morning. Is this Dr. Duncan Byrne?”

“Yes, Dr. Byrne speaking, can I help you?”

“Dr. Byrne. This is Dr. Julia Driscoll from the
Lake Nager Medical Center in upper
Wisconsin. We received an application from
one of your students. I believe she recently
received her PhD?”

His eyes rolled up. Another one? “Yes?”

“She’s applied for a position at our medical
center here in Lake Nager, Wisconsin.”

“Her name?”

“Dr. Annabelle O’Brien.”

Well, well, well. He still might have control
over her destiny. He hadn’t been sure where
she was going. Whether or not she’d even
stay in New York. Now, apparently, she was
planning to move--far. And, he’d know exactly
where she went.

Dr. Byrne cleared his throat. “I can’t
recommend Dr. O’Brien highly enough. In
fact, she was my best student. Has a great
deal of insight and excellent with patients.
Yes, I’d be happy to recommend her.”

“Thank you, Dr. Byrne. May we have a letter of
. . .”

“Of course. I’ll send one out to you on our
official stationary, if you’ll just give your
address to my secretary?”

He transferred the call and sat back to think.

I know where you’re going,
my darling Annabelle Leeeee.
I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth
‘til you come back to meeeee.

Tomorrow, I'll post a page a day on Waterlilies, then maybe switch to Legacy of Danger,a work that's been in progress for ten years now.

Waterlilies is my second published novel and can be purchased on Amazon and Barnes and Noble plus other online book sellers.

Hope everyone got everything they wanted for Christmas. Our next holiday is New Years Day.

Pat

Good Morning: Day After Christmas--Words From The Universe On to Christmas Traditions

2011-12-26T07:38:00.012-06:00

NOTES FROM THE UNIVERSE:

Do it your way, Patricia.

That's what you're there for.

Ciao,

The Universe by Mike Dooley (www.tut.com

What a way to start the week between Christmas and New Years. Folks, you heard The Universe, do it your way.

MY BELOVED TABLE-TOP CHRISTMAS TREE.

Christmas was a treat, even though it wasn't home for the Holidays. I shared it with best friends--both dog people. Being a dog and horse lover--owner, sharing holidays is great fun. Our dogs have become part of our family, so, of course, they get presents.

Linda's a fellow horse lover and ex owner. I got HORSE socks (yeah--I have lots of dog socks but not one pair of horse socks. Now I do.)

Lots of conversation, appetizers which included shrimp (indulge my friends) opening gifts--whe all have lists so no one was disappointed (except Linda. I gave up too easily. Sarah Michaels went out of business and I couldn't find bath gel. But, the bubble bath is now MINE) lOTS of gift certificates. Lots more conversations. A meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweetpotatoes, a green bean/onion casserole and cranberry sauce to die for. Not to mention that apple cake Linda made to keep my sugar level lower than it would have been otherwise. (but that's another story) I want to mention, as high as my level was last night, it still didn't go over its curfew (er--the 180 as prescribed by my doctors) Did I mention I have diabetes and am VERY careful, excpet around the holidays.

Christmas traditions change as family situations change. And, they're constantly evolving.

For instance: The Christmas tree. When I was a chld the children never saw the tree until Christmas morning not only adorned with ornaments and lights, but
filled with PRESENTS. As I got older, the tree went up on Christmas Eve and we all had a hand in its decoration. When I left hearth and home to make my way into the world, I still bought fresh green trees, until I bought a house and furniture a tad too big for a floor-to-ceiling tree. My artificial tree was donated to my school and --

I got an optic fiber table top. When I first brought it home, I adored that tree. When I could no longer get the lights to work, I bought a small string of Walgreen lights strung them and have used them for the past two years. Last year, tree and trimmings went into a black plastic garbage bag and onto the floor of the closet. This year, out it came again, more ornaments added, lights that still work perfectly not to mention all the cute ginger bread house, santa's house a few santas on that has a sign stating "Ho, Ho, Ho." And there's a Santa who looks like he belongs in the Artic. He wears white with brown fur trim. I couldn't find the Irish looking Santa. I'm wondering if it became a toy for the pupppies last year.

My traditions have changed. Not only to table top trees (I now have two) but in the way I celebrate. I used to have a church job as a soloist at a Chicago cathedral. After years of teaching music, my voice did something it shouldn't have. It almost disappeared. I don't sing now. (probably could have five years of retirement)

Still, I'm more spiritual (I think) than Church oriented. Wish I could say that was different. Christmas Eve and Christmas are the most beautiful of all Episcopal services (in my opinion--Easter falls a close second, not in importance but in beauty)

I wonder how many people now even think about the Christmas origin--the Christ Child rather than Santa Claus, who's become a legend and is now more or less, mom and dad, family and friends, depending upon how old you are. Of course you know there actually was a St. Nicholas (see Christmas Came to Town and How it Got Here)

I'm signing off now, not because I don't have more traditions to talk about, but because my Dell laptop went Kapowee (is that a word?) AGAIN, and I have to bring it over to the friendly soulds at Best Buy. Hmmm maybe when I'm there I'll take a look at those new Kindles again. And Petsmart isn't far. Let's see how much dog food my new gift certificate will buy.

Everyone take care during this first day of Christmas people store crunch.

If anyone has some traditions to share, I'd love to hear about them.

Cold Comfort by Ellis Vidler--a Review

2011-12-23T15:15:00.001-06:00

Cold Comfort
By Ellis Vidler

Review by Patricia A. Guthrie

If you like romantic suspense novels, a feisty courageous heroine, who didn’t know she had it in her, a hunk for a hero who hadn’t found his sensitive spot–yet, and a few really nasty villains who will do anything to murder the heroine thrown in to muck up anyone’s day, you’ll love “Cold Comfort” by Ellis Vidler.

Picture yourself as an owner of a cozy little Christmas shop called “The Mistletoe.” You’ve been talking to people all day, keeping an eye out on the lines of children brought in by parents to see your finely decorated Christmas trees. You’re dead tired, and your feet hurt. Home at last. You get out of your car and—wham! You’re attacked from behind. And not in a purse snatching way either. Someone is bent on murder–yours.

That’s what Claire Spencer faces in the beginning of Ellis Vidler’s romantic suspense novel “Cold Comfort.” And the deadly games have just begun. Someone really wants her out of the way.

Fortunately, Claire has friends who has friends with law enforcement backgrounds., Enter Ben Riley who doesn’t want to protect anyone, much less a woman. Women get in the way. And get in the way she does, just not in the way Riley expects. In fact, Riley muses “When he finished this job, he was moving to Tahiti—with no forwarding address.”

I loved this story. It has many twists and turns, taking our hero and heroine off in one direction then another, and I, who was convinced knew who the culprit was, am no longer sure.

Vidler fills her story with details that either sent a chill up my spine or made me laugh. Her description of the car of the attacker with its mismatched headlights led to furthering the plot. One of the characters had wide expresso eyes. Sentences like “Appearing out of the shadows cast by the streetlights, a shapeless figure in a dark overcoat jaywalked toward Claire’s side of the street.” And the clouds that formed from Riley’s mouth. These are examples of the richness of the text.

The dialogue was fun. One choice goodie from Claire to Riley “I’ve met pit bulls easier to talk to than you” and the description of a psychopath, directly from his own mouth: “I could have handled it if you hadn’t hooked up with that Riley guy—this is all your fault.”

I could make a few criticisms. In general, as fast paced as I think this novel is, I found dead spaces that slowed it down a bit too much. Claire’s need for a “stable, conventional life and a husband to share it with, a nine-to-five kind of guy who’d be there for her. She needed children to bake cookies for.” (She likes to bake cookies a lot) was one of the redundancies I found along the way.

Some clichés stepped me out of the story. “. . . angry red scratches marked her right cheek, and to complete the picture, she sneezed.” I liked the sneezed part but I’m tired of reading about “angry bruises, scratches etc” and the “complete the picture.”

I saw and felt the growth of both characters as the story moved on. Claire, the sheltered girl with little experience of the outside world uses all her instincts and courage to outwit the villains. She’s brave, feisty and has a bad habit of doing things her own way, even when it was against bodyguard rules. Riley finds the sensitive part of himself he didn’t think existed and didn’t want to exist.

I found “Cold Comfort “an absorbing well-written book, with fun dialogue, expressive detail and generally face paced. What faults I found, were miniscule and not even noticed had I not been looking for them.

This is the first book I’ve read by Ellis Vidler. It won’t be the last.

Friday: The Day Before--The Day Before--Christmas HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2011-12-23T12:03:00.006-06:00

Happy holidays everyone.

The photo below came to me via the usual email we all get and gets passed around, ending up back at your (my) door in about a year. (I think)

I thought it was a lovely photo and being a dog and horse lover, I had to share.

If anyone knows the photographer or owner of this photo, I'd love to acknowledge
his/her work.

Today is Friday. The day before Christmas Eve and the day before the day before Christmas.(See title)

I've been fiddling with a review for a book I just finished "Cold Comfort" by Ellis Videl. When I finish, I'll post it on my blog. Its a romantic suspense and holds interest from the beginning to the end of the story. I loved it. A few issues, but they're picky ones. The heroine is one gutsy lady and the hero is a hunk, talented and, of course, thinks he couldn't possibly fit into the heroine's world. She thinks she couldn't fit into his. But, I won't continue, or I won't have anything to write about in my review.

Next will be wrapping presents, sending out my email Christmas cards by Jacquie Lawson. (www.jacquielawson.com e-cards) They are gorgeous and I wanted to share her work with you. That's her website if you want to take a peek.

Smokey is lame--or at least sore in his right front leg. Close to the hoof I think, but I didn't feel any heat down there. Who knows what happened. I had him turned out and he might have slipped. I'll be going out later and checking on him.

I rode Jackson yesterday for the first time in ages. I mentioned on another post, I have a trainer working with him. He was a pill before. Dumped me. Now, that wouldn't be so bad if I were twenty years younger, but at my age, I DON'T THINK SO.

But, he's changed in many wonderful ways. I think his environment has improved his disposition for one thing. He has a corner stall and can look out and see everything that's going on. One thing I've discovered aboout him--curiosity. He's also more disciplined (ouch) and listens to me. Jeez. But kudos to Patricia Biehl my riding instructor and Jackson's trainer. Shes doing a wonderful job with him.

His photo is on the side bar. If you remember, he's the prototype for Bluebird in my book "In the Arms of the Enemy."

Lunch time--then writing review--then out to the barn to check on Smokey and Jackson and pick out their stalls. Fun in the manure.

Have a great day everyone and a safe and wonderful holiday.

I'll be posting the review of "Cold Comfort."

Pat

Live Christmas cresch with dogs

2011-12-23T11:59:00.001-06:00

Add element

The Universe For Thursday December 22.

2011-12-22T07:59:00.001-06:00

Baby souls learn the most immediately following a disagreement.

Young souls learn the most immediately following a disagreement.

And, Patricia, old souls learn the most immediately following a disagreement, although they usually only disagree with themselves, very politely.

Agree?
The Universe by Mike Dooley (www.tut.com)

Soon to Come Ramadan, Stall Decorating and Reviewing

2011-12-20T08:36:00.004-06:00

Good morning. The coffee is made and today we have cream cheese and cherry coffee cake, hot off the bakery at our local Jewel.

As soon as I can find the necessary hours to do the research, I'm going to add Ramadan to my blog. It took hours to research Hanukkah (and I still used Rabbi
Schweitzer's article, which was fitting) Santa Claus Came to Town and How He Got There is mine, and it took a long time to do a lot of research to put it on, well, not so many pages.

I'm finishing up my Christmas shopping today (I hope)and spending time with my horses (as usual) They are THRIVING. Jackson moved from his first stall,where he banged his head against the stall door (ouch). He's now moved to a corner and pretty open stall and he LOVES it. Smokey loves the tranquillity of Jackson's old stall and seems happy.

Stall decorating party: Someone at the barn told me they had a stall decorating party every year. So, on I went. I bought two new wreaths and garlands, plus used post cards to surround the garland on the stall door. As I worked, I wondered why noone else (except for one person) was also decorating the stall. The answer?
It was promoted, but something noone ever seemed to do. Hmm. That's what comes from being the new kid on the block.

However, I LIKE the tradition of decorating stalls and many barns have stall decorating contests.

I'll take pictures as soon as I find my camera and make sure I can charge it.

Writing: I'm reading and reviewing two books right now. One is a romantic suspense put out by Echelon Press (Cold Comfort by Ellis Vidler)(Pack of Two by Caroline Knapp) a story about bonding with dogs, which was requested by a friend for Christmas. So, of course, I had to read it first. (hurrying before Christmas)

Have to hurry along and get everything done.

Have a great day

Pat

A New Take On T'was the Night Before Christmas, Jewish Style Hilarious

2011-12-18T01:41:00.004-06:00

But you know, now that I see you are writing about Hannukah – and why not? – here's a funny take on cultural comparisons with even a glossary of Yiddish terminology (I myself am the author of the "Yiddish Glossary for Goyim"), It vouldn't hoit:

Noe Gold

'Twas the night before Chanukah...

'Twas the night before Chanukah, boychiks and maidels,
Not a sound could be heard, not even the dreidels.
The menorah was set on the chimney, just right,
In the kitchen my Bubbe hut gechapt a bite.
Salami, pastrami, a glessala tay
and zowerah pickles with bagels, oy vay!
Gezunt and geschmacht, the kinderlech felt,
while dreaming of tegelach and Chanukah gelt.

The clock on the mantle it sure was a tickin',
and Bubbe was serving a schtickala chicken.
A tumult arose like a thousand broches,
Santa had fallen and broken his toches.
I put on my slippers, eins, tsvay, drei,
while Bubba was now on the herring and rye.
I grabbed my robe and buttoned my gotkes,
While Bubbe was so busy, devouring those latkes.

To the window I ran and to my surprise,
A little red yarmulke greeted my eyes.
When he got to the door and saw our menorah,
"Yiddishe kinder," he said, "Keneinahora.
I thought I was in a goyisha house,
but as long as I am here, I'll leave a few toys."

With much geshray, I asked, "Du bist a yid?"
"Avada, mein numen is Schloimey Claus, kid."
"Come into the kitchen, I'll get you a dish,
A guppell, a schtickla fish."
With smacks of delight, he started his fressen,
Chopped liver, knaidlech and kreplach gegessen.
Along with his meal, he had a bissle schnapps,
For when it came to eating, this boy was the tops!

He asked for some knishes with pepper and salt,
but they were so hot, he yelled, "Oy gevalt!"
Unbuttoning his hoizen, he rose from the tisch,
and said, "Your kosher essen is simply delish."
As he went to the door, he said "See you later.
I'll be back next Pesach, in time for the seder."

More rapid than eagles his prancers they came,
as he whistled and shouted and called them by name:
"Now Izzy, now Morris, now Yitzchak, now Sammy,
now Irving and Maxie and Moishe and Manny."
He gave a geshray as he drove out of sight,
"A gutten yomtov to all, and to all a good night!"

"Dictionary" (Thank you, Rabbi S.A.!)
boychiks and maidels - boys & girls
broches - blessings
Bubbe - grandmother
Chanukah gelt - money, usually given to children as gifts.
dreidels - gambling toy, with letters of Hebrew alphabet on 4 sides.
fressen - eat, devour
gechapt - took
gegessen - was (were) eaten
geschmacht- secure, comfortable
geshray - cried out
gevalt - holy sh*t (you may substitute something more appropriate, but this is what it means. See the movie "The Frisco Kid" when Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford jump off the cliff into the water)
Gezunt - well (a good feeling)
glessala tay - glass of tea
gotkes - underwear
goyisha house - non-Jewish house
Keneinahora-actually 3 words: ken, ayin & harah. This phrase means there hould be no negative insinuation (literally-no evil eye)
kinderlech -children
knaidlech - matza balls
kreplach - dough stuffed with meat. wantons. but we were around before the Chinese. They got it from us. We boil them. They fry them.
"mein numen is Schloimey Claus" - "my name is ... "
menorah - candelabra used to light candles. Sometimes called a Chanukiah for the candelabra exclusive to Chanukah.
schtickala - a little
tegelach - a tasty confection made from flour, honey, sugar-you get the idea
tumult - confusion
yarmulke - little skull cap worn by religious, especially Orthodox Jews. Pope wears the thing.
yomtov - holiday

Hanukka (Chanukah) or the Festival of Lights

2011-12-16T19:44:00.003-06:00

Pat

The other day you asked me to write about this holiday and I confessed that I have only a vague knowledge about Jewish holidays. I meant authoritative knowledge. But in the meantime, a friend sent me the attached, which I read with interest and thought you might be interested too.

