Not my hidden talent…Blogging

Blog readers beware: there’s not much to read here. Blogging…it interferes with life. What would be more fun, well, at least of interest maybe, is questions and answers. Have some? Let’s see how it goes.

I wrote a story a while back, in fact it was published by Five Star. Rosie, the title character, had a knack for answering perplexing questions. Not to say she had ‘all’ the answers, but she did have experience and a logical mind that helped her with decisions. She led a fairly simple life. Not problem free, just a lifestyle that didn’t invite complications. I think she was successful because she expected little from others. But what she did expect in interactions was honesty and punctuality. Tell the truth, be on time. Simple.

So does that mean life, yours or mine, is an open book? I don’t think so. Privacy is essential to well being. And if someone ask questions that are personal, the truth is you don’t have to respond. (Let’s not get into legal situations–yikes–keep life simple.)

Questions about writing, experiences, dreams, desires, life? We can try.

Enjoy the day. Wil

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Stumped ….

A crude title, word, isn’t it? Want to work on my book, tried but what keeps spinning on the wheel of thought is the awful state of affairs we, our country, find our self in. I could say the awful state of the world but then I’d never sleep or write again. As is, I’ll stick close to home for the time being. We all see/hear about the violence, the shootings, the mass murders…over and over again. Why? Guns, bad people, politics, gang warfare, mental illness? Okay, got that. The news outlets repeat the same pictures and dialogue all the time, switch the channels…same ‘outcry’.

So this is what stops me cold: Why aren’t we/they asking who sells these weapons to young angry, violent men? Background checks…are you kidding? Oh, tongue in cheek, most of the guns used in gang warfare are stolen. Buying two AR-15s and a bushel of ammunition would make most people raise an eyebrow, wouldn’t it? But, oh well, someone handed over a sh..t load of weapons to a crazed boy and he killed 19 children, 2 schoolteachers. Legal, hands tied, no responsibility.

Our local news, WRAL, has stories every single day about ‘shootings, killings, gangs’ but they never, ever stop to ask how these fools acquire the weapons. They never inquire as to ‘why the shooters are so violent’. But they do show their ugly, violent faces, report if there’s a history of violence and then move on. Fame for the day. Hour later, same thing, repeat the gun violence story again and again. Every single day, day after day, the same stories. Do they want to promote violence? Show the thugs how it’s done? I might add reporters seem to have a knack for ‘interviewing’ finger pointers who blame the police. Ever hear a reporter say ‘job well done’ to a police organization? Bet not too often. Have you heard recently a ‘good’ story about real lawful police procedures? It’s more about sensationalizing crime, the blame game to the media.

2nd Amendment rights? We won’t lose that right. No need to engage, rightfully, in a winless war. How about taking another approach to stop the deadly process: Prevent and/or restrict senseless sales. Simple. If you want an AR-15 for sport, pay zillions for it, have at mandate: 50, 25 or 10 people must sign as character witnesses, put up a bond, get a congressperson’s okay (that is if you can find a person that understands the 2nd amendment), wait one year before ownership, over 21 (or maybe 30..better), prove you are a collector, prove you have 100 acres of land for target practice. If the problem is illegal gun sales and illegal possessions, make it a federal offense that sticks. None of this slap on the knee nonsense. Yee gads, we have all kinds of technology to aid in discovery of drugs, bio-weapons, foreign spies and we can’t find those who are selling guns illegally?

Is it because no one really cares? Or is it all about flashing the stories on TV for mindless viewers who blame their country, the police, the guns for all the violence and never ask why? Why does the angry, violent, sadistic person have weapons in his hands? Did you hear any reporter ask how the Uvalde shooter, who had no job or car of his own, where he got the money to buy all the weapons and ammunition? Blind eye to reality? Where are the legitimate journalists? Oh, in front of the camera, lights, makeup, dressed to go.

Stumped…gotta find a better word, better exclamation.

Time

Where does it go? Down the block, another city, another state. A pandemic? Yes, that’s puts the breaks on a healthy desire to keep the day full. It’s been writing time for me and with several more publications in my back pocket, I’m thinking about taking the time to just spew once in a while.

In the works, a story called Blue Suede Shoes. It’s going to be in the second volume of Groovy Gum Shoes...a collection of 60’s private eye stories by some really clever, talented writers.. Mishaps, misdemeanors and cumbersome investigations. My guys are brothers. Mishaps in their own right who get caught up in a love triangle, stolen weapons and a very risky alliance with a mobster. Outcome? A ha….buy Volume 1 of Groovy, then sink into Volume 11 when it arrives next spring.

