Benston Blogs

Out with the old...

2012-01-03T15:39:00.005-05:00

Somehow, I'm not sure I like that statement. Out with the old seems to imply that the old simply isn't worth keeping. And since I'm getting older every day, it isn't very smart for me to be so eager to usher out the outdated. In light of this, I decided that this year I wasn't going to make any New Year's resolutions. Instead, I'm going to give an accounting of the things that made the last twelve months meaningful and I'm going to strive toward making even more memories as I venture into this new year. Some of the things that made my list were:

Attending the Beth Moore Living Proof Conference this summer.

Taking my daughter to a Kari Jobe and KJ-52 concert.

Taking my mother to see Joel Osteen in Cincinnati.

Buying the entire Harry Potter movie collection and watching it as often as possible.

Seeing movies like African Cats, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, Kung Fu Panda II, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid II with my daughter.

Going to COSI to see the Dinosaur exhibit and movie and to the Boonshoft Museum so my daughter could see the big constellation display for the first time.

Taking my daughter to the circus for the first time and riding an elephant with her.

Finishing my fifth Rona Shively story, Now You See Me.

Leading my first Bible Study at church.

Having the opportunity to work with a wonderful children’s theater company in Yellow Springs in my very first job as an Executive Director for a non-profit.

Starting a degree program (finally) in Religion at Liberty University.

I had a great year in spite of ending up unemployed and I plan to have an even better year this year. But in order to ensure that I suffer no disappointments, I'm making absolutely no big plans. This is a new thing for me. Usually, I'm sitting there on New Year's Eve with my tablet and my pen in hand, writing up a list of things I need to do. Somewhere around April, I misplace the tablet and from that point on it's all downhill. Of course there are things I plan to do, but nothing along the lines of setting unrealistic expectations for myself and then feeling badly because I don't hit the mark. I've adopted the Rona Shiveliest of attitudes this year and will now be removing this pressure from my life. At least, until I get so frazzled by not having a plan that I have to buckle down and write myself out a big "to do" list.

I hope everyone had a great New Year's and that the next twelve months are full of peace and prosperity for you and yours. If you do find yourself making resolutions, resolve to read all of my Rona Shively books this year. You can get them all for just $50! Proceeds benefit Higher Ground Ministries for women's empowerment.

Until next time....

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New Contest: Tell Me Your Story and you might win a Kindle...

2011-11-05T17:20:00.005-04:00

Well, it's that time again. I haven't had a contest on my blog for a while and so I figured that it would be great to do something this holiday season!

Here's the scoop. To enter this contest, all you have to do is follow this blog (Benston Blogs) and then send me your story about the most ridiculous Christmas gift you ever received. The winning story will receive a brand new Kindle E-Reader as well as Keeping the Faith and This Side Up for Kindle. And, I'll include your story in an upcoming Rona Shively book. Easy! Follow, share, win!

Deadline to enter is December 10th. Winner will be announced on December 15th right here on Benston Blogs!

As I've said, proceeds from all sales of the Rona Shively Stories goes to help my women's empowerment ministry, Higher Ground Ministries. With that in mind, please consider purchasing all five Rona stories for just $50. This price includes shipping. Just e-mail me to order! If you don't want to order all five, my newest Rona Shively story, Now You See Me just came out on October 31st so, it's a great time to order the latest story if you've read the rest. You can get your copy of this book or of any of the Rona Shively Stories for just $10 (includes shipping)!

Good luck to those who enter and thank you for following Rona!

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Back from Where I've Been...

2011-08-05T13:22:00.002-04:00

...wherever that might be. It feels like I have been lost for a very long time and as I looked back through some posts that I wrote before my "mojo" packed its bags and ran off with the neighbor's wife, I began to wonder just what had happened to me. Granted, I've been writing and I've been blogging, but it hasn't been the same. There was a time when I made myself chuckle and when I truly enjoyed sitting down to put pen to paper. But a broken heart can mess up even the best creative minds. Just imagine what it has done to someone like me. But enough of that. I have now resolved to dedicate myself to bringing "sexy" back. Or at least "mildly attractive." Yes, I'm getting my groove back...and I didn't even need to go to Jamaica.

In the spirit of this great comeback, I have decided to share with you the top ten ways to derail yourself from a successful writing career. I have completed them all and so I know they work. Here goes:

10. Get a divorce. It's the biggest and baddest way to motivate yourself into doing absolutely nothing for a period not less than one year but not to exceed five or six. I'm hoping not to reach that top threshhold, but rounding out this year I began to wonder if maybe I wasn't on the fast track to allowing it to sink its teeth into me and effectively bite off my writing hand. (Of course I write with both hands, but you get the point).

9. Change Day Jobs-This is certainly an effective means of cluttering your mind with enough crap that you can never get back into what it was you were originally thinking about. I managed to keep myself distracted for the better part of eight months and I work with books for crying out loud.

8. Attempt to become spiritually enlightened-This is only a deterrent if you are going about it in the wrong way...which I did for a while, but I think I might be on the right track now. So, maybe this one doesn't really count...but I needed something for number 8.

7. Wallow in self-pity-This one is really cool. I can do this one for days and have managed to allow my focus on my own shortcomings to overtake my creative genius on a number of occasions. It all started when I began having difficulty booking events as a result of the state of our economy. It wasn't really my fault and I knew that it was no reflection on how charming and entertaining I can be if given the opportunity; yet I took it all to heart and repeatedly reminded myself that I was just a lowly, unknown author whom nobody wanted to hear about, talk about, or see. Awwwwww....barf.

6. Spend your writing time watching 'Why Did I Get Married?'-Lord, I have wasted soooooo much writing time this year because I had planted myself in front of my television with a box of tissues, ready to commiserate with the cast of virtually every Tyler Perry movie in existence. This only served to make me angry and contrary to popular belief, did not motivate me to write the next great American novel. On a positive note, however; it appears that I can do bad all by myself.

5. Continuous adjustment of your feng shui-Nope, it doesn't increase your creative flow. It does give you lots of sore muscles and a really funny looking living room, though. I moved furniture in my house at least three times this year trying to get things to "feel" right. Guess what, it still doesn't feel right and I am starting to think it might be me.

4. Fail to embrace that side of your personality that seems to be inspired by David Spade-Everyone knows that allowing yourself to vent every once in a while can be a great thing. It is especially good for preventing a build up of negativity that will undoubtedly reveal itself in an epic display of ugliness that even God will not feel compelled to forgive. And so, I needed to remember that it is okay for me to explore my disgust for some things and to give it a name. I have resolved to call it Snookie.

3. Cut off the part of your personality that requires love and attention from the opposite sex-This is just plain silly. However, it seemed like a good idea to me. So much so that I have effectively snuffed out any prospects as soon as they presented themselves. My whole demeanor says, "Don't even approach me!" It takes me back to my teenage years when guys were scared to even look my way for fear that they would turn to stone. Of course, that could have been my hair...or the fact that I usually said, "Don't even approach me."

2. Resign yourself to watching only Disney, Nickelodeon and animated films-No better way to put out the creative flame than to fill your mind with the incessant yammering of the cast of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. After a few episodes of that, you just don't have a lot left for good plotting. Never mind being able to finish a novel, try writing a substantial blog post after a marathon of Good Luck, Charlie...it'll never happen.

1. Just get fed up and stop writing-The absolute best way to derail your writing career is to stop writing. Even when you think you have nothing to say, there is probably someone out there who wants to hear it. Wait, that almost sounds like someone out there wants to hear nothing...not exactly what I meant. What I'm trying to say is that no matter how much life is hurting you; no matter how many poor entertainment choices you are making, and no matter how dedicated to a sense of self-deprivation you become, you must never stop writing. Write about the struggle, write about the angst, write about the idiocracy of it all, but keep writing. Even if no one besides you and your twelve cats ever see what you've written, it is a creative release that needs to happen. If you're a writer, write. Period.

I hope you've enjoyed this revival of sarcasm and witty interchange. I'm hoping there's more where this came from and that I will now stop following my own advice. God help me get out of my own way. ;)

Until next time...

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What Now?

2011-05-21T22:13:00.005-04:00

Sometimes, things change. I was in the middle of writing the Rona Shively series when I reconnected with God and suddenly realized that I just couldn't continue writing in the same way that I had been writing. You see, when I started writing this series I was angry. I was hurt and I had been holding back much of what I was dealing with. Granted, I love some of the stuff that made it into the first four books, but I am now being led by a power much greater than bitter inspiration. And in following God, I no longer wish to write about things which I feel are indicative of the very behaviors which grieve Him. I'm hoping that my readers will appreciate the transformation that I'm putting the Rona Shively character through and not feel as though I've gone crackers.

I'm still me; I just don't want to glorify the wrong things in my writing. I've come to accept that if this is a gift from God, then it should glorify Him and not the things of the world. It may or may not make sense, but this is what is happening in my life. As I looked back on the many experiences that I have had and tried to understand how they all led up to my writing these books I found myself somewhat ashamed of what I was writing. It became clear to me that if I'm going to write this series at all then I really need to change direction. And so, in the next book, Now You See Me, Rona's struggles with her own spirituality are a prominent feature. In much the same way that I struggled to come back to God, Rona finds herself fighting the urge to accept Him in her life.

Writing this book has taken quite a bit longer than I had anticipated, but I believe that the changes will be so worth the extra time. Now You See Me will hopefully make you think about your life in a whole new way and compel you to appreciate the relationships you have with the people in your life. We all experience loss in different ways and Rona Shively is no exception. I hope that as you read this book, you'll laugh a little, cry a lot and remember what makes life worth the struggles and the challenges. Stay with me. It's going to get good.

Now You See Me will be available soon!

Until next time...

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Are you ready for Rona's next adventure?

2011-01-21T14:31:00.004-05:00

Here's a preview of the latest Rona Shively novel, Now You See Me:

The realization hadn’t quite hit me all the way, but the minute the words were out of my mouth, a wave of panic shot through me. What kind of mother would I be? I had no idea what I was thinking. What made me think I had any business bringing a child into the world? I didn’t even know how to take care of myself. When it came to loving people, I was a first-class loser. Case in point, I had a guy here that wanted to marry me and I was trying to push him away because I felt like he loved me too much. Isn’t that the point? That someone would love you too much?

As I stood there, stunned by the realization that I had absolutely no confidence in my ability to be someone’s mother, Trey put his arms around me and pulled me to him. He completely abandoned his own pity party to pull me out of mine.

There's alot going on with Rona. In case you missed the last installment, well, I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to read the book. ;) I'm hoping to have book 5 in the Rona Shively series out soon. Due to a series of unfortunate events, the writing of this book was delayed. But do not fear, it's on the way...as are the many changes that will undoubtedly carry Rona into a whole new set of challenges.

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you.”

~Ephesians 5:13-14~

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My Best Worst Example...

2010-12-09T21:01:00.004-05:00

It's hard to maintain a positive attitude when it seems that people are just chomping at the bit to see how quickly you'll revert to your old ways. I'm by no means perfect, but it isn't likely that I have been on the deserving end of some of the criticism I've endured over the past few weeks. It got me to thinking, who is the best example of the worst person I've ever had to deal with on a regular basis?

Sadly, I've had no shortage of candidates lately. But if I had to pick one, it would be the person(who shall remain nameless for now)who most frequently approaches me as though I'm a twelve year-old child and attempts to make me feel inadequate because I am not a mind reader. She knows who she is and it really isn't necessary to throw her under the bus to make my point...though it would be quite satisfying. The point is that I've worked for and with many people who made it their life mission to point out what others aren't doing well enough to suit them. I've often wondered what it would take to make them focus less on what others are unable to do and more on what their own shortcomings might be. I've wondered, but no answers have ever materialized.

Rona Shively is trying to turn her life around. She's got big changes ahead in Book 5 and I hope you'll hang in there with her as she starts turning her life around. It's often easy to enjoy reading about the faults and misgivings of someone like Rona because it helps us remember that no matter how bad we are, there's always someone out there who is worse even if they are a fictional character. Rona has been my best worst example for several years now of what a single, self-sufficient woman can be if she gets too hung up on what she believes others think of her. With my own newly regained freedom and an attitude of gratitude, I'm hoping to bring her around to my way of thinking and empower her just a little as the series continues. I'll keep you posted as I get closer to finishing this next book.

Until next time...

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Rona Shively must die...

2010-11-14T09:11:00.003-05:00

This isn't a joke. Everything you know about Rona is about to be changed forever. She's done what she can to stop it, God knows she fought it all the way. But the time has come. If you missed This Side Up, buy it now on Kindle so that you are ready for the latest installment in the Rona Shively series. Coming soon...Now You See Me: The Rona Shively Stories.

Until next time...

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It really can't be over...

2010-08-15T13:05:00.005-04:00

Summer, that is. Usually, I spend this time during my year to work on writing, promoting and generally winding down from what I do during the school year. Since I work in an elementary school, I have to fortunate privilege of being on vacation during the summer months. This year, the plan was to have been: finish writing Rona #5, work on revamping my websites, schedule more Tea & Mystery events, and fit in a few moments to get centered. Unfortunately, my summer consisted of the following: moving, going through some very stressful and emotional times, writing just enough to piss myself off, being frustrated, pissing a few others off, starting a new college program and being frustrated with my inability to concentrate, trying to redefine my life, and going back and forth to complete a leftover project that I had to do for work. Generally, I'm upbeat. I like a challenge and I really enjoy staying busy. This year, however; the challenges were not those which I would readily welcome into my life next year. In fact, if I never meet these particular challenges again, that will be just fine with me.

As I look at the next few months, I wonder how it will all work. I'm in classes online that require a great deal of attention. I will be returning to work full-time next Wednesday at a new school this year. My daughter goes back to school the following Wednesday. My divorce will likely be finalized within the next month. I only have about 200 more pages left to write on Rona #5 and the only Tea and Mystery I've been involved in over the past few months has been right here in my living room. Frustrating. Stagnant. Agonizing. The only thing left to do is this: hold a contest!

The winner will receive a complete set of Rona Shively books! In the Wash, Under Lock and Key, Keeping the Faith, and This Side Up! Here's what you have to do to enter: E-mail me your best guess at who is going to die in the next Rona Shively book. If you've read them, you'll know that there are at least five possible victims including Rona herself. I already know the answer of course, but let's see what you're thinking. Send me your guess and I'll pick from the entries to see who gets the prize! It's easy! I'll post the results of all of the guesses I receive on the blog for fun. Someone is going to die, but who will it be? Sleuth it out, people!

A contest is a great way to end the summer, so send your entry to me by August 31st for your chance to win! Until next time...

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Trick, Tramp, Skank or Slut?

2010-07-06T08:16:00.003-04:00

Sorry to put it out there like that, but the topic of my discussion today is going to have to be about women who can't seem to figure this out. I've run into lots of men in my day. I've dated a few, loved a couple and even married one. I've never been able to understand why it is so easy for a man to stray from the woman he says he loves. It occurred to me that the fault is not entirely that of the man. Though I like to believe that each of us is responsible for our own actions, I have to admit that if there are women out there who are more than willing to offer themselves up as some kind of prize to a man who is teetering on the edge of commitment then they are just as responsible for the behavior as the man who engages in it. And well, those women need to be slapped.

I believe in lifting women up and helping them to achieve their higher potential, but if the woman is so determined to get what she wants that she has no boundaries or respect for what another woman already has, then she doesn't deserve to be lifted up. These women just don't seem to care. They look for any and every excuse to justify their behavior.

"Well, if he could be that easily persuaded, then he didn't love her anyway." No, if he could be that easily persuaded it just means he's a douchebag and that she will eventually need to get rid of him. It isn't your job to be a catalyst. Get your own.

"But he loves me and he's just staying with her because he doesn't know how to let her down." No, he doesn't love you, skank. He's just getting what he can get from you until you either move onto the next one or he finds another one of you to add to his lineup.

"She must not be doing her job as a 'wife, girlfriend, significant other' or he wouldn't be looking for something else." You know, sometimes men just look to be looking. She could be doing everything right even to the point that she's given up on her own dreams to keep his fulfilled (and that's usually the case). It is definitely not your place to determine what she may or may not be doing for him. He doesn't belong to you. You don't know the situation, you only know what he is telling you and I've got news for you, if he's cheating, he's also lying and he doesn't give a damn whether or not he tells you or anyone else the truth.

"She's let herself go, how can you expect him not to think I'm more attractive?" Beg pardon, trick. No. This is certainly not your call. If she has let herself go, it is probably because he has put her through hell and she's given up on trying to make herself look good because he didn't appreciate her when she did. Spend some more time with him and see how you look.

When I was single and out being stupid, I tried to be careful who I spent my time with. Sometimes a man is up front with his status and sometimes he tries to hide it. It used to burn me up to see the same married man out having dinner with his wife in the early evening and then see that same man hugged up with some tramp at the bar later that night. At the time, I didn't know how to approach it. I thought, "It's none of my business." Well, in a way, it should have been my business. I should have said something to them. I knew both of them, not well, but probably well enough to point out that what they were doing was absolutely messed up. It didn't really hit me until I got married that it would have been nice if I'd had the gumption to speak up. If more people publicly frowned on the behavior, then maybe it wouldn't happen so often. Wishful thinking, but you never know.

There might have been something to that whole scarlet letter thing. If all the tramps, skanks, and low-down dirty cheaters had to wear a big red letter on their clothing, wouldn't that be helpful to those of us who are trying to do things the right way? The bottom line is that if he isn't yours, don't look at him, don't touch him, don't think that he's just passing the time with his wife until you pop onto the scene ready to satisfy his every desire. No, he's not been waiting for you. If he was waiting for you, he'd have waited, ho. See, that's how it works. If someone is waiting on you, they wait. They don't just take an eleven-year detour and stop off to have a wife and kids while they await your arrival. Funny how that works.

So today's lesson for all the tricks, tramps, skanks and sluts out there is that we must first look for a wedding ring. Second, we ask the question, "Are you married or living with a steady girlfriend or otherwise engaged?" Third, we make the decision whether or not we want to be part of the problem or part of the solution. Fourth, we think better of ourselves and of other women than to try and settle down with someone who has already been pretending to be settled down with someone else. This is easy. Give it a shot.

Until next time.

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No offense, but do men get this?

2010-07-02T09:22:00.003-04:00

Unlike animals whose quest for happiness is restricted to survival and to the immediate gratification of sensory desires, we human beings have the capacity to experience happiness at a deeper level which, when achieved, can overwhelm unhappy experiences.

- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

I ask the question only because I've never seen evidence that they do. Women seem to always be trying to reach a level of happiness that is somehow deeper than what men are content with reaching. It's the whole, 'give 'em a beer and a steak and they'll be happy' mentality. You'll know by the grunting. It sounds terrible and somewhat prejudicial, but as a woman, I've noticed that the men I have known were never really interested in doing more than scratching the surface or simply scratching...when it came to happiness. They were okay with just being content. Perhaps this is why relationships are so difficult. Women are always trying to dig in deeper and men are always trying to hover near the surface.

Unless there is some Zen-like euphoria that comes over you when you are gutting a deer, I'm not sure that men care to get as happy as they can possibly be unless they are in bed. And I don't think that qualifies as a Higher Purpose even though some men would swear that they are performing on the level of a god here. How many retreats or workshops have you seen that focus on men's self-esteem? Is this because men have all of the self-esteem they need or is it because it simply isn't a priority for them to live their lives to the fullest?

I realize that women and men are different in many ways and that men have a whole other way of looking at life than we women do. I just don't understand how their value system works. Why is it so easy for a man to drop the kids off at school and simply walk away without a second thought? Why is it so easy for a man to cheat on his wife and then look her in the eye and swear that he didn't? Why is it so easy for a man to be content with living below their potential and allowing someone else to be the go-getter? Are there men out there for whom this is not true? Is it a regional phenomenon or possibly just specific to my little piece of the universe?

I'm truly curious. Other than a Buddhist monk, what man do you know that is truly seeking their highest potential? I'm not talking about the creative types who are chasing after celebrity. That's generally all about ego and hoping to gain groupies or some other bullshit like that. I'm talking honest-to-goodness, on-a-spiritual-quest, looking for fulfillment in this life, depth. If you know of men like this, please share it with us. And for God's sake, don't forget to include a photo and phone number. ;)

Until next time...

