Respecting others' right to choose

Great points made in the above video. Wish more people on facebook would put into practice what this video says. Unless it's illegal or severely insulting, let others choose to take it or leave it.

I miss the 1980s, part 1

For the first time in my life, I truly do miss another time period. I miss the 1980s. The world was a simpler, kinder place back then. The seeds planted in the 1960s had taken root and were flourishing. I miss the peace that existed in the world back then.

Computers were just beginning come into their own, and the internet was still in it's fetus stage. When I graduated business college in the mid 1980s, they were just beginning to teach desktop computers. I learned computers on a big IBM system 34.

People were nicer then. Television was much better then. Yeah, we have more channels, but there's not a lot on them sometimes. There's way too much reality t.v. today. I was much slimmer then, and in much better shape, both physically and financially.

It was at the tail end of the 1980s that I met my hubby. I took karate in the 80s, and got in probably what was the best shape of my whole life. I think the 80s were my golden decade, in a way. Life held such great promise back then.

With the 1990s, came a lot of changes, both for me and the world. That's where it all started. Some of the changes have been good, and some have been bad. There's not really much of anything about the 90s that I miss; it was not a good decade for me nor my hubby. The only redeeming thing about the 90s is that I married my husband and moved out of my parents' home, and finally began to truly discover myself. Instead of trying to fit into the mold that my mother constantly laid out for me.

Having been in a situation where I was told by someone else, who they thought I should be, how I should act, what I should do - I have sympathy for those in the same situation.

A bad thing that the 90s held for hubby and me was the beginning of a financial downslide that we still haven't recovered from yet.

It's getting late, and I'm getting tired. So I'll continue this another time.

Reviewer basics - What would you like to know?

There are lots of articles for writers, about various things, various how to topics. But how about getting reviews? More specifically, about how to contact reviewers? What to say? What they'll expect? Should you pay for a review? 

What would you say to a series of articles, for writers, written by a book reviewer, on how to get reviewers and contact reviewers. Well, that's what I'm planning to do. I'd also like to know what questions you have? What is it that you would specifically like to know?

Share your questions with me either as a comment to this post, or use my contact form:

http://goo.gl/forms/fMOkka0Uu0

--jd--

Scotty McCreery totally nails "Hello Darlin'" at the Grand Ole Opry

Just had to blog about this one. I'm a big Conway Twitty fan from way back when. So when I run across a young singer who can totally nail one of their songs, like Scotty McCreery does, I have to give him his props.

Just sit back and enjoy the video.
You know, there's an awesome story behind that song. Maybe one day I'll write it, and dedicate the book to Conway and Scotty.
--jd--

Trying this out - emailing in a post

So, I ran across where you can email in blog posts, and I just have to try it out. So here goes, this is a test, it is only a test.

HAPPY FACE ME!

This so totally worked!

You can even set it where it will automatically post it too!

Yay!

If you want to do this yourself, go to your blog overview.
Then click on settings.
Then click on mobile and email.
Then under email, just under mobile, which is at the top, . . .
find - post using email -
Next, choose your secret word, then copy down your post by email address.
Then choose from save as draft or publish immediately.
Don't choose disabled, or it won't work.
AND BE SURE AND CLICK THE 'SAVE SETTINGS' BUTTON,
or else, your efforts will be for naught.

Then kick back and relax, and enjoy being able to email in posts to your blog.

Things to do while you're writing that book

So hey there, all you writers out there.
Yeah, you folks pecking away at the keyboard, or scribbling away in that notebook,
writing your novel.

While you're writing, just what else are you doing?
If you're asking, 'I'm supposed to be doing something else?'
then you're definitely missing it.

Writing that book, that's only 1 part of the self-publishing process. And even if you plan on submitting it to a publisher, writing is still only part of the process. While you're writing that book, you need to be busy promoting

*you the author*.

The cover, you can hire someone to do that, maybe even work out a exchange of services deal with some artist for the cover work. Same goes for formatting. It's the promoting that's the thing --

and if you wait till the book is published to start promoting, 

**** you've waited too long. ****

You, the author are a product, a brand, if you will, that you are going to endeavor to sell. For example, there's the big brand name of Kraft, and they make a lot of different products. They promote the big brand of Kraft, and also promote the different products too. When they come out with a new product, they automatically have a ready audience of Kraft users who will be interested; but only because they actively promote Kraft.

While you're writing that book, you need to be hard at work at promoting you, the author. Then, when the book is published, hopefully you will have some people already interested in reading what *you the author* have published. Think of yourself as Kraft, and your books as the products that Kraft makes. While you're writing, be busy telling the world who you, the author, are. It's all part of how the world, and publishing, works today. It's a social world, and readers want to connect online with the authors whose work they read.

Here's a list of some of the things you should do while you're writing your book:

• establish a facebook page, and post there daily; 
• establish a google plus page and post there occasionally; 
• set up a website, which you can do for free on sites like wix.com; 
• start a street team group and post there occasionally; 
• start a personal blog, to blog about what you're writing or whatever; 
• start a writer's newsletter via mailchimp and send it out monthly. 

And that's just a start. That's stuff you do while you're writing, in prep for when the book is finished. When it's finished, then you head out into another, completely different to do list, to promote your new book.
-- jd --

20 years ago next year . . . a dubious anniversary

Next year will be a somewhat dubious anniversary for hubby and me.

Twenty years ago next year, in the summer of 1996, a church in far western Kentucky fired my husband as their pastor. They had no valid reason, other than that they were tired of him, and that his preaching was hitting too close to their secret sins and consciences. They were tired of leaving church feeling bad, so their solution was to fire him as pastor. Rather than change themselves, they changed who they would listen to on Sunday.