Yes, stories, books usually take a year from submission to publication.

Review: A Killer Past

Title: A Killer Past
Author: Maris Soule
Publisher: Robert Hale, London
ISBN: 978-0-7198-1490-7

Car trouble in the small town of Rivershore, Michigan shouldn’t be a source of concern. Seventy-four year-old Mary Harrington has to walk only two blocks to reach the safety of her home. But, too many houses have been abandoned with the economic downturn. Gangs and drug dealers have staked their claim.

Author Maris Soule doesn’t make the short walk easy for her captivating, wily protagonist. Mary uses skills she acquired in her youth to sidetrack her assailants. Rushed to the hospital with their tails between their legs, they are too ashamed to admit an old lady kicked their asses.

Suspicions arise, though, when Sergeant Jack Rossini responds to the call about gang violence. He’d like to nail the gang members to the wall yet, Mary won’t cooperate. Mary lives in relative peace and kubotan, nunchucks and stealth killers are best kept secrets.

In A Killer Past, author Soule doesn’t pull any punches. She acknowledges both Mary’s strengths and her weaknesses. Thus, you can never be quite sure if the cautious Mary will outwit her assailants no matter how much she works out or lifts weights.

When a co-worker from the chilling past arrives on the scene, Mary is doubly troubled. Her cover might be blown so Soule takes the story to another level of intrigue. Did the government have a role in Mary’s killer past? If so, Mary could meet her maker sooner than she’d like.

The pace is ideal for a cozy mystery but the suspense is on the run. You won’t know who or why until Mary and Sergeant Rossini end up on a long dark trail. Whom can you trust? For sure it’s Maris Soule, who writes a well-developed story. A Killer Past is her best to date.

Z is for …..Z…….

Oh Glory Day! Z is the 26^th letter of the English alphabet and thus, the end of this challenge. What a zany day, what a zany letter! I’ve zigged and zagged to get here. Stopped in the middle of the road, dashed out a note; finished dinner mid-way and cut to the chase. The task at times zapped my energy as I zeroed in on a subject. One day I ate ziti and sipped zinfandel while I toiled at the task. With zest and zeal I forged on to write a witty line. I left out zero and zinc and zip-codes to not be mundane. I ruled out ziggurat and zeolite and zinjanthropus to keep from sounding pompous. I thought of zinger and zipper to bring humor to the subject. But in the end, I settled for Zenith: the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the nadir and vertically above the observer. This, dear ones, is the culminating point! The acme of my writing powers…the end! I’ve reached my zenith.

At least for this challenge.

What is your Z word for the day?

Y is for …..Yahoo

I could have gone for the obvious and written about youth but decided against it because Youth seems to be wasted on the Young. Walk through a Mall—get my drift? Granted, it could be because I’m no longer Youthful or Yearning to be so. Yep, the age of reason has settled in my bones, flows in my veins like honey. I don’t Yearn for much except good food, good wine and eight hours of sleep. So I’ve chosen Yahoo—a catchy word, even with its Youthful connotation. I get email at Yahoo. I say Yahoo on occasion: my team wins, a great movie, a nice walk in the park. Yahoo requires a youthful expression when it’s spoken—an elixir of sorts. Yet, Yahoo’s origin is far from the likes of the cajoling, frolicking crowd. Have you read Guliver’s Travels? Pat Yourself on the back. Swift referred to the members of a brute race as Yahoos. They all had the form and vices of man. Boorish, crass, stupid. I’ve known a few real Yahoos. It is great fun to write about them, disguised as characters in a book. There’s a couple in my book, Fatal Mistake, close to home, but would they think I have mimicked their blundering behavior? Okay, I’ve Yacked enough about this Y word. I’ve got to get my Yankee butt on the move so my husband will quit Yapping at me. He wants Yams for dinner. Those tuberous roots are Yawners for me. Yeah, I’ll be his Yes-man tonight but first I have to check email. Yahoo!