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What if it's really not you?

2010-07-01T21:45:00.004-04:00

I've been thinking about identity theft lately. Partly because this is the main offense being perpetrated in my latest Rona Shively novel and partly because someone I know recently claimed that their identity was being tampered with. In their case, they were lying to cover up some unsavory behavior. In Rona's case, however; it's a bit more entertaining.

Without giving too much away, Rona Shively will soon find herself in the middle of a twisted case of identity theft. Someone wants to make her look bad and they are not above taking advantage of unsuspecting elderly women to do it. When a new client comes to Rona, pointing fingers and asking questions about why she is trying to swindle old ladies out of their savings, Rona has no choice but to dig in and set about finding well, herself.

You'll never guess in a million years who is behind all of this. Rona faces some difficult losses and ends up in an all out war with her worst adversary to date.

In 2011, be on the lookout for Rona in Now You See Me: The Rona Shively Stories.

This Side Up is now available! Just e-mail to order your copy today! Be sure to write "This Side Up" in the subject line of your e-mail!

Until next time...

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From the latest Rona Shively Story...

2010-06-27T11:55:00.002-04:00

Here's a preview of my new Rona Shively story:

I waddled into the restaurant, mentally ordering my pancakes, eggs, and sausage as I scanned the dining room for someone who fit my client’s description of herself. She had said that she was tall and thin with dark brown hair. She said that she would be wearing a red leather jacket. I spotted her almost immediately. Her hair was short, in a stylish bob. She was almost too conservative-looking to be meeting with the likes of me. I walked up to the table and made one of those “Ahem” noises to get her attention. When she looked up, the expression on her face went from calm to catty in something like seconds.
“So, you’re Rona Shively,” she said, her tone extremely unfriendly.
“So, I am,” I said, “What’s the problem? Are you Susan Fleming?”
“That’s right, and I’ve got a bone to pick with you,” she said getting to her feet. She jabbed a finger in my face as she continued her tirade. “Where do you get off trying to take money from helpless, old ladies?”
Now, I’m not generally speechless. This is especially true when some hag is pointing her gaudily painted fingernails in my face as this woman had done. A few months ago, she would have been on the receiving end of a nasty ass-whooping for this kind of behavior. Today, however; I was feeling generous. Whether it was the nature of the accusation or the instability of my hormones that made me stop and think before taking a swing is not important. What’s important here is that I simply stepped back and calmly asked, “What are you talking about?”
“You know very well what I’m talking about,” she said loudly. People were starting to watch our exchange and with my reputation, I really didn’t need this kind of publicity. “I’m talking about Esmerelda Haynes, my grandmother, the woman you convinced to sign over $5,000 of her retirement money for a phony insurance policy.”
Okay, now she was just being ridiculous. “Esmerelda Haynes?” I asked. My patience was wearing thin and since she was making it very difficult for me to order those pancakes I’d been fantasizing about, I was starting to feel a little less charitable and seriously considering punching her in the mouth to shut her up.
“Esmerelda Haynes,” she said. “You just spoke with her last week, didn’t you?”
I took a moment and then shook my head. “Uh, no,” I said, “I’ve never spoken with any Esmerelda. Not last week or even over the course of my entire existence. I do not sell insurance, nor have I ever convinced anyone to give me $5,000.”
She gave me a look that said she absolutely didn’t believe me. This woman did not know me and I wasn’t sure who had told her that I was the one who swindled her poor old granny, but at this point, I just wanted to sit down.

You can order your copies of The Rona Shively Stories by contacting me here. Get all four for just $40!

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Book Signing Tonight!

2010-06-24T10:10:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to post here that I will be at the New Carlisle Public Library in New Carlisle, OH tonight at 6 p.m. to sign copies of my latest book, This Side Up: The Rona Shively Stories. I hope you can make it out to see me this evening!

I'm hard at work on Rona Shively 5! You won't believe what's going on with Rona. She's definitely gotten herself into a situation she won't easily get out of. Someone is trying to set her up and they're using her friends and family to do it. It really is complicated, so if you want to know what's happening, you'll have to read the book. :) I'll keep you posted on my progress, but in the meantime you can order your signed copy of This Side Up or any of the other Rona Shively Stories by e-mailing me today! My first ten orders will get a free gift with their purchase!

Until next time...

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Does it really need to be this difficult?

2010-06-15T10:37:00.004-04:00

Some days I fight with myself. Not in a psycho, Fight Club sort of way, but more like I just won't allow myself to enjoy my life. On those days I somehow dig deep and find more and more ways to justify being unhappy. It makes no sense to me. I have everything I need. I'm not overly concerned with money or wanting things I don't have. It's more of a philosophical struggle with my own well-being. Do I not deserve to be happy? If I do, why can't I convince myself that it's really okay to have a good day?

Over the course of my life, I have been known to have a penchant for self-defeating behavior. I am compelled to take the most difficult route to my destination. I like to think of it in terms of my not being afraid of a challenge, but truthfully, I think it's born more out of some sick, twisted fear of success. When I get really close to having a major breakthrough, I back off and simply stop doing whatever it is I'm doing right. I don't necessarily start doing anything wrong, though in some cases I have, but I just don't do anything that will advance me further.

For instance, I'm going through the beginning stages of a divorce right now. Having separated from my husband at the beginning of May, it's been a little difficult to figure out what it is I'm supposed to be doing with myself. We were together for eleven years and it's been quite difficult to retrain myself. I know that I don't want to regress and live the life I was living before marriage. Before I got married, I wasn't having any fun (though many would beg to differ) and I certainly didn't feel empowered. During marriage, I felt less empowered but I could always blame it on him or at least on being part of a couple. I had lots of ideas about all of the things I would do if I would ever find myself single again and had no one to answer to but myself. But, now that I have the freedom to do those things, I really don't want to. Hence, the fighting with myself. Even when there are no barriers, I tend to create them so it's hard to know what is holding me back.

Thankfully, I have alot of time to think about things now and when I'm ready, I'm sure I'll figure out what it is that I need to do with my time. I write, I pray, I spend time with my daughter. I worry, I pray, I make funny comments on Facebook, and every once in a while, I eat. Seems too long a title for a bestseller; Write, Pray, Parent, Worry, Pray, Be Sarcastic, Eat. But then, you never know what people will like. Especially if they're like me. ;)

Until next time...

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Kindly remove your heart from my sleeve, sir...

2010-05-31T09:29:00.004-04:00

Life is too short to bear the burden of someone else's dissatisfaction. Huh? Yeah, that's right. I said it. I'm sick and tired of being miserable because someone else can't figure out how to be happy and out of some twisted kind of respect for them, being afraid to go ahead and do what I already know how to do. This is the absolute tip-top of a massive tower of bullshit.

Throughout our lives, we will encounter people who will somehow, whether on purpose or by accident, wrap us up in their own perceptions of who we are and who we are entitled to become. Our choice is to either follow their recommendations and live the way they say we should or we could listen to our own ideas about what we can and can't do and then actually live our lives. The problem is that once we allow someone to dictate who we are and who we are allowed to become, it takes alot of work to get back to our own ideas. Alot of time, energy, patience, determination and real work.

There's nothing like a life transition to throw you into a swirling mess of anger, frustration, and uncertainty. It's like being flushed down a giant toilet and not knowing which ocean you might eventually end up floating in. Wait, did I just liken myself to a giant turd? See, it's rough. It's even affecting my self-image. Seriously, though, I'm in the middle of a struggle that I had no idea I would be facing at this point in my life. I say I had no idea, because for years, I had resigned myself to the notion that I would always have to put my ideas about who I was on the back burner until someone else was comfortable with them. I couldn't be comfortable with them either until the important people in my life were on board. What a backward way of thinking!

I've been talking about empowerment for years, but lately, not really feeling 100 percent empowered in my own life. I've made lots of changes that I think improved the quality of my life and some that might have made it just a little more difficult than it needed to be. Through it all, I was led to believe that I was being accepted for who I was becoming. But, upon arrival at my destination, I was basically told that I had taken the wrong flight and that if I wanted to go where I was going, I couldn't bring a carry-on. Had I known that originally, I would have taken the bus. What the hell am I talking about? No, I didn't take a trip that went terribly wrong, well, maybe I did.

Metaphorically speaking, I guess I did. What I'm saying is that sometimes our relationships hold us back and we think it's our problem. We're told it's our problem, we're made to believe that we are the ones with the problem. In reality, sometimes it's simply that the other players in our little production are following a different script and refuse to edit where it makes sense. Myself, I was born holding a red ink pin and am willing to slash through whatever looks stupid, sounds stupid or just plain is stupid. And so, here I am. Sitting alone on Memorial Day, typing this absurdly poignant piece of bloggery for you, my readers and feeling somewhat relieved that we had this time together.

Have a wonderful holiday, celebrate with family, remember your loved ones who have passed on, and don't forget to be who you are, no matter who likes it.

Until next time...

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Long time, no post...

2010-05-22T18:18:00.004-04:00

It's been almost a month since my last post and I'm really forcing myself to sit down and write this one. You see, it's been a rough month. On May 1st, I moved out of my husband's home and set out to live on my own. I took my daughter, my cats, and my stuff and that was that. The move had been a long time coming and didn't seem to make sense to some people who thought that everything in our marriage was just peachy. But in so many ways, it was clear that we had become two people who were moving along on very different paths and in directions opposite one another.

Why write this now? Well, because I'm sitting here and I'm wondering what to do with myself and writing seemed like a good option. I'm not going to go into great detail about our differences here. The point I'm trying to make with this post is that sometimes, things just aren't meant to be. Like for instance, I have been trying and trying and trying to write this book on Women's Self-Esteem for the last three years or so. Every time I got started on it, I would stall. I couldn't get past the fact that I was feeling so unempowered in my own relationships that I had no business writing anything to empower anyone else.

I'm not sure if the changes I have made in my life will make a difference in my ability to go back and finish that book or not, but I'm sure they will play a huge role in my decision to keep or scrap the whole thing. And who knows? Maybe I just liked the idea of writing something like that because I needed to feel empowered. Maybe that isn't the book I'm supposed to write. Maybe I'm meant to write something altogether different from what I once thought I needed to say. I know one thing; forcing the issue doesn't make it any easier to write the words. Just like forcing myself to stay married didn't make it any easier to love my husband.

There are things we hold onto, for whatever reason, that sometimes only serve to give us a good excuse not to be what we are meant to be. If we allow ourselves to remain stuck in the belief that the idea we had about ourselves years ago is still the best idea even after years of changes, triumphs, defeats, achievements, failures, ups, downs, losses and gains, then we will never move any further along our paths than where we once stood. And we'll stand there, gazing longingly into the great beyond wondering what the hell we're doing still standing there.

I for one, hate standing still. I try to be a good person and do what makes others happy. Sometimes, though, it isn't possible to make everyone happy no matter how many ways you twist yourself up. Sometimes, you just have to let it all unravel and see what you can make from the pieces once it's all been disassembled. I figure I'll approach it like the guy on Airplane! who looks at his newspaper and says, "I can make a hat. I can make a brooch..." Seems like an optimistic way to go and a hell of a lot more fun that what I've been having lately.

Hanging in there until next time. ;)

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To Forgive...divine?

2010-04-25T21:35:00.004-04:00

I've been doing some thinking about forgiveness lately. My P.I. character, Rona Shively has struggled with issues related to forgiving people. She has been estranged from her mother for years, she recently broke off her relationship with her boyfriend who was also a close friend for many years, and she also has difficulty forgiving herself when she makes a mistake. The underlying problem with Rona is that she sees forgiveness as allowing someone to walk all over you and then just saying, "Okay, just don't do it again."

I completely understand having issues around forgiving those who have wronged you. Forgiveness does not translate into allowing someone the opportunity to screw you all over again. It does not mean that you will necessarily give someone the opportunity to hurt you again. Forgiving someone does not necessarily absolve that person of their sins and it doesn't have to mean that you give them another chance to do anything to you again whether that thing be bad or good.

I can see where forgiveness is important; however, I think many people often mistake the intended outcome of the act (which is to free the forgiving party's soul to live a life energized by love and peace instead of being burdened by anger and hatred) for their own interpretation of the meaning of forgiveness. In other words, if the person who has hurt you believes that being forgiven gives them a clean slate on which to once again stomp you into then they miss the point. Forgiveness isn't really meant to make the offending party feel better, though that's the way it is often taken. In many cases, people mistakedly believe that forgiveness is meant to serve as a "starting over" point when it may actually be a "jumping off" point for moving on to a better situation.

Rona Shively has been dealing for years with the guilt of having not been able to forgive her mother for cheating on her father. When her boyfriend cheats on her, she wants to have nothing more to do with him. As she continues to grow from book to book, her capacity for forgiveness is gaining momentum. She will soon find herself in a situation where forgiveness may be the difference between life and death. I'll share more about that as I get closer to getting the next book in the series finished. For now, check out This Side Up: The Rona Shively Stories. I'm offering a special right now for anyone who would like to buy two or more Rona Shively Stories! Order two or more of the stories (In the Wash, Under Lock and Key, Keeping the Faith, This Side Up) at the low price of $10 each and shipping is absolutely free! To order this special, e-mail me and put the word "Forgiveness" in the subject line. I'll be running this special until May 1, 2010.

Until next time...

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Rona's Vision of Love...

2010-02-20T11:01:00.005-05:00

In my last post, I talked about the importance of knowing what you want in a partner. I even threatened to have Rona come up with her own list of qualities she was looking for in a mate. Well, here it is. Rona and I sat down last week and went over some of the things that have been plaguing her relationships all these years. I asked her, (just play along), if she could list all of the traits she would want in a life partner, what would they be? Her answers were as follows:

Rona's Personal Vision of Love

He would have to like the same television shows I like...and more importantly to hate the same ones I hate.

He would need to be somewhat affectionate, but not smothering.

He would need to understand that my rear end does not need to be swatted simply because it enters his vicinity.

He would need to like most of the same music that I like...and as with television, hate the same music I hate.

He would need to be somewhat adventurous. Note, adventurous has nothing to do with being open to playing a different video game than you're used to playing. For God's sake, get off the damned couch.

He would need to be ambitious enough to look for ways to improve himself without my constant prodding.

He would need to be fairly self-sufficient, at least to the degree that I am.

He would need to actually talk and listen when we are trying to have a conversation. It would be nice to feel as though speaking with one another and enjoying it was an option.

He would need to understand that I am not prone to sitting back and relaxing. I like to be busy and I like to be doing something that means something. Oh, and it would be nice if he were somewhat interested in doing something meaningful as well.

He would need to be at least as intelligent as I am. I'm no genius, but I really hate spelling things out for people. It tends to dampen my mood when I have to explain something simple to a grown person.

Lastly, he would need to understand that I am nobody's mother. Especially not his.

Whew! Well, I'd like to say that Rona is on the right track with this, and I guess, she might be. At least she knows what she wants. In my latest Rona Shively book, This Side Up, Rona is struggling with some serious relationship anxiety. After reading the book, let me know if you think she might be on the right track with her list or if she should just hang it up altogether. You can buy the book at my website or at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

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Love Stinks, But Sadly I'm Used to the Smell...

2010-02-13T11:48:00.005-05:00

Rona Shively has always been kind of a boob when it comes to relationships. She can't decide whether she wants something serious or she's content just having a fling here and there. It's not that she's a tramp, really. It's more that she hasn't taken the time to sit down and think about what it is that she wants in a partner. I had the fortunate experience of doing this back in 1999 when I took a class in college called Divorce and Remarriage.

It may seem a little strange that I would take this class since I had neither been married, divorced nor remarried at the time I took the class, but it really served as a wake-up call for me. Up to that point, no offense to the guys I've dated, I had really picked some losers. I'm not sure why I did it, but I seemed to gravitate towards men who had absolutely nothing to offer in the way of emotional stability, support and even romance. I recently pulled some of my old school papers from that class and found one of the assignments (along with years of therapy) that helped me get past my emotional stupidity. The assignment was to make a list of things that I was looking for in a man. The teachers, a married couple, called this a "Personal Vision of Love." Here are some of the things that made my list:

He will believe in the importance of self-exploration.
He will value family.
He will be willing to share his hopes and fears with me.
He will understand how my past experiences have shaped the person I am today.
He will have similar recreational interests to my own.
He will have his own spirituality.
He will be down-to-earth.
He will respect himself and me.
He will enjoy working.
He will evolve.

Nice list. I seemed to have all figured out at one point. The good news is that it was only a few months after I wrote these things when I met my husband and we started dating. One year later, we were married. Now, ten years later, I'm absolutely sure I was onto something when I wrote the list, but that's a discussion for another time. For now, let's focus on how this sort of list might help Rona.

If Rona Shively were to make a list of the things she wants in a man. What do you think she would include? Send me your thoughts and I will publish her list here in a few days. I'm interested in seeing your ideas on this one!

Don't forget to order your copy of This Side Up: The Rona Shively Stories at my website today! I'm running a special right now on Keeping the Faith and This Side Up. If you buy them together, you can get them both for $20! That includes shipping! Stop by my website today to order yours!

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Read an excerpt from This Side Up!

2010-01-30T10:48:00.004-05:00

From Chapter One...

I slammed the phone down with somewhat unnecessary force; slumping in my chair like a woman who had spent the better part of the day trying to convince herself that she really didn’t need one man while fretting over not being able to get an altogether different man on the phone. Ah, the irony.

As I pondered this, there was a knock at my door. It was most likely the pizza, but I checked the peephole anyway to make sure. I didn’t see anyone there, so I opened the door cautiously. I’d been fooled by this trick before. I peered outside to see if anyone was waiting to club me over the head, but no one was there. That was odd; I could have sworn someone had been at the door. Maybe I was hearing things. I shut the door and went into my kitchen to see if I had anything to drink in the refrigerator. I opened it up and looked inside. One can of Coke and a couple of bottles of beer. I grabbed the Coke and opened it.

As I took a swig, there was another knock at the door. I was pretty sure it was actually a knock this time. I set the can down on the counter and went over to the door. This time, I reached into my purse which was hanging on its hook near the door and grabbed my gun. I held it at the ready as I looked through the peephole again. This time, I saw the pizza delivery guy standing there holding my pizza, grinning like an idiot. What the hell did he have to be so happy about? He was a pizza delivery guy for Christ’s sake.

I opened the door, still holding my gun. The boy’s eyes grew wide as he saw it in my hand.

“Don’t worry,” I said, “it’s not for you.” I smiled reassuringly and handed him a $20 bill to cover the cost of my order. “Keep the change, dear.”

He handed me the pizza and the Coke and then backed away from me without saying a word. I’d tipped him about four bucks, so in addition to not getting shot, I’d say he did pretty well on this order.

Pre-Order your signed copy today at my website!

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This Side Up: The Rona Shively Stories

2010-01-24T07:43:00.004-05:00

The newest installment in the Rona Shively series is set to be out on February 4th! I'm giving away free copies to five lucky individuals who subscribe to my blog or to my Rona Shively Newsletter. You can be included in the drawing by going to my website and subscribing or simply becoming a follower here at Benston Blogs. The newsletter is quarterly, so you won't be bombarded with Rona Shively stuff every day of your life...unless of course, you request it. In that case, I'd be happy to e-mail you with more frequency and tell you to buy my books, read my books, give my books away as gifts....etcetera, etcetera...

This Side Up is another big mess. Rona is trying to make some big decisions and becomes involved in helping a teenager figure out whether or not she was adopted. In the process, Rona learns that there is just no end to the terrible things that people will do to one another when they have no direction in their lives.

Still searching for some sense of her own purpose, Rona tries her best to help this girl figure out what's going on and why. By the end of this book, Rona is, as always, even more confused than she was to start with.

I'm now accepting pre-orders for This Side Up. Anyone who orders between now and January 31st will get their signed copy for just $12.95. That includes shipping! Check out my book trailer and order your copy of This Side Up at the Rona Shively website!

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Stop, you're both right...

