Moral Support

For a writer, getting published for the first time is like Christmas for young children. It's as good as ice cream is with cake, or milk with cookies. Becoming a published author is as joyous as graduating from college, or having any dream come true.

People who support and encourage writers are necessary to not only keep the writer writing, but to boost their morale since writing is a "lonely" profession. There is no boss to give you kudos (unless you are lucky enough to land an agent) so words or encouragement are welcomed by authors (at least this one).

This past weekend was filled with book signings. I had the great opportunity to share these events with Carol Weishampel. We had a good time visiting and sharing ideas, and even though the turn-out was low, we were there to support each other. Thank you to my family and Carol.

Wonderful Christmas presents...

I have been very busy the past couple of days promoting my story in Christmas Miracles. Yesterday I was on a local morning news program. Then last night I went with a fellow author, Carol Weishampel (who was on the news with me also), to a nearby town's "First Friday" event. Today, we are having a book signing at Barnes&Noble from 1:00-3:00. I will post pictures later about these exciting times.

If you are interested in buying a signed copy of Christmas Miracles from me, please leave a comment with your contact information or you can e-mail me at lkkolpbmt@yahoo.com. Thank you for your support. Happy Christmas shopping (start early- stores only have a limited number of items in stock due to the economy).

Not so sweet dreams

As I was happily dreaming about going to summer camp with the kids, Nicholas was having a nightmare. He came to me in the middle of the night horrified at what he had just dreamt. I asked him if he wanted to tell me about the dream and he did.

This is what Nicholas said:

"I was hiding under my bed because Ms. Angelle was on the floor and I was scared. She was just bones (because she's dead, you know). All of the sudden she reached out her hand to pull me out and told me to get out from under the bed. I said, 'You're dead!' and then she screamed, 'AAARRR' and then she was still."

Dreams can be really strange. Have you had any strange dreams lately? Please share.

Letter to pepper spray carrier

Dear Whoever-sprayed-Mace-in-my-dog's-eyes,

Please don't spray my dogs with Mace anymore. My dogs do not bite. Snowie's eyes are nearly swollen shut. A trip to the vet yesterday confirmed it came from some kind of pepper spray.

If you are the mailman, please disregard the dog's barking when you walk by. Jake and Snowie look out their peephole at you, but they are only trying to protect the property. I can put up with the wet mail we get from your body sweat (which sometimes ruins our mail), but spraying my dogs' eyes is unacceptable.

If you are a meter reader, please ring the doorbell and I will put the dogs up. I am home most of the time and it will only take a second to go to the door first.

Have some compassion for innocent animals. They are God's lil' creatures that love unconditionally. Maybe you should try to practice some of that love. Ditch the pepper spray first, though.

Sincerely,

ME, an angry dog owner

Halloween fun and a cute story

As you can see Andrew, a.k.a. Harry Potter, is pointing to his pumpkin, who accidentally had too much candy.

Harry Potter, Miz Bumble Bee and G.I. Joe Ninja are ready for the big night. The kids had a lot of fun going trick-or-treating in their Nini and Papa's neighborhood (which is much more inviting than ours). They even got to go through a haunted house, which was a homemade treat right down the street. I had to stay at the house and help pass out candy since my Achilles tendinitis is still not healed. That was fun, too.

My dad shared a funny story that happened about ten years ago on Halloween. A group of kids came trick-or-treating and one boy was suspiciously bent down when Dad answered the door. After he closed the door, my dad turned around to find a little kitten in their living room.

So the next time the doorbell rang, he chose a cute little girl and said, "Have I got a special treat for you."

The princess excitedly answered, "Really?"

My father handed over the kitten. "Here you go," he said.

The child was so excited. I bet that was a Halloween she will never forget...and neither will her parents!

Halloween Fun

Every year we go to the Pumpkin patch put on by a local church as a fundraiser. The pumpkins might cost a little bit more than at the grocery store, but there is a huge selection and the money goes to a good cause. This year we found lots of cool spots to take pictures. These photos were taken a few weeks ago. Now it is too cold to wear shorts (such is the life in southeast Texas- next week we will probably be in shorts again).