Jasha levi

LET THERE BE LIGHTS!

A Secular, Cultural, Humanistic
Celebration of Chanukah
by Rabbi Peter H. Schweitzer
45 East 33rd Street • New York, NY 10016 • 212-213-1002 • 212-213-3855 (fax)
info@citycongregation.org • www.citycongregation.org

Happy Chanukah!
Or however you choose to spell it.
Or celebrate it.
By lighting candles.
Reading about the history.
Finding contemporary meaning.
Singing familiar melodies.
Exchanging gifts.
Devouring latkes.
Spinning dreidls.
This booklet gives you the ingredients
you need to create your own celebration.
You can repeat old traditions.
You can invent new ones.
You can choose your own way.
Best wishes for joyous holiday.
And Happy Hanuka.
Or however you spell it.

THE PARADOX AND MODERN MIRACLE OF CHANUKAH

It may be hard to believe, considering the fanfare it gets, but Chanukah is
technically a minor festival. In fact, it is the only Jewish holiday without any
historical basis in the Bible and is barely mentioned in the Talmud. Compared to
Shabbat, Passover and the High Holidays, the Chanukah lights barely flicker.

Historically, the story of the oil burning eight days had a quaint appeal, but in an
age of science and skepticism, miracle tales have fallen into disrepute and lost their lustre. However, with the rise of political nationalism in the 19th century, the military message of the holiday gained popularity. This theme captivated the early Zionists as well. Pioneers reclaiming the land and soldiers of the early Haganah were naturally regarded as Maccabean descendants. Then, faced with the tempting tinsel and bright lights of Christmas, American Jews asserted themselves with Maccabean vigor and elevated Chanukah to a celebration of major import. If
there’s any doubt about this, ask any child.

So perhaps the real miracle of Chanukah is its own rebirth and renewal. What
might have become a historic footnote was given new life. Yet, at the same time,
while Chanukah celebrates the Maccabean refusal to succumb to the lure of
Hellenism, Chanukah Reborn in the 20th century is, paradoxically, saturated with
commercialism and materialism. It now is at risk of adopting the very notions that
it was meant to crush. Yet if we attempt to contain the excess that our children
especially have come to expect we equally risk their own Maccabean uprising.

What, then, can be the message of Chanukah for us today? Surely it is not about
resisting modern culture, which we embrace rather whole-heartedly. Nor can it be
about asserting our religious identity, which we don’t feel is endangered. And
certainly it is not about demonstrating military prowess, which isn’t a particularly
popular position these days.

But Chanukah is about giving warmth to one another through the cold winter. It is
about bringing back the sun as the short days of the year grow longer again. It is
about the victory of hope over despair, of joy over sorrow. In the end, Chanukah is
all about light, which is what the holiday was all about in the very beginning.

WELCOMING CHANUKAH

Let us celebrate Chanukah,
a week of brightness, a week of joy.
A week of freedom,
a week of celebration.
Welcome Chanukah,
a time for memory, a time for hope.

MACCABEES OF OLD
Maccabees of old did rise,
To defy the wicked king.
They stood tall and bravely fought
Soon they heard freedom’s ring.
They brought a message cheering,
That the time was nearing,
Which will see, all people free,
Tyrants disappearing.
Which will see, all people free,
Tyrants disappearing.

OH CHANUKAH, OH CHANUKAH
Oh Chanukah, Oh Chanukah come light the menorah.
Let's have a party, we'll all dance the hora.
Gather round the table, we’ll give you a treat.
Dreidels to play with and latkes to eat.
And while we are playing, the candles are burning low,
One for each night they shed a sweet light
To remind us of days long ago.
One for each night they shed a sweet light
To remind us of days long ago.
Oy, khanike, oy, khanike a yontef a sheyner.
A lustiker, a freylekher, nito nokh a zoyner!
Ale nakht in dreydl shpiln mir, frishe heyse latkes esn mir.
Geshvinder, tsindt, kinder, di khanike-lihktelekh on.
Zol yeder bazunder, bazingen dem vunder
Un tantsn freylekh in kon.
Zol yeder bazunder, bazingen dem vunder
Un tantsn freylekh in kon.

HONORING THE HOLIDAY
On Chanukah we commemorate the victory of light over darkness
and the right of religious freedom and freedom of expression.
On Chanukah we treasure the principles and ideas and values
whose fruits nourish us and sustain us in life.
On Chanukah we cherish the light of hope
that leads us to a vision of a better world.
On Chanukah we appreciate our happiness and good fortune,
that are all the greater when they are shared.
On Chanukah we proclaim the day a delight, we rejoice in its joy,
we treasure our tranquility, and we celebrate our freedom.
You may continue with the service
and learn more about the history of Chanukah
or go directly to Candlelighting.

ANCIENT ORIGINS
Long ago, in the land of ancient Israel, as winter approached and the days grew
shorter, our ancestors believed that the sun was dying and that the world would
soon be plunged into the death of darkness.
To prevent this terrifying event, fires were kindled on the hilltops to coax the sun
back to life with a sympathetic flame.
At the December solstice, a turning point always occurred. The sun seemed to
renew itself through the increasing light of day, and people rejoiced in the
rejuvenation of the sun and in the cycle of nature.
This celebration became a week-long festival of revelry, suspense, and burning of
lamps in anticipation of the sun’s annual renewal. The celebration was called
Nayrot, which means “lights,” and it exalted the triumph of light and life over
despair and darkness.

Winter Spring Summer Fall
SEASONS
Lyrics by Rabbi Peter Schweitzer
Music by Mickie and Abe Mandel
A time for winter, a time for spring
A time to celebrate, a time to sing
A time for summer, a time for fall
A time to enjoy life one and all
A time to enjoy life one and all
Over and over, round and round
Seasons fade into seasons found
Over and over, round and round
The cycles of nature safe and sound
The cycles of nature safe and sound
Again and again, it is nature’s way
A time for planting brings time to play
A time to sow and a time to reap
A time to awaken, a time to sleep
A time to awaken, a time to sleep
It started long before we were here
On and on it goes, year by year
It matters not the reason why
We treasure each gift of earth and sky
We treasure each gift of earth and sky
A time for winter, a time for spring
A time to celebrate, a time to sing
A time for summer, a time for fall
A time to enjoy life one and all
A time to enjoy life one and all

A HUMAN DRAMA
Over two thousand years ago, in the third century before the Common Era, the
Greek king, Alexander of Macedon, who became known as Alexander the Great,
ruled over the lands of the ancient Middle East.
Some Jews were attracted to Greek culture, but others rejected it and felt it could
weaken Jewish values. After Alexander the Great died, the Syrian tyrant, Antiochus
Epiphanes, came to power. He prohibited the practice of the Jewish religion and
wanted everyone in his realm to become Greek.

Even if some Jews were attracted to Greek culture, this rejection of Judaism was
intolerable. Jews rose up in rebellion. Let by Mattathias and his son, Judah
Maccabee (“the hammer”), the Jews fought off the Greeks and forced them to
withdraw from Jerusalem.
Tragically, once the Maccabees were victorious they allowed themselves to be
corrupted by power and became tyrants themselves. And, ironically, their
immediate descendants adopted the very Hellenistic culture that the original
Maccabees had rejected. Of course, times change and people change with the times
and there’s no way to have predicted this twist of events.

MEE Y’MA-LEL
Who can retell the things that befell us?
Who can count them?
In every age a hero or sage
comes to our aid.
Hark! At this time of year
in days of yore.
Maccabees the Temple did restore
And today our people, as we dreamed
Survived the tyrant, our nation
was redeemed.
Mee y’ma-lel, g’voo-rote yis-ra-el
o-tahn mee yim-ney?
Hen b’chol dor ya-koom ha-gee-bor
go-el ha-ahm.
Shma! Ba-ya-meem ha-hem
baz-mahn ha-zeh.
Ma-ka-bee mo-shee-ah oo-fo-dey
Oo-yo-mey-nu kol ahm yis-ra-el
Yeet-ah-ched ya-koom v’yee-ga-el.

A NEW HOLIDAY
The Maccabees recaptured the Temple in the Fall around October but they waited
until the winter solstice festival of Nayrot to rededicate the Temple. Their
celebration went on for eight days, to make up for the fall holiday of Sukkot, which
they had been unable to observe. The new holiday was called Hanukah, or
“dedication” and eventually the original connection to the winter solstice was
forgotten.

The rabbis who lived several hundred years later were not so comfortable with this
story about the Maccabean victory. In fact, it made them nervous. They feared that
it might inspire others to rise up against the Roman oppressors of their own day
who were all-powerful. They feared that this would only lead to defeat of the Jews.
So the rabbis downplayed the Maccabee’s victory by inventing the legend of the tiny
vial of holy oil that miraculously lasted for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the lamp in the Temple. The focus shifted away from a
human story of rebellion to one of divine intervention and rescue.

Today, we once again acknowledge the original connection of Hanuka to Nayrot and
we reclaim the real story of Hanuka that celebrates the Maccabees’ courage to
defend their religious and personal identity. Like them, we take responsibility for
our own lives and declare that we can shape our Jewish identity in ways that will be
meaningful for us today. In fact, this service, with its innovative readings and
contemporary Humanistic candle blessings, is an example of how we can link
ourselves to our heritage as well as articulate our modern understanding of this
holiday.

THE MESSAGE OF THE MENORAH
Some call it a hanukkiah, a modern Hebrew word invented by Eliezer Ben Yehuda in
the late 19th century. But most still call it a menorah, based on the classical Hebrew word for candelabrum. Which goes to show that it is hard to get rid of old practices or terms not to mention that Jews don’t agree about everything.

In fact, from the very beginning, the Talmud records a debate on how to kindle the
Chanukah lights. One side advocated using eight lights the first night, seven the
next and so forth, counting down. They said that this made sense since the oil
would gradually be running out each day.

The other side, which won the argument, preferred starting with one light and going
up from there. They said that we should increase the brightness each day rather
than diminish it to really celebrate the joy of the holiday.

Others debate whether to light from right to left or left to right. Or whether to light the newest candle first and then reverse the order. Perhaps none of this matters but what may be important is carrying on these debates from generation to
generation. That is part of our Jewish tradition!
And finally, the Shammes candle, or lighter candle, stands taller than the rest. It
teaches us that from one light, we can make a lot of light. From one person with
hope, we can make lot of hope. Let us all be that one candle which helps to light all
the rest.

CHANUKAH BLESSINGS
for a Secular Humanistic Chanukah Celebration
Song to the traditional melody for lighting the candles
1
Ba-ruch ha-or ba-oh-lahm
Ba-ruch ha-or ba-ah-dahm
Come gather round and light the menorah
As we say, “L’had-leek ner shel cha-nu-kah.”
2
Ba-ruch ha-or ba-oh-lahm
Ba-ruch ha-or ba-ah-dahm
We celebrate freedom won a long time ago
Ba-ya-meem ha-hem baz-mahn ha-zeh.
3
Ba-ruch ha-or ba-oh-lahm
Ba-ruch ha-or ba-ah-dahm
We light these candles in our home tonight
and we hope
that in the world
light will shine for all.
Light the Menorah

THE EIGHT LIGHTS OF CHANUKAH
The first light is
the light of REASON.
It is the light of reason that teaches us
to see the difference between right and wrong.
The second light is
the light of SELF-ESTEEM.
It is the light of self- esteem that inspires us
to believe in ourselves.
The third light is
the light of COURAGE.
It is the light of courage that gives us
the strength to stand up for our beliefs.
The fourth light is
the light of FREEDOM.
It is the light of freedom that reminds us
to take responsibility for our own lives.
The fifth light is
the light of LOVE.
It is the light of love that enables us
to care for those in need.
The sixth light is
the light of Loyalty.
It is the light of loyalty that helps us keep
our promises to those who depend on us.
The seventh light is the
light of GENEROSITY.
It is the light of generosity that encourages us
to give even when we do not receive.
The eighth light is
the light of HOPE.
It is the light of hope that leads us
to a vision of a better world.

JEWISH HEROES, LET OUR SONG
To the melody of “Maoz Tsur”
Jewish heroes, let our song
Praise our saving power
Though amidst the raging foe
We raised our sheltering tower
Furious they assailed us,
But our arms availed us
And our fists broke their swords,
Our own strength prevailed us.
And our fists broke their swords,
Our own strength prevailed us.
Children of the human race
Whether free or fettered,
Wake the echoes of your songs
Where you may be scattered
Yours the message cheering
That the time is nearing
Which will see all people free
Tyrants disappearing.
Which will see all people free
Tyrants disappearing.

HANUKKAH LINDA
A Ladino Folk Song
Hanukkah Linda, ‘sta aqui
Ocho candelos para mi (2x)
Chorus
AHI!! Un candelico, Dos candelicos
Tres candelicos, Quatro candelicos
Sinju candelicos, Sez candelicos
Siete candelicos, Ocho canelos para mi
Muchas fiestas por fazer
Con allegrias y plazer (2x)
Chorus
Los pastelicos vu comer
Con almendricas y la miel (2x)
Chorus
A pretty candle is here
Eight candles for me
One candle, two candles, etc.
We eat pastries with almonds and honey

LIGHT ONE CANDLE
by Peter Yarrow
Light one candle for the Maccabee children.
Give thanks that their light didn’t die.
Light one candle for the pain they endured,
when their right to exist was denied.
Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice
justice and freedom demand.
Light one candle for the wisdom to know
when the peacemaker’s time is at hand.
Chorus
Don’t let the light go out
It’s lasted for so many years.
Don’t let the light go out
Let is shine through our love
and our tears
Light one candle for the strength that we need
to never become our own foe.
Light one candle for those who are suffering
the pain we learned so long ago.
Light one candle for all we believe in,
let anger not tear us apart.
Light one candle to bind us together
with peace as the song in our heart.
Chorus
What is the memory that’s valued so highly
that we keep alive in that flame?
What’s the commitment to those who have died
when we cry out, “They’ve not died in vain.”
We have come this far always believing
that justice will somehow prevail.
This is the burden and this the promise
and this is why we will not fail
Chorus
Don’t let the light go out (3x)

THE SECRET OF THE DREIDL
Some call it a sevivon, preferring the Hebrew term. However, most of us stick to
dreidl, the Yiddish word. But on this everyone agrees: the familiar Chanukah
spinning top had nothing to do originally with Chanukah. It was an ancient
gambling toy familiar to many cultures and was probably adapted from a German
top by Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews during the medieval period. Ironically,
while the Maccabbees fought cultural assimilation, the dreidl game is an excellent
example of the very thing they opposed. These days we welcome the exchange of
ideas that comes from living in an open society. But we still need to figure out
where the limits are to all that our culture offers us. The choices are abundant.
They are enough to “dreyen zihn undz der kop” – to make our heads spin around.
SVIVON
S’vee-von sov, sov, sov
Cha-nu-kah hoo chag tov
Cha-nu-kah hoo chag tov
S’vee-von sov, sov, sov
Chag seem-cha hoo la-ahm
Nes ga-dol ha-ya shahm
Nes ga-dol ha-ya shahm
Chag seem-cha hoo la-ahm
S’vee-von, turn and turn
While the lovely candles burn.
What a wondrous holiday
Watch us sing and dance and play
Tell the story full of cheer
A great event happened there
It’s a holiday of light
For eight days and eight nights.
I HAVE A LITTLE DREIDL
I have a little dreidl
I made it out of clay.
And when it’s dry and ready,
then dreidl I shall play
Chorus
Oh, dreidl, dreidl, dreidl
I made it out of clay,
Oh, dreidl, dreidl, dreidl
now dreidl I shall play.
It has a lovely body
with a leg so short and thin
And when it is all tired,
it drops and I shall win.
Chorus
My dreidl’s always playful.
It loves to dance and spin.
A happy game of dreidl,
come play, now let’s begin.
Chorus

HOW TO PLAY DREIDL
The dreidl is marked with a Hebrew letter on each of its sides. These letters have a
double meaning. On the one hand, each stands for the four words in the Hebrew
phrase “Nes Gadol Hayah Sham”, or “A great miracle happened there.” They also
represent four Yiddish words that indicate actions to take in the dreidl game.
At the beginning of the game, each player gets a number of tokens, e.g. peanuts,
raisins, M&Ms, chocolate Chanukah gelt (coins), pennies. Each player puts in one
token to start. Some add an additional token each round or each time the pot is
empty. Then players take turns spinning the dreidl and act according to what letter
lies on top when the dreidl stops spinning. The game is over when one player has
all the tokens.

