What Pounds My Cake! - The Pastrami Conundrum - by Jane Ruby

Wanna know what pounds my cake? I’ll tell you anyway - ordering from the deli department at a grocery store. Lately they think they know better than you. They want you to be 1000% satisfied with your purchase, even though you’re 100% satisfied with what you’ve gotten for a billion years.

Since Covid restrictions have been lifted from most deli departments (including my favorite), customers are again allowed to taste a sample of meat, cheese, or macaroni salad before purchasing. I did so when spying a new type of beef pastrami. Now they have two types: “Classic” (my fav) and “Romanian” (the new kid—or rather calf—on the block, heh, heh, see where I went with this?). Anyway, I wanted to taste the Romanian type before making my choice.

For those who’ve never had pastrami, it’s a beef brisket brined with spices then rubbed with more spices and finally smoked to not even taste like beef brisket anymore. I’ve heard it described as “beef bacon” but I don’t think it tastes anywhere close to pork bacon. Just my opinion.

OK, so, back at the grocers, the deli dude sliced me a thin sample of the Romanian pastrami. “If you like spicy this is the one for you,” he said, handing it to me on a small wax paper sheet.

It was early morning, and my just-brushed teeth were not ready for so much spice. Nevertheless, I took a bite, chewed it while rolling it over my tongue a bit before swallowing. Even with a minty-fresh palate, I didn’t think it was any spicier than the Classic pastrami.

The deli clerk asked, “Well, what do you think?” 

I answered, “Not bad; but it tastes the same as your other pastrami.”

He looked surprised, his big bushy eyebrows rising to his scalp. “Can’t you taste all the extra seasoning? 

“Not really.”

“Maybe you should try a sample of the Classic for a direct comparison.”

But I really didn’t want more pieces of pastrami with its coarse-ground peppercorns, and allspice stuck between my teeth, especially since I didn’t have any tooth floss in my purse. “No, thanks,” I replied, “I’ll just take a half-pound of the Romanian this time.” After all it was on sale—and at the time cost less than the Classic pastrami. 

Deli Dude really wanted me to compare both. He even offered to make two mini-sandwiches—on pumpernickel bread no less—to make sure I could tell the difference in taste. Wow, talk about going to great lengths!

I wanted to be polite, but it was getting hard to refuse this guy. “No, thanks, I’ll just take a half pound of the Romanian pastrami.” 

Shrugging his shoulders, he turned to the slicer, filled my order, and handed it to me. “Keep your receipt in case you’re not satisfied with its flavor.” 

Yikes. I snatched my pastrami order and dropped it into my shopping cart. “OK, I will, thank you,” I said, speeding away and ditching into the produce department. I wanted so badly to pick the beef shreds and spices out of my teeth. Pastrami is just not the ideal morning breath to have in my mouth. I headed for the checkout hoping not encounter any produce clerks wanting shoppers to sample the many varieties of onions there. 

The End.

Jane Ruby is an award-winning novelist, essayist, and short story writer. She’s also the Treasurer of the Arizona Authors Association as well as the Literary Contest Director. 

Writing the series - constructing the universe - how long should series be? by Vijaya Schartz

 Creating an entire universe, with its inhabitants, its rules, its technology, is exciting but a lot of work. And as I create a universe for a story, I usually fall in love with it, which makes it difficult to let go of it to write something completely different. So, I tend to write series.

Although I write each book as a standalone, long series sometimes discourage the readers. Who wants to start with Book 8? And buying all the books that came before in one sweep may seem overwhelming.

Other readers want to wait until the series is finished to read all the books in one sweep. I understand that.

The Curse of the Lost Isle series, based on Celtic legends, has eight books. It can be a challenge or some readers.

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The Chronicles of Kassouk science fiction series has six. Still too long for some readers.

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So, I recently decided to limit each series to three or four books. But then, I start another series, set in another part of the same universe.

Sometimes, I fall in love with a secondary character in my story in progress, and I decide he or she deserves their own book. So, I use the secondary character from the current book as the protagonist for the next one. Or I introduce the next protagonist at the end of a story. It provides a link, and the reader feels grounded in the new series.

That way, I can enjoy writing new stories in the same universe I love so much, like the Azura Universe. Azura is the angel planet featured in the Azura Chronicles. 

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But the Byzantium Space Station series is also set in that universe, where Azuran angels cross path with human, alien, cats, and cybernetic characters.