2009-12-27T09:03:00.003-05:00

Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. 1 John 3:18 (NLT)

This week, I've seen a wonderful thing. I've witnessed a most uplifting outpouring of kindness as I watched people bring my sister and her son gifts, clothes and money to help them get through Christmas after having been burned out of their house by a fire on Monday night. It was touching to see so many people giving and giving to a person whom they didn't know, a person who could have been any number of things besides just another human being who was suffering. No one asked her if she was a Christian, or if she believes in God, or if she attends a church in town. People really just wanted to help. I believe that this is what God intends. He wants us to help one another and he doesn't want strings attached. It has always been my understanding that when you are trying to help someone, you are not focused on who they are or what they stand for. You are focused on helping them through whatever it is that they are going through and hoping that you have done all you can without making them feel obligated to do something in return.

So, it got me thinking. My sister was helped by a couple of churches and many, many, churchgoing folks. My sister does not currently go to church. In fact, she believes in some things that scare Christians. I also believe in some things that would scare Christians. But the bottom line is that we both believe in God and have faith that He is leading us on this journey and that whatever He wants to do in our lives is what we must accept and hold as right. We see God's beauty in all things and understand that there is not just one right way to connect with Him. In fact, I feel that to believe that there is only one right way to speak to God is somewhat shortsighted and I'll tell you why. There have been many times in my life when I know that God was right there with me. Many times when I couldn't have been further from being a good Christian woman. I'm still working on being a good Christian woman, but I can look back and see that he pulled me through things that I never should have come through as a sinner who refused, not just put off going, but REFUSED to go to church. I know that there was a time in my life when I was so angry with Him that I worried I would never find my way back to Him. And, if it hadn't been for a constant connection to him through meditation and through constantly looking for answers to the questions I had by exploring other religions and ways of worship, I would never have been able to set foot in a church again.

The point is that He was listening even though I wasn't in church. He was listening even when I wasn't sure if I was a Buddhist, a Wiccan, or a Baptist. He was listening and I'm still here, ready to do what I can to live His will for me.

As the pastor at one of the churches we attend now said at one of the sermons this month, you won't get to heaven by simply going to church. You won't get there by tithing, you won't get there by doing the things you think are what good Christians are supposed to do. At least, you won't get there by doing these things without having this one most important thing: love for God. If you don't love God, no matter what form He takes in your life, you cannot get to heaven. If you don't love God, you can't do His work. You can go through the motions, but you're really only doing these things for yourself and your own gratification. If He isn't at the heart of everything you are doing, then it isn't really for Him.

It's been so hard for me to focus on writing and promoting my books these days because I've been trying to fix my own slanted perceptions of just exactly who I'm doing all of this for. If it isn't for Him, then it isn't worth the time. Yes, it is fun to write and yes, I hope people enjoy what I write, but more than that, I really want to write things that bring people closer to Him. Going into 2010, I'm hoping my work will be worthy of what God wants me to put out there for you. If I'm quiet, you know I'm still working on it.

Here's hoping that you have a wonderful New Year's and that 2010 brings you closer to what matters most in your heart.

3~So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4~Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? Romans 2:3-4 (New International Version)

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What, no comment?

2009-11-15T10:09:00.004-05:00

I've been on a bit of a hiatus, but figured that now was as good a time as any to post something. Over the past month or so, I've been trying to make some changes in my life. I've been trying to reconnect with God after an extended period of estrangement. It's been long overdue and I'm glad that I've finally taken some steps in the right direction. What does this mean to you? Well, probably not nearly what it means to me, but I wanted to take a moment to fill you in anyway.

Part of this journey involves curbing my natural bent toward profanity and being such a hater. Granted, this has been challenging. I've always had a way with words, especially the bad ones. And, I am sometimes quick to say something not so nice about someone whom I feel has issues. Whether I've been right or wrong in some of the things I've said, I feel that I probably could have said alot of it much more lovingly. Don't worry, though. I am not losing my edge. I'm just dulling it a little so that it won't cut quite so deep.

In a bizarre coincidence, just as I'm trying to be a kinder, gentler Rebecca Benston, I get a notification in my inbox this morning from Associate Content. A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about my former publisher, PublishAmerica. I was tired of hearing comments from people who wanted to bash the publisher and any writer who had found themselves under contract with them. I've received a few good comments over the years and today, I got one that really tested my ability to act in a Godly manner. Here is the comment:

Wow. Publish America a legit publisher? that's perhaps the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. Publish America is a Vanity publisher that will put into print, any incoherent nonsense that happens to be written. it is for hacks who have some inflated self worth and believe that commercial publishers, who have rejected them, have done so unjustly. if you get published by PA, you aren't even a writer. you're just someone with a computer who managed to string a few sentences together. I could have a monkey tap dance across my keyboard for 2 hours and come up with something PA would publish. if you are so untalented that you have to use PA to publish, I'm embarrassed for you. Do your homework.

lisa miller

My poor tongue has permanent indentations from the biting it endured after reading this one. I was especially bothered by this woman's refusal to use a capital letter. Fortunately, though, my fingers were able to respond by sending her a nice response which I'll share with you here:

Ms. Miller, I'm not going to go into great detail to explain my position on this. I'll just say that PA was a great starting point for me and that it is not a vanity press. I'm not sure why you feel the need to attack writers who choose PA, perhaps you had a bad experience with them or maybe they actually rejected something you sent them. Whatever the case, I wish you well and hope that you can get a handle on whatever it is that has caused you to be so bitter. By the way, what do you write? I'm interested in checking out your work so that I can see how a real writer does it.

Note, I used no profanity and I think I was fairly tactful. Considering what I really wanted to say, this was actually quite remarkable. In any case, it never ceases to amaze me how some people can spend so much time in bitterness that they would actually take the time to spew such hatred at someone they have never met or had any kind of interaction with. I don't know this person. Or at least, the name doesn't ring a bell. I thought to myself, "Did I cut this woman off in traffic? Did I maybe date her husband in high school or something?" For all I know it's the Navin Johnson curse. She probably just picked my name out of the phone book or something and decided to attack.

The point is, a few months ago my response may have included a couple of choice words and I would have been angry. Today, I feel like I've said what I needed to say and now, I can go to church.

Happy Sunday, all!

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Changes, Updates, and Alterations...

2009-10-18T08:39:00.004-04:00

I'm working on some changes to the blog and hopefully, will have them finished by the end of October. I've been trying to figure out what direction I would like to take with my Rona Shively series and after lots of careful consideration, have come up with something I think will be great! If you haven't had a chance to get Keeping the Faith yet, by all means get over to my website and order your copy today. I have also completed the fourth book in the Rona Shively series and it is due out in February of 2010! I'll be posting more information about this book in a few weeks.

Stay tuned to Benston Blogs for more information about the newest books in the series as well as my other projects. And remember, Tea & Mystery is not just for libraries and book clubs, it's also a great way to spend a few hours with your mystery-loving friends. I'll be posting some new information about Tea & Mystery on my website later today, so be sure to check it out. If you'd like to book a Tea & Mystery event, please e-mail me here.

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Cold Pizza and Coffee...

2009-09-13T10:03:00.004-04:00

Sometimes, things just don't go together. Or maybe we just think they shouldn't because that's what someone else told us. Say for instance, a writing career and some other full-time endeavor such as being a mother or a wife. Now, don't get all huffy. Give me a moment to explain. It's often difficult to see where one role should end and the other should begin. And sometimes it's impossible to see them ever working together in perfect harmony. If we aren't careful, the two roles may find themselves at odds with one another and one or both may suffer. Unless, of course, we find ways to bring the two roles together into something that not only makes sense, but makes you feel like you've accomplished what you originally set out to achieve.

Years ago, I would never have imagined that I would be writing mysteries while also working at a "day job" and being a wife and mother. If you had asked me six years ago where I pictured myself in the year 2010, I would have said that I'd be working in some non-profit agency, fighting unfair changes in policy and being nearly completely miserable with my life while watching my life pass unsatisfyingly in front of my eyes. And you would have said, "Is unsatisfyingly even a word?" Yes, it's in my dictionary. The one I intend to publish later, but that's another story.

In any case, I would never have thought that I would be an elementary school librarian, a mystery writer and the mother of a five and a half year old daughter. These three things actually do go together in lots of ways, however; sometimes when I'm in the midst of it all, I can't see the connections very clearly. When I'm trying to think of all of the things I need to have finished for my students each day as well as the homework I'll be helping Mya with and the corrections I need to make to my manuscript, it all appears very incompatible. How in the hell can I ever get all of these things to work together?

This morning as I was looking around the kitchen, the answer to this question came to me as I filled my coffee cup and then remembered that there was some cold pizza in the refrigerator that I really wanted to eat for breakfast. Of course, many people wouldn't approve of my choice and some wouldn't think it made sense at all. But for me, it was what I wanted. It was what sounded like a great idea to me and it certainly wasn't going to hurt anyone. So what if I'm mixing breakfast with dinner? Who gives a big shit? Unorthodox? Well, sure. But I'm not hungry anymore and I'm wide awake. So, I achieved this morning's goal.

You're probably thinking, "That still doesn't make much sense." Well, okay. My point is this; what may not seem to make sense to others may be exactly what you need in your life. You are the only one who can make that call and you shouldn't worry about what others might think of your choices. Ultimately, you're the one who will suffer the heartburn and so if it doesn't work out well for you, you take responsibility for your actions. Sometimes our goals don't fit into what others may see as where we should be spending our time or expending our energies. To that, I say, "Too bad for them." If I want pizza with my coffee, that's my business. Let them eat eggs.

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Tea & Mystery

2009-08-11T09:39:00.004-04:00

I'm getting ready to leave for Michigan in a few hours to present a Tea & Mystery program at the Allen Park Public Library. As the summer months come to an end, I am extending a special offer to any library, bookstore or book club who invites me to do a Tea & Mystery program. Schedule your event before August 15th and I will donate a copy of my newest book, Keeping the Faith: The Rona Shively Stories to your collection. In addition, I'll take $25 off the total cost of the event! And for all libraries who schedule an event by August 31st, I'll enter you into a drawing where one lucky winner will receive a copy of the entire Rona Shively series!

So, if you're looking for a great program for your patrons or if your book club is looking to do something a little different during its monthly meeting, throw in a little Tea & Mystery! We'll discuss the mystery genre as it pertains to books, movies and television series. You'll have a chance to share your favorites as well as take a stab at guessing whodunit when I read a selection from my book of short mysteries, A Little Bit of Murder. E-mail me today to schedule your event. Visit my website for more information about Tea & Mystery.

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De-Cluttering Project: Day 45 I think....Where the hell am I?

2009-07-30T12:07:00.009-04:00

You would think it would get easier after thirty or forty days. But, unfortunately, that's just not the case. I began this project thinking that I would reach the end of my summer break with the most organized house in America...or at least in Springfield. Instead, I have a house that looks much like the one I started with at the beginning of the summer. Only now I have a big stack of books about de-cluttering sitting on my shelf, taking up space instead of offering advice on how to tame this monster.

It's not all negative, though. In the process of reading up on de-cluttering techniques and tips for organizing your home, I found that clutter is not necessarily my main problem. It has much more to do with a lack of space and money than my lack of organization. For example, I've mentioned before that I'm working with only about 800 square feet of space. Not nearly enough to house three people, three Yorkies and a suitable office area.

Another problem is that in order to do all of the nifty little organizational things that would help me make better use of this space, I'd have to spend hundreds of dollars on shelving units, storage bins, and other gadgets that help hide everyday clutter from view. In Good Housekeeping's Clutter Rescue, most of the tips involve spending money. Not that this is a terrible thing, but one hopes that straightening up their living area wouldn't necessarily require out-of-pocket expense. Especially when one is extremely cheap.

I've also been reading a book called, When Organizing Isn't Enough: S.H.E.D. Your Stuff, Change Your Life, by Julie Morgenstern. It's a pretty good book that deals mainly with understanding when something isn't working for you. For instance, one of my favorite quotes from this book is this one by William Morris, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." You'd be surprised at what this particular principle can cover. I have a tendency to hold onto things, long after they've proven useful or even beautiful. That's why it takes me so long to throw out broken knick-knacks. If someone gave me something, chances are I still have it somewhere. That begins to be quite cumbersome after thirty years or so.

The best part of this book so far has been in Chapter 3 where Morgenstern sites the Zen parable about a wanderer who comes upon a washed out bridge and spends several days making a raft. He could not swim and was afraid to try and wade across. He made a strong raft that carried him safely across the stream and was reluctant to leave it behind once he made it across. He said to himself, "This is a good raft--if there's another stream ahead, I can use it." He ends up carrying the raft for the rest of his life. The point being that although the raft had been useful for one particular task, it wasn't necessary for the man to carry it around for the rest of his life. He didn't need it and would have been better served by tackling each future issue as it happened instead of carrying the baggage and with that, some inkling of dread that comes with always anticipating a problem.

Too often, we forget that just because something worked for us in the past, that doesn't mean that the same solution will always fit the problems in our future. We grow and change and become different people and so will need to adjust the way we deal with our problems to fit the person we become. Carrying around trophies of our past struggles is not as uplifting as we would like to believe, and in fact, can become a symbol of wariness which will hold us back and prevent us from going ahead unencumbered in our future endeavors. If I've learned nothing else from this project, I've come to the realization that getting rid of the clutter will somehow free me to do more good in my life without always running back to my arsenal of crutches for support.

Stay tuned, I'm almost finished with this mess. Just sixteen more days until I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

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De-cluttering Project-Day 27 and no end in sight...

2009-07-17T17:47:00.003-04:00

I'm beginning to think maybe I like clutter. I have come to this conclusion because I managed to find ways to stay gone all week and haven't done one bit of de-cluttering. I don't think I've organized a single thing...including a thought for the entire week. Of course, I have plans to organize things. I always have lots of plans. But my ability to put those plans into action has me feeling a little less than effective these days.

The whole de-cluttering thing is starting to feel like mowing the lawn. You take the time to go out and push the mower around and when you're done, you can see the results right away. The problem is that in a day or so, you look outside and the grass is there again. In much the same way that the grass grows back and waves at you, begging you to come out and mow again, the stacks of mail, magazines, and toys seem to find their way back into the places where you were just weeding through them. So it becomes a battle of wills. Who will cave first? Will you organize to avoid a catastrophe or will you let the piles climb as high as they can before they simply collapse into a much bigger mess on the floor in front of you? In either case, you lose.

I was reading one of my de-cluttering books the other day while I was waiting at the doctor's office. I was almost inspired to do a few of the things in the book until I realized that much of what was being done was simply moving your piles of crap to other areas of the house and calling them something different. My magazines would become my idea files and my bookshelf would become my reference library. Could I possibly fake being stupid long enough to convince myself that renaming these things had made a significant difference in my clutter?

As it stands, I have almost thirty days left to get in all of the de-cluttering that I wanted to do this summer. My last day on this project will be August 15th. Barring any unforeseen calamities, I should be able to at least manage to hold a yard sale before that day arrives. If I can't manage to do that, I shall have to declare this project a failure. I'm not going to make myself feel bad if I do fail. There's something to be said for making the effort. As a matter of fact, I could just rename my clutter and call it something like "assets" or "valuables." I'd be stretching the truth, but at least it wouldn't be "clutter" anymore. I'll worry about that on August 15th. Whatever will be will be...

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De-cluttering Project: Day 22-25 Ways to keep yourself from finishing your de-cluttering project...

2009-07-12T11:47:00.005-04:00

It's official, I'm the best procrastinator in the world. The positive in all of this is that it has given me lots of ideas for my writing such as this wonderful list of 25 ways to prevent yourself from de-cluttering. Enjoy!

25. Start a new project. Hey, why not? You're ambitious enough to start de-cluttering, so how can you not go ahead and tackle some more crap?

24. Put together a photo album using all of the old pictures you just found while working in your first box of junk. You'll get back to de-cluttering later.

23. Bake a cake. It just sounds like a good idea.

22. Eat the cake. Well, you can't bake a cake without at least having a piece of it.

21. Exercise to work off the cake you just ate.

20. Call your mother...or someone else's mother. Depending on which one will keep you on the phone longer. Sometimes, dragging out all of your old stuff makes you feel nostalgic and you just feel the need to call your mom.

19. Take a Youtube break. Some funny videos will surely motivate you to get back into what you were doing. About two hours later, you'll get to that second box.

18. Go househunting. The biggest problem you have is a lack of space. That's what's been creating the clutter, so why not attack the problem at the source. Just find a bigger house.

17. Tweet! You owe it to your followers on Twitter to let them know how you're doing with that big de-cluttering project. Just a couple of tweets and then you'll get right back to it.

16. Decide that now is the right time to rearrange your cd collection by style and then alphabetically by artist.

15. Move your furniture around. Maybe your feng shui is off. Moving the couch just might help things look less cluttered.

14. Call a friend. You just found your old high school yearbook and it brought back lots of memories for you. You'd better call your friend before you forget how much you really want to talk to them right now. It's only been ten years.

13. Plant something. You just unearthed (no pun intended) three packs of seeds and it's such a beautiful day outside. Why not go ahead and plant these while you have them in your hands? It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so you can do more de-cluttering then.

12. Listen to your newly alphabetized cd's in order. Music helps you work faster doesn't it? As long as your dancing breaks are kept to a minimum, it really shouldn't interfere with anything.

11. Re-connect with old friends on Classmates. That song you just heard reminds you of the time you went to that dance with your friends and everyone was acting crazy, but having so much fun. I wonder where they all ended up.

10. Look for that cd you couldn't find when you were alphabetizing earlier. I know I had a Rob Base cd. But where the hell is it? Did I loan that to one of my friends? Was it really twenty years ago?

9. Listen to your husband read the newspaper out loud. Sit and roll your eyes as you politely tell him that you can't concentrate on what he's reading to you right now.

8. Have a quick discussion about what you're working on and why you don't have time to read the newspaper right now.

7. Make yourself a snack. It's been a long morning and all of this de-cluttering avoidance has made you very hungry.

6. Take a Facebook quiz while you're eating lunch. Why not? They're fun.

5. Answer a few e-mails.

4. Fix that problem on your website that you just noticed because of an e-mail that someone sent you. It won't take long to do this.

3. Take some books back to the library. You just found that book that should have gone back two weeks ago. Shit, that's gonna be a big fine.

2. Write down the idea you just had for a short story that has something to do with a woman who was found dead under a mountain of cardboard boxes filled with Happy Meal toys, books, old magazines and yes, one containing that Rob Base cd.

1. Blog. You forgot to do this earlier and what the hell, you've managed to completely waste the rest of your time today. Try it all again tomorrow.

Until next time...

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De-cluttering Project: Day ??-We Interrupt This Program...

2009-07-07T17:21:00.006-04:00

to de-clutter. I've had alot on my mind recently. More and more I have set my thoughts on what my life should look like and how I'm going to get there. This project of de-cluttering is only one of the things I need to do to reach my destination.

The older I get, the more meaningful it becomes to have "me" time. I have recently (within the last two to three months) started making time to walk in the evenings and also to write every day. I had been doing these things sporadically, putting them aside whenever others seemed to want me to do so. All this managed to do was piss me off. So, I decided that I was going to adhere to my schedule no matter how much some people don't want me to. It is so important that I stand my ground on this particular issue. Otherwise, I get entrenched in a kind of clutter I really don't want to deal with; emotional and psychological clutter.

It is so very important to do the things that mean something in your life. For me, there are three things I must do regularly to feel like myself. These include: meditation, walking and writing. Without these things I feel disconnected and I can't even make simple decisions without feeling overburdened. Looking at these things it may seem like I need alot of relaxation, but in truth, I have never been able to fully relax in my life. There have been a couple of occasions when I got really close to it, but I don't think being under the influence of anesthesia or epidural counts.

For those who don't know, I also run a Women's Blog called 2 Higher Ground. On this blog, I talk about things like relaxation and getting in touch with your spiritual side. I also like to post tips over there for how to improve self-esteem and things like that. This blog is the embodiment of all of the things I enjoy and what makes it possible for me to enjoy them. The ability to express what we like and what we don't like is our right and privilege. And if people feel the need to make you feel bad or inferior for doing so, then you need to seriously think about whether or not they should be in your life.

That said, I'm not sure what all this has to do with de-cluttering other than to show how much time one can waste when their thoughts are cluttered by worries about what people think, what people might say if you do or say certain things, or even whether or not people will love you if you change. So don't ever be afraid to express yourself. If being who you are doesn't sit well with those who are supposed to love you, then maybe you aren't loving the right people.