This year there was a bounce house/moonwalk at the pumpkin patch. The kids had fun jumping in that. Below you can see Mr. K is having to correct Nicholas, who was bouncing a little too excitedly and knocking some of the wee ones down.Nicholas proudly shows his pumpkin off. Our youngest is all boy, that's for sure!

The kids are posing in their costumes. Andrew is Harry Potter. He also has a tie and glasses, but did not feel like messing with them for a picture. Katie, as you can tell, is a bumblebee. Nicholas is a GI Joe ninja here, but our neighbor also got him a "vampire pirate" costume. We will have to decide which one Nick will dress up in tomorrow. I will let you know. Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Do You See What I See?

These pictures were taken Saturday when we picked Ms. Angelle's ashes up from the funeral home and brought them to Anna's house. In the top picture, the children are posing on the stairs. Andrew is Ms. Angelle's godson and in the bottom picture, you can see him in the mirror's reflection, along with our family picture beside the blue bag that contains Anna's ashes. She wanted the ashes placed in the big urn and set beside the smaller one, which contains her husband's remains.

I would LOVE feedback on these photos... especially since I want to know if you see what I see and if we think the same thing. Talk to me!

I Don't Do Mourning Well

I don't do "mourning" well. I guess I am too much of a sentimental sap. With that being said, you can probably surmise that I am missing Ms. Angelle. I feel like I am walking around with a lump in my throat, a load on my shoulders. You see, I am being selfish. Instead of remembering how miserable Ms. Angelle was and all the pain she was in, I am thinking about how I did not get a chance to say goodbye and how I will be crying in the banana bread the next time I make it (I always took some of the bread to her- she loved it).

I find myself thinking about all the things I will miss doing with Ms. Angelle, like going shopping, or out to eat, or visiting over coffee and laughing about shoes. I think about all the doctor's visits and waiting patiently when she was impatient. I will never forget the stories she told me, like how she poured her coffee in a plant when her neighbor came over one day because she didn't want her friend to think she had started coffee without her. And the time she took the razor out at Walgreen's and started shaving her face to see if the razor worked was priceless.

I will miss all of this and more because I don't do mourning well. At least I saw Mary the day before she died. I hadn't seen Ms. Angelle in a week and a half. Oh how I wish I could turn back the clock.

Grandma On the Go

Carol Weishampel is not only a writing colleague of mine, but a good friend too. We met at a writer's group meeting a couple of years ago and then proceeded to take two continuing education writing classes together. We will be conducting a joint book signing at Barnes & Noble in Beaumont on November 7, 2009. I am very lucky to know such a wonderful woman. Please read this informative interview I did with Carol:

Tell us about yourself and the books you have written.
I'm a retired teacher who was a trainer for the New Jersey Writing Project in Texas which got me motivated. By then all but one of my 12 kids were grown and flown. After retiring as a Christian school administrator, I drove the Alaskan Highway to celebrate my 60th birthday, taking notes with a tape recorder and in a journal. On my return I actively turned those notes into my first book, "Grandma's on the Go", published in 2004.
This was followed in 2005 by "Adopting Darrell" about my son who is blind and profoundly retarded due to child abuse. 2006 "Grandma's Ultimate Road Trip, Texas to Alaska" chronicles my first two trips to volunteer in Alaska. My brother and I transcribed our great grandfather's journal that was kept during the Civil War. "Journal; John F. Weishampel" was published in 2007.

Which book has been the most challenging for you to write? Why?
The above are all non-fiction. The most challenging was "A Venture in Faith, a Road Trip to Recovery" published in 2009. This Women's Christian fiction is based on personal experiences, but the challenge was to create a believable story line that took my heroine from Texas to Alaska.

What or who is your inspiration for writing?
The New Jersey Writing Project teacher training course gave me the skills and incentive to "get it on paper!"
Presently my writing critique groups and other writers I meet along the way inspire me to keep on.

What is your favorite thing about book signings?
I enjoy meeting people with similar interests. At a recent summer signing I talked with a woman about "Adopting Darrell". She was bi-polar and shared with me the discrimination she experienced from family and society. RVers love to share their adventures. Civil War buffs engage me with historical tidbits.
I often have a "writer wanna-be" ask loaded questions.

Do you have any books you are working on now?
I have a completed Christian fiction manuscript, and am working on a sequel to "A Venture in Faith" tentatively titled "Have Grand-kids Will Travel, Texas to Alaska." I'm also working on an illustrated children's book, "Loon's Necklace".