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And the Blue Phantom series also stems from Azura, as the Angel Ship sails alone about the universe, rescuing the worthy and fighting the forces of evil. I'm currently writing the second book, ANGEL GUARDIAN, set for release in October 2023. 

From series to series, the Azura universe evolves. The forces in power at the beginning may be defeated, evil rises, an authoritarian regime falls and lawlessness follows. Evil never misses an opportunity to insert itself into the mix. We discover new corners of the universe, new planets, and special places, like Byzantium, The Land of Many Waters, or the Pandemonium Space Station, ruled by a powerful crime lord.

The advantage is that the universe is consistent for the reader, who, like me, enjoys spending time there. I noticed that, once hooked on one series, my readers will check out the other series in that same universe. All the books in the Azura universe feature cats. It’s evident on the covers for the Byzantium Space Station series. For the Azura Chronicles, and for the Blue Phantom series, all the titles start with Angel. The style of the covers may vary from one series to the next, but the theme remains. Angels, strong heroines, and cats, protecting the universe from evil forces.

Desperate to save her people from the Marauders swarming her space freighter, Kefira prays for a miracle. Blake Volkov, legendary captain of the Blue Phantom hears her plea and deems her and her refugees worthy of his help. Grateful for the rescue, Kefira finds his price shocking. Despite his glowing wings, handsome looks and impressive abilities, Blake admits he is no angel… although Kefira’s feline bodyguard strongly disagrees.

Meanwhile, an old enemy bent on revenge against Blake unleashed an unspeakable evil on the galaxy. Time to face past mistakes… time for innocent blood to flow. Nothing prepared Kefira for the upheaval ahead.

Can Blake find redemption? Can Kefira save her people? Can either of them ever trust again?

"Unique and memorable characters who travel throughout the galaxy battling the forces of evil in a truly epic novel. There are so many unique aspects to this book and not just the world building. The characters are well rounded, the description on point, and the surroundings are awesome. The plot of "Angel Ship" will grip readers from the first page and keep in a talon-like grip until the very last page... Fans of Science Fiction will love this offering and will be drawn to read more books from this talented and capable author." Ind'Tale Magazine

Happy reading!

Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author

Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats

http://www.vijayaschartz.com

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New release: Meditation on BLue Jesus - Listening to the Disabled God - by Gil W. Stafford

 

Fint this book on Amazon HERE

"Meditations on Blue Jesus is beautifully written. A testament to a sibling with PWS." - paige Rivard, CEO Prader-Willi Syndrome Association, USA

Dinah Stafford is among the oldest living persons with Prader Willi syndrome. She is an artist and a mystic. She’s also a survivor—strong, spiritual, and oh yes, beware, she is stubborn. She has few words but her symbolic art holds profound meaning.

Meditations on Blue Jesus is Dinah’s story. She and her Blue Jesus are small broken figures who communicate a hidden wisdom only found in silence. Dinah recognizes the divine within the marginalized, the odd, the misshapen, the blue experience of every being human. And her brother, Gil, tells their family story, tragic, heart-warming, inspiring and funny.

Each chapter features one of Dinah’s paintings. Her spirituality is her own, but one shared with all of us. Through Dinah’s art, we’ll experience her relationship with the divine, one not overly influenced or politicized by religion. Dinah sits at the center of her blue sacred circle teaching us her Blue Wisdom. Hers is the re-imagining of a spiritual story, a rebirth into a new normal. This is a story of Dinah and “the Disabled God.”

Gil Stafford, PhD, DMin, is an Episcopal priest and former Canon Theologian for the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona. Stafford was the President of Grand Canyon University, previously the university’s baseball coach. He is the author of 3 other books; Wisdom Walking: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life, When Leadership and Spiritual Direction Meet: Reflections and Stories for Congregational Life, and Walking with the Spiritual but Not Religious: Spiritual Companions for a Post-Religious World.

New release: Desert Report - Book 3 in the Desert series -by June A Reynolds

 

Find this book on Amazon HERE

Once again, June A. Reynolds is offering a look at the desert southwest. This time the book focuses on the people and what they do in the desert in the past, present, and the future. The days of the Wild West may be over and gone, but the culture of the west can be found if you look hard enough for it. This book can make a good armchair adventure or can be taken with you as part of your travels in the desert lands.