Next post, I promise I will have done some actual de-cluttering in the house. But for now...the de-cluttering of my mind will have to suffice.

Until next time...

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Day 13-Decluttering Project-Why I Hate Happy Meals...

2009-07-03T12:23:00.005-04:00

So I've been moving right along with the de-cluttering. I actually took a few hours the other day to clean out the three bookbags that I often carry with me to ensure that I never miss an opportunity to work on any of the fifteen projects I have going should the spirit move me to do so when I am in transit. I successfully whittled their contents down to where it is contained in one tidy little bag. My shoulder thanks me.

From these:

To this:

It has been a rough week and I have to admit that I didn't spend much time on decluttering due to some personal things that were happening. I did manage to work with my daughter on some of her clutter and that was a major chore. She's five and already she consistently finds ways to avoid working on her room. What we found during the course of this journey into the world of the pre-schooler was that we have way too close a relationship with McDonalds and Burger King. I found an entire box full of those silly little toys that they like to put into their kid's meals to entice children to eat their chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers. Check out this picture:

This tells me that we really need to cut back on the takeout and get her focused on some other things. Granted, it's not like this is a week's worth of toys, but still, I really don't want her collection to grow much past what it already is. She did manage to let go of an entire bag full of toys that she doesn't want anymore. I was proud of her for being willing to let go of it. At least she's on the right track.

While I continue to deal with some emotional clutter, it became increasingly evident to me this week that holding onto things is not a good substitute for growing solid relationships with the people you love. I lost my grandfather this week and he was someone whom I loved very much. I was looking around his house the other day and noticing that he didn't have what I would call a great deal of clutter. He lived very simply and he only seemed to keep things that were functional or had real sentimental value to him. His possessions did not amount to much, but if you knew him, you could tell that he was indeed a wealthy man. Wealthy in a sense that he knew who he was and was comfortable with being that person consistently and without apology. He was a great man and I could take lots of lessons from the way he lived his life. As I continue the process of dis-entrenching myself from this lifestyle I've become reluctantly accustomed to, I will keep this in the back of my mind. I've always known and believed that the stuff isn't what's important, so the sooner I can adhere to my own beliefs, the sooner I will reach my goal of being clutter-free.

Until next time...

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Day Seven-A slight detour into the world of marital infidelity...

2009-06-27T07:50:00.008-04:00

I was in the middle of trying to come up with more that I could write about the de-cluttering process when I stumbled across this little gem: An article on Life Script about why men cheat. Aside from being one of the reasons why I'm not doing so well attacking my de-cluttering project, stopping to read this little nugget really did alot to just piss me off. I decided, in my infinite wisdom to address the reasons listed by offering some additional information on each one. Please enjoy my analysis:

Why They Cheat

"The No.1 reason: Men crave sexual “variety,” according to David Buss, professor of psychology at the University of Texas and author of The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating."~Okay, Mr. Buss, you must be out of your mind to think that this is a valid reason. Craving sexual variety is just a fancy way of saying that the man is a skank who can't be trusted to share his sexual needs and preferences with his wife. If he craves variety, then he should buy a book or something and ask his wife to help him act out some of those fantasies. There is no good reason for a man to ever stray from his wife for sexual gratification.

Buss goes on, with the virtual face-slapping, to say, "They’ve evolved the desire to be with different women,” he says. He justifies this statement by saying, "That’s because it’s very simple for men to reproduce (one act of sex versus nine months of pregnancy for women), so to create as many offspring as possible they’re biologically programmed to mate with many women." Oh dear Lord, it's really a good thing I'm not anywhere near this man, lest I slap him in his eye.

Let's go on to some of the other excuses, shall we. They are doozies.

1. She ain’t what she used to be.

Like Adam, the typical man can’t resist the temptation of riper fruit, especially if the woman in his life has let herself go.~She's let herself go? What the hell? How many men out there do you see with beer bellies and thinning hair that do nothing more to improve themselves than to lay on the couch and watch documentaries about things they have no ambition towards, nor would they have the energy to attack should they find themselves standing upright. She's let herself go, indeed. She let herself go the minute she married you. She needs to let herself go...straight to a lawyer.

In his infinite wisdom, another author cited in this article offers several more excuses. "Ninety-nine percent of the time, there’s a simple reason why: boredom,” says Steve Santagati, author of The Manual: A True Bad Boy Explains How Men Think, Date and Mate – and What Women Can Do to Come Out on Top.

2. No one loves a ball buster.
Perhaps nothing will drive a married man into the arms of another woman faster than a nagging wife. “She’s like a mosquito,” Santagati says. “He doesn’t want to have sex with her; he wants to [swat her away].”~I have only one thing to say to this, "You loved her enough to marry her, wuss!"

3. She just doesn’t “get” me.
Men who cheat say they don’t feel understood by their mate. But it’s not always the woman. Mostly they’re either angry or afraid to connect.~Well, I do have to agree on this one...sometimes, they just can't be gotten. But how do you account for the fact that most of these cheaters have no problem telling their mistresses all about their troubles instead of confiding in the one woman who is supposed to be their best friend? How do you explain that one?

4. It’s the thrill.
Most guys who have affairs are getting in touch with their inner caveman: They like to play with fire. “It adds a level of danger,” Santagati says, “and danger adds to the excitement.”~Guys, you need to really get over yourselves. You are not, no matter how many times you have seen Octopussy, international spies. Please stick to living vicariously through the many James Bond movie marathons that are shown on television throughout the year. If you want a thrill, go ride a roller coaster, not some other woman.

5. Blame it on the “hunter.”
Often, married men who cheat can’t quite explain their motivation. They just find themselves compelled to bust out of their day-to-day routine in search of something new. It’s a primitive instinct that dates back to their role as hunter and gatherer – only this time, they’re hunting and gathering new women.~Are you kidding me? I don't see many men hanging photos of the women they've slept with on their walls the way they hang those ugly ass deer heads up there. Hunter-gatherer, my ass.

6. Biology, baby.
“It’s our biological nature to be with as many females as possible,” Santagati says.~Then it's in your nature to remain single.

7. It’s just sex.
For most guys, sex and love are two entirely different things.~Yes, like laundry and clothing are two separate things. Are you stupid?

8. Not tonight, dear.
Let’s face it. Men want more sex than women.~If they had to put up with the same crap that their wives do, they wouldn't want sex, either. Since when did marriage equal a free pass to exciting, ever-available sex? Especially when you have children. Men who don't get sex when they want it act as though they're spoiled children who didn't get the toy they asked for at Christmastime. Grow up, please! Sometimes you don't get everything you want.

9. Because we can.
Ok, we’re guys, remember? It’s hard to resist temptation, especially when it’s at our fingertips.~Check, please!

Well, there you have it. The reasons why men cheat and why we should be mad as hell about them. Ladies, you have my sympathy.

Until next time...

Information for this stunning rebuttal post was taken from the article at LifeScript.com, 9 Reasons Why Men Cheat: Is He Being Unfaithful to You?

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De-Cluttering Project-Day Four...There's this and then there's that...

2009-06-24T10:56:00.009-04:00

I'm noticing how difficult it is to try and do serious de-cluttering when you have a husband and a five year-old. Perhaps this is why the clutter started in the first place. I don't remember having so much crap when I was single. I'm noticing that there are two types of clutter in my home: Daily Use Clutter and Other Half Clutter.

Daily use clutter is the stuff that we use on a daily basis that seems to be in the way even after you've put it away. Whether this is because you know that you are going to have to haul it all back out again the next day and so you still see it there even when it isn't or because you simply leave it out so that you can get to it more easily. A perfect example of this is my laptop. I have tried putting it away every night, but found it to be a big hassle to keep getting it back out when I want to do my writing in the evenings. Yes, I could use my desktop computer, but I find it much easier to do the bulk of my work on the laptop. Or, my daughter's tablet and markers. She is always writing little notes or drawing pictures and she refuses to put the tablet away. Perhaps she is just imitating her Mommy. I have a hard time enforcing the "put it away" rule with her when I have trouble putting my own writing tools away each day.

Other Half clutter is not exactly what you might think. Yes, most of it is generated by my other half, my husband, Robert. Note, I didn't say better half. This type of clutter is the stuff that your husband gets out to use for a certain task but then doesn't quite get to the other task and so the items stay out until he makes it the rest of the way to the garage, kitchen, basement or wherever this project might be. The other half of getting the project finished is to actually do the thing so that you can put the stuff associated with the project away. For example, there is a bottle of Gorilla Glue staring at me from my bookshelf as we speak. Now, I know and you know that a bottle of Gorilla Glue does not, in any way, qualify as a book. So, why is it resting on my bookshelf? This is the question of the day.

So, now that I've determined that there are two different kinds of clutter in my house, how am I going to address them? For one, I'm going to go down to the library and get that book on how to organize your stuff. There's a really good one down there that I started reading before. I think that if I can just set up some kind of system for daily projects and once in a while stuff, I might be onto something. I will post the name of this book later, after I've gone and picked it up. I would post it now, but my mind is so cluttered with daily stuff and once in a while stuff that the name of the book has escaped me. That's a whole other category of clutter that I'll have to tackle later.

Keep watching the blog to see if I'm making any progress. Until next time...

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De-cluttering: Day One=Procrastination

2009-06-21T07:46:00.007-04:00

As promised, here are some photos and a few words about my progress on the big De-Cluttering project that should have started yesterday...note, I said "should have started."

It looks harmless enough, right? But this is just one piece of a mess that is much more daunting in real life than I could ever capture in pictures. This is why Day One of my De-Cluttering project was spent visiting my father in Kentucky instead of cleaning up and putting things away. I'll get to it, eventually.

It's not as though I haven't attempted to put everything in its place. I've spent lots of time over the years trying to develop a system that would keep all of my papers safely put away and all of my other writing paraphenalia out of everyone else's way when I wasn't using it all. Hence, the bins.

What I have never been able to get a handle on is the clutter that comes from everyday life. My daughter's bag for school, my bags (which are another project in and of themselves), mail, trash, all of the stuff piles up day after day unless you have a system for dealing with it. Granted, my daughter is no longer in pre-school and she won't need to have a bag lying about. I think I can probably tackle that issue without much trouble.

The biggest part of what I'm dealing with is a lack of space. Our house is only about 800 square feet and for three people and a huge amount of crap, that's just not enough. I think we do a fair job with what we have, but the object of this project is to be able to get through the day without feeling like I constantly have to pick something up and put it away. Right now, I'm simply putting off the inevitable until I can get motivated enough to really get into the project. I've got a couple of books that I need to read before I jump in and really start to "de-clutter." I'll be posting more as time permits (hopefully each day, but likely to be a few times during the week).

De-Cluttering/Organization/Goal-Setting Resources

When Organizing Isn't Enough by Julie Morgenstern-Using a program she calls, SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life. I'm currently reading this one and trying to pick out the pieces that will work for me. I'll share more on this later.

The Power of Less by Leo Babauta-A good book to start with if you're looking down the barrel of a project that seems too big to undertake. This book claims to help with breaking down goals into manageable tasks, creating new and productive habits, and focusing on only a few tasks at a time. I'm in desperate need of some guidance here and hoping that reading this book will help me figure out the best way to tackle some of the problem areas in the house and in my life.

Hang in there with me as I attempt to rid my life of chaos and clutter...this should be interesting.

Until next time...

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Searching for Al Green...

2009-06-14T09:08:00.004-04:00

For about six months now, I've been turning my house upside down trying to find my favorite cd. It's an Al Green compilation of his greatest hits and it's one of the best cd's I owned. I've asked everyone I know who might know where this cd is and no one has seen it. It's quite the bummer when you lose something like this and you know that you didn't really take it anywhere, yet it is gone. Since I've been really wanting to hear the cd, I just broke down and ordered a copy of the cd on Ebay and can't wait until it gets here.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, it ties in with this big decluttering project that I'm going to be working on starting next week. I'm quite sure that the minute I receive the new cd in the mail, I will miraculously find the other cd in a box or under something in a closet. That's the way it usually goes.

Stay tuned to see what progress I'm making. For starters, I've started checking out books from the library on de-cluttering and that sort of thing. I'm going to start by trying to find some good tips on how to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. There are lots of resources out there, but finding one that will motivate me is the trick.

If anyone has any suggestions for good books on organization, de-cluttering, making life easier, etc. e-mail them to me and I will check them out. I'll be back next week to post more about this big project...

Until next time...

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Getting Organized...the project!

2009-05-19T10:25:00.008-04:00

I would love to be one of those highly organized people who has a place for everything and has everything its place. Unfortunately, I am the type of person who has a place where things should be and lots of things where they shouldn't be. This is not ideal for a mother, wife, elementary school librarian, and writer. At any given moment, I've got twenty things going on and I usually know the general vicinity of the things I need to lay hands on in a given day, but some days it seems like I'm pulling my hair out trying to remember where I put that ink pen or what happened to that permission slip from my daughter's pre-school. Short of calling the crew from Clean House, I'm not sure what to do. In light of this, I'm designating my first ever free summer to the pursuit of getting organized.

Of course, I'll be writing and promoting during the summer to get ready for the release of Keeping the Faith on September 25th, but the bulk of my time is going to be spent trying to reduce clutter; both emotional and physical. By the end of this year, there won't be ten things standing between me and that note pad I'm always searching for when I need to write out my grocery list. I will be journalling about the process of de-cluttering over the course of the summer and hopefully, after doing lots of research and trial and error, I'll also be giving you information that will help you to de-clutter your own life. Day one will be on Saturday, June 20th. I hope you'll tune in to join me in my quest for a clutter-free life.

Oh...and, yes, there will be pictures. As much as I hate to show my weaknesses, in order to know if a true transformation has taken place, I must do the whole before and after photo thing.

Until next time...

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What I actually said was...

2009-05-08T18:16:00.009-04:00

One thing I really hate is when a person reviews or otherwise gives you feedback about your book that doesn't even match up with what happened in your story. Now, just to be clear, I don't have any problem taking criticism. In fact, I like to know what I'm doing wrong so that I can improve. I can also recognize when someone is having a bad day or just being shitty. I can look past alot of things, but what I can't excuse is when someone begins to dissect a story and it is painfully obvious that they didn't really read it.

For example, I once heard from someone who had reviewed one of my books and in her e-mail to me, she said something about how she didn't think readers would buy the fact that a teenage Rona Shively told her father about what she mistakenly perceived as her mother's infidelity and that, as a result, he sent her packing. Well, the truth is, I don't buy it either. I don't buy it because that's not what I wrote. What I actually wrote was that Rona, being a teenage girl, was very upset by seeing her mother with another man and she told her father what she had seen. Rona asked her father if she could move to Nevada to get away from her mother. Her father had been so heartbroken by the news about her mother that he had helped Rona get away from the situation by sending her to spend some time with a friend of the family. I think, for anyone who knows a dysfunctional family, this type of scenario doesn't seem all that far-fetched. Rona Shively is clearly the product of a family that has issues. Little by little, I've explained this throughout the series and I think it's pretty easy to follow.

This person also said, "What PI would not have a laptop, and need to take one from the pool guy?" Well, in answer to that, I can only say, "Why ask me? That's not really in my book." What is in my book is that one of Rona's clients paid her with a laptop because they didn't have any money. The client had hired Rona to find out if his wife was cheating on him. Rona found that his wife was cheating on him with the pool guy. She didn't take a laptop from a pool guy. Close, but not really. And it isn't necessarily unheard of that a P.I. would not have a laptop. I've said that she isn't necessarily the best detective in the world or even within a twenty-five mile radius of where she lives. She's what I affectionately refer to as the P.I. who's better than nothing. She's not going to fit into anyone's idea of what a P.I. should be, so, if she prefers to use the computer at the library to do her research, that's her prerogative.

I point these things out just to illustrate some of the nit-picking that writers run into when they open themselves up to reviews. Yes, we all want to know how we have done. Yes, we would like to think we've done well. No, we're not happy when someone points out the flaws in our work, but we deal with it. We fix it. We write it better the next time around. Well, that is, unless the criticism is based on something you didn't actually write. Then we tend to wonder whether or not the person reviewing us is actually paying attention.

Surely, this incident is karmic payback for all of the papers I wrote in high school based on my understanding of classic novels I never actually read. Oops...I may have said too much there. In any case, I always tried to at least have the main points of the story clear before offering up any kind of analysis. It's only fair that we at least be accurate in our criticisms if not tactful. If you can't get through the reading, then say so. Don't just make things up. I may forget things on a regular basis, but I remember most of what I write. I think.

Until next time...

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I don't have all of the answers...

2009-04-20T14:23:00.002-04:00

but I've got a few of them. I recently came across an article in one of the online newsletters (Writers Online Workshops) to which I subscribe about the "Five Hard Questions You Must Answer to Succeed" as a writer. I pondered them for a moment and figured, what the hell, I'll give it a shot. So, here are my answers:

Five Hard Questions You Must Answer to Succeed

Who are your favorite authors and why? Lisa Scottoline because she writes about real people and real problems. She also happens to be a wonderful person and I'm truly inspired by her. Janet Evanovich because she explains things in plain English. She doesn't try to fancy it up and she knows what she's talking about. Aside from her Stephanie Plum series, I truly enjoyed her "How I Write" book and use it as a guide in my own writing. J.A. Konrath because he's a fun and talented writer who can really give you the creeps. And I mean that in the most complimentary way. Sarah Strohmeyer for making a character that is so likable in her Bubbles Yablonski books.

What do they do that grabs your attention and keeps you turning pages? It's a combination of being able to relate to what's happening and having felt a connection to what the author is saying. Some writers grab you with their first sentence and you just know that you want to keep going. If it takes twenty pages for me to connect with a writer, then I just can't spend the time reading them.

What keeps you coming back to your favorite genres? The characters. I believe that we create a relationship with our favorite characters and we look forward to finding out what they are doing with each new story. That's what draws me to mystery series. You get to shadow your favorite P.I. or Amateur Sleuth while they figure it all out and you don't even have to dodge the bullets. It's great for those who like to live vicariously through more adventurous types.

What compels you to write fiction/ memoir/ poetry? It gives me somewhere to vent mostly. If I have something I want to say, I can say it through my characters and get my point across without sounding like I'm preaching. I have a few pet causes that I love to talk about, one being women's empowerment. I hope that through my characters, I am showing women in a positive light and in a way that makes them feel more empowered to speak their minds.

How will you make sure that your own work grabs and keeps your readers' attention every bit as well as your own favorites capture you? I'll keep it real...and not like Dave Chappelle real...just true. The emotions of the characters need to come from the same place they come from for me. I don't want to read about how it should feel to experience something and then try to paint that into my storyline in some attempt to be politically correct. If something feels like hell, I want to say it and make the reader understand that pain. Sometimes, things aren't pretty and I think it's important to show characters warts and all. I hope that I am always able to do that in my writing.

This was a fun exercise. I'm always surprised to find out something new about myself when I answer questions like these. Then again, I seem to surprise myself all of the time. But that's another post.

Until next time...

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What do you say to that?

2009-04-19T08:27:00.005-04:00

It seems that there are some people out there who just don't understand how to be tactful and appropriate and that they have decided to bring their ignorance to my table. Generally, I try to respond to morons as tactfully as possible and in some cases, I even ignore the stupidity. This time, however, I am going to take a moment to put it all out there and see where it goes.

For starters, I had a comment come across my blog the other day about the post I wrote on FOX news. When I read the comment, my first thought was that it was crass and inappropriate and that it probably could have been phrased differently, but since it showed a differing viewpoint I was willing to approve it. I responded somewhat jokingly and was prepared to let it go at that. Unfortunately, the other person decided that he or she (of course they posted anonymously) was not ready to let it drop. This, in turn, netted an angry response from another outspoken young lady who posted something else in my defense. At this point, I posted what I believe was a stern response to all of the nonsense and haven't heard more since.

The aim of the original comment was not to add value to the conversation, it was merely to shock the reader. I don't enjoy that. As a matter of fact, I believe it shows a lack of imagination and intelligence on the part of that commentor. If he or she (again, I have no idea which) had wanted to say something important, they would not have resorted to comments about my undergarments and so forth. They simply would have defended FOX news and left it at that.

