Keeping the Faith...

It's that time of year when I start looking at my writing goals and try to determine what to tackle next. So far, I think I've stayed on task as much as humanly possible given the year I've had. In spite of injuries and other issues, I managed to finish Keeping the Faith and begin working on a couple of new projects. This year hasn't been easy, but it has been full of wonderful new experiences and I'd like to take a moment to mention a few of these.

Although this publisher did not survive the year, I was glad to have been included in the From the Shadows Horror Anthology. I met some really nice people and was able to have my short horror story, Eleven published alongside some very talented horror writers.

I had the good fortune of being included in another anthology this year with the winning entries for the Writer's Digest Short Shorts. My short story, The End placed (although not in the top ten)and was included as one of the top twenty five entries in the contest. I was very happy to be recognized by this publication.

Another wonderful thing that has happened this year has been my Tea & Mystery Tour. I've been to several libraries in Ohio and one in New York state. These discussions have been a great way to get out and meet mystery readers and talk about the two of the things I most enjoy, reading and writing. I look forward to doing more of these discussion next year.

The most rewarding thing that has happened this year in terms of writing has been that I finally finished my first novel-length Rona Shively story. Anyone who knows me, knows that this was especially difficult for me since I have a tendency toward brevity. It's not that I don't have alot to say, it's just that I generally say it very efficiently. So, writing nearly three hundred pages was challenging to say the least. I still haven't figured out what this means to me as a writer, but it wasn't scary enough to stop me from starting my fourth Rona Shively Story shortly after finishing KTF. I'm just anxious to see where this one takes me.

In short, I have lots to be thankful for this year. As usual, things are pretty much as good as can be expected. This is my favorite time of year and I'm hoping that the next couple of months will bring more good news and lots to do for the coming year. Hopefully, the next time I blog, I'll have some news about the status of Keeping the Faith.

Until next time...

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The Difference Between Ignorance and Stupidity...

I might as well write this now. I've thought about it before, but now I know the difference. What I am referring to is that line between being ignorant and just being stupid. This is what I came up with:

Being ignorant means, by definition, that you lack knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified. Being stupid, on the other hand, means that one is given to unintelligent decisions or acts. In one instance, you simply aren't armed with knowledge and therefore cannot be reasonably expected to do the correct thing in a given situation. In the other, well, you just don't have the ability to arm yourself with the knowledge necessary to do the correct thing. No matter what happens, you're not going to be able to figure it out.

I met a shining example of the latter today. I'm at my desk on the telephone trying to listen to someone's voicemail greeting so that I can leave a message for them. This lady, whom I've never met before, comes into my area and starts asking me questions about a print job. I am completely ignorant in this instance. Note, I had no knowledge of what she wanted, who she was, or why she was asking me questions. Ignorant.

Upon seeing that I was on the phone, most people would turn and wait until I hung up the receiver and asked what they needed. Most people would do that. But not this lady. This lady, instead keeps talking even as I glare at her to shut the #@$& up so that I can hear my phone call. Obtuse. Stupid.

When I finally hung up the phone, she was still hanging around the area. She had moved into another corner of the room and appeared to be searching for something. I asked her what she needed and she launched into some sort of speech, though I'm not sure it had the energy of an actual speech, it was more like absent-minded babbling. I still had no idea what she needed, who she was or why she had come to me. Ignorant.

She left, but then a few moments later, returned. This time, I had my purse, my briefcase and my keys in hand and I was ready to leave the building. Upon seeing this, the lady proceeded to ask more questions. I told her that I didn't think I could help her with her problem and that I wasn't necessarily sure who could. Perhaps she should ask someone else. Most people would say, yeah, I'll try someone else. Not this lady. She continued asking me questions although I had made it quite clear that I was not the person who held the key to her dilemma. Stupid.

Hmmmm. I'm not sure how to recover from such an encounter. It almost had me doubting my own capacity, but alas, I feel much better now that I have shared the moment with you. Alas, you are ignorant no more. ;)

Until next time...


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Perceptions...Confusion...Exhaustion...