June A. Reynolds was born and lived most of her life in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. She married a Desert Rat from Tucson, so for the past ten years she has spent time in Arizona. She finds the contrast of the desert to the rainy forest very interesting and yet, there are many things that both parts of the west have in common.

New release: Wild Call to Boulder Field - by Robert Ronning

 

Find this book on Amazon HERE

Troubled Park Ranger, Wade Conrad, heartbroken when his Golden Retriever goes missing, seeks wilderness solace on the Arizona Trail. But the beauty of nature offers little peace on the first night at camp when he hears strange calls and finds a small white terrier cowering in a burrow. Ranger and his rescue, a "Westie," soon run into an accident-prone young bicyclist who claims to carry out creative protests to save wildlife.

Trail conditions soon become desperate when the Westie vanishes in a deep canyon. Wade fears a wild predator has been stalking them on the trail all along. Spurred on by powerful emotions and determined to find the little dog, Wade follows the calls of a mysterious coyote to a vast boulder field. To save his terrier companion, Wade must reach deep within himself and far beyond the typical barriers between man and wildlife.

One Amazon reviewer wrote, “If you love dogs and wildlife, you will love this story.” 

About the author: 

From Washington State, Robert had an early career in the theatre and earned a Ph.D. in communication arts. He taught performance of literature at City University of New York. He directed two plays Off-Broadway: a comedy about George Bernard Shaw and a concert docudrama on Albert Einstein at Lincoln Center. Theatre study lured him to London, where he lived off and on for several years. His writing has appeared in academic as well as popular publications, including Channels in Communications, Scene4 Magazine, Quarterly Journal of Speech, and locally in Tucson’s DesertLeaf magazine. Drawn to activist literature, he considers his proudest achievements rescuing and assisting the rescue of lost dogs. To find out more about Robert, visit his website HERE

Writers and sleep - by Vijaya Schartz

 Every time the subject of sleep emerges in a conversation, I get different opinions. Sources differ about what’s not enough, what’s right, or what’s too much.

Recent studies on children have demonstrated that shortening sleep by 40 minutes adds significant stress to a child’s day. Adults who don’t sleep enough are also stressed… and stress affects the mood and the immune system.

I used to sleep 8 hours or more each night. Then I was told it was too much, so I reduced my sleep to the standard 7 hours. Soon, I realized it wasn’t enough. My body craved more.

Sleep quality is also a factor. Thanks to Yoga, Meditation, and Tai-Chi, as soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m in dreamland. Eliminating noise and light also contributed to better sleep.

Still. 7 hours weren’t enough. I realized I needed 7.5 hours minimum to feel refreshed and ready to face the new day.

I now understand that despite varying medical guidelines, each person is different and has different needs. It also depends on how much coffee you drink. I only have one large mug in the morning, and no caffeine during the day.

Screen time can also affect the quality of your sleep, so turn off the TV, the cell phone, or the kindle ½ hour before bed time. Warm milk also helps.

I used to be a night owl. But over the years, I discovered that I was more productive and inspired to write in the morning. So, I had to discipline myself to go to bed earlier.

Don’t tell me I sleep too much for an adult. I sleep just the right amount to be healthy, happy, and inspired. That’s what works for me.

So, don’t listen to the nay-sayers. Everyone should find their own balance in life. Sleep, work, recreation. That’s the secret of happiness. Cats already figured it out. 

I wish you all the sleep of the just.

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Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author

Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats

http://www.vijayaschartz.com

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Driving a Smart Car - by Jane Ruby

 Wanna know what pounds my cake? I’ll tell you anyway: driving a “smart car.” No, not the self-driving kind but the kind that thinks it knows more than you do, and runs your life.

You know, cars that automatically turn on headlights when it gets dark or windshield wipers when it starts to rain—like you’re too stupid to do it yourself. Ones that enable all your seat settings, mirror settings, and last radio station you listened to. How presumptuous can those little twits be?

Case in point: My husband wanted to borrow my 2012 Nissan Xterra for his annual ski trip to Lake Tahoe. He anticipated snowstorms and wanted my 4X4 SUV should conditions get tough. It made good sense since his travels involved passing through parts of the California Sierra Mountain Range, which recently got record amounts of snow.