LETTER MEANING #1 MEANING FOR THE GAME
N Nun Nes (Miracle) Nisht or none -- Nothing happens.
G Gimel Gadol (Great) Ganz or all – Take the whole pot.
H Hay Hayah (Happened) Halb or half – Take half the pot.
W Shin Sham (There) Shtel or Put in – Add a token to the pot
Other dreidl games:
Try to flip a dreidl on its head and spin it upside down.
All spin dreidls at once and see whose dreidl spins the longest.

LET’S EAT!
A Jewish holiday would not be a Jewish holiday without food. Chanukah is no
exception. Latkes, or potato pancakes, and sufganiyot, jelly-filled donuts that are
popular in Israel, are both connected to the holiday because they are fried in oil,
commemorating the legend of the oil of the menorah that seemed to burn forever.
But neither of these foods are original to Chanukah or even of Jewish origin. Latkes
could not have been composed of potatoes in ancient times because potatoes are a
New World food. They actually didn’t arrive in Europe from their native Peru until
the 1500s. The word, itself, is of Yiddish origin, and may reflect an Eastern
European origin. Interestingly, latke may come, in a circuitous way, from the word
elaion, which is Greek for olive oil. But Ashkenazic Jews traditionally fried their
latkes in schmaltz, or rendered goose or chicken fat, and are only now discovering
the health benefits of olive oil. The batter was also prepared by hand-grating the
potatoes, which has given way to the food processor. So there you have it:
continuity and change – all in a potato dish!

As for the sufganiyah, this delectable is derived from the Greek work sufgan, which
means “puffed and fried.” They originally consisted of two pieces of dough that
sandwiched some jam and were then deep-fried, with the jam oozing out during the
cooking process. Now they are made by deep-frying a ball of dough first and
injecting jelly in afterwards. The modernization process didn’t diminish their
popularity one bite and perhaps even improved it. We’re also told, according to a
legend, that the first sufganiyah was given to Adam and Eve as a way to console
them on their expulsion from Eden. We may question this original myth, but
there’s no disputing that a good jelly donut can be great comfort food!

There are dozens of recipes for latkes. Here’s a fairly classic version.
For the more adventurous, see http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/latindex.htm
for an array of options.

POTATO LATKES
Gourmet, December 2000
Makes 12 to 16 latkes
Ingredients
1 lb potatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
Accompaniments: sour cream and applesauce
Preparation
Preheat oven to 250°F.
Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand, transferring to a large bowl of cold water
as grated. Soak potatoes 1 to 2 minutes after last batch is added to water, then
drain well in a colander.
Spread grated potatoes and onion on a kitchen towel and roll up jelly-roll style.
Twist towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer potato mixture
to a bowl and stir in egg and salt.
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but
not smoking. Working in batches of 4 latkes, spoon 2 tablespoons potato mixture
per latke into skillet, spreading into 3-inch rounds with a fork. Reduce heat to
moderate and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes. Turn latkes
over and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to
paper towels to drain and season with salt. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep
latkes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven.
Cooks' notes:
•The starchier the potato the crisper the latke. Baking potatoes are the starchiest.
• Latkes may be made up to 8 hours ahead. Reheat on a rack set over a baking sheet
in a 350°F oven, about 5 minutes.
• Grating the potatoes, soaking them briefly in water, and then squeezing out the
liquid keeps the batter from turning brown too quickly.

SUFGANIYOT (Jelly Donuts)
based on Joan Nathan’s recipe in "The Jewish Holiday Kitchen"
Makes 30 – 35 donuts
Ingredients
2 tablespoons dry yeast
3-1/2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinnamon
1-1/2 tablespoons softened margarine
Plum or strawberry preserves
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Granulated sugar
Preparation
Dissolve the yeast and 2 tablespoons sugar in the milk.
Sift the flour. Place it on a board and make a well in the center. Add the yeast
mixture, the egg yolks, salt, cinnamon, and the remaining sugar. Knead well. Add
the margarine and knead until the dough is elastic.
Cover and let rise 2 hours.
Sprinkle flour on the board. Roll the dough out thin. Cut out with a glass into
rounds about 2 inches in diameter. Cover and let rise 15 minutes more.
Pour 2 inches of oil into a heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees.
Drop the doughnuts in the oil, 4 - 5 at a time, turning when brown. Drain on paper
towels.
With a tiny spoon, take some jam and fill the sufganiyot. Insert the spoon in the top
of the doughnut, revolve it inside the doughnut, and remove it from the same hole
made on entering.
Roll in granulated sugar and serve. You can make larger sufganiyot if you like.
Whatever you decide, eat them immediately!

CHANUKA GELT or MONEY
Chanuka Gelt, or money, in Yiddish, are the chocolate coins wrapped in gold or
silver foil that are a mainstay of the holiday. But their origins are steeped in
mystery and so they give rise to many interpretations.
One theory is that the coins are intended to recall the Maccabees’ minting of their
own money to mark their victory over the Syrians whose wealth they plundered.
Temple images, such as the menorah, were embossed on the coins as reminders of
their triumph.

According to others sources, it was customary at Chanukah to distribute coins to
the poor and to underpaid teachers so that they could partake in the holiday and
purchase the necessary oil and wicks for the menorah.

From this developed the practice in some families of giving a few coins to the
children. Not only were they a welcomed gift, but they were also used to teach them
to give a portion of their own money to others less fortunate then themselves.
We’re also told that in the Sephardic Jewish communities poor children would go
door-to-door during the holiday offering to protect Jewish homes from the Evil Eye
by burning special grasses in exchange for some coins.
But maybe it is all much simpler than all these theories and lessons. Perhaps, in the
spirit of apples and honey at Rosh Hashanah, the chocolate coins were given to
children to guarantee a positive association to the holiday. They certainly seem to
work!

Whatever your explanation, enjoy!

GIVING AND RECEIVING
The custom of Chanukah gift giving may be the most important feature of the
holiday even though it only dates to the 19th century. One would think, however,
that the Maccabees were fighting not for religious freedom but for the right to
exchange gifts freely, so cherished is this practice.

In principle, gift giving is a happy occasion, though often fraught with anxiety trying to figure out the right present. We may decry the commercialism and consumerism associated with the holiday, but this may also be regarded as a sign of our acceptance in the larger society.

However you look at it, holiday gift giving is clearly here to stay. But we have some
options on how to approach this annual ritual.
For some, the focus is primarily on the children. Gifts may be organized around
different themes. Here are some examples:

A gift of Chanukah: a child’s own menorah, a new dreidl
A gift of learning: books, a magazine subscription
A gift of warmth: socks, gloves, a sweater
A gift of family: a gift from a grandparent or other relative
A gift of culture: tickets for a movie or show, a recording of music
A gift of adventure: a plan for a special outing
A gift of choice: a gift that the child has requested
A gift of sharing: helping the child choose toys that s/he is ready to give away

This is also a time of year when people typically make decisions about which
charities they will support. Parents can have a conversation about these choices
with their children and involve them in the decisions. In this way, all can
participate in the gift of giving.

LET THERE BE LIGHTS!
A Secular, Cultural, Humanistic Celebration of Chanukah
by Rabbi Peter H. Schweitzer,
The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, 2007
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to Myrna Baron and Shirley Ranz for their suggestions, and to
Rabbi Adam Chalom for various ideas based on his guidebook,
particularly his thoughtful metaphor that the Shammes candle
represents each one of us as we spread light from one to another.
SOURCES
“The Festival of Lights, A Home Hanukkah Celebration,“
by Rabbi Adam Chalom, Congregation Kol Hadash
Humanistic Chanuka Blessings
1st and 3rd Blessing by Rabbi Peter Schweitzer
2nd Blessing by Rabbi Daniel Friedman
“The Eight Lights of Chanukah”
by Marilyn Rowens, Humanistic Judaism, Winter 1979
Latke Recipe
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/104406
Sufaganiyot Recipe
http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/sufgan1.htm
45 East 33rd Street • New York, NY 10016 • 212-213-1002 • 212-213-3855 (fax)
info@citycongregation.org • www.citycongregation.org

I want to thank Jasha from my Linkedin group who got this from his publicist
Phyllis Spiegel. I also want to thank all the people who contributed to this
work.

Have a wonderful Hanukkah.

Patricia A. Guthrie

Santa Claus Came to Town and How He Got Here

2011-12-16T16:40:00.004-06:00

Santa Claus Came to Town and How He Got Here

By Patricia A. Guthrie

“‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house . . .” ‘Jolly Old St. Nicholas . . .’ ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town.’ What images come to mind?

A rather chubby, merry and ageless man with a twinkle in his eye, carrying a bag full of toys from a sled, way too small to provide gifts for more than sixty-million children around the world. Nine reindeer, the lead having an overpowering red-glowing nose, paw anxiously, trying not to topple off a steeply slanted roof covered with ice and snow. Realistic? Hell no. Fun? Absolutely.

Does Santa Claus actually have anything to do with Christmas? Nope . . . not really. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the namesake of its religious beliefs. Except for Easter, it is the most holy of days in the Christian calendar. Christmas is the only religious holiday that has survived the separation of Church and State in the United States, despite many attempts to have it stricken from the Federal holiday calendar.

Santa Claus has come along for the ride, and what a ride it has been for all of these years. So what’s Santa Claus all about? How did he get to be so popular? Who is he? Was he even real?

There is some disagreement about that. He is traced back to one Bishop Nicholas of Myra (d350) who, real or not real, became one of the most beloved saints to ever grace the face of this earth. He was revered in both Eastern as well as Western churches, one of the few things they ever agreed on. So loved was he, Emperor Justinian built a church in his honor in 540 AD. It seems the good bishop could do no wrong. He was the patron saint of children, mariners, merchants, countries and cities. He saved dowerless maidens in distress by throwing money into their windows. He is credited with saving ships at sea and somehow or other, saving countries from famine. After he was dead, he was reported to have come down from heaven to distribute gifts to good little boys and girls and, later, seemed to have gained a side kick named ‘Black Peter’ who punished those children who weren’t so good. It was (and still is) a dream come true for parents who could now dangle the proverbial carrot in front of their kids, in anticipation of the arrival of good St. Nick.

Those who disavow the existence of Nicholas seem to think his legend originated from the Pagan gods of the pre-Christian era. There were similarities between the Teutonic God Odin, who flew around in the air on a gray horse and wore a long white beard. Thor was another God who seemed to have Nicholas’ attributes, i.e., he came from the North, wore a suit of red, rode through the heavens in a chariot drawn by white goats, and was friendly and cheerful and loved to drop down through chimneys for some reason or other.

When Christmas was settled as a day to celebrate the Christian tradition, the Roman Church decided on an old pagan day of celebration of Dec. 25th. There was no way to pin down the real birth date of Jesus, and trying to keep their flock away from paganism, the Church decided to bring their religious holiday into the pagan calendar–hoping to wipe out any trace of pagan celebration. The odd thing is, if indeed he did live, Nicholas was a Christian man himself, a bishop of the church and one of those to have been present at the first council of Nicea. That cannot be proved, as his name is not present on the list of attending bishops.

Santa Claus in America

During the reformation which spread around Europe in the sixteenth century, the Feast of St. Nicholas all but disappeared. Christkindl (Christ Child) replaced Nicholas as the bearer of good tidings and gifts. The Protestant reformers felt that their children should not spend their time worshiping a bishop, lured by presents and goodies. They thought they could channel their energies instead into celebrating the birth of the Christ Child. The custom changed slightly with Christkindl being the main player instead of Nicholas. The practice of gift giving, however, remained. Despite this new emphasis, the Nicholas legends prevailed, especially among the Dutch.

During the 1600s, exchanging gifts or celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas was forbidden by the Puritans in America. It wasn’t until the Dutch settled in what later became New York that they brought with them their tradition of SinterKlaas. SinterKlaas was just one variation on the name of St. Nicholas and they celebrated it on the eve of Dec. 6th, the anniversary of his death. Switching the date to Dec. 25th came when the English took over the colony. The English children wanted their own SinterKlass. As the Protestants didn’t believe in celebrating saints days, the date was changed.

Washington Irving, writing under the pseudonym of Diedrich Knickerbocker, mentioned the holiday in his satire, ‘The History of New York.’ Good old St. Nicholas, SinterKlaas, was depicted riding into town on a white horse, which later somehow learned to fly over the tree tops pulling a wagon. William Gilley printed a poem about ‘Santeclaus’ and described him as wearing fur and driving a sleigh, now pulled by a reindeer.

The most famous spin in the history of Santa Claus in America came with the poem written by Dr. Clement Moore, a dentist, who was also a theology and classics professor at Union Seminary. He wrote ‘A visit from St. Nicholas,’ that went on to become ‘The Night before Christmas.’ At last, Santa had a description. He was now a jolly, happy and a rather hefty soul who had a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer named: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, and Blitzen. Later, Robert L. May created the ninth and most famous reindeer of all. He was the guiding-light of the team and his name was Rudolph.

So far, Santa Claus was pictured as elf-size, fitting in his compact sleigh, which made timely deliveries to all those homes around the world extremely difficult. However, Haddon Sundblom, an illustrator for the Coca Cola Company helped Santa with those shipments when, in 1931, he drew a series of Santa images and pictured him human-size for their Christmas advertisements. Santa’s stature and the ads continue to the present time.

The much loved Nicholas of Myra seems to have gained a reputation that even the greatest and most famous might envy. Larger than life, his saga lives on as the patron saint of almost everybody; mariners, merchants, children, cities (including Moscow) and countries (Greece, Russia, Italy) and seems to have grown year by year. As much as Christmas is a Christian holiday, it is also a holiday that celebrates generosity and kindliness of spirit even amongst those who might have the hardest of hearts during the rest of the year. Despite all the holiday craziness that we must endure, Christmas and Santa Claus go hand in hand in featuring one of the most beautiful and reverent holidays for the human spirit.

A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS
by Clement Clarke Moore

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that ST. NICHOLAS soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,
had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash;
tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave the lustre of midday to objects below.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came.
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
'Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!'
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the housetop the coursers they flew,
with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,
the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes, how they twinkled! his dimples how merry.
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry.

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,
that shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf.
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
and filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh; to his team gave a whistle.
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
'HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT.’

References:

Bucher, Pastor Richard P. (1999); The Origin of Santa Claus and the Christian Response to Him.
Evangelical Trinity Lutheran Church.

Van der Meulen, Roel; Sinterklaas, A Dutch Tradition, Project Galactic Guide

Religious Tolerance; All about Santa Claus, http://www.Religioustolerance.org/santa.htm.

Goode, Stephen (1996); After 17 centuries, Kris Kringle is still making his rounds; Insight on the News.

Dodd, Brian (1995); History of Santa Claus, American Origins. Quote from Encarta 95. Http://www.the-north-pole.com/history/

Because of Love by Willy Eagle

2011-12-14T20:20:00.002-06:00

Because of Love
(Please read all the way to the end)

A brother and sister had made their usual hurried, obligatory pre-Christmas visit to the little farm where dwelt their elderly parents with their small herd of horses. The farm was where they had grown up and had been named Lone Pine Farm because of the huge pine, which topped the hill behind the farm. Through the years the tree had become a talisman to the old man and his wife, and a landmark in the countryside. The young siblings had fond memories of their childhood here, but the city hustle and bustle added more excitement to their lives, and called them away to a different life.

The old folks no longer showed their horses, for the years had taken their toll, and getting out to the barn on those frosty mornings was getting harder, but it gave them a reason to get up in the mornings and a reason to live. They sold a few foals each year, and the horses were their reason for joy in the morning and contentment at day's end.

Angry, as they prepared to leave, the young couple confronted the old folks "Why do you not at least dispose of 'The Old One'. She is no longer of use to you. It's been years since you've had foals from her. You should cut corners and save so you can have more for yourselves. How can this old worn out horse bring you anything but expense and work? Why do you keep her anyway?"

The old man looked down at his worn boots, holes in the toes, scuffed at the barn floor and replied, " Yes, I could use a pair of new boots".

His arm slid defensively about the Old One's neck as he drew her near with gentle caressing he rubbed her softly behind her ears. He replied softly, "We keep her because of love. Nothing else, just love."

Baffled and irritated, the young folks wished the old man and his wife a Merry Christmas and headed back toward the city as darkness stole through the valley.

The old couple shook their heads in sorrow that it had not been a happy visit. A tear fell upon their cheeks. How is it that these young folks do not understand the peace of the love that filled their hearts?

So it was, that because of the unhappy leave-taking, no one noticed the insulation smoldering on the frayed wires in the old barn. None saw the first spark fall. None but the "Old One".