On this, the eve of Election Day, I find myself wondering why so many people are still optimistic about the prospect of a Republican president. I mean, what more can they be permitted to do to the working people of America? At the rate we've been going, under a new Republican leader, we'd all be lucky to be able to afford bread, milk and toilet paper each week. What person in their right mind looks at the options and says, "Ok, I'll take four more years of this. After all, I don't mind putting money into a retirement fund that is sure to lose money. I don't mind paying through the nose for everything I need to survive and I don't really need to be able to save any money for the next four to eight years."


I have had my doubts about electing Senator Obama to be our next president, but I have to tell you, it scares me more to think that McCain or Palin could ever be in a position of power.






It especially scares me to think about what could happen if Palin ever found herself in the big chair. She doesn't appear to be wrapped too tightly. Though I don't know her personally, her position on things like abortion and teen pregnancy (as evidenced by her own daughter's situation) doesn't impress me. I'm a feminist and although I like the idea of a woman achieving success, I have to say (and it pains me to do so) that some women simply shouldn't have that much power. I hope that my fellow feminists understand me when I say that there are women out there whose agendas have not been set to further the status of women as a group, but to further nothing but their own selfish whims.


I didn't see this in Hillary Clinton and I'm still disgusted that she wasn't picked as our Democratic nominee. I won't beat that horse now, though.





I will, however, keep plugging away at this notion. We all need to get out there and vote tomorrow. If you do nothing else productive with your time, please make sure that you go out and vote. It doesn't take long and your input means everything. We have the power to make some very positive changes, no matter who we choose as our candidate. Although I would encourage everyone to vote Democrat on all counts, I know that we don't all see the benefit in doing so. Perhaps you haven't fallen upon hard enough times. Maybe, you've always voted Republican and you don't easily accept change. Maybe the economy isn't bothering you at all or maybe you're still harboring some ignorant prejudices about our Democratic candidate that you simply can't shake. Please don't take offense, but we need to be rational about the state of our nation today. We're in bad shape and the wrong choice (Republican) will only make things worse and worse over the next several years. They'll keep chipping away at us until the middle class no longer exists. I don't know about you, but I work too damned hard to let greedy politicians take it all away from me and my family.

I'm on pins and needles for now, waiting to see what the future will bring. I am hopeful that our decisions will be the right ones and that whomever we choose, they will lead us away from the chaos that we've fallen into. Though I've not completely decided to vote for Obama, I have decided not to vote for McCain. I do plan to vote for every Democratic candidate for the House and Senate, however, I'm still struggling with some of the negatives I have heard about Obama. When it all comes down to it, though, Obama definitely seems to be the lesser of two evils. Even if it is simply on the basis of the example that has been set by Republicans these past eight years. I have to admit, I've been wondering alot lately, how bad could he be?

I guess it will all come out in the wash and sometime tomorrow evening, we will have a much clearer picture of what our futures hold. Perhaps the one thing we can all be happiest about is that these damned political activists will stop calling us at all hours asking who we are voting for. I know at least that will make me happy.

Until next time...

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Stop being so angry…

My new job has given me lots to think about these past few weeks. In short, some people I've met have given me reason to spout off a little. I won't say exactly why, but after reading this, you'll probably understand:

If you have a child, if you watch a child, if you are around children at all on a regular basis, you need to hear this. I firmly believe that kids take every word we say and store it in their little memory banks until they can find a context where those phrases make sense. The ones they hear most often are the ones that start to mold their very existence and dictate the direction of their lives. So, that being said, I think that especially in cases where your main audience is a child or several children, if you don’t have anything good to say, then don’t say anything at all.

I’m not saying that discipline should not be applied when necessary. I’m saying that every interaction you have with a child should not be your opportunity to vent about the things in your life that make you unhappy. If you don’t like your job, that’s not a child’s fault. It’s yours. If you don’t like your spouse, that’s not your child’s fault. It’s yours. If your life isn’t working out according to plan or due to lack of plan, that is not a child’s fault. It’s, well, you guessed it…it’s your own fault.

When a child hears the same angry or negative messages over and over, they begin to attach those messages to their own character. There can’t possibly be any other reason why someone would be so negative towards me, so I must be bad. This is how the child processes your anger. This is not fair. If you find yourself continuously unhappy, you need to make some changes in the way you process things. And especially in the way you treat those around you.

Okay, I'm done. Until next time...

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