In exchange, he loaned me his late-model Hyundai Genesis. Smooth, sleek and luxurious, the sedan would afford a quiet comfortable ride in the mild sunny Phoenix weather. I’d seen the Genesis commercials. The car beat out the options my Spartic SUV had: 4 wheels, some seats and power windows. It had no aux cords, no GPS, not even a compass. Xterra makers must’ve assumed we drivers had a brain or ought not be driving.

So, I agreed to the vehicle exchange, not realizing how unfair it was for me.

Left with his flashy smart car, I ran my weekly errands and hooked up with other family members for a lunch date. The Genesis indeed had all the bells and whistles—more than I had anticipated. When I first started the engine, it told me to straighten the steering wheel. Huh?

The seat moved back and the mirrors adjusted to my husband’s views (his being taller I couldn’t see out of any of them). The AC fan blew into my face and the radio tuned into National Public Radio, with over 100 decibels of volume! After disabling those presets, the smart screen diagrammed safe passage out of the garage. Like I couldn’t see for myself!

I hooked my purse over the gearshift lever—like I always do on my truck. But after ~15 minutes of driving, my left butt cheek started to burn. Why the left butt cheek? I put my hand under it, and shortly my hand started to burn. I pulled off the road and turned off the car. Must’ve been a short circuit in the wiring somewhere.

I called my husband and asked if he’d had any problems with left-cheek burning. After brief laughter, he told me that I must have activated the seat heater. He told me that somewhere on the gearshift console I could find a button to deactivate it. I found it alright, and it had three settings, in which I must have activated the highest one with my purse strap. Geez, who needs a seat heater—let alone three levels of it—in Phoenix?

Driving back home, I stopped at the local grocery store. I pushed the “Off” button but forgot to put the gear in “Park” first. Boy, did Mr. Smarty Car let me have it with beeps and lights. It wouldn’t let me leave the car in peace. I had to sit back down, restart the engine, engage/disengage the parking gear, and push the “Off” button before he calmed down.

So feisty! If that ever happened in my XTerra all I got was one beep and inability to pull out my ignition key. By simply reshifting to “Park,” my car let me leave and go my merry way.

I had other issues, especially with the “Lane Change” notification which not only blipped on the dashboard but also vibrated the steering wheel. My husband had given me a heads-up on that defect, so I knew to expect those notifications. Suffice it to say, when hubby finally made it back home with my SUV, I pampered it with a car wash and wax. So wonderful to have an uncomplicated and relatively brainless vehicle back!

Jane Ruby is an award-winning novelist, essayist, and short story writer. She’s also the Treasurer of the Arizona Authors Association as well as its Literary Contest Director.

 

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

  I always was fascinated by traditions, legends, and their origins. St Patrick is known for having brought Christianity to Ireland and cast the snakes out of the island.

Legend has it that Patrick stood on an Irish hillside and delivered a sermon that drove the island’s serpents into the sea. While it’s true that the Emerald Isle is mercifully snake-free, chances are that’s been the case throughout human history. Water has surrounded Ireland since the end of the last glacial period, preventing snakes from slithering over; before that, it was blanketed in ice and too chilly for the cold-blooded creatures. Scholars believe the snake story is an allegory for St. Patrick’s eradication of pagan ideology.

Although the knights of St. Patrick wore blue, green is the color of the Emerald Isle. It's also the color of the shamrock.

As for the traditional food, I suspect it was different in the days of the saint. And the green beer is definitely a modern tradition.

But today, everyone is celebrating, and everyone is Irish. Enjoy the celebrations!

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!

Life goes on - Another furry thing to love - by Vijaya Schartz

After the loss of my little Jasmine just after the holidays, I thought I shouldn't wait too long before adopting a new furry companion. 

Here he is, I renamed him Pasha (which is a spoiled mid-eastern king, usually fat and spoiled). Pasha is seven-years-old. He was rescued in November by Cat's World Rescue from a family where he'd been abused by children and used as target practice by mean men. The vet had to dig several BBs out of his body.

Needless to say, this little thing was spooked. He hates children and men. He couldn't be touched, even less petted. So, his case was special, and adoption would be difficult, since he couldn't be adopted by a family.

As it often happens, the right connection at the right time (I was browsing at Petsmart) put both of us on a collision course. I believe in the energy of the universe solving problems. I always keep an open mind. And as it happened, I was there, ready to adopt when he was in need of a home.

In a very short time, Pasha understood he was safe in my home. He really is the king of his domain and now lets me pet him and even pick him up. He jumps in my lap and purrs and even let me brush his tummy. 