In a matter of minutes, the whole barn was ablaze and the hungry flames were licking at the loft full of hay. With a cry of horror and despair, the old man shouted to his wife to call for help as he raced to the barn to save their beloved horses. But the flames were roaring now, and the blazing heat drove him back. He sank sobbing to the ground, helpless before the fire's fury. His wife back from calling for help cradled him in her arms, clinging to each other, they wept at their loss.

By the time the fire department arrived, only smoking, glowing ruins were left, and the old man and his wife, exhausted from their grief, huddled together before the barn. They were speechless as they rose from the cold snow covered ground. They nodded thanks to the firemen as there was nothing anyone could do now. The old man turned to his wife, resting her white head upon his shoulders as his shaking old hands clumsily dried her tears with a frayed red bandana. Brokenly he whispered, "We have lost much, but God has spared our home on this eve of Christmas. Let us gather strength and climb the hill to the old pine where we have sought comfort in times of despair. We will look down upon our home and give thanks to God that it has been spared and pray for our beloved most precious gifts that have been taken from us.

And so, he took her by the hand and slowly helped her up the snowy hill as he brushed aside his own tears with the back of his old and withered hand.

The journey up the hill was hard for their old bodies in the steep snow. As they stepped over the little knoll at the crest of the hill, they paused to rest, looking up to the top of the hill the old couple gasped and fell to their knees in amazement at the incredible beauty before them.

Seemingly, every glorious, brilliant star in the heavens was caught up in the glittering, snow-frosted branches of their beloved pine, and it was aglow with heavenly candles. And poised on its top most bough, a crystal crescent moon glistened like spun glass. Never had a mere mortal created a Christmas tree such as this. They were breathless as the old man held his wife tighter in his arms.

Suddenly, the old man gave a cry of wonder and incredible joy. Amazed and mystified, he took his wife by the hand and pulled her forward. There, beneath the tree, in resplendent glory, a mist hovering over and glowing in the darkness was their Christmas gift. Shadows glistening in the night light.

Bedded down about the "Old one" close to the trunk of the tree, was the entire herd, safe.

At the first hint of smoke, she had pushed the door ajar with her muzzle and had led the horses through it. Slowly and with great dignity, never looking back, she had led them up the hill, stepping cautiously through the snow. The foals were frightened and dashed about. The skittish yearlings looked back at the crackling, hungry flames, and tucked their tails under them as they licked their lips and hopped like rabbits. The mares that were in foal with a new years crop of babies, pressed uneasily against the "Old One" as she moved calmly up the hill and to safety beneath the pine. And now she lay among them and gazed at the faces of the old man and his wife.

Those she loved she had not disappointed. Her body was brittle with years, tired from the climb, but the golden eyes were filled with devotion as she offered her gift--
Because of love. Only Because of love.

Tears flowed as the old couple shouted their praise and joy... And again the peace of love filled their hearts.

This is a true story.

Willy Eagle

This is an Inspirational message sent to a small group of people. My hope is that it will make your day just a little bit better.
___________________________________
Please keep reading
A small request !

Cancer is a strange cell. Going along for years in remission and then one day it pops its head up again. Pray for the day there will be a permanent cure.

Blog Up and Running Almost a Month

2011-12-12T17:44:00.004-06:00

It's been almost a month since starting my blog up again. I've made some changes in color and content and hope it will make for easier reading. I'm excited by the "views" I've gotten, although for some reason, comments can't be posted. I'm still searching for the "why."

It seems Google's taken over the Yahoo blogs? That is still a question. I need to see how this "new, simplified and improved" version really works. Well, now that I'm working with it, I'm not sure it's so simplified.

Meanwhile, I'm cleaning out the Cottage of Blog. Dusting, cleaning curtains, buying a lifetime supply of coffee and blueberry muffin mix, letting my dogs run around and bark at the ducks who are swimming near the dock. Watching my horses run around in the pasture and neighing for the treats they know they'll receive when they go back into the barn.

I'm stocking my book shelves with romantic suspense, thrillers and mystery. A whole shelf is dedicated to Agatha Christie. Right beneath her are all the Stephanie Plum mysteries by Janet Evanovich, the Cat Who series by Lillian Jackson Braun, some Lisa Jackson, Linda Howard, James Patterson, John Sandford, Susan Conent and then there are the classics which sit nearby.

On the other side of the room are all the craft books and dictionaries. GMC by Deb Dixon, Heroes & Heroines by Sue viders, Tami Cowden and Caro LaFever, The Writer's Journey by Chris Vogler, Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan, Dwight Swain Techniques of a Selling Writer, Ernest Hemingway On Writing, Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King, and speaking of King, Stephen's On Writing, and speaking of Janet Evanovich How I Write.

There are a lot more. You can see the list on the sidebar to the right.

Now, I'm about to research Amazon's newest ploy to get more people to buy their Kindles and their books. Seems they're getting into the publishing business and this is upsetting many authors. I'm going to the source. In the next few days, I should have a scoop directly from the source's mouth.

Take care.

It really is a beautiful virtual view here. Kind of wish I could really see it out of my window. What I REALLY see are other houses and a park that descends from my backyard. That's not too shabby.

Pat

Autumn by Erin Collins

2011-12-12T09:24:00.002-06:00

AUTUMN

© 2002 Erin Collins

Twilight’s afterglow is softened by fall’s shadowy mist.
Leaves, longing to cling to the branches of the trees, reluctantly succumb to the inevitable fate which waits.
Misty mornings’ fog plays chase with the water’s surface.

Frost swirls its icy fingers deeper, bringing with it delicate patterns of ice crystals, now forming at the waters edge.

Geese cry out as they fly in an ancient ritual longer than time, a V formation; a silhouetted dance against the azure blue sky.
Necks arched, they race to beat the cold, unrelenting breath of winter, with their wings beating out in desperation to reach the winter haven. Ducks follow close behind in the wake of the geese, their ritual mirroring the ones gone on before.

Children play in the streets, puffs of breath captured in

the frosty breeze, their cheeks aglow with the bite of it.
Eyes sparkle at the wonder of the Halloween season, full of anticipation and promises of candy. Ghostly jack-o-lanterns, their faces glowing with toothy grins, light up the night. Little pumpkins, ghouls, goblins, and fairy princesses dot the neighborhood, dragging bags of candy behind little feet.

Turkeys, Christmas trees and other festive items adorn the store windows. Santas riding in miniature sleighs, pulled by cute reindeer; Rudolph in the lead, his nose aglow with a tiny bulb, blinking cheerfully; bring fresh wonderment into tiny eyes, though they have beheld them the year before; somehow forgotten in the merriment of summer.

Fireplaces smoke leisurely, billowing puffs into the night sky.
Windows, hazy with the smokiness of cold, are marred by finger paintings, small hand prints, and noses pressed against the glass; awaiting that first snowflake to make its grand entry.
They dream of mitten covered hands, clumsily forming snowballs,
artillery for the long battle ahead.

Nights when the stars shimmer like fine gems, crisp and clear,
moonlight working in symphony with them to create a celestial masterpiece, silent, peaceful; its music a song of the heart.

It is a time to prepare for the sleep of winter, a time to slow down for a while to savor the warmth of family and friends, to renew the heart perhaps; to draw closer to the ancient moment in time, when winter was born on the wings of Autumn.

Erin Collins is a published novelist. Her book, Shadow Walk: The Gathering is a science fiction thriller.

Humanity’s last breath begins with a baby's first cry. Imagine seeing the Universe through Lucifer’s eyes, getting a glimpse into his ultimate scheme: a plan to create his own son. Imagine the consequences. This book can be purchased online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble.

Have a great day. In the Chicago area, it's sunny and will go up to a scorching 40 degrees.

Pat

Homeless for the Holidays by Micki Peluso

2011-12-12T09:00:00.005-06:00

Homeless for the Holidays

Christmas carols waft through the crisp Manhattan air as the steady ringing of the bells of Salvation Army Santa sets the pace for shoppers hustling from store to store. The magnificent Rockefeller Center Christmas tree heralds the promise of Yuletide celebrations ushering in the season of love and joy.

But for thousands of homeless people in New York city, the season is a harbinger of struggle. Huddled in alleyways, bus terminals, doorways and other temporary hovels, attempting to ease the chill of winter, they find no joy.

Some keep their faces to the ground, too hungry and lethargic to honor the Christ child's birth. Others glance upward, perhaps searching for a special star to offer solace to a life of misery, but more likely hoping for handouts--a dollar or two to stem the ever-present gnawing of a tortured empty stomach. Years ago, it was a nickel, but inflation has reached the street people as well. New York City with the highest population in the country, also has one of the largest number of people for whom Christmas is just another exercise in survival.

Perhaps it is the fear of 'Except for the grace of God go I', mentality that keeps us from recognizing them or addressing the biblical question, 'Am I my brother's keeper?' Now that the holidays are upon us it's a good time to reconsider our priorities. We live in a country of great contrasts; from the extremely wealthy through the strong middle class to the struggling lower class.Not enough of us consider the 'no' class, the people who have nothing; because acknowledging the problem necessitates a resolution.

Still, the day after Christmas there will be those who will ponder, like in the old Peggy Lee song, ' Is that all there is?'. Too often Christ is removed from Christmas and we sense, but cannot name, the hollow feeling left after the frantic rush to make one day memorable. The homeless, hunched around garbage can fires, or sleeping over subway grates to catch the warmth of a passing train, do not have the luxury of such contemplation.

As our world grows smaller, the plight of the homeless becomes a global concern, bringing crime, disease and poverty to our doors. No one appreciates a guilt trip during the Christmas season, and no one wants visions of starving people interrupting the Holiday feast, overflowing with homemade delicacies, cookies and candy canes hanging from decorated trees.We work for what we have, ever harder in this sluggish economy and we deserve the rewards of our labors. True. But in the spirit of Christmas it is important to remember that over 2000 years ago, the Christ child lay in a manure-filled stable in Bethlehem, on a straw mattress of questionable cleanliness, wrapped in swaddling clothes that did not come from expensive Department stores.

Emphasis today weighs heavily upon material gifts. Charge cards promote a gluttony of expenditure that has little to do with the meaning of Christmas. The legendary Little Drummer Boy had nothing but a song to offer the new-born babe. That gift was cherished more then the gold, frankincense and myrrh brought by the wise men from the East, because it was a gift of pure love.

This season let us all think about how much we have, and how fortunate we are to be spending the holidays with loved ones instead of a damp, freezing floor in Grand Central Station. Above all, let us love one another.And if we can extend that love to the homeless street people, the next holiday season may witness a practical solution to our mutual shame. Love is a self-perpetuating emotion; and all it takes to activate it is to exchange it among ourselves. Merry Christmas!

This piece was written by a friend and colleague, Micki Peluso. Micki has many short stories and articles published, her book "And the Whippoorwill Sang" is a memoir of her family's life. It's a funny, poignant and, at the same time, sad tale about her family and how one day a drunk driver erased one of her dear ones. This book can be purchased online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble in print or Kindle. Micki was a journalist for a local Staten Island newspaper until she retired. Now, she writes articles (some reminicent of Erma Bombeck,) short stories and book reviews.

Check out Micki's blog at http://mallie1025.blogspot.com/

Note From the Universe

2011-12-12T08:58:00.000-06:00

If you only knew, Patricia, how normal you were when you thought you were weird.
How strong you were when you thought you were weak.
And how ready you were when you thought you weren't.
You'd think again, oh Great One Revered by All in the Unseen -
The Universe

Marketing 1000 True Fans by Randy Ingermanson

2011-12-11T09:45:00.005-06:00

Good morning,

Glad to see you could all make it here. We're on our third installment of Randy Ingermanson's writing E Zine. Today's feature: Marketing: 1000 True Fans

I hope you enjoy this and use the information.

Marketing: 1000 True Fans by Randy Ingermanson

A couple of years ago, WIRED Magazine co-founder Kevin
Kelly suggested the outrageous-sounding idea that an
artist can make a decent living if he or she has a mere
1000 "true fans."

By "artist," Kelly meant anyone trying to make a living
in one of the arts, whether fine arts, music, writing,
or whatever.

What's a "true fan?" Kelly defined it as someone who
likes your work so much that they're willing to spend
$100 per year on you.

The calculation is simple. If 1000 people are each
willing to spend $100 on you, then you can earn
$100,000 from them. Most of us would consider that a
decent living.

You can read Kelly's original article here:
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php

It's an interesting idea and I think it has merit. I
won't repeat Kelly's article here. Instead, I'll expand
on his idea. I have three main points to make.

My first point is that there are different levels of
fans, from rabidly loyal fans who would give you their
left kidney, all the way down to very modestly loyal
fans who would be happy to read your next book if they
could get it for a dollar.

You tend to have many more modestly loyal fans than
rabidly loyal ones.

Mathematicians learned long ago that this common sense
idea can be reduced nicely to numbers using a "Pareto
distribution". (Google it if you're a geek and want to
know how it works.)

Here are some example numbers to show roughly how it
plays out in practice.

If you have 200 true fans willing to spend at least
$100 per year on you, then you probably have another
200 fairly true fans willing to spend at least $50 on
you. And you probably have another 400 modestly true
fans willing to spend at least $25 per year. And maybe
another 1000 slightly true fans who would spend $10 a
year. If you've got all those, then you would likely
have close to 20,000 very tepid fans willing to spend a
mere $1 per year on you.

Add up those various levels of fans, and you've got a
potential $70,000 per year, which isn't bad.

What this means is that you can get by on fewer true
fans than you might have imagined. In principle.

My second point is that a lot of authors focus most of
their efforts on building their number of Facebook
friends (or fans) or on building their Twitter
followers.

There's nothing wrong with that, but there's a very low
entry level to becoming a Facebook friend/fan or a
Twitter follower. Anyone can do it in a few seconds. Low
investment, low commitment.

These kind of fans are nice to have, but bear in mind
that they are mostly the $1 per year crowd. If they
hardly know you, then they hardly spend money on you.
These are what we might call microfans.

Fans who follow your blog or subscribe to your e-mail
newsletter will be fewer in number, but they'll also be
far more likely to be in the $10 per year group.

You don't have to find your superfans. They'll find you
and tell you how much they love you. You can't sanely
keep in touch with very many superfans, but that's okay
because you probably don't have many anyway unless
you're a superstar. Bear in mind that your superfans
are the $100 per year people. These are the ones who'll
drive 200 miles through a rainstorm to come to your
booksigning. And buy a case of books for their friends.

The important thing to remember is that you probably
need different tools for keeping in touch with your
microfans, your regular fans, and your superfans. Don't
treat them all the same, because they're not.

My third point is that you won't earn $100 per year
from your superfans unless you have more products
available than just books. To earn $100, you need to
actually have $100 worth of products available.

It's fairly rare for authors to have that much product
available for sale. Generally, the only products
authors display on their sites are their own books, and
their publishers get most of the revenue from those.

But there's no reason for you to earn money only from
your books. As an author, your main job is to be an
entertainer. Any way you can entertain people is a
possible way to earn money.

As one example, if you're an entertaining speaker (many
authors are), you might pick up some extra cash by
speaking. Your publisher will love you, because good
speakers can move a lot of copies.

A friend of mine, Robin Gunn, has a store that sells
all sorts of goodies related to her books. She's got a
large fan base, and naturally some of those fans are
eager to spend money in her store.

Scott Adams, creator of the massively popular Dilbert
comic strip, has a terrific web site with an online
store containing cool stuff that any Dilbert fan would
love.

Of course the great majority of Scott's fans spend
hardly anything on his site. The point is that those
few who WANT to spend a lot on Dilbert goodies CAN
spend a lot -- because Scott provides a ton of them.

If you're not published yet, you may think that none of
this applies to you. Maybe it doesn't apply now, but it
might apply extremely well someday. Whether you get
published one year from now, or five, or ten, you'll
want to earn enough money to keep writing.

Now is as good a time as any to start thinking about
how you'll want to keep track of ALL your fans -- the
tepid ones, the moderate ones, and the rabid ones.

What could you do for each of these classes of fans
that would make them happy -- and earn you enough money
to do what you love doing?

You don't have to answer that question now. But think
about it.

The future keeps coming at us faster and faster. When
it gets here, you want to be ready for it.

Randy Ingermanson

Permission is granted to use any of the articles in
this e-zine in your own e-zine or web site, as long as
you include the following 2-paragraph blurb with it:

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the
Snowflake Guy," publishes the Advanced Fiction Writing
E-zine, with more than 29,000 readers, every month. If
you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction,
AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND
have FUN doing it, visit
http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

So, there you have it. Again, I hope you can use the material in these articles and
go to Randy's website and check out his books, recommendations and courses.