X is for Xenophile

X is for…..Xenophile

Yes, I’ll admit it: I’m attracted to foreign things—style, food, people, places. As a kid I would stare at someone who looked different. Yep, literally gawk until a thunk on the head eased me back into reality. When I got older, I took every opportunity to travel, explore and engage in those foreign ‘things’. You’ll see tidbits of foreign adventures in my home. A statue from Xian, China, a rug from old Yugoslavia, stoneware from Tuscany, a brot bowl from Villiprott. Come for dinner on Saturday,an authentic Thai meal straight from a villagers cookbook However, I’m not inclined to write about foreign subjects. I’d rather stick close to home. Emotions run deeper in familiar places. But here’s a thought, do we really need the 24^th letter in our alphabet? X is difficult. First argument, you have to put a dash after X to make a word everyone understands. X-ray comes to mind. No one relates to xanthone, xeric, or xenolith. Xanthippe? No, you don’t want to be familiar with that word. Xanadu isn’t eXactly or escactly spontaneous. Even if X is at the end of a word, it doesn’t need to be there. For instance: Box—why not Bocks? We wear socks, not sox. Or Facks, not fax—except when you abbreviate. Focks—why Fox? Rocks—only Rox if you’re in a musical. Tacks works good for Tax—it hurts just as much. Secks for Sex? Okay, let’s leave Sex alone. It packs a wallop with or without an X.

What is your X word?

W….is for Will

Victor Hugo said “People do not lack strength, they lack will.” Oh my goodness, if I’d only known the difference between strength and will when I was young. Will or won’t, it’s the meat of the matter; can get you through a difficult time in life, take you to the next level for goals or dump you on the side of the road. It takes will to tackle a tough job. Little will to go along with a task you don’t like. It takes will to stick to a commitment. Little will if you do it to save face. Everyone says they have free will and, yet, give it up at the drop of a hat. For instant gratification, for money, for sex, for fame, to be part of a group. They even give it up when they vote or don’t vote. Will or won’t? A Chinese proverb sets the tone for me: ‘Great souls have will, feeble ones only have wishes.’ What will you do with your day?

And your W word is….?

 

 

 

 

 

 

V is for ….Viewpoint

A viewpoint has a lot to do with eyes and ears. Generally, a viewpoint is an accumulation of sights and sounds and then put into passionate words or deeds. What is casually or carelessly read or what people say and not do can lead to a viewpoint of little substance. The ‘battle’ between the sexes is a striking example of opposing viewpoints. Perhaps an anomaly of nature. Two different subjects, males and females, and yet, many expect the same viewpoint at every turn. She saw it as round, red and with soft edges. He said it was a flat surface with a bright orange light. He sees an opportunity. She sees a feckless venture. Is it relevant? Isn’t it all in the perception? Argue about substance and views change. Offer someone hope or offer them a job. Vote for traditional values or shake the foundation and watch it crumble. In a discussion, viewpoints can get nasty. For the most part, our own viewpoint is the most important. Of course, there’s always the someone who shakes a finger, metaphorically, at the person they don’t agree with and tells them outright they are categorically wrong. Sometimes they are. So I leave you with this thought: “A desk is a dangerous place to view the world.” John le Carre made that pithy statement. Strange—he’s a successful writer, always at a desk, and writes about significant problems in the world. Writers love to write various viewpoints, passion filled, either angry or joyous, and not reveal their own. So have those eyes and ears checked, dear ones, make sure they are working well for you.

What’s your V word.

U is for UNFAIR

 

Oh, what a sorrowful word. Unfair. It’s about as disheartening as unequal. Uneasy isn’t as disquieting but Unfair does make me Uneasy. So maybe we have to understand fair to know unfair. Sports, stock market, politics, education, wages? Can’t seem to come up with a good example of ‘fair’. Fair weather? Nope, it’s fickle. Even if you believe in climate control and think man can master it, it’s still a crap shoot. Unfair. Is it a state of mind or a reality? Why do so many cry Unfair? Did the ref really make those calls to right a wrong or give the underdog a leg up? Did the teacher really lower the bar on tests so the perceived disadvantaged would pass? And if so, who gained in the long run? How about the fact that no matter how fast you run, someone else can run faster. Or how sick you’ve been, someone is more ill. How smart, how slim, how fat, how slow, how cute, how poor, how rich….there’s always someone who is more or less of the whatever. So, it’s a state of mind, right? Life is. On a light note here’s something to consider: “Girls have an unfair advantage over men. If they can’t get what they want by being smart, they can get it by being dumb.” Unfair? Surely, that will make some of you laugh. A few will say it’s a bad rap for girls. Oh well. Unfair or not, Yul Brynner thought it was true. Life is unfair. Death is unfair. It is what it is.

What is your U word?