I think this is the perfect pairing. An author needs a quiet furry companion to sleep and purr on the desk while the inspiration strikes. I believe cats help inspiration, especially for my books, where you will often find cat characters... sometimes small, sometimes very big, but always brave.

Here are some of my titles that include cats:

Happy reading!

Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author

Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats

http://www.vijayaschartz.com

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Preparing for Publication - by Penny Orloff

 

The Blurb. Condensing a 100,000-word manuscript, or a 90-minute performance piece or film, or a 14-song CD into 300 words is a daunting task. But it is probably the single most important step to getting your finished work out there. 

 The descriptive copy on hardback books is known as “jacket” or “flap” copy. Paperback copy is called “back cover copy.” It can be used in any number of ways – cover letters, press releases, etc. - to promote your work. This writing is meant to give a brief description, grab readers' attention, highlight any reviews, and identify the author. This is where you have about twenty seconds to hook your audience. 

Here are a few guidelines for distilling the essence of your work into promotional copy for your book, CD, film, or performance piece.

A-B-C. Accuracy, Brevity, Clarity. Keep in mind the goal of the blurb: to offer a brief summary of your work, engage your prospective audience, and offer them a reason to buy. Do not try to explain every character, plot twist, and feature of your novel. Do not go into all the personal reasons you wrote these songs. Stick with Accuracy, Brevity, Clarity. 

Research. Visit a library or bookstore and read jacket copy. Look at copy on different types of books, films, CD’s, focusing on work similar to yours. Whenever you find copy that really grabs your attention, jot down what you like about it. 

 Have someone else write a synopsis or distillation. Enlist the help of a friend or colleague who is willing to read through your manuscript, watch the video of your performance piece, or listen to your recorded tracks. Have them write a brief summary of your work, noting the specific points or plot elements they liked most. This is a great way to gain a fresh perspective on your work and can be a helpful starting point. 

Excerpts. If you're having trouble condensing your project into a few brief paragraphs, comb through your manuscript, play, songs looking for passages or lines to excerpt. Place the passage in quotes and, introducing or underneath the quote, identify the passage as having come from your piece. For example, I summed up my novel and subsequent solo show, Jewish Thighs on Broadway: Misadventures of a Little Trouper, in one phrase— “Breaking into Show Business is like breaking into Fort Knox; breaking out, we’re talking Alcatraz.” 

Review quotes. If you've been fortunate enough to have your oeuvre reviewed, include the best quotes from those reviews. Take the most complimentary phrases from the review(s) and put them in quotes on the back cover. Name the source. Note: you can do this even with “bad” reviews…

Author bio. In one short paragraph list your accomplishments, other books you've published, schooling (if it’s MIT or Juilliard), awards, grants, etc. Mention where your work has appeared - newspapers, magazines, online journals, theaters, radio, etc. Establish your authority on the subject. Do NOT include non-relevant accomplishments. Your breakthrough discoveries in vulcanology are not enhanced through mention of your college poetry prizes… 

Try it on. Print out or visualize how the copy will look on the jacket and back cover of your book. Keep it BRIEF and MUSCULAR. Invite them in and give them a reason to stay. 

Reviews. A good review is the best form of free advertising any artist could hope for, but even a “bad review” is publicity. 

 Publicity departments of large publishing houses have the resources and staff to send out press releases, bound galleys, and multiple copies of completed books to reviewers. Smaller houses and self-publishers don't have the wherewithal for that. Instead, authors doing their own publicity should send a press release to all appropriate reviewing outlets. The press release should describe your book and highlight what sets it apart that might be worth a review. It should let reviewers know who you are, where you can be reached, and how soon you can get them a manuscript if they request it. 

Contact your local newspaper, ask if they review books, and get the name of the appropriate editor. Many alternative weekly newspapers, special interest publications, literary magazines, newsletters, and websites also feature book reviews. The Literary Market Place contains listings and information on many periodicals.

Once the press release is written and mailed, your book may or may not get reviewed. If luck and timing are with you and your book is reviewed, excerpt the most complimentary parts of the review (a word, phrase, sentence, paragraph), and use this quote in a blurb to get the attention of your local bookstore, other reviewers, and publishers. 

If you don't promote your work, it won't get promoted. It's worth taking the time to write an accurate, informative press release and send it to reviewers you believe would be most interested. Your ultimate goal is to let as many people as possible know your work is Out There, and having it reviewed is an important element of that process.