In an unrelated incident, I was playing around on Facebook the other night and decided I would do one of those top five lists that everyone is doing on there. One of my friends posted her top five cookies and so, I decided to post my own list of favorites. Within a few minutes, I received a comment on my list. The comment went something like this, "Yes, you look like you enjoy all of them, all of the time." I thought to myself, "WTF? Did I say something to offend this guy?" The comment came from a person on my friends list whom I did not know very well. I won't say his name here because, unlike him, I'm at least a little classy. However, if you would like to know who it is, please let me know. We'll talk.

In any case, the comment completely blindsided me and for a while, I was feeling very bad about it. Of course, I immediately deleted both it and the friend from my list. No way am I going to allow someone the opportunity to insult me further once they have done something like this. The funny thing is that this guy was always posting motivational quotes and things that would lead you to believe he is a decent guy. I've never met him, spoken to him directly or anything like that, so I can't be sure if he was having a bad day or if cookies bring out the worst in him or what.

What bothered me most about the second incident is that he had no reason to say it other than just to be mean. Since he doesn't really know me, he doesn't know that my weight has been an issue for several years. You can't be pregnant every year for five years and not hold a little weight on your frame. After five miscarriages, your body tends to be a little uncooperative. Since I know that there are good reasons why I'm overweight and that it isn't simply a matter of sloth and gluttony, I generally have a thicker skin than this (no pun intended) if my weight is ever the topic of conversation. But I just could not understand what prompted such an attack from this person. Even if you're just having a bad day, the old adage, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all," still holds true. There was simply no reason for him to be so vicious.

I realize that anyone can get online and that sometimes, we befriend those who are less than stable. Generally, we add friends to our Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace pages based on very little information and so, we are always at risk of being insulted or offended by our "friends." Does this mean we should stop friending people we don't know in real life? No, it just means that we should be aware that there may some crazy boob lurking about just waiting for an opportunity to call you names or be a big jerk to you. I generally like people until they give me a reason not to. After that, the gloves are off. So, as I said before, if you are on Facebook and you want to make sure you aren't the next target for this guy, please feel free to contact me and I'll let you know who he is.

Until next time...

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You like square whats?

2009-04-15T15:47:00.005-04:00

I am a big fan of Spongebob Squarepants. Any mother of a five-year old is most likely aware of his existence in the everyday life of their child. What I am not a fan of, however, is the use of Spongebob to promote a song that really has nothing to do with children. My daughter, who is five, is not even allowed to listen to this Sir Mix-a-lot song, so imagine my dismay when I looked around at the television to find the big butts song pushing kid's meals. My daughter loves the Burger King kid's meal. How long will it be before she is going around the house singing, "I like square butts and I cannot lie..."?

Is this something that should disturb me? Well, sure it is. For one thing, I don't want her listening to any music that objectifies women. I don't feel that this music does much to further our (women's)cause and I don't feel like children have enough life experience and context to understand the music before the words become engrained on their little psyches. So, long before they understand what it means to "like big butts," they are convinced that they already do.

For another thing, can't Burger King find a better way to lure children into their restaurants than to substitute their own lyrics to a raunchy adult song like this one? I mean, isn't this kind of a cheap tactic to employ? Sure, some parents out there might think the song is funny. I even think the song is a little catchy if you don't listen too closely while you have your brain engaged. But when I really listen to it, I'm somewhat offended and it takes alot to offend me.

I'm not sure how much lower we can sink as a nation if we are going to start marketing to our children through means such as these. What's next, are they going to try to sell dinosaur toys using a cleaned up version of 2 Live Crew's big hit, Me So Horny? Tacky, isn't it? For now, I think we'll give BK a rest and start taking our kid's meal business to McDonald's.

Until next time...

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Writing patiently...

2009-04-06T10:19:00.004-04:00

I used to get so worried when I wasn't writing every day. I had books in my head and ideas scribbled all over the place, but I was making no concentrated effort to organize these thoughts. After writing the third book in the Rona Shively series, Keeping the Faith, I realized that it was the waiting and hanging back that helped make the book into something that I am very proud to have written. If I had rushed through it, I never would have developed the story the way I needed to and I certainly wouldn't have reached novel-length without pulling all of my hair out.

They say that slow and steady wins the race. I have to agree with that. I've never been a patient person and once I started writing, I learned quickly that if I am not patient, I will not accomplish what I want to accomplish. If I rush through writing a story, it won't be any good. If I rush through doing updates to my web pages, I'll forget something or make a big mistake somewhere along the way. If I rush through my interactions with others, I'll miss some valuable piece of information or advice that I might need later on. So, writing and the business of writing has been teaching me patience, slowly, but surely.

What this means to me is that I see things happening much more clearly. When I do accomplish a goal, it is because I have taken all of the necessary steps to do so. I haven't taken any shortcuts. And it seems like the more I back off of things and let them happen as they are supposed to, the more I accomplish. I'm very happy with the way things have been going and I know that even though it is taking me a while to get back into my writing groove, the day will come when I can sit at my keyboard and finish that fourth book in my mystery series. The day will come when I have the finished Women's Self-Esteem book in my hands. I just need to make sure that I am letting things happen the way they should and not rushing to be finished.

For me, the last three years have been amazing in terms of my writing career. Although I'm not a bestseller...yet, I have met so many wonderful people and learned so much about myself and how my world works. My writing has improved over time and I find that I am giving myself more time to recharge in between projects than I did when I started on this journey. That is so unlike me. I'm still anxious to see what else I will learn, but the difference is that now I'm willing to take the time and let that knowledge make its way to me instead of hunting it down and clubbing it over the head.

How do you pace yourself and your writing? What lessons have you learned about writing patiently?

Until next time...

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The Best Advice I Ever Got...

2009-04-02T11:21:00.007-04:00

came from the book, The Right to Write by Julia Cameron. In her book, she said, "Put the drama on the page..." or something along those lines. No matter how it was phrased, it works. She was referring to channeling your emotional energy into writing and not letting everyday drama bog you down. When I read this, I thought, "Wow, that makes sense!" Why hadn't I thought of that before? Well, probably because I've been hip-deep in drama my entire life and it never occurred to me that I didn't have to be until recently. All this time, I had loads of material just waiting to become a bestselling novel. Well...maybe just a widely read short story...or...poem...ok, a haiku???

In any case, I've struggled with various issues over the years; some of them not so pretty. But once they were written down, they didn't seem so daunting and I was able to get through them. Not exactly journalling, just processing what is going on around me through the written word has been an invaluable tool for coping with day to day stress and anxiety. For example, when I miscarried last year for the fifth time, I wrote an article called, "Empty." This article was meant to be a way of processing my pain and helping me to understand my feelings. It did just that and as an added bonus, it ended up being published by Alive Magazine earlier this year. It's coming up on a year since the loss and truthfully, I feel that the article gave me a sense of closure on the matter and it isn't as painful to discuss or even think about as it was before I wrote about it.

Some things have been bogging me down lately and I have a suspicion that this is because I haven't taken enough time to write down my feelings about what has been going on in my life. When I write, I somehow transfer all of that emotional energy onto the page and it doesn't seem so overwhelming as it did floating around in my head. I can always tell when I haven't been writing enough, too, because I feel edgy and disconnected from myself.

For those of you who write, does your writing help you to cope with the stress in your life? Do you find it therapeutic beyond the sense of accomplishment you get from simply getting your ideas out? Or is it just me? :)

I don't know about you, but I certainly feel better just having written this post.

Until next time...

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FOX News needs a spanking...

2009-03-22T08:32:00.003-04:00

for reporting this morning that spankings actually make children more aggressive. I can't see how that's possible unless parents are just hitting their children without doing any other parenting whatsoever. Sure, if all you do is swat your kid and you never talk to them or explain rules or expectations to them, they might grow up hating you and not understanding why you are so mean. But if you are a parent who takes time to talk with your child about things and you find it necessary to spank them for bad behavior every once in a while, I don't see that having any negative ramifications. As a matter of fact, I think that's part of what kids are missing these days. They don't seem to be as weary of punishment as they used to be and I think it is because so many parents started listening to the findings of studies like these.

Ladies and gentlemen, just because a group gets together and researches something, that doesn't make them experts on the matter. It just means they know more about the issue than they did before the study. Parents who are actually trying to parent their children are the real experts on this issue. You know the right way to handle your child. You know when you are being unfair and when you might have taken your punishment of their behavior a bit too far. At least if you're like me, you feel guilty for yelling or losing your temper even when your child has been steadily stomping on your last frayed nerve for the past twelve hours and you've been as patient as patient can be.

My thought is this, we need to stop spending so much time and energy worrying that we shouldn't be asserting ourselves as parents for fear that they will hate us. Your children are going to hate you for one thing or another anyway if you're doing your job right. We need to spend less time justifying our lack of commitment to being the stern disciplinarians our children need and start finding ways to clean up our society. I have a few suggestions: Take those damned horror movie trailors off of the television that show terrible images to our children before we have a chance to turn the channel, take those horrible "booty" songs off the radio so that our five year-olds aren't singing about Apple Bottom jeans, and for God's sake can we drop all of the ads for male enhancement drugs and medication for depression? This shit doesn't need to be in our heads all of the time. If it bothers me, I know it confuses the hell out of my daughter. While I know that it is my responsibility to monitor what she's watching and hearing, they sneak some of these things by so quickly that you don't have a chance to shield your child from it.

I'm not saying that the fault lies entirely with the media or with television or radio, but they don't make things any better by not being responsible about what they put on the air. Just because they get a press release or they hear about some new fad, they automatically think it needs to go out into everyone's homes. I don't even think they screen this stuff anymore. News media makes their living by perpetuating our fears with reports like today's big spanking news. This is bullshit. Parents are already confused enough without FOX News laying a guilt trip on them.

I don't think I'm being unreasonable in wanting a news broadcast to report things that are actually useful to me. Telling me something that I know isn't true just isn't useful. It is downright enfuriating. My husband watches FOX News every morning and I've been trying to understand why. Perhaps he is oblivious to the crap they are throwing out and just needs background noise to accompany his morning coffee. I guess they're good for that.

Until next time...

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Keeping the Faith...available September 25th!

2009-03-19T09:12:00.007-04:00

I'm so happy to announce here on Benston Blogs that my third Rona Shively book, Keeping the Faith will be released by Stonegarden.net Publishing on September 25th! This is the first novel-length Rona Shively story and I can hardly wait for the release date! Rona is going through some changes and you won't believe what she's up against or for that matter, whom she's up against in this one.

Stop by my Rona Shively website for more about this book!

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An Interview with J.A. Konrath...

2009-03-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

Author, J.A. Konrath was kind enough to add Benston Blogs as a stop on his Blog Tour. He stopped by today to answer a few questions for me. For those few people out there who don't know, Konrath is the fabulously talented author of the Jack Daniels series. His first novel, Whiskey Sour (2004), introduced Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels. Others in the series include Bloody Mary (2005), Rusty Nail (2006), Dirty Martini (2007), Fuzzy Navel (2008), and Cherry Bomb (2009). The books combine hair-raising scares and suspense with laugh out loud comedy. The next book in the series, Cherry Bomb, will be released in July of this year. Now, onto the good stuff:

Did you always want to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be before you became an author?

I wanted to be a model for husky pants. But then, when I was barely a teen, they stopped making husky sizes.

Damn those clothing designers for shattering my dreams.

Your stories are fairly creepy, where do you get your ideas?

I mean, I'm not offended by the term "husky." Now they're called "relaxed fit" jeans. It's the same thing, but there's nothing sexy about being a "relaxed fit jeans" model.

What was your question again? Ideas? Mostly, I watch old reruns of the Outer Limits and steal the concepts, like Alan Moore did with Watchmen.

What writers do you read regularly or even irregularly?

I'm not sure if this is the place to talk about my irregularity.

But there are many authors I love. Blake Crouch, Henry Perez, Jeff Strand, Tasha Alexander, James Rollins, Barry Eisler, Raymond Bensen. Lots of people.

My absolute favorite author is Dr. Seuss. In fact, I tried my hand at writing a few Dr. Seuss-style children's books. Here are the titles:

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE MY WIFE

HORTON HATCHES A TERRORIST PLOT

ON BEYOND DONKEY PUNCH

MARVIN K MOONEY WILL YOU PLEASE DROP DEAD

THE CAT IN THE HAT GETS NEUTERED

GREEN EGGS AND E COLI

THIDWICK THE BIG HEARTED COKE DEALER

MR. BROWN CAN MOO, AND THEY PUT HIM AWAY

THERE'S A WOCKET IN MY POCKET, AND I BLAME CIALIS

BOOMER THE TUMOR

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to sell any of these. I think it may be some sort of rights-issue thing.

Do you write every day? If so, give us an idea of what your typical writing day looks like.

I wake up early and make some eggs.

Then the smoke alarm goes off, because the eggs are burning because I fell asleep again.

Then I spend ten minutes explaining to the firemen that show up how I'll be more careful next time.

I go back to bed, and the next thing I know, it's around noon. Time for lunch. I want to make an egg sandwich, but I'm out of eggs. And bread. And pretty much everything except some sort of fruit that's been in the refrigerator forever and might be a lime.

It's not a lime. It may not even be fruit. So I put it back and think about cooking some pasta but that seems like a lot of work for just lunch, so I go take a nap.

Around three I get up, ready to start my work day, but first I need to eat something. Do pizza places delivery at three? I make a few calls. Nope, no one delivers before five.

I check the fridge. The lime thing is still there, but it looks like it moved from where I saw it last. I'm really hungry, so I decide to give it a try.

It's not a lime, because limes don't have bones.

When I finish eating, I sit down at my computer and write my daily quota, thirty pages.

What are you currently working on besides answering these questions?

Currently working on rewrites for TRAPPED, which is my second Jack Kilborn horror novel. The first one, AFRAID, comes out March 31. My one goal is for everyone in the Western world to buy just one copy. That, and so clothing designers to bring back husky pants.

What are the titles of your books and where can we buy them?

The Jack Daniels books, which I write under the name JA Konrath, are Whiskey Sour, Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, Fuzzy Navel, and Cherry Bomb, which comes out July 7.

If you notice, each of these books is named after a drink. In fact, each title is a two word drink, and the first word ends in the letter Y.

If you string all the first words together, whiskey bloody rusty dirty fuzzy cherry, it sounds like a really fun weekend.

Do you have any appearances scheduled?

On March 23, at 7pm, I'll be doing a signing with Barry Eilser in Milwaukee, at the Mystery One bookstore. I'm doing other stuff too, probably.

What advice would you like to give to other writers or anyone interested in becoming a writer?

Never take "no" for an answer. If an agent or editor rejects you, you should keep calling them and emailing them, over and over and over, until they relent and give you a three million dollar contract.

Also, when you're writing a novel, try to remember to use verbs. Editors like verbs.

Thanks for having me here, Rebecca. After goofing off for most of this blog tour, it's nice to finally be serious for once...

Joe

http://www.JAKonrath.com
http://jakonrath.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/jakonrath

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Rihanna has lost her damned mind...

2009-02-28T12:56:00.003-05:00

It was recently announced that Rihanna has decided to go back to Chris Brown. All I can say is that this is not OK. If these two want to fade into the distance with their ridiculous behavior, that's fine but they shouldn't expect society at large to support their reconciliation. Ladies, it is never ok to go back to a man who has been abusive. I don't care what the situation is, a man who will beat you is no man at all.

If you want to read the full story, you can find it here.

Whether they know it or not, these two pop stars have had a huge impact on our youth and all they are doing now is teaching the kids who idolize them that it is okay to beat up on the one you love. They'll forgive you. This is what I like to call irresponsible bullshit. I hope that radio stations and other media outlets will not try to play up some stupid romantic angle on this story. That would be a real shame.

Until next time...

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Bloggers aren't journalists...

2009-02-28T10:31:00.003-05:00

Didn't we know that already? In the latest edition of WebPro News, there is a story about how the House has decided that bloggers do not count as journalists and can therefore be forced to disclose the source of their information if something they have written on their blog is ever called into question.

As you well know, I don't consider some "journalists" to be worthy of being called journalists. At least not the fear-mongering media mouthpieces that I see anyway. And I never really thought that bloggers considered themselves to be "journalists," hell, we're alot better than that. :)

According to WebPro News, both the House and Senate agreed that journalism entails:

"the regular gathering, preparing, collecting, photography, recording, writing, editing, reporting, or publishing of news or information that concerns local, national, or international events or other matters of public interest for dissemination to the public."

Unfortunately, the House chose to add the following language to their definition:

"for a substantial portion of the person's livelihood or for substantial financial gain and includes a supervisor, employer, parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of such covered person."

What this really means is that unless you are operating under a larger umbrella, you can expect to be strong-armed by the government should you say anything suspect on your blog. At least, that's what I got from it.

Share your thoughts about this topic. Everyone knows we get our best information from our bloggers, so what do you all think about this latest development?

Until next time...

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Delayed reaction...

2009-02-24T12:49:00.004-05:00

There has been alot to talk about, but unfortunately, my blogging slows down a bit when my daughter gets sick. I've been home with her for several days now and she is still coughing her pretty little head off. I figured it might do me some good to take a break and vent about some of the things I've been seeing in the news.

First, the whole economy thing. People need to back up off of President Obama and let him do his job. Yes, he's spending money, but it is going to take some spending to fix the great big mess that Mr. Bush left behind. Although I was not a huge Obama supporter during the campaign, I am smart enough to realize that he's not just going off on some wild spending extraveganza. He's got a plan and it's going to cost some dollars to put the plan into action. He did warn us that things will get worse before they get better. In my opininon, the best thing we can do is to be thankful for what we have and trust that things will be better over time. There really is no sense in bitching and moaning that he's spending too much money. Unless we work in his office, we can only speculate as to the necessity of the amount being spent. Give him time...at least as much time as we gave the last guy to muck everything up.

Second, I was happy to see Wall-E win an Oscar! This little movie was just great and it really deserved the recognition. I was a little disappointed the Kung Fu Panda didn't win, but if they had to lose, I'm glad it was to Wall-E. On the other side of things, what was with all the panning to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie during Jennifer Aniston's time at the podium? Someone needs to be slapped in the back of the head for being a troublemaker.

Third, this article about degrading lyrics in music and teen sex. Well, this is a big surprise. As I've said before, many times, there really is no need for some of the language that we are hearing in songs that are played on the radio. If it embarrasses me, I damn sure will not be letting my daughter listen to it. Good article if you're interested.

Lastly, the whole cartoon thing. I think that this is just another example of how irresponsible our journalists have become. To have allowed this cartoon to show up in the New York Post is just ridiculously disrespectful. As I said before, I have not been a huge supporter of Obama, but I do respect his opinions and I think he is very capable of turning this country around if the rest of the country will let him. I believe it is time for our news outlets to begin exercising a bit more prudence in their actions. What happened to delivering the news in an unbiased fashion? When I was learning about journalism, way back in high school and wanted to be a journalist, I was told that journalists never take sides. It seems the opposite is now true and I think this is a shame.

Now that I've vented a little, it's time to get back to my daughter. Another trip to the doctor and a couple of more prescriptions later and she'll be good as new.

Until next time...

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The Media strikes again...

2009-02-20T07:08:00.003-05:00

Once again, I'm disgusted by the media's lack of sensitivity. In the case of pop star, Rihanna, they have now gotten their hands on a picture of what she looked like after the alleged attack by her boyfriend, Chris Brown. It isn't bad enough that she has had to go through such an ordeal, now she has to see what should have been part of a confidential investigation flashed all over the television. It amazes me how the newscaster can talk about the picture as though the big new piece is that no one knows how it was leaked to the media. It doesn't matter how it got to them, the media should have the decency not to put that picture up for anyone to see. This part of things is definitely none of our damned business!!!!

At your lowest point, would you want everyone in the world to be privy to all of the information about your situation? I think that all newscasters should have their private business aired on a daily basis so that they understand the gravity of their actions. News to me is not seeing a picture of a brutalized young woman and hearing the gory details of her attack. News to me is telling me about the economy, about events that are taking place in my community, about the general crime rates (not the specific details of every single crime that takes place), about new programs or maybe even some of the good things that happen out there. News is not a contest for who can dig up the dirtiest, most disturbing details about anyone and everyone. When did our television journalists forget this?