Do you have any helpful hints for aspiring authors?

Follow your passions, find a support or critique group, and get it on paper!

My New Endeavor

I have great news! I am now officially the "Houston Early Childhood Education Examiner." This means I have a writing job and I get to write about what I love- teaching. I get paid according to how many hits I get, so please put Examiner.com on your favorites. You can read my article by clicking here. Tell all your friends about it, too. I appreciate you!

RIP Ms. Angelle

I am saddened to inform you that Ms. Anna Belle Angelle passed away yesterday, October 20, 2009. Pete tried to reach Ms. Angelle several times yesterday after work and got no answer, so he went to check on her last night and found her sitting in her favorite chair dead. He immediately called 911 and began CPR. Pete rode over to the hospital with her, where they did everything they could, but it was her time to go. Anna is now with her husband and out of pain. I hope she knows how much we loved her and will miss her. I loved going to Golden Corral with her and loading her plate up with eight ears of corn to take home. I loved taking her to Sams and pushing a wheelchair cart and regular cart precariously at the same time. I love how she called her car a "zoom zoom" and her diuretic a "pissing pill." I adored sitting and listening to her tell stories, or going through her shoes and laughing about the feathery, black high-heeled ones from Fredrick's of Hollywood (which she said Pete would enjoy, with a chuckle). I loved how she would just take off her shirt if she got hot. I enjoyed taking her to the doctors and listening to her chew them out for something she did not like. She's ninety-four, so she had a right to do all that.

Pete and the charge nurse called Ms. Angelle's daughter (who lives 90 miles from here, need I remind you) and this is what she said:

"Can you handle this? I won't be able to get there until this weekend."

I don't know about you, but if my mom had just died, I would drop everything I was doing and haul ass, no matter how far away I lived. GRR. I guess this is why Ms. Angelle called her only child a "fat bitch."

I have regrets like not going by her house this past week and our last conversation (which was the day before she died) not going well because Ms. Angelle thought I was a nurse from a doctor's office calling and the conversation was not nice. Hopefully she now knows how much she was loved.

So remember to enjoy your loved ones each day. You never know when God is going to call them home.

Meet Heather

Heather Buckley is a very talented lady. I met her through a poetry group we both belong to. Not only does Heather write beautiful poetry, but she also creates magnificent art. You can view and order some of Heather's blessing rocks, jewlery and wine glasses on her diverse website, Heather's Art Shop.

I had an opportunity to interview Heather recently. Below you will find that Heather's words radiate with the energy that comes from someone who loves what they do. Heather really never does run out of ideas. I know she will do well in her new business venture. Please support her by checking out her website.

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ME: Tell us about yourself.

HEATHER: I was born in Houston , Texas . I’ve always been “artsy” and never totally focused in one direction. I try to stay fluid and go with the flow of creativity. I work in many different mediums, tile mosaic, glass-on-glass, canvas, blessing rocks, home design, and more . . . I haven’t reached my “medium-limit” yet so perhaps that tells you what you need to know about me. I’m learning, living, loving, creating, and exploring with the intent to create works that make this world a better place through positive energy.

ME: What inspires you?

HEATHER: I am inspired by so many things . . . trees, birds, music, lights, sound, people, texture, food . . . I never know what will send me into my next phase of creativity. The one thing I try to do is stay “open” to ideas and possibilities and let it go from there. The inspirations are endless.

ME: How long have you been writing poetry and designing art?

HEATHER: I created my first cartoon strip at the age of three and have never looked back.

ME: What is the biggest challenge you face creating art?

HEATHER: My biggest challenge isn’t with creating . . . I’d have to say that my challenge is with marketing. I LIVE to create. My mind is constantly coming up with new ideas and I’m inspired by so many things, elements, and people. I create because my soul tells me that I must. Putting a price on creativity is my “challenge.”

ME: What are you working on now?

HEATHER: I’m working on establishing myself as an E-Commerce business on the Web. Creating my own website has been challenging but rewarding in the same respect. I’d much rather focus on the “art” of the matter than the business side of things.

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I wish Heather the best of luck in everything she does. She is a true inspiration. Let her work inspire you, too!