Constantly be ready to represent your work or arrange a signing or reading. Easiest is probably the Open Mic. Look for these in local papers, attend the event, and read your work!! Word of mouth is the most powerful advertiser. PS – bring copies to sell. You never know… 

Bookstore Readings. Contact the store and get the name and correct spelling of the Community Relations Coordinator. Send this person a professional press kit. Include a copy of your book and any praise your work has received. 

Follow up a few days later to ask when might be convenient for you to come in and discuss a possible in-store reading. Don’t just show up and ask to see the CRC without an appointment. Calling or emailing and requesting time is professional courtesy.

If you have done other readings or lectures, be sure to bring flyers, newspaper clippings, or other evidence with you. This can help to sway a planner's decision to give time to an unknown local writer. If you do book the event, help promote it on your own. An article in a local paper or strategically placed posters or flyers around town can only help. 

As you're talking with the CRCs, remember that while you know how great your book is, they know the clientele of their stores and what sells. Sometimes they say "no." In some areas, fiction books sell best; in others, political nonfiction packs the room. 

Generally, CRCs are gregarious professionals who may have some great suggestions for improving your press kit or recommending other stores where your book may work better. Even if the meeting results in "No, thanks," be sure to send a quick note afterward to thank them for seeing you and to ask them to keep you in mind for other upcoming events. Better to be remembered for that friendly thank you note than as the temperamental Artiste who stormed out in a huff. 

Most CRC’s know other event planners within their company and competing companies. A bad impression on one could affect your chances at another store.

Press Release. Probably the most important promotional tool at your disposal is the press release. 

Keep it to one page. Your release should be double-spaced, have a killer headline, and start with the standard Who, What, Where, When, Why intro. Your contact info belongs at the top, with additional contact info (website address, phone number, email) at the bottom. Proofread your release! 

It’s a good idea to write your press release like a news article with the main point first, followed by further details. Give enough information to get their attention and provoke questions. Write press releases and send them out, if possible, in conjunction with a relevant holiday or event: If your book is about finding True Love, send something out a few weeks before Valentine's Day. Include supporting quotes—these can be from you—or solicit quotes from another writer, a celebrity, or a recognized expert in your field. Stay clear of anything that smacks of hype. 

Get accurate contact info and deadlines for releases sent to newspapers and magazines. Many monthly publications have as much as four-months lead time. Get the facts! Spell the editor’s name correctly! 

Here’s a tip: fold the letter with copy side out and position it in the envelope so the headline and opening lines of the first paragraph can’t be missed. 

If you get “free ink” or any type of feedback as a result of your press release, be sure to write thank-you notes. That’s just good manners. And good manners count! 

Penny Orloff was a working actor/dancer in Los Angeles when a Juilliard scholarship took her to New York. She had featured roles on Broadway, working for directors Harold Prince and Joseph Papp, and sang more than 20 Principal Soprano roles for New York City Opera under Julius Rudel and Beverly Sills. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she starred in over 100 productions off-Broadway, regionally and internationally. Her first solo show, “Jewish Thighs on Broadway” (based on her best-selling novel of the same name, available on Amazon), toured the U.S. for a decade, including a successful off-Broadway run in 2005. Having outlived most of her early competition for film roles, since 2012 she has enjoyed acting in a range of interesting shorts, Indie, and feature films (silver-white hair and a Botox-free face being, apparently, in short supply in LA.)

Operational Organization for Authors and Artists Part 3 - by Jeanne Burrows-Johnson

When I began this series of articles, my goal was to help authors, artists, and other creative professionals organize their physical environment to effectively plan and complete work projects, including aspects of their:

~ Office contents and arrangement

~ Updating hardware, software, and electronic gadgets

~ Using the Cloud for backup

~ Organization of books, files, and folders

~ Reviewing document and design elements for future usage 

With the tools of your trade at hand and a New Year unfolding, it is time to consider the possibilities as well as the probabilities of the contents of your calendar for 2023. With our work spaces stocked and organized, we may appear ready to move forward into the year. But despite having reference materials, basic tools, and necessary folders and files readily available, past years may very well demonstrate that our plans can easily go astray. Even when one is fortunate to have assistance in our home or office, we may not be able to avoid some pitfalls while striving to meet our goals. As we examine the preparations we have made recently, there may be a few additional tweaks that can assure we are prepared to launch many months of a heavy work schedule. This could involve another round of polishing and cleaning, and the sharpening or replacement of key implements.