Tomorrow--well, I'm not sure what we'll have tomorrow. Perhaps a Christmas short story and poem. Maybe, I'll even tell you about my day.

It's cold here--yesterday was brutal. Today I will go to the barn and ride my horses, Jackson and Smokey. Jackson has a trainer (believe me, it was needed) Smokey has me. I haven't ridden so much in a long time. My muscles ache and when you exercise (and this IS exercise)pain is good.

Have a great and save day

Pat

Website Changes and Headaches

2011-12-10T19:15:00.003-06:00

I've updated my website (www.patriciaanneguthrie.com). That's the good news.

Even though the change came through on my browser, it did NOT come through on my website. Until I figure it out,if you go to my home page and click on "home" it will instantly change into the new-improved-updated home page. Go figure. I can't.

Pat

Creating: The Real Rules of Fiction Writing by Randy Ingermanson

2011-12-10T08:53:00.006-06:00

Good morning. The coffee is on, the blueberry muffins are done.

Virtually, the sun hits the lake creating glares and glows as it does off the hills in the background. Sigh. Virtually, it's what I envision. My virtual lake is one of the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York. Above is a photo I took from my sister's cabin.

This morning I'm posting the second installment of Randy Ingermanson's wonderful E Zine. The topic is: Creating: The Real Rules of Fiction Writing.

Creating: The Real Rules of Fiction Writing

Ever wished somebody somewhere would give you a
complete guide to writing a great novel? Then all you'd
have to do is follow the steps and out would pop a
best-seller. All you'd need to know are the rules of
fiction writing.

Maybe you've bought a book or two on fiction writing
that promised to do exactly that. But then, after a few
chapters, you suddenly start chafing at all the rules.
Point of view. Showing, not telling. Eliminating
backstory. Gack! All you want to do is to write a great
story, so why should you have to follow a billion
irritating rules?

I hear both sides of this, all the time. I hear from
writers who want me to teach them the equivalent of
paint-by-numbers. And I hear from writers who don't
want to be stuck coloring between the lines.

Let's be clear on one thing. There aren't any rules of
fiction writing. At least none that are universal. For
every rule I've ever heard of, I can think of some
writer somewhere who's violated that rule while writing
a great novel.

And yet.

And yet every one of those rules can be helpful to you
in writing your novel.

The key thing to get here is that all those "rules" you
hear about are actually rules of thumb. They're
guidelines to use in figuring out what's wrong with
your story. They're NOT for telling you how to write
your story in the first place.

This might be a good time to talk about the two hats
you wear as a writer -- the Creator hat and the
Analyzer hat.

The Creator hat is the one you wear when you're
creating. Creation is the act of inventing something
new. This is a chaotic process, and it doesn't sit very
well with rules. Rules don't help you when you're
wearing the Creator hat. They stifle you.

The Analyzer hat is the one you wear when you're
analyzing. Analysis is the act of sorting through all
the stuff you created, separating the good from the
bad, throwing away the bad, and putting the good into
some kind of order. Analysis is an orderly process.
Rules of thumb can be very helpful when you're wearing
the Analyzer hat.

The brutal fact is that, unless you are some kind of
Mozart-like genius, most of the stuff you create is
going to be lame. Some of it will be downright awful.
And some of it will be excellent.

Let's remember what we mean by "excellent." Your goal
as a novelist is to give your reader what I call a
Powerful Emotional Experience. Do that and you win.
Fail to do that and you lose.

Excellent fiction gives your reader a lot of Powerful
Emotional Experiences. Bad fiction gives your reader
hardly any.

When you wear your Creator hat, you are creating stuff
that either works or doesn't work. Either it gives a
Powerful Emotional Experience or it doesn't.

When you wear your Analyzer hat, you are sifting
through your novel, word by word, paragraph by
paragraph, scene by scene, to decide what works and
what doesn't. If it works, then you keep it. If it
doesn't work, then you have to figure out why and
either throw it away or make it work.

If it's really hopelessly lame, then throw it away,
whether it's a word, a paragraph, or a scene. Don't
waste your time trying to fix something that can't be
fixed. It's dragging your story down, so slit its
throat and throw it to the wolves.

Most of the time, you don't have to throw it away. All
you need to do is fix it. But how?

That's where those pesky rules of thumb come in. If you
know something is broken, check out some books on
writing to see if any of them might bear on your
problem. You'll probably find all kinds of advice, some
of it contradictory.

What you're looking for is something that explains why
this particular chunk of fiction isn't working. Some
rule of thumb.

Once you find one, it's time to put on your Creator hat
and try again. The rule of thumb will suggest a way to
fix your problem. It may work, or it may not, but you
won't know until you try. Do some creative work. Have
fun. Don't overthink it.

After you've finished, switch hats back to the Analyzer
hat and go through the whole process again. You've
either fixed the problem or you haven't. If you have,
then you're done. If not, then you get to try again.
And maybe again.

Let me emphasize one thing. When you're wearing your
Creator hat, don't think about the "rules" (or rules of
thumb or guidelines or whatever you want to call them).
Forget about them completely. Focus on creating.

Haul out the "rules" only when you need help analyzing
something that isn't working. Don't expect any one
"rule" to ever work all the time. None of them do.
You'll find that some of them become second nature to
you and some of them just never click for you. That's
fine. Different writers are different.

This shouldn't be complicated, and yet somehow it is
for a lot of writers. Don't let the "rules" drag you
down. Use them for analysis, not for creation.

And have fun! If fiction writing isn't fun, then
something's wrong.

Permission is granted to use any of the articles in
this e-zine in your own e-zine or web site, as long as
you include the following 2-paragraph blurb with it:

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the
Snowflake Guy," publishes the Advanced Fiction Writing
E-zine, with more than 29,000 readers, every month. If
you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction,
AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND
have FUN doing it, visit
http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

Download your free Special Report on Tiger Marketing
and get a free 5-Day Course in How To Publish a Novel.

Randy Ingermanson
Publisher, Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine
http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com/ezine

So that's it for today's writing section for Cottage of Blog. Tomorrow we tackled marketing. If you have comments, please go to the end of this post and click on "comments." I'd love to hear from you. Also please leave your name. No flamming, spamming or comments that attack. If you have varying points of view, great. Love to heart them.

Again, if anyone has an article concerning the holidays, Christian, Jewish or Muslem (or other?) please email me at Patguth@aol.com

Pat

Vision of Excellence from Randy Ingermanson

2011-12-09T08:30:00.003-06:00

Good morning.

This is a special morning. Last night I received Randy Ingermanson's newsletter filled with lots of writing and marketing goodies. As Randy has given permission to
post this on either email or websites, I thought I'd post this. In three installments. Today is Vision For Excellence. This discusses where you want your career and your next book to go. Keeping focused on your ultimate writing goals. It's something that's important to me--and, if you're a writer, or in any profession, for that matter, it might be important to you. The first part gives you an index of what to expect in his E Zine. I'll post each one in the next few days. So, here goes. Enjoy.

Publisher: Randy Ingermanson ("the Snowflake guy")

Motto: "A Vision for Excellence"

Date: December 6, 2011
Issue: Volume 7, Number 12
Home Pages: http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com
http://www.Ingermanson.com

Circulation: 29030 writers, each of them creating a
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

"Fiction Writing = Organizing + Creating + Marketing"

_______________________________________________________
* If you don't have Vision for what you want to be as a
novelist, then your career is going to be severely
handicapped. Do you know what Vision is . . . and how
you get it? Read my organizing article, "The Vision
Thing."

* Are you a rule-lover or a rule-hater? Do you know
when rules can help you, and when they can bring you
down? Check out my article on creation, "The Real Rules
of Fiction Writing."

* It's hard to make a living as a fiction writer,
right? Or is it? Is it remotely possible that you could
make a decent living? For some of my latest thoughts on
this, read my marketing column, "1000 True Fans."

Are you reading my blog? Join the fun here:
http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com/blog

Organizing: The Vision Thing

Last month, I talked about three essential skills you
need if you want to succeed in any business -- Vision,
Strategy, and Tactics.

This month, we'll look at Vision in more detail.

Different people mean different things by "Vision." If
you've ever read a corporate Vision Statement bogged
down with baloney buzzwords about "creating value" and
"leveraging competitive differences" and "managing
knowledge," then you know the hazard of vague
generalities.

When I talk about Vision, I mean just this -- something
specific and difficult and worthwhile that you want to
do or to have or to be.

Finishing a marathon or bringing clean water to a Third
World village or getting your Ph.D. are all specific
and difficult and worthwhile things you might want to
do.

A house or a business or a racehorse are all things you
might want to have.

A doctor or a grandmaster or a published novelist are
things you might want to be.

Vision is personal. It's up to you to decide what you
want to do or have or be. Your family and friends might
not get why it's important to you. That's their
problem. Your problem is to do or get or become
whatever it is you envision.

If you're a writer, you need both a Vision for your
career and a Vision for each individual book you write.

Why do you need Vision for your career? That's simple.
It gives you a clear and simple guideline for saying
"yes" and saying "no" to everything that comes your
way.

If your writing is any good at all, you'll eventually
be bombarded with excellent ideas from people about
what you "ought" to do. Books you ought to write.
People you ought to collaborate with. Projects you
ought to join. Agents you ought to talk to. Editors you
ought to work with.

If you have no clear Vision for what you want your
career to look like, you'll quickly get sidetracked
with other people's excellent ideas.

You need to be able to say, "Sorry, that's not part of
the vision I have for my career." And you need to be
able to recognize the rare opportunity that comes along
that fits squarely with your Vision.

What's your Vision for your career?

This really boils down to the following set of
questions:

* What kind of books do you want to write? (The
category or categories, the style, etc.)

* What kind of publisher do you want to work with?

* What kind of reader do you want to appeal to?
("Everybody" is not a good answer here.)

* What authors would you like to be compared to?

Maybe you want to write intellectual spy novels,
published by a Big Six publisher, appealing to
well-educated people who love John LeCarre novels.

Or maybe you want to write quiet Amish romances,
published by a Christian publisher, appealing to Bible
Belt readers who like Bev Lewis.

Or maybe you want to write young adult dystopic fantasy
novels, published by a small independent publisher, and
appealing to kids who like Suzanne Collins.

When you have a clear Vision for your career, you have
instant guidelines on which kinds of writing books you
should buy, what authors you should read, what
storylines you should think about, what conferences you
should go to, what agents you should talk to, what
editors would be first on your list to meet.

Once you've defined the Vision for your career, you can
refine that for each book you want to write. You don't
have to write exactly the same kind of book for the
rest of your life. So long as the Vision for each book
fits within your broad career Vision, you've got plenty
of latitude.

What's your Vision for the book you're working on right
now?

This Vision may be identical to your career Vision, or
you might need to narrow it down even further:

* Exactly which category and subcategory will this book
fall under?

* Can you name five to ten publishers who would be
suitable publishers for this book?

* Can you narrow down the target audience for your
book? Can you envision one particular reader who would
be perfect in every way for this book?

* Which best-selling novel would you like the reviewers
to compare your book to?

You either see the value of having a Vision or your
don't.

If you do, then take five minutes right now to write
down your Vision for your career.

Don't worry about making it profound. Worry about
making it specific.

Don't worry about whether it fits other people's ideas
of what you should work on. Worry about making sure
that it fits YOUR idea of what you want to work on.

Don't worry about getting it perfect, because you can
always improve it later. Worry about getting it down on
paper where you can be inspired by it every day.

If you survived writing your Vision for your career,
take ten minutes and try to focus that down to a Vision
for the current book you're working on.

This will usually be a bit more specific than your
career Vision, so it will take a little longer.

That's it. Fifteen minutes of hard work can keep you on
track for years.

Permission is granted to use any of the articles in
this e-zine in your own e-zine or web site, as long as
you include the following 2-paragraph blurb with it:

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the
Snowflake Guy," publishes the Advanced Fiction Writing
E-zine, with more than 29,000 readers, every month. If
you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction,
AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND
have FUN doing it, visit
http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

Download your free Special Report on Tiger Marketing
and get a free 5-Day Course in How To Publish a Novel.

Randy Ingermanson
Publisher, Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine
http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com/ezine

I hope you enjoyed today's writing feature. Hope you enjoy tomorrow's episode:
Creating: The Real Rules of Writing Fiction

Christmas: Past and Present by Micki Peluso. Holiday poem and article

2011-12-08T09:00:00.002-06:00

The Christmas season is upon us, as is Hanukka and Ramadan. If anyone would like to contribute an article about the history of Hanukka or Ramadan, please send it to me via my email at Patguth@aol.com.
Can't promise I'll use all, but will choose one.

Here's a poem/article from Micki Peluso, friend and colleague.

Christmas; Past and Present
By Micki Peluso
Rated "PG" by the Author.
Last edited: Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Posted: Wednesday, December 01, 2010

This is a reflection of the Christmases of today as compared with the past.

Christmas; Past and Present

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the Mall, last minute

shoppers scurried from store to store; short on patience and with little

evidence of the holiday spirit of love. The only ones smiling were the store

owners and the costumed Santa, who gets paid to be jolly.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of talking

dolls, video games, bicycles and other expensive toys, danced in their heads.

Mama in her kerchief and I in my cap had just settled down to tackle the

mountain of Christmas bills, which was larger than the national debt.

The moon on the crest of the new fallen snow, reflected the concern of

families awaiting the arrival of loved ones traveling on icy roads.

Years ago, Christmas seemed easier, less commercial and more enjoyable.

Many families lived near each other, and most of the decorations, foodstuffs and

presents were homemade. While there was stress and haste to accomplish the

needed tasks by Christmas Eve, the stress was different than what is

experienced today. Generations past did not seem to lose sight of the reason

for Christmas; a birthday celebration of sharing and love.

The nostalgia of horse-drawn sleigh rides through wooded country roads is

sorely missed. Bells jingling accompaniment to carols sung off key by bundled-up

children in the back of the sleigh, is a thing of the past. Yet Christmas

retains an aura of magic, nonetheless.

Originally, the Christian church did not acknowledge Christmas at all, as

such observance was considered a heathen rite. The earliest records of any

Christmas celebration dates back to the early part of the third century.

Gift giving, as a custom, may have originated with the Romans, relating to

their worship of Dionysus at Delphi.

The Christmas tree comes from the Germans, although its origin has been

traced as far back as ancient Egypt. The tree replaces a former customary

pyramid of candles, part of the pagan festivals. There is a legend that Martin

Luther brought an evergreen home to his children and decorated it for Christmas.

German immigrants carried this custom with them to the New World, but it did not

gain popularity until 1860, when John C. Bushmann, a German, decorated a tree in

Massachusets and invited people to see it. Evergreens, a symbol of survival,

date to the 18th century when St. Boniface, honoring the Christianization of

Germany, dedicated a fir tree to the Holy Child to replace the sacred oak of

Odin. The "Nation's Christmas Tree," was the General Grant tree in General

Grant National Park in California, dedicated May 1, 1926,by the town mayor. The

tree was 267 feet high and 3500-4000 years old.

Mistletoe, burned on the alter of the Druid gods, was regarded as a symbol

of love and peace. The Celtic custom of kissing under the mistletoe comes from

the practice of enemies meeting under the plant, dropping their weapons and

embracing in peace. Some parts of England decorated with mistletoe and holly,

but other parts banned its use due to association with Druid rites. Mistletoe

was considered a cure for sterility, a remedy for poisons, and kissing under it

would surely lead to marriage.

The 4th century German St. Nicholas, shortened through the years to Santa

Claus, has become the epitomy of today's Christmas spirit. St. Nicholas, taking

pity upon three young maidens with no dowry and no hope, tossed a bag of gold

through each of their windows, and granted them a future. Other anonymous gifts

being credited to him were emulated and the tradition grew. The Norsemen

enhanced the legend of Santa Claus coming down the chimney with their goddess,

Hertha, known to appear in fireplaces, bringing happiness and good luck.

Sir Henry Cole, impressed by a lithograph drawing, made by J.C. Horsley,

instigated the idea of Christmas cards. It took eighteen years for the custom

to gain popularity, and then it was adopted mainly by gentry.

Christmas was banned in England in 1644, during the Puritan ascendency. A

law was passed ordering December 25th a market day and shops were forced to

open. Even the making of plum pudding and mincemeat pies was forbidden. This

law was repealed after the Restoration, but the Dissenters still referred to

Yuletide as "Fooltide."

The General Court of Massachusets passed a law in 1657 making the

celebration of Christmas a penal offense. This law, too, was repealed, but many

years would pass before New England celebrated Christmas. >br>

When Washington crossed the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War, it

was the observance of Christmas that made his conquest of the British a

success. The enemy was sleeping off the affects of the celebration.