Are you as disgusted by the media as I am? Tell me about it here!

Until next time...

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Time's running out...

2009-02-12T08:30:00.003-05:00

Don't forget that I'll be giving away a special Heartbreaker Prize Package for Valentine's Day and the only way to enter this contest is by commenting on the blog.

Each person who comments on the blog today through Valentine's Day will be entered into the prize drawing! Included in the prize will be a copy of one of my books, some candy, and some other great items! Don't miss your chance to win!

Deadline is 12:01 a.m. on February 14th! I'll announce the winner on Valentine's Day!

Good luck!

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King vs. Meyer

2009-02-07T11:45:00.006-05:00

In a story that made me chuckle to myself, the master of horror Stephen King is quoted as saying, "...Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good." Oh, way to go Mr. King! Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel. I've never been an avid King reader, however; I have lots of respect for the man as an author and I have to agree with him on this one. King has never struck me as being particularly catty and so, I believe his remarks are simply born of frustration with a colleague.

I'm not at all impressed by Meyer and frankly, I don't see what the big deal is about Twilight. I can't bring myself to pick up one of her books after the incident with her leaked manuscript several months back. I just don't support authors who forget that they are writing for their readers and not for their own egos. Once you forget about your audience, you don't deserve to have one.

Along these lines, I have to ask the other aspiring authors out there, "Do you think your writing will suffer after you make it big?" It happens to the best of us. We get a little bit of popularity and it goes straight to our heads. Do you believe that you would be adversely affected by becoming a successful author? Tell me what you think.

For all those who comment on this post, I'll be entering you into a drawing to win a copy of A Little Bit of Murder, my book of short mysteries!

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Should anyone have fourteen children?

2009-01-31T14:31:00.005-05:00

I was reading the news story about the woman in Los Angeles who recently gave birth to octuplets. I'm in total agreement with several of those who commented on her situation by saying that the act was both "disgusting and selfish." I'm wondering who advised her that this was a good idea and why? I'm also wondering who will be paying for the births of these children and how much of L.A. taxpayers' money will go toward healthcare and living expenses for this family.

According to the news story on Yahoo!, the woman who gave birth is single and lives with her mother. She has a degree, but it wasn't clear whether or not she is actually working or if she intends to now that she has fourteen children to take care of. I'm not saying that the single parenting aspect is a bad idea; I'm simply concerned because I know how hard it is to take care of one child when you're married. I can't imagine having so many as a single parent. Hell, I can't imagine having so many children at all.

You have to wonder at her motivation for electing to have fourteen children through in vitro fertilization. Does this woman really love children or is she looking for her fifteen minutes of fame? There are families out there for whom this type of assisted reproduction makes perfect sense and who would begrudge them the opportunity of having a family if they are willing to go through the process and see it through? But this woman seems to have abused her right to reproduce as well as taking advantage of some loophole in the healthcare system which failed to protect these fourteen children from the psychological, emotional, physical and social ramifications of this woman's gluttonous behavior.

Why are these procedures permitted and in some cases, even encouraged by health care providers when the parent in question is clearly operating out of some motive other than simply wanting to be a mother? Sure, we wouldn't want to say that parents are limited to having one or two children, but shouldn't there be a line somewhere?

Until next time...

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Read an excerpt from my upcoming novel for free!

2009-01-29T12:42:00.002-05:00

Updates, Great News, Contests, & Mayhem: Read at your own risk...

2009-01-29T07:52:00.009-05:00

I say, "Read at your own risk," because I am aware that sometimes my gibberish can become quite unpalatable. No matter. I'm just getting a little slap-happy from being home so much. It's this love-hate relationship I have with winter. I do love the way the snow looks when it falls, but I hate to drive in this weather. I love the cold, but I hate having to be bundled up so much in all of the sweaters and jackets. I love having snow days, but I really hate not being able to go out and do stuff.

Thankfully, the time off has given me lots of time to pester people about things like entering the What Would Rona Do? contest which ends on January 31st. Hint, hint. I've also been contacting libraries to schedule Tea & Mystery events! I've also been talking with people on Facebook that I haven't talked to for years. Snow days give you lots of time to catch up on the things you haven't done in a while. They also give you lots of time to think about all of the things you should be doing. For instance, I haven't written a word on my fourth Rona book in at least two days. I opened the file and stared at it for a while, but nothing happened. The story is in my head, hiding behind one of my posts. Not a real post, a blog post. Lest you think there is way to much space in my head. Please, no snide comments about that remark. :)

In other news, perhaps most importantly, I'm feeling elated as I have just discussed my third and fourth Rona books with a publisher who has agreed to sign me. Tentatively, Keeping the Faith is now slated to be released in September of 2009 by Stonegarden.net Publishing. The owner is a great guy and I'm so happy that I am now going to be a part of the Stonegarden family! Sorry it has taken so long to get KTF out, but such is the plight of the aspiring author. I'll be posting more snippets from KTF on my website, so take time to stop by there.

As you probably already figured out from my last paragraph and from previous posts where I've said as much, I am already working on the fourth book in the series. I'll have more information about that one for you in a couple of months. I don't want to give too much away just yet. For now, I'm thrilled that my series has found a new home and I look forward to getting Rona out to more and more people this year! Since I'm feeling generous, I think I'll give something away!

***NEW CONTEST ALERT***

How about this? Not only am I giving something away for Rona's Birthday on 2/4 in the What Would Rona Do? contest; on 2/14 I'll be giving away a special Heartbreaker Prize Package for Valentine's Day and the only way to enter this contest is by commenting on the blog.

Each person who comments on the blog today through Valentine's Day will be entered into the prize drawing! I've posted a picture of the last Prize Package I gave away so that you have an idea of what kinds of things you might win!

There's actually no mayhem, as the post title implied, but I can probably come up with some mishief if it's really that important to you. Mainly, I wanted to share my great news and invite you to win some cool stuff! Have a great day and I'll anxiously await your comments!

Until next time...

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How about brrrr?

2009-01-28T11:47:00.006-05:00

As the snow blankets my universe, I am sitting at home with my daughter and I find myself unable to get any work done. The extent of my progress today has been to answer a couple of e-mails and to wonder what I'm going to fix for dinner. Plagued by this dilemma, I decided to step outside and take a few pictures. Here's what I came up with:

and...

It continues to snow and I'm hopeful that at some point this evening, my brain will realize that I could be using this time a bit more wisely. Maybe I'll have some cocoa, turn off the television and think about life...

Stay warm, everyone and for God's sake, get some work done...;)

Until next time...

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Short Story for 2HG Readers-Last Chapter Posted

2009-01-25T19:22:00.006-05:00

My short story, A Glutton for Punishment has been running on the blog for 2 Higher Ground for the last month. The final chapter of the story was just posted, so hop on over and see how it all ends. The story is about a woman who is struggling to get back on her feet after a nasty divorce and how she gets revenge on her evil ex-husband with a little help from her friends. A Glutton for Punishment is an introduction to some characters from my upcoming women's fiction series called The Maneater's Club! It's kind of like Sex and the City, only bitchier. You'll love it!

Keep watching for more from The Maneater's Club!

Until next time...

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Idol Tainted?

2009-01-24T07:40:00.006-05:00

Yes, by greedy singers who won't take no for an answer. I was reading an article on Yahoo! about how some people feel that American Idol should not let contestant, Joanna Pacitti be in the competition because she has already attempted a career as a pop star and failed. My opinion: I agree! Ms. Pacitti, you had your chance. You don't need a way into the business if you've pretty much already been shut out. I thought American Idol was supposed to be looking for undiscovered talent. If she's already been out there, then, much like a piece of damaged luggage left at the baggage claim in the airport, she's been discovered and left unclaimed due to poor condition.

This sounds cruel, but really, the point of this show is not to bolster anyone's failing career (you know, there's a joke in there somewhere, but I won't go there), it's to help an unknown create a career in music. There have been others who shouldn't have been given the chance to compete. The most recent was Carly Smithson from season 7. She had previously been signed by MCA and her record flopped miserably. This doesn't mean she was not a good singer or that she has no worth as a person, it just means that the general public was not into her style and did not want to buy the product she had put out there. She tried, and she failed. There have been others who were previously signed by record companies, but somehow the stories about these contestants were kept very quiet. I won't go into detail, but I do remember wondering why they were being included when they had already had their big chance. I'm a firm believer in the old adage, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again..." however; once the goal (getting the record deal) has actually been met, you must allow others the same opportunity that you have already had.

I can't understand why competitions such as this one get so far away from their original premise. Someone over there believes that the same formula can't possibly work for more than one season and that we constantly have to "improve" or otherwise distort the original purpose of the contest to keep viewers engaged. I get the sense from the people I talk to that most people don't even really like American Idol, but they can't not watch the show. We are stuck in this endless loop of watching to see how off course the show can possibly go. We aren't necessarily being entertained; we're being sucked into a black hole where the talentless go to steal their fifteen minutes of fame. Whether we want to have heard these people or not, they are being forced upon us. I say that if you've had a record deal that didn't go well then you need to go back to the drawing board and work a little harder at your craft before trying to win a spot in the world of entertainment. If you are talented enough, you'll get another deal and maybe this time, it will go somewhere. If not, well...the person needs to take some time to think about whether or not they really have what it takes to be a singer.

Allowing contestants who've already "won" a record deal to compete in Idol is like letting James Patterson (if he ever wrote a book that flopped, which isn't likely) enter a Writer's Digest novel contest to break back into the writing business. But, you see, we don't do this in writing as far as I know. If you flop, well, you keep on working until you get it right or you disappear. You don't get to keep entering contests once you've gotten the initial go ahead. With the exception of the self-published, published authors are usually not permitted to enter novel writing contests because they do not need to win what is being offered. They've already won it on their own. So, I might buy that an amateur singer who has their own record label would be allowed into the Idol competition, but that's really as far as I would go.

I don't want to give the impression that contest winners are not as deserving of a career as those who have been able to get their own music or writing deals. That's not what I mean at all. Hell, I'd love to win a publishing contract. What I'm saying is that it's called a "Big Break" for a reason. If you continue to have "Big Breaks" and you do nothing with them, well or they just fizzle out, then those "Big Breaks" aren't quite so big anymore. All you are doing is preventing someone who might be more talented than yourself from getting out there and taking their shot. Don't be greedy. There's obviously room for more than one celebrity out there. If you didn't make it with your "Big Break", acknowledge it and move on.

Until next time...

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Making sense...

2009-01-22T09:03:00.003-05:00

I recently had an article published in Alive Magazine called "Empty." The article is about my struggles with multiple miscarriage and how I have coped with my losses. You can read the article here. I'm hoping that this article will be helpful to women who have had the same experience.

Until next time...

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Ready for a change...

2009-01-20T10:24:00.004-05:00

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have been ready to see some big changes in our country's government since the last election. I'm happy that today, we will see a new leader step up and take his place in history. No doubt, the election of Barack Obama is of major historical importance. As our first African-American president, he is a symbol for just how far this country has come in terms of civil rights and just plain valuing people for who they are instead of judging them on the basis of things like skin color, religion, sexual preference, etc.

I, for one, am glad that we have finally gotten to this point and I hope that some of the groups that are still out there promoting the "wrong" kind of behavior will not impede President Obama's progress as he attempts to lead us to the change we so desperately need in this country. I've never been a fan of this kind of hate. I don't understand it and I don't accept it. It has never made sense to me that people would judge one another so harshly on the basis of characteristics that are basically just part of one's appearance. We all know how flawed this type of thinking is and that it has gone on as long as it has is unbelievable to me.

I won't stay on that soapbox too long. People get a little touchy and what I'm really aiming for with this post is to say that in spite of my initial reluctance to vote for Obama, I am happy that he's now preparing to be sworn in as our next president. I feel hopeful and I have confidence that he will work to make this country better. I'd like to take this opportunity to wish President-elect soon to be President Obama the best of luck as he embarks on this journey. I can't wait to see what happens!

Until next time...

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Brain closings...???

2009-01-15T07:14:00.005-05:00

I usually enjoy winter, but this season has me frustrated. Although the snow is beautiful when we get enough of it to cover the mud, it creates this sense of stop and start that effectively prevents me from being able to do anything productive. For someone like me, this falls under the heading of mild torture. When I can't sit down and work on something for a good chunk of time, I hesitate to even begin a project. Even when I have time to do something, I can't focus because I'm waiting to hear if I'm going to need to be somewhere. I simply can't plan around this weather. Thus, my disgust with snowstorms and the whole ordeal of waiting for information on weather related closings.

This problem seems to be more profound now that I am working for our city schools. I just can't get myself motivated to do anything when I'm waiting for more information about whether or not my school is closed. Instead of being able to spend my two-hour delays being productive, I seem to be hooked on watching for more information, effectively trying to will a closing to occur. And that's not the worst of it, it's like I lose brain cells when I'm watching that little ticker flashing closings across the bottom of the television screen. "Must watch for closings," is pretty much imprinted on my cerebral cortex if that's at all possible. There is no room for fiction writing, not even a story about a snow day comes to mind.

So you see, while the weather may not have closed my school, it seems to have closed my brain for the day. I'm surprised I could remember my passwords to check my e-mail. Until I hear that we're either closed or that the roads are really clear, I get no rest. I'm wrapped up in a cycle of worry and anticipation that blocks all creativity.

Of course, I'm exaggerating the point a bit, but the overall effect of this weather has been to stall me in my tracks with regards to how much writing I'm getting done. One would think that a day home from school would mean pages and pages of prize winning material...well, ok, maybe not prize winning, but page-filling. How about that? If only my words could accumulate as quickly as the snow has, then we'd be getting somewhere.

THIS JUST IN...In the time it took me to put this post together, I received the call! We're closed today! Now, I've got all of this pressure to write...geez, I'm never satisfied.

Until next time...

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Blog Tour: How Obama Won by Earl Ofari Hutchinson

2009-01-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

Benston Blogs is pleased to be a stop on Author and Political Analyst, Earl Ofari Hutchinson's Blog Tour for his book, How Obama Won.

How Obama Won is a provocative, hard hitting critical assessment of the issues, events, forces, politics, pressures and controversy that shaped and ensnared Barack Obama in his historic 2008 presidential campaign.

Political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson examines the impact of race and gender, campaign strategy, the key political players, the nature of presidential politics, the changes in the Democratic and Republicans parties, the importance of the black, Hispanic, youth, women and blue collar white worker votes, the role of corporation and special interests in American politics.

Hutchinson tells what the first African-American to win the White House means to America and the world.

How Obama Won

Hutchinson tells why:

Race was not a factor in Obama’s win

The Iraq war and the terrorism were not compelling issues in the campaign

Sarah Palin hurt McCain

Many blue collar whites and rural voters supported Obama

Obama was able to top McCain in fundraising

Ultraconservatives did not unite behind McCain

The economy ultimately sunk McCain

Obama’s win will and won’t change politics in America

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a nationally acclaimed author and political analyst.

He is a frequent guest analyst on:

The John Gibson Show

O'Reilly Show

Hannity & Colmes

Glenn Beck Show

PBS Lehrer Report,

NPR's Talk of the Nation

Various CNN News Shows.

He is the National Political Writer for New America Media and a regular contributor to: the Huffington Post, and BlackAmericaWeb.Com

Excerpts from How Obama Won by Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Table of Contents -
http://learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com/2008/11/take-peek-inside-how-obama-won-by-earl.html

Introduction -
http://learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-obama-won-excerpt-from-introduction.html

Chapter 3 - It Was Still the Economy Stupid - http://learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-obama-won-excerpt-from-chapter-3.html

Chapter 4 - Team Obama’s Money Game Changer - http://learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-obama-won-excerpt-from-chapter-4.html

Chapter 5 The Catch 22 Black Vote -
http://learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-obama-won-excerpt-from-chapter-5.html

Chapter 10 - How Obama Snatched the Race Card off The Presidential Table - http://learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-obama-won-excerpt-from-chapter-10.html

Chapter 14 - The Clinton Factor
http://learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-obama-won-excerpt-from-chapter-14.html

Chapter 19 - Not Black President Obama, Just President Obama
http://learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-obama-won-excerpt-from-chapter-19.html

E-book of How Obama Won is NOW Available - https://www.plimus.com/jsp/buynow.jsp?contractId=2174906

Print Copies of How Obama Won
If you would like to be notified when the print copies of How Obama Won will be available - please fill out the name and address block in the top right corner of the blog.

Affiliate Opportunity
We also have affiliate opportunities if you would like to offer How Obama Won on your site - http://learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-obama-own-affiliate-program.html

Until next time...

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Do writers get sick days?

2009-01-08T11:45:00.006-05:00

Since I basically work for myself in terms of my writing life, I guess the answer to that question is "yes." The bigger question is, "Will a writer actually take one?" I've been battling some kind of upper respiratory bug since before Christmas and the bug seems to be winning. Although I just spent the last two weeks working like crazy on promotional items, short stories and other efforts, I still feel the need to be working on something even when my head feels like it could literally, roll right off of my shoulders.

Taking a sick day gives you the time you need to recharge and as an added bonus, you can justify not spending every waking moment thinking about what you have to do on the very basis of the fact that you are taking a sick day. In spite of this, I have a real problem with being anywhere near my laptop and not working on something. Sure, I feel guilty any time I call in sick to my job as a librarian, but I can't seem to let myself call in completely sick to being a writer. It's like being a mom. Even when you're sick, you're still expected to be a mom and take care of every little thing that your child might need. It's a given.

To me, working on my writing and promoting my writing is what feels normal. It's what feels like home. When I can't do this, I feel disconnected; out of sorts. That feeling only adds to the crappiness of being sick. The problem is that by not allowing myself to rest from my writing, I only get worse. I go from being sick to being SICK. And then when I'm coughing my head off and feeling downright crummy as I have been for the past couple of weeks, I can't seem to remember what I was writing about from one moment to the next. This makes me feel like a big idiot and I really hate feeling like any size of an idiot.

That said, I have to admit that today, instead of getting up and heading for the computer, I stayed in bed until 10 a.m. for the first time in years. It felt good to rest for a change and I'm trying to lay low for the rest of today so that I can be better for tomorrow. I know that if I don't, I'll never be able to get back to what I love doing; the writing. So, as I hit the publish button on this post, I'm going to get ready for yet another nap. No e-mails, no tweets, just sleep.

How do you recharge when you've run yourself into the ground with writing, promotion, networking, etc.? Help your fellow writers out by commenting with your best tips here.

Until next time...

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Whatever happened to having a little class?

2009-01-05T18:46:00.004-05:00

As much as I understand that celebrities are automatically subject to a certain amount of scrutiny, I have to say that I'm appalled at the way the media is scrambling to put out every little detail they can find regarding the tragic death of John Travolta's son, Jett. To me, it seems in poor taste to post things like, "Travolta's son may have died in his arms." I hesitated to even reference the quote here for that very reason. Why do we, fans and others who are not related to the family, need to know these kinds of intimate details? I absolutely love John Travolta, but I feel that details such as these are, in no imagineable way, any of my business. Dealing with the death of a loved one is horrible enough without seeing these things written everywhere. It's just rude and terribly self-serving on the part of these "journalists."

I have said before that I feel that some members of the media have lost touch with the fact that the people about whom they are reporting are human beings who feel and hurt just like anyone else. Just because we can find out all of these things about them doesn't mean that we should. If for no other reason than out of respect for the very process of grieving, we should allow for the utmost of privacy during these times of sorrow. Whatever happened to having a little class?

As a fan of both John and Kelly, I extend my sincerest condolences to the family and hope that they will be able to find peace in this time of sorrow.

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Free Books & Author Spotlights in 2009

2009-01-02T11:30:00.004-05:00

As part of my Author Spotlight feature, I'll be giving away a free copy of the spotlight author's book to one lucky subscriber each month. This month's spotlight author will be J. Walt Layne. His information will be posted by next week and all subscribers to this blog will have a chance to win a copy of one of his books. There will be new author spotlights each month and lots of chances to win great books! Stay tuned to the blog for your chance to win!

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I'll put that on my list...