As successful authors and artists, the relationships we establish and maintain with colleagues and our local and even our international community can be vital to our productivity. So, moving forward in 2023, let us expand and refine our relationships. Such strengthening of connections near and far can greatly enhance the quality of our personal lives and our awareness of the life that flows around us. 

Starting points for exploring such relationships can begin with reviewing our past year’s calendar, as well as incoming and outgoing email and other communication, which should disclose potential elements for our forthcoming year. Checking the scheduled events of organizations to which we belong and the plans of fellow members will also reveal probable aspects of our own upcoming year. And that brings us to consideration of our own work and that of our editors, publishers, and other key figures in our personal and professional commitments.

By this point, you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of data being entered into your calendar template. But without details fleshing out the days, let alone the months yawning forward, it will prove difficult to see how the details of your completed projects, presentation materials, travel plans, and new events may result from these activities.

Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors, 

Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, narrator, consultant, and motivational speaker

For more ideas to aid your career as an author or artist, visit: JeanneBurrows-Johnson.com

LET’S TALK ABOUT LANGUAGE, YA SCUFFLEHEADS - by Ashley E. Sweeney

“Hold your horses,” my Scottish granny used to say (she was a lover of all things Western, although she never traveled further west than Texas or Minnesota). As all my novels take place in the American West, there’s bound to be some slang thrown in. From “itchin’ to go North” in Eliza Waite to “cinch up” in Answer Creek to “hotter than a burnt boot” in Hardland, there’s an undercurrent of Western slang in all my work.

How to use slang in fiction? How much is enough? How much is too much? And what about vernacular and idiom? Enough? Too much?

One need not turn any further than Mark Twain for this argument. I’d bet five beans in the wheel that half of us would have Twain’s back as the best example of slang/vernacular/idiom and the other half would take issue with his use of language. Without a doubt, Twain is the first American author to use Southern vernacular throughout his narrative with plenty of slang and idiom thrown in for good measure. To some, it’s genius; to others, it might be labeled a distraction. 

According to the University of Virginia’s “Mark Twain and His Times,” a collaborative effort of the Department of English at UVA, Huckleberry Finn has “been in trouble” since its publication in 1885. Hemingway said it was the “one book” from which “all American literature” owes a debt to, although many of Twain’s contemporaries viewed it as “coarse” and “racist.” It was banned almost as soon as it was published and has continued to be banned off and on for 138 years. Still, Huckleberry Finn remains near the top of novels read in U.S. high schools (various sources). 

Let’s look at Twain’s language (it goes without saying that slang and vernacular have no place in academic or formal writing unless the topic expressly addresses the subject). Using slang in fiction, and in dialogue in particular, has the ability to bring the reader right into the narrative. 

This, from Huck himself: “What’s the use you learning to do right, when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?” Here, we hear a young boy confronting his own better/worst angels as he wrestles earnestly with doing right vs. wrong.

This is from Jim, Huck’s African American companion: “Sometimes you gwyne to git hurt, en sometimes you gwyne to git sick, but every time you’s gywne to git well agin.” Here, we picture Jim, without description, as he imparts a universal truth

And this from Huck’s Pap: “Thinks I, what is this country a-coming to? It was ‘lection day, and I was about to go and vote, myself, if I warn’t too drunk to get there, but when they told me there was a State in this country where they’d let that n***** vote, I drawed out. I says I’ll never vote again.” Here, again from language only, we hear the words of a drunk bigot, prejudice dripping from his lips. Arguably, the language is brilliant. And arguably, it’s distracting (and disturbing). 

I canvassed several peers—critique partners, authors, editors, and proofreaders—to ask the following: 

How much slang/vernacular/idiom is enough to bring time/place/mood/character alive? 

Conversely, how much is too much? 

“It depends on the reader and how complicated the vernacular and how unfamiliar the slang,” one author responded. “It’s a matter of balance—not too much, just enough to give it flavor.”  

A proofreader weighed in to say it’s not distracting if you pepper your manuscript with slang/vernacular, ie. dropping the final “g” in words (givin’ you a hard time, workin’ your tail off) or using an occasional expletive for oomph, as long it’s intentional and not used indiscriminately.