My husband had been a good pastor to their church; visiting, and going to the hospital, going to association meetings, all the things a good pastor does. But he faithfully preached the word, and his sermons stepped on their conscience. So they fired him.

What made this so devastating was that it was a full time church, and we lived in their parsonage. So we lost not only the home we lived in, but our only income as well. About 2-3 years prior, something had made an audible shotgun-like pop in my back; and it ended thoughts of me ever working.

We tried so very hard to find him another church, but another minister had been working behind his back, and had ruined him as a minister; telling lies about him, and telling people not to use him, or recommend him. So he couldn't get another church. And this church was a 2 hour drive away from our home area of Owensboro. So not only were we jobless and homeless, but we were a 2 hour drive away from home. We ended up moving back, into a rental house, with no job. We had a hard time finding anyone who would rent to us, because hubby didn't have a job.

Well, hubby did find a job, but our out-go was more than our income. We used our credit cards to help make ends meet, believing that before we maxed out our credit cards, that something would turn up. That our income would go up, that a miracle would occur, and that we would be able to pay off our debts. But that didn't happen. We believed in miracles and Christians too much, to our utter downfall.

During this time, church-wise, we didn't fare much better. My husband only filled in at churches, and supplied, not being particularly interested in pastoring another church at that time. Finally, he was enticed to pastor a church, a part-time church. Our brief time there was somewhat pleasant, until they wanted him to ask a family to leave the church because they didn't dress well enough to suit some of the rulers of the church. We left the same day that family did.

So my husband went back to filling in and supplying, determined not to pastor again. But once again, he was enticed to pastor a church he had been supplying at. This would be the last church that my husband would ever pastor, and the last one we would ever attend regularly.

By the time hubby did get a job that covered our out-go, we had defaulted on our credit cards, and had a huge debt. We wanted to pay the debts off, we really did; but we wouldn't be able to. It was while we were pastoring this last church, that we got the idea to send out letters to our 'brothers and sisters in Christ', seeking their help with our financial dilemma. That would be the final nail in my husband's ministry.

We knew the church was unable to help us, and the local church association couldn't either. We didn't think there was anything wrong with it. According to what the Bible said Christians were supposed to be like, it should have worked; it should have erased our debt. But this action angered the head of the local church association. On Sunday, we were there in the church, one of them. On Monday, the head of the local church association contacted the church leaders and instructed them to fire my husband or they would be kicked out of the local church association. On Tuesday, the church leaders met at the church. On Wednesday, they asked my husband to meet them at the church at 6 pm, before the regular 7 pm church business meeting. They fired him on the spot. They gave him a small severance check, and had us leave before the business meeting. We both walked out of the church in tears, our hearts totally broken by their coldness. They didn't even allow my husband to come back the next Sunday and preach a farewell sermon. We don't know what they told the congregation.

I remember the date that they fired him. It is forever etched in my memory.

The date was . . . . . August 1st, 2001

A little over a month later, the world trade center towers would fall to an enemy attack on our home soil.

2001 was not a good year for either us, nor our nation. He never pastored again. He never preached again. We haven't been a part of a church since then.

Finally, one of our creditors started garnishing my hubby's paychecks, and that was the last straw. We filed for bankruptcy. There was nothing else to do. We had no other choice, no other options. We dearly hated to do it, but had no other choice.

We went on; the bankruptcy cleared out our huge debt. But the work that my husband had done had began taking a toll on his knees. In 2010, my husband would have to go to working part-time because his knees bothered him so bad. He desperately needed to file for disability, but couldn't quit working, as my chronic bad back wouldn't allow me to work. I tried filing for disability, twice, but was turned down flat. I didn't have the mountain of stuff you needed to be able to get it.

The real game changer would happen in 2011. In February of 2011, my husband was fired from his job. March would find him in the hospital, diagnosed with cancer. We had to cash in his 401K from work, just to make it and have money to live on. I think that was the most difficult year of my life so far. I was at home in Hartford, he was in the hospital in Owensboro, and I didn't dare go visit him for fear of catching something and getting sick. I was on my own, and couldn't afford to get sick.

Hubby got disability, but the payments wouldn't start until October of that year. Our credit, barely better after our last bankruptcy, would take a devastating hit. We barely survived the year financially, and we've struggled ever since.

Yes, I've tried all those charities that are supposed to help people. You name it and I've probably tried it at one point or another in this 20 year journey. And still we struggle.

So when we ring in our dubious 20 year anniversary next year, I have no doubt that our financial situation will be no better than it has been over the last 20 years. I would love to be surprised, but I doubt that I will be.

So that is where this post finds us - out of ideas, out of answers, and barely making it from month to month. Like everyone else, we've had dreams, hopes, and wishes; and so many of them, we've had to lay aside and give up on. I think the one that makes me the saddest is my husband's wish to visit the Gettysburg civil war battle site. With both of our physical condition now, even if we had the money and the vehicle, we couldn't do it.

Did you know that he worked his way through college and seminary? His desire was to serve God faithfully, preach the word, and pastor full-time churches. He's a good man, and deserves much better than he's gotten in life. As for me, I've always had bad luck, must have been born under an unlucky star or something. I'm tired and worn out, and all out of ideas of what to do to improve our situation. All I want is for us to have plenty of money for whatever we want or need, and for me to be able to just sit down and quit; to not have to continually try to figure a way out of whatever catastrophe or trouble has befallen us.

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