2009-01-01T09:33:00.006-05:00

Is it possible that there are some people out there who don't make New Year's resolutions? As someone who is constantly setting goals and making plans, I can't imagine letting this annual milestone pass without making at least one commitment to myself to improve something in my life. No matter how nerdy or insignificant that might sound. For those of us out there who are resolution-challenged, I've compiled a few links that you can refer to for help in making your own resolutions:

For absolute beginners: An e-how article on making resolutions.

For people who need more specific guidance: There is a list of ideas for resolutions here from USA.gov.

For people who don't really want to resolve to change anything: This article by Susan Whelan on resolutions to pamper or otherwise indulge yourself. Nothing too overly responsible or guilt-inducing over there.

For people who can't stand people who regularly make resolutions: Although this one by Scott Young is from last year, it's still a very interesting and thought-provoking article. He makes some great points about design flaws in the whole New Year's resolution structure. He asserts that "Resolutions play into the mindset of success and failure." After reading this article, you'll be so ready for an argument that the next person who asks you about your resolutions for the year are might be sorry they bothered. That's just cool.

And of course, for writers: This article on writing-related resolutions appeared in Angela Hoy's Writer's Weekly newsletter. This article is actually pretty good and somewhat helpful.

So, while you're trying to figure out just what it is that you need to do today besides sleep off that Champagne hangover, try your hand at making a resolution. Even if it is just to resolve not to drink so much on New Year's Eve this year.

Happy New Year!

Until next time...

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Reflections on 2008

2008-12-31T23:55:00.004-05:00

2008 has been a challenging year for many of us, but I wanted to take a few moments to talk about some things that made this year a good year for me in spite of a couple of big disappointments.

Early in the year, I came up with my Tea & Mystery speaking series and was fortunate enough to share the presentation with several libraries in Ohio and one all the way up in Waterville, NY. These events have been lots of fun and I'm looking forward to doing many more in the coming months. I already have two scheduled for February, so remember to get in touch if you'd like to schedule one, too! More information about the presentation is available on my website.

After a fairly rough summer, I finally finished working on my third Rona Shively story, Keeping the Faith. It is the first full-length novel in the series and I'm anxious to get it in the hands of my readers. I've already started writing the fourth Rona Shively story and am getting really excited about the changes readers will see in Rona as she tries to figure out how to handle a very sensitive situation involving one of her longtime friends. There will be more info on this one later, but in the meantime you can read excerpts from all three Rona Shively stories at the website.

Another major change for me involved a new job as an elementary school librarian. I have to say that the first couple of months on the job were a little scary. I wasn't sure I'd made the right decision at first, but by the time Christmas break rolled around I had changed my mind. I'm in this for the long haul. I love the kids, love the school and aside from writing, can't think of a job that suits me better than this one. I'm very fortunate to have this opportunity to work with the kids and introduce them to all of the great things that books and reading have to offer.

With these things in mind, I'm heading into 2009 a bit more enthusiastically than I would have thought possible just six months ago. I've gotten lots of good feedback this year on my writing and marketing efforts. I've met lots of great people through social networking and through the speaking events I've presented. And, I've gotten lots of great ideas for some new stories. I'm very optimistic for many reasons and I'm hoping that I can maintain that optimism no matter how things go over the course of the year.

Best wishes to everyone for a wonderful New Year!

Until next time...

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One for the Authors: How do you reach your readers?

2008-12-28T07:43:00.012-05:00

I was sitting here this morning trying to figure out when I had done my last newsletter when it dawned on me that I'm not sure I need both the newsletter and the blog with all of the other stuff I've got out there. I've been working on my websites alot over the past couple of years and seem to be stuck in a pattern that I'm not sure is working as well as it can be to promote the books I write. Between the blog, the social networking, the websites and the newsletters, I still don't know what is really working for me.

I subscribe to a number of marketing newsletters and I visit alot of different types of blogs. There's John Kremer's Book Marketing Blog and Newsletter. I don't regularly visit the website, but have been known to hang around there after reading something intriguing on his newsletter. The newsletter is always very helpful, but doesn't always compel me to visit the site. This is probably because when I find a good website, I tend to read it very carefully the first time I find it and only go back to it when I'm tipped off that there is something I need posted there.

Basically, Kremer's newsletter works in tandem with his website to promote content that is especially useful to new and established authors. He keeps the main content on the site for longer periods of time and then updates little bits here and there; promoting the changes in his newsletter(which I believe is how most people do it). As for blogs, I wasn't even sure where the blog for John Kremer was until I did some digging today so that I could do this post. He's just got so much good stuff over there that I may never get to all of it. This is why I believe his newsletter is probably his most effective tool for reaching me. It may be different for other readers.

The same can be said for one of my other favorite blog/newsletter combos, Penny Sansevieri's A Marketing Expert. I visit Penny's site frequently, however; her blog is located right on her website and is much easier to follow. She does more with social networking sites than anyone I've seen. I always enjoy watching her posts on Twitter and Facebook because I know that I can use just about everything she posts. Nothing is wasted. If you aren't following her on Twitter, you're missing out.

One other marketing expert that I love following is Nikki Leigh with Promo 101. She does a number of things to help promote authors and she has blogs, websites and all manner of outreach. Again, she has so much information on her sites that it can be difficult to get to all of it. But, it is always there waiting for when I have the time to look at it. She has all kinds of different things authors can participate in to help promote themselves and their books. For example, my books are part of the Bad Guys and Villains blog, the Judge a Book by its Cover blog and I believe, the Share your Heroine blog. These can all be found on her website under Free Promotional Blogs and are well worth the time it takes to send her your info. Her newsletter is also very good, but they focus more on promoting current book tours and things like that. I tend to get more from just browsing her websites and blogs to see if I've missed anything.

I do follow some of my favorite fiction authors' blogs. Sometimes I visit to see what new projects they are working on but mainly I visit to get ideas about how I could better design and promote my own work. One that I visit regularly is author J.A. Konrath's A Newbie's Guide to Publishing. Konrath has, without a doubt, the best blog about how to survive the publishing game that I've read. I've gotten lots of good information here and always go back to see what else is new. I don't believe there is a newsletter attached to this blog; at least if there is, I haven't seen it. I'm not sure it needs one, though. It's one of those you simply must put on your feed list.

For me, I've gone back and forth with my websites. For a while, I had the Rona Shively site featured as the main block of information about my writing. I changed it a little over the last couple of years and then decided that I needed to promote my other writing as well by setting up Rebecca Benston Writes. After that, I created my blog. All the while, I had the Life and Times of Rona Shively newsletter going but I've never been quite sure about its reach. The newsletter only focuses on Rona Shively stuff. My blog seems to reach a lot more people, but I tend to promote the hell out of it by using Facebook, Myspace and Twitter to let people know when I have posted something new. The Rona Shively newsletter is in need of a facelift, but I'm not quite sure what direction to take with it. My books are evolving and so the way I promote them needs to evolve as well. I don't know if a Benston Writes newsletter is the way to go. It doesn't really seem to make sense yet.

Marketing and promotion are always on my mind and thankfully, there are talented people like John Kremer, Penny Sansevieri, and Nikki Leigh out there giving great advice on a regular basis. I'm still looking for more great author blogs to read and link to and am hoping that in 2009, I'll find just the right formula for getting the word out about The Rona Shively Stories and my speaking series', Tea & Mystery and Write Yourself Right. If you know of any good blogs or websites that I haven't mentioned here or that I haven't already linked to, please let me know. I'm always on the lookout for good information.

Until next time...

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Are you forgetting something?

2008-12-27T10:45:00.005-05:00

What Would Rona Do? The deadline for contest entries is December 31st! Be sure to send your best idea for how Rona will spend her fortieth birthday. Just e-mail me by December 31st for your chance to win a signed copy of the upcoming Keeping the Faith.

Also, new subscribers will also receive a free e-book version of the Rona Shively Holiday short story, Not Even a Mouse! This is in addition to the free e-book, Little Love Notes! If you haven't subscribed yet, what are you waiting for?

More good stuff is on the way!

Until next time...

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Not Even a Mouse: A Rona Shively Short (Chapters Ten & Eleven)

2008-12-25T20:20:00.003-05:00

Chapter Ten

Close-up, I could see that this man really looked like Santa Claus. He wasn’t just wearing the suit; he had the curly, white hair, rosy cheeks, bright eyes and all. I sniffed and I could smell gingerbread. Did this man smell like gingerbread cookies? That wasn’t possible. He’d been lugging bags back and forth for at least twenty minutes. There was no way he could still smell like this even if he had bathed in cookie batter. Well, I wasn’t sure about that part, but it seemed unlikely.

He turned to go back inside and I hurried around the back to see if I could get a look while he was gone. I opened up one of the red, velvet bags and found exactly what I was hoping to find. There were five Move ‘N Shaker consoles inside along with some other toys and knick-knacks. I checked another bag. The same thing. All of the bags held at least five Move ‘N Shaker consoles. I looked at the license plate of the Suburban to see if I might be able to run it for information on the driver. It said, SANTAC 1. “Oh, shit!” I said. This was a company vehicle. That could only mean one thing.

“What are you doing out here?” I heard a voice say from behind me.

I turned to find the man in the Santa suit standing there with his hands on his hips. He had kind of a grumpy look on his face and he was waiting for me to answer.

“I-uh-I was just-uh, well, hello,” I said, holding my hand out, “I’m Jenny Herman. I’ve been working for Mrs. Clos on a market research project. Is she here, by any chance?” I crossed my fingers behind my back and waited to see if he was going to shake my hand.

He made no move to do so, so I put my hand back down to avoid looking any more like an idiot.

“What kind of project?” he asked, “I don’t know anything about any market research.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” I said, hoping he would play along.

“I’m Sam, I own the place,” he said, “As you can see, we’re closed. Donella’s at home now. You’ll have to catch her tomorrow.”

“I see, I thought she might still be here, so I…” I started to say, but Sam interrupted me.

“Now, Miss, I don’t believe that’s the truth,” he said, “Whatever you’re doing here, you need to leave now. If you need to speak with my wife, come back tomorrow.”

“O-okay,” I said, surprised by his tone. “I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

I backed away from him and he finally said, “Look, I’m sorry for being so abrupt, but I’ve got a lot to do this evening and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention seeing me here tonight.”

“Oh, I, why would I mention it?” I asked, “I never saw you. Sure.”

Why would he care if I mentioned seeing him at his own shop? Something was really wrong with this picture.

I made my way back to the Jeep, trying to keep my eye on him as I backed across the lawn. He watched me until I reached the far side of the house and then he turned and went back inside the warehouse. I was almost to the Jeep when I caught a glimpse of something going on in the house. I had to get a closer look. I walked over and stood beside the window and peered inside. To my surprise, there were a bunch of cookies on the counter and a small conveyor belt set up near the oven in the wall. Cookies were coming out in droves and there, in the kitchen stood Mrs. Clos, sprinkling sugar on top of the cookies as they came out of the oven. I pinched myself to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming again.

Now wait a minute, I thought. If she’s in here and he’s out there, how can she not realize that he’s moving the Move ‘N Shakers out of the warehouse. I went around and tried the front door of the house. It opened. I walked inside and headed into the kitchen area where I had just seen Mrs. Clos and the cookies. No one was there and there were no cookies in the kitchen. This is where I freaked out. I turned and practically ran out the door. I didn’t stop to snoop; I just went outside and got in my Jeep. I was going to leave, but something kept telling me to go back inside and look around. After a few moments, I mustered up the courage to go back in the house. No one was inside, so I needed to just do what I had come to do and get out.

I headed for Mrs. Clos’s office. No one appeared to be hiding in there, so I went around the desk and flipped through some of the papers. I came across a ledger, so I opened it. Here, all of the items manufactured by Santac were listed. I flipped through the pages until I got to the Move ‘N Shakers. From what I could see, Sam was taking ten of the consoles with each shipment that he delivered to the toy stores. Mrs. Clos had written in the margin that Sam’s deal with the local toy stores were that five of them would keep two consoles in their stores at all times. Well, then, why did he have at least twenty of them in the Suburban tonight?

I put the ledger back on the desk. I’d just have to come back tomorrow and talk to her. If she couldn’t answer this, then I was done with the case. I made sure that everything looked just as it had when I’d come in and then I left. When I was behind the wheel of the Jeep, I heard the Suburban start up on the other side of the yard. I prayed that Santa…er, Sam would take the other driveway away from the warehouse instead of driving around back to get out. Thankfully, he did. I pulled away and drove in the direction he was going. Maybe I could follow him for a while to see where he went with the consoles.

I drove, keeping a safe distance between the Suburban and myself, until Sam pulled into a parking lot near the downtown area. I parked about a block away so that I could watch him. He got out and went around to the back where he reached inside. He took out one of the red bags and slung it over his shoulder. He headed for the entrance to the building next to the parking lot. It was St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital.

I got out and headed up to the door, myself. I probably didn’t need to, but I wanted to be sure that my suspicions were correct. I could see the red bag bobbing up and down as he walked down the hallway. I followed as far behind him as I could. He entered the wing marked “Cancer Unit” and set the bag down at the nurse’s station. I saw him talk to the nurse on duty and then he picked up the bag again and started going to the different rooms. He was delivering toys to these kids. There was nothing sinister going on here. I turned and went back out to my Jeep to wait until he came back out. When he did, he still carried the bag, but it was considerably less full. He stopped for a moment as he got to his vehicle and I saw him run a hand over his face. He appeared to be crying, but in the distance it was hard to see.

I followed him for a couple of hours and he stopped at three more hospitals and finally at an orphanage. At the orphanage, he collected the remains of the bags he had been delivering to the hospitals and took it all inside. He came out empty handed and drove away. I needed to know what had happened in there, so I got out and went inside. In the entryway, there was a glass window with a little hole cut into it so that the person sitting behind it could speak to visitors.

“Can I help you, Miss?” the lady asked.

“Yes, actually, the man who was just here,” I started, “did he just deliver some toys?”

“Why, yes, he did,” she said, smiling, “he does it every year.”

“He does?” I asked, “Is he from Santac, Ltd.”

She looked puzzled, “Santac, Ltd.? What’s that?”

“It’s a…oh, well, never mind,” I said, “I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“No, he delivers toys to us after he’s been to the area hospitals. You know, he and his wife lost a child to cancer many years ago and he always makes it a point to take toys over to the cancer units at the children’s hospitals,” she explained.

Puzzled, I looked at her and said, “Really?”

“Oh, yes, I didn’t know this until the last couple of years, but I was curious so I asked him one year where he got all of the toys,” she started to explain. “How rude of me, would you like to come inside?”

“Sure, sure,” I said, still trying to process what she was saying.

She buzzed me through and said, “You don’t look like a criminal, so I guessed it was safe to let you in.”

“Thanks, that’s nice to know,” I said.

“Would you like some coffee?” she asked.

I nodded and she turned and grabbed a mug from the rack behind her and then poured a cup of coffee for me. She handed me the steaming cup and then indicated that we should walk. As we walked, she told me that Sam had come in every year for the last fifteen years to deliver toys. I looked around the place. It was decorated very nicely for an orphanage. Someone had tried very hard to make this place seem like a home. Marjorie, as she introduced herself to me, explained that one night a couple of years ago, Sam had come in and he was crying. He was a mess, so she had sat him down with a cup of coffee and they had talked. This is when she found out that his little boy had died a very tragic death some years ago. He’d had a rare form of cancer and they had tried treatment after treatment, but nothing had worked. Sam had been so distraught that he had been unable to find any joy in the holidays at all until he had started taking toys to the hospital.

“Have you met his wife?” I asked her.

“His wife?” she asked, the look on her face had shown that she was just as puzzled as I felt. “I didn’t think she was still alive, either.”

“Really, you’re sure about this?” I was not prepared for that answer. Had he been going around doing nice things and then lying to people about his wife being dead? That seemed a strange way to do good deeds.

We talked for a little while longer and by the time I left, I was a mess. The story about Sam’s son had made me terribly sad and I was confused about the whole thing with Mrs. Clos. I needed to talk to her as soon as possible.

Chapter Eleven

I tried to sleep, but my dreams were once again filled with visions of Santa and of Mrs. Clos. This time, there was a little boy in the dream, too. I attributed his presence to the discussion I’d had with Marjorie at the orphanage. I resolved to get to the bottom of this matter when I woke up the next morning. The first thing I would do would be to find Mrs. Clos and ask her what was going on between she and Mr. Clos. She might tell me it’s none of my business, but I still wanted to ask the question.

I got up and got dressed, thinking for a fleeting moment that it was strange not to have heard from Trey last night. I’d find him later. Right now, I needed to get some answers. I drove out to Santac and marched inside. Mrs. Clos was standing in the kitchen, sprinkling sugar over a plate of cookies. Sure, now she’s doing this. Where was she last night when I thought I saw this happening?

“I need to talk to you,” I said to her, in a no bullshit tone.

“Well, good morning to you, dear,” she said, “What’s the problem?”

“Do you want to tell me anything about Mr. Clos’s nighttime activities?” I asked.

“His nighttime activities?” she asked. “I don’t know what he does at night, we hardly see each other.”

“Is that why he’s telling people you died?” I asked her, immediately regretting that I’d said it that way.

She stopped sprinkling sugar for a moment and then looked over at me sharply. “He’s doing no such thing!”

“Yes, he is doing such a thing,” I said, “he’s delivering toys to hospitals and orphanages and all the while he’s telling them you passed away. Why would he do that?”

“He’s delivering toys to hospitals and orphanages?” she asked. She looked surprised.

“Yes, bags of them, including several of your Move ‘N Shakers,” I said. “Did you not know about this?”

“Well, no, I didn’t realize he was doing that,” she said, “I thought he just delivered to the toy stores.”

“Don’t the two of you talk?” I asked. “Ever?”

She came around the counter and took a seat at the small kitchen table. When she was seated, she put her hands on her face and let out a sigh. “I didn’t think he was still doing that.”

“Doing what?” I asked.

“Taking toys to the hospitals, it’s the cancer units isn’t it?” she asked.
I nodded.

“Years ago, he told me he was going to stop doing that because it hurt him so to go in there year after year and see those kids,” she said. “I told him it was good for him to give to others and that he should keep going. He assured me that it was too hard on him and that he was not going to do it anymore. I can’t believe he’s been doing it all these years.”

“You didn’t know?” I asked.

She was crying now. “No, I didn’t know. I stopped talking to him years ago after I thought he gave up on it. I had no idea he’d kept going with it. I held a grudge all those years and he’s been doing the right thing.”

“So he didn’t tell you about the extra consoles he’s been taking?” I asked.
She shook her head.

“And that’s why you thought someone had been stealing?” I asked.

She nodded.

This was the biggest case of marital miscommunication I’d ever seen. I knew some married couples didn’t talk, but this was ridiculous.

“Why would he say you’re dead?” I asked.

She looked down at her hands and said, “I told him that if he stopped taking the toys to the kids, he might as well consider himself a widower. He must have really taken that to heart.”

“Well, now, that’s just silly,” I said. “Isn’t that taking things a bit far? You two need to talk and you need to do it soon.”

I couldn’t believe I was giving relationship advice to anyone. I was the last person who knew anything about how to get along with men.

I told her that I was going to consider the case closed. She asked if she owed me anything else for my time. I told her to talk to her husband and that would be enough for me. Before I left, I asked her why I had seen her here last night baking cookies.

“I wasn’t here, dear, you must have seen the holograms,” she said.

“Holograms?” I asked.

“Yes, the windows are rigged to show holograms throughout the house of people doing Christmasy things like baking cookies and such,” she said, “It’s the latest thing in Christmas decorating.”

“Sure,” I said, “That explains it.” I left, feeling so much dumber than I had before.

No one had been stealing from anyone. Sam hadn’t actually been lying to people about Mrs. Clos; he was just relaying her words because the two of them needed some serious relationship counseling. There hadn’t been any wrongdoing at Santac, unless you count what husbands and wives put each other through when they stop talking to one another. It was sad, really. The two of them had gone through so much with the loss of their child so long ago and because they hadn’t talked to each other, their marriage had suffered even more. I hoped that they could fix whatever was wrong between them.