An editor who’s partial to foreign fiction contends the essence of a place—especially through language—is what makes different worlds jump off the page and challenge perspectives.

With the rise of sensitivity readers, manuscripts that once might have passed muster with editors without a second thought are getting a thorough going over. The danger lies, however, in the manuscript being watered down for the sake of not wanting to offend.

Imagine if Huck had used proper grammar (“What is the use of learning to do right . . . ?”) or Jim had said, “Sometimes you might get hurt and sometimes you might get sick, but every time you’ll get well again” or Pap had said, “What is this country coming to?” It just rings flat.

I’m in the camp that appropriate slang/vernacular/idiom must be present in manuscripts for historical accuracy, especially in historical fiction and Western literature. My advice: used intentionally and creatively, especially in dialogue, use of period slang and vernacular and idiom help manuscripts find legs. (Note: If you use racial or ethnic slurs, consider including a footnote in your end pages, i.e. “While I do not condone the use of slurs used in the manuscript, I am unwilling to whitewash history.”) 

Some of my favorite Western sayings, A-Z: 

Adam’s Ale: water

Bones: dice

Cat’s sleep: pretending to be asleep to catch prey unawares

Death hunter: undertaker

Elbow grease: hard labor

Flash man: bully

Grease: to bribe

Hear the owl hoot: get utterly plastered

Irons in the fire: refers to branding, and the many irons used

Jabber: talk loud and fast

Keno!: “I’ve won!”

Light-fingered: thief

Murphies: potatoes

Night Horse: one who can find his/her way in the dark (literally and figuratively)

On tick: buy on credit

Peppered: inflicted with venereal disease

Quicken: when one finds herself pregnant

Rim Rocker: sturdy and tireless horse

Saddle Bums: drifters

Tonsil Paint: whiskey 

Under the gun: do or die

Vixen: comely woman

While the gate’s still open: do something while you still have the chance

E(x)pended: Killed

Yack: refers to someone stupid

Zounds!: “What the heck?!”

*Gleaned from The Cowboys, by William Dale Jennings, Cowboy Slang, by Edgar R. “Frosty” Potter, and other references

Use of language—verbal and written—is an argument as old as time itself and I’m sure as shootin’ we won’t settle it here. Did I let the cat of the bag? The bullet out of the chamber? Maybe so. But I argue that, like anything of importance, use of language begs to be talked about and debated. Especially by authors. 

Write me at contact@ashleysweeneyauthor.com with ideas you’d like to see covered in upcoming blogs. 

Until next time, Happy Writing! 

Ashley 

Ashley E. Sweeney is the winner of the 2017 Nancy Pearl Book Award for her debut novel, Eliza Waite. A native New Yorker, she is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and resides in Tucson. Answer Creek, released in May 2020, is her second novel. Her third novel, Hardland, is set in the Arizona territory at the beginning of the 20th century. It was released on September 13, 2022.

Walking with the Spiritual but not Religious - by Gil W. Stafford

 

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Walking with the Spiritual but not Religious takes a fresh look at being a spiritual companion for those who identify as something other than religious—SBNR, Nones, not religious, agnostics, atheists, people who have experienced something unexplainable, and those who have encountered the paranormal (religious or otherwise). 

The book is for anyone who has left a religious tradition but still longs for a spiritual path. It is also for anyone— religious or not—called to be a spiritual companion for the not religious. 

In this book, you’ll discover: 

 -just how “normal” the paranormal actually is -meditation, contemplation, and other “spiritual” practices

 -how to craft meaningful life-cycle rituals

 -creating spiritual community that heals rather than hurts

Catherine Stafford, EdD, professional educator for thirty-eight years as an elementary teacher, college professor, and finally a public-school superintendent. In 2012, she stepped off the public-school trail onto a new path, which lead her into the forests, fields, waterways, and sometimes deserts of interfaith spiritual exploration and companioning. All along these trails and paths wisdom listening has been her practice. 

 Gil Stafford, PhD, DMin, Episcopal priest and former Canon Theologian for the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona. Stafford was the President of Grand Canyon University, previously the university’s baseball coach. He is the author of 3 other books; Wisdom Walking: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life and When Leadership and Spiritual Direction Meet: Reflections and Stories for Congregational Life, and Meditations on Blue Jesus: Listening to the Disabled God. Life is a pilgrimage and Stafford has taken many, including walking Ireland coast-to-coast.