Befana, or Epiphany, is the Italian female counterpart of Santa Claus. On

Epiphany, or Twelth Night, she is said to fill children's stockings with

presents. According to legend, Befana was too busy to see the Wise Men during

their visit to the Christ Child, saying that she would see them on their way

back to the East. The Magi, however, chose a different route home, and now

Befana must search for them throughout eternity. The sacred song traditionally

sung on her yearly visit is the Befanata.

The number of Magi visiting the stable on that first Christmas Eve could be

anywhere from two to twenty. The number three was chosen because of the three

gifts; gold, frankencense and myrrh. Western tradition calls the Magi, Gaspar,

Melchior, and Balthasar, but they have different names and numbers in different

parts of the world.

Though distinctly Christian, the social aspect of Christmas is observed and

enjoyed by many religious and ethnic groups. Rabbi Eichler, during a sermon in

Boston in 1910 explains why: "...Christmas has a double aspect, a social and

theological side. The Jew can and does heartily join in the social Christmas.

Gladly, does he contribute to the spirit of good will and peace, characteristic

of the season. It was from the light of Israel's sanctuary that Christianity

lit its torch. The Hanukka lights, therefore, justly typify civilization and

universal religion."

Dr. Clement Clarke Moore, a professor at the General Theological Seminary

in New York, penned the famous poem, "Twas the Night before Christmas." Dr.

Moore never intended for the poem to be published. Miss Harriet Butler,

daughter of the rector of St. Paul's Church in Troy, New York, accompanied her

father on a visit to Dr. Moore. She asked for a copy of the poem and sent it

anonymously to the editor of The Troy Sentinel. A copy of the newspaper

carrying his poem was sent to Dr. Moore, who was greatly annoyed that something

he composed for the amusement of his children should be printed. It was not

until eight years later, that Dr. Moore publicly admitted that he wrote the

poem.

Christmas is the favorite Holiday of children, who unquestionably accept

the myth of Santa Claus. In 1897, one little girl began to have doubts as to

the reality of Santa Claus, and wrote to the New York Sun, asking for

confirmation. Her letter read: Dear editor, I am eight years old. Some of my

little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says,"If you see it in The

Sun, it's so. Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?" Virginia

D'Hanlon.

Francis P. Church's editorial answer to the little girl became almost as

famous as Dr. Moore's poem. In part, this is what he wrote: "Virginia, your

little friends are so wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a

skeptical age. They do not believe, except they see... Yes Virginia, there is a

Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion

exists....Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It

would be as if there were no Virginias...No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives

and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten

thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

It is sentiments like this that warm the heart of child and adult alike,

as Christmas nears. It is not the gifts, soon forgotten, that make Christmas a

time of wonder and magic. It is the love within all people for God, for

children, for each other.

During this hectic holiday season, take a moment or

two to savor the true meaning of Christmas.

"And I heard him exclaim
As he drove out of sight,
Happy Christmas to all,
And to all a Goodnight!"
Dr. Clement Clarke Moore

Web Site: A Writer's Journey

A Note From the Universe

2011-12-08T08:54:00.001-06:00

Good morning.

Here is my inspiration for today. It comes from The Universe, which I love dearly. The website
is: www.theuniverse.tut.com

The light is getting brighter, Patricia.

The path is getting clearer.

And you are getting closer.

That's all I'm saying,

The Universe

Introspections by Patricia Jones

2011-12-05T10:52:00.001-06:00

Nothing too new is happening here. I'm still struggling with marketing ideas, finding the right slot between: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Spacebook, Goodreads, Authors'Den, Premier Writers and so the list goes on. No wonder I'm neurotic. How can I possibly write and blog with all that going on?

Here is another wonderful article by Patricia Jones that I tought would be helpful and that you would enjoy. Introspections describes the different types of confidences writers experience.

Introspections
By Patricia Ann Jones

Previous Columns

Introspection means, "The examination of one's own thought and feelings." It can also mean, "Self-examination." This column and future columns will deal with PERCEPTIONS of the inner life of writers. The fears writers feel but rarely put into words have a tremendous impact on whether or not success in their chosen profession will be realized.

Self-confidence, too much, or the lack there of, is one area all writers must face head-on. If a writer does not have faith in his or her own work, the written word will reflect that disbelief. Four months ago I chanced upon what I call, "The Tinkerbell Syndrome." In researching this condition, I discovered from other writers that many types of self-confidence exist. "The Tinkerbell" is but one pitfall that derails success in this most competitive profession.

For example, I fall into the category of one who has experienced success as a writer, but who continues to doubt that readers will find my work of interest. I'm a "Tinkerbell" and I've come to grips with that realization.

At this point, let me explain, that Tinkerbell is the pixie in the story of "Peter Pan" who required the audience's applause to believe in herself. The poor tyke literally faded into oblivion when she lost her self-confidence.

To overcome such a problem, the writer must continue to write regardless of his or her feelings of worthlessness. Then, we muster up the courage to submit the written work. It is at this point where Tinkerbell becomes your own worst enemy. I know. I've been there, done that, and suffered the pangs of heartbreaking rejection.

Five years ago, after a blushing success as a nonfiction writer, I gathered up enough spunk to write a novel. I slaved over those 500 pages of manuscript, rewrote until I thought my mind would snap, and then, sent the work to a well-known publishing house. My hopes were high, the work was, I thought, the best I could do.

My pride and confidence (what little I had) went out with the manuscript. The rejection of this first fiction haunts me to this very day. It wasn't just being rejected, but the manner in which it was done that killed my spirit. The editor slammed me against a wall with his hands around my throat and strangled me until I promised myself I'd never again attempt fiction. Of course, he didn't literally do this, but he might as well have. The effect on me, the writer, was physically and mentally devastating. This Tinkerbell faded into oblivion. Only recently enough confidence has returned to take up this manuscript again. I'm rewriting it now because it is a worthy story and one I believe is publishable. I am determined to win, and to change from a Tinkerbell writer into one who believes in what she writes, and this I will do by learning and refining the art of my chosen craft.

Other types of Self-Confidence exist as I stated earlier. There's the "OLD BLACK MAGIC CONFIDENCE." The writer possessing this type of self-belief is charming, self-reliant, and on a natural high. This is the "born writer," the man or woman who writes something wonderful, sticks it in the post with no thought of failure, and sits back confident that soon a check will arrive in the mail, and it does. At the age of 40, James A. Michener did this with his "Tales of the South Pacific," and on his first trip to fortune's well, drew out a Pulitzer Prize.

Writers who have a "RED AND SASSY CONFIDENCE," study their craft, maintain a partially open mind to criticism but retain a "show me your stuff" attitude. These writers make changes only if an editor proves them wrong. They've got brass and dash and know it, but are not set in concrete. Their poise is all but flawless, but they realize they still have much to learn. Ernest Hemingway had a "Red and Sassy" self-confidence. The man never stopped studying and perfecting his work.

My favorite type of self-confidence is "THE ROSY HUED CONFIDENCE." This sweet-faced writer is quick to say, "Okay, so I'm not great, but I'll get better. My mind is a sponge. I'm relying on you to teach me your 'how-to' knowledge. I will listen, learn, and incorporate all you teach me into my work. And, hey, I'll even add a bit of my own positiveness to make it my own." Rosy knows the more she learns about writing, the more there is to learn. She'll make it big someday, because she, like her brother in ink, Mr. Red and Sassy, will never stop learning or writing. Jane Smiley who wrote "A Thousand Acres" and won the National Book Award, is a perfect example of one who holds the Rosy Hued type of self-confidence.

The only form of self-confidence that is worse than Tinkerbell, is "MEAN GREEN." You can't teach this writer anything. He knows all he needs to know. Every word he writes is golden so don't you dare change a word of it. Mean loves to tell editors, "Don't call me, I'll call you!" Oh, yes, he's audacious, he's brazen and cocksure of himself, and doomed to fail in the long-haul of publishing.

I'm sure that all writers reading this column will identify with one or more of the confidences mentioned. Most writers are a combination of these types. Some have the saving grace of The Old Black Magic combined with sweet Rosy. Others fight between Mean Green and Red and Sassy. Only Tinkerbell is out there in the cold, cruel world all alone, flickering in her self-made moonlight. Where are you? What kind of self-confidence drives the engine of your creativity? Most importantly, what are you going to do about it? Think on these questions. If I've given you food for thought, then this column is a success.

###
(Jones is a book critic for The Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK, and The Camden Times, Camden, New York.)

Copyright 1998 Patricia A. Jones Copyright

Patricia Jones is now retired, but still writing.

So, which type are you? I like to thing of myself as something between the Rosey Hued confidence and (probably) Tinkerbell. Need a lot of back patting, telling me (gently)
that my work is terrific if ONLY I'd change this and this and this and this, and can you cut this scene out as it really doesn't fit?

I'll sign off now with a challenge. Check out this article and decide what kind of confidence you have. It might be an eye-opener.

Patricia A. Guthrie whose still an author and would-be seller of her books and, now, blogger.

Marketing: Hidden Career in the Writing Profession

2011-12-02T09:36:00.001-06:00

Good morning everyone,

Hope you have some coffee and a blueberry muffin. Not a long post today, but something I think I have something that might interest you.

One thing I never considered, before my books were published was the aspect of getting people to read them. Publishers are no longer doing that. Small presses don't, and I believe that even the larger pubs expect their authors to do the work.

How to do that? Today's growing medium is the Internet and all its resources. With epubs fastly becoming more popular (I hope I'm wrong) than print books, learning to use the Internet as a marketing tool is not only invaluable, but essential.

So, I've been researching. I came upon Dana Savvy's excellent blogspot.
Here's what she wrote me to pass along to you.

Virtual Book Tours

Authors, have you ever considered doing a virtual book tour to promote your books? It’s a great way to showcase yourself and your book to a targeted audience. You can learn about the many benefits of doing a virtual book tour in this article by Dana Lynn Smith, Top 15 Reasons to Do a Virtual Book Tour, posted on John Kremer’s Book Marketing Bestsellers blog. If you’d like to learn more about virtual book tours, see Dana’s other articles on the topic.

If you’d like to link to my blog, the name is The Savvy Book Marketer and the URL for hyperlinking: http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/

John Kremer has an excellent (free) newsletter, which found Dana Savvy for me. His website is: www.bookmarketer.com

Thought this might interest you.

Take care and enjoy your virtual blueberry muffins.
Happy marketing.

Pat

You might also consider going to John Kremer's website: www.bookmarket.com

A Message From The Universe

2011-11-30T10:19:00.001-06:00

I guess Ican still publish new posts, so here is a goody from The Universe. Taking massive action on massive dreams amidst massive uncertainties, Patricia, is pretty much where everyone had to start. And then things got way easier. Massive love, The Universe

Browser no long supported by Blogger. Have to figure out what's wrong.

2011-11-28T15:41:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone, If it's not one thing, it's another. today I took my laptop into the Geeksquard Hospital where they're transferring it to another Geeksquad Hospital. Probably will take two to three weeks.The other computer (before it crashed and burned) was fine with my blogging and importing information from Site Builder to the computer. This one seems to have issues. I've learned that my browser is no longer supported by Blogger, so I might not be able to blog for long, until I (or a dedicated friend) figures out what to do next. I hope to be back ASAP. If I don't talk to you, have a great and safe Christmas. Pat

Comments and Anonymous

2011-11-27T09:29:00.005-06:00

I've just found my spam folder and deleted what seems like hundreds of comments on: Italian shoes, Viagra, Cialis, comments in foreign languages ie Chinese, (there has to be a translater somewhere) and other things I won't mention. I've cleaned those OUT. The blogger instructions on spamming suggest cleaning out your spam folder every day. Point taken.

But, I have another issue. Many of the legitimate comments are from my old friend "anonymous." I would dearly love to know who writes the comments. I won't answer "anonymous." I probably shouldn't even read "anonymous," but I can't help myself.

I've had seveal (well many) people tell me they can't post comments on my blog. I'm not sure why this is happening, and so far, I haven't been able to find any answers.
If anyone knows please let me know. Probably in an e-mail.

Patguth@aol.com.

Thank you!

Pat

Saturday: My computer's dead. Long live the computer I'm living with (at the moment)

2011-11-26T19:45:00.006-06:00

So, I just finished writing a post and forgot to save it. Now, I have to do it all over again. The way the day has been going.

Yesterday, my Dell laptop died. I smelled something funny and sure enough, it was coming from the inner workings of the machine. I'm thinking it's either the battery or the hard drive. Lucky, the last time I took it into the Geek Squad at Best Buy, they suggested I buy a $159 extra hard drive. I did. Not sure if everything I've written since then was saved, but one can only hope. Best Buy said after four visits to their shop (somewhere down South) they will give me an exchange computer. Not a new one--probably a refurbished one. One that will need all kinds of repairs in the months and years to come. Why me?

I'm working on my no-so-old 13" laptop. I hated it and gave it to my boyfriend for Christmas. He didn't use it. Somehow it ended up back in my house. He's never claimed it. One thing that bothered me about this smaller computer was the small font. I had trouble seeing, and when i discovered the hour glass that makes the font bigger the print would spill beyond the screen. Since then, I've gotten new glasses, and I don't seem to have the same problems anymore. Hmmm.

My writing life: I decided it was about time for me to start writing again. Working on an ongoing blog and tweaking my website (and boy did it need tweaking) would be a good start. I'm also writing new reviews (as opposed to my several year old reviews)
I've just finished reading Snowman, the Eight Dollar Champion, which takes place in the town where I grew up. I new the DeLeyer family and I knew Snowman. I saw him perform at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden. That was like taking a trip back into the past. I also review the Hobbit, which I've read a zillion times, The Shack by William Young and as soon as I collect my thoughts, Explosion Eighteen, the latest Stephanie Plum novel by Janet Evanovich. Now, I'm working on Hope Rising, vignettes about horses who give children hope and vice-versa. Charming book. Sad, poignant and funny all at the same time. I strong recommend all those books. There are good and bad about each, but each is worth the time.

Take care everyone. Hope you have a great rest of Thanksgiving weekend.

Pat

The First Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T09:43:00.005-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We'll exchange the blueberry muffins for: turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce and minced or pumpkin pie.

DO YOU KNOW; The settlers ate deer, shellfish, corn and other roasted meats. Turkey (I believe) was NOT on the menu.

The pilgrims, who did not call themselves pilgrims, led by William Bradford, travelled 6000 miles on the Mayflower in the early 1620's.

These English Protestants left the Church of England and fled to Holland where they had financial difficulties. English merchants funded their voyage to the New World. One hundred and one men, women and children set sail for 66 days bound for what is now New York. Because of foul weather, they landed in Cape Cod--well, in Southern Massachusets and Eastern Rhode Island. (Plymouth Rock, remember that from your history lessons?)

A Native American tribe, the Wampanoag's headed by Chief Massosait (you may know him as Squanto) helped the new settlers grow corn, use fish to fertilize the ground and survive in this new climate. In 1621, the two groups made a formal agreement to protect each other. Even though they had a celebration, this was not the first official Thanksgiving.

The first recorded Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth came in 1963. The settlers gave thanks because rain came after a two month drought.

DO YOU KNOW: The Pilgrims (again, THEY didn't call themselves pilgrims) didn't wear silver buckles on their shoes. Their clothes weren't black, but bright and cheerful.

Their Thanksgiving feast consisted of: deer, shellfish, corn and roasted meat. The Native Americans and settlers played games, sang and danced.

Unfortunately, the peace agreement between the Indianas and Englishmen only lasted a generation. The Wampanoag now gather in Plymouth to remember betrayal and bloodshed.

In 1846 Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Gadley's Lady's Book, campaigned for an annual day of Thanksgiving.

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln offered two Thanksgivngs: One for the victory at the Battle of Gettysburg and the other "to give thanks for 'general blessings.'"

In 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt moved the traditional fourth Thursday up a week to give shoppers an extra week to shop for Christmas.

In 1941, President Roosevelt signed legislation making the fourth Thursday of each month the legitimate holiday of Thanksgiving.

RESOURCES:

"A New Look at Thanksgiving" by Catherine O'Neill Grace and Margaret M Bruch with Plymouth Plantation, 2001. National Geographic Society

and

Scholastic.com/scholastic_Thanksgiving/

Injun Summer by John T. McCutcheon 1907

2011-11-23T09:33:00.004-06:00

I've been looking for this poem for a while. My father used to "set" us kids down and read it to us every Thanksgiving from the time I was little. I love it and wanted to share.