A couple of days later on Christmas Eve, I was sitting in my office when I received a phone call from Sam Clos. He told me that he appreciated whatever I had done to get his wife to finally talk to him. We had a nice conversation and by the time I hung up, I was feeling very happy. I picked up the phone again and called Trey. I invited him over to open his present.

“Present?” he had said, “but I didn’t get you anything.”

“Just bring yourself,” I said, “that’s present enough.”

When I got home, I walked Mrs. Shuble’s present down to her apartment. She was so happy to see me that she gave me a big hug when I walked in the door. She gave me a plate full of cookies and sat down to open her gift. Her face lit up as she pulled the plate from the paper. “I love it, Rona,” she had said. That made me feel pretty good, I guess.

I got back to my apartment at about the same time that Trey was getting there. He had a big box with a bright red bow on top.

“I thought you said you didn’t get me anything,” I said.

“I lied,” he said, grinning.

We went inside and spent the evening eating cookies and opening our gifts. He loved his T-Shirt and I, well, I very much enjoyed his gift to me; a shiny, brass cowbell engraved with, “To My Favorite Girl, Love, Trey.” Some girls might take offense to such a gift, but I thought it was hilarious. I placed the cowbell on my kitchen counter and we sat there and admired it until the wee hours of the night. After that, the rest is for me to know and for no one else to find out.

Merry Christmas, all!

THE END

Thanks for reading! Hope you had a Merry Christmas!

Until next time...

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Not Even a Mouse: A Rona Shively Short (Chapter Nine)

2008-12-25T16:55:00.004-05:00

I dropped Trey off at the place he was calling home and then I headed over to my office. I needed to check on a couple of things and then I was going back to that house tonight to snoop around. The first place I was going to check was in Mrs. Clos’s office. I had a feeling something there might lead me closer to the truth about this case. It was only around eleven-thirty so I had plenty of time to do my research. I had left a copy of the contract at the office, so I grabbed it and headed back towards my apartment.

When I got there, I turned on the laptop and waited for my background check site to come up. When it came up, I typed in Donella Clos and hit the search button. Within a few moments, some names came up on the screen. I looked for one that seemed to be close to her age. There was one that was seventy-three years old, another that was fifty-two and another that was ninety years old. I figured that my Mrs. Clos would be younger than ninety, but it was a toss-up between the other two. I checked the seventy-three year old first. She was listed as living at the same address as Santac, Ltd. That was too easy. Just for fun, I checked the fifty-two year old’s record. She was also listed as living at the same address as Santac, Ltd. That was odd. Maybe they had the wrong information in there.

I switched back and forth between the two records and compared the information. Everything was exactly the same except for the year of birth. This made me wonder so I checked the ninety year old Donella Clos. I could not believe that I was seeing this. Her record was exactly the same as the other two except for the age. This made no sense. I scrolled through each record until I found the name of the spouse. It was listed as Sam T. Clos. Sam T. Clos? This was ridiculous.

None of the Donella Clos’s listed had ever filed for bankruptcy and none of them were listed as employed. Santac, Ltd. was not listed anywhere except as their home address. None of them had ever worked anywhere and there were no children listed on any of the records. So much for thinking that these three could be mother, daughter, and grandmother. I had thought maybe there could be some logical explanation for the three Donella Clos’s and that the spouse listing had been a typo, but I was wrong.

Sam T. Clos wasn’t listed in any database that I could get into so I pushed my chair away from the desk and closed the laptop. I checked my watch. It was about twelve-fifteen. It was still way too early to go snooping around. I was getting impatient and I didn’t think I could wait the whole day to go back to Santac. This was frustrating. The only thing I could do was to wait and possibly get some lunch.

As I sat there looking around my apartment, I glanced across the room at my pitiful, little Christmas tree. I made the effort each year, but there was never anything under it for me or anyone else. I guessed I could go shopping and maybe find a nice gift for Trey. After all, we had been kind of close over the last couple of weeks. Okay, we’d been really close. That had to at least merit a shirt or something.

I grabbed my bag and headed out to my parking lot. I figured I’d go out to the mall and get one of those Philly Steak sandwiches and then look around for something suitable for Trey. The sandwich shop was literally right inside the door of the mall, so I stepped up to the counter and asked for a deluxe combo meal. I gave the lady behind the counter ten bucks and she gave me back a quarter. This sandwich had better be damned good for nine dollars. I sat down at one of the small tables in the restaurant and unwrapped my sandwich. It was smothered with onions and green peppers and smelled just about as good as it looked. What a good idea this had been, I thought.

For a few moments, I sat there enjoying my lunch and when I was finished, I carried my tray to the trash can, emptied it and then set the tray back on the counter. There appeared to be no other appropriate place to put it, so I left. I looked around the mall and tried to think of what to get for Trey without appearing too involved with the idea of us together. I didn’t want him to think I was entertaining thoughts of a relationship. What we had was stressful enough.

I walked through the mall until I finally came to a specialty shop that seemed to fit Trey’s personality. There were all kinds of funny T-Shirts and hats to look at, so I spent some time reading them. I had at least four more hours to kill, so I took my time. After I had read every shirt and hat in the place, I settled on the shirt with the Callahan logo from the movie, Tommy Boy on it. We had watched the movie about a million times together and I knew he would appreciate the reference.
I picked up another shirt for myself. I just liked the whole “More Cowbell” thing and thought it appropriate for the week I was having.

Once I had purchased the shirts, I remembered that Mrs. Shuble was still down the hall from me in the apartment building and that I should probably try to find something for her while I was shopping. I stopped at a shop that looked like it was made for old ladies. There were a bunch of frilly things and porcelain teapots sitting around. Everything looked like something you would see at your grandmother’s house. I found a nice porcelain clock that I thought would be great for her and then I hesitated. If I were really old, would a clock be a constant reminder that my time was limited? I put the clock back and opted for a collectible plate decorated with pretty roses. She liked roses, but she had often complained that she couldn’t keep the real ones alive long enough. This would do.

By the time I finished shopping, I was about a hundred dollars lighter and two hours closer to being able to spy on Santac. I took my stuff back to my apartment and went ahead and wrapped everything with the wrapping paper I’d purchased. This killed another hour. Finally, I decided that now had to be good enough. I put the wrapped items under the tree, including the shirt I had wrapped up for myself. I figured I might as well have something under there. I grabbed a Coke from the refrigerator and headed back out the door.

While driving over to Santac, I got a call from Trey on my cell phone. He asked what I was doing and I told him I was just following up on some things. I didn’t want to tell him where I was. He didn’t need to come back to Santac with me. The reindeer had freaked him out earlier, so I didn’t see the point in subjecting him to further weirdness. I approached the front lot of Santac with caution. No one was there, or at least, it looked deserted. I pulled around to the back of the house and stopped short when I saw a big, red Suburban parked at the door of the warehouse. I put my Jeep in reverse and backed up so that I couldn’t be seen. I quietly got out of the Jeep and crept over to the side of the house to get a closer look.

There, across the lot, was a man in a Santa suit loading items into the Suburban. He brought bag after bag out to the vehicle just as he had done in my dreams the last couple of nights. After a few moments, he disappeared inside the warehouse and I thought it would be a good time to sneak over there and see what he was loading into the vehicle. I hurried across the yard, wishing all the while that it was just two hours later so that I’d at least be hidden by darkness. Not that the light from the Christmas display wouldn’t give me away. Just as I was getting ready to look inside the bags, I heard the door of the warehouse open. I ducked back behind the side of the Suburban. I hoped I was hidden from view as I watched the Santa approach with another bag in his hands.

Just a couple more to go...come back later for more!

Until next time...

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Not Even a Mouse: A Rona Shively Short (Chapter Eight)

2008-12-25T09:16:00.003-05:00

Trey and I talked about the possibilities for a while and I decided that I needed to give Mrs. Clos a call first thing in the morning. We went through our usual tug-of-war over my unwillingness to sleep with him and finally, Trey settled for a kiss and a blanket for the couch. I had to give him an “A” for effort.

I didn’t sleep well at all. I kept dreaming about the house and the animals outside. Again, I saw the red Suburban and the man in the Santa suit. When my alarm clock finally woke me at seven-thirty, I sat up and shook my head to make sure that I was really awake. Before I even got out of bed, I picked up the phone and dialed Mrs. Clos’s number. I listened as the phone just rang and rang. No answering machine picked up. I hung up the phone and sat down at my kitchen table. I was stuck, I was cranky, and on top of everything else, I was hungry.

I trotted down the hall to the bathroom and noticed that Trey was still asleep on the couch. Quietly, I shut the door and went about my business. I was trying to decide how I was going to approach Mrs. Clos with my findings. After talking with Trey last night, I was fairly convinced that none of Santac’s employees were stealing from the company. I was even more convinced that Mrs. Clos might, in fact, be up to something. Thinking back to her visit to my office and the bruises she’d had on her face, I wondered if they might have been related to what was happening with the missing consoles. It didn’t make sense, but stranger things had happened.

I got into the shower, ever watchful of the bathroom door. It didn’t lock and I really didn’t want to be ambushed by Trey in the midst of my lather-rinse-repeat cycle. I didn’t think he would come in if he heard the shower running, but you never know about him. Sometimes, he catches me off guard. When I finished showering, I grabbed my towel and dried off and then wrapped the towel around me to go back to my bedroom. When I opened the door, Trey was sitting up on the couch. He turned and smiled at me, no doubt getting ready to say something stupid about the towel.

“Good morning,” I said.

“It’d be a better morning if you’d drop your towel,” he said, chuckling. See, I told you he couldn’t resist saying something stupid.

I smirked at him and then headed back down the hall to my room to get dressed. “I’m going out to get something to eat,” I yelled back to him, “wanna go?”

“Sure,” he said. I heard him walk across the living room and go into the bathroom. A few moments later, I heard the door open as the toilet was finishing a flush. The next thing I knew, Trey was standing in my doorway. I was still in my towel trying to find something comfortable to wear.

“Hey,” I said, “I’m trying to get dressed, here.”

“I know,” he said, “I almost missed it.” He moved closer to me and put his arms around me. Looking down at me, he brushed his lips over mine. He tasted like my toothpaste.

“Trey, I can’t,” I said.

He kissed me again. Obviously he hadn’t comprehended my previous statement. This time, his kiss was a little longer and just a little bit more involved.

“I can’t do this,” I said.

“Why not?” he asked.

This is where I made my mistake. I thought to myself as he was kissing me, “Why not, indeed?” The next thing I knew, the towel had hit the floor and I wasn’t thinking so much about breakfast anymore.

A half an hour later, I was headed back to the shower. This time, Trey promised that he would leave me alone so that we could get dressed and go get some breakfast. Times like these made me wonder why the two of us hadn’t stayed together. Though I knew the answer, I always came back to the fact that we had such good chemistry and the sex was just so good between us that it didn’t make sense to be with anyone else. I really didn’t need this confusion right now, but here it was again.

I got out of the shower and finished getting myself ready to go. When we were both ready to face the public, we went out to the Jeep and I drove us toward the IHOP.

We went in, sat down and ordered our coffee.

“So, are you going out to that place, today?” he asked when the coffee had arrived.

I emptied a couple of packets of sugar into my cup and stirred it, “You mean, Santac?”

“Yeah, I guess,” he said, “Wherever you’ve been working?”

“I think so,” I said, “I can’t get her on the phone and to tell you the truth, I want to wrap this up.”

“I could go with you,” he said, “I don’t have anything planned today.”

Trey never had anything planned. He just kind of showed up here and there, waiting to make something happen. “I guess you could go,” I said.

We talked as we ate our breakfast and when we were finished, we paid the check and headed out to Santac. When we arrived, I saw that there were no lights on in the building and there were no cars in the parking lot. I told Trey to stay in the Jeep and I went inside to see what was going on.

No one was in the main lobby, so I headed towards Mrs. Clos’s office. She was sitting behind her desk with her hands behind her tiny head. She looked so tired that I almost hated to disturb her. I knocked softly on the door.

“Hello,” she said when she saw me there. “How are you today?”

Her voice was shaky and she seemed distraught.

“Hi, is something the matter?” I asked.

“Oh, well, yes,” she said, “one of our stockers has passed away. He was sick in the hospital and he died in the middle of the night last night.”

“You’re not talking about Tony Albertson, are you?” I asked.

She nodded, “That’s the one.” She sighed deeply and then said, “I’m sorry I forgot to tell you that he couldn’t have been involved with the thefts, either. I’ve been so flustered by all of this that it completely slipped my mind that he’d been sick.”

“That’s alright,” I said, “No problem. I just came by to see if you had a moment to talk.”

“Well, yes, I guess I do,” she said, “We shut down today out of respect for Tony. What is it that you need?”

“I wanted to let you know that I have talked with all of the employees and none of them seem to be the type that would steal from you,” I told her. I swallowed hard before launching into my next statement, “I was wondering if you might have been somehow…mistaken about what was going on?”

She looked down at her desk and tapped a white, gloved finger on her blotter. “Mistaken?” she asked, “How so?”

“Well, what I mean to say is, that…well, are you sure someone is stealing from you?” I said. That came out about as smooth as a gravel road.

“Of course, I’m sure,” she said, “Why else would I pay someone to come in here and look around?” Her tone was even and she didn’t seem angry. She seemed genuinely confused.

“Maybe I’m not being very clear,” I said, “Okay; could there be some other reason why the consoles are coming up missing?”

She still didn’t seem to know what I was getting at. “Not that I’m aware of, dear.”

“Okay, well, I don’t know how much more I can do on this case,” I said, “I could come back later and see if I notice anything strange, but for now, I’ll take a break.”

“Makes sense to me,” she said, “We’ll be open again tomorrow.”

I offered my sympathy for Mr. Albertson and we said our goodbyes. When I got back into the Jeep, Trey was sitting there staring in the direction of the warehouse.

“What’s up?” I asked him.

“I saw something weird over there while you were inside,” he said, “We ought to take a look.”

“When you say weird, what do you mean?” I asked, realizing that weird was fairly normal in this place.

“Well, I don’t really want to say this, but I guess I have to,” he said, “I think I saw a reindeer running around over by that building.”

“A reindeer?” I asked, “Over there?” I pointed to the warehouse.

“Yep,” he said. “It was very strange.”

“I’m sure,” I said. We both got out of the Jeep and headed over to the building to see if we could find the animal. I looked down as we approached the warehouse and sure enough, there were some kind of hoof prints or something like that in the mud.
I wasn’t sure why there was mud in this part of the yard, but I assumed there was a good reason.

“See,” Trey said, pointing to the ground. “This is where I saw it.”

I didn’t know what to make of this. There wasn’t an animal in sight and I knew what the warehouse looked like inside. It wasn’t a place where a reindeer could roam about freely without doing a lot of damage to the décor.

“I don’t see where it could be,” I told Trey. “The warehouse is full of stuff and I know it could not possibly fit in there.”

We went back to the Jeep and that’s when I remembered the kennels that were on the other side of the house. I punched Trey in the shoulder and told him to follow me.
I headed across the parking lot and towards a row of short buildings that lined the opposite side of the yard. We walked up to them and I could hear something rustling around inside. I peeked through a crack in the building and saw a huge, hairy beast that I couldn’t readily identify. I asked Trey to take a look. He did so and then looked at me, “That’s what I saw!”

“That’s a reindeer?” I asked.

“Yep, that’s a reindeer,” he said.

“What the hell does a company like this need with reindeer?” I said.

Trey shrugged. I needed to think about this. We decided to head back to the Jeep and get the hell out of this place. I wanted to do some background checking on Mrs. Clos and her husband. That was the one thing I hadn’t done and now, I was sure that it should have been the first thing on my list.

I'll post more later today!

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Not Even a Mouse: A Rona Shively Short (Chapter Seven)

2008-12-24T21:36:00.006-05:00

I walked quietly back to the workshop area to see if I could find Bergman. I saw a squat, little man standing at the Move ‘N Shaker table. He was wearing a faded blue work shirt, red velvet suspenders and a ratty, old cab driver hat. He held an unlit cigarette between his lips and his expression was just plain grumpy. He appeared to be squinting at the parts as he put them together. I walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hi, are you Monte Bergman?” I asked, smiling. It was so unnatural for me to do this. I rarely smile unless I’m flirting and I was sincerely hoping he didn’t think I was here to ask him out on a date.

“Eh, who’s asking?” he said.

“My name is Jenny Herman,” I said, “I’m doing some market research for Mrs. Clos.”

He put down the parts he was working on and bowed to me slightly as he took my hand. He placed a soft kiss on my hand and said, “Glad to meet you, Ms. Herman.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. He looked scary, but he was actually an old-fashioned gentleman. “Good to meet you, Mr. Bergman. I’d like to ask you a couple of questions about working on the Move ‘N Shaker line. Do you have a minute?”

“Sure I do, and you can call me Monte,” he said with a wink.

Well, this wasn’t what I had expected at all. I asked him a couple of questions and he responded much like the others had. He had days when he was stressed, but for the most part he enjoyed the work. It was a job and there weren’t many out there these days. There especially weren’t many out there for old ex-cons like him.

After I finished talking with him, I felt terrible. I had hoped that he would be a bad person so that I could wrap this investigation up and go home. Just before I went to leave, I asked him about Tony Albertson. I hadn’t seen anyone working the cart the entire time we had been talking. He told me that Tony was a good man who regularly attended St. Mark’s church but that he had been sick for the past two days and was now in the hospital with pneumonia. I wondered why Mrs. Clos hadn’t mentioned this.

I headed home feeling like I had wasted a few hours badgering people who had no clue that they were being singled out as potential criminals. Most of them seemed okay in spite of their quirks. What didn’t sit well with me was that the Move ‘N Shakers were coming up missing, yet no one on the line seemed to be doing anything wrong. It was puzzling.

When I reached my apartment, I let myself in and went straight to the refrigerator. The sandwich from earlier was waiting there to be reheated. I removed it from its wrapper and stuck it on a plate so that I could microwave it back to edible. Within a minute, I had a burger and a Coke sitting in front of me and I was preparing to eat my high cholesterol, high fat midnight snack. Before I could get the first bite, there was a knock at my door.

“Who the hell?” I said, not completing my own sentence, but completely understanding what I meant.

I walked over to the door and looked out the peephole. It was Trey. I had forgotten that he was coming back by tonight. I opened the door and let him in.

“Hey, Toots,” he said, smiling and winking.

“Toots?” I said, “Who wants to be called Toots?”

He grabbed me and kissed my cheek before chucking me under the chin. “I thought all women liked being called Toots.”

“No wonder you’re still single,” I said. I’m not a nice woman.

“Ouch,” he said, “What’s wrong with you tonight? Somebody piss in your Wheaties or something?”

“No, no, I’m just having a tough time figuring out this case I took yesterday,” I said.

“Oh, yeah, what’s it about?” he asked, “Maybe I can help.”

He looked so cute standing there with his arms crossed. I couldn’t even remember what the case was about when I looked at him. Damn, this was distracting.

“Uh, well, I think this lady thinks there’s someone stealing from her company,” I struggled to explain.

“Well, that’s part of the problem, are you even sure what you’re working on?” he laughed.

This snapped me out of my trance and I slapped him on the back of the head for that, “Yes, I’m sure.” I hated for someone to question my intelligence, even when it wasn’t obvious to them that I knew what I was doing.

“Okay, then, who does she think is stealing?” he asked, rubbing the back of his head.

“There were five people that she asked me to check into,” I said, “but they all come up fairly clean and after talking with four of the five, I’m pretty sure none of them are stealing.”

“So it has to be the fifth guy,” he said. “Case closed.”

“Nope, he’s in the hospital,” I said, “and, he’s an old guy who goes to church and all of that. I don’t think he would do it.”

“Okay,” he said, “maybe no one is stealing from her.”

I gave him a look that said, “Are you stupid?” He put his hands up and shrugged his shoulders, “Well?”

“Then why would she come and talk to me about it?” I asked.

“Maybe she’s pulling some kind of insurance fraud and wants it to look good, so she comes to you to investigate something that isn’t really happening?” he said, “It’s an old gag, but it works.”

I thought about this for a moment. Trey knew a lot about fraud; he’d done time in jail for it. And Mrs. Clos was a little screwy.

Come back tomorrow for more of the story!

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