INJUN SUMMER
John T. McCutcheon
Chicago Tribune
September 30, 1907

Yep, sonny this is sure enough Injun summer. Don't know what that is, I reckon, do you? Well, that's when all the homesick Injuns come back to play; You know, a long time ago, long afore yer granddaddy was born even, there used to be heaps of Injuns around here—thousands—millions, I reckon, far as that's concerned. Reg'lar sure 'nough Injuns—none o' yer cigar store Injuns, not much. They wuz all around here—right here where you're standin'.

Don't be skeered—hain't none around here now, leastways no live ones. They been gone this many a year.

They all went away and died, so they ain't no more left.

But every year, 'long about now, they all come back, leastways their sperrits do. They're here now. You can see 'em off across the fields. Look real hard. See that kind o' hazy misty look out yonder? Well, them's Injuns—Injun sperrits marchin' along an' dancin' in the sunlight. That's what makes that kind o' haze that's everywhere—it's jest the sperrits of the Injuns all come back. They're all around us now.

See off yonder; see them tepees? They kind o' look like corn shocks from here, but them's Injun tents, sure as you're a foot high. See 'em now? Sure, I knowed you could. Smell that smoky sort o' smell in the air? That's the campfires a-burnin' and their pipes a-goin'.

Lots o' people say it's just leaves burnin', but it ain't. It's the campfires, an' th' Injuns are hoppin' 'round 'em t'beat the old Harry.

You jest come out here tonight when the moon is hangin' over the hill off yonder an' the harvest fields is all swimmin' in the moonlight, an' you can see the Injuns and the tepees jest as plain as kin be. You can, eh? I knowed you would after a little while.

Jever notice how the leaves turn red 'bout this time o' year? That's jest another sign o' redskins. That's when an old Injun sperrit gits tired dancin' an' goes up an' squats on a leaf t'rest. Why I kin hear 'em rustlin' an' whisper in' an' creepin' 'round among the leaves all the time; an' ever' once'n a while a leaf gives way under some fat old Injun ghost and comes floatin' down to the ground. See—here's one now. See how red it is? That's the war paint rubbed off'n an Injun ghost, sure's you're born.

Purty soon all the Injuns'll go marchin' away agin, back to the happy huntin' ground, but next year you'll see 'em troopin' back—th' sky jest hazy with 'em and their campfires smolderin' away jest like they are now.

Source Image
Chicago Tribune Store
John T. McCutcheon

2011-11-22T07:04:00.003-06:00

Good morning. Have a cup of coffee and enjoy a blueberry muffin. Here's another
inspiration from "The Universe." You can tell, I love these sayings to "get me going." Thank you Universe. This one is especially appropriate for me today.

What if every unexpected delay, postponement, or redirect, Patricia, only meant that at the very last second, right before the scheduled manifestation, I had an even better idea?

It happens.
The Universe

See? I think it falls into "look before you leap." Or, think before you stick your foot squarely into your mouth.

Today, I spend the morning with the horses. Ms. Patricia Biehl, my riding instructor, who's helping me regain my confidence, will be giving me a lesson and riding Jackson. (Jackson is the horse at the right of the screen.)

I have other thngs to share, but I think I'll take the advice from The Universe and wait until I've mulled over exactly what I want to say.

Take care and have a great, productive day.

Pat who happens to agree with The Universe in almost every way.

Internet Trolls/ A Guide by Andrew Heenan

2011-11-21T16:32:00.009-06:00

I try not to post more than once every day. People sometimes get tired of coming to a blog so often. But for this article, I thought it was worth the effort. This blog is from Andrew Heenan:

http://www.flayme.com/troll/ Andrew Heenan's website.

This can happen to anyone. This can (and has) happened to me and others. It can happen to you. Read and learn.

The object of this page is to bring together a definitive document to cover the utter sadness of the Internet troll. Usually, a troll is nothing more than a passing nuisance, but, as this page will show, they can be a worry (stalkers). However, it is almost invariably an inadequate individual who can be safely ignored.

This page will define the activity, and help with early recognition; once acknowledged, trolls can take up residence, and, like athlete's foot, can be difficult to shift. And when you've finished here, I recommend this fairly comprehensive guide to managing sad thirteen year olds loose on Mom's computer.

What Is A Troll?
The term derives from "trolling", a style of fishing which involves trailing bait through a likely spot hoping for a bite. The troll posts a message, often in response to an honest question, that is intended to upset, disrupt or simply insult the group.

Usually, it will fail, as the troll rarely bothers to match the tone or style of the group, and usually its ignorance shows.

Why do trolls do it?
I believe that most trolls are sad people, living their lonely lives vicariously through those they see as strong and successful.

Disrupting a stable newsgroup gives the illusion of power, just as for a few, stalking a strong person allows them to think they are strong, too.

For trolls, any response is 'recognition'; they are unable to distinguish between irritation and admiration; their ego grows directly in proportion to the response, regardless of the form or content of that response.

Trolls, rather surprisingly, dispute this, claiming that it's a game or joke; this merely confirms the diagnosis; how sad do you have to be to find such mind-numbingly trivial timewasting to be funny?

Remember that trolls are cowards; they'll usually post just enough to get an argument going, then sit back and count the responses (Yes, that's what they do!).

Troll - Angler or Underbridge Dweller?

How can troll posts be recognised?
No Imagination - Most are frighteningly obvious; sexist comments on nurses' groups, blasphemy on religious groups .. I kid you not.
Pedantic in the Extreme - Many trolls' preparation is so thorough, that while they waste time, they appear so ludicrous from the start that they elicit sympathetic mail - the danger is that once the group takes sides, the damage is done.
False Identity - Because they are cowards, trolls virtually never write over their own name, and often reveal their trolliness (and lack of imagination) in the chosen ID. As so many folk these days use false ID, this is not a strong indicator on its own!
Crossposting - Any post that is crossposted to several groups should be viewed as suspicious, particularly if unrelated or of opposing perspective. Why would someone do that?
Off-topic posting - Often genuine errors, but, if from an 'outsider' they deserve matter-of-fact response; if genuine, a brief apposite response is simply netiquette; if it's a troll post, you have denied it its reward.
Repetition of a question or statement is either a troll - or a pedant; either way, treatment as a troll is effective.
Missing The Point - Trolls rarely answer a direct question - they cannot, if asked to justify their twaddle - so they develop a fine line in missing the point.
Thick or Sad - Trolls are usually sad, lonely folk, with few social skills; they rarely make what most people would consider intelligent conversation. However, they frequently have an obsession with their IQ and feel the need to tell everyone. This is so frequent, that it is diagnostic! Somewhere on the web there must be an Intelligence Test for Trolls - rigged to always say "above 150"
Where are you likely to find trolls?
Wherever they are tolerated - this means forums and networking sites that have loose or lazy moderation, and places like Usenet (newsgroups) where there may be no moderation at all.

Where trolls are successful is a slightly different issue - some forums allow members to set an 'ignore' function, so they just do not see troll posts, after the first one, and some specialist forums are tightly focussed so that troll posts stick out a mile and are ignored - it's larger, more general forums that have issues, as it only takes a couple of members to be drawn in for the whole forum to suffer. They also thrive on 'opinion' sites, such as politics and religion, where feelings often run high anyway. But, again, only if moderation is weak.

Usenet has a special problem, as moderation is impossible; for trolls to be controlled, requires committed members using their killfiles effectively, and avoiding accidental cross-posting - which is all too easy with many newsreading software setups.

Some career trolls have set up their forums to exchange notes. These rarely thrive, as most trolls are not team players, and they simply fight among themselves. in other cases, they become centers for cyberbullying (see stalking); while that's a sad development, it makes it easier to have the sites closed.

Who is at risk?
Any newsgroup, bulletin board, forum or chatroom can attract trolls, but they don't have the brains to attack nuclear physicists, and they are drawn to the quick response where sex, religion and race are found; so politics is easy prey.

One troll famously tried to infiltrate a mensa group; the results read like 100 trolls and one regular, it didn't have a chance - but it was stupid enough to persist until removed.

When Should You Be Concerned?
Usually, no, though fractured funny bones and occasional waves of nausea have been reported.

When a troll become persistent and personal, you may need to consider the possibility that it has fermented into an Internet Stalker - equally pathetic, if not more so - but sometimes requiring weedkiller. Find Out More

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

2011-11-21T10:33:00.002-06:00

Add element

Did I tell you I used to sing opera? I've been thinking about that lately, because I've been dreaming about that lately. That's scary. Some thirty-forty years scary.
It's the reliving of my past life before death in slow motion over a period of, oh
let's hope some twenty years or something.

All I ever wanted to be was an opera singer. From the time I was really little and my mother played her Wagner operas on 78's. I'd act out what I thought was in the music on the living room floor. Then we'd play "Giselle" and I'd dance. I'd sing hymns and as I got older, I became fascinated with "The Tales of Hoffmann." I sang Antonia's aria to our dog "Boythorne's howling in the background.
Ah, those were the days.

Then, there was the audition and introduction to "In the Garden" a contemporary opera. (I'll have to look up the composer.) As a teenager, I was accepted. Two weeks later, the troop left the area to become beatniks in California. So much for my first attempt at singing in an opera company.

I sang in church. I sang in the living room. I sang for people I didn't know. I auditioned for the Liederkranz Foundation scholarship at eighteen, on a real stage, and was so nervous, forgot the words. Then won a scholarship to work with a teacher in Queens.

That was fun. We put on "La Boheme," somewhere in Queens. I played Musetta, my first real role in the opera. And, I had a crush on the tenor. He had to be in his thirties. I think I was glad when I got accepted into Manhattan School of Music.

My voice teacher was that Metropolitan Opera star Herta Glaz. Not only was she a great voice teacher, but a great human being. She took me under her wing. When I sang in Europe several years later, she took me into her home during the summers to coach me for some roles I was to sing at the Landestheater Coburg. I believe she's gone now. She died at a little over 100. Is that cool, or what?

Learning more about my opera life than you ever wanted of need to know, to be continued.

I'm on a schedule now. The horses get ridden Monday-Friday. They rest on Saturday and Sunday while I write and throw my computer against the wall. I might need to install padded walls.

Take care everyone. Have a great day. Help yourself to another blueberry muffin and don't fall into the lake. (just kidding. That's my virtual world, not my real one)

Pat

The Writing Life by Suzanne Guthrie

2011-11-19T20:02:00.008-06:00

Suzanne is my sister. She's a published author with two published books to her credit (and a third on the way), and I'm proud of her. No matter what your discipline in life, this article gives inspiration and humor. I hope it will inspire you, as it has me. Did I mention work habits?

Pat

The Writing Life

My name is Suzanne Guthrie (no relation).

Just kidding. I'm her sister.

Pat asked me to contribute a post about “The Writing Life.” So...I'm intrigued. What's the through-line in a writing life? A different topic might yield a story. Tell me your love life, your family saga, spiritual journey, your work history, or traveling adventures.

But, writing life? Writing life: remember to get up from the desk to stretch. Writing life: Don't get distracted on the internet when you're fact-checking. Writing life: be reliable. Writing life: never submit anything without a critical friend editing it first.

No story there. Just work habits.

My work is deadline driven and specialized for a particular readership. I wouldn't even call it creative non-fiction. Unless you think spiritual writing is based purely upon what our mother called “unwarranted assumptions,” in which case, I guess you'd call my writing... um-mm, fantasy. Or meaningless.

I've preached on Sundays for thirty years. That's a writing life right there, I guess. (Think of Ames in Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, and the cartons of sermons in the attic.) But preaching depends upon performance. Writing for public delivery alters your rhythm, syntax, pacing, usage. [Note to family: don't publish my sermons after my death!] Most of my present readers are preachers desperate for prompts in the unrelenting search for an angle on their Sunday sermon. I fulfill a need, so I have a ready-made and eager readership. I'm grateful to them. I think of them in their distress. I burned out in the public life. But I still have something to offer. And so, by defalt, I have a writing life. But I get to work in comfortable clothes.

I've been writing since second grade. I'm just now going through fourteen bins of journals and letters, not wanting to leave them for my children to deal with and hate me for or be shocked by. An equal number of bins of unpublished material used for teaching, leading retreats and workshops needs to be sorted and marked for re-working or the bonfire. Ah! The sermons can light up the bonfire, too.

The Writing Life? Somewhere between birth and the bonfire, I hope some idea or insight caught flame in some stranger's heart. To pass on a little light may not be so meaningless after all.

-Suzanne
http://www.edgeofenclosure.org

Glitches from Cyber Space to my Website and not mucking out manure today

2011-11-19T17:26:00.003-06:00

I've been working on cleaning up my website. The navigation bars are a mess. You click on one and another pops up. Several pages are missing. How that happened, I'll NEVER know. I think this will take some time, as I get a headache everytime I try and fix anything. Headaches are never a good thing.

Because of gathering paperwork for a project, I've managed to mess up my working area, reading area, TV watching area, bedroom area and even the kitchen counters.
The project isn't even a WRITING project.

So, I didn't get out to the barn today, and I'm finding I'm missing those guys when I don't get out. No mucking out manure. Sigh. I'm beginning to enjoy that as much as riding. Is that sick, or what? Smokey looks better now that he has his salt and mineral blocks back. He tried to devour them whole. Fortunately, they're much too big for that. Jackson took a keen interest in them too. I didn't get out to the barn, but they probably needed a break from me for at least a day.

The dogs are forever helpful with updating my blogs and website. A little paw here, a little paw there makes those pesky navigation bars disappear.

I hope you enjoyed Patricia Jones article on Fear of Success. I'll be posting other author's works ever couple of days. Some VERY intersting articles from authors who dedicate their free writing time to helping others. It's inspiring.

Today's short. I need to get back to my Yahoo Site Builder and see if I can't clean up this navigation bar mess.

Take care all. Hope you're having a pleasant Saturday.

Pat

Another inspiration from The Universe

2011-11-18T10:23:00.001-06:00

Patricia, each challenge adds to the suspense, adds to the mystery, adds to the chaos, adds to the possibilities, adds to the romance, adds to the adventure, adds to the joy.

And I say anything that adds to the joy should be embraced.

Cool?
The Universe

Fear of Success by Patricia Ann Jones, former book critic for Tulsa World and Camden Times

2011-11-18T09:45:00.005-06:00

This lady has been in several of my online writing groups, and I never knew her background was so extensive. This article explains to us all why we get "writer's block" and (like me) take two years off from the creative process. Patricia is now retired from her professional writing jobs.

Patti, I appreciate posting this.

Fear of Success
By Patricia Ann Jones

Previous Columns

When friends ask me why I have not completed the last rewrite of my novel, I'm quick to reply that the lack of time and circumstance are to blame. Is that true? Until recently I thought, it was. Now, I'm not so sure. Could it be more a lack of ambition? Perhaps, it is. More than likely, however, it is the fear of failure that prevents my progress. All writers fear failure. Rejection assaults the dignity of our work, causes doubt as to our talent, our ability to achieve life's goals.

Further reflection brings another possibility. Rather than the fear of failure, is my problem the fear of success? How could anyone fear success? So many questions, so few answers. Honesty compels me to arrive at the unbelievable conclusion, I fear success.

Over the past eleven years, I've had some sixty articles published regionally and nationally. I have had more than 328 book reviews published in a large metropolitan newspaper. I have two writing columns on the internet as well as a book review column. To be blunt about it, everything I've submitted has been published in one media or another. So, how can I be afraid of publishing a novel?

Becoming a successful novelist brings more limelight to a writer, than being a book critic or a journalist. It pushes one onto the world's stage. Lives change, forever. The spotlight blinds some to values once held. More money brings a power that has the ability to alter a cherished status quo. Privacy is lost. Once you've shown a successful face to the world, the world, expects more and more.

The chances of this happening are small, I know that. The fear, does not know. The fear eats at a fragile ego, warns that it could happen and that is all it takes to stop this writer dead in the creative waters.

What if I became one of those so called "over night successes?" What would happen to me should I find myself a Charles Frazier (Cold Mountain) who won the National Book Award with his first novel, a Harper Lee with her "To Kill a Mocking Bird," or even a Robert Waller (Bridges of Madison County)? Something deep inside rises up and rebels at the very thought of such a thing. That something is none other than The Fear of Success. Am I ready to pay that price? Harper Lee wasn't. She never wrote another novel. Waller wrote again, but never attained the success, at least not to date, that he garnered with his first novel. Charles Frazier has yet to prove himself with a second novel. Even Margaret Mitchell quit after her success with "Gone With the Wind." She quit because she became disillusioned with the pain and problems success brought into her life.

Feeling as I do, what are my alternatives? I could quit now, put away my manuscript, destroy it. Surely that isn't the answer. Destroying a lifelong dream, stifling one's god-given talent is surely a crime against the soul. How then do I overcome this agonizing fear?

The only solution that makes any rational sense to me is to involve myself in a creative project until I can grow strong enough to face the demon within. After all, I am in the mother of all battles, the fight against self. Something daring, something I've never tried before must be found.

From the beginning of this article to the following paragraphs, much time has passed. Several years ago, I initiated an online writing group, The Daytime Writing Group. A program that helps others find their way through the bewildering maze of becoming successful writers. This program allows for the exchange of insights and ideas between professionals and beginners alike. It also shows writers like myself that we have a rich resource in sharing our experiences.

While helping others, I've helped myself, and in doing so, rekindled the consuming ambition that wrote the 500 pages of a story I once thought important enough to risk self-exposure. My other personal victory is that I am learning each and every day to overcome my fear of success and to believe in my work enough that I can trust myself to handle whatever happens.

As I write these words, my manuscript lays open on my desk, the rewriting, the retyping, has begun in earnest. I'm on my way and I'm not alone. That is the best part. I'm not alone anymore.

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

(Jones is a book critic for The Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK, and The Camden Times, Camden, New York.)

Copyright Patricia Ann Jones, January 23, 2002

Previous Columns

The Frost is on the Punkin and The Phrase Finder website

2011-11-17T21:23:00.006-06:00

In my previous post, I mentioned the "Frost was on the Pumpkin." I did some research and came up with this poem by James Whitcomb Riley. It came from the website of "the Phrase Finder." They also point out that it's "punkin" not pumpkin.
Love this site. It has: Phrases thesauraus, Meanings and Origins of Phrases and Sayings, Famous Last Words, Discussion Forum Archives, A Phrase a Week.

I don't know who runs the site, otherwise I'd give his/her name. It's well worth seeing.

WHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best, 5
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

See the text at:
http://www.bartleby.com/104/10.html

Today's a Thursday in November. Brrr

2011-11-17T08:29:00.004-06:00

Good morning.

It's Chicago weather, in the thirties. The dogs are out sniffing the backyard and chasing squirrels, keeping the monsters out of "their" environment.

The frost is on the pumpkin (I wonder where that term came from) the leaves are off the trees, so I only have to deal with those that have fallen into the patio. Now, not so much a patio as a dog run. Next week is the last time for leaf pick-up by the village.

Yesterday, I went to the dentist for two fillings that were under part of the gum and inbetween two teeth. The office scared me to death when they carved out
two hours for an appointment time. Now, I hate going to the dentist as much as the next person, but two hours for two fillings--please. I seems the decay was under two teeth. Yikes.

However, I like my dentist. He's a dog person. I met him when he was a student of mine in a dog obedience class I ran at K-9 Dog Club. He's good people and lots of fun for conversation. He also gave me Nitrous Oxide. Really cool stuff. Didn't feel a thing, not even the needles to numb the gum (forgive the spot of rhyme)
It's sort of like: Come for the Nitrous Oxide, stay for the drilling.

As I missed my barn time (or horse time) yesterday, much of today has to be spent
at Red Oaks Ranch with "the boys." My two grey quarter horses have two very different personalities. Smokey is quiet, gentle and a recoverer from EPM (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis. (My gosh, I could actually spell that) Jackson is, well, he is what he is: feisty, bull-headed, loves to do what HE wants to do when HE wants to do it. I've found a dressage (actually is a French word for training--but is a horse culture into itself. Sort of like hunter-jumper shows, western pleasure, reining, dressage etc.) instructor who's taken my 16 hand (that's tall, folks) and me under her wing and has made massive strides in just one month. Can't wait to see what she'll do in two or three.

My writing life: My sister, who's an Episcopal priest and author (with two books published and a third on its way) wrote an article on her writing life. I'll post
soon. I want to create a page on my website for other author's works, post them to the blog and transfer later to the web page. We'll see how this works out. I need to find some "gentle" (even not-so-gentle) readers. Anybody, actually.

Take care. I hope the virtual coffee and blueberry muffins were to everyone's satisfaction.

Ever been to The Universe.com? Great place. I strongly suggest you subscribe. I get my moment of inspiration every day. I need some every day.

Pat

From "The Universe"

2011-11-15T07:43:00.001-06:00

Whatever you have to say, Patricia, say it with love.

Love you,
The Universe

And whatever you have to hear, Patricia, hear it with love

I'm back

2011-11-14T19:09:00.002-06:00

Whew! That was a long telephone conversation. Approximately two years, I'd say.
I'm not even sure what I've been doing during this period, but I do know, I've been
battling health issues. The older we get, I guess. Now, my medicine cabinet looks like my mother's and grandmother's when they were my age. I forget how time wears us down.

But, the good news is, The Cottage of Blog is back in operation. I tweaked the site a bit. If anyone has any comments, I'd appreciate hearing them. I know I'll have to allow time for followers to return.

For those of you who don't know me, I'm commonly known as Pat. I'm an author, reader, dog and horse owner and lover. I adore mysteries and Criminal Minds. That's a TV show, not the people who go around doing nasty things to others. Oh, and Andrew Lloyd Weber.

I'd like to concentrate my posts on writing, but talking horses and dogs is great.

My goals for this year are: keeping up with my blog (one can only hope) and website (www.patriciaanneguthrie.com), working on short stories, finishing works in progress (WIP) and trying to market them. If anyone has any ideas on that subject, I'd love to hear them.

Let's share ideas. Comments (no spam please. And please don't call yourself anonymous. I know you can think of a more original name than that. (grin)

Come on into my Cottage of Blog, pour yourself some coffee, help yourself to a blueberry muffin and let's talk.

February blahs and adopting a collie

2009-02-08T10:00:00.003-06:00

It's been way too long to keep a blog silent.

Truth be (not to damper everyone's day) I suffer from depression. As I'm retired, I don't care much who knows. Truth is 33% of women suffer from depression. It's a small number for men, but the percentage is high enough.

How did I get "depression?" When I look back, I discovered even in what should have been the happiest times of my life, I wasn't really happy. I wasn't sad--as the symptom list says you should be. In fact, I think sad doesn't even come close.

I think of falling into depression as falling into Alice's rabbit hole. You kind of float downward, grasping for support along the walls, but either you can't reach it or it vaporizes at the touch.

Come to think of it, I've always had depression. It might have happened when I was a baby and had a traumatic incident with my birth mother. Who, wasn't in my life that long. Or maybe it was (is) a chemical brain inbalance. All those blocked seratonins, whatever shall they do?

I started discovering I had the illness when I wrote a paper and gave a speech on teen suicide and had to research depression. I discovered every symptom I had. yeah, but I had every symptom in the Stedman's Medical Dictionary when I worked in my father's lab too.

What really sent me running to my friendly local shrink was teachig inner-city high school. Bad combination depression and LOTS of kids I didn't know. That's when I discovered, Prozac, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Konoprin and Ambilify. I'm sure I missed something. I also discovered that one pill does not cover all depression. Some medications worked for me some didn't. Some medications caused me to bloat to a new dress size.

I've finally settled on medications that (mostly) work. Not all the time. I still have my normal days and my "why do I even need to get out of bed--" or even better " I really don't need to got to the refrigerator to eat, do I? After all, I really need to lose weight."

Reading helps me through it. My dogs help me through it. A call from or to a friend helps. If my horses were here, I know they would help, but they live a half hour away.

I'm not whining (at least I don't think I am) Whining is pointless, except it does sort of get some of it out. See, there usually isn't a direct cause leading to the depression. In other words, there doesn't seem to be any direct cause. The sun is shining, nobody has died, I made a few book sales, maybe not blockbuster sales, but something.

And with that, now that I've brought you all down, I'll bring you up again.

I just adopted a collie from a collie rescue association. She's a little blue merle and a doll. I hope she'll keep Zuri company and both of the will keep me company.
Maybe she can type. (grin)

Cheers

Pat

weather here sucks

2009-01-25T13:49:00.001-06:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted.

It's January and here I am again.

Writing--I'm converting a romantic suspense novel I wrote back in the late 20th century (doesn't that make me sound old?) from a scraggly, well over-populated, sappy romantic suspense novel to a hopefully tightened and less populated paranormal suspense. Obviously, there's an additional character. A ghost. Love those ghosts.
Reading it for the first time in over a year. I got stuck in the middle. (sigh)

Dogs--Zuri (rough tri-color collie) is the last of my pack of four. We've both been rather lonely they passed on from old-age. So, I'm thinking of adopting a rescue collie. It's in the works.

Reading--I've been reading non-fiction lately. I've recently put on my kindle Glen Beck's A Christmas Sweater and Bill O'Reilly's new book (forget the name) (And No, I'm basically not a conservative. Strange, huh?) I've also been reading books about Mary Magdalene. Somehow, I suddenly became interested in her, in her life, in her teachings. Not easy to find bonofide and credibly testamony though.

Other than that, the weather here sucks. (midwest--Chicago area)

Please come and blog back.

Good News. Waterlilies placed fourth!

2009-01-15T10:06:00.003-06:00

After taking a look at the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll standings, Waterlilies Over My Grave (2008 LSP Digital) place fourth in the category of Novel/thriller.

I've always looked (way) up to the authors who make the top five in these categories on P&E yearly polls. To make the top five seemed unachievable. So to say I'm floating around on the ceiling right now would be an understatement. I think we have to wait until the end of January, beginning of February to find out the official results, although I can't imagine they would be different. Another of our LSP Digital authors, Alexei Braguine (Kingmaker) finished eighth. Fugue Macabre-Ghost Dance by CJ Parker finished up tenth in the horror category, Donna Main's The Chosen One finished up fourteenth in the Sci-fi category. Micki Peluso's And the Whippoorwill Sang finished fourteenth in the "novel" category.

Other news, which isn't really news if you're living in the real world. The blistery weather outside. The forcasts are calling for wind chills of 30 below and lower in the Chicago area. I'm curling up with a good book, a warm laptop and a warm lap dog.

Cheers everyone I'm going to finish up my online work for the morning, then settle in with a good book this afternoon. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel is my current read.

Pat

Help! Voting ends for Preditors and Editors Reader's Poll

2009-01-14T10:31:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone,

Today I need your help. My book,Waterlilies Over My Grave, has been nominated for the Predators and Editors Reader's Poll in the thriller category. Just go to;
http://www.critters.org/predpoll/novelthrill.shtml and scroll to the bottom. Click
on the box next to Waterlilies Over My Grave. The deadline is tonight.

I think I must live in the coldest place on earth. (although I know that's not true)
It's below zero now and expected to get colder. Brrr. I feel like a bear must feel.
I hibernate during the winter. It's a great time to read, get my writing back on track and network on the Internet.

Networking means making friends. It also means cultivating a readership. That is taking a long time, though. Someone mentioned that starting to promote a book means getting up your website and blog spot at least a year before the book comes out. I'm beginning to see the wisdom in these words. For a non-marketing person, learning how to set up a site, maintaining that site and directing traffic to that site is a formidable challenge. Then--and this is important--don't even THINK about taking a break. I did. Pretty much had to start over to get my readership back. Still working on that.

Even sending books out to reviewers is taking a long time in getting back reviews.
I should talk. I've several books that need reviewing. The latest by Kenneth Levinson is "An Unconventional murder." The tile is a fun play on words because the story takes place at a writer's convention. Right up my alley. I've been to writer's conventions. Mr. Levinson should get the whole mystery writer's world to read this.
It's a lot of fun and well written. I'm still working on an official review.

Someday, I'll talk about my love-hate relationship with writing. It's like having a mate who you adore, but can't live with. Whew.

But we trudge on. Take care all. HOpe you'll vote for my book. Hope you'll have a great day. Hope you're in a warmer climate than I am.

Patricia A. Guthrie

Short Story--No Way Out by Patricia A. Guthrie

2009-01-13T15:23:00.004-06:00

New short story: A couple return home from their honeymoon only to discover that the railroad station has no way out.

You can find it on my website. (see top right of this page)

Click on short stories. (give it about a day. It takes that long for the "publish" to publish.

Hope you enjoy the story.

pg

Taking Down a Plagiarist by Debra Shiveley Welch

2009-01-09T12:41:00.004-06:00

I had the good fortune to discover Debra Shiveley Welch's article through Author and Book Event Center
http://bookeventcenter.ning.com.
For more information on Debra:
http://bookeventcenter.ning.com/profile/DebraShiveleyWelch

Taking Down a Plagiarist
Recently I had the unpleasant experience of discovering that I had been plagiarized. Through Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts), I learned that a certain “Fantoni” had placed my essay “Sometimes Life is a Metaphor” on www.articleitem.com under the parenting section.

Google Web Alert for: "Sometimes Life Is A Metaphor"

Sometimes Life is a Metaphor - articleitem
Sometimes Life is a Metaphor. ... Sometimes Life is a Metaphor. By: Fantoni. Every spring, Chris and I order butterfly caterpillars. We have an inexpensive, ...

There it was, word for word, not a punctuation mark, not a syllable changed, and credited to – Fantoni.

I was enraged! How dare someone steal my work! It took me three days, but I finally was able to take action to bring the page with my stolen essay down!

I tried to write to the owner of the site to politely instruct them to either give me credit or remove the page, but emails to the webmaster of the website, which was listed in WhoIs, came back as undeliverable. The “Contact Us” on the web site threw up a 404 error, and when leaving comments, many of my friends received syntax errors when they tried to put my name in as the true author.

My attempt at finding the web host was frustrating. I could not find anything until a kind tech from a related site, taught me the following:

Go into www.whois.sc and fill in the name of the web site. Under Server Data, look at “IP Address.” There should be a hosting site mentioned there. If not, click on “trace route.” Scroll down and you should find a hosting url. In my case, it was reliablehosting.com.

Once I had finally discovered the web hosting company, I contacted them and they were very cooperative. Here is what I discovered that I needed to do to remove the page, with my essay credited to the plagiarist, from the web site.

First, read about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act here:
http://www.google.com/dmca.html

In 2000 a copyright law was passed to protect those of us who post our writings, pictures, etc. on the internet. Should you find that someone has plagiarized your property, fill out a DMCA Take Down Notice form.

You can find the form here: http://www.dreamweaverresources.com/forms/copyright/index.htm

As you look at it, you will see that it asks you to name the copyrighted work, provide the url where the plagiarist has placed your writing, picture or trademark under their name, who the copyright belongs to and other pertinent information. It then asks for your signature to the following:

“I hereby affirm, as the complaining party, that I believe in good faith that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright holder, its agent or the law.

I hereby affirm, under penalty of perjury, that the information contained in this notification is accurate, and that I am authorized to act on behalf of the holder of the exclusive right that I claim to be infringed.

Fill out the form, fax it to the web host and the pertinent pages of the site will be taken down within 48 hours.

Watch the web site. If your material comes up again, most companies will take the entire site down. At this point, the ball is in the court of the plagiarist. If he or she wishes, they can contact an attorney, and then it is between the two of you.

I filled out the form, faxed it to Reliable Hosting and the page was taken down within 24 hours. I felt great satisfaction in rescuing my little essay.

If you have published on one of the writing community sites, you may be affected.

To see if you have been plagiarized, go to: http://www.articleitem.com/profile/Fantoni/183

Note: Debra mentions Google Alerts: I have Google Alerts and discovered that someone had mentioned Waterlilies Over My Grave as being by another author. Just to check, i found that author had never written a Waterlilies Over My Grave. I'm sure in my case, it was an accident. An over enthusiastic reviewer giving her favorite books of the year. Google Alerts is a great tool. Although I believe some have found their obituaries (LOL) Many folks with the same name. pg

Wish for what is-- from The Universe

2009-01-08T13:16:00.004-06:00

This comes from a daily inspirational called "The Universe." Today's I thought was especially appropriate.

Next time you make a wish, Patricia, wish for what is, because really and truly, things don't get much better than this.

There is a purpose, a plan, and a reason for all things. What doesn't make sense, will make sense. You are exactly where you should be; your challenges are what they should be; your rewards are what they should be; and the best is yet to come. Time has served you well. Love is in the air. And you're looking mighty good in the light that now surrounds you.

A toast to life... to you... to us...
The Universe

theuniverse@tut.com

Best Friends: An Elephant and a Dog

2009-01-06T17:39:00.003-06:00

This video orginated from CBS. I came upon it at Mr. Ed (wonderful poet) page at Author's Den. It concerns an elephant who's best friends with a dog.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4696315n

If you want to read Mr. Ed's poetry try: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry.asp?AuthorID=14300&id=245683

He's very prolific.

Pat